![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/f746ce5fa6.jpg\")
Little on the floor, scrubbing that lovely piece of linoleum!
\n\n\nIt has been a fun two weeks, but Little is ready to get home. Big will be leaving for college soon so they need to spend some quality time together. Everyone will be happy to get their Little Bear home, safe and sound.
\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/f1d437cfaa.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/e96ab39597.jpg\")
Nana made biscuits and gravy, eggs and sausage, and topped it off with homemade applebutter per Little’s request!
\n\n\nWe had a lovely breakfast. I made a batch of buttermilk biscuits and gave Little the choice of what flavor jam or jelly they wanted on them. Apple Butter was the winner. This is the next to last jar so I’ll probably need to make some more this year. We had sausage and eggs…and sweet tea. It was more like “brunch” considering it was nearly 2:00 in the afternoon before we got around to cooking.
\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/1a1863ca23.jpg\")
The Old Mt. Zion Church back on the hill. Grandma and PopPop brought the kids here every Sunday afternoon for services. it made me smile to think of them sitting in the very pews we scrubbed yesterday.
\n\n\nWe did laundry. We were going to go to town to mail the things that won’t fit in the suitcase, but this stupid washing machine. I intensely dislike the kind without an agitator because it doesn’t get the clothes clean and darks invariably have white soap scum on them…even with an extra rinse. They are supposed to be conserving energy but how can you conserve energy when you have to run them twice to get things clean? So, I’ll have to make a special trip to town next week to ship this stuff.
\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/646f211e4d.jpg\")
The pulpit in Mr. Zion Church.
\n\n\nI cooked the last of the half-runner beans in the little pressure cooker, then Little and I headed off on an important errand. The other day, Little noticed how dirty the old church was and wanted to go back out to sweep and clean. They didn’t forget, so we loaded up the brooms and rags, jugs of water and Spic & Span, and headed off for the country.
\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/0dd2df1af4.jpg\")
Little sweeping up all the dead ladybugs and dust bunnies.
\n\n\nWe swept and wiped and washed and scrubbed till we got it as clean as we could. Then Little went out and picked a bouquet of Queen Anne’s Lace and put it in the vase on the altar. We stood there for a moment in silence, signed the guest book, and turned to leave. My heart is so full at the goodness of this child.
\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/721db50626.jpg\")
We were amazed at how bright the colors were when the floor was wet. It needs waxed!
\n\n\nWe went back to Grandma’s farm and sat on the front porch for quite some time. We talked about all the people who used to live there. We feel them around us when we are there and know that we are loved and watched over.
\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/1291e9272d.jpg\")
Grandma’s Road at the end of the day.
\n\n\nOn the way home, we stopped for ice cream and brought a scoop home for Grandpa FixIt. Then Little jumped in the pool one last time. We had a lot of rain off and on yesterday and that water was decidedly cooler last night than it has been the last couple of weeks. No way I was getting in there, but Little had a blast. When the bats came out and started circling for their dive-bomb drinks of water from the pool, Little decided that was their signal that time was up and they were out of the pool in a flash! The laundry was done, the bags were packed, decisions were made for what needed to go today and what could wait to be mailed. We got the Boarding Pass from Daughter #1.
\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/2c62875aab.jpg\")
Making the turn to cross PopPop’s Bridge!
\n\n\nAnd…that’s a wrap, folks! Operation Nana Camp was a rousing success!!!
\n\n\n?
\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2022-07-30T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/07/30/day-fourteen-see-ya-next.html", "tags": ["Colorado","Family","Love","Be Joyful!","Littles"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/07/24/day-nine-was-divine.html", "title": "Day Nine Was Divine!", "content_html": "\n“For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.”
\nPsalm 91:11-13 ESV\n
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/3e75ff758c.jpg\")
It was 80° by 9:00 yesterday morning. We needed to get out to the farm to mow before it got too hot but after some of the dew had dried off. It’s a delicate balance. I can be ready to go out the door in two minutes flat. Why is it Mr. FixIt takes for.EV.er??? Mr. Virgo was the same way. He always accused me of pushing him. Good grief…we’re going to MOW, not have an audience with the Queen! Get a move on. My sweetheart has met his match with Little. They were neck and neck getting ready. We left at 11:30. It was heading towards 90°…fast!
\n\n\nI’m not sure why, but we’ve been having a heck of a time getting the mower out at the farm to start. I usually end up running the battery down then we have to push the mower down to the house and jump it with the truck. This time, we got it in place and decided to check the oil. It was low so Mr. FixIt added some. I tried one last time to start it up and…bam! It turned over like it was a brand new machine!
\n\n\nWe adjusted the mower deck up a notch and out I went. The grass was still fairly wet, but it mowed fine. Mr. FixIt ran the push mower and I trimmed some of the overgrowth that’s narrowing the driveway. We had to stop a few times for a cold drink. It was pretty miserable by the time we were finished. We got back to our little burg and stopped at the Pig for a few groceries. We were thinking we might jump in the pool when we got home, but there was a wicked storm brewing and the sky was dark enough my headlights came on.
