You could begin by snatching
up a copy of Country Living Barefoot Summers: Reflections on
Home, Family and Simple Pleasures.
Faith Andrews Bedford's
personal snippets of childhood, motherhood, and grandparenthood
are so heartwarming and pure that I found unbidden smiles gracing
my lips as tension drained from my shoulders. The author's easy
voice transported me back through time to, among many other memories,
Valentine's boxes, lemonade stands, snowball fights, and playing
dress-up. Though we cannot return to those uncomplicated times,
reminiscing can provide both a wonderful stress reliever and a different
perspective for today's "wired" generation.
Ms. Andrews Bedford
further increases this book's worth by including instructions for
simple and inexpensive activities that are sure to quell those "I'm
bored!" outbursts. Call me a deprived child if you'd like, but I
never knew how to make a dandelion (or daisy) chain. Now I do! I
also never knew the story behind May Days, but now I've learned
how to make a May Day basket-though I believe I'll leave the furtive
deliveries to my children. My youngest offspring anxiously wait
the day we make edible finger paints from pudding, and my teenage
daughter has already begun constructing a memory box from a shoebox
and scraps.
I believe parents,
grandparents and caregivers will come to treasure Country Living
Barefoot Summers: Reflections on Home, Family and Simple Pleasures.
I certainly have!