• Home
  • About
    • Our Family
    • Our Purpose
    • Our Beliefs
    • Our Christmas Letters
    • Other FAQ’s
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Shop
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

Flanders Family Homelife

Living, Loving, & Learning Together

  • Home
  • Love
    • Respect your Husband
    • Love your Wife
    • Get Along with In-laws
    • Find Time for Intimacy
    • More on Marriage
  • Learn
    • Why Homeschool? Our Family’s Reasons
    • Occupying Toddlers
    • Kindergarten Plan
    • Choosing Curriculum: Cultivate Your Child’s Love for Learning
    • Report Cards
    • High School Transcripts
    • CLEP/ Dual Credit
    • High School Diplomas
  • Parent
    • Tips on Potty Training
    • Stop Sibling Squabbles
    • Chore Assignments
    • Computer TIme
    • Adult Children at Home
  • Eat
    • Breakfasts
    • Breads
    • Salads
    • Soups
    • Sides
    • Main DIshes
    • Desserts
  • Celebrate
    • New Year’s
    • Valentine’s Day
    • Easter
    • Summer Vacation
    • Independence Day
    • Back to School
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas
  • Save
    • Kids Eat Free
    • Budgeting Tips
    • Earn Cash Back w/Ebates
  • Read
    • Recent Reads
    • Books We’ve Authored
    • Reading Rewards
    • Free Books!!
  • Travel
    • Vacation Planning
    • We Flew FREE to Europe
    • Sample Itineraries
  • Organize
    • General Tips
    • Goal Setting
    • Mom’s Notebook
    • Kitchen
    • Bedrooms
    • Garage
  • Print
    • Calendars
    • Chore Charts
    • Coloring Pages
    • Math Drills
    • Prayer Guides
    • View All >
  • Subscribe
You are here: Home / About Us / The Flanders Family Christmas Letters / The 2013 Flanders Family Christmas Letter

The 2013 Flanders Family Christmas Letter

What follows is another yearly installment in our family’s complete history told via the 2013 Flanders Family Christmas Update. To see a full listing, see Our Christmas Letters. For tips on writing your own family history in this fashion, follow this link. In the meantime, enjoy!

The Flanders Family Update: 2013

December 2012 Happenings

The Flanders Family 2013 Christmas PhotosWe ended up having an unexpectedly white Christmas last year.

Most of our family went (in shifts) to see the opening of Les Miserables after our holiday dinner. By the time the girls got out of their 7 PM showing, the entire city was blanketed with snow.

We didn’t get enough of it for sledding or snowman building, really, but there was a sufficient amount for staging a sneaky snowball attack against the boys once we returned home.

Our international friend Yulong was here for Christmas.In fact, he spent most of December and part of January with us, too.

The Flanders Family

His English has vastly improved in the three years we’ve known him. The only statement that gave us any trouble this stay was when he asked permission to use our wah-shin-mah-shin. It took five tries before he could make Jennifer understand that he needed to do some laundry.

January 2013 Happenings

Dissection

Rebekah at TJC labIn January, the director of biology labs at TJC took a job in Dallas and asked Samuel to take over all her teaching and supervisory responsibilities. He also got to take over her private office — just one of the perks that came with the position.

Another fringe benefit was that Rachel and Rebekah got some great experience doing college level dissections, as Sam usually brought his sisters along to keep him company whenever he went on campus late at night to prep his labs for the following week’s experiments.

And if teaching weren’t enough to keep him busy, Samuel spent weekends moonlighting at Posada’s, eager to follow in his father’s footsteps. Doug has always maintained that waiting tables as a teen made him a better doctor as an adult, since both jobs taught him to quickly and competently address the physical need of others, be it hunger or sickness. Having received early acceptance to medical school at UT-Houston, Samuel was determined to reap this food-service advantage before beginning his training there this fall.

2013 - Samuel's White Coat Ceremony at UT Houston Medical School

February 2013 Happenings

Bethany planned a terrific surprise party in February to celebrate her roommate-brother’s 21st birthday. She invited family, friends, and dental school classmates to meet for a strategic game of “Capture the Flag” at a park near their apartment, using a brand new Lion-of-Flanders banner as the standard. She thinks of everything!