\n\n\nInstead of swimming, we each went to our separate corners for a little “me time”. It wasn’t until we discovered Little is on the autism spectrum that I realized I am, too. I’ve always known I “think differently”. Daughter #2 does, as well. It’s not a bad thing. We are all high functioning. It’s our super power. But it IS draining. And when we’ve “peopled out”, we need to recharge our batteries. There’s not a darn thing wrong with that. It’s how we maintain our shine!
\n\n\nWe thought we might make a trip across the state to see some cousins and my uncle, but we’re down to one trusty vehicle and it’s been a bit dicey of late. The temperature is supposed to hit 100° today and I decided not to go. If we had a breakdown in this heat and have to wait for a tow truck or walk five miles for cell service, we’d be in a heck of a mess…especially with Little. If it cools down this week and if I can find a super good deal on a rental car…maybe we can go later. I would really love for the WV peeps to get to know Little like I do.
\n\n\nOnce I had my stretch out time, I went out to the hedgerow with the loppers and started pruning stuff back. It grows over so much that I have to lean to the side when I mow under it. I’m tired of getting grabbed by the thorns of the multiflora rose that threatens to take over. Also, the gusty winds of the storm that blew through spread the branches from the burn pile all around so I had to gather that up, too.
\n\n\nThere’s never a dull moment here on this little slice of heaven. My reward at the end of the day was a beautiful sky and a cool shower. Oh…and a nice, chewy brownie!
\n\n\n?
\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2022-07-24T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/07/24/day-nine-was-divine.html", "tags": ["Family","The Farm","Farm Life","Littles"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/07/18/day-two-is-done.html", "title": "Day Two is Done", "content_html": "\n“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,”
\nColossians 3:23 ESV\n
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/162bab5ae4.jpg\")
The hat I started in Williamsburg.
\n\n\nLittle and I slept in the camper their first night here in West Virginia. They wanted to see the lightning bugs in the trees. We couldn’t really hear the night sounds because it was so warm in the camper, we had to have the fans running. We both went to sleep fairly early because we were exhausted after the ten hour drive from Williamsburg. We were awakened at 3:00 yesterday morning with an amazing thunderstorm. Little wasn’t really afraid of it. Fifteen is a pretty worldly age, after all. But, the pillow WAS turned around to the other end of the bed away from the window…you know, just in case.
\n\n\nWe both managed to go back to sleep for five more blissful hours and I had to finally wake Little up to head inside. It was warming up fast and even with the fans, it was getting stuffy in the camper. I fixed a big pancake breakfast and the rest of the day was pretty low key. We’ve been having some wonderful conversations about a wide variety of topics. Little is a deep thinker and such a joy to converse with. Witty, quick, tender-hearted, and sassy…that fits this grandchild to a T.
\n\n\nHaving high functioning autism, Little has had to learn to compensate for a different learning style. (Little’s preferred pronouns are they/them, so that is what I will use here out of respect.) They don’t hide their autism. As a matter of fact…they are proud of it. It’s their superpower! While they may struggle in some areas, they excel in so many others and this year at school…Little discovered theater kids! Land’s sake…this child has found the home team and is thriving! Being somewhere on the spectrum myself (more than likely), we have always related to each other on a deep level. They are incredibly smart and I’m so proud of the young person they are becoming.
\n\n\nWe may mow today…it depends on how much rain we got overnight. We’ll cook a big pot of soup beans and ham hocks in the slow cooker today. Little is expanding their culinary horizons. Yesterday’s taste treat was pickled beets. They thought it tasted pretty good. The sweet and sour combo was a hit, but the texture was a near miss. We also have chow chow and jalapeño pickled eggs to sample. We’ll have a veritable smorgasbord over the next two weeks.
\n\n\nHopefully the rain storms will let up so we can get in the pool soon!
\n\n\n?
\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2022-07-18T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/07/18/day-two-is-done.html", "tags": ["Health","Camping","Humbled","Be Joyful!","Littles"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/07/17/the-great-white.html", "title": "The Great White", "content_html": "\n“Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance,”
\nProverbs 1:5 ESV\n
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/9c9847f553.jpg\")
We left the campground at 10:00 yesterday morning. I’m not going to share the name of the campground. I wasn’t terribly pleased with it, and I haven’t had the opportunity to speak with the owner, so I don’t want to give it a bad review based on the couple of things that I really didn’t like about it. Let’s just say…it’s centrally located and folks seemed to be fine with it. It just wasn’t my cup of tea.
\n\n\nLittle slept like a log through every train. Ahhhhh, the joys of youth. Kids can sleep through anything! The long drive home was a bit of a surprise. I don’t think Little had a concept how long it would take. It was ten hours driving back because we had to stop more often. Let’s just say, we were all really glad to get out of that truck. And Little and I camped in the field last night….with NO trains running 25’ from the camper…all night long!
\n\n\nOn our way back, we stopped at the West Virginia Welcome Center in White Sulphur Springs, WV. We hiked to the top of the hill above the rest area and checked out the view overlooking The Greenbrier Hotel…also known as “The Great White”. It’s a lovely edifice and it’s been forty years since I stayed there. I doubt it’s changed much.
