February 10, 2012

Once Upon a Time Set Design Makes Me Think the Evil Queen Was Spying On Our Home Renovations

Once Upon a Time Set Design - Evil Queen Dining Room

This Sunday New Year Day, the family slept in until 11 a.m. and then decided to do brunch again, having enjoyed the Belgian waffle party so much the other night, as we watched movies and television shows on Hulu Plus and Netflix, starting with Once Upon a Time, an ABC family show.   The premise is the Evil Queen from Snow White cast the dark curse over all of fairy tale land, bringing them to the modern world to suffer eternally as she watched.  In the cursed time, where time stands still, … [Read more...]

A Memory of Long Ago and a Way to Reflect It In My Life Today

Fitz and Floyd Dinnerware Toulouse Green Collection

After the Belgian waffle party tonight, once the goodbyes had been said and the lights turned off, I set to work on the personal projects that need to be accomplished.  This led to me, in the silence of my living room, remembering something that brought me tremendous joy. When I was 18 years old, my parents got a plane with me, flew out to the East Coast, and we toured the college that I was going to attend.  Though I was already earning money on my own, it would be the first time I was out … [Read more...]

My Day In Pictures – Belgian Waffle Party

Strawberry Belgian Waffle

We had an impromptu Belgian waffle party tonight at the house and it was awesome.  The recipe came from America's Test Kitchen and included buttermilk, seltzer water, sour cream, sugar, salt, unbleached flour, eggs, vegetable oil, and a host of other items to create a waffle batter mix that was crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.   It's been a great day: The sofa was delivered, as were the second set of fine bone china I haven't written about (all white, hotel collection for … [Read more...]

Reflections on 2011 and Setting the Agenda for 2012

Reflections on 2011 and Setting 2012 Agenda

Fiscal 2011 was huge for us.  I feel like it went too quickly because we didn't get everything finished we wanted but in terms of progress toward our ultimate goals, it was very good personally and professionally.  The companies grew, profits were up, the family expanded, there was quite a bit of travel, and this blog, which is an interesting side hobby, actually began to monetize well.   Tuesday night, I talked to some of my family members who own shares of one of our businesses and told … [Read more...]

My Night Equals Rocking Out to Dixie Lady, Reviewing More Home Upgrades, and a Ton of Work That Needs to Get Done in the Next 72 Hours

Burgundy Coffee Urn from Reed & Barton

There has been a lot of progress today but it's been disorganized.  There will likely continue to be because I am in the middle of some projects I haven't discussed on the site and very well might be up until four or five in the morning.   Right now, I'm sprawled out on a blanket in the middle of my living room floor listening to the bonus track Dixie Lady from Elton John's 1974 album Caribou on a pair of Bose headphones super loudly, about to start on another wave and reviewing some of … [Read more...]

My Day Has Been Frustrating But At Least the Crystal Cabinet Was Delivered This Afternoon

Crystal Cabinets at Home

My day so far hasn't been very productive.  Everything was thrown off because a possible impending snow storm, plus I had to be home to sign for a delivery for the crystal cabinet.  Throw in some computer problems with a near brand-new MacBook Pro, and I finally decided to spend a good part of the day reading and playing a Tower Defense game from Com2Us on my iPad.  Many of life's irritations can be solved by systematically figuring out how to defend interplanetary bases from onslaughts of … [Read more...]

I Managed to Settle on the Fine China and Sterling Silver Flatware Sets

Sterling Silver Flatware

In between pizza and Coca-Cola and an afternoon of work, I managed to get away for an hour or two to approve the final flatware and china purchases for the before-I-turn-30-next-year home upgrades.  For now, I'm dividing things into a core "fine" set for dinners, holidays, and regular family meals, and a "casual" set for everyday use.   I ended up going with a platinum banded Ralph Lauren china for the nicer dining sets, which I wanted to be simple, clean, yet timeless so the food is what is … [Read more...]

Brown Glazed Coffee Mugs and Life Satisfaction

Choice Coffee Mug Brown Glaze

If you were born in the 1980's or earlier, you might remember those wonderful brown glazed coffee mugs that made an appearance at everywhere from comfortable hotels to old fashioned diners.   Those brown glazed mugs were forged from the zeitgeist and aesthetic of the time.  Companies like McDonald's were the pride of America; an example of a hamburger stand rolling across the nation, making shareholders, franchisees, and managers who were smart enough to invest in the business rich.  Wall … [Read more...]

Finding the Love of Your Life (or Cold Lamb Sandwiches)

Cold Lamb Sandwiches and the Love Of Your Life

I've never understood those who believe love is a weakness or somehow mutually exclusive from financial and professional success.  Mind you, I'm not talking about infatuation or being in love with the idea of love, endlessly pursuing the flavor of the week or looking for a never-ending stream of feel-good butterflies and chocolates, but actual honest-to-God love; the mature kind that gives life meaning and is etched in the deepest core of your soul; the type of love that, once you've … [Read more...]

Wisdom from My Grandmother

Grandma At Restaurant

On September 21st of this year, I didn't tell you but I traveled several hours to visit my 80 year old grandmother, as I periodically do, to spend the day with her. This is part of my life that is normally private. Over the afternoon of conversation, food, and company, she added some emphatic absolutes to her list of greatest hits. Before I put them in the file cabinet, I thought I might reproduce some of them here. This is what I mean when I say that growing up in an enormous family had … [Read more...]