Dear Ru, Three weeks ago yesterday, your daddy called me and asked if I’d looked outside lately. I hadn’t, but I did. There was black smoke billowing up, just down the road. And the wind was blowing like crazy. On a very, very hot summer day. Instantly, I was just a few years older than…
Ru, You fell out of your bed twice last night. I believe that was a first, and you’ve been sleeping in it all summer! Of course, the first time had nothing to do with the fact that after we tucked you in and closed the door you moved about half of your stuffed animal menagerie…
Dearest, As with so many, many things in my life, my memories of September 11, 2001, are all intertwined with memories of you. My dad, brother Will, and I had gotten up early that morning. We were driving here to help your family with building your parents’ home. The Country radio station was on (it…
August 31, 2010 Dear Mary Kate, Was it really just a year ago this morning that your big sister walked into the hospital room to find “the baby” out of mommy’s tummy in the form of you? Was it really just a year ago today that we brought you home to the beginnings of a…
My recipe book falls open to page 402 every time, the page with our new favorite recipe: potato bread. Homemade bread made with homegrown potatoes—you can’t get much better than that! And we love to make at least one of the loaves each batch into a cinnamon swirl loaf my daughter calls “Cinn’ Bread.” The…
Hey, Hey, Good Lookin’, whatcha got cookin’ How’s about cookin’ somethin’ up with me Hey, sweet baby, don’t you think maybe We could find us a brand new reci-pe. Hank Williams Jr. Hey Good Lookin’ Husband of Mine! I wish I could remember which visit it was that I first saw this little oven and…
Sometimes, I want to run away. When the laundry is never-ending, when the dishes pile up, when the little ones won’t be trained, when the crazy gets a little too crazy… I just want a break from it all. A moment to close my eyes, breathe slowly, and hear myself think. But then I remember…
Dear Ruth Ann, It was Sunday after church. We stopped at the gas station. You just had to go use the little girl’s room, despite the fact that we’d be home soon. We stumbled back out through the doors of the gas station—tired girls, you and me, ready for our Sunday afternoon nap. Our carriage…
We’re old-fashioned. We like antiques. Old books. And love letters written with paper and ink. Obviously, we understand and appreciate the advance of technology. You’re reading this on a blog (shortened from web log, lest we forget), after all. My brother did court his girlfriend via Skype when she was in China. My grandma does…
Dear Mary Katey, If I’d have known how well you would sleep in the crib with bumper pads, I’d have bought a toddler bed for your sister long ago. The adorable crib you were using had solid ends, and so we couldn’t tie our bumper pads in it. Consequently, since you like to sleep horizontally…
“What is it with women and ginger?” my husband wanted to know. He’d been to town, and returned with our favorite treat: Haagen-Dazs! We love it when those little 14 oz. containers go on sale. They still cost more than Dryers or Tillamook. But they are so creamy and rich you only need a few…
Dear Ruth Ann, On Saturday, you went to your very first parade. You were in awe of the fire trucks and sirens. You adored the little cars. You were mesmerized by the horses. But what made your day was the red “babboon.” You’ve been talking for months about how you wanted a balloon for your…
The End.
The End.
