When I was still married, we had a night time routine for my daughter. I would bathe with her, then her dad would put on her lotions and diaper and comfy PJs. The, he would settle own to watch some TV with her. I was not allowed much say over the fact that he watched King of the Hill and The Simpsons with her. I suppose he did it, because they were the two shows that were on between 7pm and 8pm. Who knows.

That that I am on my own with Gigi,. I have a different routine. It still involves a bath, but now between 7pm and 8 pm, we watch The Big Comfy Couch and Dragon Tales together. I think this I much more appropriate, don’t you?

Gigi is very into both of these shows and I was thrilled to have come across the Big Comfy Couch Store online recently. They have DVDs, clothing, dolls and such. I am probably going to get the Loonette & Molly Doll set for Gigi. Or, at least Molly. What a cutie she is. They even have a Snicklefritz doll. Cute!

It’s not MY favorite show to watch, but it’s the experience I share with Gigi that means so much to me. We will both always remember snuggling on OUR big comfy couch to watch these shows together before bed each night.

Well, it’s not exactly philanthropy. When my daughter was born, I went all hog wild for girly dresses and cute things to put in her hair. I found out almost immediately that hair bows are way too expensive and that surely people can make them on their own.

The thing was, I had little idea as to how to begin. So, I looked online. Surely I would find some instructions. I mean, when I need a knitting pattern or instructions on how to decorate a cake, there are hundreds of sites just begging to help me out for free.

But on the hair bow front, nothing. Well, not Nothing. There were at least a dozen people online who had packets of instructions they would sell me form anywhere between $15 and way over $50. Huh? You want me to pay for craft instructions?

So, I figured out a few sets of instructions on my own, consulted friends and dug around online. Eventually I had enough material to put up a site called Girly Things (not to be confused with my blog of the same name). As time has passed, I get more and more traffic and my site ranks well in the search engines for keywords like free hair bow instructions, or just plain hair bow instructions. People have donated additional designs – instructions they have figured out on their own and taken the time to photograph step-by-step.

Overall, it has become THE place to come if you want to start making hair bows. I get e-mail all of the time from women who are just thrilled to have found the instructions, or women who have used my website as a springboard to successful businesses that are now allowing them to stay home with their kids rather than working outside the home.

It’s been a sweet venture for me. I can’t live off of it, but it fills me with goodwill and happiness daily to hear from people who appreciate my efforts.

One of my friends moved to Los Angeles a year or so ago to make a complete life change. She gave up the teaching job she had held for more years than you can count, sold her house and just packed it up to L.A. She was following a life-long dream and the feeling she got every time she visited that L.A. was the home she had been looking for all along.

I’ve got it in my plans to visit her soon, very soon. I need to make my travels happen now, while I am not working outside the home. She got a lot of good insider tips as to where to go for food and entertainment, but I have also been boning up on info by reading up on La2day.com. Music Reviews are just the tip of the iceberg. They have tips of where to eat and shop, as well as the latest Hollywood buzz. I mean, come on, you can’t be a magazine about L.A. and not fill us in about the goings on in Hollywood.

I’m grooving on an article they have on the site called Getting the Most from the Getty Villa. I want to make a stop at the Getty and I’m up for all the tips I can get.

I cannot actually remember when I caught my first fish. Dad took us fishing a good bit. He was a member of the local Isaac Walton league and they had a huge piece of land smack in the middle of Fairfax County, VA where we would do ti fish, target shoot, practice archery, camp, etc. Anyway, I know I have caught a fair share of fish in my life. I’m pretty sure I’ve never kept one, though. I tossed them all back.

Gigi caught her first fish Sunday night. My aunt and uncle live in a big community that has some very large lots. Well, “lot” is the wrong word. In part of the community, the lots are more like farms. My cousins have become close with a man who has grown sons, but still has a lot of work that needs done on his farm. The cousins help with the work and in return they get to raise all their livestock on his property. Two of my cousins are heavily into 4H, so they have cows, pigs, and chickens going on right now.

Anyway, after we spent adequate time with all the animals, we went fishing in one of the large ponds this guy has on his property. Gigi fished with my cousin Lauren. She caught a bass almost as soon as she started. My nephew also caught one, mere seconds before Gigi. I caught a fish, too, but it was a surprise. I had been ready to cast my line when a bat swooped in front of me and scared me. My line went out all of three feet and then I took my time getting it back in, because I was chatting with my aunt. Out of the blue, a little guy bit and I had a fish. Almost too easy, really.

I’ve blogged several times in the past about how much I enjoy helping to plan weddings. I even kind of liked planning my own, but it was put together in about a month and a half and I did not have time to savor the experience. It still turned out nice.

Anyway, I have several friends who I am currently helping to plan their weddings. I’ve helped devise themes and then I have pretty much been in charge of pointing them toward venues and details that will fit nicely within the theme. Perhaps someday I will get off my duff and find a way to make a career out of this, but in the meantime I actually just enjoy living vicariously off of my girlfriends.

Of course, when you are planning a wedding you want to first think about the general tone you want to convey. Do you want a small wedding? A large wedding? Indoor or outdoor? Does the season matter? Daytime or evening? Will a particular color help to express your feelings?

My friend Fran is going for Funky in Florida. She is having her wedding on the beach and it’s rather casual. Her guests need to get a feel for the style of her wedding from the get go, so I have been helping her design the perfect wedding invitations. When I say design, I don’t mean 100% from scratch. Although I can do that for her, it’s not in the budget. So, I found some wedding invitations from MyGatsby.com that are perfect for mixing and matching papers and inks. The traditional rectangular greeting card style invitation is not all the rage anymore. People are leaning toward unique and new, so ovals and circles and even pocket folio invites are gaining popularity. I’m actually suggesting that Fran go with an envelopment style invitation. That means there are flaps that open to reveal the invitation inside.

Just remember that invitations are the first glimpse you are going to give your guests about the style of the wedding party you have planned. Choose with care and make sure your invitations speak loudly of who you are and your personal style.

Since we have such a good crop of star fruit (or carambola) this year and because my post about trying out a recipe for Star Fruit Jam got so many visitors, I am going to post a series of Star Fruit Recipes and I will follow-up on my experience with each recipe.

Star Fruit is one of those foods that just doesn’t have an equal. It is difficult to compare the flavor to another fruit and it is hard to describe in general. I love them, but I think you are missing out on the true essence of the fruit if you buy one of the small, hard star fruit that tend to be available in the supermarket.

• 4 cups water
• 1 gingerroot, peeled and cut into slices
• 1/2 cinnamon stick
• 2 whole cloves
• 10 coriander seeds
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 star fruit, trimmed
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

In saucepan, combine water, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and coriander.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
Add honey and stir until dissolved.
Strain liquid and allow to cool.
Slice the star fruit into 8 slices.
Place star fruit on a baking sheet and sprinkle the brown sugar over them.
Broil until the sugar bubbles and starts to brown.
Place stars into individual bowls, 4 each.
Ladle the gingered broth into each and serve.