As we wrap up another year — perhaps, more fraught with tensions than others — we still have to give thanks for all we have. This year brought me big changes: A new job, a new home in a new city, new neighbors and a new neighborhood to walk the dog! New friends, as well as, new restaurants. Also, changes to my previous Townhouse to prep it for rent and finally new tenants. So many new things. Moving after living in the same place for 26 years was a huge event….
Continue reading “Farewell 2025!” 
Fall has really shown its glory this year — beautiful leaves and blue skies…. Halloween is over and Thanksgiving is fast-approaching, now the winds shake the acorns loose and the leaves float through the air. Many of the leaves lie on a lackluster yard sprinkled with acorns and random broken branches. I still love Fall – Halloween, Thanksgiving and then Christmas around the corner. I enjoy the flutter of the big oak leaves and the squirrels scampering around to get their food stock gathered. My dog aka the Princess is not a fan of the random acorns. When they drop, they scare her. One actually hit her on the head….
Continue reading “The Fall of the Humble Potato….”
When you hear the word “Budget” how does it make you feel? Sorta like your wallet (and you) are on a “diet?” It is usually way more fun to “spend” than to feel restricted to not spend. It’s almost like when you think I should not eat any ice cream or sweets — no cake, no cookies, no candy and especially, no ice cream! Most budgets make you feel like you have to live on a diet for the rest of. your life. What if I said you can create a plan that helps you feel like the CEO of your household? How can I feel like the CEO….
Continue reading “To Budget or to Spend?”
Maybe we all recall the fable1 about the Tortoise (turtle) and the Hare (rabbit) and how in the end the Tortoise got there first. If not, here is the short version. The hare and tortoise got in a race. The hare was so busy running, he got ahead, and thought he had the race in the bag. Since he was ahead and now tired, he took a rest and when he awoke — he started running again but….the tortoise was ahead and beat him to the finish line.
Maybe today’s society rewards the hares, or perhaps, it encourages or even forces us to be hares or be left in the dust. When I was younger I could run and get everything done and then collapse at night. When I bought my first car, I had a car payment and then the rent went up and wow, car insurance! I had to get a part-time job — I went to work at…
Continue reading “Are you the Turtle or the Rabbit and can you win the Retirement Race?”
If you have never taken an art class or even if you have, you might be surprised to find out that white paint isn’t necessarily “all white!”. It usually has some “under tones” which mean the shade of paint can change in varying light and the time of day. And if you are not careful that “shade” of paint can cause you to wish it wasn’t so. This can make it difficult to select the proper “white” paint for your home. Unless you are the one painting, painting is expensive. Even if you do it yourself, the paint can now cost quite a bit. So you end up afraid to make a decision which has happened to me, where you get trapped in …
Continue reading “White Paint Isn’t All White?!”
Yes, I moved to a new city in the same state with a lower cost of living! OMG! It is a lot of work but I like the new house in a quiet neighborhood. I do sometimes hear a train but it does not wake me up. It might be helpful if it did wake me up for work. I am hoping the new residence and lack of significant traffic will give me more time to write. My dog aka The Princess is much happier — although she did “save” my life.
Continue reading “I Moved!!”
Hi All,
As evidenced from my infrequent posts, I have been a bit uninspired for the last year or so. Therefore, I feel like I need to reintroduce myself and my blog. I am hoping to share ideas, knowledge and just some camaraderie. I do like to cook and bake — baking is really more of my thing. I will try recipes, especially some of the older (mom/grandma, favorite) recipes and share my results. Also, I am still experimenting to find a “healthy” cake recipe! I like to try new restaurants so
Continue reading “A re-introduction!”
No Wheat – Gluten-Free, no meat, no dairy, Allergies!! I have a friend who has an auto-immune disease, while it is not celiac, her reactions are serious and not good! And because of the serious nature, I have learned so much about which what it takes to eat Gluten-Free and it takes cooking and feeding yourself to the next level.
And, now, my dog has of all things, allergies. She has these persistent ear infections. Now I have to learn about feeding my dog to reduce the ear infections. Beef, Wheat and Dairy are the most common allergens for dogs. And my dog is very motivated by food and in addition, she expects to get some of mine! This is hard as dogs expect to eat with the pack and while they acknowledge the leader of the pack eats first. They expect the leader to share some of the food with them — a tidbit or two at least. Okay, maybe it’s just my dog that expects me to share. How did the diet go?
Continue reading “Beef, Wheat and Dairy Allergies?! Updates on the Princess!”
Cook Once, Eat Twice – part 2
Well Summer is working its way to Fall – leaves are already starting to turn! Kids are going back to school and soon it will be the ol’ refrain: “What’s for dinner?!” Last post, I covered making a quick spaghetti bolognese (meat sauce). This post, I will share the secret (ok, it’s not a secret) but I will share one of my quick dinners. Easy Ravioli Lasagna! I think I first learned about this on the show “The Chew” where Mario Batali tested the recipe to see if it worked and was it any good. So, was it ….
Continue reading “Easy Ravioli Lasagna!”
Have you ever had one of those days or months where it is hard to get motivated? I am not sure what happened because I tried to write a post for the Super Bowl (“Souper” Bowl) but then I didn’t feel like making soup! Then it was tax time! While I can do my taxes, I had a hard time pulling all of the stuff together, much less actually using the tax software to complete them. Some of this was due to the time change, I really. hate Spring forward. Not to mention, Spring hitting very hard – green pollen covering the deck, the cars, me and the dog after taking her for a walk. My allergies flared terribly and I had no idea when I started watching that there are 17 seasons of Heartland! So I apologize to my loyal followers — do I have any loyal followers – besides the spammers?? So while all those things were just distractions, I woke up this morning thinking about writing this post. It’s almost Mother’s Day so let’s think about how to make your Mom’s or your wife’s, or any special lady’s, day a little better. One of the best ways is
Continue reading “Cook once, eat Twice”
