Smile on the Horizon

A couple days ago my hyper-responsible older daughter burst inside yelling, “MOM! There’s a cow in the yard, and the baby is trying to go outside!” I peeked out the door and saw neither hide nor hair of cow. What I did see was the most marvelous light from the sunset… the kind of light that keeps reminding me, “You’re home.” I cajoled... Read More

Just Some Blog Business: A Year of Better Cooking

Fall is here! I’ve had a nice little break from the blog, unpacking more boxes and getting settled into our school routine. Has Fall brought a new rhythm to your days, or energy for doing something new? For the next year of blog posts, I plan to learn to cook better meals. My husband finally has a somewhat predictable schedule, for the first time in our marriage. Even the... Read More

The One Year Blogiversary (And a New Challenge)

One year ago, on September 9, 2010, I hit the “publish” button on my first post in the blogisphere. I was stuck in the mountains, getting ready to be snowed in for my third winter, nursing a baby for hours a day, and changing four sets of diapers. My only goal for the blog, besides not going nuts, was to learn to take better pictures of my kids. (Click here to read... Read More

New Home: The Place of Perfect Marital Bliss

My husband and I have spent hours daydreaming together about our perfect home. These have been fun times for us (the dreaming part of it, not the hard years). I feel a little foolish admitting this, but I was a tiny bit worried that after we moved to our permanent place, we wouldn’t have anything to dream together about anymore. Haha! There was no need for concern! (Click... Read More

Houses Past

My husband and I have been married a dozen years now. We’ve moved about six times (depending how you count it). Before I show pictures of our current house, I thought it would be fun to walk down memory lane! The walk turned into an all-day hike, so I’ll give the tour of our current place tomorrow or Friday. Where I Grew Up My parents have lived in the same house for... Read More

Sunshiny Smiles From the Zoo

I’m moving on from the Friday series of posts (at least for now, in this venue). Too dark! I felt like I was reliving it all over again. I’m unspeakably grateful for family and friends who prayed us right on through those years. Some sunshiny smiles are in order… The kids and I went to the zoo last week for the first time since we moved. It was swelteringly hot,... Read More

My Birthday

This past week we celebrated my 35th birthday. Mom and Annie brought brunch one morning. We ate gluten-free so Mom could enjoy everything, too. Annie made peach bread with a gluten-free flour. The texture was amazing! (Click here to read more or leave a comment on My Birthday)  Read More

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Planting Fall Mums (While Cooking Stuffed Pasta Shells)

The last few days I’ve occasionally felt a slight chill in the air! Maybe I’m just imagining it. Either way, it seems to me like sufficient reason for planting fall mums. A couple evenings ago, I started up some stuffed pasta shells, in my new quest to have sit-down family dinners more often. I boiled the shells, browned the onion and ground beef, mixed a pack of cream... Read More

Infertility Post Three: Sharing Burdens of Grief

We moved four times in the first seven years of our marriage. Moving while going through infertility treatments had some advantages. Some days, like Hannah in the Bible, I probably looked like I was hung over from crying myself to sleep the night before! When friends inquired, I always felt reluctant to admit that I was still sad about the same thing, and that no, it wasn’t... Read More