For 15 years I was a stay-at-home mom with a couple of side hustles. That part of my life is a beautiful, invaluable sacrifice that is worth more than I could ever obtain by any earthly measure. While I am clearly still a full time mom,  I am also working outside of the home now. I have been a substitute teacher for two years and it has been an incredible experience. I love subbing! My favorite part is getting to see my kids, my friends’ kids, and my kids’ friends! Everyone always asks me how my kids feel about that and the answer is- they like it. They aren’t embarrassed or shy about m ..read more

The last time we went camping my husband J had all kinds of fancy recipe ideas. He asked for my thoughts. I told him he didn’t want to know my thoughts. When probed for further explanation I told him I thought it was all too complicated. If I were doing the planning and cooking I would stick with simple camping classics. After discussing for a bit I told him he could do whatever he wanted but I wouldn’t be helping. I truly was not trying be manipulative! I wanted him to get to do whatever he wanted with the cooking but I knew I wouldn’t be very helpful given the direction he was going. In the ..read more

The first time I visited the Greenhouse Bus Mercantile it felt like I had found a secret treasure out in the small town of Blanchester Ohio. The building is weathered with decades of character and when you walk in the shop is full of organic goodness. There is kombucha on tap, organic teas, micro-greens, grains, meat, honey, and it just keeps going. The natural light pours in as you go down steps and find books, jewelry, and boutique items. Then turn to the apothecary room full of essential oils. It is a wonderland for your senses and that’s only the first floor! Upstairs is the coffee bar ..read more

My next interview for the Inspiring Moms series is with Darci Davidson. I can’t wait to share her testimony of how God brought her from pain and heartache to salvation and restoration! But first I want to highlight some of her creative endeavors because believe me, they are worth checking out! Darci is the author of two children’s books. She wrote “But for Now, Stay Here (for little boys and their parents)” and “Don’t Give Up with Lee the Fox“. Darci first began writing during an intense season of healing. At first it was just as her own form of therapy. Darci is an introvert by nature so sh ..read more

  2023 was an amazing year in the end. An ER visit, panic attacks, and prescription meds still loom as one of the big grey clouds that hung over a good part of the year so I want to be transparent about that. However, I am so thankful to report that I experienced healing and freedom from that. I still don’t even have a diagnosis, but I am thankful that whatever was causing shaking, anxiety, insomnia, and heart palpitations from April to August is gone now. Praise God! When I look past that and really explore all that happened I am overwhelmed with gratitude. Let’s take  a look shall ..read more

First of all, how is it that I have a 16 year old. I could be getting really sappy and emotional about that, but I will wait until at least 17  for that blog post, 18 if we’re lucky. For now let’s just talk about the party. 16 is a big one. One of the biggest milestone birthdays of all actually and we knew he wasn’t get a car so I wanted to do something else significant. We decided that even though we had just thrown a launch party for my book and it was a huge undertaking we still needed to do something equally as big for Z, so we threw him a surprise party. It was…well, let’s just say t ..read more

I am a sentimental person. I can’t help but get a little teary eyed when my children outgrow things that they cherished or we had really sweet memories attached to. Maybe you are the same way. I came across a kids John Deere hard hat that I know doesn’t get played with anymore, but my father-in-law who passed away was a big John Deere tractor guy and I just wasn’t ready to donate it. Other than a few really special keepsakes I will let things go when the time is right. I am not emotional about every little thing. I can toss or donate items enthusiastically when I know it’s a cheap plastic thi ..read more

First the recipe and then I’ll share how I make this extremely cost effective! Instant ham broccoli cheddar soup (inspired by Panera- YUM) All of my photos of the soup are terrible and do not look appetizing so here is one from The Chunky Chef whose soup recipe inspired mine. Ingredients 2 tablespoons butter Divided 1 cup chopped onions 2-3 garlic cloves Minced 3 cups stock (I’ve used chicken or my own home made ham broth) salt and pepper to taste 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder 4 cups chopped fresh broccoli florets (with stems) You can use frozen if you w ..read more

This month’s Inspiring Mom is Ashley Roche. Just a heads up, there are some delicate topics included in this story. During the interview, I wanted to make sure Ashley didn’t feel pressured to share anything she wasn’t comfortable with. For Ashley though she just wants to get the full story out to give God the glory and possibly help others. She told me that if she could even help one person by sharing what God has done for her it would be worth it. I had tears listening to her story and writing it. When Ashley came to my house for the interview I opened the door to a beautiful, healthy, smili ..read more

I am not a food blogger and don’t have a “jump to recipe” button so I’ll post the recipe first! Ingredients 2 boxes of pie crust (I just get the generic or whatever is on sale) 1 1/2 sticks of butter (12 tbs) 1 cup of chopped onion 2/3 cup of flour 1 tsp of salt 1/2 tsp of pepper 1/2 tsp of paprika 1 tsp of garlic powder 3.5 cups of chicken broth (28 fluid ounces) 1 cup of milk (or cream) 5 cups of shredded chicken 4 cups of frozen mixed vegetables thawed First preheat oven two 425 and prepare pie crusts as directed in two 9 inch glass pie pans. Next in a stock pot melt butter over medium heat ..read more