The Good Life
Love, food, faith, fun, and everything in betweenI Tried 5 Meal Kits and This is Why I Think EveryPlate is the Best
This review of EveryPlate is my own experience and opinions of the popular meal kit. I was not compensated for this post and paid for all the delivery boxes out of my pocket. If you use my referral link, you get $105 off your first box and I get a small discount on my...
8 Tips for a Successful Beach Vacation with Young Kids
Let me tell you about my happy place. I’m lounging on a padded beach chair by the turquoise water under the shade of a colorful umbrella. The roar of the ocean is peppered with the laughter…
20+ Unique Gift Ideas Mom is Sure to Love
Who is the toughest person on your Christmas list to buy for? I’m sure your mother is near the top for many of you. My mom always tells me she doesn’t want anything, I know how picky I am when my husband and kids say I am (sorry!), and a lot of moms say they have...
Warby Parker is a Fun Way to Use Your FSA/HSA Money
Can you believe 2021 is almost over? It seems like the year has flown by! The end of the calendar typically means holidays and lots of busyness, so I want to remind you to spend your flexible spending account and health savings account (FSA/HSA) money before time runs...
15 Good Questions to Ask a Church Before Joining
Unfortunately, church attendance in the US has been on the decline for several years. As a lifelong Christian and someone who loves God’s Church deeply, this makes me sad. But I also understand how easy it is to become disappointed and disillusioned with stereotypes...
20 Important Things I Learned in 2020
As we near the end of an unprecedented year, I took some time to reflect on the lessons I learned in 2020. Some of them are encouraging reminders of the good in my life and the world, and others are a bit more cynical. Regardless, living through a time that will be...
Why You Need to Try Gary Poppins Popcorn Today
I love popcorn. It’s my snack of choice for watching tv, a delicious treat at the movie theater, and fun to munch on while walking around a fair. I’m even eating some as I type this! That’s why I was pumped to try the offerings of an online gourmet popcorn company....
How to Make a Fun and Easy Halloween Dessert
Looking for a fun and easy Halloween dessert? These Halloween cream cheese brownies are a fun treat for kids, adults, and parties (whenever those are safe again)!Pin me!In normal times, we attend a costume party each year with several other families. It is potluck...
How to Find Your Perfect Pair of Warby Parker Sunglasses
If you have followed me for a while, you know I love my Warby Parker glasses! So I decided to try out their Home Try-On program again. The sun doesn’t disappear with the calendar turns to fall, so I thought this was the perfect time to try out some prescription Warby...
The Best Guided Journals for Adults and Kids
Do you journal? Or maybe you have intentions of journaling that never come to fruition? (Guilty as charged over here!) The folks at Promptly Journals make it easy to put words on the page with their beautiful and thoughtfully made guided journals. I recently got to...
How to Protect Your Eyes with Blue Light Filtering Glasses
Many of my long-time readers know how much I love Warby Parker as a great way to save money on prescription glasses. But did you also know they can improve your work-from-home experience with their blue-light-filtering lenses? Read on to find out more.Pin me!Note: I...
The Best Ways to Make Life Easier When You’re Stuck at Home
Like it or not, the coronavirus pandemic has us all stuck at home for a little while. But the silver lining in all of this is the abundance of resources and family activities that we can now access from the comforts of our living room. I have compiled a list of ways...
Make A Year of Dates the Best Gift Ever for Your Spouse
This year for Valentine’s Day I’m getting my husband the best gift ever—time with me! Maybe I’m biased, but I think I’m pretty fun. Since he chose to marry me, he must think so, too! That’s why my go-to gift is a year of dates. Before we had kids, it was easy to have...
The Best Deals for Pre-Black Friday, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Beyond
It's Cyber Week! I'm updating you on some of the best deals and savings of the season. Bookmark this page to check back regularly throughout the week. Prepare for savings with the Best Money Saving Apps You Should Download Today. Or see below for deals at some of my...
13 Unique Halloween Costume Ideas that are Perfect for You
When I was a little girl, my favorite movie was Cinderella. For three years, I chose to let it inspire my Halloween costume. I’m sure you are picturing an elementary school version of me in a blue dress and mock glass slippers. Maybe a tiara for good measure. But...
How to Simplify Mealtime with 16 Easy Toddler Meal Ideas
Did you know that once you become a parent you are responsible for feeding your kids? Like, at least three times a day? And that doesn’t even count the snacks! Providing healthy food for young kids (and adults) can be stressful. That’s why I’ve come up with easy...
Marriage Confessions: Funny Things I Said I’d Never Do
Way back in elementary school, I learned that when taking a true/false test you must be wary of never and always statements. My teacher said that things usually aren’t that definitive, which is certainly true of real life. And as we head into wedding season, I’m...
What Football Taught Me about a Happy Marriage
As soon as the calendar nears the end of August, my husband wants to skip right over the last days of summer and dive headfirst into his favorite season of the year…football season. I have always enjoyed sports and was even a proud subscriber to Sports Illustrated for...
God Doesn’t Always Speak in Burning Bushes
I’ve heard people talk about God speaking to them since I was a child. Back then, I imagined a thunderous voice from heaven literally booming, “Jessica, you must do this!” Of course, this would be complete with a bright light, harp music, and maybe a burning bush, for...
Hello and welcome!
Today I am officially starting this blog! There has been a little voice in the back of my brain for years that I dismissed telling me that I could use writing for good, but I have finally taken the steps of faith needed to listen and act. I'm excited about the...
How I Know God Works Things for Good – An Adoption Story
When applying for the Lifesong for Orphans grant, we were required to prepare an adoption testimony. While I knew God directed us on this path to expand our family, it wasn’t until our adoption story was put to paper that I saw all the ways he worked together to lead...
But Even If He Doesn’t – Our Leap of Faith into International Adoption
One of my favorite Bible stories is that of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. (If you aren’t familiar, you should read the whole story in Daniel 3. It is a really good one.) Basically, Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar built a