Welcome to Daily Encouragement!

God gave Ray and me a sweet day while we were in the Nashville area for an appointment last week. The day began with a series of mishaps, but I think the mishaps opened our hearts to the blessings that came later. First, I dropped a bottle of purple juice while getting it out of […]

Lilies of the Valley have long been a favorite flower of mine. They were a popular wedding boutonniere for grooms and groomsmen in 1974 when Ray and I were married. Ray and our groomsmen wore them; but since we married in December, they were artificial. This is Ray’s: I had forgotten that there were some […]

Several years ago, our then-three-year-old grandson (who now is now 11) asked me if he could fix my hair. Of course, I said, “Yes.” I sat down, and he climbed up behind me with his big sister’s hair stuff bin. He told me it was going to be, “pretty, pretty, pretty.” During the session, he […]

Last week I showed you two of the 80 copper relief panels in the Grand Reading Room of the Nashville Public Library and mentioned the artist Gregory Ridley who created them. Gregory Ridley was an African American born in Smyrna, Tennessee, in 1925. His father, Gregory D. L. Ridley Sr., was a minister; his mother, […]

Easter Lilies by Alice Pike Barney Courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Laura Dreyfus Barney and Natalie Clifford Barney in memory of their mother, Alice Pike Barney Yesterday we talked about weeping and rejoicing and about sharing in those emotions with others. When our Lord Jesus came to earth, He had both […]

Ray has done well since his surgery. Praise God. However, during the first few days after his surgery, I felt a bit overwhelmed. One day I got teary with our son, John, and apologized. He responded with sweet words of assurance that were exactly what I needed to hear at that moment. He said, “You […]

We were excited when our mowers arrived one day last week. I had been enjoying the lilac blooms, the blooms coming up from bulbs, and even the raindrops on the lilies that aren’t ready to bloom yet. I even thought that the individual dandelions were pretty. . . . but they were multiplying so fast, […]

After Ray’s recent surgery, our daughter asked if we would like for her 11-year-old son to spend the night with us one night to help out. I answered with a hearty, “Yes!” This guy looks for ways to be helpful and he was a great help to his Notty and Little. He washed dishes, loaded […]

I appreciate how the planners of the Nashville Public Library honored the past in their design, not only in its historic murals and copper relief panels, but also with plaques once on display in the previous downtown Nashville library, which opened in 1905. One plaque states that the previous building was “built through the munificence […]

For the last few years, I have enjoyed serving on the board of the Timothy Demonbreun Heritage Society (TDHS), which exists to educate people about our ancestor Timothy Demonbreun (1747-1826). Timothy was christened Jacques Timothe Boucher sieur de Montbreun at Église Sainte-Famille Catholic Church in Boucherville, Quebec, Canada. Most members of this group of history […]

In 1976 America celebrated the 200th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Then 82 years old, artist Norman Rockwell created a painting of himself putting a Happy Birthday ribbon on the Liberty Bell. Ray and I made our first trip to Philadelphia that year. I remember seeing America’s Bicentennial logo decorating light poles in the […]

Homeschoolers use a variety of tools to teach their children vocabulary, but I doubt that the words “me, my, and mine” are included in many of them. “Me, my, and mine” haven’t been far behind “Mama” and “Daddy” in the vocabulary development of the children I have been close to. I once walked past a van […]

Our grandchildren love for me to read to them from old Golden Books from 50 and 60 years ago with stories about the Lone Ranger, Captain Kangaroo, Smoky Bear, or some such. The pages of some of them are so brittle that I have to turn them with care. The Lone Ranger character debuted on […]

I’m happy to report that Ray continues to take it very easy and to be doing well. Your prayers and concern warm our hearts. And now for some thoughts for today . . . I’d love to be sitting on a porch swing, drinking a glass of lemonade when guests arrive at our house, but […]

I always feel sad when I talk to a mama who has homeschooled her child since kindergarten but is about to send him or her to public school for high school. Parents make this decision for many reasons. Here are a few: Genuine concern about their own ability to do the job they need to do. Pleading […]

The Haystack, 1891 by Claude Monet was the featured painting in the Farm to Table: Art, Food, and Identity in the Age of Impressionism exhibition that my friend and I saw in Nashville last week. The Haystack was on loan from a private collection. It is one of the 30 or so paintings in the […]

Note: Thank you for your prayers and concern for Ray in his surgery yesterday. Everything went wonderfully. Praise God! Last week a friend and I went to the Frist Art Museum in downtown Nashville to enjoy Farm to Table: Art, Food, and Identity in the Age of Impressionism. The larger section of the exhibit displayed […]

I look back on our homeschooling years with great joy and so do Ray and our children. If God gave me the opportunity to go back in time, I would joyfully homeschool again. I am deeply grateful to God for that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with our children. Madame Georges Charpentier and Her Children, Georgette-Berthe and Paul-Emile-Charles […]

Ecclesiastes teaches us that “There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven.” For Ray and me, it’s time for us to ask another favor from all of you. After consultations with three of his doctors, Ray has decided to have a heart procedure tomorrow morning at […]

Yesterday I wrote about children living tranquil, quiet, godly, dignified lives. Dignified? Really? I like this Merriam Webster definition of dignity: the quality or state of being worthy, honored, or esteemed. Helping children be and feel dignified is all about respecting them as human beings. It is about honoring them, esteeming them, and treating them […]

First, let me confess that, just as is true every day with my posts, I am definitely part of the target audience for this message today. If God pricks your heart with any of the messages I share, know that He is pricking mine, too. Busy, busy, busy. If we aren’t careful, busy can be […]

When Ray and I got married, I carried a bride’s Bible open to 1 Corinthians 13 with a cascade of roses lying on top. This photo with the campus minister who performed our wedding is the best one I have of my bouquet. 1 Corinthians has much to teach us concerning wedding days and the […]

I cherish my earliest childhood memories. I don’t know why they all involve my sweet daddy: Daddy riding me piggyback Daddy kneeling to pray beside the bed Daddy holding me and reciting: “I see the moon. The moon sees me. God bless the moon. God bless me.” I well remember somebody playing “This Little Piggy” […]

“Do not forsake your own friend or your father’s friend . . . ” was among the Proverbs we studied yesterday in Sunday school. As I sat: beside my friend who retired from the local nursing home after 39 years and near my friend who faithfully visits and serves her neighbor who is there temporarily […]

Ray and I were an hour from home when we finished a late afternoon appointment yesterday. It was suppertime so we decided to eat in the small city halfway between the doctor’s office and home. I said, “If we’re going out to eat, let’s see if [our friends] want to go with us.” When Ray […]

Mothers spend a lot of time waiting. We wait nine months for our babies to be born. We wait for them to reach one milestone after another. When they move away and start home for a visit, we wait for them to arrive safe and sound. Like others in the human race, we wait for […]

As storms drew closer to our area over the weekend, local residents saw warnings to be ready. Ray and I spent Friday night preparing for the possibility of tornadoes. We filled a tote with necessaries and put it in the bathroom in the middle of the house, which has no windows. We still protect Ray’s […]

“We’re All Here to Learn” is one of my favorite Dailey and Vincent songs. Our recent study of the 26th chapter of Proverbs in our Sunday school class reminded me of the truth in that wise song title. As I have reminded all of us again and again, one of a child’s most important accomplishments […]

One of Daddy’s endearing traits was his picturesque speech. Mother and Daddy with our kiddos, c. 1984 Ray and I love to quote Daddy. One of our Charles Leland words is weatherish. The last few days have been weatherish around here. I am not complaining. We have had interesting weather, not disastrous weather like Missouri, […]

“What if I don’t cover everything?” asks the worried homeschooling mama who is trying so hard to do a good job. I’m not sure she would like my short answer to that question, which is this: “You can’t!” I have good news though. You can’t cover everything, but you can count everything! Instead of wishing […]

Today would have been my mother’s 93rd birthday. Mother made many things in her long life. She enjoyed sewing for herself, for the public, and for her children and grandchildren. She and I made Bethany’s wedding dress together. She loved crafting for fun and with her beloved Home Extension (later Family and Community Education) Club. […]

I recently read about research showing that feelings of isolation and rejection trigger responses in the brain that are similar to responses to physical pain. All of us who have had painful conversations that left us feeling like we got socked in the gut can identify with that research. All of us probably know a […]

After a 1950s and 1960s childhood in which I experienced life in a Beaver Cleaver, Andy Griffith, Ozzie and Harriet sort of way, I graduated from high school in 1971. Between high school graduation and marrying Ray at the end of 1974, I graduated from college and: Helen Reddy recorded the song, “I Am Woman.” […]

I love to play games. Our family does, too, all the way down to our three-year-old grandson. He challenges me to a game of Critter in the Candy® and Pick-Up Sticks almost every time he comes over. He doesn’t mind that our Critter in the Candy looks like this. The game has looked like that […]

I never collected Beanie Babies, but I do have a camel and a hippo. The camel looks nice beside the piece of olive wood and replica of a Dead Sea Scroll that Ray’s daddy brought us back from Israel in 1977. The hippo sits on my computer. John, Bethany, and Mary Evelyn brought it to me […]

Note: Thank you for praying for Ray’s test on Tuesday morning. Everything went great and the results were good. Praise God. ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ Ray got me to thinking about compassion through his sermon on Sunday. He pointed out why Jesus fed the 4,000 in Matthew 15. Jesus […]

Have you ever struggled in a relationship in which you felt like you couldn’t do anything right? Jesus understands. He couldn’t even be sure of having a meal without someone judging Him and saying that He was doing something wrong. While eating at the home of Matthew the tax collector, Pharisees asked Jesus’ disciples why […]

I am deeply grateful for parents who took me to church “every time the doors were open.” That decision—or rather, that series of hundreds and hundreds of decisions—poured eternal lessons into my heart, soul, and mind. Granted, it was easier for our family to be in church than most families since we only had to […]

