A Happy Home Media: Recent Episodes
A Happy Home Media
Well….kinda… I’m (hopefully) simplifying my life and online presence. This blog, although I love it, has become too much to think about. Not the writing part, mind you, but the rest of it: managing the website, keeping up with the updates (and mostly not), paying for it, getting lost in the weeds, ETC. So I’ve […]
This is part of the driveway to our house, and where I take my walks now. This is a final installment of finding our home. You can read part I here, part II here, and part III here. Our realtor wasn’t happy. And he said the seller with whom we have an accepted […]
When I don’t know what to do, I play and pray. This is a continuation of finding our home. You can read part I here, and part II here. ** I had to call the seller back. She had left me not one, but two voicemails. I took my cell phone to the highest […]
This is a continuation of finding our home. You can read part I here. ** Well. Let’s just say I had to sit with my husband’s decision for a while. A while being maybe a whole two weeks. The whole wrestling thing. What was he thinking? Why? What about (all the fill in the blanks)? […]
Home is where the bread is baked. The gravel road through the evergreens and maples is quite long, half a mile, in fact. Recent rains hollowed out generous potholes, so those will need minding. At the end of the road and through two large posts, you’ll have an even narrower gravel and grass road to […]
1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing. The driveway climbing up to our house needs clearing. […]
It was a somewhat ridiculous morning. Even after all of the years I’ve spent decluttering, downsizing, and minimizing, I still walked into my living room and could see all of the books and magazines standing tall and clamoring “read me…read me…read me…” I then entered into the kitchen and although the dishes were clean, […]
I saw her across the corridor, struggling a bit with her Ergo carrier while tugging the baby’s feet into the slots below. A baby with Down syndrome is easily recognizable, perhaps more so for us because we have two children with that diagnosis. My heart raced across the room, offering her words of superlative […]
“We live in a culture that has lost its memory. Very little in the specific shapes and traditions of our grandparents’ pasts instructs us how to live today, or tells us who we are or what demands will be made on us as members of society.” Gretel Ehrlich The Solace of Open Spaces Last Thursday, […]
“A little thing is a little thing, but faithfulness in the little things is a great thing.” Hudson Taylor I planted seeds last Thursday, about three weeks after I found out my CSA farm is taking a break this year to work on building projects and various overdue repairs. I don’t have confidence that my […]
“July. Last night from one in the morning until four, I sat in the bed of my pickup with a friend and watched meteor showers hot dance over our heads in sprays of little suns that looked like white orchids.” Gretel Ehrlich The Solice of Open Spaces I take advantage of the break in […]
And what kind of habitation pleases God? What must our natures be like before He can feel at home with us? He asks nothing but a pure heart and a single mind. He asks no rich paneling, no rugs from the Orient, no art treasures from afar. He desires but sincerity, transparency, humility, and love. […]
“If you don’t sacrifice for what you want, what you want becomes the sacrifice”. (Anonymous) Thursday morning found me in the garden talking to my podcast listeners. In my own head. I had them/you all in my garden and strolling around the winter beds, asking questions, opinions, sharing experiences and wonderings, showing what’s growing, […]
The snow fell tentatively at first, but by morning there was one big floof of thick white softness over the landscape and flakes were still coming down. I was glad for it. The children would be completely distracted by snowballs and forts and sledding and that would leave me with a spell of quietness […]
I open the door to my small home office (really a tiny cave in which to hide that everyone inevitably makes their way into). Papers of all sizes are strewed about all over the floor in small bundles, haphazardly organized into categories. I step lightly in the midst of them all, my heel crinkling […]
Last Wednesday, I went to the local bookstore to use up a gift card that my son won through our library. As I picked up our order, the employee asked if I was a teacher, in which case he would gladly give me a discount. Well. I bet you can guess what happened next. […]
There’s a break in the rain, and I resolve to take my second look into the garden this winter. I like gardening, though I like it better when the sun is warm and robins are hopping around curious of what I’ve turned up. And I like it even better when the soil is musty […]
We drive home from visiting the property we bought, where we’d been taking slow climbs over downed blackberry brambles and sweeping leafless maple twigs aside to map out where our house might fit. Tom had the 100 foot winding tape measure and a compass. He’d already figured out the corners of the potential house and […]
I sat down to slowly unravel the gross nest of nettle fibers, gently shaking and tugging threads from one another. After about 40 minutes of this, I texted a fiber friend of mine: how many times do you think it will take me to never try to use my warping board as a lazy way […]
I pull the tangerine olive oil cake from the oven and allow it to cool within its pan as I whip up the cream. The kettle is warming and I gather the smaller plates from the high shelf and stack them upon the table next to the paper napkins, the ones with the watercolor birds […]
