Favorite Things

Here are a few of my latest top picks of favorite things. Take a look! You might get a few holiday gift ideas!

Gravenstein Apple Balsamic
This fall I took a solo trip to the Adirondack Mountains to visit my sister and her husband. I had to stop at the Saratoga Olive Oil store. This time I discovered an amazing flavorful balsamic. It has the sweetness of apples mixed with a mild tartness. Salad can get boring, but this balsamic was the perfect ingredient to entice me to fix more veggies. saratogaoliveoil.com

Road iD
I finally bit the bullet and got my own road id bracelet. If you are a runner, hiker, biker, walker, or any other kind of adventurer that ever goes it alone you should consider carrying some kind of identification in the event of an emergency. Picking out the color and content for my Road iD bracelet was fun and easy. Now I just clip it on and go! https://www.roadid.com

Craft Storm Tights
Looking for the perfect tights to keep you warm on a run, cross country ski trail or ice skating? Check out these super comfy tights with fleece on the inside and a waterproof outer layer. I wear these as a single layer on 25F-40F days. https://www.craftsports.us

Grove Collaborative
I joined Grove this year and received a free gift of Mrs. Myers soaps. I LOVE these hand soaps! The fragrances are light as if they are fresh from nature. My favorites so far are Orange Clove and Apple Cider. Really, all of Mrs. Myers hand soaps are great! Check out Grove Collaborative...you might get a free gift and then you can subscribe and get your favorite soaps and nature friendly products in the mail.  mrs. myers hand soap.

Happier Podcast
I have become a little obsessed with this podcast. I love the practical suggestions Gretchin Rubin and her sister Elizabeth Craft offer for encountering every day happiness. Their connection as sisters also strikes a chord with me as one of four girls in my own family. I can't wait to dive into the topic of habits in Gretchin's book Better Than Before to kick off the new year! (gretchin rubin) If you are looking for a fun way to add some positive action into your life try out this podcast on iTunes.

Holiday Scents
This time of year is an especially aromatic one. When I think of Christmas, the fragrances of gingerbread and the clove-covered oranges I made with my mom when I was a little girl come to mind. While I don't love all the essential oil types of products out there, I have come across a few that make my home smell refreshing and Christmassy. Check out Merry and Bright drops to add to a special ornament that you can hang anywhere (mine is in the bathroom)merry and bright essentail oil. I received a fun Christmas gift last week! A DIY room spray that smells like a hint of pine with cloves and oranges. Check out Krista's amazing site for that room spray recipe as well as lots of essential oils info and tips: under the myrtle tree.

Sleek and Shine Serum
Struggle with thick frizzy hair? Don't want to pay $40.00 for the special oil from the salon? We've been using Garnier Fructis Sleek and Shine on my daughter's coarse curly hair and it's been a God-send. Her hair is smoother and much easier to blow dry after applying this citrus-scented serum we found at Target for $4.99.target.com

These are just a few of the favorite things that are making my life easier and happier.

What are your favorite things lately? Share a few in the comments below!!

