For almost a year now, I’ve been compiling a list of good children’s books – titles I want my own children to read, and ones I would love to keep in our home library. My children are new readers, but I know that once they take off it’ll be difficult to keep them supplied with good books that are appropriate for their age. Some of these titles are books I read as a girl, others I’ve discovered in the last few years. You may not agree with my age classifications, but books in the older age group are there because they are more intense, or have deeper themes that a younger child may not grasp, or ..read more

I’ve had this blog post in the back of my mind for a week now. “I’ll write about productivity and things I do to get all the housework and cooking and homeschooling done etc on Monday, ” I thought. Monday came, and around 9 am the batteries ran out of power. We are fully off grid here, so if we want electricity we either need our batteries charged up with power from the solar panels, or start the generator. I got the generator started, but the engine kept coughing and dying within a few minutes. Andy had already left for work, and the 4 oldest children were all working on school at the table a ..read more

My world has been sound-proofed. A thick blanket of snow covers the ground, the trees, the vehicles, and whatever random item were left in the yard. We’ll rediscover them come spring, but for now the world is white and magical and sounds are muffled and distant as though we are living in a snow globe. Life slows with the awareness that only important things must be done – paths shoveled, animals fed, the stove stocked with wood and warm food for hungry bellies. The children play outside for hours and come in excited about a cave they dug, or a path they discovered, or how they slid down the sn ..read more

Relationships are the sum of the little everyday things. Sure, the big events are exciting – the flutters on the first date, the passion as newly weds, those special days, like birthdays and anniversaries and all the remembering and celebration of your life together. But those special times are not what a relationship is made up of. It is instead those mundane moments, and the interactions with each other as we live day in and day out together. If we spend our everyday moments getting aggravated with each other, or expecting the other person to do what we could do ourselves, or simply seeing t ..read more

We planned to go back east to visit our families and attend my sister’s wedding, and the week leading up to it has been…interesting. Unfortunate Event #1 A week before we planned to leave, Andy’s debit card got hacked and someone drained our bank account buying gift cards at Best Buy. The bank said we should be able to get our money back in a couple weeks. We had nothing to do but make the best of it, and spent last Thursday and Friday rushing around getting all the last minute things done. Saturday was a relaxing Sabbath day, and then we packed last minute items and headed for the airport Sun ..read more

8 years ago on our wedding day, Andy and I were both determined that nothing would change. That we would do everything possible to keep our love strong until death parted us. Love does not look the same now as it did then – we’ve been through a long distance move together, built two houses ourselves, had 5 babies – and we have changed, matured, made some mistakes. Love does change with time, but it is only stronger for being tested. Last year our anniversary was fancy, with a hotel overlooking the beach, and candle light and walks along the water. This year we’re celebrating with takeout and a ..read more

I highly recommend having a mentor. This is an area we as humans tend to over think, but the relationship is so valuable it isn’t worth avoiding out of anxiety or feeling as though we have no one in our lives who would fit the role. Two years ago at a ladies conference one of the speakers was talking about the beauty and benefits of having an older woman as a mentor and it encouraged me to give it a try. Of course I thought of our church first, and no one fit my mental idea of what a mentor should be like. We have no grandmothers in our group, and only a few grey hairs. But I’ve come to realiz ..read more

The weather has been cool and crisp, and the leaves have started to turn yellow here in Alaska. With the change in seasons, I’ve been inspired to start baking with cinnamon and apples and pumpkin – those fall smells and tastes I just love this time of year. I have a pumpkin spice latte recipe in my Cookbook but I’ve been experimenting with it a bit, trying to find that perfect blend of spices, coffee, and steamed milk. If you like pumpkin spice, try the recipe below! Pumpkin Spice Concentrate 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree 1 1/2 cups maple syrup or vanilla coffee syrup 1/4 t. salt 1 Tablespoon pumpk ..read more

Dear friends,  It has been rainy rainy rainy here in Alaska. On the bright side, we’re getting quite a bit of school done since we’re stuck inside, but every once in a while the sun comes out (like this afternoon) and then we all go outside as much as possible to soak in the gorgeous fall weather.  The leaves are changing color and there is definitely a different smell in the air. Nippy too, but no frost yet. We’re getting cabbage, Brocolli, cauliflower, carrots, lettuce and spinach and peas from the garden. Not in large quantities, mind you, just little bits here and there. We ..read more

She became increasingly dissatisfied with her life. The never ending to-do list, the rain that had continued for days and the mud that came with it. She was tired of her cooped up children and their constant boredom and fighting. She felt as though life had shrunk to these four walls and trying to juggle all the housework and meals as well as the constant needs and demands of her children and fussy baby. The more she thought about all the hard things in her life, the more discouraged she  became until all she could see was the negative, and every set back only added fuel to her mental ran ..read more