Happy New Year, guys and gals! Whether you were partying all night or in bed by 10 pm on the 31st, we hope you had an amazing New Year’s celebration. Can I just say, it is hard to believe 1999 was 20 years ago?! I vividly remember sitting in church on December 31st, 1999, waiting for midnight. When it came, a child sitting next to me leaned over and said, “Weren’t all the lights supposed to out?” ~smile~ Yes, long gone are the days of Y2K fears. We have found many new problems to freak us out since then. Sometimes it is good to look back over the years and remember all the scary stuff that … [Read more...]
Ten Ways to Simplify Your New Year!
The ball is dropping in a few hours. Before we can blink, it will be 2019! Like it was yesterday, I remember the panic of Y2K and wrapping my mind around moving into a new millennium. And, now here we are... 19 years later. It leaves my head spinning! When Eric came to me in the Fall of 2017 and said, “Next year’s theme for our family is going to be simplify,” I was completely thrilled. If anything gets me annoyed, it is making something more complicated than it needs to be. Maybe you are the same way. So, I was overjoyed at the prospect of making our lives simpler. Now that the official … [Read more...]
Have Yourself a Simple Little Christmas!
Ever since I was a small child, Christmas Eve has been one of my favorite days of the year – if not my favorite. It is difficult to capture in adulthood the magical feeling I experienced in those days. On Christmas Eve morning, I could hardly contain my excitement. Tonight, is the family Christmas party! As my mom prepared food and juggled the 100 items on her to-do list, all I could think about was hanging out with cousins, eating yummy foods and desserts, and, of course, ripping into those presents! The day would drag on and I would nag Mom and Dad about when we were leaving. Finally, we … [Read more...]
Twenty-Five Simple Ways to Enjoy Christmas
If ever there was a time I would love to revisit, it is childhood at Christmastime – back when Christmas was magical and simple. The frantic cooking and last-minute shopping were all lost on me as I could not think of one reason not to love everything about my favorite holiday: the lights, the decorations, the presents under the tree, the family time... it was the most wonderful time of the year. Somewhere along the way, I grew up and started worrying about typical adult Christmas worries. Are the gifts I bought good enough? Is the food I brought to the party tasty enough? Is everyone … [Read more...]
Simplifying the Holidays with the In-Laws
I want to begin this post with a disclaimer. I have wonderful in-laws! They are sweet, generous people who love God, each other, and enjoy loving on others. So, when I felt the need to touch on this topic, I wanted to make sure our readers know it is in no way in a poor reflection of them. ~smile~ When they leave us or we leave them, I feel pangs of sadness and wish we were not 3,000 miles away from each other. Sadly, many others cannot say this of their in-law experience. Too many times, holidays end in tears, confrontation, or discouragement. Sometimes problems between in-laws are due to … [Read more...]