I’ve been wanting to do some posts on books that have impacted me over the years. The internet has caused book-reading to fall a long way, which is sad. But some of the greatest growth in my thinking has been the result of good old-fashioned books. I just repurchased this volume for myself and decided … more
We moved last year, and will be moving again when our new house is finished. I can’t wait until we finally get settled. So here is a post on moving. I have been married 25 years and have parented for 20. I have observed a lot of other families. And one thing I have noticed … more
I’m still here; still building, still renting, and still homeschooling to the best of our ability. The year is still an unusual one for other reasons you know of. I was hoping we could be in our new home before the holidays, but that won’t be happening. Construction is going well, but slowly. Our rental … more
Life has been busy! Our house has sold and we are in the midst of packing. In my previous post I shared a summary of what I’ve learned about taking care of skin, how I had to change my mindset, and the great results I got. Now some specifics. I should probably mention that I … more
I have been blessed with good skin, and as a result, was always pretty lazy in taking care of it. It wasn’t until I reached my forties that I began to sit up and worry about what to do. I also had my first, and then a second, favorite moisturizer get discontinued and reformulated into … more
Since I’ve been on the subject of housekeeping . . . I grew up with a mom who loved to clean and had the whole lineup of traditional products. When I got married, I became enthusiastic about natural living and made my cleaners from things like baking soda, vinegar, and borax. The novelty wore off at … more
“And provides . . . a portion to her maidservants.” Proverbs 31 Our appliances are our modern-day maidservants. It’s worth it to have good ones that will serve you long and well. Here are three gals that keep our household running and whom I can recommend highly: A Bosch dishwasher, entry level After many years … more
Have any of you read the book Anna Hibiscus? There is a quote by one of the aunts that makes me laugh. She tells Anna’s mother that taking care of three children and a man is too much work for one woman to do alone! Ha. Wiser words were never spoken. And many of us … more
If you are lucky enough to have a good windowsill in your kitchen, it makes a perfect place to keep your table butter once the weather gets cold. It stays cool, but spreadable. I love this butter crock, which I purchased while vising the Red Wing Pottery factory awhile ago. (It is a worthwhile stop … more
Since it is Christmas-shopping season, it seemed a good time to publish this post I’ve had on my mind for awhile. I think one of the ways in which our culture is most consumerist is in the area of TOYS. Don’t you agree? The average big-box store has aisles and aisles of colored plastic ready … more