First Sign of Spring It's just past mid-February and a black-capped Carolina chickadee has been visiting our backyard. They have been absent all winter. So, today , I'm excited to announce that spring is around the corner. I haven't seen the groundhogs in the neighbors' yard to ask them, but the chickadee sighting and the fact that it was chasing one of our male cardinals means the mating season (a.k.a spring) is on its way, and the smaller chickadee is trying to clear the backyard for his mate and their spring arrivals. Silly bird. I guess he hasn't heard that we welcome all birds.  image courtesy of  Meagan-Joy Huggard via Unsplash Bird Lovers What about you? Are your spring and summer avian visitors starting to arrive? Is there more chirping in your backyard? If so, go take a peek and see which ones have made an early arrival. Since more cold weather may be around a bit longer, and there may be a lack of food preferences for another month or so, place some fruit...

Gut health (more like a gut cleansing for a more favorable term) is another area I feel needs my attention. Exercise, drinking more water, drinking hot green tea, and eating more fiber, fruits, vegetables, seed, and nuts (the omega 3 oils in walnuts, in particular, supposedly line the intestines, making the passing of waste easier; of course, this advice is only for those who don't have nut allergies ) are a few of the obvious things that I have been doing daily since the beginning of the year. Because last year was so busy, I completely ignored this area of my life. And I was becoming very uncomfortable. But the thing that has helped me the most - and it actually started helping me within a couple of days - was generic psyllium fiber supplement powder (better known as Metamucil). The generic brands work just as well as Metamucil, but they cost so much less.  Anyway, the other routines still weren't helping me after a month of doing them, so I started using only one tablespoo...

Hi everyone! I hope you're doing well and thinking about self-care for yourself. I started 2026 tired - no, exhausted. As I've mentioned in previous posts, 2025 was jam-packed with doctor's visits for my husband, son, and self on top of checking on my 80-year-old mother and 83 year-old father who are both in the nursing home, completely helpless, unable to walk, each with their own type of dementia, you get the idea. And we can't forget the housework, deep cleaning efforts, daily meals, washing dishes daily, 2 - 3 laundry days a week, making weekly grocery lists, large biweekly grocery visits, alternating small biweekly grocery visits, books that need to be written. I'll admit, housework, grocery visits, and walking in and out of doctor's visits (parking far distances from the large buildings full of offices), and other shopping was my only exercise. Which was a lot and I felt like it was enough. Albeit, my heels started hurting in 2025, and my knees, hips, and...

 From our family to yours: Merry Christmas! May you have a blessed and joyous day as we celebrate the birth our Lord Jesus Christ, the best gift ever. May we experience peace on earth and good will towards everyone every day of the year from this day forward. image courtesy of  Olena Bohovyk via Unsplash Blessings, Patricia

After taking the entire year of 2025 off to catch up on family medical issues , I'm hoping that soon after New Year 2026, I can get back to work. About the only thing I have had time to do outside of doctor's visits is plan. I am contemplating getting a part-time job outside of my work-from-home ideas. I should know by March or April if that will be necessary. Image courtesy of  BoliviaInteligente  via unsplash Because soon after New Year 2026 begins, I plan to get back to creating and selling on Etsy. And finishing the book that I started studying and researching for in 2015. I have a final proofread and edit to go through for that book (or likely, those books). I think it may become a series of three or four books now since it is so long.  I'm also going to start new longer series of  books on two different topics. These series have been on my mind for a few years now. And 2026 feels like the right year to get started since I'm nearing the end of the main book, and...

I have been thinking a lot about time lately, because another year is almost gone. Each year seems to go by faster and faster. And although, I feel as if I have spent my time wisely this year helping my family members on their individual health journeys, it has gone by much faster than I like. Most of them are probably glad the year has gone by quickly though, because soon they will be able to move forward with their lives. Sadly, for others, they're nearing the end of their life journey. Whatever the individual outcomes or how fast time seemed to pass, I'm glad I took the time to spend with my family this year. And I do cherish this year and what it has meant to my family and me. My calendars are full and so is my heart. There will be time later on for Etsy and eBay listings, quilting, cross stitching, other arts and crafts, digital creations, and earning money. My family is much more valuable to me than any of those things, and thankfully, my circumstances make it possible f...

This is another one of my 2025 morning devotions , from A Treasury of Wisdom: a Daily Devotional Journal, that touched my heart, and I wanted to share it with you. Mrs. Cowman actually had gotten this beautiful piece from something (pastor) Dr. A. B. Simpson had written. But I think if we keep this in mind every day, we will never look at God's name "I am that I am" the same way again. Once more, I will break this down so you can see, more easily, how beautiful this is. Mrs. Charles E. Cowman Quote from Dr. A. B. Simpson: God gave Moses a blank check, and as life went forward for the next forty years, Moses kept filling in the blank with his special need. He filled in fearlessness before Pharaoh. He filled in guidance across the Red Sea. He filled in manna for the whole population. He filled in water from the rock. He filled in guidance through the wilderness. He filled in victory over the Amalek. He filled in clear revelation in Sinai. And so Moses, for the rest of his ...