"When you say those wedding vows at eighteen, you are committing yourselves—with all that you are and all that you have—to only each other because you are young and wreathed in glory and take up all the space there is. When you say them at thirty-five, you are signing on for something wider: a whole garden full of people to love and to cherish, in sickness and in health, in wheelchairs and ... View Post
Grace for your Friday – The Pentecost Edition
Pentecost is this Sunday and I for one am READY! In fact I ordered some Saltwaters in Red just so I would be ready to be decked out from head to toe in the liturgical color of this special day. "Why do so many Christians make a big deal out of this one Sunday?" you may be asking (and a decade ago I was asking this question too..) Well, Pentecost is the "Birthday of the Church” Fifty days after ... View Post
Rhubarb Pepper Jelly for Pentecost
On Pentecost I am reminded that the Holy Spirit often comes like a mighty rushing wind, a burning fire of conviction, blowing up my assumptions daily, telling me to walk beyond my experiences and understanding of the world, to meet people where they are, as they are—to listen and speak with an open and tender heart instead of an insecure and arrogant one, forsaking my comfort for the benefit of ... View Post
Boys in the Kitchen – Then and Now
When I started this blog ten years ago I had an almost-two-year-old and an almost-six-year-old. I worked very part-time as an interior design assistant and dreamed of opening a shabby chic style reclaimed craft supply store and writing books. We were struggling financially more than we ever had before (or hopefully ever will again,) and sleep was this elusive thing I heard about from other ... View Post
Grace for your Weekend – Friday Favs 4/29/16
Hey friends! The skies are dark and rainy here, but thankfully there is always some sunshine to be found on the interwebs if one looks hard enough! Here are the places I am finding grace and sunny inspiration this weekend: On Feast Diabetes is a real problem on my dad's side of the family, primarily due to a lack of healthy eating choices - lots of refined sugar and white starches, ... View Post
On Baptisms and Spring
Spring, that glorious season of new life, is currently in full force here at Preservation Acres, and the signs are all around. For one thing there are the allergies. It as if every tree and bush and blade of grass has been painted with a Technicolor pollen-leaded brush, and while the beauty is breathtaking to behold, I personally, could do without all the congestion. Our neighbors pastures ... View Post