\n\n\nWe are looking forward to a little down time and pool time today. Maybe I’ll mow…maybe I won’t. As I wrote this, I was just too tired to care one way or the other. I hope you are enjoying a beautiful Sunday!
\n\n\n?
\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2022-07-17T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/07/17/the-great-white.html", "tags": ["Family","Camping","Road Trip","Littles","Big Birdhouse"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/09/16/how-to-celebrate-years-of.html", "title": "How to Celebrate 50 Years of Marriage? Breakfast for Supper!", "content_html": "\n“Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers.”
\nProverbs 17:6 ESV\n
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/2b1fda7879.jpg\")
While I’ve been having a wonderful visit, and I really haven’t been running around like I usually do when I’m in Colorado, it turns out…I’m two years older with hyperparathyroidism symptoms that knock my socks off sometimes. I’ve been planning a nice supper to celebrate Ben & Sue’s 50th Wedding Anniversary ever since we arrived. We’ve also been talking about making homemade Buttermilk Biscuits with Little. So, I decided to make a big southern breakfast for supper last night.
\n\n\nLittle got out of school at 1:00 yesterday. Daughter #1 invited me to come early and she’d give me a tour of her school and introduce me to staff. Afterwards, Little and I went to the grocery store to buy the necessary ingredients. Mr. FixIt and I brought a tote from West Virginia with some things they left when they came for a visit. One was the biscuit bowl I bought for Little.
\n\n\nWhen we got back to the house, we made three batches of biscuits to make sure we got it down pat. We also took a video of the whole process and Sue wrote down the directions. I made a huge skillet of fried potatoes, a double batch of sausage gravy, half a pound of bacon, and a pan of grits. We had several kinds of jams and a jar of Honey Butter I picked up from Whole Foods.
\n\n\nI know not to eat late…especially rich foods like that. Yet…ohhhhhh, they’re all so good. And sure enough…I’ve been paying the price ever since. I was supposed to go have lunch with my sweet friend Michelle today, but I knew by the way I felt last night, I wouldn’t be very good company today. I took a rain check for the next time I’m in. I’m disappointed. I’m sure she is, too. A third friend was supposed to join us but she was possibly exposed to Covid on Tuesday, so she couldn’t come either.
\n\n\nSometimes, disappointing or not, you just have to say no. We have a huge drive ahead of us in a couple of days and I need to be at my best. Today I’ll take it easy and do a little laundry. Mr. FixIt is going to get the new tires on the truck. The kids were over till late last night and will come back Friday evening to say goodbye. I can’t believe how fast it’s going. It really has been a wonderful trip.
\n\n\n?
\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2021-09-16T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/09/16/how-to-celebrate-years-of.html", "tags": ["Family","Baking","Littles","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/06/16/preparing-to-teach-at-marshmallow.html", "title": "Preparing to Teach at Marshmallow Ranch", "content_html": "\n“So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”
\n1 John 4:16 ESV\n
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/6739a2edbe.jpg\")
In just over a week, Daughter #1 will be pulling into our driveway toting Big and Little. Big is really big now...seventeen and preparing to visit colleges with her mom the following week. And Little isn’t so little anymore. She was only five years old when Mr. Virgo died. She’s fourteen now. It doesn’t seem possible...especially since I haven’t seen any of them since August 2019 when Daughter #2 got married.
\n\n\nAlthough Big came with her mom to visit me here in WV when I was fixing up my mom’s house, she doesn’t remember it because she was only nine months old. They did come several years ago to visit the farm and my Aunt Peeps, but I was working in Colorado at the time and couldn’t get away. So, this is their first visit with Nana in the country. While I doubt my “time travel” plans will be terribly impressive to a seventeen year old, I’m firmly convinced Little is going to enjoy what I have planned for her. She is staying with us for two weeks while her mom and Big go on their college tour.
\n\n\nLittle has always been SO much like me. She is bright, funny, incredibly creative, loves looking through old boxes of junk, loves to cook and sew, draw and paint. I’ve been thinking of all kinds of fun things to do with her. I want to teach her to bake sourdough bread and buttermilk biscuits and grits. I want to teach her to knit dishcloths. We’ll garden. She’ll learn about the mower and the weed eater. We’ll plant geraniums. We’ll “camp” out in TOW-Wanda. I want to take her to a nearby park that has been named a Certified Dark Sky area so we can lay back and look at the stars. I want to spend time with her at the farm and teach her about the night sounds and the different birds and grandma’s flowers. I want to share the family stories that I have been entrusted with. We’ll explore the countryside and maybe visit some cemeteries and find the names on her family tree chart I made for her. I purposefully left the birth and death dates off so she can learn where to find that information.
\n\n\nAll in two weeks. Think we can do it? I’m 99% sure we can, and she’s going to love it. I remember taking Daughter #2 on a three week road trip for her 13th birthday, and a trip to Cozumel for her 16th. The difference between those two trips was remarkable. So I hope I’m getting in under the cutoff date when Nana’s not so cool anymore. Thank God Big has come back around and we have great conversations again.
\n\n\nLittle is an old soul, and I’m truly looking forward to exploring with her.
\n\n\n?
