Simple Living, Homeschooling, Faith, Homemaking, & Books
“We who live in quiet places have the opportunity to become acquainted with ourselves, to think our own thoughts and live our own lives in a way that is not possible for those keeping up with the crowd.” Laura Ingalls Wilder
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Pansies Reading a book by the fire Snow falling The first day of the NCAA Basketball Tournament Caroline’s belly laugh Being married to my best friend Playing favorite hymns on the piano Autumn leaves Rose-breasted grosbeaks at our feeders Drives in the country Black patent leather Beaumont Tower Pearls Pink Telemann Vermont in autumn Cozy …
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While most people associate holiday traditions with Christmas, Thanksgiving traditions for families can be just as wonderful. Thanksgiving traditions can bring your family together in new ways and also help you reach out to those in need during this special time. In fact, the best Thanksgiving traditions are sometimes the simplest. Here are some simple …
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So how were your holidays? Were they enjoyable? Meaningful? Special? Or were they (as Peggy called hers in a comment on another post) a “tightly-choreographed death march”? Did you and your family end up stressed, sick or burned out? Were you so busy doing the things you felt obligated to do that you didn’t do …
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Have you ever felt completely burned out? I have and I’m sure you have, too. Maybe you are struggling with burnout at this moment. Many of us carry huge loads today. Most of us live with some combination of the following: Working outside the home Working from home Homeschooling Children with learning needs Children with …
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We’ve been blessed with a cool spring that is only very slowly moving toward anything resembling warmer weather. I don’t mind because it affords us more time to enjoy the blessings of cooler weather – warm meals, the fireplace, and general coziness. I’ve found that I’m really happiest when I have my little family gathered …
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Suddenly the door opened and Pa burst in, saying, “Put on your bonnets, Caroline and girls! There’s a meeting at the schoolhouse!” “Whatever in the world–” Ma said. “Everybody’s going! said Pa. “We are starting a literary society.” For the next Literary, there was music. Pa with his fiddle and Gerald Fuller with his accordion …
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We have all these circles which we try and long to meaningfully connect with in some way. They all require their own effort, time, and emotional investment. And they basically never intersect.
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As is evident by the topics I write about here on my site, I am committed to simplicity, making deliberate choices, etc. But there is one area in my life where I do not wish to practice simplifying and downsizing. It is Christmas. I can tell you all the reasons why it is good to …
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Is it a blessing to live a small life? My answer is a resounding, “Yes!” if that is where God has placed you. I’ve been reflecting lately on the joy and freedom of living a small life. A quiet, simple life. It is so contrary to everything around us. Our culture both in and out …
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As we wrestle through the issue of what to do next regarding housing, I find myself returning to what I call My Little House in the Big Woods Fantasy. I’m smart enough to know that life for the Ingalls family was not simple. It was hard work to do all that they did in Little …
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One of the lessons that took me the longest to learn when seeking to simplify my life was to limit the emotional drainers. For far too long I allowed myself to be emotionally drained by things and people that were not really beneficial and did nothing to make my life more simple, joyful, or peaceful. …
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I remember clearly when I purchased my first computer and went online with AOL, one of the only ways to get online at the time. I remember when it was a novelty to see a web address on a television commercial. I clearly remember life before the internet. And sometimes I really miss it. To …
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And how do you plan for a future that doesn’t exist? This post has been coming on for a long time. I’ve been turning these ideas over and over, expanding on them through reading, discussing, etc. I do want to start with a disclaimer though. A Christian’s ultimate faith is not in any earthly system. …
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Call it cocooning, hunkering down, being a homebody, or whatever. It is me. And it especially describes my life over the past ten years or so. Now I’ve discovered it has yet another name: dwelling. From What consumers do in a downturn: Roughly speaking, consumers have two modalities: surging and dwelling. In the surging modality, …
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Over the past couple of years, there have been times I’ve been frustrated because circumstances were not what I wanted them to be, especially as it relates to our business and finances. One of the things that is challenging for me about having our own business is feeling quite out of control regarding the amount …
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I have a fever. It is the “I really want to move and have more space” fever. Have you ever had it? Fortunately, there is no way on earth we are going to move right now so I can look at houses online all I want and there is no temptation to actually act. Short …
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I’ve discovered the secret to living simply. It is this. Put your hands over your ears. Close your eyes. Now loudly say, “La la la la la. I’m not listening to you!” I’m serious. Sort of. The number one key to living simply is to listen to God and stop listening so intently to everyone …
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In The Yankee Way to Simplify Your Life, Jay Heinrichs writes: There is one time of the day when the phone never rings, the world keeps getting brighter, and you have the whole day ahead: early morning. Did that sentence just set your teeth on edge? You very likely had an instinctive reaction to the …
