by Alison Moore Smith | Dec 7, 2011 | for Home
I'm not much of a winter person. I want the snow to start falling the day after Thanksgiving and to stop—completely—on January 2. That's when spring should begin, steadily growing warmer and warmer. Today, with the Lindon, Utah, temperature sitting squarely at 26...
by Alison Moore Smith | Dec 6, 2011 | Design Your Own House, for Home
Recently I told you that after a year of living in the house, we finally got our mailbox finished. I simply posted to find a mason, and within a few days, it was being completed. Now, every time I back out of the driveway, I feel good. And so does Sam. For 12 months,...
by Alison Moore Smith | Dec 5, 2011 | for Body, for Mind, Natural Cures for Depression
Suffering isn't ennobling, recovery is. Christiaan Baarnard sait that. He's a medical doctor. I'm not. I don't pretend to be one or even play one on TV. In fact, although I'm not some a anti-medicine fanatic, I have spent my life noticing the almost inherent arrogance...
by Tracy Polyak | Dec 4, 2011 | for Fun, for Good
I recently introduced Grasshopper, age 6, to a favorite Christmas video from my childhood, A Charlie Brown Christmas. In that video, a depressed Charlie Brown is given the assignment to obtain and decorate a Christmas tree for the children's Christmas play. But the...
by Alison Moore Smith | Dec 3, 2011 | Design Your Own House, for Home
A have a new friend and neighbor down the street named Kim. She lives in another custom home…her husband is a contractor. Her home is another version of the modern craftsman. When we were building and trying to decide on some of the subcontractors, she invited us over...
by Alison Moore Smith | Dec 3, 2011 | for Fun, Yea Big
Alana (18): Caleb, get me a spoon. [Caleb (8) rolls his eyes.] Alana: Where did you learn to do that? Caleb: From yooooooou! Alana: Um. No. Caleb: Yeeeeees! I saw you do it. At the dinner table. At the Harmon's house! [We rented Harmon's house when Caleb was...
by Alison Moore Smith | Dec 3, 2011 | Design Your Own House, for Home
If you're looking for a seriously modern punch for your custom home, think about adding a vessel sink or two. What is a vessel sink? It's a free-standing sink that that is placed directly on top of a counter. They are most often used in bathrooms. Vessel sinks come in...
by Alison Moore Smith | Nov 29, 2011 | for Fun, for Money
Black Friday has come and gone. (We slept in, decorated the house, and went to a movie.) Cyber Monday is history. (I spent a couple of hours using some of my very best online deals.) But if you think the bargains are gone, you're wrong. They've just begun! I've...
by Alison Moore Smith | Nov 28, 2011 | for Good, for Love
Take the time to watch the video. Really. “Once a week church attendance is sufficient for a13-year-old boy.” With all those block meetings, firesides, priesthood previews, family home evenings, seminary classes, and mutual nights, you might be imposing...
by Tracy Polyak | Nov 23, 2011 | for Mind, for Spirit
I was excited when Grasshopper wanted to learn to crochet, since I also learned when I was 6 years old. I taught her how to make a chain, and she decided she would make a red chain to give to her grandmother for her Christmas tree. She worked on it for about a minute,...
