Day four in Lucca: wine tour and massage!

As I sat down to write this I received a text from my son Colin asking me if I was looking at real estate. I figured he must have been reading my blog about interrogating Stephano our driver about real estate in Lucca. Apparently, he had not been reading it, he just knew his mother and her love of Italy, homes, and 

This is the view from our backyard. If you look in the center of the photo you will see a big estate at the top of the hill. That is a winery!

We took a long walk down our very windy mountain road down to the Vineyard.

This home is the former home of the Duchess of Lucca. She and the Duke had three large estates, this one was hers and is feminine in decor and style.

Details of this gorgeous flower wreath.

Since I know some of Kari's family is following this blog.... I thought you might get a kick out of this. While our lovely tour guide was telling us all about the vineyard, I looked over to find a certain someone sneaking peaks into the beautiful garden building. I have been joking about Lucy and Ethel go to Italy. Here is Lucy taking a little peekaboo in the part we were not allowed in.

And then I watched Lucy saunter over and check out the door!! It was locked but I learned she's been trying to get in here for two years!!! (BiG LAUGH)

The general consensus of everyone in the group was that wine by Mother Teresa was very good and we all bought some to bring back to our villa. I also purchased Olive Oil and honey from the vineyard to bring home to Vermont.

My day ended with an AMAZING massage back here at the Villa. A great day!!

Italian Cooking 101: First lesson- Ravioli is serious business

For today's lesson we are making ravioli. The first thing we learned is that the flour is very important. Keep it handy and use it often.

Even though I am a very experienced and enthusiastic cook I have never made my own pasta. I was fascinated watching this fabulous flour and egg technique.

Super serious supervision as the eggs are mixed and the flour is gradually mixed into the dough.

A plastic spatula like instrument is used to keep the flour in place.

Meanwhile a magnificent filling is made with spinach, ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, white pepper, and nutmeg.

We all tasted the filling to make sure it was PERFECTO!

This whole process looks rather simple, right? It's not.

My turn to make the pasta. I have multiple coaches. Which I needed.

YAY!! It's working!!!

Stuffing the ravioli.

cutting the pieces.

I am pretty confident I can do this back in America. My teacher does not share my confidence!

Our lovely teachers cooked the ravioli we all made for our lunch and it was outstanding.

I feel so grateful to be here.

An evening in Pietrasanta

On Sunday evening our group divided into two groups depending on their interest. Some went into Lucca to see opera singers perform Puccini arias and some of us went to Pietrasanta. I love the opera and would have been happy to have attended but I didn't want to miss my chance to visit another Tuscan village.  I sat in the front seat with the driver on this gorgeous drive and interrogated him about real estate prices in Lucca...because well of course, I want to live here. :) I keep hearing from other people on instagram that they have American friends here in Lucca and I have heard there is another Vermonter here. How funny is that....that I am up in an old estate in the mountains and I've heard there is a Vermonter down in the valley?! Wouldn't it be funny if they heard there was some Vermonty "traveling stitcher" doing yoga up in the mountains?! :) 

Pietrasanta was an amazing experience. It's a small, very manageable town with lovely things to walk around and look at. There are many charming outdoor dining opportunities and very few tourists. In fact, there was not one other person besides my friends that I recognized as being American tourists. 

In the early evening the restaurants begin to set up in the street, locals are walking their dogs and shop girls are waiting for diners to visit their stores.

Savonn our yogi extraordinaire and leader of our trip lead the way.  When we arrived she helped us get our bearings and we located the restaurant we would meet at later in the evening. This way we could all explore. We started together and then broke off into our own journeys.

Our first spot we visited was the square which had it's annual sculpture event in front of the sculpture museum. The museum is located in an old Catholic Church and really quite amazing. The wear and tear and well aged structure is absolutely breathtaking with a classic old Italian patina, in the church is more modern paintings and sculpture. The juxtaposition is sublime.

Apparently there is a yoga theme all over Tuscany! Loved this happy dancing sculpture!

Sitting atop the marble steps leading into the sculpture museum church is this beauty.

Lisa takes in this magnificent site...and sight.

A modern marble sculpture of a mother nursing her baby surrounded by antique paintings of Madonna and her baby really captures you.

My dinner companions minus one after an amazing Italian dinner at Pinocchios.

