Every year, during the downtime between Christmas and New Year, I choose a word. One word that will define what I want out of the year ahead. This word might be what I want to give, receive, learn or achieve. Usually it’s a combination of them all. For 2019 I’ve chosen the word VALUE. I
Here we are once again, at the birth another new year. The older I get, the quicker the years seems to pass. On more than one occasion last year, I had to double check the calendar because it sure felt like we had just started into 2018 not that long ago. But alas, we’ve now
Raising boys is one of my greatest privileges. Our boys are rambunctious, ornery, silly and often stubborn little human beings, and I am in awe of each one of them. I love their energy, their passion and how unique each personality is from the other. We have our moments of conflict (see above comment about
You’ve heard that term before, right? Free range? But what does it actually mean? Especially when it comes to children? When you think of free-ranging, your mind probably goes right to chickens. You know, letting your birds scavenge freely for food, rather than keeping them penned up in a cage. And in a way, that’s
This post is really about a distressing technique I tried over the weekend and wanted to share with you. But it’s also a story about a tired old bookcase that’s almost 40 years old. When I was growing up, my parents were extremely poor. My dad worked for the Southern Pacific Railroad until he hurt
A few years ago, a friend of mine was battling cancer. During the tragic last year of his struggle he chronicled the events of each day for his friends and family and for the online world to see. His goal was to simply not let his sickness erode away the joy in his every day
Crisp mornings. Falling leaves. Thanksgiving. Autumn is in the air and that means the outdoor activities will soon move indoors. Family and friends sitting around the table, sharing a meal and good conversation. Why not make an eye-catching centerpiece that will serve as a focus point and bring it all together? It Started With A
If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you know I love spending time in the wood shop. You could say its kind of my refuge. My happy place. As my kids have gotten older, the wood shop has become a place where they like to hang out too. Evenings after work, I’ll slip away
I drove a little slower to work this morning. I watched the sunrise a little bit longer, watched how the orange light pushed the shadows across the fields. The color of the sun was vividly orange, an October sun, cutting up through a cold periwinkle sky smeared with watercolored streaks of magenta and lavender.
Operation removal and restore has begun today. Our property has been so neglected over the past couple years and nature has had its way. Trees, bushes and rodents. Yes, we’re in the country now so mice are the real deal! One of my passions is woodworking, and since I left behind a 5 stall shop