The Passage of Time

It's New Year's Eve! I am having a small party this evening- I hope! Due to the wintry weather it is very much in doubt. We're having a snowstorm and it's icy and freezing outside. Windy too!

I have all the food ready, the party hats and the makeshift Times Square ball. But possibly no party guests. One person has already called to cancel. I told her that safety is more important than any silly little get together.

So this evening if I have no party guests, Molly, me, and Oscar will reflect on the year 2008.

The year I bought my first home, added Oscar to the family, had one great vacation to Martha's Vineyard, celebrated a birthday with a zero on the end of my age and started my blog! Careerwise, a very good year considering I work in the financial sector.

Ok, dear readers tell me about your year! And have a very Happy New Year!

The Year 2008 in review

The Year 2008 in review
Originally uploaded by cafechatelaine

I am participating in Cindy of My Romantic Home's Blog Party. I am supposed to create a photo collage of the year in review. So here are some significant snippets of my life from the year 2008.

I bought a condo and added a new kitty to my family. Vacationed at Martha's Vineyard and took a business trip to Philadelphia. Took daytrips to Maine and New Hampshire and enjoyed Autumn in New England.

Wishing you lots of photo opportunities in 2009!

Christmas Tradition

One of my favorite Christmas Traditions is to visit the Bedford Village Inn in Bedford, New Hampshire during the week after Christmas. The inn is exquisitely decorated for the holidays and so this is the best time to make the trip.

I always make the trip north with my sister and we meet up with our friends Lori Lee and Duane. Lori Lee used to own a vintage clothing shop so she has the most spectacular outfits and jewelry. She looks like she could have lived at the Inn in Victorian times.

We had a wonderful evening at the Inn last night. What a dining experience! My meal was delicious. I had orange dusted sea scallops with tomato orzo and sauteed spinach. We had a tiny shrimp salad compliments of the chef and several breads (anadama, focaccia, lavash, and multi grain). For dessert, I had a chocolate bag which had a chocolate exterior and chocolate mousse, white cake, raspberries and blueberries on the inside. Yum!

Our server assembled my sister's dessert table side. She had a warm ginger souffle with cinnamon ice cream and caramel sauce. It was fabulous! (She let me have a taste).

After the meal, we took a tour of the various rooms of the restaurant, looking at all the decorations. Each room had it's own designer. Some rooms were very elegant, others more simple. All were beautiful.

I photographed the rooms but my pictures do not do the Inn justice. You can click on the photos in the mosaic for a larger view. I tried to use available light as much as possible but some of the rooms were too dark.

I hope you enjoyed your tour of the Inn. If you find yourself in New Hampshire, specifically Southern New Hampshire, I would encourage you to visit the Inn for lunch, brunch or dinner.

Hope, Faith and Peace

When my sister saw this photo she commented that it looked Biblical, as if the animals were in a manger. I agreed. Actually it was taken at Island Alpaca in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts last August.

Anyway, the scene was peaceful and so this Christmas evening I wish you all Hope, Faith and Peace for the season and the coming New Year.

This evening we saw a very bright star in the east.

Until next time....

Running out of Time

I didn't need to be reminded by a tree in a Christmas store that it's almost time for Christmas.
Where did the time go this year? I always save vacation days from work for shopping and doing fun activities. This year I used them for moving and now I find myself scrambling to get all my Christmas "stuff" done at the last minute.

I don't have any gifts wrapped. I just finished my shopping today. Usually I'm done weeks before Christmas. No Christmas treats baked, yet. I finished my Christmas cards on Saturday.
Oh boy, what a line at the post office for stamps. And the line was at the automated machine!

After I finished my shopping, I decided to take some shots of the beautiful aftermath of
yesterday's snowstorm. That's storm #2 in 3 days. Anyway, I hope my camera has conveyed the snowy loveliness I witnessed.

I love this snowman! First of all he's made of real snow and second of all, he's not one of those

huge plastic inflatables that deflate every time the temperature gets a little mild. Also, he's

got a heart! Too cute.

