Happy St. Nicholas Day! Every year we leave our shoes by the door the night before his feast day, and we wake up the next morning to treats in our shoes.
Open Window
Approach Advent with a sense of wonder
It’s almost impossible not to get caught up in the busyness of the season. So, maybe instead of resisting, we should lean into all of it. Maybe we can embrace the fullness of Advent and soak it all in.
Thanksgiving leftovers and highlights, oyster shucking, a ride in a vintage car, and more (7 Quick Takes)
Thanksgiving is about spending time with people we love, but it’s also about the food. And you can’t have Thanksgiving dinner without pie.
It’s not Thanksgiving dinner without sauerkraut
Sauerkraut at Thanksgiving adds that extra something you didn’t even know you were missing.
When the Holy Spirit shows up for Sunday School and more (7 Quick Takes)
There are Sunday school teachers who prepare days ahead of time. Then you have me, who often spends Sunday morning flipping through the curriculum for the day while feeding people breakfast.
Choosing gratitude even when it’s not easy
It’s easy to be grateful when the sun is shining and everything is humming along beautifully, but it may be more important to be grateful when we hit a bump in the road.
Field trip fun at the Maryland Historical Society, Grandma’s mashed potatoes, birthday Legos, and a moving art exhibit (7 Quick Takes)
This week I tagged along on a fourth-grade trip to the Maryland Historical Society.
“Mom, don’t wave at me”
Weekday mornings are a chaotic whirlwind of packing lunches and serving breakfast and making sure the right child has the right trumpet on the right day.
Seeking joy in the busyness of life
This fall has been a season of abundance. I have too many things to balance, too many competing priorities, too many problems to solve, and too many reasons not to go to sleep on time.
National Adoption Month, the time change, a trip to First Fruits Farm, and more (7 Quick Takes)
Even before we were married, John and I had talked about adoption. But talking about adoption is not the same as deciding to adopt. Coming to that decision can be difficult, and I feel so fortunate that John and I came to it together.
The gift of a shooting star
The other night our son was outside with his father, scanning the heavens, when a shooting star streaked across the sky.
Halloween costumes and emotions, November prayers, St. Verdiana, and more (7 Quick Takes)
Even with all the worry about the weather, we got in a beautiful night of trick-or-treating, winding our way through our Halloween-happy neighborhood.