Many writers, artists, and other creatives attempt to encapsulate their coming year into a single word. This word—such as love, abundance, service, or spirit— serves as a touchstone, a means of testing the quality of a particular activity or attitude throughout the year, and as a remembrance of that year in its passing. For many […]
I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. John 15:5 When I published the book PRESENT in 2015, it came after a season of raw and plain consideration of how distracted […]
So I’m reading Elisabeth Elliot (you do, too, I hope), and I end up marinating in a passage she quoted, perfect for the blurry transition we are in between “how it was” and “what it will be”: “The Christian turns again and again from that bewildered contemplation of history in which God is so easily […]
Spring finds us in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic and though we are safe (or stuck, depending upon your viewpoint), at home, the heaviness of heart as we consider all things is weighty indeed. Whether we ascribe to all things CDC/WHO or consider alternative theories of how viruses work; whether we forgo, wear, recommend, […]
In 2017, Sherry Turkle published a book titled Alone Together: Why We Expect More From Technology and Less From Each Other. I think of it now, the title mainly, because of the deluge of emails I still continue to get about how “we are all in this together”, this of course being the pandemic of […]
“Among the daily chances of this life every man on earth is threatened in the same way by innumerable deaths, and it is uncertain which of them will come to him. And so the question is whether it is better to suffer one in dying or to fear them all in living”. The City of […]
It is instructive to watch the response of our media, government, and population to this pandemic and to take note. Actually, to take many notes. But that note taking needs to be done calmly and rationally, and I hope that what I share here will help in some way. As a herbalist I use food […]
Psalms 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd… No doubt some of my readers have joined me in caring for sick family members this winter, and the added palpable fear of contracting the virus has caused every minor sniffle to come under investigation. I join in with concern and caution, but I am also concerned […]
I feel the need to do an update. It’s been 5 1/2 years since our downsize from the big house, and as we don’t really address it anymore on the podcast, I thought I’d share with you where we are. So, where are we? We are currently in our third rental, which truth be […]
The State of the Union address was, as usual, an interesting and historical event full of political gymnastics and surprises. Like every American, I alternatively cheered and jeered. But as a homemaking woman who raises her own children by her side at all hours of the day, I felt forgotten, or at least ignored. […]
Homemaking can be a lonely occupation, and depending upon one’s comfort with that sort of quietude and company, the keeper is either buoyed or deflated by the lack of other adult conversation and community. Inevitably, however, most keepers find themselves interacting with the world at large as they tend to bringing in their foods from […]
Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no vision, the people perish… When embarking upon a new endeavor, it is customary to have in mind some expected end, some objective with which to outline the road by which we shall arrive there. For example, if we desire to gain certification for a career, we shall […]
my current knit project Although I waddled into the new kindergarten teaching year at nine months along, I was confident that after my maternity leave, I would easily return to my satisfying career with its salary and benefits. And at that time, “salary and benefits” meant that my husband and I and baby would actually […]
Many of us struggle with perfectionism: the effort to achieve an accomplishment that in no way can be improved upon. Unfortunately, this stems not from an effort to glorify God, but to either elevate our own selves to ourselves, to prove ourselves to other people, or perhaps to even bribe God (if I do […]
I hope you all are enjoying your Advent season, and resting in the hope, peace, love, and joy that Jesus brought–and brings–to each person who receives Him. I wish to thank all of our readers, listeners, and patrons for their sweet encouragement and support! I am giving away a three book set to one winner […]
It’s finally here! I am happy to release FROM MY KITCHEN TABLE to you all, and my only wish is that I could have tea WITH you all, AT my own kitchen table, in order to talk about the things of the Lord, and what He is teaching us through His Word. Watch the […]
my latest painting In the morning, after I read my Bible but before I start breakfast, I go outside to feed the cats and the fiber rabbits. It is a pleasant chore to be rewarded with nuzzles, but outside is foggy and drippy and patches of mud gather on the hems of my jeans […]
“I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.” Leonardo Da Vinci Recognizing and overcoming distractions in order to cultivate a simple and deliberate life is key for my happy home. I think it’s key for your happy home, too. […]
The WiFi wasn’t working. Tom and I had traveled to a remote waterfront cabin tucked amongst trees fluttering their leaves onto thick earthen piles. We unpacked all of our belongings, fired up the woodstove, and settled into our plans to get sustained and uninterrupted work done for the upcoming book, From My Kitchen Table. […]
Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is…joy… Most mornings when I wake up, I am excited. I’m excited about a fresh new day and the fact that I’m still alive here with my husband and my children. I’m excited about the events on my calendar, the creative work I have in […]
