Category Archives: Neighbors
Valentine’s Day Part 1: Spread Some Love
Don’t we all wish there was a fool-proof recipe or some sort of silicon mold that promised to shape our children into the caring, generous, love-filled humans we want them to be? Or perhaps some magic powder we could sprinkle … Continue reading
Posted in Compassion, CRAZY kids, Decor/Organizing, Discipline Issues, Education, Faith, Family, Following Jesus, Food, God, gratitude, Holidays, Home, Kids, Kitchen/Culinary Woes, Matters of the Heart, Motherhood/Mommy Duties, Neighbors, Play, Random Fun, Recipe/Kitchen Success!, Seasons of Life, Things I Love!
Tagged Awana, character education, compassion, cookies, Family Fun, Family Time, generosity, Home, kindness, Love Wins, sharing love, Spreading Love, teaching your kids, Valentine's Day
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Family Friday: Compassion Project
I don’t know about where you live, but the past few weeks have blasted West Michigan with painfully icy wind and record-breaking snowfall. I wish I could say that I’m loving it, but in truth, I’m counting the days until … Continue reading
Posted in Compassion, CRAZY kids, Education, Faith, Family, Family Friday, Following Jesus, Gifts, gratitude, Home, Kids, Marriage, Matters of the Heart, Motherhood/Mommy Duties, Neighbors, Random Fun, Seasons of Life, Social Justice, Things I Love!
Tagged blankets, donations, faith training, Florida, God, Homeless, homeless shelter, Homelessness, Jesus, Love, Mel Trotter, Michigan, projects, quilts, sharing love, Spiritual Development, spiritual formation, United States, West Michigan
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What Women Tell Me: Finding Freedom From The Secrets We Keep, by Anita Lustrea
“As a girl and young woman, I memorized hundreds of Scripture verses in vacation Bible school and in Sunday school. I grew up memorizing the hymn book. I didn’t, however, grow up understanding much about God’s grace and freedom.” [pg. … Continue reading
Posted in Chores/Duties/Jobs, Discipline Issues, Discoveries, Faith, Family, Following Jesus, Food, Friends, God, gratitude, Growing Pains, Heartbreak, Holidays, Home, Kids, Kitchen/Culinary Woes, Literature/Books, Marriage, Matters of the Heart, Motherhood/Mommy Duties, Music, Nature/Outdoors, Neighbors, Play, Prayer, Seasons of Life, Social Justice, Summer, Travel, Uncategorized, writing/work
Tagged Anita Lustrea, Bible, Christianity, Divine grace, God, Moody Bible Institute, Moody Radio, Religion and Spirituality, secrets, Sunday school, theology, United States
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New Year’s Eve Traditions
Contrary to the throngs of Time-Square-pounding, diamond-clad, smoky-eyed, horn-blowing ladies waving their champagne flutes to the thumping beat of the Black Eyed Peas, I was at home this New Year’s Eve wearing hoops and yoga pants, sporting mascara-free lashes and … Continue reading
Posted in Faith, Family, Food, Friends, Gifts, gratitude, Holidays, Home, Kitchen/Culinary Woes, Marriage, Matters of the Heart, Motherhood/Mommy Duties, Neighbors, Recipe/Kitchen Success!, Seasons of Life, Thngs I Love!, Uncategorized
Tagged Black Eyed Peas, China Dinnerware, Crystal Glasses, Dick Clark, Family Traditions, Grape juice, Michigan, new year, New Year's Eve, Ryan Seacrest, Time-Square
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A Slow Unraveling
This fall my kitchen windows have seen more than just leaves changing color outside; they have stood witness to exhausting and unwelcome changes happening within our walls, around our table, in our kitchen. It’s taken me a more than a … Continue reading
Posted in Chores/Duties/Jobs, CRAZY kids, Family, Following Jesus, God, Growing Pains, Heartbreak, Home, Marriage, Matters of the Heart, Motherhood/Mommy Duties, Nature/Outdoors, Neighbors, Play, Rants, Seasons of Life
Tagged BSF, BUSY FAMILY, calendars/schedules, College and University, College football, Help!, parisian tourist, preschool, rocket football, school, subway, Time
7 Comments
The Lure of Summer
My blogging aspirations for the summer have, quite obviously, fallen flat, dying the pathetic death that comes with goals left unattended. The weight of summer presses in on my heart and I am drawn, again and again, away from this … Continue reading
Posted in Discoveries, Family, Food, Friends, God, gratitude, Home, Marriage, Matters of the Heart, Motherhood/Mommy Duties, Nature/Outdoors, Neighbors, Play, Random Fun, Silly Lists, Summer
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BNE: Best Neighbors Ever
I first crossed over the asphalt divide six years ago with a plate of monster cookies and a welcome note, hoping that the new people across the street would be, at the very least, pleasant. What I never even considered … Continue reading
Posted in Faith, Family, Finances, Following Jesus, Friends, Gifts, God, gratitude, Heartbreak, Home, Illness, Kids, Matters of the Heart, Neighbors, Social Justice
Tagged A Hundred for a Home, Blessings, Costa Rica, monster cookies, Neighbors, Sanfilippo Syndrome/MPS111, Taylor University
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From “Pure Pleasure”
This coming February I will be taking part in a blog tour for Gary Thomas’ latest book, the phenomenal Pure Pleasure. When I was invited to do the review, the title intrigued me [subtitled: Why Do Christians Feel So Bad About … Continue reading
Posted in Discoveries, Faith, Family, Finances, Fitness, Following Jesus, Food, Friends, Gifts, God, gratitude, Home, Literature/Books, Marriage, Matters of the Heart, Motherhood/Mommy Duties, Music, Nature/Outdoors, Neighbors, Play, Seasons of Life
Tagged "Pure Pleasure", Book, Christmas, FREE BOOK, Gary Thomas, James 1:17, piety, pleasure, sex, Zondervan Publishers
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Win A Free Book!
