Author Archives: Ann Kirsten

It happens every February. We get a few sunny days and I immediately go into a full blown case of spring fever. I head outside to embrace the new season and am met with the brown, mushy remains of las...

January 23rd is National Handwriting Day.  No, you don’t have to run out and buy gifts and cards, but a nice handwritten note to someone you love might be nice! My Gr...

A while back, I wrote about how in spite of all the technological things that keep us inside our homes, we still find ways to “chat over the back fence.”  Lately, I have been struck a...

After all the hustle and bustle of the holidays, it is very common for people (especially mommas) to get the blues in January.  And – as if we need the extra post-holiday stress - January h...

Last year at this time, I felt that God was giving me a one word direction: SIMPLIFY.  And, I thought I knew exactly how that would look.  I pictured “simplify” in a romanticized...

There are people who don’t look forward to this time of year - perhaps you’re one of them.  The reasons for this are as varied as the people.  Some have lost family members and t...

A friend shared this recipe with me thirty years ago and it has been part of my Christmas baking ever since.  For one thing, the name is adorable.  Who wouldn’t want a cookie named &ld...

Every family has their own holiday traditions.  Some of them are sweet, some are touching and some are spiritual.  In my family, most of them are just plain weird.  Here are a few: ...

I tend to overestimate the food I'll need when entertaining. When I was a young mother, I gave a party and ran out of food (thanks to some voracious eaters on my guest list). I was humiliated. Ever si...

In my dreams, I wear a dress and a pretty apron on Thanksgiving.  My table is set like an Instagram photo and all the food is picture perfect.  My house is, of course, spotless and decorated...