A Wildwood Story

“It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.” -Dumbledore

Reading

Current Book Preorders!

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(I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. You can read my disclosure here.)

I don’t often pre-order books, but when I do it’s definitely because I admire the author and want to support their work! Pre-orders are hugely important in letting the publishers how much much interest there is in the book and therefore what to print. Additionally, many authors offer really lovely incentives to readers who pre-order, as a thank you. For example, this first book I pre-ordered came with lifetime access to a corresponding video course, by the author, that complimented the topics covered in the book:

Stop Calling Me Beautiful: Finding Soul-Deep Strength in a Skin-Deep World. It’s actually arriving this week, while I’m away in Denver, so I told Hosanna to watch for its arrival and begin reading it before I return and get my hands on it! I recently found Phylicia on Instagram and look forward to hearing her speak at an event soon. She’s really encouraged me to look at the Bible differently than I have before and her mantra is “Every Woman a Theologian!”

Here are three other books I’ve pre-ordered with a release date of March 3, 2020:

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Christmas Gift Ideas

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(I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. You can read my disclosure here.)

Hello my festive little Christmas elves!

If you, like me, aren’t *quite* ready for all things Christmas, take a deep breath (*takes a deep breath*) and think about what truly matters to you. Recognize the difference between those things and extraneous things. For me, that’s focusing on Advent through simple devotionals, spending time with my immediate and extended family, reaching out to people grieving during the holidays and…actually, that’s it. Literally everything else is joyful bonus stuff. Even though I’m not as prepared for Christmas as I’d like (still a few more gifts to pull together) I feel remarkably relaxed about it all because: PERSPECTIVE.

Here are some things I have not done this year:

baked Christmas cookies for the fam

sent out family photo cards

100% decorated the house

That list is much longer, but you get the drift! Of course, I’d love to do those things, but I’m also fine with letting them go because they aren’t as precious to me as my top three. If you need help letting something go, reach out to me and I will talk through it with you, because I am preaching this to myself, too. If there’s something you can’t completely let go of (say, you’re hosting a holiday dinner), then how can you simplify it? Ask me or someone else for ideas on how to problem-solve whatever is nagging at you, and have the most beautiful holiday with what you have right where you’re at.

Okay, on to those gift suggestions-

I know this is an obvious reminder, but now is an excellent time to utilize the power of the internet and have gifts delivered directly to the recipient! Or to you, via Amazon or Target, for example, while you shop from your couch and gaze at the lights on your Christmas tree. Seriously, avoid the crowds if that would be anxiety-inducing.

Here are some things I have done and will be doing for gifts (and if you are in my family then just stop here because SPOILERS AHEAD YOU’VE BEEN WARNED):

∇ Easy homemade bread wrapped in a tea-towel or parchment paper. And I do mean easy-if you’ve been to my house lately and seen my large glass canister full of rising dough, this is the magic happening. No-kneading required, no skills needed. It just takes a little thinking ahead and about 2 minutes to mix up the ingredients. You can find many variations of this recipe; here are two: Homemade Artisan Bread and Easy No-Knead Overnight Artisan Bread. Half of my neighborhood has now been given a loaf of this bread; can’t stop won’t stop! {you could also add a jar of locally produced honey or jam~seriously the homiest and yummiest gift}

∇ Do you know anyone who has skin? Yes? Do you also like to support women in business? Me too. Then gift your people some skincare and/or makeup from my friend Jo, who I’ve known for over 22 years and who creates small-batch, clean ingredient products. {I mentioned JO Custom Cosmetics on my Black Friday post, too.) She is not asking me to brag on her, and I’ve gladly spent my own dollars on her products because I love her and them. {Fun fact: Hosanna has been using her lavender serum the last year-it lasts forever- and I’ve been wearing her lip gloss every day this week!} Her products come packed so adorably these would be perfect to send directly to your intended recipient. I asked her for a discount code to share with my friends, and she gave me one for 10% off your total order! Here it is: wildwood10

∇ Earrings are everything, and these handmade clay beauties have been on my list for a while: Nova Vita Co. If you live in the St. Louis area, her Instagram account mentions some local shops you can find the earrings at. If you order from her directly, she will ship them using recycled materials! Guess what? Not to brag or anything but I also know the maker, Avery, and her family. She’s a killer volleyball player and has played with my husband and kids (but not me because I don’t jump) and is the real deal: genuine and kind and OBVS creative. She was featured in STLMag, read about her HERE! Then go buy some earrings for your mom, wifey, sister, best friend…

∇ Let me state the obvious, now and forevermore: BOOKS. I will never get tired of giving or receiving books. Don’t forget the life-altering power of a good book! The perfect any-gender gift. Your person not a reader of novels? Then consider one of these (all ones I own or have given!): puzzles, adult-coloring, hand-lettering, photography, graphic novels, or a cookbook. Another idea~ I gave a book subscription to my sister once from a local independent bookstore: The Novel Neighbor

∇ Movie Theatre gift card: one of my kids’ aunties has done this in recent years and it is the BEST idea! I love experience gifts like this. Going to see a movie with the entire fam really adds up-we rarely do it unless we have a gift card. Also-we utilize theatre $5 days and other discounts to make this gift last longer!

