This post is in the holiday heart series. You can read the entire series by clicking here. About five years ago around this time, I spoke publicly for the first time on this continent. I was in Celina with the women of the First Baptist Church and I had been recommended to give an "inspirational Christmas message" to this lovely group of women. I felt completely in over my head. I was 31 years old and privately going through a devastating miscarriage. I had no business teach

This post is part of the Holiday Heart series. You can read the entire series by clicking here. The holiday season is no joke, my friend. There are parties to attend, gifts to wrap (and buy), kids to snuggle, movies to watch, traditions to break, records to listen to, cookies to bake, puzzles to do, books to read and all the more. And I feel like it is only getting more insane by the minute! This year we had an extra week in between Thanksgiving and Christmas which made me

This post is part of the Holiday Heart Series. You can read the entire series by clicking here. Speaking truth over my dear husband as he entered his last legislative session. "I am not enough. I will never be good enough. I am lazy. I can’t get there. I won’t get there." Lies. Lies I often tell myself - and I bet, if you’re honest - there are similar lies you whisper too, if not these exact ones. So many lies that creep in our minds daily. Lies that too often fill our though

This post is part of the Holiday Heart Series. You can read the entire series by clicking here. So, I have long been a fan of freezing food. When I first had our second child, Charlotte a cookbook had come out by a woman you might know, Ree Drummond, and she introduced me to the glorious concept of freezer food. We only had one very small child who was eating "big people food" at the time so whenever I would make something from her cookbook, I would have tons left over - so m

This post is part of the Holiday Heart Series. You can read the entire series by clicking here. Would you agree there is something magical about gathering around a table for the evening? I'm not sure what it is, but feeding people encourages vulnerability and truth telling. In a world that is so busy and on-the-go at every moment, the table offers a respite from chaos. It invites an atmosphere of slow, steady and important conversation that lifts up, encourages and challenges

This post is part of the Holiday Heart Series. You can read the entire series by clicking here. One of the biggest hurdles in opening the door to our homes has everything to do with how we feel about the "presentableness" of it! A few years ago I adapted a philosophy to be "fifteen minutes away from clean". Yes, this requires multiple pickups during and to not leave dishes out for days, but it's more than doable. But I've also picked up a few tricks over the years and foun

This post is part of the Holiday Heart Series. You can read the entire series by clicking here. One of the first things you should know about me, is that I came from a family of entertainers. My grandmother often hosted huge family gatherings. She carried a detailed list of what goes in the oven when, what time we should sit down and what time we should get up. She was the fervent planner. And then my mother in law and mom have every dish known to man. They've collected casse

Can you even believe that it's already November? I looked at our calendar the other day and I feel like I can taste Thanksgiving which means Christmas is on the horizon and then comes the New Year! It's the season that goes incredibly fast and if we aren't prepared, we will wake up and it will all be over! The Holiday Season can be difficult to navigate, can't it? With events to attend, parties to enjoy and family to entertain. And if you add kids into the mix, the difficulty