A Happy Home Media
Keri Mae Lamar
Cultivating a happy home in the age of distractions.
Episodes
Another Big Move
Well….kinda… I’m (hopefully) simplifying my life and online presence. This blog, although I love it, has become too much to think about. Not the writing part, mind you, but the rest of it: managing the website, keeping up with the updates (and mostly not), paying for it, getting lost in the weeds, ETC. So I’ve […]
No Matter Where God Has You Live
This is part of the driveway to our house, and where I take my walks now.   This is a final installment of finding our home. You can read part I here, part II here, and part III here.   Our realtor wasn’t happy. And he said the seller with whom we have an accepted […]
From No House to Two House(s)
When I don’t know what to do, I play and pray.   This is a continuation of finding our home. You can read part I here, and part II here. ******** I had to call the seller back. She had left me not one, but two voicemails. I took my cell phone to the highest […]
A Priceless Long, Dirt Road
This is a continuation of finding our home. You can read part I here. ******** Well. Let’s just say I had to sit with my husband’s decision for a while. A while being maybe a whole two weeks. The whole wrestling thing. What was he thinking? Why? What about (all the fill in the blanks)? […]
Let’s Have Tea and Conversation
Home is where the bread is baked. The gravel road through the evergreens and maples is quite long, half a mile, in fact. Recent rains hollowed out generous potholes, so those will need minding. At the end of the road and through two large posts, you’ll have an even narrower gravel and grass road to […]
Clearing the Road
1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing. The driveway climbing up to our house needs clearing. […]
When It Feels Ridiculous
  It was a somewhat ridiculous morning. Even after all of the years I’ve spent decluttering, downsizing, and minimizing, I still walked into my living room and could see all of the books and magazines standing tall and clamoring “read me…read me…read me…” I then entered into the kitchen and although the dishes were clean, […]
The People You Choose Not to Talk To
  I saw her across the corridor, struggling a bit with her Ergo carrier while tugging the baby’s feet into the slots below. A baby with Down syndrome is easily recognizable, perhaps more so for us because we have two children with that diagnosis. My heart raced across the room, offering her words of superlative […]
On Being a Grandmother
“We live in a culture that has lost its memory. Very little in the specific shapes and traditions of our grandparents’ pasts instructs us how to live today, or tells us who we are or what demands will be made on us as members of society.” Gretel Ehrlich The Solace of Open Spaces Last Thursday, […]
Plant More Seeds
“A little thing is a little thing, but faithfulness in the little things is a great thing.” Hudson Taylor I planted seeds last Thursday, about three weeks after I found out my CSA farm is taking a break this year to work on building projects and various overdue repairs. I don’t have confidence that my […]
Promises
  “July. Last night from one in the morning until four, I sat in the bed of my pickup with a friend and watched meteor showers hot dance over our heads in sprays of little suns that looked like white orchids.” Gretel Ehrlich The Solice of Open Spaces I take advantage of the break in […]
Time to Load the Van
And what kind of habitation pleases God? What must our natures be like before He can feel at home with us? He asks nothing but a pure heart and a single mind. He asks no rich paneling, no rugs from the Orient, no art treasures from afar. He desires but sincerity, transparency, humility, and love. […]
In Every Way
  “If you don’t sacrifice for what you want, what you want becomes the sacrifice”. (Anonymous) Thursday morning found me in the garden talking to my podcast listeners. In my own head. I had them/you all in my garden and strolling around the winter beds, asking questions, opinions, sharing experiences and wonderings, showing what’s growing, […]
Who Needs Land?
