Home & Garden: Frugal Fairy Tales
Keri Yanchick’s enthusiasm is contagious as she spills out one creative idea after another on how to have a beautiful wedding on a limited budget. Founder of Frugal Fairy Tales, a website that has averaged 75 new members a month in the short time it has been in operation, Keri shares tips and do-it-yourself videos…
Read More >Letters from Louise: Marvelous Mentors
I am a lucky woman! Besides having a wonderful mother, an older sister and two grandmothers as excellent role models while growing up, I had mentors – godly women who cared about me and shared their knowledge, time and skills. Betty Keeton was a pastor’s wife at the church I attended during high school. She…
Read More >A Woman for All Seasons
When it comes to a woman for all seasons, Pat Lenhart definitely qualifies. A former nun, nurse, semi-pro softball player and educator of 63 years, this 80-year-old dynamo is not slowing down or retiring. “I told my family I was going to teach until I was eighty,” says Lenhart, whose smile lets you know there…
Read More >Thank You
When a soldier in full dress uniform walked across our church lobby, he definitely caught my son’s attention. Jay is in awe of those who serve our country and wanted to meet him. The young officer, Lt. Col. Greg A. Kent of the U.S. Air Force, had read the scripture before the pastor’s sermon on…
Read More >Abandoned!
Once upon a time I had a daughter. She had long black hair, dark brown eyes and olive complexion. A petite child, Paula came to live with us when she was nearly four years old. Abandoned by her birth mother, she was placed in foster care for six months then handed over to us, her…
Read More >The Blessing of Routine
Recently I received an e-mail asking me to describe myself by answering a series of questions then send it to all my friends so they could learn something new about me. Hmmm. You think they really want to know what my favorite color is? Favorite movie? Favorite song or what I do when I get…
Read More >Gifts For A Teacher
I was barely 22 years old, straight out of college and three months pregnant with my first child when I began my teaching career. With my Army husband stationed two hundred miles away, the Tulsa Public Schools didn’t ease my stress load when they assigned me to one of the roughest junior high schools in…
Read More >Legacy of Love
I am crazy about love stories. One of my favorite ways of spending a cold winter afternoon is with an inspirational romance novel and a cup of hot chocolate. But even better than fiction are true-life love stories. My parents’ life together was a perfect example of the stuff good books and movies are made…
Read More >Love and Commitment
June is here and “weddings” are in the air! I often wonder why so many couples choose June to exchange their vows. I need only look back at my own wedding to answer that. Trust me, March is not the best month of the year to be married, especially in a cold climate. My husband…
Read More >Healthy Disorganization
The month of May has always been busy for me. Not only are there three family birthdays, but it is also the month for State Special Olympics, Mother’s Day and—drum roll, please—spring-cleaning! Yep, you read that right. Years ago, I would round up my kids, map out all the dirty chores (they didn’t know about…
Read More >7 Minutes of Terror
What part of your daily routine takes only seven minutes? Is it your morning shower? Breakfast at home? A quick stop at Starbucks? Seven minutes sounds short-quick-fast, but sometimes it can feel like an eternity. On April 20, 1999, sixteen-year-old Crystal Woodman Miller spent seven minutes of terror, crouched under a library table at Columbine…
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