Julie and Julia

   Over the past few months I've written a couple of book reviews and now it's time I guess for a movie review. I love the movie Julie and Julia. It just came out on Netflix and although I've seen it a few times already I began re-watching it. There are so many elements that strike a chord with me. Not bottom on the list is the fact that the modern day Julie began writing a blog and later it was turned into a book and then a movie. Wow! I love how she began her journey of writing and doing what she loved and was passionate about. She wasn't great at really anything at all and was doing an average job at the average workplace while living in a small apartment with her husband. Then all of a sudden she decided to try cooking all the recipes in an entire cookbook and blogging about it. After that, her life began to take on more sparkle and meaning.
   The movie flips back and forth from Julie to Julia Child who was seeking her next venture in life during the post WWII era. She and her husband were living in Paris and she needed something to occupy her time and took up French cooking at a local cooking school. She threw herself into the class and mastered the art of cooking. Now she is famous for her book Mastering the Art of French Cooking which she co-authored with Simone Beck and Loiusette Bertholle. One small step to try something new and interesting eventually turned into a true passion that made Julia Child a household name. (to find the two volume set: www.amazon.com/books/cooking)
   There is just something so powerful about doing what you are passionate about and seeing it flourish. All too easily we get stuck in the every day sorts of things that take up our time. It's all about perspective. What is keeping you from doing what you love? Most of us won't achieve world wide fame but we can enjoy the aspects of life that make us the happiest. It's the accumulation of the little joys in life that create a spark of the magical. I am passionate about being the one (together with my husband) to raise my children. But parenting is not always easy or satisfying. I need a change in my perspective at the end of nearly every day it seems like. However, if I remember to appreciate those little joys, my passion and vision are restored. Today my son crept quietly into my bedroom while I was trying to will myself out of bed on a dark and freezing morning. He said he was scared in the night and hopped into bed with me. We snuggled and whispered and soaked in the comfort of our Mama and little boy connection. There it was! The spark of love that keeps me going and fills me with gratitude and reminds me of my true passion in life. 
   What are YOU passionate about? Are you taking time to live out a passion you have? Post a comment!! I'd LOVE to hear from you!

On the Other Side of the Wall: Remember Me

   Grandma's Alzheimer's was a long process. The end stages lasted approximately eight years. Our whole extended family was confronted with the strange sadness that while Grandma sat in the chair she no longer knew us and the lady she had always been was long gone. For the younger members of our family there was no other grandma than the one with Alzheimer's. My youngest sister never knew her as anyone different than the one with the blank stare behind the eyes who shouted at the bathroom mirror. That's the thing about disease. We have the before disease period of time when life is status quo or normal and later we realize how precious that time was. Then once a disease sets in we have the disease phase of life. In the case of Alzheimer's the disease phase brings a forever change. If  Grandma had known what was happening to her, she would probably have told us to hold tightly to the memory of the lady she was before dementia's cruel dark fingers took hold of her.
   So who was Grandma? Who was she before Alzheimer's? How has the essence of Grandma lived on in us? She was happy, warm, friendly, and generous. She always seemed to be smiling and in the kitchen either cooking or cleaning up from our large family gatherings on birthdays and holidays. She wore bright red lipstick and always had her short hair fixed nicely and curled under. One of her favorite hobbies was writing; poetry in particular. I always thought I would find a diary of hers tucked away someplace in their house of the days when she was a girl like me. I don't know how, but she was aware that I liked to write and often asked me what I had been writing lately. She always asked what I wanted for my birthday and lists were scattered on the kitchen counter top, her slanted lines of cursive on the backs of letter-sized white envelopes spelling out the wishes of us grandchildren. Once we walked down the street to a small shop that sold toys and she bought me a small doll for a present. Grandma kept several bird feeders outside the dining room window where she could admire the birds while she ate a soft boiled egg for breakfast from a chintz egg cup with a spoon and drank coffee from a tea cup. When we stayed overnight at Grandma and Grandpa's house she made small round pancakes and Grandpa made a blueberry sauce to pour on top. Music was one of Grandma's favorite things. She loved playing the piano. After every concert or recital she attended she kept the program as a special memento of her family's many musical talents. If her children or grandchildren were performing, then she was there in the audience. Grandma loved flowers and enjoyed taking us around her gardens and showing us the latest blooms. My favorites were her bleeding heart plants, pink peonies, and the exotic venus fly trap she had growing by the front porch. She loved jewelry and had various jewelry boxes filled with costume jewelry that was so popular back in the day. Her house was filled with her collections of beauty: carnival glass, shells, rocks, and butterflies. Nature was important to her and deserved admiration. Grandma's faith was solid and the center of her life. She lead in prayer before meals and was active in ladies groups at church.
   Grandma's attributes live on in all of her grandchildren. Even her great grandchildren who never met her are like her in so many ways. What do my kids love most? Butterflies, rocks, shells, music, church, birthdays, baking, flowers. She must smile from heaven on all of us, happy to see us doing what she loved so much, keeping alive the loves of her life. How she would marvel at her transplanted peonies blooming in front of my house over eighty years since she first planted her own garden. Her love of  music, nature, and family gatherings continues to thrive in everyone of us in our extended family. The memory of Grandma is a powerful one and has triumphed over the changes Alzheimer's brought about in her.
   How will my children remember me? I hope that they will think of all the fun times splashing in the lake, laughing around the table after dinner, snuggling on the couch, going out for ice cream, and hearing my voice cheering them on at soccer and races. The future is unpredictable but we can take comfort in the fact that even when horrible diseases like Alzheimer's strike, the amazing power of memory will carry us to live on in those we have loved.

