Happy New Year 2026

 At the beginning of January 2025,we celebrated our 50th Wedding Anniversary with a fun party at Pine Crest Country Club. Wow, 50 years went by so fast! In March, we took a Viking Ocean Cruise to SE Asia, starting in Bali, travelling through Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore finishing in Bangkok, Thailand. We spent two extra days there and headed home, long flight between 24-30 hours with layovers. We loved Asia, the people were so happy and friendly. Even though poverty was so apparent in many areas, the most important thing to them was to have another day of life with their family. I was also fascinated by the melding of the different religious beliefs. SE Asia was so lush and green and wonderfully warm. In July, we had our annual Edisto Beach vacation, the weather was hot this year but it was beautiful for the pool and beach. The end of August, we flew to Vancouver BC and boarded Holland America, Nieuw Amsterdam for a 7 day inside passage Alaskan Cruise followed by a 4 day land excursion. The weather was fantastic in the mid 60's-70's sunny with no rain. Our first port stop was Ketchikan, we were able to see the salmon running, very sad that many do not make it and die. Definitely something to observe, the natural cycle of their life. Second stop Juneau visited the town and took a side trip out to the Mendenhall Glacier. Skagway was our third port. A well preserved mining town with many original buildings that are now shops and restaurants. We took the white mountain scenic rail train up to Yukon, Canada and back. The mountain views were stunning. The next day was spectacular in Glacier Bay National Park. The weather was sunny mid 50's-60's. We had a great view from our balcony of Marjorie Glacier. This glacier is approximately 21 miles long and about 1 mile wide at its face, with a height of about 350 feet in total, including the approximately 100 feet of ice that is submerged underwater. We then went to the bow of the ship for a closer view and for their traditional sampling of Dutch pea soup and mulled wine. Next we saw John Hopkins Inlet and Lamplugh Glacier smaller 8 miles long but more blue coloration in its crevasses. Saw many seals, sea lions and sea otters, too. We spent one more day on ship in the College Fjord seeing the glaciers named after ivy league schools, we saw the glacier breach 3 times , it was amazing. We left ship the next morning and boarded the Denali train for a 9 hour ride into the interior of Alaska. Very relaxing ride, nice views, had breakfast and lunch on the train, and pulled into Denali at 6pm. Denali is breathtaking. We had one night at the lodge. Made the most of it, took a 5 hour tour of the park. Weather was cloudy and cool. Did not see the top of Mt Denali, heavy cloud cover. If I ever venture back to Alaska it would be here at Denali! We were so happy to take this trip, Alaska is stunning, saw the northern lights from the window of our plane going home! We continue to divide our time between Florida and Pennsylvania. This year, we have spent more time in the northeast with our family and grandchildren. Travel plans for 2026 include Scotland and Ireland in May, Edisto Beach and the Christmas markets along the Rhine starting in Basel Switzerland, then Germany, France and the Netherlands. I continue to try new recipes and have added a few to my blog. Check out Crustless Blueberry Cake Pie and Praline Crunch both were stars over the holidays. I was inspired by the sourdough bread in Alaska and when I returned home was able to successfully grow my starter and make sourdough breads! My other passion this year is embroidery. I had done projects many years ago and started again this year, so relaxing. We have been so blessed to have a happy, healthy busy year😊

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Happy New Year 2025

Another year flying by! We spent a lovely week in Napa and Sonoma Valley, wine tasting and eating some amazing food. After a crazy, hectic drive from San Francisco to Napa, the green hills of Napa were serene. We stayed at a wonderful resort in Napa, had rented a car and drove throughout Napa and Sonoma to visit about 4 wineries a day. Ate at some very nice restaurants and visited a geyser in Calistoga, purely for sentimental reasons (we went there with our kids when they were young circa 1985). Of course, we did our annual summer vacation in Edisto, SC. So much fun with our family and grandkids. This was our youngest grandchild's first experience at the beach, and she loved it, whether playing in the sand or dipping her toes in the water. This is the most relaxing week of the year! This year 2025, We celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary! We planned and threw a party at Pine Crest Country Club for our family and friends. It was wonderful, we had a DJ and photo booth. The venue was beautiful, and food was great. We had an ice cream sundae cart and a cupcake tower which was a crowd favorite. Great turn out and everyone had fun!! For our 50th wedding anniversary we are taking a cruise in Asia in March, never been to this part of the world but we are excited to experience the food and culture. I continue to love trying new recipes and techniques. On the blog checkout dill pickles and barbecue sauce with spice rub under canned foods, both make nice gifts. Also, I love trying new recipes in my bread machine, bagels turned out well and I'm getting good at pizza made with my own pizza dough. Another big hit was a recipe found on Tik Tok for smashed potato salad a huge picnic hit, and I will double the recipe next time. Be sure to check out the recipe in desserts for eggless tiramisu. This is a fun dessert to throw together and a family staple now. Life has been so good to us, and we are blessed to have a wonderful family and friends. Next year's travels we are looking at a bus trip through Scotland and Ireland and possibly an Alaskan cruise. Hope everyone has a happy, healthy 2025💞