It wasn't exactly comfortable walking outside today as you can see by the icicles on this house.

The sun was shining brightly but no sign of melting here!

Well, I must leave you now because there's some serious wrapping to be done and a list to be made for the trip to the grocery store.

I hope all of you have a relaxing few days leading up to Christmas! Watch one of those great old Christmas movies, or list to some Christmas music. Chill out, there's still time!

Snowy Weekend

I have a long weekend off from work. I was supposed to be off Friday and Monday but Friday I did do some emailing and returning of phone calls. I met my friend Kim for coffee then did some work. Then met my sister for lunch, a little shopping and work and then Kim invited me for dinner at her house. Wow, it's sounds like all I do is eat!

I took a picture of Kim's home's snowy front entrance. At Kim's we feasted on baked ham with fruit compote, scalloped potatoes, green beans, and brownies for dessert. It was warm inside as we watched the snow fall. She has a very cozy home with good smells of cooking, wonderful family, and great pets. The conversation was easy and it was great to spend a relaxing evening with them. Since they live only a few streets over from me I didn't worry about going home in the storm
Today is Saturday and everyone is cleaning up after the storm. By the afternoon, I was ready to do a little shopping. I have certain places I have to visit at Christmas time. I guess you could call them rituals. One of them is a trip to Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I love to visit the cool shops and see the interesting mix of people. There's always a lot of students walking around as the university is right there. MIT is not too far away either.

I took some photos of snowy Cambridge. Brrr, it was cold, I saw on one girl's Iphone that it was 20 degrees. It was windy too. Harvard Square is best enjoyed on foot. On a good day there is limited parking so today with all the snow it was quite the challenge. And when I did find a space, I had to climb the snowbank to put money in the meter. Oh I love Winter!

But it is beautiful! The red doors against all the white drew me to this church. Quintessential New England to my eyes.

Next to the church, there were Christmas trees for sale.

No trip to Harvard Square is complete without walking by Harvard University or Hahvid as we Bostonians call it. As you know we don't pronounce our R's.

As I mentioned, the shops are really cool in this area. This is the outside of a sock store. I heard a woman say they had the best cashmere socks in this store so I had to check it out. I am a cashmere addict. I have at least a dozen cashmere sweaters. I also have cashmere gloves and cashmere sheets. It's one of my indulgences.

I also went to a Holiday craft fair in an old church. Phenomenal stuff! Oh I could have gone crazy but I didn't. I got a funny card for my friend Don for his birthday, a pin for my friend LoriLee and of course, I didn't forget me. I bought myself a clock. The vendor makes clocks out of all sorts of old things like colanders. muffin tins, teapots. I bought one that looks like brass and is made from a mirror. The kind like the women of olden days had, a hand mirror they put on their dressers. It's so cool.

All this shopping made me tired so I decided to take a break and stop at Burdick's chocolates for some hot chocolate.

As you can see this is no ordinary hot chocolate. You can order it in dark, milk, or white chocolate. It's thick like a European drinking chocolate. I ordered 4 luxembourgers with it.

Two were to take home for later. I think they are sort of a meringue cookie. I got two cinnamon and two coffee. Delicious!

I bought a couple of gifts here. This shop is visually beautiful. I am sure I will be back soon.

That's it for today. I had a wonderful time all by myself. I am so happy I made it to Harvard Square at Christmas time because I said it was one of my rituals at Christmas. Just a few more days left until Christmas. I am almost done my shopping. But I'm not worried I still have Monday off. Of course more snow is predicted for Sunday, so I hope we don't get snowed in. Oh well. on the bright side, we are virtually assured of a white Christmas.

Until next time...

Getting Ready

We're getting ready for the big storm. Boots by the door-check. Four new tires on the Highlander-check. Full tank of gas-check. Batteries check, cell phone charged check. Food, enough to survive. We're going to get hit by a snowstorm tomorrow. A foot of beautiful snow to give us the White Christmas we've been dreaming of.

