Today was our first “snow day”! School was closed and all my daycare children spent the day at home with their moms. With Christmas only 16 days away, I wondered how best to spend this precious day off. Write Christmas cards? Wrap gifts? Decorate the tree? All VIP, but not nearly as important as baking […]
baking
15
Nov
Nov
I decided to test new recipes for my “Christmas Cookie Day Marathon”. (There’ll be lots more about this annual event in upcoming posts). As if I don’t already have enough cookie books and holiday baking magazines, I went ahead and purchased the Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publications “Christmas Cookies”. Lots of different recipes! […]
19
Oct
Oct
For the past four years, three special friends and I have headed to Ogunquit, Maine, for an October weekend at the Anchorage by the Sea. This is a year-round resort with spectacular views of the ocean and access to Marginal Way; a cliffwalk along the rocky coast that leads to a neat little tourist area […]
13
Oct
Oct
Vermont is absolutely breathtaking this time of year. The hills and mountainsides explode with rich, deep fall hues, and devoted leaf peepers make a yearly pilgrimage there to experience the profusion of colors. I sincerely admire their desire to immerse themselves in the brilliance and splendor of the foliage, and I applaud their efforts to […]
29
Sep
Sep
This past Saturday was a super special day! Our family declared it “Autumn Harvest Day” and moms, dads, aunts, uncles, and cousins gathered for a day of apple-pickin’, pie-baking, and harvest-feasting. The weather was fabulous as we headed toward March Farm in the “beautiful, rolling hills of Bethlehem, CT”, where we found orchards abundant with […]
20
Sep
Sep
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 […]
04
Sep
Sep
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 […]
20
Aug
Aug
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 […]
11
Aug
Aug
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 […]
19
Jun
Jun
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 […]
19
May
May
Today is my birthday! I celebrated with friends last week and ate a delicious homemade cake. But today is my birthday….. and that cake is long gone….. so I had no other choice than to bake me a cake. Cake decorating was one of last year’s obsessions. The community college was offering a course that […]