let's have coffee (and free coffee for you)

I’m not what you’d call a morning person. A typical rise-and-shine routine for me looks something like this: I fall out of bed and manage to see a few fuzzy shapes on my way down as I fumble for my Coke-bottle glasses. I stumble past the mounting pile of laundry, narrowly avoiding waking up my four-year-old, who has snuck into our […]

a grateful giveaway

Community is so important. There’s nothing like sitting face-to-face, across the table, joining in conversation with someone. There’s an intimacy to the table — an insight that can only be gleaned over a warm cup on a cold day. Which is why, in partnership with Old Factory Coffee Shop, we’re throwing open the doors of the giveaway […]

i need dairy free recipes!

Meal planning is the worst. Or maybe I’m just really bad at it. All I know is this mama has been spending way too much at the grocery store and I’ve been stumped for meals for awhile, so it’s back to the drawing board I go. Except, problem: I dusted off my favorite cookbooks and […]

sharing a sweet future

As a magazine journalism major, I had big dreams about changing the world with my words. While there was a side of me that had stars in my eyes for glamorous glossies, the other part of my heart was torn to write the stories that really mattered. I wanted to combine my inquisitiveness and passion […]

how to live radiantly + embrace the camera

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Arm & Hammer Truly Radiant. All opinions are 100% mine. What makes you feel beautiful? I mean really, honestly, truly radiant? For me, it’s not when I’m trading flip flops for high heels and ponytails for perfect curls. I feel the most beautiful when […]

being a parent of a child with sickle cell

I can’t write this post telling you what it’s like to live with sickle cell. I can, however, tell you what it’s like to watch your three-year-old son fight it, every single day. For those of you who are new here, Joseph has sickle cell disease. (You can read more about what it is here.) […]

cultivating a happy mother's day

I’ve been wanting a vegetable garden for awhile, and this weekend, Jonny and Joseph are building me a custom vegetable garden for Mother’s Day. It has been so sweet to see them work together, and it has really been a labor of love. And Joseph has been really fascinated by the tomato thingies. (Thingies. That’s the best […]

national pretzel day: take a break & treat yourself!

National Pretzel Day. It’s a thing, you guys, and it’s on April 26! I’m all about celebrating the little things, and I’m pretty excited for all the fun stuff I get to share with you today. (Including a fabulous giveaway that includes swag you’re totally going to want!) I’m the type of very unhealthy person who can’t […]

when he said try, i said why?

You guys, you have to watch this video. This is 22-year old student Kristyl J. L. Smith, performing spoken word about the challenges she has faced living with sickle cell disease and how she has met and overcome those challenges. She is talented, beautiful, and rooted in a real, raw, and relentless faith. Her poem […]

fast + easy homemade baby food (so easy, even I can make it!)

I have to admit something: I buy baby food. Like, ready-to-go jars off the grocery store shelf. I know there are super-pioneer-mamas out there who till the garden and can organic vegetables and add fresh herbs to their 9-month-old’s breakfast, but I am not that person. (Not judging — if I had the time and […]