Treasure your moments...

Today, I stood in the snow at my grandmother's grave. My mother, as always, brought the sweetest arrangement of seasonal flowers and little ornaments for her mother and father. We always make a few comments about them and how nice they are... followed by comments on how disgusting it is that they will be tossed in the dumpster or resold by the jerks who take them away after a few weeks. For shame. 

I hadn't gotten a chance to change my boots from earlier in the day so I was naturally wearing inappropriate footwear for snow-trudging. We joked as the buckles kept coming unsnapped as I pulled each foot out of the mounds of snow. Foolish girl with zero grace. We cleaned off the grave stone, arranged the flowers and took our moments. It was in those moments that I had the best holiday montage play in my mind. It was of nearly every holiday that I'd spent with my grandmother for all of our forty years together. The images were so vivid. The happiness that I saw and felt was so pure. And at that point I was reminded that I hadn't really lost my grandmother. I lost the ability to make future memories with her. And, while that feels immense a lot of the time, it's always comforting to look back with such admiration on the countless times we shared together. 

I am always telling the girls that it's never about the things that we GET it's always about the time that we spend together with the people that we love. We could be doing the simplest thing together and that will be cemented in our memory forever. For example, one of my most treasured memories with my grandmother is of us watching a TV adaptation of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane on a Thanksgiving Eve. Part of the reason I think it stuck with me is because I was so happy to be allowed to stay up until it ended at 11 pm. Another reason is because Lynn Redgrave was semi-terrifying in that role. Either way, Gram and I shared a love for thrillers. I remember watching Hitchcock with her and sharing books like Rosemary's Baby. You'd never think it to look at her but she did love her a creepy tale. 

Holidays will never pass without me reminiscing. In so many ways Gram WAS our holiday. She would come to our house the night before and help prepare the meal. She always cleaned the turkey for Thanksgiving (because my mother skeeved it beyond belief). I can't tell you how many Christmas mornings I stood layering lasagna with her... I remember how she always took a little of the ricotta mixture for herself. 

It truly is the little things that make the fondest memories. It's not about getting that bike when you were ten. It's that someone ate the entire bowl of onion dip with their hands. It's about getting the giggles during Midnight Mass and possibly exchanging words with the people sitting in front of you while your mother sat mortified beside you pretending to shrink into her pocketbook. It's about anxiously awaiting the arrival of your Christmas Eve dinner guest, staring out the front window, steamy from when you'r mom drained the pasta. It's the joy on the faces of everyone you love. 

It's in those moments that we are most human. Let's have all of those moments this week, the week after that and every week following. 

Don't lose sight of what brings you joy. It's been a tough year no doubt - but even when the gatherings are small there are still big moments to cherish. 

Wishing you all the happiest of holidays. Cheers to 2021! Hoping it brings good health and joy to you all. 

(This one's for you, Gram).

With love,

Sheri 

A little eval time ...

Whew. 

Here we are. The weather is finally showing me some love... leaves on the ground, beautiful color out there nice and early due to the heinous drought. Silver lining. An occasional hoodie or sweater has been worn. Turned the heat on a bit to cozy it up. I can feel the shift. I am in a much better place now.  

We are just a few weeks into distance learning and it is going just okay. It is by no means "the easy way out." We are putting in a LOT of work every single day. It is absolutely exhausting most days. I am teaching Daisy everyday - Math, Religion, Social Studies and Phonics. She has a super nice teacher who she meets with briefly several times each week and gets to see her classmates and friends which she loves. I don't want her to be separated from her class and teacher and all of the fun that goes along with Kindergarten but this is the best choice for us. It's not an easy choice, it's not without a deep commitment, super busy schedule, extreme organization, sadness or guilt but it is still the best choice for us. 

Scarlett's teacher is also fantastic. She is focusing heavily on math and reading and doing very well. Scarlett will be making her First Communion in a couple of weeks. It will look very different this year. Just immediate family. No pictures in church. No reception. We will find a way to make it special for her nonetheless. 

What a crazy time we are living in. I am seeing so much division and so much finger pointing and judging. I don't understand why people have to tear apart the personal decisions of others. I see things that I don't agree with everyday and I'm not going to run my mouth about it and make someone feel like garbage. Where does that get me? Aren't we all just doing what works best for us? 

