Christmas is right around the corner. The atmosphere is festive and bright, filled with holiday tunes, lights, decorations, and delectable treats. Cozy moments with spiced cider that you never want to end, paired with the simplicity of togetherness, create memories that will be cherished for years to come.  This year, I embraced intention and quality over quantity, setting boundaries to create space to truly enjoy the merriment of the season. Skipping the hustle and bustle cr

Sometimes it seems like the older we get, the holiday magic drifts further and further away, but the truth is the magic is still there, swirling around like snowflakes falling gracefully from the winter sky. All you have to do is open your heart and believe. It is easy to let the magic slowly drift away, and our jammed-packed days, rising prices, and overemphasis on commercialism are no help. One day, we wake up, and instead of anticipating Christmas, which never seems to arr

Although the season officially changed in September, the quiet transformation we all yearn for unfolds in November. It is this time of year that autumn becomes noticeably more present all around us - the fallen leaves that blanket the sidewalks, the fog that drapes over the nearby fields in the early mornings, and the oak trees standing tall against the bright orange morning skies. The days are growing shorter, signaling that the festive season has arrived and that winter is

Like many of you, I have been enjoying the last of the season's tomatoes, still ripening on my vines, and the few strawberries that are...

Lemon chamomile mini loaves waiting to be enjoyed. My “staff” meetings are usually a party of one typically held when I am driving,...

I have written at least once already, but maybe twice, about my love for cutting out recipes and inspo from magazines and newspapers. I...

Sunday mornings start with early bakery box deliveries to a few local wholesale clients. In the summer, when the days reach triple...

In 1998, shortly before I began my teaching career, You Got Mail premiered at the theaters. Already enamored with Meg Ryan, I couldn’t...

I am overdue for a blog post, but since no fines are involved like a late library book, I am giving myself a free extension until next...

There are times when I feel like I have boundless energy and then there are times when I need to briefly step back and breathe. So if I...

Sitting cross-legged on the floor, I sort through my growing collection of used records looking for the perfect one to get the morning...

Everyone has stories to tell surrounding ice cream. How could they not? It is so celebratory and versatile. It is like that pair of pants...

Spring has been punctuated by undulating cycles of rain mixed with brisk blue sky days. But stepping outside this morning, a shift was...

I have never had farm animals, but I still dream of looking out my mottled glass window and watching my four-legged friends munch on the...

As I paused under the umbrella of white flowers bathing in the last rays of sunshine before the next storm moved in, I was reminded of...

Knowing all weekend that I was planning on whipping up a batch of macrons Sunday, I have been keeping mental notes of all the wonderful...

When I was in college, I would go to the local bagel shop almost every day for lunch, quarters in hand like a kid venturing to a candy...

Like most kids, my earliest memories of coffee were tasting my mom’s coffee and promptly, and dramatically I might add, spitting it out....

I have always favored print materials over digital - bending back the cover of a book’s old, supple spine, fumbling through unfolding the...

And just like that, holiday baking has come to an end. It was a merry season full of festive scents wafting through the kitchen:...