Oh no! The caroling party was cancelled. We'll have to wait til Christmas Eve for Mary's gingerbread cookies. It also gives us more time to practice!

We'll have to hunker down and stay in all day. Maybe have a cup of tea? It makes one cold looking at all that snow and ice.

After the storm, maybe we can go ice skating and perfect our triple toe loops!

Or build a snowman! And this time we'll give him two eyes!

It's going to be great fun to have a Friday snow day! Then we can do it all over again on Sunday when the next storm plows through. (No pun intended)

It's a Wrap!

Tonight's subject is gift wrap for the holidays. Before I share my ideas on the topic, I thought I
would post a picture of Winchester, Massachusetts. I was sitting in my car with my freshly brewed Starbucks and I happened to glance out of the rear view mirror. This is what I saw-
a pretty little scene of a town getting ready for Christmas. I love this area of town and since
I've moved I'm right over the city limits of Winchester. I am sure to spend a lot of time there.
Not to mention the Winchester Starbucks is open until 9:30PM!

Back to gift wrap, in an earlier post I mentioned that I pride myself on my gift wrapping skills.
This year all my stuff was packed up from moving. I couldn't even find the scissors! I have hat boxes filled with snippets of ribbon, buttons, holly berries, you name it to use as package toppers. Do you think I could find it? Of course not, and I needed to wrap two gifts for tomorrow.

So for the first gift which by the way is a gift card, I put it in a snowglobe gift card holder then tissue paper and then this faux fur bag. I love this bag. Last year after Christmas, I went to Pottery Barn and bought every last one at half price. I have espresso colored faux fur bags, white like the one in the photo and one that has black and brown markings. They're supposed to be wine bags but I actually used one as a purse last Winter. Anyway, I attached a cinnamon scented vintage look sachet to it and voila instant gift wrap! I hope Lorraine likes it!



I love the look of calligraphy and fancy script so last year again after Christmas I bought this paper. It has a bit of a sheen to it. Again, no scissors. I had to improvise by folding the paper back and forth until it would tear easily. I added another one of the cinnamon sachets and a little
gold jingle bell and that wrap job is finished. This one's for my boss, John. He has small children so I picked out the sachet with the kids on a sled.

Molly was supervising as usual. Or as my dad would say, "doing the heavy looking on".

That's ok she's such a cutie!

Well, that's all for this evening. It's a wrap!

A Pretty Little Christmas

I am participating in A Pretty Little Christmas Blog party. Check out www.prettypetals.typepad.com We're all posting about our home decorations
and ways we are having a pretty little Christmas. So open the box and look inside.

This is a chess set handmade and purchased in Krakow, Poland. The story behind it is very special. In August of 1986, I went to Poland with Cardinal Law's entourage from Boston. One of my fellow travelers was an older woman named Irene. We were both traveling alone so we spent time together. I was quite young at the time and she kept an eye on me while we traveled through a Communist country.

While in Krakow, we visited a market where all the goods for sale were handmade. Mostly embroidered pieces but one person was selling items made from wood. Irene and I both eyed the same chess set. There was only one. I wanted it because it was so different. Each piece was handcrafted and there were pieces carved to look like Polish women and men. I thought it would make the perfect souvenir. I was thinking of only myself. Irene wanted to buy it for her son

who actually played chess. First she was going to let me buy it but then she said her son would really love it. I backed off and she bought the set for her son.

In December of that same year, I came down with a nasty flu which would not go away. It got me quite down during the holidays. I remember just having no energy to do anything. On one of those days, the mailman left a package for me. I thought it was a get well gift from my boyfriend. I opened the package and there was the Polish chess set! Irene said in her letter that she wanted me to have it. She knew I really loved it so she decided to wait until Christmas and send it along as a gift.

Irene has since died. She had a stroke a few years ago. We did keep in touch and even had lunch together a few times over the years. I always think of her at Christmastime and I have fond memories of our trip.

My Pretty Little Christmas wouldn't be complete without some pretty little gifts for coworkers.

