A Canine Christmas Countdown Day Five

Have you ever made a spontaneous decision that you later regretted? It’s one thing if we buy a pair of jeans that don’t quite look as good at home as they did in the store. Or if we purchase a piece of exercise equipment that sits in the garage month after month collecting dust. When those spontaneous decisions affect a …

A Canine Christmas Countdown Day Four

I thought I’d do something a little unique for Day Four! Instructions on making homemade dog food. If you scroll ahead to the video, you will miss some important instructions I received after I put it together. Some might think it’s a little neurotic to make my dog’s food, but it’s well worth the effort. First off, it’s better than any kibble …

A Canine Christmas Countdown Day Three

Yesterday, I shared how my husband and I don’t fit into the Southern mold when it comes to our eating habits. The same could be said of our exercise habits. Our first date (almost twenty years ago) was a five-mile run. Two months later, Chris talked me into climbing Half Dome at Yosemite National Park—a steep, 18-mile round-trip hike. If …

A Canine Christmas Countdown Day Two

My husband and I don’t fit the “Southern mold” when it comes to food. We’re not fans of fried anything (except Oreos—those are downright dangerous) and we aren’t big meat eaters. When it comes to what we put in our bodies, we lean toward home cooked, healthy meals. They take a bit more time to prepare, but the benefits far …

A Canine Christmas Countdown Day One

It’s countdown week for the release of my last Bedford County novella, A Canine Christmas. As you probably know, dogs have been a part of most of my books. Illusions (Book 2 in my Apple Hill Series) had Rambo, the family’s West Highland Terrier. The Bainbridge family dog in Providence (Book 3 in the Apple Hill Series) was a Bichon …

Pursue Peace

Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14) All of us have struggled with heartache; you can’t walk this life and not get knocked down a time or two. I’ve been battling a bit of it for the past ten days or so. This is when we had neighbors from our …

Retreat. Refresh. Restore.

Here I am on a Sunday afternoon cranking out a blog post. I promised more than two years ago I would not put myself in a position to “work” on a Sunday again—and I haven’t until now. It’s not coincidental; it’s a message from the Lord. Life is crazy. Can I get an amen? If we disregard the political climate …

Discerning God’s Will

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will—Romans 12:2 Have you ever wrestled with choices? Some are pretty simple—like picking out an outfit for the day or deciding what to fix for …

Weaving Roots by Heather Wood

One of the obvious perks of hosting my own podcast is that I get to meet creative authors and hear about their journeys. You may find this hard to believe, but not everything we talk about is recorded. Often, we finish up the podcast interview and chat for a while after. It gives me the opportunity to delve into the …

Job-Like Faith

It is impossible for me to grasp the enormity of devastation those who are affected by Hurricane Helene are experiencing. We’ve all had challenging seasons—two of my novels were inspired by some of mine. But I can look back and see God’s hand so clearly working in my life during most of those hard seasons. There is one I continually …