A Gift in Memory

Last night, I was given the most thoughtful gift I have received in quite some time.

Before I assisted with our Blue Christmas worship service (meant for those grieving through the holidays) at the church I serve, a member of our grief group ran up to me. She handed me a clear bag with a green sweatshirt in it and said in a hurry, “this isn’t a Christmas gift – this is in memory of your cousin. Some of the proceeds go to suicide prevention, and I wanted you to have it.”

The tears pricked my eyes instantly.

I lead our grief group because this special friend, Wayna, is a widow and asked me if we offered anything at the church for those experiencing loss. Together, we got the ball rolling on a grief group. And as she grieves her husband, I grieve my cousin, Rachel, who ended her life too soon.

This is an extremely thoughtful, generous gift. I held the bag to my chest as I hugged her. For one of the few times in my life, I felt speechless.

When you lose someone you love to suicide, you can’t help but wonder what you could have done to help – how you could have loved harder, been more available… the list goes on and on. I have struggled with my grief, which is not unusual, but I have had the unique and immense privilege of walking through grief with some of the most wonderful people who have supported me as I have sought to support them in their own loss journeys, too. 

Thank you to my friend, Wayna, for the gift. Thank you for knowing my heart and walking alongside me through grief. I treasure your friendship and this precious gift. 

Cut-Corners Swedish Meatballs

While it may only be the second week of November, and while that may not usually be the traditional winter-weather season of East Tennessee, yesterday we had snowfall. 

My sweet boys were absolutely enthralled by the snow. Here’s a sweet photo of Teddy (age 3) watching the snow come down through our back door onto our porch.  

Needless to say, it’s quickly become the season for layers, sweatshirts, and fleece jackets. And when it’s cold, I crave a warm, filling meal for dinner. (Luckily, my husband keeps up really well with the weather, so I usually have a heads up on when to buy hearty foods for cold snaps. So I was prepared for this week!) 

Last night, I made the absolute easiest warm and cozy meal: Cut-Corners Swedish Meatballs! 

I love traditional Swedish meatballs, homemade, with hand-rolled meatballs, lots of extra seasonings, and a thick and creamy gravy sauce. But homemade meatballs are a weekend food in our two-income home, a luxury for calendar days that might not require dinner in a half hour. 

And so what’s a girl to do when she’s got a half hour to make it? 

Cue my Cut-Corners Swedish Meatballs recipe! This is designed to be easy, filling, and yummy – for a busy momma hen, wife, and/or working professional. 

Here’s the fastest way to a simple – but yummy – Swedish meatball recipe! 

Ingredients: 

  • Frozen precooked beef meatballs (1/2 to 2/3 of the package) 
  • 2 packets of brown gravy mix 
  • Egg noodles (1/2 to 2/3 of the package)
  • Garlic powder 
  • Black pepper 

First, arrange your meatballs in a baking pan and cook in the oven, per the instructions on the package.

Next, while the meatballs heat fully in the oven, boil water. Once boiling, add in your egg noodles and cook until tender. Then drain the pasta. 

Then, make your two gravy packets per provided package instruction. Once it’s to the preferred thickness, add in some garlic powder and black pepper – to your preferred taste. 

To assemble, simply layer in a dish or bowl the following: egg noodles, meatballs, and gravy. 

Side note: I chose to also serve Italian seasoned green beans with my dish. (These are easy, too – canned green beans, heated in oil, garlic powder, and Italian seasonings.) This addition is, frankly, because I am a toddler mom and ant to at least offer a vegetable with each meal (not that they always choose to partake in it). 

This was so good – my husband and I both enjoyed it – and it definitely gave us that full-in-the-belly and warm-from-the-inside feeling we were craving with the cold weather! 

What’re your favorite go-to cold weather meals? Comment below – and bonus points if they are MEGA easy for folks with a jam-packed calendar! 

A Positive Perspective

A theological thought for the evening… 

It is widely believed that Paul wrote the book of Philippians while in jail, and yet it is often called “the book of joy” by students of the Word. Jail may not seem like a likely place to author “the book of joy,” though, right? 

Paul finds joy and spiritual contentment despite being in jail because… 

✨ Perspective is everything. ✨

In Philippians 2:14-15, Paul writes: 

“Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish…”

In Philippians 4:8, he writes: 

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” 

Paul finds joy and spiritual contentment, even in jail, because he is focused on God – on doing his best to shy away from complaint and to run toward praising the good things of God. He shifts focus from negativity to positivity, always focusing on the same concept that James (brother of Jesus) writes about in his own book, James 1:17, which says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above…” 

Paul and James seem to agree that there is goodness in life, no matter the situational circumstance, because God Himself is good. 

The perspective shift from grumbling and complaining to praising and gratitude makes it not only possible, but also probable, that we can and will find joy and spiritual contentment in any situation. 