I was honored when Ray asked me back in the spring of 1981 to contribute to the Entrust These Things booklet to give to graduating seniors from the Christian student group he led at Ole Miss. I have often wondered why he gave me the topic: “A Gentle and Quiet Spirit.” If I had given […]

As I finished yesterday’s post about entrusting God’s teachings to your children, I realized that we can only entrust teachings if the person we are trying to teach is teachable. We can teach nothing to anyone who isn’t teachable. God’s word tells us that again and again: He who corrects a scoffer gets dishonor for […]

In the spring of 1981, Ray was a campus minister at the University Christian Student Center (UCSC) at Ole Miss. He was about to turn 29. Our son, John, was two years old, and I was expecting Bethany. As the seniors in our college group approached graduation, Ray compiled a booklet to give to the […]

On Monday and Tuesday, we enjoyed having a guest at Notgrass History. Seth Dunham came to give us some ideas and training. Having him come was a delight, and the visit reminded me of a post I wrote about Seth more than six years ago. This morning I’d like to share that message with you […]

Among the items on my list of 23 objectives for our homeschool was this: Be uniquely God’s man or woman. Following are two of the scriptures that form the basis for that objective: God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Genesis […]

When we moved to our old, old house in the country in 2004, we decided to give it a name like houses in books. Because our house has three stone chimneys, we named it Three Chimneys. We got the name from The Railway Children by E. Nesbit. 2015 portrait of Ray and me by one […]

Each of our children has a first name from the Bible and a family name for their middle name. John, our oldest, is named for the apostle John and for our dear friend John Peden. Our John’s middle name is Raymond, his daddy’s first name. Mary Evelyn, our youngest, is named for the mother of […]

Ray and I continue to be heartbroken as we hear about one separation or divorce after another among younger people we know. As of one night this week, we have now heard of four in the last few months and two of them were during this week. All of these couples have children. I know […]

Mary Evelyn, our daughter who has devoted much of her life to Christian musical theater, used to delight us with her Zooki performances. Zooki was a sweet, fun, and childlike alien from Ingababok who was in need of much Earth learning. I might not be spelling Ingababok correctly, but I’m sure Zooki doesn’t know how […]

Ray and I are enjoying our winter of watching grandchildren play church league basketball. Our young grandsons look forward to halftime when kids from the crowd of spectators take to the court to practice their own basketball goals and dribbles. A French child enjoyed playing basketball and other American games sponsored by the American Red […]

Ray and I had a delightful outing on Saturday. In the morning, we watched two of our grandsons play basketball. It was extra fun to hold our newest grandbaby for most of the game, to see the boys’ team win the game, and to see the joy on their faces when they showed us their […]

Happy Valentine’s Day! I have enjoyed Valentine’s Day since I was a girl. It was fun making Valentine boxes for our party at school. We covered shoe boxes with tissue paper and then decorated them with glitter and red and pink construction paper hearts. Our classmates and I bought Valentines from the dime store, signed […]

The summer of 1994 was a turning point in our family’s life. Ray and I had been married for 19 years. Ray was serving as a minister, as he had been for the past 16 years. We had a son and two daughters. For four years, we had been struggling to choose the best way […]

By 1941 German Nazis had taken control of country after country in continental Europe and was at war with the United Kingdom. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill desperately needed help from the United States. Churchill longed to meet face to face with U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt. The two had met casually in 1918. Aides made […]

On Sunday, we continued our study of Proverbs in our Sunday school class. This week’s discussion included this verse: Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest Is a faithful messenger to those who send him, For he refreshes the soul of his masters. Proverbs 25:13 Two of my homeschool objectives for our children […]

In April of 2016, Ray and I spent a day at the Art Institute of Chicago. As an art lover, it was one of my favorite days ever. We both enjoyed it so much that we didn’t even stop for lunch, which made our Chicago-style pizza that night taste even better. Except for times when […]

Today marks the 58th time I have mentioned Laura Ingalls Wilder in a blog post. 58 times! That’s an average of about once every couple of months, so I guess that’s not too much. I haven’t been counting. I simply searched for Laura on my blog site last night. I first wrote about her during […]

Do you get the itch to do projects around the house at the first of the year like I do? I seem to get that itch every year. As I told you recently, on a day when we were having company for supper, I spent time that I thought I had but didn’t really have […]

As I have mentioned before, for many years our son John has honored Ray’s dad with his performances of One Soldier’s Story, in which he dresses in his grandfather’s uniform and tells his World War II story in first person. Little did Ray’s grandparents, Earl and Maggie Notgrass, know when they welcomed their only child […]

I learned a new vocabulary word yesterday: diptych. A diptych is an object with two matching or coordinated parts. In art a diptych consists of two painted or carved works of art connected by a hinge. People often used a diptych during prayer and devotion. The painting below, pictured here in a modern frame, is […]

While Ray was a campus minister for Ole Miss students from the late 1970s to the mid-80s, we met Karen Winter. Life had already given her a slew of adventures, and that has continued. I enjoy reading what she writes from her life story and what God has taught her through her adventures. Over the […]

It has been a while since I have shared stories from Theodore and Mittie Roosevelt’s homeschooling family. Their homeschooling style can be summed up in four words. Faithful, Diligent, Lifestyle Learners Today I invite you to learn what that looked like through the words of two of their children — their older son Theodore Jr., who grew […]

John Richard is a wise man in his 80s. When he speaks, I know that I need to pay attention. He began last night’s devotional talk with these words: “Today is my mother’s birthday.” Then he told us that his mother taught him valuable lessons. He told us, too, that she got old and then […]

I’m fascinated when I learn that people long ago enjoyed what people still enjoy today. In this c. 1765-1766 Japanese woodblock print, young women are playing Ayatori, which is called cat’s cradle in English. Our Mary Evelyn enjoyed playing string games and learning new ones from a book of string games. Young Women Playing Cat’s […]

I love the modern practice of saying “I love you” at the end of phone calls and texts. Did you know that it is a modern thing to say? Relatives and close friends wrote “Love,” as the closing to letters we wrote on old-fashioned stationery in old-fashioned cursive with an old-fashioned pen, but we didn’t […]

When we sit down beside our friend Darlene at church on Sunday mornings, Ray and I often put our belongings on the seat in front of us. Here you see my Bible and purse, plus two items that had not been in our hands when we arrived at church yesterday. The foil held cake from […]

Well, I guess it’s about time to share another of my nincompoop moments, such as the time I thought my hair dryer cord was too short and the time I used the house phone to call and find my cell phone and somebody answered, but it wasn’t me! Yesterday Ray and I were looking forward […]

I am listening again to The Autobiography of Calvin Coolidge, a book that always encourages me. I am grateful that Ray included it as one of the suggested literature titles that accompany his high school Exploring Government. The Autobiography of Calvin Coolidge is in itself a short course on civics. I am listening to the […]

You only have to homeschool one day at a time. And you get to homeschool one day at a time. On some days, you may worry about how you will get through that one day, but I think our worries generally involve much more time than a day. Our fears are about the long term. […]

Mother taught me how to embroider when I was still a young girl. This cup towel is one of my first pieces. The stitches may be higgledy-piggledy, but it is a cherished heirloom. The contrast between my stitches and the ones below cause me to admire the work of seven-year-old Mary Pixton back in 1844. […]

As set forth in the 20th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which was ratified on January 23, 1933, today is Inauguration Day. Preparations have been underway for many weeks in order for Washington, D.C., to host this Inauguration Day, including the last-minute preparations for moving the ceremonies indoors. Today’s inauguration is not the first modern […]

Gimme. Gimme. Gimme. Having the gimmies can be a strong temptation for people of any age. The gimmies can take many forms. Stuff that is elegant and expensive and that portrays status tempts some people. Bargains tempt others. Sometimes people yield to that temptation so much that they become hoarders of stuff and more stuff. […]

While our family was together at Christmas, I asked each person privately what group activity he or she would like to do while we were together. I am thankful that we got to do everyone’s suggestion. Requests included: Playing outside Singing As you see, some of the kids had fun with the songbooks. Visiting Charades […]

As I live life, I often jot down notes of events and experiences which give me an idea of something to write for you to read in Daily Encouragement. Sometimes I feel like a news reporter. For weeks a torn piece of tissue has lain on my desk. I remembered that it was a note […]

It all began with a text from my friend Susan on Friday night: “You and Notty been building a snowman today? Lol.” “Not us! You?” I texted back. “We may build one tomorrow,” she replied. That’s when the idea first came into my head. Should Ray and I build a snowman on Saturday? With the […]

He gives snow like wool; He scatters the frost like ashes. He casts forth His ice as fragments; Who can stand before His cold? He sends forth His word and melts them; He causes His wind to blow and the waters to flow. Psalm 147:16-18 I love snow. Friday was a wonderful snowy day here […]

On November 4, 1991, five presidents gathered for the dedication of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum. It was the first time in American history that five presidents had gathered in one place. President George Herbert Walker Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush, who were serving in the White House at that time, came […]

Saturday morning began early with a trip to Cookeville to watch two of our grandsons, ages 8 and 11, play their first game of basketball. In the afternoon, we watched their 13-year-old sister play her first game of the season (she played last year, too). Our area is blessed with a group of Christians who […]

While Ray and I were in Chattanooga celebrating our 50th anniversary, complete strangers shared our joy over and over again. Having so many rejoice with us was nourishing to our spirits. We did lots of shopping on Saturday, including a major shopping trip to Trader Joe’s to get ready for our family to arrive the […]

Our son John told me yesterday that he is using the This is the Day to Pray (thisisthedaytopray.com) website for family devotionals in his home. He told me that prayer helps him think about other people. I told you recently about this new website that John has created. I won’t keep bugging you about it, […]

This is “back to school” day for many homeschooling families. If you are like I was in our homeschooling years, you’ve been hoping for today to be an especially good day. One thing I know for certain: being flexible . . . rolling with the punches . . .  laughing when things go a bit […]

