Fall is mere days away and the apple orchards and pumpkin patches are calling my name. I get more excited about this season than any other for many reasons, comfort food being one of them. I love a good casserole in the oven or a yummy soup with crusty bread when the temps cool down. It is also harvest time, so I try and find uses for things coming from the garden and around the farm: apples, tomatoes, peppers, squash, and zucchini. I don’t have much of a garden this year, but luckily I have friends and family who do and are generous enough to share.
Here are my tried and true favorite fall recipes. Hope you enjoy!
If you’ve been around here long, you have heard me talk about this recipe. It is for moms. It is for minimalists. It is for all of us. Few ingredients and not a lot of fuss for a delicious meal. You won’t be disappointed you tried this one.
I have been making this recipe nonstop since I found it. Dump everything in the crockpot and let it make your house smell amazing. Your husband will thank you.
Chili
This is a go to because it’s easy and I don’t ever pull up a recipe. I basically use whatever I have in the pantry or fridge. Leftover peppers, frozen sweet corn, chili beans, kidney beans, frozen tomatoes, leftover pizza sauce. Anything goes and it always tastes good.
This isn’t a meal, but it could be. This bread is so easy and so worth it. It makes three loaves, so we eat one and I freeze the other two for another time. I love to make this on a lazy Saturday afternoon while watching football.
For whatever reason when I was a child I loathed every night chicken pot pie was on the menu. As an adult, it is one of my favorites. And my kids love it, too. I use a Pillsbury pie crust, which makes it super easy to throw together. I’ve heard you can make these and freeze them, but I’ve never tried that. Please share if you have!
What are your go-to recipes for fall? As soon as it cools down, I am hoping to make my first big batch of chili and pull out some french bread from the freezer to go with it. I am ready for you, fall!
The first day of fall is right around the corner and I am here for it. Fall is all sorts of lovely from the apple picking to the crisp mornings to the baking and comfort food. It’s one of my very favorite times of year and this year is no different.
As most of you know, I recently had my fourth child and am in the glorious season of feeding around the clock and so many snuggles. I love this stage and am trying to savor it as much as possible. Feeding around the clock requires clothes that allow me to do so. I put more thought into my fall wardrobe this year than in the past, mostly because everything I wear has to be easy to feed in. So for me that means no dresses this fall. I could purchase a nursing dress or two, but I haven’t needed one badly enough to spend the money.
This fall all my clothes must be nursing friendly, which means lots of tops and some bottoms. It also means cardigans and button down tops that have easy access. And, as always, it means comfort. Comfort is super important to me (elastic waistbands forever) and I want to be comfortable in what I put on my body.
My uniform the past several weeks has been leggings and my Lalabu soothe shirt paired with my jean jacket or a cardigan. I feel confident I could wear that everyday out of the house and be completely content.
As you can see, there are 38 items in my capsule and I’m honestly not sure if I will wear everything. However, in this postpartum stage my body is changing and I want to have options. I also know there is a good chance I will be editing my closet in October when all of sudden it’s not 70 degrees anymore.
Are you implementing a capsule wardrobe this fall? If so, what are some of your go-tos?
Jack is on my chest, his legs and feet curled up as if he were still cozy and snug in my belly. The smell of him consumes me and I immediately take it in. There isn’t anything better smelling than the head of a newborn. In fact, I’m convinced if someone could bottle that smell, I would buy a lifetime supply. His head and cheek are soft against my chest and I wonder how he will ever be big enough to play soccer or go to school or (gasp) grow up and leave the house. It doesn’t seem remotely possible. My other three babes are sleeping and I am fully here in this moment with my sweet Jack.
A few hours earlier three children are crying at once while I attempt to discuss exclamation points with my oldest at the dining room table. I close my eyes for a minute to get my bearings and take a deep breath. I attend to the two older crying children while trying to soothe my baby with some bounces and butt pats. The older ones run off to play as I bounce and cuddle Jack and have my oldest identify the difference between a period, question mark, and exclamation point. The morning continues like this: each child needing my undivided attention, sometimes all at once and sometimes one or two at a time.
