I am fascinated with the new Tiny House movement. In case you have no idea what I am writing about there are a couple of new shows on TV called the Tiny House Nation and a documentary on building your very own Tiny House. Most of these homes are built on a semi flatbed trailer so they are movable and... READ MORE >
This week was an Allard girl reunion in Pine Island, Minnesota. The five remaining daughters of Haven and Isabella Allard were able to get together for a long weekend and catch up. This sounds like a simple feat but each of these girls has flown like a seed on the wind since their youth in Schroeder. Luckily for me the... READ MORE >
My son Jack will be taking his driver’s test in a couple of weeks. It has me thinking about all the milestones we go through in life with our children, friends and family. I know Jack having his license will probably keep me awake more nights than he ever did as a baby but unless I want to be his... READ MORE >
One of my favorite movies is The Breakfast Club. John Hughes, the writer and director has a way of capturing the youth of the ’80s like no other. (I am certain he was single handedly responsible for Jake becoming one of the most popular names in the ’90s because any girl who saw Sixteen Candles in the ’80s fell instantly... READ MORE >
The recent loss of yet another high school classmate has me in a reflective mode. I pulled out old journals, letters and pictures from 1982. I will be honest; the day I graduated I was positive I knew everything. I thought I was grown up and I also thought, “Whew, now I’m in charge of my own life and it’s... READ MORE >
I have caught a bug! Nothing serious, just the gardening bug. I haven’t had it for the last couple of years. I took 2012 off when I was in Africa and last year I was busy adding a sunroom on the house. No excuses, 2014 is the year. I have eight beautiful raised beds just waiting to be planted. The... READ MORE >
In the ‘80s passing notes in school was complicated. Now you can easily do it electronically with a quick text silently typed under your desk, but back in the day when paper and pencil was involved, it was serious business. There was always the risk your note could land in the wrong hands and you could die of embarrassment! You... READ MORE >
Sometimes it’s easy to let the commercialism of a holiday carry us away and we lose the true meaning of the season. Easter is no exception. Don’t get me wrong, I love bunnies and baby chicks but I was taught a deeper meaning of Easter through the creative teachers I had and a child at Zoar Lutheran Church in Tofte.... READ MORE >
For the record, I love records. Those giant CDs you probably have stuffed in the back of your attic—pull them out and play them before they become a lost art like wax cylinder music. (If you need to Google these you understand my concern.) Dust off the record player and sit close because if you remember you have to set... READ MORE >
Personally I like shortcuts…I know shortcuts get a bad rap but that is only when they are misused… for example margarine instead of butter, printed mass produced thank you cards versus hand written notes, leaving your Christmas lights up year round. These “shortcuts” can save you time and in the case of butter, save you money, but to me it’s... READ MORE >
