Hey there friends! I’m on vacation today visiting my little guys in Rochester, Minnesota. Trust me, I’m implementing my reliable plan for gathering tidbits of conversations and lots of photos to treasure in future days when they are once again too far away. I’ve shared my system below if you need a refresher for the next time you’ve around your special little people. For now, I’ve got to get back to watching two little boys delight me to no end. ❤️ Happy weekend! Gathering Family Memories...
21 days ago • 1 min read
Hey there friends! Whether you grew up in a small town like I did or in a larger city, you probably remember how many of your parents and the parents of your friends served as volunteers. In fact, many of the activities that shaped my life wouldn’t have been possible if someone’s mom or dad hadn’t taken time out of their busy schedules to be a Girl Scout leader or lead a Wednesday night church group. In this issue I’ve pulled an excerpt from my book that guides you to recall how your parents...
28 days ago • 3 min read
Hey there friends! One of my favorite things to do as a little girl was to visit my dad’s basement workshop. He had so many interesting tools and used them all the time for home maintenance and also to create new things. I’ve carried over my love of tools into the digital world. You’ve probably heard me use the phrase “Tools for Story Collectors” before. In fact, the book that I wrote this summer is the first book in a series I’m calling just that. With that being said, I’m sharing a new tool...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Hey there friends! News flash! Only 17 days remain until the glorious autumn season arrives. That is, the actual Autumnal Equinox will be on September 22. 🍁 🧡 In today’s issue, I’m focusing on helping you add visual elements to those precious family stories that you are thinking about writing. Or, maybe you’ve already gotten some out of your head and converted into words. I’m just assuming procrastination on your part because I know we’re all struggling with it. It’s not that we don’t want to...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Hey there friends! Sometimes when I walk through my kitchen, my eye is drawn to the shelf where an old, green metal box made to hold index cards sits. I guess they still make these, but for reference I included a photo below. This ordinary box just happens to be filled with treasures. When we were cleaning out Mom’s house to get it ready to sell, I grabbed this box because I knew it had some history in it. You see, the box holds many of my mom’s collected recipes. And recipes oftentimes have...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Hey there friends! When you were growing up, were you ever featured in a newspaper article or photo? One of my readers (who just happens to be my oldest, dearest friend) sent me some newspaper clippings this week that her sweet mother had collected when we were growing up. I’ll share one below for your viewing pleasure. We had many chances to feel famous in our small town because the local newspaper featured lots of photos and stories of all sorts of ordinary events and achievements. But the...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Hey there friends! Thanks to all of you who helped me celebrate my birthday this week! I’m at the age where my birthdays are a paradox. On the one hand I don’t like using that new, larger number as my age. Yikes! How did I get this old? There must be a mistake. On the other hand, I am overwhelmingly grateful to have lived another year and experienced all that God has brought my way. So there’s the paradox - angst and joy. If you know me at all, you know that big moments always push me to...
2 months ago • 3 min read
Hey there friends! Welcome to the time of the year when kids begin to go back to school and we all pretend that summer is coming to an end. Ha! You know that’s not even close to true. Summer will no doubt linger right up to mid-September or longer for most of you. But as long as we’re in a season of pretending summer is almost over, I’d like to turn your reminiscing attention to the special delight of motel swimming pools before summer goes away. There’s a story spark in my new book all about...
2 months ago • 3 min read
Hey there friends! True confession. I’m writing this Thursday afternoon and I may or may not have just watched the GOAT (more casually known as Simone Biles) just win her 2nd all-around Olympic gymnastics gold medal - all while working on a digital publication for a client. And I’m not a bit sorry. (see the photo below.) In the last issue I encouraged you to collect your memories of participating in a team - a sports team or some other group like a marching band. I hope you have good memories...
3 months ago • 3 min read