When I was roughly 12 and ready to join the church, the pastor gave me his private Talk (which I don't remember), but also a small devotional book put together by Robert Speer that I still drink deeply from. I don't think I was terribly impressed at the time but now...

Now that the title has turned you off, let me try to turn you back on. Come with me to an art  gallery. I'm looking at great paintings—Rembrandt, Renoir, Cezanne, Giotto. One of them catches my eye—Constable's Hay Wain, a pastoral scene that takes me back to my roots...

My good friend Emily responded to my Living on the Cheap blog with a recipe for laundry soap that she says needs only two tablespoons per load. Cheap, yes—plus the fun of making it. Maybe a home-school project? First, hunt for Fels Naptha soap—a household staple when...

The early version  A later model . . . With a fair amount of water over the dam in between. A person's looks seldom improves with age. Weight goes up, value goes down, and the manufacturer's warranty is sometimes voided. Hair changes color, wrinkles resemble...

I'm a genuine extremist. Yes. Anyone who knows me can attest to that. Not a perfectionist, mind you. Anyone entering our house can attest to THAT. No, I obsess over IMPORTANT things like nurturing friendships (emails, phone calls, travel); signing books with very...