Tag: Real Life

31 Lessons for 31 Years

LeahLeave a comment

As I wake up another year older today, I’ve been reflecting on all of the things that have lead up to today. Some amazing highs along with some insanely low lows, but the thread that’s connected them all is the grace of God getting me through!

So in honor of turning 31, here are 31 things I’ve learned over the years:

  1. Love your people hard.
  2. Don’t let someone’s lack of effort change the standards you hold yourself to.
  3. You are the company you keep, so choose wisely.
  4. Some people are not meant to be in your life forever.
  5. You will never regret being kind.
  6. Two (or more) conflicting things can be true at the same time. 
  7. The best investment you’ll ever make is in yourself.
  8. Quality or quantity.
  9. Learn to be comfortable being alone.
  10. When someone shows you who they are, believe them.
  11. Your timeline and life are completely your own, so don’t compare them to anyone else’s.
  12. It’s okay if you’re not where you thought you’d be by now.
  13. Life is short, eat the dessert.
  14. Therapy is your friend.
  15. And on that note, go before things get bad.
  16. “No” is a full sentence.
  17. Time with family and friends is never time wasted.
  18. Always wear your sunscreen
  19. Courage and bravery are being scared to death but doing it anyways.
  20. Hugs from your littles is truly the best medicine on earth. 
  21. Stay hydrated.
  22. We can’t control life, but we can control how we react to it.
  23. Saying “yes” can be just as important as saying “no”.
  24. Make time for more of what brings you joy.
  25. It’s never too late to start over.
  26. It’s okay to walk away from toxic situations.
  27. Life can happen when you least expect it to.
  28. Wash your face.
  29. It’s better to be overdressed than underdressed.
  30. Baking is an amazing stress reliever.
  31. If God brings you to it, he’ll bring you through it.

Cheers to 31 years and many more to come!

XOXO,

Leah

New Year, Changing Me

LeahLeave a comment

Happy 2025, y’all!

2024 was a year, and while I’m still not able to go into too many details, I’m hopeful that 2025 is the year that brings the freedom to do so. I’ve always said that I’ve felt like the last several years of my life have been such a testament to God’s goodness and grace, especially in the valleys! I can’t wait to be able to share more with y’all.

For now, I will say that 2024 was a struggle, and somedays it truly was just putting one foot in front of the other and doing the things that needed to be done; loving and caring for the boys, keeping the house up and running, making the time to take care of myself, the millions of curveballs the Army has thrown our way, and the ever changing dynamics all of this brought to my marriage. I’m not going to say it was perfect, but we made it through together and by the sheer grace of God!

We lived so much life in the midst of the hard that I’ll always be grateful for; graduations, birthdays, road trips, trying new things, holidays, quiet and cozy days, baking lots of yummy treats, and kitchen dance parties just to name a few! It’s true when they say “the days are long, but the years are short”! I feel like I blinked and the boys are almost another year older and have grown so much.

So, what does 2025 have in store for me and my little family?

While we’re looking forward to more of the joy filled moments from the last year, 2025 is already shaping up to bring about some BIG changes. Some we knew were coming and ones that we never would have even guessed would be a possibility! For now, we’re taking things one day at a time as we work through the unfolding and developing of it all. A big goal of mine is to document and share more. I love being able to look back and reflect, but I’ve always been so amazed by the power of connecting with others and how our stories can resonate.

2024, you taught me so many lessons I won’t soon forget. 2025, I can’t wait to meet you!

XOXO,
Leah

North Carolina on My Mind

LeahLeave a comment

Happy Tuesday, y’all

As a North Carolina transplant, the destruction and devastation caused by Hurricane Helene in the Western part of the state has weighed heavily on my heart!

Entire cities and villages are wiped off the map, whole buildings washed away in the floods, thousands without running water, food, and electricity, families torn apart, and an incredibly long road to recovery ahead.

We’re only three hours away, but our lives have gone on as normal, all while we’re watching the aftermath unfold. We’re so fortunate to have not been affected, but the feeling of helplessness has been a recurring theme.

The want to help and give so much has weighed heavily on my heart, especially as I tuck my boys into their warm beds knowing that they’re safe. 

I’m thankful to be apart of the LTK community! It’s been a creative outlet for me over the years, and I’m grateful that my little family does not rely on it as part of our household income. And while I’ve never made much from it, for the foreseeable future, I’ll be donating 100% to the Hurricane Helene relief efforts! 

From your groceries at Walmart to Amazon, Target, and pretty much everything else in between, it’s most likely part of the LTK platform. Shopping with one of my affiliate links never costs you anything extra either!

