My life lately consists of lists and more lists.  Less than two weeks until Melissa’s bridal shower and my trip to Michigan.  But, before I go, I am organizing a golf scramble for my neighborhood golf group and hosting Euchre (cards) at my house.  I do find that lists give me motivation and I have really accomplished a lot lately.  Hosting at my home also gives me motivation to deep clean and that feels good too. The bridal shower is pretty much planned and all that I need to do is pick up a few odds and ends once I get there.  I will be shipping in advance a bo ..read more

  It has been a week since my family left and it has taken that long for me to collect my thoughts.  Having us all together, including our granddaughter was so much fun and really a dream come true.  We were busy, but also spent a lot of time relaxing by the pool. We took the baby along to some fun restaurants and also let her parents have a date at their favorite Venice restaurant too.  The baby had a lot of firsts including first plane trip, first pool time and first time at the beach.  She is the happiest and sweetest baby, with so many smiles for her Nana. I cooked ..read more

  It is hard to believe that tomorrow is the last day of February, but I am ready for March and a fun month ahead.  My two daughters (with fiance, husband and my grandaughter too) will be here visiting the next two weeks (one night overlapping) and my excitement is high.  The heat on the pool is turned up, baby items are gathered and dinner reservations are made.  The weather should be nice and we will play it by ear with a baby along.  I may have purchased a Minnie Mouse beach towel :-) February in photos shows yoga on the beach and waves in the gulf from th ..read more

I spent the past week in Michigan helping Megan while my son in law traveled for work.  She really doesn’t need a lot of help (except with the dog) because she is the best mama and it is a joy to watch her navigate the newborn stage.  Some people are natural with babies and she is one of them.  She constantly talks to Audrey and Audrey looks for her voice.  It is the cutest and we are lucky to have such a happy baby.   The weather in Michigan was unbelievable and quite warm for early February.  We were able to get out, do some shopping, have lunch and go for many ..read more

  I think it is important to pat yourself on the back if you set a goal and then meet that goal.  As I approach another birthday, I am determined to get myself moving more consistently.  I decided in addition to walking with my dog everyday, heavy gardening and golf, and haphazard yoga, my goal would be to do three yoga practices per week.  I try to do beach yoga one time and one long and one short practice at home with the Down Dog app.  Writing it down and holding myself accountable each week has helped and it is now becoming a habit.   January was a succes ..read more

  Six months from today we will be celebrating the marriage of my daughter Melissa and her fiancé Kevin.  It has gone both fast and slow since their engagement, when a lot of planning happens and then slows down.  We have the venue, church and her dress.  She is an event planner, so all is on spreadsheets and on track.  The hardest part is going to be making things special for her and not a continuation of her job. I am currently planning her bridal shower for the end of April.  We have the venue and a theme. In February, we will start working on details lik ..read more

  Calling all chocolate lovers - this recipe is delicious and would be perfect for a Valentine’s Day dinner.  I have not made a flourless cake in a while and could not find the recipe I remember using, but this one I found on Pinterest is better and simpler to make. I think my old recipe needed a springform pan, but this one just used a regular cake pan and parchment paper for ease of removal.  It came right out of the cake pan once cooled and the rich frosting/glaze covered any imperfections.  In fact, I put it on a pretty cake stand to take to a dinner party and it lo ..read more

  My Christmas decor and Christmas tree are put away and I just love the feeling of freshness and space that brings.  I always do a bit of a rearrange to the decor I put back and everything old is new again.  I miss all the lights, so a fun purchase from Amazon was these flameless candles for a pair of lanterns in my front hallway.  Just the right amount of sparkle for the next month of early darkness. I am back into more consistent yoga after getting a little too sporadic in the holiday season. 2024 was started on a beautiful note with yoga on Venice Beach at 8:00 am. N ..read more

  Looking for top views of recipe posts as I usually do to end a blogging year, I found something interesting.  I did not have very many actual recipe posts and in fact the top recipe was for How to Make Boxed Banana Bread Better.  This is indicative of my Florida life, compared to when I started this blog.  More dinner hours pool side and less cooking day to day.  It’s a lot more fun to grab a sub and watch a beach sunset at dinner time than to spend hours in the kitchen. The top three views of fun cocktail posts are as follows.  Enjoy and Happy 2024! Easter Coc ..read more

  We flew home from Michigan today and it is good to be back in the sunshine.  The weather was gloomy and drizzling there and there definitely wasn’t a white Christmas this year, but it did not put a damper on the fun we had. Of course the highlight for all of us was our precious granddaughter’s first Christmas.  She is starting to react and play a bit and we couldn’t get enough of her.  It was sad to leave, but Megan is good about sending photos and videos, so that makes it a bit easier. Some of the highlights included Christmas celebrations with both sides of our family ..read more