Each season is full of the beautiful and the messy, the easy and the hard, the good days and the tough ones. It is easy to wish seasons away when the messy and hard and tough things happen. I will be the first to admit I have been on that train. When three kids are crying while I’m trying to homeschool, my brain goes straight to wishing for things. Wishing the baby was just a little bit older so he could sleep on his own without my help. Wishing the middle two wouldn’t need me to kiss every owie and enforce ‘I’m sorrys’. I am good at wishing for things to move faster and get easier.
But when I am in the beautiful and the easy and the good, I want time to slow, stop even. When Jack’s head is on my chest and his mouth is open just a bit and I can smell that sweet head of his, I don’t want him to get one hour older.
I believe this is the push and pull of motherhood. Each and every season is full of moments when all is right in the world and moments when nothing seems like it is. And as I gaze at my fourth child starting to stir beside me, I realize I have been playing this game of tug of war the whole seven years I have been a mom.
I think it’s good to acknowledge each season and the good and hard that comes with it. For me, to acknowledge is to empower. When I realize I get the privilege to snuggle a sweet newborn and yet I have the struggle to keep all the balls in the air with my other kids, it is far easier for me to be grateful for the good. Recognizing and naming the good in the season and acknowledging the hard is healthy for both my physical body and my mind.
So, when I have two hours in the afternoon to snuggle my littlest man, I am going to savor it. I am going to smell him and hold him close and remember this season won’t last forever. He will be six and playing soccer before I even realize it. And when I feel like everything is falling apart, I am going to do my best to take a deep breath, smile at all my babies, and send up a prayer of gratitude and a prayer for patience. I fully believe God will give me what I need in this season to live out the purpose He has for me in raising these four little souls.
Tell me: What season are you in? What makes it beautiful and what makes it messy?
Early on, with a blood test, we find out we are having a boy. We tell the kids and then we announce to our families at Jude’s second birthday party 1) we are having a baby and 2) we are having a boy, with blue balloons out of a box. It is an exciting day.
Baby Boy continues to grow and change as Luke completes kindergarten, Kevin and I take a beach trip, and Lily and Jude get taller before our eyes.
I get pretty uncomfortable in the summer and as our due date gets closer (August), my doctor tells me she would like to induce at 39 weeks. I am considered a ‘mature’ pregnancy because of my age (35).
We set a date for August 1, but then I find out Baby Boy hasn’t dropped, so I would need to do Pitocin to get things moving. I’m not sure anyone likes Pitocin, but this girl is not a fan. I get anxious as the time gets closer and pray and bounce on the medicine ball and hope that Baby Boy comes on his own.
I am walking. A dear friend gifts me a massage. I am bouncing on a ball. I even pump to try and get things moving, but nothing works as the day quickly approaches.
August 1, 2019
Kevin and I both shower and head to the hospital for our induction time of 7:00. We stop and I get an iced cascara latte on the way before I start my clear liquids. We check in and I get into my stunning hospital gown as the nurses get vitals and start my IV. It took twothree lots of tries to get my IV in, and by then I was ready to walk to get this show started.
We have two nurses for our labor and delivery: one who is training and one experienced nurse. Stephanie, who has helped deliver lots and lots of babes is just about the sweetest and I feel heard and safe in her care.
About 8:00 they start Pitocin and I am cleared to get up and walk. I get on my walking shoes and Kevin and I take to the halls. We know our way around these hallways, as we have done this three times before. We speed walk as we hear the music that plays when another baby is born. We speed walk as we see new moms and dads wheel their brand new baby upstairs. We speed walk as we watch the clock move slowly in a circle. Contractions are starting, but they aren’t too strong.
Around 10:00 they check me and baby has dropped enough to break my water. I am dilated to a five. My doctor comes in and breaks my water and I wait to get up and walk again. As I wait the contractions get pretty strong pretty fast. Stephanie asks if I would like an epidural and I hesitate, but then agree.
Around 12:40, I get my epidural and in-between my water breaking and the epidural, labor is intense. I watch the second hand go around the clock and pray for the anestheisiologist to come soon. I am finally feeling good about 20 minutes later. I no longer feel the contractions and can rest and anticipate meeting our Baby Boy.
