Rachel Anne brought up a good point: the word "mega" is intimidating.Don't be scared of Mega Memory Month.To ease your mind, consider these alternative interpretations of the word "mega" in Mega Memory Month: Mega could refer to the result of memorization, rather than the size of the selection. That is, your memory will grow with every effort, leading to a "mega … [Read more...]
Frugal Friday Thoughts: Old Brown Teapot
Years ago, I found a humble, old, brown, "Made in England" teapot at Goodwill.I loved that old teapot. It was just the right size for a couple of cups of tea in the morning with extra for iced tea later. Or it would serve two cups each to a friend and me.The old brown pot wasn't ornate or delicate; rather, it was simple, sturdy, and useful -- just what this tea-drinker … [Read more...]
Dealing with a Mess (a delicious mess)
I picked what I think is considered a "mess of beans" the other day.From my own little backyard garden!I couldn't believe our meager plot produced so many beans!I wanted to get a picture of them just picked and piled high in my basket, but the kids had borrowed my camera to go to the zoo. I had no idea I'd be at home wanting to take bean pictures (obviously I haven't … [Read more...]
Eco-Friendly Experiments: Bicycling to Church (and thoughts on patience)
This past week we've only had one van. The other one is in the shop for repairs. As a result, we've been creative with transportation solutions, running errands by bicycle or simply staying home some afternoons.Inspired by this forced experiment (and with this post from Anne Jackson still affecting me a little every time we fire up the van on a Sunday), we decided to ride … [Read more...]
Crock-Flops and Minor Crock-Successes
I was so eager to try some new recipes in the crockpot after being inspired by A Year of Crockpotting that I did a little online search and came up with this highly recommended stew: Crockpot Chicken & Quinoa. It looked soooo good in the photograph. The instructions were easy. I even shocked myself by having on hand in my cupboard a box of quinoa and in the freezer, … [Read more...]
Backyard Bounty
It isn't much, but given that I'm a novice gardener harvesting a small, weedy plot...Basil, cucumbers, zucchini, and tomatoesI'm pleased. … [Read more...]
Thankful Thursday
Prairie Prologue reminded me that it's Thankful Thursday. She linked to the carnival hub at Sting My Heart.So I pause, in my thinking and learning and reading and writing and cleaning and planning, to give thanks: Laughter from upstairs. Two children putting dresses on stuffed animals. Neighborhood swimming pool. Having one's own pool sounds like a lot of fun, but sharing … [Read more...]
Let the Little Children Sit by the Water's Edge and Come to Him
Last Saturday, as we anticipated our last day all together in Holland—and given our little family's impending departure, our extended family's last day all together for a very long time—we considered where we might gather the next morning for family devotions. We could have simply cleaned up from breakfast and gathered around the table in one of the rented cottages. Then … [Read more...]
Is Google Making Us Stoopid?
The cover article for the current issue of Atlantic magazine (July/August) is entitled “Is Google Making Us Stoopid?” Hm. Is it?Author Nicholas Carr writes:“As the media theorist Marshall McLuhan pointed out in the 1960s, media are not just passive channels of information. They supply the stuff of thought, but they also shape the process of thought. And what the Net seems … [Read more...]
Bunnies and Clotheslines
I've never been good with laundry. Somehow I end up shrinking my favorite blouses and pulling pants from the dryer only to discover blotches of contrasting dye from a shirt that wasn't ready to be washed with other colors. At those moments, I am especially glad that I shop at Goodwill. Even though the shrunken blouse might have been a favorite, it is somewhat comforting … [Read more...]
Several Summer Solutions to "Mom, I’m Bored!"
To avoid hearing kids exclaim "I'm bored!" in the summer months, it's tempting to fill the weeks ahead with camps and clubs and outings and activities, isn't it? Maybe we think, Keeping them busy keeps them out of trouble. Or, They gain skills they wouldn't have time to develop during the school year. And although not everyone will admit to it, there's the argument, … [Read more...]
Crockpot Broth
** Excuse me...this should be titled Crockpot Stock **Turkey breasts were on sale last week at Kroger, so I bought one and cooked it all day in the crockpot.We enjoyed it as our main course this evening. After dinner, The Belgian Wonder cut every morsel of meat from the carcass. We'll use the leftovers in sandwiches.Then super-frugal, domestic Ann put the carcass … [Read more...]
6 Questions to Ask Yourself
I like to explore why I make certain choices or feel strongly about various issues. So I find that a few questions like these get me thinking and writing and praying. Sometimes I use variations on these questions with my friends, generating some interesting discussion. I'd love to sit and have tea with you so we could explore these six questions. They're not only great … [Read more...]
13 Tips for Finding Free Time for Mom (without multi-tasking!)
Finding free time for mom—at least, for this mom—used to seem impossible. People would suggest multi-tasking as a way to gain time, but multi-tasking simply doesn't work for me. Research reveals the inefficiency of multi-tasking; as quantity of work goes up, something suffers. A 2008 report called "Cramming the Most into Time" on ABC World News with Charles Gibson affirmed … [Read more...]
Multi-tasking Doesn’t Work for Me
Multi-tasking has never really worked for me. I've tried. Over the years, I've felt like there are many times when I've had no choice but to do a dozen things at once. But when I do that regularly—when multi-tasking is my mode of operation, nonstop, every day, from sun-up to sundown, I get agitated. I feel all frenzied and harried. I leave one of the two or seven … [Read more...]
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