David and Sisters

If David suspected anything, he didn’t show it, even after his fellow-leftie turned up on the doorstep chirping, “Happy Burf-day, Day-bid! Chicken…cross…road?” (For some reason, Abby tries to tell her brother this same old joke every time she sees him, though she’s yet to learn any punch lines for it).

2013 - David's Surprise Party

2013 - On the Riverwalk

2013 - The Letter Returns

David’s birthday party landed us in San Antonio the exact same day William Travis’s world famous “Victory or Death” letter returned to the Alamo for the first time since he penned it 177 years ago.

Mom and the kids had memorized this selfsame dispatch during their Texas history studies last semester, so we naturally wanted to see it.

Donning Davy Crockett style buckskin shirts and coonskin caps, we queued up (with several thousand other visitors) to read the historic document with our own eyes before it was returned to an archival vault in Austin thirteen days later.

March 2013 Happenings

Since Joseph got his learner’s permit this spring, he was able to help with the driving when we returned to San Antonio in March for a post-season basketball tournament.

2013 - At the Alamo

2013 - At Six FlagsAt the state finals a few weeks earlier, Benjamin was named to both the All Tournament and All State teams.

Known in a league full of crew cuts as “the guy with the headband,” Ben asked Mom to cut his hair before the All Star game, but she suggested he wait until after it was over so the people there would still recognize him. By the time we got back home, however, he had decided to keep the headband indefinitely.

Although it’s hard to tell it in our Christmas picture, Benjamin now has even longer hair than Bethany, who donated her tresses to Locks of Love this fall.

Ben and Beth

2013 - State Basketball Tournament

April 2013 Happenings

2013 - Abby and GabbersAbigail turned three in April. Daddy really got her dander up a few days after her birthday by telling her she’s a beauty.

“I’m not a bootie,” she insisted, “I’m a durl!”

It took half an hour to convince her that being pretty and being a girl are not mutually exclusive.

Abigail enjoys playing house and usually persuades her brother Gabriel to play along.

Jennifer finds herself constantly responding to cries of “Mommy! Mommy!” only to be told, “I wasn’t talking to you. I was talking to Abby.”

Gabbers has offered to address his mother by her first name or call her “Grandma” to cut down on the confusion, but she has politely declined, preferring instead to live with the ambiguity.

2013 - Abby's Birthday

The children normally set up house in our living room. Abby owns a few baby dolls, but evidently not enough of them to satisfy her intense maternal longings, so she drags about eighteen empty hangers out of the closet, wraps each one in a baby blanket, and lines them up on the floor in dishpan cradles, thus transforming our entry hall into a makeshift nursery.

2013 - Abigail Harvesting Tomatoes

2013 - Doug and JenniferOf course, baby dolls and clothes hangers alike are poor substitutes for the real thing, which is why Abigail faithfully offers up the same prayer every day at every meal: “Please, God, us have two babies? One pink and one blue with dots.” (That last bit is in reference to the kind of swimsuits she plans to dress her baby brother and sister in, once they get here.)

To our knowledge, no twins are yet forthcoming. Jennifer turned 48 this month, and Doug surprised her with one of the most thoughtful birthday gifts she has ever received: he bought himself a bunch of extremely baggy boxers, on the off chance that it’s paternal underpants and not maternal age that’s brought an end to our childbearing.

I know that’s probably an overshare, but Jennifer thought such a sweet and selfless gesture deserved to be immortalized in our Christmas letter. Readers may rest assured that if we never have another baby, it won’t be for lack of trying.

2013 - Mom and Abby on Tube

2013 - Doug on Tubes

2013 - Rachel and Rebekah and Tubes

May 2013 Happenings

2013 - Sam and Gabbers on TubesIn May, Sam packed his bags and boarded a plane (in that order, though just barely) and flew to Guatemala. His goal? To learn Spanish by total immersion.

He traveled the countryside, attended language school, boarded with local families, visited local churches, volunteered at a local clinic, joined a local Ping-Pong club, watched Spanish movies, listened to Spanish music, sang Spanish songs, saw a Spanish-speaking doctor when he got sick, and signed up for salsa dancing lessons and a paragliding excursion.

He returned home three months later, barely recognizable after so many weeks without a shave or a haircut, but now fluent in Español….

