Why I love watching Kimora

Alright, let me break it down. Kimora Lee Simmons is a momma tiger who is also running a successful fashion empire. She is a total diva, I mean ridiculous, but she loves those little girls and does her best to do right by them. She's Asian (Japanese mother, African American father)--how many Asian American women do we get to know on tv? She's not super-bright, but she seems to know it so she thinks on her feet and has staff members that somehow keep managing to come thru. She whips out this sassy attitude but it's smoke and mirrors because she's actually a goofball.

So, in short, she's pretty much just like me (only a multi-multi-millionaire).

4th of July is July 4th. Always.

Another working mom mind-blip. Our dear friends Scott & Evelyn throw their annual 4th of July barbecue where I get to catch up with some of my favorite people every year. In mommy-mode, I say of course we'll go! Meanwhile, in shop-owner mode, I'm asked, are we open on 4th of July? Of course we're open!

Whoops. Did you know that there's only one 4th of July 2008? And I can only be in one place at a time? Luckily my business partner Mary graciously allowed me to abandon her at the shop while I stole a couple of hours with my friends and family. And it turns out the neighborhood was pretty much a ghost town and we closed as soon as I got back. So did I run back to my barbecue? Nope. I stayed at work and enjoyed the quiet of getting to work uninterrupted. Lucious.

Cake Ladies Cupcakes rock

We had a good crowd in the shop yesterday for Cake Ladies cupcake tasting! Celeste Cooper brought her A-game, with nearly 20 different flavors for us to try including vegan, gluten-free, and of course, classic varieties. Vegan Cookies and Cream was the clear crowd favorite, although I love the lemon-lemon-lemon best (lemon cake/lemon curd/ lemon frosting). The orders are rolling in, so contact Celeste right away to get on her schedule (book a week ahead minimum): celeste@cakeladies.com. Check out her Yelp page to see what others are saying about her goodies.

Stay tuned for the next fun Ruby's Garden event in the house!

Me and Kat Von D

So it's Tuesday night which means I've got a date with Kat Von D. She and I have a lot in common. So what if she's a goth-metal-skull-tattoo-covered ghostly-pale white girl and I'm, well, not. Really not. But Kat is the star of LAInk, which chronicles a young passionate tattoo artist opening her own shop in Hollywood. She's so green but she makes decisions with her gut, and it's clear that she loves her work and she loves the crew she's working with.

That's just like me and Mary! (Only we sell clothes and cute things that aren't permanent parts of your body!)

Her shop is also woman-powered by Kim, Hannah, and Pixie (plus Corey, who's a married guy and has three kids, so he's practically a woman). Every artist in the shop is absolutely awesome, as in I never knew tattoos could be actual works of art. Can you tell that I am considering getting one for the first time? I could even get one on the show, if I could be so brave.

And I love how their work is so crazy-personal with the clients. People get tattoos because of some heavy-duty issues: death in the family, near-death car crash, love lost, love found, love my child and/or pet, beat cancer, beat bulimia, new career, ...the list goes on. What a privilege to (permanently) mark these major turning points in peoples' lives!

Our dream for Ruby's Garden is to be a safe place to land in the neighborhood, even if you're at the end of your rope because your colicky baby kept you up all night, even if only for a little while. I'll say it again, getting to know you awesome people has been one of the absolute best reasons to stay in this job. What a privilege indeed.

By the way, we're still waiting for final word on our move. Stay tuned.