Thankful Thursday: The Long Haul of the Painting

 

Last month, during an Instagram scroll, I happened upon a post from the account @wonderfilled.days. She shared a post that said “Maybe instead of sharing our Amazon hauls, we should try sharing items we’ve owned forever. Here are some of the things we’ve owned the longest.”

                The next slides showed her Rival Crock Pot, which she has owned for 26 years, her dishes (which I recognized as popular among some of my own friends who were married around 26 years ago…), her 10-year-old living room furniture, a 21-year-old glider, and a proper stereo system her husband owned before they were married 26 years ago.

                I’d like to first pause and marvel that the Crock Pot and stereo still work after such a long life. I’m pretty certain Ryan and I are on our third slow cooker in 13 years of marriage, because the crocks keep cracking! I suppose it’s true that they just don’t make things like they used to.

                That aside, the premise of her post pushed me to pause significantly. We are run over by influencers influencing everywhere we turn. There are those who influence on purpose, because it’s their literal job, and there are those like me who influence for no financial gain, but simply because we enjoy sharing things we find that are fun. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it unless the trap of it all pushes us into discontent with what we have.

                I took a screenshot of her post and returned to it many times over the last month. I started looking around our home to see how much of what we have carries a story that goes back any length of time at all. So for today – and maybe other days later this year – I want to skip over the shopping haul and celebrate the long haul of a painting that hangs in our home.

                In truth, it hasn’t had a terribly long haul in our home. But it sure does have a story.

                My great uncle painted this piece, though I don’t know when. I’m sure I was probably a little girl, if I was even born at all. He was my grandma’s brother, and though we didn’t live terribly close, I knew him and saw him now and then.

                The painting probably belonged to my grandma, though I don’t have specific memories of it hanging in her home. When she died, it ended up in my parents’ house. And when they moved to Swiss Village and were downsizing, I wanted to keep it.

                I have no idea what bridge this painting represents – if it even points to a specific bridge at all. But I wanted it because I love covered bridges. Anytime we visit a county, I want to see every covered bridge that lives there. There’s a red one much like this one back in Kokomo. I had some of my senior pictures taken there, and Ryan and I liked to visit the bridge on date nights. And now we have a red covered bridge in the county where we live. And we go there often. We’ve had family pictures taken there.

                Red covered bridges are part of our story, and it made all kinds of sense for this family painting to be part of our story too.

                Jonathan (our pastor and friend) always says we are shaped by the stories we tell. And this picture tells part of our story. The story of the family who shaped me, and the story of the places that have been significant to us in our travels and relationship.

Wednesday in the Word: Transformation

 

Toward the end of last year, a sweet friend and reader asked if I’d consider writing Bible study type posts, and I loved that suggestion. When I sat down to think through my 2026 post rotation, I decided to focus on something Bible-study related on Wednesdays. Today is the first of these weekly pieces.

                Right before the end of 2025, as I sat in the early morning stillness, God drew me to Psalm 37 and nudged me to make this Psalm a theme of mine in 2026.

                I’d read a little piece written by Dave Adamson, which said (in part), “Right now most of us are planning 2026. Budgets, fitness goals, career moves, survival with little hope attached. But here’s the problem: we plan for improvements. God plans for transformation. Our plans aren’t wrong, they’re just incomplete. Christine Caine says it well: Don’t be afraid to ask your Father for anything. Craig Groeschel pushes it further: Big faith prays bold prayers. Don’t believe too small. What am I planning for 2026? And am I ready for God to blow past it?”

                With that in mind, I read some of the words of Psalm 37:

Trust in the Lord, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in Him, and He will act.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him;

                I’ll admit to being cautious in my prayers. Too cautious, I’m afraid. What would it look like if I trusted without reserve? Delighted to the fullest? Committed without hesitation? Waited with joy?

                Whew! Those are big for me. It seems safer to make pretty, color-coded lists and work really hard. But how much I miss by only clutching my beloved lists and striving. In Dave’s words, I’ve planned for improvements, but God plans for my transformation. My lists are incomplete because I can’t see the big, wide picture of life that God sees so clearly.

                So these are the words I’ve settled my attention on as we begin this new year. I’m working on delighting and committing and praying bold prayers. I’m asking God to truly transform my heart. I’ve chosen to start each day by reading Psalm 37 and allowing the words to soak into my soul. And I’m sitting with the hard (for me) questions above.

                Lord, transform my vision!

Tuesday Tales: Celebrating 157 Months

 

Last Friday was our 157^th monthiversary. We are still celebrating them, thirteen years into marriage, and they’re one of my favorite things!

                Ryan took the day off work and had the chance to stay home, hang out with Lexi, and work on some projects, while I went to church to work on the deacon appreciation lunch.

                Check out the beautiful sunrise!

                I made lists and piles and piles and lists and by the time my morning was done, I had essentially taken over the entire conference room.

                I left at lunchtime, and we headed to an oil change. (We are the coolest!) We set up camp at a table to talk and read. I wanted to grab a picture, and RIGHT when we hit the shutter, there was this really awkward moment, and this was our reaction!

