The beginning of summer wasn't very magical for me. I was feeling really low, burnt out, and lost. One evening, after everyone was snug in their beds, I got cozy on the couch and decided to browse YouTube until I felt sleepy. The videos I happened upon kept my interest and left me wanting more. I watched as many a…

Today's Blogust post is brought to you in part by my amazing husband, Daniel, and some cozy fantasy ambience I've got playing as I sit to write to you this morning. The kids are swimming at my mother-in-law's today, so I am spending this sunny Saturday solo. Every now and then it does my soul so much good …

This summer I found myself wanting to escape to simpler times surrounded by the wild countryside. I grew up in the middle of nowhere, fields as far as the eye could see. Swimming in shallow bends of the river. Making dirt roads for my bike in the barn. Climbing trees. Spending hours on a tire swing in my backyard. Eat…

I've been feeling "in between" this week. Since returning from vacation under the weather and slowly recuperating, these last days of summer break won't be able to provide me with much else. Soon our schedules will shift as school resumes. My weeks will become routine once again, but I am ready to we…

Before the summer took off, I had one amazing Saturday. I slept in, spent the early afternoon lounging in the sun, picnicked in the backyard with a yummy southwest salad and fresh raspberries, spent the evening browsing every aisle of Hobby Lobby, and topped it off with a Jaime French marathon while making friendship …

I don't like being stuck in a rut. The moment I am able to plot my escape, motivation abounds, energy soars — suddenly I'm knocked off my feet, stumbling a few paces back from where I started. The last decade of  my life has felt like more like a series of setbacks than successes. Just when I think I've di…

I’m finishing out my last day of vacation feeling under the weather. The family headed out for one last beach trip to watch the sunset without me while I nursed a sore throat. The fear of missing out was strong, making me think of other things that I miss.  The Blogust challenge, similar to my Blogmas series, is about…

August is a month for new beginnings. Sylvia Plath wrote that August was the “odd uneven time,” with summer nearly gone and fall on the horizon. It’s the perfect time to reset and refresh before the new season arrives. August is the border between summer and autumn; it is the most beautiful month I know. -Tove Jansson…