Top Ten

Top 10 Tuesday: 10 Reasons I Haven’t Given Up on the Rosary

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The Rosary drifts in and out of my life. Seasons change, lifestyles are uprooted, and my interest in the prayer waxes and wanes. Yet, same as the beads scattered across the dining room buffet, it remains within reach.

October is the Month of the Holy Rosary, and I’m bothered by the fact the Rosary isn’t part of my routine the way it once was. I had no experience with a family recitation of the Rosary, so praying it privately during my daily commute for years suited me just fine. Then the commute ended, and I’ve struggled ever since. Continue reading →

Top 10 Tuesday: 10 Reasons I Love My Kindle

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When my husband surprised me with a Kindle for Christmas four years ago, I wasn’t sure that I’d like it. I enjoy holding a book in my hands, examining the color cover, and feeling the pages glide between my fingers. But, grateful for his thoughtful gift, I tested it out. And I became hooked. Here’s what I love about my Kindle.

  1. The dictionary feature. I love the ability to look up a word with a single tap. I don’t need to set my book down and go for the dictionary–either in hardcover or online. It’s  undoubtedly helped expand my vocabulary and enabled me to grasp the precise meaning of words.
  2. The ability to prop it on a window sill. I carefully prop my Kindle on the window sill above the kitchen sink, which allows me to read while washing dishes. With six people, no automatic dishwasher, and  meals cooked from scratch, I often have a double sink filled with dishes. Reading makes the task more pleasant.reader with bookends

    3. Continue reading →

Top 10 Tuesday: 10 Ways Music Helps Me Write

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The title reads, “Top 10 Ways Music Helps Me Write,” but you could substitute the creative activity of your choice: painting, sculpting, or even more rote activities. I’ve written about the music related to the creation of  Stay With Me. Music has an uncanny way of altering mood and spirit. I’ve found that the right music can help me cope on the most trying days, elevating frustration and drudgery with lightness and good humor.

Piano Keyboard

I couldn’t resist this piano picture, mostly because it looks like every piano I’ve owned – missing a few ivories and , ahem, well-loved.

  1. Serves as background noise. Sometimes a little white noise cuts the distraction. The rhythm and hum of music can help you tune out the random noises, sounds, and dare I say, voices, that drive you to distraction. My mom couldn’t understand it, but I often did high school homework with music in the background. It improved my concentration. Continue reading →

Top 10 Tuesday: 10 Things My Dad Taught Me (Without Saying A Word)

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  1. Working hard for your family is honorable. My dad leased a Gulf gas station/service station for decades. He worked ten-hour days, six days a week for many years. Then tended to “book work” when he was home. He didn’t harbor any great any ambitions or wallow in his lot in life (although he always wanted to be a trolley conductor). It is simply what he did to provide for his wife and children.

    Perpetua Anniversary

    Mom and Dad celebrating their 50th Wedding Anniversary in 2004.

  2. Volunteer. Give your time freely in service to others. I never realized the extent to which my dad’s life was marked by service until the priest spoke about it at his funeral Mass. From his Navy service during World War II to being a parish usher, bingo volunteer, a lifelong member of the Rennerdale Volunteer Fire Department, and helping out at one of his favorite places – the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum – my dad happily served. Continue reading →

Top 10 Tuesday: 10 Signs You Might Live In A Tourist Town

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The home I grew up in sat on a dead-end road. It was once a main thoroughfare leading west from Pittsburgh, but in the 1960s, it was cut off by the development of Interstate 79. Where my Italian immigrant grandfather once had a wholesale whiskey business and then a gas station, businesses died and homes were moved – literally. In our little town, multiple homes, including the home in which my husband was raised, were picked up and moved. My father kept his property and his business, as did my uncle. A lone home remained as well. Our buildings were the last in a road that circled in on itself, deadening at a macaroni company. If tourists came through, they were most assuredly lost. WAY lost.

For the past seventeen years, we have lived in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Well, technically there is no town of Hershey. Hershey lies within the bounds of Derry Township, and that’s where we live. Derry Township is home to HersheyPark, among other attractions, including a natural limestone cavern right across the street. Things are. . . different.

In case you’re unsure, here are ten signs you may live in a tourist town.

  1. People pose with the “Welcome to. . .” signs. Many a summer day, I can ride down the highway and see one or more vehicles pulled onto the berm and a family huddled underneath the welcome billboard.Welcome to Hershey Sign

Continue reading →

Top 10 Tuesday: Top 10 Favorite Children’s Books

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We’ve clocked  a lot of hours with children’s books around here. Our shelves are filled to capacity with books for kids, some classic, some modern, some treasures and some trash. These books have withstood being read hundreds of times and are still loved. Not just by the kids, but by me.

Little girl reading

Big chair, little girl, tiny book.

So, to mark Children’s Book Week, here are ten of our favorites. These are the first ten I thought of, but there are others. (Skippyjon Jones books by Judy Schachner come to mind for their clever storytelling and the sheer pleasure of reading them aloud.) Continue reading →

Top 10 Tuesday: 10 Pitfalls To Avoid In Your Relationship With Your Spouse

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My husband and I will celebrate eighteen years of marriage this month. As a result, I’ve been reflecting on the ways our relationship has grown and the challenges we’ve faced.

Like every couple, my husband and I have had our ups and downs. We’re still working on becoming better spouses, better lovers, better friends. Here are some of the lessons we’ve learned about fairly universal traps that can trip up even the most committed and loving couples.

  1. Fail to communicate. I know, I know. You’ve heard this a million times, but that’s because it’s true. If you want to start an argument, expect your spouse to be a mind reader. When your spouse fails to intuit your needs, stew for an unspecified period of time, then pitch a fit. Remedy: Speak up early and often.wedding bands

Continue reading →