Happy Home

He or She?

This time, I wanted to discover the answer to that question in a fun way. Perhaps a trip to an exotic place where John and I run up a long, grassy hill and some random person hands us an envelope at the top …like they do on The Amazing Race or something. Perhaps while dining at our favorite restaurant, pink or blue confetti drops out of the ceiling. Or I open a… read more

On Dyeing Eggs. And Coming Alive!

I’m almost ready for Easter, now that I’ve cleared out the leftover Valentine’s paraphinilia, brought some greens in, thought about planting seeds, gotten my life back, and then got buried in seven inches of snow. Ok, so maybe not quite ready for Easter, but I’m definitely ready for Spring! Ready for baby chicks and robin eggs and the color… read more

A Tea-Stained Valentine.

My little beanstalk has been talking about Valentine’s Day for weeks now. “Mama, I made something for you. It’s for Valentime’s…Mama, when is it going to be Valentime’s…?? Mama…are you going to make something for me?” You would think it was Christmas or something. I knew when I drug my half-nauseous pregnant self out of bed this… read more

Gingerbread Houses and Priceless Moments.

This was going to be my previous post. But then a bunch of school children were killed by a gunman, and I couldn’t stop crying long enough to write about gingerbread houses. Now that I have momentarily composed myself, I am going to attempt it today. This is the stuff that helps us heal, anyway, isn’t it? It… read more

My Mother’s Daughter.

Sometimes I catch a glimpse of my Mom, in the mirror. I catch myself saying things that sound just. like. her. But never am I more my mother’s daughter, than when I am decorating a birthday cake for MY daughter. Well, ok, except when I suddenly decide to bake cookies at nine o-clock on a Saturday night.… read more

Spiderwebs, Skulls, and Stress.

It is the last day in October and I am drying my rosemary-scented hair in the bright, mid-afternoon sun. Beanstalk is playing, uh, learning at school, and that gives me two and a half hours of uninterrupted “me” time. Time to reflect. Meditate. Write. Create. Time to   de-stress. It is also Halloween, but I really could… read more

Life. Outside the Lenses.

I love to give my camera to a child and let them have at it. That’s what I did Saturday, at the Farmer’s Market. I gave my camera to Judah. He is seven. And this is what I got: His Mother and I desperately needed some sunshine and fresh air, after having been cooped up,… read more

Waking Up, Mad.

My heart has always been broken for the poor. For as long as I can remember I have been moved with compassion toward those in need. Lord knows, I have sent many prayers to the orphans, a happy thought to the depressed, a tear, a hug. To someone. But today, that is not enough. The world is too upside-down. It… read more

On Weddings and Doing it Over.

My brother got married this weekend. He did the right thing and married the bright-eyed, young woman of his childhood dreams. And I did the usual girl thing and cried. I cried when I saw the bride throw her arms around her daddy. I cried when he walked her down the aisle. I definitely cried… read more

When I get big…

“I wanna be a donkey.” Only my child would say that. I took her out for some oatmeal, (yes, oatmeal!) at the Corner Bakery today and I got to ask her some very important questions. Like what she wanted to be when she grows up. You know, like a baker, since she loves baking cookies,… read more