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Last month Joe and I celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary. When reflecting on the life we are building together I was struck by the feeling that my life with Joe is so much more beautiful than anything I could have dreamed up myself. Six years of doing life together and the words of our pastor who married us ring true every day. He quoted Ecclesiastes 4:12 saying that “a cord of 3 strands is not easily broken”. He explained how when two people have a common bond with God, it makes a powerful “three cord strand”. I’ve been humbled again and again with how God has showed up in our lives. I’m working every day to be intentional about going with God and embracing everything that he has for us. I’m trying to let go of my own expectations and plans so that I can make space for all the goodness he has for us.
This is the tallow balm I use on DJ’s chapped skin.
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The garden this year has been different for me than past years in that it was such a joy – really every part of it was. At the end of last year I had to have a real heart check about why I was doing some of the things I was doing. In the garden, with food preservation and even beyond that I felt so burned out and nothing was fun. The joy I felt in my garden this year was not reflective of its success. Half of it turned to weeds, the tomato plants fell over, and a woodchuck chewed through our soaked hose. But the wild success was finding joy in every part of the garden even the failures. Being able to embrace failing is the most important thing I’m learning in the garden.
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This is the fire cider I use when a cold hits.
This is the best Elderberry product to keep colds away.
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I remember the first time I made this chili. I was a new homemaker trying to figure out how to feed myself and my husband in a simple, nourishing way that we both enjoyed. This was more challenging than I ever thought it would be. Amidst my Pinterest scrolling and googling for recipes my grandma’s chili recipe came to mind.
My parents used to make this chili together on cold winter weekends and we’d enjoy it all week. I remember heading to the grocery store the first time I planned to make my grandma’s chili. I had a picture of my mom’s hand written recipe card on my phone. I stood in the aisles for what felt like hours trying to decipher the recipe and find the right canned goods. Was it stewed tomatoes or diced tomatoes? Did I really need this many cans of beans? Did she use tomato sauce or tomato soup?
When I finally checked out and did my arm work out for the week getting all the bags into my car I was so tired and a little discouraged. It felt like so much to buy and so many cans to get rid of after the chili was made. As I started learning more about cooking from scratch I realized I could adapt my grandma’s chili recipe into a harvest style recipe that used all fresh ingredients.
I first made my harvest version of my grandma’s chili recipe for Joe and got the thumbs up. This will always stick out in my mind as a day where I really felt like I was making it as a wife and a homemaker.
This chili is a great meal to start with if you aspire to make meals from scratch. It’s especially great if you want to use fresh, local ingredients. It can be easily frozen and readily enjoyed.
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Grandma Mary’s Beanless Chili Recipe
This is the liver supplement I take
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The most important way I’ve used my mama intuition was choosing to heal my son’s chronic illness with food. Chronic conditions are becoming more normal than not. Whether it’s allergies, eczema, or ADHD, it feels kind of scary to navigate a world where these issues are so common they can feel normal. I don’t believe this is the level of heath that is meant for our kids. I also don’t accept that the common ways of treating these conditions is the best we can do.
In this feels like a pretty firm stance to take and in this episode I’m going to explain why I feel this way. I’m going to share the story of how we started recognizing chronic conditions in our son and why we decided to treat him in an uncommon way. I’m also going be sharing how emotionally challenging this journey has been for me and where we are right now.
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This is the balm I use on DJ’s eczema.
This is the pro-biotic that was recommended by our GAPS practitioner.
This is the episode where I geek out on liver.
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My body has been a place where historically I’ve been more judgmental than grateful most of the time. Until a few months ago I’d been pregnant or nursing babies for over four years straight. It’s taken a toll on my body. I’ve spent the last half year taking better care of myself than I ever have in my life. I wanted to have the energy to show up as the mom I want to be for my kids.
I have to be honest and say that after all the hard work I’ve been putting into my health I had some expectations about how summer clothes would fit me. When the clothes that had been a little snug last year were still a little snug this year I was pretty frustrated. I judged my body for not fitting into a certain size and looking a certain way. When I realized I was judging my body instead of accepting it I knew I had to start putting as much focus into loving my body as I was into taking care of my body. That’s why in this episode I want to share the number one way I practice body positivity.
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Toups and Co skincare and make-up is my favorite for nourishing summer skin.
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Five years after losing my dad to cancer my grief has evolved. I’m surprised and overwhelmed to say I have acceptance about the length of time we had together. I can celebrate the gift my dad was and continues to be in my life. I can humble myself to God’s plan and the circumstances he put in our lives that caused my relationship with my dad to transcend its earthly form. This has been the most surprising way my grief has evolved after loss. Recognizing that I still have a relationship with my dad and that he is never really gone from my life has changed the way I live every day.