I'm going to be totally honest here. This year has been an absolute game changer for me. Maybe it's my age, maybe it's having had life come to a dead halt in March. Maybe it was the extra down time this summer in which I took to reflect on the person that I am. We know who we are, right? Hmm. Do we? Maybe somewhere down the line we take a deeper look. And maybe then things seem a bit clearer and it all clicks into place. Maybe we don't want to continue to do things the way we've always done them. ("What you allow is what will continue") Maybe we decide to take care of ourselves a little bit more than we had all those years. There might be an initial struggle with the idea that we are being selfish  ...  but we aren't. Self care and self love have never been my strong suits. I will badger my girls everyday to make certain that they know they are amazing and that they do great things. But I never told myself those things or believed those things throughout my life. So now, I am reflecting. Slowly accepting that I am totally worthy of taking time for myself to do things that make me happy. Now more than ever. Maybe my decisions make you unhappy sometimes. Maybe I don't participate in everything I've done in the past. Maybe I change up whatever the hell I want because it's my life and I can do that.

Bottom line is: Check in with yourself. Are you happy doing things the way you've always done them? Just because it's "how it is" or it's the "routine." Stop it. You can change anything you want. At any time. You might ruffle a few feathers but people will get over it - and if they don't ... who needs that kind of negativity? It is your life after all. I am sticking up for all of the people being judged right now. Do what works for YOU. As long as you are putting out good things and not being a jerk - life can be a whole lot better than it has been. Promise. 

Happy Sunday!

xo 

What's getting me by...

Happy Saturday, gang! 

I haven't felt like posting in a while but today I figured I'd pop by for a few. I hope you are all feeling well and able to enjoy some of the weekend. It's rainy here but I've always been a fan of the gloom. It's a day of laundry and cleaning and organizing ... much like every other single day of my life.  

I am writing this by the hum of the dryer and the welcomed sounds of Christmas music playing from my iTunes. That's right. Sing it, Mr. Como. 

Lately, I've been in a pretty good groove. Sure, things around me are exploding and crumbling to the ground but we are managing this household with grace. HAHAHAHA. Sorry, I cannot pretend that I have one ounce of grace. Not even for a second. But we are muddling through as best we can. We have been keeping our circle small and finding allllll the ways to keep the girls engaged, active, creative and happy. Thank you, Intex, for your weird yet adequate pool. It is the only way we can stand the unacceptable heat of the summer in our backyard. We all know I'm not traipsing through a forest until every last bug has died and the temp drops below 60. It will come. It always does. 

The idea that Fall is on its way is just enough to propel me through this insane hurdle that is "Back to School." We have opted to continue with distance learning and I feel good about that. I empathize with every teacher out there. These are titanic decisions to be made and are no doubt exhausting. Thank you for giving up your summer to do your best as always. I only hope that seeing a chunky, rust colored sweater in Target will bring you a fraction of the joy that it brings me. 

In just a few days I will be switching out my most dreaded calendar block (May, June, July, August) for my absolute favorite (September, October, November, December). I know, it seems insane to even bring this up in a blog post but I've done it. And I've probably done it in the past as well but we all know how polished my memory is. I cannot wait for the crisp mornings. Being able to sit out on the deck without sweating and buzzing sounds. NOT watering flowers. Can we just accept the fact that I don't enjoy plants. I feel like they try to please with their beauty and benefits but it's just not enough for me. I don't know what I'm doing, I kill them... or stunt them... overwater or underwater. I find myself sneering at them. They know they're unappreciated and they act accordingly. It's mutual really. Give me some mums on the front steps for a month. I can do that. 

I have spent a LOT of time watching Christmas and Winter themed Hallmark movies. I'm a changed woman. I know now that I was meant to live in a mountain town with kind folk and a super charming Main Street. I should be wearing fair isle sweaters and scarves and spending all of my time baking goodies for my little shop on my husband's tree farm. Traveling only by horse-drawn sleigh and having at least one spontaneous snowball fight weekly. Warm drinks in my hand all day and night. Hygge forever! Seriously though, I am hooked on the dreamy idea that people really do live that way. And I really do dream of being one of them. 

I'm off to crank the central air, make some hot chocolate and throw some ice at my kids. Gotta start somewhere, right? 

Have a great weekend! 

xo 

Against the grain...

A snowy morning in April? Hell yes. That was one beautiful coffee-sipping view. I know, you probably woke up pissed about it. I'm not happy that you're upset to see it but it sure did make my day. 

