Ten Days

Today clean sheets will crack in the air and gently float down to land.  For the next ten days I’ll hear the distinctive cadence of each boy coming down the stairs where the destination will undoubtedly be the fridge.  It’ll be full.  I’ll pamper and bring the calorie count up for the time being.  I’m going to bask in familiar youthful sounds I’ve missed that have become the exception around here.  I’ll relish a clean house void of glittery project fallout and look up every time tussled hair passes by.  And wear a bra more often.

I’ll be back in ten days after having the privilege of playing mom.

xoxo

A Formula To Help Set Priorities in Life

A very wise woman shared this with me yesterday as I was waffling some options in life: 365 days x 80 years (for the sake of longevity reference) = 29,200 Days available from birth 365 days x 56 (use your current age) = 20,440 Days used (gasp!) 29,200 (days available from birth) – 20,440 (days used) = 8760 Days remaining (hopefully healthy and productive) When it’s laid out in front of us in numbers sometimes it becomes clearer. Does it… [Read More]

“The Great One” – A Prelude To A Back-To-School Give-Away

Do you remember your favorite teacher?  Mine was in high school.  Mr. Purcey taught Health and Safety to freshman and Anatomy to upper classmen.  I was fortunate to have had him for both.  On the first day of class, he told us everyone had an “A”.  He then informed us it was up to us to keep it there.  His belief that we were capable began the year on an encouraging note.  He was the only teacher besides my forth… [Read More]

Thank You, My Sweet Blogging Buddies!

I wanted to check in to say thank you so much for your well wish comments for Mr. PM’s surgery.  I had good intentions to comment in return to each of your kind thoughts but to tell the truth, I didn’t have it in me this week to be at the computer. To give you a quick update, the surgery wasn’t as successful as we had wished and expected. I think one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to… [Read More]

Christmas Recap

Basking. Recovering. Recharging. Putting away the silver, crystal and china. A MacFamily breakfast tradition. I can’t believe I forgot the Christmas crackers! So much fun to have received photos on Christmas morning of reader’s cinnamon rolls they made from The Best Giant Make-Ahead Cinnamon Roll Ever. Thank you so much for sharing! I’d love to see more so please send me your photos and I’ll post them. Here are two – from Lauren in Pasadena and Nancy in Seattle. And… [Read More]

Monday Perspective

As I’m taking a moment to think out my schedule this week which will include a cupcake tower with a snowflake theme and snowflake cookies, I’m also thinking of two strangely polar dining events that are taking place today. My brother and his wife are on day 4 without electricity from the Santa Ana winds that blew through Pasadena last week. They are eating of out an ice chest where there’s going to be a curbside drop off lane for… [Read More]

The Best Pecan Pie and Painted Dough Cut-Outs

“Of Pie I Sing” – A remembrance, a recipe and an idea  Funny how we tend to keep the traditional childhood foods in our adult repertoire – especially if one is the host or hostess preparing the fare – unless we make a conscious effort to break the proverbial cranberry mold. My childhood Thanksgiving dinner consisted of the good, the bad and the mysterious. My mom would toil over the turkey rising at dawn to put the bird in the… [Read More]

Cookies Gone Postal

This week I received a couple of disgruntled emails. These two readers have been following my blogging baking adventures as of late and feel deprived and left out of the baking loop, so to speak. It seems I have forgotten college boys cannot live on Physics and Chemical Engineering classes alone and need chocolate chip cookies sent from home. These cookies are my grandmother’s recipe. She made them. My mother made them. I make them. They are crunchy on the… [Read More]

A Midsummer Night’s Balancing Act

August.It’s just starting to hit me that time is running out and my opportunities for all my good intentions this summer are dwindling. Son2 will be back at college next month and how many good home cooked meals have I made? Not many. I need to change that. Son1 flies into town on Friday for a week’s visit which we’ll also have the pleasure of celebrating his birthday with him at home. This is a real treat. He deserves a… [Read More]

Espresso Martinis, Nachos and Tiaras!

Besides being a great potential blog name these goodies will be on the menu tonight as I venture over to a royal wedding party with the girls at 1 AM! Coverage begins just after midnight Pacific time and we’re donning tiaras while pulling an all-nighter. The best in-house party favor is bringing out the collection of tiaras. Yes, tiaras! Even a replica of Queen Elizabeth’s coronation crown will be there which is a family heirloom of my friend’s mother. Isn’t… [Read More]