If you’re on Pinterest or follow home design trends at all, then you know that pallet wood projects are hugely popular. Pallets are just so versatile! You can simply leave them in their pallet form and paint them as a decor piece. Or you can disassemble them and use the wood for countless projects. This is typically what we do. My family and I happen to have a really good hook up with consistent, large pallets. If you’re looking for the hook up, I suggest searching online on sites like Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace. You can also simply drive around your town looking for places that have pallets out by their dumpster. Many times you can approach that business about taking their pallets off their hands! If you’re feeling really brave, you can ask that they call you going forward anytime they have pallets. Hook up secured! Our pallet wood projects, like many of our tasks, are usually a team effort. I will come up with a design, our 13 year old will carefully take apart the wood and remove the nails, and then my husband will bring the designs to life. If you aren’t one for coming up with your own designs, there are many free pallet plans available online. I was reflecting the other day on all the projects we’ve done both in the house and around the farm with pallet wood and thought I’d share!
Continue readingCategory: Life Updates
Book Teaser: Announcing “Crooked Paths Straight”
If you’ve been following me on social media then you may have caught that I am in the middle of trying to get a book published! I am holding out for a traditional publishing deal, but I am also considering other publishing options. For now, I wanted to share a little about my overall vision for “Crooked Paths Straight.” The title is based on Isaiah 45:2 where God says, “I will go before you and make the crooked paths straight.”
I originally set out to write my family’s story about immigrating legally from Mexico to the United States back in the 1960s. From there I found myself looking back on my life and all the ways I tried to live out of alignment with God’s desires for me. For example, my husband and I had our first child while we were just freshmen in college. Statistics said it was a completely unredeemable situation, but God! God made my crooked path straight then and has continued to do so my whole life. Other major catalysts in my story include the difficulties of growing up in between two cultures, seeing forgiveness at work after the loss of a childhood friend, the hustle and bustle of being an entrepreneur, and my family’s return to our ancestor’s roots by way of leaving the city for the farm. The book will end with my modern-day advice for topics such as marriage, parenting, homeschool, food, entrepreneurship, and faith.
This book is for anyone who walks with the weight of past mistakes. Anyone who wants to trade shame and confusion in for hope and help. Anyone who is ready to partner with God in building a brighter future for themselves.
Continue reading1 Year Later: What Quarantine Taught Me
Listen to this podcast episode.
For most people here in Kansas, sometime in March 2020 marked the beginning of all the lockdowns and restrictions. When I first started taking notes for this post, we were only about a month or so into quarantine. My notes kept growing as I kept thinking, “I don’t want to post this while I’m still in quarantine, I want this piece to be a look back on my complete quarantine experience.” Well, here we are one year later!
While I am so thankful that we are not in a full on quarantine anymore, I can hardly believe we are still dealing with this virus. And while I hate the phrase “the new normal,” I am convinced that we might not ever get back to what life was like before coronavirus. But maybe that’s okay? Maybe we need to be more cautious than we were before?
My local news stations say that as more people are getting vaccinated, we are just a couple more months away from being free from masks and limited gatherings. Whatever the return of that freedom looks like to you, I know it’s going to be a sweet moment. I can see you now at a big outdoor concert or festival, surrounded by your best friends finally mask free, singing along to your favorite song with your hands held out, as a big smile comes across your face as you remember, THIS is what freedom feels like! Oh my goodness, I can’t wait for that moment for you.
For now though, I want to reflect on some things that I learned during my quarantine/coronavirus experience.
Continue readingBehind The Scenes Of My Former Life
One day over a cup of coffee my new friend asked, “So do you think this town is a good place to own a business?”
I took a long pause as I thought back over the past few years. I had opened and had been operating a small digital marketing firm in “the biggest small town” in South Central Texas. It was fairly successful, but it had come with costs.
“On paper, I think this town has all the resources needed for a new business to be very successful. But in reality, it’s not exactly a fair playing field.” I replied.
“What do you mean?” my friend pursued.
