Close family friends, the Fryers, were with us on Christmas Day. Although the addition of Jim and Sam meant another two guys in the house, with Laura and daughter Jane and Sam’s girlfriend Becca here, we females were actually a force to be reckoned with. And I could wrap up girly things like lip gloss and cute books in angel [...]
At this time of year, we all make choices. Which will it be? Paperwhites, or poinsettias? I’m a paperwhite person, myself. I buy the bulbs around Thanksgiving and pot them in random pieces of crockery that have accumulated from yard sales and such. But I know not to give one to my friend Carol, because she [...]
Following up on Emily’s recent musings on the dilemmas posed by holiday cards, I am reminded that we have not yet put together our 2009 card. There are many reasons for this, but we could begin with the difficulty of obtaining a photo that everyone likes. Things were easier when the boys were little and [...]
He’s home! Last night, there was our prodigal son, walking down the airport corridor with a newly grown beard and a big smile. Heading swiftly towards him was our middle son, bestowing on Ian a manhug. And racing at top speed with a huge grin on his face was our lastborn, heading into a full bear hug with [...]
I suffered through years of Candyland. Queen Frostine was my most bitter enemy, and Chutes and Ladders was not much better. Sitting on the floor with my tow-headed toddlers, spinning a little dial, setting up tiny trains, or putting together Legos was, frankly, incredibly boring. Not to mention physically painful. At least I was spared the Barbie [...]
This week, I am extremely happy to have a friend visiting from Los Angeles. Her name starts with L and she was born in the winter, so she is qualified to be my close friend. We were on-line friends first, meeting each other in a shady little internet room for women who are crazy about antique [...]
A frigid iceman crept into our lives yesterday. At the crack of dawn, Chris got rotator cuff surgery. He was home by noon, hooked up to his Iceman machine, trying to get comfortable in the new recliner that someone had told him was a must for recovery. For the rest of the day, he watched [...]
On Friday night, I was all by myself in the kitchen, preparing to cook. Usually, the TV is blaring ESPN or the Simpsons. But those who control the telecommando were out of the house. Oh bliss! I could actually watch something of MY CHOICE. I wanted something comforting, something beautiful. So from the TV cabinet, I pulled a two [...]
Yesterday I heard an interview on NPR with Steve Poses, a food guru of Philadelphia who has a new cookbook. He had lots of tips on cooking turkey and stuffing and such, but my favorite bits of advice were his hints on what not to do to your hosts on Thanksgiving. The following four tips are [...]
Ian is now nearing the end of his travels in Europe. I’m thinking of this as his S and Vowel tour: Spain-Sweden-Scotland-Estonia-England-Ireland. Not the actual order of travel. I switched Scotland and Estonia to make the gimmick work better. For the next week or so, he will be with our friends Todd and Suzanne and their [...]
