Knowing Your Name When the World Tries to Name You

/
Knowing Your Name When the World Tries to Name You

"But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: 'Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.'" Isaiah 43:1

Names matter. My parents named me “Caroline,” and somehow that particular string of letters feels eternally linked to who I am, as if they line my DNA like biological alphabet soup. (It’s weird because they could have named me something else, like Karen or Bubbalicious or Raisin Bran, and I’m sure I’d feel just as connected to those series of letters if they had.) Praise the Lord, even though Dad actually loves Raisin Bran, my folks thought carefully and chose Caroline, just for me.

Read More

Psalm 23 Wall Art

/
Psalm 23 Wall Art

We moved into our house over a year ago, and from the very first day, I’ve been pondering how to fill the giant wall above our couch. It felt like a lot of pressure, this wall, so I ended up becoming completely paralyzed by indecision (very normal for me), and never filling it. But guys—this week, we finally hung something on that wall, and I am SO EXCITED!

Read More

My Twirly Testimony: A Story of Mothering with Weakness and Awe

/
My Twirly Testimony: A Story of Mothering with Weakness and Awe

My beautiful daughter Adelaide is my giggly, silly, twirly testimony. We prayed for her for so long. My desperate desire for a baby took me by surprise, and it soon morphed into a deep anger when every month revealed my lack of control. The medicine didn’t work, but one day I discovered I was pregnant anyway. I called the nurse from my driveway, and I stood there in disbelief and cried. What a gift! I was beside myself with gratitude, but pregnancy was hard, and I was afraid. My love for this person I’d never met shocked me and sometimes oppressed me. I wanted to get this right.

Read More

Restaurant Bingo for Parents

/
Restaurant Bingo for Parents

Going out to eat is one of my favorite things in the world. However, I have two toddlers, and this makes things tricky. Truthfully, I think we’ve trained them pretty well: we repeat our simple “restaurant rule” in the car (“bottom in seat!”), I have a bag of plastic animals in my bag that they’re only allowed to play with at a restaurant, and we keep trying and practicing, which is key. They do about as good of a job as two toddlers can do, but also? They are, undeniably, tiny sinners.

Read More

Free Easter iPhone Wallpaper

/
Free Easter iPhone Wallpaper

For over a month, my phone has been wearing this Valentine's theme donut wallpaper that I doodled, and frankly, Ida is a little embarrassed about it. Ida, of course, is my iPhone. I've created some new Easter duds for her, and in case your sense of personification is also out of control, Ida and I have decided to share. Enjoy! 

Read More