Family and Friends
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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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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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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Warm and fuzzy
Connecticut Country House is all about country house living. But this style of living is not defined by the architecture or the location; it’s all about the warmth and hospitality…
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Love for and from Newtown
Today is January 14th – the one month anniversary of Newtown’s darkest day. In one way it’s hard to believe it’s already been one month, and on the other hand,…
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Embrace change
A new year – a time for new traditions and habits. This tradition, or habit, grew out of necessity – the necessity to help clear stuff off the kitchen island.…
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First soup
My New Year kicked off with sweet surprises. One – Every weekend we have a fire going in the big cooking fireplace in the dining room, but yesterday Rick changed…
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Defining moments
Late Monday I shared a posting that took a long time to compose and took a lot out of me. I was hoping it would be a cathartic moment. And…
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My Newtown
Hello my dear readers. I write today’s posting with a very heavy heart. Here I sit staring at my monitor, writing, re-writing, staring some more, and wondering if this 245-year…
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Holiday cookies: Hanukkah
For all my friends in the midst of celebrating a joyous week of Hanukkah – Happy Hanukkah! This elegant little cookie my Hungarian cousin, Judith, taught me to make earlier this year…
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A birthday cake for Conor
My boy turns 16 today, and I say , “Yikes! How’d that happen?” Every Thanksgiving weekend is Conor’s birthday weekend. This year, as part of the Thanksgiving/Birthday celebration I planned…
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Holiday Into Winter Decorating: Amaryllis
As a rule of thumb, I love to use nature – in some form – in decorating throughout my home. And the beauty in decorating with nature is that I…
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Zooming in at the Met’s New American Wing
This was no ordinary day trip to Manhattan. One of my best friends, Erin (yes, this is the same Erin of Erin’s Zucchini Bread fame, July 19th posting) and I…
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We’ve come a long way baby
Earlier this week, I changed my profile photo on face book to our latest family photo. I couldn’t believe all the great feedback that generated! It really made me think.…
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Favorite pie crust recipe x2
This week on Facebook, my friend Stacy (a self-proclaimed forager of fabulous vintage “finds” and shop owner of Meadowsweet Vintage in Philadelphia – a must-stop – online or in person),…
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Oh beans!
One vegetable from the kitchen garden that always gets rave reviews, especially from our teenage son Conor, are the string beans. Now that’s saying something! He loves them freshly picked,…
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Erin’s Zucchini Bread
I love to collect recipes. I think it’s an addiction with me. When I was nine years old, I got my first cookbook – Betty Crocker’s – from Santa. Ever…
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A milestone for the Murphy’s
A celebration is on the way at Connecticut Country House – our 25th wedding anniversary! Hooray us! Rick and I were married twenty-five years ago today – a rainy Saturday…
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Rainbow trout for supper
Fishing on the Farmington River, on a beautifully sunny – lightly breezy – blue skied day is my husband Rick’s idea of a nearly perfect day. And catching the biggest,…
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My first time
I was seven years old when I stepped foot into my first Connecticut country house. It was a small white quintessential Cape Cod-style house perfectly tucked behind its gracious manse…
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The taste of a good life
What if you had a place to get away to for a few minutes everyday, a welcoming perch where you could see a fresh take on satisfying rustic nibbles and…
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