I've always kinda been the odd man out. I prefer Winter and cold weather while the majority of the world would take shorts and sweltering sun. No thanks, shorts, I'm all set with you. I'll sit uncomfortably in my jeans in August. Trying my hardest to not be outside unless I am inches from the ocean. (My attire changes slightly whilst I sit by the sea). Late October through March, however, I will spend all the time in the world breathing in that cold (somewhat) fresh air. But ya'll don't want to hang out there with me then, do you?!

I'm certainly not an avid hiker but I do really love walks in the woods... in November. You're not finding me dwelling amidst a thick forest if there is even a hint of humidity in the air or a winged insect... or a crawling insect for that matter. The more leaves on the trees the less my chances are of being outside. I prefer a bare tree silhouette any day. This is the time of year in which I truly appreciate the last of the branchy views and I take lots of crappy sunset pics to capture them.

As for books - I'm not really a big reader of popular best sellers. I'll read anything Stephen King puts out but that's as far as it goes. I also don't love audiobooks or podcasts (Shout out to the You Rock School of Music podcast!) I do have a couple of favorites but I guess I'd rather read or view the material than just listen to it. I don't comprehend as well by just listening - I'm incredibly visual. My guitar instructor can tell me the same thing over and over again but until I actually print out exactly what I need to learn and study it I just can't grasp it.

I'm also not a "Paint and Vino - Girls Night Out" kinda gal. I don't want to paint what you want me to paint. I also don't need to sit in a group of thirty women I don't know giggling over Zinfandel. I'm not knocking it for all of those who enjoy it! I love you guys and love that you enjoy it! I've seen plenty of posts on social media of amazing paintings that have come from these events. But much like a Pampered Chef party or Thunder From Down Under night - I'm not attending. Give me my best friends in a brewery or vineyard and I am more than happy to stand around with my glass having a fantastic time. 

I am going to end it here because this list goes on and on and on ... I always intend on writing shorter posts but my typing fingers are very wordy. 

I hope you all have a great weekend! See you soon! 
xo 

You Rock

This post is about my love for music and my gratitude to my friend Sean for pushing me out of the comfort zone in which I dwelled for way too many years. 

For those of you who don't know who I'm talking about - Sean (Sean P. Rogan) is the owner of and one of the instructors at You Rock School of Music. We spend a lot of time together as our daughters are in the same class at school and have daily conversations about music. Given my obvious obsession with music he could never understand why I wouldn't just simply take a guitar class and "make music a bigger part of my life". I had a plethora of foolish reasons I would spit out weekly but I remember one day telling him, “Maybe I’m just meant to be a spectator.” And he quickly assured me that wasn’t the case. 

God bless him, he tried. He tried weekly if not daily to just get me into a class. "I'm too self conscious" ... "I can't play guitar,  I tried back in high school" ... "I don't have time for lessons" ... "I can't be in a group, I would be way too nervous" ... "I don't have a guitar." I had a million of them. One day he placed a semi-beat-up acoustic by the tire of my car and told me class starts Wednesday. I was so stunned by that gesture I felt obligated to go to that class. And something changed in that moment when I made up my mind to go. I went to that class. (Shout out to Ted Larson, the amazing Beginner Guitar class instructor!) And I've never looked back.

I cannot tell you how much I have gotten out of this entire experience since I started taking lessons. What I pour into my practices. How much I really want to play the electric when I never in a million years thought I would even touch one. The total satisfaction I get from finally conquering something I’ve worked on for months. The way I listen to music with a "different" ear. The feeling that I am in insider now. Like I have a backstage pass to the music world instead of the cheap lawn seats.

I urge all of you, if you have always wanted to play an instrument but keep chickening out, DO IT. Just DOOOOO IT. You can think about it for the rest of your life wishing you'd tried or you can actually make up your mind and start today. During this social distancing mess you can even take virtual lessons - in your pajamas - from your bed. Well, maybe not a drum lesson from your bed but you get me. 

I can't say enough about the staff at You Rock. Each instructor brings their own flavor to the lesson. All incredibly skilled with beautiful personalities. Check them out at www.YouRockSchoolofMusic.com for more info. I'm telling you, this has changed my life. I've never felt such a sense of accomplishment or had such a drive to continue on a path. I'm hooked. 

Sean, thank you so much for consistently nudging me toward the cliff until I fell. 

