Shop Silk Sheets Here
Make Mon’s Day Special! Give the Gift of Beauty Sleep. Shop Here
This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Banner and Balboa would like you to know that the silk sheets featured here have passed their rigorous nap‑testing protocol, which mostly involves stretching, sighing, and refusing to get up.
What are you serving for Derby Day
Do you have your stylish chapeau
Will you whip up a pitcher of mint juleps
Or do you prefer cake?
Here’s a Kentucky Derby tradition for you and your guests.
I haven’t made this cake yet, but it’s on my list.
If you give it a whirl for Derby Day, let me know how it turns out — I love hearing your kitchen victories and discoveries.
(A quick note from one of my partners!)
Spring is officially wedding season, and one of my favorite gift companies just added a whole batch of new wedding‑themed gift ideas. Think sweet, personalized keepsakes, photo gifts, and those thoughtful little touches that make a couple smile long after the big day.
If you’re shopping for a wedding, engagement, or anniversary — or you just love browsing pretty things — their new collection is worth a peek. I’ve linked their wedding gift section below so you can explore the latest designs.
It’s a small way to support the blog, and I appreciate it more than you know.
Browse the new wedding gifts here: Happy Wedding
A quick hello to one of my partners
If you’ve been around here for a bit, you know I love sharing brands that make thoughtful gifting a little easier — and today I want to introduce you to GiftLAB®, one of my newest partners.
GiftLAB® is a leading provider of personalized gifts, specializing in custom photo items and those wonderfully quirky “funny face” gifts that always get a laugh.
They create handcrafted, made‑to‑order pieces that work for weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, or any moment when you want something a little more meaningful than a generic gift card.
Their wedding collection is especially sweet this time of year, with keepsakes that feel personal without being fussy. If you’re shopping for a couple — or just browsing for inspiration — their designs are worth a peek.
Explore GiftLAB®’s personalized gifts:
GiftLab
Thanks, as always, for supporting the partners who help keep this little corner of the internet running. It means more than you know.
Thank you to everyone who showered me with birthday wishes. Somehow, I’ve managed to make it to the three‑quarter‑century mark. Seventy‑five. It looks ancient on paper, but honestly? Other than a few arthritic grumbles, I feel pretty darn good for an “old babe.”
What really gets me every year is how many people take the time to reach out. For 364 days, I wander around thinking I’m just living my quiet little life. Then my birthday rolls in—usually accompanied by a nor’easter—and suddenly my inbox explodes like I’m George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life. I never realize how many lives I’ve brushed up against until that one day when everyone pops out of the woodwork. It’s humbling, heartwarming, and a little overwhelming in the best way.
This year, even Hawaii decided to join the celebration. And if you’ve been following this space for any length of time, you already know I can wax poetic about Hawaii until someone gently pries the keyboard from my hands. Especially when it comes to my favorite diva of the Pacific: Kilauea.
My very first trip to the islands was to the Big Island, and I spent a full day exploring Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. I drove Chain of Craters Road, peered into the caldera from Volcano House, and saw my first plume of vog where lava met the sea. Kilauea was quiet that trip—too quiet—but I was hooked. I wanted to see an eruption with my own eyes.
Since then, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve returned to Hawaii. Oahu? Check. Pearl Harbor? Absolutely. Maui? More times than I can count. The Big Island? A repeat favorite. Kauai? Not yet—but hey, I may be 75, but I’m not done adventuring.
Volcanoes National Park is always on my itinerary, and I’ve had some close calls. One year, Kilauea started huffing and puffing while I was on a park tour. Rangers and visitors lined up at the observatory, watching the lava lake glow as darkness fell. Little fountains teased us from the caldera. The excitement was electric.
And then—because this is my life—nothing big happened. My tour bus rolled away, Kilauea still grumbling but holding back. The next day, I flew home… and she blew her top while I was somewhere over the Pacific. I watched the eruption on the news, muttering “Really?” at the screen.
Which brings me to this year. My birthday. My big 75. And what does Pele do? She sends me a present.
Episode 42 of Kilauea’s eruption began at 1:50 p.m. HST—on my birthday. High lava fountains shot into the sky, with bursts reaching 1,000 to 1,200 feet from the north vent and 800 to 1,000 feet from the south vent. A full‑blown, fiery celebration in my honor.
I may not have been there in person, but it’s the thought that counts. And honestly? As birthday surprises go, a volcanic eruption is hard to top.
What a spectacular way to kick off my next lap around the sun.