lara simmons

"It is the curse of the writer, Maisie: I am both annoyed and relieved upon being interrupted. I can spend much time cleaning the keys on my typewriter or rinsing the bin and barrel of my fountain pen - in fact anything that constitutes a writer's work without actually stringing two words together." --Georgina in "Messenger of Truth" Coming off of a holiday weekend is always hard, plus I had a sick kid at home so things were a bit shaky from the get-go, but "20 minutes of meditation" was my number one priority today and I just...kept...putting...it...off... First I had to get kid #1 breakfasted and off to school. Then I had to try and salvage the rotting bananas by making some emergency banana bread. Then walk the dog. Then clean up the kitchen. Next I rushed off to do the grocery shopping before all the elementary and preschool moms dropped their kids off and flooded the store. When I got home I had to put away the groceries and get kid #2 (a...

"The ego is trying to teach you how to gain the whole world and lose your soul...you do not want the world. The only thing of value in it is whatever part of it you look upon with love." --From A Course in Miracles Our family has discovered the board game RISK lately and we have enjoyed playing it together, for the most part.... With two boys close in age board games can be a RISKy proposition. There is always the dynamic of one vs. one. Even when you add my husband or I to the mix, the boys are almost always playing against each other. For this reason when we first started playing I felt the need to give a lecture on good sportsmanship . It lasted a few minutes longer than it needed to, well past the point of fidgeting and eye-rolling, but I felt it was important to make the point and our first game went well, with only a few minor infractions. The next day my older son had some homework to do so my younger son and I decided to play a game mano-a-mano and that...

"For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land."  --Song of Solomon 2:11-12

Anna: "If you'd the chance to see the private rooms of the King and Queen would you give six bits for that?" Bates: "But what would it tell me? They sleep in a bed? They eat at a table? So do I." I love this quote from Sunday's episode of Downton Abbey  for its quiet profundity.  If you don't watch the show it may not make much sense so here's the gist: The aristocratic Crawley Family decided to open up their home (Downton Abbey) to the locals for six bits each in order to raise money for the local hospital. The household staff were in disagreement about whether or not this was a good idea and were discussing it during a break between household duties. Mr. Bates was neither in favor or opposed, merely puzzled as to why anyone would want to take a tour and thus ensued the above conversation with his wife, Anna.  Bates has always been a realist, comfortable with his position, never aspiring to a heightened position or lamenting his fate a...

Join me on Instagram ( fridgeoracle ) this month, where I will be posting daily reminders of LOVE. Like this one: "LOVE is contagious." --My take on a Sandra Cisneros quote, "Anger is contagious."