Ten years ago today, I became a grandmother! It’s hard to believe it, but I have the cutest, most creative, and kindest grandgirl to prove it. It seems like yesterday I met her for the first time. Recently, Hubby and I gathered with three other couples. Hubby and I have been grandparents the longest, and two couples are new to the game. We shared photos and stories of our grandkids. We talked about how amazing it was to watch our babies hold their babies. And then we answered a question. If Keep Reading...
Do You Have a Life Verse?
A souvenir. A memento. A keepsake. A remembrance. I had a box of them growing up. Still have some. I bet you do, too. Something we keep to remind us of a happy time or place. Some people – like me - keep “scripture mementos.” A favorite Bible verse that encouraged us at a difficult time. Or maybe it was a promise we were clinging to. Or perhaps it was a verse read at an important life occasion. Over the years, these “scripture keepsakes” have been labeled “life verses.” It’s hard to walk Keep Reading...
Making a Difference
My eighty-seven-year-old parents recently celebrated 65 years of marriage and 73 years together. They started dating when they were thirteen and haven’t stopped since. Dad gives Mom flowers every week—which wasn’t easy during the pandemic when he had to rely on others to pick out pretty flowers with their online grocery order. He tells her daily how pretty she is. They pray every night when they get in bed. Two years ago, my parents moved to Texas at their children's insistence – leaving behind Keep Reading...
Happy Thanksgiving!
Family and Thanksgiving. Hmm… do those two really mix? I think they do, but our family has had reasons to question it. My first Thanksgiving with my married-into-family was fantastic. My now sisters-in-law were welcoming, and though they were ten to twenty years older than me, they welcomed me into the family as one of their own – even if I refused to eat oyster dressing. After our first Christmas fiasco (fodder for another blog – or therapy – it’s a toss-up), I declared that Thanksgiving would Keep Reading...
It’s a Wonder!
It’s a wonder! We got a new mattress today after I don’t know how many years. Mattress shopping made me wonder how in the world my husband and I have managed to share the same bed for our 36 years of marriage. In the early days we were so poor, we didn’t have a lot of options. His dad bought our first bed – a waterbed. They were all the rage back then and if you had one, you know why our generation is marked by fortitude and success. There was no such thing as ordering a bed online, waiting Keep Reading...
Grateful for the Flood
I’m so grateful for the flood! Not the Noah’s Ark flood - though I should be grateful God chose to save mankind and the animals He created. But that’s not the flood I’m referring to. I’m grateful for the flood we had for about four straight years in the house where I grew up. Specifically, in my bedroom, my sister’s bedroom and our shared bathroom. Now that I think about it, the boys’ rooms never flooded and they never had their rooms torn up. Wait, that’s probably an issue to discuss with a Keep Reading...
Unmet Expectations – A Story for Easter
I’ve lived in towns with interesting names but they always seemed to make sense. Boise. It is a French word for “wooded” and the French trappers used it to describe the trees lining the river flowing through the valley where the city of Boise grew up. Boise is a beautiful, tree-filled city. College Station. In the 1800’s, a little college, now Texas A&M University, sat along the railroad tracks and the train station was the stop for the college. The conductor would call out, “Next Keep Reading...
Today is a BIG Day!
Today is a BIG day! I didn’t know it was a big day. It started out as a regular day. A friend let me know there was a typo on my blog. I tried to blame the web designer and then realized it was something within my control. Not completely my fault but...within my control. So, a quick log into my website turned into a walk down memory lane (to fix the typos) and I realized I started my blog 11 years ago TODAY! Today is the 11thanniversary for my blog. What? On one hand, it seems like I Keep Reading...
What Kim Kardashian and I Have in Common
Do you know what Kim Kardashian and I have in common? We were both sewed into our dresses for an important event. That and the fact we love our kids. But I think the similarities end there. Kim was sewn into her dress for a star-studded event at the New York Met. She borrowed Marilyn Monroe’s dress and starved herself to fit into the form fitting dress. It was so form fitting that she had to be sewn into it. Me? I was throwing on my flowy dress for my niece’s wedding. I asked a daughter to Keep Reading...
A Sticky Mess
Hey! Remember me? It’s been about four months so you may have forgotten. When I started my blog, oh so many years ago, it was called Chuckles in the Chaos. I said I would only post about once a week. Well, the past few months have been filled with chaos. Some of it I cried about but some of it gave me reason to chuckle. There wasn’t time to write about it or even to figure out what message I wanted to relay. A writer friend of mine who saw the tears and heard the chuckles encouraged me to make Keep Reading...