GREY MATTER LIFE

Mystery Shopper

A boy, who will remain nameless, has been very busy this holiday season. “Shopping” and wrapping and tagging gifts galore. One more week and the mystery of his creative generosity will be revealed and I suspect a significant amount of pocket change too. In the meantime, everything I currently can’t find in the house, I hope and suspect are contained within the confines of … Continue reading →

United States Of Suckered Cookies

I wouldn’t say I’m crafty, but I’ll admit to being creative. I’m not a mommy blogger, but I’m a mom who blogs. I am however a sucker. A gullible sucker at that. Here’s where it all collides. Somewhere during my hour and forty minute carpool with both boys this morning, I got suckered. I don’t mind, … Continue reading →

Three @ Four

What started over eight years ago with a chance photo that became a favorite, grew into a tradition to be repeated at four months with each of our children. Converted to black and white with a touch of sepia tone, here are our three at four months. Nothing professional and nothing fancy yet remarkable representations of their striking similarities and differences. In no … Continue reading →

The One Size Fits All Post

The all in one, random assault post about the goings on in our lives. In other words, I haven’t had a moment to sit and write real posts lately so you’re stuck with the leftover mess in my head. Nevertheless, there have been some entertaining moments. Our tree is up, the halls are decked and we even have … Continue reading →

Tree Hunt Beauty III

We adventured today to our favorite Christmas Tree farm in North Georgia to tackle our day after Thanksgiving tradition. The Annual Tree Hunt. For the past two years, I’ve captured an image of my favorite tree on the farm. Dead and burned from a lightning strike, I’ve written about it here and there. I was … Continue reading →

My Thanksgiving Is…

Simple. Easy. Unpretentious. Completely lacking formality. Using my fine china and paper napkins. Children with clean hands and dirty feet and full of all that makes me grateful. It is football in the yard, half the day spent in my Pj’s and parades and football on TV. It is family and it is friendship. It … Continue reading →

The Off Season

Leaving Harper snuggled up with my mom who was visiting for a long weekend, Paul and I headed to the ball fields with the boys. It’s late fall and the end of the season. Shoes are broken and beat up after being worn and passed down from one brother to another. T-shirts have given way … Continue reading →

The Unexpected Gift

My father stopped over yesterday for a late afternoon visit. He kept me company on my afternoon carpool run, took in some snuggle time with Harper, stayed for dinner and entertained the boys with brain teaser games. He arrived carrying a frame. Clearly excited to give it to me, he insisted that he share the story about it before letting me … Continue reading →

Living My Mantra: Slow And Steady Wins The Race

Generally operating as an attack at 100 miles an hour type, I’d rarely approached anything slow and steady until the early days after my surgery in 2008. However, there’s nothing like facing recovery after brain surgery, working to clear the cobwebs and getting cognitive functioning back on track, to drive home the reality and importance of slow … Continue reading →

Hello Pumpkin

I’ve never been a fan of pumpkins. On my porch yes, but in my food, no. Aside from a few stellar dishes I’ve enjoyed made with fresh pumpkin, my aversion is likely due to canned pumpkin puree. It never tastes great or real for that matter and frankly belongs where it came from, the can. Sorry. With a few edible pumpkins from the pumpkin patch, a husband … Continue reading →

Quote Of The Day

“Piece of shit is not there.” For those who may not follow or need a translation, this means that my MRI today was clean. It also means that my medical team shares and appreicates my sense of humor which is as equally wonderful as the six words above. Onward we go back into our life in-between and we thank you for all your support! … Continue reading →

A Long Walk

I took a few hours today and went for a long, long, long walk. With Harper bundled in her stroller, music playing in my ears and a longing to get out and get away, the two of us fled the grind of the suburban landscape. Friday can’t come soon enough. The weight of the count … Continue reading →

The Life In-Between

Since the CNN piece aired, I’ve been asked to explain how I found the courage and strength to face all this. How do you explain something that you’re not even sure your successfully accomplishing? What I feel and believe is that I am working with the cards I was dealt and I’m moving forward. I take life one day at … Continue reading →