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...

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...

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...

I'm going to reveal just how old and dorky we are, but Chris and I have started watching a lot of Bob Ross's "Joy of Painting" episodes to relax at the end of the day. We're regularly blown away by how quickly he can paint a very realistic-looking boulder or "almighty tree" or reflection in the wate...

You can make life decisions based on fact, or based on fiction. 

The difference is the set of assumptions you start out with. 

If you begin with assumptions that haven't undergone some serious scrutiny, you run the risk of ending up with a very crumbly foundation. Making big decisions this way will le...

It has been a big week for me on the development side for my new project. It's intense, but I really do feel it coming to life. Many parallels have come to mind between this work of mental/emotional labor and actual labor (which is definitely not on my mind because I saw the new Fantastic Four movie...

I found an Ace Hardware bag in a "to organize" box today (please tell me I'm not the only one), and inside were 5 packets of seeds: watermelon, summer squash, pumpkin, snap peas, and basil.

They didn't grow. 

I had the best  plans for them when I bought them this spring. We'd munch on our own juicy wa...

I've been thinking a lot about "yielding" this week, because I flipped open to a scripture that talked about the joy that comes with yielding our hearts to God.

In driving, we yield in certain situations to allow another vehicle the right of way. We slow down or even stop while they have their turn. ...

Sometimes "something bigger" looks like going all in on your dreams; 

Sometimes it looks like scaling back to make room for the essentials. 

Sometimes it looks like having a tough conversation;

Sometimes it looks like pausing to enjoy a sunset.

"Something bigger" looks different for each of us, at each ...

I was writing yesterday morning when I heard our little girl squeal with delight from the other room. 

"Ah! I DID it!!"

She ran into the room, waving a folded piece of paper. She had successfully folded it in half, with the corners matching exactly. 

A couple weeks ago, she wanted to make a card for a ...

I've written about baby steps before... how they're meant to be small and wobbly, and that's a beautiful thing. But today I have some different kind of steps on my mind, which are just beyond the baby ones. For this post, I'm thinking about toddler steps.

This topic was inspired by an adorable little...