Bring On Lemons

Mindful Dementia Care is a book of stories and a book of love. It is a book without denial, without any papering over of the challenges that can be involved with being a caregiver, and the sadness, anger, and frustration they may bring. It is also a life-changing source of information that can revolutionize relationships with one of the most vulnerable populations in our midst. In her decades as a caregiver, Ruth Dennis witnessed the tragic results of the medicalized and institutionalized way of caring for people with dementia. And equally clearly, she saw a better way. Mindful Dementia Care illustrates alternative methods for making a difference and achieving results through care that honors the whole person. The key is creating an environment with countless enriching touchstones to the inner person through facilities that are filled with art, animal companions, music, dance, books, laughter, and wholesome food. It is an approach that embraces creative and artistic processes to sh...

Thank you to WOW! Women on Writing, guest blogger Educator Cathy Hansen, and Mari from Artotems as well as Shirley Melis. Without these amazing friends this lovely post would not be possible! Hugs, ~Crystal Banged-Up Heart: Dancing with Love and Loss Review by Cathy Hansen I have to start off with a straightforward confession: Memoirs are not my thing. That said, when friend asked me to read this book, I looked at the description, and I was intrigued by the description of a dramatic tale about remarrying after a spouse’s death only to lose one’s second spouse far too soon. Banged-Up Heart is definitely NOT your typical memoir. I found myself double-checking the cover during the first few chapters of the book, certain I’d picked up a sweet romance novel by mistake. The beginning of the book is charming and reads quickly, with Shirley’s chance meeting with John, as well as her first date since the loss of her first husband. There’s even a bit of comedy, as I read the d...

Thank you to WOW! Women on Writing, guest blogger Angela Williams, and Mari from Artotems as well as Shirley Melis. Without these amazing friends this lovely post would not be possible! Hugs, ~Crystal Banged-Up Heart: Dancing with Love and Loss Review by Angela Williams I was skeptical when I was asked to review the book Banged up Heart . It is not a type of book that I would normally pick up and read all on my own. I am a person that likes a good mystery or thriller. My attention has to be captured within the first few chapters or I will never pick up the book again. I am not a person that reads about love stories. That was immediately what I thought this book was going to be all about. At first, it was a little bit of a struggle to get myself to read it. I think that was because of my preconceived expectations. Before I knew it, I was done with the book. This book is more than just a love story. It is more about how two people can battle odds together and become clo...

Thank you to WOW! Women on Writing and Mari from Artotems as well as Shirley Melis. Without these amazing friends this lovely post would not be possible! Hugs, ~Crystal Banged-Up Heart: Dancing with Love and Loss Review by Crystal J. Casavant-Otto Banged-Up Heart is a great memoir for the non-memoir-loving reader. It reads like a novel. The only difference being you pretty much know the outcome before you crack the spine of the book. So what makes you want to read the book? Why would I recommend it and give it 5 stars? Well... Let me ask you this. Did you know Custer's Last Stand ended? Or better yet, have you ever visited Arlington Cemetery and looked at one of the really large ornate stones? Right there you have examples of knowing how something began and how something ended - but were you satisfied with that? Didn't you want to know more? After all, life isn't about the destination, it's about the journey. We all have a starting point and an endin...

#LILLELoveLettersApplication This post began as part of the Lillebaby Love Letters Application I was encouraged to write by a friend. It's turning into such a great moment of reflection. Thank you as always Lillebaby for helping me love my current role just a wee bit more! xoxox When it comes to gifts, my husband has given me the greatest one of all. He has blessed me with 2 amazing children, adopted my 2 older children, AND allowed me to be a stay at home mom. He goes above and beyond when it comes to appreciating my special role and he thanks me for all that I do. I’m a big advocate for attachment parenting, breastfeeding, babywearing, and my husband refers to me as the “Crunchy Mama” but he’s behind me 110% and isn’t afraid to change a diaper, puree up some baby food, turn the garden under so we can plant even more yummy foods next year, and yes…he even babywears. He’s the dad babywearing at home as well as at the county fair. He can tell you the different between a woven ...

You may be expecting an article about making time to write or blog...maybe tomorrow, but for today I want to talk about making time for you. I've written about the importance of self-care, but it's worth repeating. I need to repeat it for myself. I'm probably the biggest offender. We did't go on a honeymoon because "this isn't a good time, let's go in a few years when things settle down". We don't take family vacations "because things are hectic now, let's wait until next year". We intended to go on date night several times each month, and you guessed it, we are lucky to go twice each year because "it's just a hassle to find a sitter, and maybe next month there will be more time". The truth is, none of us are guaranteed tomorrow. A cancer diagnosis, heart attach, or car accident could be right around the corner. Caring for ourselves means making the most of the here and now. I don't recommend quitting your job or r...

