Sandy P.
@ooliegirl.bsky.social
Mom, seamstress, musician, cocktail enthusiast, avid reader, fashion maven, and font of interesting but useless knowledge.
How I know there are deer in my yard.
December 26, 2025 at 4:33 PM
How I know there are deer in my yard.
Me: I'll just put this candle here, where the cats won't get into it.
Also Me: What smells funny?
*embarrassed cat skulks past smelling vaguely of "fireside cider" and burnt cat fur*
{Note: No cats were harmed in the making of this post, other than his pride.]
Also Me: What smells funny?
*embarrassed cat skulks past smelling vaguely of "fireside cider" and burnt cat fur*
{Note: No cats were harmed in the making of this post, other than his pride.]
December 25, 2025 at 3:26 PM
Me: I'll just put this candle here, where the cats won't get into it.
Also Me: What smells funny?
*embarrassed cat skulks past smelling vaguely of "fireside cider" and burnt cat fur*
{Note: No cats were harmed in the making of this post, other than his pride.]
Also Me: What smells funny?
*embarrassed cat skulks past smelling vaguely of "fireside cider" and burnt cat fur*
{Note: No cats were harmed in the making of this post, other than his pride.]
I've been playing holiday movies all day and letting Prime Video decide what comes next. It's like Holiday Russian Roulette because it might be A Christmas Carol with Alistair Sim or it might be A Christmas Carol with Dean Cain. #fromthesublimetotheridiculous
December 24, 2025 at 9:54 PM
I've been playing holiday movies all day and letting Prime Video decide what comes next. It's like Holiday Russian Roulette because it might be A Christmas Carol with Alistair Sim or it might be A Christmas Carol with Dean Cain. #fromthesublimetotheridiculous
Waze has started suggesting where I might be headed based on past trips and this may be the most useful tool I have ever found in figuring out what day of the week it is. Me: [Turns on Waze] Waze: "Are you headed to [X]?" Me: "OK, must be Wednesday."
December 17, 2025 at 10:40 PM
Waze has started suggesting where I might be headed based on past trips and this may be the most useful tool I have ever found in figuring out what day of the week it is. Me: [Turns on Waze] Waze: "Are you headed to [X]?" Me: "OK, must be Wednesday."
Having a teenaged daughter is exciting because I get up every morning not knowing which of my cosmetics and grooming tools will be available to me and which will have mysteriously disappeared from my bathroom. #whoneedsblushanyway #oracurlingiron
December 7, 2025 at 12:59 PM
Having a teenaged daughter is exciting because I get up every morning not knowing which of my cosmetics and grooming tools will be available to me and which will have mysteriously disappeared from my bathroom. #whoneedsblushanyway #oracurlingiron
It's cold and snowy today. Did my teenagers wear warm coats to school? No. Did they wear hats and gloves? Also no. Will they complain about being cold when they get home? Fortunately, also no. Ahhh, the metabolism of youth.
December 2, 2025 at 6:02 PM
It's cold and snowy today. Did my teenagers wear warm coats to school? No. Did they wear hats and gloves? Also no. Will they complain about being cold when they get home? Fortunately, also no. Ahhh, the metabolism of youth.
I was just informed by my Gen Z daughter that "Only old people say 'quarter of' and 'quarter past'." #ouch #ifeelsoold
November 10, 2025 at 9:16 PM
I was just informed by my Gen Z daughter that "Only old people say 'quarter of' and 'quarter past'." #ouch #ifeelsoold
I'm on fire! Sometimes it's a dumpster fire, but I'm on fire.
I'm on Fire
Whenever someone asks how I'm doing lately, I think of the line from Evita , where Eva Peron, who is dying of cancer, states, "Some days are...
sandysmotherhoodblog.blogspot.com
November 9, 2025 at 1:42 AM
I'm on fire! Sometimes it's a dumpster fire, but I'm on fire.
Vergil from Devil May Cry. Even his sister admits he looks "low-key fire."
October 31, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Vergil from Devil May Cry. Even his sister admits he looks "low-key fire."
One of the drawbacks to being stubborn is that sometimes you start doing something stupid but by the time you realize it's stupid you're committed and you have no choice but to see it through.
October 15, 2025 at 2:14 PM
One of the drawbacks to being stubborn is that sometimes you start doing something stupid but by the time you realize it's stupid you're committed and you have no choice but to see it through.
I'm ready to make some changes. Little changes, but changes.
When It's Time to Change, Then It's Time to Change
I've always heard that when you go through a loss, such as the death of a spouse or other family member, it's a good idea to avoid making ma...
sandysmotherhoodblog.blogspot.com
October 13, 2025 at 2:18 AM
I'm ready to make some changes. Little changes, but changes.
Feeling a lot of feelings, all at once.