Another song that our son John sang and played for us on New Year’s Day was “O Sing a Song of Bethlehem,” written by Louis F. Benson in 1889. I enjoy reading the words of poems and hymns from long ago because they reveal that people of many time periods have been devoted followers of […]

For 27 years, Ray and I have enjoyed the music our son John creates from the guitar he received for Christmas 27 years ago. We cherish the memory of the moments we relished yesterday while he serenaded his mom and dad at New Year’s Day breakfast. John had chosen four songs of faith, including “There’s […]

Today my pink calendar’s job is over, and my new purple calendar is ready to take over. As we begin using our new calendars today, I am sharing with you some calendars from America’s past. Let’s pray that in every day in 2025 God helps us: To love Him more dearly. To serve Him more […]

As Ray and I look forward to a quiet and happy family New Year’s Eve today and this evening, I pray that God grants you a New Year’s Eve that you and your family enjoy. I’d like to share with you some ways that people have celebrated New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day in […]

As 2024 comes to a close, we have just enjoyed Christmas Day and we look forward to New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. I enjoyed finding this poster in the collection of the Library of Congress. It is called The Red Letter Days and was published by L. Prang & Co. The artist was […]

Fifty years ago today on December 27, 1974, Daddy walked me down the aisle of my hometown church where he gave me away to Raymond Wesley Notgrass. As our family and friends watched, we made these promises which we had written ourselves. Ray said: Eva Charlene, God is first and must always be first in […]

Most years during the Christmas/New Year season, I remind everyone of the words to “Once in Royal David’s City,” one of my favorite Christmas carols. English hymnwriter Cecil Frances Humphreys Alexander published this song in 1848 in Hymns for Little Children. Alexander tells of our Savior’s birth and of His holy life on earth. She […]

Virgin and Child, c. 1600 Workshop of Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, Siegen 1577–1640 Antwerp) Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art The Friedsam Collection, Bequest of Michael Friedsam, 1931 And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for […]

Many of you probably receive our Notgrass History newsletter, but I wanted to tell you a bit of the behind-the-scenes story of our making the video and also share it with those of you who don’t receive that newsletter. Below is our 2024 Christmas message, followed by this year’s Notgrass History Christmas Video. 🎄 Our […]

Since 1923 the public celebration of Christmas in America has included a National Christmas Tree. That year First Lady Grace Coolidge gave the District of Columbia public schools permission to set up a Christmas tree on the Ellipse near the White House. That first 48-foot tree was from President Coolidge’s home state of Vermont. Photo […]

Away in a mangerNo crib for a bed.The little Lord JesusLaid down His sweet head. So begins the classic Christmas carol, “Away in a Manger.” I recently came across this elaborate devotional object which is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The object represents the “Crib of the […]

In yesterday’s post, we remembered what Jesus taught about the value of children. Charles Dickens’ portrayal of children and childhood is among the effective ways he told the story of the fall and redemption of Ebeneezer Scrooge. Most of us know about Tiny Tim, but I’d like to look at other references to children in […]

Jesus began His life on earth as a baby in His mother’s womb. As the angel told her: And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. Luke 1:31 In the early 1300s, a French artist created this sweet stone sculpture of Mary receiving the angel’s […]

Ray and I have been blessed with happy Christmas memories of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Leo G. Carroll and Reginald Owen in the 1938 motion picture, A Christmas Carol, courtesy of the New York Public Library. We read the book aloud and also watched Mickey’s Christmas Carol and The Muppet Christmas Carol with our […]

Christmas is a fun time for matching sweaters and matching PJs. I wonder what it is like for twins who wear matching outfits all the time. These little girls are the Sunbonnet Twins who illustrated The Sunbonnet Twins: A Story of Verse and Music for Little Tots by Bernhardt Wall (aka Uncle Milton), published in […]

The annual Granville Country Christmas celebration is scheduled for this coming Saturday in Granville, Tennessee. Ten years ago, Ray and I took our then three-year-old granddaughter to this annual celebration. A twelve-member choir, all dressed in red, performed a faith-filled program in the little United Methodist Church. I like to go inside this pretty white […]

Two people are usually left out of the tellings of the birth and early childhood of Jesus. These are the devout Jews Simeon and Anna. When Jesus was forty days old, Mary and Joseph took Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord at the temple. Because they were poor, they offered a sacrifice […]

As I sat Sunday after Sunday listening to my husband’s thoughtful sermons, I thought that more people ought to be able to hear him. Finally he agreed to start a podcast. He releases a podcast twice a month. They always contain stories from history. The one released yesterday would make a wonderful family activity during […]

An astounding thing happened just over 2000 years ago. Our Father sent His only Son away from the wonder and majesty and safety of heaven to the earth He had created. The Nativity, painted enamel on gold, c. 1650, French Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917 God didn’t […]

In 1977 God sent Ray and me into “a great cloud of witnesses.” We drank in the wisdom of all of them. Two of those witnesses were Wilma and Ervin Davis. When we met them, Ervin was serving as an elder at the church where Ray began serving as a campus minister to students at […]

I am grateful for this season when we think about God sending Jesus into the world. I recently shared about the connections between Thanksgiving and the seven days of Creation. Think about Jesus being with God at Creation and then after many years coming to the earth that was made through Him. In the beginning […]

Ray and I went to little Livingston, Tennessee, with friends last Friday night for opening night of its annual series of Christmas celebrations. This year’s theme is Christmas in the Country. At the end of A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens said of Ebenezer Scrooge: . . . it was always said of him that he […]

Around 1873 Currier and Ives published this Welcome print for Americans to display in their homes. In 1899 Dr. Robert Stein, a member of the U.S. Geological Survey, began an expedition in the Arctic. While in their winter quarters at their base camp on Cape Sabine on Ellesmere Island, members of Stein’s expedition showed hospitality […]

Several weeks ago, as Ray and I stood at a receptionist’s station, I noticed that she kept a Bible reference handy. Evidently other stresses of her day were bothering her, because at one point during our completely calm interactions, she said, “My nerves are shot.” I said, “I noticed your Bible verse.” “Oh yeah, I’ve […]

Courtesy of The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Picture Collection at the New York Public Library The Christmas season has begun, and I am thankful. I love this time of year. Like Thanksgiving, the Christmas season is a time of preparation. For homeschooling mamas, it is an additional time […]

I know how busy Thanksgiving week can be, so I’ve been keeping these posts rather short this week. On this day that is traditionally one of America’s biggest Christmas shopping days, I’d like simply to share some historic photos related to Christmas shopping. Early 1900s—Boys Looking in a Shop Window 1924—Poster Encouraging Midday Christmas Shopping […]

Happy Thanksgiving, Precious Readers! Today I thank God with you for every sweet blessing He has given us. I am deeply grateful for each of you. Thank you to those who have expressed kindness to my family and me and assurance of prayers for us, especially the last few months. I still hope to respond […]

Back in 2002, we Notgrasses were trying to find our place in the world of homeschool curriculum. We began publishing little 8 1/2″ by 5 1/2″ 20-page booklets which we folded and stapled by hand. Most were about current events. We published one per month and called the series In the News. Many of the […]

The week of Thanksgiving is a good time to put into practice this piece of advice I read recently: Let our lives be full of both thanks and giving. I love that. Being a thankful person and being a giving person—what a beautiful way to live life. What wonderful character traits to teach our children: […]

Ray and I had a wonderful experience yesterday when we attended Cookeville, Tennessee’s 38th Annual Thanksgiving Singing. It was pure joy to join our voices with 989 others, singing songs of praise, comfort, hope, and gratitude. Singings have a long history in America and in other countries. The folks in this picture are participating in […]

I admire my friend Judy. During our recent state to state text chat, she told me that she was trying to finish her Christmas shopping. She said, “I know it’s still early but my deadline has always been wrapped by Thanksgiving. Then I can enjoy the holidays and can do things if something comes up.” […]

My mother used to describe an especially exciting experience as a big time, as in: “We sure did have a big time!” I had a big time last weekend when I made six trips to Santa’s Workshop, the craft fair sponsored each year by Cookeville’s Junior Women’s Club. I’ve been attending Santa’s Workshop with grandchildren […]

When I went into the kitchen on Sunday morning, I found Ray doing one of his Sunday morning chores—filling up the pill containers with supplements and prescriptions. He fills up his and mine, too, every week, something I deeply appreciate. He makes sure to keep those pills and supplements ordered, too. I thought the scene […]

I’ve been reading the book of Deuteronomy in which Moses recaps the history of the Israelites’ journey from Egypt up to the time when they are about to enter the Promised Land. Moses reminds the Israelites about God’s laws, telling them: You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take […]

When I was a little girl, I watched Captain Kangaroo on our black and white television before walking to school. Me in 1959 Ray remembers watching it, too. The Captain and his sidekicks, Mr. Green Jeans and Dennis the handyman and the puppets Mr. Moose and Bunny Rabbit, entertained and educated us. We were thrilled […]

Every morning my email friend Betty (I called her Rose in this post back in August) sends me one of her breathtaking nature photograph and Bible verse emails. This is what she sent me on Wednesday. What a tribute to God’s creative mind. The variety of design and colors of this bird’s feathers reveal God’s […]

Only a month ago, Ray and I were driving through Robertson County, my mother’s home county. The little town of Orlinda, which claims to be the sunniest spot in Tennessee, inspired me to encourage your children to be the brightest spot in the room. On Sunday Ray and I visited Great Smoky Mountains National Park […]

Ray and I spent three glorious days in the Smoky Mountains with Mary Evelyn and her family last weekend. Ray and I finished our drive home early Monday morning. When we crossed Roaring River just before 8:00 A.M., the views were too beautiful to miss taking some pictures. On the right side of the bridge, […]

