Good Books, Peaceful Moments

From Art Journal I’ve been relaxing and enjoying free time, time to pause, moments and glimmers of slow breathing peacefulness. Here’s some great books I’ve been absorbing: The Widening Stream: The Seven Stage of Creativity by David Ulrich. I must thank Leah for intriguing my interest. What It Is by Lynda Barry. Wow. 1,000 Artist Journal [...]

Chore Charts Begone

Chore charts have had an important part in the process of training the kids how to care for their own homes one day. As they have grown older, ages 12 and 14 now, we have reached a place in which the chore charts were actually working against the good of the family. While one child [...]

Les Miserable on ?Contentment?

Another favorite passage from Les Miserables: Jean Valjean  Book First XVI: “There are people who ask nothing more; living beings who, having blue sky, say: “it is enough!” dreamers absorbed in marvel, drawing from idolatry of nature an indifference to good and evil, contemplators of the cosmos radiantly diverted from man, who do not understand [...]

Artful Blogging

I have been enjoying my stroll through Artful Blogging, Visually Inspiring Online Journals, a great new publication from Somerset Studio. While I’m only a third of the way through this thick publication, I am enjoying both the writing and the art displayed on each page. Adorned with beautiful art and snippets from these artists’ blogs, this is [...]

Selective Viewing

From the viewpoint of adults that have experienced many things in life in ways that we wish we had not, my husband and I have become careful about what we read and watch and do. We have allowed our minds to be filled with all kinds of awful things. Although it has been years since we have allowed all things without discernment into [...]

Disappointed in the library

My daughter won a prize! Both my kids enroll in the summer reading program at the library because they enjoy the coupons they receive as rewards. My daughter was also entered in a drawing for each hour she read, and she won. Her prize was 4 Royals baseball tickets and the an autographed hardback, The [...]

My Moleskine

I love paper. I love handwriting. Therefore I must journal. My journal goes with me everywhere. It is available at all times. My journaling is different than my blogging. It is personal, more specific. Often what I write in my journal clarifies my thinking on a particular subject that leads me to blogging. Often it [...]

Directions – Bible Study for Discipleship

Our family is doing this Bible study together. Each one of us loves it. We’ve done individual studies, and done Bible reading as a family, but this is our first study as a family. “This interactive Bible study is designed to give you the essential directions you need to grow and develop as a disciple [...]

The Hidden Art of Homemaking

One of my favorite books of all time is The Hidden Art of Homemaking: Creative Ideas for Enriching Everyday Life by Edith Schaeffer. Edith says: I would define ‘Hidden Art’ as the art which is found in the ‘minor’ areas of life. By ‘minor’ I mean what is involved in the ‘everyday’ of anyone’s life, [...]

Nourishing Traditions

I am reading an excellent cookbook, Nourishing Traditions, The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats, by Sally Fallon. This book challenges the concept of low-fat cooking and opts for cooking with whole, organic foods. Fat is important in our diet, it claims. The book discusses in full length the topics of [...]