It doesn’t take long and I start to feel pressure to push. Sure enough, around 1:45, I am complete and ready to push. Our doctor comes in and I begin some initial pushes. Baby Boy has his head turned up and to the left and he needs to get over my pelvic bone. Stephanie and my doctor work together to help me find positions that help him move in the right direction. After about 45 minutes of pushing, I have made progress. They prepare for Baby Boy to come into this world.
Going into this labor, everyone thought our boy was going to be around 9 pounds like Jude. He was measuring big and even while I was pushing the doctor thought he looked big. And then our little man came out and we all were surprised by his size. He was just a little guy with big lungs that stole our hearts with his first cry.
As soon as he was out, they laid him on my chest and I snuggled him up. He was crying loud and hard, a good sign. They cleaned him off as best they could and did a few tests, while Kevin and I stared in awe at him. There aren’t many better moments in life than this.
The next two hours were spent loving and snuggling our newest babe. We named him Jack James and couldn’t have loved him any more in that moment. The first two hours after delivery, time that flew by, aren’t surpassed by many other moments in this life. Just me, Kevin, and our babe. Jack nursed for awhile, but it was a bit cumbersome because my IV was in a weird spot on my left hand. Kevin ordered my favorite grilled chicken sandwich with mayo and tomato and a Rice Krispy bar. Toward the end of the two hours, they weighed him in at 7 pounds 12 ounces, much smaller than anyone expected.
We wheeled him up to the fifth floor and got settled into our room. Kevin and I couldn’t stop staring in amazement at this little life we had prayed so fervently for. He was absolutely perfect.
Over the next few days family and friends came to visit us and meet Jack. The sweetest visitors were our three babies who came to see him on Friday morning. There is nothing truer than this: The best 20 minutes of my life was when Luke, Lily, and Jude met Jack for the first time. It was the sweetest, most pure thing I have been witness to, besides the births of my babies. I will forever hold those moments close to my heart.
On Saturday, it was finally time to take our sweet Baby Jack home. A moment we had prayed about for months and months. And we did just that. He was welcomed home by lots and lots of family who already love him to pieces.
Before you get started, please know Part 1 of Jack’s Journey Home includes some hard things. The valley before the peak, if you will…
Sometimes the unexpected happens. It comes crashing into you, uninvited, from a blind spot and hits a part of you, you didn’t realize was there. It paralyzes you, leaves you unable to control yourself: your emotions, your fear, your hurt, your tears. It tries to control your every thought, your every feeling, your every movement. Then it slowly, carefully recedes into the shadows, only coming into the light at the most inopportune times. In those moments it makes you react and feel and experience those emotions all over again. It takes you over, if only for a passing moment. Grief, loss, the unexpected.
Spring 2018
I took a pregnancy test, two in fact, and they were positive. I had known for around a week I was pregnant. When it’s your fourth, you start to recognize the signs your body produces. I was excited, giddy even. Kevin and I were hoping to get pregnant with our fourth on a trip away and it had actually happened. Since we agreed this would be our last child, I wanted to make it special for him. So Thursday night we went to dinner at our favorite spot. We sat right by the door and ordered roasted chicken and beef bourguignon. In-between chatting about my parents and possibly purchasing a new t.v. stand for the living room, I knew it was time. I couldn’t hold it in any longer. I blurted out…’So we’re going to have a baby.’ His eyes got a little wide and then settled back to normal and he squeezed my hand. ‘That didn’t take long’, he said. We proceeded to talk about this new life growing inside me, about how lucky we were to have three babies at home and to be gifted another one. We even admitted we felt a little guilty because we have dear dear friends we are praying for to get pregnant. Later that evening we headed to our Journey Group, where we studied the discipline of celebration. It seemed fitting since we were secretly celebrating a new life.
Thursday night we went to bed and the next morning I woke up a little before 5:00 a.m. with cramping. It felt like my period, but I rationalized it into the roasted chicken and asparagus from the night before. After lying in bed trying not to worry, I finally got up and went to the bathroom. Red stained water. Blood. I immediately knew. I walked into the living room where Kevin sat reading and told him. A chemical pregnancy.
Summer 2018
Time has passed. The loss of a baby months before still stings and at times brings tears to my eyes. Every month I pray for a baby, sometimes every hour. I have shared our loss and struggle with a few close girlfriends and they are praying, too.
