About three years ago, we replaced our old broken dishwasher. When my husband purchased the new one, the store employee told him not to expect it to last more than two or three years, five years at the most. At the same time, a friend told me that she had gotten so tired of having to replace…

I have had a few friends ask me about chores.  We cannot afford to pay someone to come into our house and help clean it.  Even if we could, I don’t think that I would.  If my seven children were ten and under, I might seriously consider it.  A friend once shared that she stopped having someone come and…

When my husband and I were first married, a Catholic home-educating friend, Debbie Brock, introduced me to Phil Lenahan’s Finances for Today’s Catholic Family (updated title: The Catholic Answers Guide to Family Finances).  This book served us well and gave us a proper understanding of budgeting in relation to Church teaching, tithing, and the need to always…

We are a family of nine and usually spend between $850 and $1000 per month on groceries. This month, I budgeted $750 and it looks like we might actually be able to pull it off. Don’t worry, the children are being very well fed and I have most of my Thanksgiving shopping done. I usually…

The Most Important Person on earth is a mother. She cannot claim the honor of having built Notre Dame Cathedral. She need not. She has built something more magnificent than any cathedral – a dwelling for an immortal soul, the tiny perfection of her baby’s body…The angels have not been blessed with such a grace.…

I have been a fan of Catholic Cuisine, since its beginning. In fact, it was the only food-related blog that I tended to visit. However, that changed this Lent. First, a good friend e-mailed me a link to Good Things Catered (talk about food temptation – thankfully the caterer is taking a blog break for…

When you outgrow the space in your home, sometimes the only option left is to grow up. With this in mind, my husband and a friend installed cabinets above a large desk and more cabinets in our kitchen this summer. I am thrilled as I finally have a place upstairs in which to store many…

Tami Kiser, Smart Martha, will give a seminar in Tacoma, WA on September 27 from 9:00 to 2:30. Smart Martha Seminars are designed for “busy mothers seeking to live out their vocation as God has called them in today’s busy society. Smart Martha Seminars are the result of many years of studying the great home…

As promised, below are photos of my eldest sewing and wearing her skirt. For some reason, I did not take photos of my second eldest. She will have to be the model when we make shorter, twirly skirts.