2013 - Samuel Traveling the Countryside

2013 - Samuel in Guatemala

2013 - Sam's Homecoming

2013 - IsaacOur convivial Isaac turned ten this month and milked that double-digit birthday for all it was worth. The celebrating (and the special requests) seemed to stretch on for weeks.

Never at a loss for something to say, Isaac is a big ham an animated storyteller.

He’s also an expressive singer with a penchant for performing onstage, as was made apparent when he joined choir this year for the first time.

He spends much of his free time building with Legos, having more than doubled his collection of building bricks this summer when brother Joseph decided to liquidate his own.

What Lego sets Joe couldn’t hawk to brothers, he sold on eBay (a huge hassle for the small return) and through a local consignment sale (easy-peasy and extremely profitable).

2013 - Isaac and Daniel Hiking

2013 - Joseph and Abigail

2013 - Daniel and Abigail

June 2013 Happenings

2013 Happenings - Ben in HawaiiJune took Benjamin to Hawaii for two weeks with our longtime and very dear friends, the Babers.

As soon as Ben told us that his buddy James had invited him to tag along, Jennifer called James’s mother to make sure the offer was legitimate and not just something the boys cooked up.

Janet assured her the invitation was extended with full parental knowledge and approval — her only fear was that Benjamin would return home with a bunch of funny but embarrassing stories involving their family that might potentially end up in our annual Christmas letter.

Sure enough, he did — so it’s a good thing she elicited a pre-trip promise not to publish.

2013 Happenings - Rachel Goes Exploring

2013 Happenings - RachelRachel turned twelve this month.

Don’t be fooled by all the frilly dresses and dangly earrings — this girlie girl will do her best to crush you if you challenge her to a slack line dual or a Bananagram marathon.

She loves to read and write and draw, and she’s also quite fond of roller coasters, now that she’s finally tall enough to ride them.

The little daredevil overcame her proneness to motion sickness this year long enough to ride Batman, Mr. Freeze, Runaway Mountain, and the Texas Giant, but missed riding the Titan (she was throwing up by the time her siblings were ready to try that one).

2013 Happenings - Family Photo by Mai Luk

July 2013 Happenings

2013 Happenings - Mom and DadWe traveled to Dallas in July for Jennifer’s 30-year high school reunion.

We didn’t get the “Most Children” trophy this time around — not because anybody passed us up, but because none was awarded.

The party planners correctly assumed most classmates’ family size would not change significantly after the 20-year reunion.

We were the aberration.

Nevertheless, we did win the prize for having the “Most Grandkids” thanks to Jon and Matti, who are presently expecting their fifth child, another boy.

2013 Happenings - Pregnancy Announcement

2013 Happenings - Jon and Matti

This one’s due just after Christmas and just before his daddy starts nursing school.

After eight years of working full time and going to school part-time, Jonathan is finally seeing some light at the end of the tunnel.

His grades were so good that he was even offered a spot in UT Tyler’s accelerated program.

We are all so proud of him—and of Matti, too, who began homeschooling their older boys this year and is doing a fantastic job of it.

2013 - Cow Appreciation Day

(Twinky twins: Samuel Flanders/Ashton Kutcher Combo

(That’s Samuel on the left and Ashton on the right)

August 2013 Happenings

Doug and Jennifer celebrated their 26th wedding anniversary in August with dinner and a movie.We decided to see the newly released Jobs, since we’re big fans of Ashton Kutcher (who normally reminds us of David and Samuel, though not so much in this role) and Apple products.

Doug bought Jennifer not one, but two top-of-the-line Macbook Pros this year.

The first one survived being accidentally dropkicked across our driveway the week we got it, but was irreparably damaged when dinged by a car door nine months later….

2013 - Aligator Farm

2013 - Daniel as a PirateWe didn’t take much of a break from school this summer, but continued with our lessons (for both school and piano) straight through June, July, and into August.

The kids cooperated without complaint for the most part, but Daniel (who turned eight this month) was an especially eager student, begging to do three or four times as much work each day as Mom assigned.

When she commented on his newfound enthusiasm, he revealed the inspiration behind it: “Well, Ben took me out to dinner a couple of weeks ago and told me that one of the smartest things I can do at my age is to read a whole lot and work hard on my math. He said both those things’ll really pay off in the long run. So that’s what I’m doing.”

Now if Benjamin could just sell a few more siblings on that concept, homeschooling this crew would be a breeze.

