When my daughter wants to know if I like someone, she’ll ask me, “Mommy, would you make tea for her?” This is her test to know if I’ve made a friend. If someone that I care about is coming by the house, I will naturally say, “I’ll make us some tea.” My dearest friends know this …
Eggnog belongs to the winter
If I were the editor of SKI Magazine, I would probably put a picture of a skier being offered a warm glass of eggnog on the cover of the January issue. It’s what I want to drink when my bones feel like they’ve been on the top of the mountain…bumps then bourbon. Homemade eggnog is …
Chanel No 5: a revolutionary perfume
Ohh, that smells nice! Can I have a squirt? My twelve-year-old daughter asked while brushing her hair in my bathroom. We were both getting ready for the day. The squirt that she wanted was Chanel No 5. Remember that scene in The Parent Trap when Hayley Mills tells her grandfather she’s making a memory and says, “You smell like peppermints …
Apples season is here…toast to Johnny Appleseed
It’s apple season…time to decorate for Halloween and sip on cozy apple cocktails. Johnny Appleseed’s birthday is this week! Toast to Johnny with this cozy Apple Autumn Spritz and German Apple Pancake. I had about ten apples just waiting for me Saturday morning so I used my juicer and was inspired to enjoy apples all …
In Good Taste: John Mark Gleadow
Inside a charming little art gallery in Rosemary Beach, Florida you might find yourself standing in front of a Marc Chagall painting…wearing a bikini, flip flops and smelling of sunscreen. Curate30A art gallery is special because it gives the viewer a casual environment…with that beach hair don’t care atmosphere. The walls in our Texas home host …
Jell-O Girls
A few weeks ago, I was watching my children endure life in the sweetest season…summer. They would swim, I would read. They would sleep in, I would read. They would stay up late, I would read. Then my favorite…they would read and so would I! Reading curled up in a beach towel and lost inside …
Book Fairies do exist
Our secret mission began on a cloudy summer morning. My daughter carried the package under her arm, hoping not to attract attention. I whispered, try to look normal. Zooey surveyed the coffee shop…a dark cozy table with summer flowers in a green vase. Looks good. Casually, she wandered to the table and laid the package …
Old-fashioned summertime lemonade & limoncello
“Remind me again, is that a lemon or a lime tree,” my husband asked? My parents gave us a beautiful lemon tree in the spring. It’s finally looking like it will be ready to harvest soon. I’ve learned that lemon trees are grateful sun worshipers…ours looks like it’s trying to hug the sun. Thankfully, lemon …
Mermaid bath bombs
The kitchen is a swirl of purple, green and blue. Twelve-year-old girls are squealing. Flash back to 1988 and I’m feeling twelve again…wearing acid-washed jeans, making friendship bracelets and listening to 10,000 Maniacs. This feeling is just as I remember it, but better because it’s for my daughter Zooey. It was a full evening. We had …
Summer’s favorite cocktail: Cipriani Bellini
July feels to me like the pinnacle of summer, days well spent dining with friends and restful moments lounging poolside with a book…always with something fruity within reach. Specifically, a cocktail like this one that is as bright and beautiful as it is light and refreshing, a lovely way to bask in the season. Renoir’s Luncheon …
Women’s Watermen SUP
When my friend Julie told me about the Women’s Watermen SUP, I laughed and thought “I don’t know if I can do it but I’ll try.” My motto for my forties has been Tina Fey’s saying, “Just say yes and you’ll figure it out afterwards.” The day before the race was stressful… I had all …
Peppermint brownies
Lingering candy canes still remain from the holidays and I can’t find it in me to toss them. A wintry rainy Sunday calls for peppermint brownies. My eleven-year-old gladly volunteered to smash the candy canes as long as she could occasionally sample several pieces. Chocolate and mint together are an amazing duo…really one of the …