Sometimes an individual or an organization must take an honest look at the past and make amends. Last week I read an article in our local newspaper about the Daughters of the American Revolution Marian Anderson Legacy Scholarship. The Daughters of the American Revolution made a terrible mistake in 1939 when they refused to book […]

Though the Treaty of Versailles, which officially ended World War I, was not signed until June 28, 1919, the Allied nations and Germany agreed to an armistice the previous November 11. Therefore, the “war to end all wars” is generally regarded to have ended on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh […]

I rarely publish a post without Ray reading it first. He’s sweet to answer me thoughtfully on those days when I ask, “Are you sure this one is okay?” When I asked him about this one, he responded: “I think you may convict somebody’s conscience and make a difference.” Know that I offer it lovingly, […]

Over the years, I have shared the art of Helen Hyde several times. Hyde was a printmaker, an illustrator, and a painter who created beautiful depictions of children and of mothers and children. I have shared A Summer Girl, The Secret, Mother and Child, and New Year’s Day in Tokyo. Hyde was born in Lima, […]

I am always blessed when I get a message from Kenneth Wayne, one of my Daddy’s first cousins. He is a godly man with a very tender heart. My favorite emails are those in which he shares memories from long ago. On Monday he sent a memory from his Aunt Hattye and his grandmother, “Momma […]

League of Women Voters poster, c. 1965-1980 Yesterday I mentioned the homeschool graduate who once studied Uncle Sam and You and is now seeking a seat in the Kansas state senate. Yesterday her mother (I’ll call her Gail) emailed me a wonderful story from her daughter’s campaign. This eloquent story in Gail’s own words (but with […]

As we all know, tomorrow is Election Day in America. That is when, if the Lord wills, many Americans will take part in democracy, some being elected to office, some losing races they tried hard to win, and many, many more voting to make those decisions. Ray and I are especially excited this year about […]

One day last week a friend told me how anxious she is feeling about the election coming up on Tuesday. Knowing that many of you may be feeling the same way, I wanted to offer some encouragement about that today. Actually, this is encouragement for any day. Our Father has the whole world in His […]

On Saturday we spent time with old friends we have not seen very much in several years. We had a sweet visit while sharing news about ourselves and our families. The couple and their son caught us up on their siblings/aunts and uncles, and we caught them up on our children, grandchildren, and siblings. I […]

Ray and I recently joined our daughter Mary Evelyn and her family for a field trip to Chattanooga, Tennessee, to see an exact replica of the Niña and a 125% scale replica of the Pinta, two of the ships Christopher Columbus led to the New World in 1492. The Columbus Foundation, founded by Captain Morgan […]

Ray and I had a very sweet afternoon on October 19, an afternoon we had been looking forward to for several weeks. Bluegrass singer Jamie Dailey lives about five minutes from our house. On that afternoon, he hosted a Dailey and Vincent concert on his property, high atop one of Jackson County’s beautiful hills known […]

Each autumn I enjoy showing you what God has been painting in our little corner of the world. He is going all out this year! Just look! I was standing in our yard or in front of our house when I took all of these pictures. Just think! These show a tiny, tiny portion of […]

In 1957, three years after the U.S. Supreme Court declared segregated classrooms to be unconstitutional, Thelma Jean Mothershed and other brave black students volunteered to integrate Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas. Thelma Mothershed and the other students came to be known as the Little Rock Nine. In 1965 Thelma married Fred Wair. Dr. […]

Navajo Nation officials announced on Saturday, October 19, that John Kinsel Sr. died peacefully in his sleep in the Navajo community of Lukachukai, Arizona. Kinsel was 107 years old. He was one of the last three Navajo code talkers who served so courageously in World War II. Many members of native nations have shown their […]

Moses had been around the Israelites too long to believe that they would keep obeying God after he passed away. After leading them out of their slavery in Egypt 40 years before and hanging in there with them through all their blessings and trials and through all their faithfulness and unfaithfulness, Moses teaches and reminds […]

When Ray and I got back to Gainesboro last night after his most recent (and encouraging) visit to Vanderbilt, I waited in the car while he went (walker free!) into Dollar General for paper goods. At different times in our lives, we have stocked up on various supplies, but last night Ray got just enough […]

As you live your days with your children, you see the meals you need to cook. A woman and her child fix supper, Belle Glade, Florida, January 1939, photo by Marion Post Wolcott, courtesy of the Library of Congress. You see the clothes that need to be washed or repaired. Jacqueline Griffith, an only child, […]

Sometimes I feel as though God has wrapped up a present and handed it to me. On Wednesday I felt as though He was doing that over and over again. First there was my coat of many colors, present #1. When Ray and I left the Cancer Center, we drove to Springfield, Tennessee, the town […]

Ray and I returned home last night after being out of town for a couple of days while Ray had appointments at Vanderbilt. I am thrilled to report that the visits were encouraging. Praise God. When we walked out of the cancer center yesterday morning to wait for the valet to bring our car, the […]

Jacket weather has come to Tennessee. I was afraid the frost might get our mum and pumpkins this week, so I decided to move them onto the side porch. I hadn’t taken a picture of them yet, so I snapped this one Monday night before moving them. I’m thankful for the flowers that have kept […]

One of the many reasons that we like the downtown Vanderbilt clinic is that it has totally free valet parking. We drive up to the door, leave our keys in the car, tell our last name to one of the attendants, take the claim tag he or she gives us, and walk in the door. […]

One day last week Ray and I drove through Robertson County, Tennessee, where my mother grew up and where I was born. Our route home from his encouraging doctor appointment (praise God!) took us north on Highway 49. Even with all its growth, the road itself and some of the countryside looks just as it […]

I recently listened to a book about Abraham Lincoln’s 13-day journey from his home in Springfield, Illinois, to Washington, D.C., to be inaugurated as America’s 16th president. The country was in shambles. States were already seceding and forming the Confederate States of America. The United States was not united. Several southerners had conspired to kill […]

On Tuesday Ray and I joined a group of about 50 members of homeschooling families for a tour of the Muddy Pond Sorghum Mill in rural Overton County, Tennessee. The Muddy Pond community is home to several Mennonite communities and to others who enjoy its beautiful peaceful setting. You can see small snapshots of its […]

When a change of season came when our children were young, I remember how I dreaded getting out the next season’s clothes and putting away the clothes from the previous season. When I think of refugee mothers with nothing to keep their babies warm—and even the stories I hear from people who have worked in […]

At the Gainesboro Poke Sallet Festival in May, our daughter Mary Evelyn and her family won a day-long pontoon rental at Wildwood Marina in Granville. Ray and I were thrilled when they invited us and Mary Evelyn’s father-in-law to join them. Her father-in-law was in the Navy, but a full day on a boat that […]

People need a little helping hand sometimes, and sometimes they need a great big helping hand. The illustrations below show women and in one case a little girl, bending over to complete tasks. This little girl is bending over to help her mama do the washing. Stereograph by B.L. Singley, Keystone View Co., c. 1900. Courtesy […]

This time last year Ray and I were at the American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge in Nashville while he was having radiation therapy. I had decided to take our fall quilt with us to make things cheery, . . . . . . but friends and family, including our precious Bethany who was going through […]

As I drove through the Gainesboro town square yesterday, I saw civics at work. Town of Gainesboro employees were busy decorating for fall before our upcoming Fall Festival this Saturday. As I pulled over to take a picture, a city pickup truck drove up . . . . . . with a truckbed full of […]

On a recent visit to an antique store, I found another Little Golden Book to add to my collection. It is the 1979 edition of Lassie and Her Day in the Sun, originally published in 1958. Lassie is a Ruff Collie. On the first page, a rural mail carrier stops to deliver mail to the […]

The fog is “as thick as pea soup” sometimes when Ray and I drive home late. Many mornings it settles across the peaceful fields and hills outside our windows and hides them completely . Other times the fog is a ribbon rising over the river between the field and hills. I have many photos of […]

Mr. Rogers used to say, “You learn something old every day.” I love the humility in those words. Almost everything we learn is something someone has known (or maybe many someones have known) in the past. At the very least, what we learn on a given day has been built on something known long before. […]

When our oldest granddaughter was six years old, she wrote her name in the snow while she and I were playing with her brothers. Naturally, I walked over to take a picture. Then she told me, “I wrote yours over there.” My heart was happy when I found Little written by her gloved hand, even though only […]

Every September walkers and runners come to Gainesboro to Run4Don, a 5K race that honors minister Don Chaffin who passed away from Lou Gehrig’s disease several years ago. The Run4Don raises money for college scholarships for local students and for research for a cure to this terrible disease. This year the total money was over […]

When children learn to talk, one of the first sentences the thoughtful parent teaches them to say is “Thank you,” as in “Tell Mema and Poppy ‘Thank you’ for your present, Elijah” . . . Boy in a Toy Car, 1959 Photo by Angelo Rizzuto Courtesy of the Library of Congress. . . . and […]

Our family has enjoyed English and Scottish country dancing since 1998. Here’s a picture of Ray and me at our dance group’s Christmas Ball back in 2016. We have missed dancing since his health problems began in January of 2023, but we both are looking forward to dancing again. I was fascinated to learn in […]

Louis Maurer was born in Germany in 1832. The Maurer family, which included five children, moved to the United States in 1851 when Louis was 19.  Louis was multitalented. He played the flute well, was an expert marksman, and had an exceptional knowledge of shells. He was also a skilled artist, working as a painter […]

Benjamin Franklin was no paragon of virtue, but he was a good collector of practical advice. Franklin published his Poor Richard’s Almanac for 25 years, beginning in 1732. The Almanac included such items as a calendar, sayings, poems, trivia, and statements of advice, including this one: Let thy Child’s first Lesson be Obedience, and the […]

Psalm 1 outlines exactly what I believe you want for your children. You don’t want your children to follow the advice of people who are evil. You don’t want your children to hang around people who do bad things. You don’t want your children to mock other people. You want your children to use their […]