Homeschooling

Here is one of my latest blog posts for Global Student Network:
https://www.globalstudentnetwork.com/8-questions-to-prepare-you-for-the-coming-homeschool-year/

On the Other Side of the Wall: Making Memories Part 2

   My worst fear, I think, is getting Alzheimer's Disease. After seeing my grandmother suffer from the loss of  her mind and all of her memories I came to the conclusion that I never wanted to go through that myself. It was heartbreaking for us watching her more than it was for her personally, in my opinion. I'm not sure she ever really understood what exactly was happening to her at the beginning. Then as the disease progressed she became less and less aware of her life. Her own memory was washing away like words drawn in sand and then pulled out to sea with the tide. All that we had left of her were our memories. She was still alive but could not remember her past and her present life was a confusing fog of dots that wouldn't connect.
   Photos became even more important to me personally because they were something physical that was left of the happy times we spent together through the years with our grandparents. Since my great-grandfather was an avid photographer, I could even look at the past one hundred years of family picnics, jokes, vacations, and trips to the beach. There was the evidence of so many memories that were made.

That's why now as a mother of three children I am busy keeping track of the memories we make as family together. Our living room bookshelves are filling up with photo albums and I have five years of video clips that I need to burn onto DVD's for my kids to watch. I might even need to get a new large plastic bin to store my journals because the one I have is almost filled to the top. I guess I'm storing up my memories just in case.

   Do you have favorite memories? I do. We get so busy in life getting all of our work done; the dishes washed, the weeds pulled, the endless laundry folded that it may be hard to slow down a little and pay attention to life as it is happening. We may even be so busy grabbing our phones to take another selfie that we aren't fully experiencing the snapshots of life as they occur. One of my favorite "snapshots"  of my grandfather happened on a warm September day when he stopped by with a large cardboard box. I was out mowing the lawn as usual when I noticed his car in the driveway. I pulled the small ride-on mower up to the side of the garden and turned it off. As I was getting off, I looked over and there was Grandpa with the arms of his long sleeved white shirt rolled up to the elbows holding a large juicy nectarine he had picked from our tree. He was leaning forward savoring every bite and letting the juice drip to the ground in front of him. In my mind's eye I can see him clear as day. When he was done with the nectarine he walked slowly to the car and popped open the trunk and pulled out that cardboard box and handed it to me. It was my eighteenth birthday present. He had written the word North on the top of the box, something he often did with gifts: handwritten instructions for how to open it just so. I was excited he had remembered my birthday and I hoped it was the gift I had hinted at a few weeks prior. Sure enough when I opened it later, there was the white bowl and pitcher set I had spied in their attic one day when we had visited their house. I'm not sure why I was paying close attention to my grandfather that day. But boy am I glad now, that I took a minute to stop what I was doing to take that mental snapshot of my grandfather. It didn't just happen though. I had to stop for a minute to take notice and appreciate that picture of the grandpa I loved.
   One thing is for sure there is no guarantee of the future. We have no idea what will happen to our health or how long we will live. Now is the time to make memories with our loved ones and to also try to leave evidence of those memories to be cherished.

