Imagine it: The year was 2001. I’m at a new friend’s home for the first time, enjoying a little chat while our newborns napped, when all of the sudden my sugars dropped. Big time, all at once. I was in a predicament. “Um, excuse me. I know I just got here and that we’ve only … Read more
Easter has always been one of my favorite holidays. Not because of the Easter Bunny with his fun Easter Eggs (decorating or hunt), nor his fun Easter Baskets, but because we get to celebrate the death and Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Since the passing of my son from cancer in October … Read more
How to Talk to a Toddler about Divorce At any time couples opt to get a divorce, they get traumatized on the next course of action when it comes to their children. Questions linger to each one of their minds over how to tell the kids that they are no longer living together as a … Read more
With the shining sun and warmer temperatures that we’ve had for the past four days, I am cautiously optimistic that Spring truly is just around the corner. I was worried that we’d actually have snow for Easter. Truly. Honestly, though, it doesn’t really matter what the temperatures are: Spring begins tomorrow. To celebrate, I made … Read more
My son’s Boy Scout troop is doing a service project for their activity tonight. There is a Fire Station across the street from where they meet each week, so they decided to take them dinner tonight. With 15 kids in the troop, they had signups for just about everything you’d need to host a backyard … Read more
When spouses divorce, they solve such critical questions in their opinion as to the separation of common property or custody. But in this process, there is something more important that is often ignored. And this is the emotional state of the child. Children experience the divorce of their parents even more than husband and wife. … Read more
I have always felt that the front porch is a sort of first impression of your home. While we cannot always choose the colors or landscaping of our home, we can choose how we decorate the front porch. It’s a true welcome into your home. I love to make different wreaths to adorn my front … Read more
With only two ingredients and 15 minutes chill time in the freezer, Santa’s Lumps of Coal can be a fun addition to your Christmas Cookie repertoire. While I do believe that my children are angels, for the most part, there have definitely been times in their lives that I’ve put them #1 on the Naughty List … Read more
Fall, in my opinion, is a season of cleanup. It seems to me that even nature puts things away for the coming Winter. Crops give their last harvest, plants give their last blooms, and trees shed their leaves in preparation for the season of sleep. Spring is associated with indoor cleaning, in our home, while … Read more
Have you ever taken just one bite of something and known you’d make it every single year for the rest of your life? That is what happened the first time I tried these cupcakes. I’m fairly certain angels sang and light descended on me the second these flavors touched my tongue. You had me … Read more
We recently had the exterior of our home painted. It was a project that I looked forward to in theory, but when the time came to choose the paint color, I was a nervous wreck. It’s a very scary thing to choose a paint color for an entire house. Had the shingles been a black … Read more
I love Fall. Everything about it, from the cooling temperatures, the changing leaves, the comfy sweaters, to all things pumpkin. Fall picturesquely and fragrantly ushers us back indoors, where books are read near the roaring fires of Winter. Pumpkin is paramount to Fall. My Mom passed this recipe down to me from her own Grandmother. … Read more
We have hit a record here that no one should ever have to hit: Hazardous Air Quality, never before seen in our state. Smoke from fires in Canada are being ferried down the Columbia River, settling in Southeastern Washington like a wool blanket fort. Even inside, you smell smoke. If you didn’t know any better, … Read more
Looking for a quick and easy craft your kids can make themselves? This Trick-Or-Treat Tote Bag is sure to make their Halloween Night a spooky success! All in just 20 minutes! Each of my five kids have taken a beginners’ sewing class. Jamie (of the Lavender and Ribbon Wreaths, as well as the Faux Chenille … Read more
I’ve been trying to get back into a routine now that we’re going back-to-school. It has been our practice to have the kids start going to bed at “school night” bedtimes two weeks before the first day of school, so they don’t struggle when an earlier bedtime is required. (Check out my Bed Time Routine … Read more