A mother's adventures in fitness and food while living on a budget.
The week after our first garden post, we had two storms with high-speed wind gusts and a frost warning. The plants survived everything. Some of our posts and sticks we set up for the pea shoots got knocked out of the ground or were slanted. But it’s all good. A few weeks ago, I transplanted … Continue reading Garden update — April 23, 2020
The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places.Author and explorer Ernest Hemingway “I feel like a fraud just waiting for someone to find me out.” “That explains a lot ... let’s go get some wine and shop local!” I open up my soul and am asked to buy alcohol at … Continue reading Breaking away from the lies
In March, about a month after his 16th birthday, Caesar died. As a dachshund -- our oldest of three dogs we have had for the past eight years -- he lived a full life. To celebrate his adventuring spirit, we took a trip somewhere new, Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia. Caesar swam in the Tennessee River … Continue reading Adventure: Williamsburg, Virginia
We have been under a stay-at-home order for several weeks. School has been out for a month. We bought food when the stay-at-home order started. But sometime you look at the cabinet and think “What are we going to eat?” When we lived in West Virginia, snow was a common winter occurrance. One of the … Continue reading Recipe: Kitchen sink soup
The first time I worked on a garden, I helped my grandparents pick strawberries at a pick-your-own farm. Tons of delicious strawberries to eat raw, in my grandma’s jam and over ice cream and shortcake. I saw the end result, not all the work involved in getting those strawberries to grandma’s kitchen. Picking strawberries is … Continue reading Gardening: A newbie’s take
BUXTON, North Carolina — To close out 2019 and kick-off 2020, our family visited Buxton, a village on the Outer Banks that is home to the Cape Hatteras National Park, home of the famous lighthouse. Because it is the winter, many Outer Banks hotels have reduced room prices. For example, we paid $65, plus tax, … Continue reading Bookend adventure: Buxton, NC
LAKE PHELPS , North Carolina — This spot in Washington County is the second largest acre lake in the state of North Carolina. The historical marker about Lake Phelps. It’s over 44,000 years old and Indian artifacts dating back 11,000 years have been found in the lake bed. For this particular adventure, my family visited … Continue reading 2019’s last adventures — Lake Phelps
"You know, we don't laugh much around the house," my almost 9-year-old said as we walked home from yet another school event. Don't ask why we walked. It's a long story for another time. "We laugh," his older brother and I said in unison. "You fake laugh all the time, Mom." "No, that's real laughter," … Continue reading 2019 … the need for laughter
PIPSICO SCOUT RESERVATION -- I have been quiet. Fearful of what I will say, and what will be inferred from what is left unsaid. I'm tired, so tired. It was work related, but now, I'm recovering from a three-day, two-night camping trip that enlightened me, filled my cup with gratitude and left me utterly spent. … Continue reading Oh, oh Pipsico
As a kid, my mom made a good portion of my clothes. We'd travel to Jo Ann Fabrics and flip through these giant books filled with various patterns. If we were lucky, they'd have some out-of-date ones I'd take home and trace to make my own fashions. We'd pick colors on the color palette designated … Continue reading Making peace with high-waters
