When I was 15, my mom was in a near-fatal car accident. For the first week, the doctors weren’t certain that she’d survive. She did survive, but recovery was long, hard, and never quite complete. The next two years were some of the most grueling for our family, and I suffered through months of depression…
I honestly don’t care what the standards laid out in Common Core are. Some sort of federal educational standards have been around for as long as I can remember. Whether it’s Race to the Top, No Child Left Behind, Common Core, or whatever catchy name they come up with next, it’s basically the same ideas…
Outside my windows… the sun is playing hide and seek today among the clouds! Inside my house… a sample of paint is on the living room wall, and I’m still finishing up the last of the dining/school/office room project. Counting 1000 gifts… warmer weather that has come at last! Prayers of the heart… There is…
Red Green might call duct tape the handyman’s secret weapon, but spray paint is definitely the DIY decorator’s secret weapon! A couple of cans of spray paint can transform just about anything. There’s not much that I haven’t tried spray painting, and I’m usually quite happy with the results. My latest spray paint project was…
Outside my windows… it’s raining, but there’s green grass appearing! Inside my house… one very large, very dark piece of furniture has a fresh coat of white paint! Counting 1000 gifts… lunch visits with friends. Prayers of the heart… summer just gets busy all around for us. Praying for wisdom in balancing and not losing…
Last week I talked a little about the effects of the new minimum wage increase on small businesses and their employees. But what about the self-employed folks who don’t have employees? Surely this has no impact on their business. Don’t be so sure! So, you’re a handyman who charges $40 per hour for your services….
Outside my windows… there was a dusting of snow this morning, but we’re back to just remnants of snowbanks now. Inside my house… I have patches of wall paint samples. Our dining room is getting a fresh coat of paint, and I’m painting a piece of antique furniture white. (Every antique collector and dealer just…
I’ve been hearing the catchphrase “living wage” come up more and more lately. I’m sure part of that is due to the recent Citizen’s Initiative in Maine that will raise the minimum wage by more than 50% over the next few years. Even so, the topic is on the minds of families across the country….
Outside my windows… there’s still a fairly large pile of snow, but there are patches of bare ground in the driveway. Inside my house… I’m itching to start opening windows! Counting 1000 gifts… weird, quirky, still-not-warm Maine weather. Prayers of the heart… thankful that two things that weighed heavily on me have been taken care…
Not infrequently, the hard stuff in life is what pushes me to write. Sometimes what I write ends up on my blog, in an article, or in one of my stories. Sometimes it only ends up in my journals because it’s much too personal for me to discuss publically. Over the past few weeks, writing…