Our Christmas “Card” for 2020 {+ Snippets of Holiday Decor}

How do I sum up this year? Do I even try? A pandemic. Two moves. An election. Protests. Living apart from my husband due to his work. An earthquake. Living with family. Buying a new home. Selling our old one. Saying goodbye to the place we’d called home for over a decade. Saying hello to …

Shelter in Place (aka, How We’re Trying to Keep It Together Through This Pandemic)

Hello, world. What have you done over the last week? We’ve had church at home, coordinated with neighbors on Facebook to find out which stores have certain staples in stock (bananas, bread, milk), done an equal amount of stress baking and forgetting to eat (well, just me, anyway), and, oh yeah—-we had an earthquake yesterday. …

How to Make It Through Church With Young Kids (5 Actionable Strategies)

Hey! Today’s blog post is inspired by a reader’s response to last week’s blog survey (if you still haven’t taken that, click here!), and I thought it was a brilliant idea for a post. I know many families have a tradition of making sure they go to Sunday worship services on Easter Sunday, so since …

Some Reflections on Serving an 18-Month Mission in a Foreign Country

Ten years ago yesterday, I wheeled my two suitcases into the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah, said goodbye to my family for a year and a half, and began what will surely remain forever as one of the greatest adventures of my life–the chance I had to serve a religious mission for 18 months …

Save $1000 in 100 Days Challenge

How We Saved $1000 in 100 Days

A few months ago, I was pretty frustrated with our financial situation. Despite my husband having received quarterly raises this year and me getting more jobs through my photography business than I ever have before, it seemed we were never gaining any real traction on our goals. Back in January, as part of my 101 …

Open Heart Surgery

No, this is not a post wherein I reveal some devastating medical scare (thank goodness)— This is a post where I talk about a book that, at just over 100 pages, has managed to change my life…probably forever (and I mean that literally). In fact, it was this book that caused me to stay up …

Simple Living is About More Than Purging Closets

Simple Living Has to Be About More than Closets and Schedules to Be Fulfilling

Two months ago, I attended a church meeting that has had me pondering its messages ever since. A couple times a year, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints meet together for something called Stake Conference, where all the local congregations of the Church meet in two general sessions over a weekend …