The image of my mom in her hosting finest, with tea on the table, and the drapery catalogues on her lap -- and then her little girl coming in to surprise her with a misbehaved horny toad in her hand. And I thought that she would be so happy with my gift from the backyard! What a precious memory -- and how sweet that Robert remembered, and bought me a momento for Valentine's Day!

Here's a link to Robert's newsletter where he writes so beautifully about our dear friend. Scroll to the end and read the section called "My Kippah." https://roberthubbell.substack.com/p/my-kippah Tomorrow we begin anew.

The birth of a child is always a miraculous event...but when it is your own grandchild, it feels doubly miraculous. Gracie, like her sister and cousin, was beautiful from day one. And it looks like Gracie has red hair! My dad had a red tint in his hair and Gracie's paternal grandma has really red hair - so it's possible we will have a ginger in the family! When Big Sister Cora first met Gracie, she was very anxious to hold her, but the minute that she did, she became quickly

I haven't taken a whole week off since I began my blog on June 23, 2020. That's 645 videos of Everyday with Jill. And we've had such a good time together! I plan to just keep on posting ... because I enjoy it - and I have met so many wonderful people through my blog. My purpose as I began was to bring some cheer, to provide sometimes useful information, but always to be a respite from the dark and difficult times that we endured through Covid, traumatic elections, and even p

Even though ironing is not one of my favorite things...I have many memories of it from my youth. I remember my mom ironing my dad's business shirts...how did she have time to do that, work full time, and raise me? I just can't imagine it. I remember my grandmother, ironing my grandpa's work shirts, while watching her "plays" (soap operas!) on a tiny black and white TV, while sprinkling water with her fingers over the fabric to make it easier to iron. I know exactly where the

I was so surprised to see all the blooms after the recent rain. The flower display was not as prolific as in spring, of course. Yet, I loved it still. The beautiful color. The persistence to bloom, despite the conditions to the contrary. Ahhhh...nature!

I had confidence that I could do this...even though I'd never done it before AND I really didn't have a template! I feel like Julie Andrews in Sound of Music..."I have confidence in me!!!"

You might wonder why I'm not using a "how to" guide to complete this wreath. Or a template where I just follow directions of someone else. Well...it's just kinda in my genes..surprise creating...surprise cooking, surprise wreath making. They're one and the same. First, I am mostly using things that I found around my house, (in the party closet!), and second, I didn't see anything on the internet that I really thought worked for my vision. So, I am just going to make this up a

Here's the hilarious things about this video: 1) The video of my derriere facing the camera - what??? 2) The fact that the "lawn" I am trying to protect is really 99% weeds 3) Me believing that I could possibly extract all the beans from the grass 4) That I decided to do this as the sun was going down (even though it was cloudy) so that I couldn't hardly see what I was doing 5) Me struggling to press the "on" button for the Shop Vac And finally, when I told my husband this mo

There can be such joy in life, but there is sorrow too. And anxiety and worry. I always tell myself that worrying does nothing to help anyone -- and that I best just get to doing something to allay all that fear. And, generally I find that very helpful. Doing for others is always an antidote to the difficult things that life throws at us. But gratitude can also be an anxiety slayer. And sometimes I forget that. So today I just sat still for a moment and enjoyed all the beau

Here's the recipe -- I used Chicken Drumettes - but the recipe calls for real Chicken Drumsticks. Either way it's delicious. I modified the recipe below for drumettes. Now I have to go put a hot compress on my eye. Ugh. https://thesaltymarshmallow.com/easy-baked-chicken-drumsticks-recipe/#recipe Easy Baked Chicken Drumsticks Recipe Course: Main Course Cuisine: American Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Marinate: 30 minutes Nichole Ingredients ▢ ⅓ Cup Olive Oil ▢ Jui

Here's the books for you! A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny Real Murders by Charlene Harris (An Aurora Teagarden Mystery) The Black Echo by Michael Connelly The Sundah Philosophy Club by Alexander McCall Smith In the Woods by Tana French Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanie Fluke Moby Dick by Herman Melville Lesson in Chemistry by Bonnie Grams The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood Loathe to Love You by Ali Hazelwood Outlander by Diana

A baby sister is on the way for Cora! So we had a "Sprinkle!" (which is a mini-shower!) for baby #2 for Jenny, our oldest daughter, and her little one to come. We were excited to celebrate the new life and share our joy with friends. The tea was lovely! Here's the menu: Home - made scones (recipe coming soon!) with clotted cream and raspberry jam Mixed berries with brown sugar and cream Tarragon egg salad tea sandwiches (with festive picks!) See's pink foil chocolate hearts S

I could do 10 videos on IKEA - there's so much to see, and so many things to shop! But we were careful because of Covid. Nonetheless, it was fun to be in the largest IKEA in the United States! The Burbank IKEA used to be the largest IKEA in the world UNTIL 2021 when IKEA opened a store in Manila, in the Philippines -- 699, 650 square feet! Almost 20,000 customers a day, and 6,000 employees! Wow!

I love giving gifts to Robert. I never get tired of surprising him with Christmas, Valentine's, Birthday and Anniversary gifts. I know that some couples don't do gifts - but it's something that I really enjoy. I love to spoil him. And so really, giving him a gift is as much fun for me as it is for him. But in addition to giving a gift, I always want it to be a surprise. That's the best part. So that's why this year's Christmas present was such a disappointment. It's not that

Undecorating the tree is mostly a solitary endeavor. Decorating the tree is not -- we always invite lots of people to help us hang the ornaments on the tree. But who wants to "unhang" all those the ornaments? Only me. And that's because I am very particular about all my treasures. So, with a little help from my husband, and our good friend Eric, today was the last day of Christmas at our house. The tree is down. And in a very particular way too! I have special boxes for diff

Here's the recipes from my fabulous New Year's Eve Dinner! Big Success! No Knead Crusty Artisan Bread https://www.thecomfortofcooking.com/2013/04/no-knead-crusty-artisan-bread.html Braised White Bean & Greens with Parmesan Chesse https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1021902-braised-white-beans-and-greens-with-parmesan Cauliflower Steaks https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/cauliflower-steaks But something has been bothering me all day... What is New Year's Day with the Rose Parad