Planning for the 2020 Holidays: Remember What’s Most Important

Today is the first day of fall and already I am planning for the holidays. I’m not one of those people who starts watching Christmas movies in July or has all their gifts wrapped by Labor Day. I am thinking ahead and planning early because our Christmas will look different […]

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Just In Time for the Holidays–Another Way to be a Soft Place to Land

Last week I talked about being a soft place for my kids to land by being an encourager instead of a fixer. Over the weekend another aspect of being a soft place to land came to my mind. With the holidays fast approaching, our college and adult kids will be […]

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Why Our Staycation Was Worth the Work and Worry

We did it! Staycation was a huge success! My goal for our week together in our home was to put relationship roots down deeper, have fun, and make lifetime memories. We all agree that we did so! The food, decorations, and activities were only to provide fertile ground for the […]

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Staycation Eve

You know what’s coming on the blog today, don’t you? Yep, today is Staycation Eve. It felt like a holiday eve, too. I had a long grocery list to shop for. The house needed to be put in order and I finally put the gift bags together. And of course, […]

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If Cinnamon Rolls Could Talk

I made and froze these cinnamon rolls today for, you guessed it, staycation. I’m pretty sure I haven’t made them since Christmas. One of the girls requested them, so of course, we shall have them. Cinnamon rolls speak “cozy family time” to me. While I spread the soft butter across […]

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Homemade Biscuits for The Grand

I made these biscuits today for The Grand. He has several food allergies and is quite restricted on the number of baked goodies that are safe for him. I love to bake for my family but The Grand cannot have any of the treats I make for everyone else. He […]

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The Science of Staycation

At the end of every day I like to record a little bit about it in my little notebook. It’s just part of who I am. I write a little about what made me smile or what was life-giving in that day. Today one of my life-giving moments was talking […]

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Dreams Come True (Sometimes when We’re not Looking)

When the kids were little we had a Sesame Street book about the four seasons. A few of the pages showed a family’s backyard and how it changed with each season. It also showed the family doing seasonal activities in their backyard. This family happened to have a little pond […]

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The Icing On My Cake

I can’t wait to show you the full picture of what Gene is doing in this picture. It’s a surprise for the kids when they are here at staycation next month so no more pictures until afterwards. I’m not terribly creative, especially compared to the rest of the family. So […]

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Pizza Night

When the kids were all living at home or came home from college, I almost always made pizza for Friday supper. To me it says, Family is together. So any time the kids are here for Friday night supper, it’s gotta be pizza. Tonight Kelsey, Caleb, and The Grand were […]

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