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Liturgy of the Ordinary
For the delay brew setting on my coffee maker and the can of pumpkin whipped cream in my fridge;
I give thanks.
For a few minutes of early morning quiet with a pen in my hand and steaming cup of coffee by my side;
I give thanks.
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Gift Guide: Writers
If you are shopping for a writer this year—or you are a writer looking for some ideas to give your friends and family—this list is for you!
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Gift Guide: SWIMMERS
If you are shopping for a swimmer this holiday season, you are in the right place! Read on for a gift guide dedicated to the swim life!
Art In Bloom
I’ve collected quotes for years and years: somewhere in the attic, I still have a tattered blue spiral notebook I started my freshman year of high school. It’s filled with quotes and song lyrics (had to save all those potential AIM away messages somewhere, right?).
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2023: Streamline
Intentional. Simplify. Invest. Persevere. Small.
For the last five years, these have been the words I’ve chosen as my word of the year.
When I started thinking about my 2023 word, I was tempted to return to a few of these.
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Favorite Books of 2022
According to Goodreads, I read 103 books in 2022. And, because I can’t resist jumping in on the best-of-2022 list fun, these are my ten favorites.
The Carpool Line
The first hint of a fall breeze trickles into my gold Honda Odyssey as I reach across the passenger seat to find my carpool tag. In the rearview mirror, I see my toddler kicking his bare feet, his shoes and socks joining the army of others scattered across the floor of my minivan.
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Why I Spent A Whole Day…
Why I spent a whole day redesigning my website when my to-do list was a million miles long:
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Tweetsie Railroad: A Day in Photos
An adventure back in time to the Wild Wild West at Tweetsie Railroad in Blowing Rock, NC.
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The Very Best Grocery Shopper
"Mom, you know what?" piped up my first grader from the back of the minivan. He was eating cereal from a cup on the way to school because he'd overslept and hadn't had time for breakfast at home.
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The Introvert In Me
“I need just a few minutes,” I tell my kids through clenched teeth, my voice unnaturally strained. I pick up my iPad, clicking play on an audiobook before I lock the screen and hand it off to my eight-year-old, who scampers off to his room. The voice of the Percy Jackson narrator trails behind him down the stairs as I consider his younger brothers.
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Slow Start to Summer
Summer is officially here. We celebrated the last day of school on Friday, along with a birthday for my now-six-year-old. Last week was a whirlwind; field day, yearbook distribution, swim practice, birthday prep. I thought I could do a quick turnaround over the weekend—take care of the neglected laundry and dishes, plan out our summer schedule, and be ready to start summer off with a bang.
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Searching for Stories
I’m always searching for stories. I love to wander through the antique store or vintage shop and imagine all the lives these objects have lived before. In early April, I was weaving my way through rows of vintage clothes, stacks of blue and white Pyrex dishes, and mid-century modern furniture when I came across a basket of old postcards.
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Force of Love
My children love me with a violent force.
Their energizer bunny energy
knocks me over,
their exuberance bruises.
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Unsolved Mysteries: The Case of the Missing Puzzle Piece
Raleigh, NC: The puzzle was in the three-year-old’s possession for less than 48 hours when the piece went missing. After the initial excitement of finding a jumbo-sized Treasure Map puzzle in his basket on Easter morning, the box was left unopened for most of the day.
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The Antique Store
I walked into an antique store on Friday, spent an hour
sorting through the remnants of other people's lives,
the pieces someone else thought were worth saving.
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The World Keeps Turning
The weather was perfect; an early-spring stretch of seventy degree days with blue skies overhead, the puffy cotton ball clouds in the sky a sharp contrast to the ominous headlines of a new virus making its way around the world.
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What I’m Really Saying
Dear children—
When I put down my book to tuck you in for the seventh time, I’m really saying:
I love you.