Polli Graham

Last year when Diva Toby was home for a Massachusetts visit, we spent a lovely evening with her cousin Kaye Ellen enjoying conversation, good food and a new cocktail. It was a beautiful evening that was made extra special since one of our favorite restaurants overlooks the water. The waitress at Not Your Average Joe’s […]

Spring has come early to Boston! Actually it was more like summer last week with temperatures above 80. With this gift from Mother Nature came the flip side of a warm day…fashion faux pas everywhere I looked. I am by no means a style expert, some of my favorite outfits are too old to even admit! No […]

Loved reading Toby’s post about the use of cereal for more than breakfast-and late night munchies! Here’s another recipe that has long been a favorite in my family…using Rice Krispies. We used to just make these at Christmas but finally my nephew pointed out they weren’t really a holiday specific treat and now he feels […]

We’re getting close to the end of this season. This week on Dancing With The Stars the performers needed to do two dances. One of their own choosing, the other an “Instant Jive”. They all get time to practice the rudimentary steps of this dance; the gimmick is that the dancers have no idea what […]

Once again girlfriends, if you weren’t watching Dancing With The Stars you missed a strange week. We’re down to 6 pairs The dancers were all in Halloween themed costumes, but some of the music just didn’t match the outfit or the dance. As you can see, I’m now considering myself an expert My favorite JR […]

OK girlfriends, even if you aren’t watching Dancing With The Stars and have no interest in these posts…what a week you have missed! Seriously you would have to be living under a rock to have missed all the brouhaha this week’s episode created. Today, GMA, CNN, HLN etc have all been covering the antics of […]

Well girlfriends, as women of a certain age we all remember the 80’s. While we were all probably fabulous it is important to remember it was NOT a good time for fashion. What were we thinking??? This week on Dancing with the Stars, it was a sequined polyester, big shouldered celebration of all things 80’s. […]

OK, I’m sure after my way too long intro to Dancing With The Stars you all couldn’t wait to tune in this week. If you missed it, most of the night can be summed up in one word…CHER!!!! The dancers all had to choose a “great” movie theme. Some of them weren’t even songs! Ricki […]

OK, admit it, you have a guilty pleasure! One of mine started 2 years ago when a group of friends got me hooked on Dancing with the Stars. Started out just a couple of us, now we are 20 and growing in our own little locked Facebook group. Some nights we generate more than 400 […]

This past weekend I was once again invited to a family reunion-with the amazing Diva Toby’s family. It’s funny isn’t it, how “family” has nothing to do with bloodlines. I choose to think of it as a family of the heart…and I have been fortunate to know and love this family for (gulp!) forty years. […]

OK, I know it’s a sacrilege to say this… I’m not crazy about chocolate. One of the few things I never crave. Go figure. So, I’m always on the lookout for something quick, easy and non-chocolate. This is a great recipe, goes together in minutes and you can bring it, serve it or just snack on […]

It’s Father’s Day , the time of year when we celebrate our Dads. Saw a card in the store the other day, Said something like…”Want to know why Father’s Day is in June? A bunch of dads were sitting around about a month after Mother’s Day and said Hey! What about us!!” Hallmark outsells Mothers […]

I lost my Mom 10 years ago-at times it feels like eons, other times it was a blink ago. If you’ve lost your Mom you probably know what I mean. Seldom does a day go by when I don’t think of something I wish I could share with her-good, bad or evil! My Mom was […]

It’s two weeks til the Royal wedding. If like me you never received your invitation, here’s a way you too can feel like you’re at Buckingham Palace. The prince has requested this as his “Groom Cake”. It’s pretty simple, no bake and can be made in advance. Add champagne and a large, overdecorated hat and […]

I know it’s Spring, the calendar assures me it has arrived. As I write this is snowing here in Massachusetts. NO! This isn’t an April Fools joke; as I write this, it’s March 31st and it’s snowing. I do however have faith that eventually we’ll be whining about the heat and humidity- and summer will […]

I heard tonight that Hasbro will no longer be making the EZ Bake oven. Apparently incandescent light bulbs will no longer be available so the oven won’t work anymore. Remember that pink dream? It was the only present I wanted when I was 10. Those gooey cakes and brownies. In retrospect they were perfectly dreadful […]

When you think of Irish cuisine…well really, who thinks about Irish cuisine? It tends to be pretty bland, and starchy and quite honestly not usually worth thinking about! The one thing we think of as a staple is the king of all comfort food…the potato. Now before you read any furthur, this is not an […]

Whatever happened to courtesy? I remember when it was a sexist insinuation for a man to hold open a door or pull out a chair for a woman. No insult to Gloria Steinem but I never took offense to those gestures, they just seemed like simple civility to me. Whatever happened to courtesy? Right before […]

Dear Madison Avenue Advertising Executives, The holidays have come and gone; however, visions of marketing messages still dance in my head. Beginning at Halloween and ending at new year’s consumers are bombarded with constant hints of what your near and dear really wants to make the season bright. But ..if you’re single you are invisible. […]