                We redid the photo, but the outtake might be my favorite.

                After the oil change, we did our grocery shopping, and it was insane out there in the world of stores. I became way too overwhelmed in Walmart and couldn’t breathe, so Ryan kindly handled the checkout so I could go sit in the car calm down. It’s been a while since an overcrowded store got the best of me!

                We had dinner at Cracker Barrel, and it was so yummy. We feared, after seeing the stores, that it would be packed and frustrating, but it was actually pretty empty!

                I was so happy to have extra time with Ryan – and I was happy to celebrate us. And I was also grateful that we were able to serve together the rest of the weekend, preparing for that deacon appreciation lunch!

Menu Monday: Nourishing Body and Soul

                Last year at the end of each month, I wrote lengthy posts about what I had cooked that month. I exhausted myself with the long recaps, so I can only imagine how worn out you might have been. This year I thought I would experiment with a “Menu Monday” post that shares a weekly recap of my culinary adventures, especially as I continue to build our “capsule menu.”

                Maybe a recipe or two that you find here might inspire you to cook from scratch, prepare a healthy meal, or try something new in your home! Each Monday, I’ll bring the list of what I prepared the week before!

Monday: Slow Cooker Beef Brisket featuring a Homemade Onion Soup Mix with Steamed Green Beans.

What I Loved: Ryan and I don’t eat a ton of beef right now because we can’t justify paying the high prices, so this was a special meal. Additionally, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen Ryan so excited about something I made as he was about this brisket.

What I Didn’t Love: I dropped an entire, full, brand new jar of minced onion on the floor when I started to make the onion soup mix. Did you know that dried minced onion, dropped in bulk, makes a house reek in about two seconds flat? Fortunately, I bought two jars, so the mix project was saved.

Tuesday: Sheet Pan Fajitas.

What I Loved: This came together quickly, which was great, since I ended up coming home from work much later than planned. The seasoning is flavorful!!

Wednesday: Mini BBQ Chicken Pizzas, Spinach Berry Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette, Frosted Brownies.

What I Loved: The BBQ chicken pizzas were super easy and very tasty. Also, G. Hughs sugar free BBQ sauce is excellent. The spinach berry salad is on repeat in our home right now, so it’s clearly a win. And the brownies’ secret ingredient? SWEET POTATOES! So good. Ryan even declared this one a keeper, and he’s typically very skeptical about healthy desserts.

Thursday: Chicken Club Wraps with Leftover Steamed Green Beans and Sweet Potatoes

What I Loved: The homemade honey mustard sauce was really yummy. And in an effort to not waste food, I combined the leftover steamed green beans from brisket day and the leftover sweet potatoes from the brownies (that’s a weird phrase) and made a side dish for this meal.

What I Didn’t Love: While I would absolutely make this again, it didn’t over-the-top wow me. Right now I’m trying to find WOW recipes.

Friday: Monthiversary Dinner at Cracker Barrel

What I Loved: We had a gift card! Meals out always taste better with a gift card. But let me tell you about my order! I chose the Smokehouse Grilled Chicken, which I’ve had before, so I knew I’d like it. But here’s why I especially love it. It’s TWO grilled chicken breasts with a really good seasoning. Not bland at all. It comes with two sides, so I get two orders of green beans, and then I eat half the chicken and half the green beans – and have a whole meal left for later! BONUS: I don’t know if you have eaten at Cracker Barrel lately, but they have a small selection of take-home meals you can order for $5.00 if you order an entrée. One of them is a meal of one grilled chicken breast with this seasoning and mashed potatoes. So we ordered one for Ryan to have later. The price was right!

Saturday: Small Group: Blueberry Crumble.

What I Loved: I have made this before (several times) and love how quickly I can assemble it AND how great it taste. I signed up to bring dessert to small group, so I made this and we picked up some low-fat ice cream to go with it. (The rest of the meal was a chicken burrito bowl buffet, so we all created our own tasty dinners.)

Sunday: Deacon Appreciation Lunch: Baked Potato Bar. Ryan and I hosted a meal for our deacons at church, and I’m going to tell you more about it this week!

What I Loved: This was a good way to provide lots of options for a big group of people!

Breakfast: Cottage Cheese Egg Bake With Fresh Milled Flour Toast.

What I Loved: This uses whole eggs and egg whites for extra, extra protein. It also makes a 9x13, so I have leftovers, which I love. Mornings are busy. Warming up breakfast instead of cooking from scratch is always a win.

What I Didn’t Love: This takes an hour to bake, so the day I baked it, I had to have a snack to get me through until breakfast was ready!

Snack: Protein Balls.

What I Loved: These aren’t new at all, but they are always in our house. We keep a big jar of them in the refrigerator at all times, and as soon as I run out, I make more. They are portable, delicious, and filling.

Sunday Scrapbook: Moments from The Week

 

We have completed one of my favorite weeks of the year: closing the old and welcoming the new! Memories big and small have filled the week, and as usual, I’m documenting the ordinary and celebrating this scrapbook of moments.

