Magazine Articles

Kudos to all the courageous women out there. I certainly have been blessed to know some courageous female role models. If you enjoy the culinary world like I do, what does courageous in the kitchen mean to you? It doesn’t matter if you boil water for mac and cheese or forage your own epicurean delights, all of us can go outside our comfort zone when it comes to food. What’s the worst thing that could happen? You could melt your blender to your stove top, which ignites into an electrical fire 15 minutes before you are hosting playgroup.(true story) Sometimes …

Loving ourselves through the process of owning our story is the bravest thing we will ever do. —Brené Brown The annual courage issue is here, my beautiful reader friends. In these pages, you will meet some amazing women who were courageous to live through and to share their incredible stories. I am honored that each of these women were were willing to share their courageous choices with all of us. This issue has always been my favorite of the year. I get to reflect on all the amazing women in my life. Indulge me. My sweet Grace has grown so …

Do you ever feel like God, or the universe, or whatever else is desperately trying to tell you something? You know, when the same topic gets brought up time and time again with family and friends. Then it comes up again at the grocery store with the checkout clerk, and then while in the dental chair. All right, maybe I am getting a little too specific. Suffice it to say, the theme of mindset has been on my heart lately. Each of us face trials in our everyday lives. It can be as small as getting your car booted in …

May there always be work for your hands to do. May your purse always hold a coin or two. May the sun always shine on your windowpane. May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain. May the hand of a friend always be near you. May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you. -An Irish Blessing Ladies, not sure about all of you, but our summer has cruised by so very fast. It has been a flurry of activity; summer is always a time to refresh. I planted a garden for the first time. Quinn and I …

Last week, I walked into my housemate Michelle’s room to, honestly, just complain about being exhausted. I felt like I was hit by a truck, but I had not done anything too extraneous. Starting at a new gym or picking up extra shifts at work could be the cause? But, then my sweet friend kindly reminded me that I am going through a lot of change – with school, family and just life in general – it’s exhausting. Change comes with a variety of emotions – it is hard and ugly, but also beautiful and encourages growth. I often push …

Empathy has no script. There is no right way or wrong way to do it. It’s simply listening, holding space, withholding judgment, emotionally connecting, and communicating that incredibly healing message of “You’re not alone.” –Brené Brown Hello ladies. I am going to get right to the update: summer is here, and I have not done a Christmas card in two years. I consider you all my friends and family, so here we go. Joe, the eldest, has had enough of the Midwest and is taking the show on the road. He will still be working for the same company but …

SOOLEY By John Grisham Once again, I’ve picked a book by one of my favorite authors, John Grisham. This is his 36th novel and, believe it or not, I have read them all. However, this is not his usual courtroom story. The court he chooses to write about this time is a basketball court. The main character, Samuel (Sooley) Sooleymon, is a 17-year-old boy from South Sudan, who has been chosen to come to America to play basketball for a traveling team that showcases the skills of young Sudanese players for college coaches. The secondary tale is about Sooley’s family, …

Summer is the time for family fun in the Midwest. Time to get outside and enjoy some of our local traditions — including those centered around food. I remember the first time I took my Littles strawberry picking. Recently, we were at my mom’s, and she made them a simple dessert that they went crazy for: strawberries over angel food cake with homemade whipped cream. Such a simple dessert, and they loved it. Our family enjoys cooking together, and recently our middle daughter recreated something she had on a visit to Florida. Here are two summer-inspired recipes to share with …

Well, I guess I am a college graduate now. Weird, weird, weird. I don’t feel quite ready to be a full-fledged adult yet, so I will be starting Accelerated Nursing School at Creighton in August. I am excited to be pursuing a career in nursing with a background in psychology. The long-term goal is to become a psychiatric nurse practitioner in pediatrics. (We will see where life takes me…I am VERY indecisive ☺.) Before graduation, a few of my best girlfriends and I were curled up on my bed on a Sunday morning discussing the events from the night before. …

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life.” ~Prince Hello friends; the above quote is from one of my favorite songs, “Let’s Go Crazy.” It was an iconic song of the summer of ‘84. It takes me back to a time of innocence and a time of freedom from real worry. As I write, I have a fresh cup of coffee, and Prince is playing in the background. I am learning to enjoy the little gifts, and this moment of quiet and time to write is a gift. Collectively, we have all been through …