I happened to be watching the Oprah Winfrey show last October when she was enthusiastically introducing her audience to the Amazon Kindle.  Her guest that day was Jeff Bezos, Founder & CEO of Amazon and they both explained the features of the Kindle.  I was so impressed with this portable eBook reader and its ability to make reading so enjoyable and convenient no matter where you are.

My husband, George, is an avid reader and I thought he would really enjoy receiving a Kindle.  It then became my choice of a Christmas gift for him.  I ordered the Kindle immediately after the show and was so glad I did because in no time Amazon was running out of stock.  Read more...

What a surprise to find that the house you loved and worked so hard with a designer to make special is not to the liking of a realtor when you are putting your home up for sale. He or she is only pleased if you follow the format.  Did you know that there are ways to present your home to a prospective buyer and if you want to sell, you better learn what to do to make it saleable?

First, remove all personal photographs.  Poor Grandma’s photos are relegated to a box stored in the basement.  Read more...

As a descendent of an Italian immigrant family, I have been handed down numerous variations of Meatball recipes from great- grandmother to grandmother to mother then me. That’s a picture of Mom over on the left.

Then after marrying an Irish-Italian man I was given his Italian families versions of their best meatball recipes.  I could fill a book with these recipes.

However, they really don’t differ much.

It could be as simple as a little less cheese or no parsley but basically the same.  However, I could never find one recipe that really gave me a nice moist meatball and one that would stay moist after being cooked in spaghetti sauce.  Read more...

We are all so busy in today’s society to be the old fashion welcome-wagon greeter when a new neighbor moves into the area.  I remember those days when women were stay at home Moms and they looked forward to meeting their neighbors and having chats in the morning over a hot cup of coffee.   Back then the neighbors would greet a new neighbor with a casserole dish or pie and welcome them to the community.

Those days are gone since we are all involved in outside the home activities.  Be it either jobs or volunteer work or constant carpooling children, we don’t have time to welcome a new neighbor.  I miss those days and the opportunity to meet a newcomer.  Read more...

I have been married for 48 years to the same man who I love just as much today as I did when I first met him.  We met while in college and dated five years before our marriage.  So, basically we have known each other 53 years.  When younger people hear we are married for so long, the usual question is “what is the secret to staying married so long?”

The answer is simple:  Similarities!!  Read more...