Nearly a decade and a half ago, I called a childhood friend I'd grown up with to let her know of my Dad's passing. Immediately upon answering the phone, she began talking. She told me about her children, about her career, about her home, and about herself. There were no opportunities for me to jump in and tell her my father had just died. I thought she'd want to know. Then suddenly she had to hang up. Her life was a busy one, and she was no longer able to talk. Or listen. Although I'm sure by now she knows, I never did get to actually tell her myself. This happens a lot, doesn't it? Say good morning to someone and they return the greeting with a grunt? Or you ask them how they are and they answer, but never ask how you're doing? Sometimes, on my more feisty ... View Post
Amber’s “Neighborly Casserole”
No sooner did I finish publishing "Cheesecake & Mason Jars," and a very long-time neighbor knocked at my door, brought me a small casserole, and we sat at the kitchen table for an hour. She ate a piece of cheesecake and took two slices home to her husband. (I love my neighborhood!) Her casserole was SOOO GOOD, so she gave me the recipe and we agreed to call it "neighborly!" Ingredients: 1 pound of ground sirloin, 1 small onion, 1-1/2 chopped green bell pepper, 1-1/2 red bell pepper, 1 clove of garlic, one 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes, a cup of ketchup, 2 T of brown sugar, 1 tsp yellow mustard, salt & pepper to taste, 2 cups of frozen corn, one 16-oz package of penne pasta, 1-1/2 cups shredded Colby-Jack cheese. Directions: Heat the oven to 350. Then ... View Post
Cheesecake & Mason Jars
There was this little get-together at my kitchen table this week. A couple of my closest friends came, one lady I'd never met before, and one of my co-workers. We ranged in age from 24 to 77. Yep, you read that right! You're probably wondering what in the world women from all these different generations could possibly have in common- but women are women, no matter the age. Deep down inside, we're just the same. And we all love a slice of cheesecake, a good story, woman-to-woman wisdom, and some encouragement! Each of us prepared a dish, and the perfect meal came together. We sat and chatted at that table for over an hour and listened to one another tell fun stories, played charades and had a blast laughing at ourselves - and each other! We encouraged one another ... View Post
The Grudge on My Fridge
After a four-year-long season of opening my home up to people who needed a place to stay for all sorts of circumstances, I have finally spent the past four months alone in my home. It's not only been a season of singing out loud (and not well), it's also been a season of emptying boxes, going through pictures, and shredding things I no longer need. It began with boxes of things that at one time I was apparently sure I'd need again some day but never have, and progressed to the large filing cabinet in the corner of my basement. I camped there for weeks in front of it. The contents of that filing cabinet have brought me all sorts of emotions. I've spent more hours sitting on the floor of my basement going through old photos than I can count. Some of the memories have ... View Post
Village People
A couple of weeks ago when my son Ian came home from Chicago, Rory put him to work helping redo a wall in the living room that he'd accidentally put a hole in. Or at least, I think that's what happened. I don't know. Anyways - it doesn't matter..... When I was over there in the middle of the demolition, plastic hanging from the ceiling, plaster dust everywhere, wires running through walls...... you get the picture. I said, "Do you even know what you're doing ???" I mean - My sons were raised by a pack of women, basically - Me, my sister, & my mom. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing feminine about either of them but I only know how to change a lightbulb and not much else, so I wasn't sure where his skills were coming from. I only knew they certainly had not come ... View Post
Meet Me At Beaumont!
I was mistaken when I believed life would slow down once my sons moved out. It hasn't. In fact, I'm not quite sure how I had time to raise children. I imagined time for lunch dates with girlfriends, and sleeping in on my mornings off, but this seldom happens. And this is actually one of the reasons I often look forward to going to work. I've heard it said that we really do make time for the things we want to do. And, I think that's true about relationships as well. They take intention, and sometimes, they take some schedule swaps, tree climbing, and meal planning. My friend Jean and I have gone from Irish dance nights at the Gaelic League with our families, to climbing trees and collecting osage oranges to repel spiders in our basements, to patient care in our ICU rooms at ... View Post
18 Christmas Mornings
Eighteen. That's how many Christmas mornings I spent with my family growing up before moving out on my own. Of those 18 Christmas Days, my fondest memories involve the excitement surrounding Christmas Eve. Yes - Santa. We were kids, so of course we were excited about Santa. But midnight Mass was always cool. There was something neat about seeing your friends in the wee hours of the night. The snow always fell behind the altar at St. Robert Bellarmine in Redford, Michigan. It was so very Christmas card worthy! And remembering the birth of Jesus always came first! The rush to get home in the silence of a snowy night was always exciting to me. Exhausted from staying up so late, my sister and I would fall asleep easily in our new flannel nightgowns, even while listening for ... View Post
Ice Cream & Onions
Every six months or so I make a TJ Max run to purchase another couple of packages of 1.5 strength reading glasses. Oops, I mean 2.0. Next time, I'll likely need 2.5 strength. They're relatively inexpensive at only $9.99 for 4 pair, and they come in enough colors to match most of the clothes I wear (why not have fun??) I can leave a pair in each room of the house, and a couple of pairs in my locker at work. My eyesight keeps getting worse and worse, and I now need them to eat, so my readers have now also become my "eaters." I'm going somewhere with this, I promise. Yesterday morning on my way home from the gym I stopped at Randazzo to get a fruit smoothie. I don't eat enough fruit, and it's such a treat - no added sugar. (Hello, my name is Rita and I'm addicted to ... View Post