Living as a Victorious Christian Woman

I had the privilege of attending this year's Renew Conference at the Iowa Regular Baptist Camp over the weekend, joining more than 500 more ladies from across the state around the area. It's been a couple of years since I was able to go, so this year was extra special.  A group of our church ladies has been going to Renew for years, and it's something we always look forward to. This time we were assigned to an amazing cabin with real beds, comfortable furniture, and air conditioning! Even the adorable bridge to get there was lovely. And what an encouraging Scripture above the front door to remember as you're leaving each morning: Commit to the Lord everything you do, and He will establish your plans. Proverbs 16:3.  The first stop we make as soon as we get to camp is the popcorn bar. This has been a staple of the basement of the Cove as long as I can remember, so you grab your retreat shirt and a bag full of popcorn and candy. It's good to be an adult and get to fi...

Praise the Lord for creating this wonderful thing called vacation! As much as I adore my job, I needed this past week to do some things at home, go flying with Danny, and go to the Renew Conference with some our church ladies. While I'm not completely rested - I definitely didn't sleep the week away - I'm ready to hit the ground running at the office tomorrow. And this week's planner spread is definitely going to be the motivation I need. Looking at it now, it looks like I combined two sticker sets to make this layout - the flowers and the office supplies. Honestly, I had to go back and double check, but yes, they are from the same set. (Actually some of the same pages.) I adore that backpack because it looks like mine, as does that camera and laptop. It's like they made it just for me! So I paired all the nitty-gritty work stuff with beautiful flowers and hearts in every cluster so it doesn't seem quite so much like work... My prayer for this week is that after...

Over the past few weeks our puppies have made it through a bee sting, two ear infections, and a hot spot that was licked raw and bleeding. Two of them sent us to the vet's office, while the other was treated at home - all to successful healing! And some adorably goofy pictures. Health problems can be so scary, and it's easy to either overreact or not react enough when we don't know exactly what's going on. Two of these we'd never experienced before and the other was clearly outside our expertise. So how do you know if it's a minor issue that you can handle at home or something that needs immediate professional help? You can always call the vet's office to run down the situation and make sure, just to put your mind at rest. There are also certain symptoms, like if your pet has trouble breathing, severe bleeding or collapse, that should send you to the vet's office immediately. Also, if there has been serious trauma, they've eaten something that could ...

We've been doing a lot of firsts in the plane lately, but my favorite was my first night flight.  I had no idea what to expect, except that I knew the city would be lit up when we flew over. It absolutely took my breath away to see every area of town glowing. The high school, the bridges, major buildings, all the homes twinkled against the black backdrop of night. The city looks completely different from the air than it does on the ground to begin with. It's all recognizable - major streets, buildings, and the river - but there's no grime or litter or disgruntled people recognizable from the air. Walk through town and you can hear it, feel it. But not from high above. Everything is shining and illuminated in a way you don't see from street level. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.  Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.  Let your light so...

Last weekend at a local fly-in, the food truck was serving green apple dirty sodas and peace cobbler dirty sodas. Please forgive me, but I had never had a dirty soda before. But how can you resist when those are the two flavors? We couldn't. It was a heat index over 100 degrees on an antique airfield in the middle of a corn field, so we had multiple dirty sodas! And they were fantastic. I was already looking forward to the next time or place I could order one. If you're like me and have never had one before, a dirty soda is made by mixing soda fountain drinks with flavored syrups, fruit juices, and cream or creamer. It's a lovely little elevation of a classic soda, making it enhanced and personalized to your particular taste. So imagine my thrill when I discovered the simplicity of these ingredients and that I could easily make them myself at the gas station drink station. Yep, the convenience store for the win! Here's what I did and how you can recreate it. Enjoy! I us...

Just because I'm on vacation this week doesn't mean I don't get to have a cool planner layout! I still have lots to do, a few get-togethers that I'm not calling meetings, and enough time to work at Pages for Pennies donations without looking at the clock. That kind of week deserves an adorable planner spread that I'll want to keep open all day every day. My forest animals and some of the mushrooms came from one sticker set, while the larger mushrooms came from another set. While this is completely not mushroom season in Iowa, the colors and shapes work perfectly with my woodland creatures and the idea of a whole week on the property. They're clustered into little vignettes, each with an animal, a larger mushroom, and a couple of smaller embellishments to balance them out. Then I ran them diagonally across the page from top to bottom through the week. My prayer this week, whether you have vacation or a full work week, is that we'll all find time for the thing...

Have you ever had a certain habit or trait or topic mentioned so many times that you know the Holy Spirit is working on your heart? You hear a sermon message about it, it's on your new favorite podcast, your daily Scripture reading mentions it again, and it's even in your Instagram feed ... repeatedly. The Holy Spirit never claimed to be subtle. Apparently I don't need subtlety. For me lately, it's been the theme of commitment. Whether it's in marriage, in the workplace, in the church family, or in everyday life, commitment is the foundation of what we bring to the table. Nothing succeeds by accident, because everything just happened to fall into place. We are blessed exceeding abundantly above because we've committed ourselves to the work before us. But what's standing in our way? An enemy who wants to hinder us and keep us from doing what the Lord has called us to do. If we stay committed, he has more work ahead of him - if we're lackadaisical going th...

