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The Open Door
What we need is always there for us, and if we put out the intention that we are open to receive, the universe will deliver. When my friend suggested I take a yoga class with her several years ago, I…
Nothing Could Be Finer Than to be in Carolina
Shades of oranges and pinks in the sky over the ocean signal the arrival of that special orb which begins to warm the sand and provide another sunny day. Nothin’ could be finer than to be in Carolina, in the…
The Red Umbrella
At least I gave him a neat royal blue sport shirt to match his beautiful blue eyes. But a red umbrella? It was our seventh Christmas together. I know you are automatically thinking about the seven-year itch, but I like…
Southern-ish Holiday Traditions
Does Your Santa Wrap? To start, let’s discuss the biggest Christmas tradition debate: does Santa wrap or not wrap his presents? This discussion can be tricky for newly blended families or couples with newly born children. Can the couples survive…
Recipe Magic
For a moment, we can be in their kitchens, standing in their shoes, and sharing their stories. This holiday season, there are fewer gifts to buy and cards to mail. There are empty chairs at dinner tables and gaping holes…
Christmas Wine
I had no idea the juice was supposed to taste awful. What was wine, and was I in trouble? It was Christmas Eve 1965 and for the first time in my ten years (or for as long as I could remember) we…
Lights in the Night
Perhaps the fading year has not been a bright one; all the more reason to count our blessings and share a glimmer with those around us. It begins every October. Some dim Sunday afternoon I climb up and poke my…
We’re Pretty Wrapped Up
Make your Holiday Decor stunningly beautiful with elegantly wrapped gifts that match your style. Sasee says for the lovers of all things Blue and White, the classic Chinoiserie can be stylishly carried into the Holidays. There is more to wrapping…
Surprise at the Rescue Mission
Maybe it’s time to lend a helping hand rather than just use that hand to sign a check to contribute a donation to a worthy cause. As I arrived at the rescue mission, a tall man whose face reminded me…
Thank You, 911!
“This is the other half of dumb and dumber calling!” I announced after my husband answered his cell phone. “You got a minute?” “I’m in the middle of dictating…” he sighed sounding vexed. “But, you are finished seeing patients?” “Yes.”…
Holiday Pageantry
It is the size of a brick and just as solid, weighing three pounds, filled with nuts and candied fruit galore including pineapple, cherries, walnuts, almonds, lemon and orange peel. Certainly this Thanksgiving will be unlike anything that any of…
Razzle Dazzle and Hope
Our gleeful squeals echoed all the way to Highland. We quickly assembled in front of the Cadillac convertible. “I wouldn’t walk across the street to see a parade,” Daddy declared at breakfast the day before Thanksgiving. “I don’t hold with…
Blooming Roses
I started my own wish book of a bedroom filled with pillows, bookshelves and poster-covered walls. When I was a child, our family moved from one military base to another every year or two. On my first day at a…
What’s Cooking
As for spices, I may own three. (Do salt and pepper count as spices?) “Hey, what’re you making?” My older son had wandered into the kitchen as I was browning some breaded chicken for dinner. “Chicken with bread crumbs and…
Home Repair
My AC debacle started around the 11th. It was a Saturday, when Will, who took over the business from Curt when Curt died, answered our call. Every Friday, my old college roommate sends me a letter. Now it’s an email.…
Moving Day
As I made her bed, I felt the lump again. My baby wouldn’t be sleeping under my roof that night. “You’ve already spent so much on my move to school,” my 18-year-old daughter, Julia, said. “You bought my bedding, my…
House of Dreams
As my parents approached their sixties, my Dad wallpapered the living room one more time. Still red, but this time it was fuzzy flock paper. My folks first and only house was not their dream house – that perfect castle…
Safer at Home
And as a teacher, I assigned, corrected, and scored work for my students while monitoring my children’s virtual learning. It was challenging, but we got it done safely, at home. It is true that home is a refuge, a safe…
Puzzled
But every night now, the time arrived to end my day and sit at the dining table, quietly fitting pieces together and talking with my loved ones. I found the jigsaw puzzle about a year into the renovating-and-moving-in process. It…
Make ‘em Laugh, First
I can speak French. I can read French. But when it comes to translating a French cartoon or joke, I’m at a loss. I don’t find them funny. “Never cook bacon naked,” my husband announced as he turned over the bacon,…