One of the most rewarding ways to use your larger outdoor living space in the country is to gather your family members for a reunion. Perhaps it’s a small group that gets together annually, or a large one whose far-flung members attend every two or five or even 10 years.

Whether large or small, a reunion is a wonderful opportunity to knit families closer together through shared stories. In the much-underrated 1990 film Avalon, a Russian immigrant to 1940s America relates the disintegration of his family ties. In his young manhood, his children gathered at the feet of older relatives during family gatherings and listened to tales of their heritage and history. As television took hold of society in the late ’50s, children and adults alike opted for the entertainment of television personalities, instead of the stories of their roots.

And just as the art of listening to stories has gone by the wayside, so has the art of telling them. Here’s how to re-start a tradition of storytelling at your family reunion. Read the rest of this entry »

What are you reading Mondays is hosted by J. Kaye’s Book Blog

I’ve just finished reading these. Reviews are coming soon.

1. The Daughter-in-Law Rules
by Sally Shields
101 Surefire Ways to Manage (and Make Friends with) Your Mother-In-Law
“In her hilarious new book The Daughter-In-Law Rules author Sally Shields lays out 101 simple and witty ways to aid wives of all ages in mastering every element of MIL relations.”

2. Galore by Michael Crummey
“An intricate family saga and a love story spanning two centuries…propelled by the disputes and alliances, grievances and trade-offs that bind the Sellers and Devine families through generations.”

I’m currently reading these:

1. Taken to the Cleaners
by Dolores Johnson A Mandy Dyer mystery
Mysteries, especially themed such this one is, are my snack food of reading. My secret vice. This is the first one of this series that I’ve seen. “Mandy is making a go of [her late uncle’s Denver dry-cleaning company]…Then Betty the Bag Lady comes in with a man’s suit, slashed and stained with blood.”

Technorati Tags: The Daughter-in-law rules, the mother-in-law rules, Sally Shields, Galore, Michael Crummey, Taken to the Cleaners, Mandy Dyer mystery, Dolores Johnson

For the rest of my week, see my blog at the Grace in Small Things site.

1. Clean sheets

2. Two paying gigs in two nights!

3. The Fabled Pig ham sandwich

4. Sent home on glass plates

5. That we’re trusted to return.

Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace in Small Things .

[tags]grace in small things, Fables Club, Fabled pig[tags]

The front page of the daily paper in our nearest town carried this picture last Thursday morning. The picture is in color and measures 7½” x 9″.
As you can imagine, it WAS the front page story. Page 3 continued with the headline: “Tatamagouche sunflower thief has business owners up in arms” over a smaller b&w photo of one such owner displaying the holes in her flower arrangement.

Six years ago, Read the rest of this entry »

For the rest of my week, see my blog at the Grace in Small Things site.

1. Pulling weeds

2. Ice water

3. Being able to delete spam comments

4. A warm shower to wash off the garden dirt

5. Green

Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace in Small Things .

[tags]grace in small things[tags]

Since I saw the trailer for this great-looking movie with Meryl Streep, due to open August 7, 2009, I seem to have a fascination with Julia Child and her famous book Mastering The Art of French Cooking (You can read my review of Julia Child’s My Life in France here.)

The movie is based on that book – and on this one: Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen by Julie Powell. For Canadian readers

When Julie Powell was an adolescent, she stumbled upon a Joy-of-Sex-type book in her father’s bathroom cabinet. Read the rest of this entry »

For the rest of my week, see my blog at the Grace in Small Things site.

1. Ad-Aware Free

2. Home made buttered popcorn

3. Playing with a clever little black kitten

4. Spiritual discussions

5. A husband who offers to pick up Swiss Chalet for supper

Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace in Small Things .

[tags]grace in small things, Ad Aware Free[tags]

For the rest of my week, see my blog at the Grace in Small Things site.

1. Slicker dog brushes

2. Clean curtains

3. Fall bulb catalogs

4. Yardley English Lavender Talc

5. Returning overdue library books.

Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace in Small Things .

[tags]grace in small things, Yardley English lavender, Yardley talc, lavender talc, fall bulb catalogs, blue flowers, slicker dog brush[tags]

Country living usually offers outdoor living spaces that can be put to many different uses, including parties.

Perhaps nothing says “garden party” like having afternoon tea outdoors. It’s a charming reminder of bygone days and childhood make-believe. Outdoor spaces of all kinds (including balconies if you’re stuck in the city) can be successfully adapted to a tea party.

Tea parties span generations and will be enjoyed by your most sophisticated women friends or all the giggling little girls of your acquaintance.

What makes an elegant tea party? Read the rest of this entry »

For the rest of my week, see my blog at the Grace in Small Things site.

1. X-ray guided cortisone injections – for both sides of my body!

2. Forgiveness – again!

3. How the blankets smell when I bring them in off the clothesline.

4. A paying gig for the Djangoholics at the Gathering of the Clans.

5. Breakfast at the Train Station Inn.

Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace in Small Things .

[tags]grace in small things, The Train Station Inn, The Gathering of the Clans, Djangoholics[tags]