Dinner for Two

Dinner for two - what was once an indulgence is now the norm for us since our daughter headed off to college. Most dinners are pretty casual, in the breakfast room with our everyday table settings.

But I think there's every reason to take dinner out of the ordinary sometimes. And what better time than a birthday!

A Table for St. Patrick's Day

Do you celebrate St. Patrick's Day? We did every year when daughter J was small. She loved leprechauns and the mischief they would cause around the house. Teenage J -- not so much!

So it has been several years since I decorated for St. Patrick's Day. This weekend J will be home from college, providing the perfect excuse to celebrate!

A Winter's Song

At the tail end of February, winter is making a slow retreat. The first perennials have begun to flower, but the trees remain gray or brown, leaves still carefully tucked away.

The Garden Awakens

The unusually warm winter has awakened the garden.

But the nandina are holding onto their fall/winter colors.

Charnwood Hearts

I have to confess that I have a laissez-faire approach to Valentine's Day. Most of my adult life, February 14 came and went like every other day.