Skip to content

Love, Hope, & Coffee

Menu
  • About
  • Blog
  • Clips
  • Work With Me
  • Contact
Pandemic December 20, 2020

More Than Extra Stickers

I swear this isn’t a promotional post, but I love shopping at Trader Joe’s. The snacks, the frozen aisle, the chatty employees who strike up a conversation with you about what wine to pair with … Read More

Pandemic, Perspective December 4, 2020

Cheers to Finding Comfort

Image courtesy of Elsie Weisskoff

After consuming the last slice of peanut butter chocolate ganache pie on Thanksgiving weekend, I felt full. But the strange emptiness of this pandemic holiday season lingered. While connecting with … Read More

Pandemic, Perspective September 28, 2020

The Loneliness of Grocery Shopping in a Pandemic

A few days ago, I went grocery shopping. On the surface, nothing went wrong. I got my bananas, eggs, the requisite sugary snacks. A bottle of decent-looking Pinot Noir. The store was about to close … Read More

Pandemic, Perspective July 25, 2020

The Pandemic and the Undercurrent of Anger

My husband was picking up takeout last night. He was surprised to see that the restaurant was packed and no one appeared to be concerned about social distancing. COVID-19 cases are exploding in our state, … Read More

Mom, Writing June 17, 2020

If Ghosts Could Write

When I was little, my mom was editor of The View, a community newspaper in our California hometown. Today I came across a photo of us marching together in a parade in April 1982. I … Read More

Posts navigation

1 2 … 15

Hi there! I’m Gina, a mom, freelance writer, and coffee lover in the Midwest. More about me>>

lovehopeandcoffee

After a relatively warm January, Mother Nature sti After a relatively warm January, Mother Nature still had some tricks in store! Click the link in my bio to read more about the ice volcanoes currently along Lake Michigan. 🧊 ❄️ @schlitzaudubon #winter #ice #nature
Samaira Mehta loved coding, but her friends called Samaira Mehta loved coding, but her friends called it “scary” and “boring.” Her solution? She created a board game to make coding fun for her friends — and teach other kids in the process. ⁣
⁣
It was a delight to interview this young entrepreneur for KidsPost. Thank you @coderbunnyz and keep up the awesome work!⁣
⁣
#girlboss #kidentrepreneur
I recently jumped on the bullet journaling train a I recently jumped on the bullet journaling train and it’s brought me a lot of joy. Not only is it so much nicer to have my task list in one place (versus on scraps of paper all over the house), I feel like I get to be a little kid again with new markers and stickers. ⁣
⁣
Winter is hard. Winter in a pandemic is potentially soul-crushing. So right now I’m all about finding stuff that makes us smile, even if just for a moment.⁣
⁣
Are you a bullet journaling fan? How do you like to keep your mental task list organized?⁣
⁣#bulletjournal #winter #2021
It’s okay to feel whatever you’re feeling. And It’s okay to feel whatever you’re feeling. And to eat all the desserts.❤️🧡💛💚💙💜
Winter in Wisconsin is raw and bone-chilling but a Winter in Wisconsin is raw and bone-chilling but also beautiful. ❄️ 💙 This week our family took an impromptu drive and stopped at Potawatomi State Park. It was so cold that ice had crusted over a section of the lake close to the shore.
⁣
The kids took turns tossing sticks into the slush, and I spotted this muskrat perched near the shore. He was busy moving back and forth, from his ice float to a hole in the shoreline, and didn’t seem to mind when I tiptoed closer for a photo. ⁣
⁣
Aside from the muskrat, we had the beach to ourselves. I found myself thinking ahead to the summer of 2021, hoping things would look very different then. I imagined a bright blue lake, full of boats, the air thick with laughter. People are celebrating because the pandemic is over. There are hugs and high-fives all around, and fun drinks with umbrellas.⁣
⁣
It’s hard to stay in the moment when I just want to fast forward, to sunshine and warmth and comfort. Hard to appreciate the “now” when all I can think is, “things will be so much easier in XX months once the virus is under control.”⁣
⁣
But time won’t speed up — no matter how impatient I am. As I stood on the shore watching that muskrat go about his business, I envied his patience. He knows in his bones that spring will come and it makes no sense to fret until then. ⁣
⁣
I’ve gotta admit, that’s some wisdom.⁣
⁣
2021 is to be The Year of the Ox, but maybe it should also be The Year of the Muskrat.⁣
⁣
#2021 #pandemiclife #muskrat #winter
I love Christmas trees. ♥️💚 The scent insta I love Christmas trees. ♥️💚 The scent instantly brings me back to the holiday seasons of my childhood. ⁣
⁣
And this tree is a beauty. When we picked it out, I noticed the needles’ gorgeous blue tint and — feeling super smart — remarked, “Oh, this must a blue spruce!”⁣
⁣
“No, that’s a white pine,” said the employee who was helping us wrap the tree for transport.⁣
⁣
Well, haaarrumph. 🤷🏽‍♀️ Not the name I would’ve chosen for this particular tree, whose soft needles and emerald sapphire undertones remind me of a deep ocean. But it’s stunning nonetheless.⁣
⁣
What brings you joy and is a light in the darkness during this time of year?⁣ 🌟 🕯 🌲 
⁣
#christmas2020 #hope #joy
Load More... Follow me

Search

Categories

  • Family
  • Health
  • Mom
  • Pandemic
  • Perspective
  • Sports & Training
  • Worry
  • Writing

Subscribe

Sign up to receive new posts by e-mail
Loading
Copyright © 2021 Love, Hope, & Coffee