For a number of reasons, Valentine’s Day is much loved by me. As this is our first Valentine’s Day in our new house, I’m faced with two challenges to overcome: I have never done any sort of decorating for Valentine’s Day in our apartments, so our house is lacking that festive spirit, and I’m super…
Holidays
A Year in 12 Photos: My 2013
(Otherwise known as the year Gavin grew up way too fast, the year I never cut my hair, and the year we bought a house…) Want to see more of our family’s transformation? Check out my 12 photos from 2012.
Start Organized, Stay Organized: Email
Organization. I can’t be the only one who feels as if that word is loaded with so much… stuff. Organization is something that so many of us strive for and so few of us are able to achieve. I am really organized until I am not anymore, and when that happens I lose my handle…
The Weight of Everything
I’m coming back to reality after one week of a complete connection reevaluation. For me, “connecting” usually means plugging in. It means networking online. It means writing and reading and commenting. It meant none of those things this past week. I unplugged from the internet and engaged fully with my family. As we drive home…
What Your Blogger-Wife Wants For Christmas
She goes to bed after you’ve fallen asleep because she’s on the computer “blogging” (alternative reading: “on Facebook”). She dresses your kids up and puts them in fake scenarios so that she can have an appropriate picture for a post she’s working on. She doesn’t let you taste the freshly baked cookies until she’s taken…
There’s Something About Mary
This is my piece that appeared in the Canadian Baptist Advent Reader. If you aren’t already, I would encourage you to finish your Advent season with this compilation of Advent reflections. You can access the book free and online here. In art, Mary is usually depicted as a young beauty draped in blue. Her head is…
How to Bring Home a Real Christmas Tree When You’ve Never Had One Before
Did you know that people want articles on Christmas trees? I know, right? I had no idea – until I was the one Googling “How early can I get a real Christmas tree?” and “How tall should my Christmas tree be?” and “How to care for a Christmas tree” and “How to get your Christmas…
How to Wait: Resources for Advent
December is here, which means we’re finally in the season of Advent. While it was killer as a kid, I totally love the practice of preparing in the waiting. Christmas is never just about the one day of celebration but it is about all that build up, too. And despite growing up in the faith,…
The Black Stain
Canadians are well aware of today’s relevance in the American calendar. We have American friends celebrating Thanksgiving today, (Happy Thanksgiving, friends!), emails, usually deleted with a smile and an eye-roll, are coming to our inbox wishing us Canadians a “Happy Thanksgiving”, and Black Friday has rolled out to Canada, ensuring that I have been glued…
Glimpses of Halloween
I’ll be the first to admit that I do not love Halloween. It is not my favourite holiday. I probably haven’t looked forward to it for many years. I can find very little redeeming in a night that is focused on the scary and the evil and the dark parts of life. But there is…
Home for the Holidays
There’s just something about this place. There’s something about the big tree in the backyard that is filling our lawn with red and orange leaves. There is something about little boys in their slightly-too-large coats running over those leaves with toy lawnmowers. There is something about the sun streaming in through the big living room…