On the Other Side of the Wall: Making Memories Part One

   In June we took a homeschool field trip to a place I went to as a child: Oliver's Candies. I remember walking there with my grandmother when I was about eight years old. It was a small store with a counter, a cash register and a few shelves along the wall displaying a variety of chocolates. Today the store has expanded to even house an ice cream shop and they are making renovation plans to move the heavy machinery for the chocolate making to another location to allow more space for the store. We learned they ship chocolates all over the world and just shipped to Norway. Wow! How cool is that? The little place Grandma took me to has turned into a full fledged  home-made chocolate factory. My grandparents would be so proud! They brought those chocolates to nearly every family gathering and all of us feel nostalgic when we hear the name Oliver's Chocolates. After our tour and candy shopping I drove past my grandparents' house which is now a light gray color instead of mint green. I pointed to the front porch where we used to hang out when the weather was nice. The square milk box to the right of the front door was still there and I explained how the milk was delivered and put in there. As we drove down the road we passed the school playground where my siblings and I used to swing on the swings whenever we visited. A mile down from there we ate our picnic lunch at a park with friends in the shade of acres of enormously tall trees. I really loved being there in the town where I spent so many holidays growing up. Now my children have been there too and it just feels right. That's what's so great about making memories with our loved ones. We create places in our minds and hearts that just feel right and feel at home with the remembrance of those people we lived life fully with in those moments.
   This past week on the 4th of July was my niece's graduation party. She and her family traveled in from out of town to celebrate with the majority of our extended family that lives in Upstate NY. My kids had been counting down the days for about a month looking forward to seeing their cousins. Throughout that day, I'm sure a thought that came across each of the adults' minds was how time had gone by. When I look back at all the holidays, dinners, graduations, weddings, picnics I have spent with family I am thankful for the memories we have made. No, we don't see eye to eye on everything. But over the years we have gathered. We have celebrated. We have come together as family.
   When you have little children you are getting through each day as it comes. You are living so much in the hour to hour and day to day that you can't really think about even a year from then and what you and your kids will be doing. You are are consumed with keeping your little ones safe and happy through the bumps and bruises, the tears and laughter of early childhood. Now I am just barely past those days, with my youngest turning six soon and we are approaching the next phase with our kids. Making memories is a big part of life from here on out. As the cousins pulled out of our driveway after a week full of fun and drove around the bend there were instant tears from my oldest. Her big week of the cousins here was coming to an end. She will cherish every second they spent jumping into the pool, hiking in the woods, swimming in the lake, painting rocks, eating popsicles, painting nails, baking macaroons, watching fireworks, making music, shopping, playing games together. Making time for each other is important for the next group of cousins coming up. It's our job as the current group of adults, to continue making it all happen for our kids until they are parents and get to carry the baton for their families.

Favorite Things: June Favorites

It's time for a few more favorite things! Here are my picks for homeschooling and more.

Preschool Program
   For the past seven school years I have been busy homeschooling my three kids. It has been a journey for sure, full of ups and downs. When our now sixth grader was starting pre-school we chose a curriculum that was recommended to us by a close friend. She told me it was a fun hands-on, project driven program and all the supplies would come in a box. Since my daughter was loving arts and crafts at the time and I am not a super arts and craftsy kind of person this seemed like the perfect fit. I have used this program for all three of my kids and YES everything I needed came in the box. Readymade Preschool has been a fun way to kick off homeschooling for each of my kids!readymadepreschool.com

Paper
   We bought our home about fourteen years ago and I needed some packing paper. The huge roll lasted through our move and was still around in a closet a few years later when we started projects like painting with watercolors with our kids. That paper has come in SO handy. We love to use it as a "canvas" for the kids to get creative with or as a drop cloth for whatever projects we might be doing. I just fold it all up and throw it away when we are done. No need to clean the table, just throw away the paper.

Homeschool Blogging
   I was hired by Global Student Network this year to be one of their homeschool bloggers. It's been a thought-provoking challenge to write about my experiences with homeschooling. I'm thankful for the opportunity to write for GSN and grateful to play a small role in encouraging the homeschooling world. Here's a link to one of my favorite topics, staying connected as a homeschool parent. Not an Island: The Solution to Homeschool Isolation

Spring!
   It's SPRING in NY...need I say more? We waited about five months to get our springtime weather back. I love my gardens this time of year. My favorite flower, the peony, has blossomed and it's sweet rose-like fragrance has filled my home. Some of my peonies are from my grandmother's garden which makes them almost 100 years old.

