An Inspiring Notepad on the end table. A message was brought to me that required immediate attention.  A sudden medical appointment had been made.  The notice came after business hours and I needed to call the office the next day.  But I had already been obligated to attend to a family matter that would take the entire day.  My driving directions were all securely in place and plans had been made.  I realized I needed to write down the medical notes, put them in my purse to take with me, and, along with a pocket calendar, I needed to call the doctor sometime ..read more

LOC: Family having dinner in 1930. There are so many messages coming into our lives from the culture around us.  The strongest messages are coming through advertising.  These affect how we think and even how we live.  It is difficult to realize that these messages are paid for by advertisers who want us to buy something.  We see it on billboards, from supermarket displays, and through television and commercials.  Sometimes we may even forget that people on television and in movies are paid to speak their words and act a certain way.  We spend so much tim ..read more

View of a Farm near Mrs. White's home in Vermont. Each morning I have a plan to do a few things during the day.  This is common for all of us. As I am going about the house and doing my chores, new work is presented which takes the day in a different direction.  There are phone calls to make, medical issues, financial issues, family issues, and a variety of other happenings as I try to accomplish the little things that form an ordinary day.   There is wisdom when we consider that we are to plan our activities, but then leave it to the Lord to guide our steps. We h ..read more

My husband's photograph of our tulips in the sunlight.   As soon as the weather became warm and inviting, we went outdoors to start our homemaking chores.  This is the spring work we do just after the Vermont snow has finally melted away. We spent a few afternoons picking up sticks.  After being indoors, mostly, all winter, I did not have much energy for the work. Then I thought about Mrs. Elizabeth Prentiss (from the 1800's.)  She and her family were setting up a summer cottage on their own land in Dorset, Vermont.  In her writings, she talks about laboring o ..read more

Today's view of part of our property. I have been thinking about the Pioneers and their journey out west to settle the land.   This afternoon, my husband and I were outside trying to figure out where to plant a new rose bush.  As we went along, we talked about the land. We thought about our hopes and dreams for our home.  This all made me think about the old days when people worked hard to acquire their very own land. It made me think of the old skills and the work we do in the home.  I made a brief video today. It is a short visit.  I hope you will have ..read more

Spring has started to show at our property here in Vermont. Taking care of a home is very much like running an entire business. When my Father used to live with us (along with Mother) for nearly 10 years (in their own section of this large 1800's house), he worked very hard here at home. Taking care of the grounds and house was like a full time job for him. In winter, Dad used a snowblower and shovel on the walkways and driveway. He kept our cars cleaned off. He used sand and such to protect us as we walked on the ice outdoors. He kept us safe. These were daily chores for him through ..read more

The front porch of Mrs. White's house on a snowy spring day.    In the old days, before there were television sets, I can imagine that mothers knew very little about what was happening in the world.  There were certainly newspapers and radio messages, but the news was not constant.  Mother was focused on her family and the immediate needs of her household. The biggest concern was for shelter, food, and clothing.  This was all provided by hard work, prayers, and the spiritual blessing of a beautiful Christian life. In humble homes, where there is little money ..read more

Floral Oil Painting by Jan Verhas,1896.   The first few months of this year have been very difficult for us. One of the reasons for this is the decline in health of my dear Aunt.   Some weeks ago, she passed into her eternal rest in Heaven. Even though it has been so hard and emotionally painful to endure this, I have to remind myself that we live by faith and not by sight.  We know that she is with the Lord, happy, healed, and safe in Heaven.  We know we will see her again. This comforts us and sustains us to know that we will see our family again someday wh ..read more

March snow at Mrs. White's property in Vermont. We are in the middle of a storm. It has been snowing heavily all night and day.  We just went outside for a little walk.  It was lovely to slowly trudge through the deep snow and observe the beautiful scenery on the front grounds.  I brought my umbrella along for protection as I took several photographs around me.   My husband walked along with me. I said to him, "Doesn't this remind you of the blizzard of '78?"  I was referring to a major snowstorm in our home state of Massachusetts many years ago. (We liv ..read more

LOC: Sitting by the fireplace around 1925. I was out in the rain doing errands. There was a chill and a weariness about me that made me long for home.  I looked forward to a cozy fire in the pellet stove and a comfortable room where I could rest.  But when I walked into the house, I found a cold and empty parlour.  It was soon explained to me that the wood pellet stove was broken. I put on a thick house robe and made some tea.  There was nothing I could do about the broken stove.  I had to find another way to get warmed and rested. We pulled out a little spac ..read more