Smart things

Some of the smartest things I have done have been just rushed gut decisions. When my friend Kari asked me if I wanted to attend a yoga retreat she was going to and helping teach in Lucca, Italy  I just said "yes!!" without too much thought.  I love Italy and about 14 years ago I owned a yoga studio, it seemed like the perfect time to jump back in. My decision was simple....of course I wanted to go. I didn't put much thought into it over the last couple of months other than to contemplate the fact that I was completely out of shape. That was really my only thought. I didn't image where we would be or what our days would be like. I didn't think about what we would do or what Lucca would look like and I didn't think about the people that would be here. I'm a mom, I thought about leaving my family and preparing my business for my family to run while I was gone. 

I flew here overnight and didn't sleep on the plane so I was exhausted when I arrived. Which made the arrival that much more fun....numbness changed into pure bliss rather quickly.

Our neighbors home we view from our pooled terrace.

We were driven up gorgeous steep and curvy roads that wove through beautiful stately homes in the mountains, up and and up higher and higher until we reached our destination. Our retreat is being held in a gorgeous mountain top villa that dates back to the 1500s. 

My bedroom is the one window above the trellis.

The estate has several guest houses with a patio and pool and gorgeous view. This is our entrance from the street. There are 10 students, 2 teachers, and an amazing staff of helpers and cooks. I hear that the masseuse is amazing but I won't meet her until Tuesday. We each have our own perfectly appointed bedroom. Some have private baths, some have shared baths. We have a large outside dining table by the pool and a lovely common room and yoga studio. There is also a steam room and laundry facilities available for use. Our vegetarian meals are made for us and are magnificent. 

Kari and Lisa on our first evening

Kari getting reacquainted with her old friend Oliver

Our first evening we had a yoga class before dinner.  It was restorative yoga and a wonderful way for all of the weary travelers to stretch out those muscles which had been jammed into airline seats and carrying heavy baggage.

Our dinner last night was a homemade vegetarian lasagna, Italian bread, salad, several vegetable side dishes and a gorgeous mixed cheese platter with dried fruit and walnuts for dessert. There is a glorious bowl of a variety of ripe wonderful seasonal fruits and tea and coffee fixings available to us at all times. There is a knife and cutting board near the fruit bowl. This easy and clever idea encourages us to dig into the fabulous fruit. The apricots are out of this world!

I slept like a rock last night in my lovely simple Italian bedroom. When my alarm went off at 7 am this morning I wondered, where it was I had to be. Wasn't I happily surprised when I remembered....yoga class in Tuscany!

This morning's weather was outstanding. Warm and sunny. This is a view from our dining table. After another fabulous yoga class this morning we sat down to a homemade breakfast and fresh pressed juice. Kari brought us up to speed on our exciting schedule for the week and encouraged us all to sign up for massages. (I have learned to always take Kari's advice! That's what got me here!)

The morning was spent by all relaxing and having fun by the pool. I brought special Italian inspired paquets for the group and taught everyone who was interested how to needlepoint this morning under the Tuscan sun. It was great fun!! Two other students brought their gorgeous glass beads they make in Portland, Oregon and all had a lot of fun making necklaces. Many of us swam in this fantastic pool and some went off to play golf in Tuscany! 

This evening we all got to choose activities from Opera in Lucca to a road trip to another village. More on that tomorrow.  

Buona Notte!

Room with a view....A "holy shit" view!!! (Lucca Day 1)

The trip here was easy peasy.  My bag did NOT get lost. And I was super happy with it's size as I maneuvered it around Florence and on to Lucca. Everything was super smooth. I found my dear friend Kari and her friend Savonn in the Florence airport and we took a train to Lucca.  We arrived with no issues .... to THIS. I mean come on. Holy shit! This is where I will be living for the next week. This doesn't even begin to cover the flowers, the potted plants and the gorgeous architecture. More to come!! 

Back in the Green Mountains of Vermont

I could write love letters to Vermont all day long. Spring has slowly turned to summer and it's really beginning to turn green around here. I'm sure some of you look at this photo and think "Beginning??". Yes, it's true, we are not yet at our full BIG summer green. We are at the stage where it begins to get ready to look like a rain forest. We need a few more rainy and sunny days to turn it to a lush you need to see to believe.

Today I needed to go to the "big city" of Rutland to grab some supplies I needed for finishing up some paquets and I decided to take the "back way". The funny part is that they had a detour set up and I ended up on the back way of the back way...way back in the dirt roads and farmland. It was AWESOME. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. At one point I got stuck in a traffic jam.... a pick up truck with a big trailer dropping off horses in the middle of the road and guiding them into a pasture. Horses everywhere blocking my way. That is my kind of traffic jam!

Our Hermés paquet in the works. I weirdly love making the kits. It reminds me of making school lunches! :)

I pulled one of these paquets for myself. I am headed to the Alps in a few weeks and this will be the PERFECT project for my trip!

