Monday Movie: The Theory of Everything

A MUST-SEE film this season is “The Theory of Everything” directed by James Marsh and written by Anthony McCarten. The cast includes: Eddie Redmayne as Stephen Hawking and  Felicity Jones as Jane Hawking. I hope that they are already planning their awards season outfits because they are sure going to need them! This is the extraordinary story… Continue reading Monday Movie: The Theory of Everything

Should Your Birthplace Determine Your Future?

Wow, what a Silver Lining to learn about Jacob Lief and the Ubuntu Education Fund in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Their mission is “to help raise Port Elizabeth’s orphaned and vulnerable children by giving them what all children deserve—everything.”  Now if this sounds a little grand, let me tell you that it’s actually not. The Ubuntu Model is a unique… Continue reading Should Your Birthplace Determine Your Future?

Gift Ideas: Brass Desk Accessories

Gift Ideas: Brass Desk Accessories Ever since I was a little girl, I have always been infatuated by anything and everything related to offices, from bookshelves to accessories. When I was a little girl, I remember going with my dad and sister to his office on Sunday mornings and being in heaven sitting at his… Continue reading Gift Ideas: Brass Desk Accessories

Tips for Hosting Thanksgiving Dinner

Dinner parties have a tendency to give me the heebie-jeebies, no matter how few people we have or how many. Now the Silver Lining of this angst is that this is  definitely a first world problem.  I mean, really.  Sometimes when I get myself all worked up, I tell myself to look in the mirror and… Continue reading Tips for Hosting Thanksgiving Dinner

What Food Banks Need

On Thursday, the three of us (the HOTY, Excitedly Eight and I) are going to serve Thanksgiving Dinner at a homeless shelter in Santa Barbara. Now that Excitedly Eight is old enough, it is a tradition that we are going to begin not only annually, but monthly. I’m a huge believer in cultivating a philanthropic heart,… Continue reading What Food Banks Need

Gift Ideas Don’t Have to be a Puzzle

When Christian Lacroix designs a jigsaw puzzle, you acquire it. It doesn’t matter if you have barefoot tots running around the house or not. You buy it. End. Of. Story. I plan to put it to good use for many years to come. This two-sized tabletop activity is adorned with gold and silver foil accents… Continue reading Gift Ideas Don’t Have to be a Puzzle