Tuesday's Tip: Maybe a wives' tale

Leftover champagne will keep its bubbles if you put a spoon upside down in the bottles neck.

Tuesday's Tip: An easy hostess/host gift, for next year's New Year's Eve party....

Fresh herbs and citrus zest can be steeped in small bottles of olive oil for 2-3 weeks to flavor it (I buy small bottles of olive oil for this purpose).

Birthday as license to be

Today is my birthday and yes with it so close to New Year's I could use it to reflect on a year gone and one coming up, but I choose on my birthday to give myself license to be what I want, eat what I want and wear what I want-- in essence to spend the whole day being me without caring what anyone or the world thinks.

In the kitchen on Thursday: Sugar cookies to go with that Champagne

Easy Sugar Cookies

1 stick butter
2/3 C. sugar
2 Tbsp. ground almonds
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. milk
2 eggs

Pre heat oven to 325. Cream the butter and the sugar. Add the milk and eggs and beat well. Add all dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. You may want to use an electric mixer (I do). Place by teaspoonful on greased cookie sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes until edges are golden brown. Make 2-3 dozen.

Wednesday's words about Christmas

"Children, Christmas is not a date, it is a state of mind." —Mary Ellen Chase

(To all my readers: Happy Holidays and may 2014 be a joyous and healthy year for you —Mali List Mayer)

Tuesday's tip: handy travel helpers

1. a pillowcase packs flat as a laundry bag

2. old prescription pill bottle as a pill box

3. large Altoids tin when packed with bandaids is a"first aid" kit

4. newspaper delivery bags do double duty as shoe bags

5. Have Fun!

Tuesday's Tip" Music is the universal language

This morning my daughter was having a fashion crisis unable to decide what to wear to school, which dissolved into tears and then she started talking about the song they were learning in music class, Lean On Me, which just so happens is on my Itunes and she listened to it on the walk to school and the tears gave way to a smile (Thanks, Bill Withers).