Seasonal

Celebrating life through the seasons

Moving Forward | Putting the Past in Its Place

December 29, 2025 Several words come to mind as we approach the rise of another new year : resolutions, change, new, different, and better. Who invited 2026 to come so soon, and why did 2025 get whisked away so quickly? The older I get, the more time seems to move at a faster clip. While I’m not really one to make New Year’s resolutions, I do enjoy reflecting on a past year and thinking ahead to a new year and its remarkable potential. Many changes are coming for our family

Christmas Devotional: Joy to the World

December 22, 2025 What makes you happy? I love seeing beautiful flowers grow in my garden . That makes me happy. I love writing a new piece of music and then playing it on my piano (or violin). That makes me happy. I love living daily life with my family . That makes me happy. Happiness is a wonderful thing, but the one sad thing about happiness is that it is usually based on a happening—something that happens and then goes. Happiness can come and go, and those that always se

10 Ways to Slow Your Pace at Christmas

December 15, 2025 As we draw nearer to Christmas, the pace quickens, our hearts beat faster and faster, and the expectations seem to grow exponentially. We pile on the expectations as we pile the presents under the tree: Everyone has to be present—all the kids have to be here. The décor has to be just right. The cookies must be perfectly frosted. Every neighbor, teacher, and pastor must have a perfectly-packaged box of goodies. Every person on the list must have a carefully-s

Decorating for Christmas: How to Get It Done Quickly!

December 1, 2025 Today I want to share how to get your Christmas decorating done quickly! I know many people already have their décor up, but I just can’t quite bring myself to decorate before Thanksgiving. Who knows…maybe someday I will. If you already have yours up, I applaud you! But for those of you who may still have stockings in boxes instead of on the mantel, maybe this post will be a help to you. First, let me begin by saying I like to keep my Christmas decorating sim

Giving Thanks: Consider the Great Things

November 24, 2025 Today’s post will be a bit shorter—a few simple, devotional thoughts to honor the Thanksgiving holiday. Buy this Thanksgiving music from my shop! Christmas is already everywhere: in the stores, in people’s yards, on the radio, and so on. I must admit that I’m a little guilty too of welcoming Christmas already into my home. As I sit here and type, my children’s Christmas tree twinkles its little colored lights upstairs in our office . As we drove through tow

Planning for Christmas: Easy Tips for a Stress-Free Holiday

November 10, 2025 In today’s post, I want to share how I am planning ahead for Christmas and some practical ways that you can, too! Planning for Christmas: Keeping it Simple Before we dive into some practical ideas for planning, I just want to share some of my thoughts behind the process of planning and why I do what I do. There is beauty and peace in simplicity. As our world spins more and more out of control as it seeks greater and greater complexity, let us seek peace in

Simple Fall Decorating: Easy Ways to Welcome Autumn

October 13, 2025 Today I’m sharing some simple ways to welcome Autumn to your home! Every year we host a churchwide fall party at our home, and I thought it would be fun to bring you along and show you what I’ve done to get the house ready. Gradually over the years I have moved towards a very simple, neutral fall look in my home. I used to decorate with the bright oranges, reds, and yellows, but those colors don’t really play nicely with the neutral look of my home. (If you