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Hello Reader,

We've barely gotten back into the stride of school, and already it's time for a break. Hooray for Labor Day! Several of our adult children will be coming into town to visit over the three-day weekend, so we're all excited about that!

But there's much more to celebrate in the coming month than this annual federal holiday honoring American workers. This week's link list includes some of our family's favorites. Enjoy!

Free resources for you this week:

• Sept. 1: World Letter Writing Day – jot a few lines or send a card to a friend or relative
• Sept. 2: Labor Day - a perfect time for our "Do Your Work Heartily" Coloring Page​
• Sept. 6: National Read a Book Day – pick a title from a genre on our reading challenge​
• Sept. 8: National Ampersand Day – can you match all the pairs on our ampersand quiz?
• Sept. 13: Positive Thinking Day – look for it & you'll find most clouds have a silver lining
• Sept. 17: Constitution Day – memorize or review the Preamble to the Constitution today
• Sept. 26: National Better Breakfast Day – try a recipe from our quick breakfast ideas post

What I'm reading this week:

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Why Children Matter by Douglas Wilson I was expecting Why Children Matter to be purely theoretical -- a treatise, perhaps, on why it is important that Christian couples have children, plus some encouragement for raising them up to be men and women of integrity. This slim volume did touch on such ideas, to be sure, but it also offered a wealth of thoughtful insights and practical suggestions for cultivating a warm and mutually respectful relationship with your children, being intentional with the time you invest in each of their lives, prayerfully training them up in the way they should go, and living before them an example worthy of imitation. I especially enjoyed the lengthy Q&A session with Wilson and his wife in the book's appendix.

What we're watching this week:

Doug took me and my youngest to see The Forge in theaters over the weekend, since we want to support the efforts of Christian filmmakers. We didn't have high expectations, but were pleasantly surprised both by the quality and the message.

The story moved us to tears multiple times, so now we're making plans to send a group of our kids and grandkids to see it, as well.

This week's reader request:

I got a sweet note from a second grade teacher named Pam asking if I could post another Color-Your-Own Calendar for the year 2025. She had her students color the 2024 version last year as a Christmas gift for their parents, and it was such a hit, she wanted to repeat the process this year. So, of course I got right to work on it!

On the podcast this week:

Loving Life at Home: Episode 59 ​ON DECIDING IF/WHEN TO HAVE CHILDREN​ How are Christian couples to view the prospect of having children? What considerations should they take into account while deciding when–or whether–to start a family. Listen in as we examine many of the most common objections couples give regarding the prospect of having children. Listen Now

Progress on last week's goals:

I marked 5 out of 7 tasks off my to-do list last week, and made decent progress on those last two. That means I ✅ finished my lesson plans (for the next 6 weeks!), ✅ made three new pillow cases, ✅ painted a ceramic jar for storing cat food, ✅ made samples of this week's leather class project, and ✅ updated the calendar files on website.

I also ✅ cleared about half (but ❌ not all) the stuff off my closet desk and ✅ took some photos for (but ❌ haven't started writing) my Vocal Gym review.

Personal goals for next week:

• help daughter learn choir music
• put together two new Adirondack chairs for patio
• visit with kids who are coming to town for the weekend
• have husband's new partner over for dinner
• plan upcoming trip to see husband's parents