Snow is swirling outside as I write. This time of year always feels so bleak, like spring will never return. Brrr! One of my favorite ways of enduring these types of days is with baking. What a treat it is to have fruit from my own garden in the freezer! Having things harvested from my own garden brightens the dreary days of winter. If I close my eyes, I can be transported to the warm days of the growing season. Yes, I remember how I complain when the summer reaches its peak, but for this moment I can focus on the contrast of winter and summer, and how one complements the other. Blueberry bu ..read more

Sending Christmas cards seems to have fallen by the wayside, a victim of the busyness that accompanies the end of the year. Commercialism has sent us into a shopping and shipping frenzy, often leaving this simpler gesture behind. I have a renewed appreciation for the little works of art that come in our December mail, delivering greetings from family and friends. We may only hear from each other this time of year, so it’s nice to keep in touch and share updates on our lives. These little gifts’ colorful graphics become part of our Christmas decor. When the holidays are over, they are stored ..read more

For awhile now I’ve been in the mood to lighten up in everything from my closet and junk drawers, to the cloud and social media. My life suddenly seemed very cluttered and overly complicated and it was time to clean it up. A Question of Joy A few years ago, I read “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up,” by Marie Kondo. Her advice to hold each item in your hands to see if it “sparked joy” seemed frivolous when I first read it. Can each item in my home really bring joy? But that has remained in the back of my mind as I’ve cleaned out drawers and closets, and I’ve decided that the answer is “ye ..read more

I polled a group of homeschool moms to find out what their greatest fears were when they first started. I wasn’t too surprised by their answers because I had them at one time, too. Fear is a natural human emotion. It protects us from physical and psychological pain, yet it can also be paralyzing. It’s good to research homeschooling and weigh the benefits against the risks before jumping in, but I’m hoping that by addressing your fears, I can help you move past them into homeschooling with joy and confidence. You’re Not Good Enough That’s what the enemy wants you to believe, but just think abo ..read more

When our son was 13, he asked permission to create an account on Facebook. At the time I knew nothing about social media, so I opened an account to investigate. I’d been using it ever since, so for about fifteen years, and the time I spent gradually increased. About a year ago, my husband and I decided to delete our accounts. We had become so dependent – it was like a newspaper, telephone, photo album all in one. What would we do? How would we communicate and stay in touch? After being somewhat addicted for many years, I have to admit that I wondered if there was life after Facebook. Addictio ..read more

Halloween is upon us once more. Evil and grotesque “decor” is in every store and magazine, and horror movies fill the theaters. It’s sad to me because otherwise October is such a lovely month where we get relief from the heat of summer, and natural beauty takes the form of colored leaves and soft golden light. When our kids were little, we used to join in the festivities surrounding Halloween, but somewhere along the way I became convicted that, as a Christian, I shouldn’t participate anymore. “You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of any ..read more

I was my mother’s guest on a five-day cruise that originated in New York City and visited two ports in Canada. Our trip started on her birthday, and since my mom loves to cruise, it was the perfect way to celebrate. I have never been to New York City, so as the shuttle made its way from the airport to the cruise terminal, I was gawking out the bus windows as best I could. My husband had visited there many times while employed by Morgan Stanley. They were the largest tenant in the World Trade Center at the time of the terrorist attack on 9/11. I actually thought I might never see New York in p ..read more

Late summer is the most difficult time of year for me. Plants are dying back and rabbits have been nibbling on the others. Grass has gotten a foothold in my side yard. My garden looks pitiful and it’s too hot to do much about it. It makes me downright depressed. What’s a discouraged gardener to do? Being a glass-half-full kind of person, I came up with some ways to turn those negatives into positives. If you get a little down, too, here are five suggestions of what you can do in your late summer garden. Weeding When summer heat causes some plants to die and others wither, it reveals weeds tha ..read more

I wish you could see what I see when I look at my garden. It’s like a giant bouquet of memories. Well, let me try to share some of them with you. Did you wear your walking shoes? Let’s start in the front yard. This oak leaf hydrangea started as a volunteer from my mother-in-law’s garden. It happily took root in mine and I’ve enjoyed watching it grow over the years. In the spring, its white panicles give off a soft scent, enveloping the area in a fragrant cloud. In its shade is a statue of a boy and girl looking at a book. It was a Mother’s Day gift from my husband a few years ago. It represen ..read more

“That leaf looks like a hummingbird,” I thought. It caught my eye from across the room while we were eating lunch. A little later I was closer to the back door and noticed it again. Then I realized that it was a hummingbird! It’d been there, under a lounger on our back porch, for hours on a hot summer afternoon! That wasn’t good! I went out to see it up close and when I bent down beside it, it started fluttering its wings and hopping, but not flying.  “Hmmm, what could be wrong, and what can I do to help?” I thought maybe I could take it to the hummingbird feeders in the front yard and h ..read more