My mom turned 80 last week. Her life’s story is hers to tell, but trust me when I say it hasn’t been all sweet tea and cupcakes. Growing up in miserable poverty in Cleveland, she scraped and saved and fought for the life she has now–one, I’m guessing, she never thought she’d realize. Especially since halfway …
We’re at T-minus 40 hours and counting–and then the rocket ride that is the school year begins. The last few weeks before school is especially intense (I get scatterbrained and distracted and sometimes find myself staring at Pinterest for a lost hour–or two), so I just might be a tad off on my Monday/Thursday blog schedule. If …
Ikea cubbies ♥ blueberries, hand-picked ♥ a blank page ♥ on the road ♥ quiet time ♥ Little House Wayside ♥ home sweet home ♥ meditation ♥ Pioneer Girl ♥ lake waves ♥ resort town shopping ♥ time to unwind ♥ hope chest ♥ Mom’s pearl ♥ pocket meadow ♥ my heart ♥ favorite shirt, …
Blueberry season is over now, but I managed to squeeze in a little last minute blueberry picking a couple weeks ago. And good sport that he is, hubby agreed to come with so that we could make shorter work of those end-of-the-season slim pickings. I say good sport because we were both required to pick …
While my reason for visiting Pepin was really to check off a Little House site from my bucket list, I was charmed by the village itself and the surrounding area. Driving in on US 61, I turned onto the Great River Road and drove alongside the bluffs, overlooking the Upper Mississippi. Known as the Driftless Area, …
I have long wanted to visit the Laura Ingalls Wilder Little House sites scattered around the Midwest and decided this summer was the time to start with a quick trip to Pepin, Wisconsin—which also, coincidentally enough, is the closest to my West Michigan home. One thing you should know about Little House Wayside, as the Little …
a scrappy black cat ♥ restoring order ♥ put-together & stylin’ ♥ morning prayer ♥ Miss Anna Pie ♥ baby on the move ♥ vote ♥ Fr. John ♥ fresh raspberries & cherries ♥ blue sky smilin’ at me ♥ this old dog ♥ laughing family ♥ try a new approach ♥ mid-life ♥ life’s …
The Miniaturist (review) Jessie Burton Ecco When I was growing up I had a cardboard doll house that was over four feet tall—it was identical to this one. You’d think, cardboard—ugh. But it was incredibly sturdy and I treated it like the prized possession it was. The original house came with some cardboard furnishings, but …
We are getting ready to say goodbye to this girl. She has been with us for 14 wonderful years, but her body and mind are rapidly failing and we’d like to say goodbye while she can still recognize our touch and our voices as we love her into the next world. Motoring down a country road …
I’m new to this grandma gig—only seven months into it, to be exact. And while I was once a stay-at-home-mom who raised three kids (pretty successfully, most people would say), the new littles in my life (J, seven months, and L, 5 months) made me wonder whether or not I still had my mojo. I’m watching …
This is my symphony 