Like these sets of 6 taper candles dressed up in their holiday finery.

I like to use this brass plated reindeer and sleigh as an ornament display or sometimes as

a candy dish. He's prancing around proud as can be, isn't he? I got him years ago at the Bombay Company. How I miss that store!

This swan was purchased at my friend's shop last year. Sadly, she closed her doors this Fall.

A red fur trimmed skate ornament from Victorian Trading Company. My skates should look so good!

So there you have it! Memories, decorations, friends and family all make for a pretty little Christmas. I really would love to have photogaphed my nativity set but it is among the missing. The victim of my recent move. I will find it before the season is over. And when I do I will post

a photo of it. It's a fairly big set, packed away in a big box so it shouldn't be too hard to find.

That's my contribution to the party. I wish you all a pretty little Christmas! Don't forget to check out everyone's posts. This is going to be fun!

Decorating for Christmas

Yay! I found some of my Christmas decorations and so I was able to decorate a few of the rooms in my new condo.
No close ups of the tree this year. It's a prelit tree and one of the strands of lights doesn't work so as you can see
it's painfully obvious! Oh well, maybe some big ornaments and garland as fillers.

Santa is one of my favorites. I love his green cordouroy robe and soft beard. I got him at BJ's Wholesale club years ago.
I also got the table runner at BJs this year.

Did you notice I even decorated my bathrobe with greenery and a little bling? Too funny!

The brush tree and mercury glass are returning favorites and I love the colors of the vintage ornaments.

The peace dove is made of paper. I put some in garland on top of my dining room hutch and some on the tree.
Last year I used them as package toppers.

I hope you enjoyed your condo tour. Have a great Sunday!

Gingerbread Man

I knew today would be physically demanding but I got through it knowing I promised myself a treat at the end of the day.

I had another day off from work but I spent it doing a lot of physical labor. My friend Don and I were once again emptying out my old apartment. The task is almost finished. Of course, then I will have to go through all the boxes again when I get settled. Moving is the worst isn't it?

I was ruthless with some of my things, throwing scads of items out and givng away boxes full of stuff. That's what happens when you don't purge your stuff occasionally. You have too much stuff! Don kept saying bag it, box it, or toss it! This is a lesson I hope I will remember in the future. I told Don I am never moving again.

So tonight I am tired from a long day's work. I've decided physical labor isn't my thing. I've also decided that Don is a really good friend. He spent full days helping me move so I didn't have to pay a mover a huge amount of money. All I paid was $200 for 2 guys to move my bed, sofa, kitchen table and chairs, and a hutch for the dining room.

Anway it's now evening and I pulled out some of the Christmas decorations that were packed away. I have a star on the treetop and lights on the tree but that's it. I did do some decorating of the dining room hutch. The decorations are simple, just some Christmas dishes and greenery. Easy!

Now it's time for my treat. I get to eat the long awaited gingerbread man cookie. I love anything gingerbready. Like gingerbread lattes or gingerbread cookies. Today I even showered with Philosophy's Gingerbread Man shower gel. If you haven't tried it yet, you need to. It's fabulous and makes your bathroom smell great!

OK, I photographed gingerbread man and now I have to leave you all and have myself a snack!

Giveaway Winner

I drew the name of the giveaway winner and the recipient of the New England inspired mystery giveaway is.... Mary Jane Smith. Mary Jane did not enter a comment because she doesn't have a blog but she emailed me. She found my blog through Michelle @ Chocolate and Marmalade Tea and she thinks her special talent is her typing speed. I could use a little of that!

Anyway, thanks to all who participated. Stay tuned, more giveaways to come!

Home is Where the Molly is

Last night was my first night at the condo. (As you can see by the photo above, I've done a little decorating for Christmas). The movers disassembled and then reassembled my bed, then moved the sofa, armoire, table and chairs into my new condo. That's it, all the big stuff was moved and only the small stuff remained in my former residence. Actually one of the biggest things was moving my cat, Molly.