Because perspective truly is everything. 

From Impossible to Possible

Royal Oak Presbyterian Church, Marion, VA

In Genesis 18, this question is asked: “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” And this answer is given: “No, nothing is too hard for Him.”

Genesis, which aims to show us God’s omnipotence, tells us that nothing is too much, too difficult for God – because God is all powerful.

Later, as we progress through the story of faith in the Bible, we find out that God shares power with us through grace.

In Matthew 19, we find out this good news: “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

God’s power makes things possible for us.

So the concerns that are currently weighing heavily on me? My own solutions and answers may feel impossible right now – but I trust that God will provide power and possibility.

Mexican Lasagna

I made Mexican food for dinner on Tuesday – yes, Taco Tuesday – and I realized as I prepared a favorite easy dish that I may never have shared this one on the blog! 

Some call it “taco bake” and others call it “Mexican lasagna.” At my house, we just call it “yummy.” 

This is an easy layered dish. You can make it with anything – and you can certainly add vegetables if the humans in your house will eat them (the guys in mine will not). Let me share what I do, and then you can let your mind wander with the possibilities! 

I start by browning meat (sometimes I use ground beef but a lot of times I use ground turkey). Then, I add a packet of taco seasoning. You can use whatever brand you like! I usually use ground turkey and low-sodium taco seasoning. 

While the meat browns and seasons, I preheat my oven to 350F. 

Once the meat is browned and covered well in seasoning, I lay a soft flour tortilla on the bottom of a pan or baking dish. (I do recommend a walled baking dish, like a cake pan of some size, rather than a sheet pan). Then layer in queso, cooked meat, salsa, and shredded Mexican cheese. Add another tortilla, and then all the inside ingredients again. Repeat one or two times. Then, on the top layer, use just cheese. 

For the layers, you could also use refried beans, Mexican or Spanish rice, or any number of vegetables or guacamole inside some of the layers for a variety of flavors if your family likes that. My boys are a little more plain Jane, so we don’t currently experiment with other options, but I’ve had different versions, and they’re all delicious. 

Once you’ve layered it all and finished the top with lots of cheese, place it in a 350F oven for at least 15 minutes so that it all melts together wonderfully and comes out gooey and yummy! 

When serving, cut into sections. (Pro tip: I often cut the smaller tortillas into four sections using a pizza cutter.) 

Enjoy a delicious and easy Mexican lasagna! 

Let me know if you’ve tried this recipe or something similar! I’d love to hear from you in the comments. 

Thoughts on Political Violence

It’s September 11. May we never forget…

Often we say “I’ll never forget where I was that day.” But what if we never forgot what it was like to feel empathy and devastation for others we don’t even know? 

What if we decided to never forget the way our chests felt hollow as we watched political violence at play, 24 years ago? What we if we decided to never forget the way that we felt, nationally, so crushed as we saw destruction hit us so very hard? 

Political violence is never the answer. It wasn’t in 2001, and it’s not today in 2025. 

And political violence does seem to be contagious, as we see continued acts of violence against politicians on various sides of the aisle, and against people groups of all types, escalating in our society. 

Politically motivated assassinations – whether against democrats or republicans, whether against Melissa Hartman or Charlie Kirk, whether against the World Trade Centers or a church or a school – are wrong, always. 

Gun violence against children and teens and teachers – whether you wish it was or not – IS political, too. Our children should feel safe going to school – hard stop. It’s our responsibility to the next generation to make a safe place for them to learn to be citizens and leaders. 

A democracy is supposed to allow for free and fair participation of all people as we seek to live in community together; it’s not supposed to allow for permanent silencing of someone or groups of people by the hands of the mentally unwell or the angry. It’s supposed to be SAFE to participate in a democratic republic like the US. 

And yet, we’re responsible for allowing political violence to become the norm. We’ve chosen who to grieve based on political party, rather than grieving the loss of any and all life. 

As for me, I chose to grieve for all lives cut short and those who personally loved them as they navigate the difficulties of loss. 

Pumpkin Children’s Art

Today, as UT football season starts, all of the greater Knoxville area celebrates the unofficial first day of fall. When it’s football time in Tennessee, it’s also autumn – at least to all of us in the 865. 

So, in honor of this season, I spent some time with my youngest doing a pumpkin craft while the game played in the family room. (It can’t be bad luck to do an orange craft while Big Orange plays, right?) 

My middle son is recovering from an ENT surgery this week, my eldest is on visitation at his biological father’s place, and my youngest woke with extra energy following an afternoon nap. He’s really good at letting us paint his hands at Parents Day Out, so I thought he might enjoy making some artwork together. 

Side note: I don’t think I’ve mentioned it here on the blog, I am now Director of Parents Day Out (PDO) at the church where I am also the Christian Education Director. 

