There have been years--mostly when my girls were even younger than they are now--that Thanksgiving has come and gone and I wonder, Thanksgiving? We did that? And I stumble into the next day just as sleep deprived as I was the next day, grateful although very tired.
This year I am [...]
I'm not one of those people who doesn't take medication. I'm on a first-name basis with my Costco-sized bottle of Excedrin, waited in line for three hours to get the girls their H1N1 vaccines, firmly believe in taking anti-depressants as necessary, and absolutely under no circumstances would endure an all natural' [...]
I can't explain it exactly, but my brain has felt like a big blank this past week, unable to organize my thoughts in a coherent fashion. I know it's because the holidays are coming up, and for as much as I'm looking forward to them, I'm also feeling sad and' [...]
Yesterday, I had the lovely opportunity to go back and visit my MOPS group and talk to them about reading. Last spring, I talked to them about reading to your kids because if you don't they'll end up in prison and you'll have that on your conscience for.ev.er.
Just kidding.
I' [...]
A few weeks ago, Jason and I tentatively started looking for a new laptop. We've had ours for seven years now, and even though it's not exactly broken, it doesn't run all that fast anymore. I have no tolerance for slowness when I'm working in Photoshop. I have little tolerance' [...]
When we moved out to the Family Farm, I started thinking that maybe some of us should buy a cow together. Not a real living, mooing cow, of course. A butchered cow. A very tasty butchered cow.
I had heard of people doing this, buying cows or part of a cow. I guess it's more economical that way. [...]
A lot is written about our veterans, and deservedly so. I have nothing but gratitude for those who serve our country through their military service.
A lot is also written about The Greatest Generation. My grandparents were part of this generation. Both my grandpas fought in WWII. My maternal* grandpa [...]
Weird news of the day:
Danvers High [Salem, MA] parents recently got an automated call from the principal warning them that if students say or display the word "meep" at school, they could face suspension.
Meep doesn't mean much, unless you are Beaker — the hapless, orange-haired assistant to Dr. Bunsen' [...]
When my grandpa joined the Army, he asked my grandma--his friend and neighbor--if she would send him a picture and write to him so that his name would get called during mail call. She wrote to him. I don't know what exactly she wrote, but it was enough to' [...]
{Grandma (center) in 1959}
I don't want it to go unnoticed that I have appreciated the many kind words you have all sent my direction. The emails, the comments, the prayers--to say that I am grateful for the outpouring of kindness doesn't fully capture my heart. But that's' [...]
When I got home from school today, I asked Jason if he had heard about the shooting. Yes, he said. His mom told him when he had gone to pick up the girls from school.
"How'd you hear about it?" he asked.
"NPR." I have an 80-minute commute home on Tuesdays and' [...]
My grandma enjoyed dolls. She didn't collect them or have lots of them, but she had a couple of very old dolls that she kept for awhile. This photo of her with her dolls was one of her favorites. She loved this picture so much, she had it framed' [...]
After the funeral, there was a reception. And after the reception, there was the graveside service with just family.
The service itself was short. We had all said whatever it was we wanted to say at the funeral. We weren't there to talk.
We were there for some' [...]
Although I wouldn't necessarily characterize Grandma as being silly, she could certainly make us laugh. She got a kick out of singing old jingles and teaching us phrases from her childhood. I remember sitting on the kitchen countertop, eating cookie dough batter from the bowl, watching her make chocolate chip' [...]
From the day I was born my grandma was a huge part of my life. She lived next door, and unless one or the other of us was on vacation, I saw her almost every day for 18 years.
We'd get home from school, and she'd walk [...]
