Kate Collins's Blog, page 210
December 9, 2013
Holiday Lights
by Maggie SeftonKate's post yesterday reminded me that soon I'll be bringing boxes of Christmas
lights and decorations out of storage in my garage and shopping for a tall Colorado evergreen---spruce, probably. With mountain forests, we don't lack a good supply of fresh trees for the holidays. Yes, I still buy a fresh tree for Christmas-----whenever I'm here in Colorado for the holiday, that is. Actually, this December will be the first time in four years since I've celebrated Christmas here.
Where do I go the other years? That's easy. Wherever family and/or friends are celebrating. Usually wherever my daughters---either together or singly---are celebrating. But, on the years my girls are scattered elsewhere for the holiday, then I join my close friends since childhood---Nancy and Diane---back in Vienna, Virginia, in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, DC. I've spent wonderful Christmas holidays in Manhattan, NY with daughter Melissa, near Houston, Texas with daughter Serena, and in Fairfax, Northern Virginia with daughter Christine and family with my grandchildren---always a fun time.
This year, three of my four daughters decided to come home to Colorado for Christmas, which means I'll be decorating. Dragging out those dusty boxes of lights and decorations, finding the holiday music CDs and singing along while I make and bake all the family favorite goodies---like Maggie's Chocolate Mint Fudge, Chocolate Rum Balls, and Cranberry Orange Nut Bread.
Do you decorate your home for the holidays? Or, do you concentrate on creating yummy treats in the kitchen?
December 8, 2013
How Many Ways Can You Smell Christmas?
by Kate Collins
As I lit my pine scented candle and hung fir fragranced icicles on the branches of my artificial Christmas tree, it struck me just how far I'd come from the person who'd put on warm boots, coat, mittens and a hood to tramp through acres of balsams and pines in search of that perfect bundle of evergreen joy.
Now I open a long box, pull out a metal stand, insert bottom piece C into the base, middle piece B into C, and top it with A, then fluff out the compressed branches, and begin the process of turning synthetic greenery into what might pass for a real tree.
Kind of sad, isn't it?
Where did that adventurous young woman go who was willing to brave ten degree temps and a foot of crunchy snow to find her tantalizing tannenbaum? She ran shrieking for cover one post-Christmas morning, that's where.
Guess what was hiding in my aromatic evergreen? An egg full of spider mites. It hung unseen deep in the boughs until, incubated by the warmth of our house, it burst open and spilled hundreds of tiny tarantulas all over the opened gifts that lay prettily beneath the tree.
That was the end of that. Now I happily hang those scented icicles, light my fragrant candle, and even spray a mist of musky evergreen into the air, all in an effort to recreate those glorious post-mite days of yore, when the needles, and the scents, were real.
Your turn. Are you a realist or a pretender?
As I lit my pine scented candle and hung fir fragranced icicles on the branches of my artificial Christmas tree, it struck me just how far I'd come from the person who'd put on warm boots, coat, mittens and a hood to tramp through acres of balsams and pines in search of that perfect bundle of evergreen joy.
Now I open a long box, pull out a metal stand, insert bottom piece C into the base, middle piece B into C, and top it with A, then fluff out the compressed branches, and begin the process of turning synthetic greenery into what might pass for a real tree.
Kind of sad, isn't it?
Where did that adventurous young woman go who was willing to brave ten degree temps and a foot of crunchy snow to find her tantalizing tannenbaum? She ran shrieking for cover one post-Christmas morning, that's where.
Guess what was hiding in my aromatic evergreen? An egg full of spider mites. It hung unseen deep in the boughs until, incubated by the warmth of our house, it burst open and spilled hundreds of tiny tarantulas all over the opened gifts that lay prettily beneath the tree.
That was the end of that. Now I happily hang those scented icicles, light my fragrant candle, and even spray a mist of musky evergreen into the air, all in an effort to recreate those glorious post-mite days of yore, when the needles, and the scents, were real.
Your turn. Are you a realist or a pretender?
December 7, 2013
The Catalogs Will Find You
by Leann
It's been more than a year since we moved from Texas to South Carolina and I received the notice that mail forwarding ended. So how did every company in America find us anyway?
