Years ago I started collecting Grandma Bessie’s old recipes. My dad had many of them—some written in his mother’s handwriting, others in his. I collected Dad’s stories of growing up in a home without a father, and how his mom supported he and his sister by baking for all the
Yes, a disappointment can lead to a win. We’d just turned off the main road past a small cottage and headed up a long hill when my dad dropped the bombshell on me. “Susie,” he said. “I know you’ve wanted to be an exchange student for a long time, but
I about choked when a few weeks ago I read about the four-year-old little girl abused so badly she had purple bruises all over her malnourished body and dried blood in the corner of her mouth. When asked her name, she quietly replied, “Idiot.” That was the only name she
So, I thought I’d had my food choices nailed down for our Alaskan cruise. During registration I’d listed gluten-free and sugar-free as my food restrictions. Each evening I would be able to order dinner for the following night according to my diet. Easy peasy, right? The waiter assigned to our
Pausing for a moment as I brushed my teeth, I heard Tom came in with Sawyer, our 4-year-old grandson. Sleeping in a tent with his cousins and Grandpa wasn’t Sawyer’s idea of a good night’s sleep at his first Camp Grandma. He’d played hard all day—swimming, games, snacks, crafts, a
Camp Grandma 2016 totally rocked it. It’s our 5th year of hosting our grandchildren for a weekend of fun with grandpa and grandma. All we were missing were our two grandsons who live in Finland. *sigh* Pictured above are: First row: Mama Sharla holding Sawyer, Adelaide, me, Paisley, Rilian holding
Say what? You want to send something special to those you love? But you’re totally bored of the same old cheesy Valentine cards? So am I. Here are 8 things to try, instead (hint, hint… the last two are my favorite): Say I love you like a pirate: “Aarrr! I
Recently, I found myself sitting across the table from an old friend at a wedding. We hadn’t seen each other in years. June (not her real name) is in her early 60s and looks like she’s 50 years old. She has a good job. Great kids. Several grandchildren. Lovely home.
I’m always looking for fresh ideas for our yearly Camp Grandma. Here are some I came up with for our Camp Grandma weekend 2015. You can also use these ideas for a Cousins Camp. Six grandchildren were able to come this year, with one younger grandson joining us for an
Do you ever feel torn between a Pinterest world where everything is beautiful, easily crafted, and happy, and the ugly world where family dysfunctions, Christian slamming, and negative news reports are thrust upon you? I’ll choose the Pinterest world any day. Wouldn’t you? Just trying to walk in the midst