We do the normal things: take summer road trips, go swimming, enjoy the midwest lazy summer days. But something still feels not quite right inside me. The smiles don’t come as easy and I seem to be distracted with NOT being pregnant.
I talk to a friend and she refers me to a chiropractor who helped her conceive her second child. I pray some more.
Fall 2018
After putting off the chiropractor for awhile, I finally make an appointment. Every few weeks I meet with a doctor and we change my diet extensively. I am eating mostly fruits, vegetables, lots of meat, and healthy fats. I am drinking three large pitchers of water a day. I feel really good physically, but still no positive pregnancy test.
I am still hopeful and praying.
Winter 2018
I knew before I took the test. I’m pregnant! All the feelings come to me at once: happiness for this new life and anxiety for all that could go wrong. I wait a few days to tell Kevin when we could be alone and he already had his suspicions. We are over-the-moon thrilled. It’s going to be a good Christmas.
Shopping small and local is something I do when I can. I’m not a purist, but I love to support local people creating, hustling, and doing good things.
Since Baby Boy will be joining us (hopefully) tomorrow, I have picked up a few sweet things for him as we anxiously await his arrival. These are some of my favorite shops that could be small, could be local, or could be both. Here we go…
A sweet Momma runs this shop and is expecting her fourth babe any day now. Faith is a creative, Jesus-loving wife and mom who started this little shop this year. She handcrafts beautiful pacifier clips, teethers, and teething necklaces right here in Iowa. All her things are beautiful and our little guy has a pacifier clip ready for him when he gets here.
Although this shop isn’t local, it’s a new favorite of mine. Lou Lou and Company puts together newborn essentials every mom would love. The fabric is soft and stretchy and comes in the most beautiful colors. I mentioned last week I am bringing their newborn essential set to the hospital with me. They recently released a separate line that is dreamy and I hope to pick up a few pieces when Baby Boy grows a bit.
If you’ve been around here long, you have heard me mention Oh So Vera. A small shop located in Lincoln, Nebraska, Oh So Vera creates twirl dresses, leggings, and headbands for littles. I picked up a few pairs of leggings for Jude when he was born and I am planning on using them for this babe as well. I also found a new pair during their sale this spring and they still have some left in 0-3 months. These leggings are soft and just so stinking adorable.
Baby Jude sporting Oh So Vera leggings. Baby Boy is going home in the same outfit.
This shop is just about the sweetest. Their bonnets are lovely and make me want to have all the babies. They had a sale this spring and I ordered Baby Boy a neutral one he can where the rest of the summer and into the fall. Check them out.
Do you have any go-to shops for babes? I would love to hear!
Friends, this baby is almost here. I am presently writing this post in a Starbucks after my 38 week appointment. I am dilated 2.5 centimeters, but baby still hasn’t dropped. The current plan is to induce on August 1, assuming baby makes his way down before then.
And I am ready. Ready to get things rolling. Ready to meet our son. Ready to sleep on my back again. Ready to experience the beautiful birth process for the fourth time.
Here are my random pregnant thoughts (that are almost completely useless), but here they are nonetheless…
My body is sore all the time. It’s as if I’m attending a Cross Fit class every day, but in reality I’m sitting on my couch eating Italian ices and taking naps while the kids have ‘rest time’.
I love being pregnant and having babies. I take the good drugs at the hospital, so the birth process isn’t too terribly hard on me. I sometimes joke if every birth was like Lily and Jude, I could have babies for a living. However, being pregnant this time around hasn’t been a walk in the park and I think it might be my ‘magic’ age which classifies this pregnancy as a geriatric pregnancy. I had a good friend remind me to enjoy all the kicks and movement because once he’s out, he’s out.
Gelato and decaf cascara lattes are two of my favorite things at the moment, both of which I will probably have to cut out sometime soon.
When people call me ‘cute’ or ‘adorable’ I am tempted to roll my eyes because I don’t feel cute when I can’t tie my own shoes. And then I remember how kind these people are and how cute I think pregnant women are. I am learning to take those sweet words as encouragement and sit in them a moment instead of completely shooting the compliments down.
