EDITOR’S NOTE: I first shared this craft along with several other fall art projects a few years ago at the parenting website Mumbling Mommy. Empty plastic milk jugs are excellent resources for craft projects, and this pumpkin treat holder is one example. I like finding ways like this to reuse or recycle what I already…
He was a lay leader in my family’s small church. A gray-haired single man in his 50s. He taught Bible classes. He held positions on church committees, served communion, and made sure there was a huge celebratory cake in the fellowship hall on the Sunday when I was baptized along with several other church members….
Antenna TV is one of the most misunderstood technologies in America. Most Americans don’t realize they can even get it, and among those who do, there is a lot of confusion. Do you need special technology? Is the signal that fuzzy thing that we had back in the 80s? The answers are no and absolutely not!…
Most marriage advice tends to focus on the big things. Finances. Communication. Intimacy. Respect. Love. All of those things are really, really important, and when they’re missing, a marriage can fray, go cold, or even fracture. Today, though, I’d like to talk about three relatively small things that have been good for my marriage, and…
It’s apple season. My kids love going to our many local orchards and picking apples by the bagful. It takes only a few minutes to fill a bag, and we usually fill several bags. What to do with all those apples once we haul them home? Here are a few ideas: Eat them uncooked. Eat…
While it may seem like politics has gotten more fractured in recent years, the truth is that politics has always been a divisive topic among families. Benjamin Franklin, one of the fathers of the American Revolution, famously had a falling out with his son William, a British Loyalist, and the two never really reconciled. Families…
Until recently, I had never canned a blessed thing. However, when I went overboard with U-Pick strawberries at a local farm one spring, I decided to learn how to make freezer jam. It was a baby step toward real canning. I actually did use a water bath canner this past summer for the first time…
When I plan family dinner menus every week, I try to have my kids each pick a meal they want to eat. The catch is that they have to help prepare and cook their individually chosen meals for our family. I have two children ages 10 and 6, so they each spend at least one…
Car commercials are everywhere. Watch any show, and there’s an excellent chance that it will be paid for by a virtual dealership of vehicles. Most of those commercials tout one of two things: features and price. Most car ads ooze with features, telling you why this car will change. Your. Life. Whether it’s comfort, performance,…
Fall is my favorite season. The smells. The foods. The colors. It’s also one of the easiest seasons to decorate for without spending a lot of money or putting in too much effort, and a little bit goes a long way. Often, you can decorate with things you already have around the house. Here are…
