As I open one of the last boxes of Today’s Tips for Easy Living, I can’t help but reflect on the journey behind this book. It has always been my dream that, when I reached the end of the final printing, I would give a copy to each of my nieces, nephews, brothers, and sisters-in-law.
Writing books was never a goal of mine. In 1973, I wrote Roughing It Easy, and when it was published, I was invited to appear on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in 1975. After that appearance, the book soared in sales and rose to number two on the New York Times Best Seller list, where it stayed for 13 weeks that summer.
Following that success, I wrote Roughing It Easy 2 and Backyard Roughing It Easy. To promote the books, I traveled across the country with BYU Education Weeks, lecturing in about 29 cities each summer for three days at a time. Since I didn’t have to be at the church buildings until 2 p.m., I would get up at 5 a.m. and head to TV and radio stations, as well as newspapers, to do interviews and help drive book sales. Between that and my national TV appearances, the books continued to do well.
After completing those three books, I decided I was done writing. It wasn’t my passion. I had received an “F” on my freshman research paper, and I always hoped I’d never have to write another word.
But then came the NBC Today Show, where I became a regular guest. That show pushed me to come up with new, creative ideas every week. I wanted to share those ideas with families across the country, so I approached HP Books—a publisher I admired for their beautiful 8½ x 11 full-color instructional books—with a proposal. To my surprise, they accepted it.
That’s when the real work began.
My dear friend Mercy Butteroff came and worked full-time with me. It was a massive project—far more than either of us anticipated. Once the text was written, we had to take 265 photos, each of which had to be styled, propped, and carefully shot. Then we had to make sure the text matched the photos perfectly. At times, I thought the project would never end.
We had a crew of 7 to 10 people for the photoshoots. My parents, always supportive, were invaluable on set—helping with props, errands, and anything else we needed. My brother Clyde worked tirelessly behind the scenes, and little Tamara Thomas, just four years old at the time, posed for a photo on page 114.
Mercy and I spent months organizing props into banker boxes, one for each photo. Every box had a detailed list of items taped to it. Day after day, we gathered, labeled, and arranged everything needed for each shot.
I would leave Provo at 6 a.m. to drive to the Salt Lake studio and often didn’t return until evening. Even then, my day wasn’t done—I’d gather props for the next day or coordinate with helpers who were preparing things behind the scenes.
We had two people setting up each shot at the studio, and I even flew in a food stylist from Los Angeles—Mabel Hoffman, one of the best in the business. She was used to setting up two to four photos a day. When I told her we needed to do 17 a day to finish in six weeks, she almost fainted! But with lots of help, we pulled it off.
When Today’s Tips for Easy Living was released, it sold over 200,000 copies. Over the years, people have brought me their well-loved, tattered books for autographs. One woman in California told me she “grew up with me.” I gave her a puzzled look until she explained that her mother used the ideas in my book to create activities for their family for years.
Each chapter begins with a photo from the NBC Today Show, where I appeared every other week for eight years. Most of the ideas in the book were developed specifically for that show.
May you and your family enjoy these ideas as much as I enjoyed creating them. May this book serve as a resource and a reminder that creativity, family, and a little preparation can go a long way.
