My brother-in-law, Victor, is lovingly known in the family as “the big boy”. This is truly a term of endearment, and has nothing to do with his actual size. (well, almost nothing :o) What kind of birthday cake is perfect for a big-boy celebration? A great big cupcake…of course! The Wilton giant cupcake pan is […]
Back in June, I blogged about my hairdresser’s pregnancy with her first baby. Quick recap: She and her husband chose to be surprised by the baby’s sex. She had a premonition that the baby was a girl. And a dream of her “passed-on” grandma told of a girl…..remember? I knitted a pretty pink blanket because […]
I went blueberry picking (for the very first time!) a couple of weeks ago with my friends, Carol and Lisa. We visited the Evergreen Berry Farm in the beautiful Litchfield Hills of Connecticut, on a hot and sunny afternoon. We hung the clear pails around our necks, toted the buckets they provided and headed off […]
I’m heading to Rhode Island tomorrow to do some clamming and have a little fun in the sun. Actually, I will not do any clamming at all. I’ll sit on a little strip of “beach” with my sister-in-law and watch as our husbands disappear into the horizon, rake and net in hand, to search with […]
This was the cutest pattern I’d seen in a long time. And, lucky me, it was the last one in the file cabinet at JoAnn’s! I love it when that happens…it makes me feel like I am really on to something, and “too bad, so sad” for the next person looking for that pattern. (A […]
It’s hot outside. Not sweltering hot but, according to the weather folks, it hasn’t been this hot since the end of April. My swimming pool beckons me to take my first dip of the season, and I’m tempted to grab a book, go out there, catch some rays and relax. Would have been a fine […]
My sister-in-law, Linda, once told me that Christmas is like a part-time job. There is always so much to do, that I have to agree. Although a chorus of “Dominick the Donkey” can lift my mood and put me in the holiday spirit, I get totally stressed by thoughts of gift-giving, decorating, baking, handmade gifts, […]
My niece, Diane. has had a true love for horses since the age of 5, when she enjoyed her first pony ride. Throughout the years, she has taken endless riding lessons, mucked many stalls, and done just about anything she could to remain close and helpful to these beautiful animals. One year, for Christmas, I […]
Like most moms, there’s almost nothing that my kids ask of me that I will not oblige. I’ll help solve any problems, make frustrating phone calls, write checks…whatever. I’ll even risk breaking my hip in a fall while standing on a 2-foot spackle bucket atop a 6-foot step-ladder to hang wallpaper in a small Brooklyn […]
Am I a Martha Stewart fan? Hard to say. I’ve always admired the fresh, clean look of her decorating and the impressive ways in which she fastidiously organizes her home and all her craft supplies, and I love the ways that she displays her expansive collections of dishes, pottery and linens. Her bouquets are breathtaking, […]
I always have an end-of-the-year party for the children that I care for, and I try to make it a truly special event. This year’s theme was “Rock Star” and, thanks to Oriental Trading, we had the coolest accessories! The catalog pages were filled with headbands, blow-up guitars & microphones, Mohawk wigs, little Rock Duckies…the […]
The little potholder that I purchased at the flea market (see Mother’s Day – Our official “kick-off”) was so sweet that I had to crochet one just like it. After many failed attempts to copy this little gem (it looked easy!), I gave up and started my search. Although the pattern I found was not […]
Several years ago, I watched Simply Quilts with Alex Anderson on HGTV and fell in love with a butterfly quilt designed by Beverly Dunivent. As I am a huge fan of 30’s prints, I had a great selection in my stash (still do), and all I needed to get started was some background fabric. I […]
My hairdresser of 10+ years is having her first child, and I am so very happy for her! In fact, hers will be the third baby born this year to stylists at the salon. The sex of the first two babies born was known to their parents, but my hairdresser decided to do it the […]
I very recently received an “invitation” to join Ravelry, a knit and crochet community. The invitation was not sent randomly….no. I submitted my email address and requested an invite. I checked my “in box” hourly over the next several days, wishing and hoping that it would arrive soon (sort of like waiting for the van […]