Jesus worked so hard. He healed. He taught. He loved. He cared. Christ Healing the Blind by Domenikos Theotokopoulos, known as El Greco, c. 1570 Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, 1978 Still, the scribes and Pharisees were stuck in their traditions. They would not put their […]

When our song leader Glen led us in “Angry Words” this past Sunday, the hymn took me back to the days of my childhood when we sang: Angry words! O let them never From the tongue unbridled slip; May the heart’s best impulse ever Check them ere they soil the lip. Refrain “Love one another,” […]

When Daddy asked the blessing when we sat down for a meal, he spoke his own words, and I learned to pray that way myself. My parents didn’t teach us to memorize prayers when we were young. However, when I started to school in first grade, our teacher taught us a prayer that we memorized […]

When Ronald Reagan became president in 1981, U.S. presidents had tried for three decades to find ways to keep peace with the Communist regimes in the Soviet Union. Much of the world was clearly divided in those days with an Iron Curtain between them. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill had coined the phrase Iron Curtain […]

When Ray and I visited Reagan’s hometown of Dixon, Illinois, in 2013, we stayed at a nearby hotel.  The hotel displayed murals and photos honoring the three presidents from Illinois (Lincoln, Grant, and Reagan), including this framed quote from Lincoln. I don’t assume that a quote attributed to a certain individual is actually something he […]

On January 20, 1981, Ronald Reagan was inaugurated as president of the United States. A few days later, on February 6, the president celebrated his 70th birthday. As seen in the photo below, Speaker of the House of Representatives Thomas “Tip” O’Neill was a guest at the president’s birthday party in the Oval Office. On […]

Nelle Wilson Reagan was a devoted believer in Jesus Christ. She was a loving mother to her two sons and loving wife to her alcoholic husband. Nelle served in her church and in her community. Her younger son watched the life of his godly mother, took her lessons to heart, and became president of the […]

Ray and I very much enjoyed watching the movie Reagan at the theater last week. In spite of how critics have condemned the movie, it deeply moved Ray and me. We believe it to be an excellent and historically accurate portrayal of Reagan’s life. Ray and I knew most of the stories that the movie […]

Ray and I enjoy listening to books together as we drive from place to place. We just started a very long biography of John Quincy Adams, son of the renowned patriots Abigail Adams and her husband, the future president John Adams. In discussing the early education of John Quincy (then called Johnny) Adams, the author […]

Ray and I went out for breakfast on Labor Day morning. The restaurant had two restrooms side by side. As Ray approached one restroom door, he found a man standing outside the other one. The man said to Ray: “You go ahead. I’m helping my mother.” Ray replied: “You’re a good man.” When Ray came […]

Not long after Ray and I moved to Jackson County, Tennessee, we learned about a man who had left money in his will to the Jackson County Historical Society. He also left money to the United States government. The man was a Polish Jew who was grateful to Jackson Countian and federal judge John Gore […]

Mathew Brady was born in the Adirondack Mountains of New York in the early 1820s. His parents were Irish immigrants, and yes, his name is spelled with one t. When Brady was 16 years old, he moved to New York City. He soon met Samuel F. B. Morse, the perfecter of the telegraph. Morse’s first […]

Our youngest grandson recently made his first attempts at drawing people. Last Saturday he gifted me with a drawing, telling me it was a worker man, a label he learned from his big brothers who have long been fascinated with men who perform physical labor. For many years, I have enjoyed snapping photos of men […]

For years, I have kept a list of Bible verses I might write about some day. While working on my Labor Day post for Monday, I searched through the list for Bible verses about work. God’s Word does teach about people working, but it says much more about the work that God does. I’d like […]

One of my early posts shortly after I began Daily Encouragement was about the little folded piece of paper that Ray keeps in his pocket. When Ray gets dressed for the day, he always puts on a shirt with a pocket and he always slips his pen and little folded piece of paper inside it. […]

An unknown artist painted this unknown boy around 1840. The painting is now in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution. When we see the face of a boy, we see the seed of someone who will, by God’s grace, one day be a man. We wonder sometimes what kind of man this boy will become. […]

I have many friends who inspire me. As we learn in the book of Hebrews, inspiring others is a Biblical idea: Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds . . .  […]

I always thought September was a great time to start a homeschool year. When I was a child, summer breaks were June through August, and the school year was September through May. I liked it that way. When we were homeschooling our children, that is the schedule we followed. In case you haven’t started yet […]

Since 1893, Berea College has operated a student craft program that teaches students to create crafts that are important in the Appalachian region, including broom making, pottery, weaving, and woodcrafts. Third college president William G. Frost whose wife had the idea for the Historic Boone Tavern Hotel, realized that the college could help Appalachian families […]

In the early 1840s, the wealthy abolitionist Cassius Marcellus Clay owned land in an area known as the Glade in Madison County, Kentucky. He sold land to people who did not own slaves at low prices and invited missionaries who believed in abolition to move into the Glade. When I first read about this abolitionist, […]

I told you recently about our dear friend who performed a random act of kindness by fixing something on my computer. What he did was to color correct some photos I took during the trip Ray and I took to Canada in 2017 with him and his wife. Somehow I set my camera for underwater […]

Visiting the horse park and dollhouse museum made Ray and me think about the many interest niches in our world. People are fascinated by many things, and many are involved in a whole world revolving around their interests. Take honeybees, for instance. Ray and I are proud of Kamon and Laurel Reynolds who host the […]

During our recent trip to Kentucky, Ray, one of our granddaughters, and I peeked into the world of horse enthusiasts at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington and the world of miniature enthusiasts at the Great American Dollhouse Museum in Danville. In 2006 dollhouse museum owner and curator Lori Kagan-Moore purchased an historical building constructed […]

Before Ray and I had children, my cousin Debby and her husband lived near Washington, D.C. We decided to visit them and take in the sights of Washington, thinking, “We had better do this before we have children while we can still travel.” In a few short years, we had three little ones. Mary Evelyn […]

When our oldest granddaughter was about to turn 13 in May, Ray and I decided to start a new tradition, taking each grandchild on a trip when he or she becomes a teenager. Our granddaughter loves horses, plays, and music, and she spent many happy times playing with the dollhouse at our house through the […]

Several of our grandchildren came for a visit Monday night. Our three-year-old grandson can go potty by himself, but when he is here, he wants me to come along. He likes to ask me questions about what he sees in the bathroom. I know it’s weird but I have 11 x 14 pictures of nine […]

Christians get blue, too, sometimes. This may be a blue day for you. From the life situations that some of you have shared with me, I feel confident that today is a blue day for some of you. It is true that God instructs us to rejoice. He even tells us to rejoice always: Rejoice […]

Ray has been teaching from Proverbs in our Sunday School class. Among the verses we discussed yesterday was this one: Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, But he who hates reproof is stupid. Proverbs 12:1 An idea popped into my head almost as soon as we read the verse: Know-it-alls don’t know it all. The Merriam-Webster […]

Today would have been my Daddy’s 92nd birthday. I recently found a blog post I wrote back in 2013 that included stories about both my Daddy and my Mother. I’d like to share a slightly edited version of it with you today on Daddy’s birthday. From left to right: Bethany, Mary Evelyn, John, Mother, Daddy, […]

I grew up singing “How Great Thou Art” by English hymnist Stuart Hine. The song had not been printed in our hymnals, Christian Hymns II, so we sang it from sheet music glued to the inside covers. As a child, when we got to the line about “lofty mountain grandeur,” I thought about scenes from […]

Ray and I were happy last night when friends drove into our driveway. They came because of their special relationship with us and with Bethany. We were especially touched to see them last night because she has been out of town caring for a loved one and only recently came home to get some rest. […]

Thank you, dear readers, for every kind comment and email. I read every word and found great comfort in all of your expressions. I hope to respond to each of you individually, but it will be a few days before I will be able to do that. Ray and I arrived back home last night. […]

Precious readers, With deepest sorrow and with sure hope, I must share very difficult news with you. Out of respect for the privacy of our precious daughter Bethany, I have not shared publicly until now that she was diagnosed with cancer on March 3, 2023. She fought very hard. For a short while, she was […]

Africa, Antarctica, Papua New Guinea–these were the places where we “traveled” on Wednesday afternoons, courtesy of an elderly gentleman in our congregation. When Ray preached in Cookeville, Tennessee, we became quick friends with one of our elders, Ray Kinslow, a retired professor. Brother Ray, as we called him, had been to amazing places, had fascinating […]

Becoming a family legally is pretty easy. Marriage licenses and birth certificates aren’t that hard to come by. Living as husband and wife and parenting children — those are a different matter. Your days are filled with getting meals on the table and handling sibling rivalry and wiping runny noses and making and keeping peace with […]

Several years ago while Ray and I were visiting with homeschoolers at The Pilgrim’s Journey homeschool bookstore in Fayetteville, North Carolina, we heard a wonderful story that I thought I would bring to you today. A homeschooled teenager (I’ll call her Jill) struggled with high school math. After a year of Algebra, her mother decided […]

In the holdings of the Library of Congress is the G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection, a wonderful collection of photographs from the Holy Land. Most date from 1898 to 1946. This photo of a camel caravan is one of my favorites. Among the many photos in the Matson collection are ones in which photographers had local […]

Imagine your children overflowing with love for God and for other people. Imagine them having all the knowledge they need and all the discernment they need. Imagine them discovering what is excellent. Imagine them being sincere and blameless when Jesus returns. Imagine them filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ. Imagine […]

One day last week I again ran into a longtime acquaintance. As always I saw her weariness as she continues her years of lovingly caring for her husband. Her nights are long. Her days are long. As we chatted this time, her face brightened when she described the visits she and her husband make every […]

Before railroads, before planes, before Interstates, America’s network of rivers provided the means for rapid, long distance travel. Riverboats became common modes of transportation in the early 1800s. Even into the early 1900s, Tennessee’s rivers were vital links for many people in small towns and rural areas. The Cumberland River was a major travel route […]

