1 Here I am with Patsy in her adorable cottage.

2 Lunch was served buffet style on the dining room table. We all took our plates outdoors to sit and eat in the fresh air.

3 Patsy has a great collection of French country pottery.

4 Patsy prepared frittatas with asparagus, goat cheese, and herbs, a Whole Living recipe. http://www.wholeliving.com/132841/frittata-asparagus-goat-cheese-and-herbs

5 There were also warm, whole grain breads and country butter. More of that rustic French pottery

6 There was excellent crispy bacon from a local Millbrook smokehouse.

7 These avocado with bell pepper and tomato salads were yummy! It's another Whole Living recipe. http://www.wholeliving.com/151701/avocado-bell-pepper-and-tomatoes

8 My plate was utterly perfect!

9 This is one of our Macy's domes under which sat a homemade blueberry tart.

10 Patsy sprinkled the tart with powdered sugar.

11 And she garnished the tart with mint from her garden.

12 I loved these chintz patterned plates and wooden handled flatware.

13 The berries were so tender and the crust melted in our mouths!

14 Rosma Gutierrez and her new husband, David Nuzzo, also came to Trade Secrets. Rosma is a furniture designer at MSLO.

15 Ryan McCallister, my gardener, came too, as he did last year.

16 Aaron Stewart - VP, Design at MSLO - sitting at the table - Aaron is always smiling.

17 Sitting between Kevin and Patsy - Notice that our plates are clean? There was nothing left!

18 Rosma bought foxes for her new country house. This one was cast stone.

19 And this one was faience, tin-glazed pottery.

20 Aaron bought a felted finger monkey puppet at the show. I bought a gorgeous horse at the same booth for Jude.

21 Patsy's plants barely fit in her truck!

22 Of course, Patsy also shops at The Home Depot, where she found these great hostas for $6.99 each, to plant in her extensive shade garden.

1 Here I am with Beatrice Mwasi, the Founder and Director at Sanabora Design House Limited in Nairobi, Kenya. Beatrice spent nearly a month as a mentee at my company.

2 Beatrice participated in many meetings and got to experience the real nitty-gritty of my company. This design meeting included Katie Carroll - Associate Designer, Jessica Davis - Deputy Design Director, Bedding, Kevin Sharkey - SVP, Exec Edit Director, Aaron Stewart - VP, Design, and Jeanie Park - VP, Merchandising

3 Here she is meeting with Kate Lewis - AVP, Dir. of Standards - reviewing the Sanabora Design House Web site. The orange clutch is one of Beatrice's designs. You may recall, from previous blogs, that Kate is quite involved with women empowering women organizations.

4 Here she is with Leslie Robertson - Designer - discussing new Christmas ornament designs.

5 Beatrice had much to talk about with Ayesha Patel - SVP, Style Director and Tanya Graff - Deputy Style Editor.

6 Ayesha's office is brimming with ideas and inspiration.

7 By visiting our photo shoots, Beatrice learned a lot about photography and new ways of photographing her products.

8 And who wouldn't love visiting our test kitchen? Here is Beatrice discussing a dessert recipe with Laura Rege - Recipe Tester.

9 Beatrice was thrilled to take part in our Mother's Day Crafternoon session. Here she is sharing a story with Kellie Feltman - Designer - Textiles.

10 And I was thrilled when Beatrice presented me with these lovely handbags from her collection.

11 During her time as a mentee, we were shooting a video for Home Depot at the farm and I invited Beatrice to come and visit.

12 It was a perfect day and Beatrice couldn't have been happier.

13 She loved meeting my dogs and was amazed by how much fur G.K. has.

14 She was given a tour of the stables.

15 Here she is with Betsy Perreten, my stable manager. With her warm personality, Beatrice makes friends so easily.

16 Beatrice showed Betsy her colorful beaded bracelets, her company designed, inspired by the Maasai people of Kenya.

17 Her earrings, too.

18 Having grown up with backyard animals, Beatrice felt right at home in the chicken yard.

19 She was curious about my rare breeds and took plenty of pictures.

20 The next stop on the farm tour was the Maple Avenue house where the Home Depot shoot was taking place. Beatrice told me that she just visited the chickens and I asked her if she had ever seen a Guinea fowl egg - they're quite pointed!

21 I introduced her to the crew. Here we are standing with Philip Leaman - Videographer

22 Beatrice is a lovely woman who always made me smile.

23 We ate lunch outdoors on Martha Stewart furniture from The Home Depot. Tina Weber - Assoc Producer, Anduin Haven - Director, Special Events, Kate Taylor - Set Decorator, Gary Nardilla - Cinematographer, Lisa Wager - SVP, Video Executive Producer, Editorial Content, and Beatrice

24 A nice shot of Beatrice with Lenore Welby - Producer

25 At the end of her stay with us, Kevin threw Beatrice a farewell party. The guests were Maria Horton, Alexa Stark, Rochelle DiRe, Sarah Carey, me, Kevin Sharkey (kneeling), Beatrice, Alex Perruzzi, Trish Dipette, Kate Lewis (kneeling), and Aaron Stewart

26 Sarah Carey, Beatrice, and me

27 Even my granddaughter, Jude came to the party!

1 This is the cover of my newest book, (number 77!) Living The Good Long Life - a Practical Guide to Caring for Yourself and Others.

