Bowl of Cheerios. Check. Dora the Explorer. Check. Grandma’s Blackberry (locked, of course!). Check. My little 17-month old grandson, Benjamin, is ready for the start of the day!

Votes for Women. Combine one of my favorite cites in the United States, Newport, Rhode Island… with the Nineteenth Amendment… and you get Votes for Women. Many years ago, my husband gave me a gift of six Votes for Women place settings that he purchased at the famous Marble House in Newport. I had seen the original service in the [...]

The CVS/Caremark Downtown 5K winds through the beautiful and historic streets of downtown Providence. This past Sunday, the CVS 5K kicked off under a spectacular blue, sun-filled sky. More than 8,000 runners registered for the race, including more than 6,000 for the main race event. The starting field included eight Olympic runners, including Massachusetts’s Shalane Flamagan, a bronze medalist in [...]

While over at C’s blog this morning, I got the most unexpected memory of a delightful animal friend long forgotten. No.  It’s not a childhood pet.  I could never forget my wonderful childhood companion, my dog Chippy. It was a Black Cow. And this memory got me all salivating to find another Black Cow.  Not a cow of the Jersey, [...]

I spent a perfectly wonderful afternoon yesterday with my husband, my cousin Debbie and her 24-year old son at Fenway Park in Boston. It was a great game. The Sox won. Tampa Bay lost to the Yankees… if you are keeping track of the standings in the American League East, you know that this is music to the ears of [...]

My Janie is the best. She really is. You know there’s a “but” in here somewhere, right? Well, yes, there is… My Janie is the best. She really is. BUT sometimes she is absent-minded. Like today. Janie had an early appointment today that she wasn’t sure how long it would last, so she asked me if I could please pick [...]

I am now a Facebook friend with a beautiful, fun, special woman who I met when she was 4 years old, and had the wonderful pleasure of watching grow up. Birthday parties. Graduation parties. A beautiful bride. Now a Mommy to 3 precious children, and expecting her 4th in February. On her Facebook page this morning, she wrote about her [...]

This morning, I watched as Audrey tried to coax her 17-month old son, Benjamin, into the house after a short trip to the milk store for some breakfast items. Benjamin obviously sensed the beauty of this sunny, crisp New England morning, because he would not be coaxed. Instead, he ran through the dewy grass barefooted. He picked up a pail, [...]

There’s nothing quite like sharing a couple of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with Pop-up on a warm summer afternoon at Grandma & Pop-up’s home… Except maybe when Grandma gives you a nice cold “bah-bah” that Mommy and Daddy think you’ve totally outgrown! OK, Benjamin.  It’s our secret!

August 14, 1976. My name changed. My life changed. The greatest dream that any woman could ever dream came true when you said “I do” 32 years ago today. You gave me Keith and Adam. You gave me Audrey and Jane. These are beyond gifts. These are miracles. We began a journey that would give us 9 more miracles, our [...]