Her presence was a constant in my childhood. Hers was the big wide chest I snuggled on as an infant, the shoulder I cried on, the large lap I sat on with scraped knees and bee stings, and the sounding board against the bullies at school. She was my shield when my parents were too [...]
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The soap boy is now into WRENCHES. He really likes wrenches. So, of course, he wanted a “wrench valentine” box. After puzzling for weeks, I finally convinced him today (the day before the Valentine party) to create a toolbox valentine box, complete with a bolt and wire secret clasp. We can now add this latest [...]
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I found these cookie crafts around Christmas time, and I tucked the idea away in my head, saving it for a humdrum wintery day, when the excitement and hullabaloo of Christmas had faded. This was the perfect day. The kids came home from school early, and thankfully, we had this little project. They were very [...]
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Last summer, my salads never had quite enough radishes, basil, parsley or arugula. The cucumbers and zucchini vines always spread their wings just enough to pipe down the shoots of my salad seedlings so that the little veggies could never take off and spread out and stand up like proper vegetable soldiers. Photo, my future [...]
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A. Snap peas, pole-type ‘Sugar Snap’, 1 seed packet B. Edible flowers (calendulas, pansies, violas) C. Cabbage, ‘Ruby Perfection’, 6 plants D. Cauliflower, ‘Amazing’, 9 plants E. Spinach, ‘Tyee’, 6 plants F. Garlic, ‘Chesnok Red’ and ‘Spanish Roja’ G. Broccoli, ‘Premium Crop’, 8 plants, and Romanesco, 12 plants H. Mustard, ‘Giant Red’, 6 plants, and [...]
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There’s a reason I made all of those trays of lasagna one Sunday afternoon. Just so I could pull out a section from the freezer, re-heat it, and package it all up and send it off for my son to eat on the bus his way to ski club. Along with some just-baked oatmeal cookies. [...]
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My family has discovered bacon grease, and it’s pointless to try and stop them. There is a glass jar full of rendered bacon fat on the top shelf of our refrigerator. The boys (my husband) uses it to pop popcorn. I’m sorry to admit this; but popcorn popped in bacon grease is but one thing: [...]
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You’ve passed over the movie over a thousand times. The cover of The Bells of St. Mary’s is the classic black and white, with a picture of Bing Crosby, dressed like a priest, and Ingrid Bergman, dressed like a nun. The cover is so deceiving… it looks like a boring, staid out-dated heavy tome, when [...]
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Burlap is both earthy and irredescent at the same time. The rough texture and irregularities of the fiber, mix within this see-through luminosity to create a blanket of polar opposites that draws me in. I can’t resist this fabric. Especially at Christmas. Christmas too is both earthy and iridescent at the same time. We speak [...]
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