\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2021-06-16T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/06/16/preparing-to-teach-at-marshmallow.html", "tags": ["Family","Fun","Gratitude","Farm Life","Littles","Crafts","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2019/12/07/a-good-book-is-a.html", "title": "A Good Book is a Good Friend", "content_html": "“Hear this, you elders; give ear, all inhabitants of the land! Has such a thing happened in your days, or in the days of your fathers? Tell your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children to another generation.”
\nJoel 1:2-3 ESV\n
![\"Reading\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/24bccdbb70.jpg\")
“Books open the mind of the reader and sparks an interest in the world.”
I am so busy writing now, I seldom have time to read. I have a stack of books by the bed. A cabinet full in the family room. My iPad has at least a dozen good books just waiting for me to sit down…yet I seldom do. And when I do have time, I love to knit.
\nI used to read voraciously, but since Mr. Virgo died, I just can’t seem to concentrate long enough to get into the story. I wish I could. I think I would love to sit by a babbling brook on a warm spring day and while away the hours, getting lost in a captivating storyline. I keep hoping.
\nI do have such fond memories of reading. My mother taught me to read before I started school. The first grade teacher was so taken with my early reading skills that she sent me to other classes to read to the children. I always had a book, and when I didn’t have one, I read the dictionary or my hand-me-down encyclopedia. Mom bought a set of books as shopping rewards from the grocery store when I was very young and I devoured them.
\nI have memorable moments with certain books. Love Story. I threw the book across the room and sobbed. To Kill A Mockingbird. I felt an inherent shame for the ill-treatment of others. Of Mice and Men. It broke my heart because I have a differently-able brother. There was Watership Down which got me through seasons of anxiety. There were the horror stories of Stephen King. The dramatic mysteries from the likes of James Patterson and Robin Cooke and so many others.
\nA very special time in my life was when Daughter #2 and I cuddled in bed every night and read the Harry Potter books. Thinking back on that time is bittersweet. Reading with her was wonderful. But my marriage was falling apart, as was my fragile mind in the midst of it all, and that season of my life was clouded by Prozac and assorted pharmaceuticals.
\nI have a new generation to read to now. Our oldest great grandchild is two now and is beginning to take an interest in books. The younger is just four months old so it will be a while before I can read to him, but we’ll have lots of picture books. And, another little boy will be gracing our presence in January.
\nI think I may have to start scheduling a time to read for pleasure. What are your favorite reads these days?
\n❤️
\n“He went up to the temple of the Lord with the people of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests and the prophets—all the people from the least to the greatest. He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the Lord.”\n\n \n", "date_published": "2019-12-07T02:30:31-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2019/12/07/a-good-book-is-a.html", "tags": ["Family","Overcoming Obstacles","Fun","Gratitude","Comfort","Peace","Wisdom","Choices","Widow","Littles"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2019/10/26/time-travel.html", "title": "Time Travel", "content_html": "2 Kings 23:2 NIV
![\"Coffee](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/663885f09a.jpg\")
“Coffee and sunshine and a little nosh!”
As I explored the latest West Virginia State Park on my camping itinerary yesterday, I took a king sized jump back in time. The last time I was at this particular park was with Hubby #2. I can’t tell you the year, but my guess is it was the summer of 1979, although it could have been later. I remember bits and pieces of that trip. I remember feeling so extravagant to travel to such beautiful places. We stayed a night in this lodge I am sitting in as I write this post. Oh, my…so much water over the dam since then.
\nI sat there in the morning sunshine, watching the river making riffles on the smooth stones below. The trees are yellow and brown and still-green here. Tiny little splashes of red and orange peek through as you move your eyes across the steep hillside at the far edge of the river. By 1:00 in the afternoon, the brilliant sun of morning gave way to the clouds portending the heavy storms predicted this weekend.
\nI haven’t met a West Virginia State Park I haven’t liked. This trip has seriously been magical and something my heart and soul so desperately needed, if for no other reason that to remind me how dearly I love Mr. FixIt. Not that there has ever been a question. We all have a tendency to get wrapped up in the busyness of life and forget to stop and appreciate what we have. I’m just as guilty of that as anyone.
\nGetting away also reminds me of the independence I cultivated for my self after Mr. Virgo died. I either got out and had adventures, or I would spend the rest of my life sitting at home alone. And that is just not me. I need solitude from time to time…to refresh and recharge and stretch my abilities. When I do that, I am a much better partner for my husband. I am more patient, more loving, and decidedly happier. This is a benefit for both of us.
\nI’ve been gone for quite a bit this year. Between Girl Camping trips, six weeks in Colorado for my daughter’s wedding, and this Charity Trailer Raffle Tour, I think I have spent more time away from home than I was there. I have a patient husband, to be sure. But we are missing each other a lot so we are working on our itinerary for the next two months and figuring out the best way to travel AND be together.
\nIt is supposed to rain a lot this weekend so I’ve saved my writing and indoor projects till then. I need to take advantage of the sunshine when I can. When I woke up yesterday morning, it was 37 degrees. By the time I rousted myself to get coffee, it was 8:00 and 42 degrees. I took the electric griddle outside and cooked with it sitting on the picnic table. I fried a whole package of bacon and carefully placed the cooked strip between layers of paper towels and slipped the entire batch into a zip lock bag. Stored in the refrigerator, these will be eaten up long before they would spoil. I did the same with a batch of pancakes and stored them two to a sandwich bag. That way, I’ve cooked several days of breakfasts ahead of time. When it’s raining this weekend, I can still have outdoor cooked meals.
