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A couple of men in Olympia, Washington (my former hometown) have started a ministry — “Go to Church Day” – to encourage folks who are former church attenders to visit a church of their choice on Sunday, May 4th (that’s this coming weekend for anyone else like me who’s a bit calendar-impaired). 
Since the timing was right to mention it before the deadline, I thought I’d toss in a note here on my blog just in case anyone out there’s been thinking about heading back to church one of these days. This might be the perfect opportunity — chances are good you won’t be the only new visitor on the official “Go to Church Day.”
Also, if you live in the Tacoma/Auburn/Kent/Puyallup/Federal Way area of Washington state, feel free to swing by and visit the church where I’m now on staff part-time. We’d love to welcome you! 
White River Presbyterian Church
http://whiteriverpres.org
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Some parents are intimidated about introducing their children to poetry, thinking they need to understand all about meter, rhyme and symbolism before venturing with their children into the world of Wordsworth or Frost.But if you change poetry from a “school” subject into an activity to enjoy together as a family, you’ll quickly find that poetry can be great fun.
A large anthology of poems (which can be found in most any educational catalog or bookstore) can be invaluable to introducing your family to the joy of poetry. Try picking out a few poems on the subject of the current season, then reading these aloud to your children at the table after lunch or outside in the shade of a tree on a lazy summer day.
It’s also great fun to have everyone choose a favorite poem to memorize for a family recitation, perhaps after dinner when the grandparents or extended family are visiting.
For a fun and friendly introduction to a wide variety of poetry styles, I highly recommend:
A Child’s Introduction to Poetry: Listen While You Learn About the Magic Words that Have Moved Mountains, Won Battles, and Made Us Laugh and Cry (ages 6-12)
View here: http://amazon.com/dp/1579122825/simplepleasuresp/
Awhile back, you might remember that an online friend of mine had sent our family a free water filter for our kitchen sink as a contribution to our family’s health in the midst of all the trials, changes and stresses we’ve been enduring.
Well, last week I received an email from Marilyn Moll (the woman who gave me the water filter) telling that her dear husband had passed away last Sunday. He was only 56 and it was completely unexpected. Their entire family is reeling from the shock and grief. Please, please pray!
Also, if you have need for any homemaking-related supplies, Marilyn’s online family business, The Urban Homemaker, has lots of great equipment and supplies for a healthy home and healthy eating. I encourage you to send your homemaking-related business her direction — I’m suspect their family will probably be facing a lot of financial changes in the midst of this tragedy of losing a loving husband and father.
You can read more at: The Urban Homemaker
Spring cleaning is a wonderful accomplishment. Everything’s fresh and clean. Doesn’t it feel great? But what do you do with all those odds and ends unearthed from your closets and the back recesses of the garage?
Making a few extra pennies by holding a Garage/Yard Sale could be just the ticket. After a number of successful sales over the years, here are some of my favorite tips for making the most of your time and effort:
1) When choosing what to sell, don’t sort things out according to what you think will sell. Try to sell everything. One person’s junk is another’s treasure. Even broken appliances can be sold for parts.
2) Don’t throw out your old magazines — stick them all in a box and sell them for a quarter a piece.
3) Think “store” when you’re setting up. Try to think how traffic patterns of browsing customers would walk around your garage or driveway.
4) Arrange your tables according to categories: all kitchen stuff on one table, bedding on another, clothing on another, gift items grouped together, jewelry displayed next to a mirror, etc. Decide in advance which categories you have, and then sort accordingly.
5) Rather than pricing each piece of clothing individually, put a big easy-to-read sign over the table. Something like: “All clothing 50 cents each, or 3 for $1 (unless otherwise marked).”
6) Play background music while people shop. You want your customers to relax … shop … take their time … enjoy the process. Probably an easy-listening station that plays familiar songs from the 70’s and 80’s would be ideal.
7) Make people feel comfortable and welcome. I’ve been to so many garage sales where the people holding the sale just sat there and glared at you as you shopped. Be sure to smile warmly and greet everyone.
8.) On those large colorful signs you post around town, list some of the individual items at your sale: tools, baby gear, clothing, housewares, collectibles, etc. And don’t forget to take your signs down after the sale’s over.
9) Stock up on bags from the grocery store so you can bag up purchases for customers with armloads of small items.
10) If your goal is to clear out as much as possible, offer a great deal on the afternoon of the last day such as: “Everything you can stuff into a shopping bag for $1,” or “Half price on all items after 12 noon on Sunday.”
By thinking and planning ahead, it’s possible to make your garage sale into a high profit, sociable, and fun way to spend a sunny springtime weekend.
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