Last Friday – April 29, 2011 my alarm sounded at precisely 3:58am just 2 minutes before coverage would begin of the greatest event to occur in the Royal Family since the marriage of Princess Diana to Prince Charles. It was later reported by NBC that 5.21 million loyal subjects joined me. My English bone china…
Easter Sunday will be here in just four days. The menu is agreed upon and the guest list is growing. Today I need to begin gathering for a fun family weekend however, my car DIED! Yes, the battery is dead…dead…totally dead. It won’t even hold a charge. So, the tow truck cometh and hopefully I…
In May, 1993 Tom and I borrowed from every source we could to purchase the lot and contract a custom home builder to construct our “dream house”. When we moved on the street not one tree was planted along the Seven Mile Drive hill. But, the hair stood up on my arms every time I…
Since my return from cooking class at Casa Ombuto in the Tuscan countryside last summer my family has fallen in love with this classic Italian dessert. Now, I must admit the recipe requires patience and time. But if you add a bit of love to your preparation I know it will become your family favorite…
Last weekend Matt asked if I had ever wanted to plant a garden. Of course my answer was an astounding “YES”. Living in Florida we have a lot of sun and recent years not enough rain. I knew I could keep up with a garden once it was planted, but I really wasn’t sure where…
Thirty-five miles with my not so skinny butt perched on a very skinny bike seat on a spring morning in sunny Florida is a daunting idea. Never before had I attempted or seriously thought of taking on such a challenge. But, my beautiful daughter, who works for WWP suggested I join her team. Last Saturday…
Funny how you learn what things are important to you in a home over the years. Like that perfect sun-lit window over the kitchen sink that you can stare out at a green leafed, bird-filled tree while scrubbing a crusty casserole dish after dinner. Or, the bright and dewy morning sun streaming through your breakfast…
God lovingly grants each of us personal strengths. For many of us it takes years to discover those skills while many pass without ever realizing all or sadly even one. I was never told that God had graced me with special talent of any kind. My parents taught that my report card dictated the areas…
The temperature never reached 20 the entire three days we traveled to Tom’s hometown, Cleveland to surprise his Father Lugi on achieving three-quarters-of-a-century in age. Funny how twenty-five years earlier we managed a similar surprise, presenting Lugi with his namesake, Louis John Zitiello, born just six weeks prior. We had dressed the tiny infant in…
Once upon a time there was a little boy named Louis. He was a really good little boy. He was also a LITTLE brother to his really BIG brother Scott, also known as “the perfect child”. And, he was a big brother to his little sister Lindsay, also known as “Sister Mary Rose.” But his…