Photos from Unsplash Grief is like rain.     I can’t hold it back.     It changes my plans for the day,         for the week. Grief, like thunder, is loud.     I cringe from the noise,         the thunderclaps,         the lightening flash.         I can’t think,             can’t plan,             can’t pray. Grief turns the soil to mud &nb ..read more

First, some blog housekeeping.  I know that many of you like to read this blog by email. I've switched email providers several times the last couple years, trying to find an inexpensive program that worked well. Some emails were sent two or three times, and some that never arrived at all.  Several weeks ago, when I hinted at leaving blogging, maybe joining moving to another social media platform, many of you begged me to keep this blog up.  So, for now, I plan to keep blogging, hopefully several times a month. But I moved the email to Substack, which hopefully will give more con ..read more

Charity and I have enjoyed discussing various reading challenges that we'd like to do in 2024. We are both looking forward to reading some of the unread books on our TBR and have the goal of stretching ourselves.  (Charity gave me Milton's Paradise Lost for Christmas, and we are going to attempt to read it together. Are we crazy? Talk about out of my comfort zone!)  If you are new here, every season (spring, summer, fall), my sister Charity and I come up with several reading challenges. These are just-for-fun challenges that we plan to do ourselves, and we welcome you to join us. N ..read more

I began reading time management books as a teen. I was a voracious bookworm, reading nearly every book in the house, including my mom’s books on home organization. I checked books out of the library on topics such as decluttering. Before I turned twenty, I listed Seven Habits of Highly Effective People as one of my favorite books. Most teens weren’t reading productivity guides, but I was the oldest of nine, a bossy type-A Big Sister. Add my personality to a culture that admired efficiency and getting-it-done and, well, maybe I put too much value on productivity. I married someone with a si ..read more

  This is the fifth winter that I've been in charge of our outdoor woodstove. You'd think I'd have accepted it by now, but every fall it hits me again. When I'm crawling into bed and realize I forgot to fill the woodstove, or when I wake up to a cold house and know that the fire went out, or, despite my best efforts, the house is STILL cold, and I'm not sure if the culprit is the fan or the compressor or the thermostat - the woodstove becomes an analogy for all the hard things about widowhood. I know I'm blessed with brothers and sons that spend hours cutting wood to fill the woodshe ..read more

I love sharing books. Yesterday my sister and a friend were at my house discussing the Brighter Winter Reading Challenges. Both went home with a stack of books.  If you live near me, please come on over. Nothing is more fun than talking about books while prerusing book shelves. But for those who don't live near me, here are some book recommendations for the various Brighter Winter Reading Challenges. This post contains affiliate links. Books set in the continent of Africa A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park (middle grade) West With the Night by Beryl Markham (classic memior ..read more

Since the winter of 2020, I've been enjoying the Brighter Winter Reading Challenge. The beginning of this challenge coincided with my first year as a widow, when I was reading much more, since I didn't have Ed to talk to in the evenings.  I love that Brighter Winter stretches my reading into new genres, gives my reading focus, and allows me to share reading with friends. This is the fifth year and by now it is a highlight of my winter.  You can find more information about Brighter Winter Reading Challenge on their website, but briefly, this free reading challenge gives you a grid fo ..read more

Dips are so fun for quick gatherings. My daughter has been making this one for us. We all love it. and I usually have the ingredients on hand. This is a dip for those who'd rather lick the bowl than eat the baked brownie.  We usually serve it with apple slices, but pretzels and Teddy Grahams are great, too.  Brownie Batter Dip 1 pack (8 oz) cream cheese, softened 1/4 cup butter, softened 2 cups confectioners' sugar 1/3 cup baking cocoa 1/4 cup milk 2 tablespoons of brown sugar 1 tsp vanilla Optional: 1/4 cup mini M&Ms Dippers: apple slices, pretzels, Teddy Grahams In a large b ..read more

Sisters' Fall Reading Challenge  We both enjoyed so many great books this fall. I'm never sure if it is because I happend to find great books or if I was simply in the mood to enjoy reading more this fall than sometimes. But whatever the reason, I've loved reading the past few months. Here is a glimpse of our reading this fall (and a photo shoot at the local library where we both grew up prerusing the shelves.) This post contains affiliate links. 1. Read a biography.  Charity - The Wright Brothers by David McCulloulgh  While reading this book, I thought “Did I actua ..read more

Charity and I don't plan to post reading challenges for winter. But we thought we'd share a few book recommendations for December in case you want some book ideas.  (We are looking forward to the Brighter Winter Reading Challenge in January and February. Registration is open now.)  This post contains affiliate links. Children's Christmas Picture Books Charity -  The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski I grew up with a few very special Christmas books. This treasure is beautifully illustrated and the story is about redemption, simple acts of kindnes ..read more