Desert Winds are back in Arizona The past few weeks were quiet in our house—not the peaceful kind of quiet, but the kind that comes when influenza decides to make itself at home. As hard as we worked to keep it away, Influenza Type A swept through our family and had all of us down for the count. Even the baby ran a fever of 103, which is enough to make any household stop and hold its breath for a while. Thankfully, we’re all well again. And after a couple weeks of sickness, s

St. Valentine: More Than Candy & Hearts Every February on my birthday, my mom made a sponge cake (from her goose eggs) and decorated it with white frosting, and red-hot candies. I loved coming home from school to the aroma! I always looked forward to it although my birthday was after Valentine's Day, I was still her little Valentine. It wasn't until much later, that I really understood what the story of the man behind Valentine's Day meant to her as my mom loved bravery and h

January has a way of stripping things down. The noise of the holidays fades, the calendar turns, and what’s left is truth—sometimes uncomfortable truth—about people, relationships, and expectations. When I was a kid, we couldn't wait to break off the long, icicles hanging from trees to have sword fights. Since I was the youngest, I had to learn quickly when to quit the fight, and go inside. This month, I’ve been reflecting on failed friendships, fractured families, and the qu

December’s Here… Finally December rolled in like, “Alright, everyone calm down.” After a year of chaos, appointments, extreme heat for months on end--not to mention knee battles, and one extremely rude rattlesnake (Birdie's snake bite healed thank God but she still has an intermittent limp) I’m grateful for a month finally that feels softer and a little more peaceful. Mostly because the rattlesnakes are hibernating! Next year, I have two knee replacement surgeries to look for

November: Gratitude, Grit, and a Good Book It’s November, and while the world around me starts whispering about pie, family plans, and falling leaves, I find myself leaning into two things that always help me through the year: gratitude  and grit . Life doesn’t slow down just because we wish it would. The past few months brought challenges—some expected, some out of nowhere. But somehow, we keep going, don't we? We wake up, make coffee, water the trees, feed the chickens, ten

Let’s be honest—September hit hard. In September, we lost people we love. My dog was bitten by a rattlesnake while playing ball in the...

Hello September!

Phoenix, Pickles, and the Perks of a Late Start Hey friends~ After a fun, roasting hot weekend in Phoenix with my oldest daughter, her...

📚 Pinky Pickle and the Pirate Peas is NOW on Amazon—with fun activity pages included!

The heat has officially settled in here in southern Arizona—and it's not kidding around. My water bill is groaning, but the trees and...