This weekend we headed up north to visit my sister Trisha and her boyfriend Mark in New Hampshire.  A weekend lakeside sounds relaxing,right?   My sister Trisha and I are on the same page about many things so visiting with her is so easy and fun.  When we arrived, we headed down to the lake […]

My dad, Hans Effgen immigrated to America from Germany as a very young boy. He and his mother Anna arrived in the US when she was just 28 and my dad only 1 years old. Here is the documentation of their arrival sailing from Hamburg on ship named, Reliance on May 13, 1925. Anna was […]

I love making up a nice appetizer plate for entertaining or sometimes just because.  Yesterday while shopping at Whole Foods Market in Bellingham, Massachusetts, I stumbled upon an outdoor farmer’s market.  Love that! I ran into Brittany, the farm manager of Medway Community Farm selling some great produce.  I couldn’t resist the basil and kale […]

This weekend Russ and I were invited to a wedding in Jaffrey, New Hampshire. It was a beautiful wedding, the bride looked radiant and the ceremony was followed by fabulous reception that ended with a bonfire!  We reserved a room at the Currier’s House, a small B & B, down the road from the reception. […]

Lessons I have learned from our chocolate lab, Lucy… Who knew a dog could teach me a few things about how to live a well-balanced life but lo and behold, along came LUCY! Lucy was just 7 weeks when we brought her into our home…how cute, huh? Walking today with my furry girlfriend, I thought […]

I love granola.  It is fabulous on top of Greek yogurt for a hearty snack or even for a quick breakfast meal.  Granola is rich in calories so should be enjoyed in moderation.  My daughter Chelsea loves my homemade granola so I try to make a batch for her to take to NYC when she’s […]

I love picking fresh berries in the summer so when I stopped by Tangerini’s farm in Millis, MA this weekend, I was pleasantly surprised to see that they had red ripe raspberries ready to pick and big blueberries too! Picking raspberries is somewhat nostalgic for me as we had raspberry bushes in my yard growing […]

Every summer we make a point to take a bike ride on the East Bay Bike Path in Providence all the way to Bristol, Rhode Island.  It’s a good trek and full of beautiful scenery; in fact, I think it’s one of the most beautiful bike path’s in the area. We opt to rent bikes […]

We headed to NYC this weekend to help my daughter, Chelsea with an upcoming move from the financial district to the Upper West Side.  It was my birthday weekend, so being in NYC was a bonus.  Friday, we walked down Wall Street toward the Seaport.   The New York Stock Exchange is always cool to […]