Although I’m one to think that crockpots are great any time of year, there may be a couple reasons they are especially good in the summer:
They don’t heat up your kitchen
You can usually just put the meal together in the crockpot, and then not think about it for the rest of the day
So whether you’re busy working, taking your kids to summer volleyball practice, or hanging out at the pool, crockpot recipes are a life-saver.
Last week, when I was visiting my parents, my younger sister made this recipe for Cajun Chicken Pasta in the crockpot, and I was inspired to try it. While I have several favorite recipes, I tend to get stuck on the same ones, so I was ready to try something new. Continue reading →
Author and blogger Tsh Oxenrider has just released a new book called At Home in the World.
I have not read this book…yet. But I have listened to Tsh talk about it on her podcast, and am so looking forward to reading it soon. Tsh shares the story of her family’s year of travel around the world, but also challenges us to be at home in our own places–wherever we may find ourselves.
And then, to celebrate the release of this book, Tsh set out several challenges for us to share our own stories. This is the specific challenge I picked up:
Tell why you’ve chosen to stay
wherever it is you call home.
This has been something I’ve come face to face with yet again this year. So I’m glad to have the opportunity to wrap a few words (and lots of pictures) around my thoughts on this subject…not just for you, dear reader, but also (maybe most of all) for me. Continue reading →
A couple of weeks ago during church, we sang this song, which I hadn’t sung probably since high school.
In fact, high school is the reason why the song had such an impression on me years later. You see, I tend to mark certain seasons of my life with songs or song albums. Hearing certain songs or artists immediately takes me back to specific places and times. Continue reading →
Recently I got a spiralizer, and let me just say, I love it. Zucchini has been my favorite thing to “spiralize” so far, and I’ve gone a bit crazy with the zucchini noodles (which actually have the name of “zoodles,” I found out). Continue reading →
I grew up singing hymns in church, and occasionally still today, I will hear a hymn and be moved by the depths of its words.
Recently, I heard an amazing rendition of the hymn, “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty.” I wish I had a video of that performance; but I wanted to share the lyrics of a few verses…Let the truth of these words soak into your soul today…
Ellie Holcomb just came out with a new album yesterday. I love the way that she weaves Scripture directly into her songs, allowing us to sing out God’s Word over our lives. This one specifically has been moving my heart the past couple of days…Enjoy!
Wonderfully Made – Ellie Holcomb
It’s two in the morning
And I’m still awake in my bed
I can’t shake these lies
They keep running around in my head
But what if I saw me
The way that You see me
What if I believed it was true
What if I traded
This shame and self-hatred
For a chance at believing You
That You knit me together in my mother’s womb
You say that I’ve never been hidden from You
You say that I’m wonderfully
Wonderfully made
You search me and know me
You know when I sit, when I rise
So You must know the choices I’ve made
And the pain that I hide
But what if I saw me
The way that You see me
What if I believed it was true
What if I traded
This shame and self-hatred
For a chance at believing You
‘Cause You knit me together in my mother’s womb
And You say that I’ve never been hidden from You
You say that I’m wonderfully
Wonderfully made
Your eyes, they have seen me before I was born
And You know all the good things that You made me for
And I’m wonderfully
Wonderfully made
When I consider the heavens above
Oh, what is man that You are mindful of us
Still You say that we’re wonderfully
Wonderfully made
You promised that You’ll never leave me, O Lord
That You hem me in both behind and before
And I’m wonderfully
Wonderfully made
You knit me together in my mother’s womb
You say that I’ve never been hidden from You
You say that I’m wonderfully
Wonderfully made
Your eyes, they have seen me before I was born
And You know all the good things that You made me for
And I’m wonderfully
Wonderfully made
This weekend, I tackled the project of covering my living room couch. Before this makeover, I lovingly referred to this couch as “the ugliest couch in all creation.” Continue reading →