Molly lived in my old apartment about 6 1/2 years. She was rescued from a trailer park in New Hampshire when she was 6 months old. So she was not too happy at all to be moving. I tried to bring some of her toys and a couple quilts that were her favorites. When I first brought her to the condo, I put her in the bedroom with the door closed while I brought more things in. When I finished I opened the bedroom door and eventually she did the tour of the place.

With break neck speed, she ran from room to room, investigating and sniffing. No familiar smells here. Poor kitty was so overwhelmed. During the night, she woke me up every hour. By the morning, I was mighty cranky.

Over the past 24 hours, Molly is doing better. She is a little more relaxed. I've actually seen her sleep a bit today. She is obsessed with a mirrored closet door and she is afraid of ceiling fans. I think she thnks they are going to swoop down and attack her.

Last night, I did not feel like this condo was my home. It was 4 degrees outside and cold inside the condo. ( My old appartment was toasty warm ). Then this morning. I couldn't get the hot water in the shower to work. Today when I came home from work Molly was at the condo. It felt more like home. And tonight when I went back to my old apartment and I opened the door there was no Molly to greet me. I looked at the space where the couch was and the now empty space that occupied my huge bed. And I realized this isn't my home. Home is where the Molly is.

Insights

Michelle from Chocolate and Marmalade Tea asked me to blog 6 things about myself and she also wrote some very kind words about my blog. I enjoy reading her fun and informative blog so check it out.


I remember or sort of remember a line from the movie You've Got Mail when Meg Ryan is sitting with Tom Hanks and she says her email friend has 152 insights into her soul or something like that. Anyway, I had to think about the 6 things I'm calling insights into my soul.

So here are 6 insights into my soul. Quite the buildup isn't it?


1- I am a Starbucks addict. Since I just bought a condo, I was thinking I could save money and you know pay the mortgage by cutting out my once a day Starbucks habit. But, I think that's just wrong. This is a joy in my life. I guess it's kind of a routine and to quote my sister, "Routine keeps us sane." I might go insane without my Starbucks. Will it be a grande ice no room Americano or a no whip Cafe Mocha? I have many happy memories of times spent at Starbucks with friends. Last year, I even gave the Starbucks staff at my favorite store in Reading, lightup Christmas pins, which by the way really perked them up. Hah, no pun intended!


2- I am a total animal lover. Case in point, when I was a teenager, I came home in the afternoon to find a squirrel drowning in our swimming pool. It was Fall. The squirrel had ripped the pool liner and he was swimming but failing fast. I ran and got the net we used to clean the pool and I fished him out. I thought if he didn't drown he might freeze to death. So after I got him out of the pool, I got a towel and wrapped him up in it and brought him to my neighbor who said an eyedropper of whiskey should warm him up. Poor thing was shivering or nervous or both. She gave him the whiskey and I took him home. Yes, I brought him inside the house! Good thing my mother was not home. Once inside the house, I used the blow dryer on him to dry him off before I released him. He was still in the towel. Anyway, I got him dried off and I put him outside in the backyard. He was still wrapped in the towel. I went inside the house and later I went to check on him and he was gone. I was thrilled that he was able to move. Of course, he was probably drunk! So you see I will go to any length to save an animal.


3- I think one of my talents is.... I am an excellent gift wrapper. I always receive nice comments on my gift wrap when I give someone a present. I keep snippets of ribbon, old buttons. silk flowers, recycled cards, etc in a hatbox. When I need a package tie- on I go to the hatbox to find something interesting for the top of the present.


4- I love reading magazines. It is a form of relaxation for me. My absolute favorite is Victoria Magazine. When they went out of business in the early 2000's I was depressed. I am so thrilled they're back in business. The subject matter, the photography, the shopping resources, fabulous!! I also enjoy reading Romantic Homes, Yankee Magazine, Country Living, and Country Home. And of course, Martha Stewart Living.


