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*CLOSED* GIVEAWAY! Necklace from Trades of Hope
It’s time for a giveaway! And this one is a beauty. It also manages to combine two of my favorite things– jewelry and helping women. I’m going to tell you about my friend Stephanie and her work with...
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Lowering our Friendspectations
I think it started the moment I read the 547th post about how I could be a good friend to a certain type of person. It just reached critical mass in my brain and I felt overwhelmed. I couldn’t possibly...
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Guest Post: “I’m not a mother. . . and that’s okay.”
Today I gladly yield the floor to my longtime friend Lauren Esparza. After reading my piece last week about what I learned through infertility, she wanted to respond with her own piece about how God...
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Becoming The Old Lady I Want to Be
I can admit sometimes I have fantasies about being a grumpy old lady. I daydream about being the kind of old woman who goes out with the curlers still in my hair, running into people in my scooter and...
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How My Friends Taught Me to Grieve
I sat down to write something today, but then the doorbell rang. It was a delivery for my family of an edible bouquet. Seriously, is there anything better than something beautiful and also edible that...
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Friendship Isn’t Optional
A year ago, this happened. Rebecca Tredway Photography These are the feet of some friends I love (and my own feet) standing around a pot full of ashes. It was a bitterly cold day and we read some...
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A Life in Status- October #2, 2016
Join the fun on Facebook and Twitter. (watching “Superman 2” for the first time) Bethany: This is the part where a lady always yells, “MY BABY!” Lady in the Movie: MY BABY! #nailedit...
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How to Help a Financially Struggling Friend (without making things weird)
A few months ago I wrote about why I cringe when someone’s financial pain goes viral. We love seeing someone in need get their needs met, but it often means we’re witnessing that “needy” person at...
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10 Questions that Might Actually Get Your Husband to Talk (without wanting to...
. . . The truth is, I’ve always got a half dozen (who am I kidding, A FULL DOZEN) questions ready to go about my husband’s feelings or our future or ways I’d like feedback on how I’m doing as a spouse....
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8 Things to Say Instead of “He’s so lucky to have you.”
When your friends and family hear you’ve added a foster child to your family, there is a wide range of typical reactions. There are those that are less than supportive (Are you crazy? I read about a...
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You Need Matt Christmas (invite a friend to your family Christmas)
We are planning our third annual Matt Christmas and it’s just about our favorite day of the year. What is Matt Christmas, you ask? It’s that wonderful time of year when you ask your friend Matt to join...
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What My Friends Taught Me About Love on a Restrictive Diet
On the long list of topics I dreamed of writing about, this was not one of them. I did not want to have food issues or diet problems or whatever. This has been a hard season for me as I realize how...
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I go to a Church Where I Don’t Agree With Everything
My oldest child was baptized this last week. It took three pastors from three different denominations to make it happen. Let me explain. We are a dunking family that attends a sprinkling church. I’m...
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Where “Check on Your Friends” Gets it Wrong
I read something the other day on the subject of suicidal depression that made me a little twitchy. I think you might have seen it too. It was a list of quotes from people who loved Robin Williams,...
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I Am Not My Profile Picture
I recently had the privilege of working with Nebraska Public Television on a short parenting segment that will be used as part of a child abuse prevention campaign. It was a new experience for me since...
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The Three Types of Friends All Adoptive Parents Need
Adoption changes your world. You may not know it when you first start researching adoption. You may not even fully understand it the moment you become an adoptive parent. But the longer you live life...
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The Hospitality of Broken Things
We hosted Friendsgiving last night and a little teacup got broken. It was an accident. I usually count on at least one dish casualty when we get to host an event, so this was not unexpected. While it’s...
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The Mom Stocking Exchange: “Our Best Idea Ever”
It’s just a fact that creating Christmas “magic” falls largely on moms. We are typically the ones to decorate, bake, shop, wrap, ship, on top of our regular mom responsibilities that are plenty...
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When I Choose to Show You My Pain
There was a time my pain was a dark, cold rock in the center of my chest. It made my breathing shallow and kept me awake in the middle of the night. It was with me every day and I struggled under the...
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How to Make Lady Friends (from someone who had to learn)
Some things that seem to come naturally to other women are skills I’ve had to learn. Like how to make lady friends. I’m not much of a feeler (I’m an ESTJ and Enneagram 1, if that helps), so I’ve...
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