by Susan | Apr 2, 2021 | Hannah, On My Mind
I received an exceptional package in the mail today. Hannah sent a birthday gift on Monday for my birthday on Wednesday. She was horrified to learn that USPS 2-day Priority mail isn’t – and was disappointed her package wouldn’t arrive on time. But...
by Susan | Mar 31, 2021 | On My Mind
Mary sent me this picture of how she’s packed up the Monarch butterflies she’s created for springtime gifts for family and friends. I shared Mary’s work before with her Covid Christmas tree. I LOVE this presentation – such a cool idea. Thanks...
by Susan | Mar 10, 2021 | On My Mind
A year ago tonight, the notice came that the US’s borders were closing due to COVID-19 and Hannah’s study abroad program in Denmark was shutting down. We had 48 hours to get her out of the country and on her way home. It was a crazy scramble. The fear and...
by Susan | Feb 24, 2021 | On My Mind
“There is always in February some one day, at least, when one smells the yet distant, but surely coming, summer.” – Gertrude Jekyll Today was that day.
by Susan | Dec 26, 2020 | On My Mind
My first felt ornaments were the family of owls that grace the top of my blog. I had such fun creating those that in January 2012, I designed my first bird pattern – the Black-capped Chickadee. Since then, I’ve designed and shared (for free download) 207...
by Susan | Dec 25, 2020 | On My Mind
A lovely Christmas day is coming to a close. The best part of this holiday was spending yesterday with Hannah cooking Christmas dinner. Our tipsy-looking Christmas tree has been such a bright spot the past few weeks, standing watch over carefully wrapped presents. On...
by Susan | Dec 24, 2020 | On My Mind
In the light of COVID-19 turning our lives upside down, I’ve had an unusually quiet December with plenty of time to plan for a peaceful Christmas at home with Hannah and Paul. Gifts have been wrapped and under the tree for a week (except for the one languishing...
by Susan | Dec 20, 2020 | On My Mind
Gidget is such an integral part of our lives that it’s odd to think that this is only her fifth Christmas with us. We celebrated the season with a new Christmas scarf and an impromptu photoshoot. It took a few takes and the promise of a cookie to get her on...
by Susan | Dec 3, 2020 | On My Mind
COVID-19 has changed so many things this year. Possibly the best silver lining has been to have Hannah home since Thanksgiving. As a result, we’ve been able to work together on donations for WHRL’s Christmas Tree Festival. I organize the event for WHRL,...
by Susan | Aug 16, 2020 | Hannah, On My Mind
It’s 1036 miles from Milbridge to Granville, Ohio. We made the trip to college this year with a couple of stops along the way and moved Hannah into her new apartment suite on Friday. She’s in a building of four-person apartments. Each student has a single...
by Susan | Aug 6, 2020 | Hannah, On My Mind
Hannah’s 21st birthday yesterday was a quiet day at home, laying low and enjoying life. The menu was the traditional birthday lobster and Hannah’s favorite “cheesy potatoes.” Paul surprised her with a gorgeous “campus cruiser”...
by Susan | Aug 5, 2020 | Hannah, On My Mind
Twenty-one. How is it possible that my little girl has grown into this amazing woman. Legos, Disney, and Harry Potter – they seem like just yesterday and have been traded for cameras, lenses, and scripts. Hannah, you’ve made parenting such a joy. Even...
by Susan | Jul 26, 2020 | Family, On My Mind
This is a brave man. Twenty-three years ago, he married me; for better or worse. It hasn’t always been easy. But there’s nobody else I can imagine spending this life with. There are days he drives me bonkers, and I’m sure the likewise is true. Yet...
by Susan | Jul 17, 2020 | Family, On My Mind
There comes a point in gift-giving when it’s hard to think of the perfect birthday gift. That’s true for my dad this year. As I was “pondering” the dilemma this year, inspiration hit last Saturday at midnight. We’d recently recorded a...
by Susan | Jun 21, 2020 | On My Mind
I’ve so enjoyed working from the deck since screening it in last month. I’ve been researching roll up blinds for the porch but decided they’re just not in my budget. A search through the linen closet revealed one old curtain panel (just one). A couple of old...
by Susan | Jun 18, 2020 | On My Mind
It’s official. Hannah WILL be returning to Denison University for her senior year. She learned the news last week and is over the moon, knowing she’ll reunite with her friend and begin classes again. It’s been three months since she was sent home...
by Susan | May 2, 2020 | On My Mind
We’ve just finished our first month of “Stay Safer at Home” here in Maine and are now into month two. Yet for the Bennett family, it’s been over eight weeks of hunkering down. When Hannah arrived home from Denmark on March 14th, we...
by Susan | Apr 3, 2020 | On My Mind
This was so much fun! Thank you to everyone who took a few minutes to share how you’re spending your COVID-19 Safer at Home self-isolation. Your comments reminded me that not all of us have time off – some of you are working harder than ever. Some of your...
by Hannah Bennett | Mar 29, 2020 | Hannah
This was it – my final week in Copenhagen – though I didn’t know it yet. On Monday, March 9th, it was announced that all future study tours were canceled – which meant that I would not be able to go to Normandy, the Czech Republic, and Austria...
by Hannah Bennett | Mar 21, 2020 | Hannah
Little did I know, this was my last full week in Denmark. Yet, I had a feeling. Reports were coming in about the spread of the Coronavirus across Europe and the rest of the world. In the meantime, I went on with my regular life and tried to make the most of it. I...