I would really love to go into labor on my own. I went into labor with Lily without any help and it was a bit magical. I have realistic expectations about being induced, but it would be a special treat for it to be a surprise.
I’m not sure what I would do without slide sandals at the moment. They are pretty much saving my life. Kevin and I took Luke to the zoo on a hot afternoon and he had to put on my socks and shoes and tie them. I’m not sure he has ever had to do that with any of our other babies. This babe could be a big one, friends.
Kevin is my better half and I say that whole heartedly. I can’t count how many times he has done things for me these past 9 months that I couldn’t do for myself. He is my biggest supporter, caretaker, and loves me in a big way. I feel so lucky to have him by my side through this whole shebang.
I’m a little nervous about the sleep situation when baby gets here. We have survived three newborns, but for some reason not sleeping much has me biting my fingernails. The rock in play recall has initiated a lot of my anxiety, but I’m hoping the bassinet we purchased will be sufficient those first several weeks.
I have THE best friends. I have girlfriends checking on me, praying for me, filling my freezer, gifting me cute baby things. I am blessed beyond measure to have a whole crew of women ready to love on me and baby when he gets here.
I can’t wait to see my kids with this new babe. Luke and Lily really grasp we are having a baby and they have kissed him, named him (Toto, Blue Berry, and T-Rex are my favorite), and prayed for him. It will be an adjustment, but I can’t wait for them to meet their brother.
Since it’s hard for me to get in and out of the bath, hot showers have been my go-to. It’s part of my nightly routine I have enjoyed these past few months and I have a feeling it could go away once babe is here.
Sleeping is laughable at this point. I can’t wait to sleep on my back again, even if I am getting up every few hours. I know, be careful what I wish for.
Sometimes I am in awe of the love and support we have from our families. Even though this isn’t our first rodeo, they are literally helping us in big and small ways and I couldn’t be more grateful. I know our bigs will be well taken care of while we are in the hospital and our families will love and dote on the new guy when he comes home.
I will miss a lot about being pregnant (like the gelato and back rubs), but I will have the prize of a baby in my arms when it’s all said and done. We are ready for you little man.
It’s about time. We are about two weeks out and I am thinking about the items needed when Baby Boy decides to arrive. This is my fourth child and I remember back when my oldest was born and my bag was packed embarrassingly early. Things are a little different this time around, but I am definitely trying to be intentional with what’s in my bag so our stay in the hospital is as comfortable as possible.
I am obsessed with how Lou Lou & Company’s material feels. It is incredibly soft and stretchy and the color ‘Leo’ is blue for boy, but not too blue. (Unfortunately it’s sold out, but the ‘Finley’ and ‘Hayden’ colors are other favorites.) My mom gifted this set to me and it is already washed and packed. I love the sweet detail of the buttons on the knotted gown and the swaddle blanket, hat, and mittens are just too much. These will get worn constantly those first days, weeks, and months.
I didn’t have a delivery robe for my first two babes, but with my last I wised up and purchased one. With my third I was induced and am so glad I brought one along. Kevin and I walked the halls for about five hours and I wore it over my hospital gown. I felt much more like a person. It was also great to throw over my nursing tank when visitors stopped by. It is definitely in my hospital bag again.
A good friend recommended this for after birth pains and I am not one to say no to help with that. It has good reviews on Amazon and isn’t super pricey. It’s worth a shot.
I have never had a baby in the summer before, so I have been debating what to bring for comfy clothes once baby is here. In the past I have done leggings and big, flowy pajama bottoms. This time I am bringing jet setters. They fit me now under my belly and I love the comfortable material. And the fact that they don’t wrinkle is an added bonus. I am also going to throw a pair of leggings in for good measure, but I have a feeling I will be wearing these on repeat in the hospital and beyond.
My doctor has already told me I have diastis recti. If you are unsure what that is, check out some information here. I had a small separation with Jude, but she mentioned it is pretty wide this time around. I will start some intentional exercises to help when I am able, but in the meantime I am going to try the corset. Many moms do binding and the corset is semi-similar. I am planning on wearing this home from the hospital to help with my diastis recti as well as back support.
Tell me, do you or did you have any must bring items to the hospital?
