When's the last time you wept over a good book? I'm talking literal tears running down your cheeks and the need for multiple tissues. I found myself in this situation a few days ago, and it all started with a gorgeous ice-crusted morning. I've made it a goal this year to pay closer attention to … Continue reading Good Read
Category: Lifestyle
Mid-Year’s Resolution
Is it ironic that this was the year I chose to use a daily planner as my New Year's self-improvement resolution?! That was useful until about mid-March, when Covid-19 cleared my social calendar completely. Photo by Jazmin Quaynor on Unsplash So I've made a new resolution. Following the death of George Floyd and the ensuing … Continue reading Mid-Year’s Resolution
New Ways, For Now
I live in the country and I homeschool my kids, so you'd think I already frequently shop online and use a lot of internet-based resources. But typically I don't. I might put in a shopping order once a month (is that a lot?), preferring to actually use my physical senses to assess items I want … Continue reading New Ways, For Now
Help me make a list!
Fill in the blank: Pandemic-induced time at home is the perfect time for ______________________. I'm putting "potty-training" in there! I see lots of juice and books in my future . . . Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash What's on your project list for the coming weeks? with love, Anita
Are you crunchy?
Photo by Marcin Skalij on Unsplash You know you're a crunchy woman when . . . . . . the change in seasons brings genuine excitement over the perfect creamy consistency of your homemade deodorant*! (not coincidentally, your bathroom is the coldest room all winter in your wood-stove-heated house) You know you're only a semi-crunchy … Continue reading Are you crunchy?
Busy-Morning Breakfast
Yes, I know that cereal and milk is probably the quickest breakfast item out there, but every now and then I just get tired of it. This post is also about cereal, but it's homemade baked oatmeal rather than the highly-processed, sugar-laden boxed variety. And I figured out how to make it in less than … Continue reading Busy-Morning Breakfast
Christ in Christmas
Since having children, I've definitely thought a lot more about the meaning of holiday celebrations. How do I convey to these sweet little minds the joy of what Easter means? Without so much chocolate perhaps. What lessons are they learning in how we choose to celebrate birthdays, national holidays, and religious occasions? More to the … Continue reading Christ in Christmas
Cranberry Apple Pie
Have you ever read a recipe review that claimed, "My husband (kids/friends/etc.) used to hate "food X" but now he (they) wants me to make it every night and eats the whole dish every time!" Okay, that's a bit of an exxageration, exageration, exaggeration (apparently vacuum isn't my only spelling nemesis). But seriously, these kinds … Continue reading Cranberry Apple Pie
Summer Cooking: Lemon Poppy Seed Zucchini Bread
Yes, it is that time of year that I've heard (jokingly) is the only time Mennonites lock their cars at church. It's full-fledged zucchini season. Seemingly overnight, the tiny doll's-arm-sized vegetables swell into gargantuan human-arm-sized ones, and they replace themselves faster than an army of ants finding a sugar bowl in spring. This spring my … Continue reading Summer Cooking: Lemon Poppy Seed Zucchini Bread
Summer Cooking
When the temps start rising this time of year, it gets harder and harder to turn on the oven. With minimal cooking and the ability to incorporate almost any vegetable the season offers, pasta salad becomes a go-to meal around our house for the summer. Diced cucumbers, cherry tomatoes (not too bad-tasting out of season … Continue reading Summer Cooking
Mennonite Women of Virginia 