by MarianBeaman | Apr 24, 2015 | Coming of Age, Conflict, Family / Nostalgia, Folk Songs of the South, Memory, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Recipes, Uncategorized
Growing up in rural Lancaster County in the 1950s, I had very little opportunity to meet people of other ethnic groups, but I did have a Little Black Sambo book that introduced me to a culture different from mine. So, I have not always been embarrassed by this book....
by MarianBeaman | Feb 17, 2015 | Education, Gratitude, Recipes, Tips, Travel, Uncategorized
Once upon a time, there were five memoirists who met online through their writing websites. One of them, Janet Givens, who had a rustic log house on Chincoteague Island, Virginia, invited four blogging friends to join her for a writers’ retreat: Kathy Pooler, Joan...
by MarianBeaman | Dec 17, 2014 | Family / Nostalgia, Gratitude, Lists, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Recipes, Uncategorized
Color psychologists say red represents energy, passion, and motivation to act. Red is everywhere this season: Santa’s costume, cranberry dishes, poinsettias. I’m seeing red too. In Ian’s Santa cap at the Orchestra Zoo . . . In Mother’s...
by MarianBeaman | Nov 15, 2014 | Coming of Age, Family / Nostalgia, Nostalgia, Recipes, Tips, Uncategorized
BAKE It’s cold outside, maybe even Polar-vortex cold, and Saturdays with Grandma or Aunt or Mom will be spent indoors. One cold day three of our grandkids warmed up the house, at least the kitchen, with cupcake baking. Yes, it’s fun to help mix up the...
by MarianBeaman | Nov 1, 2014 | Family / Nostalgia, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Quotations, Recipes, Uncategorized
“Just two generations ago, preparing meals was as much a part of life as eating,” so says Mark Bittman in an article entitled How to Eat Now published in the October 20, 2014 issue of TIME magazine. Although a recent Harris poll reveals that 79% of...
by MarianBeaman | Oct 4, 2014 | Family / Nostalgia, Gratitude, Memory, Mennonite Lore, Purple Passage, Recipes, Uncategorized
Are family dinners important? What about empty nesters? Families of one? Do family dinners protect against the effects of teen drug use and cyberbullying? Writer Melodie Miller Davis in her recent blog post “How do you keep family dinner?” got me thinking about...