Forever grateful,

Sheri

Sweet frigging Saturday

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

I am definitely feeling the wave of calmness today, thank GOD. We took it really slow this morning. It was so nice to not have to have a full agenda. I let the girls play games on their tablets for an extra hour and then decided to surprise them with some baking. They lovvvve to bake. It's a dash of elbowing each other out of the way, sprinkled with, "it's my turrrrrrrrn" followed by a generous cup of my stern voice barking the rules of the kitchen. The pictures I sometimes take suggest otherwise but I know the real story. Who's had the mixer for too long, why did SHE get to put in the vanilla?! Of course all the while I'm monitoring for any licking of fingers - those offenders are sent to the sink for the eighth time. All in all I do enjoy it. We'll have these memories forever... Sinatra in the background, their little ice cream aprons. Pretty sweet. 

I had some time to myself while they were actually playing together nicely. I used it to tie up a few loose ends and then got in some good guitar practice. Currently working on power chords and finger picking. Not together of course. I'm also putting together different chord progressions to start writing some songs which I am really looking forward to. I love having different creative outlets like writing, graphic design and music. I try to fit at least one of those in each day but it's always great when I can get to all three! 

The girls played outside most of the afternoon and I am happy to report there was only ONE tattle-tale incident! Normally I hear that sliding door open and a voice yell, "She just pushed me out of the playhouuuuuuuse!" or "I was using a stick and she took it and threw it at meeeeeeeee!" And I'm purposely dragging out those words so you can HEAR the singsongy voice that they use to yell these tales. Some days only a minute or two passes before that door slides open once again. And those are the days where I lose my shit. They are ordered inside to sweep the dirt that came out from under their shoes and they are sent upstairs to learn how to play together without fighting. Ahhh, memories of my own childhood. 

But today was a good day! I thought I should share that with you because we've had a lot of not so good days lately. Collectively. I'm hoping that you found some peace today too. That your slider didn't burst open over and over ruining your groove. I'm savoring this weekend like none other... and we still have TOMORROW!!! 

Cheers! 
xo 

It's our mess

Alright. So maybe we aren't quite 'in the groove' yet. I think we are more like, "HEY, today was a pretty good day compared to the last 712." Although it's only been what? 4 weeks? How is that even possible?? 

Today felt hectic. It just felt messy and hard to manage. I lost control almost immediately after breakfast and never really regained it. 

Daisy didn't feel like doing her school work and to be honest she only attends three days a week so I should really keep that in mind. I tend to forget that now that we are doing it all at home. 

Scarlett has trouble sitting still and focusing at home. Too many distractions here. She gets caught up in commenting on EVERY SINGLE POST in google classroom and she's learned how to email her teachers with questions now so that takes up about 97% of her time. (Sorry, teachers). 

I start the day by reading any emails and all instructions from teachers, making sure I know what is expected of both girls. I save all files and out print everything - anyone else going through ink and paper faster than that 1-ply toilet paper you were lucky to score at Family Dollar? I can't be the only one. I let Scarlett choose the order in which she does her assignments but I'll be honest, if it's nice outside I toss the two of them out each morning. Fresh air and exercise!

I almost always miss information or forget about a class Zoom meeting. And when we do get on them we get kicked off at least twice. And I have no tolerance for that stuff. These virtual meetings are killing me slowly, a little more each day. We currently have about 8 or 9 weekly. 

In other news, I am very lenient with P.E. assignments because I figure if they are outside running around for 2 hours that is a pretty good substitute. I hand out snacks roughly every twenty nine seconds - flying through Goldfish and Craisins, yogurt and nonsense fruit twist things. I check in with Scarlett every so often to see what she has left to work on I crack the whip a bit. Daisy will usually do one or two dittos and then we play with Magna Tiles or her favorite game - Petco. Yes. She asks me to play Petco with her everyday. I am the customer looking for whichever animal she chooses to be at the time. A bunny. A ferret. An orange kitten with gray ears and purple spots. You get the idea. She cozies up under a blanket on the floor and makes squeaky animal noises. I ask if she is for sale and then scoop her up and take her home with me. Game doesn't end there. It repeats. Over and over again. For eleven straight hours. And yes, I know I will absolutely miss this one day. 

