Welcome! I have recently become an ‘empty nester’ and am taking the opportunity to embrace some things I have not been able to do much of in the last few years. It’s a toss-up of whether crafting or cooking is more of my passion, so you will most likely see a lot of both here. But, not your average craft/cooking blog. I am gearing what I do to the time of life I (and possibly you) am in. Three years ago I was cooking dinners for 8 – 10 people, now that’s down to 2! Learning to scale back on food production is a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. Having had a teenage boy in the house, there were never left overs, snacks lasted 2 days at the most, and Gatorade was a staple!

Now a bag of chips lasts almost 2 weeks – unheard of! Last night I made baked ziti for dinner and only used ¼ of the box of pasta. . .and not only was it enough, it was lunch today too! I love trying new recipes so please share any you particularly like.

Then we have to get to the crafting. I have been crafting for over 40 years (Yes, I started in the crib ;) ). Now I can craft things not to save money, though that’s always a good thing, but to make my house the way we want it. My home doesn’t have to be baby proofed, at least not until the grandchildren arrive, so I can create to my heart’s content. Actually, I do have 1 adorable granddaughter, but, sadly, I don’t see her very much.

But I digress, back to crafts. One of my biggest joys in life is inspiring creativity in others, so I hope to inspire you. I have done so many crafts I could open my own craft store – oh wait, I had a craft business. I worked at Michael’s for a while, running the classroom, when corporate closed ALL the classrooms. So, I opened my own craft class business. But that is in the past, the supplies, however, are all still here! We’re talking scrapbooking, home décor, mosaics, jewelry making, clay designing and lots more.

You will see all kinds of things to do here that will, hopefully, inspire you. If you want to see something specific, I’ll try my best to accommodate.

Finally, the other topic that will most likely appear frequently is dogs. I am a dogaholic. I’ve had 5 dogs at one time, 2 beagles and 3 labs.  Currently, I only have one very special four legged baby, Finnegan.

He’s a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, known as the ‘love dog’. And that’s all this special little guy wants to do, love you and give ‘facials’. I get several a day, which does wonders for my glasses. At 19 lbs., mostly fur, he is the perfect lap dog.

Well, I look forward to getting to know many of you. Please share this and spread the link and the word.