Still basking in the joy of this day in LA

Sometimes magical moments just happen. You find yourself in the right place at the right time. And sometimes you find yourself in the right place at the right time with the right people!

These dear childhood friends met at 10 years old in art camp in Vermont. 15 years later they showed up for lunch in the same outfits!

I brought uber talented interior designer and owner of the Collegiate Supply Company Anne Coyle to meet Laurie, Eddie, and Spicey. Both Anne and I were completely blown away by this magnificent home.

Last month Brooke and I found ourselves with a spare day in LA, the home base of dear friends from Vermont. An added bonus was that another friend had just moved to LA. What was an impromptu visit became a gathering of creative joy. Women gathering together, sharing creative ideas, and encouraging each other.  A perfect sunny Sunday!

Anne, Spicy, and Brooke begin the conversation with getting to know each other, within minutes the gang was literally falling over laughing.

details of this outrageously gorgeous fireplace....covered in pennies!!

Eddie shows Brooke a needlepoint stitched by his grandmother.

Not only are Laurie's collections interesting, and imaginative, her displays of them are clever and witty. Here is a basket of "body parts".

I'm in love with this table.

This chest was decorated by Laurie.

Our amazing, gorgeous, and joyful hostess Laurie. (You may recognize her from the blog post I did on her mother's home.)

A cowboy graces the powder room door.....styled with bottle caps!!

My poor photography skills do not do this kitchen justice!!! I can honestly say this may be my favorite kitchen I have ever been in. I'm going to have to work on my Statue of Liberty collection!!

A white backdrop, an antique stove, and am amazing art collection made me never want to leave this kitchen.

Patio dining area outside the kitchen window. A black bamboo forest leads to another amazing garden area.

LA weather and a stunning garden leads the guests to wander in and out of the house, admiring the exterior and the interior in awe.

French doors painted by our hostess.

Warning. If you invite me over, and agree to my pleas to photograph your house, I'm going to be in all the nooks and crannies, ogling all your cool stuff.

and taking weirdo selfies in your fascinating mirror!! xoxo THANK YOU!!!!!

Thank you Ladies!!!! I loved our day!!!

Dinner at The Pink

Today was a long day.  I needed to head north a couple hours to pick up something for an up coming trip to LA and I had a long board meeting conference call this afternoon. It wasn't a bad day, just a long day of "getting stuff done".  

During my two hour drive home this afternoon I called my husband Don and announced that I wanted to go out to one of our favorite restaurants this evening. Thankfully this suggestion was met with great enthusiasm. So off we went around 7:30 to "The Pink".  Every town has a place like this.  You know, that favorite spot where you can either dress up or dress down, where you are bound to run into friends and occasionally run into a long lost pal.

We chose to avoid the wait to sit outside on the patio and happily sat inside.  My husband asked me to sit in the seat which faced the TV because he didn't want to see any of the hockey game until he got home and could watch it in full "on demand". Happily, I sat in the better seat which happened to be facing the door. 

At one point I looked up and saw a group come in. The woman looked strikingly familiar. I kept looking and kept looking. I realized this woman looked very, very, VERY much like a friend of my brother and sister-in-laws from Lyme, Ct.. This gal named Jane, is one of my favorites and I love talking to her at all their parties. Although I haven't seen her in a couple of years, when I have run into her we gab about antiques, gardening, and crafty things.  I begin to be convinced that this woman walking in the Pink is Jane. 

So I start texted my brother and sister-in-law about this.  They are not in the same place right now because they have a brand new granddaughter and my sister-in-law is in Baltimore helping out with the grandchildren. I start asking them if their friend could be in Boca Grande. I start telling them that someone who looks just like their friend is in the Pink. They tell me she only goes to Maine. They tell me they don't think it's her. 

I'm convinced.

So I start sneaking photos of her.

My husband is....mortified.   M O R T I F I E D.

I think I'm sneaky. And smart.

and I send them to my brother and sister-in-law.

And my brother says "that's her!!" My sister-in-law adds "certainly looks like her!"

Our meal is over. And I decide I must go say hi to the woman who I love talking to when visiting Lyme. And I saddle up to the table. And smile a big smile and say "you are Jane, aren't you?"

nope.

Thank god, this lovely woman had a good laugh when I told her I'd snuck a photo and my brother confirmed that she was indeed his friend. Good thing she wasn't completely creeped out, because she lives on the tiny island too! 

Note to self: eat your dinner, focus 100% on your husband, and avoid looking at the other guests.

