Most years I prepare a traditional Thanksgiving spread that includes turkey with all the sides (sweet potatoes, green beans, macaroni and cheese, rolls, etc.). However, there have been a couple of years when I didn’t do this. These were years when we moved right before the holiday and it was just our immediate family celebrating. Though … [Read more...] about Huge List of Alternative Thanksgiving Dinners
Rejuvenating Friendships
Easy DIY Heart Pouch Valentines
My girls’ homeschool group is having a Valentine’s Day party this week. In addition to consuming lots of treats, the kids are exchanging cards with one another. My girls wanted to come up with unique valentines that were, as my middle child phrased it, “from the heart.” My eldest is folding paper airplanes from double-sided scrapbook … [Read more...] about Easy DIY Heart Pouch Valentines
Simple Ways to Streamline Thanksgiving Dinner Preparation
For many families, the focal point of Thanksgiving Day is a table laden with delicious food. As nice as it is to dive into these foods, getting them to the table often requires a lot of work and can be stressful. Last year, for example, we spent the entire day before Thanksgiving preparing various dishes. Then I was up and cooking again … [Read more...] about Simple Ways to Streamline Thanksgiving Dinner Preparation
16 Alternatives to “Good Luck”
I’m not concerned about breaking a mirror or having a black cat cross my path because I don’t truly believe in luck. However, I noticed recently how deeply the term “luck” is ingrained in my language. When someone is about to embark on a new venture, it’s not uncommon for me to wish them good luck. Likewise, I sometimes say the following: … [Read more...] about 16 Alternatives to “Good Luck”
8 Ways to Stay Connected to Friends Without Social Media
Last week I mused about whether or not social media is indispensable in maintaining contact with others. Though I’m not a heavy user of Facebook (the only social media I am on other than Pinterest), I’m reluctant to delete my account because I fear I will grow completely unaware of what is going on in the lives of my friends. Thank you … [Read more...] about 8 Ways to Stay Connected to Friends Without Social Media
Is Social Media Indispensable in Maintaining Contact with Others?
To many of us, social media seems like an important and perhaps even indispensable part of life. It’s hard to imagine that there was a time—not so long ago, in fact—when social media didn’t exist. I’m not a heavy user of social media. I have a Facebook account and a Pinterest account. I check the former a couple of times each week and I … [Read more...] about Is Social Media Indispensable in Maintaining Contact with Others?
Printable List of Alternative Gift Exchange Ideas
Each year around Christmas, many of you stop by and check out a post I wrote several years ago about alternative gift exchanges. This post has inspired many of you to try out some non-traditional approaches to giving gifts! This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us will be having non-traditional Christmas celebrations. Because of … [Read more...] about Printable List of Alternative Gift Exchange Ideas
Check On Your Friends
A few days ago I received a simple text message from a friend. She stated that I had come to her mind earlier in the day and she wanted to see how I was doing. There wasn’t anything extraordinary about this message, but it really meant something to me. I was doing fine—my day had not been anything out of the ordinary—but I felt cared for and … [Read more...] about Check On Your Friends