As we long for balance in our lives, we really need to back up and begin with the question, “Is ‘balance’ the right frame of mind? Is ‘balance’ even possible?” Give a listen and join in on the conversation. And check out our new book club! Super happy to be giving you the notes […]
You can find part one HERE and part two HERE. When the joy is gone, life isn’t very bright. I know what it’s like to walk around in the midst of cloudy disappointment or struggle, much like Pig Pen in the Charlie Brown series. Everything is discolored by it, from the blessing of sweet giggles […]
You may find part one HERE. After completing a sober self-examination to see if you are in the faith, and of repenting of any sinful grumbling or other activity in which the Holy Spirit convicts, it may be that your joy still feels elusive. It’s important to define at this point the word “joy”. […]
Perhaps, you too, have found yourself sitting on the living room carpet, piles of laundry and toys scattered about, toddlers in various stages of dress and feed while Baby Signing Time loops on the screen and baby is cooing (or squawking) away down the hallway waking from her nap. It’s dumping rain, maybe you’ve […]
I’ve been through a few cities in the last couple of weeks and in the surround of people upon people, it was the looks upon their faces that struck me the most. The sense of fatigue and anxiety was palpable if not outright obvious in overheard conversation. It was strange to be a part of […]
Albert Mohler recently quoted from a reporter that women need to be liberated from the “shackles of home”. So let’s look at that word, shackle, from Webster’s 1828: To chain; to fetter; to tie or confine the limbs so as to prevent free motion. I hardly think my decision to remain on the homefront to […]
The rain falls in earnest now, and I am snug in our new rental. Twenty-three years in the Pacific Northwest, and I am still not tired of the rain, even if it happens to fall in the summer. Perhaps because it is the sound of many waters, I hear God’s voice in the applause […]
Disruption in our lives is never purposeless or pointless, praise God. Despite the causes of said disruption, God is forming us more in Christlikeness through it. Our job is simply to trust His faithfulness and to keep our eyes open to His work. To see and hear the entire Downsizing series, click HERE. Blessings,
The driveway up to our new (to us) rental is steep, narrow, and embraced by maples and firs and ferns. I once got stuck upon this very driveway, heading up to meet with friends and braking to meet the vehicle heading down, and therefore have tried to avoid this little road thereafter. Today, I […]
I finished painting the trim in the living room today, the living room in the new-to-us-rental house. The sun was shining through all of the south and west facing windows and even though those windows hadn’t been washed yet, the light was still golden across the parquet wooden floor. It took us a solid […]
A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps Proverbs 16:9 Boxes pile up throughout the house and everyday living becomes more and more of a maze of hazardous cardboard corners. There are boxes piled, boxes in progress, and boxes turned into tents and hats and automobiles by the children, most […]
Well. This is an upside-downing of things, isn’t it. We are moving from our rental. Rather unexpectedly, and rather rushed, I would say. The old septic system on the property looks like it has had just about enough with our large family, so we’ve been nicely, and understandably, asked to leave. In six weeks. […]
my current weaving project “In an age that should theoretically offer us greater possibilities of freedom than in any previous generation, we have in fact used that freedom to devise our own trammels and cages, and our entire culture of consumption seems designed at once to promote and conceal addictive and obsessive patterns of […]
If you know anything about homesteading, or want to know anything about homesteading, then Jackie Clay is the woman you most want to meet. To say that I was so happy to talk to her is an understatement. Jackie has been homesteading for more than 50 years, and is currently living off grid on 160 […]
Shew me thy ways, O Lord… Ps 25:4a Despite the fact I’ve spent decades studying herbalism and homeopathy, what tends to throw me is self-diagnosis. Oh, I knew this intellectually, I’d be told this would be the case and that I’d need others to come alongside and help me, but the heart is a stubborn […]
Every year when the Muzak floats throughout the stores, I’m a little bit irritated by (1) the manipulation (make em happy so they’ll buy more) but (2) it seems that every store got their Muzak from the same source so we hear the same songs from the same artists from the same year over […]
Even six years ago, my days were not much different… I am folding the wash, a heap of humanity in undies, bottoms, tee shirts, onesies, and socks endlessly reproducing its own kind but never its twin. I am still wearing the backpack dangling from my waist, partly because I am indifferent but also the snug […]
Ever since downsizing from the McMansion, I’ve struggled with this blog. With the big house and beautiful gardens and silly goats, I had a multitude of projects and Pinterest-worthy photographs to highlight and share, and I did. But two years in our little uninsulated cabin, followed by two and a half years (so far) […]
We were invited to join a congregation in our community for their Mission Sunday service and outreach. We initially thought, “No.” But as we prayed and reflected, it was clear we had a message. It was clear we had readers and listeners. It was clear we had supporters and, above all, the […]
I laugh at some of the earliest blog posts I wrote. In one, I relayed the importance of preparing for emergencies and the burden I felt to better equip my family to survive an earthquake or other sudden event. At the end of that blog post, I invited my readers to join me with a […]
