Earlier this year I planned to write a post about the modern high school track meet experience, but COVID-19 changed that decision for me. School is Missouri has been cancelled for the remainder of the year, and with it, track season. Much has been lost in our daily lives because of this pandemic. To be honest, quarantine is becoming more and more a state of mourning for us, as I’m sure it is for you.
Continue reading “COVID-19: The Loss of a Season”I love saving money, I love learning ways to be self-sufficient and make store-bought things on my own, and I love yogurt. It’s ultra-nutritious, delicious, and can be customized to the flavor you desire that day.
Continue reading “Easy, Delicious DIY Homemade Yogurt”
When we had our first child, it was like our way of life got hit with a train. EVERYTHING changed, internally and externally! There was so much I wished I had known to start with. Having had my second child now, I feel a little more equipped to give some pointers to new parents in hopes that I can help ease the weight of change a little.
Continue reading “Advice for New Parents: The Master List”
If you’ve lived in the United States for any length of time, you’ve probably noticed that this nation is HUGE. As I remember hearing in FFA in high school, there are fifty states spread all the way from “the state of Alaska to Puerto Rico, and from the state of Maine to Hawaii.” As of 2019, the United States comprises over three and a half million square miles of land and is populated by over 300 million people.
With a nation spanning this much land and humanity, there are bound to be regional differences. Each part of the country has its own way of life and speech. Sometimes these differences melt into daily life so much that we don’t notice them, but they definitely exist, especially in Southern Missouri. Here are 15 examples of words, phrases, and pronunciations you’ll hear around here that may make visitors think we’re crazy. See how many you recognize!
Continue reading “15 Things People Say in the Ozarks”
I’ve been hearing more and more lately about guys in my area taking up work on riverboats down South. One of my relatives has been working in this profession for years now, but I never really knew what the work entailed. To my gratitude, he was gracious enough to share with me the insider’s view of what it’s like. Read on to learn about this fascinating profession!
Continue reading “Riverboat Life 101: Confessions of a Tankerman”
In this world of commerce and innovation, it seems like every day I hear about another way to make a living in the United States. The list is dazzlingly limitless. One profession that I’ve wanted to know more about since I first heard of it is boiler making. I had several classmates whose fathers were boilermakers, others who started in this line of work right after high school, and as an adult I know still more who are connected to boiler making in some way. Consequently, I’ve heard about it frequently. But I’ve often wondered, What is boiler making? Is it literally building boilers? Can there really be that much demand for such a specific job? What does a boilermaker actually do?”
Continue reading “What Does a Boilermaker Do?”
Hi! I’m Lisa Sewell, wife to a wonderful husband and stay-at-home mother to two lively little ones. The most true thing about me is that I am a devoted follower of Jesus Christ. It’s the foundation for all I do and fuels every passion I have!
I am blessed to live in a small town in Southern Missouri, where I get to share in the beauty and diversity of quiet country living. Over the years I’ve come to see that what some people consider “hick towns” can inspire many of the deepest joys and most wholesome ways of life possible.
My Bachelor’s degree is in History and my Master’s is in Library Science. Preserving the Present is a mashup of these two passions of mine. I love learning history, collecting and preserving it, and curating it for others to enjoy!
I was inspired to start blogging during a visit to the Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home and Museum in Mansfield, MO in 2019. I’ve always been fascinated by how our ancestors lived, down to the tiniest detail; a return to the ways of the past can inform the present in meaningful ways. As I read Laura Ingalls’ writings in the museum, I came across an article she wrote for a newspaper about how she designed her kitchen. Immediately I made a connection to modern times: bloggers are like the freelance newspaper writers of the past! I then began to wonder…
And so Preserving the Present was born.
My hope is that this blog will bring you inspiration and joy as you read.
Join me in Preserving the Present.
Happy reading!
Preserving the Present 