HomeAbout / ContactMary’s BooksRecipesFrugalitySpeakingAdoptionJanuary projectsOur January has seemed slower in pace than many of the previous months.  I think this is partly because the holidays are done, and partly because huge quantities of snow have kept us home more than usual.  For those of you lucky enough NOT to live around here, we’ve had 35.5 inches this winter, which […]Next Page »Featured RecipeSeven Great Ways to Use EggsI went grocery shopping yesterday and was amazed to discover that (in our area anyway) a carton of five dozen eggs is only $2.69. I can't remember the last time eggs were that cheap.  That's a LOT of protein for less than $3.  In honor of that … [Read More...]Parenting FeatureBeach timeHere's a snap from a quick trip we made to the beach this week.Felt weird to be traveling with only two kids, but all our bigger kids were working, and so we took the plunge and went off to play without them.  We missed them all lots, but … [Read More...]Recent PostsJanuary projectsOur January has seemed slower in pace than many of the previous months.  I think this is partly because the holidays are done, and partly because huge quantities of snow have kept us home more than usual.  For those of you lucky enough NOT to live around here, we’ve had 35.5 inches this winter, which […]From our ChristmasHappy New Year! Did you have a good Christmas? Ours was a really sweet time of getting together with many of our loved ones. One of the things about having lots of grown kids is that it gets harder and harder to get everyone gathered together. I now fully understand why when my mom has […]A million angels crowding in to see“Just A Girl” I wonder if you’ve heard the story Of little fame and lesser glory The night the keeper of the inn The little town of Bethlehem Encountered Joseph and his Mary About to birth the Savior of the world His wife said go and see who’s knocking He ran down to the gate […]How can it be?Am I the only one surprised we are already halfway through December?  The girls and I went on a wrapping spree this evening and got the vast majority of the gifts wrapped, so that feels really good.  I have a few last errant things to track down, but mostly my shopping is done too.  But […]End table makeoverAwhile back we were given a couple of nice quality end tables that a couple of our girls used as night stands for awhile.  When they moved on to other room arrangements, I wasn’t sure where else they would fit in the house.  I knew I’d need more end tables at the beach house, but […]IKEA cabinet adventureClick on over to the beach house blog to read about our IKEA cabinet adventure. Talk about a LONG weekend!!9 stocking stuffers under $3  Sometimes it can be hard to think of fun small items to use as stocking stuffers. I thought I’d share a few ideas that I’ve seen on Amazon, and I’m hoping you&#