How are you as an American citizen personally dealing with the political divisiveness that we are now witnessing in our country? If you are among the projected 145 million persons in the United States who will vote in the November 3, 2020 Election be it through absentee ballot, early in-person voting or November 3rd voting, … Continue reading How to Be Winners in the 2020 Election
One of my climbing red rose bushes this year developed a really thick stem with huge prickly thorns for practically its entire length of about four feet. That started me to think about the thorns we are enduring in our daily lives which have been turned topsy-turvy in 2020 as we react to COVID-19, economic … Continue reading Enduring Thorns
From the outset of the coronavirus in the United States in early 2020, I was cautious about adhering to the Centers for Disease Control guidelines for Americans’ response to it. I felt the threat was real and was determined that I would do all I could to avoid being infected. Among all the other precautions … Continue reading Wearing a Mask IS a Big Deal!
I want to share with you a poem I wrote for my oldest grandchild when he was about ten. I printed it, put it in a frame and presented it to him as an extra Christmas Eve gift. I’m sure whatever else I gave him—and this was before any of the other grandchildren were born—seemed … Continue reading Ode to Stephen
As I was recently thumbing through several of my recipe books, one of which had belonged to my mother, I pulled out a single half-sheet of paper with her handwriting on it. I quickly realized that my then recently widowed mom was jotting down an agenda: notes of what she wanted to get done in … Continue reading What is Your Agenda?
Sometimes we just need good food to encourage our spirit as well as feed our body. Feeling a little down or merely a little blah? Check out today’s blog post to give your body and your spirit a food boost! And I’m not talking about reaching for a candy bar! My container garden, which sits … Continue reading Give Your Tastebuds This Tomato Treat! (Recipe for Kentucky Fried Green Tomatoes)
As I look back on the various seasons of my life, I see how I have worn different labels on this journey. Some labels seemed to have been automatically given to me and others I have chosen. I was first a “little girl” born into a loving, stable family consisting of my mom, my dad, … Continue reading Labels We Wear
One day you’re standing upright, holding your head up high. All around you is a clear sky with rays of sunshine warming your face and your heart. There are stressful elements in your life, to be sure. But they are manageable. You have a daily routine. And a very normal daily routine it is. Working. … Continue reading How to Keep Standing
If there’s one good which may come out of these terrible times of COVID-19, perhaps it is the lessons we have learned about appreciating more those parts of our lives which were snatched away from us. As workers and students, we probably complained at some point about the job we had to go to or … Continue reading Lessons Learned Through Loss
Have you ever witnessed a mom berating her child at the grocery store and wondered why major discipline couldn’t be kept at home? What about a parent so intent on his child’s athletic team’s winning that he takes to the field to challenge verbally or physically a coach or a referee? Road rage is something … Continue reading Grow Up! And Act Like An Adult!
Have you ever wondered why some people seem to smile more? Laugh more? Seem happier? I remember a first cousin of my mother named Allie who always seemed to have a giggle ready to overflow from the smile on her face. Whenever I was in her company, no matter the trite conversation that was going … Continue reading Happiness Is Contagious
Has the COVID-19 pandemic unexpectedly plunged your home, your neighborhood, your world into a cold, dark, unfriendly place to be? Where’s a light to navigate your steps from one place to another? Psalm 119:105 says God’s Word provides that illumination which not only lets you see where your feet are right now but shines a … Continue reading An Encouraging Word in Any Language!
