Oh. Hello. Here I am, after a long silence. Many times I said I was going to be back. Life is complicated, what can I say? As my dear wise friend The Bird says, “Sometimes things have to fall apart so they can be rebuilt in a new and better way.” Or something like […]

We are not much for partying on New Year’s Eve. Even in our younger days, we preferred to spend a quiet evening at home. While trying to instill a sense of the passage of time with the kids, I thought it might be fun to mark the occasion with a celebration. Since the winter solstice zipped […]

I choose a simple life. Today my goal was to make candles, and I did. Sweet beeswax candles are one of my favorite things in the world. Apparently I’m fairly predictable on this candlemaking thing. It’s ironic that I live in the midst of a busy downtown neighborhood. Cars whiz past our house all day […]

Life has been rough this year. And lately I’m finding myself wallowing around in it.  I’ve been here before, and I recognize the space I’m in. I was really feeling sorry for myself, and I remembered this post by Erin at Bluebirdbaby. It sums up how I feel right now. Erin says, “Everyday, heck…every second, […]

I’m here to talk about the Word of the Year, but first I think I would be remiss if I didn’t tell you about these cinnamon rolls. On a whim, I made them for Christmas morning, then again for New Year’s Day (today).  They have changed my life, in a very bad way because now […]

I’ve always been a great sky lover.  It’s always changing.  Always different. Always beautiful. It’s one of my favorite things in the whole world.  When things are making me crazy, I like to look up at the sky. Kind of ironic, being grounded by the sky.

The Monkey Family spent the last week in Florida’s panhandle, visiting with family and recharging our batteries.  The Boy and The Girl spent several days with their grandparents, and The Daddy Monkey and I had our first ever kid-free getaway, in seven years of parenting.  It was pretty nice.  The photo from Friday’s this moment […]

In Amanda’s words: This Moment – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

In Amanda’s words: This Moment – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Day two of my personal retreat was just as good as day one, in its own way.  In the morning, The Daddy Monkey took the kids to his parent’s house for a swim, and I had a quiet house all to myself. Inspired by yesterday’s meditation retreat, I took the morning to clean and declutter […]