Dear Women of Vermont

As I sit on a plane headed to do some mom jobs my heart is FULL.  I was reminded from the second my feet hit the brown mud... that even in "mud season" my heart is in Vermont.  The women in our community are like  bouquets of the most amazing sunflowers.   When I sat down to write this I was going to write the story of what I did this week, but I realized I was afraid I might leave someone out.....because truly there were lovely moments everywhere I went as I interacted with all of you.

How much do I love you....let me count the ways.

1. I love the things we talked about. I love that at a dinner with some girlfriends we each spoke about our favorite outfit from when we were children and why. (Some of the answers were very endearing!) As adult women we don't ever compare our current clothes, shoes, purses, or cars. Ever. I can guarantee I didn't noticed any of your clothes, shoes, purses, or cars when I saw you this week. Okay....I did notice that Beth wore gorgeous bright cheerful colors and Paula smells absolutely divine. What I did notice is your smiles, and your raucous laughter.  I noticed the tone in your voice when you spoke about your loved ones. I noticed how much you love and admire and respect each other.  I notice that not only are you trying to be your best selves, you are lifting the other women in the community with you.

2.  I love that although we don't talk about silly material things....everyone loves some great lingerie. For a bunch of women who run around town in ski clothes or jeans and mud boots....we love our Joy and the amazing lingerie store she opened in town. Thanks to Joy, lingerie drawers all over the community are a hell of a lot more fabulous than they used to be. (Check out Joy -  All Things, Under Things if you are ever in Manchester, VT.) They are the bomb!

3. I love that the Eileen Fisher company and all of it's employees rallied behind Sarah Hadden and the www.Kuraproject.org . Women in Southern Vermont are working constantly raising money to support school girls in Northern Kenya by supplying menstrual supplies and school fees. They have made a great impact but there is SO much work to be done. How fantastic is it that Eileen Fisher threw an event to raise money and the whole community came out and shopped  all day. I loved that I kept turning around and seeing one beautiful woman after another from our community beaming as they supported KURA.  Thank you Sarah Hadden for creating this amazing origination and letting us all help.

You are each special and unique. You celebrate each other's successes. You are kind and compassionate and fun as all hell. 

Be back very soon!

Visiting Corinne and Laurie

Today I went to visit my style gurus....Corinne and Laurie. Not only have this mother daughter team been  my friends for 15 plus years, they are the grandmother and mother of one of Brooke's dearest childhood friends. Corrine is the woman who designed, built, and owned our home in Vermont.

A folk art collector with a penchant for super hip fashion and contemporary design, Corrine found her new home in an ultra cool warehouse made into gorgeous loft like apartments. Having spent a great deal of time in our now home when Corrine owned it, I knew she had an outstanding art folk and contemporary art collection. I assumed her new place was going to be cool, but I really had no idea how very, very cool it was going to be.

Corrine and daughter Laurie 

Corrine and daughter Laurie share a passion for fashion, entertaining, the hunt for a great piece of art, and amazing design.  With very similar visions, each one brings a different yet complimentary idea to their discussions. Spending time with them is one of my favorite things. Laurie is visiting her mother from the West coast and it was so fun hearing what they have been doing and the plans they have for her visit. 

A gallery wall in the library includes an amazing combination of works including family pieces and fun objects like the little man in the blue suit above a childhood self portrait.

Everywhere you look, your eye catches another amazing detail. 

The high ceilings and brick walls lend themselves to the perfect space for Corrine to display her amazing art collection. 

A wooden head on a chair as faces view the room from above the door, you catch a glimpse  into the stunning library. I was delighted to see the cigar box collection in the bookcase.

The kitchen contains so many eye catching vignettes. A rolling pin collection in a large face, a cake on wheels, a farm stand sign, and a gorgeous white bucket collection draw your eye into the marvelous kitchen.

These photos were taken with my phone while visiting. They do not in anyway portray the overwhelming sense of joy one feels while looking around and discovering detail after detail of beauty in this amazing home.

The Smallest Church in America

This school year has become the year of road trips.  As our youngest child went off to college and we have unintentionally become the road trip couple...up and down the East coast multiple times between Southern Vermont and Southwestern Florida.  Some of these trips have been to get our little dog home for the holidays, some have been to visit children. A friend in Florida told me that every time they make these trips back and forth to New England, they stop somewhere new. Our newfound empty-nesty-ness is giving us just that freedom to explore all kind of treasures off the beaten path. This week on a drive between Charleston and Jekyll Island we found such a treasure....The Smallest Church in America.  My ever patient and always wonderful husband kindly turns around and pulls over when I start doing my "Oh!! did you see that?!?!" as we drive by such treasures. 

