While vacationing years ago in Sutton's Bay, Michigan, I was introduced to Allen Design clocks in a cute little store, where I purchased a sewing machine clock for my Mom's craft room. Fast forward a few years, and I spotted more of their fun wall clocks in an airport store, (where everyone knows the price is always doubled or tripled, right?) I had been preparing to move into my current little condo, and knew the teal blue coffee pot clock would look just right hanging on the wall near my kitchen table, so when I returned home, I purchased it on line - and yes, it was much cheaper ;) (Link below to Allen Designs) A coffee cup pendulum swung back and forth below my clock for the past three years, but recently it quit swinging. I thought that the battery had died, so I replaced it, but ... View Post
Notes on Living the Single Life (and the Single Parent Life)
My single parenting days ended 10 years ago when both of my kiddos left home - one for college, and they other for married life. I have often laughed since then and called myself the "single grandmother." The truth is - there's a special place in my heart for single Moms with hard circumstances; there always has been. So it wasn't difficult at all for me when it came time to choose which break-out sessions I'd attend at this years TGCW Conference. (The Gospel Coalition for Women - if you haven't been, I highly recommend it). I've been attending TGCW with my girlfriends Sarah and Ruth since 2014, and since that time we've grown from a group of three women, to a group of five women because Ruth's family has grown, and she has hit the jackpot with two lovely daughters-in-law. It's ... View Post
Spaghetti, Kitchen Tables, Televisions, & A Whole Lot More
There's a story I'm supposed to be writing tonight. Right now, in fact. But I was standing at the kitchen sink and all of these memories just suddenly flooded my head and my heart all at the same time, and I'm one of those journalers who has to write stuff down just as soon as I think of it. So, that story? It's gonna have to wait. I'm clearing out my kitchen, carrying appliances to the basement, filling up bowls of snacks, setting up every inch of my kitchen, my living room, my dining area, my front porch, and my garage for an event on Saturday that has kept me pretty busy for the past few months, doing just a little bit at a time every day or so. Hey - slow and steady wins the race, right? None of it has felt overwhelming to me because I have paced myself wisely. I can't tell ... View Post
Dear Jean
Last night I wrote a blog post called "My Mish Mash Blog." And like always, I received a text from my life-long friend, Jean. She said she had commented on the blog, but when I checked, she had not. This has happened many times, but last night I told her that perhaps she had submitted it incorrectly. We're both in our 60's, and technology seems to be a few laps on the track ahead of us both, so maybe it was in fact, a technical issue. A short time later, Jean texted me back and said she realized she had never, ever, in the past many, many years, ever actually submitted ANY of her comments. As a subscriber to my blog, she would receive an email alerting her that I had posted a story, and she would then respond. But last night after I alerted her that I've never, ever received any ... View Post
My Mish Mash Blog
About an hour ago or so, I was texting on Instagram with my sweet and funny friend, and we were sending hilarious reels back and forth to each other. I finally said, "Hey - on a serious note - give me some content for a story because I've got a deadline of tonight to turn one in to the newspaper. Did I mention my friend is not just sweet, but is hilariously funny? Well she is. So, here's what I got... Awe Iran-Contra Affair Panic attacks induced by the minutiae of traveling. The cure for entitlement. Loneliness is worse than smoking. Planting flowers even though they eventually die. My response? "You're killin' me, Smalls." But okay, I love a challenge.... AWE: My sweet, funny friend and I both just finished reading "Awe" by Paul David Tripp, ... View Post
Sing My Name
It's May 25th, and I went shopping for flowers today. There were US flags, and everything you can imagine red, white, and blue in anticipation of 4th of July. (People - can we get through Memorial Day first?) Sheesh. I sat on my front lawn for almost two hours planting what felt like 700,000 purple petunias and not once checked my phone, but instead just enjoyed the time with my hands in the dirt and the lack of any noise. Getting my hands dirty planting flowers always makes me remember my Dad, because he loved helping me this time of year, and he showed me how to do it perfectly. I haven't planted anything in three years, so many memories came flooding back. So many of those memories were of my childhood. We lived on a corner lot in an 800-square-foot bungalow, and although I ... View Post
The Adventures of Rita & Rita
There's a breeze coming in through the doorwall, the TV is off, there's absolutely no noise, and across the room I see my little figurine named "Rita" from the Disney movie "Flush" my friend Annie gave me for Christmas several years ago. She's sitting on the kitchen table, and I sware to you - she's staring right at me. Annie and I used to have this tradition where we would give each other a Christmas gift that didn't cost us anything. She was much more creative than I was, and when she gave me "Rita" she said it was because I reminded her of Rita's character - adventurous and brave, (and also probably because we share a name). Well, I'm not sure I'd describe myself as brave - adventurous YES!, but brave - eh. I dunno. Well, when I turned 50 I sillily (that is my new word) ... View Post
Without Excuse
Last night I woke up every time I turned my head. It's THAT time of year again when allergies cause me to have vertigo, and every toss and turn results in the beginnings of nausea until nothing but lying perfectly still makes it stop. Then I doze off, turn again, and then wake up nauseous, and repeat. It was a long night. Despite the annoying allergies, however, I am always grateful to welcome spring, even with its magnificent lightening and thunderstorms because eventually all of that rain brings about the burst of colorful spring blooms, and my neighborhood is especially gorgeous this time of year. Sadly though, some of the trees bloom for only about ten days - so vertigo or no vertigo, I had to pop some Benadryl and go for a stroll and enjoy the trees before they lose their ... View Post