holidays
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I Broke All The Rules on Mother’s Day Gifts
The etiquette rule book says gifts for women should not come with a cord and should not require any effort on her part. But I showed up every Mother’s Day weekend at the garden center, walking through rows of vibrant colors and possibilities, picking out petunias and geraniums and trailing ivy, imagining the basket we’d build together in her backyard. I was not going to give my mom a gift that could be wrapped in tissue paper, dropped on the table, and left for days. I gave her something that required us both to get our hands deep in potting soil, smelling the earth, smelling the flowers, getting dirt under…
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An Email I Hesitated to Send
An entire week of Esther Advent devos has sat finished for days… Who wants a daily flurry of messages in the middle of everything already tugging at your attention? So, I decided on one simple weekly email; all seven days stitched into a single place you could open when the moment felt right. But, I soon learned, not an easy task. My simple idea spurred a flurry of self-induced apprenticeship. Multiple tabs, videos and instructions. How to upload a PDF that will be readable on mobile screens? The font size? How to weave in links that actually jump where they’re supposed to jump. The result you have here is a slow untangling…
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Watch How God Works in the Messes
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This Advent, Wait with Esther
This advent season, walk with Esther for 21 days; and learn to see the God who hides His face— so you can recognize Him when He finally shows it. Free to your inbox every morning. Sign up, here: This isn’t the typical advent devotional, where everything is wrapped in ribbon. This is the book where God doesn’t have to sign His name, because he’s already there. Where a beauty pageant becomes a rescue. Where an orphan discovers the crown she wears is also a commission. For twenty-one days, we will sit in Xerxes’ palace— gold cups that prove nothing, six-month parties that celebrate emptiness, a king who mistakes noise for…
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The Ultimate Guide to Fall Home Decor Trends for 2025: Cozy, Modern & Budget-Friendly Ideas
The Ultimate Guide to Fall Home Decor Trends for 2025: Cozy, Modern & Budget-Friendly Ideas From neutral pumpkins and earthy textures to DIY wreaths and mantel makeovers, this guide curates the strongest fall looks surfacing across Pinterest right now—plus easy ways to recreate them for less. Jump to: Cozy Layers & Earthy Textures Modern Mantel Styling (2025) DIY Pumpkin Crafts Budget-Friendly Porch Decor Table Centerpieces for Every Style Neutral & Minimalist Fall Palettes Wreaths That Say “Hello, Fall” Dollar-Store & Thrift Hacks Top 2025 Trends at a Glance Printable-Style Checklist 1) Cozy Layers & Earthy Textures 2025 leans into warmth without clutter: think chunky knit throws, boucle pillows, linen runners,…
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Be Still, Advent Day 23: Surrender
Eli answered, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.” 1 Samuel 1:17 Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word. Luke 1:38 Surrendering Like Hannah, Trusting Like Mary From the expectant faces of children anticipating Christmas morning, setting out treats for Santa and his reindeer, Advent is a season pregnant with expectation. We are swept up in a race toward one specific day. Virtual and real shopping carts, oven timers that tell us when the cookies are done and calendars bursting with events. All of it pulls us further and further…
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Be Still, Advent Day 22: We Find Him in the Stillness
The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 1 Kings 19:11-13 It’s in the waiting places, the…
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Be Still, Advent Day 21: Is Your Search History Showing?
A few years ago, I discovered this little genius button on Amazon: archive order. Oh, thank you, sneaky genius! This little button lets you hide all those Christmas gift orders so the curious eyes of your family won’t spoil the surprise. But here’s the catch—your search history tells another story. There it is, plain as day. You might have archived the gifts, but every ad on every website is now screaming the exact things you were searching for: that cozy weighted blanket, the Batman LEGO set, the David-Yurman look-alike earrings. The Internet knows. I hope no one is looking. What if our hearts worked like this? What if no matter…
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Be Still, Advent Day 20: How to Dissolve Your Problems
Stop Overthinking: An Invitation to Rest It’s the season of twinkling lights and evergreen boughs, and the hum and tangle of worry lighting up our hearts instead. We’re spinning scenarios in our heads, trying to figure out every possible “what if,” like we can somehow out-think the sovereign God who’s already written our story. But what if this Advent, we dared to let go of the constant hum of our problem-solving minds and leaned into trusting the One who holds it all together? One very intersting and promising way to look at the destruction of over-thinking, over-worrying, can be found in a surprising book by Richard Dotts, Dissolve the Problem.…
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Be Still, Advent Day 19: Shine Your Light
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you” (Isaiah 60:1) It happens quietly, almost unnoticed. The first Advent candle flickers in the dark, its flame delicate yet certain. It doesn’t shout its presence; it simply glows. And isn’t that the call of Advent? To be a light in the waiting, a steady flame in the deepening night? Advent comes to whisper what the world often forgets: You are the light of the world. Yes, you. With your imperfections and worries, your worn-thin days and weary nights, you carry the glow of something eternal. Not because you’re perfect, but because God has…