The amount of paper I am receiving in the form of gift catalogs is unbelievable. In this small city, recycling is free and the pic-up is every two weeks. We have a giant recycling trash can and I never thought we'd come close to having enough recyclables to come close to filling it--until the retail season began around mid-October.
My routine is to go the mail box and then before I even enter the house, I stop at the recycle can and unload everything we will never look at. If I took the time to even glance at all these catalogs I'd never get a book written. It would take me a year to get through this season's catalogs. Since I do almost all my shopping online, I suppose our new address has been shared with every company who sends out paper.
What's interesting is that this wouldn't have bothered me years ago. I remember the days when I couldn't wait for the Christmas catalogs to arrive.
But now I look at all this paper and think about the trees we are killing. We are building a house that is as green as we can afford--and believe me, going this route is very expensive. My perspective about the environment has changed and it makes me wonder how many of these catalogs are made from recycled paper? If just the amount of catalogs that have appeared in my mailbox is any clue, we should never have to cut down another tree.
Despite no mail forwarding, the catalogs have found us. It bothers me. What about you? Do you enjoy all this holiday mail? Do you look at any of it?
It's been more than a year since we moved from Texas to South Carolina and I received the notice that mail forwarding ended. So how did every company in America find us anyway?
The amount of paper I am receiving in the form of gift catalogs is unbelievable. In this small city, recycling is free and the pic-up is every two weeks. We have a giant recycling trash can and I never thought we'd come close to having enough recyclables to come close to filling it--until the retail season began around mid-October.My routine is to go the mail box and then before I even enter the house, I stop at the recycle can and unload everything we will never look at. If I took the time to even glance at all these catalogs I'd never get a book written. It would take me a year to get through this season's catalogs. Since I do almost all my shopping online, I suppose our new address has been shared with every company who sends out paper.
What's interesting is that this wouldn't have bothered me years ago. I remember the days when I couldn't wait for the Christmas catalogs to arrive.
But now I look at all this paper and think about the trees we are killing. We are building a house that is as green as we can afford--and believe me, going this route is very expensive. My perspective about the environment has changed and it makes me wonder how many of these catalogs are made from recycled paper? If just the amount of catalogs that have appeared in my mailbox is any clue, we should never have to cut down another tree.Despite no mail forwarding, the catalogs have found us. It bothers me. What about you? Do you enjoy all this holiday mail? Do you look at any of it?
December 6, 2013
Musical Memories
By Heather
A few posts ago, I mentioned that Mr. W and I had been traveling a lot, quick weekend trips. Well, one thing we always made sure we brought along was music. Lots of CDs.
We have eclectic tastes, Mr. W and I. From Guster, Bruce Springsteen, and Franz Ferdinand to Kenny Rogers, Cake, and the Old 97s.
See, I wasn't exaggerating about eclectic.
One of the other CDs we bring is by Neil Diamond (don’t judge). Neil always sends me straight back my childhood, a gift, really. You see, my early memories are extremely fuzzy. Bits and pieces right on through high school.
But I recall one morning… It had to be 1979 or ’80. I was in grade school. I’d woken up to find my mother getting ready for work, a usual morning, but then something from the TV caught her attention… Not something. Someone.
Neil Diamond was on a morning show. Coffee cup in hand, she took a moment to sit down to watch, and I took the opportunity to climb up on the sofa with her, lie down, and place my head in her lap. She smoothed my hair while we watched Neil sing—I don’t recall which song, and for all I know, it could have been a clip from a concert. All I remember is being all warm and cozy and loved.
It was such a sweet moment, a rare time-out from our busy mornings, that it was apparently stamped into my memory forever, and those feelings, the warm and cozies, are drawn forward whenever I hear a Neil Diamond song. And for that I’m grateful—and always earns Neil a trip with us when we travel.
What’s your earliest music memory? And what’s your favorite music to bring when you road trip?
A few posts ago, I mentioned that Mr. W and I had been traveling a lot, quick weekend trips. Well, one thing we always made sure we brought along was music. Lots of CDs.
We have eclectic tastes, Mr. W and I. From Guster, Bruce Springsteen, and Franz Ferdinand to Kenny Rogers, Cake, and the Old 97s.
See, I wasn't exaggerating about eclectic.
One of the other CDs we bring is by Neil Diamond (don’t judge). Neil always sends me straight back my childhood, a gift, really. You see, my early memories are extremely fuzzy. Bits and pieces right on through high school.
