The Planning Habit

Yesterday was a busy day. My resolve to post every day in January took a back seat to other things. They were good things, but I’ve discovered that, while it’s easy enough to write a post a day, it’s hard to write something worthwhile every day. Shouldn’t my entire life be about something worthwhile, every day? Since we moved last summer, I’ve felt... Read More

From Mom: Psalm 46 Revisited

Mom sent me this by email, and it was so encouraging that I asked her if I could post it. It’s a helpful meditation when things seem out of control and I’m tempted to scramble frantically. Thanks, Mom! A (Very) Loose Paraphrase of Psalm 46 We can depend on God to be real close when we’re having trouble. Even if the physical earth seems like it’s out of... Read More

On My Mind Today

I was surrounded by young kids (all mine, of course) a couple days ago. They were climbing on me, crowding me, asking me repeated questions, with one request piling on another before I had a chance to respond even to the first one. This wasn’t how I imagined parenting to be. Some days I’m a walking sermon on child spacing. In the middle of this, my husband called. He... Read More

Self Control

I started my New Year’s diet by finishing off a jumbo pack of peanut M&Ms. I needed to have them out of the house, so I ate them! Sigh. I’m taping this to the back of my hand: For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. 2 Timothy 1:7 Today is a new day and a fresh start. Happy Sunday!  Read More

Infertility Post 7: Considering Adoption

In the second year of our marriage, my husband and I took a foster care training class together. First we planned to take foster children in need of temporary homes. Later, after our biological children were older, we hoped everything would fall into place to adopt a child. We didn’t go into this plan entirely uninformed. My husband is the oldest of five siblings. When he... Read More

"Favorite Things" Salad

Today marks Day One of a race with family to see who can lose ten pounds first! I’ve been pulling salad ideas out of the recipe box. For Christmas Eve dinner on my side of the family (where we made bets on who could lose the weight first) we ate a salad that was full of my favorite things. I went home and created my own version: (Click here to read more or leave a comment... Read More

A Favorite Quote

One of my favorite quotes: Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. – Leo Buscaglia  Read More

Crocheted Infant Cap

My 19-year-old sister-in-law is staying with us for a while. She watched me write a few posts, and then she asked if I would like to post a picture of a project she just finished. I said YES! This post is written by her. (Click here to read more or leave a comment on Crocheted Infant Cap)  Read More

Grown-Up Chocolate-Dipped Sugar Cookie Variations

Annie came over a few weeks, ago, and we had fun experimenting with sugar cookie flavor variations. She started by making a basic sugar cookie recipe. (Click here for a recipe from Martha Stewart. Don’t forget to leave time to chill the dough.) Then we divided the dough and mixed and matched flavors. (Click here to read more or leave a comment on Grown-Up Chocolate-Dipped... Read More

First Father-Son "Construction" Project

In the aftermath of the Christmas chaos, I found my oldest boy sitting on a chair, cheeks wet with tears. “I wanted Daddy to build something with me,” he moaned. This kid has been mechanically inclined ever since he was a baby at nap time, when he removed most of the screws from his crib. Like a high-energy dog who eats shoes (Click here to read more or leave a comment... Read More