Dear Son, You’re two years old and getting so big as you remind us so often. Everything is big to you. You want it big and you want more of it. Big tractors, big bulls, more hay bales. It’s a big world for our little farmer. You might play with toy baby bulls, but if…
Dear Son, When I found out I was expecting you, I secretly hoped you would be a boy. Your daddy loves your sisters — his two little princesses. (He liked what a customer had told him: “Having girls always made my husband feel like a king!”) But I had a feeling a son would make…
It feels like we’re jumping into the busy season with both feet. All except for Mom–she’s not doing anything with both feet at the moment. My mother-in-law broke her ankle on Tuesday. And her fall threw us all into a bit of confusion, as we rearrange schedules and plan for a summer without the help…
I did something a little scary on my blog last month: I changed my permalink structure. That means my post links that used to look like: https://gretchenlouise.com/2013/04/ugly-permalinks/ now look like: https://gretchenlouise.com/pretty-permalinks/ See the difference? Yes, I like it, too. Why was it scary, you ask? Because suddenly all the numbers on the share buttons below each post…
Cancer—a gift? Ken and Joni (Eareckson) Tada firmly believe so. And as they let you look in on their story, you’ll find yourself realizing why. Because God used Joni’s cancer to bring them closer together as a couple than anything else. And when you’re talking about a couple who has now been married more than…
The recent brute force attacks on WordPress blogs have brought attention to an important concern for WordPress.org users: security. And it’s not just an issue when there’s a brute force attack going on — security is always an issue. With the great customization options of WordPress.org come great potential for hacking. All you have to do is…
My husband’s grandparents were one of the first to build on the hill. But like the little house in the storybook, the city grew up around them. Their ocean view has diminished to just a slice outlined by two palm trees out the dining room window. But every evening, Grandpa would hobble through the kitchen…
“What we wear is a song we sing to those around us.” If you read my interview with Trina Holden last week, you know how excited I am that she is sharing her passion for beauty in book form. Embracing Beauty has armed me with all sorts of ideas for adapting my shopping habits and my closet to fit…
I lay back in my chair, willing myself not to sigh audibly as I put my feet up. She might be numbing my mouth in preparation for dental work, but it feels like a mini vacation for the moment. I open my copy of Bittersweet, wondering if the dentist or assistant will comment on a…
“B’oken. ‘Actor. B’oken.” It’s not even this almost-two-year-old’s real birthday yet, and one of the presents from his party is broken. All it takes is a quick look and I reassure him, “Daddy can fix it, buddy. We’ll put it right here on the counter to wait until he gets home, and then he can…
Today I’m honored to be interviewing my friend Trina as part of the blog tour celebrating the release of her second book, Embracing Beauty. The first time I met Trina in person, we were roommates at Relevant (now Allume). Before the weekend was over, she was loaning me shirts and gently encouraging me to embrace my own…
My children love Amy Parker’s illustrations. The squeals of delight are only slightly less than if they were real live chicks and bunnies in their hands. And they exclaim about the purple polka dotted rubber boots every single time. But we love An Easter Prayer for more than just it’s adorable illustrations. Amy Parker’s “Time…
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The End.