The Smallest Church in America ~  Darien, Georgia

We were confused about all of the signs about cameras. I now know that the original church burnt down from arson and this one is the new church, rebuilt by volunteers.

Twelves seats, a nod to the number of Apostles.

Kindness matters.

It was wonderful to visit this lovely site without the help of Google and knowing nothing about it, just stumbling across something interesting and taking it in without any knowledge about it's origin. The sign out front says "Built in 1949 by Mrs. Anges Harper and deeded to Jesus Christ". 

I have since learned that Mrs. Harper was a service station and grocery store owner who built this tiny church as a place to give back to her customers, a spot they could relax and have a peaceful moment on their journeys. She deeded this property in perpetuity to Jesus Christ and in the land records Jesus' address is "Heaven". 

A few years ago there was a fire and the original church burnt down.  It is believed that a vandal was using a blow torch to try and break into the donation box.  Volunteers donated the supplies and their time and rebuilt the church immediately.

Mrs. Harper used to bring blankets to the church for migrant workers. We found these pants and shoes with a kind note. Small acts of kindness are everywhere.

I must really blame Jenny!

The other day I accidentally changed the name of the blog page to "I blame Jenny". I only discovered this by looking at the analytics of this website on my phone and I noticed that my most dedicated website follower kept looking at "I blame Jenny". I was far from a computer and unable to change it, and really had a great laugh. If you know Jenny, you will share this laugh.

Jenny is my college roommate from Freshman year and one of my favorite people on the planet. 

In November, Jenny, and two of my other most favorite people on the planet, Sarah and Aimée (also very best friends from college) all came to visit me on this little island in Florida. A long overdue girls' weekend was had following a most wonderful 30th reunion at St. Lawrence University last spring. All three of these amazing women were instrumental in my life as a young woman. Thirty years ago- with them- I managed to get into all sorts of trouble, we laughed and laughed years worth of laughs, and we talked about everything under the sun as we grew from girls into young women.  Aimee and I also traveled the world together after graduation and visited almost all of the European countries on a fabulous walkabout. These women are part of the core of who I am.

Sarah, Aimée. Jenny, Tricia

Fast forward...November. How truly amazing to spend 4 days alone with these divine friends. No topics are taboo, no explaining who we are, with a deep understanding of each others parents, and a great desire to know all about each other's children and spouses we reconnected right where we left off. Our days were spent relaxing on the beach and riding golf carts into town- where Sarah did her usual amazing job as fashion stylist for each of us. Evenings were spent at my favorite restaurants eating the island's finest fare and enjoying copious amounts of tropical cocktails. ("copious" one of Sarah's wonderful words that reminds me of her every time I use it.)

But Jenny kind of ruined all the fun.... she started talking about weight and health. Damn it!

Jenny had tried the Whole30 with another college friend and was looking into doing it again. She fricking inspired us to give up dairy, alcohol, sugar, and carbs. Like some crazy preacher, we listened to her!! We had a farewell meal fit for queens on a gorgeous deck overlooking sunset on the gulf of Mexico. Farewell to each other, and farewell to all those food items we hold dear. 

There was a bet involved. We naturally divided into teams. Sarah, my partner in another adventure! This was the kind of bet only college friends make. Disgusting financial consequences  with pay offs to organizations you would never want to give money to. Plus there was the added bonus of the threat of dirty T-shirts designed by the other team to be worn on the streets of our hometowns. I can laugh now, but the threat was REAL! 

And thus I started the Whole30. 

The short version is that the first two weeks I was crabby as all hell as I detoxed not only from the items above but from diet coke. I thought I would miss wine, but in fact, I really missed my true love...gummy bears. I also missed Vermont maple syrup, which is hilarious, but I don't think I actually eat it that often. 

Once I got past the first two weeks I felt fantastic. REALLY, REALLY, FANTASTIC. I could breathe, I had amazing energy, and slept like a baby. I did the Whole30 for 37 days because I felt so good. I lost 10.5 pounds easily, no calorie counting, no portion control, just eating a fabulous paleo diet. 

Tomorrow I start again for another 30 days. This time there is a glorious light at the end of the tunnel. I was invited by a friend to join her at a yoga retreat this summer in Italy. Normally, I would have said no. The thought of getting in shape for this event would have seemed like too much! But this me says "YES" because I know with the whole30, I can do it. I just need to get myself back into the grove. Tonight we have really, really fun dinner plans with new friends. Tomorrow is a new day. 