5- I love to ice skate. When I was younger, I took figure skating lessons. I followed amateur skating as a spectator too. In fact, I was at the 1994 National Championships in Detroit when Nancy Kerrigan was attacked by Tonya Harding's henchmen. I also attended the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. A trip of a lifetime! My sister was my travel partner when we went to the events. I skated as recently as last year. I still love to feel the cold on my face and the wind through my hair when I skate. I have a friend who bought new skates for the season so I am hoping to do some skating this winter.


6- I collect sports memorabilia. In my new condo, I am going to have a sports room. Finally, a room to house my Boston Garden chairs, my Tom Brady autographed football, and my Olympic pins. This has been a dream for many years. I finally have my sports museum.


Wow, I really enjoyed reminiscing and making this post all about me. How self centered am I?


So, I am supposed to send this off to 6 blogging friends but I don't know who to send it to as everyone I know has already been tagged. I think I will do this instead. Leave me a comment during the week of Dec 1st and tell me something you think you do better than anyone else. Tell me about your special talent then I will draw a name at the end of the week and give away a mystery package inspired by my love of living in New England. This will be my first giveaway!


It's Sunday night. Enjoy the upcoming week and think about your special talent. Looking forward to reading your comments.

It's Thanksgiving!

I am not cooking today so I have time to blog. My sister and I are going to the home of our "Italian Mother" today. Clara already has eight children so what's two more at the table. She is a lifesaver. Since my mother's stroke in 2004, Thanksgiving has not been the same.

Mom is in a nursing home and doing pretty well, and my dad has noontime dinner with her. The powers that be at the nursing home decided two years ago that they would institute a two guest rule for holiday dinners. That means that one of the three us would not be able to eat dinner at the nursing home on Thanskgiving. Our solution is to have dad eat with mom and my sister and I join Clara's family for their Thanskgiving celebration. After dinner, we go to the nursing home, my dad takes a break and then he spends a little time with us, then he's back to the nursing home to be with mom during the evening.

Oh well, that's the way it has to be, so we deal with it. We are very fortunate to have Clara and her family in our lives. She calls us her "Irish daughters". We love all the commotion that goes on with a big family celebration. There is an abundance of food and laughter and the noise level!
Well, you can just imagine.

Clara lives in a fabulous old home with a tin ceiling in the dining room , several stained glass windows, a walk in pantry, and a fabulous wrap around porch. The home is located in a section of town once known as Nobility Hill. It is the perfect setting for a holiday meal.

So I have much to be thankful for today. My real family and my adopted family are both doing well. I am looking forward to the meal, the company and the football.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my blogging friends!!

What happened to Thanksgiving??

I pose the question what happened to Thanskgiving because I am really getting tired of all the Christmas hype so early in the season. It's still Fall. The most beautiful season of the year, at least in my opinion. Poor Thanksgiving gets merely a mention.

In the stores, it's Halloween and then immediately thereafter, it's Christmas! Thanksgiving is the best holiday of all. There's great food, time spent with family and friends and football! Can you think of anything better?

I saw on TV today that Walmart is open all day on Thursday for their Thanksgiving Sale. And
Starbucks is open 7AM-4PM on the holiday. I heard one barista say she has to work all day so her family has to delay their Thanksgiving meal until 5 o'clock.

Thanksgiving should be about savoring the gifts of the season. Feasting one's eyes on the rich autumnal colors on the table, enjoying the wonderful smells of the cooked turkey and the apple pie, hearing the voices and laughter of our loved ones, and making memories. Thanksgiving is a treat for the senses. It is unique.

I urge you to relax this Thanksgiving, enjoy every moment. The hustle and bustle of the Christmas season can wait, at least until Friday.

Cooking School

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I was attending cooking school today. I signed up myself and 12 friends from my afternoon tea group for a class on Comfort Foods. The class was held at the Stonewall Kitchens Cooking School in York, Maine. Our instructor, Linda Driver, waa fabulous! She was so knowledgeable and relaxed. She interacted with us and created a cozy atmosphere on a very cold day.