That's what we need to keep in mind right now, I think. We will all miss these days ONE DAY. Maybe not in the near future because we are all just about burned completely out. But maybe ten years from now. We will inevitabley see an old picture of them and wish to see them that way again. I will be begging a 15 year old girl to lay on the floor and pretend she's a green guinea pig and she will probably tell me to cut the shit and get lost. 

If we are lucky enough to be home with our family right now then we truly have it all. It's a proper mess, no doubt, but it's our mess... and it WILL be a memory one day. If you can pause for a moment and take a breath, remember to count your blessings. 

Keep on keepin' on! 
xo 

The groove

Hello again. How are you feeling on this gloomy Monday? We've just been told about the schools being closed through April, but we pretty much knew that was coming. We are doing ok over here. The girls' school work is becoming a bit easier to sort and maintain. We've designated certain areas for work to be done, finished work and a place for all of the daily school supplies needed. They both seem to have accepted that this is how things are for now. We are all doing our best to make everything feel as normal as possible. Abnormally normal. Counting our blessings every day! 

It was a pretty good weekend here. Very productive yet restful and quiet. We listened to the new Pearl Jam album which I like a lot, made a nice  Italian meal and got outside a bit. Capped it all off with a pretty decent thunderstorm last night that had Rummy (our cat) and Scarlett on edge. She tried to play it cool like the thunder was "distracting her" from her nightly reading but I got her number. I also started watching Castle Rock which I was sucked into from the start. I lovvvve Stephen King and I feel like I've been waiting for something like this since I was ten. Looking forward to ending each night with an eerie little episode or two. Check it out if you haven't already and are into that sort of thing.

Oh, wonderful! Daisy just broke up the day by renting two My Little Pony movies from the Fire Stick. Thanks, Dais! I felt like pissing away $10 and fooling with the parental control settings this afternoon. Worth noting: there are at least seventeen thousand other My Little Pony movies that she could've viewed for zip. Upside? She's actually watching the movie and being still.

I guess I'll end here for today. I hope you are all adjusting and finding this week to be less stressful and a little more easy going. Keep a positive attitude, look for the silver linings, hug a care bear or whatever. Just don't let it get you way down. It's not forever! 

xo 

Tomorrow we're starting fresh!

Well, here we are. Day 7 of home schooling. I'd say it's going as expected. There are a lot of emails. A lot of assignments. There's a lot of searching for a pencil with an eraser. Followed by a lot of searching for an eraser. (Didn't we all buy like thirty pink erasers at the beginning of the school year?! I bet they're all piled up in an old vitamin container in Scarlett's room). There are lessons in not coloring with a highlighter. Repetitive teaching moments showing Daisy how to properly hold her scissors. There's a lot of running from the bedroom to help Scarlett on the computer to the dining room to explain worksheets to Daisy and back again. There is some regret over not having a laptop... or an iPad. Some pondering over whether to buy another whole bunch of school supplies. Agonizing over whether I'm driving them too hard or not pushing enough. A bunch of complaining ... by all of us, ultimately ending up in OK, we are done for today, go outside and run around!

Pause. Take a breather. Regroup. Watch them play. Laughing on the swings. Running around the yard. Falling down the hill. Throwing gravel. Some yelling. Oh, Daisy's crying. She's hit her head again. We blow her nose and back she goes. It was after this that I saw an opportunity to put a little patch on our day. I went outside with a tennis ball and the three of us played catch for forty minutes. I expected maybe ten or fifteen but they were so engaged they just wanted to keep at it! I was more than happy to play, it was one of my favorite things to do when I was a kid. We will certainly be adding more activities like that into our curriculum.


These days have been challenging but after the tense moments I remind myself that this is difficult. It's difficult for everyone. The stress of what is going on in the world is enough to wear us down mentally. Adding new mandatory tasks and routines creates extra tension. Our children, who may seem like nothing is worrying them, are trying to figure out their new normal. Why can't they leave the house? Why aren't they allowed back at school? Why can't they see their grandparents? When can they play with their friends again? Why the hell are they constantly wearing pajamas!? How LONG is this going to last? The answers aren't easy for any of us to hear. I'm sure it's all taking a toll on their fragile minds. Scarlett is a deep over-thinker, a bit of an anxious kid, and she's quiet about it. (Until about 9:20 pm when she's ready to host a two hour interview about my childhood). So, tomorrow we are going a bit easier. We will get all of the work done but without the rigidness. I will try harder to not let my stress level spill out in the form of sighs. I will try to channel the patience of a teacher. I'll probably eat more Cadbury mini eggs. Those are on my list of "essentials" with good reason. I vow to better plan our day to cut back on whatever is making it feel like a rusted out roller coaster track with that one cart in which the seat belt was cut clean off.

