Those hideous masks Dad stored with strange costumes and a Santa Suit appeared to be human faces with their eyes gouged out. When Great Aunt Laura took possession of them, they became scarier. Hiding out in the dark fruit cellar of my grandparents’ basement, she fashioned them into a couple of dummies. No one could […]
Looking for a unique idea for Valentine’s Day? We have a great one for you. It’s a bookish idea for Valentine’s Day! Authors use “pull quotes” from their books as teasers on social media and correspondence with their readers. Books expose avid readers to thousands of quotes every day. Grab your favorite quotes about LOVE. Each […]
Santa visited our home every year on Christmas Eve. Jesus always came first. The children’s program was always on Christmas Eve. We learned our “piece” for the story and hoped we wouldn’t forget the important Bible verse when our time came to speak. I think I remember being an angel a time or two. After […]
This was me as a child. I imagined myself on my little flying carpet gathering stories to write down later. But later never came. My family moved so often, that my treasured tales seemed to fly away with the wind. The teachers that encouraged my talent were left behind, and my friends were left behind, […]
Does your community have one or several Little Free Libraries? I was amazed to find four of them within five minutes of my home. Sadly, the shelf of the second one pictured was empty. What is a Little Free Library? Exactly […]
When do you begin your Christmas shopping? Do you enjoy finding special gifts for those on your gift list? Do you dread the task? Is gift-giving just one more thing on your stressful holiday to-do list? It brings me great joy to find or create the perfect gift for each individual. I keep my eyes […]
Do you often fall for a book by its cover? We’re warned not to judge by outside appearances, but my first glimpse of the perfectly-designed cover of Liana George’s new book, Perfectly Placed, made me forget that advice immediately. Those red lanterns waving in the wind invited me right in. Yes, I’ve read the book–the story equal […]
I’m writing this blog post on D-Day, 2022, the 78th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Normandy. With Father’s Day less than two weeks away, I planned a tribute to dads–mine in particular. Then went down this meandering trail. In search of family photos with my dad, I pulled this one from my stash. No, […]
A young lady coming of age to begin dating often arouses fears for her parents. Many years ago my husband light-heartedly suggested we send our daughter to a convent until she was 30. Should we have invested in a courting candle? Before you learn their real purpose, you might assume the spiraled courting candle adds […]
“Come on. Pull it tighter. I’m tough. Make it tight. Pull harder.” I remember my grandmother’s words like it was yesterday. Actually, it was 60+ years ago, and yes in the 1950’s and early 1960’s my grandmother still wore a corset. A trend she borrowed from the Victorian era. She grew up during the waning […]
