There is no better way to start the weekend! Enjoy!

What a surprise ending! I won't spoil it if you haven't watched the video - but it was worth the $2.00 I paid for the ticket I can tell you that!!!

What an extraordinary celebration! 99 years!!!! We celebrate Seth Hufstedler! Seth is so much fun...and always loves a party. I showed up with the decorations, we invited just a small cadre of his friends (he has loads of friends, and for 99 years that's saying a lot!!!!) and his daughter in law made the most delicious meal!!! And to top it off, his grandson and his wife made a tasty birthday cake! Seth has been one of our travel partners in the last few years, and he is game

Even though waiting each day to find out news about our cabin is nerve-wracking -- I knew I could count on my garden to set me straight. It's been so hot here, the last "dog days" of summer have just passed, and gardening has been difficult. Plus finding the time to garden because of the grand babies is sometimes also a challenging task. But I wouldn't have it any other way! Spending time in the garden today did take a little preplanning, though. I had to dash out last night

Thank you to all of you who asked after the status of our cabin. We are still hopeful, though the early part of the weekend was especially difficult. Things looked a little better Sunday night, and the weather has begun to cooperate some, as temperatures have dropped. Each morning for the past week, the Chief Operations Officer for the KNP Fire has given a report via Facebook about the progress of the fire and the work of the firefighters. John Wallace, from Georgia, the COO

Robert does an excellent job of describing the tools you can use to check on the fire -- and how those tools have helped us keep track of where the fire is in relation to our little cabin. However, looking at maps is an informative but rather dispassionate way to think about this fire. For us, don't let Robert's tone fool you. We're very invested in the outcome of the fire, and we care very much about its possible impact on our Silver City community. Robert's family has been

Such Joy! We celebrate!

Let's face it -- you should just skip to the end of the video (even though I am pretty funny) and see my dear little Cora. She's five months old and just precious! She's finally allowing her parents a little more sleep, and she's also showing a little more of her sweet personality. PLUS she doesn't cry every time I walk into the room which is a huge relief - for me AND her parents! Being a working mom, as both my daughters are, I can say from experience is no small feat. And

When cooking...my philosophy is use what you have on hand. For this recipe I didn't have exactly all the right ingredients - but it was delicious anyways! And it was super easy.Thanks to The Modern Proper for the Recipe. https://themodernproper.com/coq-au-vin My dinner guests in the end-of-video cameo are my beautiful husband, Robert, my terrific son-in-law Matt, and his lovely sister Melissa. My daughter Jackie married into the best family -- and we feel so lucky! Tomorrow a

First, let me say that I will always be faithful to my Gelson's. And even when we get an Amazon Fresh near us, I won't be doing my major shopping at Amazon Fresh. However, I did find the experience interesting, and the products offered, especially the fresh items, were similar in quality to many large chain stores, like Ralph's and Von's. I would shop there again. The glitchiest part of the experience was actually getting the app to work. There are so many Amazon applications

Guess What? My vacay is starting RIGHT NOW! So...no blog tonight...just a super fun video of a place that my mom loved. I know you will love it too!

When I was little, one Sunday a month after Mass, my parents and I would head to the Car Wash, where my dad would have his car of the moment (a Dodge Fairlane, a Ford Mustang...) washed to his satisfaction, and I would have a hot dog at Cupid's. Today's event was 180 degrees different than that -- but actually just as satisfying. I LOVE cleaning the inside of my own car. Nobody does it like me! And tooling through the actual Car Wash was too fun! As Robert said, just like a r

One of the gifts that I have given all my daughters is the art of party planning. All 3 of my daughters are wonderful hostesses, love to entertain, and can throw a fabulous party. For any reason at all. And that's been my mantra all my life. Anything can be celebrated. And celebrations are an important part of life. I remember when I was an educational administrator, in an end of year evaluation, one of my bosses said that I had such a "celebratory spirit." I appreciated th

Honestly. I am just showing off. These grand babies are just too cute for words. And that's all I have to say today!

The cake baking for Abby's first birthday was delegated to me because my mother created all the birthday cakes for my daughter's birthdays. The problem is...I've never done this before! No matter, the internet is full of fabulous things. And it makes me appreciate my mom's skill even more. She was making cakes in the 1980's and 1990's when there was no such thing as the internet or Youtube. And her cakes always turned out fabulously! So this is my maiden cake baking/decoratin

Thanks so much for those of you that connected and asked after me. The truth is that I did have a little hiccup these past few days. I've done a vlog 5 nights a week for months, and I've enjoyed making every single one. But I'm never sure exactly how they're received. I communicate with a few readers (thank you!) but mostly I don't pay attention to viewership. So, I really appreciated hearing from some of you when I didn't post for a few days. The truth is that I took a littl

Three times a year, or rather, three birthdays a year, two good friends and I get together for lunch and shopping. It is a long treasured tradition, going back probably 30 years! It starts with a luncheon at the restaurant of choice for the birthday girl, and is followed by a leisurely shopping spree through whatever mall we happen to be near. I will say that the lunches get longer as we get older, and the shopping gets shorter...but we always enjoy ourselves, and are gratefu

The more I look at the flower border in its current state - the more I love it. It took a while to get here -- and I know that things will change rapidly as we move toward fall -- but I am going to savor each day. Today one of my neighbors told me that the border inspired him --- and I took that as a compliment. Passing on beauty to other gardens by example is a good thing. More joy all around! One of my friends is in England right now doing a WALKING tour across the country.