I am very likely going to make some folks really angry with this post. I know this is a controversial topic, and I do not intend to go into the economics, politics, and ‘rights’ side of the debate. These are my opinions, pure and simple. If we disagree, I still love you.  Last night, my husband and I ventured downtown for dinner. Not a typical place we frequent, but one we enjoy on occasion. As we drove around, desperately looking for parking, we had no choice but to drive around the downtown square. There happened to be a very large group of picketers. I was curious what their brigh ..read more

It’s time we talk. If we don’t begin the hard conversations, if we are not the ones fighting for our children, who will? A recent statistic broke me. 54% of women who have an abortion profess to be Christians. Let that sink in. Re-read it a few times. Where are we going wrong? Women are so afraid of condemnation from family, peers and church, that they believe killing their baby is the answer. Some teens are even forced by their parents. Reflect on this for a second, whose approval is being sought? It isn’t that of God. Instead, portraying a false narrative to others is taking the lead.  ..read more

My husband and I were blessed with a beautiful baby girl nine and half months ago. She is such a joy and is filled with excitement about everything! She’s chatty in her own little baby language and has just learned how to walk so she wants to be everywhere, and is into everything. It’s thrilling and amazing and humbling to be a mama, but when it comes time for Mass and time for stillness and quiet, it can be a bit challenging. I’ve been trying to attend daily Mass at least twice a week, sometimes it’s more, sometimes it’s less, but twice a week is my goal. As my baby girl grows, it’s gotten in ..read more

“I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:14-16 My life was changed forever in the blink of an eye. Everything I knew about myself collided with a new reality: I was unwanted, rejected, and aborted. Yes, aborted. I grew up in a loving, Christian home and have known I was adopted a ..read more

The world is a scary place right now for moms who are formula feeding. My heart breaks for them. I can’t imagine their fear and frustration. Even if they can find it, it is double the cost to ship. To top it all off, you see so many ridiculing them. Criticizing them for not breastfeeding. Giving them “simple” fixes to make their own formula. Telling them things like, “Well if only your body was able to feed your baby, oh wait, it can.” If this had happened anytime in the past 7 years, it could have been me and one of my babies in need. There are many reasons moms don’t breastfeed. I know moms ..read more

I was told at 19 I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t possibly become a mom and raise a child on my own. At 22, I was told I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t possibly be a single mom, work and go to school to get my degree. Well, today at 26, I will walk across that stage, degree in hand, and prove every single person who doubted me wrong once and for all. Even with the booming voices trying to drown me out, countless people trying to put me down, still, I rise. Today I will walk across that stage not only for myself, but for my daughter as well. For the sweet little girl who came into my life and fore ..read more

I decided to host Christmas for my family this year. We moved to a new home in May. I want to commemorate the first year in our new home, surrounded by my favorite things, with my favorite people, for my favorite holiday. Christmas. Rather than showcase the perfect matchy-matchy theme of holly inspired China and crystal drinking glasses sitting in my grandmother’s China hutch, awaiting their one-day-per-year grand debut, I wanted to do something a little different this year. Thus, arose my vision of a hodge-podge vintage Christmas. Everyone will find an old-school festive drinking glass, uniqu ..read more

I never thought of contentment as a thing that takes courage, until it became increasingly hard to grasp. Last year my family and I moved into an older home. We were also moving cities, and in the current market, we didn’t have a lot of choices. Things began to get stressful as the closing sale date on our current home drew near and we still had no plan. We chose this old house for one reason: it’s the home that became available to us. There were some romantic things about it, at first: like the piano that was included in the purchase, the big backyard for the kids to play in, and the arched w ..read more

When the ornate Magi we read about in Luke Chapter 2, presented the Christ child with three rare gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh, what was the symbolization of each? Did they expect a more royal and noble birth when choosing these expensively thoughtful presents? Were they surprised when they witnessed a baby, in a bundle of hay, lying in an animal’s feeding trough…in a barn? The irony of a king, thoughts of wealth, power, and affluence, born in such a lowly environment, blanketed in poverty, danger, and unexpected conditions….is enough to scratch one’s head with confused delight. I recen ..read more

My husband and I were blessed with a beautiful baby girl nine and half months ago. She is such a joy and is filled with excitement about everything! She’s chatty in her own little baby language and has just learned how to walk so she wants to be everywhere, and is into everything. It’s thrilling and amazing and humbling to be a mama, but when it comes time for Mass and time for stillness and quiet, it can be a bit challenging. I’ve been trying to attend daily Mass at least twice a week, sometimes it’s more, sometimes it’s less, but twice a week is my goal. As my baby girl grows, it’s gotten in ..read more