If you’ve been wanting to donate but haven’t been able to do so, this is a great and easy way, especially with Prime Days, Target Circle Week, and holidays right around the corner!

Text, email, or DM me, and I hope the next time you shop online, you’ll think of me and Western NC.

XOXO,
Leah

Easy Puppy Chow

LeahLeave a comment

In my small midwestern town, puppy chow was an ever present part of my childhood! It was at pot lucks, sporting events, bake sales, etc. It only requires four ingredients, and is super simple (and quick) to throw together.

I shared a picture of our first batch of the summer and immediately had messages asking how to make it, and since i’m not one for drawn out intros, lets get to what you’re actually here for; how to make it!

What You’ll Need

  • 5 Cups of Rice Chex Cereal
  • 1 Cup of Peanut Butter
  • 1 Cup of Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
  • Enough Powdered Sugar to Coat (I used about 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup)

What You’ll Do

  • In a microwave safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips and peanut butter. Microwave in 15 second intervals until melted and well combined. This took me about a minute total but will depend on your microwave!
  • Next add the Chex cereal one cup at a time and in the chocolate mixture. Repeat until all your cereal is coated.
  • Added you coated Chex to a Ziploc bag and add the powdered sugar. Shake the bag until all of your Chex is well coated. You can adjust the amount depending on your preferences! I like to make sure each piece has a good layer on it.

Eat it straight from the bag or store it in an air tight container. Enjoy!

XOXO,
Leah

Remember Them All

LeahLeave a comment

It’s never felt right to say “Happy Memorial Day” when the day is meant to remember those that have paid the ultimate sacrifice, but not acknowledging the day doesn’t seem right either

As a military family, we always honor and appreciate the price others have paid. The loss of those around us has always been felt, but this year knowing and loving families that have been left to pickup the pieces, the holiday hits a little differently.

This Memorial Day I think of sweet friends that are missing their husband and daddy. He may have been gone before our paths crossed, but I just know he’s smiling down from Heaven and so incredibly proud of how they are living their lives and keeping his memory alive in all they do.

I think of the ones that said “goodbye” not knowing it’d be the last. I think of the spouses whose kids will only know their parent through stories and pictures. I think of the parents that will never hold their child again. I think of the empty chairs at kitchen tables. I think about the hearts that shattered from a knock on the door that turned their whole worlds upside down.

At our church, the guest speaker, Lieutenant General Xavier T. Brunson gave a special Memorial Day sermon and shared the following verse:

“Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left.” Matthew 24:20

Hundreds and thousands of brave men and women have answered the call to service, but not all come back.

This day is so much more than the start of summer, barbecues, pool parties, and beach trips, but I also know that these are the very things so many men and women have given their lives for, so that we are able to enjoy ours.

Everyday, but especially today, I hope you take a moment to reflect on and remember them.

“Greater love have no on than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” John 15:13

xoxo,
Leah

Dandelion Lion Craft

LeahLeave a comment

Happy Wednesday, y’all!

With spring being fully here (and almost summer), the dandelions are out full force!

Kaz loves picking flowers, and dandelions are not exception. A friend shared this fun and easy craft, and I just knew it’d be a huge hit!

You only need four things, for a craft your kids can do over and over again!

What You’ll Need

  • Cardboard or a paper plate
  • A black marker
  • A hole puncher or screwdriver
  • Dandelions

Take your paper plate and marker and draw your lions face on; eyes, mouth, nose.

Next take your hole puncher or screwdriver to poke the holes around the outside edge. These holes are where the dandelion stems will go. This definitely took me a second to do with a screwdriver, but I have no clue where our hole puncher is.

Find lots of dandelions, and have fun!

xoxo,

Leah

Easy Biscuits and Gravy

LeahLeave a comment

This breakfast is one of my family’s favorites, especially when the temps start to drop. Not only is it so delicious but also super easy to make!

I’ll spare you the paragraphs of scrolling and jump right into how it’s made:

Ingredients

⁃ Buttermilk Biscuits (I use the frozen Pillsbury ones)

⁃ 1 lb pork sausage

⁃ 1/4 cup of flour

⁃ 2 1/2 cups milk

⁃ Salt and pepper to taste

Recipe

⁃ Bake biscuits according to package instructions

⁃ Brown sausage over medium heat until cooked through

⁃ Added flour and stir until well combined

⁃ Added milk a little at a time while stirring

⁃ Bring to a boil

⁃ Reduce the heat and simmer until gravy thickens

Enjoy!

Returning to Bethel

LeahLeave a comment

I had so many plans and hopes for how I thought my life was going to turn out, but at the end of the day God wrecked my plans to make way for His. Even though the undoing and breaking down and rebuilding was (and continues to be) the most difficult thing I’ve ever done, I am so thankful for the journey that has lead me to where I am today!

