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Life is What You Bake It

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When I was young, I dreamed about getting a Kitchen Aid Mixer. Not just any Kitchen Aid mixer but a red one. You know the candy apple red one that is super shiny and lasts forever and acts as an accent to a beautifully spotless white kitchen. That one! And I knew when I was going to get it too. I would be at my wedding shower opening things like Tupperware and cookie sheets. And right when I thought I had opened the last gift, a big box would appear. I would carefully unwrap the shiny white paper (and obviously pop the bow off because I want children) and inside would be the--no my-- Kitchen Aid mixer in all its shiny red glory.  I eagerly anticipated finding my man and celebrating with family and friends. I also had the dream that I would meet my man on the first day of college. I had this great story concocted in my mind where I would be walking on the college steps (looking for college steps was obviously a must when I was checking out colleges), and being a bit klutzy that I am...
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Top 10 Books of 2024

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 Hello everyone, and happy New Year! I hope that 2024 was good to you, but if not, I pray that you look for hope in 2025. Though I took a break last year from posting, I wanted to come back this year and share my top 10 books of the year. This is the fourth year now that I have completed reading 100 books in a year, and please remember that I also count audio books and picture books (especially because I am a teacher). It is always so fun to see at the end of the year the variety of genres and to remember what I was experiencing while I read. 1. The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Caused an Epidemic of Mental Illness Not only would I recommend this book, I think it is essential for every parent, teacher, grandparent, youth worker, extended family etc. who have children within their lives--so basically all adults. This was also voted as Goodread's top book in nonfiction this year where over 6,200,000 people voted. This is such a powerful book about how the di...
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Make Haste

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  When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.-- Luke 2:15-16 Silence filled the air. The shepherds had just had their quiet evening disturbed by angels proclaiming the Savior’s birth. Now, the shepherds stared at the empty sky in wonder. There was a moment of stillness. Then with great joy, they turned to each other announcing that they must go and find the babe that the angels chose to tell them. Maybe the shepherds were all talking at once; sheep bleating loudly in the excitement. With haste, the shepherds gathered themselves and went to see God’s promise fulfilled. How often do we do that? God reveals a promise to us, and like the shepherds, we rush toward it to see it fulfilled. More often though, we hesitate, we question, “God is this really what you w...
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Top Ten Books of 2022

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I guess this has become a tradition! This was my third year making the goal of reading 100 books in a year. It was a bit harder this year because in September, my commute shortened from 45 minutes without traffic to about 10 minutes. I do not regret having a shorter commute, but it was a bit more challenging to get the books read when I wasn’t listening to them as frequently when I was stuck in traffic. So here is my top 10 list of books that were my favorite in 2022.     1.       What you Wish For by Katherine Center    What You Wish For  was one of the most powerful books that I read this year. First off, I think the title should instead be  The Joy You Choose  because that is much more what the book is about than wishes. This book takes place in an elementary school, which is probably why this book resonated with me so much. You see, I read this at the end of the school year. It had been a very difficult school year for me; ...
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Dawn Bring Light to the Darkest Night

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  Earlier this year, my church asked me to write a devotional for their Christmas booklet, and I wanted to share it with you. While it was an honor to write, God used it to speak to me in so many ways about trusting Him with my heart's biggest desires.  Luke 1:76-79 As Luke wraps up his first chapter, we as readers already have witnessed several miracles. First, God has been silent for over 400 years, and yet, in this first chapter we see God speaking through Gabriel to Elizabeth, Mary, and now Zacharias all in relation to Jesus, the Messiah. The first chapter announces how Mary will miraculously conceive a child (whom Elizabeth recognized as the Messiah), but Zacarias and Elizabeth also have a miraculous birth. The Bible says in verse six that “They were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.” What an honor to be remembered in such a way! And yet the next verse states that “Elizabeth was barren, and they both were now ...
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My Favorite Books of 2021

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Happy New Year, everyone!  For the past two years, I made the personal goal to read 100 books. In 2020, I made it by the skin of my teeth as I frantically finished reading my 100th book on New Year's Eve. This year in 2021, I had a bit of a buffer as I finished the year with 104 books. Now let me clarify, I am perfectly okay with counting audiobooks and picture books (especially because I am a teacher).  As I thought about my books of 2021, I wanted to share with you my ten favorite books of this year.  Nonfiction Outdated: Find Love that Lasts When Dating Has Changed by J.P. Pokluda This was by far one of my favorite books. I loved it so much that I reread it, and I am thinking about rereading it again (I really should just buy my own copy). As a Christian single, I have read books about what a God-centered marriage looks like. Realistically though, that is not the stage that I am in. There are very few books about what being single looks like as a Christian, which is wh...
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