If we’re really lucky, we get to have at least one person in life that makes us feel like we’re just the bee’s knees. Like they overflow with warmth for us. Like their company is the safest possible space because nothing could dull our shine in their eyes. My grampa was that person for me….
Category: family
It’s that time…
The Christmas tree is up, stockings are hung above the fireplace (the first time in my adult life I can say that), and, most important of all, my grampa’s little handmade chapel is on display. It isn’t Christmas without it. Even when I haven’t decorated any other way, it’s a non-negotiable. I even did a…
Weekend colors
Just a few images from a weekend spent celebrating my mom’s birthday. Beautiful in every way. (13 of 41)
Listen and remember
“Music, at its essence, is what gives us memories. And the longer a song has existed in our lives, the more memories we have of it.” — Stevie Wonder A vivid memory from my childhood was my mom’s record collection. I always loved when she played Anne Murray, the Carpenters, and (especially) the Partridge Family…
Magic in the desert
Somehow we’re approaching the tail end of April and I haven’t yet posted anything about two back-to-back trips I’ve taken this year. I count on this blog to maintain a record of important moments in my life, so I don’t want to miss this. In late February, I took a mother-son trip to Vegas to…
Priceless
Write about someplace you’ve been that you’re grateful for. The fifth of 15 gratitude journal prompts is taking me to….my Grampa’s house during Christmas when I was a child. The little chapel pictured above is well over 100 years old, made by my Grampa as a tribute to the first little church he attended with…
Good day, good life
“Name three good things that happened to you so far today.” I saw a video today that suggested that turning your mood in a more positive direction is as easy as 1-2-3. She interviewed a series of people and asked them to rate how their day was going on a scale of 1-5 — 1…
Minions and Memories
“The truth is, not everyone can change the entire world, and not everyone needs too. All we can do is give as much love in our lives as possible, treat ourselves kindly, and leave the world a more positive place than we entered it. That is all I can ask of myself, and I try…
Connected
The delight for day twenty-six doesn’t have an accompanying photo, so I’m including a few scenes from yesterday’s walk in the park. Anyway, my grown children live on opposite sides of the state, yet they are so often on the same wavelength. Specifically as it relates to my gratitude today, I cannot count how many…
Last page
“Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365-page book. Write a good one.” – Brad Paisley Looking forward to a new year and new hope. But before bringing 2021’s book to a close, I got to spend a fun evening with my kids at Union Station and the Foundry – which were still decorated…
A really good thing
A little downtown stroll with my fur boy this evening, right by the Farmers Market and the Christmas Market. I so enjoyed watching families search for their perfect tree and strap their winning selection atop their vehicles. There was excitement, anticipation and happiness in the air, as well as the gorgeous scent of fresh evergreens….
Everyone
Day 23 of the 30 Days of Gratitude Challenge: Someone in your family. Answer: When you have more than one someone, your gratitude expands and encompasses everyone. So here’s my everyone. (Obviously my children are included, just not pictured.)
Second Act
Check out yesterday’s sky at sunrise when I took the dog out… …and then an hour later when I left for work. I had assumed the sky show would be over once the colors faded. Imagine my surprise when I walked out the door again and saw the show was simply in its second act….
Turkey Trotting
Day 11 of the 30 Days of Gratitude Challenge: A happy memory. Answer: Last Thursday. Thanksgiving, obviously, but beyond that, I got to participate in an in-person race with my older son — our first together since 2018. Which, of course, leads to countless other happy memories of races with both of my kids and others in…
Look for it next year, too.
Day 4 of the 30 Days of Gratitude Challenge: Something in the room you’re in. Answer: Grampa’s chapel. Shown above, it was made by my Grampa more than 100 years ago, it’s one of the most precious things that I own, and I’m pretty sure I share it on this blog every year at Christmastime. But unless I want…
Ways to be more kind to your mind (Day 1)
I found an exercise/self-reflection on Instagram (@laurajaneillustrations) that I really liked: “7 ways to be more kind to your mind.” She breaks it down to one item per day for a full week. Looks like Sunday is Day 1, so I figure I’ll start there – and I thought I’d share, just in case you…
Musings on a Monday
“The breath that you just took…that’s a gift.” – Rob Bell What a wonderful weekend filled with lots of celebrations with family and friends, including a gender reveal (my brother is going to be a grandpa!) and a bridal shower (my son is tying the knot!). And the best kind of exhaustion you can feel…
Soul
Today I put up my favorite Christmas decoration — my grampa’s chapel that he made for my grandma more than 100 years ago. He modeled it after the first church they attended together, also shown above. It’s one of the most cherished things I own — and not just because it’s adorable. It’s because of…
Today’s Headlines
“Sometimes I just want it to stop. Talk of Covid, protests, looting, brutality. I lose my way. Become convinced this “new normal” is real life. But then I meet an 87-year old who talks of living through polio, diphtheria, Vietnam, protests, and yet is still enchanted with life. He seemed surprised when I said that…
These are a few of my favorite things…
Friday brought my birthday celebration – and a day that included so many of my favorite things: a day off from work beautiful weather “Art in Bloom” at the Saint Louis Art Museum lunch at the Fountain on Locust (and dill pickle soup!) the Orchid Show at the Missouri Botanical Garden a first visit to…
Holiday Recap – Florida Edition
A few highlights from an unusual Christmas spent in Florida this year. No snow? No problem. The monkey came home with me. We also visited the Tampa Museum of Art on Christmas Eve. This mug was part of an exhibit, but I thought he looked very holiday-appropriate. As was this fellow shopper in the museum…
Sweetest Day
I learned that Saturday, October 19 was something called “Sweetest Day.” I don’t know much about Sweetest Day, but I do know that October 19 is also my mother’s birthday. So that works out well. Very appropriate. And for my sweetest mother’s birthday, we spent all day Friday celebrating around St. Louis — starting with…
Turn the page
This weekend I began the process of purging my house of all the things I don’t need — starting with stuff in my room. I started with my closets, dumping the contents of each old purse and bag. One by one, ticket stubs and other mementos started dropping out, until a pile of memories sat…
Art (and Orchids) in Bloom
Flowers, art museum, botanical garden, cupcakes and my Mom’s company — all enjoyed on a day off from work. I got to experience so many of my favorite things yesterday. Lucky, lucky me. First up was the “Art in Bloom” event at the Saint Louis Art Museum. So much fun – and rare – to have…
hey there, friends 