I grew up along the Cumberland River. I crossed Ashland City’s big iron bridge over the Cumberland many times while riding to the town dump with Daddy. “Across the river” was a common phrase in the conversations I heard as a child. Some of my friends lived “across the river,” and we crossed the river […]

If you see Ray and me out and about, please say hello. Thank you, Rebecca, for doing that on Thursday. What fun that was for us! Ray and I met longtime friends Mike and Karen in Nashville before heading downtown to the parking garage. When we made plans to go to the Dailey and Vincent […]

On Thursday Ray and I drove to Nashville to see our favorite bluegrass band, Dailey and Vincent, perform in the 30th annual Springer Mountain Farms “Bluegrass Nights at the Ryman.” Before I tell you about the experience, I want to share what I think is my first post about Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent back […]

When Franklin Roosevelt became president amid the Great Depression, he led the federal government in starting program after program, many called by their initials, such as TVA, CCC, WPA . . . . With all these initials, people started calling his efforts an “alphabet soup” of federal agencies. Artists working in the Works Progress Administration […]

“Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8, NASB). I certainly wish he didn’t prowl around wanting our children, but he does. I wish I didn’t feel a need to write this post, but I do. When children […]

A beautiful pre-Civil War cemetery sits along the back edge of our yard. The oldest grave is dated 1856. Family members of a past generation honored their loved ones by erecting an iron fence along the front and tall stone walls on the other three sides. Family members of a current generation honor them by keeping […]

A few days ago in the early evening I was on my way back into the house after taking pictures of a sunset when I noticed some clover that was bright green after its afternoon shower. Clover reminds me of quiet summer days when I was a girl. I didn’t know any children whose summers were filled with […]

When Ray and I go for a visit with our son John, he usually tells us about the book he has been reading lately. I’d like to share some encouragement from a book he shared with us during a past visit, The Americanization of Edward Bok, an autobiography of the man who served as editor of Ladies’ […]

You have the opportunity every day to create a sense of wonder in your children. When I read a comment recently about some homeschool students being bored, I wondered how their mother was presenting the material. Was she excited? In our busyness, it is easy to lose our own sense of wonder. If we pause […]

I was forty years old before I left the United States. Our teenage son John and I went into Mexico on a mission trip, traveling 400 miles through rural Mexico to the coastal city of Tampico in a church van. I had been interested in other countries since my college days. I suppose the first […]

I was in a ladies Bible class one day that was discussing the definition of religious. One woman taught English as a Second Language classes at a university. She mentioned religious Muslims in her classes who stopped three times a day on campus to pray in their traditional way. She explained to those students that […]

In 1951 in Detroit, Michigan, a baby boy was born into an African American family (I’ll call him Keith). While he was still a boy, his mama discovered that her husband was a bigamist with a second family. The couple divorced and Keith’s mama took him and his older brother to Boston to live in a tenement […]

Ray loves Philippians. I have heard him teach from it again and again. Philippians 4:6-8 is a particularly comforting passage. Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving […]

In this time of wide divisions and animosity in America, it is good to step back and remember our founding ideals. The founders of our nation organized our government with certain ideals. It is the duty of American citizens to commit themselves to living up to these ideals. We need to remember that our loving […]

Happy Independence Day from beautiful downtown Gainesboro in Jackson County, Tennessee! Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God.  Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king. 1 Peter 2:16-17

Uncle Sam emerges from my small collection of July 4 decorations each year. As far back as 1898, people have dressed up as Uncle Sam. Courtesy of the Library of Congress. Our dear friend Joy Brown who lived to be 100 years old used to dress up as Uncle Sam to recite “The Ragged old […]

In July 2024, when we can order almost anything we need for everyday use by clicking buttons on an electronic device, I imagine that it is hard for children—and many adults, too—to appreciate the sweat and toil involved in making the objects we order. In honor of Independence Day this year, Ray and I decided […]

In Washington, D. C., in state capitals, and in cities across the land, Americans proudly fly the Stars and Stripes—the Red, White, and Blue—Old Glory. Our soldiers and sailors raise, lower, carry, and fold it respectfully. So do our veterans. We hang it over our streets and on our houses. A spotlight shines on our […]

From the tiniest of God’s creations . . . . . . to the most awe-inspiring, . . . God proclaims His creative power every day . . . . . . all day long. Here in Ray’s and my little part of the world this May and June, God has made every tiny creation […]

As I mentioned recently, I enjoyed listening to adult conversations when I was a child. I was almost ten years old and in the fifth grade at Ashland City Elementary School when my class heard the shocking news that an assassin had shot President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas. For the next few days, […]

On the first summer morning of the month of July in 1981, I gave birth to our first baby girl. Most mornings don’t bring the great, life-enhancing gift of a baby girl, but every morning brings gifts. Morning is one of the first words in the Bible. “And there was evening and there was morning, […]

When I first saw this photo on the Library of Congress prints and photographs site, I saved it because I often want a photo of a mother and child to illustrate a post. When I looked at it later, I noticed the pile of clothing or bedding on the bed, the light beyond the windows, […]

A little girl listens to birds. Listening to the Birds by George Gardner, an 1872 lithograph, courtesy of the Library of Congress. A class of girls listen to a classmate read a Bible story. Photo by Marjory Collins, courtesy of the Library of Congress. A girl and her father listen to the radio. Photo by […]

One issue that worries many mamas is whether her children need to be with children their own ages. Let’s think about that. Since Adam and Eve had their first baby, God has usually given babies to families one at a time. Sometimes He gives two, but it’s a bit unusual. One of my great-grandmothers had […]

When my mother decided it was time for a new dress for me, she and I went to the fabric department in the Ashland City Five and Ten Cent Store or to Harvey’s Department Store in downtown Nashville. My favorite was my royal blue velvet Christmas dress. I still remember shopping for the real rabbit […]

A few months before Ray’s daddy passed away, Ray and I drove by the two homes in Columbia, Tennessee, where Ray’s family had lived while he was growing up. We saw this one on Conant Street and were thankful that the garage Ray’s dad built in the backyard was still standing. The family moved to […]

Ray recently sent me an article from a political magazine that often supports the views that Ray and I share. The article told about an educational movement that Ray and I deplore. It quoted from a guide that someone who supported that movement wrote about an agenda they were pushing. The article stated that books […]

If I could go back in time and relive just one day in our homeschool, I would choose a day when our family was in the family room to hear Ray read aloud from Charles Dickens. John would be sitting on the floor creating with Lego®. Bethany, Mary Evelyn, and I would be working away […]

Oh, how I would love to see my Daddy on Sunday and wish him a very Happy Father’s Day. The book of James teaches us that: Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. James 1:17 […]

One of the first things I learned about Ray was that he admired, loved, and respected his father. The more I read what the Bible says about honoring parents, the more I respect that trait Ray had even as a young man. Youth is a time when many think they know more than their fathers. […]

Each of us has a perfect Father. He is, as Jesus told us in the Sermon on the Mount, “our Father Who is in Heaven.” God is our Father and our children’s Father, too, and we have the privilege of helping them know Him. Jesus taught us that our Father gives us the right to […]

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, President Woodrow Wilson issued the first Mother’s Day presidential proclamation in 1914. The popularity of Mother’s Day grew quickly. Father’s Day had a much slower start. Fifty-two years passed before the first presidential proclamation about Father’s Day. President Lyndon Johnson issued America’s first presidential Father’s Day proclamation in […]

God used the last verse of the Old Testament to predict something close to His heart that He was going to do in the future: “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord.  He will restore the hearts of the fathers […]

Sometime between 1934 and 1947, women from Bethlehem reenacted the story of Ruth, as told in the Old Testament book of Ruth. Enjoy some photos from their reenactment, courtesy of the Library of Congress. The woman who portrayed Ruth Ruth winnows wheat in Bethlehem. Boaz pays special attention to Ruth. Ruth and Boaz are married. […]

Several years ago, Ray and I were enjoying a wonderfully wild time at our house while adult children and grandchildren were visiting for a few days. Toys and dolls were all about. At one point, our daughter Bethany and I noticed that someone had left her old Fisher Price® Jenny doll on the coffee table. […]

Finding balance is a challenge at every stage of life and in all of life’s responsibilities. For example, eating a healthy diet is important, but we must balance preparing healthy food with the time it takes to prepare it. Getting enough exercise is crucial, but so is getting enough sleep. Spending time with our loved […]

Ray and our friend Fran were chatting recently about the challenge of finding every big and little mistake before we send a new curriculum to the printer. Fran encouraged Ray with a lesson from her former boss. She said, “When I used to work at the post office in Whitleyville, the postmaster used to say, […]

Only a few days after I had my first date with Ray just over fifty years ago on March 1, 1974, I had the privilege of meeting Ray’s dad, Wesley Biddle Notgrass. I liked him from the start. Wes and I had a precious relationship of mutual love and respect for 33 years until he […]

Midwest Parent Educators is a local homeschool organization in Kansas City. I always appreciate the kind emails I receive from time to time from Genevieve who is a member of that organization. She told me recently about the “very touching graduation ceremony” the group hosts each year. Genevieve wrote: The juniors serve the seniors by […]

Several of us at Notgrass History are busy these days with the final proofreading process for Our Great Big World, our daughter Mary Evelyn’s new world geography for children in grades 1 through 4. She has been in contact with people around the world to gather stories and songs for this beautiful curriculum. While proofing […]

In our seven decades of living, Ray and I have met people from many walks of life. We have even met a few famous people along the way and seen even more. I was ten years old when I went to my first concert. On a Sunday afternoon, Mother and Daddy took Daddy’s little sister […]

Last night Ray and I went to a Memorial Day gathering at the farm of friends. We had good conversations with people we have known for many years and with people we met for the first time at the party. As we visited with a homeschooling mother I have known for years and her young […]

