"Life" Books

  • "Life" Books,  Aunt-ing,  Children,  Consider This...,  Friends & Neighbors,  GRANDparents,  Pass it On...

    Diapers to Diamonds and Beyond

    Time. Somedays is seems like forever ago. Then somedays it feels like just yesterday. Children make my heart come alive, the bursting with joy, cannot hide how happy I am, kind of alive! Join me as I share a few glimpses of life recently, and why this is so. This summer I have to honor of attending two weddings of children, now young adults, that I cared for when they were little. Do you know how many emotions comes with this? A LOT! I am incredibly proud of who they have grown to be and who they have chosen to continually follow and depend on! I am also very encouraged…

  • "Life" Books,  Being "Single",  Let's be Real

    Self-Love: Has It Gone Too Far?

    Sologamy or Self-marriage: “the act of symbolic expression of self-love and an affirmation of deep, meaningful relationship with one’s self.” Yep. Let this one soak in. Okay, I’m fired up! I have been trying to talk myself down since reading this news story, but I just can’t let this one go. To be clear, I am not casting any judgement, nor do I have the slightest clue what life is like for the women in this story. However, I am a single woman in my 30s and this story bothers me for many reasons. A little more about this new concept: most of these women are have complete wedding ceremonies-…

  • "Life" Books,  Chronic Illness,  Family,  Friends & Neighbors,  Let's be Real

    Simply Prepared

    Let me start off with asking you a question: Have you ever had a day, a week, a month, or a year, that you have to keep reminding yourself, just do today? Otherwise you think you might explode! If you have, welcome my friend. I hope that you find this post helpful and hopeful in some way today! Now, let me lead with a few facts about myself before we dive in. 1. The following “advice” (not sure if that’s what I should call it- but I’m going with it for todayπŸ˜‚) comes from my life of live, learn, make mistakes, get back up again experiences and self-educated research. 2.…

  • "Life" Books,  Family,  Memories,  Siblings

    Five Things I Want My Brother to Remember

    Today, I will be writing about five things I want my brother to always remember. As you read I pray that either you will be encouraged to reach out to your sibling, or reflect on your childhood, or the environment you are providing for the children in your life at this very moment. With this in mind, let’s jump right in! 😊 Growing up with you as my brother, I wouldn’t have it any other way! There is no other “childhood” that I would or could imagine that could possibly be any better! You were and are my personal one man comedy entertainment, and you don’t even mean to be…

  • "Life" Books,  Aunt-ing,  Family,  Friends & Neighbors,  GRANDparents,  Pass it On...

    Where’s the Village?

    ALERT: Searching for multigenerational villages investing in the lives of children! Anyone who sees or identifies one, praise Jesus! There IS HOPE!!!! 😊 First of all, let me establish I am a big believer in watching the news. Honestly this has come from my multigenerational influences. Grandparents telling stories of how they would gather around the radio to hear the news – and then being able to see the advances in technology, into 24/7 news channels for them, could be compared to going from no phone to a iPhone for teens today. They were in awe and constantly engaged. It’s just the way technology advances and has influence on us.…

  • "Life" Books,  Family,  GRANDparents,  Memories

    A Legacy of Playing Together

    "Our Sunday school is over. And we are going home. Goodbye, Goodbye. Be always kind and true. Goodbye, we will always be kind and true." Did your grandparents sing this song? My grandma sang this song almost every time we left my grandparents house! She always had little songs that we weren’t sure if she made up or if they were actual songs, but she was very convincing. (The Sunday School song is an actual song πŸ˜‚ I did my research!) My grandma would have been ninety-four yesterday. She ran ahead to Jesus in 2012 just a couple months before my Paw-Paw, her husband. She grew up with four brothers,…

  • "Life" Books,  Indeed!,  Pass it On...

    Thirteen Years

    Wowzers! It has been thirteen years since I began the adventure into the world of small business! This past weekend, to be exact, was my first debut. An outdoor festival, the one and only outdoor booth I ever did! Hahaha! We moved to indoor booths from then on. I have experienced highs and lows, defeat and success. It hasn’t been all rainbows and butterflies, but it has been a learning and growing process that has brought me to today. For that I am extremely grateful. So how about I pass along some lessons learned in the retail business (which can also be applied to a lot of life): Just a…

  • "Life" Books,  Consider This...,  Let's be Real

    Blood on our Hands

    Today, my heart is heavy. My mind is in advocate mode. My body is tense and is perturbed. And I am being nudged to speak up. I must and I will. No politics. Just facts and a few questions that we must ask ourselves. “We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, ensure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” -Preamble, The Constitution of the United States of America Let me start by defining some…

  • "Life" Books,  Family,  Let's be Real,  Pass it On...

    Household Blueprints

    What were (or are) the values, virtues, rules in your home that hold the greatest importance? I have a love for words, so let me define these three for us. Values: to rate or scale in usefulness, importance, or general worth. Evaluate. Appreciate. Respect. Virtue: a commendable quality or trait. Character. Honesty. Integrity. Morality. Righteousness. Decency. Rules: a prescribed guide for conduct or action. Blueprint. Guideline. We hear this words used over and over, and honestly I get the meanings confused. Here is how I think of it: If I desire to live a life full of virtues, then this will define what my core values must be, and when…

  • "Life" Books,  Family,  GRANDparents,  Memories,  Pass it On...

    The Legacy of Quality Time

    Today, I have the privilege and honor to celebrate my Paw-Paw. Yesterday was his birthday, and if he was still here on this side of heaven, he would have celebrated his 93rd birthday! Although I miss him greatly, I know we will see him again. Just as my brother said to him on one of his last visits, “Until tomorrow, Paw-Paw.” We are only promised this moment, and he indeed lived in the moment. He took the events that life threw at him and he made the most of the moments. Just a quick snapshot of some of those life events: 1. his dad passed away when my Paw-Paw was…