The Duality of Love and Brokenness

*This post was originally written November 2022 I've been thinking quite a bit about stuff that just doesn't make sense. Ever have something like that? You eat a salad and you gain weight. You clean your house and then its suddenly pre-set right back to a state of messy. You serve your family a nice…

Garden Bloopers Part 2: {fails, epic fails and surprises in my more recent years of gardening}

Hello and welcome back to garden bloopers! I posted a little over a week ago with Part 1. If you want to take a look at that, you can view it right here. Gardening Bloopers, Part 1 {fails, epic fails and surprises in my early years of gardening} Last time I talked about beginner issues...propagation issues,…

Gardening Bloopers, Part 1 {fails, epic fails and surprises in my early years of gardening}

Hello bloggy friends. Hope the summer is treating you well 🙂I love summer but around this time of year things start to get a little crazy. Fun and laziness are about to meet school preparation. Thankfully, through all the craziness one thing that remains constant is that my family and I spend a lot of…

Steak With a Side of Love {learning to serve with purpose}

So tired yesterday. Fixing supper when I was tired, light-headed, cranky, needed a snack. Cooked steak, noodles and green beans. And a special pan sauce for the steak. Steak was the best I had ever made. That steak! It was a thick, juicy steak. I tenderized it, seasoned it, browned it. Poured beef broth. Covered.…

What Jesus Did With One Mama’s Lunch {and what that means to me as a mom}

Hello everyone 🙂 and Happy Thursday! Today I wanted to take a moment to share a post with you about LUNCH. Lunch is the best, no? Welllll the kids had a few snow days and I didn't get to post on Monday like I had planned. But making up for lost time now. It was…

Of Coziness and Toe Beans

Happy Caturday Saturday cat lovers! We've got a winter storm a brewing here in the Midwest. For us that means two things: 1) be prepared and 2) get cozy. So there will likely be the usual standard pre-snowstorm grocery shopping this weekend. But until then I'll be taking some inspiration from Stella and stay as…

Allll the Caturdays, Part 2

Howdy guys and welcome back! It's Caturday Saturday again and I'm sharing my next 10 Caturday posts. Last week was Part 1 and you can find the link to that post below. These first 10 posts explain Stella and Shadow’s stories. How we got them, why we love them and the cute, crazy and cat-like things…

Allll the Caturdays, Part 1

Happy Caturday everyone! I love a lazy Saturday. In the past, I've often posted pictures of our cat(s) Stella and Shadow specifically on this day of the week. I started this in 2017, back when I blogged much more. Hence, most cat-related posts are from that year. Awhile back I mentioned wanting to condense my…

The Bread of Life Rocked my View of Natural Living {why I changed my “healthy” standards}

I remember the exact moment when I felt like giving up on "natural living". It was the straw that broke the camel's back. I was reading an article that stated that white rice was healthier than brown rice. It listed the reasons. I didn't follow. I nearly threw my hands in the air and I…

Vast Array {a poem about my love for fall & its Creator}

Hello everyone and Happy Friday! I was on my way to pick up my kids from school yesterday and I found myself gazing at the beautiful hills and trees. Admiring the beauty that only God could have designed. That got me to thinking about a poem I wrote quite a few years ago about the…

Book Chat: Mom Set Free: Find Relief From the Pressure to Get It All Right, by Jeannie Cunnion {an honest take at God’s grace at work in my life}

Here we are guys. One step closer to my Proverbs 31 series. I finished reading the Mom Set Free book earlier this year, almost exactly at the same time that I finished my 1st outline for the P31 blog series. I am very excited about this book and I can't wait to share it with…

Stella in the Stairway

It has been quite the week guys. There has just been a lot going on. And I don't know about you, but when life gets to be wearisome and stressful... It helps to look at pictures of cats. And if you don't have a cat, or even if you do, you know I always have…

Paychecks, Parchment and the Price of Gas

Editorial notation: I originally wrote this in November of 2020. What on earth am I going to do now?! I thought to myself as I marched into the gas station, feeling defeated. Every so often in life, we are thrown a curve ball that makes absolutely no sense. My curve ball happened to be a…

Blog Update #6: Back to Blogging

Hey guys long time no see 😄 I'm finally doing it after talking about it for so long. Firing the 'ole blog back up again. Cue the bellows...and stuff. Anyways. It's been awhile. I had posted last November, sharing a poem and sharing a little of what was going on in my life. Life with…

Precious are the days

I jotted this little poem down a month or so ago. It was begging to be posted but there always seemed to be a speed bump or two in the way. And then after this past week, things started to make sense. I believe that things happen for a reason, whether we realize it at…

