Happy Father's Day, Dad!

It’s Father’s Day! And sometimes it coincides with my Mom’s birthday, and that’s just the case this year. But this is a note about my dad, who I have the honor of sharing his first and last name. I am not a junior.

No dad is perfect, and my father was far from perfect. But after my father passed away did I realize the values and life’s lessons I learned from him and what a wise man he was. My father spent the majority of his married life providing for my mom and his 5 children. Most of the time, we never went without, unlike the struggles my father and mother experienced growing up in times when there wasn’t a lot.

Although I never said it enough, this is just a “thank you” to my dad for helping me stand up for myself and giving me courage. For always watching over me, and my siblings. For giving me memories of a fun-filled childhood. For doing everything he could for me even during his own personal struggles.

I look back and think of the many times my father was right in his advice to his children. And what he did for us as we were growing up, even as young adults, he never stopped providing for us, or believing in us.

Although you’re not here today to hear this, “Thank you and Happy Father’s Day, Dad!” I love and miss you every day! 

XO

 

 

Reach The Beach Relay: MA 2012 Team Vansome

Congratulations to my niece Genevieve and her friends who formed #TeamVansome in the Reach The Beach relay from Wachusett Mtn., to Westport, Massachusetts.

 

The team is trying to get their entry paid for for 2013 Reach The Beach Relay, so if you would kindly click "Like" on the YouTube landing page; the most team likes on YouTube will get a FREE entry into next year's race.

Congrats TEAM VANSOME!

• Reach the Beach website
• Reach the Beach on Twitter; @rtbrelay
• Genevieve on Twitter; @Ferratusco
• Be Fresh Fit on Twitter; @BeFreshFit

And yours truly on Twitter; follow me! @product19

Thanks for your support! Lenny XO

Let Them Eat Cake

If you're lacking in the Valentines Day gift department, what's better than baking up some goodies for your sweetie? Here's a recipe that Korbel shared today ~ Champagne Cake of course. I can't wait to try it out!

Happy Valentines Day ~ Bon Appétit!

Lenny



CHOCOLATE CHAMPAGNE CAKE

• 3 cups flour
• 2/3 cups unsweetened cocoa
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 cups KORBEL
• 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp. corn oil
• 1 tbsp. vanilla
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350. Grease two 9” cake pans, line with parchment paper. Mix together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, sugar and salt into a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together KORBEL, oil, vanilla and lemon juice. Then mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients at high speed until well mixed. Pour the batter into prepared pans. Drop cake pan onto the table from about 3 inches high to release any bubbles. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Cool completely before icing.

RICH CHOCOLATE ICING

• 10 oz. unsweetened chocolate
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 lb. butter (unsalted)
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract

Bring sugar and cream to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 6 minutes, remove from heat. Add chocolate while stirring, add butter and vanilla. Place mixture in an ice bath and stir gently until desired consistency.

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Highest, lowest median incomes in Massachusetts

If this doesn't show you the disparity amongst cities and towns. . . Take a look at this slide show that Boston.com has shared with its readers:

It opens with "Over the past 30 years, Sherborn’s median household income, adjusted for inflation, has increased more than 40 percent to nearly $190,000, while the median income in Lawrence has dropped 20.1 percent to $36,573, according to US Census statistics."

The 20 highest and lowest towns are depicted in this presentation.

Enjoy!
Lenny
Lenny, on Twitter @product19

Thankful for close bonds. . .

Tomorrow we celebrate an American tradition, Thanksgiving. It’s a time to reflect and look back at what we are thankful for and we surround ourselves with family and friends and are grateful for all that we’ve got.

I’m thankful for many things in my life and looking back a year ago to last Thanksgiving with my family, especially the fun time I had with my nephew, Vance. He loved the holidays and especially spending them with his family. It made me look back at his last month of tweets on twitter and I could feel his love. I thought I’d share some of the ones I tagged as favorites.

Vance and I got to hang out a few times following the busy holidays and our busy lives and talked through our phones and online as you’ll see. We were always in touch with each other and I’m grateful for the part social media played in our lives and in some ways it brought us closer. I share this with you.

Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving! ~ Lenny XO
Follow me on Twitter @product19

Vance lived for this, @BritneySpears following him.

He did everything he could to get @LadyGaGa to follow him.

Hanging with Vance - watching the Patriots Playoffs, Jan 16, 2011.
He made me sit there and interrupt the game to watch Bad Girls Club.

That night Vance tweeted a lot after
drinking a bottle of wine. . . 

Sharing his music with me, he'd pass music via AOL IM 

and make me talk to him thru the voice chat on it. 

I look back and cherish those late nights

 

 

His love for @LadyGaga #obsessed

Little did I know this would be Vance's last tweet to me.
The Katy Perry tickets arrived at my house the day of his funeral.

Rest in peace my friend - Miss you always & forever.
Happy Thanksgiving, Love
UL XO

Last Thanksgiving ~ such a great day.

Once THE place for brand names and saving money; Boston's Iconic Filene's Basement to Close

When Bostonians think back to places to shop in Boston, first and foremost off our lips would be "Filene's Basement." An iconic shopping destination not only for Boston, but for thousands of tourists who visited the city, the flagship store in Boston's Downtown Crossing was always on the map of visitors.

I can't recall how many times I would be in Boston, that someone would ask, "how do you get to Filene's Basement?" Tough Economic times and a city that struggles to revitalize its former historic shopping mecca, Downtown Crossing, Filene's Basement will see it's 100 plus year history come to a close at the end of this year's holiday shopping season.

I know with big-box retailers that have moved into many metropolitan areas across the country, Boston has lost its hey day of great shopping retailers, the likes of which included Jordan Marsh, Filene's and now our beloved discounter, Filene's Basement.

As a person who loves to shop, it's a sad day indeed, to hear the news of an historic Boston shopping destination coming to an end. Read today's article that appeared in the Boston Globe/Boston.com.

• The history of Filene's Basement
• Boston.com's historic recollection of Filene's Basement

Sea turtle rescued on Martha’s Vineyard after weekend snowstorm

Superheroes & Villains; what does that have to do with sea turtles in Massachusetts? Read this article from today's Boston Globe/Metro Desk.

Cape Cod sea turtle