Have you been to Hobby Lobby lately? One would think it was just days before Christmas with all of the trees, lights, decorations, and reminders of Christ's birth. It's only October as I write this and five minutes into the store yesterday I began realizing I need to start shopping for Christmas gifts. Halfway through the store, I received a FaceTime from Colorado and quickly ran to the car instead so I could enjoy a fun game of peek-a-boo with my almost 17-month-old grandson. I will quit whatever I'm in the middle of just to see that sweet little face, and it won't be long before our 2-month-old can join in the fun. That FaceTime call likely kept me from spending quite a bit of money, but I didn't escape the store before being reminded that the holidays are fast approaching. There ... View Post
Changing Hearts Through Foster Care
"WE ARE PREPARING TO BECOME FOSTER PARENTS" (A Grandma's Perspective) When my son and daughter-in-law told me they were going to begin foster care classes, my mind went immediately to "Big Families of Michigan," an organization founded by Jeanne Fowler. I had heard her re-tell the story once, told in the third person, of the horrific experiences she and her brother Peter had gone through, and gasped with the rest of the audience when near the end she told us quietly, "and that little girl was me." I read the detailed accounts in her book, "Peter's Lullaby" of the torture she and Peter had been subjected to by her parents. I think my immediate response to the kids was something along the lines of warning them, because although I knew very little about foster care, I knew it was most ... View Post
Facebook “Friendship” Fragility
It's no secret that our culture's tension is currently at an all time high. Unless your head is in the sand, you don't own a television, or you're so disciplined that social media is not even remotely a part of your days, you are well aware that people have become disposable to one another, and the bar that determines when (and how) we are disposed of is set at a pretty shallow height. I once deleted someone off of Facebook and ended our friendship as cordially as possible after she posted about 75 photos of me in my bathing suit while we were on a weekend trip to a beach town. We had promised each other when we left for our trip, "no unbecoming pictures," so I was caught off guard when a trusted friend called me at work to alert me of my Facebook bathing suit modeling debut in the ... View Post
EIEIO, I want a Sloppy Joe!
Ingredients: 2 pounds ground sirloin, browned & drained Mix in a bowl: 1/2 cup BBQ Sauce 1/2 cup ketchup 1 T relish 1 mustard squirt 1 T brown sugar 1 t salt, more to taste Let simmer for 1/2 hour or so. This recipe from my friend Cathi originally called for 1 pound of ground beef, but I ended up adding another pound, and it was perfect. Depending on how sloppy you want your Joe's - add or subtract as much ground beef (or sirloin) as you'd like!! The first time I made these was while I was having a new front door installed. I fixed a plate for the gentleman installing the door, and he not only said it was the best sloppy Joe he'd ever eaten - he asked me for the recipe. So Cathi's Sloppy Joe's are a hit! ... View Post
An RN’s Letter to a Cancer Patient
Dear Cancer Patient, An hour before your appointment last week, we all saw you on the schedule and knew you were coming. "I can take her," was the common response from all of us nurses, followed by expressions describing how much we care for you, how kind (and fun) you are, and how we always look forward to seeing you - even though we wish we were running into you at the supermarket or some other place around town that has nothing to do with cancer. And that giggle of yours - it's adorable and infectious, and we all love hearing it. You said through your tears that the only time you walked through the doors of our Infusion Center afraid, was that very first time. You said it didn't take long before you began to feel as if you were coming to spend time with your girlfriends. Oh ... View Post
Rotten Onions & Logging Logs
This morning I watched a centipede that I promise you was at least 4 inches long, run a marathon across my living room floor and stop just shy of the couch. I jumped up out of my chair like the 25-year-old athlete that I am NOT, and went to grab a shoe to destroy that little monster, and... ... well, I couldn't find him. What that means is - that little bugger is still here somewhere, running around my house. How? How in the tarnation (insert Southern accent here) am I supposed to SLEEP tonight? I covet your prayers. But that's not what this blog is about. This blog is actually about an onion. Yes, and onion. A spoiled, rotted onion found wayyyy in the back of my vegetable drawer on Saturday. Here. Let me set the stage with a little back story from about two ... View Post
Dumb Phones, Digital Creators, & Influencers
Lying on the floor in the backseat of my car, I found my 6-year-old grandson's play cell phone this morning. He had brought it with him for our play date knowing that we were going to the Reptarium to see the sharks, alligators, and snakes, and he wanted to take photos. But a play phone doesn't take nearly as good photos as my i-phone, and I didn't want him to be the least bit distracted from this experience, so I told him to leave it in the car and I would take photos and send them to his mom and dad. He whined for a minute, until I explained why. I told him to take a photo of me smiling with his camera. Then I told him to put down the camera and look at me while I smiled. When I asked which one was more clear, he said without hesitating "no camera!" I explained that the ... View Post
Uh… Your Slip is Showing (and so is your bitterness)
Scrambled eggs & bacon with some wheat toast - that's what I had for breakfast Friday morning on the 4th of July when I met my friend I hadn't seen in - well, way too long. Two hours later, we gave the waitress a tip that amounted to what she'd likely have made in tips, had we not sat in her booth for as long as we did. Sometimes though, you just gotta sit with a friend for a long, long time, and soak in all of the good stuff there is to share about the current joys in life, the hurts, and struggles, and yeah... struggles. Did I mention the struggles? God speaks in so many ways, but for me - and probably for you, too - He often speaks through the wisest, godliest people in our lives. So we sit for two hours and leave $20 tips. Trust me, it's worth it. It's always, always ... View Post