2 When the Martha Stewart Center for Living, which facilitates access to healthcare resources for older adults, opened in 2008, I chose the bonsai as my image for the process of graceful aging.

3 Here I am on my show with former President Bill Clinton in 2007. I was announcing my pledge to the Clinton Global Health Initiative to support caregivers of the elderly.

4 This is the ribbon cutting ceremony in the garden at the Martha Stewart Center for Living at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City on October 9, 2007.

5 Here I am with some of the doctors involved with opening the Center.

6 The logo for the Center is a bonsai tree, to symbolize graceful aging.

7 One of the many wellness classes offered at the Center.

8 Here I am breaking new ground with Mom, to whom I dedicated the Center.

9 I believe in eating real food. I grow much of what I eat because I love to garden. But even when I’m food shopping or eating out, the same principle applies: quality and purity matter.

10 Living the Good Long Life contains 40 recipes for small meals and snacks that can be enjoyed from breakfast through dinner, plus a few healthful desserts. To make this Blueberry-Green Tea Smoothie, in a blender, puree 1/2 cup each frozen blueberries and strawberries, 1/2 cup chilled unsweetened green tea, 3/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt, and 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed until smooth.

11 One of my favorite weekday lunches is a large salad—fresh greens and fresh herbs dressed with a vinaigrette, along with a simply cooked piece of salmon drizzled with fresh lemon juice. This tasty meal provides enough protein and staying power to get me through a busy afternoon—and it’s heart-healthy as well.

12 I love to walk, but when I discovered hiking, it took walking to a whole new level. Here I am enjoying a hike in Joshua Tree National Park in 2009.

13 I’m out in my garden every opportunity I have, and it is always very physical. I push wheelbarrows full of dirt, I dig holes to plant, I cultivate on my hands and knees, I bend over and squat down—all of that is very good for you.

14 Living the Good Long Life is also packed with helpful illustrations that demonstrate varied daily walks, stretches, and strength-training exercises. Lining up your spine correctly reduces wear and tear on the bones, joints, and ligaments of the body.

15 In addition to limbering your muscles, stretching can balance your energy, whether you’re feeling run-down, sluggish, or keyed up. This chair twist is one of four different yoga stretches I use when I need to relax or when I need to recharge in the middle of the day.

16 Try this "march in place" technique to improve balance - stand with your right hand on the back of a sturdy chair then slowly lift your leg, knee bent, until it forms a right angle (your knee will be aligned with your hip). Lower slowly to the floor and repeat 15 times. Then switch legs (hold the chair with your left hand) for another set of 15 reps.

17 It’s never too late to take up a new sport. I took up horseback riding only about 10 years ago, and now it’s become one of my favorite weekend activities.

18 I started lifting weights many years ago, and I’ve always enjoyed it. I like feeling strong. Here I am with Mary, my trainer.

19 I feel my creativity is different from when I was younger; now it is richer and deeper from life experiences. I want to do more creating in ways that challenge myself, so I have been spending time developing my photography skills.

20 I am not a very big social game player, but the value of knowing a fun card game or words or numbers game to play when there is downtime is very beneficial.

21 We all need to work harder on social skills—visiting, remembering birthdays, taking trips together—with both friends and family. Here is my mother, Martha Kostyra, with her friend, artist Camille Haner, in Westport, Connecticut, in 2000.

22 In truth, I don’t think about age much at all because there is so much to do, so many things to accomplish, and so much to look forward to.

23 Keeping a list of things you want to do during your lifetime—and then checking them off before you kick the bucket—is a really good thing. Known for its incredible rock formations and its extraordinary vegetative wonders, Joshua Tree National Park had long been on my “bucket list.”

24 Finding humor in the action of a child or pet, or in a newspaper article, can provide a fresh outlook and a helpful distraction.

25 A good way to deal with stress is by going for a quick walk.

26 My body functions best on real food—a good diet gives me energy, keeps my weight under control, and prevents disease.

27 I never wear the same shoes two days in a row. Aging brings many changes to your feet, but pain shouldn’t be one of them. Living the Good Long Life includes many tips on how to build a healthier foundation for your whole body.

28 Believe it or not, I have always gotten a great deal of pleasure and satisfaction from cleaning and organizing. Everyone can function better, live better, and feel better in an orderly, organized, tidy environment.