cambodian tea and candle

sweet gifts from a sweet daughter

open-eyed sneeze

My daughter's friend, Jessica Martin, has published her first novel.



The setting is our little village, Brockport, and provides a humorous account of life after college.

I’m a farm girl at heart and the idea for this book was planted here. ~ Jess Martin

We had the pleasure of attending a book signing for Jessica last evening and it was fun to reconnect with the whole Martin family. The only thing that would have made it better is if we could have attended her book signings in Boston or NYC!



Her book is dedicated to her family . . .
"There when I laughed, there when I cried. Usually responsible for both."

Open-Eyed Sneeze is available for sale at the Harvard Book Store.

"A perfect gift for graduates attempting to make meaning of it all, this refreshing first work will keep you laughing through the most frustrating of post-collegiate questions - Now what?" - Harvard Book Store

Here is the link to buy the book if you are interested.

Congratulations Jess!

twenty-four

Happy birthday to my youngest son.

island stools

When your son's 200 pound college football player friend sits on one of these counter stools it is apt to tilt and then bend. That will leave you with three stools and the need to replace one. {Actually, to be honest, it was a little wobbly to begin with.}



The problem is that the dining center where we purchased them doesn't carry this model anymore. After much searching we ended up at Bed, Bath and Beyond. We could buy one stool that was pretty comfortable for $189 or we could buy a set of three for $99 {with a 20% off coupon}.



I do recommend trying them out first as some models were not very comfortable. And then . . . the assembly begins with two "not so handy" construction crew.



Now we have two pair that blend pretty well together and oh yes, two spare ones waiting in the wings.

coffee

My friend Christine {from far away Seattle} sent us a certificate to our favorite local coffee shop in honor of our new grandson.



Here we are enjoying that coffee with the new baby, his mom and good friends.

poetry

A blog I often read, Words on Wheels, recently had a post about the joys of poetry. After reading this I am reminded of a favorite poem that my cousin Renee once sent to me.



I have given this poem to friends as they turned fifty.
In a few years my friends will be turning sixty
Wonder what inspirational poem would speak to that?

Here is the piece of it that I love . . .

What then? Shall we sit idly down and say.
The night hath come; it is no longer day?
The night hath not yet come; we are not quite
Cut off from labor by the failing light;
Something remains for us to do or dare;
Even the oldest tree some fruit may bear;
. . . . . .
But other something, would we but begin;
For age is opportunity no less
Than youth itself, though in another dress,
And as the evening twilight fades away
The sky is filled with stars, invisible by day.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)
from: Morituii Salutamus

going gray

I am becoming a bit tired of dying my hair and
would like to find it's "natural gray state" but . . .
I don't know how to get there.

This is a photo of my daughter's friend with lovely gray hair.



An extensive search on the world wide web
has not proved to be very helpful.

If anyone has any helpful tips or ideas, I'd be very grateful.

taggy blanket two

We have two new babies {grandchildren} in our circle of friends so I made them each a taggy blanket. I posted a tutorial on how to make one here but I made these new ones a bit smaller {aprox 8 x 15 inches} than the original.





Our little Cedar loves his.
It is perfect for his little hands that can't quite grasp a toy yet.

greek salsa

I found this hors d'oeuvre on the Frilly Details Blog recently and with a few changes it has become a favorite for our Wine-on-Wednesday gatherings.



pour a small amount of olive oil on the serving platter
cover with a few chopped tomatoes and 4 diced green onions



next a generous amount of feta cheese
sprinkle Cavender's Greek Seasoning over all



serve with a French baguette