STYLING WITH ANNIE

Getting Ready for the Holidays                                         How quickly this year has passed. Here, we are on the verge of Thanksgiving.  Days turn into darkness earlier, and the cold wind reminds us that snow is on the way.,         Snow bunnies wish for snow, and sun goddesses wish for warm weather. I love those 70-degree days we have had, but the needed rain is a blessing.        It feels as though the last Thanksgiving was days ago. If you are ready, it’s time to make that Christmas or Hanukkah list.        Check out Amazon Prime and shop the sales before Thanksgiving. Sales are everywhere, and stores are stocked with holiday gifts and decorations. So, shop online or in person. Early if possible, but if you are like me, you’ll still pick up those last-minute gifts on December 24 th .   ...

Looking for light in Daylight Savings       I  don't like daylight savings. I  want light streaming through my windows. I want to walk outside and feel the sun on my face and the shadows of dusk in the evening. But it is November 6 and I am looking out at darkness before 6 p.m. I look forward to December 22. Every day is a little brighter.       Maybe, it's because as I age I don't drive as well at night which seems to shorten a productive day. With darkness comes colder weather. And sometimes I feel like a bear who wants to hibernate      But as in all things in life, you have to find positive things about darkness and cold. So here is my list. See if you agree: Hot Chocolate Fleece lined hats Pea Jackets Wool Scarfs Cashmere Sweaters Cosy slippers Homemade Chili Eagles Football ( just put in your favorite team) Cuddling up with loved ones to stay warm Decorating the Christmas Tree The Mummers (a Philadelphia Tradition) Waking...

 For me the beginning of the school year was a time for joy. New things to learn, new classmates, new books to read, white lined sheet of papers to fill with words.  Autumn was around the corner. The cool brisk air filled the mornings.   I never lost that feeling. I will admit I hate the winter months and the dark dreariness that seeps in but I always looked forward to first day of school.  As a news photographer at a local paper it was a huge event. So were fall sports, especially football. On a Friday night or Saturday morning crowds filled stands, cheerleaders performed intricate stunts and win or lose, all cheered for the players of both teams.  This Friday under the lights, a shooting took place at Academy Park High School in Sharon Hill taking the life of a child and injuring others.  A drive-by shooting!  There are no words to express the sadness I feel for the parents who have lost their beautiful daughter.  No words can express the sadnes...

                                     Happy Haunted Halloween                                                                                            All Photos by Anne Neborak  As the pandemic continues, Halloween takes on quite a different tone. Running through haunted houses as goblins breathe on you is not happening this year.  So I am keeping the Halloween alive by walking through cemeteries and looking for spirits. Arlington Cemetery in Drexel Hill is one of my favorites.   As a child I would go with my Nana to visit her mother who was buried there with her sister.  We walked up the hill to get water from the pump and then water the ge...

 I t’s been a couple of rough months.  Covid-19 has left us in a perpetual state of living in the movie, Groundhog Day.    In Southeast  Pennsylvania we are slowly opening up.  Slowly! We are innovative; working from home, having zoom meetings and birthday parties.  Teachers and students connect on the  internet. Shopping online doesn’t replace the feeling of touching items but it sure is easy.  Ah the deals and free shipping.  Car birthday parades and graduation parades  are happening every day  We have time to learn new things,  complete puzzles, binge watch series and bake banana bread. We can try new recipes but sometimes are missing ingredients.  So we improvise. Adding to the fears of Covid-19 are the protests that have left our cities spiraling out of control.  With the protests for George Floyd it has left us questioning our feeling...

Photo by Anne Neborak   I n the midst of all the glitter, the amazing fireworks, the thrilling rides of     Walt Disney World is an oasis of peace; The Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary Queen of the Universe. Inside one can come to pray, light a candle, and meditate on the mysteries of faith.  Outside the magnificent Basilica  is a Rosary Garden, a place to walk the Stations of the Cross. Here you can find solitude escaping the lines of cars filled with tourists on their way to more lines of people waiting to experience the Magic Kingdom, Sea World and Universal Studios.  Photo by Anne Neborak Before the groundbreaking on Dec. 8, 1984, masses were held in a hotel. With the opening of Magic Kingdom it became apparent that the hotel couldn’t handle the great number of  tourists attending mass. Thus the first phrase of the Shrine opened on April 20, 1986. This Basilica is the 63 rd  minor Basilica in the Unite...

Photo by Annie Neborak Packing makes me go insane. You would think I’d be a pro at this. No, I am still packing as I go out the door. Believe me, I started weeks ago. How do you pack for six weeks with changing weather from winter to summer? How do you pack when you want to literally take your whole house with you? Of course you can’t but I try.   I am an over packer which only makes travel so much more difficult. I have to carry so many bags inside the  place I stay and carry it again when I am leaving. It makes me weary just thinking about it.  I want to bring five books when it takes me at least two weeks to read one. I imagine that all the projects that I left unfinished I will do while I am on vacation. So of course I want to bring them along for the ride. I have journals to write in. books to inspire me, puzzles that have sat on the shelf for months but  this seem the right time to bring them. Shoes, oh my. What shoes shou...