2013 Happenings - Daniel and Gabriel

2013 Happenings - Fun in Destin

Doug had a week off the end of August and decided at the last minute that we should spend it in Destin, so we hopped in the van and headed to the beach.

Recent and record rains meant the water was not as clear and blue as we’d always seen in pictures, but also meant we had the white sand all to ourselves. The fact that most beachgoers had started back to school a week earlier didn’t hurt, either.

Sandcastles in Destin

Isaac as a Merman

The water was cold, so we didn’t do much swimming, but we did go parasailing. We also adopted a couple of hermit crabs while we were in town, the highlight of the trip in our younger boys’ estimation.

Parasailing

More Parasailing

Rebekah

We stopped in New Orleans on the way home and were shocked by the number of fuzzy ears and furry tails we saw there. It looked as if the entire city had joined a wolf pack. We parked the van to search for food on foot, but the closer we got to the waterfront, the more outrageous and bizarre the costumes became.

It reminded us of our trip to Old Salem years ago, but in reverse — this time, everybody else was dressed up, and we were the only ones wearing street clothes.

As we threaded our way through the throng of manga and superheroes, Captain Jack Sparrow eyed us suspiciously, then leaned over and whispered to Batman, “What are all those normal people doing here?”

(If only Mom had known in advance that we’d be attending a Cosplay convention, she could’ve packed our Spidey suits!)

Ben with Tesla Coil

Gabriel as Ringbearer

We finished the month with a weekend trip to Wichita for a friend’s wedding, but ended up coming home a day earlier than planned.

Good thing we did.

After falling to sleep in our own comfy beds about midnight, we were awakened three hours later by the sound of water pouring through the ceiling of our master bedroom, drenching our carpets and bed linens.

A pipe had burst upstairs. We shut the water off quickly enough to avoid any lasting damage, but would’ve come home to a disaster had we spent that extra night in Kansas.

2013 Happenings -  Triathlon Finish Line

2013 Happenings - David on Bike

2013 - Bethany the Tri-Athlete

September 2013 Happenings

Bethany turned 24 in September. She has recently taken up triathlon again, thanks to the great new road bike David bought her this summer, for no other reason but that he’s an awesome brother.

Beth is still unattached, although that status may change any minute now. Having been assured by family friends and fortune cookies alike that true love is right around the corner, she’s keeping her eyes open (but not holding her breath).

Joseph turned 16 on 9/11, and we threw him a surprise party.

Despite the fact that we’ve celebrated five older siblings’ 16th birthdays in like fashion, Joe was obviously and very genuinely surprised.

2013 Happenings - Joe Gets the First Strike of the Game

2013 - Bumper Boats

When he came in from basketball to find a crowd of people in our kitchen, all smiling and waving and shouting “surprise” at him, his first thought was that Mom must be hosting another bridal shower, so he should try to slip out without drawing attention to himself. It took several guests slapping him on the back and wishing him well before Joseph realized the party was for him….

2013 Happenings - Efurd Farms

 Sweet Bekah Rebekah had a birthday this month, too, though she looks much older than her 14 years.

Her parents aren’t the only ones who’ve noticed, either. She came home from a recent shopping trip and told us, “The last few times I’ve been to Barnes & Noble, I’ve seen this older [defined as twenty-something] guy there, and he keeps checking me out. Today he asked me for my phone number, so I gave it to him. Is that okay?”

Her dad about came unglued when he heard this.

“No, that’s not okay!” he told her. “What were you thinking?”

His question was met with uproarious laughter from our daughter: “I was thinking that I wanted the discount,” she explained, “but I left our membership card at home. He needed my number to look it up.”

Turns out, when she said the guy had been checking her out, she meant it literally — he’d been standing behind the cash register ringing up her purchases. Very clever, Rebekah. You really got us on that one.

Rachel Tying Laces

 Doug and Jennifer Flanders

October 2013 Happenings

Our two-year-old top-loading washing machine must have gotten sick of all the laundry we were asking it to process, because one morning in early October, it blew up mid-cycle. The explosion was impressive — sparks, smoke, parts flying everywhere, knocking holes in our walls. It took the manufacturer two weeks to determine the machine couldn’t be fixed (and another two months to ante up for damages), so we were “roughing it” even before we pitched our tents for Family Camp.