∇ Stocking stuffer ideas: popping ears, blue light glasses, chewing gum, cozy winter socks, $5-$10 coffee gift cards, fruit (canned or fresh, oranges are perfect!), chapstick or lip balm (Jo Custom Cosmetics!), portable charger, hand sanitizer, chocolate, snacks (all sorts), mini kleenex packs

I hope these little ideas were helpful to you; I’d love to hear some of your favorite gift ideas!

This post contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase after clicking through one of my links, I may receive a {very small} commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting this blog! It means the world and a Merry Christmas to me. 🙂

Letter 39 {Farm Life & Casseroles}

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Friday, May 11th

Dear Candace,

Another weekend at the farm! Only this time, instead of passing through, we’re here to help host the biggest event of the year: the Boys’ Jamboree.

An adventure-packed campout for young boys ages 9-13. The boys will be divided into teams with godly young men as leaders, and go through a series of activities designed to challenge them physically and spiritually. It is our desire that this would be a time of fun, excitement, and bonding, that will push the boys to Christ. Activities include:

Giant Rope Swing
Shooting Guns
Hiking
Airsoft
Caving
Throwing Ninja Stars
Field Games
Obstacle Course
Campout

Tom is helping with the rope swing, Caleb is an assistant team leader, Drew is a camper, Hosanna is an assistant to the directors, and I am an assistant to Hosanna. Which makes me an assistant to the assistant.

Image result for assistant to the assistant manager memes

Here are a couple things I’ve done:

Ferried people up and down the driveway before the event started. Fetched a watch. Fetched a bunch of Kleenex because pollen season, and everyone suddenly has allergies. Brought Hosanna a La Croix. Brought Hosanna sunscreen. Sat and held my 3 month old nephew for two hours. I don’t take my responsibilities lightly, you know.

This past week has been a whirlwind! Every night we’ve had a commitment-mainly having to do with Caleb’s volleyball league. The season is almost over, and while its been fun to watch him play with a great group of guys, I’m ready to have my evenings back. We’ve also not properly celebrated Hosanna’s 17th birthday as a family, so it will be nice to have a relaxing evening to do that.

I just finished: I’ll Be Gone In the Dark, by Michelle McNamara. I waited weeks and weeks for this to become available at the library-there were so many holds-and after the news of the Golden State Killer’s arrest I finally got the notice it was on my holdshelf. Somehow, I managed to read it this past week while waiting at the doctor’s office, for the kids to be done with lessons, during waits in the van or before games…always having a book with me helps to get bits of reading time in. Anyway, reading it knowing the elusive criminal has now been captured made it a) less scary and b) satisfying to know that after 40 years of investigations and research, criminal justice has now been set in motion. I kept googling information as I read the book!

Sunday, May 12

Happy Mother’s Day! Life at the farm is often a revolving door of activity; adding to that is my parents’ move from our farmhouse and helping them unload a U-Haul and begin making the transition to their new home. Everyone is sore and tired from all the jamboree activities plus loading and unloading boxes and furniture. To make breakfast easy on this hallowed occasion, I made two overnight dishes and they turned out delicious:

Blueberry Lemon Overnight French Toast Bake (gluten & dairy free)

Fully-Loaded Cheesy Breakfast Casserole

How have I forgotten how wonderful overnight breakfasts casseroles are? They are life!! The family can make me breakfast in bed another day this week. 😀

purple irises next to trees and a pond

My mother-in-law’s beautiful flowers at the farm spring-fed pond!

Love and sunshine,

Rachel

Letter 38 {Short(s) Thoughts}

Letter 40 {6 Quick Things On Turning 36}

This letter contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase after clicking through one of my links, I may receive a {very small} commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting this blog! It means the world and a stack of letters to me.

Letter 38 {Short(s) Thoughts}

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Dear Candace,

I’m writing to you from the lumpy comfort of one of the farm beds. I’m here but not here for the weekend. Staying tonight and then running down to Silver Dollar City tomorrow for the day with Hosanna, my mom, and a mix of sisters! This weekend is all about celebrating Hosanna’s 17th birthday, enjoying Keturah’s quick visit-we never get her; school and work keep her so busy in Indy-and soaking in all the sunshine we can.

For real. I’ll be wearing shorts at the park tomorrow and hopefully no small children will be frightened. Shorts are hard for me, you know. I haven’t quite hit on the perfect style and length. They tend to be either too long or too, well, short. I’d like a lovely distressed pair for the summer, but I haven’t found it yet.

