Hey there friend!

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends. While I should probably be asking you how your Thanksgiving meal was, I find myself wanting to know, “Did you get your tree up?” We host Thanksgiving each year so while many are putting up their Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving, we hold out until the day after Thanksgiving when we join the rest of our family and cut down our Christmas tree. In a twenty-four-hour period, we go from all things turkey to decking the halls for Christmas. Then it’s off to the races with Christmas planning and finding ways to squeeze in festivals, tree lighting events, gatherings and more.

Last week I sat in the living room doing a little work and I could hear the song, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year” playing. My husband, Aaron, was off the day before Thanksgiving and he was in the kitchen having coffee and had cued up some Christmas music. While he was enjoying his morning off, I was in the living room running over my schedule for the next week trying to figure out what all I could hurry and get done before the following week. I was excitedly overwhelmed with the first annual tree lighting for our town, historical society business, book reviews, and planning for friends coming in to visit. It was in that moment I found myself singing in my head, “It’s the busiest time of the year.”

I’ll be honest with you; I was feeling a bit weighted down with the commitments I had made but at the same time I wouldn’t have it any other way. In the past, I used to struggle with saying, “no” to things however, after having twins, I found it a lot easier to politely say no. Over the past ten years, I have found freedom in saying no to the things I wasn’t drawn to but have found myself saying yes to things that bring me absolute joy. Because I have chosen to be selective in what I commit to, I find that I am able to truly enjoy those commitments, making it feel more like, “The most wonderful time of the year.”

Over the next few weeks and even into the new year that lies ahead, I hope you consider what you commit to. Be sure it’s something you truly want to do. I’d hate for you to continue missing out on other opportunities that would bring you joy!

I hope you have a wonderful week!

Xo,

Something to Consider

Grounded in the Middle podcast- Rewind

Friends, I’ve come down with laryngitis and so I’m going to do a “rewind” this week on the podcast. Its short and sweet, but something that is always good to consider.

I know the holidays are branded as the happiest time of the year, but for many people, it’s one of the most difficult. For some, holidays serve as permeant place cards within their year found on every wall calendar to phone calendar making it nearly impossible to completely avoid. Not to mention how stores these days seem to have the next holiday retail items up for sale before the current holiday has even arrived. These written and visual benchmarks of where we are within the year can be bittersweet, but what if we started taking note of the guideposts that have occurred and how they have propelled us through the year?

Today, I’ll be discussing how it has taken the last five years to see how the guideposts which have helped us find our fortune today.

A Blueprint for Intentional Living – Grounded in the Middle.

In this episode of the Grounded in the Middle podcast, we dive into the transformative power of identifying your non-negotiables and living with intention. Discover how setting boundaries can protect your happiness, from learning to say no, to disconnecting from technology, and being fully present with loved ones. We'll explore ways to ground yourself in nature, find passion in daily activities, connect meaningfully with others, and make the most out of mundane moments. Join us as we provide practical tips and personal stories to help you create a more intentional and fulfilling life. Post Show Homework: 1.Identify your non-negotiables 2.Be intentional in everything you do. Five ways to become more rooted in who you are today 1.Disconnect 2.Ground yourself 3.Find a Passion 4.Connect with others 5. Make the most out of the mundane moments Follow me on IG + FB Step into the country at Farmhousestoryteller.com

1. A Blueprint for Intentional Living 40:04
2. Rebecca George, Author Do The Thing 35:27
3. Dr. Alan Weissenbacher, The Brain Change Program 24:03
4. Chevonne O'Shaughnessy, Filmmaker, Co-Founder and President of American Cinema 41:32
5. June Update from the Middle-Pressing forward into who you are today 32:12

Farmhouse Storyteller Playlist

If you’d like to tune in to what I’m listening to out here in the middle, you can join me on Spotify where I have a playlist titled, Farmhouse Storyteller. You can easily find the station by directly clicking play to the right or searching for Farmhouse Storyteller on the Spotify app.

Where to read my latest work

This past week Link2Us Magazine published their Fall ’22 issue and it includes an article I wrote titled, Reawakening Traditions at the Homestead. While my article will give you a peek into our holiday traditions, you will also learn of the traditions that came before us! You can request a digital copy here or you can pick up a copy at your local Barnes and Nobles, Kroger, Books a Million, Fred Meyers stores, Albertsons, Hyvee, Kmart, and Amazon.

In addition, you can also read another article I wrote, Restoration in the Farmhouse, about how we found our way out here to the country on Make Me Available which is a website out of London, England. You can click here to read.

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