New Year’s Eve means gold sequins, glitter and fancy winter cocktails. It’s time to chill your glasses and get your shaker ready. The table is set with all that glitters…perfect for your New Year’s Eve party! Put together an evening that dazzles with sparkling drinks, food, and decor. Don’t pack up the Christmas decorations before …
The Nutcracker: Family Traditions
It’s that most wonderful time of the year! The Nutcracker ballet brings more warmth during the holidays than any family tradition…with its giant growing tree, dancing candies, and waltzing flowers. Even in Texas, it’s easy to step into a winter wonderland and imagine we are back in 1892 in St. Petersburg, Russia. LakeCities Ballet Theatre’s production of …
TRÈS ASHLEY GIFT GUIDE 2014
It’s time to make your list and check it twice! ‘Tis the season to shop! Gift-giving is all about knowing the person you’re buying for…the kid or kid at heart. December is the time to be inspired. Here’s hoping you find your perfect gifts…there’s something here for everyone. Wishing you the happiest holiday season, lots …
Clara’s Tea: Nutcracker Dreams
The Nutcracker is a holiday tradition that truly puts you in the spirit of Christmas. Each holiday season, if we’re very lucky, we get a glimpse of what makes the moments of the season sparkle. For weeks my daughter was saying, “Mommy, I can’t wait for Clara’s Tea!” She would have liked to have driven …
Roasting and Toasting with S’mores a Hot Toddy and the Space Station
Everything tastes better in the great outdoors…especially s’mores! This fall, our family started a Sunday night tradition of roasting marshmallows and looking for the Space Station. So far, we’ve been lucky to have clear Texas night skies and being able to spot the Space Station…even if it’s only for a few minutes. My son asks, …
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The Little Red Hen Comes Full Circle
It’s a beautiful thing when life comes full circle. My first year of teaching first grade (I’ve taught fifteen years in second) and I kept thinking of my beloved first grade teacher, Mrs. Lane. It is such a coincidence that Mrs. Lane found herself in my new first grade classroom at the beginning of this school year. Her …
Classic Mad Men Cocktails
Cocktails have been an essential element of Mad Men from season one. Mad Men has made classic cocktails come back in fashion. Entertaining in the 60’s often featured cocktails, not wine. When Julia Child published “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” in 1961, that was about the time Americans became interested in wine. There weren’t …
LakeCities Ballet Theatre presents, Le Ballet de Dracula: A Ballet with a Bite
Bram Stoker’s 1897 Gothic novel, Dracula has inspired LakeCities Ballet in their ninth production of Le Ballet de Dracula. Dracula is gruesome, scary, bloody…just in time for Halloween! My daughter and I enjoyed Le Ballet de Dracula so much last year that we couldn’t wait to see it again. This year, we opted for the …
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The Evil Eye: A Lucky Charm
Nobody has more evil eye charms dangling from their pot rack, key chains, doorways, rear-view mirrors and necklaces than a Turk. My sister-in-law Jeyhan is Turkish. We have a few evil eye charms that she has given us that we proudly display in our home…they are our lucky charms. The evil eye is said to …
Juliet & Romeo: a cocktail with kisses for Juliet’s birthday
September in Verona, Italy is when the town celebrates Juliet Capulet’s birthday. Hundreds of years ago, Shakespeare made Verona famous with his play, Romeo and Juliet that was based on the life of two real young lovers who both died for each other and lived in Verona in 1303. People go to Verona to gaze …
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Bougainvilleas Bloom Best in Texas during Indian Summer
My parents have green thumbs. Right now, their bougainvillea runneth over in a sea of magenta and salmon. It’s Indian summer in Texas and bougainvilleas are getting their second wind. These beautiful plants love warm weather and if they’re heavily watered in summer and fed (bougainvillea food) then they can bloom several times year-round. It seems …
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Meatloaf You Want Your Mother To Make
When my daughter was about six months old, I remember making meatloaf on a cold day. When I fed her a tender bite, I felt cozy on the inside…as if I had just taken that first bite. Fall is in the air and I’m craving comfort foods like Julia Child’s beef bourguignon, chicken pot pie …