Best Gingerbread Cookie Recipe Ever!

Every year since my daughters were little it was our Christmas tradition to bake a gingerbread house and decorate it and then wait until Christmas to eat it. Now that I have grandsons, this activity has been lovingly passed on to them.

Yesterday was my daughter's thirteenth wedding anniversary, so while I was watching the boys, when their parents went out to celebrate, we decorated a homemade gingerbread house. You won't see it in a magazine because it's far from perfect, but to my grandsons it's a little piece of heaven. I'm sorry I didn't get more pictures of them decorating it. It was so joyous to see their faces light up with excitement at their masterpiece!

This recipe is absolutely the yummiest recipe for gingerbread cookies too.
1 cup butter softened
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 egg (cage free)
4 tsp. grated orange peel
2 tbsp. dark corn syrup
3 cup sifted flour
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. salt
Cream butter & sugar, add egg, beat until light & fluffy. Add orange peel & syrup. Stir in dry ingredients. Form into ball, and chill at least one hour. Roll out and shape. Bake 6-10 minutes, at 350 degrees, cool & decorate.
The recipe for the frosting is just powdered sugar, milk and a little light corn syrup. You want it to be a nice heavy consistency, so just play around with how much milk and corn syrup you add.

Can a girl have too many purses?

I have acquired quite a few handbags over the years, but I really don't carry a purse anymore, unless, I'm going out of town. When I go out of town I like to be prepared for anything, but, when I'm just around town I prefer to carry my cell phone and lipstick in one pocket and my itsy bitsy credit card wallet that holds my license and a couple of credit cards in the other pocket. How about you? Do you carry a handbag, and if so, is it small, medium, or large?

I love this mini wallet from Anthropology. It's just my size and it's so sassy in this orange color!


This little coin purse, also from Anthropology, might do just the trick on an evening out. It's so feminine and I love yellow...it makes me happy.

For those days in the big city this bag from Nordstrom's would do just fine. I can't afford it at $350, so it's a good thing most of my clothes have at least two pockets. L.O.L.

A Happy Thanksgiving

The day started off with a frittata, but of course, I did not get a photo of it until it was half gone.

No sooner had I cut myself a piece of the Frittata and in walked my daughter from San Francisco in time to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. We didn't think she was going to make it home for Thanksgiving this year. It was a great surprise, especially for her nephews.

Mr. Honey was absorbed in his Harry Potter book and I shared a rare moment with my middle grandson in my lap. That never happens anymore.

What would I do without my eldest daughter who prepared our entire Thanksgiving dinner? She looked so cute in her new fall apron.

She had stuffed that bird with herbs and butter and it was juicy and tender and oh so delicious!
If that weren't enough she baked a homemade apple pie too.

Thanksgiving Memories

For as long as I can remember I always spent Thanksgiving with my mother. She passed away in May of '07, but the memories I have of spending Thanksgiving in her home go on forever. She loved to entertain and get out her best silver and china and cook delicious food and include anyone who wanted to come.

Mom had a tiny one bedroom apartment but she always made us feel as if her walls would expand if we wanted to bring friends. She was a massage therapist by profession for Elizabeth Arden's for years, so when she had an especially big crowd for Thanksgiving she would pull out her massage table and put a large piece of ply wood on top and bring out her nicest linens to accommodate everyone.

The table was always lovely. There were fresh flowers and healthy snacks to tide us over until the turkey was ready and pretty candles to grace the table. She loved her grand-daughters and on this particular occasion she invited our friends to join us. The little friend on the far left is now grown with children of her own. My mother made such an impression on her that her mother now goes by the name Omie to her children. Omie is German for grandma. She made everyone feel so special they just called her Omie too, as a term of endearment.


You will see me at the far end of this Thanksgiving table, pregnant with my third daughter at the time.

Below you will see my three girls a couple of years later, after the birth of my third daughter. I loved to dress my girls up for Thanksgiving and make the two hour trip to Omie's house. We were always grateful that she loved to cook for us and loved spending time with us. This photo was taken in her small garden just outside her door on another very special Thanksgiving holiday.

My girls are all grown up now and we don't always get to spend Thanksgiving together, so I will always be eternally grateful that my mother gave me memories to pass on to my own children and grandchildren. The trek to Nana's house isn't so far anymore, as I live right next door to my grandsons. Thankfully, my mother passed on her love of cooking to my daughters and I still don't have to cook Thanksgiving dinner... L.O.L. I will, however, be setting the Thanksgiving table for dinner and doing all the dishes!

Hope all of you out there in blogland have a truly memorable Thanksgiving!

One Special Rocking Chair

About 40 years ago my sister Nonie bought a beat up rocking chair at an antique store for about $15. She had a good eye for a teenager! She knew with a little elbow grease and a lot of determination she could turn this solid oak rocker into a thing of beauty.

