Suzanne Schaffer

I know, it's a pretty gruesome picture. But it's probably more realistic than anything else. Life isn't what we think it should be. It's not a fairytale. No one has a perfect life. Everyone goes through hard times. The problem arises when we look at others and think they've got it better than we do. Let me let you in on a little secret.... That person you look at and wish you were more like? They don't have it all together.  No one does. We are all muddling through this journey called life. Everyone has insecurities. Everyone looks in the mirror and sighs. Everyone has secrets they don't dare tell anyone. Everyone is afraid of something. I have a few very close friends that I share my heart with and they do the same with me. The thing is though, if you were to look at our Facebook pages you would think the three of us have lives to be envied. But you don't know the stories behind the pictures. When I look at these ladies I see what you...

It started innocently enough. I laughed from the front row of Amy's concert on November 5th as she finished a song and said, "Whew! Nothing like having a hot flash in the middle of a song." I laughed because I couldn't relate. At. All. But in a few weeks hot flashes and I would be in an abusive relationship. Thanksgiving evening I thought I was dying. I was seriously ready to tell my husband to take me to the ER because I was hot and my heart was racing. I'd been going outside to stand on the porch to cool off all day and was pretty sure I was coming down with something that would incapacitate me. Then the strange night stuff started.  I'd be asleep and then toss off the sheets as I lay there with a fire burning inside me and sweat pouring off of me. This started at about 8:00 at night and continued hourly (and sometimes even more often) until about 9:00 the next morning. I was not sleeping well.  Still convinced I was dying, I mentioned all o...

Auctions are fun. Screen shot can be a girl's best defense. Losing weight and keeping it off is a lifestyle. Forgiveness does not mean you have to continue in any type of relationship with someone, whether business, professional, or personal. Your life is what you make it. Don't like something? Change it. Most people aren't willing to make changes. When filling out a comment card, the recipients are really only interested in positive comments. Apple cider vinegar is a menopausal girl's BFF. When someone says, "Drop in anytime, take what you need." They don't mean it. Sometimes the most gracious behavior is just keeping your mouth shut. Things left in a pile to be thrown away are not always trash-bin worthy. Flying, though freakishly scary, can be done with lots of prayer support and without the use of medication or other things. Just because you notice errors on a website does not mean you should point them out to the owner. Silen...

Saw these at a yard sale and thought to myself how boring this sounds. The Serious Christian. I'd rather be a real Christian. A Christian with a sense of humor. A Christian who isn't offended over every. little. thing. A Christian who enjoys life. The song title in its entirety: "When Your Hair Has Turned to Silver I Will Love You Just the Same". Good to know. This sign in a hotel room from a trip last summer. Though  tempted, I did not indulge in the hand towels at $15 each. And I really needed some new (read: used by many random people for who-knows-what) hand towels.

A reminder courtesy of TJ Maxx. As if their store and wares aren't enough to love about them, they keep these stocked in the bathroom at all times. You have worth. You are not a punching bag. Get out. Get help.

When life gives you lemons what do you do? I love me some lemon. Lemon is a great flavor to cook with. Chicken, lemon, onion, a splash of sherry, some capers, all cooked together make a wonderful dinner.  Lemonade is one of my favorite things and I spent most of this year drinking it every day. I'd take a lemon, slice it in two, juice it and then add some water and some lemon flavored stevia and just sip the day away. Yum. Once the weather cooled I was doing the same thing but with hot water. I love lemonade. It became a habit. The only problem though is that when I was a little girl I went to the dreaded allergist and had the pins-in-your-back allergy testing done. Turns out I was allergic to almost everything. That's how it felt. Citric acid fruits were at the top of the list. No problem, never liked orange juice anyway.  As I got older I quit the every other week allergy shots in each arm and just started to live. Some things still trigger a reaction in me. I...

This sign is actually a couple years old. I'm in an online group who was having a contest for the best-worst yard sale sign and when I saw this I knew I had it in the bag. I whipped the car into a parking lot so fast that I scared myself. Pulled up next to the post and took the picture. I am sure you realize that I won the grand prize (a Starbucks mug) for my find. Yerd Sail? Really? I did not almost wreck the car order to take this picture. This was taken after the fact and I lamented on FB that I'd missed the event. Still in mourning over that. Do you remember the ads in the back of magazines when we were little? I always secretly longed for the fascinating ant farm. Almost as much as I wanted those crazy sea monkeys.  Lighten up and laugh a little today.