Happy New Year 2024

Another busy, crazy wonderful year!! We welcomed our fourth Grandchild, Hannah in February. She is such a delight; it has been seven years since there has been a baby in the family and we are so enjoying watching her grow. We can't believe she will be one in a little over a month💗We continue to divide our time between Florida and Pennsylvania and this year we took a Viking River cruise in Europe, we travelled through four countries: Netherlands, Germany, Austria and Hungary. We saw some beautiful cities and villages, ate so much wonderful food from the area and sampled our fair share of wine and beer. We met so many nice people, it was definitely a trip worth taking! Also did our annual family vacation to Edisto Island SC and had a hot, sunny beach week! We enjoy watching our grands play on the beach and jumping waves. Lastly, we spent some time in the Finger Lakes in New York wine tasting and of course stocking up our wine frig. This is a beautiful area to visit, the lakes are large, the area is lush and there are so many waterfalls to hike to. I still continue to enjoy my time in the kitchen trying new recipes. Check out Pecan Pie Bark, Hot Chocolate Dip and Easy Christmas Swirl cookies (these make such a pretty presentation on a cookie tray). On the heathier side there is Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Peppers and Broccoli, Sun-dried Tomato Chicken Salad. Both of these are Low carb but tasty! I took up knitting again and made 3 chunky blankets as gifts. I really enjoy doing these, they are easy, quick and beautiful! My new craft adventure is working with Resin. I did a few projects but need more practice with complicated designs mainly making beach waves on cutting boards. In 2024 we are headed to Napa Valley, California. We have visited this state before but never the wine region. Looking forward to visiting wineries and taking in the food scene there, plus I hear the area is beautiful! We are also doing our annual Edisto Beach trip and we will let the rest of the year play out our adventures. Thinking road trip to the Midwest, Alaskan cruise, maybe Mexico. Life is Good😊

Happy New Year 2023

 What a busy year for us! We bought a townhome in Pennsylvania, near our family, painted and decorated it and now it's our summer home and a place to spend our winter holidays with family. We then bought a condo in Florida on the beach, with a beautiful balcony, views of the beach and ocean from every room. This is our winter home and we spend hours walking on the beach collecting shells for crafting. I still spend as much time in the kitchen as I can trying new recipes and revising old ones. I have done a fair amount of canning also, mainly salsas and barbeque sauce. Bought myself a breadmaking machine and have  made many recipes in it, some good others OK. I do make a really, really good Italian bread that is always requested for family dinners. New recipes in the blog are pimento cheese goes great on everything and so easy to make, chicken in mustard cream sauce, baked fish tacos, greek meatballs in lemon cream sauce, dal makhani. Scroll through and find something that appeals to you. Everything is easy and family friendly. Our family has been blessed with good health and we will welcome a new grandchild this February. We are also traveling again, besides our annual family beach vacation, my husband and I will travel to Europe and spend 21 days in the Netherlands, Germany, Austria and Hungary. Life is Good😊

Happy New Year 2022

 Another year of the pandemic, we have seen two major variants Delta and Omicron. While we are able to do more, we must continue to be vigilant with hand washing and masking in public places. We carry proof of vaccination cards as there are some places that require them for entry. We have limited our travel to within the USA, but happily we spent our usual summer vacation at Edisto Beach, SC and a week in Orlando Fl. This has been a very busy year for us, we moved to Florida in February to a house we owned beachside but had rented out. We spent the next several months flipping the house, it was beautiful when it was done but too big for just two. We made the big decision that we would become snowbirds because all our family is in PA and we missed everyone so much. We sold our house in November, found a condo to rent for the next year still beachside and bought a condo back home, where we will spend our summers and holidays with our family. I still spend time in the kitchen trying new recipes! This summer I started canning tomato salsa, peach salsa, corn relish and some fruit jams. I really enjoy the canning process. Other new recipes include key lime pie, after all you can't live in Fl. without serving this classic dessert. Still trying to master the French Macaron, when I do, I'll post that recipe also. Our family has been blessed this year with good health as we navigate our way through this pandemic. We are hopeful that this will be the year we see the end of Covid! 

