tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4301204685077993622026-10-13T04:41:45.688-05:00Their delight is in the law of the LORD, and on His law they meditate day and night. They are like trees planted by streams of water…Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16305617274410125224noreply@blogger.comBlogger196125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-430120468507799362.post-20308326000823369852014-01-01T22:01:00.002-06:002014-01-01T22:01:37.683-06:00

I got a new, thick, yoga mat for Christmas.  So I recycled my now-older one into an indoor hop-scotch for the kids with a sharpie, a square book (to trace around) and a huge bowl (for the end cap). I think it turned out pretty well, and the kids have already used it lots.

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16305617274410125224noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-430120468507799362.post-17705389900063128172013-12-27T11:29:00.003-06:002013-12-27T11:29:53.708-06:00

I see that I've done a big fat TWO posts all year long.  Is it time to resurrect this blog?  I'm not sure.  I do want to get back to journaling, and I'm not doing a good job of it on any medium.  Hmmm...

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16305617274410125224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-430120468507799362.post-53739538662434246712013-05-20T07:54:00.002-05:002013-05-20T07:54:25.777-05:00

Josephine (7), while throwing a pity party:  "I've been meaning to write a book on how I feel about chores..."

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16305617274410125224noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-430120468507799362.post-12903258605973684822013-02-27T07:06:00.000-06:002013-02-27T07:06:59.720-06:00

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16305617274410125224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-430120468507799362.post-89899671514829679762012-09-06T23:13:00.002-05:002013-01-14T09:02:24.251-06:00

Last Spring I made a big jump:  I changed jobs.  The new job has lots of perks: better pay, super flexible hours, a terrific CEO and manager, and a super short commute. In fact, the commute is about 15 seconds, right down the stairs. That's right, I'm working from my basement.  There's lots of good things to working at home.  I get to join my family for lunch.  If I

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16305617274410125224noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-430120468507799362.post-76699709553236970962012-02-15T17:39:00.000-06:002012-02-15T17:39:25.556-06:00

A good friend gave us a pack of canvases for Christmas - nice, square ones that we could paint.  There was one for each of us. So the other day we broke out the acrylic paints and went to town.  I showed the kids some "inspiration" beforehand, but each came up with their own ideas. Bennet did this one.  I think he was inspired a bit by Kandinsky Lisel did this one, she was

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16305617274410125224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-430120468507799362.post-76815036828514264602011-08-20T21:40:00.000-05:002011-08-20T21:40:14.971-05:00

Not that I've figured out the color thing.  Au contraire.  But I have made a good deal of progress in otherwise defining my style.   (In reality, I've made good progress in figuring out color too, I'm just still a good ways away....)  And I wanted to take the time to share with you a checklist that I found really helpful. She does a terrific job in the video and in the post (

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16305617274410125224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-430120468507799362.post-66711720872947085042011-08-04T10:24:00.000-05:002011-08-04T10:24:50.682-05:00

Do browns look professional?  Can a brown suit, for example have the same impact as a black one, or a charcoal gray one?  How about a Little-Brown-Dress?  Do you have any pictures or links to places that this color really works in a professions type dress? Just curious.  If I find some, I'll post them here.

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16305617274410125224noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-430120468507799362.post-50984473811702926522011-07-29T14:35:00.001-05:002011-07-29T15:16:38.819-05:00

I found this old photo of myself a few days ago. I love this photo. It makes me nostalgic.  And it reminds me to pray for this dear dear group of friends in New Jersey, (almost all of whom tried to marry me off to their grown sons, ha!).  And it makes me want to go shopping in an Indian market again! I still have this sari, by the way.  The bodice doesn't fit any more (twelve

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16305617274410125224noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-430120468507799362.post-26632733088393849312011-07-28T15:12:00.001-05:002011-07-28T15:45:36.657-05:00

If you read Pioneer Woman, you know that occasionally she goes through phases where the blogs on a topic, or in a particular style for a few weeks, just to get it out of her system. I think that's what style blogging is for me. So bear with me while I indulge and get it out of my system. So here goes. The Color me Beautiful system, like a personality survey, works because many people do in

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16305617274410125224noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-430120468507799362.post-45933149813584956672011-07-23T22:43:00.000-05:002011-07-23T22:43:12.462-05:00

Since this site has been sorely neglected for over two years now, I figure you won't mind if I update with random things.  It's never really had a theme anyway, it's just more of a journal.  (And I apologize for the blabbery style tonight -- we've been listening to Anne of Green Gables audiobook, and I'm in blabber mode, I guess.) A little history:  Almost two years ago, in a bout

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16305617274410125224noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-430120468507799362.post-71608613724976018952011-06-16T12:56:00.000-05:002011-06-16T12:56:26.108-05:00

Can you guess what we did this morning?