  The snow fell tentatively at first, but by morning there was one big floof of thick white softness over the landscape and flakes were still coming down. I was glad for it. The children would be completely distracted by snowballs and forts and sledding and that would leave me with a spell of quietness […]
Move Forward As Well
  I open the door to my small home office (really a tiny cave in which to hide that everyone inevitably makes their way into). Papers of all sizes are strewed about all over the floor in small bundles, haphazardly organized into categories. I step lightly in the midst of them all, my heel crinkling […]
It Counts a Lot
  Last Wednesday, I went to the local bookstore to use up a gift card that my son won through our library. As I picked up our order, the employee asked if I was a teacher, in which case he would gladly give me a discount. Well. I bet you can guess what happened next. […]
Under the Darkness, Life
  There’s a break in the rain, and I resolve to take my second look into the garden this winter. I like gardening, though I like it better when the sun is warm and robins are hopping around curious of what I’ve turned up. And I like it even better when the soil is musty […]
All Right
We drive home from visiting the property we bought, where we’d been taking slow climbs over downed blackberry brambles and sweeping leafless maple twigs aside to map out where our house might fit. Tom had the 100 foot winding tape measure and a compass. He’d already figured out the corners of the potential house and […]
Living Thoughtfully and Slow
I sat down to slowly unravel the gross nest of nettle fibers, gently shaking and tugging threads from one another. After about 40 minutes of this, I texted a fiber friend of mine: how many times do you think it will take me to never try to use my warping board as a lazy way […]
A Letter to My Readers
I pull the tangerine olive oil cake from the oven and allow it to cool within its pan as I whip up the cream. The kettle is warming and I gather the smaller plates from the high shelf and stack them upon the table next to the paper napkins, the ones with the watercolor birds […]
Something God Alone Can See
Many writers, artists, and other creatives attempt to encapsulate their coming year into a single word. This word—such as love, abundance, service, or spirit— serves as a touchstone, a means of testing the quality of a particular activity or attitude throughout the year, and as a remembrance of that year in its passing. For many […]
Inside Work
I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. John 15:5   When I published the book PRESENT in 2015, it came after a season of raw and plain consideration of how distracted […]
Press In, Hold Fast
So I’m reading Elisabeth Elliot (you do, too, I hope), and I end up marinating in a passage she quoted, perfect for the blurry transition we are in between “how it was” and “what it will be”: “The Christian turns again and again from that bewildered contemplation of history in which God is so easily […]
A Light Heart
Spring finds us in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic and though we are safe (or stuck, depending upon your viewpoint), at home, the heaviness of heart as we consider all things is weighty indeed. Whether we ascribe to all things CDC/WHO or consider alternative theories of how viruses work; whether we forgo, wear, recommend, […]
Alone Together
In 2017, Sherry Turkle published a book titled Alone Together: Why We Expect More From Technology and Less From Each Other. I think of it now, the title mainly, because of the deluge of emails I still continue to get about how “we are all in this together”, this of course being the pandemic of […]
The CoronaVirus: a hope and a wish
“Among the daily chances of this life every man on earth is threatened in the same way by innumerable deaths, and it is uncertain which of them will come to him. And so the question is whether it is better to suffer one in dying or to fear them all in living”. The City of […]
One Response: Plant a Garden and Drink Tea
It is instructive to watch the response of our media, government, and population to this pandemic and to take note. Actually, to take many notes. But that note taking needs to be done calmly and rationally, and I hope that what I share here will help in some way. As a herbalist I use food […]
On Fear and Viruses
Psalms 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd… No doubt some of my readers have joined me in caring for sick family members this winter, and the added palpable fear of contracting *the* virus has caused every minor sniffle to come under investigation. I join in with concern and caution, but I am also concerned […]
Step One: Sell Your Big House
  I feel the need to do an update. It’s been 5 1/2 years since our downsize from the big house, and as we don’t really address it anymore on the podcast, I thought I’d share with you where we are. So, where are we? We are currently in our third rental, which truth be […]
Acceptance
  The State of the Union address was, as usual, an interesting and historical event full of political gymnastics and surprises. Like every American, I alternatively cheered and jeered. But as a homemaking woman who raises her own children by her side at all hours of the day, I felt forgotten, or at least ignored. […]
Imposter
Homemaking can be a lonely occupation, and depending upon one’s comfort with that sort of quietude and company, the keeper is either buoyed or deflated by the lack of other adult conversation and community. Inevitably, however, most keepers find themselves interacting with the world at large as they tend to bringing in their foods from […]
Vision
  Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no vision, the people perish… When embarking upon a new endeavor, it is customary to have in mind some expected end, some objective with which to outline the road by which we shall arrive there. For example, if we desire to gain certification for a career, we shall […]
Uncertainty
my current knit project Although I waddled into the new kindergarten teaching year at nine months along, I was confident that after my maternity leave, I would easily return to my satisfying career with its salary and benefits. And at that time, “salary and benefits” meant that my husband and I and baby would actually […]
Perfectionism: Promise of Peace…Deliverer of Pain
  Many of us struggle with perfectionism: the effort to achieve an accomplishment that in no way can be improved upon. Unfortunately, this stems not from an effort to glorify God, but to either elevate our own selves to ourselves, to prove ourselves to other people, or perhaps to even bribe God (if I do […]
It’s a Keri Mae 3-Book-GiveAWAY!
