Hello!  Grab a cup of coffee, soda, glass of water, or hot tea.  Sit a while and let’s chat.

I’m a mother of two boys – Youngest and Oldest

Youngest is 19 years old.  He recently graduated from high school and is going through some growing pains.

From when he was 13 years old:

He is willful, independent, musical, and articulate. His favorite phrase is “Yes.” Some of his favorite things are Hotwheels, Hidden picture puzzles, and Target. He also likes the Origami Yoda series of books, the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, and the color orange. He absolutely dislikes Justin Bieber.  He is my sweets eater.  His food motto is the sweeter the better.  He is also my more adventurous eater.

Oldest is 21 and finishing up his Associate’s Degree in Computer Science.

From when he was 15 years old:

If I can describe Oldest in one word, it would be creative. He also enjoys questioning how things work or why things work. One of his favorite activities is reading books. His favorite books include Tales of the Fourth Grade Nothing, Harry Potter series, and Narnia. He also loves the Percy Jackson series and the Magic Tree House series. Actually I think he would read anything you put in front of him.  Oldest sometimes acts as though he is a 40 year old in a 15-year old body.  His favorite foods involve chocolate and pumpkin pie.  He is thankful there are cocoa trees and pumpkins in the world.  His dream foodie trip would be to Hershey, PA where he will stock up on lots of chocolate.  He also loves a great cup of apple cider or mint hot tea.

He’s now a freshman in high school with many activities.  He’s in DeMolay, ROTC, and Boy Scouts.  You’ll also find him practicing his Kung Fu.

I’m also an amateur cook for my family. My grandma was my inspiration. She almost always cooked home cooked meals for my mom, sister, grandpa, myself, and herself. Once I was an adult, I would cook dinner for her and grandpa for their birthdays. I felt that a meal cooked with love was a great birthday present. Another inspiration is my father-in-law. He was a great cook. Almost every Sunday, he cooked dinner for the family until his death in 2013. His problem is he didn’t know how to make a little of anything. He made a lot of food. My hubby tells me that I cook just like his father cooked.

My food weaknesses are coffee, chocolate, granola, and smoothies.

Random Facts about Me:

1. I did the Disney College Program in 1995.  I’ll reference that fact as much as possible.
2. I have a sensitivity to raw onions which is okay because I don’t like the taste of raw onions.  I love grilled onions though.
3. I have a love hate relationship with bananas.  I mostly hate the taste of bananas so that’s why you won’t see many recipes using bananas on the blog.
4. I love sour tasting foods. Sour gummy worms, lemonade, and Key lime pie are a few of my favorite flavors.
5. I truly believe in food memories.  There are certain foods that remind me of an event or a time in my life.  I also believe in song memories.  Certain songs will take me back to an even or a time in my life.
6. I drive like my grandpa.  He knew shortcuts around where we live.  I am always taking different routes when I’m driving around town.  My mom is now getting used to that fact about me.
8. I love to travel.  When I travel, I love to take photographs. I also enjoy talking to residents and other visitors.
9. Photography is a hobby of mine.
10. I’m known as Disney by many people.
11. I love Aerosmith and P!nk  I’ve seen Aerosmith twice in concert and Steven Tyler by himself.  I have also seen P!nk in concert four times.
13. I love to visit zoos.  Hubby and I have a goal to visit a zoo or aquarium in every state.  So far we’ve been to zoos or aquariums in these states:
    
1. Ohio
2. Pennsylvania
3. West Virginia
4. Massachusetts (Me only)
5. South Carolina
6. Georgia
7. Florida
8. Kentucky
9. Tennessee
10. Indiana
11. Illinois
12. Missouri
13. Iowa
14. New Jersey
15. Minnesota
16. Wisconsin
17. New York
18. Michigan
19. Kentucky
20. North Carolina
21. Texas
22. Plus two in Canada – Bird Kingdom in Niagara Falls and the Toronto Zoo

Thanks for visiting!  I hope you have a magical day!

Traci