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...