At the time, I was still very much in the game and trying to play by all the rules. However, now having been out of the game a couple years; I am finally ready to share a few glimpses behind the scenes of my former life.
Our Late Dog Wesley: A Cautionary Tale
Okay friends, between Vegas and wine tastings, my last few posts have been fairly fun. I am afraid I have to bring us down a little this month, but I promise I am only sharing to help spare another family from heartbreak. If you aren’t one for sad stories, then I suggest you skip this post altogether or skip down to the pet health and safety tips. Also, please note that I am not a veterinarian or animal medical professional. I am simply sharing what we learned in an effort to spare you some mistakes.
Back in 2017 before we moved to Kansas, we had our house on the market down in Texas. We had to do this crazy routine everytime we had a showing. We would load up the whole family, which at this time included 3 dogs, and go hang out in a park somewhere. We had a pretty solid offer on our house, but our real estate agent said it would still be a good idea to continue accepting showings. We had a request for an early morning showing on a Saturday, so we decided to visit Palmetto State Park. It was only an hour or so away and we had been there before, so it seemed perfect.
Inside My Intentional Kitchen Design
Kitchen Before
Kitchen After
If you follow me online at all then you likely saw my kitchen remodel reveal. We took out an entire wall, so of course the before and after pictures are impressive. But there are alot of other intentional details that went into the design that I want to share with you.
First, a little background on how we ended up in this house. Between the properties we looked at in Texas and the properties we looked at here in Kansas, we looked at about 50 homes. One day before our final go around Wichita my husband sent me a link to a house and said, “this is a good example of a bad house on good land that we could fix up.” Even though it was just supposed to be an example, we lined up a showing. It was our very last showing before heading back on down the highway to Texas. The land itself was beautiful, but the house actually made me cry. It was so much worse than the photos made it look. I think I cried all the way through Oklahoma. However, something about it I just couldn’t leave alone. The opening sequence to one of my favorite shows ends with the phrase, “do you have what it takes to take on a fixer upper?” Well, as it turns out, I do have exactly what it takes to take on a fixer upper.
Navigating Adult Friendships
Guys, making new friends as an adult is hard. Making new friends as a wife and mother is even harder. I have stayed in toxic friendships for years because it honestly felt easier than cultivating new friendships. In the past, my husband and I struggled to find even just one couple we could both connect with and that was in the same life stage as us. And what about once you’ve made a new friend? Once the “honeymoon stage” has worn off and you’re dealing with real life issues, how do you navigate the complexities of keeping a friendship? It should be easy, but the truth of the matter is that a lot of times – it is messy. I have found that nothing kills a friendship faster than insecurity and a competition mentality. If you choose to be friends with someone, you have to make a conscious effort to love and trust them. No friendship can thrive under paranoia and constant criticism. This week I asked my social media followers for the best friendship advice they’ve been given and the first one I got went like this: “celebrate their wins even when you feel like you’re not winning! It is not a competition but a relationship.” Amen, Brooke!
My Personal Redemption Story
I recently did a bible study through If:Gathering called, “Redeemed.” This study was all about looking at how God has impacted your life, writing it out, and sharing a story that will glorify God. So, here goes…
Introducing… LOXLUX Jewelry!
I have to admit that I am historically not one for too many accessories. For example, I used to only buy bags and shoes in black or brown. My thought process was that if I am going to spend money on an accessory, it might as well go with everything in my closet. Nowadays whenever shopping for accessories I ask myself, “can I wear it with at least 3 pieces I already have?” In my opinion, this is a great question to ask yourself, especially if you are on a budget.
Happy Homecoming: Derby, Kansas
A few months ago, I shared my family’s heartbreak at a real estate deal gone wrong that shattered our dreams of homesteading. Since then, with the help of our friends at church, we turned to the Lord and asked him to reveal his will to us. It only took a couple days of intentional prayer before my husband said to me, “I believe the Lord is redirecting us, and telling us that it’s time to move closer to our family in Kansas.” After my initial shock wore off and I started to pay attention too – it seemed there were signs of wheat and sunflowers everywhere!
