The great thing about reading outside your comfort zone is finding yourself in places and times you never thought you would, and learning from them anyway. The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova, is certainly not a book I would have chosen on my own, nor expected to find interesting. And yet I enjoyed the trip! As […]
Adult Summer Reading: I Learned Something New! Driver Ants and The Congo
I recently recommended The Poisonwood Bible as an adult summer reading challenge. I love it when I stumble onto books that I otherwise would not pay attention to, because I learn things I never would have considered interesting otherwise. Driver ants – really? What would ever possess me to read up on Driver Ants . […]
Adult Summer Reading: The Poisonwood Bible – a Review
“The Poisonwood Bible” was written by Barbara Kingsley. It is a fictional account of a family’s missionary experience in The Congo, Africa, beginning in 1960. The family consists of a minister father, mother, and 4 daughters. Father has ghosts from his past, which cause him to be too zealous in his expectations of the Congolese […]
Beat the Heat With Homemade Ice Cream
When I searched Untrained Housewife for “ice cream,” I was amazed there were no articles here! Oh my word!! Homemade ice cream has been a summer staple in my life since I was a little girl, (before electric ice cream makers were invented), watching the “old” men sittin’ outside, hand-cranking the ice cream. The […]
Novel Destinations – Reading List for Adults
Sometimes, we focus so much on encourage our children to love reading that we forget to stimulate our own reading passion. I remember the day when I realized I knew all three- THREE!- verses of The Barney Song. It was then that I began reading for myself. I considered it a tool for self-preservation; a […]
Prepare for Emergencies – Light
My house just made it through several rounds of severe weather- really severe, with lots of tornadoes that killed people and destroyed homes. We were spared any damage, and we are grateful. However, our power was out for 24 hours. Again, we are grateful it was only 24 hours, because as I write, there are […]
Homemade Playdough: For Home, School, and Homeschool
Playdough is good for many grades. The littles just like to squeeze and poke it. As they grow older, the children can learn shapes, and colors, and counting, and ABC’s. Once my daughter started to read, I used playdough as a comprehension tool. She was reading Robinson Crusoe, in second grade. As she read about […]
Save Money On Food: Make Convenience Food At Home
With food costs rising and threats of hyper-inflation, yet no extra hours in my day, I have been looking for ways to save money on my family’s food while always trying to save time. Store-bought convenience foods are expensive, loaded with extra preservatives, and the packaging is not environmental friendly. The solution: The Make Convenience […]
Five Year Olds and Simple Joy
Over this past summer, my 5-year-old grandson spent a week with us. It has been a while since I’ve had a 5-year-old around, and I appreciate the things I learned from him that week. Five-year-olds find joy in the simplest of things. How nice it was to be reminded of simply joy in my own […]
Learning From 5-Year-Olds: How to Ask Why
Over this past summer, my 5-year-old grandson spent a week with us. It has been a while since I’ve had a 5-year-old around, and I appreciate the things I learned from him that week. I love the way 5-year-olds question everything around them. How else are they to learn about their world? As I pondered […]
Home Canned Peaches
Start With Small, Fresh PeachesIdeally, the peaches will be picked right off the tree. More realistically, they will be purchased at a farmer’s market or the local grocery store. Be sure they are fully ripe, but still fairly firm. The heat of processing the peaches will cause them to soften. To can peaches whole, the […]
The Perfect Wedding Gift: Kerosene Lamps are Practical, Beautiful and Inexpensive
Newlyweds really do not need crystal or china. They need gifts that will be useful, and often those who have not gained experience in running a household do not appreciate what is useful and what is not.
