Living as a Victorious Christian Woman

If there's one thing our dogs know how to do, it's chew! We keep them in constant supply of toys and bones so we don't lose our towels, books, and pillows. Yes, that's the voice of experience speaking. I'm happy to stop at the dollar store and pick up more chews if it protects our actual stuff. We've always had a challenge with Cooper's chewing. He's nine months old now, so we shouldn't be surprised that he thinks with his teeth. Last week he took all the cotton out of his Lambchop stuffy, but now it's his favorite (empty and floppy) toy in the box. I rescued this pig right before it met the same fate, and now it's an under-supervision-only chew toy. He never goes anywhere with out something to entertain himself. The couch was Diesel's escape zone before Cooper was big enough to jump up, but know it's a perching and looking out the window spot for both of them. We have a herd of about 12 deer on the property right now, so it's a f...

It's quite cool again in southern Iowa. We've been going back and forth between sunny and beautiful to cold and dreary - no wonder everyone is home sick! Welcome to February in the Midwest, I suppose. But one of the good things about chilly weather is getting to have all the comfort foods you want. This week I tried a new skillet bake that layered up sweet potatoes, ground beef, zucchini, and melted cheese. It doesn't get any more comfortable than that. I also love the presentation on this skillet. It's beautiful colors - orange, green, and gold - and the layers just meld together so well. And again ... melted cheese. The pull scooping it out of the skillet is absolutely everything. While serving it like this in a skillet is divine, you could also use an 8-inch square baking dish or a pie pan. I used the same skillet I browned the ground beef in, so that just made it even yummier. Ingredients: 1 large sweet potato, cut into thin slices 1 medium zucchini, cut into slices...

Last week was the perfect example of why I love my job. We hosted a group of tourism and hospitality professionals from all over the state for a two-day leadership conference. We started the first night with an escape room at a local attraction and then spent the next two days hearing from experts on a number of leadership topics, having great conversations, and eating meals from a ton of local restaurants. The event organizers and I have been planning this leadership symposium since September, although I will admit the time went by so very fast. Lots of things have happened and changed in that time, I've learned a lot, and we've forged some great new partnerships while having a lot of fun doing it. I also know that it was a great event because God already had it planned it all out, even better than we could have on our own. Was it perfect? Absolutely not. Was I frustrated at times? Yes. Was I anxious from time to time, hoping that the timing would work, the food would show up ...

Long, long ago in a land right here where I still live today, I was a tiny person. I have proof. There is a picture of tiny Me in this little blue outfit. There are also pictures with my frog (which I love with all my heart) and my baby rattle. And there are notes in my baby book of when I received them, so these are such special memories that I get to keep. All my life I remember my mom carrying this tiny pocket knife in her purse. She might change bags for the seasons or get a new wallet, but this super-sharp little knife went everywhere she did. And now it's a special memory that I get to keep. Mom was also an expert crafter, making everything from clothes to home decor to gifts just for me. She created dozens of these tennis shoes, some in our school colors and some in my favorite shade of purple. She would chain two of them together for hanging, and others would sit and decorate a locker or bedroom shelf. The ones I have are special memories that I get to keep. I was brave eno...

The last week of February will now always be special to me, as this is now the second anniversary of my mom's death. I am so incredibly grateful for the 46 years I had with her, and I wanted my planner layout this week to remind me of that thankfulness for her. This Start With A Grateful Heart spread is quite literally my heart on paper today. I started with the big, beautiful flowers in the corners of each day box, then paired them up with smaller images and a Bible phrase or Scripture. I especially love the balance of this first page, with the mirror-image pink flowers on the right hand side. And the colors are phenomenal - they just make me smile. Since I'm not back in the office until Tuesday and I'm hosting a booth at the state Homesteaders event on Friday, it will be interesting to see how much I can accomplish in those middle three days this week. Yes, I've already started a to-do list. Yes, I'm setting some goals. And yes, I'm starting each and every day...

I grew up in a musical-loving household. We watched and listened to the soundtracks from everything from The King and I and Camelot to West Side Story and Bye, Bye, Birdie. To this day I still watch White Christmas on the Friday after Thanksgiving, just like we always did. Those hours spent singing and dancing together are forever etched on my heart. Your planner is the absolute most perfect place to declare your love for your favorite things. I mean, if you don't have quotes from the great musicals splashed somewhere you'll see them every day for a week, are you really a fan? (P.S. Hamilton debuted off-Broadway 11 years ago this week. It's Christopher Jackson's role as George Washington that jump-started my interest in American history.)  This is a very special week for me, with a couple of meetings with first-time local leaders to start it off, then I'm hosting a statewide leadership conference here in town for 30 of my tourism and hospitality colleagues. It's...

As a proper Midwestern girl, I love my Scotcheroos. Anything that combines sweet and savory with some crunch is right up my alley, and this is the kind of comfort food-sweet that I grew up with.  In a continuing attempt to clear out our pantry in some fun and creative ways, I experimented with a bar that uses both Rice Krispies and crushed peanut butter pretzels, adding some extra texture and flavor.  It required a little more sticky stuff to bind it all together, but that really just made it yummier. I might try some maple syrup next time for part of the honey, and some chai powder over the chocolate might be good, too. Let me know if you think of some substitutions that work well. We took these to youth group and to a church fellowship, where they received rave reviews from everyone.  Ingredients: 3 cups Rice Krispies 1 1/2 cups peanut butter pretzels, crushed 1/4 cup honey 1/4 cup peanut butter 2 Tbsp butter 12-15 mini candy bars, chopped 1. Line an 8x8-inch baking dis...