Our friends the Rainwaters joined us in Big Sandy for the first couple of nights this year and enjoyed it so much, they ended up staying all week.

Family Camp Volleyball

David Rainwater helped field our family’s team for the volleyball tournament, which also included Doug, Ben, Joe, Rebekah, Rachel, and a woefully inexperienced Jennifer. We wore our tie-dyed Jamaica shirts as our team uniform and encouraged one another by calling, “No worries, Mon!” whenever a teammate faulted (which was fairly frequently, since camp rules dictate a girl must hit the ball during any play requiring more than one touch to get it over the net).

Samuel turned twenty while we were at camp. We’d celebrated with him a week early when he came home after his first block of tests, but Bethany and David drove over to Houston from San Antonio to surprise their brother at a birthday dinner his roommate planned in his honor….

Samuel Turns 20

2013 Happenings - Samuel's Birthday

Gabriel Shops for GroceriesOur five-year-old Gabbers made his first solo-shopping trip this month. Mom sat in the van with a sleeping Abby while Gabriel marched into Braum’s with a memorized list (two gallons of milk, two loaves of bread, two packages of cheese, and two cartons of ice cream), paid with a credit card (no questions asked), and marched back out, groceries in hand, looking three inches taller.

November 2013 Happenings

We didn’t churn out any novels in November (a.k.a. National Novel Writing Month), but we did wrap up some other writing projects.

Gabbers as Harry Potter

25 Ways to Communicate Respect - Front CoverJoseph, Rebekah, and Rachel all finished 1500-word essays for a creative writing class they took this fall, Bekah completed several paid assignments for the new Woods Living Magazine, and Jennifer published 25 Ways to Communicate Respect, a book based on her blog post that went viral last year (even now, that single post still gets five to ten thousand hits a day)….

Ben and Joe’s basketball team had a lot of away games this month.

As often as possible, our entire family goes to cheer them on, though none more enthusiastically than Abigail, who has been toting pompoms to the games ever since she first spotted an opposing team’s junior pep squad last spring.

Clearly enamored and eager for a closer look, Abby slowly inched her way down the bleachers to the opposite end of the court, where she happily accepted an invitation from the cheerleaders to join them in rooting for our rivals for the remainder of the game (fortunately, both teams were known as “the Knights”).

When we got home, Mom wasted no time in ordering Abby her own set of appropriately colored pompoms and a uniform to match.

2013 Happenings - The Boys with their Favorite Cheerleader

December 2013 Happenings

And that brings us back to December — full circle, once again. As our family reflects on God’s mercy and provision this holiday season, we pray you will see His hand at work in your life, as well. May He grant you peace in the face of adversity, joy in the midst of trials, rest from your labors, hope for the future, and a faith that endures to all generations.

2013 - Flanders Family Christmas Portrait

With love from the Flanders — Doug and Jennifer,
Bethany, David, Samuel, Benjamin, Joseph, Rebekah, Rachel, Isaac, Daniel, Gabbers, and Abby

<<last year                              next year>>


Do you prefer to do your reading offline? You’ll find more of our family’s embarrassing moments, hard learned lessons, and hilarious antics all in Glad Tidings, a compilation of the first 25 years of Flanders Family Christmas letters. It also includes a few favorite recipes, seasonal quotes, time-saving tips, and fun family traditions. Volume 1 is on sale now (we’re hoping to release Volume 2 in the year 2037).

Glad Tidings - The First 25 Years of Flanders Family Christmas Letters

Comments

  1. Heidi says

    January 24, 2014 at 4:07 am

    What a wonderful family – really enjoyed reading all of your news! God bless you all in 2014.

    Reply
  2. Janet says

    January 5, 2014 at 9:25 pm

    What a pleasure to read your letter! Your family is a lot like ours. We have 12 kids, ages 4-25, heavy on the boys (9 boys, 3 girls). I laughed out loud a few times! Big families are such a joy.

    Reply
    • Jennifer Flanders says

      January 8, 2014 at 6:50 am

      We’re always happy to hear from other big families, Janet. Thanks for introducing yourself. You are very blessed!