As for the outcome of other challenge. Let's just say that in the end we are all winners because this challenge created a constant text conversation between the four of us. In honor of friendship we each donated to a cause we hold dear and we share the information on each cause with each other. The real win is the reconnection of a lifelong friendship with women I hold dear.

Health.

We had a health scare.  Everything is fine!! We are all good. But for two weeks, from December 20th til January 4th... I floundered in a state of full blown mother desperation and panic. I made a huge effort to suffer in silence, for talking about it, made it feel like a locomotive headed our way.  One of our boys had an endoscopy, and during the procedure, the specialist thought he saw “lesions” on our son’s vocal cords.  The irony was that the child in question was groggy from the  procedure and never processed the  “lesion” distress. Mothers, we happily carry the distress for our kids.   

We, our family, missed the bullet. After an afternoon with one of the best vocal cord doctors, we learned that there had been problems with the first round of photos caused by odd camera angles, and there are in fact no lesions. When they told me the news I burst into tears. My very confused 20 year old asked if I had been worried. HA!

I entered 2018 with one word on my brain. Health. My wish for you all out there is that you experience great health for you and your loved ones. No New Year’s resolutions this year. No goals. Just one word. To me 2018 is about gratitude for H E A L T H.

August 1, 2009 ~ After years of dating Donald and I got married- and we officially became a family!  Here is the best wedding party ever!! Dreams do come true!! Our backyard ~ Dorset, Vermont.

Now that our kids are between the ages of 18 and 25 and living all over the world, it's hard to get them all in the same place at the same time....and when they are....I often get so wrapped up in the fun that forget to take a photo!! The top photo is the last photo I have of our children all together.. It's about 3 years old and was taken in Lyme, Ct. by my brother-in-law Phil.

A Christmas like no other.....

Confession: I was not totally looking forward to Christmas this year.  We were on a small island in the Gulf of Mexico and would be heading into a very, very cold Vermont winter.  We are in a new house that I had never decorated for Christmas before, and other than my precious ornament collection, I really didn't know where my decorations were. AND...most importantly 5 of our 7 children were not coming home for Christmas.  With 7 kids between the ages of 18 and 25, it's not surprising that this would happen. We want our children to create their own lives in their own places. We are so proud of them and feel good about their independance. It just kind of stunk.  We knew how missed they would be. Colin is in the Netherlands in graduate school with a lot on his plate. Very exciting things happening for him in the next couple of months, he would however be taking exams right after the first of the year. It made sense for him to stay. We were so grateful when an invitation from his school friend Freddie (who we love) came in, to spend Christmas with Freddie's family in the Hague.  Jasper is on a "walk about" and his currently in Tokyo. I can't wait to hear more about his Christmas adventures!  Willie and Adam live on the west coast. Having just been here in October, they decided to try spending Christmas together in Oregon (SO grateful for the short flight to connect these brothers.) Our youngest son Scotty would be spending Christmas in Baltimore in his own apartment with his girlfriend, darling dog, and her family nearby. I spent a couple of days right before Christmas getting him situated with supplies for his first holiday there.

Christmas table in the barn with a white out snowstorm happening out the window

As the holidays approached we realized there were some other guests who might like to come to Vermont and some Vermonters who might like to join us. Daughter Brooke and boyfriend Ethan brought home their friend Nick from Boston. My sister Puddy and Phil came up to stay with us. Daughter Courteney and her friends from college are all home and in and out of the house constantly. Since this Christmas was Ethan's 26th birthday, we invited his family to join us in the evening for a birthday party.

Holiday drinks table all ready for a house full of people and winter storm Ethan! Needlepoint stockings are hung on the kitchen mantle because the living room fireplace has a roaring fire at all times.

Brookie and her Aunt Puddy in the cozy kitchen

Two things completely and utterly changed our Christmas.... "Winter storm Ethan" .....seriously, couldn't make that up if I tried....was going to dump a snow storm on our little loved Barn in Vermont....and Ethan's older sister was pregnant and in Burlington with her in-laws for Christmas.

As our household headed to our favorite restaurant for a big family Christmas eve dinner we got the news.... Ethan's dearly loved older sister had gone into labor. In between Christmas poppers, magic tricks (in the poppers), and the most delicious meal  chef Michelle at Chanticleer prepared....I got to explain the stages of labor as texts came in from the hospital. With the impending storm headed to dump a lot of beautiful fresh powder on our sleepy little Christmas village, several of Ethan's family members headed to Burlington to beat the snow and welcome their new baby.

