Today is one of those days. I’m not particularly motivated to tackle my to do list. Nor am I ready to tackle the 2 hour lesson I need to finish before tomorrow morning. I’ve spent the morning thinking of the…

When we first decided to move to Nicaragua, I had a vision of what our home would be like. That vision was filled with dark wood, open courtyards, hammocks gently waving in the breeze. I.e. a Gringo house, not a…

After moving to Nicaragua, I realized that fashionable lamps were in short supply. The best option was to DIY a lamp, as hardware stores and terra cotta pots are plentiful and cheap. The entire project cost us under $10 for…

I picked up a copy of Outliers knowing that I would enjoy it, but I didn’t predict how much it would motivate me. Malcolm Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point and Blink, has a simple approach to complicated subjects that…

Uploaded to Flickr by Sydigill. Used under the Creative Commons License. Let’s face it – just about everyone wants to lose weight. I only say that because according to Wikipedia, 64% of the U.S. population is chunky. And I think those stats…

Uploaded to Flickr by chefranden. Used under the Creative Commons License. I was reading this article over at Woman’s Day magazine online giving some suggestions on how to cozy up the home for Fall. It made me think about how, despite the suggestions…

It’s been sooooo long since I’ve posted. As in, 2.5 months long. During that time, we have moved out of our apartment and into temporary housing, moved to Granada, set up our home, adjusted as much as we can to…

Front Row Series: Mandi Mapes from Second Row Studio on Vimeo. I’m really missing our church right now, and music from this talented girl.

Jane Austen is like being in love. When someone mentions her name, my eyes light up and a smile comes to my face. It’s an immediate reaction rather than a conscious decision. I can’t help myself. This love affair began…

Use your freedom to serve one another in love; that’s how freedom grows. For everything we know about God’s Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That’s an act of true freedom. –…

In the spirit of being thrifty and using what we have at hand, I invited a small group of community-minded friends over this weekend to make jam. Several had canned before and all have an interest in cooking. One brought…

Atlas of Unknowns Tania James Alfred A. Knopf, New York, NY $24.95 ISBN: 978-0-307-26890-7 You can read an excerpt of the book here. Every time I’m caught up in a book, my husband asks me “What’s your book about? Sisters?”…

If I had to define my style, it would be ultra casual. As in, let the dogs sleep on the bed and sofa, soft comfy couches covered in couches, hammocks tied to trees, walk around barefoot, live at the beach…

One of my current favorite songs. Love this version of the video.

All I Need by Radiohead

Burnt Shadows Kamila Shamsie Picador; New York, NY $14.00 ISBN: 0-312-55187-8 I absolutely loved this book. It’s been featured on our main library bookshelf for several months now, but I didn’t pick up because of the cover. It looked slightly…

My first trip to New Orleans occurred in October of 2002. I went with a group of girls from work for a bachelorette. We layered on the makeup, zipped up our short skirts, straightened our hair and hit the town….

by guest author, Amy I of Playing House. — Per my geeky husband, this past Wednesday was Pi Approximation Day, 7/22. According to him, it was a special day “because a common approximation for pi is 22/7.” Right, I knew that….

There are two rules I live by for budgeting. The first is to have as much margin as I can between my income and expenses. The second is to earn interest not pay interest. We applied these two rules and…

1. What you would tell them if you only had an hour left. I have known several young brides who lost their husbands in heartbreaking ways within the first four years of marriage. I know that if I die tragically,…

Darci and I met at the B List Conference last April. She’s one of those girls that is easy to chat with, and we had a great time getting to know each other in a non-digital world. When she sent…

Norway is the land of many American forefathers, but not mine. This, it seems, was an oddity among travelers to this Scandinavian country. On more than one occasion the owner or manager of the hotel or bed and breakfast where…

I belong to the school of thought that a woman’s creativity can (in-part) be my measured by her ability to compose all of her pantry’s ingredients into an edible song of sorts. Take heart, it’s a skill that can be…

Miss me?! After a two week break for vacation, I’m back and ready to create. I saw an article about art journals on decor8 that hit a chord in me. One of the areas I’ve struggled with is keeping memories…

The Challenge Several months ago, I took the homemade/handmade challenge. Before the close of the year, I then committed to create five original things for the first five folks to pipe in saying, “Pick me! Pick me!” The gift could…

Since 1997, I have had varying degrees of a digital life (starting with email, gURL.com and Yahoo chat rooms). As we sell and pack our belongings, my digital life has exploded. Pictures, music, diaries, finances. Nothing is sacred. The best…

Simply Organic: A Cookbook for Sustainable, Seasonal, and Local Ingredients by Jesse Ziff Cool photography by France Ruffenach Softcover, 248 pages List Price: $24.95 ISBN-13: 978-0811860444 Publisher: Chronicle Books After seeing this book in a friend’s cookbook collection, I had…

Lisa from Space Lift Style is another online friend of mine who I met through Elizabeth Anne Designs.  She has an amazing eye for interior design, a love for puppies and is the person I would most likely choose to…

Block parties are my favorite part of summer. We all chip in for dinner… Dog are not only welcome, they are necessary. Fetch is played… Food is begged for… Even metal dogs are welcome! Laughter is a must! A new…