Beautiful poem, Robin! Mumto2, Happy Birthday to your ds!

Our son has viral-induced asthma. We will most likely need to cancel our trip to Europe this June. We will lose our money on the flights. Even travel insurance won't cover anything, since our decision to not go will be done voluntarily. Trip or no trip, we're worried about him and my elderly parents. They're both quite healthy, but they're old.

I also cannot watch Dr. Dray. I tried and tried. Her eating disorder and cadence ... I can't even. Sorry to anyone if I sound mean. I love Hot and Flashy and am going to look into the other two that you mentioned. Me too! Love her! I'm sorry that this is a very old thread. I've been busy and am slowly catching up on threads that I've bookmarked. I also LOVE Caroline Hirons. I'm not into make up really, but I do so love skin care. Ones that I subscribe to and love (in no particular order) are: Dr. Davin Lim is fabulous. I've only recently found him. Gothamista - is younger, probably in her '30's, but she's very knowledgeable about skin. Jordan Samuel - a former ballerina turned esthetician with his own skin care line. His videos do get a bit repetitive over time, however. Nerida Joy - superb facialist to the stars - with more than 40 years of experience. She's generally against most procedures, I believe. Her videos are geared mostly towards people in the industry. I just watch the ones that interest me. I love Melissa55 - but I don't watch as many videos of hers as I used to. I don't care for vlogs and watching anything that is not going to benefit me in some way. I don't have time to waste. She's a sweetheart, but I want to spend my time learning something. I watch any of her videos that are useful to me, but that's my rule for all of them. Stephanie Nicole - is young, very knowledgeable, also rubs some people the wrong way. I've only seen a few of her videos. She knows her stuff. Dr. Sam Bunting - didn't like her at first, but I've seen a few more videos and she also knows her stuff. Fabulous50s - Australian and a real sweetheart. If you're into style, with occasional beauty - Busbee Style - is a very useful channel. Audrey Coyne also has wonderful style tips.

Kindle book on sale today - historical fiction

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I wasn't aware of what was going on. I've only had a chance to quickly glance at your blog. I plan on reading your posts as soon as I can. Thank you for being so open and honest. Sending you and your family hugs, prayers, and love.

I read Light a Penny Candle - 4 Stars - Oh, how I miss Maeve! She was such a special writer. This was her first novel. I must have read it back in the 1980s. Luckily, I barely remembered a thing. I don’t enjoy re-reading fiction when I remember stuff. I made that mistake with Isabel Allende’s “House of Spirits”. Loved it the first time. Decided to re-read it a few years later when not enough time had passed. The magic was gone. I enjoyed this book as much as I did the first time that I read it. This is a story of a friendship between two girls, set in Ireland and England in the 1940s and 1950s. The characters were complex and well-developed, as they always are with Maeve. The story grabbed me, and I was thinking about it constantly any time that I wasn’t reading – always a good sign! The only reason that I am not giving it 5 stars is the ending. It was fabulous all the way through, but the ending just seemed rushed, flat, out of character, and a bit bizarre. It threw me for a loop, and I had to check if I was missing anything. This book is worth reading for all the lovely parts, but just be aware that the ending is weak. My favorite quote: “Self-pity brings tears to the eyes quicker than anything else.” Mindfulness; Five Ways to Achieve Real Happiness, True Knowledge, and Inner Peace - 3 Stars - This is a practical guide to mindfulness. In the past several years, I keep feeling that I need to make a more concerted effort than ever before to be mindful and present. I don’t know why it’s such a challenge – getting older, obligations, social media, who knows? Ironically, I had a challenging time staying focused, since this is not my favorite genre these days. I only read it now, because I’ve been meaning to for quite a while. Here are my favorite quotes: “Too often, self-help books teach methods of achieving your inner potential or happiness, but they ignore the necessity of developing morally-consistent lives.” “Right mindfulness really means attentiveness or awareness of reality. It does not merely mean to be aware of one’s physical surroundings, or to ‘live in the moment’, as the catchphrase goes. It means, in one sense, to be aware of our inner and outer beings, as well as that which surrounds us. This means to be aware of every moment that passes, like waves on the sea. If we are mindful of ourselves, we must also be mindful of the presence of our Creator. Just as we have physical bodies that are ever-present within a physical setting, surrounded by air, water, earth and other elements, we are also eternal spirits which are illumined and sustained by a Higher Being which fills us with energy and power. True mindfulness, therefore, is to be aware of the presence of the Lord of all being.” “We must say what is good and avoid saying what is evil. One of the best ways of doing this is through reading good words out loud. If we read a book of wisdom and cultivate the practise of reading excellent quotations from these writings out loud, the goodness of the words will gradually become natural and part of our every day practice. We need to make a concerted effort to avoid using swear words and expletives, which serve only to express ignorant attachment, and, instead, we must memorize and recite good and holy phrases and verses. Reading beautiful and inspiring poetry is also helpful in achieving this objective.” “Every day, reflect on the nature of life and death and the changeability of all things. Reflect on your own mortality and the fleeting nature of the world. Do not be saddened or worried about death or loss, because both of these are part of the nature of material reality. Neither should cause you any alarm or worry. Realise that suffering comes from attachment and make a conscious effort to detach yourself. Make a concerted effort to be aware of the higher, noble nature within you. This is your soul.” MY RATING SYSTEM 5 Stars The book is fantastic. It’s not perfect, since no book is, but it’s definitely a favorite of mine. 4 Stars Really Good 3 Stars Enjoyable 2 Stars Just Okay – nothing to write home about 1 Star Rubbish – waste of my money and time. Few books make it to this level, since I usually give up on them if they’re that bad.

