Christmas Ideas from Around the World

Thanksgiving weekend tends to be the kick-off for Christmas traditions.  This year we were in Grand Rapids, MI at my sister’s house, so we got to enjoy the Christmas tradition at Meijer Gardens – Christmas and Holiday Traditions from Around the World.  Having worked on a very international team when we lived overseas, I, of […]

3 Pro Tips for Thanksgiving Photos

It’s the week of Thanksgiving!!!!  Since you’ll be gathered already and have smart phones with fancy-shmancy portrait modes, I thought I’d throw out a few pro tips to make the most of the family photos that will inevitably take place this week.  Then you can post your photos with pride and not find yourself wishing […]

Summer Nights

Here in Indiana the most common conversation is the weather.  It’s so ___________ (fill in the temperature).  We all act like whatever the weather is, it’s unusual – but that’s Indiana!  You never know what to expect!  We have something called a forecast, which many of you have in your local news segment.  We have […]

The List

Have you ever stepped back form an intense moment and observed yourself and the context of your surroundings?  It’s a sort of philosophical out-of-body experience, and at some point in this last year I found myself doing just that during a Sunday morning worship service at church.  I don’t remember what song we were singing, […]

Guest Post: Easter Traditions

I was recently delighted when one of my favorite bloggers, Heather Kiffe, asked if she could cross post one of my blog posts to her blog (The Cookie Exchange)!  I have previously highlighted her writing on my Facebook page for those who want to dig into their Bibles, but need suggestions as to where to begin.  Read just one of […]

Teaching Life Skills

Last week was full of incoming freshman orientations, which got me to thinking... Am I ready for this?! Is he ready for this?! Forget high school, is he ready for life?!?!

Gift Ideas for Grandparents

Being a grandparent is sometimes tough – at least when it comes to gift giving.  The weekly store ads can be intimidating with 3-5 different kinds of gaming systems and dolls that look like they may not have the most altruistic motives.  Let me encourage you to take a step back and remember why you’re giving […]

Real Family Gatherings: Part 3

Part 3: Planning Tools and Strategies for Keeping the Joy Do you feel like you’ve met some new friends and gotten to “visit” in their homes?  In this series you have met three very real and very different women, and read about their favorite family gatherings.  Now it’s time to reveal their ah-ha! moments and […]

Real Family Gatherings: Part 2

Part 2: Reasons for Gathering In the last post I introduced you to three different women: Kelly, Amy, and Marcia.  While very different, they all valued gathering their families together.  Because I was interviewing them just before the big holidays, I assumed the family gatherings that we would be talking about would be for the […]

Real Family Gatherings: Part 1

Part 1: Meet Real Women I found three different women who had one thing in common – they love gathering their families together!  Otherwise, they couldn’t be more different from each other!  Perhaps you’ll really relate to one of them and the tips and survival strategies that they share! By the way, did you miss […]

5 Holiday Shopping Tips for Family Overseas

I have never been one to do Christmas shopping before late November – aside from the occasional find during garage sale season.  However, if you have family overseas (or your church has adopted a family overseas), then keep in mind that packages can take 2-4 weeks to arrive, so it’s time to start shopping! Don’t […]