Why You Need Margin, Mama

I was recently reading a poll of sorts in a Facebook group that asked the ladies there how often they have time away from their kids. And by that, she didn’t mean the hour after they’ve gone to bed where you sprawl out on the couch with Netflix or Instagram. (Although all the praise hands

Fearless Surrender

Surrender. Let go. Be open. These are words that I’ve been grappling with in my heart the last few weeks. Words that I know all too well can make or break the big decisions in my life.  If you’ve been around this little space very long, you know I’m a self-professed control freak. I’ve made

On New Year’s Day…

January 1.  I love a fresh start, don’t you? I love opening up a fresh planner, turning to a new month, and dreaming of the possibilities. I also love the thought of improving on the month or year past and setting goals for myself, personally and professionally, as we move into a new chapter. So,

On Opening the Door

This past week at my MOPS meeting, I sat at a table with six amazing women discussing clutter. We all have it – physical clutter, meaning the piles, the boxes, the shoes (my personal nemesis), the disorganized parts of our home. We all have that one closet we’d be horrified if someone opened, am I

What Breaks YOUR Heart? Thoughts on Brooks’s Dedication Weekend

Last night, we dedicated our sweet Brooks to the Lord in front of our church and family. It was such a full circle moment because God first planted that adoption seed in our hearts in that same room, from that stage over two years ago when a message from our pastor, John McKinzie, asked us

On Taking a Phone Sabbath

CONFESSION: I am 150% addicted to my iPhone. (Aren’t we all?)  I’ve been noticing, though, that lately, my phone addiction has taken a stronghold over me. It’s the first thing I reach for when I get up in the morning, and it’s the last thing I look at before I go to bed. It’s really

Some Days are Just HARD.

Can I get real for a minute? Like, really real. Today was an absolute BEATING. Like, I could actually go to bed at 8:29 as I’m sitting down to write this beating. Like, I ate two cupcakes after dinner and felt zero shame beating. Short of my oldest son’s surgery complications, today was one of

IF: Gathering 2017

I had the BEST and most refreshing weekend attending my church’s IF: Gathering! The focus of the conference was the idea of getting back to the basics of the early church and examining how Jesus did life with his disciples. Pure and simple. There were so many nuggets of wisdom shared, but I wanted to

That Mama

Hey, baby boy, hey…it’s your mama here. I’m not the one who carried you. Not the one who looks like you. Not the one who held you first. No, buddy, I’m not that mama. I’m not the one who shares your blood. Not the one whose smile matches yours. Not the one who heard your

The Playhouse

You know that old saying, “The Lord works in mysterious ways?” Sometimes, he even uses dirty plastic playhouses…because He can.   It was a typical Thursday evening. We had just returned home from the gym, and I was making dinner. Tacos, obviously, since I had just worked out for an hour. 😉 I was feeling