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The Last Staircase

Jul 12, 2019
4 min

The Last Staircase

When I was 9 years old my parents took me skiing and on our last run I had to go down the River Run. It was the steep, icy LAST run before apres ski. And I was not budging. No matter how much my mom tried to coax me into following her down, the fear in me crept so high I just wasn’t going to move an inch. I begged her to call up the emergency vehicles to take me down. Thankfully my mom refused to be swayed by my fear and we took a very, v-e-r-y slow (pie-ing allllll the way d

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Rise Up: Our Henley Girl's Birth

May 23, 2019
5 min

Rise Up: Our Henley Girl's Birth

Three years ago I had an impressive baby belly with what I would soon to find out was an 8 lb 9 oz baby in my womb. My first born came right on time, on her due date (at 9 lbs). So I had an inkling that my second would come early. This go round I decided to choose a mid-wife which was the best decision I could ever make. Being a first time mom, I had no idea what I was doing. I just felt like I was thrown into the Spanish running of the bulls, trying to keep up. I denied the

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The greatest love story.

Apr 21, 2019
4 min

The greatest love story.

When I was little I would go to bed fantasizing about my wedding. About the man I would marry and the four children I would have, 2 boys and 2 girls. I even had their names picked out. I started a wedding binder, collecting all the things I wanted to use for the planning of my wedding. For the beginning of my marriage. I am not alone in this fantasy, as girls many of us dream of being swept off our feet and carried away into the sunset by our prince charming. My love story wa

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Happy Husband Menu

Mar 29, 2019
4 min

Happy Husband Menu

My hubby’s birthday was this week and I wanted to surprise him by freshening up our patio. We had this potentially lovely patio that just needed a little love to become our own oasis. We had nowhere to sit, we had nowhere to eat or set drinks, we had nowhere to accommodate guests. So with my idea and my surrogate MIL we made magic happen. After a trip to athome and Home Depot we had what we needed to transform our outdoor space. While my MIL got to work on putting the tables

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What I Like About Sundays

Mar 18, 2019
2 min

What I Like About Sundays

What do Sundays mean to you? For me Sundays = family. Family and food. Family, food and Jesus. Sundays are when we wake up slow, when the crackling of bacon and sizzle of eggs is heard and the smell wafts through our home, bringing the family together. Sundays are when coffee beans are ground and the whistle of our tea kettle takes on the role of our rooster in the home, reminding us it is time to wake up. Sundays are the day I relish in cozying in my spot on the couch where

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Maybe It’s Okay If I’m Not Okay

Mar 12, 2019
3 min

Maybe It’s Okay If I’m Not Okay

Recently a new song has been coming on in my car and every time it does, I find myself turning the volume up and getting chills from the lyrics and tears rolling down my cheeks. The chorus rings, “Maybe it’s okay if I’m not okay. ‘Cause the one who holds the world is holding onto me. Maybe it’s alright, if I’m not alright. ‘Cause the one who holds the stars is holding my whole life.” This was such a welcomed acknowledgement that it was okay for me not to be okay. When the wor

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Friday Night Fever

Feb 22, 2019
3 min

Friday Night Fever

It was a normal Friday night… we wanted to have our neighbors over for dinner. They too have two young girls and it would be nice to catch up. In hindsight, our oldest did show some behavior that was out of character for her… acting fussier than normal and then proceeded to take a nap (she’s 4.5). As grateful as we were for the quiet… later we realized it was because her little body was fighting something. When our neighbors arrived, our oldest wanted to watch a show and not

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Let it Snow Let it Snow Let it Snow

Feb 19, 2019
3 min

Let it Snow Let it Snow Let it Snow

Alright alright, I know it is not snowing in Texas… but I can dream of the winter wonderland I was in a few months ago. And despite it not snowing in Texas, the humidity takes cold to a whole different level of chilly butts. When it gets that cold, you need a soup to warm you up. Plus during the winter months our bodies need that natural penicillin that chicken soup provides. Our best friends came up to visit us while we were in the mountains and I was stoked to make my chick

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A Letter to My Mother-in-Law

Feb 1, 2019
2 min

A Letter to My Mother-in-Law

Dear Carol, As I look at my daughters’ blue eyes, energetic twirls over to wrestle with their daddy… my heart aches. I suppose it is a heartache that is both full of happiness and one that has an aching of emptiness. I was never able to meet you, never able to hug you or dance with you at our wedding. I was never able to hand our brand new baby girl over to you, which we named after you… But the biggest thing that comes to mind, is that I was never able to thank you. Thank yo

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Why Is Prayer Important?

Jan 25, 2019
3 min

Why Is Prayer Important?

