Foreshadowing Valentine's Day

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, MarthaStewartCrafts.com is leading up to the celebration with 20% off Martha Stewart Valentine's products. Simply enter promo code VDAY20 at the checkout page to receive your discount. There are plenty of new Valentine's Day punches, craft embellishments, food packaging and stationery so be sure to have a peek! The offer ends on Sunday, January 16th. The discount does not apply to wholesale orders, or other EK Success brands. It is valid online only, not at stores. Orders over $60 placed in the contiguous United States will receive free shipping also!

Heart and Love buttons

And since we're speaking of Valentine's Day, the February issue of Martha Stewart Living is now appearing on newsstands and in mailboxes. It's a great issue filled with all the Valentine's Day standbys (chocolate, sweets, etc.) but has enough fresh and fun content to make it unique and imaginative, such as articles on damask patterns, collectors and their beloved collections, seafood pastas and a feature on a fun group of women who meet to craft regularly at the New York Public Library. You can read more about the Handmade Crafternoon group at the organizer's blog and watch a video the editors put together for the i-pad version of the magazine. (Members of Martha's staff will be joining the group on February 5th at the NY Public Library for a Valentine's Day card making event, so if you're around, be sure to stop by.)

Beginning with the February issue, all Martha Stewart Living issues will now be available in digital versions for the i-pad with bonus features.

A Toast to the Grooms!

I was so thrilled when I picked up the Winter 2011 issue of Martha Stewart Weddings today . Not only is the issue overflowing with amazing ideas for gorgeous winter weddings, but page 290 boasts a fairly historic feature for the magazine - and all weddings magazines! The marriage of Martha Stewart's nephew Christopher Herbert to his partner Tim Long is celebrated beautifully in this 10-page feature with photographs that illustrate every beautiful detail of their special day, which took place last August at Martha's farm in Bedford. After tying the knot officially in a legal ceremony in Massacheusets, Chris and Tim invited guests to Martha's farm (at her suggestion) to celebrate the union in style. It's all detailed in the current issue, including how their touching romance blossomed over a decade.

I think this issue is so special to me because it represents a change in attitude and an increasing awareness of the boundless possibilities of love, commitment and togetherness. As someone who married his partner three years ago in a legal ceremony in Canada (where gay marriages are recognized legally on a federal level, from coast to coast) it is heartening to see others embracing the opportunities that change and understanding can bring to a democracy. Congratulations, Tim and Chris! (And congratulations Martha Stewart Weddings for this, the second gay marriage to be featured in the magazine. I know it's not political. It just feels wonderful to see the mainstream embracing people like us.)

Chris and Tim pose by a pasture on Martha's property after tying the knot.

The ceremony took place in front of the stables.

Aunt Martha, the hostess, with the guests of honour.

The palette for the decorations, flowers and favours was neutral: browns, greens and creams. Here, a centerpiece brims with Japanese beautyberry branches and peegee hydrangea. Vintage inkwells and twine-wrapped bottles display jasmine, dahlias and yellow zinnias.

Gorgeous displays could be found around the property. The event was primarily designed and arranged by David Stark, Ann David and Nicky Reinhard.Throughout the afternoon, guests could sample mini pies and mini vanilla-milkshakes with tiny chocolate-chip cookies as garnishes.And here I am (left) with my husband Tomás on our wedding day, October 13, 2007. Ours was a low-key ceremony and reception at my parents' home, but the meaning and importance of that incredibly special day was beyond imagining and resonates with us both to this day.

Power Foods Cookbook

New from the editors of Whole Living (a Martha Stewart Living publication) is a cookbook with 150 feel-good recipes that use only the healthiest ingredients. The book is the first for Whole Living magazine and is called "Power Foods." It was released on December 28th in the U.S. and Canada and has a foreword written by Martha Stewart. Beyond the recipes, the editors include research-backed information about the health benefits and disease-fighting properties of 38 power foods, along with nutritional data and helpful tips on storing, preparing, and cooking them. In this one-stop resource, you’ll learn all about stocking a healthy pantry, eating seasonally, understanding food labels, and when it’s best to splurge for organic ingredients.

Remembering Genevieve

I want to thank so many of you for your words of condolence, here on this blog and through email. All the kind wishes have certainly brought a smile to my face. I thought I would share with you some of my memories and photographs of Genevieve Ritchie, my Great Aunt, who passed away recently. Thank you again for your kind words.

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It’s amazing how memories come pouring back into consciousness when a loved-one passes away, little memories filled with the most minute of details, designed to comfort us, blanket us and guide us into a new sense of reassurance.

Genevieve was the oldest of six children, the daughter of Lebanese immigrants to Canada. She worked her whole life for the Government of Canada in the Department of Public Works.