The Stage of Mixed Feelings
The process of grief is an emotional roller coaster. You experience sorrow, fear, anger, guilt, relief, denial, numbness, frustration, anxie...
sandysmotherhoodblog.blogspot.com
October 13, 2025 at 2:18 AM
Feeling a lot of feelings, all at once.
Would I have done anything differently if I had known how much time we would have? I don't think so.
What If I Had Known?
This morning, my Facebook Memories brought up a photograph of my husband and my son going to their first Cub Scout meeting, eight years ago ...
sandysmotherhoodblog.blogspot.com
October 13, 2025 at 2:17 AM
Would I have done anything differently if I had known how much time we would have? I don't think so.
Sometimes my therapy is writing. Sometimes it's nature.
Therapy Walk
When my children were small, we had a tradition of going for a walk at the beginning of every season and looking for signs of the new season...
sandysmotherhoodblog.blogspot.com
October 13, 2025 at 2:16 AM
Sometimes my therapy is writing. Sometimes it's nature.
The change of season was a good change for me. Not always an easy change, but a good change.
A New Season
Today is the first official day of autumn. It's a new season of the year. And it's a new season of life for me and my family. I feel like I...
sandysmotherhoodblog.blogspot.com
October 13, 2025 at 2:16 AM
The change of season was a good change for me. Not always an easy change, but a good change.
He had such a big heart.
His Heart Gave Out
More than three months after my husband died, I finally received his completed death certificate. It lists his cause of death as "probable c...
sandysmotherhoodblog.blogspot.com
October 13, 2025 at 2:15 AM
He had such a big heart.
The big stuff is hard. But sometimes the little stuff is even harder.
Eating the Elephant While Being Nibbled to Death by Ducks
Throughout this whole "being widowed" process, I've used the expression "eating an elephant" to describe my approach to dealing with the ove...
sandysmotherhoodblog.blogspot.com
October 13, 2025 at 2:15 AM
The big stuff is hard. But sometimes the little stuff is even harder.
When you're grieving, getting started is half the battle.
It's Not How You Finish, It's How You Start
Let me begin this entry with a confession: My house is a mess. This is not even the messiest room. The sink is full of dirty dishes because...
sandysmotherhoodblog.blogspot.com
October 13, 2025 at 2:14 AM
When you're grieving, getting started is half the battle.
It was just a shirt. But it was so much more than just a shirt.
I Put It Away, Then I Got On With Things
Last Labor Day weekend marked the first event my husband and I participated in together as "Band Parents." Our son had joined the high schoo...
sandysmotherhoodblog.blogspot.com
October 13, 2025 at 2:13 AM
It was just a shirt. But it was so much more than just a shirt.
The struggles of parenting teenagers after losing a spouse.
His Children Are His Legacy
This week, I sent both of my children off to high school. I took the traditional "photos on the front steps" and posted them on Facebook lik...
sandysmotherhoodblog.blogspot.com
October 13, 2025 at 2:12 AM
The struggles of parenting teenagers after losing a spouse.
When you're grieving, sometimes the best you can do isn't quite what you wanted, but it's good enough.
Good Enough
Yesterday, I sent my youngest off to her first day of high school. Today, I sent my oldest off to his first day of sophomore year. In keepin...
sandysmotherhoodblog.blogspot.com
August 28, 2025 at 9:32 PM
When you're grieving, sometimes the best you can do isn't quite what you wanted, but it's good enough.
You think you're managing your grief really well, then POW! it smacks you in the face.
When Grief Smacks You in the Face
The funny thing about grief is the way it sneaks up on you. You think that you're starting to manage it, that your emotions are on an even k...
sandysmotherhoodblog.blogspot.com
August 24, 2025 at 7:42 PM
You think you're managing your grief really well, then POW! it smacks you in the face.
Managing the transition from "we" to "me" when you lose a spouse.
When "We" Becomes "Me"
Lately I find myself constantly having to correct myself. "He is" becomes "he was," "he does" becomes "he did," "he always" becomes "he used...
sandysmotherhoodblog.blogspot.com
August 24, 2025 at 7:41 PM
Managing the transition from "we" to "me" when you lose a spouse.
When someone we love is suffering, it's natural to ask them, "Are you OK?" even when you know that in the usual sense they are most definitely not. Here's what it might mean when they say they're OK.
What I Mean When I Say, "I'm OK"
A question I get asked a lot these days is, "How are you doing?" It's a hard question to answer. And the answer changes not only day to day,...
sandysmotherhoodblog.blogspot.com
August 24, 2025 at 7:40 PM
When someone we love is suffering, it's natural to ask them, "Are you OK?" even when you know that in the usual sense they are most definitely not. Here's what it might mean when they say they're OK.