But I recall one morning… It had to be 1979 or ’80. I was in grade school. I’d woken up to find my mother getting ready for work, a usual morning, but then something from the TV caught her attention… Not something. Someone.
Neil Diamond was on a morning show. Coffee cup in hand, she took a moment to sit down to watch, and I took the opportunity to climb up on the sofa with her, lie down, and place my head in her lap. She smoothed my hair while we watched Neil sing—I don’t recall which song, and for all I know, it could have been a clip from a concert. All I remember is being all warm and cozy and loved.
It was such a sweet moment, a rare time-out from our busy mornings, that it was apparently stamped into my memory forever, and those feelings, the warm and cozies, are drawn forward whenever I hear a Neil Diamond song. And for that I’m grateful—and always earns Neil a trip with us when we travel.
What’s your earliest music memory? And what’s your favorite music to bring when you road trip?
December 5, 2013
The bad taste that won't go away ...
by Lorraine Bartlett / Lorna Barrett / L.L. Bartlett
Everybody has a bad day ... but you don't want to be at the doctor's office when SHE's having a bad day.
Of course the first thing they always tell you is YOU SHOULD LOSE WEIGHT. Like I haven't been TRYING since June without a lot of success. The fact that I have hypothyroidism makes it difficult to get my sluggish metabolism moving.
Maybe it was my fault we got off on the wrong foot because when she then launched into a pitch for Medifast--and I was not interested in listening. Yes, sign up with her link, and she gets a kickback for everything bought. But it comes down to this: It's portion control
with processed food
. I've been down that road before with Nutri-System (several times). Starved, lost weight, and then when I stopped, I immediately gained it all back, and then usually 20+ pounds. I'm done with that route.
It's not just my not-so-humble opinion, but processed food is how we have become a nation of obese citizens. Yes, it's easy and cheap to eat the stuff (tastes pretty good, too),
but it's killing us
. Since I saw the documentary Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead, I started juicing once a day (and I've now switched to smoothies because I want the fiber from all those fruits and veggies, too. I've replaced my juicer with the NutriBullet). She admitted that smoothies (via the NutriBullet) was an excellent way to get your cholesterol down (it's the fiber that does it), but when I told her what I eat: lots of veggies, salad, lean chicken and pork, very little fat, her reply was: "You're obviously not doing something right."
It felt like a slap in the face.
If nothing else, the juicing/smoothies give me a lot of good nutrition. Hey, it couldn't be easier to get your five fruits and/or veggies a day in one hit. And I must admit, since I've been doing it, I feel great.
Yup, everybody is entitled to a bad day, and I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. But I also don't like to be treated like I know nothing, and my efforts are worth nothing. I left her office with a bad taste in my mouth and it hasn't gone away.
Have you ever had a similar experience?
------------------------------------------------
P.S. I found this on Pinterest and it really spoke to me.
Everybody has a bad day ... but you don't want to be at the doctor's office when SHE's having a bad day.Of course the first thing they always tell you is YOU SHOULD LOSE WEIGHT. Like I haven't been TRYING since June without a lot of success. The fact that I have hypothyroidism makes it difficult to get my sluggish metabolism moving.
Maybe it was my fault we got off on the wrong foot because when she then launched into a pitch for Medifast--and I was not interested in listening. Yes, sign up with her link, and she gets a kickback for everything bought. But it comes down to this: It's portion control
with processed food
. I've been down that road before with Nutri-System (several times). Starved, lost weight, and then when I stopped, I immediately gained it all back, and then usually 20+ pounds. I'm done with that route.
It's not just my not-so-humble opinion, but processed food is how we have become a nation of obese citizens. Yes, it's easy and cheap to eat the stuff (tastes pretty good, too),
but it's killing us
. Since I saw the documentary Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead, I started juicing once a day (and I've now switched to smoothies because I want the fiber from all those fruits and veggies, too. I've replaced my juicer with the NutriBullet). She admitted that smoothies (via the NutriBullet) was an excellent way to get your cholesterol down (it's the fiber that does it), but when I told her what I eat: lots of veggies, salad, lean chicken and pork, very little fat, her reply was: "You're obviously not doing something right."
