I have to say that I am in no way an expert on this. It's something I'm learning - even now. But what I've learned might be helpful as you see the looming schedules of the fall closing in.
How to un-overwhelm yourself
Theological Thursdays – Hope Nazi
I'm stuck in a badly written dystopian novel.
In the Raw – Finding Home
I never expected Woodland Mall to feel like coming home.
Theological Thursday – Theodor Seuss Geisel
Did you know a newspaper published a parody of ‘Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now!’ called “Richard M. Nixon, Will You Please Go Now!”? And the president resigned 9 days later.
In the Raw – Pioneer Mamas and Me
Women have been listening to their minds race in circles after a crazy day far longer than we know.
Tips, Hacks & Real Life – Go Ahead & Laugh.
Thank you Holderness Family! Here's a few of my favorites. Just take a moment. Even if it's just snark, let it out. Laughter is medicine!
Christmas in 2020
There's a reason the angels didn't say "Good tidings of great happiness!"
FMF – “cancel”
Cancel feels like someone declaring what you love to be nonexistent.
Theological Thursdays – Raising Cain
God is still having a conversation with his people - even in their broken condition!
In the Raw Grief Edition – What no one told me about remembering
Grief is never a simple journey from point A to point B, but slowly... sometimes very slowly, it does get better.
In the Raw Grief Edition – What no one told me about cleaning out and packing up
PSA: never use the word condolences. Please. It's cold and unfeeling.
In the Raw Grief Edition – What no one told me about the process of dying
Our culture doesn't like to face the idea of death - it means loss, pain and grief. No one wants to think about it but we will all face it.
Review: These Nameless Things by Shawn Smucker
This is the kind of book you have to read again just to soak in the nuances you missed the first time - the very best kind of book.
Review: Stories That Bind Us by Susie Finkbeiner
If ordinary people simply love then act? That is the best and most lasting change that could ever happen.
In the Raw: What I know
If we truly believe God is sovereign... what does that mean in this situation? This moment in history?
Review: Hadley Beckett’s Next Dish by Bethany Turner
Somehow she manages to whip up a situation that is both familiar and bizarre then lets it spin - characters and all.
Theological Thursdays – Coronacation
Somehow when David's hurt and lament was spent, he could see Yahweh even in the awful stuff.
Theological Thursdays – Lent… & COVID-19
It seems today has been hijacked by COVID-19 aka the Coronavirus.
Theological Thursdays – The Art of Friendship
Friendship.
It's not just for marriage.
Theological Thursdays – Reading 2020
Books, writing and sleep = therapy trifecta.
2019 Kids Book Gift List
Stuck on gifts for the kid readers in your life? Check out my 2019 Kids Book Gift List!
In the Raw: Camping at the Red Sea
God does such amazing things and I so quickly pull an Israelite and forget.
Wednesday Wars, Shakespeare and You
I was dumbfounded how a middle grade novel could so accurately depict raw grief.
Review: 31 Day Writing Prompt Journal by Kate Motaung
It's been awhile! But I'm back after a crazy busy summer with a great review for you! My friend Kate Motaung (moe-ta-oong) the brains behind Five Minute Friday has launched a new paper journal for the annual October writing challenge: 31 Days of Five Minute Free Writes. As you know, I've participated for the last... Continue Reading →
Review: Light from Distant Stars by Shawn Smucker
From the Back Cover: When Cohen Marah steps over his father’s body in the basement embalming room of the family’s funeral home, he has no idea that he is stepping into a labyrinth of memory. Over the next week, Cohen’s childhood comes back in living color. The dramatic events that led to his parents’ separation.... Continue Reading →
In the Raw: Continuing the Fight
From taps... "all is well, safely rest, God is nigh" to the flag slowly folded and presented... "on behalf of the President of the United States and a grateful nation" to my veteran father-in-law... I was barely controlling my emotion.
Review: All Manner of Things by Susie Finkbeiner
From the Back Cover: After Annie Jacobson’s brother Mike enlists as a medic in the Army in 1967, he mails her the address of their long-estranged father. If anything should happen to him in Vietnam, Mike says, Annie must let their father know. In Mike’s absense, their father returns to face tragedy at home, adding... Continue Reading →
In the Raw: Planners are like Underwear.
Does keeping track of goals feel like a prison cell? Read on to find out how planners are like underwear. 🙂
In the Raw: A Peek into My Long-Awaited Library
Mother's Day weekend 2017 we physically moved in, but January 2019 this house finally feels like our home. The books have their esteemed place on the wall once again.
Comparing Used Book Websites: What I’ve Learned
If you like books and don't like paying a whole lot for them, here are a few thoughts for you.
InCoWriMo 2019 – a journal and a freebie
InCoWriMo stands for
International Correspondence Writing Month... here's my journal.
Valentine’s Day in Paradise
"Once you are Real, you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand." Skin Horse (Velveteen Rabbit)
In the Raw: Snow Days, Writing & Moving Forward
When negative temps confine you to the house, survival looks a lot like creativity.
Mean Girls: 3 Tips for You and Your Girl
Welcome back for the final post of our Mean Girls series! Here's the first installment if you'd like to catch up. This post will focus on some practical ways to navigate the mean girls in our lives as well as some questions to ask ourselves to make sure we're not joining them. After you read... Continue Reading →
Mean Girls – Part 1
It started in third grade. Her two "BFFs" from the neighborhood (sisters) demanded that she give back the necklace proclaiming their friendship because they didn't all end up in the same class together. She was devastated, so hurt that the friendship she thought was special didn't have the same value to the other girls. Her... Continue Reading →
Creativity Experiment 2018: how it went & what we learned
I can’t believe it’s done, but summer officially is over. Yesterday, the busses came and all three of my backpack-laden creative people got on and left. For the first time, I wasn’t ready. Oh, I had all the school supplies collected and labeled, but I still had more stuff I wanted to do with them. I... Continue Reading →
Summer, Kids & Creativity: A Journey
Each of them, whether they see it yet or not, is created to create. Numbers, paper, pencil, marker, paint, doodles, words, sentences, ingredients, balsa wood, Legos... we cannot help it. Our Creator is worshiped when we reflect Him. I want them to see this.
The Enneagram and Me
(This is your weekly Theological Thursday post but - on a FRIDAY!) What is the Enneagram?? It's one of a vast number of personality systems and ways of seeing ourselves. Ann Bogel has a great book called Reading People with a chapter on the biggest of the tests and how each is beneficial and complements the... Continue Reading →
IF Gathering: 2017 Recap
Our texts flew back and forth. "I've got seats saved!" "Can't wait to see you!" with lots of smiley emojis. As we both finally took our seats in the auditorium of Community Reformed, our sigh of relief was in unison. We made it - physically, emotionally and spiritually. We so needed this time to remember... Continue Reading →
In the Raw: Mammograms & Callbacks
She said, "The doctor saw a questionable spot on your mammogram yesterday and wants to see you again. Can you come in today?" Her words made my heart stop and my thoughts fly. Why did they want to see me so soon?? I have no pain! Are they just being overly cautious?? Is this the... Continue Reading →
In the Raw: Moving isn’t for sissies
It's the end of September. This means there have been several weeks for the kids to adjust to their new schools and today I got to volunteer for the first time. After somehow misreading the volunteer email, I signed up for the 1st grade time slot instead of the 2nd grade - which turned out... Continue Reading →
