I stared, forlornly, at the dolls I had freed from the plastic wrap. My husband grimaced. We were both thinking the same thing. Would our future grandchildren be scarred by these motley characters? Forget the grandkids, were we already scarred? With their blank stares, antiquated clothes, and peeling paint, these dolls were the stuff of…

Before I could consider any decor for the dollhouse I’d salvaged from my parents’ basement, I knew I needed a family for the house. How could I possibly determine the style of the interior without a family as my reference point? Thus began a years’ long quest for the perfect miniature family. The options were…

For my eighth Christmas, my dad and grandfather surprised me with a three-story dollhouse. Made from a wooden kit they special ordered from the Sears catalog and painstakingly assembled in my grandfather’s workshop, the dollhouse was magnificent. In order to stabilize the towering house, my grandfather made a plywood table and covered it with astroturf…

Mid-month, Leigh Anne Eck invited us all to a slicing party and asked us to bring an analog bag. I’ve really enjoyed reading about all the non-tech items everyone else is turning to in order to reduce time online; and I know I need to cut back on scrolling. I’m on my way to the…

When my sons were little, they always wanted to play “storyline.” “Mommy, can we play storyline?” one or both boys would ask, tugging on my sweatshirt as I tried to whip up something reasonably healthy for dinner. “Let’s play storyline!” they’d shout enthusiastically, the moment I’d finally collapsed onto the couch after a long day…

After 31 years in a middle school language arts classroom, I taught my share of grammar lessons. I enjoyed using student work and passages from favorite novels to introduce grammar skills. Though it was sometimes a hard sell, I tried my best to create an environment where students didn’t feel intimated by all the rules….

Last night, my husband and I enjoyed a Monday night date night, dinner and a show. Several years ago, we discovered WoodSongs Old Time Radio Hour, which has been producing their live show in our town for more than 25 years. They tape the show in front of an audience on Monday nights. Until this…

In January 2017, I graduated from the Citizens’ Police Academy. My family still laughs about it because it was so out of character for me, but I took those classes seriously. For ten weeks, on Tuesday nights, I joined other police academy participants for two-hour sessions with local law enforcement. We learned about cold case…

Finding an Easter dress in Eastern Kentucky in the 1980s was nearly impossible. In Hazard, where I lived, we had one clothing store that carried children’s clothing…Tots and Teens. Ugh. Their merchandise was overpriced, and the sales associates dressed as if every day were Easter Sunday. I dreaded shopping there. One of the sales associates…

This could be a polarizing slice, and I don’t consider myself a polarizing individual. At the risk of sparking debate, I want to share with you that I love my Kindle. Two years ago, my daughter-in-law convinced me to give the Kindle Paperwhite a chance. I had my doubts and felt that reading on a…