It's been a while since I've read this eclectic of a group of books all in a row, and it was such a fun month! I've been trying to read through my TBR pile so I'm ready to dig in to my new book sale books. (In case you didn't know, the Pages for Pennies sale I host is September 25-27. The books are pouring in!) These are the seven I finished in August, and I'm part-way through three more that we'll talk about in a month! Storm Kings: The Untold History of America's First Tornado Chasers by Lee Sandlin. From the 1800s to present day, have we really come that far in tornado research? This book traces the history of storm and tornado research through the years, all the way back to Benjamin Franklin, and showing how the questions remain despite the expert input into the topic. Being from Iowa, and writing this while in an actual tornado warning, this book and its information really connected. Grace Livingston Hill Collection 1. I spent part of my birthday mo...

I have found my new comfort food. And I don't care if they are supposed to be a "fall" menu item. I'mm going to fix these pears on a regular basis as long as my stores are carrying pears! They're that good. After nearly half an hour in the oven, sprinkled with cinnamon and drizzled in maple and vanilla, the pears are so soft and juicy and so warm and gooey that they're literally addictive. I won't tell you how many I ate. I'll let you figure it out once you've tried them yourself. Then you'll understand. Ingredients:  3 pears, halved 2 Tbsp cinnamon 1/2 cup maple syrup 1 Tbsp vanilla Granola Walnuts Greek yogurt 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly spray a glass baking dish with nonstick spray. 2. Halve the pears and use a melon baller to cut out the seeds. Arrange the pear halves cut side up in the dish.  3. Shake the cinnamon evenly over the pears. 4. In a small bowl, combine the maple syrup and vanilla. Drizzle over the pears, covering as...

Normally we think about change and new beginnings and associate them with spring. New life, new growth, newness all around us. But spring isn't the only season that can be so beautiful it takes our breath away.  Fall is proof that change can be beautiful. Autumn is a season of transition in so many ways - the end of summer, beginning of the school year, job changes, Bible studies, youth group. And, of course, the changing leaves showing off their magnificent colors. Summer was amazing, but here comes fall! Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.  Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness,   and  rivers in the desert.  Isaiah 43:18-19 Isaiah was writing in a time when captivity in Babylon was the only thing on their minds. The people were looking back on the old days when they were free with longing and regret, which is completely  understandable. Bu...

And here we are, sliding through another month in 2026. August was fun, busy, educational, and full of so many blessings, and I can't wait to see what September's going to bring. Besides a book sale, two weekends of flying, lots of meetings, and a few days of vacation to just stop moving. My monthly planner spreads are where I brainstorm and keep track of my blog posts, so it's the perfect place to use my tiny stickers. September also means the first day of Autumn, and I am so beyond ready for it! This set of stickers was full of leaves, pumpkins, footballs, and sweaters, so it was perfect for this random stamp-style page. Does your planner have both monthly and weekly layouts in it or just one or the other? Have you tried two separate planners? I use the two for two very different purposes, so having both in one place works best for me. That's the cool part about all the different designs and layouts out there - there's something perfect for everyone! I absolutely ...

I was in high school before I ate at a Chinese buffet. (And I loved it!) I was in college before I ordered Chinese takeaway. (The coolest experience!) And I was in my twenties before I even tried sushi. (Who knew I was going to make it a staple favorite for the rest of my life?) Asian food is one of my comfort foods - it soothes my soul and my stomach at the same time. The combination of unique flavors and textures makes my heart happy in a way no other can. While I love being spoiled by the experts who make these delicacies every day, sometimes it's fun to cook some up at home. This is one of my favorite go-to Chinese takeaway dishes that just takes a few minutes of prep and some classic Asian ingredients to recreate a restaurant staple. Ingredients:  2   lbs  chicken breasts, cut in 1-inch cubes 1/2   cup   soy sauce 1/2   cup   hoisin sauce 1/3   cup   rice vinegar 1/4   cup   honey 3 Tbsp minced  garlic   minced 1 ...

Twelve weeks ago our youth group started Summer Celebration (big-kid Vacation Bible School) with a joyful, precious statement: The Lord is my Shepherd. Last week we closed with: I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. The first is in present tense. The second is in future tense. The Lord IS, right now, my Shepherd. And someday, I’m going to dwell in the house of the Lord forever. The words “house of the Lord” actually have a larger meaning than we think. Today we often hear those words and think about the church building. We’re “in the house of the Lord.” But in David’s time especially, it meant the family of God, being in His household, His flock. In just six verses, Psalm 23 walks us through a full year in the life of a shepherd and his sheep. If anyone knew the timeline and needs of a flock: they would spend winter and spring in their home pasture, then spend summer in the mountains  before coming back down fat and sassy for autumn and another winter. I love that picture ...

By Friday last week, everyone was telling me "I'm so glad this week is over!" Many people are having difficult times right now, and I know that feeling. Life is stressful, work can be challenging, and there are *people* everywhere. (You know what I mean...) That's why our planner can be a safe haven, a small piece of calmness and encouragement in the world, and why I chose The Lord Will Guide You Always as my theme for the week. I started the planner spread with my all-time favorite washi tape across the top, the tassel garland. If I ever run out of this washi, I promise you I'll cry. I had used many of the stickers from this set on previous pages, but somehow the Scriptures, phrases, and images still there were perfect together. Not only was there a variety of sizes and shapes to make little clusters across the pages, but they coordinated, they were beautiful together, and they expressed exactly what is in my heart this weekend. I especially love the overlapping ...