Life & Culture

Oh good grief, you say, you’re not addicted to your smartphone! You just like it, and, you know, it’s how you communicate with your friends and family. And you get such great ideas from Pinterest and Instagram! And your friend’s mom is having surgery across the country, so it’s absolutely necessary to check Facebook to find out how it went! And your kids need to be picked up and you need to be ready! I get it! Because if my iPhone doesn’t ding or I don’t see an alert show up on my Snapchat icon every 30 seconds or so, I have to check! Did I miss it? I. CAN’T. MISS. IT! Well, actually, I can. And you can, too. Because the truth is, […]

Several years ago I began Granny Camp. Yes, that means I’m a grandmother (even though I’m the cool one that rides a Harley). I haven’t completely lost my mind… There is a purpose. Granny Camp is a way to have quality time with grandkids without their parents around; and to give cousins opportunities to make lifetime memories with one another. Last but not least, to invest in my daughters/son’s marriages by giving them a much needed break from parenting, so they can invest in those often-ignored relationships. My adult children appreciate it and the grandkids look forward to it every year. I get them all to myself—to love and adore! It’s a win-win for all. I promise that it is the biggest return on any investment that

Want to see what our contributors are reading this summer? Check out 5 more of their picks below: Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (Novel) Suggested by Ashley Johnson The Simple Faith of Mister Rogers: Spiritual Insights from the World’s Most Beloved Neighbor by Amy Hollingsworth (Biography) Suggested by Rachel Graham Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brené Brown (#1 New York Times bestseller) Suggested by Annie Leigh Edwards Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn (#1 National Bestseller) Suggested by Phyllis Everette 100 Things I Wish I Knew in My Baby’s First Year: Keys to Making Parenting Easier

Standing in the grocery aisle looking at the magazines covers, I find myself pondering. Not on who is divorcing, marrying, cheating, too fat, too thin, or simply confused about their sexuality. Nope; I’m pondering how amazing the ladies who grace these covers look. Well, of course they do, there is a wonderful software called Photoshop! I’d look pretty darn good, too, if they did that to me! But alas, it’s not going to happen—don’t even really want it to. But at one time, photo-shopping the imperfections out of my life is something I would have seriously considered. I did not want my blunders, errors, and life faux pas to be seen by the masses. That is no longer true! A bunch of years ago I

Want to see what our contributors are reading this summer?  Check out 5 of their picks below: Back In The Day Bakery—Made With Love by Cheryl Day and Griffith Day (Food/Cooking) Suggested by Linda Clements All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Derr (Novel; Pulitzer Prize Winner) Suggested by Renee Clifford and Teresa Morgan Christian Manning: A Father, His Sons, & a Football Legacy by Archie & Peyton Manning, with John Underwood (Memoir) Suggested by Teresa Morgan Christian For the Love: Fighting for Grace in a World of Impossible Standards By Jen Hatmaker (Christian Literature) Suggested by Whitney Hsu and Annie Leigh Edwards And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie (Mystery Novel) Suggested by Darlene Brock You can find 5 more suggestions here: Summer Reading List—Part 2. We know that not everyone has

Exactly 12 hours before the Orlando nightclub massacre, I sat at a window in Chipotle and saw a police officer get into his car to go back on duty after a late lunch. He was young and handsome, and I instantly thought of the 20-something men in our family, men we love, men we would fear for if they were wearing his pressed black uniform. He confidently and calmly drove away and I thought, You, young cop, leaving Chipotle with your belly full, your mind perhaps on your afternoon patrol ahead, or maybe on something else; a girlfriend, tonight’s Stanley Cup playoffs, your next day off. You, young cop, I’m praying for you. I hope your mama prays for you, but even

We have a wealth of information like no other generation of women preceding us. With a swipe of a finger, I can have a solution for that stubborn stain on the couch or read a thousand reviews on the best mascara. I can meal plan like a boss and melt inches from my waistline in just weeks. There seems to be this goal for streamlining life, doing more things in less time, by maximizing schedules, budget, resources, and even appearances. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good tip just like the next girl, and there is a beauty in sharing such knowledge of helpful remedies and solutions. But, I have also discovered that the pursuit of making life more efficient can

I remember the first time I walked through a store after my first husband died. It was like walking on Mars; I was an alien in a foreign land. I looked like everyone else in Walmart that day, but I was a completely altered human being. I was struggling to simply put one foot in front of the other, to actually find and place a few grocery items into my basket, that in the grand scheme of things are meaningless to life. And no one knew. No one could tell by looking at me that I just lost my husband; that I felt like I might collapse in a puddle at any moment and melt away like the Wicked Witch of the West.

“You’re off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, So… get on your way!” ― Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You’ll Go! If you haven’t read this in awhile…or ever…I suggest you find a copy ASAP (hint…great graduation present..thanks Aunt Jan). If you are reading this you may be finding yourself in a new place, you’ve already gotten on your way. Or maybe you are in the same place you have been for while, but you need a change or a shift in perspective. Maybe you have moved for reasons that you chose. Or maybe you didn’t have much choice in the matter. Either way – moving is hard – change is hard. I lived in four states