adam's wife's blog

Johann Christoph Arnold  wrote a really great book called Rich In Years: Finding Peace and Purpose in a Long Life .  I was really impressed with how Arnold wrote about a variety of subjects affecting older adults. He told stories, showed pictures and included beautiful quotes and scriptures throughout the book that really captured the essence of aging gracefully.  Why can't the final years be the richest years of your life? The stories in this book help readers to enter into the 'Golden Years' with optimism and confidence.  In a society that tends to devalue those who are older and/or infirm, Arnold gives hope and highlights the value of those who've lived through decades and seen so much. If you pick up this book, you won't be quick to put it down. Each chapter is well written and easy to read. I found myself smiling as I read this book.  We are all getting older. I recommend this book to anyone - especially those planning to live richly to the end. 

I'm a mother of two small kids - so of course I'm looking for ways to sneak vegetables into tasty dishes. I came across a recipe for Chow Mein and decided it was a great way to sneak in several cups of vegetables. And my kids gobble it up every time I make it. This dish literally takes about 20 minutes to make - and it's one of my favorite weeknight dinners. You can add in just about any shredded fresh vegetable you have on hand also - zucchini, peppers and parsnips are all easy to add in if you like. Here's what you'll need to make it: 1 lb. cooked whole wheat spaghetti noodles 2 cups shredded cabbage 1 cup shredded carrots 1 cup shredded mushrooms (optional) 1/2 bunch green onions sliced in long thin strips 3/4 cup water 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup sesame oil 1 Tbsp. ketchup 1 Tbsp. honey 2 Tbsp. oil toasted nuts for garnish (optional) First, heat 1 Tbsp. oil (I used grapeseed oil)  in a large pan or wok. Add in cabbage, carrots, ...

We don't do much television at our house - in fact, we don't have a television. But our kids like to watch little shows from time to time on the computer. Lately they have been enjoying episodes of Mr. Rogers that we watch from Amazon Prime. Recently, we saw him teach a method for making large building blocks out of two milk cartons. I started saving milk cartons and other sturdy boxes to make my little ones a set of giant blocks as well.  First, I opened up one of the milk cartons and removed the plastic pour spout. Then I gently squeezed the top of the other one so I could easily stuff it into the first. I pushed it all the way down and used packing tape to secure the edges.  It made a pretty sturdy little block.  I did the same sort of thing with a couple of cracker boxes. And lots and lots of other boxes.  And now we have a nice set of large building blocks.  I figure the kids can build with them - and also play "grocery store" wit...

Here's a great way to make a cool scratching post/tree house/hangout spot for your cat without making your home look like you've become a cat lady. Materials I used: -old side table that was ready to be thrown out -potted fake tree that had seen better days -burlap -sisal rope -drill and 1" drill bit -piece of scrap wood -hot glue gun Here's how I did it: I wanted to use only items I already had. So, I found an old side table that was stuck in the corner of an upstairs playroom. It wasn't being used much and was pretty ugly. Perfect. I drilled two large holes in the top. The largest drill bit I had was 1" - and not big enough, so I ended up drilling several one inch holes right next to eachother to make two large flower shaped holes (see photo). Then I stapled some burlap over the top of the table and cut slits where the holes were. You could also use a carpet scrap for this - but I only had burlap on hand, so that's what I used. I po...

Shannon Polson wrote an amazing account of her parents death, her own grieving and her wild adventure to the remote Alaskan arctic to reenact her parents last trip. Polson's parents were killed by a grizzly bear as they rafted the Hulahula river and camped in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in 2005. Polson, her brother and another traveler take on the journey to find healing and closure. Throughout the trip they encounter all sorts of feelings, adventures and trials. And Polson recounts memories of her father - both good and indifferent. She gives a very honest rendering of her greif and takes the reader on an exciting trip to the arctic. I recommend this book. It's a very well done memoir of the author's dealing with loss.

We Heart Grandma Mother's Day Card Create cute birthday cards & birthday invitations at Shutterfly.com . View the entire collection of cards.

What an amazing book. Honestly - I didn't expect Invisible , by Ginny Yttrup, to have much of an effect on me. I knew the premise of the book and the main characters were three women - one overweight, one depressed, one anorexic. I thought it would be a nice, fiction book and that I would be able to learn about the struggles of other women when I read it. However - I really learned a lot about myself when I read it. I'm not anorexic, overweight or depressed, but I do really struggle with my body image in general. For the longest time, I've brushed it off and tried to focus on what's inside - I've tried to work on being a good person and not superficial - pretty much ignoring my outer self. But while reading this book, I realized that I was avoiding something important - the Image of God  in which I was created. God sees me as beautiful - even though US Weekly  would never classify my looks as anything but pathetic. But Yttrup's book really gave me insight ...