Archive for the ‘Thoughts’ Category

What You Can Do About the Refugee Crisis

I rarely watch the news anymore. There’s so much evil and pain in the world and I can’t do a single thing about it. I’m not government, medical, or God—I’m just one little person. Watching the horror on my TV screen is only going to numb me, scare me, and shut me down. It might seem irresponsible to not know exactly what Trump is up to or how the economy is doing, but I just can’t do it anymore. Sure, I catch bits and pieces here and there, catch up on some reading from time-to-time. But if I’m so locked into a screen—shocked at the state of my world—how will I ever change it?

What good does knowing do? Wouldn’t doing something be better? (Continue reading…)

A Dad’s Checklist for Home Buyers

This home buyer's checklist goes over all the questions you should ask before making an offer or getting an inspection!

We are in the thick of the real estate season and many of you are looking at homes but not quite knowing what to keep an eye out for. Well, today my dear dad has joined us to give some sage, tried and true advice. He gave me a list of things to look for or check out when we were looking to buy our first home. I realized after we put an offer in on our home just how useful this tool was! Be sure to check these boxes before you pay the inspector a couple hundred (non-refundable) dollars to tell you what you could have told yourself. (Continue reading…)

A Gift for Preemies (and Their Mommies)

A full tutorial on creating a gift basket for Moms and babies that are premature!

After a beautiful stroll on the boardwalk, fireworks, and cherished time with family in Ocean City, we tucked ourselves in for the night—it was one of my favorite 4th of July memories. It wasn’t our original plan, but it was still special. We had planned on a huge party thrown by my sister-in-law, but she had unexpectedly been admitted to the hospital and was required to be there until her due date…in October. At about 2AM we were startled awake by a call from my mother-in-law. My sister-In-law was having an emergency C-section. She was only 28 weeks into her pregnancy with little J. After hours of waiting with family and friends, we learned that baby J was stable with just 2 lbs 9 oz and 13″ to him, but doctors were still concerned about his mother. So we waited in the hospital lobby, we waited at home, we spent an eternity waiting—it was one of my most terrifying memories. (Continue reading…)

A Home Overflowing

Homemakers are amazing. Stay at home-makers are world-changers. Though we don’t feel like that’s true even on good days, it is true, and I’m reminding you today. I often go through “everything is meaningless” phases and forget the truth that in reality, everything matters.

Our culture is so caught up in what we can achieve through a career, something tangible, something concrete and measurable. But so many times in life, we forget that the things that matter most are the things that we can’t see, can’t measure, and the things that often times go unnoticed. (Continue reading…)

Pattern Release: Burst

Another spring release is coming your way today. I’m super excited to share with you my Burst Throw Quilt! This is one of those projects that started out as something completely different than what you see in the pictures, but I love what I ended up with: a modern, simple, large block quilt! Make sure to get all the sweet details and images below and don’t forget to pick up a copy for yourself! This pattern has been tested to ensure that it’s perfect and easy for you to navigate. So, a big thanks to my fabulous pattern testers! You’ll see their images posted here as soon as they are done with their final touches. Now, onto the story behind this quilt… (Continue reading…)

10 Quilting Tools I Couldn’t Live Without

Precision, precision, precision… Measure twice, cut once… When in doubt, rip it out… ~~Quilting is a crazy thing~~ Quilters are a crazy bunch. We know that the high you get from a (nearly) perfect quilt top is unbeatable and we beam confidence when we see someone else snuggling up underneath our homemade masterpiece. Besides the yearning for perfection, an obsession with fabric, and an ever-growing fabric stash, quilters need one more thing: The right tools. (Continue reading…)

24 in 2016

Don’t even get me started…I know that I was born only 12 hours before the best day of the year. My mom couldn’t just wait 12 more hours for me to be born on Leap Day! That’s right, I was born on February 28, around 12:00pm. Despite my bitterness about not being born on February 29, able to claim that I’m only 6 years old, or being able to choose when I want my birthday to be on most years, I’m so grateful that God has given me 24 wonderful years of life so far. (Continue reading…)

Why You Should Have an Office Pet

A few days ago my sister squealed as she made her way up to my office for a day of blogging and chatting (surprise! we mostly chatted). For a few brief moments of work, she sprawled out her papers on the floor and was quickly joined by the white fuzzball that now sits under my desk. “Oh I need to get myself an office bunny! I’m not sure how I get any work done without one,” she giggled as she gave him a much deserved pat down. Today I’d like to give a little bit of a sneak peak into my studio, tell you what it’s like to work in a shared studio with a rabbit, and share why I think it’s the best way to work from home. (Continue reading…)

Pressing Makes Perfect

5 easy tips for ironing quilt pieces—it really does work!

Pressing is just a pretty word for ironing. I’m sure they had to make a up a name other than ironing so that quilting didn’t sound like just one more household chore: I hate ironing, but I love pressing! There’s no sleeves, no annoying pleats, just a small, square piece of fabric with a seam—I can handle that.

It’s always the little things, isn’t it? The details always add up and make the whole. It’s no different with quilting! Today I want to share, what I think, is one of the easiest ways to make your quilts better, yet most people don’t think about: pressing. It’s a part of every quilt project, but I often will see a quilt that could look 75% better if the quilter had just taken an extra second to really press her (or his) seams better. Read on to see my 5 steps to getting a beautiful pressed seam, and in turn, a more beautiful quilt! (Continue reading…)

The Homemaker’s Guide to Being Snowed In

The balmy days of December couldn’t last forever. January is finally here—snow and all (#WinterStormJonas)! It’s time to stock up on plans for the rest of this weekend, since there’s no way that you’re going anywhere! If you’re anything like me, you can’t fathom a day, let alone two, of being locked in the house with nothing to do. Yep, I’m one of those sickos. Exhibit A: writing a blog post on Saturday…not something I usually do. I do want to challenge you (and myself) to plan something fun for your snow day: if kids get to have fun and forget about the stresses of school, so should you! Here are some ideas that I’m looking forward to! (Continue reading…)

Remembering: My New Year’s Resolution

Rachel: Are you sure your anniversary isn’t the 25th?

Sara: Yes, I’m sure. It’s always been the 5th.

Rachel: Well, my board says the 25th…sorry!

Yes, I am that Rachel and my sister, Sara, has been married for 5 years. Apparently I’ve gotten their anniversary wrong for the past 5 years! The board I’m talking about was my inspired attempt to remember everyone’s birthdays and anniversaries—clearly it has not worked! My new year’s resolution for 2016 is to actually send my loved ones birthday and anniversary cards on time. I know that doesn’t seem like a huge thing for some people, but I feel so special when my family and friends remember my special day! There’s nothing better than getting your very own birthday card from someone who really remembered. I’d much rather get a single card than 50 Happy Birthday posts on my Facebook wall from people who don’t acknowledge me the rest of the year.

(Continue reading…)

Christmas Eve 2015

Happy Christmas Eve everyone! Christmas Eve has always been my favorite day of the year, even more than Christmas Day. It’s the magical, sweet, candlelit calm before the storm of flying wrapping paper and stockings pregnant with Reese’s and little goodies. There are candlelit hymns sung in my small home-town church, followed by snacks and board games with friends, cousins, aunts & uncles—it’s truly the most magical day of the year for me and I can’t wait to get home tonight!

(Continue reading…)

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