Less frayed around the edges

My sister and brother-in-law came to stay with the kids while I was out of town last week and as a result, we are now a lot less frayed around the edges. I’m happy to report that:
1. We have new shower curtain liners in both showers. No more mildew.
2. All the lights in the house [...]

DNR

Our cat, Mick, wasn’t doing well.  He was old. Somewhere between 15 and 20 years old.  (We don’t know for sure because he had several owners before Tim.)  He was blind, he was down to skin and bones (maybe 4 pounds soaking wet), and this weekend, he could no longer jump on the couch.
Last night, [...]

Endings and beginnings

As long as I live, I will never forget the look on my dad’s face when my mother walked into a room. For 63 years, he got that look on his face every day.  
Next week, we head to Portland for the wedding of E and B.  E is the daughter of my cousin (makes [...]

Feels like home to me

I’ve been thinking a lot about home.  Which I’d always defined as that one place that, when you go there, they have to take you in.  One place. One home. 
But I’m broadening my definition.  Home is where the people who love you live. The people who love you for who you are.
So, by that definition, [...]

Absence makes the heart grow fonder

Next weekend, I’m off to St. Louis for a three-day reunion with old friends (referring to the length of time we’ve known each other, of course, not our chronological age.) While I will miss my children, of course, there are certain benefits to a child-free weekend.  Here are the things I think I’m going to [...]

Missing Emma

I miss Emma.  Standing-over-the kitchen-sink-weeping miss Emma.  Emma is in Ireland with her dad, her grandma, and her grandma’s brother and sister-in-law. (This is actually a much more fun group than the generational description would suggest.)  They left Friday and will be gone for almost two weeks.  Her dad’s been promising her a trip to [...]

Transitions, schmansitions

I’m grieving the impending loss of a family member.
Well, she’s technically not a family member. And she’s perfectly healthy. And she only lives a 1/2 block away, so it’s not like we’ll never see her again.
But in August, Margaret is leaving Joan, the daycare provider we’ve been with for four years, since before David turned [...]

Happy Mother’s Day

Today, we have a guest-blogger: my neighbor and good friend, Pegeen Reichert-Powell, who also happens to be a very talented writer. She sent me this Mother’s Day “letter from her children”, and I asked if I could post it.
Dear Mama,
Thank you for always being there for me (except those times when I 
want to go to [...]

Rainy days and Mondays

Yesterday morning was one of those mornings.  I can laugh about it now. Maybe it was because it was a Monday, or maybe because it was rainy, or maybe because it was a rainy Monday.  But for whatever reason, everyone was crabby, including me. 
David was upset because of his loose tooth. His first loose tooth, to be [...]

Easter bunnies

Not much time to blog lately.  Partly because I thought it would be a good idea to drive to 10 hours to Pennsylvania for a long weekend.  I’m glad we went, but we spent A LOT of time in the car.  We spent Easter at my brother’s church (officially called Mt. Zion UCC, but really [...]