Anne Morrow Lindberg
   About thirteen years ago a close friend of mine gave me the book Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindberg. I recently got it out and began to read it again. She was a writer and a mother. I found myself relating to what she had to say about making time to do what she was passionate about as she raised her children, managed her household, and invested in numerous friendships. Here is an excerpt that I'm sure many if not all women can relate to: "For to be a woman is to have interests and duties, raying out in all directions from the central mother-core, like spokes from the hub of a wheel. The pattern of our lives is essentially circular. We must be open to all points of the compass; husband, children, friends, home, community; stretched out, exposed, sensitive like a spider's web to each breeze that blows, to each call that comes. How difficult for us, then, to achieve a balance in the midst of these contradictory tensions, and yet how necessary for the proper functioning of our lives. How much we need, and how arduous of attainment is that steadiness preached in all rules for holy living." I have added the italics to emphasize what she was saying. Balance and steadiness are so essential even now so many years after she wrote this in 1955.

David 
   I have been reading about the life of David, one of my favorite people in Scripture. This time around, it's hit me that he was a writer. There were years when he had no idea what was going to work out in his life, how he was going to survive rejection, loss, suffering and through all of those hardships he wrote. He composed. He played music. He created. The world still knows what God inspired him to write down. So much beauty is expressed in his writing of the Psalms that speaks to me every time I read them. Psalm 51:10 "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me."

Family Friendly Hotel
   In April my daughter and I went to Pensacola, Florida to visit family. After so many months of COLD and snow we were excited to travel together and for her to see the ocean for the first time ever and of course to spend time with extended family. We stayed at a hotel for our first night there and it was the ideal place for us. It was right on the beach and even had a heated pool with a lazy river. If you are ever in Pensacola, check it out! Holiday Inn Resort Pensacola Beach

What are some of your favorite things this time of year? 

On the Other Side of the Wall: Where Am I?

   One of the phrases Grandma used most often while she was living with us was "Where am I?" She was confused about her whereabouts but just imagine if she was using the question to ask herself where the heck she, as a person, really was. Like where did she go? This is a question I'm sure most loved ones ask who see Alzheimer's first hand. This is a question that stirs up a variety of emotions and ultimately leads to a form of grief that your mother or grandmother is no longer who she had always been. In a care-giver's mind is that person still there? In later stages of Alzheimer's Disease the brain has deteriorated enough that a person can no longer converse or interact with his or her surroundings.
   As we took are of Grandma two schools of thought floated to the surface and affected our styles of care-giving. One perspective was that Grandma was still there somewhere under the layers of her dementia; her true self was there. The other perspective was that she was not there; her brain had deteriorated so much that she was truly not herself any longer and was never coming back. When I looked into my grandmother's eyes she was not there. Instead of a cheerful light there was a dark and blank sort of sheen. It was very clear to me that we had lost Grandma. As much as I hated Alzheimer's for doing this to her I didn't hate her but viewed her as a victim of a disease. It was not an emotional upheaval taking care of her because she was now a person needing care not the loving grandma from my childhood.
   The other perspective, very different from my own, was that Grandma was there but not able to respond. I have to admit that when people treated her like she was still there it came off as weird and fake; as if they were talking to a doll that was actually a person. It was annoying to overhear someone else talking to her in a one-side conversation as Grandma sat there with her empty eyes. I wonder why that was so irritating to me. I think what bothered me was the backwards idea that anyone talking to Grandma as if she was still there thought they were doing it for Grandma. But it was clear, there was no guess work. She was not in a coma somehow hearing us. Anyone talking to her like a doll was doing it not for Grandma but to feel better for their own self. It wasn't real. It was just someone trying to pretend Grandma could understand a conversation that meant nothing to her. 
   Regardless of how you see a disease, care-giving should be just that: providing care. The person's true self may have vanished but a human is still lying in the bed needing your respect. My mother did an outstanding job maintaining a consistent level of care for Grandma all the way to her death. It didn't matter where she had gone. She was still a person. She still needed our care.
 

On the Other Side of the Wall: Poem for the Day

Not Just for Today

As I go on my way Dear Lord

I view not the years but just today.

I see not thy hand Dear Lord in all I do

But just the little things, I view.

