marymargaretripley

Date Night With Doug

Douglas is my 13 year old son. After reading the Happiness Project , by Gretchen Rubin, I got the idea to take my son on a monthly adventure/date night. The two of us would go out to dinner together and shop for a few necessities once a month. The rules are we have to eatContinue reading “Date Night With Doug”

Easter Sunrise Service

I have to admit that I had never been to an Easter sunrise service. I have been to every 10:00 Easter service, every year, for forty years but I have never gotten out of bed in the early dawn to attend a sunrise service. I regret that now. A few months ago I told ourContinue reading “Easter Sunrise Service”

Geraniums, Pop Bottle Garden Update and Food Waste in the Bakery Department

Geraniums This time of year I am so happy that I dug up my geraniums and brought them in for the winter. A few posts ago I talked about these beauties and now they are in full bloom! What an encouraging lift they are for me every day. I hope to be using these plantsContinue reading “Geraniums, Pop Bottle Garden Update and Food Waste in the Bakery Department”

2015 Goals Update Week 10

I have been working diligently on most of my goals for the year but I need to get back on track for others. Here’s how I am doing so far. 1. Renovate our only bathroom and replace the window in our son’s bedroom. After having two different contractors come in and look at our bathroomContinue reading “2015 Goals Update Week 10”

Basic Cake Decorating Class

On Monday night I taught a class at a local high school on basic cake decorating. I love doing these classes because I get to meet new people and everyone has a smile on their face by the end of the class. Learning something new is always exciting! In my basic class I give eachContinue reading “Basic Cake Decorating Class”

DIY Project Finished

I finally finished my DIY project that I was working on a couple of weeks ago. My kitchen shelves. All are painted now and dried thoroughly. I put down my favorite shelf liner which is non-sticky and plastic so it wipes clean. I also brought down from my attic a box with beautiful crystal andContinue reading “DIY Project Finished”

A Garden in a Pop Bottle, a 30 Day Challenge and Getting the Word out About my Work

Pop Bottle Greenhouse Last Sunday I started a few basil seeds in my new mini ecosystem thingy which I mentioned in my last blog post. The idea is to use two 2-liter pop bottles to make an enclosed mini greenhouse. I planted and watered the seeds in on Sunday and placed the bottle on aContinue reading “A Garden in a Pop Bottle, a 30 Day Challenge and Getting the Word out About my Work”

I Needed a Little “Garden Time”

I was in a winter blues kind of mood yesterday. I was looking through my order book from 2014, before I took my job at the grocery store. Taxes have to be done to finish up closing my business books and I saw all of the people I had baked something for in March andContinue reading “I Needed a Little “Garden Time””

A New DIY Project and 12 Goals for 2015 Update

A New DIY Project We have a 1950s style house with LOTS of paneling. Little by little I have been painting the entire house as opposed to ripping out all of the paneling which can get messy. I was itching to do a small project yesterday. I have been slowly working on my kitchen forContinue reading “A New DIY Project and 12 Goals for 2015 Update”

Progressive Dinner

Have you ever been part of a progressive dinner with a group of friends or family? I remember my parents having progressive dinners with their friends and as I have gotten older I have realized that these types of dinners are not just for our parents. Progressive dinners are done exactly how their name suggests.Continue reading “Progressive Dinner”