In our new church, we are a part of a small group.  At first glance, it seems like a mismatched group of people.  A young couple without kids, a couple with teenagers and one child who just got married, a couple of empty-nesters with five adult kids, and us.  We’re at different stages of life and come from different backgrounds, but it has been such a rich time each week and I am learning a lot from each of the couples. One of the things that stood out to me was when one of the empty-nesters shared that he encourages his kids to always nurture a habit.  When he connects with them, he asks, “How’s your habit?” Immediately, that stuck out to me.  As someone who loves being productive, I like the idea of nurturing a habit (or perhaps a few at a time) that will help me reach larger

We’re a week into 2018, so perhaps it’s a little late for 2017 recap and roundup posts, but I’m going to share those throughout January, mixed in with current posts.  So, today, I’m sharing the top ten most popular posts of 2017 (according to page views on Google Analytics.)  I enjoyed digging into the numbers to see what generated the most interest and a few were surprising! In traditional countdown fashion, we’ll start with number 10… #10 | Studio Transformation | Part 1 Jeff thought I would hate this room, but I could see how amazing it was going to look with paint. I think it’s safe to say I was right. #9 | Settling in I wrote this post when we just moved into our house.  I remember feeling overwhelmed, not just with moving our stuff in and unpacking, but with sharing it on the blog.  While the house was beautiful,

Even though it’s a big part of my business, I will admit to having a love/hate relationship with social media.  It can be impersonal, superficial, and downright ugly at times.  And, honestly, sometimes it’s just too much input from people who don’t really know you.  But, it can also be an amazing community…  A tribe of people connected through a common love or common struggle.  Connecting for support and friendship.  Joining together for a cause. This is an opportunity to make those likes and comments mean something more than a drop in the social media bucket.  This is a chance to have those likes and comments become physical dollars to support charities and non-profit organizations that support individuals who are sick, suffering, struggling, and/or in need. I have partnered with Balsam Hill and their Season of Giving campaign to raise money for a non-profit of my choosing – and I

This post is sponsored by Blue Apron.  All words and opinions are, as always, honest and my own. I do enjoy cooking, but I have a threshold.  If I am spending the better part of the day baking pies and prepping food to get ready for a holiday dinner, I don’t want to have to think about tonight’s dinner.  And it’s nice to have easy meals waiting in the wings for when the leftovers run out, too. My Blue Apron box arrived just in time to give me some meal options to work around Thanksgiving. And that box is filled with farm-fresh ingredients, carefully packed to survive transit and possibly sitting at your front door before you get home from errands or work.   I was busy helping the boys with their homework when this package arrived, so it sat for a while before I had time to unpack it. I

In case you weren’t aware, November is National Diabetes Awareness month.  Why am I dedicating an entire post to that?  My youngest son, Calvin, is a Type 1 Diabetic. I want to share more about diabetes because 1.) people have asked me for updates and 2.) T1D is sneaky and knowing the symptoms can save someone’s life.  So, even if you don’t give a hoot about diabetes, just read the symptoms and store that away in the recesses of your brain.  Not to be dramatic, but it really might save the life of someone you know.  I am convinced that Calvin was diagnosed early, before he was in real trouble, because my mom knew the symptoms. First of all a few details about T1D.  Most people are familiar with type 2 diabetes, since most people with diabetes have type 2.  Less than 10% of diabetics have type 1 and only