The Liturgy of Sunday Dinners
Sometimes I still set seven plates for Sunday dinner. It’s part habit and likely part subconscious, hopeful thinking. Soon our oldest son will be home from college for Thanksgiving break and our Sunday dinner tradition— our liturgy — will be complete. There will be no need to pass the phone around when he calls (as […]
A Rooted Home is Growing: New Batavia Storefront Coming Soon!
A Rooted Home is Growing in Batavia! Our little shop on the corner is growing! I’m excited to share that A Rooted Home is expanding into a new space at 237 W. Wilson Street in Batavia, IL. We’ll be the new shop around the corner—and yes, that’s a You’ve Got Mail reference I couldn’t resist, […]
This Mother Teresa Speech Offers Us the Blueprint to Change the World
I immediately fell in love with the quote from Mother Teresa, “if you want to bring happiness to the whole world, go home and love your family,” when I first heard it several years ago. I felt a kinship and connection to her in a way I never had before. How did this woman, known […]
Ask These 3 Questions to Make the Right College Decision (Roots + Wings Series)
As the May 1st College Decision Day approaches, high school seniors everywhere are finalizing their plans. The essays have been written, the tours taken, the forms filled out and now it’s time to choose. It’s a momentous and exciting time, but it can be a daunting one as well. Here is what you can do […]
Take a Breath: You’re Exactly Where You Should Be in the College Decision Journey (Roots + Wings Series)
If you find the whole college application process overwhelming and stressful, you’re not alone. Even if your senior has their plans all set, there still may be a few bumps in the journey ahead. During their freshman year of college they may realize the workload is much more difficult than they expected or find they […]
A Verse to Build Your Home Upon
Choosing a verse for your home is akin to deciding on a word at the start of a new year. Once a trend, this one word practice has for many become tradition. Setting this intention helps give a framework to the year and permission to work toward a purpose rather than a strict set of […]
Dear Son, As You Wait to Hear Where You’ve Been Accepted (Roots + Wings Series)
An open letter to my son (and high school seniors everywhere) as you wait to hear back from college admissions… You called us over as you hit submit on the Common App, and then clicked the button again to amuse your dad and I, while confetti danced across your laptop screen. “It’s so different now,” you’ve […]
The Key to Raising Kids Who Keep Their Faith
Growing up in our church, there was a boy who so openly displayed his faith, it was quite admirable to witness. On Good Friday, he would be up on the cross unwavering in his very real portrayal of Jesus’ final moments. On Christmas Eve, he would be in the manger in a protective stance over […]
The Ways Motherhood is Holy
Anytime I changed out of my home team uniform of joggers and a tee and entered a room of professionals, or at least people who wore clothing with buttons, I would tell myself I didn’t need to feel inferior. Yet, somehow I almost always did. It wasn’t necessarily the way they made me feel, it […]
The Story of A Rooted Home
For as far back as I can remember, I have loved all things home. As a child, I remember the way our house smelled of cinnamon in the fall and lilacs in the spring; the I way felt when I walked through the front door and flopped onto the sofa with a loud exhale finding […]