Month: February 2012

  • Calm in My Chaos

    With Copper working a crazy amount of overtime, and baseball practices ramping up in preparation for the start of the season, life in my house has become busier than normal. Toss in the daily requirements of running a homeschooling household and keeping our orchards, vineyards, berries, etc. irrigated during this dry winter, and our days […]

  • It’s Not Always Exciting

    Today was a puttering kind of day. No big, exciting projects were undertaken. No earth-shaking cooking going on. Today was a day to just tend to the everyday things that not only make a house a home, but help keep it that way. The daily chores and all of the weekly chores for Wednesday were […]

  • Copper’s Day Off (or Not) – President’s Day Edition

        Since today was a holiday, Will’s coach called a preseason practice for any of the kids who could make it out for the afternoon. I’m thankful for dedicated coaches who are focused on skill development and safety and who give up their own holidays to work with the kids. Good men. Good kids. […]

  • Menu for the Week

    Last week I featured three recipes from SOS! The Six O’Clock Scramble to the Rescue. The Tortellini Soup has been a favorite since I made it the first time more than a year ago. The Panko Peanut Crusted Pork Chops were new to us, but they were absolutely delicious. The third recipe, the Cassoulet, was […]

  • The Saturday Acrostic – February 18, 2012

    The S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y Acrostic. The week as captured in eight photos and eight words, in an acrostic format. Sewing   Athletic   Tune-up   Uniform   Roses   Driving   Ability-building   YNAB If you’d like to post your own Saturday Acrostic, you’re welcome to do so! Choose eight photographs that depict the week in review, or just […]

  • Commonsensical Wisdom

    I’ve always enjoyed Nancy Wilson’s writing. I’m a somewhat consistent reader of her blog, and I’ve also enjoyed several of her books, including Building Her House: Commonsensical Wisdom for Christian Women. Mrs. Wilson writes with the kindness, yet firmness, of a wise older friend. The book’s promise to deliver “commonsensical wisdom” is fulfilled.   Building […]

  • The Promise of Summer in the Heart of Winter

    I didn’t grow up knowing about gardening and growing food. My parents were both adults during The Great Depression, and my mom was raised as the daughter of a farmer who never owned his own land. The idea of having to garden, or grow your own food out of necessity, was something they never wanted […]

  • Copper’s Day Off – Guardrails Edition

    We began building a few new guardrails in our home today, and rebuilding some that have fallen into disrepair. Guardrails = A system to keep vehicles from straying into dangerous or off limits areas (from a sermon series at church) I like the visual that definition provides. Photo by Scott Patterson/courtesy of photoxpress.com   We’ve […]

  • Quick & Easy (Mostly) Menu Plan

    We’re ramping up for the start of baseball season. This is the first time, ever, that I’ve had a child participating in team sports. Our weekday evenings will be busy with practices and games, but I want to preserve the family dinner hour as many nights a week as possible. To make that happen, it’s […]

  • Saturday Acrostic – February 11, 2012

    The S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y Acrostic. The week as captured in eight photos and eight words, in an acrostic format.   Spuds     Anteroom   Two-wheeling   Unending     Rodent-damage   Downloading   Anticipating     Yearning     If you’d like to do your own Saturday Acrostic, you’re welcome to do so! Use eight photographs that depict […]