Mother’s Day Zinnia

I am not a gardener.  Not by any stretch of anyone’s imagination.  But I can think of one particular flower I have always been proud of:  The zinnia I planted in class and brought home for mother’s day when I was about seven years old. I look back at this picture of me after having … Continue reading →

I do what I want!

#10 found her rebellious side in Hawaii! Continue reading →

My husband has a Cady sense of humor.

I was recently on a birthday trip to Hawaii my husband had arranged for me and a few girlfriends. It’s okay to swoon, ladies. I think of how kind he is, and I swoon a little, too. He had no idea the weather was going to be as HORRIBLE as it was.  It’s the thought … Continue reading →

Mystery Party Excitement!

I grew up in a home of Mystery Game writers. From the time I was in Middle School, I tested the crazy parties Dad wrote and Mom tried to reign in and edit. Sometimes I played with my friends, sometimes I hung out with a bunch of “old” people and filled in one of the … Continue reading →

Pumpkin Soup!

The words, “Pumpkin Soup” are wrought with meaning in our family. For myself, I imagine a ginormous sunken pumpkin filled with soup – the only part of which I was willing to eat being the black olives. Nevertheless, in my bowl was plopped a liquidy slosh of soup, onions, ground beef, peppers, black olives, and … Continue reading →

The Flannel Shirt

My high school freshman came to me the other night asking for help for homecoming week.  They were having a “Pacific Northwest” day, and she desperately needed a flannel to wear the next day.  DESPERATELY. The clock told me that the mall was closed, and my impatience with her lack of planning told me that … Continue reading →

Ode to the Sick Day

I am sick. I want to curl up on our slightly scratchy couch wrapped in a homemade quilt sipping Apple Cider, Top Ramen, and orange juice and watch The Price is Right. If I was nauseous, add some saltines and a loaf pan. That was my childhood sickness ritual. Nothing fancy. Nothing flashy.  There was not … Continue reading →

The Dude Ranch

I was sitting and reminiscing with my sisters this weekend, and the topic of camping came up. Dad was an outdoors man who loved hunting and fishing and camping, but by the time I came around, his heart said wilderness, his body said recliner. The compromise we came to was what we in the family … Continue reading →

My Brother, Matt!

Matt’s birthday was this month.  We don’t talk about him very much because he’s not one of the four sisters, but here’s a little about him.  Matt is funny, a hard worker, smart, and a great father. I’m so lucky to have him as a big brother. Continue reading →

Christmas Caroling

Christmas Carols This Monday is our family’s annual Christmas Caroling party.  We invite a bunch of people over, and whoever makes it, makes it.  I fill up about a dozen crockpots of delicious hot drinks, and we wander the neighborhood singing Christmas carols. We get all sorts of responses.  We’ve had people leave their car … Continue reading →