Looking back at the holiday season from last year, I thought this blog post was worth resharing. Perhaps it’ll help inspire you as you prioritize what’s most important and how you spend your time. I can only hope I’ll look back at the end of this season and feel the same sense of holiday contentment as I did last year!
Continue reading
In my New England garden, the optimum period to pluck hydrangea blooms to dry indoors is when summer turns to fall and before it frosts. For the best vase drying results, patiently wait until they’ve already started to dry on the plants. From there, the rest of the process is simple. I turn my dining room into a drying station where I’ll collect specimens at the end of the season when I don’t mind cutting the glorious buds from my flower garden.
Continue reading
A simple pasta sauce (sometimes with shrimp!) is something I like to whip up for dinner especially when I get a surplus of cherry tomatoes in the heat of summer. Adding in raw shrimp at the end, elevates this dish from simple to sophisticated in no time! This recipe also works well with larger tomatoes cut into chunks. If you have homemade pesto on hand, simply swap it out for the garlic and fresh basil, making this main course even simpler to make.
Continue reading
The first potential heat wave of the season is predicted in my area this week which reminds me that we’re in the middle of the dog days of summer. According the Old Farmers’ Almanac, this period occurs July 3 to August 11 in the Northern Hemisphere. Living in central New England, these 40 days are truly a gift from Mother Nature that I treasure. Sure, the heat and humidity can be uncomfortable during a heat wave, so I do appreciate having central air when it’s needed. But overall, I embrace the summer heat. I patiently wait all winter for warm weather, so when the hot days hit, I try not to complain knowing I’d gladly welcome them in January.
Continue reading
For Father’s Day, I share a poem I wrote for my Dad for his 75th birthday, an inspired idea suggested as a unique gift from a former boss and mentor. Now, eight years later, I realize this ode to him is actually more of a gift to myself. It gives me time to pause and appreciate my Dad. I’m not sure if these words will resonate with you not knowing my dad, but let me tell you a bit about him. An introvert all his life, calling himself bashful, he is a gentle man and deep thinker, an accidental philosopher actually, who loves being connected to nature and spending time outdoors.
Continue reading
Don’t you love spring and how it entices you with anticipation, optimism and renewal? How the longer, warmer days encourage you get outdoors, connect with nature and embrace your world? This is why I find spring to be an opportune time to review your annual goals, check your lists twice (or thrice!) and re-evaluate your achievements. And once that’s done, move some of your unfulfilled 2023 priorities to the top of your goals list.
Continue reading
This post celebrates my first year as a personal blogger. It’s been a learning experience and something I’ve dreamed of doing for more than a decade. While I’m still getting my feet wet, I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished so far in my first 40 posts marking my blog’s anniversary. It started with plotting out my goals in 2022 while self-quarantining from COVID-19. During my isolation period, I carefully set my goals in writing using my brand-new Commit30 planner. I jotted down “write more,” and there you here you have it. This was the impetus to bring Literally Laurie to life.
Continue reading
I’ve updated this post from last January after making two large batches of dry rub for holiday gifts. I’ve been making my original all-purpose dry rub for a few decades and added in a coffee barbecue recipe about four years ago. While I love cooking, most of the time I’m a quick cook; especially during the week, when I’m trying to get dinner out without too much muss and fuss. With that said, one of my timesavers is turning to my homemade rubs I use several times each week to season my suppers.
Continue reading
The North End in Boston, MA is always a favorite destination to wander around and absorb all the Italian neighborhood has to offer. Fortunately for me, it’s only a 75-minute-drive away! I especially like to arrive in midafternoon and stay through evening to witness the sights, sounds and local flavors as daylight transforms Boston’s oldest residential community to darkness.
Continue reading
When it comes to growing flowers, I wouldn’t say I have a green thumb because not everything I attempt to grow turns out as expected. Instead, I’d say I’m tenacious and patient. Determined to have color in my flower beds throughout the summer, I’m willing to try new plants, move them around and give them a chance if first they don’t succeed. In fact, I always use brown mulch as it helps hide the evidence of moving things around throughout the season.
Continue reading
If you’ve been reading my blog, you know that I’m enamored in trying new smoothie variations. Lately, it’s all about the color. While my first smoothie post with a banana, blueberry and kale concoction was totally delish, it certainly wasn’t very pretty. However, anyone who experiments with smoothies knows that color is the eye of the beholder. Even funky-colored smoothies can be quite palatable! My second smoothie post featured a glorious and tasty red sipper, thanks to adding in a small fresh beet.
Continue reading
As a stepmother, I can say without hesitation that I feel blessed. I am happy, love my life and wouldn’t change anything with my relationships with my husband, stepchildren and grandkids.
But I have to say, I’ve learned to grow into this role and find my place. And I know as much as I had to figure this out, my stepdaughters did too. Especially in the early years. It’s not our fault. It’s just how it how goes. Through mutual respect, love and our commitment to each other, we’ve found our way, and it works.
Continue reading
Vacations have a way to provide perspective about your life and how you spend your time. My recent getaway on the island of St. Maarten/St. Martin gave me the pleasure to check off to-dos under my 2022 goals. Most significantly, I consider myself fortunate to cross off items under the Pure Joy/Fun and Adventure/Travel categories in my Commit30 planner. Allow me to elaborate briefly on three goals in this pictorial post.
Continue reading
I’m still adjusting to Benjamin Moore’s Revere Pewter. In a good way. After almost 20 years with wheat-colored walls dominating the kitchen, I still catch myself in moments of awe over the newness of the wall color. Even months later. When these fleeting moments of wonderment occur, I find myself smiling to myself. I love how clean, neat and crisp this color is with showcasing artwork, décor and furnishings. In this post, I’ll share how Revere Pewter looks in the kitchen and hallway areas to follow up on the living room reveal post, part one of the open-concept area of our main floor.
Continue reading
As I continue on my journey to eat real food, I’m constantly trying new smoothie combinations and my newest incorporates adding in a nutritious, low-calorie beet. You really must try it just for the color alone. I’ve been testing recipes every morning for the past two weeks and now ready to share my two favorites. Adding to my go-to base of greens, banana, flax, almond butter and milk, I’ve tried beets with …
Continue readingView More