The first thing I did was paint his hand, then make an orange handprint on a piece of paper. As that dried, I wiped his hand clean, and then I painted his thumb pad. On a different piece of paper, I made several thumb prints. 

While I turned the thumbprints and handprint into fall pumpkins, Franklin used a paintbrush with leftover paint on a piece of spare paper to make… “abstract art.” (Hey, he had fun and practiced his hand-eye coordination skills.) 

I used brown, orange, and green Crayola markers to turn the paint prints into pumpkins. 

For the hand print, I turned it sideways, did a rough orange trace around it, added a brown stem, and then added some green vine. Voilà, a pumpkin! I also added Franklin’s name and the year. 

For the thumb prints, I used a brown marker to make stems and a green one to draw vines connecting the pumpkins by the stem to turn it into a 3-row pumpkin patch. I added a title and date. And again: Voilà, a fall pumpkin patch! 

These were really fun and my littlest kiddo looked proud when I showed him his finished projects! 

Just wanted to share in case you’re looking for a fun fall craft for your little ones – to decorate your refrigerator door or send artwork to out of town grandparents. 

Thumbprint Pumpkin Patch
Handprint Pumpkin
Bonus: Franklin’s handiwork with a paintbrush after our print artwork.

Pom-Pom Painting at Home

I had a sweet artsy afternoon with my littles today. These Toy Story loving boys enjoyed painting Rex at the kitchen table together.

Our two-year-old (three in November) is OBSESSED with Toy Story and all things Pixar. He lovingly calls Rex the “Darry-dar” (dinosaur). So this particular selection of painting project was easy as could be!

We just used a free & printable Toy Story coloring page, Crayola washable project paint, a regular kids paintbrush for big bro and pompoms attached to clothespins for little bros.

They had such a fun afternoon! 🎨 (And so did Momma!)

Chocolate Chip Cookies 

It’s another cake mix cookie recipe! I realize that I have shared a lot of these, but never the straight-up classic: chocolate chip cookies! 

This blog post is short and definitely sweet, as is the recipe. So let’s get straight to the point! 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

In a bowl, mix:

  • 1 box of yellow cake mix (just the contents of the box)
  • 2 large eggs 
  • 1/2 cup cooking oil 
  • Chocolate chips (measure with your heart) 

Ball the cookies up, then press down into flat rounds. Put on lined (or sprayed) cookie sheets. 

Bake these at 350F for about 11-14 minutes or until golden on top, with a darker bottom. 

This recipe should make approximately 18-24 cookies, depending on how large you make them. 

These are perfect for a quick dessert midweek, a little housewarming hello for new neighbors, a dessert dish for a party or gathering, etc. I am taking this batch to our women’s ministry gathering at church today! 

Enjoy with a warm coffee or a cold milk! 

Other cake batter cookie recipes I’ve shared up to today’s date: 

  • Extra chocolate cookies – click here
  • Strawberry & chocolate cookies – click here
  • Chocolate chip & walnut cookies – click here
  • Butterscotch walnut cookies – click here
  • 4-ingredient m&m cookies – click here

Meal Planning Guide Released! 

I have some exciting news… I’ve been working on a little secret, and it’s ready to be shared: I have created, edited, and published a meal planning guide on Amazon! 

The process of creating this was SO fun, and it’s one of the most practical things I’ve done for my own family. This wasn’t just a fun creative endeavor, but one intended to solve a problem. 

Making dinners – and even deciding on what to make each night – can feel a little like playing a kitchen game of Jenga. We’re left asking things daily like: Do I have all the ingredients in the pantry and fridge? Did I remember to lay out the meat to thaw? What about seasonings I might need? 

But feeding yourself – and your partner or family – doesn’t have to be this way. 

When we, in my own home, choose to use the weekly dinner planning calendar and corresponding shopping list, our week is SO much easier – and I want that feeling of ease for your home, too. 

Meal planning has the HUGE benefit of taking daily stress off of your plate. By planning dinners for the week in advance, you can eliminate some of your most stressful evening moments. 

This journal-style guide gives you space to plan all 7 nights’ worth of dinners and gives you space to jot down all necessary ingredients you need to make those dinners happen. Taking one day a week to plan is SO MUCH BETTER than taking time every single day to stare into the pantry, cupboard, fridge, or freezer to try and decipher what you can assemble for an evening meal. 

And best of all? The pages of this meal planning journal are separated into adorable themes for each of the seasons: winter, spring, summer, and fall.  This paperback guide contains space for 52 weeks of plans. 

What’re you waiting for? Grab your copy, for under $15, on Amazon today! Link: https://a.co/d/iIH62Gm. 

*Yes, if you purchase this guide/journal, I will receive royalties.