I remember my first day of college. My roommate and I were standing in our new dorm room, hanging clothes in the closets, stocking the mini-fridge with soda and salsa. People were coming in and out all day, introducing themselves. And with the very first introduction, a girl came into our room, greeted us, and [...]

Years ago, before my husband and I were even married, a college friend of his came to visit us in NYC with his wife. They were newlyweds at the time, living in Missouri, both in medical school. They were the first of my husband’s friends that I’d met, and much to my delight, we had [...]

We’ve made working on the girls’ rooms a priority. I mentioned before that Pea had been having some ‘issues’ with the state of her room, which is actually quite lovely. Not, however, according to Her Highness. “My room is not pretty.” Every night. And her room is pretty. It’s just not hers; it was someone [...]

Okay, so I am big into storage. No, huge into storage. Of anything. And everything. I firmly believe that every single thing in our home should have it’s place. It’s home. It’s resting place. And if it doesn’t? And I find in on the kitchen island? Or the stairs? Or the floor of my bedroom? [...]

Years ago, my husband gave me a book on gardening that was part of a series called “K.I.S.S.” As in “Keep it Simple, Stupid.” And while the book didn’t do much for me, the acronym? It’s been rolling around in my head now for just short of a decade. But it hasn’t been until very [...]

A new issue of “Cook’s Illustrated” arrived in our mailbox yesterday. And while I enjoy the magazine on occasion, I couldn’t for the life of me remember ordering a subscription to it. And as I looked more closely at the mailing label, I realized why I didn’t have any recollection of placing the order. It [...]

Some friends of ours were having their four-year old son baptized last Saturday, at our local Catholic church. We were looking forward to it, it was a family affair, and personally? I am thrilled to share religious services at all churches, temples and synagogues with the girls. It’s that whole ‘keep an open mind thing,’ [...]

When my husband returned from his six-week stay in Beijing, he had a brand-new suitcase with him, purchased to hold all of the gifts he brought home for his girls. And there were a few thrown in there for me, too. One of them was a book by Deirdre Daniel, a woman living in Beijing [...]

Although our six year anniversary was about one month ago, at the time, my husband was in Beijing, so there was very little celebrating going on over here. Although he did send me a gorgeous bouquet of flowers from our local florist, who has been known to come up with some very, very interesting arrangements. [...]

Carrot & Stick Press has long been a favorite resource of mine for fantastic gifts. Elegant, classy and with a little bit of sass, you cannot go wrong with a stack of their notebooks for a recent high school graduate or a box of their notecards for your best friend’s birthday. Throwing a dinner party? [...]

I love corn. So does my husband and our kids. Particularly real corn, fresh off the cob, in the summertime. There are so many ways that you can prepare it, all delightfully different. Breakfast. Soup. Salad. Dessert. Amazing, isn’t it? And while I know that the fresh, sweet corn season has just about come to [...]

I am a control freak. It’s how I am wired, I’ve tried and tried to change it, but it is, essentially, me. And since having children, I’ve loosened up somewhat, but I’m never going to be the laid-back and flighty mom who is late to everything, backpack contents spilling out in a haze of disorganization [...]

It’s just about one year since the death of our much beloved black Labrador, Chamo. The greatest dog to ever walk the face of the earth. And while I realize I might be biased because I had the pure joy and honor of being his mom, seriously. Chamo was amazing. Lola, our little silver Lab, [...]

I spent most of the morning, while Pea and Coco were helping their Daddy hang some shelves in a closet, on the Internet, digging around for lunchbox meals that were healthy, appealing and easy to prepare. What shocked me the most is that there was such an abundance of ‘recipes’ centered around, what else, peanut [...]

I am in love with the idea of displaying our girls’ art somewhere in our home, on a wall. Front and center. I read recently that this proud display of a child’s creation will add to the child’s self-confidence. I like that. But even more than that, I like it when Pea walks through the [...]