A few days ago when I pulled up to the house after rounding up kids from school, there were noticeable changes on our front porch. Santa mats had been placed inside and out the front door, a cranberry red wreath hung on its hook and several poinsettias had...

Photo credit: BBC Last night I posted a quick bit on Facebook about a great meal I threw together, which comes from Gwyneth Paltrow's first cookbook, My Father's Daughter. Given the response and requests for the recipes, I thought I would make this my blog post today. Nothing...

Nervous about letting people into my world with the start of this blog in August, my husband, Luis, told me a wise thing: “Mel, you’re going to learn more about other people writing this blog than they will about you.” I didn’t know exactly what he meant until...

Shuffling through the fun, but chaotic gathering of authors and larger-than-life book characters at last weekend's Children's Book Festival in Savannah, my six-year-old, Marcos, jumped in front of his sister and yelled, “Entra!” with a hand wide open, waiting for a High Five slap in return. With us...

One of the most striking things driving into Havana is the spread of tropical colors, etched on colonial and art deco buildings, some fitted with stained-glass windows and topped with elaborate Moorish-style rooftops that project over the Malecón, a sea wall that hugs five miles of the city's coastline,...

Photo: Chad Santos for Instagram Day of the Dead or Día de los Muertos is a traditional celebration in Mexico November 1st and 2nd, in connection to the Catholic All Saints' Day and All Souls Day, as a time to remember ancestors, friends and family members who have died.  Though...