Oh make me big Dear Lord that I may see

That pilgrimage I make Dear Lord should be with Thee.

Then I shall see Dear Lord that hand of Thine

Is with me night and day and in every way my light should shine.

Then I shall live Dear Lord not for today

And all the little things will fade away.

I shall live Dear Lord for future years

When I have passed beyond this vale of tears.

                                                                                                    Helen Rogers

On the Other Side of the Wall: Poetry

   It's National Poetry Month! Grandma was a writer and she asked me on occasion what I was writing lately. I secretly hoped that somewhere in their house I would discover a hidden diary of hers from long ago telling what life was like for her as a girl. When we cleaned out their house after my grandfather passed away I did find some of her writing stashed in a file cabinet most of which was poetry. Enjoy!

God’s Creation

I saw God’s wonders and marveled at His creation

The sky, The land, The water so blue

The seasons that come and go

The trees the flowers

And the beautiful white snow

Each with its own pattern to

 fit into the whole

And each with a beauty

To thrill the soul

The soul of me just one of God’s

Creatures

In His eternal plan.

                                                               

                                                      Helen L. Rogers

Book Review: One Thousand Gifts

   Spring is here! Winter has been around for the last four months and we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of temperatures above freezing and more like above 40 F. It looks like it will be a while until that happens for more than a day at a time. This winter I slowly made my way through the book One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. I must say the writing style almost made me lament my decision to ask for the book for Christmas. I'm not a huge fan of poetic writing for the duration of a whole book. I did like what she had to say though, about her experiences growing up and as a mom. Her honesty of how she was trying to cope with feeling like life was empty really kept the book alive. I could relate to her struggle of how to stay close to God while she tried to understand the hardships of her life. The heart of the book is the topic of heart-felt gratitude to God for His daily gifts; giving thanks on your best days but also when life is painful. Interestingly enough before I started reading the book I found this cute gratitude journal online.

   I've been writing a few things in this book since January and it's been a relaxing part of my day. There are so many good things of every day and sitting down to reflect on those good things and thanking God for them has helped me to have a more positive outlook during the bleak months of winter. It is easy to only focus on the daily struggles of life and to forget the beauty and joy that are part of each day. We've had our fair share of stomach bug plague, arguing, tears over difficult math problems, sleepless nights from bad dreams or vomiting, and disappointments from cancelling the fun things due to illness. And did I mention four months of winter? Yet each day has held beauty. Each day has given me plenty of things to be grateful for. Here is list of some of the beauty. Maybe you could start writing your own list. I highly recommend getting a fun journal to motivate you!

Celebrating 18 years since my husband and I's first date
The quiet of naptime for the kids while the house fills with the aroma of brewing coffee for me
Sweet soft cheeks of my youngest child
Warm hugs
Our fireplace to fill the living room with a gentle cozy heat
Opportunities to encourage other women
Becoming a paid Writer for GSN
A new winter coat with a soft collar
Meeting another homeschool mom at the gym
Overhearing my children singing and playing piano and ukulele...praising God together
The hopeful feeling of the sun parting thick clouds
Date night
Time to shop alone
Large fluffy snowflakes falling
Pink fresh roses on the table
Going ice-skating with my kids
A house full of my kids' friends over for pizza and games
The dishwasher
A sudden Spring-like day warm enough to go for a bike ride with the kids
Coffee, coffee, coffee
The soft comforting sound of rain in the night
God supplying our needs
So much laughter in our home

