Communism is real, and it’s very, very dangerous. Today I’m going to share something personal. I share personal stuff all the time, but this is different. And it’s only partly my story. Mostly it’s the story of my husband and his family and they don’t talk about it. Not ever, not with anyone. If you’ve been following my blog for any length of time, you know my husband is Polish. I talk about his nationality for a number of reasons,…
>> Read more
DIY holiday gifts for are the best! I would rather get a homemade gift than any other kind. I never thought I’d say that, maybe it’s a true marker for my age that I’d rather have something someone put time and thought into than a random gift bought at the last second. I still have homemade gifts friends and family made for me decades ago. There’s something just so thoughtful and warm about using gifts people made with you specifically…
>> Read more
Hello Pinners Conference class! I’m so happy I got to spend time with you today. Here are all the DIY beauty recipes we talked about in class. I hope you have fun playing spa at home. Let me know if you try any of these. Have fun, and thank you! DIY facial 2 ingredients how to pumpkin mask Here’s what’s in your DIY beauty kits from class. Each numbered packet is below, and the pore strips will come from…
>> Read more
Our Favorite Family Car: Saying Goodbye I’m getting ready to sell my beloved family car because my children have outgrown it, and the process has been a little more difficult than I expected. I’m really curious how all of you buy and sell cars, because I’ve never bought a new car before. Can you believe it? My husband and I have always bought used cars and repaired them ourselves as they break. Which actually means my husband and the kids…
>> Read more
Movies to watch for Halloween. It’s Halloween! Which is one of the best times of year, if you ask me. Any excuse to dress up as your favorite _________ (fill in the blank), party with friends + family, and eat candy is a-okay with me. As an adult the very best kind of Halloween for me is one where I get to stay home, wear a wig or comfortable stretchy-pants costume of some kind, and watch a good Halloween movie. …
>> Read more
It’s Halloween again, and I’m so excited to share the costumes my kids chose this year. And just like last year, our friend and favorite local photographer Justin Hackworth, took pictures of the kids in their Halloween costumes. I’m so excited about how they turned out. As soon as we watched Stranger Things on Netflix, we knew my daughter had to be Eleven for Halloween. She looks so much like Millie Bobby Brown (the actress who plays 011 in Stranger…
>> Read more
Gluten-Free goodnessknows Snack Squares I don’t know about you, but I try to eat as gluten-free as possible in my day-to-day life. I don’t have Celiac disease, but I just feel better when there’s less gluten in my life. Do you know what I mean? I have friends who do this as well. They don’t eat 100% gluten-free, but when it’s a possibility to eat that way, whether at a restaurant or buying food at the grocery store, they do. …
>> Read more
I don’t know about you, but it’s so easy to get bogged down emotionally by all the sadness around me. I’m inundated daily by grief on all sides. The homeless people down the street looking for warmth now that the weather is turning cold. Hungry kids. Major war and disaster, the scale of which is so devastating, countries around the world are absorbing refugees on a scale we haven’t seen since World War II. It doesn’t take much to see…
>> Read more
When I go to a new place, especially a new country, I’m fascinated by all the trinkets and souvenirs that my eyes behold. It’s like a little piece of culture that grabs my attention, because it’s usually different and unique to the place I’m visiting. It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of souvenir shopping and then get home, open your suitcase, and realize you brought home a whole lot of useless “stuff.” Over the years, I’ve refined…
>> Read more
