• Beauty in Moments,  Graceful Calamities,  Tips and Trips

    Spring has sprung!

    My Dad always used to recite a version of a poem that I often think of this time of year. Spring is sprung, the grass is riz I wonder where the flowers is? They say the bird is on the wing, but I always thought the wing was on the bird? ~Unknown~ Sweet memories of Dad and, of course, FLOWERS!!! I enjoy spring so much! I look forward to cleaning up my yard, seeing my spring flowers grow and bloom, making improvements in the landscape and planting flowers. It’s one of my favorite things! I have fond memories of going with my Mom every year to get our flowers. I…

  • Graceful Calamities

    I Talk to Myself…

    My daughter overheard me one morning, it was kind of funny. I had whispered “Cozies! I’ll see you later…” to my PJs as I set them aside for the day. I didn’t think I said it out loud, let alone loudly enough for anyone else to hear! I’m starting to think maybe I talk to myself, to inanimate objects and to my pets a little too much. I’m not alone in this behavior though, am I?  (Denise sits back and hopes some fairly sane and sound minded people give reassurances that they do the same things…and that they also occasionally refer to themselves in the third person.)  In the meantime, here…

  • Graceful Calamities

    Motherhood & Child’s Play

    When I was growing up, all I wanted to do was PLAY! Looking back on it, my parents did a great thing by allowing us to have time and space to play and imagine. My Mom, in particular, fostered play when I was little. As I grew, I was the kid who was always nagging my family to please play a game with me. My sisters were not as enthusiastic about game playing as I was. When I asked my Mom, she would usually stop what she was doing and play a card or board game with me. She did the same for her grandchildren. Connor and Rachel have fond…

  • Graceful Calamities

    Practicing the Pause

    I’ve been thinking it, but wondered if I was alone in my thinking. Being selfish. In my own little world. I am enjoying many facets of the quarantine. There. I said it. But having said it, I know I’m not alone. I do not enjoy what havoc it has wreaked on our population. The illness and death, the forced distancing, the masks, continuous disinfecting, using gloves, hand sanitizer, disinfectant spray, non-stop hand washing, the effect on our economy, the fear and isolation, the early and abrupt end to in-school learning and my high school seniors missing out on so much of the fun of their last months before graduation. I…