Christmas was always a very special time of the year around our house as I was growing up. Christmas was my mom’s favorite holiday and she always made the season full of magic and wonder for us kids. I have numerous memories of baking cookies, searching for the perfect Christmas tree, and hiding presents around…

When my husband and I first got married, we lived for about six months in his apartment in the city. It was my first time living in town so it was a learning curve for me. It took some time for me to grow accustomed to the different noises, as well as the abundance of…

It all started in November of 2001. I didn’t know then that a fundraising event with the local 4-H group would lead to meeting my future husband. How It All Began It all started on the Day After Thanksgiving, or what retail workers call DAT. I was helping a local 4-H group with a gift…

Many different things come to mind when I think of childhood memories from Christmas time. There are stories about waking up early to see if Santa came, baking sugar cookies with Mom, and visiting relatives. One of the family traditions that stands out amongst the rest is the yearly trek to the Christmas Tree farms.…

For as long as I can remember, my mom would do sewing alterations for family and friends. She had a small sewing room that would be heaped with discarded coats waiting for zippers, and new pairs of blue jeans that needed hemmed. There was always a pile and never enough time. Along with the day-to-day…

I started dating my husband about 22 years ago. He was 22 and I was 25 at the time. I will never forget the first time that I met Brian’s extended family. There was a birthday party at his parent’s house. Aunts, uncles, and cousins were in attendance, as well as Grandma Alice and Grandpa…

Growing up, Mom always wanted us to participate with our local 4-H group and take animals to the county fair. If you have never experienced this, it’s not simply a matter of loading the animals on the day the fair starts and taking them to the fairgrounds. It involves a lot of time and effort…

Lately, I’m feeling old. I’m not the young mom with the little babies anymore. While I’m happy about that, (emphatically happy, vigorously happy, beyond ecstatic happy), I just can’t believe that my twins are now Sophomores in high school and will be leaving for college in three short years. Listening to them talk about their…