Rudeness, crudeness, and outright lies are what I hear daily in the words spoken within the arenas of government, politics, show biz venues and the public square. What does the Bible have to say about the speech of a child of God? In his letter to the Colossians, the members of the church that he … Continue reading Giving Grace and Salt to Our Words
Maybe in these times of our COVID-19 pandemic you are beginning to feel hopeless, or at the very least anxious, about the future. If so, let me ask you this question, “What work are you doing?” Naturally, I don’t know your circumstances. On furlough from your job? Laid off from your job? Unable to work? … Continue reading Work Brings Hope
I want to share with you something a friend of mine said recently to me, “The virus is global, but God is universal.” Maybe she was quoting someone. I don’t know. But her words did make me pause to reflect on my belief in a Higher Being and how this belief affects my response to … Continue reading Finding Personal Equilibrium in a Chaotic World
Some of you reading my words love the thrill of a roller coaster ride. The speed, the sharp turns, the precipitous dip! But that has never been an adventure I craved. In fact, I have only been on one roller coaster in my entire life, when my husband somehow tricked me into taking leave of … Continue reading Stop the World! I Wanna Get Off!
My second children’s book, Sweet Pickles Among the Marigolds, is now available in a Kindle version through Amazon. Maybe you are a librarian, children’s early education center director, primary school teacher, homeschooler, parent/grandparent or other caring adult. If you want a peep into excellent materials and ideas to spark enthusiasm for reading, you might consider … Continue reading Sweet Pickles’ Ebook Release!
A few years ago my younger daughter and I were fortunate enough to be able to travel to Spain and Portugal and have in our itinerary an added excursion by ferry to Morocco. To this day I can still envision the café in Tangier where we sat at a low table sipping hot sweet mint … Continue reading Need a Boost? Try Moroccan-Style Mint Tea! (Recipe)
When I was a young child and a pre-reader, I was introduced to the nursery rhyme, “Mary, Mary, quite contrary. How does your garden grow?” Back then I never wondered why she was contrary. But as I grew older and planted gardens of my own, I found out why she was in such an unhappy … Continue reading Nonny . . . How Does Your Garden Grow? (photo gallery)
Last week I was excited to share with you the news of the publication of my latest children's beginning reader/activity book. It's called Sweet Pickles Among the Marigolds: A Rhyme of Garden Fun. Today I'll give you a sneak peep between the pages with a recording of my sing-along song Pick Some Pickles! You'll find … Continue reading New song, new website, new book… Celebrate with me!
The shutting down earlier this year of physical schools and preschools due to the Coronavirus left many parents, grandparents and others to assume full-time roles as facilitators for learning. And now as the summer looms large with its own set of concerns as to how to fill the time of the young ones, may I … Continue reading Keeping Young Minds and Bodies Busy–My New Book Release!
Here is a letter to my school-age grandchildren which I would like to share with you: May 2020 Dear Grandgirls and Grandguys, Congratulations to you 2020 Graduates and your Families! To my Eighth Grade Grad, you really are a 2020 graduate as you have finished the rigorous requirements for the courses in your grade and … Continue reading Congratulations to 2020 Graduates!
What is your view of God? For some God is an angry spirit who must be appeased through ritualistic prayer, worship, and sacrifice. But there is never peace within the heart because one is never sure if she or he has done enough. For others God is the one to pray to only when there … Continue reading The God of Hope
One day you’re standing upright, holding your head up high. All around you is a clear sky with rays of sunshine warming your face and your heart. There are stressful elements in your life, to be sure. But they are manageable. You have a daily routine. And a very normal daily routine it is. Working. … Continue reading How to Keep Standing
Let's look at the following phrases: If my people . . . Si mon peuple . . . Si mi pueblo . . . Wenn dann dieses Volk . . . They represent various translations of words spoken to King Solomon, son of David, at a time when he was ruling over the United Kingdom … Continue reading If my people…
In my recent series on money management, I've shared how my husband and I handled finances through our almost 33 years of marriage. We went from being a childless working couple for seven years to a family which included three children and two dogs. We lived in a small inexpensive apartment in the inner city … Continue reading Building Bigger Barns
As I returned in last Friday's blog post to Snippets about money management, below are my ideas for talking to your pre-teens and teens. I wrote this five-part money series before we, as citizens of the United States, were feeling the serious implications of the spread of the Coronavirus. With so many hurting economically, the … Continue reading Snippet on Raising Financially Responsible Teens and Young Adults
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