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16305617274410125224noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-430120468507799362.post-72675673828864883162011-03-11T07:48:00.000-06:002011-03-11T07:48:35.921-06:00

I was reading Simple Mom this week (wow, I need to read her more often), and noticed that she's running a Spring decluttering series.  It took me about .03 seconds to decide that I really should join in. This week's assignment was the closet.  I haven't really done anything in my closet for about 1.5 years.  So I knew it would be a big job.  Here's the before: There's a

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16305617274410125224noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-430120468507799362.post-23591788272121889592011-02-19T10:35:00.001-06:002012-06-02T18:00:41.349-05:00

This winter, my trusty hand-knitted and felted wool slippers finally wore through (after four years of use).  So I've been thinking for a while that I should make myself a replacement pair. Yesterday I finally got the motivation (thanks Mom!), and dug up some felted sweaters to use. These couldn't be easier. I used this pattern. Since the heel calls for elastic, (and felted sweaters

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16305617274410125224noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-430120468507799362.post-6109687664243470702011-02-16T14:39:00.000-06:002011-02-16T14:39:02.415-06:00

Today is a Mom day. That means that I don't work for money, but instead focus primarily on raising kids. And homeschooling, cleaning the house and such. Things were going swell until, oh, maybe 10:00 am. Most of the morning chores were done, and Bennet was done with his reading. Tommy was being a total pill, and I couldn't get the dishes finished because he was constantly needing attention.

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16305617274410125224noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-430120468507799362.post-61761530458457623142011-02-15T11:36:00.000-06:002011-02-15T11:36:43.813-06:00

Eventually, in the course of trying to save money, you're going to hit a wall.  You don't buy things unnecessarily, you don't allow yourself very many frivolities, and yet you need to cut down expenses more.  It's time to start re-thinking what's actually a necessity. What helps me when we come to this is to think about what the "olden days" were like.  How did they survive before

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16305617274410125224noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-430120468507799362.post-47329722694255622612011-02-14T23:19:00.001-06:002011-02-14T23:22:04.893-06:00

Sometimes my pride makes me stubborn.  I feel like that's been the case with a gratitude journal the past couple of weeks.  I've been reading "One Thousand Gifts" along with about a million other people (mostly women) on incourage, and this week's chapter was on starting the gift list. I've already started mine, but haven't been super motivated to continue it.  I realized today

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16305617274410125224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-430120468507799362.post-81158380230649434202011-02-07T20:00:00.001-06:002011-02-07T20:00:01.237-06:00

I began reading One Thousand gifts this afternoon.  I like Ann's writing in book form even better (much better) than on her blog.  And it's good there, don't get me wrong.  But here, it's, well, almost perfect. I'll warn you that I'm generally the intellectual, not the emotional (perhaps that's why I work well in computer programming for the Structural Steel world).  And so

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16305617274410125224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-430120468507799362.post-59203776151620640412011-02-06T21:53:00.001-06:002011-02-06T22:26:58.602-06:00

I was extra-blessed this past week to receive a free copy of One Thousand Gifts, by Ann Voskamp.  The copy was part of a give-away by Day Spring.  Thank you! The book is accompanied by a series of interviews with the author, and yesterday I watched the trailer and the introduction interview. The trailer blew me away.  It was exactly what I would expect from reading Ann's blog,

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16305617274410125224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-430120468507799362.post-34316404779925390692011-02-05T20:23:00.000-06:002011-02-05T20:23:35.543-06:00

Lisel decided that we need some rules around here, so she wrote some. They read: "DONT HIT" "DONT PUNCH" "DONT FIT" (fight) "DONT WIP WITH NECLISES" (whip with necklaces) Not a bad list. 

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16305617274410125224noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-430120468507799362.post-56075870560364581712011-01-27T22:51:00.000-06:002011-01-27T22:51:16.066-06:00

A year ago, not far from this time, I heard on K-Love about choosing one word for the new year.  They were all doing it, and I thought it was weird and cheesy.  I most particularly didn't want to choose a word theme for the new year.  And yet, I was strangely attracted to the idea of having a theme for the year, and kept pondering that if I WERE to name the year, what would a good

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16305617274410125224noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-430120468507799362.post-12400775146154230962011-01-23T12:26:00.000-06:002011-01-23T12:26:20.609-06:00

It's a snow day today. Church is closed, leaving us with an open, unplanned day ahead of us. Outside is below zero, covered in pristine snow. And while the sky was the most opaque white-gray yesterday, today it's an icy clear blue. The kids, after being brokenhearted last night over canceled church,  are excited for our "Sunday school at home", reminding me of the different things we've

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16305617274410125224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-430120468507799362.post-38440130391201291072011-01-13T22:08:00.000-06:002011-01-13T22:08:36.990-06:00

A start of a new year brings the freshness of snow, and the relived memories of building snow forts, making snow ice cream, and shoveling.  This time, I'm the Mom, introducing my kids to the delicacy.  Sure, some of them remember it from this time last year.  But it's still a super special treat. Bennet has grown up enough since last year that he doesn't even ask if I want him to

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16305617274410125224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-430120468507799362.post-20269514883436997732011-01-12T22:29:00.000-06:002013-01-11T18:58:09.188-06:00

If you've known me very long, or read this blog much, you know that I tend to prefer the home remedy (that is ideally also natural) to visiting the doctor.  We have a standing joke at our home that I don't take a sick kid to the doctor unless I honestly believe that they might not fully recover. So it follows that I would do research on depression.  In reality, I think most of my

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16305617274410125224noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-430120468507799362.post-59510463478399547362011-01-08T22:51:00.002-06:002011-01-10T12:03:47.644-06:00

I wanted to call this post "Staying sane in a crazy world"  But then I realized that not many who know me would actually consider me not crazy. As one who has struggled with post-partum depression, I thought I'd share a few of the things that I've used over the past four (nearly five now) years to avoid re-entering depression.  They're things you'd probably find on any site talking

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16305617274410125224noreply@blogger.com5