\nAs I finished writing this piece, I watched a little boy, maybe four or five years old…walking along the river. Bright yellow leaves rained down around him. With hands reached out, he laughed as he tried to catch them…his feet crunching on those he missed. He picked up rocks on the river bank and watched out for his little brother toddling along behind him. They were out with their dad. I love seeing dads with their littles…teaching, loving, experiencing the joy of the day. I close with this thought. Wouldn’t it be a better world if the littles spent more time outside with their dads? Or moms, if dad isn’t around? Or with anyone who loves them and wants to teach them about the world and about life? Wouldn’t it be better than handing a child an electronic device to keep them quiet…engaged in learning what someone else is teaching them? Maybe something that isn’t reflective of your values? I’m not being judgmental here. There were plenty of times I let my own little watch too much TV in order to have some peace. It just seems we are raising a generation that’s greatest skill is dissociation. I’m not sure how you put the smoke back in the bottle.
\nWith that thought, I have spent entirely too much of my morning sitting here with my own set of electronic diversions so I’m heading out to enjoy this day before the rains come and I get stuck inside. I hope you have a beautiful weekend wherever you are. Put the phone down…go outside and play. You’re never too old to “go places and do things”, as the Girl Campers say!
\n❤️
\n“Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.”\n\n \n", "date_published": "2019-10-26T01:30:14-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2019/10/26/time-travel.html", "tags": ["Faith","Family","Travel","Uplifting Stories","Positive Energy","Camping","Fun","West Virginia","Gratitude","Peace","Wisdom","Aging","Girl Camper","Girl Campers","Choices","Be Joyful!","Widow","Road Trip","Littles","Chasing the Sun - Girl Camper Road Trip"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2019/09/12/making-memories.html", "title": "Making Memories", "content_html": "Proverbs 22:6 NIV
![\"Little](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/30633e40ae.jpg\")
“Little Bit, taking a walk in her pretty party dress.”
Someday, when our great granddaughter grows up, I want her to look back on her memories of me and think, “Wow! My Gigi was REALLY brave!” I want there to be family stories like, “Remember the time Gigi went on that five month camping trip on her own??? That was awesome!” But more importantly, I want her to remember running into my arms after church and plastering me with wet kisses and huge hugs. Of leading me around by the finger to show me the awesome wonders of her tiny world.
\nThese babies are going to grow so much in the next few months! Little Boo will be turning over and trying his best to talk. Little Bit will be close to being a big sister by the time this trip is finished. Pictures aren’t quite the same thing. Same with my Colorado grands. Big is BIG…driving, Sophomore in high school. Little is really digging theater class and is rocking middle school. They are past that “needing Nana” stage. I want to enjoy these little while they still want to be around me!
\nI got the storage tubs packed yesterday. They go in the bed of the truck this morning. I need to load up my clothes, pack a cooler, and get everything in the cab of the truck. My truck has a Super Crew Cab so there’s plenty of room to pack things that are more delicate. And, I have a clothes rod across the back seat and I literally use the truck as a closet. I am sure I have too much, but I can always correct the load when I’m home between trips.
\nI have a list that I’m almost through. I can work on that all morning and leave this afternoon. I told you…this last week would FLY by. And it has! So…here we go!!!
\n??“On the road again…”??
\n❤️
\n“But not a hair of your head will perish. Stand firm, and you will win life.”\n\n \n", "date_published": "2019-09-12T01:30:57-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2019/09/12/making-memories.html", "tags": ["Road Trip","Littles","Chasing the Sun - Girl Camper Road Trip"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/07/24/up-the-crystal.html", "title": "Up the Crystal", "content_html": "\nLuke 21:18-19 NIV
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/02ae99a2fd.jpg\")
Hotter than blue blazes yesterday so Little and I escaped to the high country. Redstone, Colorado is an old mining town. There's a castle there. Formerly known as Cleveholm Manor, Redstone Castle is a treasure. The mansion was built by a coal baron for his East Coast city wife or she wouldn't join him in this wild and wooly land. Nowadays, Redstone Castle can be rented out for special events and tours are given regularly. I went to a party there once that was quite memorable.
\n\n\nThere was a band playing in the park last evening. Dr. Robert is a Beatles tribute band I really enjoy. The drummer is Hubby #2's wife's son. Convoluted connection, but always fun to hear live music in the park. There is a shaded playground by the park so Little made friends with every kid in the area and played for hours. She goes back to her mama today. The only thing we didn't do that she wanted was rafting and the zipline. She's still a little short for that. We'll do that another time.
\n\n\nNow I have a week to get things done before I head back east. I have several appointments and friends to visit while I'm here. I'll spend some quality time with my brother. I'll head back to Denver Saturday and spend my last full day with my family before I hit the road. And then, this part of The Grand Adventure is over. It all passes so quickly.
