Winter Break Family Activities I hope your Christmas Day was lovely!Winter Break Family Activities We had a wonderful day filled with happy children playing with new toys, good food, relaxation and learning. I have the pleasure of having my whole family together for the week between Christmas and New Years. This has had me thinking […]

How to Get Ready for Guests I love having guests come to my home. One of my dreams is to have guests come to our working ranch and give them a luxurious and authentic experience. To me, it is a mix of Cody (rough and tumble cattle man) and me (city girl who appreciates the […]

This Gifts for DIY Enthusiasts post is inspired by the ever-growing list that Cody has for tools. Since we have been doing DIY projects around the house, I have been surprised at how many tools we need to do one job, and then the second surprise comes when I find out how much a tool […]

I just finished teaching another semester of writing courses. Every time I teach I am in awe at two things–how much I love my students and the powerful impact of grit and practice for writing and life. Students There are probably plenty of teachers out there who teach simply to get a paycheck, but I […]

I love abstract art. There is so much to look at and if you think you can create beautiful abstract art without some prior knowledge or guidance, go ahead and try. I sat down one evening at a friends art night with an idea of an abstract art piece I wanted to paint. I had […]

In my effort to live more minimally, I have been interested in ways to give my family experiences instead of gifts. In my search, I found some really great websites that feature a lot of fun and accessible ideas for creating and giving your loved ones experiences instead of things this year. I was pleasantly […]