On the Other Side of the Wall: Love to the End

   Grandpa was thirty minutes away from his bride of over fifty-five years when Grandma came to live with us. He called her to see how she was and made plans to come get her. It was painful to watch her try to talk to him over the phone. She was so hard of hearing that it was almost impossible for her to hear him. She would just say his name over and over, as if she was lost and was begging for him to come and find her. He wanted to take her out. No big deal, right? But she was completely helpless with Alzheimer's and every time there was a change of scenery she seemed to become more confused; the dots were farther apart to try to connect.
   Now that I think of it one of us should have helped them to managed their marriage. We should have tried harder to keep them together as much as possible. But who would've done that? Who had time? Who at that point even had the insight to understand the needs of a realtionship for my grandparents in their late eighties? We were still winging it. We were working, care-giving, and growing up all at the same time.
   Grandpa called Grandma on the phone, picked her up, and took her out for a while. He must've missed her terribly even with Alzheimer's in the way. Alzheimer's was right there between them. All of us as her new care-givers were sort of in the middle of them too. Grandpa had to schedule with his son's wife just to see his own wife. It was uncomfortable. What were the options? There was no way he wanted to come live with us too. I suppose he could have but nobody talked about it. We didn't really plan in advance for Grandma to come live with us so there was no plan for the two of them as a couple. Besides, Grandpa needed a break from Alzheimer's after managing for so long on his own.
   So Grandpa sort of dated all of us. He brought Grandma home after their dates and mom took her upstairs. Grandpa handed out a bag of Hershey miniature chocolates for us to pass around the table and snack on while we spent some time with him before he needed to head back to his house. He sat there with his hat on, his shoulders hunched over a bit and talked with us. One time he told us about a horse he had when he was a kid that got loose. I never knew he even had a horse. Then it would be time for him to go home. Grandpa would get tears in his eyes as he stood up to leave and slipped on his coat. Each of us kids gave him a hug. I was usually last, trying to get over my shyness to approach him. I was eighteen but it was only over the past year or so that we had begun hugging him good-bye. And there it was again the silver lining to all of this craziness with Alzheimer's. We had more opportunities to show love to Grandpa. He needed us too.
   As I write this it's the day after Valentine's Day and it seems sort of depressing to think of a couple facing their last years together dealing with Alzheimer's. The flip side of that is love. My grandparents truly loved each other. They met in a single's church group, dated, got married, traveled, had children during the war years, made a home together, pursued hobbies together, celebrated holidays with their children and grandchildren. Their lives were not separate but knit together as one. Isn't that the kind of love we all want? Even with Alzheimer's Disease destroying her brain my grandmother spoke his name over and over. He was still the person she wanted most. When miles separated them they still wanted to be together, even though her Alzheimer's was standing in the way. Their love held strong to the end. 

Favorite Things: 2017 Top Ten

   It's a new year! So I'm looking back over 2017 as well as looking ahead to the fresh new year. What were some of my favorite things from last year? Let's take a look!

1. Fallsview Indoor Waterpark: Last January we surprised our kids one morning with the news that they had the day off from school and we were heading to a hotel in Niagara Falls, Canada that was attached to an indoor waterpark. I've seen the video clips of parents telling their kids they were taking them to Disney and our kids were just as excited for a short adventure that was full of fun and a taste of summer for 24 hours. My favorite part was the outdoor hot pool. We were in a steaming pool playing basketball while it was snowing!

2. Chatbooks: One of the things I love to do is keep photo albums for my family. Since the birth of my third child there has been less time and energy for keeping up with the downloading, uploading, and ordering of all the great photos. I was hesitant to try Chatbooks but I LOVE how easy it is to use the app and now I am caught up with our albums for the first time in five years. Now I can quickly pick my photos right on my phone, type the captions, and order. I can work on my albums anyplace because it's all on my phone. The kids are always super excited to get a new book in the mail with their picture on the front. My newest project is taking pictures of all their favorite artwork to eventually have enough pages for a coffee table book. Goodbye huge stacks of projects, hello beautiful book! Leave me a comment below for a free book if you'd like to try out Chatbooks for yourself.

3. 50 Days of Happiness: Every month I go to Bergen Family Chiropractic for my wellness check-up with Dr. Amy Mercovich. Some people don't see the value of chiropractic care but for me it has been helpful to keep my hips aligned since birthing three children and carrying them around for years. Dr. Amy has been an encouragement to me to keep my health and wellness priorities, and for the past couple of years I've participated in her Facebook Challenge called 50 Days of Happiness. She picks a topic and posts daily challenges to complete and then share on Facebook. Everybody who participates gets their name put into a drawing for a wonderful gift. Last year she surprised us all with a gift certificate for a massage! Yay for wellness in the coldest part of the year! Check out Dr. Amy's blog: BergenChiro.com

4. Run, Selfie, Repeat Podcast: Kelly Roberts is a great motivational speaker on this podcast. She talks a lot about attaining your goals and becoming the strongest version of yourself. I know I need encouragement to keep going as a runner and this podcast has been an inspiration for me.