It felt like a slap in the face.If nothing else, the juicing/smoothies give me a lot of good nutrition. Hey, it couldn't be easier to get your five fruits and/or veggies a day in one hit. And I must admit, since I've been doing it, I feel great.
Yup, everybody is entitled to a bad day, and I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. But I also don't like to be treated like I know nothing, and my efforts are worth nothing. I left her office with a bad taste in my mouth and it hasn't gone away.
Have you ever had a similar experience?
------------------------------------------------
P.S. I found this on Pinterest and it really spoke to me.
December 4, 2013
A week of celebration
By Mary Jane Maffini/Victoria Abbott
I am so excited to be joining the gang here at Cozy Chicks. I’ve known The Chicks for ages and am proud to call them friends. We’ve met at conferences and read each others' books and now I get to hang out here with them and you. How cool is that? Every Thursday I’ll be showing up to chat.
You’ll get to know me and probably a lot about my dogs, Daisy and Lily, the princess dachshunds. I'm looking forward to getting to know you too.
This week is extra special: not only do I debut here at Cozy Chicks, but it’s also book release week for The Sayers Swindle: the second book collector mystery. I write this series with my daughter as Victoria Abbott. We're happy that our young sleuth Jordan Bingham gets another outing, a taste of danger, a bit of romance and a book-related mystery to solve.
That’s something else to celebrate: being able to write two books together and still being on good terms. The Christie Curse, our first book collector mystery came out in March.
We’re still talking and laughing most of the time. I wouldn’t say that we never flashed a look at each other, but all in all, it’s been very congenial. I guess I raised my baby girl to bump people off for fun and profit. What more could a mom want?
There was more celebration at our book launch party last night, in the form of wine and chocolate, cheese and chat. I think that’s the best kind of party. Here’s a sample of the chocolates we stocked up on.
We’re sure they’re full of vitamins.
If you’d like to know more about us, please check out Mary Jane Maffini and Victoria AbbottWe hope we'll meet many of you face to face some day.
But enough about us, do you have something to celebrate this week? Will there be chocolate? Let’s hear about it!
I am so excited to be joining the gang here at Cozy Chicks. I’ve known The Chicks for ages and am proud to call them friends. We’ve met at conferences and read each others' books and now I get to hang out here with them and you. How cool is that? Every Thursday I’ll be showing up to chat.You’ll get to know me and probably a lot about my dogs, Daisy and Lily, the princess dachshunds. I'm looking forward to getting to know you too.
This week is extra special: not only do I debut here at Cozy Chicks, but it’s also book release week for The Sayers Swindle: the second book collector mystery. I write this series with my daughter as Victoria Abbott. We're happy that our young sleuth Jordan Bingham gets another outing, a taste of danger, a bit of romance and a book-related mystery to solve.
That’s something else to celebrate: being able to write two books together and still being on good terms. The Christie Curse, our first book collector mystery came out in March. We’re still talking and laughing most of the time. I wouldn’t say that we never flashed a look at each other, but all in all, it’s been very congenial. I guess I raised my baby girl to bump people off for fun and profit. What more could a mom want?
There was more celebration at our book launch party last night, in the form of wine and chocolate, cheese and chat. I think that’s the best kind of party. Here’s a sample of the chocolates we stocked up on. We’re sure they’re full of vitamins.
If you’d like to know more about us, please check out Mary Jane Maffini and Victoria AbbottWe hope we'll meet many of you face to face some day.
But enough about us, do you have something to celebrate this week? Will there be chocolate? Let’s hear about it!
December 3, 2013
Sixty and Single - A Holiday Vignette
by Hannah Reed/Deb Baker
In March, as some of you might remember from this post, I left the Wisconsin family home in the country where my now-ex and I had raised our children, and I moved to a small but vibrant city not too far away. What a change from turkeys and deer in the backyard framed by a woodland of maples and pines to sidewalks and hustle and bustle and store fronts! But, amazingly, I am loving it!
The festive season is underway right outside my front door with weekend candle lit caroling, horse-drawn carriage rides, snowflakes whisking through the air, and brightly colored lights. And of course, the community tree lighting last Friday. On that special night, Santa even paid us a visit along with his helpers and reindeer.
