I am a hopeless list maker. I love lists. However, my list making tends to get a bit wild and I find myself wandering around the house looking for the “right” list because I have so many of them. As of late I have grown a bit weary of having to scour the house to … Read more
I was talking with my sisters-in-law about parenting and chores, and one of them had a great idea. She said she had heard of people giving their children a new responsibility on their birthday. For example, starting on your child’s 5th birthday, he would then be responsible for making his own bed. Previous to age … Read more
In generations past most people believed in witches. They believed there were special evil spirits that had given witches magical powers. Lady witches were usually quite old and very ugly. Witches were supposed to have two meetings a year. The most important meeting was on October 31. They often flew to this meeting on their … Read more
I memorized the first verse of this poem while driving to work one day last year. I think of it often, especially when my son is crying! Ella Wheeler Wilcox, author of Worth While and one of my favorite poets, was a brilliant writer and poet. Enjoy! Worth While It is easy enough to be … Read more
Halloween is not one of my favorite holidays. I don’t love dressing up, but I do love making yummy Halloween treats. We like to make sugar cookies for every holiday and use colored frosting and festive cookie cutters to make them appropriate for the day.This year I am going to try a few other Halloween … Read more
Katy Bratun c 2007 katybratun.com For centuries farmers and gardeners have fixed scarecrows to frighten birds and small animals from their gardens. In the New World the Indians and the Pilgrims used them too. Usually the scarecrow is put out as soon as the crop is planted. He stays all summer long. During harvest we … Read more
A treat for the whole family. 1 small to medium pumpkin 1 onion, chopped 2 T vegetable oil 1 1/2 to 2 lbs ground beef 2 T soy sauce 2 T brown sugar 1 (4-oz.) can sliced mushrooms, drained 1 (10 3/4-oz.) can cream of chicken soup 1 1/2 c cooked rice 1 (8-oz.) can … Read more
An old Irish tale tells of a man, Stingy Jack, who as a young man tricked the devil. After his death he tried to get into heaven but was refused. The devil would not allow him to enter the lower world either. He threw Jack a hot ember. Jack caught it in a turnip. The … Read more
This week’s “book talk” book is The Outlaws of Sherwood, by Robin McKinley. My favorite genre of books is historical fiction, so I love stories centered around events in European history especially, as this one does. I know that many many books have been written about Robin Hood by many different authors and I thought … Read more
On Tuesday night I got together with a group of my girlfriends for our monthly cooking group. Yesterday was our first time doing it, and it was so much fun! We picked Mexican food as our theme and everyone brought a favorite Mexican dish along with the recipe to share. I took Taco Soup, which … Read more