Home Management

COOL TOOL

I came across a new service that not makes it easy to save money — it’s FREE. It’s called Price Protectr. Here’s the scoop from their web site: There are lots of stores out there that offer price protection policies — when the price drops on an item you’ve purchased, they’ll refund you the difference.…

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Laughter and Immunity

Two of my kids are sneezing up a storm and I’m desperately trying to avoid their germs. My approach is twofold. I’m upping my intake of juice – and I pulled out my stash of humor books. It’s no secret that laughter is good medicine, but just how good may be rather eye opening. Research…

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Snowstorms and Soup

We are such creatures of habit, aren’t we? For instance, every time a true snowstorm blows in I begin craving potato soup. Thankfully, the writer in me always keeps a mini-journal in the margins of my favorite recipes…otherwise I probably wouldn’t have realized the connection between my favorite potato soup recipe and deep snowfalls! Rarely…

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A Resolution Worth Keeping

It’s not even Christmas and I’m thinking about New Year’s resolutions. While most people make resolutions to get more organized, lose weight or break a bad habit, my resolution this year is much more practical. As the author of several books on home management, most people have the impression that I must be highly organized…

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Simplifying Your Mealtime Routine (So You Can Write)

I’m sure your calendar this month is jam-packed. Even though I’ve tried to cull much of the clutter from our schedule, December still leaves me feeling like my head is barely above water. But I’ve at last found a way to get my mealtime routine under control, and I wanted to pass this tip along…

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Leftovers, Anyone?

A while ago, at Starbucks, I sat chatting with several ACFW Central Zone members, including authors Deb Raney and Kim Vogel Sawyer. I lamented the regrettable fact that published novels aren’t allowed the same courtesies as DVD’s. Seriously, at the end of a fantastic book, wouldn’t you love a few sneak peeks behind scenes, or…

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Breath of Home

Ever hear of the two frogs drowning in a bucket of cream? One frog, seeing his friend was ready to give up, encouraged him to keep kicking. Ever the optimist, this frog hoped that eventually, the cream would turn to butter. When it did, they’d hop out. But in the meantime…a whole lotta kicking was…

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Out of Order

For God is not a God of disorder but of peace. I Corinthians 14:33 A few years ago, if someone had asked me for a word that meant the opposite of disorder, I doubt peace would have come to mind. I definitely had a grasp on the meaning of disorder. I was living in the…

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Time Savers for Fall

“Make the most of every opportunity.” Col 4:5 With fall schedules heating up, carving out time to write is even more of a challenge. I remember many days (even with my kids at school) that seemed to slip by with very accomplished at home — much less at the keyboard. I often thought, “Am I…

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Making Time to Write

Make the most of every opportunity. (Colossians 4:5, NASB) I think saving time is found in the little things, making the most of every opportunity. Much of this comes from developing good habits and letting go of the bad. For example, I used to stumble down to the kitchen in the morning, turn on the…

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