We woke to the news that baby Bowen had made a middle of the night appearance in the early hours of Christmas morning. Twenty six years after her mother had delivered what the family dubs the "christmas miracle boy", daughter delivered a second "Christmas miracle boy". I'm still so in awe of this!!  Mother and daughter, both delivering Christmas babies on the same day!! Having received my own first neice on my 21st birthday, I completely understood the joy that Ethan felt about sharing his special birthday with his nephew.

After a fabulous Christmas morning filled with laughter, joy, and a holiday breakfast of Uncle Phil's famous praline french toast (With Vermont syrup of course), eggs loaded with veggies and Vermont Cheddar cheese, and amazing bacon.....Christmas was removed and the table was set in a non-red and green manner for a celebratory birthday dinner.  Long time friend of my husband's, and father of Ethan, Chip, joined us for the festive celebration. Champagne was popped and we celebrated the birth of a young man we all hold dear in our hearts, and a brand spanking new gorgeous little boy. 

Our hearts were full as the snow fell on us and we basked in the glow of a very magical Christmas.

Custom needlepoint Brooke designed for the arrival of baby Bowen.

The first time I saw the Dead I was 15 years old.....

I was in boarding school at the time and my friends and I decided to go to a show at the Garden.  My roommate Poos and I both had older brothers who had had lots of fabulous concert experiences and this seemed like the PERFECT idea to us.  We gathered a bunch of other girls and bought tickets. I laugh now wondering....how did we buy concert tickets in 1980? We had no credit cards, there was no internet, we were hours away from the box office. We barely had any money! We had a little school bank that gave us $10 a week (unless you called your parents and asked them to give you more, which we did frequently!).  We had pay phones which were almost always hogged up by girls chatting with long distance boyfriends. Yet, somehow we managed to get our hands on 6 Grateful Dead tickets at Madison Square Garden!

Since I grew up in Bronxville and lived the closest to NYC it made perfect sense to us that we would go to my house for the weekend to get to the show.  The part that makes NO SENSE is that my parents thought this was a great idea! Really?!?! My husband Donald tells similar story of his parents letting him go see Pink Flloyd at 15 in Detroit! (Then again, we let our youngest kid go to Ibiza...!!!)

My father's only rule was that he was going to get my 26 year old brother to drive the family wagon into NYC and would be waiting outside the show to pick us up. I though this was "Soooooooo dorky" but my father would not bend. He after all knew the last train would have left Grand Central by the time we were done. I'm assuming there was money or a bribe involved to coerce the driver.

The show was fantastic. We had a ball. And somehow we all were together when it was time to leave. I was flagged down near the exit by a 16 year old boy from Bronxville who was there alone and had no way home. He thought it was AMAZING that my brother was outside with a station wagon and joyfully jumped in with us for the ride home. Apparently a safe, free ride home from a concert...is not dorky after all!

The last Dead show I saw with Jerry Garcia was at the Meadowlands and I was pregnant with daughter Brooke who painted this canvas.

It takes a village of Vermonters to make the perfect pillow

Jumping for joy at seeing daughter Brooke's elephant pillow in the January issue of Better Homes and Gardens!! Thank you to Sarah Hadden (highlighted in another blog post) for stitching this gem and to Maria Timmerman at In Stitches in Dorset, Vermont for everything. She finished this pillow in dreamy purple velvet! In Stitches is one of my all time favorite needlepoint shops. Maria knows color better than anyone I know. She does all of my personal finishing.  I'm so proud of Brooke!!

Feeling immense gratitude for all of the people who keep the roads safe....

My intended lovely little road trip with my eldest daughter Brooke, actually turned into quite an ordeal!!! Not 15 minutes off the island in Florida, we witnessed (as the car directly behind it) a head on collision.  Although it happened very fast, to us it appeared to go in slow motion..... as we watched a car pull out from a full stop into head on traffic with no way to call out and warn or stop it.  By the grace of God, there were no serious injuries. I dumped our car on the side of the road and helped the elderly victims out of their car (doors crammed shut, airbags deployed) while another man called 911. Arm chair expert here diagnosed one of the elderly men with a broken wrist and a possible concussion, everyone survived what could have been a triple tragedy. The police, ambulances, and fire trucks were there in minutes.  Needless to say, when we got back on the road, I was very shaken!! My father was always very, very calm in a crisis. He was an ambulance driver in WWII, first for the British Field Service, and then for the US Army under General Patton. His calmness in an emergency wore off on all three of his children. We are pretty calm in a crisis but later need to download the stress of the event. Needless to say, this accident set the tone for a slow and cautious journey.