      Reply
  3. Wendy Silvey says

    December 27, 2013 at 12:45 am

    So good to read your updates. Your family is truly a blessing. I was just thinking yesterday that I missed your christmas newsletter this year, and then found the link on facebook. How nice! Merry Christmas and Happy New year to you and your precious family!
    Your friend, Wendy

    Reply
    • Jennifer Flanders says

      December 27, 2013 at 8:28 am

      It’s so nice to hear from you, Wendy. Hope your family is all well. May God pour out His blessings upon you all in 2014!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




meet the parents

Doug & Jennifer Flanders - www.flandersfamily.info

We love Jesus, love each other, love our 12 children, and love the life God's given us. We started this blog as a way to share resources with others who want strong marriages, happy families, & healthy homes.

Read more

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

looking for something?

our favorite Christmas traditions

Glad Tidings Book

our family Christmas letters

Our Christmas Letters

Christmas 1987:
Our honeymoon Christmas

Christmas 1988:
Proud new parents of Baby #1

Christmas 1989:
Baby #2 has colic & curls

Christmas 1990:
Diapers & diabetes

Christmas 1991:
Doug's clinical year at Southwestern

Christmas 1992:
Baby #3 is born hand-first - ouch!

Christmas 1993:
Baby #4 - don't we know what causes that?

Christmas 1994:
David gets lost at a garage sale

Christmas 1995:
Baby #5 arrives!

Christmas 1996:
A not-quite second honeymoon

Christmas 1997:
New job, new home & new son - Baby #6

Christmas 1998:
Extreme sports & broken bones

Christmas 1999:
Baby #7 - Beth finally got a sister

Christmas 2000:
Coast-to-coast tour of US

Christmas 2001:
Baby #8 arrives two weeks early

Christmas 2002:
Our first cruise & our first marathon

Christmas 2003:
House building, army duty & Baby #9

Christmas 2004:
Backpacking Europe with all nine kids

Christmas 2005:
Home church & Baby #10

Christmas 2006:
Our firstborn leaves the nest

Christmas 2007:
Another coast-to-coast tour & Baby #11

Christmas 2008:
Our second-born leaves for A&M

Christmas 2009:
Doug & Jennifer write their first books

Christmas 2010:
Baby #12, Grandson #3 & four in college

Christmas 2011:
Mission trips, moving, broken bones, & diabetes

Christmas 2012:
Dental school, MCATs, & State Championships

Christmas 2013:
Beaches, Babies, Surprise Parties & Medical School

Christmas 2014:
Baby squirrels and book awards

Christmas 2015:
Daughter-in-Law #2, Grandson #6, Books, Braces & BlueGreen

Christmas 2016:
A marriage, a move & 2 new dentists

Christmas 2017:
2 new grandbabies & a BBC special

Christmas 2018:
World travel, summer conferences & Grandbaby #9

Christmas 2019:
Roadtrips, a wedding, and 2 more grandbabies

Christmas 2020:
Overseas vacations and Covid lockdowns

Christmas 2021:
Weddings, grandbabies, and a trip to Hawaii

Christmas 2022:
Four new grandbabies plus a big move

Etsy

Free Printable Party Games

"Getting to Know You" Ice Breaker

* * *

Ice Breaker Bingo

* * *

Christmas Word Scramble

* * *

Party Preparedness Pop Quiz

* * *

Who Gets What? Matching Game

* * *

Christmas Charades

* * *

Christmas by the Numbers Quiz

* * *

Put the Baby in the Manger

* * *

12 Days of Christmas Sing-a-Long

* * *

Who Wore It Best? Matching Game

* * *

Who Said What? Trivia Quiz

* * *

What Child Is This? Christmas Quiz

* * *

Name That Line Chirstmas Movie Quiz

* * *

Christmas Travel Bingo

* * *

How Well Do You Know Your Christmas Carols?

