When I was a child, my father greeted the morning far earlier than the rest of the family. Being a farmer at heart, he’d get up before the sun peeked through the distant tree line, make himself a toasted velveeta and mustard sandwich, and quietly slip out the back door undetected. I was used to…… Continue reading Small gestures
How long do you keep nostalgic items? I have three baby books, multiple photos boxes, and three art filled portfolio cases for each of my children resting snuggly in my family room closet. Is it considered over-the-top that I have taken the time to organize these items for them? Could be, but I wanted to…… Continue reading Treasure box
If you have grown children, nostalgia has a way of slipping in every now and then, miraculously transporting you back to the days you can barely remember, like the first moment of your child’s life. Remember it – when your baby made its grand entrance amidst the outcries and exclamations? When he/she took a first…… Continue reading Baby, Oh Baby
Minimize – isn’t that the mantra of our day. We need to minimize the amount of “stuff” we have in our lives. We accumulate material things, filling our homes with things that are completely unnecessary…right? We are shamed for collecting, shamed for connecting to things. I am in complete agreement that buying things you really don’t…… Continue reading Clutter comfort
I’ve been cleaning! Yup, it’s like I’m nesting, but I’m not. It all started in the kitchen one day, and then successfully moved to the cellar, various closets, and culminated with an attack of the ever popular under bed storage containers. Needless to say, it takes time and a strong will to clean out properly;…… Continue reading What would you say?
We were sitting near the electric fireplace in the lobby. I had pulled a chair close to his wheelchair. I opened the newspaper that he encouraged me to take home and read because, “there’s a lot of good stuff in there,” and found an interesting article about an artist who uses old wine barrels to make…… Continue reading A Few Quiet Minutes
What if it was me lying in a hospital bed, staring up at a stark white ceiling; unfamiliar sheets and blankets pretending to comfort me, unfamiliar noises interrupting my sparse thoughts, unfamiliar smells taking me farther from home? What if it was me and my thoughts were jumbled, but sometimes they weren’t, and I felt alone and misplaced;…… Continue reading What if it was me?
It’s truly amazing how talented we all are in our own God-given way! From my vantage point, I can see how many people it takes to care for family members in distress. I can see the advantage of recognizing individual gifts and pooling them together in order to provide ailing loved ones with the care…… Continue reading Puzzle pieces
Actress Elizabeth Montgomery, of ‘Bewitched’ fame, sat at her makeup table and brushed her hair religiously before climbing into bed with Darren every night. I can still see her gently grasping a golden clump of hair with one hand, then systematically pulling the brush through with the other. It was so effortless, and ridiculously comforting…… Continue reading A Simple Gesture
Celebrate with me! Enjoy my first published piece, as seen in Country Magazine, August/September 2016 issue. ~I asked my 77-year-old mother, Lois, to accompany me last summer on a road trip through northern New England, where quaint narrow back roads weave in and out of secluded historic small towns, and towering green giants and…… Continue reading Road-Tripping with Mom
Pretty Mama Cares 