Good to Know...

It's never expected. You think they'll live forever. They are loved and adored, given  kibbles, treats and nourishment from special dishes made just for them, groomed at least once in their life whether they like it or not, pampered like there's no tomorrow, treated as one of the family, allowed to sleep on the bed simply because of their cuteness, given permission to claim one part of the couch as their own and nobody better sit there, and easily forgiven for any mistakes they make.  First night at home. They are adopted when they are puppies, endearing us to them in a moments notice. Their puppy-down-fur so soft that if you give them a bath it puffs up like a cotton ball. Using shampoo with a fragrance that resembles baby powder, they can, for a few hours, carry that sweet smell that reminds you of a baby. You just want to plant your nose in the middle of it and take a deep breath. Kinda weird, but you'll know what I mean if you've ever done this. Nego

 We've been in our house for a year and 10 months. The way time passes, it seems like yesterday we were moving in, unpacking boxes and figuring out how to make this new house our home. We were extremely fortunate in every way, and feel blessed beyond our wildest dreams, to even be able to find the house, buy the house, and move in when we did. Each month that passes, it feels a little more like our sanctuary . But not without some intentionality however. A home should reflect your own personality, your own inner feelings, your own spirit. It would be extremely difficult for me to move into a home, that someone else had decorated, painted, put their heart and soul into and find my spirit could rest there. I feel blessed to have started with a clean canvas in this home. There's something about starting fresh, with everything clean, and new. It's easier to call it your own. As so many stories go, the previous owners had to vacate because of a foreclosure situation. Sad

Long story, short....It never fails. What begins as a good idea, soon becomes a delectable dream and always, always sends me back to 1985. It never fails. Seriously, when do lessons of the past stop being something that is emotionally or consciously attached to a present day activity? And something as simple as....making cookies. When my children were 4 and 1, we lived next door, on Lilac Drive, to a nice young family. The mom's name was Julie and she had a son named Justin. We would speak on occasion, the kids would play out in the sandbox that Justin's dad made for him, and we would talk about planting daffodils in the yard. Just the usual stuff. Justin, even though he was only 2, was a bit of a "rough-house" and would always test Julie's patience. They would be out playing for a while, but soon after, Justin would have a melt-down of some sort and they would have to go in. Sara and Chris would continue to play in the sandbox with the toys. But I could tell

Canning. It even sounds like an old-fashioned word. Who does that anymore? Even though anything you could ever want is already canned, frozen, or somehow processed and on the shelf in the store, canning hasn't lost its appeal. A big reason it's still popular is because home canning food you are going to eat later ensures it will contain ingredients that have your approval. You can rest assured for the most part, unless you really screw it up, your food will be delicious, fresh tasting and healthy for you. Not to mention canned food lined up on the shelf is very beautiful, somewhat artistic and can have it's own romantic look about it. Anyone in love with food, will see crystal clear jars packed with some amazingly colorful favorites and immediately want to pop one open and grab a fork or a spoon.  Canning, with all it's steps involved, really can be a messy adventure. Produce lined up on the counter tops, the sink is overflowing with soapy water, the stove and the f

This chapter of my blog is about the bittersweet moments in a day. It's also about all things young and all things old, because everything fits in one of the two. And it's also about the fact that emotional stuff is the hardest thing in life to  walk through. Like it or not, some days are filled with emotional challenges and each one leaves a direct physical imprint on our very being, on our heart and on our soul. For the past six days I was in Chicago with my son, Chris and daughter, Sara and her son, Wyatt. There are no better moments than sitting watching a  2-1/2 year old play, innocently, without inhibition and full of life and spirit. Each time he smiled, or looked at me with those big beautiful blue eyes, I just melted into a pliable, mushable blob of squishy-heart feelings. Once as he was going down for a nap, he asked me to lay on the bed with him so we could talk. Then as we laid our heads on the pillow, he turned towards me, just staring into my eyes, smi