It’s always bitter sweet as summer comes to a close and the school year starts again.  Yesterday, we enjoyed a Labor Day BBQ with some friends. We savored the last of summer foods from the local farmer’s market. Fresh watermelon, burgers with roasted peppers and basil and for dessert, figs with brown sugar melted on top.   It was so delicious.

We pulled our three kids out of our friends’ pool and headed home, tired but ready to return to our fall schedules of early wake ups, Saturday soccer, Cub Scouts events, tennis tournaments, orchestra practice, homework, and more school activities.

This morning, our preschooler was sulking as he prepared to return to another year of preschool.  I told him he was the big boy and there would be younger kids crying on their first day.  We encouraged him to let the new kids know the school was a happy place and give them a hug if they needed one. Then, his six year old brother chimed in yelling that he would get stickers for being nice to the other kids.  Excitedly, our preschooler grabbed his lunch box to leave but then again became sullen as we tried to take his first-day-back-to-school pictures.  When my husband returned from dropping him off, I was relieved to find out he had entered the school happily, waving and smiling.

It was an emotional morning for us but now  I am back to work, snuggling in a sweater and some warm socks!  We have a big Fall planned at Doozycards.  We have over twenty new cards currently in production.  We are very excited to show you what we have been working hard on all summer.  As soon as we have our new line ready we will post it on the site.  Stay tuned and Happy Fall!

Happy Fourth of July!  I love sparkler’s, cupcakes with white butter cream frosting and patriotic colored sprinkles,  BBQ chicken and homemade lemonade.  Since the spirit of July Fourth is all about independence and BBQs we made Founding Father’s BBQ.

Founding Fathers BBQ - these men are just about to cut loose!

We also have our popular America’s Birthday Song ecard. We hope you celebrate July 4th by adding humor and heartfelt wishes to your loved ones email in boxes. At Doozycards we are wishing all of you a very Happy  and delicious July Fourth!

Join us and St. Vincent Meals on Wheels’ Cart for a Cause tomorrow in Santa Monicawhere chef Josef Centeno will be serving up his Lazy OX Canteen menu. Each $10 meal (includes drink and dessert) will feed a senior for a day. The Cart for a Cause will be at 2850 Ocean Blvd in front of the tennis channel. Meals will be served between 12 pm and 2 pm. I would get there at 12 pm since meals have been selling out by 12:30!
When we look at the people behind LA’s first non-profit food truck (see above pic), Cart for a Cause, it’s hard to believe Sister Alice Marie (right corner) started St. Vincent Meals on Wheels on her bicycle. Today the kitchen is serving thousands a meals a day via a fleet of vans and now – a gourmet food truck!
Here is our latest cartoon we made for the St. Vincent’s Meals on Wheels Bike-a-thon.
My son Otis and my husband Patrick enjoyed their third year doing the beach ride.
At Doozycards we are sending lots of love to the home bound seniors, many whom have been hit hard by these difficult financial times.

Bennett and I were were thrilled today to head over to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art to eat lunch at the Meals on Wheels Cart for a Cause.  Every meal purchased feeds a senior for an entire day.  Lying on the lawn across from LACMA eating fried chicken n blue cheese sandwiches and tuna tartar is the most painless way to feed a senior.
Each week there is a different celebrity chef cooking inside the truck!  Not just local fry cooks –  world famous chefs like Nobu  donate their time and all the food.  Today it was Eric Greenspan from The Foundry and Bennett and I give him two giant thumbs up.  Thanks Eric!  If you  live in Los Angeles check out where the next celebrity chef will be: http://www.twitter.com/CartForACause. They sold out today so arrive early.

We want to thank all our customers for sending in the adorable pictures of their golden retrievers in response to our line of golden retriever ecards.  This adorable pic of Abby is one of our favorites.

We are happy to see you are enjoying our St. Patrick’s Day Golden Retrievers ecard (To charm friends and family with our  St. Patrick’s Day ecards click here).

My brother Allen finally gave his six kids what they had been begging for – a golden retriever puppy.   Molly is an adorable and constant companion for their baby, Hudson.   They play for hours while the commotion of the other kids happens around them. Of course, now my own three boys are begging for a dog.  My son insists we buy a dog like Gibson (the famous seven foot dog).  I have tried to tell him, he would have to carry around a giant shovel and paper grocery bag on all walks.   He insists he wants to do this and it will change his life.  I know it will at least change his biceps!

We hope you enjoy our new cards this week and we here at Doozycards wish you all a Happy St. Patty’s Day.