After not talking much about that season of life on here in 2022, you’re probably wondering “Why now?”

In the midst of the storm, I heard a message from Pastor Steven Furtick about how God instructed Jacob to return to Bethel. Jacob had been there before when he was running from his brother. This second time was different though.

You see, Jacob had never been more scared in his life when he first found himself in Bethel. This time he’s never been more uncertain. Pastor Steven went on to talk about how maybe sometimes God brings you back to a place of great uncertainty to remind you of all He has done for you in previous seasons of life, to remind you of all the things you’ve overcome in your life despite how tall the odds seemed stacked against you.

When Jacob was in need of the greatest faith he’d ever had, God took him back to the place of his greatest fear.

When I first heard this message, I took it very literally in the sense of my Bethel being a physical location, somewhere I could travel to like Jacob did. And while, that wasn’t wrong at the time, in this season of life, right now, “returning to Bethel” has taken on a whole new meaning.

Maybe someday we’ll sit down face to face and I’ll tell you my full story, but for now I will say that today, Bethel looks a lot more like a situation, a mental and emotional place, and not so much of like a physical location that you could find on a map.

By the grace of God, with the love and support of my people, and the biggest motiviation to perservere in my little guy I was finally able to start finding my way to the other side of it all.

Now, I’m finding myself struggling with issues I thought were long gone. I’m back in my own Bethel when it’s the last place I ever thought I’d be again, when it’s the last place Iever wanted to be again.

Someone recently told me, “The beautiful thing about our minds is that they let us deal with big things in small pieces, over time. Having trauma bubble back up means we are being challenged to tackle the next piece. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.”

While I’m another step closer to the end of this mile, I know the rest of the marathon is still before me. I know that the trauma of what I’ve lived and survived through will always be part of me and my story. I know that I’ll be making trips to and from my Bethel for the foreseeable future, but I also know that I wouldn’t be who I am today if I wouldn’t have gone through everything that I did.

It’s a marathon, not a sprint.

XOXO,
Leah

When Detours Lead to the Best Destinations

LeahLeave a comment

About a year ago, what I thought was my life came crashing to the ground. It wasn’t what I would have ever expected to be in the story of my life, but looking back, I am so incredibly thankful that God decided to wreck my plans!

If you know me you know I like being able to have a plan for everything (and back up plans). Sometimes no matter how much or how far in advance we make plans, they’ll never see the light of day. Sometimes the actions of others leave destruction that can never be fixed, no matter how hard we try.

I felt like the biggest failure. I had myself convinced that if I had been better/done better, maybe it would have changed things. There were times I felt pretty worthless, but then I’d remember the sweet little boy that calls me ‘mama’.

I’m not the same broken girl I was a year ago. I’ve had to grow in ways I never imagined possible. I’ve had to learn to drop the act and quit pretending that things are okay when they absolutely are not! I’ve had to let myself lean on my friends and family and let them love on me and Kaz. I’ve had to keep showing up on days when the weight of the world seemed so incredibly heavy.

I’d never wish what I went through on my worst enemy, but I am thankful for the breaking down that lead to me being rebuilt better than I ever would have been otherwise. I am so thankful for the people it’s brought me too. Sometimes the best things in life are the ones that we never had on our calendar but God always did!

So as I am almost to the finish line of being able to close this chapter of my life, I am so incredibly excited and hopeful for the future!

XOXO,
Leah

Crumbl Copycat Snickerdoodle Cookies

LeahLeave a comment

Happy Friday, y’all!

Like most people, I’ve been trying out tons of new recipes since the start of Covid. I love cooking and baking anyways, but the extra time home has given me the chance to try recipes I normally wouldn’t.

Enter this Crumbl copycat recipe from Cooking with Karli!

If you haven’t heard of them, Crumbl is a family founded cookie business based out of Utah that offers different flavors (with the exception of their famous milk chocolate chip and classic pink sugar cookies) each week!

Karli has made it her mission to recreate these gourmet cookies and share her recipes!

I’ve always loved snickerdoodle cookies. There’s just something about them and that cinnamon and sugary goodness. Paired together with the cream cheese icing, and it’s a match made in Heaven!

These Snickerdoodle cookies have quickly become my new favorites! They have the perfect amount of structure so they’re not falling apart in your hands with just the right amount of softness when you bite in. Topped with a generous amount of vanilla cream cheese icing and finished with a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar makes them a delicious treat to save for yourself or share with friends!

To try this recipe out for yourself or one of Karli’s other recipes, check out her blog: Cooking With Karli!

XOXO,
Leah