I have been baking today and the above picture shows the most perfect ginger snap I’ve ever made. The recipe is adapted from the book bigfatcookies by Elinor Klivans, which I gave to Ray for Christmas (one of my many finds from Out of the Closet thrift store). We don’t eat refined sugar so I…
Category: Home
Christmas before Christmas
We celebrated our family Christmas this evening and the picture above shows my favorite present. Of course, I liked everything I received: the pack of panties, the bubble bath, the pumice stone and foot scrub, the gift card to Coffee Bean, the socks, face cream, Chai tea and new frying pan. But my favorite gifts…
A Cold Night + A Honey-Sweetened Cranberry Sauce Recipe
I am sitting in front of my fireplace with the fire blazing. It is cold for LA – 51 degrees with a light wind. Only chilly for other parts of the country, but for Southern California, it’s down right frigid, especially knowing it is getting down to 44 tonight. I am sitting two feet from the…
One Stop Christmas Shopping
Let me name a one stop gift buying store: IKEA. We went there today and, though I had to rush and not meander since I was with other people, I still found all sorts of great little buys for my Christmas list. I can’t go into exactly what I bought since my daughters tend…
Countdown to Christmas
Today was one of those days when I felt as if I were juggling a dozen different tasks in the air and getting none of them completely done. Frustrating since I am tired of dealing with work and task lists and am ready instead to shift my attention to Christmas and holidays. Alas, tomorrow may…
Almost Time to Head Back West
Almost time to leave Texas and, as usual, we are far from ready to go. Too much to do to comfortably board a plane and head back to our other life – the one that includes very different kinds of work, not to mention our children and our dogs. Of course, we’re happy to see…
A Day Full of Family and Friends
We have had a long day today here in Texas – all good – visiting with family and friends from 9 am – midnight. No exaggeration. This is one of the best parts of being in Texas, seeing people we care about. There’s a sense of camaraderie among us that comes from knowing each other for…
Our Texas Home: A Step into the Past
Here is our Texas home. It is a Queen Anne Victorian that was a derelict building when we bought it; everything of value robbed – mantles, light fixtures, etc. – and the wall stripped down to the lath. My camera is not very good, and there are more rooms that are not included because I…
Pann’s Restaurant – A Destination of Choice
Pann’s Restaurant – home of fried chicken wings and waffles – was featured in the film Pulp Fiction. I love that film and I love Pann’s. We often go there when we’re taking someone to LAX to fly out since it’s right on the way. Pann’s has been around for over 50 years and is…
Family Day from 6 am – 10 pm
Here is a picture of my Utah family. We are all tired after a very full day. We got up early and went to volunteer at the homeless breakfast. That was from 6 – 10. Later, half of the group went to the Petersen Auto Museum while the other half stayed home (my group) and…
20 Minutes a Day 