I want to give a shout out to Tonya at Lucky Girl Design Studio for giving my blog a new look!  Thank you so much Tonya!  It's always a pleasure working with you!  Even though the template is the same, you made it look fresh and sophisticated!  :) If you're thinking of starting a new blog or your blog needs a little "freshening up," check out Tonya's site!   As … [Read more...]

      In the month of December, I heard that a bunch of Boston Bloggers were giving away a 4 pack of tickets to see The Rockettes in Boston. After seeing the musical Wicked in NYC a month ago, it really made me want to see more shows.  So I entered to win some tickets on all of the blogs. When Patrice from Burban Momma emailed me to say that I won some tickets, I was so … [Read more...]

        Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!  I hope you have a great weekend with your family! ~Jane   … [Read more...]

  I had a great time at the 2011 Hood New England Dairy Cook-Off in Portland, ME!   I stayed one night at the Portland Regency Hotel & Spa.  The hotel is in a great location, surrounded by lots of fun shops and restaurants.   The Cook-Off took place at the Ocean Gateway Terminal.  This is the view from the room where they cooked up their magic!     Look … [Read more...]

  Hey Boston Foodies!  Check this out!   CASTING CALL IN BOSTON - FOX TV is headed to Boston on NOVEMBER 5th to hold an open casting call for the third season of MasterChef.  Gordon Ramsay and the MasterChef judges are once again giving talents cooks the opportunity to show America their culinary skills for a huge cash prize!   Over the past two seasons, the $250,000 grand … [Read more...]

  On Tuesday night, I had the pleasure of going to my first Tweet Up at the new Nordstrom Rack in Burlington, MA with my friend Kristi from Moms Own Words!  The nice folks at the Nordstrom Rack served up some tasty drinks and appetizers and we each got a gift card to do some shopping!  It was fun getting a sneak peek of the store before it officially opens today.   This is … [Read more...]

  Dave and I just celebrated our 24th Wedding Anniversay!  We're planning on taking a trip next summer to celebrate the big one!  This summer Dave went on a business trip to Europe, and I went to Washington DC with my sisters a few weekends ago, so we decided to take a day trip to Maine together to celebrate our special day.  (With a 17 year old at home, it's not the best time for us to … [Read more...]

It was great to get away from my computer this past weekend!  I spent Friday - Monday in Washington DC with my sisters Laura and Ann, and my niece Leah.  Ann's daughter, Leah, lives in Maryland and put us up for the weekend.  (Thanks again Leah!)   left to right:  Laura, Ann, and me   On Saturday morning, we wanted to go for a bike ride so we rented bikes at Up the Creek … [Read more...]

Dinnertime has always been important to us.  I tried my best throughout the years to provide a nice balanced meal for my family, but there have been many times when we didn't eat the most nutritious meals because I was just too tired to cook after school or was simply uninspired. That's why I'm partnering up with Real Simple for their Take Back Dinner initiative.  In a few weeks, I will be … [Read more...]

Have you ever gone to Hampton Beach in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire?  I have gone there all my life so it really feels like summer when I spend some time there.  I drove to Hampton Beach yesterday with my friend Silvia.  It was really hot, but fun!  I heard that the town was renovating the public bathrooms and bandstand and was looking forward to seeing some improvements.  I was so impressed … [Read more...]

    I prepare our favorite make-ahead meals at home, but have not taken the time to test out any new make-ahead recipes for my blog in a while.  I guess I can blame it on my love of trying all different types of recipes on my free time, testing out recipes/products for giveaways (which I love to do), and my lack of time due to my full-time teaching job during the school … [Read more...]

Dave and I went to the Phantom Gourmet BBQ Beach Party in Boston last Sunday. We arrived at noon with our friends, Silvia and Jerry.  We were on a mission to sample a BBQ rib from each vendor to see which one we liked the best.  I tried a rib from all of them accept the last two.  I was too full!  Each vendor sold a sample of 3 or 4 ribs, so it was perfect for the 4 of us.  They had other … [Read more...]