Today's Boston Globe

Front page/top: 'Mom, Dad?  Can I have my old room back?'

Page 10: The boomerang kids: Struggling to make ends meet, adults are moving back in with their folks

Funny story:  I was walking to the subway a few years ago with a coworker.  I asked where he lived.  He sheepishly said he lived with his parents but that he usually answered that question by saying, "I live with people I knew from before."

H.C.

My friend "Sister" and I meet occasionally during the winter for H.C. (hot chocolate). Tonight we met at Starbucks before she ran off to the Celtics game and I ran off to run some errands. It was fun to catch up with her to swap stories and have a few laughs.

Note: Now that I think of it, I had H.C. and she had S.M. (steamed milk).

New project on old chair

My friend Julie was here yesterday and helped me pick out some fabric for my next quilt. She has a great eye for color/fabric. I had decided I wanted red/blue/brown and had picked out a few things from my stash and Julie helped me add to the stack. My next quilt is going to be for me to use in my living room. I hope to get working on it soon.

Cooking up a resolution

I have "early bird church" this year (8:30am) so I decided that I'm going to try a new recipe every Sunday afternoon. I bake like a mad woman but don't cook anything fancy (fancy = something besides, soup, macaroni & cheese, a microwave burrito, etc.) too often so am going to try some new recipes and enhance my repertoire. Today I'm making either garlic ciabatta bread or a country french omelet (both from the Barefoot Contessa back to basics recipe book).

Baby Shower

My friend Jenn is expecting a baby boy in February. She was in the hospital Thursday and Friday thinking she may be induced but wasn't. We went full-speed-ahead with her shower today (about 45 women attended!). I took a few photos of her before the crowd arrived. It was a full house this afternoon with good food, friends visiting, and lots of adorable baby gifts for Adler. He's going to be the best dressed kid in town. Everyone is excited about this baby's arrival!!

Nifty gifts

Some of my blogging friends and I had to postpone our holiday party due to an ice storm in December so we got together tonight for food, fun, and a gift exchange. I scored the cool bowl and yummy cinnamon rolls. Not to brag but I think the apron I made seemed to be what everyone wanted. It was great to see my friends and share funny stories and of course talk about blogging.

Never seen before

My brother John (Tarzan on the right) posted this photo on his blog last week and I was so surprised because it's a photo I'd never seen before (I love seeing old photos for the first time!). Behind us are Roy and Zina, relatives that lived in a charming house in Bakersfield.  Uncle Roy played the saw!  I remember they had lots of metal trucks and trains and toys for us to play with.

Note: If you look between Roy and Zina, that is where the kumquat tree was in the Zakin's back yard!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Name that fruit

What's that orange fruit in the middle?  It's a kumquat, silly.  How do I know? Not because I've ever eaten one but because my next-door-neighbors in California, the Zakins, had a kumquat tree in their backyard that dropped fruit onto our driveway (and it got smooshed since that was a basketball court!) so they look familiar.  Oh, and my brothers and I would throw them at each other.  

We had our holiday lunch at work today I grabbed a few kumquats but haven't eaten them yet.  Word is that you just pop the whole thing in your mouth and eat it that way.  Hmmm...

[Photo courtesy of co-worker Gingerale--thanks!]

I call it fabric art

I got this idea from a friend and decided it would be fun and easy to make fabric art (or fab-art, or fart) for the wall above my living room by my loft/bedroom. I plan to use my favorite fabrics (not all red...I'm starting to like brown!) and 40% off coupons (this 24x30 canvas was $9 at Michaels) and I think I can fit 8 or 9 of them. I'll provide more photos as the wall of fabric art expands.  [I bought this fabric at PurlSoHo in December.]

More ice is on the way

Giving it up

I'm done with soda. It's bad for my teeth, skin and body and makes me feel like crap when I drink too much of it. My new year starts tomorrow (Monday morning) but tonight I dumped the Coke that was in my fridge. I've got a detox headache but it can't last that long, can it?

Introducing

My old chair I found antiquing and my new doll a friend made me for Christmas.

Miss Portland Diner

I read this article six weeks ago and since then have been wanting to eat at the Miss Portland Diner! My friends Jenn and Alicia and I went today. We enjoyed a nice lunch (I got a hot turkey open faced sandwich with onion rings) and the place was hopping. The owner was there and I really wanted to talk to him but didn't (when did I turn shy?). It was a fun adventure. After lunch we went to see the Portland Head Light. I only got out of the car long enough to take a few photos (when did I turn wimpy?). After a stop at Arby's for drinks we ventured south to Ogunquit and went to one of my very favorite antique shops. I've been wanting an old chair to put old books on. Alicia found a black one for me that was 50% off and only cost me $13. The chair is over 150 years old! It was a great day with great friends in the great state of Maine.

Harvard Square

One of my errands today was to pick something up at the Harvard Square Crate&Barrel (which sadly is closing this month). I decided to be all hip and city-girl-ish and take public transportation. I parked my car on Mass. Ave. in Arlington, hopped on the bus to Alewife, took the subway to Harvard Square and then took the trusty #77 bus back to my car. The bus. What is it with all the crazies on the bus? This woman kept yelling how people weren't saying "excuse me" when they almost bumped into her and supposedly stepped on her toe trying to get off the bus. And she was yelling on her cellphone. She had some serious attitude. I kept reminding myself that bus travel was cheaper and easier than driving in (though I say sometimes a parking ticket is cheaper than parking...) but it is never without drama! After that I ran errands in the suburbs. In the privacy of my quiet Bluebell.













Word on the street is that OUT OF TOWN NEWS (a Harvard Square landmark) is also closing in January. I guess too many people are reading magazines and newspapers on-line. Harvard Square won't be the same without Crate&Barrel and Out of Town News (which I sometimes call In-n-Out News).

Winner and Dinner

Winner: Dawn at Smilin' Sunshine won the random drawing for the photocards.

Dinner: My friend and I just got back from another late night at Bill&Bob's. That crazy late night ritual will probably stop when I have to go back to work.

I'm making the best of my vacation: 9 days down, 3 to go!

Got detangler?

THERE'S A GIVE-AWAY!!!

Scroll down. Deadline is midnight tonight. Maybe some lurkers will comment. I'm just sayin'.

...and an ICY new year!

The. ice. is. on. the. INSIDE. of. the. windows! [And hopefully the tree will be dismantled tomorrow/later today.]

Lots of food, lots of Bourne

I invited a few friends over tonight for a New Year's Eve celebration which included a table full of food and a few movies. We enjoyed shrimp, cheeses, chips, dips, mint brownies, other brownies, candy, cookies, meatballs, Ding Dongs, calzones, coke, eggnog, and toasts of sparkling cider at midnight. The Bourne Identity, Bourne Supremacy, and Bourne Ultimatum were fun to watch all in a row. And, it's always great to ring in a new year with good friends (and Jason Bourne of course).