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Five Finds Friday (last first day, a giant sweatshirt and tomatoes)
Oh it’s Friday? I didn’t know. funny I was opening my car door and I noticed the side pocket. What’s in that pocket made me laugh – and kind of offers a snapshot of my actual life. A knife. Because – safety and preparation. You just never know what the future holds. Bubbles. Because – fun. Lotion. (That almost never…
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camping with the boys: lake jocassee is a wonder, but what happened to the hammocks?
Some birthday gifts take a while to bring to fruition. That’s kind of true always, but it’s especially true during this season. Otto tuned 11 back in May. Last week he and I and Bergen headed to the always breath taking Lake Jocassee for an overnight camping trip. Really, it was always more about the fishing than the camping. It…
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this little moment.
I cannot fix the world. Sometimes I don’t even want to try. But I think I can help (kind of) fix six little parts of the world. Six small stones that have the potential to have ripple effects on the surface of the water of the world. They share my last name (or did, pre-marriage for one of them). And…
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Parenting Teens: Say Yes
I’m not an expert, but I do have some experience. One of my teens is a grown up. Three are currently residing under my roof. And one more joins the trifecta this month. (I need a hug. Or a wad of cash for car insurance. Both. I need both.) Here’s one little tiny slice of advice. Say yes. To everything…
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the weekend ramble (it’s back)
There’s been nothing ordinary or routine about this summer so it’s probably to be expected that my writing has been hit or miss too. And like all of us, I’m actually missing the structures my life normally has – its natural parameters. In fact, that might be why we parents are going a little crazy as we think and plan…
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Dear Child,
I’d like to think that I’ve said everything I am writing now out loud to you at some point during your brief and beautiful life thus far. And maybe I have. But what if I didn’t say it loud enough or often enough or in the manner in which you could hear it? What if I whispered it to you…
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Five Finds Friday (tiny bags of bacon & I need a grits recipe for the Instant Pot)
Can you make a living as a Master Procrastinator? I don’t mean one of those ordinary procrastinators who puts off a big assignment or a task every now and then. I mean like – a MAJOR procrastinator. I’ll look for a way – next week. funny We had breakfast for dinner recently. Made Instant Pot grits. (Which will have its…
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the directions. and where our stories take us.
It hasn’t been tidy. My story. My path to Where I Am Right Now. And, you know, I hope I haven’t “arrived” – whatever that means. I like to think it’s all just a progression, or a steady arriving or a long road to get to the destination that isn’t here on earth. Frankly, whether a long marriage or a…
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that musical everyone loves.
I have this knee jerk reaction to anything that is overly popular. I don’t like it. Sometimes before I even give it a chance, I’ll just automatically have a distaste for the popular thing. It’s how I felt about Hamilton – ages ago when my kids came home singing the songs because their friend had told them about this musical.…
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Grill. Master.
I should start with a confession. A Grill Master, I am not. A Grill Student? Eh, maybe. I mean, yes. I AM a student of the grill. Now. That’s what I am now. Two weeks ago I was a forty-six year old woman who had never grilled anything in her life. Unless you call cooking over a campfire that someone…
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five finds friday. (homemade board games, babies & Bergen)
Friday’s here. It always comes quickly. Even when it feels like I’ve not been busy and even when it feels as if I am moving at breakneck speed. I’m somewhere in between right now. Last week I was sitting on a dock staring at a lovely and calm lake. But that’s not my normal. Honestly, nothing feels normal. And hasn’t…
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school planning over here …
I’ve spent the last two days deeply immersed in academic planning. Yes, for my own classroom of students here at Wildwood. And for my classroom of students in the Writing and Literature class I teach at Meadowlark. It’s been pretty exhausting. It always is. But this year it seems extra . . . unsettling. Because we all know (now more…
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downhill: a commentary on this thing called aging.
My daughter texted me, asking if my upcoming birthday next month was the one where I would turn fifty. F I F T Y. My daughter thinks I am turning F I F T Y years old. FIVE. ZERO. I need a bigger font. Simple pseudo shouting will not cut it. I’m not turning fifty. Not next month. Not next…