Our church did an Advent sermon series called Songs of Advent. Each week we focused on a different beautiful hymn of Christmas. Last Sunday was my first time sharing a message as part of a series someone else created! It was a good challenge for me. The song chosen for that day was Go Tell it On the Mountain – an intriguing song for the very flat plains of Indiana! Ryan served as my Scripture reader, so we were able to round out the Sundays of 2025 by ministering together.

Christmas began to come down at the start of the week. Why is it that decorating takes three times as long as the reset? Lexi “helped,” Ryan did the heavy lifting, and we pulled down most of the decorations in one evening. It’s always simultaneously sad and delightful to see everything packed away for another year. I miss the coziness and soft lights, but I love the fresh start.

I have had big projects at work this week, and while they have been fun and life-giving, they haven’t left much room for sitting and snuggling. Whenever Lexi can find me hunkered down on the couch, she stays close. I don’t hate it.

I’ve gotten quite lazy over the last few years, and my “big” camera doesn’t come out as frequently as it used to. It’s so much easier to grab my phone out of my pocket and have photos ready to post immediately if I wish. But this week I pulled out the big camera to document all our family memory ornaments before I boxed them up. I have a project in mind and loved doing this!

I had two favorite moments on New Year’s Day. I’ve written about them already, but they were: our beautiful family hike and sorting through our memory box. I learned something from each of these. From the hike, I learned that winter really is beautiful, even though I normally scoff at its inconveniences and frigidness. I really, truly soaked in the landscape and appreciated the wintery beauty. From the memory box, I learned that people still send cards with really nice notes, and I reread all of them. I’m thankful for good friends who share heartfelt words.

Ryan and I celebrated 157 months of marriage this week, and this picture makes me laugh. We were waiting on an oil change and just as we snapped a picture, we witnessed an awkward moment, and this was our reaction. I love everything about life with Ryan, but these fun and candid moments are the best.

Today I’m hosting an appreciation lunch for our deacons, so yesterday was food prep day. Ten MILLION gold stars go to Ryan, who gave up his entire Saturday to help me cook and haul food to the church. We had to giggle as we worked, because a kitchen the size of ours was not really built to foster as many projects as we had going in there, but we did it!

So that’s a wrap on this transition out of 2025 and into 2026. A fine start to a new year!

Saturday Suggestions: Inspirations for Your Weekend

 

                Many years ago, a blogger whose name now escapes me had a standing Saturday blog theme called The Saturday Six. She shared a roundup of links to fun, interesting, informative ideas, and I adored reading it each week. I decided to create my own version, which, for many years, I also called The Saturday Six. While I always aspire to have at least six offerings, sometimes I have more to share, so I’ve renamed it Saturday Suggestions. I’ve decided to keep this around for another year, largely because I thoroughly enjoy finding the links for it! Hopefully you’ll find a thing or two each week that speaks to you.

                And so I present to you the first Saturday Suggestions post of 2026!

Do any of you make sourdough bread? I was given a starter a couple of years ago and promptly killed it, and now I’m scared to try again. Ryan and I love our freshly milled wheat, so I don’t really feel like I’m missing out on anything by not being on the sourdough train, but I would like to learn a little more about the sourdough world. Lisa explains it well, I think. Who knows!? Maybe 2026 will be my year to give it a try after all. (Although I will say that “1 day and 55 minutes” prep time on the recipe card is a little intimidating!)

I love a good story, don’t you? I loved this “rest of the story” piece that Brittany wrote about how she started the Antique Candle Company. If I knew that she was based in Indiana, I had forgotten, but I loved reading the story of how she came to follow her God-given passion and talents to start a business. I love how it is growing and thriving, and I love it that her candles smell so good!!

It is not lost to me that I have a real gift in Ryan – in millions of ways. One of those gifts is that he shovels the snow, and he doesn’t even seem to mind it. I remember those days of getting up extra extra early to clear my walks before work so the mail carrier had a clear path and clearing the driveway so I could get out for work. I have never heard of this hack for keeping your shovel free of sticking snow, but Brigitt says is it works! So if you are on shoveling duty this winter, give it a try!

I don’t often read pieces that speak so directly to the topic of maturing in Christ as Sarah’s does. There are some good words in there, and since this week is the start of a new year, I think it’s a good time to challenge ourselves to grow up! Don’t let distractions get the best of you this year. Keep your eyes firmly focused! (Note: This post actually fostered a TON of conversation for me with a handful of people after I read it. I hope it does the same for you!)

I don’t think I need to tell you that I’m hardly a poster child for fashion. I don’t bend to the rules, for the most part. But I do enjoy knowing what the rules are, just in case I decide to do some fashion-rule-bending. Veronica wrote this about the trends to expect in 2026. I’m a bit nervous about the dropped waist part. I have some pretty strong PTSD about the drop waists of the 80s. She promises this is a modernized version, but I’m still not convinced it’s a great idea for me. Thoughts on any of these?

I read about this hairdryer a few weeks ago, and it looks like it has pretty good reviews! I have a hairdryer that works fine, but the idea of this one being compact and effective in fast drying time is intriguing for this thick-haired girl. I have added this one to my wish list for when my current dryer decides to quit.