Hello, Reader.

Mother's Day is this coming Sunday. If you are blessed to still have a living mother, don't miss this chance to love on her!

If not, then honor her memory and thank (or ask) God for any mature Christian women who have helped fill that gap in your life. Then purpose to be a nurturing, encouraging influence on the young people God has placed in your circle of influence, as well.

Toward that end, I'm sharing a link list devoted to motherhood this week -- because, whether we have any children of our own or not, we all have (or had) a mother who birthed us and gave us life. And that fact alone is worth celebrating!

Free resources for you this week:

• ​50 Favorite Motherhood Quotes - beautiful & inspiring quotes about mothers' love & devotion
• ​Last-Minute Gifts for Mother's Day - Mom is sure to love any of these 8 gift ideas
• ​A Prayer for Mothers - scriptures to pray over your mom (or ask your kids to pray over you)
• ​A Prayer for the Single Mother - many moms fit this category & would appreciate prayers too!
• ​Why God Made Mothers - this post features a poem I wrote for my own mom many years ago
• ​Animal Mothers & Babies - can you match up all these mother animals to their offspring?
• ​Praying Mother Coloring Page - what a blessing it is to have (or be) a praying mother!

What I'm reading this week:

​When Culture Hates You by Natasha Crain While we were in New Orleans last week, I stayed busy while Doug was in class by crocheting a sweater and listening to Natasha Crain's When Culture Hates You on Audible. ←that's an aff. link for free 30-day trial​ Crain begins by explaining the scriptural basis for why culture is at odds with Christians, then examines half a dozen particularly divisive topics that you'll likely encounter in the public square (and, sadly, even in the congregations of some churches). She provides a solidly biblical response to each of these issues and encourages readers to continue boldly and faithfully engaging unbelievers with truth spoken in love. An excellent read (or listen)!

What we're eating this week:

I made a big pot of this Spinach Artichoke White Bean Soup on Monday, and it was delish! Pair it with sourdough slices or whole wheat crackers and top with shaved parmesan cheese. Yum!

What we're watching this week:

My husband took me and three of our daughters to see The Devil Wears Prada 2 on opening night. We all marveled at how little cast members had changed in 20 years. The plot was believable and contained a couple of surprising twists. None of the performances were phoned in, rather all the actors were fully committed to their character. If you enjoyed the first movie, you won't want to miss the second.

This week's reader request:

One reader wrote to say she had some REALLY advanced planning to do and needed a 2028 year-at-a-glance calendar ASAP: Could I tell her when I'd have mine ready?

Well, as an advanced planner myself, I'd already made that very calendar for myself months ago, so I sent it to her privately. But I also added it to this Free Printable Calendars page on my website, in case anyone else likes to make plans years in advance. Ha!

Another reader alerted me to the fact the download button on my 2026 Scrapbook Calendar wasn't working properly, so I fixed that issue this week, as well.

On the podcast this week:

I didn't get a new episode posted this week, so here's another from the archives for you:

Loving Life at Home: Episode 64 ​8 CRUCIAL THINGS MY MOM GOT RIGHT​ I’m immeasurably blessed to have the mother God gave me, and have learned so much from her over the years. In this episode, I'm sharing eight things she did especially well, so you can benefit from her good example, too. Listen Now

Progress on last week's goals:

I'm happy to report I finished everything on my to-do list last week: I ✅ reduced the emails in my inbox to (just) 47 messages awaiting a response, ✅ finished stitching a new felt Christmas stocking, ✅ wrote ten questions for our family reading challenge, ✅ memorized Luke 6:27-36, ✅ sent my kids and grandkids May's ​Bible memory passage​, ✅ attended memorial service for my friend's husband, ✅ made & posted lesson plans for next fall's co-op classes, and ✅ finished my crocheted cardigan, which I wore when I ✅ attended my son's graduation (magna cum laude with a degree in chemical engineering 🧠) and ✅ hosted our family pizza party afterwards.

Personal goals for this week:

• paint lap desk
• make patriotic tree skirt for Memorial Day
• redeem Microsoft Reward points earned by using BING search engine (they add up fast!)
• prepare for podcast interview with online friend
• post Timberdoodle review (need to finish this year's assignments before next year's arrive)
• write 15 more test questions for our family reading challenge

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Thanks so much for all your help! I'll be back next week with more links, reviews, and resources. If you have any special requests, please let me know. 😊