I have dealt with death before.  I have even lost loved ones to cancer before.  Nothing has ever been as difficult as this.  A piece of happiness is gone that I can't get back. I can't even write much about it yet but hope to be able to some day.  For now I will just lay out what I can: I met Debbie in Kindergarten.  We became best friends in the 4th grade.  We became "The Debbies" We grew from awkward little girls together.  We ended up at the s...

Here's a picture of Ryan (my son) playing catcher.

One of these days in the distant future, perhaps I'll write a book about the extraordinary things that happen in very ordinary lives.  Today I will just write a small blog about the one twist in my life that I find the most unexpected.  You would probably think that the thing that I find most unexpected after growing up with a very 80s version of Little House on The Prairie lifestyle would be ending up wealthy .  Not for me. The biggest surprise in my life so far is t...

I usually have a heck of a time adjusting to losing an hour.  I don't mind "Falling Back" quite as much.  I was quite concerned how things would go with the baby but she's adjusting without a single problem. My parents helped the time change go easy on me.  My hubby and I went on a date night Saturday so my parents stayed the night with the kids.  They wore the baby out and my mom had the brilliant idea to give her oatmeal in the evening so her tummy was nice and full whic...

I believe that a HomeMaker and a HouseKeeper are very different things.  I, for one, am a very good HomeMaker but a less than good HouseKeeper (at least right now with a toddler).  I am not a person that can't sleep if there's a dirty dish or some other mess.  I know very well it will still be there in the morning. I do think that I am quite good at home making though.  I can take an empty house and make it quite cozy quite quickly.  I also fill the home with wonderfu...

I love the change of seasons here in Michigan but I am done with Winter!  I am so sick of the bitter cold, snow, and all the fun sicknesses that come along with the dry, cold weather.  We need some sunshine and warm air now! Last week we discovered that our cottage ran out of propane and froze.  Luckily our builders used a new kind of pipe that expands and nothing burst.  Our school was not as lucky over the mid-winter break.  Pipes burst and there was a lot of water ...

I'm 37 yrs old and just got my first ticket.  Was it for doing 100mph down the highway in a sports car?  No, it was for going 35mph in a 30mph zone in my mini van. The officer was very nice and looked to be about 10yrs my junior.  He asked me if I knew why he pulled me over and I honestly told him I unfortunately did not.  He told me I was going 5mph over the limit and asked if I had any tickets on my record.  I told him I had a very clean record and then he took my l...

This morning my oldest son said something on his way to school that really made me feel "I have the best life ever!"  He was holding the praying mantis he caught at Nana & Papa's house (that's my parents) with his backpack on and I was giving him a kiss and telling him I love him and to have a good day like I always do when he turned and said "I love you too mommy.  You know you are the best mom I know of".  How great is that?! My husband is my best friend who I love more t...

As I sit here at my desk in my kitchen and see my calculator that reads "80085" or, according to my 8yr old son, "BOOBS",  I hear my two beautiful, healthy, happy boys playing with each other in the family room.  I feel protected by the unconditional love I have from my husband and family.  I have everything that is truly important and so much more! I will be 35 tomorrow.  Over a third of my life is over.  Sometimes that scares me or washes me with a sense of sad...

Spring came just in time for me. My 7yr old was on mid-Winter break last week and had slept in late and stayed up late all that week. Yesterday was a beautiful day and all the kids were outside playing. Hide-and-go-seek, tag, swings, trampolene, mud, you name it, they were all over it. This allowed me to put them to bed at 9 and actually have them conk out. There is just something about the Spring air and the prospect of grass greening and flowers blooming. It gives me a boost. Fresh ...