bring joy

miscarriage

But life is not a straight line of met expectations.

A day ago, I miscarried.

I was 9 weeks along.

Joseph has been in the states for work the past week & half, & it seems that everything has fallen to pieces since he left. I’ve had the flu, Tyndale had pink eye, I lost my military ID (pretty much your ticket to do anything when you are overseas). Made two trips to the ER (both on accounts of the miscarriage).

I know these people mean well, & I certainly don’t take offense. Having come from a large family, & having one of my own, I think big families are awesome. And I’m flattered if they intend it to be a form of a compliment. I just sometimes wonder if they even know what they are saying.

It’s a little similar to someone who says to a millionaire, “I’d love to be a millionaire...

encourage the love of reading with…a book advent calendar

frugal holidays, literacy

{For more frugal holiday inspiration & recipes–scroll down to the bottom of this post for a roundup of posts.}

Every family has it’s own culture.

The kind of family culture we want to develop could be summed up in just a few words:

Specifically:

faith in God
love for God, each other, neighbors, & animals
&, a passion for good books & reading.

Yes, Joseph & I want our kids to be athletic & love the outdoors. We want our kids (like 99.9% of all parents) to be well-rounded, brilliant, & beautiful.

But if those three things (faith, love, books) are the basis of our family culture, all good things will follow.

One of my kid’s favorite Christmas traditions is our book advent calendar.

{5 frugal Christmas traditions my family loves!}

I have in Christmases past, gone all out & hand made...

just say no to jeans!–or how I got over my body image issues

body image

Heaven help us, that was a mistake.

Lest this post come off as anti-jeans, let me be clear.

For my sisters out there who love jeans, keep on lovin’ ’em. If the feminist revolution taught us anything, it’s that we have a right to choose. So if you choose jeans, if you love jeans, if they’re working for you, then by all means, embrace that.

Ya’ll know I’ve embraced my curves, & with that, I’ve had to get real honest about what types of clothes I’m comfortable in AND look flattering (those two are not always one & the same).

Take yoga pants for example.

Yes, everyone from soccer moms to grandmas are wearing yoga pants these days (or their close cousins–“active wear”) not just at yoga class, but like, as clothes. May I suggest that this may not always be in our best interest.

I know, I...