\n\n\nI stood on the front porch of the cabin last night with Little. She said, \"Nana, this was an extraordinary trip.\" I smiled at her choice of words. I said, \"More extraordinary than New York?\" She looked pensive and said, \"Welllll...it's tough to beat New York.\" Yes, doll...I know. But this was pretty darned extraordinary if you ask me!
\n\n\n❤️
\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2016-07-24T01:30:59-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/07/24/up-the-crystal.html", "tags": ["Colorado","Camping","Fun","Be Joyful!","Memories","Littles"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/07/23/busy-busy-busy.html", "title": "Busy, Busy, Busy", "content_html": "\n“You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”
\nPsalm 16:11 NIV\n
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/68c091da1f.jpg\")
Pancakes for breakfast. Walmart for the fishing license and bait. We went fishing yesterday and Little \"almost caught a fish\". She's sure of it because there was a little piece of her worm missing. I'm not as convinced because there was a kid fishing every 10 feet around that lake. What a cool sight to see! Little had an ethical dilemma. She wouldn't use live bait because she wouldn't kill it. And, she was very concerned about the pain she might inflict on a fish by hooking it. I assured her as best I could that fish brains are rather small and unsophisticated but how should I know if a fish feels pain or not? Now she's got ME feeling bad!
\n\n\nWe ate a late lunch by the river then headed back to our very hot cabin with no air conditioning for a little siesta then off to the Hot Springs Pool to play for a few hours. Dinner was wonderful at a nice restaurant. Little raved about the food and used her very best manners. The night was topped off with s'mores around the campfire.
\n\n\nWe were standing in the pool talking and I caught one of her \"look into your soul\" stares and I smiled. I said, \"You know, Little...someday you're going to be a big, grown-up lady and you're going to look back on this day and remember everything we did and it's going to be a very special memory. I want you to know...some day I'm going to be a very old woman and I'm going to remember this day, too. And, it will make me smile.\" She beamed, squeezed my hand and swam off, giggling. My little mermaid.
\n\n\n❤️
\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2016-07-23T01:16:47-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/07/23/busy-busy-busy.html", "tags": ["Family","Fun","Be Joyful!","Littles"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/07/17/magic-moments.html", "title": "Magic Moments", "content_html": "\n“I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body,”
\n2 Peter 1:13 NIV\n
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/8db2db4ad3.jpg\")
I spent the day with Big yesterday. There's something magical when you break through the barriers of a twelve-year-old who is entirely too cool for you. She's not into tent camping. I'll be lucky to get her out in TOW-Wanda next time I bring her. A tent would push her over the edge. Her mommy was the same way. If she couldn't plug in her curling iron, she wasn't interested. Then she went off to college and did a ten day rafting trip down the Colorado River and about blew my mind.
\n\n\nSince I'm taking Little camping next week, I told Big we would have a special day this weekend and do whatever she wanted. She chose to visit the Denver Aquarium. Then we went to lunch at PF Chang's and sat out on the deck overlooking the mountains. After lunch, we went to Park Meadows mall. It's the biggest mall in the Denver Metro area and we got quite a workout. We had to take a break for ice cream, of course. We did back-to-school shopping. OMGosh! I totally forgot how much fun shopping with a pre-teen girl is!
\n\n\nBig was at swim practice at 8:00 yesterday morning so between that and shopping and full tummies, we were pooped by 4:00 in the afternoon so we headed home. She was asleep before we hit the interstate. When we got home, there was the obligatory fashion show for her mom. Then...she melted my heart. She came and sat in my lap and cuddled for a while. So sweet. So appreciative. So grown up yet still a little girl. It was a precious, precious moment I will always cherish because they grow way too fast, don't they?
\n\n\n❤️
\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2016-07-17T01:30:53-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/07/17/magic-moments.html", "tags": ["Family","Gratitude","Aging","Be Joyful!","Littles"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/07/12/water-world.html", "title": "Water World", "content_html": "\n“Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.”
\nPsalm 127:3 NIV\n
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/5946e0235f.jpg\")
So, what do you do when it's your daughter's birthday and she wants you to go to Water World with the crew but you accidentally erased a whole chapter of your book over the weekend and hadn't quite got around to backing it up properly and it was absolutely nowhere to be found and you need to write the whole darned thing over and it was one of the more difficult chapters to write anyway because it's all emotional and you thought you were done with that part but apparently that was just a pipe dream? Well, you go to Water World and plug in your laptop and write and your family love you and support you and make sure you're comfortable and have plenty to eat and drink and then you float down the Lazy River for an hour while you take a break and it was so awesome you didn't want to stop but the sun was hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk and you prayed the sunscreen would do what sunscreen does so you can sleep comfortably after a huge dinner of ribs, beans and coleslaw! That's what you do! And, at the end of the day, you thank God for giving you another chance to get it right. My life is blessed!
\n\n\n❤️
\n\n", "date_published": "2016-07-12T01:30:59-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/07/12/water-world.html", "tags": ["Family","Positive Energy","Fun","Writing","Be Joyful!","Littles","Friends"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/06/29/breakfast-talk.html", "title": "Breakfast Talk", "content_html": "\n![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/c12e3ba083.jpg\")
A lot can be learned over a stack of pancakes when you're enjoying them with a nine-year-old. For instance, she is very proud of the fact she is overcoming a learning disability and succeeding in school. She loves math and reading and writes stories. She tells me she's a \"maker\", just like me. This one is like me in so many ways. Demonstrative, emotional, tender hearted, and oh so funny.
