Lucky Mugs

One of the things I love about St. Patrick's Day is that it's a holiday free from the expectation of gifts. And yet...since it's a holiday, and we love to give gifts on holidays, we decided to make these for a few "lucky" people in our lives!

Lucky mugs! Actually, I tend to think that all mugs are lucky.

St. Patty's Vignette

I have never ever decorated for St. Patrick's Day. But as I looked around my house this week, all done up in red and white, I was faced with 2 options: either find where I stored the "everyday" decorations before Thanksgiving (!) or skip the search process and just put up some new ones! So.... I guess I blame laziness for the fact that my house is beginning to look a little...green....

Grandma's Banana Cake

Today is my Grandma's birthday. If she were still alive, she would be turning 89. But my grandma died 14 years ago on Valentine's Day... 3 days before her 75th birthday. When I called my grandpa today, he reminded me of this (he's a numbers guy) and joked that if my grandma hadn't had a birthday, they probably never would have gotten married. So yes, today was an important day, after all. Even at the ripe old age of 94, my grandpa is witty.

Lucky is a State of Mind

Have I mentioned my hellish week? Yeah, I thought so. (If you really want, you can read all about it here.) It's been a doozy. But at the end of it, you know how I feel...? Lucky.

The Best Gift of All

I had a little bit of a hellish week. Between a sick Nora and a huge argument with Jorden and some hard news from a friend and a bunch of little things that built up into something that felt much bigger, I kind of had a meltdown yesterday. On the phone. With Jorden. While he was driving home from work. I accused him of not being supportive of my blog...and broke down crying....and hung up before things could get worse. And then he came home with this:

French Onion Risotto

I LOVE risotto. Like love love it. I got hooked on it a few years ago when my friend Lisa sent me a tomato-sausage risotto recipe from Martha Stewart. Since then I've made about 10 different recipes and have yet to meet one I didn't thoroughly enjoy. Mushroom risotto, butternut squash risotto, roasted vegetable risotto with truffle oil, edamame risotto, red wine risotto....need I say more?! Rich, creamy, delicious.....and actually very easy to make!

Message Window

I kind of have a thing for putting unconventional decorations on my walls. Part of the reason is the difficulty I have finding affordable artwork I really like... and part of it is that I love the challenge of repurposing things I find at rummage sales, thrift stores, clearance shelves, or even my own house! I always feel like part of making a house a home is adding your own unique decorating touches... and being true to your own sense of style and innovation!

Cherry Cheesecake Breakfast Bundles

Before I was a mom of 3, and before I lived in my Lemon Tree Dwelling, and before I started blogging.... I had a whole other life as a Campus Minister at an all-girls Catholic high school. I led retreats, service projects, prayer services, reflections, social justice awareness activities, and community outreach programs for 600 high school girls....and I loved it! I put my heart and soul into my work and felt such a sense of purpose that, for a long time, it felt totally worth it.