I did everything for these sunflowers. I sheltered them from storms, protected them from predators, exposed them to sunshine, fed and watered them, enjoyed them, loved them. But, in the end, they still did their own thing. Remind you of anyone? I don't know about you, but my kids do not always make the …
My husband gave me a great blog idea, but I bet he won’t do THAT again.
I was sitting on the couch with my husband the other morning, having coffee as usual, when he came up with a really great topic for my next blog. It was such a great idea, I promised him I would take him up on it. But then he got nervous and told me he …
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Paying off my kids (and other levels to which I have sunk)
What I'm about to tell you is not exactly earth-shattering. But money talks. Even to preschoolers. See, the thing is, co-sleeping seemed like such a good idea at the time. The babies were happy. I was happy. My husband was (a little less) happy after being repeatedly chased onto the couch; but there were …
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50 dollars will buy you a heck of a lot of apples and one unforgettable afternoon
They wanted to stay home last Saturday. After all, it was Saturday, and so many other things cried out for their attention. And, really, what teenage boy gets excited at the prospect of driving out to the country to pick his own apples when he could be lounging in his pjs in front of …
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Midwest or Bust
I will always be a Midwesterner at heart. How do I know this, you ask? Because when I saw a couple of John Deere tractors drive by in the recent Labor Day parade, my heart skipped a beat. Because county roads that take time to warn of potential deer crossing but then don't bother …
Just an Ordinary Masterpiece
Do you love your body? Anybody? No one? Good. We're not alone. We've actually come a long way, my body and me. We 're on pretty good terms today, and that's a lot more than I can say for our relationship back in the 80s. Back then, we really …
The View from Up Here
Sometimes it's good to feel insignificant. Not all of the time, of course. But every now and then, it's a healthy thing for us to be put in our place. Most of the time, we tend to feel fairly big and awfully important. Like our own life takes up more space in …
My Life as a Dog
Okay, so I'm not actually a dog. But I live with one, and that should count for something. Besides, I feel like maybe I would do a much better job of being a human if I took a few lessons from my dog. Allow me to introduce Max. Max is a beagle who doesn't …
Need to Get Away
I am so stressed out. Too much work, not enough play, not enough sleep. I need a vacation. Wait a minute . . . I am going on vacation. That's why I'm so stressed out. Oh, great. I'll never get anywhere with this kind of circular reasoning! But it's true. There are so many things …
These Feet Were Made for Walking
I'm not really a pedicure kind of gal, as you may have surmised from my previous posts. I have subjected my feet to hard labor most of my life, and it's not uncommon to find me running around weeding my garden or taking out trash without the benefit of shoes. So imagine my surprise …
Shaking My Dust 