5. Lime Olive Oil: On our recent vacation to Lake Placid my daughter and I had some fun tasting all kinds of infused olive oils at the Saratoga Olive Oil Company shop. We loved the Persian Lime oil! It gives basic dishes like sauteed cauliflower or tossed salad the sun-kissed flavor of lime. That's all the encouragement I need to enjoy more vegetables. I'm in trouble when this stuff runs out!

6. Rend Collective: Our family fell in love with the music by Rend Collective two years ago. The album we are enjoying now is called Campfire 2: Simplicity. The kids love singing along and I love how the lyrics inspire us to know God more and keep pursuing a life of faith.

7. Bristol High Ropes Course: For our 15th anniversary my husband and I spent a few hours at Bristol Mountain Aerial Adventures . It was a beautiful June day to work together to overcome each set of challenges that did not involve child training, schedules, or differences of opinion. I discovered zip-lining and can't wait to try out their zip-line adventure once I find a coupon.

8. Our New Deck: This summer my husband worked hard at tearing down parts of our old rickety and rotting deck and replacing them with new white railings and a beautifully restored floor. I love drinking coffee, writing, relaxing, and watching fireflies at night from our deck.

9. Burdick Blueberries: Years ago my grandfather went blueberry picking out at Burdick's Blueberries aka Timbuktu. It takes forever to get out to the hills where this patch is located (ok 1.5 hours from my house) but the berries are organic and sweet and big and round and amazing even frozen. Once you get out there it feels like you are somewhere in France or Tuscany. For more info: Burdick Blueberries

10: Lake Placid Hotel: On our trip to Lake Placid my husband and I went to a magical restaurant that is part of the Crowne Plaza Lake Placid Hotel. Natural wood beams formed the beautiful arched ceiling and enormous windows gave the room an open yet somehow cozy ambiance. I can't wait to visit there again!

I hope you enjoyed my list! Who know's what this year will bring. I'm looking forward to new adventures and more blog posts here! What are a few of your favorite things from 2017? Leave a comment! I'd love to hear from you!

Housekeeping

   It's a NEW YEAR!! So I thought I'd do a little housekeeping here at sarahswritingcafe. This time of year I love taking down the Christmas tree after a month of sitting in front of it and admiring the festive glow it adds to our home. Once it starts to dry up and the needles begin showering the carpet my admiration fades. The time has come to de-ornament the tree and drag it to the curb. Suddenly the living room seems brighter without dark green filling up a corner and I feel motivated to clean out a few more areas. Granted, the house is still filled up with plenty of happy clutter, as I call it. I have a feeling my husband would still love to pick the whole thing up and shake it all out if he could before stetting it back down. At least there are a few places that are cleaner that they were. So that's what I'd like to do here if I may, clarify a few things before moving ahead to 2018.
   There is a trend in blogging. It seems most of the blogs out there adhere to a main theme or topic. When I was asked recently what I my blog was about I answered Alzheimer's. But then I got to thinking about that. Yes, I want the blog to be a place where I can share my own experience with Alzheimer's. But I want to do more than that. I am an eclectic person. If you were to stop by my house today during the snow storm we're having you would find my home to be a mix of country farmhouse, modern, and shabby chic and that the decorations I have range from family heirlooms to, mementos from my travels around the world, to my kids' artwork. So that's what you will find here at my blog as well. I know I may confuse some people. You might want to see the next chapter of On the Other Side of the Wall, my Alzheimer's story and come upon a post about home-schooling or running or favorite things. Look at the title and it will give you the topic first and then the more specific title of the post. This year I will be adding more variety to my posts and I would love to see what readers find resonates with them. Comments, thoughts, and questions are welcome!
   Did you do anything to start fresh this new year? Leave a comment!