These 3 were so little! š In this photo from 2017, they are 5, 10 & 15.This makes me cringe a little though (I'll get to that in a minute), because we had just left the cardiologist where the youngest here was dismissed as a patient after 5 years of frequent checkups, fully expecting she'd be ...
16 Years
16 years as husband and wife + 18 years as friends. šAn arm load of kids, more than a handful of vehicles, turning a house into a home, pulling through the seasons that felt like they had more bad days than good, and yet enjoying each other and honoring our vows through it all.We're still choosing ...
Remembering Lincoln Joseph McCormick
My dear nephew, Lincoln Joseph McCormick, was the sweetest, smartest, kindest, bravest, 8-year-old boy to ever walk this Earth.He was an amazing son, the most incredible brother, grandson, nephew, cousin, and a compassionate friend and classmate. He was loved beyond measure and will continue to be ...
Wife + Momma
There isn't an easy way for me to adequately describe the depth of the joy and honor that I feel to be the wife and mother of this family. The love I have for this tribe is overwhelmingly beautiful, intense, and never-ending.Gathering around the table for homemade apple pie (my grandma's recipe) ...
Wishing Did Nothing: I Made Pizza
It's been about a year and a half since the beginning of the roughest patch of my life.Both physically and mentally, I lost it all in October of 2020. I've come to grips with this. I wish it never had happened, but WISHING that did NOTHING in the way of healing from it.The mental strength came back ...
Ordinary Moments Challenge: Kitchen
If I were to invite you over to my home the first thing you'd see, no matter which door you enter through, is our kitchen. It's the heart of every home, right?It's the place I make meals, sometimes from scratch, other times from frozen. It's where the kids sit at the counter for snacks.It's where we ...
Practical Valentine’s Gifts For The Family
I love a good holiday celebration, but I can quickly be discouraged by the way it promotes more clutter in our home, unmet expectations, and unnecessary spending. Maybe you can relate?This year we celebrated Valentine's Day early for two reasons:I bought gifts and cannot keep them a ...
Hey There, 2022. I See You.
Welcome, Sweet Friend.First of all, I'm so honored to connect with you in this space. While I occasionally do want to ditch social media from time to time, I'm also not ready to give up on the relationships we've made here. I enjoy this space and the joy it brings to my life.I'm invested in you. I ...
Two Days Post Christmas
It is two days post Christmas. I'm laying in my bed, sad. This is the first time in many years that I have given in the commercialization of the holiday and while the shopping was fun, it doesn't feel good today.I feel physically sick at how emotional I am over this.I didn't get to go to the ...
Happy Birthday, Granny
My mom, who my kids call Granny, got to have a house full of joy, noise, crafts, and excitement for her 63rd birthday weekend.The kids told me they stayed up "really late" each night, had gluten-free @oreo and Grandpa's amazing pancakes for breakfast, and got to play in the same backyard that I did ...
The Brave Little Apple Tree That Weathers The Storms
Let me tell you a little story about this apple tree.It started off as two trees with their trunks intertwined.One side died off, and this tree that was left snapped over in a terrible storm years ago.It went through a tough time learning to stand again.It took years, and trying different methods of ...
DIY Painted Rock Dolls
My youngest daughter celebrated her half-birthday while we're safe at home during this coronavirus pandemic. Half birthdays are a big deal when you #CelebrateAbsolutelyEverything like we do. In an effort to save money where we can, not overwhelm the shipping warehouses and delivery drivers, and ...
Sweet Saturday Mornings During Quarantine
With nowhere to rush off to today, weāre letting the little kids have a slow morning of playing.I think it's important to note that the photo above is completely unstaged.We sometimes wonder that when everyone's pictures seem to express more joy than what can be found within our own homes at the ...
Gather The People
I made another new shirt tonight and I'm officially hooked on putting vinyl on my threads. š I'll test this method out with several washes and wears on different materials first, then if all goes well, I'll add them to my shop page (which currently houses affiliate products and I'm ready to change ...
Yogi Bearās Jellystone Camp Resort- Beaver Trails in Austin, MN
This past week we took our 2nd annual camping trip to Yogi Bearās Jelly Stone Park- Beaver Trails in Austin, Minnesota.Ā The campground is located just off of I35 and was a little over an hour away from home for us. Let me preface this with we intentionally went āoff-seasonā because we ...
Enchanted Acres in Sheffield, Iowa is Fun For ALL Ages
Hey Sweet Friends, Happy *almost* fall!Ā One.more.day.Ā I have been in fall mode for the last couple weeks of August, and all of September, even though fall doesnāt officially begin until September 22nd. Ā How about you, are you itching to get out some buffalo check,Ā sip on a pumpkin ...
Baby/Toddler Wearing with the Diono Carus Carrier-Full Review
Let me preface this with I have 4 children, ages 16 months to almost 16 years! Iāve tried a lot of different baby and toddler wearing methods, some Iāve loved, some Iād never do again, (like the carrier my two week old child fell out of 11 years ago, thankfully just onto my fluffy bed, but can you ...
Donut Days
Donut Days! A fun {sporadic} tradition we have incorporated into our homeschooling.Ā Occasionally when I'm at the local grocery store I will pick up a package of day-old donuts for the kids (just $2).Ā We make up some tea (I just ordered THIS one, and a fellow homeschool mom suggested THIS ...
Ten Years
The rest of the family went to sleep early, so my littlest guy and I had a little mommy + me date. We cleaned, we packed daddy's lunch, we did 1/8th of the dishes (we were both over it before we even began), we wrote colorful notes for everyone and left them on the table to be discovered in ...
The Most Greatest.Gift.Ever
As I held the phone in my hand talking to the receptionist and looking at my calendar I held my breath and tried not to let my worry show through the phone lines when she gave me the next available appointment date. My words said āGreat, Iāll take it, thank youā, but my heart said, āOh ...