This week is our first week back in school. It’s about a month and a half earlier than usual, but with our littlest addition arriving in August, starting early just makes sense. My hope is to get a month of school in before we welcome Baby Boy and get into a loose daily rhythm that I’m sure will change and evolve as our family grows from five to six.
Today I want to share my hope for what our days will look like this month and beyond, with obvious tweaks here and there when baby comes: nursing around the clock and the unpredictable ‘schedule’ of a newborn being the biggest changes. I know we will find our groove eventually and I think a baseline this month will help.
My oldest, Luke, will be in first grade this year and my middle, Lily, will be in her second year of preschool. I also have a two year old, Jude. My hope is to have two to three days at home a week. These days will be much slower than others and will give us ample time to set a school rhythm. Our mornings usually being around 7, with the kids waking and eating breakfast. Following breakfast I am going to give the big kids time to get dressed and play for an hour or so while I do my chores for the day and clean up after breakfast.
Our School Day
School will begin around 9:00 and we will all start together in our playroom area. We will discuss our calendar, read some poetry, work on memorizing a Bible verse, and do a few read alouds. This week we are memorizing James 1:17 because I am currently studying James and we haven’t started Awana, yet. We are beginning the year with an author study on Kevin Henkes, which I am super excited about. Henkes books are sweet and simple and his characters are absolutely lovable.
After we finish up together, I will work with Luke on language arts, handwriting, and math. We usually do this at the dining room table while the other two play. Then Luke will go play with Jude and I will work with Lily on letter work, handwriting, and math.
We will gather together again to do a History or Science lesson. This is a change from last year because I did both History and Science everyday. Our first unit will be on Safety. We will then break for playtime and lunch.
Something I am hoping to add in this year is an entire house reading time. We did this a few times the last few months and it was glorious. I set the timer for 10 minutes and everyone found a comfy spot to read some books. Even Jude participated, he wants to be like the big kids so badly.
If the kids earn ten stickers throughout the morning for doing their work with a happy heart (basically the morning is semi-smooth), they each get a bit of screen time. After screen time, I will put Jude and Lily down for nap/rest time and then Luke and I will get cozy on the couch to do his reading lesson. At some point throughout the year, I hope to start Lily on reading lessons. We use Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons and even though I taught first graders how to read for five years using guided reading, this is a great way to teach reading at home without a lot of materials. It took Luke about a year and a half to complete 100 lessons and he is reading at around a late first grade/early second grade reading level.
After Luke’s reading lesson, he gets to watch a show for his reward. His current favorites are dinosaur documentaries (which honestly and figuratively put me to sleep). Luke still takes a rest time after his reading lesson and reward because by this time we all need to go to our corners for a bit. Our school day is done and I can prepare materials for the following day, rest, do tasks around the house, and read and write.
On days when we are out of the house, our rhythm will look a bit different. We will start earlier in the morning so we are able to get out of the house and Lily will not do seat work with me.
This rhythm has evolved from a slightly more rigid routine we used last year and my hope is it will work well for us. I am optimistic I will learn more this year about treating our days more as an experience to be savored rather than a check list of things to cross off. I have so much to learn, friends.
Tell me, what does your daily rhythm look like, whether you homeschool, are at home with littles, or your kids attend school outside the home?
The past several months I have been writing a few things I’m thankful for (almost) everyday. Ann Voskamp‘s book 1,000 Gifts Devotional helped me in this endeavor and it has changed my everyday perspective. Every morning before the kids wake and I heat up the oatmeal, I scribble a few things I’m thankful for in Ann’s devotional book. I just finished up 1,000 things a few days ago and it seems so big and so small at the same time.
I have way more than 1,000 things to be thankful for in this life. But, it has been a start, a way of remembering, noticing, and taking a moment to say ‘thank you’ for the good things all around me. It has helped start my day in a hopeful way. Noticing the branches outside swaying in the wind or the fuzzy blanket on my toes or the pink and red sorbet sunrise has allowed me to focus my mind on the good and the beautiful and the worthy.
Philippians 4:8
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Even though the lines in my devotional book are full, I believe I will keep this habit going. I’m not sure if it will be in a notebook or in the Notes app on my phone, but I believe there is power in the noticing and naming of the gifts.
