Dig this

In honor of Earth Day, I’m honoring 5 of my favorite gardening books.  Truthfully, I have a lot of favorites, but for one reason or another these top 5 tend…

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Pay up now or pay up later

I think I’ll pay up now.  Last year I waited too long to clean out the rose beds nearest to the house. By the time I got in there –…

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When sweet met sassy

Next time you’re walking by that flat of pansies – more specifically those cute little faced ‘Johnny Jump Ups’ – not so fast, they’re the key to your next dessert!…

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Forever pink

“Style isn’t just about what you wear, it’s about how you live.” – Lilly Pulitzer (1931-2013) Love, Nora

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Post Easter jump start

Easter is a great motivator for the gardener in me.  Having just received beautiful spring plants, not to mention the slew I ended up buying and decorated with – yesterday…

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The thrill of the hunt

The countdown begins.  Tomorrow we’re hosting a big family gathering here at Connecticut Country House, and we’ll kick off the Easter Sunday festivities with our annual Easter Egg Hunt. I…

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Mama’s pots of gold

For as far back as I can remember, my mom’s (a.k.a. Mama) stuffed cabbage has been a mainstay at all our holiday suppers growing up.  And this upcoming Easter Sunday…

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Branching out

I am happy to report that Saturday’s photo shoot for the book went off without a hitch. Yay team! I will go further with that statement and declare it a…

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Finding clarity

“Out of clutter, find simplicity.  From discord, find harmony.  In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” – Albert Einstein (1879 – 1955) Middle of the week –  in the middle…

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Family Wash Day

I can’t stand it.  Snow, snow, and more snow.  Looking out the window it’s hard to imagine that spring is right around the corner – and that all my gardens…

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A mighty comforting contender

O.K., so as of today, the countdown to Spring is 13 days – yahoo!  But here’s the glitch, a big part of our country is stuck in snow and slush…

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Take a stand

The instantaneous appearance of importance – oooh, the “look at me” moment – when you place literally anything on a cake stand.  The idea of the traditional cake stand utilized…

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Get ready, set, March!

The month of March – wow, what a chock-filled month ahead!  There are so many significant days (other than birthdays, anniversaries, etc.): St. Patrick’s day is on the 17th, Spring…

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Miss Fannie’s mac n’ cheese

Yucky and yummy.  The two words that best sum up this past weekend. The weather here in Connecticut was cold and raw, rainy and (anticipating) snowy, so obviously this was…

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Joyful

“Don’t ask what the world needs.  Ask what makes you come alive and go do it.  Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” – H. Thurman…

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Chocolate therapy

Go ahead – have another.  That’s my motto these days when it comes to dark chocolate.  Right about 3 p.m. I break out my dark chocolate stash for a little…

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A presidential good read

We love a good read.  And by the length of today’s posting – I hope you do to!  When it comes to good books, here at Connecticut Country House we’re…

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Love notes

If you forgot about St. Valentine’s Day – or wish the idea of the day could stick around a little longer – no worries.  In my book, love notes are…

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I love Yo-Yo

My Valentine’s gift to you my dear friends and my beloved Newtown – 4 beautiful minutes of peace.  Please sit back and close your eyes. With all my love, Nora…

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Office nosh

I believe that spreading a little more kindness starts with our family at home.  But for some of us, we also have a secondary home and family at work –…

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Roast chicken love

I have an idea. I know full well that St.Valentine’s Day is this week – Thursday to be exact – and that here in New England we’re dog tired from…

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Fire-grilled cheese

We were psyching ourselves up to suit up, grab our shovels, and get going; unfortunately, twenty inches of snow is just not going to move itself (bone-chilling winds or no…

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Making a fire 101

It’s snowing.  O.K., it’s really, really coming down here in Connecticut.  I think we can now officially call it ‘The Blizzard of 2013’.  I’ve stocked up on foodstuffs – I’m…

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