Now Live: Haiku About Savoring the Moment

One day I was walking around in the grocery store, kids in tow. Minding my own business, presiding over the madness that is kids+shopping, when someone says to me..... "Enjoy these days. They go by so fast!" This is followed by a surge of emotion that I feel broadcast itself all over my face. A…

Kitty Cat Knit Hat

The other day I completed an accomplishment that's been sitting in my brain for about a year. I knit a cat hat. My cat is clearly in love with it. I've been planning this for awhile. Actually, truth be told I like the look of crocheted cat hats much better. Buuut, I'm just sticking with…

My Top 30 Go-To Supper Meals {what’s yours?}

Hey guys! How's it going?? Well we are over halfway through the week now. Aren't you glad? I am...sorta. I'm happy the weekend is approaching. However, I must admit that my supper game is starting to wane. I usually start out the week with an optimistic meal plan for the week...that doesn't always go according…

Hassle-Free Hobo Fish {Quick. Easy. Cheap. Any Day of the Week!}

A few summers ago I was introduced to the wonder that is hobo chicken. But wait...this recipe is about fish... Yes it is. But anything can be hobo, if you let it. Literally any meat. I've only tried chicken or fish. But as a child I remember my mother cooking a similar meal over the…

10 Ways To Be Kind to Your {Postpartum} Self

I am so happy I'm not pregnant right now. (These past 9 months haven't exactly been a cakewalk.) But with this truth comes reality... I am now postpartum. If you've been postpartum before, then you are familiar with that time of transition. Going from the joy and wonder of pregnancy and birth, to the time…

Thoughts and Tips on Living Gluten-Free While Pregnant

Yes that lady is meant to look disgusted by the fact that she is surrounded by wheat. I mean yeah wheat fields are pretty and all and kudos to all the farmers and the people who eat it. But I also mean... yuck. At one time, not long ago I loved wheat products. But my…

She Ran {a poem about the Proverbs 31 woman}

Hey long time no see guys! 🐱 There is an element of mystery wrapped up within this post. Possibly unconsciously done...but definitely related to the fact that I have been binge watching Once Upon a Time. Most assuredly in an effort to drag I mean gracefully carry myself through the month of January. Anyone else?…

The Snow Kitty

Hello everyone & happy Saturday! It's Saturday Caturday 🐱🐱 January can be so challenging. I would go as far to say that it is my least favorite month of the year. But one way to bring a little joy to the gloomy days is to love on your cat. Or look up funny videos of…

When You Don’t Want to do Christmas Because You are Broken

Behold, Christmas. The most magical of holidays is quickly, quickly, oh so quickly approaching. There are still things on my to-do list. Things that may or may not get done. At this point, I'm just weighing the amount of sanity and energy I posses against the amount of things to get done.*Glares into the sunset*…

{7 of} My Favorite Gluten-Free Snacks

I've been going through some gluten-free angst lately. I've been gf for almost 5 months now and it's been getting easier. But some days...there are so many things that I miss! I'm not about to name allll the things, 'cause that just isn't helpful. But I will say that cutting out gluten from my holiday…

4 Things Ma Ingalls Has Taught Me About Life

This post is an edit of the original, written in 2017. Little House on the Prairie (and I know I'm not alone when I say this) is one of my most favorite series. Sure, it's a kid's book and sure, the events took place a long time ago. But like all good books, there are…

Light of the World Award

I am excited to announce that I was nominated for the Light of the World Award! I was actually nominated by T.R., of Inside Cup this May and I am just now getting to it. It's a bit embarrassing but...well lets just quit dilly-dallying and get to it 😄 I am relatively new to posting…

5 Favorite Quotes About Fall {from Anne of Green Gables}

*Update: quote #5 has been added! It is the second quote listed. Sorry about that! Hello everyone & happy fall! Things have been a bit quiet here on the blog but I promise I have not forgotten about you guys ☺ And I definitely don't want to stop blogging. I've missed it so much. Everything…

Delish Baked Apple and Peach Crisp {a gluten-free take on a family favorite recipe}

Ready for some awesome baked goodness? Of course you are! It's nearly fall, summer is wrapping up and comfort food season is coming this way😋 There's something about fall dessert. It's texture, flavor, warmth. Just gives you a warm and cozy feeling and puts you in your happy place. Right? Now growing up, there was…

Stella (and Shadow) Incognito

It's Caturday Saturday! Hope you all are enjoying a nice relaxing day. I know I am am trying to. We've had some changes and busyness in my household due to the new school year and subsequent colds that happen when you have about a million kids 5 and under all mixed in to a little…