During my childhood years, the holiday known as “Easter” was often referred to as “Resurrection Sunday.” This is quite understandable, as the whole reason Christians celebrate it is the fact that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. Lately, there has been a lot of fuss on Facebook concerning a remark from a reporter. This person is supposed to have stated that this is the first year our nation will not be celebrating Easter. People have been indignant about this declaration…..
I can’t let October get away without featuring apple recipes. I have collected them for years and have tried lots of them along the way. Several years ago, a friend of mine called me the “apple lady” because she was fascinated with all the different things I made with them. I used to spend a lot of hours at the orchard picking our favorite varieties. When the season for harvesting apples was over, my freezer would be full of them,…..
When I spend time reminiscing about former times, I recall long-time friends, former pets, and favorite places. For some reason, this morning I started thinking about old cars. If they could talk, each of them would have lots of stories to tell. The first vehicle I remember was a light green Chevrolet my parents dubbed “Old Huldy.” It may have been a 1949 model, I am not totally sure, but it came from somewhere around that year. The back of…..
One of the most frequent comments I hear about my column is, “I love the stories about your grandchildren!” So for those readers who enjoy them, this one’s for you! Elijah (2-1/2) is the source of the latest stories. He seems to have taken his older sister Vivian’s spot as a main source of family humor. Heather (his mother) called me one day and asked if I had time for an Elijah story. Of course I did! She had taken…..
I love books. Maybe a little too much. I could not even begin to say how many hours of my life have been spent reading. Sometimes it has been for inspiration, sometimes for education or instruction, but the majority of it has been reading for pleasure. Some books combine the previously-mentioned reasons, which makes time spent reading even more enjoyable. After I became an author myself, I have had more opportunity to meet other authors. I met Mary Wilkinson at…..
I sorted through a lot of Christmas decorations trying to decide which ones I wanted to use this year. Many of them brought back fond memories of my husband and children, especially the Christmas stockings that I had made for each of us. One stocking, however, took me even further back. When I was preschool age, my Aunt Barbara sewed preprinted flannel stockings for my sisters and me. We used them for a year or two, but then our parents…..
The definition of an anniversary: “the yearly recurrence of the date of a past event” (www.dictionary.com). Some we look forward to, such as wedding anniversaries and birthday anniversaries. However, there are those we do not anticipate. As much as I have loved the month of October, now it holds one of those dreaded anniversary days – the date of my husband’s graduation to Heaven. For some reason, this year it has really hit me hard. I think it is because…..
Sometimes it seems that the road of life is a struggle. There are smooth places along the way, yet they often come after we have faced a particularly difficult stretch of road. One thing that has never failed to help me is the power of prayer. Even when it feels like my prayers are bouncing off the ceiling, I have the assurance that God is listening and working in ways I cannot understand. This truth was reinforced by a recent…..
September has arrived, and with it came my daughter, Molly. She was on her way home to Illinois from New Jersey, where she has been living since December, having been on active duty assignment with the Air Force for the past several months. Although eager to see her husband and children, Molly gladly spent a couple of days with her mother. How much can you cram in two days, especially when you have recipes you want to try, and not…..
Summer is winding rapidly to a close. Nights are becoming cooler, and it is getting dark much earlier. However, summer still has one last hurrah – Labor Day. I was having trouble deciding on which recipe(s) to delete out of the ones I selected but decided to cut the story short and use them all. Have a safe and enjoyable end-of-summer holiday! Toasted Pecan-Broccoli-and-Cauliflower Salad 2/3 cup chopped pecans 1-1/2 cups light mayonnaise OR salad dressing 1/2 cup sugar…..