Happy New Year 2021!

 What a crazy and long year. Started out pretty normal in January and February but we began hearing stories about a new virus strain coming out of China. At the time, we never thought it could reach us. Silly assumption on our part! We visited the Finger Lakes in New York March 1st, went to the wineries, did some tastings and the rumors expanded while we were there of cases in Washington state and California. Everyone was talking about it and people became cautious. Mid March there were reports of cases in our area in Pennsylvania and by the third week, we were under stay at home orders. You could only leave the house for food, gas and to go to the pharmacy. Everyone had to wear a mask and social distance. All schools began virtual classes. More people began working from home and Zoom meetings were the new conferences. The economy tanked and unemployment numbers were high. Many stores had to close, restaurants were only open for take out. Toilet paper and hand sanitizer shortage and liquor stores were closed. We stayed in, watched TV, read and did whatever we could to pass the time. I took advantage of being stuck in and painted all the rooms in our house to prepare it for sale. Hospitals were over run with Covid cases, mask and gown shortages, a bad time to work in healthcare. Since I was still per diem, I tried to work less hours to limit exposure. We couldn't visit other relatives, drive bys were how you saw your children and grandchildren, talking on a phone, while standing outside their car. We missed birthdays and holidays with extended family. Isolation and depression became issues for many. In June case numbers decreased and everything opened with limitations, wearing a mask and social distancing outside your home became the new norm. Our grandson graduated from high school in the midst of all this. We were able to travel to Edisto, South Carolina for our annual beach vacation. That also was very different. Resorts could only function at 50% capacity, no amenities except the pool and numbers were limited, you had to make a reservation to swim. Thankfully there was plenty of beach area so you could social distance. We were all so happy to have a vacation! By the end of summer Covid cases were on the rise again and restrictions had to be imposed. We all knew people who had it and people who died from it. Our hopes hinged on a Covid vaccine. Everyone was tired of the new normal. In the midst of this we sold our home in October, marketed and sold in 3 days! So bittersweet for us, we lived there 36 years, raised our 2 children and 2 grandchildren there, lots of memories. We temporarily moved into a near by apartment and celebrated the holidays in small family groups. Covid numbers are way up again and many are frustrated. In December, two vaccines were approved and frontline healthcare workers and the elderly have been the first to receive it. As a nurse, I was fortunate to be one of them. In spite of all this there have been so many blessings. We as a family remain healthy, children and grandchildren have adjusted and we are all hopeful by summer Covid will be gone. My husband retired this past year and I will retire mid January. We will be leaving Pennsylvania for warmer weather in Florida. As you might have guessed I had a lot more time to try out new recipes both in the instant pot and air fryer. Chicken Korma, Swedish Meatballs, Pasta Carbonara to name a few. Check out all the food categories for new additions, I have also been trying healthier low carb recipes. My next cooking challenge will be the French macaron both regular and sugar-free.                                                                                                                                   
 Stay safe and healthy😊

 
 

                                                                            
 

 
 

 

New Year 2020

Wow, back again for my yearly summary, and a busy year it has been. We traveled to England, Scotland and Wales this past June! What an amazing trip. I absolutely loved driving thru the lake district, so green with flowers everywhere and thatched cottages. Edinburgh Scotland was probably my favorite city, lots of great restaurants and shopping. We toured Edinburgh Castle, which was amazing and stayed in an authentic castle, Dalhousie Castle, just outside the city. Wales was also a beautiful country, wish we could have spent more time there. We stayed a total of 5 days in London. Such a fast paced city. Did a lot of walking and saw almost all the major historical sites. Fifteen days flew by, but we plan to return to do Ireland in the next few years. My husband and I celebrated our 45th wedding anniversary in Fells Point, Md. at the Admiral Fell Inn, such an old quirky Inn, with lots of great restaurants, bars and shopping nearby. I still love using my Instant Pot, trying new recipes all the time. Check out some of them under my Misc. category. I made Cinnamon Vanilla Applesauce, so easy and so good. New Indian recipes, Butter Chicken and Tikka Masala, New soups, Broccoli Cheese, Split Pea, Lasagna all great for winter weather. I also have tried a few Cheesecake recipes, yummy! I got an Air Fryer this year and have been trying recipes found on the internet, makes great Brussel Sprouts, Potatoes, Fried Chicken and Fish. Ill continue to experiment. Look for an Air Fryer Recipe category in the near future. Hope everyone has a Happy and Healthy 2020!