There's just something so sweet about a child falling asleep in your arms during a bedtime story. Last night I read my youngest the book "Just in Case You Ever Wonder", a favorite of her big sister's when she was a tot, and one I read to the boy often too. That same big sister walked by and said ...
Be Ever Blooming
These once-upon-a-time dying greenhouse plants and 2/$1 seed packets from Dollar Tree have bloomed right where they were planted in my little backyard flowerbed. I didn’t know if they’d turn out. This was my first year planting flowers on this kind of scale. I’ve done small pots by the house (which ...
You Are Loved. Right Now. Always.
Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, it is my prayer that right now, in this very moment. you would know and believe with your whole heart that YOU ARE LOVED. I don’t know what you’re going through. I don’t know what tomorrow holds for you. But I do know this: you are not alone. Tough Days ...
Celebrate Absolutely Everything
Why We Celebrate Absolutely Everything 🎉 Someone once told me, “You guys celebrate everything!” At first, I took it as criticism. Were we being frivolous? Over the top? Maybe. Later I realized… what if it wasn’t criticism at all? What if it was actually: “Wow, those people really know how to look on ...
The Prayer Chair
Not too long ago, I spent a night on my bedroom floor, crying myself to sleep. My husband tried to comfort me, but I had my mind made up: I needed more than a quick “you’re okay.” What I really needed was hours of prayer and quiet time with Jesus. I needed to hear Him speak, to center my heart, and ...
You Can’t Give it if You Don’t Have it- So Get It!
As I got ready for bed one night this week I walked past this sight, in the middle of my living room floor. Our cat, who we call #slightlybetterbrownie on social media, was checking out the tracks left out by my kiddos. Normally I would've told the kids to clean them up before bed, but I was away ...
My Heart Today: The Orphans
Photo Courtesy of Courtney Lorenz Photography. My family and I drove home from church today in our Town and Country van. We bought it new, had it custom-fit for our family, and delivered to the same dealership where we had bought our last minivan, just a couple years before that. When we got ...
Stop Comparing! Start Encouraging!
I'm feasting on cage free brown eggs with organic garden fresh onions, and sipping a cup of Oolong tea from the cutest Asian Market around all of Minneapolis. & that Hobby Lobby mug, totes adorbs, right? ~BUT WAIT {seriously} ~ Dear Sisters in Christ, PLEASE don't let this snapshot of one meal ...
The Random Reasons Why We Love Church (And You Should, Too!)
We all have our reasons why we attend church, or don’t. Sometimes I struggle hard with not wanting to attend and be fully present there; other times I don’t struggle at all, I just get in the van and go. This is just a random post, folks. I do have some deep feelings about church, religion, and God, ...
What’s on my heart today? Unity
What’s on my heart today? Unity. I see so much division over denominations, Lutheran, Methodist, Baptist, Catholic… the list goes on. But at the end of the day, aren’t we all children of God? If we were truly living as Christians, striving to be Christ-like, I think we’d take this verse to ...
Rain, Remembrance, and Peace
It rained all day yesterday. My husband took the day off work to take me to a doctor’s appointment, the one I've been dreading, for my breast exam. I told him I could have gone on my own, but he knew better. He knew I needed him with me. My mom watched the kids, and I was so thankful, since the ...
Siblings Day 2015
This morning my dad sent me an email with an old picture attached. He said, “You can use this for Siblings Day.” Siblings Day? I’ll admit, I had to look it up. Turns out, April 10th is the official day, and I hadn’t planned for it at all. No cards, no gifts, just this sweet picture and a whole lot ...
Choosing Patience in the Parking Lot
There we were, a family of five, hustling through the parking lot so I could squeeze in a quick stop at the shoe store and still get all my errands done. Our little circus looked something like this: A dad strutting confidently with his fresh haircut. A preteen with her eyes glued to a ...
I Love You to Death, Marry Me, and Have Fun
A couple weeks ago, I was digging through my keepsake box for a specific picture of an old friend. I couldn’t find it, and for a moment, I felt a little defeated. But then I found something else from that same time period — a playful, just-for-fun “marriage proposal” from a co-worker at the pizza ...
Stop Saying NO Out of Fear
As a young mom, I was asked to take on a volunteer position. At first, I didn’t accept it. I felt inexperienced and unsure of myself, but I also didn’t want fear to keep me from something God might be calling me to. The woman who asked me said something that still guides me today: “Don’t say no ...
My Friend, Amy.
Amy Elizabeth Hild. September 9th, 1987 - February 25th, 2015 Amy Elizabeth Hild I’ve known Amy’s full name for well over 10 years, and I’ve never forgotten it. She used to doodle it in her math notebook all.the.time. She’d put fancy designs around her name and play around with ...
Memories For My Baby Girl: Daddy Twirls You Around the Kitchen
My memory may fail me at some point. I know this, because it has before. This little blog is not only my place to encourage others, but to chronicle my thoughts and store my memories, in case I ever forget these sweet moments. I have no idea how long my posts will stay on the internet. It's my ...
Tidying Rooms, Tidying Hearts
I spent part of the evening cleaning my oldest daughter’s room. It wasn’t the worst I’ve ever seen, but it certainly wasn’t what anyone would call organized. She struggled to let go of little plastic dolls, Happy Meal toys, random papers she had drawn on, and keychains with no real significance ...
Enjoy the Journey, Heaven Awaits
For Christmas we gave the baby a stroller for her own babies. It took her less than a week to figure out she fits in her new dolly stroller. Oh boy. The last doll stroller we had (about 10yrs ago) was held together with massive amounts of duct tape by the end of its life (well, its ...
You Think I’m Strong-Willed? Whatever THAT Means!
There were only TWO other women at the conference with sparkle shoes. One of them was Sally Baucke, the woman who taught me it's okay to wear sparkle shoes and find the joy in your life right where you are. The other woman was like me, just trying to be as fashionable as Sally! So you know ...