I hope you all are enjoying your Advent season, and resting in the hope, peace, love, and joy that Jesus brought–and brings–to each person who receives Him. I wish to thank all of our readers, listeners, and patrons for their sweet encouragement and support! I am giving away a three book set to one winner […]
From My Kitchen Table…to Your Hands [book launch]
  It’s finally here! I am happy to release FROM MY KITCHEN TABLE to you all, and my only wish is that I could have tea WITH you all, AT my own kitchen table, in order to talk about the things of the Lord, and what He is teaching us through His Word. Watch the […]
When I Have Time for That
my latest painting   In the morning, after I read my Bible but before I start breakfast, I go outside to feed the cats and the fiber rabbits. It is a pleasant chore to be rewarded with nuzzles, but outside is foggy and drippy and patches of mud gather on the hems of my jeans […]
How to Overcome Distraction
“I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.” Leonardo Da Vinci Recognizing and overcoming distractions in order to cultivate a simple and deliberate life is key for my happy home. I think it’s key for your happy home, too. […]
Waiting
  The WiFi wasn’t working. Tom and I had traveled to a remote waterfront cabin tucked amongst trees fluttering their leaves onto thick earthen piles. We unpacked all of our belongings, fired up the woodstove, and settled into our plans to get sustained and uninterrupted work done for the upcoming book, From My Kitchen Table. […]
When the Joy is Gone, Part IV
  Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is…joy… Most mornings when I wake up, I am excited. I’m excited about a fresh new day and the fact that I’m still alive here with my husband and my children. I’m excited about the events on my calendar, the creative work I have in […]
Keeping Life in Balance… Is it Really Possible?
  As we long for balance in our lives, we really need to back up and begin with the question, “Is ‘balance’ the right frame of mind? Is ‘balance’ even possible?” Give a listen and join in on the conversation. And check out our new book club! Super happy to be giving you the notes […]
When the Joy is Gone, Part III
You can find part one HERE and part two HERE. When the joy is gone, life isn’t very bright. I know what it’s like to walk around in the midst of cloudy disappointment or struggle, much like Pig Pen in the Charlie Brown series. Everything is discolored by it, from the blessing of sweet giggles […]
When the Joy is Gone, Part II
  You may find part one HERE. After completing a sober self-examination to see if you are in the faith, and of repenting of any sinful grumbling or other activity in which the Holy Spirit convicts, it may be that your joy still feels elusive. It’s important to define at this point the word “joy”. […]
When the Joy is Gone, Part 1
  Perhaps, you too, have found yourself sitting on the living room carpet, piles of laundry and toys scattered about, toddlers in various stages of dress and feed while Baby Signing Time loops on the screen and baby is cooing (or squawking) away down the hallway waking from her nap. It’s dumping rain, maybe you’ve […]
The Face of Joyful Endurance
I’ve been through a few cities in the last couple of weeks and in the surround of people upon people, it was the looks upon their faces that struck me the most. The sense of fatigue and anxiety was palpable if not outright obvious in overheard conversation. It was strange to be a part of […]
Shackled at Home
Albert Mohler recently quoted from a reporter that women need to be liberated from the “shackles of home”. So let’s look at that word, shackle, from Webster’s 1828: To chain; to fetter; to tie or confine the limbs so as to prevent free motion. I hardly think my decision to remain on the homefront to […]
We Bought Five Acres
  The rain falls in earnest now, and I am snug in our new rental. Twenty-three years in the Pacific Northwest, and I am still not tired of the rain, even if it happens to fall in the summer. Perhaps because it is the sound of many waters, I hear God’s voice in the applause […]
When God Moves You…Again!
  Disruption in our lives is never purposeless or pointless, praise God. Despite the causes of said disruption, God is forming us more in Christlikeness through it. Our job is simply to trust His faithfulness and to keep our eyes open to His work. To see and hear the entire Downsizing series, click HERE. Blessings,
And, Here We Are
  The driveway up to our new (to us) rental is steep, narrow, and embraced by maples and firs and ferns. I once got stuck upon this very driveway, heading up to meet with friends and braking to meet the vehicle heading down, and therefore have tried to avoid this little road thereafter. Today, I […]
Carry On
  I finished painting the trim in the living room today, the living room in the new-to-us-rental house. The sun was shining through all of the south and west facing windows and even though those windows hadn’t been washed yet, the light was still golden across the parquet wooden floor. It took us a solid […]