One of the greatest blessings of our church ministry is being able to visit two of our nursing homes. There is singing, special music, preaching, and praying - four of our favorite things! Yesterday, one of the sweet ladies was talking to the woman next to her and said "I've never had a good memory, but it's getting worse as I get older." Her friend replied, "At least we're in the same boat. I can't think of something, then later it just pops out!" Going from the assisted living building to the memory unit, it always amazes me what a miracle music can be. One lovely lady is mostly nonverbal now, not really sure where she is. But when the singing starts, she immediately comes to the lounge and sits down. Once she has a songbook, you can hear the softest, sweetest singing. She may not remember many things, but those hymns are engrained in her mind. When the psalmist wrote Psalm 119, I wonder if he was helping someone he loved with memory issues. Look h...

You never really know what kind of craft supplies you have until you're looking for one particular color or theme. I wanted a couple of really cute washi tapes for my Valentine's week planner layout, and suddenly I was finding hearts and kissy faces and shades of red everywhere! In the end, I was able to use a different one to trace each line separating the days. Who knew I had quite that many? There are some seasons and themes that are easier to combine a bazillion sticker sets into than others, and Valentine's Day is definitely one of the easiest. Gathering up every single heart, red thing, pink thing, and X-O image and phrase I could find was fun, but clustering them and adding a phrase and image to each washi tape line was so cool. I think there are about six different sets between these two pages, but you really can't tell. So there's absolutely no doubt that this is a special week, designed to be filled with love every day between now and "Happy Hearts Da...

If someone came into your town and asked you the best place to eat, to shop, and to do something they can't do anywhere else, what would you tell them? If you answered that question without sarcasm or making a joke about how there's nothing to do here, you'd make the perfect hometown ambassador. If not, let's check your heart condition! When we're immersed in our own community day in and day out - eating in the same restaurants, shopping at the same stores, hearing the same stories - we completely lose sight of what's new and interesting to visitors. Trust me, I'm a prime example and it's my job. Do you get your coffee in the same place every morning, or do know if your town's convention and visitors bureau has a coffee trail on their website (we do!) where you can explore some different places? When we travel, we don't want to eat at a restaurant we have at home. We want something new and interesting and different - a one-of-a-kind gastronomical...

Danny and I have always said that we study the Bible for ourselves, then teach our youth group what we've learned. That sentiment could not have been more true for me as I prepared for our February series on love. Our theme for the month is Love, Actually: The Kinds No One Tells You About. This week's focus is that love is more than a feeling. It's not all hearts and flowers and candy. It's not even necessarily romantic. The very best example I could think of was Jonathan. He was a crown prince, the future king, Israel's top warrior. Everyone expected him to win all the time. But then here comes David, the new guy. He's talented and rising fast. King Saul has gone insane with jealousy and is incredibly unstable. And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.  And Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father's hous...

I've been avid reader since I was 3 years old. It's my go-to for relaxation, entertainment, and as much knowledge as I can possibly glean. So when I found this beginner chapter book at the book sale last fall, with the title that obviously grabbed my attention, I thought this would either be a fun read or educational. I got both. Tess' mom tells her that her aunt and cousin are coming to visit and it's time to hurry and get the house cleaned up. They remember how neat and tidy everything during their last visit to their aunt's house, so they want theirs to be just as nice. But they've not cleaned for a while, so it's going to be a huge undertaking. I know that feeling... They empty, sort, donate, and clean everything in sight. They get absolutely not help from their pets, who think this is a great new game and try to play along, making a mess along the way. One project turns into three more. Been there, done that... By the time their family arrives, Tess and...

Oh my goodness, there is no better time to try a sweet fudge recipe than February. Like you really need an excuse, but this white chocolate cranberry recipe is absolutely decadent and completely perfect. Nothing says love like fudge. And this lovely, unique combination isn't something I would have thought meshed well, but once you taste it, it makes perfect sense. It's creamy, chewy, and a little crunchy from the sparkling sugar. You can thank me later ... love you! Ingredients:  1 24oz bag white chocolate chips (vanilla) 1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk 1 Tsp vanilla 1 6oz bag dried cranberries, chopped Pinch of salt Sparkling sugar sprinkles 1. Line a 9 inch-by-9 inch baking dish with parchment paper. 2. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine white chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until the mixture is completely smooth and combined. 3. Stir in the vanilla, cranberries, and salt. 4. Pour fudge into the lined dis...

So do you have any New Year's resolutions that you've already not met? I really wanted to read 10 books a month in 2026 for a total of 120 this year. Of course, I shouldn't be too down since we're only four weeks in, but I came a little short of my goal. I know I don't have to justify myself, but I do have three more books that I started in January, I just haven't finished them yet. That means February might be a pretty good month for reading! The books that I read in January were all amazing, for sure. Here's what went from my TBR pile to my R pile... An Amish Proposal for Christmas by Vannetta Chapman. This was my New Year's Day afternoon book, a quick read as close to Christmas as I could get. It's the first of her Indiana Amish Market series, which I didn't know until I got into it and thoroughly enjoyed it. Then I realized that the Amish book my dachshund puppy ate in December was also part of the series, and it was great, too. Now I'll ...

I'm not a huge "schmoopy-schmoopy" love person, but my planner spreads for February have bent a little in that direction. I found several Valentines sets of stickers and die cuts in my collection, so they're getting used to their fullest over the next few weeks! My monthly planner pages are where I keep track of my blog posts, so the random-stamp style of design for these spreads is always my go-to. Most themed sticker collections have small designs and images mixed in, so I use these up here. It's like throwing them up in the air and sticking them down wherever they land. Within reason, that is... It's nice to have one place - like your planner - to keep track of major things. Whether it's blog post ideas, notes for work, shopping lists, or just some brainstorming for the future, having your thoughts and plans in one place means you never have to try to remember where they are. Added bonus, for sure! Kelly Bangs' Print and Pray set for Illustrated Fai...