We will alllllll figure it out! It's going to be just fine in the end. That's a fact.

You can always feel free to vent to me about your stressful days, we are in it together, friends! Keep going!

xo

Hello again!

Hi friends!

I just blew the dust off of this old blog! It's been a WHILE... and to be honest, I've been sitting here for over 20 minutes trying to figure out how to change up the formatting a bit and I've had zero success. Haha. Blogger has changed quite a bit since my last go. Also I've forgotten how some of these things work in my older age. SO, until I feel like renovating the entire thing we will just continue in the old familiar. You all couldn't care less about a font choice anyway, right? (Why is it so small?? Ohhhhh, because my eyesight has also changed quite a bit since my last go).

So... WHAT'S NEW??

You can feel my smirk I'll bet.

Ugh. I'm assuming the lot of you are reading this from the comfort of your home. You know, what with the Global Pandemic and such. I hope you are all faring well during these insane times. We are holding it down over here. Gregg is still working at this time and I am home with the two young'ns. They are both missing school much more than I would've ever thought! Scarlett received school work all week long and I made sure that Daisy had a few daily worksheets to keep her from feeling left out. She is getting her REAL school work tomorrow. And so we begin our new temporary normal.

I give so much credit to all of our amazing teachers who, in a pinch, figured out how to make virtual learning readily and easily available to all. Well done! I also want to thank every single healthcare worker, grocery/retail/restaurant worker, first responder and anyone who isn't sitting in a recliner right now due to playing a necessary part in keeping our world moving. Forever grateful.

All that being said... I'm feeling a little strange these days. Can't fully explain it. Not scared. Not really sad, although the thought of missing some special events and days - like my father's upcoming 70th birthday, Easter dinner with the family and Scarlett's first communion have me a bit deflated. Last week was an ANXIOUS time. I read way too many articles about Covid-19 (so I could sift through them all and figure out what I believe to be the real deal) and was setting up online schoolwork for Scarlett, trying to make the girls' days feel somewhat normal while passing out snacks every thirteen seconds and coming up with new crafts and new couch forts. I marveled over the fact that toilet paper was sold out across the country because some people are straight insane. I worried about limited trips to the grocery store and all of these small businesses that will have no choice but to close their doors. I was suddenly thrust into a world of Zoom lessons and Face Time sessions. All of which make me incredibly uncomfortable. I realize these are great options to keep socialization going... but I also realize my level of social participation has declined some over the years! These new orders asking the public to stay home made it crystal clear to me that I am very, very, very good at being home. I spent fifteen straight years spending the least amount of time at home as humanly possible - only to have children and realize home is the bees knees. Don't get me wrong, I do love sitting around a table with friends and a couple of drinks, listening to music and laughing for hours. But those nights are few and far between and I actually LIKE it that way. I think it makes me appreciate those times even more! I find myself often making plans and then when the day comes I almost DREAD it. That sounds so awful, I know. I guess I've become a true introvert. Or maybe I've always been an introvert but didn't realize it due to the amount of alcohol I consumed in my younger years. Who's to say? Nowadays, I'm a gal who enjoys her leggings and beat up "house hoodies," ambient light and The Golden Girls on the screen. That is how I unwind at the end of the day. Not quite a hermit yet... but a lot closer to an 80 year old than I would've guessed I'd be at this point. I do fill a lot of my time with independent, yet enriching activities. Graphic design, creative writing and playing guitar. It's this trio that has transformed my life and given me such a satisfied soul. You know when you feel like something is missing? I found what was missing. And I now do those things as much as possible.

One last thing I would like to share...

I MIGHT loathe You Tube toy videos even more than a tuna sandwich. And man do I hate tuna. WHO STARTED THESE VIDEOS!?!?!?!! The voice that I hear coming out of that television right now??? Stop. Just STOP IT. Why do my children want to WATCH some kooky-ass lady, who probably has an Apple Brown Betty burning in the oven, unwrap and play with little figures and playsets!?!?!?! It is maddening!!!!

Anyway, I hope you all find things that satisfy your soul in these uncertain times...

Stay well, friends!
xo