Fred Rogers of “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood” had a practice of thanking God for the people in his life who had passed away. I am thankful today for my daddy and my husband’s daddy, both of whom were veterans. Neither of our daddies went into the Army because of a desire to do so and neither […]

A mother called Notgrass Company one day to talk about whether a certain curriculum would work with her daughter. As we chatted, I learned that her daughter enjoyed cooking and was artistic, but her academic accomplishments were a few years behind “normal.” It struck me that had her daughter been born into, say, a Native […]

Is getting dressed ever an issue at your house? Sometimes children really don’t want to stop what they are doing to do something as mundane as changing clothes. Maybe they wouldn’t mind so much if they got to dress up like this: I have to admit that sometimes changing clothes is an issue for me, too. […]

I love to read Genesis, especially the last 14 chapters that tell about the life of Joseph from the time he was 17 years old. It is when Joseph is 17 that God reveals that He has great plans for him and foretells Joseph’s future through two dreams. The dreams foretell a time when Joseph’s […]

Graduation exercises at Randolph Henry High School in Keysville, Virginia, June 1943 Courtesy of the Library of Congress. Dear Homeschool Graduate, You have been sitting at the feet of your parents for many years. Now, you will stand on their shoulders. If you are wise, you will continue sitting at their feet, too. Listen to […]

On Saturday a friend texted pictures of her daughter dressed up for the homeschool prom. As I mentioned recently, Ray and I have enjoyed attending a senior recital and a graduation for homeschool students in the last few weeks. It’s that time of year. Grand march at the senior prom in Greenbelt, Maryland, 1942. My […]

Ray and I have had the joy of attending two special events in the lives of young people who have been in Homeschool Dramatic Society plays for many years. One was a young woman’s senior recital. The other was a young man’s homeschool graduation. While working with them in the Homeschool Dramatic Society, it has […]

In yesterday’s post, I told you about my friend Miss Joy who passed away in 2015, and shared a vintage post about her from 2013. In that vintage post, I mentioned our friend Jo who always hosted a birthday party for Miss Joy. I said: “I need to tell you about her sometime. She’s another […]

I told you a little about her yesterday, and today I am excited to tell you more about one of the most remarkable women I have ever known. Her name was Joy and she lived up to her name—and not because her life was easy. It was a challenge to be a single mother in […]

I share this post today a bit sheepishly, but I am writing it because Ray suggested that I write it. On Saturday he and I spent a fun day with our younger daughter, her husband, and their children at the 46th annual Poke Sallet Festival in Gainesboro, held at our county fairgrounds. Our day began […]

Last week was a week for looking up. It was also a week that my Daddy might have called “weatherish.” Daddy loved words and making up words. One of his words was weatherish. On Monday God sent clouds to water our garden, the wide river bottom, and the distant hills. For I know that the […]

One of the many lessons that God has taught me since my parents passed away is that I can continue to honor them, even though they are not with me on Earth any longer. On this Friday before Mother’s Day, I’d like to share some photos of my mother and tell you a bit about […]

Yesterday I shared stories about President Dwight Eisenhower’s family, especially about his mother, Ida. Today I want to share how Eisenhower honored his mother in her old age and how he remembered and honored her after she passed away. Even though Ida Eisenhower enjoyed good health all the way up to her death, after their […]

Learning how other mamas have lived with their families gives us mothers at least two types of lessons. Sometimes we learn new ideas to try with our own families, and sometimes we receive warnings about what to resist at all costs. We can always find mamas whom we believe do a better job than we […]

Harry Truman was serving as vice president of the United States when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt died in office on April 12, 1945, and Truman was sworn in as our 33rd president. He had only been vice president since January and had had very little interaction with President Roosevelt during those three months. World War […]

On Saturday, May 9, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Mother’s Day to be a national observance to be celebrated on the second Sunday of May each year. Several years ago, Ray and I visited the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum in Staunton, Virginia, which includes Wilson’s birthplace. The home was a manse when Woodrow […]

Homeschool is a compound word, made up of two root words: home and school. Let’s talk about the second root word first. I suppose that almost everybody over a certain age in America knows what school means because almost everybody over a certain age has spent some time there and most of us have spent […]

I’d like to share one more message inspired by my Aunt Dot. I am confident that some people waste time on Facebook and that some people use it to whip up on people and hurt their feelings, but Dot doesn’t use it that way. She uses it to inspire and bless. Through her many pictures, […]

Bright eyes and a happy smile come to my mind when I picture my Aunt Dot. Today I want to share a recent picture of her and Uncle Preston, but first I want to tell you their story. It all began when Susan Anna Frances Head married Leland Brantley Boyd in 1931. Sue and Leland […]

One of the goals that Ray and I had for our children was that they care about others and show it in concrete ways. Therefore we made sure that our children had time to serve. All of our children taught children’s Bible classes at church. Though we deeply respected the youth minister and teachers who […]

I am very grateful to you today. Thank you for reading my heart. A special thank you goes to those of you who have been reading since that first post on April 29, 2013. I always like to celebrate on April 29. I keep a list of blog post ideas on my computer. Ideas come […]

Our friend Darlene has never married. She is semi-retired now after working for about forty years at our local nursing home. She worked mainly in the laundry, but she spent much of her time being a personal blessing to the residents there. She continues to work part-time, cleaning our church building and the local funeral […]

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Andy Griffith’s daughter Dixie and Don Knotts’ daughter Karen participated in the Mayberry ♥ I Love Lucy Days that Ray and I recently attended in Granville, Tennessee. On Saturday evening, we attended a panel discussion with Dixie Griffith, Karen Knotts, and Michelle Bryso, who is a tribute artist […]

Yesterday I talked about my name. I hope you don’t mind if I talk about that one more time. I don’t talk to myself just a whole, whole lot, but sometimes I do. Occasionally when I have goofed something, I call myself Chuck E. Cheese. To my recollection, no one else has ever called me […]

One of the many tribute actors who came to the Mayberry ♥ I Love Lucy Days in Granville last week was Christie McLendon, who portrays Charlene Darling. In this photo, she is telling jokes with tribute artist Allan Newsome, who portrays Floyd the Barber from The Andy Griffith Show. Here she is performing with the […]

Ray and I had such fun during the 2024 Mayberry ♥ I Love Lucy Days on April 11-13 in Historic Granville, a tiny town on the Cumberland River 13 miles down the road from our adopted town of Gainesboro. I have several stories to tell you, but I’d like to start with Little Ricky from […]

I am thrilled to report that when Ray had his six-month post-radiation check up on Wednesday, his PSA was non-detectable. This is just what the radiation oncologist was hoping. We are praising God and, as I like to say, “jumping up and down excited!” Thank you for your prayers for Ray. Actually I am not […]

We believed it was important to give our children the time and resources they needed to pursue things they found interesting. Ray earned some extra money one time by preparing a manuscript for and speaking at a Christian seminar. He used the money to purchase our first computer, a Commodore 64. Through that simple computer, […]

I am not setting myself up as the ideal homeschooling mother. Those of you who have read my posts for some time know that I do not view myself that way. However, I think you might like a peek into our homeschool from time to time and also about some of the reasons we made […]

I am grateful that Ray and I had the opportunity to homeschool our children. I see our homeschooling as a blessing not only for our children but for Ray and me as well. It gave us the gift of time. Our children had time to play, time to be alone, time to be with each […]

Way back in the twentieth century, when my children were little and my hair wasn’t gray,  I would sit in Ray’s granddaddy’s rocking chair at naptime, hold my baby in my lap, and sing a song I learned from Wilma Davis who taught the cradle roll class at our church. How she loved our babies […]

My art teacher exudes encouragement. Two of us students completed paintings recently. As usual, she took photos of us with our paintings. This time I asked Ray to take one of me with Miss Judy.  For this painting, I copied one of her paintings of a bunny. After working on my previous painting for months, […]

The eclipse and springtime, too! God is showing His majesty in glorious ways this week! Come, take a walk with me so you can see what I am seeing around our home. I like to see the big things that God creates . . . A field of wildflowers, . . . A river landscape, […]

For many women, the first time we experience joy and pain all wrapped up together is when we give birth to our first child. Jesus understands that. He said: Whenever a woman is in labor she has pain, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers […]

God creates one beautiful moment after another all over the earth. The sun rises. The sun sets. Waves crash. Turtles hatch. Lambs nurse. Clouds soar. So many marvelous things are happening all around us that too often we don’t stop to notice, but yesterday many people stopped everything and watched as God sent the moon […]

I came across this photo several weeks ago on the Library of Congress website. Around 1946, photographer C. M. Stieglitz took this picture of cartoonist Roberta MacDonald drawing while her 15-month-old daughter, Patricia, watched her. MacDonald was a cartoonist for The New Yorker. During March Ray and I enjoyed visits with each set of our […]

Yesterday I mentioned how Mother, my brother Steve, and I spent our Saturday evenings. Daddy wasn’t with us on the first of our Saturday evening errands but he was at our final destination of Boyd’s Market. Saturday was his longest day—7:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. When I was a girl, I went to Daddy Leland’s […]

Yesterday I came across these adorable embroidered linens from 1943, which are in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution’s Anacostia Community Museum in Washington, D.C. They are part of a days-of-the-week needlecraft kit. According to the description on the Smithsonian website, this type of embroidery kit was popular in the 1940s. These linens belonged to […]

As I sat down last night to write this post about the preciousness of time, I wondered how to illustrate it. Then I remembered a clock that Ray and I saw in 2014 when we were privileged to visit Vancouver, British Columbia. As we walked in the Gastown district, we came upon the Gastown Steam […]

After we left the St. Louis Art Museum last week, we drove to the nearby Turtle Playground in Forest Park. I was excited about returning to Turtle Playground as I remembered being there with our son and his sons back in 2019. First, I’ll share some photos from that visit. The biggest turtles make great […]

