JoaS

It's the very last day of September. I have literally procrastinated this month's blog post as long as I possibly could. I can't believe it's already the end of September and Fall has arrived. It's still 90 degrees in Charleston, but the calendar says it's officially Fall. With T-minus 6 weeks until Maggie's arrival, Michael suggested we take one last hoorah to a friend's mountain house with family and enjoy a few cool days and falling leaves. It turned out to be just perfect and we all enjoyed unplugging and unwinding away from internet, cell service, and any stores or activity. It was absolutely beautiful. Temperatures were in the 70s during the day and got down to the 50s at night. Michael and I enjoyed a few quiet days alone before everyone else got there and neither of us could remember the last time we'd enjoyed such quality time. It's the longest vacation we've taken together, and we would love to take Maggie in a few years ...

Feelings are so finicky. Have you ever felt yourself wearing down and you begin to neglect your quiet time or your evening walk or your morning prayer time because there's just so much to do and you've run out of energy? Next thing you know you're losing your cool in traffic or exploding on a friend or loved one because they can't read minds and didn't know to watch their step in the mine field that has become you? Have you ever let that happen? Because I have. And it stinks. I can recall with perfect clarity the first time I let it happen and was consciously aware I was doing it. I was treating someone I loved with contempt and gruffness that they certainly did not deserve. I could feel myself doing it, I watched myself do it, and I thought the whole time "Emily, what are you doing?" I knew immediately that it was misdirected and I felt terrible. Emotions can be so strong. Mine often overwhelm me. This is something we diligently attempt to guide in th...

One of my favorite songs on the radio today is God Only Knows by For King and Country. God only knows what you've been through God only knows what they say about you God only knows how it's killing you But there's a kind of love that God only knows God only knows what you've been through God only knows what they say about you God only knows the real you There's a kind of love that God only knows They have a way of writing that just speaks straight to my soul. Their word choice could not more accurately represent those feelings I can't quite put into words if they had interviewed me, personally, before sitting down to compose. Now that the cat's out of the bag, I can be a little more authentic about my experience these past 12 weeks. First, a little background on Michael and I: we're both recovering people pleasers. We're both pretty laid back and don't like to let things bother us. We don't like to confront others, we don...

Just popping in to wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a joyous new year, from my family to yours! I hope you enjoy the sights, the sounds, the food, the laughter, and the memories. It's such a sweet time of loving those who are dear to us and remembering what was done in love for us, beginning with a tiny babe in a manger. Joy to the world! Best, Emily

I'm back with more favorites! This week I thought I'd share five of my favorite activites, not just products. These can be free, inexpensive, quality time alone or with loved ones, and beneficial in other ways. 1. Evening walks. Especially in the Summer, Michael and I take a walk almost every evening after dinner. It helps me to sleep better, it's our daily dose of quality time, and it relieves stress and aids in digestion. Numerous benefits, zero cost. Beautiful. 2. Reading. If I'm alone, I'm probably reading - these days this looks like listening to audiobooks incessantly since my hands are usually busy with laundry, jewelry, cleaning, etc. My dad and I started going to the library once a week before I even started grade school and continued through high school. I downloaded our local library's RB Digital app years ago when I went off to college, and I've been checking out numerous (free) audiobooks ever since. I've tri...

Finally! The promised next recipe. I've been meaning to write this and share it for weeks, but somehow Summer busyness is a thing and sneaks up on you last minute. I actually have not been able to spend much time in our kitchen the last couple weeks. But we're pretty much back to normal now, and here is the last family meal we enjoyed. My husband absolutely loves this, and that's saying a lot. Especially for a fairly healthy dish. And it's so easy, it's foolproof. All you do is toss the ingredients into a baking dish and bake it for an hour at 350 degrees Farenheit. Literally. That's it. Ingredients: Chicken tenderloins- or breasts, whichever you prefer. Chicken is not my favorite meat, simply because it tends to seem very dry to me. I prefer the tenderloins because I find them to be less dry than chicken breasts. You can use as much chicken as you deem necessary for your family/dinner party. I usually use four if it's only two of us, bu...

I've mentioned before that gifts is one of my love languages, and it's one of the ways I most like to love on others. I love finding the perfect gift that reminds me of a certain person and watching their face (hopefully) light up as they appreciate it. My husband's love language is not gifts and my brother is not very demonstrative upon opening presents, either, but the point of a gift is to convey my love to them and I believe it does just that. Some of my favorite gifts to put together are gifts for couples. It doesn't even have to be a wedding gift, though with wedding season upon us that was the inspiration for this post. The past few years I have loved getting to think about what the couple might be doing for their honeymoon, or what they might enjoy doing together on a regular basis as they begin their life together. Living at the beach, one of my absolute favorite gifts to give to new brides is a monogrammed baseball cap for her to wear on the boat...

This is another favorite meal, and also very versatile. I started making this a few years back when we fell in love with roasted veggies and were very tired of the regular hot dog in a bun. I made this meal with turkey dogs, sweet potatoes, red potatoes, and a green bell pepper. I have made it in the past with chicken, sausage, shrimp--any protein you prefer. Also, I've thrown in cherry tomatoes, yellow squash, zucchini, asparagus, butternut squash, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower--any vegetable you can imagine. It's super easy and healthy, and a great way to round up and use any produce that may be on its last leg. To make this super simple, one pan dish, you will need: A protein of choice: I like to use turkey dogs or sausage that are already cooked so that you're really just flavoring and roasting it with the veggies, rather than having to worry about cooking it separately. Produce of choice: Our favorite are sweet potatoes, red potatoes, and bell peppe...

Date night has looked very different from season to season throughout our marriage. Some seasons it may look more conventional, like dinner and a movie, but we have found we almost enjoy the challenge of spending less and seeing what kind of unconventional date experience we can create. There have literally been Friday evenings when we had a $5 bill and found ourselves wandering Walmart searching for the makings of a perfect evening at home--usually a box of donuts and a DVD from Red Box. These have made for some of the most bonding and encouraging experiences together, realizing you can make the fondest of memories for next to nothing. You are really only limited by your own imagination. I thought I would put together a list of some of our favorite date ideas from years past to encourage others who may feel limited by a small budget or simply bored with the same date routine. French fries on the beach: We do live at the beach, which is such a gift and an absolute...