\n\n\nAs the pancakes slowly disappeared, she started talking about God. We've talked about God many times and I am always very careful not to be too pushy about religion. I was scared away from the church around her age. Yesterday was different though. She started talking about Jesus. I asked her who Jesus was. She said \"The Son of God. He came here to give us the chance to be as perfect as we can be.\" I asked her how she knew about God and Jesus. She said \"Nana, I was born knowing them. I've ALWAYS known them.\" I asked her if she remembered being with them before she came here and she said \"No, it doesn't work that way, Nana. You forget that part when you're born.\" Out of the mouths of babes.
\n\n\nWe spent the rest of the meal talking about grief and how it affects people differently. We talked about the waves and how sometimes you're fine and sometimes you're not and you never really know when it will bother you. We talked about promises and how from now on, when I'm asked to go do things, I'm going to say how much I'd love to do that and it will depend on how I'm feeling when the time comes. She looked at me with steady eyes and said, \"That's a good idea, Nana. It will keep everyone from being disappointed, including you.\" Oh, how I love this kid. She's my mirror.
\n\n\nYesterday included a day at the zoo. We rode the train and had lunch outdoors. We came back to cool off and snooze. We finished the day with the BEST barbecue EVER and went swimming. Little ended the night with \"This was the best day ever, Nana!\" It doesn't matter to her what we do, she says...as long as she gets to do it with me. Today we ask for travel mercies as we drive back to Colorado.
\n\n\n❤️
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n“Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.””
\nMatthew 19:13-14 NIV\n
Photo Credit: thehillsbar.com
\n\n", "date_published": "2016-06-29T01:30:21-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/06/29/breakfast-talk.html", "tags": ["Family","Love","Be Joyful!","Littles"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/06/26/balance.html", "title": "Balance", "content_html": "\n![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/958302020e.jpg\")
A dear friend sent me a message yesterday in reference to the Roller Coaster post. She has studied Ayurveda, a 5,000 year old system of medical care with roots in India. It is based on maintaining balance between body, mind, and spirit. According to the Chopra Center, \"Recognizing that human beings are part of nature, Ayurveda describes three fundamental energies that govern our inner and outer environments: movement, transformation, and structure. Known in Sanskrit as Vata (Wind), Pitta (Fire), and Kapha (Earth), these primary forces are responsible for the characteristics of our mind and body.\" If one or more of these energies get out of balance, it can be a huge instigator of anxiety. With travel, heat, altitude, emotional upheaval surrounding illness in the family and missing my man...it's no wonder I felt ungrounded.
\n\n\nEverything in the world is made of energy. We are affected by energy, both internal and external. When something gets too excited, it causes a response somewhere else...because, energy cannot be created or destroyed. Achieving balance while grieving is a monumental task as I'm sure you've found. It doesn't take much to send all those rocks tumbling at your feet.
I spent the day yesterday writing my book proposal. It's a zen activity for me to write. I get centered. I meditate. I pray. Then I get in the zone and let it flow. For some reason, the flow is easy this week and I can get so much done. I have to be in the right creative space to write. I found my balance yesterday.
Today, we're heading out on a road trip to the Olympic Trials. My oldest and her oldest are attending. Her youngest and I are hanging out by the pool!!! It will be a lovely trip with my beloveds.
\n\n\nBalance. It's all about balance.
\n\n\n❤️
\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2016-06-26T01:30:04-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/06/26/balance.html", "tags": ["Health","Family","Positive Energy","Littles","Healing"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/01/11/growing-up.html", "title": "Growing Up", "content_html": "\n“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.”
\nPhilippians 4:11 NIV\n
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/ada0c5947f.jpg\")
Twelve years ago next month I got a new name. \"Nana\". My first grandchild is growing up WAY too fast! It was just yesterday when her mama was twelve, wasn't it?
\n\n\nA twelve year old girl is an enigma. She shows the world she is made of steel...but she's actually fragile as delicate crystal. She hates you but she loves you more than her heart can stand. She'll treat the weakest of God's creatures with the tenderest of care yet she'll rip your heart out with her icy stare of utter disdain. She wants you to love her, just don't touch her or look at her or speak to her or...God forbid....acknowledge your familial relationship in public. If you say \"Can you go brush your hair?\" what she hears is \"You are the ugliest creature on earth!\" There is no rhyme or reason to anything she does. She will make sure of that. And, she will make doubly sure you are quite aware of it. She wants you to be proud of her as long as you don't say it out loud. She wants you to talk to her unless you're planning on actually using, you know...words. Then she wants you to shut up. She still likes little girl things but she could never admit that.
\n\n\nOne more year of preteen. She cried when I left in August. She'd rather chew off her own arm than cry again. But she'll be back. They all come back. And I surely hope to be here when she does.