We had shared the cost of the rocker and the deal was which ever one of us had the first baby would become the proud owner of this beauty. Well, many years later, I had the first baby and my sister just could not bring herself to part with this rocker. I guess she figured she would need the rocker to rock her nieces once I beat her to the punch and had a baby before she had a chance. Actually, she never did have a chance, because she lost her life two years before she turned thirty. I'm really glad she hung on to the rocker and was able to rock my first two baby girls in her own home.

My sister was no dummy. She knew I wasn't letting her off the hook for that rocker without some intense baby sister whining about it, so she found this white wicker rocker at a garage sale and refurbished it to welcome home her first niece and to appease me. She was way ahead of her time with that red and white pillow ticking. I think she felt as joyous as I did about welcoming her niece into the world.

Years later, my sister's rocker became famous when the local paper was doing a piece about the comfort of rockers and her grown up niece was working for the paper and suggested she knew just the rocker for their centerpiece. She would have been so proud!

My girls also enjoyed being rocked by their Omie (German for grandmother) as seen above. The rocking chair has been reupholstered many times since my sister found this gem and there is a third niece she never had the pleasure of meeting who bears my sister's name as her middle name. Lindsay Leonie.

Here's her rocking chair years later after many changes in fabrics and many more babies (my own three grandsons to name a few) who have been comforted to sleep by the sweet creek of this rocker.

Do you dress your children alike?

When I was a child my mother dressed my sister and I alike for a very long time. We adored each other and I never minded because I wanted to be just like my big sis. I don't remember how she felt about it.

I love these little plaid dresses and, well, you can see by the look on my face I loved my sis.


We loved going to the beach with our Mom. She was so glamorous and fun. We called these little swim suits bubble sun- suits.

I don't know what was going on when this photo below was taken, but perhaps we were getting a little to old to be dressing alike. Neither one of us looks all that happy.

Yeah, I think my sis was ready to give up on dressing alike.


This photo is a little blurry, but it's the last photo I have of Nonie and I dressing alike. I think I was thirteen and she was fifteen. I must say, I like my beret a lot more than her straw hat. Ha!

Funny Faces

Do you like to make funny faces? It seems to be something that gets passed down from generation to generation and it elicits laughter and happy little endorphins that bring health and good memories to ones life.

The photo above is of my sister who is no longer here and my sister in-law and mother in the background enjoying the moment.

The photo above is of my middle grandson and my nieces son bonding in funny face moment. They instinctively follow in their mother's footsteps.

Here is a photo of my daughter on the left and my niece on the right at about the age of 10 (if my memory serves me right).
Even as adults my niece and daughter cannot resist a funny face moment.

Happy Birthday Mr. Honey!

Mr. Honey turned sixty and so it was a positive must to celebrate in a big way. For me a birthday party is all about the cake! Since Mr. Honey is a rock climbing maniac his passion had to be reflected in the cake. Since my niece is a genius when it comes to cakes I hired her and she did an awesome job. You can see by the smile on Mr. Honey's face that it was a hit.

The boulders on the cake were made of rice krispy treats. It was a lemon top layer with a yummy lemon curd and chocolate through and through on the bottom layer. It was as delicious as it was beautiful. The car was remote control so once the cake was dismantled Mr. Honey's grandsons had a blast maneuvering it down my hall way.

We got a bit carried away once we started decorating for the gathering. It was a beautiful fall day and we could not have planned a nicer November day. The wind blew in the leaves to give the party a very fall ambiance.


I found the fall wreaths at Wallmart for a very reasonable price and the pumpkins came from Trader Joe's .

There were some surprises too. My newest sister in-law flew in from Florida to be with us to celebrate. Mr. Honey's brother couldn't be with us because of business, so his beautiful bride came to represent him. We had no idea she was coming.






My beautiful cousin came with her husband and another cousin came all the way from Fresno. I don't know how I missed getting my cousin Jill's photo. I know someone must have taken one.

Sadly, Mr. Honey's long time friend, Randy Billings (seen on the far left), passed away suddenly and unexpectedly two days after the party. He will be missed! Our hearts go out to his family.

Mr. Honey's dad said a few words about his favorite son (shh, don't tell anyone...l.o.l.).


There were sweet moments of love permeating the garden.


Our two oldest grandson's learned to play Happy Birthday to You on the cello and violin. Their Papa was so surprised.

Our youngest daughter put together a video of memories and our middle daughter surprised her Dad by writing a very personal song as a birthday gift.

My long time friend who I went to grammar school with drove up from L.A. to help us celebrate.

Mr. Honey and I are so thankful for a lifetime of memories and all the wonderful friends who came to help us celebrate.

Richard's business partner was also singing in the band that played...thank you Eric!

Mr. Honey's mother got her groove on the dance floor with one of her grandsons. You've got to love that!
His brother sang and his friends played their instruments and we had great music!

The food was great too!

More dancing and love in the air.



Is that beer you're drinking or is this photo just blurry...ha!