Who's ready to give up chocolate?! Kidding, I'm kidding. You'll get my annual "get your Lent butt in gear" post in another month or so. Until then, commit to making it an awesome Lent today with one click of an internet button. Blessed is She is pre-ordering their "Put on Love" Lenten bundles, prints, stations of the cross cards, journal and mug now, which means they're on sale through next week! They will sell out, I promise. But, if you pre-order, you're ...

"Man, you must be busy." This almost always follows the comment when I tell folks how many kids I have. Six, in case you're wondering. I have six kids. While my answers have changed over time, I'm really starting to hate that question because of one simple thing: as a society, we have glorified "busy" and it makes me nuts. Let's be honest, y'all. We are ALL busy. We all have to eat which involves shopping, cooking, making and cleaning ...

Some think a "word of the year" is a bit hokey. That's cool. I tend to like the word-of-the-year trend. It gives me a singular focus, a word that encapsulates all my new year's resolutions, Lenten promises, life goals and everything else, into one. I thought long and hard about what I wanted to accomplish this year, but not so much about the word. Initially, I thought I might go with "deep,"as in, going deeper into my relationships with friends, ...

I always love the "best of" lists people write: best photos, best blog posts, best recipes, best everything. It's such a glimpse into life, isn't it? 2016 was beautiful, and hard, just like most years. With age, I'm starting to truly understand that no year is perfect, rather it's our perspective that changes. We learn to soak up the joys and live in the moment for we know no milestones are guaranteed. This was the first year, in nine years ...

It started 20 years ago when my grandmother called and said she received my Christmas card - a whole day ahead of my mom's card. It became a friendly competition to get the cards to grandma first so we could enjoy her bragging rights all year. Even though she passed away in 2010, I've kept sending cards so they arrive the Friday after turkey day. For me, it's a labor of love and one that I probably spend too much ...

That must be an oxymoron, no? I can't EVEN tell you the happy dance I did at noon last Friday when the kids got out of school. No homework! No lunches to make! No schedule! The fun will wear off in a couple of weeks, but right now it's pretty much awesome. I have a love-hate relationship with Advent. I know, standing juuuuust a touch to the left for when the lightning strikes. But let's be honest, y'all. The month ...