June 1, 2026 We celebrated a recent birthday in our family at this quiet, secluded park. “Mommy, I can’t wait to go on those big bridges!” said one of my sons as we prepared for a day of shopping. “They are neat, aren’t they, buddy?” I responded but secretly wished we didn’t have to drive in the tangled web of bridges, crisscrossing like basket weaves. Weaving our way up and over the bridges, we made our way into the “big” city for a once-a-month shopping run motivated by a low supply of...

May 25, 2026 Before refinishing the table and chairs--a real life view! Another before shot of the table and chairs Last summer I started refinishing my kitchen table and chairs. It’s been quite the long, drawn-out process! What took me so long last summer was deciding exactly how I wanted to stain the seats which took a lot of trial and error with many little cans of stain. I also had a hard time deciding on the color, and although it did not quite get mixed right at the hardware store, it...

May 18, 2026 I'm finally getting around to painting the other three chairs that I didn't get to last summer! It was almost 11:00 in the morning, and there I stood, still in my pajamas, not even having exercised or showered (2 activities I try to accomplish early in the day). My children had asked to make biscuits and gravy for breakfast. Knowing the sacrifice of time this breakfast would require, I said, “yes,” and so began the floury preparations. After the delicious breakfast was cooked and...