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Letter 37 {Baby Walks}

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Dear Candace,

I have just said goodbye to one of the most adorable babies I have ever met. Six month old Bennett, who I’ve not seen since he was a few weeks old, visited us from Denver like traveling royalty. Ever affable, generously indulging us fawning peasants with smiles and charm, he pretty much had our obeisance from the moment he arrived. There’s just something about having a baby in a house of big kids that changes the tone of everything, coloring our days with sweetness and a lot more drool and laughing.

Here is what I know about babies:

-nothing, because it’s been over a decade since I’ve had one and I either question all my methods of raising them or don’t remember how I did it because, #sleepdeprived…

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Letter 36 {Oven Rice}

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Dear Candace,

I have rice cooking in the oven right now, because it seems like the easiest way for me to make a large amount of it without any tragedy. Those days of almost or always burning it on the stove-top are long gone for me, thanks to this method and my instant pot. I used to have a rice maker but it wasn’t the greatest and would stick something awful. Baking it in the oven also means you don’t need any fancy appliances! {I generally do 4 cups rice with 8 cups water or broth in a large glass rectangular dish.}

The other day when I was at Target, I noticed a professionally dressed woman, about my age, strolling with her daughter. I immediately felt drawn to her not in a creepy way, but in a I-have-found-my-kind way. She wasn’t wearing hose with her pencil skirt and heels, and her white legs matched her white arms and white face which also matched mine. She was rocking the not-tan look, meanwhile I have been contemplating the merits of gradual tan lotion. I don’t see many others like me in the wild (case in point-at yoga that same day everybody looked fresh from the beach while I looked fresh from the depths of a cave).

I felt in the mood for something entirely different in my reading life, so when Madeleine from Top Shelf Text mentioned The Lace Reader as an excellent, riveting novel with a big plot twist, I immediately requested it from the library. The unreliable narrator (I love a good unreliable narrator!) has returned to her childhood home in Salem, Massachusetts after the disappearance of her aunt. This New York Times bestseller serves up realism with a thread of natural magic, the untimely death of a twin sister, forgotten memories, and tea-making. I’m a few chapters in and it’s obviously the kind of book I’ll be tempted to forego sleep to finish…

I need to majorly empty and revamp my closet. I thought I did pretty well at keeping it contained this winter, but when I was going through my hanging clothes recently I realized there were several things I hadn’t worn in over a year, and many more that just didn’t fit properly or needed to be replaced. So I plan on doing two things at once over the next few weeks-work on rounding out my winter wardrobe with clearance items even as I pack (most) of it away in storage, and figure out what I need to purchase for spring and summer. Since you have so much time on your hands, idling away the days with five children, surely you would like to do this for me? I trust your taste implicitly.

Love,

Rachel

Letter 35 {Netflix & Patio Tacos}

Letter 37 {Baby Walks}

This letter contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase after clicking through one of my links, I may receive a {very small} commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting this blog! It means the world and a stack of letters to me.

Photo by Natalia Y on Unsplash

Glass Houses {Louise Penny}

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 This is the latest in a series of novels-over a dozen- featuring Chief Inspector Gamache of the Quebec police force. It is set in a quaint, out-of-the-way Canadian village called Three Pines, which would be perfect in every way except for the archaic internet and lack of cell-phone reception. I would very much like to step into the village bistro (connected to a bookshop; how charming is that?) and have a cup of tea myself. There are mouth-watering, gastrointestinal delights mentioned in the book:

The subtle scents of the casserole he’d made for them-garlic, onions, herbs, slight musky mushrooms and beef-mixed with the fragrance of the maple logs on the fire.

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Letter 35 {Netflix & Patio Tacos}

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Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them. -Lemony Snicket

Dear Candace,

We are slowly making our way through Netflix’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, season two, and by “we” I do mean our entire family, together, of an evening. As you know, Tom is not a T.V. person* and it’s rare that he’ll watch a movie (however, this past Christmas he was stuck with the rest of us in a Star Wars marathon, haha!) but this show has reeled him in. {Or maybe he’s just humoring the rest of us.} In our 18 years of marriage, I can’t think of any other T.V. series we’ve watched together as a couple or with the family (and I don’t count Andy Griffith played on repeat when the kids were small).

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Monday

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Mondays get all the memes and exasperated sighs for a reason. It can be haaard to get back into a work routine any day of the week after a little rest, a tiny wee siesta for your nerves. Even if you love your Monday work! You may be rolling your eyes about all the #Monday drama. Of course I make fun of it, too, until I find myself having one of those Mondays.

Looking at pictures of succulents brings calm and peace to my Monday soul

It’s like quicksand at times, over here on Monday. In which you are doing stuff, but getting nothing done. Everyone else is seemingly on top of their game, making headway on the productive work week of your dreams, and you’re just standing there trying to remember what math is and wondering why the dishes are never done and knowing you have 4 appointments to make but talking on the phone can be weird….

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