A few days after Christmas, my daughter put a leftover cinnamon roll in the microwave, set the timer for four minutes, and walked away. A few minutes later, as the cinnamon roll began to char, I hurried down the stairs after smelling smoke, and was shocked to see grey smoke billowing from the microwave. My son started coughing and crying in the next room. My husband rushed the noxious plate outside, and on a frigid 30 degree day, we...
“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:8 A whole three years ago when I was a brand-new blogger, I posted my very first printable. It was a lettered print of 1 Peter 4:8, and it’s been a popular post on my blog since. I still love it (and have it on my wall), but I wanted to give it a little makeover. Plus, my husband and I just...
Hi friends! Today I’m guest-posting “10 ways to be another mom’s cheerleader” over at the JellyTelly blog HERE. You can also head there to download these encouraging Scripture verse cards! I hope you enjoy the post! I was in the middle of a battle of wills with a child of mine. (This is the same child who responded to my observation, “You are being particularly difficult this morning,” with: “I don’t speak Spanish.”) My dear friend and neighbor came...
I don’t always feel like I fit in as an artist. I don’t watercolor, do calligraphy, paint, or make anything classy, sophisticated or fancy. I draw cute illustrations and write about the Word, but sometimes that feels very small. Maybe that sounds silly, but I’m guessing you feel the same way about some area of your life. The lane you’re in feels narrow and somewhat cramped. You look across to friends speeding by in their own lanes, doing their things, and...
My five-month is in a funny stage. He just learned to turn over and can’t stop now, even though he really doesn’t like to sleep that way yet. There’s been a lot of crying and training this last week. My four-year-old is in a stage too (oh my). She insists on “big sister rest time” now and wants to give up naps, but by five in the evening, she’s an emotional mess (and so am I). If she gets worn...
You know those things you see in a friend or a spouse that if you could just put your finger on them, you think they’d be fixed? Or that fault in your spouse that, if he’d only listen to you, all would be well? I can easily pick them out in others and I’m sure they can just as easily pick them out in me. So, here we are, trying to live in grace, but we’re still such a...
I (only) joke that the trip almost ended our marriage. Earlier this year we decided to drive our family to Orlando, Florida to visit my father-in-law. That’s a 15 hour trip for us, with a three and a five-year-old who tend to alternate between squabbling and being the best of friends like a roller coaster. The drive was bad enough that we still shudder to think about it, but probably not bad enough to keep us from doing it...
So you know those moments (or maybe whole days) when you cringe to think of someone taking a peek into your heart? You’re sure they’d never look at you the same, or immediately start working on your commitment papers. If they only knew how desperate, how weak, how needy you were. No, that doesn’t describe you? Me either. Good. Insert picture of a child doing something adorable and blog post done. But let’s be real. There are days when...
Last week I wrote about my struggles to keep relationships going, to know how to move past hurt, disappointment, and the little conflicts that plague all human relationships. Relational grace starts with a grasp of how God relates to us. Romans 3:23 says that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” God is glorious and has always been glorious. He exists in glorious relationship within the Trinity. He created a perfect creation and world for...
