The reason for the season: from holiday favorites to managing the hubbub
Holiday favorites—we all have at least one. A new favorite of mine: my second annual Advent Activities Calendar. (I imagine a few of the activities will also end up featured in my Christmas romance in progress.) Other holiday favorites include baking, especially my mini chocolate chip pumpkin bread; classic movies and music like A Charlie…
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Freebie giveaway: adding sparkle to your holidays
Need ideas to add more sparkle to your holidays? As a thank you, download your free Advent Activities Calendar by signing up to receive my once-monthly emails. With 2020 marking my family’s “inaugural” year to incorporate these activities into our holiday celebration, it proved a “learn as you go”-type venture that helped to inform this…
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The most wonderful time of year: giving thanks
‘Tis the season to be grateful. Yet, why wait for Thanksgiving? It’s always the write time to give thanks! In fact, as I write this post, I count my blessings: greater than three hours of sleep in one night, a day job I love, an incredible husband and daughter, wonderful family and friends and good…
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Testing the boundaries: back to basics
Several weeks ago, I began physical therapy to strengthen my wrist post-surgery. Each session builds on the one prior, in conjunction with several at-home exercises. While many days seem like the proverbial “one step forward and two steps back,” the numbers tell the truth. From my range of motion to strength, I see improvement. Although…
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Biting off more than you can chew: when enough is enough
How do you know when enough is enough? I wrestled with that question recently as I realized I’d bitten off more than I could chew (again). Let me back up a second. This past summer, an urgency to create movement inspired me to begin making small life changes. I neglected one important consideration, however. No…
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Daily wins: cheering for the can do’s
Two weeks ago, I started physical therapy to recover the use my left arm following surgery. It’s amazing how much I had taken for granted the use of two hands. Even more remarkable to me, however, was the discovery that the daily “wins” — however small — embolden me to do the hard work required…
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Spicing up the change of seasons: Chris’ top 5 reads
As my website bio states: I write romance. Sweet, contemporary stories infused with inspiration and #allthings hope, humor & heart. And I’m a voracious reader too which, in my experience, goes hand-in-hand with persons who write. As you might guess: I love real-life fairytales wrapped up with an HEA bow — the bigger the better.…
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Goodbye grouchy: hello gratitude
One day last week, I awakened with a grouchy attitude, my furrowed brow attesting to a less-than sparkly persona. Upon brewing my first cup of dark roast, I wrapped a blanket around myself and settled at our kitchen table to begin my morning pages — a practice taught by author Julia Cameron. Typically, I start…
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When your life preserver appears: a blessing in disguise
The mini-meltdown occurred a week after surgery to repair my broken wrist. Who knew broken bones require so much energy to heal? Yet as much as I advocate extending grace to ourselves, I struggle. Slowing down feels like punishment; asking for help unnatural. But my shoes need tying before daily walks; and when they come…
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Life as a training ground: learning lessons the hard way
About an hour into a weekly trek in the mountains that can take me anywhere from 77-90 minutes, my ankle buckled and I broke my fall — and my wrist — with a large rock near the trail’s edge. Although my injury involved surgery, complete with the “premium steel plate and pins package,” the experience…
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