I have been quite overwhelmed lately. Life just seems to be on full attack from all angles. Fear mongering is e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e and it is driving me bananas. I have never been one to cower in fear, hide or close myself up. I am usually quite the extrovert. But lately, I just am becoming more and more of a homebody… I feel so safe and strong in my bubble. Then I have to go outside, and from the first step on my porch I feel like I need to wear my armor. Everything I believe

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Who's Ready For A Giveaway?? #wellnesswins

Jan 11, 2019
5 min

Who's Ready For A Giveaway?? #wellnesswins

Today starts a sale for the Beginner's Box with Young Living. I have to be straight with you all and tell you how much this bundle has changed my family's life. Especially after my diagnosis with breast cancer. Halen was constantly sick as a baby... it broke my mama heart. I had to find a different solution for her. Evan always had headaches and skin issues, I had to find a different solution for him. I always had digestive issues and then had cancer... I had to find a differ

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Blink Of An Eye

Blink Of An Eye

Dec 31, 2018
3 min

Blink Of An Eye

Who is ready for 2018 to go? Anyone wish it would linger a little longer? I have always found myself ready for a new year, ready for a new Monday... ready to start fresh. 2018 was quite the year for our family... the second half of my cancer journey took place in 2018... Don’t get me wrong 2018 had some pretty fantastic moments… my daughters growing and learning just brings me so much joy. It snowed in Texas as we rang in the New Year, which is pretty uncommon and awesome. We

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Hope And Fear Of All The Years Are Met In Thee Tonight

Dec 18, 2018
3 min

Hope And Fear Of All The Years Are Met In Thee Tonight

During this season of Christmas, many embrace joy and gladness. The twinkling lights dazzle and the spirit of the season stirs up an awakening of magic and…hope. Others are experiencing, struggles and the reminder of such a season of cheer drowns them in their own despair and brings relentless thoughts of fear. Both of these feelings are completely valid and are allowed to co-mingle during the season of Christmas. The message I learned at church this past Sunday focused on ju

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Why Is It So Hard To Downshift?

Dec 14, 2018
3 min

Why Is It So Hard To Downshift?

I find it interesting that during certain times of our life we are forced to slow down. Forced to pause, forced to rest. As moms, we usually don’t allow us time to do that, we push through whatever it is that is trying to remind us we need to just stop. Whether that be exhaustion…from all the things… staying home with kids all day, juggling working and kids, getting up with a newborn, feeling under the weather, stress over family issues, work deadlines, the list goes on and o

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Family Advent Calendar

Dec 2, 2018
4 min

Family Advent Calendar

This year we chose to do a family advent calendar vs. Elf on the Shelf. As much as this creative, Pinterest-loving, sentimental mom would have LOVED coming up with fun things for our elf to do… I wanted to focus my energy on the reason for the season. I want my kids to also keep their focus on the reason for the season. Our society does a VERY good job to try and distract us from the true meaning of Christmas. Do I think Elf on the Shelf is bad, no. I think it is a matter of

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My Thanksgiving Menu

Nov 21, 2018
5 min

My Thanksgiving Menu

I am a foodie at heart and I love love love finding ways to celebrate life through food. Since I have been on the path of #whole30 (or maybe I should say #whole28) I have found ways to substitute better ingredients for ones I used in the past to make my menu more wholesome, organic, healthy with less sugar, grains, and preservatives. Pull up a chair, grab a hot bev and see what we are making this Thanksgiving. Still menu planning? Not to worry, this menu is delicious, healthy

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Uh Oh... Someone is Sick

Nov 12, 2018
3 min

Uh Oh... Someone is Sick

Most of you might wonder how sickness goes down in our house, since I talk about how healthy we all are all the time. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does...well I’ll give you an example. The other night, Henley ate dinner fine, then we were cuddled watching a Christmas movie on Netflix and bam. Suddenly she’s throwing up. Evan is with Hen, so I whip into action. After getting towels and our Seedlings wipes to wipe down her face and body— I grab thieves and put it

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It’s November 4th And Yes I Still Have Cancer.

Nov 5, 2018
2 min

It’s November 4th And Yes I Still Have Cancer.

All the pink banners, balloons, ribbons and such have come down… and yet I and thousands of other women still have cancer. How nice it must be for those on Instagram or Facebook to be able to just scroll by a post about breast cancer and not give it another thought. For survivors, we don’t get to opt out of cancer after October ends. It is in our every waking hour. I talk to other women and they get emotional five years out, 10 years out… do you know why? Because cancer never

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Halloween Should Be About Imagination & Giving Back

Oct 8, 2018
2 min

Halloween Should Be About Imagination & Giving Back

Sponsored Post :: Grade Potential I remember always loving Halloween, my mom got really into it when I was a kid and she would dress up like an extravagant witch or an elaborate evil lady from one of the Disney movies. She pulled off an amazing Cruella DeVille and Maleficent. But one year, when I became a mom we sort of backed off from Halloween and decided we weren't into all the scary stuff. We had to rethink how we wanted to approach the holiday with little kids being brou

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Wounds

Oct 1, 2018
2 min

Wounds

Healing from anything is difficult and takes time. Regardless of that wound being physical, emotional or mental. With a battle of breast cancer, I have dealt with wounds in all three categories. Sometimes at the same time, sometimes at all different times. Some were expected, and some were unexpected. Dealing with wounds is similar to grief, and in many ways those wounds are grief. In grief there are several natural steps your body goes through to work out the wound. I have f

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