I wish you a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year!

Amy received a sewing machine from Santa this year, and immediately set to work creating her first masterpiece: a plush dog toy for our dog, Scooter. First, she free-handed a bone pattern on a piece of paper. Then, she traced it onto some sheepskin fleece, and cut out two pieces. After a quick lesson onRead more about Sewing a Plush Dog Toy[…]

This is excerpted from an essay by Dr James Allan Francis in “The Real Jesus and Other Sermons” © 1926 by the Judson Press of Philadelphia. A child is born in an obscure village. He is brought up in another obscure village. He works in a carpenter shop until he is thirty, and then forRead more about One Solitary Life[…]

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, my favorite holiday of the year. It’s the day I host The Feast of the Seven Fishes, the traditional Italian meal featuring at least seven different types of fish. I always prepare more than seven, because I can’t help myself. Go big or go home, as they say. This year, I’llRead more about The Feast of the Seven Fishes 2008[…]

We got 7 inches of snow on Friday, with another 4-6 expected today. Time to dig out the hats, gloves, scarves and boots.

Next week, I’ll be celebrating Christmas Eve with my family, and enjoying the Italian tradition of The Feast of The Seven Fishes. When I was little, we used to go to my grandmother’s house for Christmas Eve, and after she died, no one else was interested in carrying on the tradition. So, when I gotRead more about Crabmeat Puffs[…]

She was the widow of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, but also an actress in her own right. Fans of the old Star Trek series remember her as Nurse Chapel (the one who carried an unrequited torch for Mr. Spock) or the voice of the ship’s computer, but I loved her best as Lwaxana Troi,Read more about R.I.P. Majel Barrett Roddenberry[…]

As I mentioned a while back, I went to a fundraiser recently where a friend of mine dressed up as Santa. He was quite believable, and had a steady stream of tots waiting in line to sit on his lap and tell him what they wanted for Christmas. I saw him again last night (inRead more about Santa’s lament[…]

Earlier this year, I was so excited about my Flip Ultra camcorder. It records up to 60 minutes of video, and has a USB that pops out for instant uploading to any computer or website. I loved it so much, I took it with me on my cruise to Bermuda in August. Since we’d alreadyRead more about My Flip Saga comes to a close[…]

Today, we took the kids to a Lunch with Santa charity fundraiser event. As you can see, I had my antlers all shined up for the occasion!