Ray and I enjoyed visiting the St. Louis Art Museum with our son and two of our grandsons last week. During most of our visit there, we wandered from gallery to gallery with little contact with members of the staff. Well, there was the time when I heard a man say, “Ma’am . . . […]

Early one morning two millennia ago, women went to a tomb in Israel to show their love to Jesus Christ. To their amazement, an angel told them that their beloved friend and teacher was no longer there but had risen from the dead. Jesus’ resurrection on that Sunday morning changed everything for everyone. Whatever is […]

Family is God’s idea. In His perfect plan, every child is born into a family who loves him or her and then each of those family members loves and serves one another for the rest of their lives. What a perfect plan God gave us. How badly sin can mar it. In God’s perfect plan: […]

When I was a young wife and mother, Ray was a campus minister at a church in Oxford, Mississippi. I was blessed to know many Jesus-loving, family-focused, and hard-working older women in that congregation. I soaked up their examples and wisdom. I could mention many sweet sisters who taught me how to live, but one of […]

I always looked forward to the homeschool convention season when I got to see some of you again and meet some of you for the first time. I was always blessed to hear your stories and learn about your children. You made me laugh, you made me cry, and you always taught me. I often […]

Miss Frances was one of my special Sunday School teachers. One of my favorite memories of her classroom was the big wooden sandbox table.  With a little imagination, a sandbox became a Middle Eastern landscape. It’s easy to share sandbox Bible stories with your children. If you don’t have a sandbox, a shallow plastic tub […]

Ray and I spent last week in the breathtaking Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee. On Saturday we followed an easy trail to Cataract Falls. During our walk we had some opportunities to take photos of whole families who were enjoying the trail together, and some offers to take photos of us together, including this one […]

I think God must have specially wired our brains for music. We store a wealth of music in our heads and you never know when a song from the past will pop out of your mental storage bank and into your consciousness. I was in the kitchen at our daughter’s house yesterday when the first […]

I once saw a motto for a business that serves children: “Doing What’s Right for Kids.” It seems to me that we are surrounded by slogans that talk about doing the right thing. Businesses advertise home improvement done right, moving and storage done right, auto repair done right, landscaping done right, roofing done right, sign […]

I stand in awe of the homeschooling pioneers who risked having their children taken away because they made the radical decision to homeschool. Though we were not pioneers, we began homeschooling in 1990 and have therefore lived long enough to see many changes. In 1990 we had the opportunity for a once-a-week afternoon co-op for […]

Awhile ago Ray and I had the opportunity to spend some time with a couple we had met briefly many weekends ago. We had not known them long when they came to our house for a short visit. As we got to know one another during that visit, we told them a little about our […]

I believe in childhood. It’s easy to let our children grow up too soon. In fact, I think it is hard not to do that. Resisting the temptation to rush childhood requires many well-thought-out decisions. Even something as simple as finding clothes and shoes that look like they belong to a child is a challenge. […]

One of the first country dances Ray and I learned was the popular Scottish dance called Gay Gordons. It’s a circle dance and a mixer, meaning that couples line up like spokes of a wheel around a circle with the men on the inside of the circle and their ladies standing beside them on the […]

One of the most important things you are doing when you homeschool your children is simply being with them. Because you are together every day, you know their stories. Parents love to tell stories about their children. As children grow older, they come to love hearing those stories themselves. Remembering and telling someone’s stories is […]

Africa, Antarctica, Papua New Guinea–these were the places where we “traveled” on Wednesday afternoons, courtesy of an elderly gentleman in our congregation. When Ray preached in Cookeville, Tennessee, we became quick friends with one of our elders, Ray Kinslow, a retired professor. Brother Ray—that’s what we called him—had been to amazing places, had fascinating stories […]

Our friend Linda is especially kind. I’ve learned a great deal from her. First Ray and I and then Linda and John got married just months apart. Both couples had our first child around the same time and then we became grandparents around the same time, too. I don’t know if she knows this but […]

Charlie the Cockatiel came to live at our house when we gave him to Mary Evelyn for her 11th birthday. She was determined to teach him to talk. Day after day she put her finger in his cage and said, “Come here, Charlie.” She stroked him and kissed him and patiently repeated phrases. Mary Evelyn […]

My blog post today is one close to my heart. It is also unusual because in it I share a Bible study lesson you might like to share with your children. While preparing to teach a children’s Bible class recently, I decided to have them work on a service project for our local nursing home. […]

In 1989-90, a close friend began to think deeply about the implications of what was happening in the public schools in our local school district. She began to share her thoughts with me. She shared resources from Christian radio and old-fashioned cassette tapes, too. In turn, I shared them with Ray. What she and the […]

I was once a weepy, insecure, what-have-I-gotten-myself-into homeschooling mama. It took me four years to make the switch from homeschooling feeling like a heavy burden to homeschooling feeling like a joy. If you are still in the burden stage, I believe it can come lots faster for you. After I learned — the hard way! […]

Though my happy moment didn’t exactly look like this, it was idyllic for me nonetheless. In August by William Ladd Taylor was an illustration for Baby’s Lullaby Book, published in 1888 by L. Prang & Co. Courtesy of the Library of Congress. This is what happened: One of our grandchildren affectionately laid a sweet head […]

In the spring of 1974, I was living off-campus in a rented room in an old red-brick mansion across the street from Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The first floor was furnished with impressive antiques. The lady of the house rented three rooms to college girls. We came and went through a grand […]

In the early 1990s, while teaching in a first and second grade Sunday School class, I thought about the fact that we never seemed to spend enough time teaching about Creation, so I decided to devote the next six months to that subject. I made a list of Creation topics for the next 26 weeks […]

As I said yesterday, the next part of our story may seem obvious, but it took several years for us to realize what we should do next. Middle School Curriculum. During those early years, parents would ask us if they could use our high school curriculum with younger students. As strange as this may seem, […]

As I mentioned yesterday, in 1999 we called our publishing endeavor The Notgrass Company. I remember the day we decided on that name. As we began dabbling in writing and publishing part-time in previous years, we chose this verse from Psalms as our theme verse: Future generations will be told about the Lord. Psalm 22:30b […]

Ray and I are excited that Notgrass History is celebrating 25 years this year. I enjoyed collaborating with our son John on our special 25th anniversary catalog for 2024. I am thankful a printing company shipped them to us last week, instead of my standing at a copy machine at the local Mail Boxes, Etc. […]

The island of Great Britain stood almost alone against the powerful Nazi forces when Prime Minister Winston Churchill visited his alma mater of Harrow School in October 1941. It would be two months before the Japanese would attack Pearl Harbor on December 7, and the United States would enter World War II the following day. […]

A mama wrote a sweet email one day in response to a recent post. She said: . . . oftentimes at breakfast, we will linger at the table and I will tell [our children] about some of the events and people from my childhood. They love it, and I feel like that binds everything together. […]

As I have mentioned before, Ray and I proofread for one another. He reads these posts before they are published and I read his podcasts before he records them. Ray’s next podcast concerns one of the people we knew and loved while we lived in Mississippi from 1977 to 1985. In the podcast, he mentions […]

When I was a little girl in the 1950s and early 1960s, my family and I walked across the street each Sunday morning for Sunday School. After the devotional with the whole church in the auditorium, little girls with freshly-curled hair, frilly dresses over can-can slips, white anklets, and patent leather shoes and little boys […]

Danish artist Lorenz Frølich, who lived from 1835 to 1903, had an international career as an illustrator. One of his projects was a popular series of books for children about the adventures of a little girl called Mademoiselle Lili. The stories were based on Frølich’s daughter Edma. While in London in 1870, Frølich used pen […]

At 3:30-ish on Wednesday afternoons, the storm door squeaks as I walk into my art teacher’s basement studio. Miss Judy always greets me with a smile and a friendly greeting when I arrive for my weekly painting class. I tie on my apron and look down at my current painting, which Miss Judy has placed […]

Lest you think that my husband Ray and I always agree on things, let me tell you my reaction when he first told me the topic of his most recent podcast: “Much More than A Street Name.” I am embarrassed to say that when he first mentioned that he was considering doing the podcast on […]

Happy Valentine’s Day. Today I want you to see the precious pin that I wear each Valentine’s Day, but first I want you to know where I got it. From 1972 to 1997, Nashville, Tennessee, was home to the theme park, Opryland USA. My parents lived in nearby Ashland City and enjoyed season tickets every […]

One of the saddest verses in the Bible is Judges 2:10. God called Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. After Moses died, God chose Joshua as their leader. After Joshua died at age 110, things went well for a while. The people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the […]

Chester A. Arthur was in the White House 141 years ago when Dr. S. B. Fowler of Gainesboro, Tennessee, bought out a stock of medicines from Mr. Andrew Alison of neighboring Smith County in October of 1883. In November Dr. Fowler opened a drug store in Gainesboro. Dr. Fowler’s drug store has changed ownership and […]

My purpose each day is to encourage you in your vital role as mama. Today I want to encourage you in one of the most important things you will ever do for your children. Mama love is as basic a need for the human soul as air, water, and food are to the human body. Please […]

Like many homeschooling families, we are a family of book lovers. Each of our children’s spouses have fit right into a book-loving family; they love books, too. When we moved into this house twenty years ago, we had simple pine shelving built in the room the previous owner used for a dining room. Our goal […]

Almanzo Wilder was 76 years old when his wife Laura Ingalls Wilder published Farmer Boy in 1933. Don’t you know he enjoyed telling her stories about his wonderful childhood, while she was writing it? In 2002 our family had the privilege of visiting the Wilder home in Malone, New York. Behind the house was the […]

Laura Ingalls Wilder said, “Home is the nicest word there is.” Pa, Ma, Mary, Laura, Carrie, and Grace Ingalls moved often and lived in several states. Whether they were in a log cabin in the Big Woods of Wisconsin, . . . . . . a little board house in Kansas, . . . . […]