27
May
Memorial Day is not National Barbecue Day. Shocking, I know. Memorial Day was first proclaimed a holiday in 1868 as a day to place flowers on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers in Arlington Cemetery. By 1890, all the northern states recognized the holiday. After World War I, all the states began recognizing the day as a time to honor all fallen soldiers from any conflict.
So, in essence, Memorial Day is a time to honor the men and women throughout the history of our nation who have sacrificed their lives to give us the freedom and blessings we too [ ... ]
22
May
I haven’t said much about the health problems I’ve been having for the last few years. I figure most people have their own problems, many much worse than mine, and don’t want to hear me whine about my aches and pains. I’m usually a glass-half-full type person, too. I keep expecting things to just go away. But they haven’t, and they probable won’t.
I recently ran into a friend at the doctor’s office, and he encouraged me to share a little about what’s going on so he could keep up and pray for me. I was still hesitant, but then realized [ ... ]
Category: Cooking, Family Life, Health
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16
May
Our school year is winding down. We’ve sputtered along for the last few months moving, unpacking, commuting 50 miles one way four days a week to finish extracurricular activities (dance and piano), and fighting a record Spring for seasonal allergies. Some subjects are done; others are stuck in Groundhog Day-mode. Never seeming to end. My older girls are further along because they are able to do several subjects independently. My second grader is hopelessly behind, and we’ll probably just call it done before long. We can pick up what’s left for review at various times during the summer, which I’m [ ... ]
Category: Christian Living, Family Life, Home School, Parenting
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06
May
Wondering what you could do this summer that is unusual, helpful, and downright fun? How about walking the streets of New York City. At night. In a bra. The MoonWalk 2013 (#MoonWalkNYC) will take place on Saturday, July 20. It will attract thousands of men and women to power walk the streets of NYC to raise money for breast cancer research and other initiatives. Participants will be walking in bras. Yes, even the men. I’m not talking WonderBras here, but glitzy, goofy, put-your-eyes-out bras. It sounds fun and corny and over-the-top different.
Now, why would I choose a fundraiser like this? Well, if you [ ... ]
Category: Family Life, Health
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08
Apr
I might have mentioned that my all-time favorite brownie recipe can be found in Katie Kimball’s e-book, Smart Sweets: 30 Desserts to Indulge Your Sweet Tooth. If you like sweets (who doesn’t?) but want to try to remain as healthy as possible while indulging the urge, Smart Sweets is the ticket. The recipes in this book use less sugar and healthier (natural) sweeteners. Flours include whole grains, soaked and sprouted grains. Some are even grain-free. Katie gives tips on including probiotics and vegetables in dessert or snack recipes. Gotta hide those veggies in every chance you take, right? Real food doesn’t have to be boring, and [ ... ]
Category: Cooking, Family Life, Parenting
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26
Mar
Spring has sprung here in Texas. We didn’t have much of a winter, so it’s only a slight change from the last few months…most noticeably the flowers. Bluebonnets and other wildflowers are lining the roadways. It’s a beautiful sight and one which makes every Texan’s heart sing, mostly because we only get a month or two of green-ness before it turns brown from the inevitable heat.
Soooo, to celebrate the arrival of spring, Cookie Gift Baskets has decided to give away Flower Cookie Gift Baskets (up to a $65 value) to TWO lucky winners, right here on my blog! What else [ ... ]
Category: Family Life, Parenting
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23
Mar
Today is Day 21 of the 30 Days to Less Stuff and More Life Challenge. If you want to jump in, go get the book at Amazon, Simple Living – 30 days to less stuff and more life.
I’m no fan of television. That doesn’t mean I never watch TV shows or movies, but it does not run mindlessly in the background of our house. I never watch one program after another after another or channel surf. Let’s just suffice it to say, there are a gazillion better things to do than sit like a zombie for hours on end being spoon [ ... ]
17
Mar
I’ve been strangely silent recently because we are preparing to move. If you haven’t moved 7 people twice in 14 months, you’re not walking on the wild side.
Anyway, in preparation for moving, I am trying to clean out the freezers. Yes, we have two. The goal is to use something each day from the freezer. Today, I used a pie crust, orange juice and what I thought was key lime juice for a key lime pie. Turns out the key lime juice was egg whites, so I made a rather bland custard pie. I’m going to have to start labeling [ ... ]
22
Feb
Hey You Guys!
I have a new sign up form to the right on the blog. Enter your first name and email address, and all my blog posts will come straight to your email inbox.
If you have signed up with a previous form, you need to sign up again because this is an entirely new application handling the mail. It is more secure and easier to manage. You need to click through to the website to see the signup box in the right column.
If you haven’t signed up before, please take the opportunity now to enter your email address in the [ ... ]
Category: Uncategorized
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14
Feb
Today is Day 20 of the 30 Days to Less Stuff and More Life Challenge. If you want to jump in, go get the book at Amazon, Simple Living – 30 days to less stuff and more life.
Today we talk about one of my favorite ways to simplify my very busy life…meal planning. Simplifying food doesn’t mean you succomb to bad eating habits, and cooking from scratch doesn’t have to be complicated or hard. No, I don’t use a box for much of anything, and I’ve even greatly reduced my canned additions to a few cans of beans and tomatoes and an [ ... ]
