Our family went on a summer vacation to Alaska a few years back. I assumed it would be easy finding joy in the journey: Family, cruise, new shores to explore! What’s not to love? According to WeatherSpark, we would be enjoying daytime July temps of 63 degrees or so. However, our reality looked a lot […]
Valentine’s Day: 5 tips for a delightful celebration
January 27, 2014 By 23 Comments
Jay Leno said, “Today is Valentine’s Day. Or, as men like to call it, Extortion day.” The best humor always has a smidge of truth in it, doesn’t it? Jay’s comment is no exception. There is an air of huge expectancy from the women for their men to perform above and beyond on […]
Cabin Fever: Time to take action
January 21, 2014 By 16 Comments
Welcome to the Too Darn Happy Cafe, where the sunshine is always bright and the afternoons warm! This morning I realized that for the first time in my life, I am not suffering from cabin fever. I grew up in New England where we joke that summer is a week or two […]
Budgeting: Love it or hate it?
January 8, 2014 By
It’s a new month and the new year. That means it’s time for a new budget. Woohoo! Wait—Did you not join me in my celebratory whoop? Does that mean you approach budgeting the same way you approach a spoonful of medicinal cod liver oil? You know, you stick out your tongue, make disgusting noises, and […]
Marriage: What story do you want to tell?
January 6, 2014 By 5 Comments
Last week I discovered this wonderful question: What story do you want to tell about {fill in the blank} in the future? Then, yesterday at church the pastor said this: Everything becomes ordinary. I was struck by the relationship between the two in regards to marriage. In the beginning, your […]
What Driver’s Ed teaches you about solving problems
January 1, 2014 By 7 Comments
When you took Driver’s Education in high school, you were taught to be aware of all your surroundings so you would be safe behind the wheel. As you looked ahead, you scanned the traffic and the roadsides. You glanced regularly at your rear view mirror, where you kept an eye on the vehicles and the […]
Mrs. McJudgy Pants goes to Allume
October 28, 2013 By 57 Comments
Have you ever traveled somewhere wonderful and discovered you brought along an uninvited and unwelcome guest? Last week when I packed for Allume—a conference for 450 Christian women bloggers—I had no idea Mrs. McJudgy Pants had come along for the ride. No wonder my suitcase was so heavy. Mrs. McP didn’t make her appearance until […]
The Myth of Talent: How a mistaken belief is holding you back
October 7, 2013 By
When you were little, you probably believed in one or more myths: the Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, Santa Claus. For the most part, those myths were pretty harmless, except for the anguish and heartbreak you suffered when your older sibling or classmate gleefully broke the news that those beloved characters didn’t exist. As adults, […]
How to create a deeper connection with your husband
October 4, 2013 By
Do you ever feel like you and your husband aren’t really connecting? Do you sometimes think it doesn’t matter what you do, that it won’t bring you closer anyway? To the contrary, it does matter, very much. You just need to know the secret password. There’s an old cartoon classic, Ali Baba Bunny, in […]
Marriage and career: together forever for better or worse
September 12, 2013 By
Did you know your marriage is inextricably tied to your career? Yes indeedy it is, and no, it wasn’t anything you did, or can undo, for that matter. However, knowing and understanding this nugget of information can be quite useful. My friend Fawn of The Happy Wives Club touches upon this in […]
