When you see someone in their element, doing something they are truly gifted to do, it’s a special thing. Last week, I had the chance to witness someone displaying their abundant gift of hospitality first hand in a beautiful new-old house nestled in the hills of Hamilton, Virginia. And that someone was Chris of Zion Springs Bed & Breakfast (and wedding venue).  Here’s a picture of Chris (in the middle) with me and my mom. They inherited a beautiful lot of land and built a home perfectly suited to their large family and included a “wing” to house Chris’s dad.  Sadly Chris’s dad passed away before the home was complete, so Chris and her husband prayed about how they could use that extra space.  She shared that they tried a few different things, like opening the rooms to local college students, and finally decided to take the plunge and turn it into

Even though we’re not sure where and when we might be moving, we’re making a point to purge things we no longer use, love, or need.  It’s the perfect time of year to do that sort of thing, anyway, but we’re taking it to a new level. I cleaned out my closet a few weeks ago and was able to fill three large bags with things I either never wore or wasn’t wearing any more.  And I’m not even a big shopper with a lot of clothes!  I don’t know how I accumulated so many things.  Well, I somehow managed and it was time for the purge. I had a few pieces from Anthropologie in those bags, though, that I felt were a little too special to put in the yard sale pile.  Two of them are brand new and one was only worn a few times.  Ebay is the perfect

It’s been a couple of weeks since I put up my first post about my trip to China.  A part of it is that I’ve been busy, but another part is that I’ve needed to process it for a while. When people ask how my trip was, I struggle with it a bit and let out a hesitant, drawn out, “Good.”  It’s not that it wasn’t good, but good is such a small word that doesn’t even begin to capture the highs and lows of the trip, the experiences gained, and the things I learned about yourself as I was taken outside of my comfort zone.  But, when some person at church asks me in passing, “How was your trip?”, they probably don’t want a 4 hour answer.  So, I say, “Good.” Now that I’ve been home a few weeks and have had time to digest it all, I feel like I can share

Today starts the beginning of the last year in my 30’s. I had a busy work day, but came home to my boys waiting for me on the driveway, fists full of “wild flowers” that they tossed on the sidewalk to mark my entrance. (Jeff pointed out that they were weeds, but let’s called them wild flowers.) And I walked in the house to the Happy Birthday chorus, cards, presents, and lemon cream cake. And I got what every woman who turns 39 wants… a sweet, tweed-covered Fender tube amp for my electric guitar. That’s right. Rock on. Oh, and I have gotten some furniture done this week!  Frenchie number one is done and I’ll be working on its partner in the next day or two.  I also have a few other pieces in the works. And PS, this fabulous blue linen dress is from .  When I posted a

    There is a season for everything. And we’ve been through a lot of seasons together over the eight years I’ve written this blog.  When I first hit the publish button, my kids were in diapers, my husband was a full-time youth pastor, and I was a stay-at-home mom, taking a stab at starting a business to help buy groceries. God blessed this business beyond anything we could’ve imagined.  It enabled Jeff to transition into a part-time associate pastor position a couple of years ago, allowing him time to work towards his Masters degree as a full-time student.  And now, that season is coming to an end. Jeff only has a few more classes to finish in order to complete his degree, so he has started applying for full-time pastor positions.  We don’t know exactly where or when, but we will be moving to whatever church we feel God is calling him to.  We hope