Our four-year-old loves to help in the kitchen so I try to include her in the kitchen when I can. This time, we made a fruit salad together.

Our family loves the beach. Myself? Well, I grew up on the coast, so I’m definitely partial to the sandy shores. My childhood years were spent crabbing and swimming in the lowcountry waters. When I close my eyes and think about summer, I can conjure up all of my senses— the sting of a sunburn, the smell of the pluff mud, the sticky salty air on my skin, the beautiful sunsets…

Somewhere in the middle of the sermon I had my "aha" moment and thought to myself, "why not Gracefully Made?" It perfectly described my life as a disciple of Christ. We are all gracefully made, there is no perfect person.

We tried everything. Literally. I think I was 35 or 36 weeks when I officially hit a wall and decided all I wanted was for my sweet baby to be laying across my tummy instead of inside it…

Although I grew up in another state, I never not knew my grandpa or questioned his presence in my life—he was (and will continue to be) always present, even when I couldn’t see him; and even though I could never put it all into words, here are a few of the life lessons that stand out the most. 

I mean, I knew he was proud and excited already, but it really wasn’t until the moment on the operating table when they pulled her from me and I heard him exclaim, “Oh honey, she’s beautiful,” that I knew he’d be the best thing to ever happen to her.

Holidays like today can be pretty tricky to navigate for blended families. I’ve been part of this one for three years now, which means three Mother’s days have come and gone. Yet, in the eyes of many, it wasn’t until this year, with the birth of my own biological daughter, that I became a real mom and therefore worthy of celebrating this day. Interesting, no?

For decades, we’ve trusted the the beauty industry has our best interests in mind; however, the truth is— it doesn’t. In fact, the FDA hasn’t passed a major law regulating the cosmetics industry since 1938! Because of this, every day American families can be exposed to harmful ingredients, many of which are found in the products people use on their skin. Enter Beautycounter.

Nesting. Have you heard of it? Man, I’ve been serving it by the heapful around this house for the past couple of weeks— and one item that’s been on the list is packing our bag for the hospital. In a desperate attempt to make sure I have absolutely everything I could possibly need for the hospital, I did a lot of research. I checked some of my favorite bloggers, Pinterest, Google, the hospital handouts, you name it! With each bit of research I completed, I updated a fantastic little word document outlining everything I, my husband, and our little girl might need during our stay.

It’s no secret that I’m a fan of chiropractic care (and recommend it to anyone who will lend me their ear). But that wasn’t always the case. In the beginning I was a bit of a sceptic. I mean, how can popping joints and manipulating your skeletal system really benefit the body? Well let me just tell you, it can— especially when you invest in a knowledgeable and educated business that specializes in the overall health and wellness of your body, not just physical manipulation of it’s structure (this is KEY)!

As you’ve likely already read in my “You Busted What?!” post, pregnancy hasn’t been a bunch of rainbows and butterflies for me. And in terms of nausea, it’s literally been the polar opposite! With regards to my pregnancy overall however, I’ve managed to avoid many of the more common ailments. Here I’m spilling all the tips and tricks that worked for me.

Have you seen the movie, What to Expect When You’re Expecting? Y’all, I can’t even. It’s hilarious. Not long after we found out we were pregnant, it aired on TV. Me, being me, decided to tape (yes, I say “tape” instead of record) it so that Casey and I could watch it together. We finally sat down one night early on to watch it and we just died— mainly at all the scenes with Elizabeth Banks’ character, Wendy. Casey said, “that’s going to be you, I just know it.” And you know what?! He called it. Spot on. I’m the real-life Wendy.

Sometimes life gives you the perfect storm, and in our case, the perfect snow storm! A crazy “blizzard” hit our community this weekend and Casey and I seized the opportunity to take some very special maternity photos.

Our wedding may not have been the fairytale portrayed on the Disney big screen, but it's our fairytale all the same…

Lately I’ve been inundated with “how’s it going” questions from almost everyone I see since Casey and I are now officially married.  And while I so appreciate everyone’s interest and thoughtfulness in asking, I sometimes feel unsure how to respond…

This week Casey has been out of town which means I've been home playing the single parent role.  My oldest bonus kiddo had three teeth pulled while dad's been gone, so I was able to experience my first real encounters as the tooth fairy.  It was... well... interesting…

Y'all!  Check. Out. This. Smoothie.  Is it not the prettiest, most vibrant smoothie you've ever seen?!  It's really something.  And you know what?  It tastes pretty dang good as well.  I've never been much of a fan of beets--I kind of feel like I'm eating dirt when I eat them.  But this is different...