The first course she made was a squash soup topped with beets and creme fraiche. Linda demonstrated how to make each course and then we all got to eat it! This soup was the perfect texture and absolutely delicious. Doesn't it look inviting?

This kitchen is too die for. Imagine having a kitchen like this one! Cooking would be such a joy!We not only learned how to make each course, we also learned some interesting tips to make cooking easier and safer.
The second course was grilled ham with fruit compote. The fruit compote consisted of pears, pineapple, apples, apricots, and honey. My taste buds were in heaven! A potato dish was also demonstrated and then served along with the ham. We ate scalloped potatoes with three cheeeses (cheddar, parmesan, and gorgonzola). I loved the potato dish. I am Irish and a potato girl.
Here's the ham and fruit bake with the potatoes before I devoured it!

For dessert, we had brownies with vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce and whipped cream. The perfect finale for a wonderful and delicious learning experience. I have to say the staff at Stonewall Kitchens was top notch. Each step of the process went smoothly from my first phone call in September when I first booked the class to the last phone call last week. I begged for 1 more seat because I had incorrectly counted the number of reservations I needed. The class was sold out but they still accomodated me.

The women who served us during the class were as sweet as could be. They all looked genuinely happy to be there assisting us! When is the last time your server was truly happy to wait on you?

And there was Richard who took care of us from the minute we walked in the door. He made sure we knew we could get 20% off at the cooking school and the store. He was there to answer any questions and he was as upbeat and personable as the ladies at Stonewall.

Here's the outside of the store. No matter the season, it is always gorgeous.Inside the store,there is a cafe, bakery, and an array of jams, chutneys, sauces, oils, and unique gift items like a sconce made of snowshoes. Most of the time when I visit Stonewall I buy their coffee caramel or mocha espresso sauce. Just add vanilla ice cream and you are all set. There are also many varieties of hand soaps and lotions. I picked up a bottle of White Pine hand soap for my new kitchen. I also bought a beautful basket made of birch bark.

I know you all want to check out this store's website so here it is http://www.stonewallkitchen.com/ .

If you buy one of their jams or sauces, type in the name of the item on their website and it will pop up with recipes you can make with your particular item.

I hope if you live in the area you will visit Stonewall Kitchens and if you have the time, take advantage of one of their cooking classes. My friends have already mentioned they'd like to go back to take another class perhaps next time we can learn about appetizers or desserts.

While I'm on the subject of food, I'd like to wish all of you a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with

family, friends and great food. Blessings to you all!

Time Out

Come Saturday, I was just plain tuckered out from working and then packing up to move.. All week I had been busy at work by day and then doing a lot of heavy lifting at night.
So I decided to take it easy this weekend. The wind chill was in the teens and it was no fun
moving boxes into and out of the car. By 11 o'clock in the morning I was ready for a break.

So, I decided to go out for breakfast. Frannie's is a neighbothood breakfast place. The staff knows all their customers and the customers all know each other. It's a great place to go for a bite to eat by oneself. I decided to catch up on some magazine reading and treat myself to a cheese omelette, a hash brown patty, and a grilled english muffin.

It was toasty warm inside Frannie's and while they were preparing my breakfast, I was diving into some of my favorite magazines. I had Romantic Homes, Country Living, and Yankee which is a New England based magazine. I got lots of ideas for Christmas decorating and for gifts.

One idea was to use ice skates in your decor. I just love decorating with ice skates especially during the winter holidays. It adds a touch of whimsy. When I was younger, I was quite the avid skater. I even took figure skating lessons. I did go skating once last year and I really enjoyed it. So I am hoping for a good skating season this year.

Tonight, I was once again boxing up my possessions. But I did not bring them out to the car yet because it was 18 degrees outside and with the wind chill it felt like 6 degrees. It can wait until
tomorrow when it should be a litttle warmer. And to think last Saturday it was almost 70 degrees here!

Tomorrow I'm going to Maine for the afternoon and then it's back to the dreaded packing.
Enjoy your Sunday!