gift and learning
Give Gingham a Second Look
If recently decorating with two gingham things counts as a gingham kick, then I am on one, and happily so. I’m not exactly sure why (commercial conditioning, perhaps?), but gingham prints feel so happy, carefree, and perfect for spring. Given the way my brain perceives gingham, it’s no coincidence that right after Christmas, in the dead of a nasty winter when the landscape was bleak, and I was feeling blah, I bought gingham sheets for our bedroom. Manifesting an early spring with new gingham sheets did not work (shocking, I know), but it did brighten my day to see our bedroom with an extra bit of color. I take my…
10 Greeting Cards You’ll Frame Because They Are So Pretty
Have you ever received a greeting card that was so pretty that you needed to frame it? The very thought of throwing it away or shoving it in a drawer just felt wrong. That has happened to me. Out of the blue last week, I received a postcard from a friend. A friend I’ve made because of this blog. (How lucky am I? The luckiest.) Her love language is making cards and sending cards and postcards to her friends and family. How great is that? Receiving her postcard got me thinking, “How is my stock of cards looking?” I usually keep generic cards on hand that will work for a…
Off To a Rough Start
“I’m off to a rough start,” said Handy Husband. It was Christmas Eve, and we were in the gym doing our arm workout. (Dedicated, I know.) After more than a year of lifting weights together, we have a routine. Handy Husband starts loading up the weights while I record what exercises we are going to do in our weightlifting journal. I typically call out, as a reminder, the weights that each of us is using for the first exercise. I’ll say something like “You’re doing 72.5, and I’m at 37.5 on each side.” We don’t go up in weights super frequently, so it’s not necessarily new information. Except, on this…
My Summer 2025 Reading List
Some of you wonder if I ever relax. I can assure you, it happens. The last time was just last week. Or was it last month? I’m kidding. It was last year. Joking aside, one of my favorite things to do is read. I almost always have my Kindle on me if I leave the house, unless it’s my once-a-week trip to the grocery store. Anyway, I thought I’d share my summer 2025 reading list with you. As an added treat, I’ve also included some of my favorite websites and podcasts on this list. However, I have zero recommendations for things to watch unless you want a list of shows…
Why Reading Cursive Is a Helpful Skill For Owners of Old Houses
Here’s a truth bomb. It’s a shame cursive isn’t always taught in school these days because reading cursive is a helpful skill for owners of old houses to possess. Not only do we have to be able to fix all the quirky things and live in houses where nothing is square or level, but now we have to be able to read cursive too. No one told you you’d need to be a jack of all trades when they gave you that mortgage, did they? Why is reading cursive a helpful skill for owners of old houses? I’m so glad you asked. If you want to research the history of…
How To Fix Misshapen Ear Pads on Headphones
If the ear pads on your headphones are falling apart and misshapen, don’t throw those expensive headphones away. You can fix them! I first tried to reshape the old ear pads. Got them wet. Tried to reshape them. Coaxed them to cooperate. It worked better in theory than in practice. But I had to try. That’s when I discovered that for most major brands of headphones, you can find replacement ear pads online. The replacement ear pads should come with directions and replacing them isn’t hard. I’ll show you how it looks to replace the ear pads on these Bose headphones. It should be similar to yours. Step 1: Remove…
Podcasts Worth Your Time: Part 2
I’ve decided to start an infrequent series titled “Podcasts Worth Your Time.” It’s been exactly a year since I wrote the first blog post in this “new” series. Maybe this will be an annual thing. Instead of focusing on podcasts in general, I want to focus on the specific episodes that I can’t get out of my head. I listen to at least one podcast a day, sometimes more depending on what I’ve got going on. The episodes I’m sharing with you are the episodes that have been living rent-free in my noggin taking up all my ruminating space. These are the episodes that I discuss in excruciating detail with…
10 Handmade Gifts You Still Have Time To Make This Christmas
Unless you’re reading this five minutes before gifts will be opened, I assure you, there is still time to make handmade gifts this Christmas. I’m not talking about a handmade gift that is so involved that you have to shear the sheep in order to make your own yarn so you can knit something scratchy no one wants to wear. No, no, no. Heaven forbid. How about some sentimental gift ideas or semi-handmade gift ideas instead? Those are right up my alley and yours too, I’m sure. Here are 10 handmade gifts you still have time to make this Christmas that will actually be used and enjoyed by their intended…
Teenager-Approved Unique Chess Sets and Merch
Need gift ideas? I can help with these teenager-approved unique chess sets. Chess is very popular with my kids and their friends. I thought it was a passing fad during the pandemic, but it still seems very popular with the middle school crowd in particular. In fact, during carpool recently, one of the kids told me they were collecting chess sets and wanted another one for Christmas. Alrighty, then. Here are seven teenager-approved unique chess sets plus some bonus chess merch. (That’s how all the cool kids say merchandise these days. It should be noted that you can’t be a mom and a cool kid. That’s “cringe” as my kids…
DIY Embroidered Vote T-Shirt
Let’s get to a DIY today that involves two important things: embroidery and civic responsibility. Okay, one of those might be more important than the other. I’ll let you decide which is which. Now, let’s make a DIY embroidered vote t-shirt! Even if you’ve never picked up a needle and a thread, you can embroider a t-shirt. Here are the supplies you’ll need to make a DIY Embroidered Vote T-Shirt: t-shirt (if you aren’t sure how this will go, pick an old one you can practice on) needle (I used a regular sewing needle with a large eye) embroidery floss (you might hear it called embroidery thread) embroidery hoop (if you…