Happy Birthday Dicentra!

Me too.

Kareni, hope you feel better very soon.

Robin, yes, very often. Also, that's one of my favorites. My dh and I love this song. I read The Seven Martyrs of Hurmuzak - 5 Stars - My dear mom recommended this book to me and I am so grateful to her for that. Here’s a link to my Good Reads review, since I can post photos there. I would only recommend this book to Baha’is. I've been re-organizing all my photos and I can't quite recall if I've shared these or not. The first one is from the L'Occitane store in NY - their flagship store. This is their display of hand creams. We love their hand creams and had never seen so many all at once! Plus, the ceiling is decorated with flowers. Their store is across the street from the Flatiron Building (2nd picture). The third picture is one we took of the sunset here several months ago.

When I lived in NYC, every chance I got, I'd go here with my friends. On some nights, if I recall, it was open until 1 AM. Best Italian pastries ever! Every time that I've been back in NY since, we try to make at least one trip here. It's on 1st and 11th.

Loving all of your pictures! Have a fabulous time!

You are luckier than us since you're going in May. We're headed in June and prices seem to be higher then. I looked at the San Carlos that Reefgazer recommended, but it's too pricey for us at that time. We're also 5 people (3 rooms). Ha ha! When is NY not pricey? Anyway, I'm still searching, but we're now booked at the Roger Smith Hotel. I booked through booking.com, but Imay contact the hotel directly and see if their rate is a better one. Sometimes that works.

Yes, such an awful cover!

Thank you for sharing this. The San Carlos looks good and I may be changing our booking. We are booked to stay in the Times Square area as we did last year. The East Side is not too far at all. Oh, and I love Little Italy!

Thank you everyone! I'm looking into all your suggestions.

I just read this and your previous post to my daughter and we laughed till we cried! My daughter said that this is the type of thing that keeps her laughing for hours on end. Me too!

After several years of use, our crockpot got scratched and I had to toss it. I've been searching and searching for a replacement. Some of the Amazon reviews concern me. Do you have one that you are happy with? I may just end up getting the exact same one as before. I was perfectly happy with it. I don't want to get anything that's too expensive, since this one will be imported and that will mean paying even more duties. Whatever we bring in, we have to pay double. I would also prefer to not get an Instant Pot, since I'm lazy and I realize that there's a learning curve with that. Thank you!