A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to […]
Gratitude, Expectation, and the Not-Skis
December 24, 2012 By 4 Comments
I am tickled pink—bright, brilliant fuschia, actually—to introduce you to my first guest poster ever. Her name is Alexis Helmrath, and she is cute, witty, and just downright adorable, in addition to being a great writer. Alexis shares her creative masterpieces and disasters at Crafty Sheep, a one-stop shop for cute cat pictures, knitting and […]
10 Rules for Delightful Gift Giving
November 26, 2012 By 49 Comments
You have picked out a present that will surely bring a smile brighter than the Hope Diamond. Your loved one slowly unwraps the gift, feeling your excitement, savoring the moment, knowing this will be DELIGHTFUL. They lift the lid of the box, and. . . Nothing. No excitement. No delight. Instead there’s a flicker of disappointment […]
Dayspring-A great resource for messages of encouragement
November 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Giving thanks. Showing gratitude. Just saying I love you. There are so many ways to let others know how important they are to you, and Dayspring is a great place to find meaningful gifts, speak-to-the-heart books and sweet and funny cards to do just that. Dayspring is the Christian division of Hallmark, and their mission […]
Gifts from the Heart-Christmas edition
November 23, 2011 By 1 Comment
So here we are, on the cusp of a non-stop season full of food, festivities, family and friendship. I read somewhere that the average person eats 2,000-3,000 calories just for the Thanksgiving meal. That’s waaaay more than the recommended daily allowance, I believe. . . Yikes. I have a better idea of what to do […]
Small tradition, big joy: Your unique story ornaments
November 21, 2011 By 15 Comments
Christmas is coming and you’d like to add a little something else under the tree for your children. Something to commemorate an important moment from this past year, a milestone, perhaps, or a humorous story. An item that will surprise and delight for years to come, that can be created from scratch or purchased, […]
Got 5 minutes? It’s the absolute best Christmas gift idea ever
October 10, 2011 By 5 Comments
I’m going to let you in on a secret from the photography business: If you can get the clients to cry, they’ll buy. I apologize if that sounds crass, but the philosophy behind it is actually pretty sound. If we see an image of ourselves, our children, our spouse or our family which captures […]
Monkeypants girl and a Christmas ornament tradition
September 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Welcome dear readers to the beginnings of discussions about traditions, Christmas, meaningful gifts, and frugality! I wrote about Gifts from the Heart in March when I introduced the Memory Album, and today we continue the conversation with ornaments that are treasured, not because they are innately valuable, but because of what they represent. A few […]
Starting conversations with your kids-Pillow Journals
September 19, 2011 By 15 Comments
How do your conversations go with your school age kids? Let me take a stab at what might pass for a run-of-the-mill give and take between the two of you: How was your day? Ok. What did you do? Nothing. How’s that new class going? <Crickets chirping> Child has exited the building. *Sigh* So how […]
The power of the written word and a great Father’s Day gift
June 18, 2011 By 6 Comments
A couple of years ago when I first started my blog, I wrote about the power of the written word. I share this post with you again today as a reminder to let the folks in our lives know how grateful we are for them and how much they mean to us. This idea also […]