I 'shot' this picture with my new camera, the one many of you helped me pick out with your comments to my which-one-to-buy post. Just so you know, The Chicks love and really appreciate comments:)
The last eight months I've had my ups and downs, but haven't we all? That's life, and what's important is how we respond to the challenges. To paraphrase the Rolling Stones, we might not get everything we want, but we get what we need.
What are some of your special seasonal favorites? Those small things that make the season great?
In March, as some of you might remember from this post, I left the Wisconsin family home in the country where my now-ex and I had raised our children, and I moved to a small but vibrant city not too far away. What a change from turkeys and deer in the backyard framed by a woodland of maples and pines to sidewalks and hustle and bustle and store fronts! But, amazingly, I am loving it!The festive season is underway right outside my front door with weekend candle lit caroling, horse-drawn carriage rides, snowflakes whisking through the air, and brightly colored lights. And of course, the community tree lighting last Friday. On that special night, Santa even paid us a visit along with his helpers and reindeer.
I 'shot' this picture with my new camera, the one many of you helped me pick out with your comments to my which-one-to-buy post. Just so you know, The Chicks love and really appreciate comments:)
The last eight months I've had my ups and downs, but haven't we all? That's life, and what's important is how we respond to the challenges. To paraphrase the Rolling Stones, we might not get everything we want, but we get what we need.
What are some of your special seasonal favorites? Those small things that make the season great?
All in a Day at NASA
by Maggie Sefton
Apologies for the tardy Tuesday morning post, folks. It was an early and a very busy travel day yesterday and I confess----I fell asleep early last night & didn't post. Mea culpa. But I hope these photos I took while visiting daughter Serena (who's doctor of Internal Medicine and a NASA astronaut).
She invited several of her close friends on Thanksgiving week to bring their kids and watch one of her regular EVA "training sessions" in the Neutral Buoyancy Training pool at NASA in Johnson Space Center in Texas.
Photos of pool and Serena suited up for the dive. Same type of suit that's used in space for EVA.
She and another astronaut go down deep enough to reach the atmospheric pressure that mimics weightlessness in space. EVA (Extracurricular Vehicle Activity) occurs in space when the astronauts have to go outside of the International Space Station to do repair work or to haul in
cargo brought up on cargo flights, like the ones delivered by SpaceX Dragon rockets lately.
Each astronaut has two experienced divers floating near them while the perform various tasks on the underwater replicas of the Space Station. Also they lower them into pool with that lift device. It's totally
fascinating to watch. We even got to go up into the Control Room with the scientists and engineers watch large screens to guide their various activities.
Apologies for the tardy Tuesday morning post, folks. It was an early and a very busy travel day yesterday and I confess----I fell asleep early last night & didn't post. Mea culpa. But I hope these photos I took while visiting daughter Serena (who's doctor of Internal Medicine and a NASA astronaut).
She invited several of her close friends on Thanksgiving week to bring their kids and watch one of her regular EVA "training sessions" in the Neutral Buoyancy Training pool at NASA in Johnson Space Center in Texas.
Photos of pool and Serena suited up for the dive. Same type of suit that's used in space for EVA.
She and another astronaut go down deep enough to reach the atmospheric pressure that mimics weightlessness in space. EVA (Extracurricular Vehicle Activity) occurs in space when the astronauts have to go outside of the International Space Station to do repair work or to haul in
cargo brought up on cargo flights, like the ones delivered by SpaceX Dragon rockets lately.
Each astronaut has two experienced divers floating near them while the perform various tasks on the underwater replicas of the Space Station. Also they lower them into pool with that lift device. It's totally
fascinating to watch. We even got to go up into the Control Room with the scientists and engineers watch large screens to guide their various activities. December 1, 2013
Out With the Old, In With the New?
by Kate Collins
I started two new traditions at Thanksgiving this year. For the first one, see last week's post here The second was a brand new stuffing recipe chock full of veggies and sweet Italian sausage. Radical! If your family is like mine, you know how hard it is to buck tradition. But this new recipe, given to me by a friend, was an immediate hit. Not only that, but they voted it back next year.
Now on to Christmas. It was always my custom to put up a huge tree that would hold the gazillion ornaments my family had collected over decades. But this year I ordered a pencil tree a mere 24 inches wide at the base, because that's how big the space for it in my new house is. So I'm betting 3/4 of those ornaments aren't going to fit on it. How do I choose which ones to cut? Would it be better to do something new?
