Happy Earth Day! I have a giveaway to celebrate at the end of this post. Earth Day is a great reminder to be more eco-conscious. Most of us want to make more “green” or environmental choices, and we want to know how to be more earth-friendly. However, it can be easy to get overwhelmed.   [AdSense-B]   For me, it

Updated for 2023. When I lived in Kansas, my husband and I had a flower garden. We planted all kinds of flowers, annuals and perennials. The spring and early summer flowers—tulips, peonies, irises—were lovely, but they didn’t bloom for long. I loved the garden in August, when the zinnias, black-eyed Susans, and Russian sage were in full force. A thunderstorm

Did you know that in Finland in the 1980s, they rebranded Valentine’s Day so no one would feel left out? They call it Ystävänpäivä, or Day of the Friends, and it’s mostly about friendship. In the U.S., people usually think of Valentine’s Day as a romantic holiday, but because I worked for so many years at a greeting card company, I

Those of you who have read this blog for a while…or who have read my novel Sunrise Cabin …know how I like to take time every morning to count my blessings, or at least acknowledge some of my reasons to feel thankful. I think practicing gratitude is one of the best things we can do for mental health and happiness.