And other things I’ve learned in the last 4 1/2 years of following Ramsey, downsizing, and “living like no one else” PART FOUR This cake has nothing to do with money. It just looks good 🙂 When my husband’s grandmother was still alive, we would share Thanksgiving at her table. And every year […]
And other things I’ve learned in the last 4 1/2 years of following Ramsey, downsizing, and “living like no one else” PART THREE Money doesn’t grow on trees, but money can grow money One of the best ways to examine an idea is to follow it (and its leaders) all the way to […]
And other things I’ve learned in the last 4 1/2 years of following Ramsey, downsizing, and “living like no one else” PART TWO Some apples are good, some apples are bad… The first time we ever had the idea of getting financially educated was when we heard Dave Ramsey on the radio. We ended […]
And other things I’ve learned in the last 4 1/2 years of following Ramsey, downsizing, and “living like no one else” PART ONE Do you want to learn about money? Forget religion and politics; what really sets the grim smile on people is trying to talk about money. NOT talking about money led […]
Habits are like water. Either they will refresh you or drown you. It’s your habits that are moving you towards your goals or draining your energy, and the problem is that, like water, we see right through them expecting our answers to be something else. We don’t feel productive: it’s our habits. We don’t […]
Many people know that my husband is a principled chiropractor, and that I am a herbalist and have training and education in holistic nutrition. We depend on good lifestyle habits and nutrient-dense foods to keep us healthy. When illness comes, we use food and home remedies first, and, second, we use the team of […]
My daughter came home with a bag full of “music books” donated by a friend. This bag came from a friend of a friend, and who knows how many hands since. Tucked in between musty music books, a pile of papers splayed out when the bag was emptied upon the table, and my eyes […]
Charts and slides aside, I squirmed a bit when asked what I was doing to promote my books. “Well,” I swallowed, “I’m blogging. Sort of. And we have a podcast…” Our financial advisor was emphatic; I need to market my books, or I’m not helping anyone. Not myself, and certainly not others. Alas. I […]
I’m thrilled to offer our latest book, PRACTICES, from my hands into yours! I can’t think of anything that has been more important to me in running my home and keeping my sanity other than keeping Practices throughout the years. Sure, they may have evolved or looked different in changing seasons, but they have always […]
This was utterly frightening. Even so, it was not outside of God’s sovereign control and care. It just took us three years to wrap our heads around talking about it. Hear the intro to Kelly’s Tornado (and more!) HERE You can listen to my small children memorizing Scripture HERE Check out our […]
No one wants to lose anything: time, money, space, freedom, peace. But unless the trial is upon us, we are hardly compelled to answer to potential challenges. For example, we might not read a godly book on marriage because everything is so pleasant right now. Or read our Bibles because we sense no need for […]
“Should I get a spinning wheel?” I asked Tom. “What?” “A spinning wheel. Should I get one?” “Why?” I considered why. The possibility of bigger projects to coincide with my weaving. Something to do while watching movies with the kids. More yarn. The fleece that’s on the way from Tom’s cousin. “I dunno. Just thinking.” […]
Flowers from my old garden Proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life. I have an appointment to get my home inspected again. It happens once a year–the landlord pays the property management to come by and walk through my home, making sure […]
Well, here we are! PRACTICES is now available for free (at any level for the month of July 2018) when you join us on PATREON! Read on…or take a quick watch at the welcome video above (it’s hilarious) and com’on back. I’m so excited about this opportunity on so many levels: a real help to […]
This wasn’t supposed to be a book. It was supposed to be a short little bookLET to gift to my wonderful patrons–the patrons who will keep A Happy Home Media running and publishing. But as I wrote, the bookLET grew, and pages and pages later, here we are. And, yet, it’s still not a “book”. […]
From 2011 I think the homeschool high school panic has begun. My oldest is finishing up her 8th grade year this spring and all I can think of is “aaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!” Not that I’m concerned about her educational progress, because she’s done (and is doing) rather well. But what gets my attention is the fact […]
Art date with my ah-mazing artist friend That’s what Tom and I were told when we met with a man we respected for lunch: “Get uncomfortable.” We wanted to meet with someone who would listen to our wild, farfetched ideas and give us advice. He was a good listener, and shared many wise thoughts, […]
I dislike commercials, so I get it if you don’t want to read one. However, other than my Amazon affiliate (read here), I don’t accept advertising on this website. I’m not against it, per se; I just prefer not to use them. I prefer less screen time, actually 🙂 But, I love good food, […]
And…Number 9’s Big Birth Story, and Getting Your Babies to Sleep It was an easy podcast to do, it was a difficult podcast to do (with a poor nod to A Tale of Two Cities…). Easy in the sense that spending time with my husband behind a microphone is super fun. Difficult in the sense […]
Once upon a time, I had one baby, my firstborn. At nine months, she still wasn’t sleeping through the night and the lack of sleep combined with the stress of returning to work part-time drove my mind into suffocating and deep waters of anxiety, sorrow, and yes, even a bit of anger and resentment […]