Fine Line Between Joy and Pain

Let me preface what may seem like a heavy blog post by saying that I have the most amazing 8-month-old at home. If she doesn’t make you WANT to have a baby immediately, you must be immune to her sweet good-natured personality, sense of humor and photogenic expressions. But before getting pregnant with Eyre, I had an insatiable hunger for a child. My maternal appetite kicked in during elementary school. I used to have childhood dreams that some desperate single mom would leave her infant on my doorstep that I would keep, love and nurture. Crazy right? Read more »

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The Crippling Fear of Infertility and the Miracle of Life

Lately I’ve been in conversations with friends about their difficulty conceiving or their fear of infertility when they decide to have children. It wasn’t that long ago that I was anticipating the appearance (or lack thereof) of “Aunt Flo” each month, only to be crushed when as usual, “she” showed up dependably right on time. I would feign nonchalance, but internally I was saddened and disappointed. Many of you know the feeling well. Why aren’t we prepared for the difficulty of conception? Read more »

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To Be, or To Eat Wheat, That Is the Question…

Do you ever get that feeling that life is just a great big experiment – trial and error? I always appreciated that very wise and concise saying “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.” This sums up a very recent revelation in my life. Read more »

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Our Wedding Vows

A tip of the hat to two beautiful, perfect, wonderful years! This day two years ago, Aaron and I were making these vows. May they continue to hold true for the rest of our lives.

To my husband, Read more »

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The Old Cliche…but the roses won’t wait

We’ve all heard the well-worn and threadbare phrase about “stopping to smell the roses”, but speaking for myself I think I built up an immunity to its meaning. I’m a list-making, task-oriented, control freak who jumps out the gate of her day like a gun went off and tries to wrangle it to the ground like a steer-roping competition. (You will not understand this metaphor if you have never been to a rodeo, sorry!) Lately, on those days that I feel tired or have lost my inspiration to write or create, I stop to wonder what it was all for. Read more »

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How to Love Your Man

I dug out my long-forgotten sketchbook yesterday and out of it fell 2 pieces of yellow notebook paper. As I read my own handwriting, I smiled nostalgically at the words and laughed at the truth written there. They were my notes on How-to Love the Man You Love. My darlings, my friends, please read this and stop creating drama where your marriage or relationship doesn’t need it. Read more »

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Love Beckons

Every morning, Love beckons us into a new day. It whispers promises in our ear. It is the reason we lift our head 
from our pillow each morning. As soothing as a breeze drifting over the sheets and the warm kiss of the eastern sun through our bedroom window, To think that every beautiful sunset and joyful sunrise was made for me. 
A testimony of the love that was, and is, and is to come. Becoming tangible at my heart’s cry, 
Generous giver of precious moments. The kind of love worth losing yourself in. Intimacy is a work of art 
to last a lifetime and beyond.


~lr (2007)

Dedicated to the Lover of my soul. The One to whom every unspoken poem is written. The One who loves me perfectly.

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Catch More Flies with Honey, Kill More with Vinegar!

A couple weeks ago I set side my gardening gloves for my rubber ones, and reached into the shadowy depths of my pantry for a jug of distilled vinegar. You may be like me and had a grandmother who applied vinegar on childhood sunburns or kept her windows sparkling with it, or maybe the wonder and uses of vinegar is new to you – if so, let me blow your mind! Stop crinkling up your nose for a minute and give vinegar a chance. My list will be short, but if you want to look at the 1,001 uses for vinegar you can visit the website dedicated to its “magical” and practical uses. Consider this the cliff notes of my personal favorites!

Gardening/Pests/Pets – increase soil acidity; add vinegar and sugar to vase water for fresh cut flowers; wash store bought produce; eliminate ant hills/deter ants; keep away rabbits; discourage cats from scratching or walking in a area; kill fleas; remove animal urine stains (this works for most stains, removes the offensive spot and the smell!); kill weeds or unwanted grass.

Kitchen – clean counters; disinfect/deodorize: wood cutting boards, glass jars, drains/disposals, sponges; clean coffee maker; clean baby bottles/toys; remove the grime from tops of refrigerator/microwave; get rid of fruit flies; make buttermilk by adding vinegar to regular milk

Home/Housecleaning – remove perspiration stains from shirts; spray into the air to deodorize a room; removes and kills mold; clean paint brushes; clean windows/glass; remove decals/stickers; remove stickiness from scissors; when washing cloth diapers add to rinse cycle to remove soap residue.

Health/Body – soothes sunburn; stops itching from insect bites; (All of the vinegar tips on this post are for Distilled White Vinegar. However, there are many health-related reasons to regularly consume apple cider vinegar, such as cold prevention. Read more at bragg.com)

And I couldn’t resist also adding a few great uses of baking soda, another great, safe, cleaning alternative.

Baking Soda – sprinkle on rugs/carpets to deodorize, leave for 15-30min then vacuum;  put 1 cup baking soda, then 1 cup hot vinegar down your drain, let it sit maybe 5 min then run hot water down it, will deodorize and may unclog too! Use as a scouring agent: pots, showers, stovetops, etc. Laundry – pre-treat greasy stains with baking soda paste, add some baking soda to wash load. Place bowl of baking soda in refrigerator to deodorize.

This is an abbreviated list, and if you are excitable like I am, you should check out the hundreds of other ways you can incorporate cheaper, healthier cleaning agents into your everyday life!

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Fresh Air Quickens the Heart and the Soul

Tiny green leaves, barely visible from across the yard catch my eye. I gasp and rush toward my garden in breathless hope and expectation. I am not disappointed. My lettuce has sprouted to life, and I am ecstatic. Lately I’ve been telling people that I am living “my best life”. I am privileged to be a stay-at-home mom (which is a joy in and of itself) but it also allows me the time to engage in other things that I enjoy: gardening, writing, creating, reading, even cleaning! Yet there is another fruit, and grander realization of this new life – a sense of peace. I believe it is the product of living more consistently in a state of worship. Read more »

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