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Time and Time Again

Well, it’s that time of year again, when we turn over the last page of the calendar—those of us who still use paper calendars, that is—and shake our heads as we wonder out loud: “Where did the year go?” Even though Christmas sales and decorations now start showing up around July, the Christmas season still unofficially starts on the day after Thanksgiving. And since Thanksgiving this year was November 28, the last date it’s possible to be, the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is crunched [...]

By |December 3rd, 2024|Columns, Holidays, Quotes and Sayings|Comments Off on Time and Time Again

Gobble, Gobble!

I first saw it in an email ad from Kroger about a week ago. The email featured coupons, menus, recipes, tips, and even a timetable for preparing Thanksgiving dinner, including appetizers, side dishes, and desserts. I was drawn first to the recipes, of course, and that’s where I saw the photo of a turkey-shaped cheeseball, complete with pretzel feet, cracker face, and a colorful bell-pepper tail. It made me laugh just to look at it, and I could tell it would be fairly easy to [...]

By |November 23rd, 2024|Columns, Family, Holidays, Values|Comments Off on Gobble, Gobble!

Lighten Up!

My book club meets once a month, and each of our twelve members takes a turn hosting the meeting—serving snacks and lunch before we sit down to discuss the book. I always try to work the menu around the theme or environment of the book we’re discussing. Book Club was at my house this month, and the book we read was A Shadow in Moscow, by Katherine Reay. I highly recommend it, by the way—and since it’s a spy novel set in Russia, I researched [...]

By |October 27th, 2024|Columns, Health and Well-being, Holidays, Organizing, Values|Comments Off on Lighten Up!

Time for a Change

Labor Day weekend is here. I no longer look at it as the end of the summer season, but as the start of the season of transitions. Kids and their parents are transitioning from summer to school. Depending on where you live, the weather is transitioning from unbearably hot and humid to—well, a little less so. And soon it will transition to comfortable, then to cool, to chilly, to cold, and finally to downright frigid. Trees start transitioning from their summer greenery to a more [...]

By |September 1st, 2024|Columns, Holidays|Comments Off on Time for a Change

Travel Time

It’s been seven years since my husband and I moved to Georgia from Minnesota. The first summer we were here, both of our kids and their spouses came to visit over the 4th of July, and we all had a great time. In fact, our son said, “I know where we’ll be going every year for our summer vacation.” It didn’t turn out that way, however. By the next summer, our daughter-in-law was pregnant, and long-distance travel would have been uncomfortable at best. By the [...]

By |June 5th, 2024|Columns, Family, Holidays, Travel, Values|Comments Off on Travel Time

Easter Observations

Our church was crowded last Sunday, as it always is on Easter. Sitting in the pew in front of us was a young family. The two boys, about five and ten years old, were well-behaved and well-dressed, each in tan pants, a button-down shirt, and an adorable bow tie. This reminded me of a column I wrote more than 20 years ago, about another Easter Sunday. I think it’s still relevant today: As I waited for Mass to begin on Easter morning, I watched some [...]

By |April 8th, 2024|Columns, Faith, Family, Holidays, Respect, Values|Comments Off on Easter Observations

Reflect on This

Throughout the Lenten season, I’ve been reading daily meditations from a booklet our church distributed at the beginning of Lent. Each meditation is just two pages long. The first page usually tells the story of a saint or saintly person relevant to that day in history, such as St. Patrick on March 17. The booklet understandably refers to the day as “The feast of St. Patrick,” rather than “St. Patrick’s Day.” The second page of each meditation begins with a Biblical verse focusing on the [...]

By |March 30th, 2024|Columns, Faith, Holidays|Comments Off on Reflect on This

Make It Fun, and It Will Get Done

We’re a full week into the new year, and my New Year’s Resolution is still alive and well. In fact, it’s taken on a life of its own. The basic plan was to declutter one room or area a month, and to get rid of at least one item every day, so that 30 or more items will be donated or thrown out by the time I move on to my next target. I decided to start with the master bedroom closet. Each morning I [...]

By |January 9th, 2024|Accountability, Columns, Holidays, Organizing|Comments Off on Make It Fun, and It Will Get Done

A Valuable Lesson

I saw a news clip recently about a woman who bought a vase at a Goodwill store for $3.99, and ended up selling it for over a hundred thousand dollars after discovering it was a rare and valuable piece by a famous Italian designer. That’s one of the reasons I have a hard time getting rid of things. Because you never know. Then there’s the fact that I may discover I desperately need something as soon as I give it away or throw it away. [...]

By |January 1st, 2024|Accountability, Columns, Holidays, Organizing|Comments Off on A Valuable Lesson

Merry Christmas!

Wishing everyone a very Blessed and Merry Christmas, a Happy and Healthy New Year, and success and satisfaction during the rest of the holiday season and throughout 2024. December 22, 2023 ©Betty Liedtke, 2023 I welcome your comments, but please be aware that all comments will be moderated and approved before appearing on this blog. This is to protect all of us from unwanted spam.

By |December 22nd, 2023|Columns, Holidays|Comments Off on Merry Christmas!