And then there's my Santa Claus collection -- big, 2 foot high Santas that were all over my big house. Now, poor Santa and his buddies have no room. So out all but two go. In fact, many of my old decorations just don't fit in my new house. Yet I feel guilty getting rid of these things that have so many memories attached. So the dilemma is, do I put them back in the box on the shelf or donate them?
Change is hard, especially when you didn't choose the change. But as I've learned since I lost my beloved soulmate, change happens whether we want it to or not. So I'm making the choice to donate the old and embrace the new -- while still hanging onto a few very special pieces.
What traditions would you like to change? And what will you never change?
I started two new traditions at Thanksgiving this year. For the first one, see last week's post here The second was a brand new stuffing recipe chock full of veggies and sweet Italian sausage. Radical! If your family is like mine, you know how hard it is to buck tradition. But this new recipe, given to me by a friend, was an immediate hit. Not only that, but they voted it back next year.
Now on to Christmas. It was always my custom to put up a huge tree that would hold the gazillion ornaments my family had collected over decades. But this year I ordered a pencil tree a mere 24 inches wide at the base, because that's how big the space for it in my new house is. So I'm betting 3/4 of those ornaments aren't going to fit on it. How do I choose which ones to cut? Would it be better to do something new?
And then there's my Santa Claus collection -- big, 2 foot high Santas that were all over my big house. Now, poor Santa and his buddies have no room. So out all but two go. In fact, many of my old decorations just don't fit in my new house. Yet I feel guilty getting rid of these things that have so many memories attached. So the dilemma is, do I put them back in the box on the shelf or donate them?
Change is hard, especially when you didn't choose the change. But as I've learned since I lost my beloved soulmate, change happens whether we want it to or not. So I'm making the choice to donate the old and embrace the new -- while still hanging onto a few very special pieces.
What traditions would you like to change? And what will you never change?
November 30, 2013
A Cake for No Reason
by Lucy ArlingtonDo you like buttermilk? I remember my mother mixing in a spoonful of sugar and drinking it. I could never understand how she could do that. To me it was the most disgusting thing to drink ever. Even now I take a whiff of it and can’t imagine anyone enjoying a glass of it.
However, it is an important ingredient in some recipes, including a cake I baked a couple of weeks ago for a friend’s birthday. The trouble is, you can’t buy just one cup of buttermilk. The smallest carton size I could find was a pint, which is around two cups, so of course I had half of it left over.For almost two weeks that half full carton of buttermilk sat in the fridge. It has an amazing shelf life. Whenever I opened the fridge, the carton would stare at me. I’d check the best-before date—Dec. 3—and put it back. What was I waiting for, I’d ask myself. To let it go bad so I could throw it out?
One morning I decided to use it in another cake. I had no reason to bake a cake, no celebration, no company coming. But I didn’t want to waste the buttermilk and I didn’t want to drink it! So I baked a no reason cake. (After we enjoyed a few slices, I put the rest in the freezer for the next time I have company, because otherwise I would eat way too much of it!)
This recipe makes a wonderful pound cake that I enhanced by adding chopped dried apricots. A slice with a cup of tea is divine. And I no longer have a carton of buttermilk in the fridge. Yay!
Do you ever bake a cake for no reason?
Buttermilk Pound Cake with Apricots
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar4 eggs3 cups flour¼ tsp baking soda¼ tsp salt1 cup buttermilk1 teaspoon vanilla extract¾ cup dried apricots, chopped1. Preheat oven to 325°. Grease and flour a 10-inch fluted tube pan.2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.3. Combine flour, baking soda, and chopped apricots; add alternately with the buttermilk, starting and ending with the flour. Beat well.4. Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 325° for 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the centre comes out clean.5. Cool in pan for 15 minutes before removing it to a wire rack to cool completely.
***I've been very fortunate to have been able to be a part of the Cozy Chicks blogs every month for the past couple of years. My stint is up and today is my last Lucy's Cozy Cuisine post. Thank you for reading and commenting on my recipes. I hope you've found a few that you enjoy. Posting Lucy's Cozy Cuisine has been lots of fun and I will miss my monthly visit with the Cozy Chick authors. Thanks for tuning in!
