Lord, Please Meet Me in the
Laundry Room:
Heavenly Help for Earthly Moms
(Beacon Hill Press 2004)
By Barbara Curtis

Lord, Please Meet Me in the Laundry Room is Barbara Curtis’ life story–her long, drawn-out answer to the question she probably hears several times a day: “So, how do you DO it?” Barbara is the mother of 12 kids–9 of her own and 3 adopted. What’s more, she and her husband purposefully adopted three children with Down’s syndrome since one of their sons… Read More

I noticed them long before they reached the greeting card aisle. She’d pause every few steps for a deep breath, gripping the brakes of her walker so it wouldn’t fly out from under her. He seemed well acquainted with the routine–a familiar dance that allowed them to hit the mall at their own comfortable pace.

I’d been poring over rows of Valentine’s Day cards. Card shopping requires plenty of time, partly because I’ve spent nearly a decade writing greeting cards for Hallmark and other card publishers, so I’m a little on… Read More

I’ve always been a romantic at heart. Many years ago, with two young girls under foot, no money to spend and Valentine’s Day looming, I had to get creative in order to have my heart-shaped cake and eat it too. There would be no date night with my beloved out on the town—that was quite evident. So, being a determined young woman with a fanciful imagination, I rummaged around the house gathering up anything I could find that said ROMANCE. Picture the ambience I whipped up that night: Twinkling lights… Read More

Love is patient.

Is there a reason why patience is the first qualifier in the biblical “love chapter” describing the characteristics of love? I wonder. Only because I am a mother who is long on love and, too often, short on patience. I mean, why not first, “Love is gentle,” or “Love is tender?” Or, better yet (to my feeble mind), “Love is a flash of divine revelation, a supernatural infusing of the spirit of God.” It is all that, yes. But first, of utmost importance, (I’ll trust the order of the… Read More

Join me as I chat with author Tricia Goyer about her newest on-fiction book, Generation NeXt Marriage: The Couple’s Guide To Keeping It Together. I loved Tricia’s Generation NeXt Parenting and have been waiting not-so-patiently for her book on marriage to be released. It’s finally here! Tricia’s writing style is open, honest and refreshing. She’s not afraid… Read More

Twenty years ago, we were in the process of waiting for our first child to be born. We knew it was going to be a girl, and we knew exactly what her name was going to be.  The lawyer cautioned us about not preparing a room for her, because he said he had seen where adoptions fell through, and thus if that happened to us, a completed room would only be a painful reminder of not having a child.  But, my husband and I had  such peace about the process of adopting… Read More

I just want to tell you what a blessing you are, and how happy I was to learn that you are a committed Christian! I am 38-years-old, and watched you back in the “Full House” days. I have always loved you! Seeing you as the woman you turned out to be, is such an inspiration. I have been a Christian since I was seven, and was so blessed to grow up in a wonderful Christian home. It is so amazing to see someone like you with a heart like mine.

You are so… Read More

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. A day filled with laughter and love. It’s a day when starry-eyed lovers gaze deeply into each other’s soul. It’s a day, or maybe a memory, when youngsters make big red construction paper hearts covered in glitter and can’t wait to take them to their mothers after school. A day with Cupids, and candy, and….wait, Allison, it’s time for a reality check.

Reality…I remember when my son, Christopher, was in elementary school and would make those construction paper hearts with a sweet message and his name… Read More

By now most of us have heard that those who persevere are the ones who finish the race, but the question remains, what race are you running? It’s one thing to have a goal in mind, but if you haven’t mapped out a specific plan to get you there, the odds are stacked up against you, before you even begin.

In The Ultimate Weight Solution: The 7 Keys to Weight Loss Freedom, Dr. Phil McGraw writes, “Because I have counseled so many overweight patients, I can tell you with… Read More