\n\n\n❤️
\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2016-01-11T02:30:50-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/01/11/growing-up.html", "tags": ["Family","Fun","Love","Littles"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2015/08/11/adversity.html", "title": "Adversity", "content_html": "\n“Those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity.”
\nProverbs 21:23 NIV\n
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/3eb1fe4ae1.jpg\")
The little in pink is my youngest when she was about 5 or 6. The little on the left is her best friend, Kiersten. She moved away at the end of the 3rd grade and we didn't find each other again till last year on FB. We reconnected when I received the news that Kiersten had been in a terrible car accident up in the mountains. She broke her neck and was paralyzed from the neck down. Her mom, Patty, came from Maine to be with her.
\n\n\nAfter a week in the hospital, Kiersten was moved to Craig Rehabilitation Hospital in Denver and the grueling work began. She had 7 or 8 different types of therapy daily. Her injury turned out to be Brown-Sequard Syndrome where the spinal cord was stretched, bruised, and damaged...but not severed. Her paralysis slowly improved and she worked hard to get better. The weight training area was in the cafeteria. While others were sitting around talking after dinner, Kiersten would be over there lifting weights and working out. She was determined she would get better. And she did. She walks. She still writes with her right hand but has learned to do everything else with her left hand. Her right side gets tired more easily. But she is a walking miracle. We all learn from adversity that we are much stronger than we ever thought we were.
\n\n\nI remember this beautiful young woman when she was just a little girl having sleepovers at our house. I read to her and told her grand bedtime stories that I made up. And last night I got to have dinner with her and her mom. On my way home, Patty texted me to say Kiersten told her after I left how much she loved me when she was little. And how she remembered those stories. Strong women from loved little girls grow. Invest in our future. Treat every child as you would treat your own. I was so touched that she remembered.
\n\n\n❤️
\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2015-08-11T01:30:42-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2015/08/11/adversity.html", "tags": ["Health","Colorado","Strong Women","Hope","Positive Energy","Love","Courage","Memories","Littles"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2015/08/07/icing-on-the-cake.html", "title": "Icing on the Cake", "content_html": "\n\"I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.\"
\nEzekiel 11:19\n
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/5fde1e039c.jpg\")
I hit Denver yesterday with literally just enough time to unhook my trailer and wash my face before I had to hop back in the truck with two very tired children to get to the Kelly Clarkson concert in time. You know how sometimes you have a picture in your mind of how a really great surprise is going to go down and then reality hits and it's nothing at all as you imagined? Yeah, well...I pictured the announcement. \"Guess what kids? We have one more big surprise for you to polish off your FUN week with Nana. We're going to the Kelly Clarkson concert!!! Isn't that great???\" I was met with a very perturbed preteen. And it's my own fault. See, her mama said not to tell the girls about the concert. But we always go to live music at the mall on Thursdays so I told the girls we were going there. Guess what? That turned out to be a lie.
\n\n\nI lied to my grandchild and she called me on it. And I felt terrible because I have never lied to her. I looked at it as keeping a surprise but that's not how a sensitive, overly tired prepubescent girl saw it. Granted, once we got there, she was fine. She just doesn't like surprises...she isn't flexible that way. I'll know to handle it differently next time. The concert was really fun though and I sang along to every song I knew, and that was most of them. Pentatonix was one of the opening acts and they were amazing!
\n\n\nNow I'm heading into the home stretch here. I have to go through the things that I brought with me from WV. I just have way too much stuff so I have to get rid of more. It truly feels like a never ending project. I actually use so little of what I carry around with me and it's ridiculous to pull that extra weight. So, I'll get things ship shape and before I know it, I'll be heading off to Deadwood, SD with the Sisters on the Fly. What a whirlwind summer this has been!
\n\n\nThe kids and I baked cinnamon rolls for breakfast yesterday before we broke camp. We decided we will never forget this trip as long as we live.
\n\n\nAwwwww...feels!!!
\n\n\n❤
\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2015-08-07T01:30:31-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2015/08/07/icing-on-the-cake.html", "tags": ["Family","Fun","Memories","Littles"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2015/06/18/summer-fun.html", "title": "Summer Fun!!!", "content_html": "\n\"If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me.\"
\nPhilemon 1:18\n
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/1fe5c6ad21.jpg\")
Last night was the first s'mores of the season for me! Such sticky goodness is reserved for hot summer nights when the kids gather around the campfire. Ok…in this case, the trusty gas grill. But the results are the same and certainly not on anyone's diet. But oh…SO good! AND…they're MARSHMALLOW RANCH marshmallows! Well, not really…they're Stay Puft, but that's kinda the same thing.
\n\n\nOne of our fellow \"Ranchers\" sent me a private message yesterday. She lives in the Denver Metro Area and wondered if we might meet somewhere for coffee sometime while I'm here. Our conversation got to the point where we wondered if there are other \"Ranchers\" in the area. Wouldn't it be fun to meet? So, let's take a roll call and see if there are any other Marshmallow Ranch readers who might like to get together. Where y'all from???
\n\n\n❤
\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2015-06-18T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2015/06/18/summer-fun.html", "tags": ["Family","Fun","Memories","Littles"] } ] }\"“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.\"
\nLuke 11:9-10\n