The Blog
of grace & gumption
This morning marked a huge milestone in the Ryan House - our oldest son, Gideon, started Kindergarten! I've been through all of the typical emotions that moms have when they drop off their "babies" at school for the first time, but the truth is, I've been a bit...
I've never claimed to be a master in the kitchen. I burn, under-season, over-cook, and generally ruin almost everything I touch. My husband, on the other hand, can open the pantry, find nothing but cereal, canned soup, baking soda and oranges, and somehow still come...
Earlier in the summer, I introduced you to 13-year-old Maddison Stafford, my friend's daughter who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer last year. I'm happy to report that she's still doing well and is still cancer free! Her story appeared on our church's TV program,...
Last week, 16-year-old Gabby Douglas won Gold in the women's gymnastics individual all-around competition. She has personality, talent and charisma that reminds me of Mary Lou Retton in 1984, and her super-sweet image is already showing up on boxes of Corn Flakes. Now...
It seems rare that I actually learn a lesson the easy was as opposed to the hard way, but such a case actually occurred this week. And because it had everything to do with being judgmental, a topic Laurie addressed last week on Front Porch Friday, I had to share it...
The image itself is almost a cliche. Football players huddled together in the locker room or on the field before the big game - bowing their heads and saying The Lord's Prayer together. I'll admit, in situations like these, I'm somewhat leery of reciting prayers by...
You may have heard that Dan Cathy, the president of Chick-fil-A, recently spoke out against gay marriage. Some, like the mayor of Boston, slammed his comments and declared Chick-fil-A unwelcome in his venue. Others, like former presidential candidate, Mike Huckabee,...
The news has been quite depressing lately, hasn't it? Every time I turn on the TV and see the latest updates coming from Aurora, Colorado, [2018: Santa Fe, Texas] my instinct is to turn it off, block it out, and pretend the heartache doesn't exist. But so far I...
One of my favorite scenes in the entire Bible is when the Lord told Elijah to go and stand on the mountain because He was about to pass by. (1 Kings 19:11-13) Elijah watched as a great wind came and shattered the rocks. Then a great earthquake shook the ground...
When I was a young teenager, I asked to go to the movies with a boy. My father said, "No, because you might hold hands." "So! Who cares!? Why does it matter if I hold hands with a boy?" I yelled. "Because," he said. "Holding hands leads to getting pregnant." It's...
Hi. My name is Emily, and I'm addicted to whine. [Hi, Emily...] I've pretty much had a problem with whine my whole life, and chances are, you struggle with it too. After all, whining is so... easy. Thankfully, there are three practical - and very easy - things you can...
When my son, Gideon, was young, he took me “fishing” in his bedroom. The floor became a lake and his bed turned into a boat. The toys on the floor were no longer toys, but crocodiles, and two long, brown wrapping paper tubes became our trusty fishing poles. I followed...