Hello Reader, Several months ago it was time for our family to car shop for a new vehicle and I got a new (to me) car. It took a while to learn all the buttons and sensors. Technology changes so quickly that there were many features in this newer vehicle I was unfamiliar with. One nifty little feature is the car icon on my screen which shows me when my car is too close to another or if the car begins to veer either to the right or left of the lane too much. The purpose of this feature is to...
28 days ago • 4 min read
Hello Reader, Several weeks ago my oldest son came home from the store with a bag of dirt, some packets of seeds and a container of planting pots. He decided he wanted to grow a few things so he got everything assembled, filled his containers with planting soil and planted his seeds. Day in and day out he has misted his little plants, checked on the soil, invested in a heat lamp to add more light and even used Saran Wrap to cover some plants and create a barrier so the moisture wouldn't...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
Hello Reader, Happy Valentine's Day my friends! ❤️ I know many people think of today as just another Hallmark card day for restaurants and florists to make extra money, but I've gotta admit, I always love a reason to celebrate. We tend to celebrate as much as we can, so a day to share with my husband and boys how much I love them, to swap a few gifts or enjoy a special treat, sign me up! With that said, I also think it's super important to teach what love is and what it isn't. While...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Hello Reader, Within our household, with an odd number of children, we often have to make a final decision about who is going to rotate through something, get the last piece of dessert, share a bed with a brother in a hotel, or have to do the unwanted chore in the rotation of days. Sometimes it is just Mom who decides, sometimes we play a game of guess the number while Dad chooses the number, or sometimes the boys play a round of "rock, paper, scissors" to decide. These arbitrary games may...
2 months ago • 4 min read
Hello Reader, Typically I find January to be the longest month of the year. It can feel like a month that creeps by while other months seem to fly. So I'm pleasantly surprised to process we are already half way through the month! The weather has been cold, dreary and less than sunny in comparison to other winters past in Florida. I know the majority of places in America are deeply entrenched in snow and slush as we walk through these winter months. Apparently another arctic blast may even...
3 months ago • 2 min read
Hello Reader, This week has hardly gone according to plan. 🙄 Upon returning home from our New Year's hunting trip, I spent the weekend prepping all the things––laundry, grocery shopping, etc. so I could hit the ground running and feel productive on Monday. It is the new year after all, aren't we supposed to be crushing goals and chasing dreams?! Ready to conquer the world, I came downstairs Monday morning only to find one of my teenagers was not feeling well. Nothing serious, but the kind of...
3 months ago • 3 min read
Hello Reader, Happy New Year! 🎊 I pray your Christmas and New Year were wonderful. We had a lovely holiday season and did our best to move slow, spend time with people we love, and sit in the beauty of Christmas. As the calendar turns to a new month, and a new year, I know many people love to have resolutions and goals for the year, and if that's you, I love that for you! Many a year I have started with a fresh word, vision board or goal list, and it was wonderful. I also know many people who...
3 months ago • 4 min read
Hello Reader, Songs have a way of captivating me. Perhaps it is the beauty of crafting words strung together to melodies and arranging instruments and notes together to turn individual elements into an ensemble of beauty. My husband loves music as well, and while neither of us kept up with instruments and playing music from our childhood days, we love orchestras, concerts, etc. Months ago I arranged for us to go to a concert at the Grand Ole Oprah for his birthday. We didn’t do much for his...
4 months ago • 2 min read
Hello Reader, Happy December! Anyone else feel like some months in 2024 were the longest months ever, while other months flew by so fast? January felt like an eternity, and yet I'm struggling to process how now we are less than three weeks from Christmas. As I think about Advent and the Christmas season all manner of expectations begin to swell up. Perhaps you have had holidays in the past where the expectation of how the event was to happen and the reality of how the event went were very...
4 months ago • 3 min read