My Aunt Genevieve passed away on December 15th at the golden age of 94. She was born and raised in Ottawa and spent her entire life there, with most of her adult life spent living with her beloved sister Ann, who is now 89. They shared a home together and spent their lives loving their extended families with an energy and generosity that will never be forgotten. I always saw them as a unit – as one entity – as “Ann & Gen.” It will be difficult to think of them apart.
Genevieve, far right, photographed with her brother Alfred and her sister Ann.

My early memories of Aunt Genevieve sketch a woman in overalls and gardening gloves, big glasses and lots of chunky jewelry, kneeling in the earth of her front yard surrounded by bulbs and uprooted weeds. I remember her waving to us as we pulled into the driveway, her smile beaming, her bracelets jangling. (Gen was always glad to have a visitor.) I remember her bringing in tomatoes from the side garden, and lugging in big tote bags filled with the pottery she had made at her class that day. I remember her calculating and tabulating at her desk in the hallway (she was an accountant for a while) working on the household finances and I remember her always being in charge.
Genevieve made strikingly creative pieces of pottery throughout her lifetime. This 'bouquet' of clay flowers that she made in 1950s using pottery and heavy-guage wire was in the front entrance hall of her house for as long as I can remember. The flowers stood nearly four-feet tall.

As children, during the summer months, my brother and I would sometimes spend a day with Ann and Gen while my parents were at work. These were always fun times for us since it usually meant lots of treats and lots of activity. They would make us a big breakfast and listen to us go on and on about school. Gen was the most inquisitive of the two, always finding time to listen and inquire about what we were learning and what our dreams for the future were, quick to offer advice and insight – even to a ten year-old!

After breakfast, Gen would disappear into town, running all kinds of errands, attending all kinds of classes, from pottery to aqua fitness. She was never idle. In the evening she would begin preparing a huge Lebanese feast for all of us and my brother and I would leave feeling more full than we had ever felt before.

Gen was an artist and a traveler. During her lifetime she saw nearly every continent on the planet. Each year was marked by at least one big trip, often two or three, and she would send back postcards from all of the places she had visited. I was given boxes of these postcards several years ago and I treasure them. Her curious nature kept her on the move constantly and she loved having a good time, eating good food and making good friends.

It’s hard to imagine that I will never see her face again, see that smile, hear that big laugh (which would often be accompanied by clapping hands) or feel those warm hugs that were always musical. It is selfish of me to still want those things, given how full and long her life was. I always thought she would live forever somehow. She was one of those constants in our lives, an example of a person who lived every single day to its fullest and who proved that you are only as old as you feel. But, after 93 years with us, it was her time to go. The last year of her life was a difficult one and I know she is in a better place now. I feel a sense of peace now knowing she is at rest.

At this moment, I see her sitting in her chair by the window, looking elegant as always in a big scarf, silk blouse and trousers. I see Aunt Genevieve smiling: Loving. Comforting. Brilliant.

Genevieve Ritchie: June 20th, 1916 - December 15th, 2010

Petkeeping Debuts

Be sure to tune in to the premiere episode of "Petkeeping With Marc Morrone" Tuesday at noon on the Hallmark Channel. The show is taped at Marc's famous pet shop (Parrots of the World) on Long Island, New York, and follows Marc as he interacts with customers, veterinarians, animal behaviorists and his trademark menagerie of fawning creatures, big and small. Viewers will get expert advice on how to care for the animals they love and cherish and learn about how to solve common problems associated with petkeeping.
Last year, Marc was kind enough to contact me and send me an advanced copy of his book, shown above, which I highly recommend. (You can read my review here.) The book examines how he started his pet business and explores his lifelong love of animals. It's filled with wonderful anecdotes and humorous tales of his animal adventures. (Turns out Marc is the Indiana Jones of the pet world!)

Expect Good Things

My New Year's resolution (personally and professionally) can pretty much be summed up in these three words: Expect Good Things. It's what will guide my outlook and the direction I will take this year, and beyond. I found this postcard below on Etsy a few months ago and its message has been resonating with me ever since. Given its close resemblance to Martha's favourite tag-line I sent the card to Martha a while ago with a holiday greeting on the back. Its meaning, however, is important for all of us, I feel. Expecting good things in life means having the desire to start each day with a positive outlook: "What will my good thing be today?" If we 'expect' them, we are more likely to invite them in. It doesn't mean it will come easily or that we should take good things for granted. (Sometimes finding the good things is a challenge, but the rewards are great and it makes the search well worth it.) It's more about attitude. It's about knowing you deserve good things and then setting about trying to encourage more of them in your life, sharing good things with friends and loved-ones and appreciating each and every one of them that comes your way. Happy 2011 everyone!