Just Plain Joy

I have been hearing a lot in the media about “flu fighting foods,” and I decided to try introducing a few into my daily routine. I am not a trained nutritionist, but it makes sense to me that food keeps us healthy and strengthens our defenses. I am trying to get a daily dose of [...]

I know we are only three-quarters of the way through 2009, but if I had to pick one word that embodied this year so far it would be family. I thoroughly enjoyed the time at home with my husband and daughter, the week I was able to spend with my family during my mom’s kidney [...]

I have a confession…I am in my “Clean House” mode again. I wish that meant that I’m actually cleaning my house, but what is really means is I have been sitting on my couch watching back-to-back episodes of Clean House on the Style Network. My friends and family have no idea (well, they do now) [...]

I know for some people simple living means “made from scratch,” “home-grown,” and “hand prepared.” But, the simplest way I have found to enjoy a gourmet meal without the long grocery list, prepping and cooking for hours, and dealing with dirty dishes is dining out. Here are 7 tips for a simple dining experience: 1. [...]

A while back, I published a popular post called 7 Essential Kitchen Items. I received many comments and decided to follow it up with another kitchen-related list. Here are 7 (more) Handy Kitchen Items: 1. Mixing bowls. This suggestion appeared frequently in the comments of my previous post, and I have to admit that I [...]

I know I’ve been a little absent from the Blogosphere this week. I am still dealing with my broken foot and facing another three weeks on crutches. For those of you who have not been following my situation, I broke my foot in January and had surgery on it about six weeks ago. I am [...]

One of my favorite activities is entertaining. I recently came across these seven great ideas contributed by Sunset magazine readers. 1. Stone soup party. Ask everyone to bring something to go into homemade beef soup. Make the stock and some bread rolls. Simmer while having a drink or watching a sitcom. Ideas for ingredients include [...]

Check out today’s post of ’7 Essential Baby Items’ on Central Coast Parent.

One of my friends recently adopted a Mediterranean diet, and she was sharing the health benefits with me over dinner the other night – less saturated fats, more fresh foods, and the added bonus of weight loss. Many people are turning to this regional-based way of eating and are enjoying the foods of Greece and [...]

A “hack” is something that makes life easier – a tip, a trick, or a tool. Parent Hacks is one of my favorite blogs. Here are seven previous posts from their site that I thought were great solutions (click on the title for a direct link to each hack): Bungee cord solution: I recently gave [...]