As I’ve mentioned before, spring is my favorite time for making resolutions. Everything is new in spring! While we’re celebrating the Easter story and it’s significance in making changes and moving forward in our lives, it just feels like the right time to take a good look at life and make a few course corrections. […]
I’ve been reflecting lately on the twists and turns that my life has taken over the years. I’ve been thinking of the beautiful bends in the river – the valleys that were hidden just around a corner, and the unexpected falls that seemed terrifying at the time, but brought me to peaceful places that changed […]
When I was a small child my grandparents brought us little chocolate advent calendars from Germany for Christmas. Another countdown was a quilted candy cane that my mother made, with one candy each day for the 24 days in December leading up to Christmas. In a family of six siblings, somehow we survived the exquisite torture of waiting […]
I always looked forward to summer vacation as a child. I looked forward to it even more as a mother of young children. The freedom to explore and experience life with fewer boundaries and time constraints has always made it a little bit special. I tend to bristle a bit when researchers prescribe continued educational exercises over […]
Gardening may be one of the most romanticized hard-labor activities in literature. There truly is something enchanting in the alchemy that combines soil and water and tiny little seeds to create marigolds, daisies and hollyhocks. And homegrown tomatoes. I used to think that the heady scents and delicious flavors of a garden were magical in spite […]
The world is such a beautiful place! Some lucky people explore as many nooks and crannies as they can – soaking up cultures and languages and adventures wherever they go. Homebodies (like me) may explore new places through photos and books and travel blogs. However we choose to experience the world, I think we often forget […]
Since the Decoration Days of the 1860s, Memorial Day in the United States has evolved from a day to honor those who fell in the Civil War, to a celebration of summer. Some purists want to strip away the traditions that have crept in to overshadow the original purpose, but I think we can do […]
In generations past, one lucky family member would inherit old family photos. The others could do little more than hope for a glance when visiting the fortunate photographic heirs. As technology advanced it became easier to make copies of the treasured family photos, but quality copies were still relatively rare. I feel so fortunate that […]
Sometimes what starts as a silly little thing becomes life-changing. Not life-changing in the dramatic way we’ve come to use that term, but life-changing in the way we view and interact with the everyday world. If I remember correctly, this particular silly little thing began one ordinary evening. I made my husband’s favorite cereal treats […]
I honestly and truly love Christmas. I don’t love everything that happens this time of year. The chaos of the season is just too much to take sometimes. Several years ago, when I was sad that the magic had waned and Christmas had become a bit of a chore, I had an epiphany that saved […]
Hi! I’m Barbara Anne Williams, a designer and illustrator living in the Rocky Mountains of Northern Utah. I find inspiration in the beauty of nature, the scent of old books, and the kindness of everyday heroes.