Some of you know my story and I'm in no way ashamed...I was pregnant for the first time at 20 and had a lovely baby girl. She was placed for adoption and we have always been very open with our family about her. It's a pretty heavy concept for a 5 and 6 year old to grasp and I admit it took me by surprise when my 5 year old son asked "why did you sell my sister?" and we have since talked about loving someone so much that you do what's best for them even though it breaks your heart. Anyway - I've been pregnant 6 times. Here's the scoop: My Age             Pregnancy Details 20 - Had a lovely baby girl after being on bed rest for 3 months 22 - Had a devastating miscarriage 30 - Had a lovely baby girl after being on bed rest for 6 months (3 months in the hospital) "Carmen" 31 - Had a handsome baby boy ... totally text book pregnancy ... no bedrest "Andre" 35 - Had a devastating miscarriage and learned about something called a 'mi...

So - everything makes me cry...maybe it's hormones, maybe it's the weather, or maybe it's just that I realize how precious every moment is. That doesn't mean I don't lose my cool with the children, cut my husband off mid-sentence, or hit the drive through instead of making a healthy home cooked meal ... I'm human after all. Maybe you've heard my story about my father and I won't keep you stuck here reading the details...but the short version is he was already sick when I was born, then was diagnosed as terminal by the time I was in highschool, and he passed away right after teaching me to drive a car. He didn't care about things like new clothes, fancy haircuts, or becoming famous. The things he prayed for were simple: He wanted to see his little girl graduate, he wanted to walk me down the aisle, and he wanted to hold his grandchildren. Unfortunately, none of those things came true for him. His will to live was so great that despite the pain he ...

I guess I'll try to quickly explain what remains so confusing in my head and heart most days. I was in love with a handsome young man and we eventually got married. Somewhere between falling in love (or what we thought was love at that time) and getting married. we well ... we hopped into bed together. We were both young, successful, busy in our churches, dedicated to our families, and shocked. Why were we shocked? Because we had somehow managed to be intimate at just the right moment to create life. For weeks I was in denial and making up excuses for the obvious symptoms. I was as small as I had ever been. My husband and I worked together and the men we worked with even commented about how great I looked. I was 20, tall, thin, and yet I was terribly sick. I wen to the walk in clinic expecting to find out I had an ulcer. Not exactly...I happened to be three months pregnant. It didn't take us long to decide that we couldn't provide the type of home our child deserved. We w...

This is a crazy dream that I had a few nights ago. As Mark and I discussed it, we came up with no rational answers about where it came from or what it symbolizes, other than my greatest fear as a parent is that I will be taken from my children too soon. I don't fear death and I look forward to heaven, but I pray that my children will be grown when God calls me home. In the meantime, this story reads like something from the Twilight Zone - hopefully you'll enjoy it! May your paths be abundantly filled with lemons, sugar, sunshine, and dreams filled with happiness and fresh flowers! ~Crystal Denial A short fictional piece by Crystal J. Casavant-Otto He reached the voicemail the first time he called: "this is Otto, leave a message" said the voice on the recording. He couldn't bring himself to do it so he hung up. He just knew something was going wrong at the Otto household and he didn't want to overstep his boundaries as Mrs. Otto's Gynecologist. He ...

Raining on the Inside If you're anything like me, you don't really enjoy crying in front of people. That means happy tears as well as those of pain and sadness. Such an outflow of emotion is something I feel comfortable doing in the shower, and on rare occasion, in front of my husband. This said, if you've seen me cry, I was likely incredible uncomfortable at that moment. If you've seen my cry more than once, you're probably a dear friend or family member (or a stalker with a stool who can see into my bathroom window). I have plenty of emotions, but I prefer to share the happy ones and leave the tears for private. This morning I logged into my social media accounts (since I own a business where I help businesses with social media, I get to call this "work") - so I started 'working' and my news feed was flooded. 1) The mayor's grandfather died 2) A dear friend described herself as "broken" after the death of yet another family...

Genre Contest - Take II (and now we have a name)...what do you think? I stretched as I stood up from my seat on the small aircraft owned by The Manitowoc Company. I was accustomed to the short flights between Michigan and Wisconsin. This particular flight was a bit longer and I was cramped and uncomfortable. I was eager to sit down with my older brother and tell him about my upcoming date with the pretty, young, girl from the greasy spoon. We had arranged it before I left and I hadn’t had time to share the news. I grabbed my things off the plane, thanked pilot Joe and headed for my car. I opened the heavy door of my 1972 Chevelle SS. She was the first automobile I had purchased new and the smell of leather hit my nose immediately bringing a smile to my face. She was ascott blue with white wall tires and a she didn’t blow smoke or rattle down the road like the cars I’d had before her. I had worked for The Manitowoc Company for a decade and last year they went public. I didn’t ...

New Years is a time to reflect, make resolutions, blah blah blah ... but what if it was more than that? What if you could go back and change the past instead of simply changing the future? What if you had magical powers for a day? Better yet, a fairy god mother/father who could help you travel back in time to right a wrong or change the outcome of a difficult situation? Here's a little story about just that ... is there a moral to the story? maybe...but that's for you to decide. Enjoy! Time to Decide My throat dry, my eyes felt full of sand, and my head was throbbing. I should blame the Marlboro Lights and the red wine but instead I will blame the son of a gun who promised to love honor and cherish me until death. Dammit Ben, you swore this was happily ever after. Where are you now? You may not care, but I’m staying in some shit hole hotel in the middle of nowhere. I pick up my cell phone to text him something smarmy about today being Christmas day or a happy annive...