Easter is Resurrection Day Pulling on a new plaid, smocked dress, she felt a thrill. Easter meant a pretty outfit and then an egg hunt, followed by a family dinner at Grandma’s. Now, Easter holds the thrill of celebrating Resurrection day. A true reason to be overjoyed, outshining the tiny thrills of a child’s world. John 13:1, Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end. (NLT) First, Good Friday (photo courtesy of Sarah Bargo) Go ..read more

How to organize photos and document your family history When my first child was born, a family member was passionate about a new craze. Scrapbooking. At the time, a popular company offered people a home business of selling products to highlight family memories. I was hooked! The tiny coat closet of our home transformed into a craft “room”, compliments of my husband.  He built a desktop, about one arms length across, and half as deep. He even installed a few hooks, and a happy paint color. Smack dab in the hallway of our little home, naptime offered mama entrance to crafty land. Scrapbook ..read more

Vintage Recipes Homemakers of the past had plenty of helpful routines and tricks that modern homemakers can benefit from. And, they had recipes. Hmmm. Are they still delicious today, with taste buds accustomed to fast food and convenience foods? I have a passion for collecting retro magazines and cookbooks, and am excited to share these treasures with you! With the economy on our minds, vintage homemaking books offer a plethora of information. With the Great Depression causing staggering poverty, World War II followed close behind. Our great-grandmothers deeply understood stretching a dollar ..read more

  What does it mean to enjoy the little things? I searched for examples of major life events, curious if anyone had added up those into a nice neat date package. However, those dominant events pale in comparison to the endless influx of sensory joys. Oft missed in the hurry of life. Enjoying the small things in life…no, celebrating them…steers my days and guides my story. It would be impossible to accurately count the ordinary joys that fill our days. What a wonderful position to start from! What if today you began a list, a real list written out, that gives your senses a place to be not ..read more

Letting go and moving on She was happy. Established. Flourishing. Yet, God called her into something new. It was scary. She dug her heels in, yet change happened. She was happy. Established. She felt safe, secure. Yet, God called her into something new. Again. And each time, she dug her heels in a little less, as change happened. Until one day, God called her into something new…. And she ran into the invitation with eager anticipation and trust .She became happy. Established. And truly was secure, because she had history. A story of roots and upheaval and letting go and finding peace. She flo ..read more

When I was a young homemaker I began studying the Bible, and it turned my thought world upside down. It was only by meditating on rich Bible verses for home (at least they felt super applicable about how to live as a wife and mother), that the pressure to be perfect began to subside. The clothes hamper resembling Mt. Vesuvius seemed more like molehills. The dishes (while still my least favorite chore) ushered in a newfound feeling of gratitude for the food that fed my little girl. Once I reframed housework into a privilege, one task at a time, a change took place. Homemaking became work I und ..read more

  In 2023, food prices increased by 5.8 percent. Food-at-home prices increased by 5.0 percent, while food-away-from-home prices increased by 7.1 percent —USDA   Phew, supposedly inflation is “cooling” but people are still struggling to make ends meet. It leaves you wondering how to stretch a dollar. I have ___ tips for you today to save money grocery shopping and create meals that our Depression-era grandparents would be proud of! My shelves are full of vintage cookbooks, specifically from the WWII era. There is much to be learned from those lean times. Homemakers knew how to eke ..read more

  It’s Groundhog’s Day! A perfect opportunity to make an ordinary day special. One of the wacky gifts God has given me, is the ability to celebrate the small stuff. Something that was extremely important to me to pass on to my children. During their childhood, we went through some hard things, and we didn’t have much money. But the joy of creativity allowed us to celebrate silliness. Not just the big holidays, but anything that makes you smile! Their childhood was full of creativity and celebration. I’m gonna guess that’s what they remember, not that we didn’t have a lot of money. Three ..read more

  My photo editing program had a full memory. No more work could be done until I addressed the problem. There was no mass deletion of old photos. They had to be checked one by one. Over a decade of photos. I had to scroll through countless “old” photos, every time I began a new project. It felt tedious until I noticed something profound. This collection was an anthology. A collection of short stories from my very own life. In color. Living in the present requires presence What a privilege to remember these memories. What a privilege to have LIVED these moments. Many aren’t so fortunate ..read more

Christmas is a joyful season, full of promise. In today’s world, there are tons of events, lights, gifts, and family memories to be made. Train rides and flashing displays and joyful music permeate it all. Yet, if you stop to look deeper, the good news of the gospel is on full display during the Christmas celebrations. So why add one more thing to your December days? What is Advent season all about? Today, we’ll cover the basics…what is Advent about? While commonly part of liturgical churches, many non-denominational congregations have included Advent as part of the weeks leading up to Chris ..read more