For Unto Us a Child is Born Quiz

* * *

Elf Trivia Quiz

* * *

While You Were Sleeping Trivia Quiz


Follow this link to see more!
  • Home
  • Faith
  • Family
  • Food
  • Fun
  • Freebies

visit jennifer’s blog

Jennifer Flanders' Blog: Loving Life At Home Loving Life at Home

visit doug’s blog

Doug Flanders' Blog: All Truth Is God's Truth All Truth is God's Truth

privacy policy | disclosure statement

shop our books

25 Ways to Communicate Respect to Your Husband 25 Ways to Show Love to Your Wife
Sit Down & Eat Get Up & Go

thanks for dropping by

Thank you for visiting our website Let's Get Social
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

looking for something?

recommended resources

as seen on:

America Tonight ABC Australia BBC Tyler Morning Telegraph

Knowing that several of the pastoral staff at our Knowing that several of the pastoral staff at our church were reading through The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry last month, I did too.  It didn’t take long to realize I’m more addicted to hurry than I suspected. (Injuring my hip shortly after starting this book brought my tendency to rush, rush, rush to light in a hurry.)  I found many of the book’s suggestions for breaking such an addiction helpful, although I also got the impression this author leans a little to the left politically (and maybe theologically, as well).  He gives some good food for thought but, as always, readers should be careful to eat the meat and spit out the bones.  #flandersfamilyreads
One more pic from our recent trip to Florida: We d One more pic from our recent trip to Florida: We didn’t get any fish, but we did catch a few rays while we were there. ☀️  And are we ever missing that sunshine now that temps in East Texas have dipped below freezing. Brrrrr, it’s cold outside! ❄️  #bundleup #keepwarm #florida #photoop
We usually read this book — recounting our own f We usually read this book — recounting our own family history — aloud to our kids every December, but we technically didn’t finish our most recent read through until January this year.  It took a while to get through them, because we had to stop so often to laugh or cry or discuss the antics recorded in each letter.  In addition to giving our younger ones a glimpse of what their older siblings were like growing up, the letters serve as a poignant reminder of God’s faithfulness to our family through the years.  I compiled this printed collection several years back, adding in several of our favorite Christmas traditions, recipes, and other “bonus material” for good measure.  It’s half-price right now on Amazon. I have no idea how long that sale will last, but If you’ve ever wished for a fly-on-the-wall view of what life in a large family looks like, this would be a good way to get it. 🤪  #flandersfamilyreads #christmasbooks #familyletters
Abby and I made lots of sweet memories at the Moth Abby and I made lots of sweet memories at the Mother-Daughter Retreat we attended last week, despite my having to leave early after injuring my hip. But —good news — it wasn’t broken and is feeling almost completely back to normal now, for which we are all very grateful!  #motherdaughterlove #havingfun #mybabyisnotababyanymore
Here’s another book I finished earlier this mont Here’s another book I finished earlier this month. I’d read and enjoyed a couple of Alexandra Kuykendall’s other books in the past, and Loving My Actual Life was written in the same vein.  In this volume, the author spends nine months tackling nine areas in her "actual life" (as opposed to the Pinterest- and Instagram-fueled ideas of what her life "should" be like) that need work, one at a time.  Many of the problem-areas she discusses in this journal-style narrative and the solutions she finds for dealing with them, will resonate with readers and point the way to improving their own situations. It was a fun, quick, and easy read with some good actionable ideas for loving your own actual life.  #flandersfamilyreads #bookreview #bibliophile #bookwormlife
The kids and I enjoyed a leisurely bike ride along The kids and I enjoyed a leisurely bike ride along the Florida coast while Dad and Nana were out computer shopping.  #flandersfamilytravels #freshairandsunshine
I’m behind again… not on reading, but on posti I’m behind again… not on reading, but on posting the books as I finish them. My second read for the year was an audiobook by Robert and Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth called You Can Trust God to Write Your Story.  I found it both enjoyable and encouraging. The authors take turns reading the book, detailing the stories of biblical, historical, and modern day believers and sharing the journey God has taken each of them through for their good and His glory.  #flandersfamilyreads #godisgoodallthetime
We enjoyed some gorgeous sunsets in Florida last w We enjoyed some gorgeous sunsets in Florida last week, including this one on Laguna Beach.  #flandersfamilytravels #goodtimes #floridabeaches #ontheroadagain
We got one more State Capitol stamp in our passpor We got one more State Capitol stamp in our passports.  #ontheroadagain #flandersfamilytravels #louisianastatecapitol
Does the new year give anybody else the itch to ta Does the new year give anybody else the itch to tackle home improvement projects?  We’ve been gaining a lot of good woodworking experience over here for the past week (and dirt work/stone laying before that). Today our new picket fence (hopefully) gets a coat or two of white paint!  #householdchores #fixerupper

Copyright © 2023 · Market theme by Restored 316