Author: amidstthebabble

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The Most Wonderful Time of the Year is Here!!!!! (Yes, I am a little excited)

I am no Scrooge. Christmas is my favorite holiday. It’s also the only time of year I find snowfall acceptable, then I’m bah humbugging with the best of them.

Besides weather, the common Christmas complaints surround commercialism. This includes how early displays show up in stores and how shoppers trample over the true meaning of the day to get the best deals on the most stuff. Growing up, I loved waking on Christmas morning to find gifts under the tree that weren’t there the night before, regardless of what I believed about jolly old St. Nick. After all, what child doesn’t like presents?

But even then I loved traditions that were less about getting. Continue reading →

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Another Thing to Love About Fall

A couple of posts ago when I wrote about transitioning from summer to fall, I neglected to mention one of my favorite things. Fortunately, I came across this reminder today from my all-time favorite comic strip: Calvin and Hobbes Comic Strip, October 18, 2013 on GoComics.com.

Lessons in Domesticity

Like most kids, my mother enlisted my free labor to help with household chores. Most of the time, I was happy to help. If happy to help meant I sighed and declared I was Cinderella.

Owning a house now, I realize I owe my mother a lot more credit. We’re talking major regret for all my griping. (She’s loving this post right about now.) Nonetheless, to honor Mom and her life lessons, below are five ways I manage domestically. Continue reading →

The (Real) End of Summer

Well, here we are — the official end of summer.

Even when I lived by a school calendar, I never bought into the Memorial Day to Labor Day summer mentality. For one thing, my pre-college school days didn’t break for summer until almost a month after Memorial Day. I also recall enough hot and sticky September days that evidenced summer’s refusal to be pushed aside early for school buses, last week’s frost, or pumpkin spice lattes. Continue reading →

Our Homeowner’s Association: Serious, or Suburban Formality?

My husband and I come from rural roots and now live in a housing development. Suburban life isn’t so drastically different though, as our home design caters to privacy and we have a decent yard.

Completely new to us, however, is the existence of the Homeowner’s Association for our neighborhood. I admit we were amused by some of the “regulations” when we skimmed read the bylaws the first time. After a few months in our new residence, we are still unclear about how serious they are since (don’t tell) some of our neighbors appear to be rule breakers. Continue reading →

My Smart Phone is Making Me Dumb (Among Other Things)

My initial post turned out to be a bit lengthy, so I decided to break it down into two parts. The following explanation of my resistance to advancing cell phone technology is part two. Part one, my progression to a smart phone, can be read here.

As I discussed in my last post, cell phone technology has come a long way. Smart phones not only allow access to a variety of communication methods, but supply many handy tools for life. Seriously, what isn’t there an app for anymore? Continue reading →

Crossing Over to the Smart Side

My initial post turned out to be a bit lengthy, so I decided to break it down into two parts. The following story of my experience with the advancement of cell phone technology is part one.

I finally did it. I broke down and bought a smart phone.

OK, it’s been four months since, but you have to understand — this is a big deal. I love technology … and I hate it. Continue reading →

The Right Tools

Earlier I said I’m not dedicating my blog to chronicling all the DIY projects my husband and I do around our new house. This example from a couple weeks ago is kind of why.

Our bedroom gets a lot of afternoon sun through it’s two windows which, naturally, can make it uncomfortably warm. Solution? Shopping for thermal curtains! My husband, like most men, loves shopping for window treatments, so we spent some time at his favorite hardware store first to be fair. He had a list of things in mind that he needed for projects “in the coming year,” so he thought it would be a good idea to stock up. Plus, he had two coupons. We’re savvy shoppers that way. Continue reading →

A Chance to Add Character

Growing up, football meant the Super Bowl, and picking the team to root for was as simple as asking, “Daddy, who are you cheering for?” It also meant Mom’s fried chicken. Yummiest. Tradition. EVER. The Super Bowl was like a holiday — one where I never understood why school wasn’t closed the next day so kids could stay up to watch the entire game. And eat more fried chicken. I’ve met people who grew up without Super Bowl traditions, which I’ve never been able to fathom. Poor things probably missed out on the chicken, too. Continue reading →

Thinking About Guidelines and Goals

To share some brainstorming, and because who doesn’t enjoy a top-10 list, the following provides a little more insight into my blogging intentions. First off, the lengthier explanation — what this blog is not: Continue reading →