Our father Bill Thorn with oldest granddaughter Katrina in North Salem, NY

Our first stop was Palmetto Bluff to see my sister Puddy and her fantastic husband (who has been in my life since my 8th birthday party!).  Phil is our family's premier chef and superior event foodie provider. Oh how grateful I was to learn that he had made a wonderful paleo dinner to help me through my last few days of the Whole30. He'd researched what I could eat and made the most delicious steak and vegetable kabobs with a sauce to die for. Sunday was spent at the Montage Palmetto Bluff where the three girls had "spa day", lunch at the wonderful Buffalo's restaurant, and a little Christmas shopping. It was a perfect way to catch up with my sister before the holiday rush.

Photo of a garden in Palmetto Bluff by brother-in-law Phil Doetzel, who is both an amazing chef and a even more amazing photographer!

On Monday Brooke, little dog Finn, and I got back in the car early to head towards Vermont. While talking to my brother, known on my instagram account and in real life as....Mr. Spanky Pants..... we learned that a snow storm was going to hit our little town of Vermont at 3 am.  We had to make some quick choices. Knowing there were no snow tires on my SUV, I wanted to get to Vermont before the storm hit. The thought of being trapped for days in someone else's house or worse, a crappy motel with a little dog fueled my energy to get there. Quick thinking, Brooke and I made a plan to drop her in Maryland with my youngest son Scotty. She would fly to Boston from there and I would power through the night to get to Vermont. I literally kissed my 20 year old son Scotty on the side of the road while I handed over his sister and kept going.  I am so grateful for my family members who kept calling me through the night to check on me. My husband, sister, and stepmother win the prize, staying up much later than usual, calling to make sure I was alert and entertained for a portion of my 14 hour journey. I listened to Diane von Furstenberg read her book "The Woman I Want to Be" on that dark winter night. I am grateful for her company and wonderful stories!

My air traffic control coordinator Puddy Cat with my weather man Mr. Spanky Pants

Mr Spanky Pants all grown up. 

Little dog and I arrived to a warm house in the mountains just as the snow flurries began to fall, 2:30 am on the dot.

My family has had a home in Vermont since I was 8. I went to St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York where it's literally a winter wonderland most of the school year. And I have lived in Vermont as an adult for the past 16 years. I know snow. I do snow well. This week I have had my challenges dealing with the snow. I confess to having more than one meltdown moment. I kept thinking of the movie Baby Boom which was filmed in my community. Diane Keaton finally looses it. I was getting close to that point!  We are in a new house this year, having moved over the summer. I don't know where all those winter emergency things are. I had a devil of a time turning up the hot water heater, finding the snow tires in the garage, shoveling with a garden shovel, because our snow shovel seemed to have gotten lost in the move. I cleaned off my car with a broom, dug out all the winter clothes I could find. I was snowed in for two days with only the food in the pantry. This would be no problem except I was on my last days of the Whole30. Eating non perishable pantry food was not any easy way to finish the whole30! Dinner one night was olives stuffed with garlic! These hardships were met with joy as I built large fires, watched season 2 of the Crown, face timed with my darling husband, and needlepointed fabulous Christmas ornaments. 

Identical twin sons Colin (left) and Willie (right) in "Mont". Weston, Vermont 1997

Eventually the plows came, our lovely mountain road has been plowed several times now and sanded beautifully. Our driveway has been plowed by a wonderful family that live nearby. I've managed to get the snow tires on the car, and to the grocery store! The trip here was arduous but oh how grateful I am to be in Vermont for the holidays. The tree went up this morning. The wrapping starts today. I've had lunch with some girlfriends and have run into others. It's SO good to be home.

I have an ample supply of needlepoint kits ready. Photos and the shop will go up tomorrow.

Safe travels to all of you as you make your way around to do your shopping, visiting, and celebrating.  And a big shout out to the emergency responders, the snowplow drivers, and the folks who make and sell snow shovels and scrapers!! 

Our family one Christmas a few years ago in Lyme, Ct

Road trip begins!!

Heading north towards Vermont with awesome stops on the way. Car filled with TONS of needlepoint, daughter Brooke, and one tiny black dog. Not traveling light like my grandfather Harry Thorn!!!

LOVERMONT: Oh how we love you, Vermont

Tomorrow we head back to Vermont. To snowy, wonderful, Christmasy Vermont. Home.

When thinking about Vermont, I think about what makes Vermont so special to us. It's the childhood home of our 7 children. It's the place where Don and I met and fell in love.  It's gorgeous, or as my father would have said "God's country." But most importantly....it is the place where so many folks we love live.  Giddy with excitement about seeing our Vermont pals. xoxo