Category: friends

Pen pals

by Karen, posted in friends, Midlife Crisis, no fear, Turning 50, writing

I have a new pen pal! It happened like this: I got an email from a reader of one of my myriad online writings. She took a leap of faith and asked if I wanted to correspond, either via email, traditional mail, or both. She shared information about her life, her family, her country. She is … Continue reading Pen pals

Great audiobook

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, books, family, friends, Marriage, Midlife Crisis, relationships, Someone's gotta say it

I just finished this book and I really enjoyed it. Lisa Scottoline,whom I'd never heard of, spoke right to me and many of my issues. Even though she's twice divorced (nope, not me), she lives with 5 dogs (nope, I live with 3 humans...and chickens!) has 1 child (I have 2), has seen 50 come … Continue reading Great audiobook

Movie free association

by Karen, posted in friends, Midlife Crisis, movies, yoga

I was in yoga class (small group, all women) last week and someone (okay, it was me) started talking about how Sleepless in Seattle had been on TV the night before. Soon, everyone was mentioning their "go-to" movies, the ones that you have to watch whenever they are on TV, even if you have the … Continue reading Movie free association

Staring down fifty

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, family, friends, Marriage, Midlife Crisis, Turning 50

I'm going to be 50 this year and have been thinking about what I want to do about it. It seems like a great opportunity for it not to be "just another birthday". I have had a lot of ideas about how to mark the milestone as well as how to celebrate the day. I … Continue reading Staring down fifty

Birthday gifts

by Karen, posted in friends, yoga

I was at my favorite yoga studio yesterday, and it was the instructor's birthday. "Why don't you take the day off?"  I asked her earlier that week, and she said...ready for this? "Because I love my job so much!" How many times do you hear that? So for her birthday, and for the month of … Continue reading Birthday gifts

Expand your horizons

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, family, friends, local fun, movies, quest for the best, tweens

Looking for something fun to do with your kids this weekend? How about a movie and a cupcake? That's what my daughter and I did today and we had a great afternoon. What to see? That was tricky. There is a dearth of family movies to choose from at the moment. Do you like movies … Continue reading Expand your horizons

A very interesting book

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, baking, books, family, friends

Breaking Bread: Recipes and Stories from Immigrant Kitchens by Lynne Christy Anderson My rating: 4 of 5 stars I was mostly interested in the story told by the immigrant from Italy, and I was not disappointed. The woman's words were very compelling to me. She talked about the difference between growing up in Italian culture, … Continue reading A very interesting book

My one word, 2012

by Karen, posted in friends, Holidays, my one word

Last year I was inspired by My One Word to choose one word as my New Year's Resolution.  I chose "Edit", which soon morphed into two words, "Focus". I optimistically wrote my words on an index card (one on each side, so I was still looking at just one word at a time!) and put … Continue reading My one word, 2012

Not wasting my vacation

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, family, friends, Holidays, local fun, movies, restaurants, shopping, tweens, yoga

I think that it's very important to get out of your rut--I mean, routine--on your vacation week. This is especially challenging, of course, if you are taking (yet another) staycation. Having part of your time off fall during the holidays can make it a little easier to break out...as in the  "Hel-lo? What day is … Continue reading Not wasting my vacation

Homemade eggrolls with friends

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, friends, Marriage, quest for the best, relationships

Last spring (we finally agreed that it was in the spring; I thought it was in the summer) my husband and I got together with another couple of friends to make authentic homemade egg rolls. Our friends make them every 3 or 4 months at home, but were gracious enough to drive an hour and … Continue reading Homemade eggrolls with friends