Because the only way to conquer the tyranny of the urgent is to do the next thing… From an old English parsonage down by the sea, There came in the twilight a message to me; Its quaint Saxon legend, deeply engraven, Hath, as it seems to me, teaching from heaven. And all through the doors,…
Sometimes I think it’s the rain and the clouds that get to me. Sometimes I know it’s the lack of sleep. Too often it’s the overdose of sugar and caffeine. And naturally, that huge pile of laundry and the overflowing counter of dishes has nothing to do with it. But some days, I just don’t…
Every mom knows you have to take advantage of naptime. And in our house, we still have two naptimes per day. Not everyone necessarily falls asleep in the morning, but it’s quiet rest time—and that’s my power hour. (Afternoon naptime is my own version of rest time: writing time!) Getting things accomplished during naptime has…
I made a comment on Facebook about getting distracted on social media: “Note to self: I get more done if I stay off social media in the midst of the work day, and just skim it at night.” And though I know it wasn’t the first time my friend Carolyn had shared that piece of…
The ordinary, everyday brings me to tears sometimes with its very routine-ness. The over and again, rinse and repeat, wake up and do it all over again laundry and dishes and what to eat. The toys that will always get strewn everywhere and be tripped over. And the girlish joyful exuberance that will wake a…
The shelf beside my chair is full of books inspiring me to do. But into Google Reader and my Facebook feed yesterday morning came two links inspiring me to be. While the one downloaded, I read the other. Lisa-Jo’s words seem so often to be written just for me these days: I don’t need to…
Fifteen years ago today, I met my very best friend. No, we didn’t talk that day—we were young and shy, just days past our thirteenth birthdays. But we listened to our parents as we all walked those boardwalks through Yellowstone—away from the Riverside Geyser where we met, towards Old Faithful itself. We all thrilled at…
My daughters have split personalities right now. They spend their days dressing and playing the part of either Nurse Nancy (from the Little Golden Book) and Nurse Carol (from Curious George Goes to the Hospital) or Cinderella and The Ugly Step-Sister. And last night, apparently they were switching personalities so quickly that one of Cinderella’s…
Growing older makes it hard to say goodbye. They are two years old and three years old. And it’s only hard to say goodbye because they don’t understand time or why people have to live so far away or how long it is until Christmas. He and I are getting oh-so-close to thirty. And it’s…
I’m so glad you dropped by my kitchen! Let’s pour a cup of tea and swap apron stories for a bit, shall we? I’ll cut a slice of homemade bread and get out the raspberry freezer jam. And then, if dinner-time’s a-comin’, I’ll tie on an apron and you can keep me company while I…
Big aprons. Little aprons. Floral print aprons. Striped canvas aprons. Our aprons are as varied as we are.
And the stories behind them are even more numerous than the aprons themselves!
Hair ribbons. Aprons. They lend beauty to the ordinary, everyday tasks of dishes and dusting. They make it easier to have a spring in my step as I go about the same housewifely rituals I know must-needs be done again tomorrow. There’s something about these little touches of femininity that make me feel like I’ve stepped out of Little Women or Little House on the Prairie.
The End.
The End.
