Search Results for: blog reflections in a dime store window

Meet a Families.com Blogger – Mary Ann Romans!

We are pleased to have freelance writer Mary Ann Romans with us here today. She is the third blogger to join us in our look at the writers that make up the Families.com family. Mary Ann, thanks for joining us! How long have you blogged for Families.com? My first blog on Families.com was in December of 2006. At the moment, I have more than 1260 individual blog posts. How cool is that! What topics do you blog about? I cover Frugal Living, which is so much fun because finding new ways to save money really exercises the brain cells. It … Continue reading →

Reflections in A Dime Store Window

My first exposure with getting good deals happened early on in my childhood. Caught up in the holiday wonderland of Brooklyn, New York, the sort of magic that is captured by the song “Silver Bells, Silver Bells,” I would stare wide-eyed at the shops lining the street. From Cheap Charlie’s to George’s Discount Store, I grew up trailing behind my mother as she went from place to place, gathering something here, something there and chatting with the owners. “Did you know that so-and-so-down the street has Christmas hooks for 10 cents a box?” she would say, prompting the store we … Continue reading →

Countdown to the Holidays: Donation Day

How are you preparing for the holidays? During the last post I talked about getting the house back into somewhat normal order after a couple of weeks of heavy workloads and church commitments. Well, I am happy to report that we are mostly there. My next order of business in my home is to eliminate the clutter and the excess. This will not only make it easier to keep everything clean, but it will leave room for the holiday decorating. The decorations will have a place to go, especially the Christmas tree, and the house won’t look overwhelmed. It will … Continue reading →

How to Buy a Generator 2

Tis the season to lose power as wintery winds, snow storms, and ice coat the land here in most of the country. At our house here in the woods, we tend to lose power at least four of five times a year. This can be very inconvenient, especially since losing power also means losing heat and water. Just two short weeks after we moved in to our home we purchased a generator. It was a very good investment. Here is a continuation of how you can choose your own household generator. Let’s talk about how much capacity you require from … Continue reading →

The Snowman Conspiracy (1)

Is a snowman a fun loving holiday icon or a clever conspiracy? You decide. It finally happened, late last night. The kids fell asleep to the sounds of a cracking fire in the fireplace and the last lines “There’s no place like home” from “The Wizard of Oz.” As my husband carried the little ones off to bed, I padded through the house adjusting the thermostat, turning off the lights and cleaning up stray toys. As I headed back into the family room, I spotted something on the stair rail. Just another discarded sock, I thought, and sighed aloud. But … Continue reading →

Three Little Pumpkins

Sitting outside in the rain are two little pumpkins. They aren’t quite sitting on a fence, but they are pretty close to one. They shine in the moonlight and declare the Fall. My two older children decorated them with tempera paint, swirls of color that has now washed clean. The purples and browns and blues and yellows and reds are no more; the pumpkins are back to their natural clean orange state, and I get the sense that it is just mother nature washing off her makeup. Like any good mother though, she’ll put up with a little mess, and … Continue reading →

My Third Week in Review

Three times is the charm, right? I’ve had a lot of fun this week, celebrating Christmas, getting ready for the new year and blogging up a storm. Are you having a good holiday season? In case you missed any posts from my third week, here they are again. Reflections in A Dime Store Window: My first exposure with getting good deals happened early on in my childhood. Caught up in the holiday wonderland of Brooklyn, New York, the sort of magic that is captured by the song “Silver Bells, Silver Bells,” I would stare wide-eyed at the shops lining the … Continue reading →