I'm in the middle of creating something new, and it's a decision I have felt divinely supported in. Even with this powerful assurance, my mind still cycles back to what I've seen and known in the past, then doubt creeps in, and then I start to sink and choke on the waters of "but what about..." It's...

The last 48 hours at our house could be summed up with 1 word: unexpected.

Nothing major, and a good variety ranging from potentially-amazing to, "Oh wow. That actually happened."

At either end of the spectrum and everywhere in-between, we had expected something different. If we had been clinging to o...

Not going to lie...I've been feeling pretty crummy the last couple of days.

I caught some sort of bug, and I feel like I've been hit by a bus. I forget how amazing healthy feels until it's gone.

It's crazy how a microscopic virus can wreak such havoc on my system. 

It's also crazy how many microscopic...

It's "back to school" day here in Virginia, and last night we bid farewell to the amazing summer break we enjoyed. This was probably my favorite summer we've had so far (more to come in a future post about the details), and it would be bittersweet to say goodbye if I didn't feel like we could build ...

I went to a workshop at a women's conference years ago, on the topic of the power of prayer. During the discussion portion of the presentation, an audience member shared a story of a "lightbulb moment" she had experienced. The simple gem she shared has proven useful to me hundreds (possibly thousand...

Embryos look more like aliens than babies, but we know this is the first phase for every human. We don't doubt that, even though it starts out looking nothing like we envision.

Our creative projects are similar. They start out looking like aliens, with all kinds of potential that we don't see. We wan...

Recipes only work when you gather the ingredients and follow the steps. Turning to the page and wanting to make it won't get you very far, no matter how good the recipe is, no matter how much you think about it.

And just because you choose and make one recipe, doesn't mean you're limited to only ever...

If you're going to create a painting, you won't start with every bit of color on your palette. You'll start with the background, then work your way forward, one layer at a time. Don't assess the beauty or value of the painting by what the first layers look like. Work your way forward, adding more de...

A beautiful gift can be given and not received.

The giver can want the recipient to accept and cherish it, but that doesn't mean they will.

This doesn't tell you anything about the gift or the giver. 

It simply says that the recipient wasn't ready or able to accept the gift.

God's gifts are everywhere,...

I had the best customer service welcome EVER yesterday. Our twins and I spontaneously decided to stop at 7-Eleven (can't say I've ever actually written that out...) for a treat. We chatted normally as we walked in the door, but were greeted by the most surprisingly cheerful gasp and a jolly middle-a...

If you didn't catch the sunset yesterday, it doesn't mean God is punishing you. It might just mean you weren't available or positioned to see it (He loves you enough not to force you to get outside and enjoy it).

Sometimes we scratch our heads and wonder what we did wrong, when things aren't going th...

When stars are interviewed on the red carpet, they're often asked, "Who are you wearing?" 

I've been thinking a lot about labels lately, and the connection came to my mind about designer labels.

As we grow up, we're given labels to wear -- starting with our parents/caregivers, then expanding to friend...