Thank you to Keri Wyatt Kent for the comments she left [below] on the review I posted on her latest book, Simple Compassion: Devotions to make a Difference in Your Neighborhood and Your World. She is inviting interested readers to … Continue reading
Simple Compassion
Yesterday my oldest child came through the door flushed and rambling about the latest bit of excitement in his 7 year-old life. As he slowed down and afforded me the chance to listen, I surmised that his school was sponsoring … Continue reading
Posted in Faith, Family, Following Jesus, Friends, God, Home, Literature/Books, Matters of the Heart, Motherhood/Mommy Duties, Neighbors, Social Justice, Uncategorized
Tagged "Jump Rope For Heart", "Simple Compassion", comfort zone, community, devotions, disease/illness, Keri Wyatt Kent, Micah 6:8, nei, neighborhood, Shane Claiborne, world, Zondervan Publishers
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Vacation from my Vacation
If you’ve read any of my previous posts from this week [thank you, dear faithful 7: your checks are in the mail], you already know that I was blessed with a few days away with my husband. I tagged along … Continue reading
Posted in Chores/Duties/Jobs, Discipline Issues, Family, Food, Growing Pains, Kids, Marriage, Motherhood/Mommy Duties, Neighbors, Random Fun, Rants, Seasons of Life, Vacation
Tagged Aldi, Apollo 13, cavity, charades, chiropractic, Christmas, Dark side of the moon, Great White, Pacific Ocean, Shauna Niequist, Swanson's broth, Sweet Baby Ray's, Tom Colicchio
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You’ve Got a Friend
Our youngest doesn’t see being 3 as a handicap, but truth be told, at his young age he has already experienced age discrimination. I know. The Law Offices of Sam Bernstein are about to be put on speed dial, trust … Continue reading
Posted in Family, Friends, Heartbreak, Home, Kids, Motherhood/Mommy Duties, Neighbors, Play, Random Fun, Seasons of Life
Tagged age discrimination, American Girl, Carole King, dirt bike, handicap, preschool, quad, Sam Bernstein, Tony Hawk, TurboTears, vocabulary
5 Comments
Come On Over!
Friends! I’m excited to announce that I’ve been asked to do some blogging for West Michigan’s own kids’ TV show, Come On Over! Supported by the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum, this show has already won numerous Michigan Emmy Awards and … Continue reading
Posted in Education, Family, Friends, Home, Kids, Motherhood/Mommy Duties, Nature/Outdoors, Neighbors, Play, Seasons of Life, Summer, Uncategorized
Tagged Come On Over, critics, Emmy Awards, Fun!, Grand Rapids Children's Museum, imagination, Neighbors, team, West Michigan
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Arctic Dog Mushing On Labor Day
Leave it up to the neighborhood kids, my own included, to create a game that is so wonderfully ridiculous I can’t help but document it for you. Yesterday’s game had me laughing so hard the residual giggles followed me indoors … Continue reading
Posted in Family, Friends, Home, Kids, Nature/Outdoors, Neighbors, Play, Random Fun, Seasons of Life, Summer, Uncategorized, Vehicles
Tagged Beef Chunks, Children, Family, Friends, Friendship, Fun!, Indian Summer, Jerky, Kids, Labor Day, Mushing, Neighbors, Nome, Salmon, Sled-dog racing, snow
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“Things I Don’t Understand” Thursdays: Kitchen Tornadoes
It seems like I spend most of my time in the kitchen. You can’t relate…can you? Breakfast prep and cooking. Breakfast clean-up…but wait…the dishwasher needs unloading first. What? A mid-morning snack? Let me just get that for you…and your five … Continue reading
Posted in Decor/Organizing, Family, Food, Friends, Home, Kids, Motherhood/Mommy Duties, Neighbors
Tagged Children, crafts, Family, flip-flops, hot chocolate, husbands, kitchen, mess, Messy House, Motherhood, Murphy's Oil Soap, Neighbors, Oprah, President, President of Bolivia, snacks, tidy, washing vegetables, wrestling
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[Homemade] Tents Make Good Neighbors
There was a moment today–one of those stop-you-in-your-tracks illuminations–that made me so grateful for the gifts in my life. Not only do I have clean water, access to food and electricity, a smog-free blue sky above me, and the love … Continue reading
Posted in Family, Friends, Home, Kids, Motherhood/Mommy Duties, Neighbors, Play, Random Fun
Tagged British Accent, Children, Corona, dolls, forts, Friends, Friendship, Fun!, girls, Giving/Sharing/Generosity, horses, Neighbors, tents, velour blankets
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Flab Control, Part 2
Well, there we were, cute outfits and all. I mean, if you’re going spending time working on flab control (speaking only for myself, girls), you might as well try to look cute. The jury’s still out on whether the number-over-the-womb … Continue reading
Posted in Fitness, Friends, Neighbors, Random Fun
Tagged Friendship, Reed's Lake 5K, Running
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