Red Stick Mom

As a single mom to eleven and thirteen year old daughters, one thing I have found to be true is there are always two sides to every story. With that in mind, I enlisted the help of my thirteen year old daughter, Angel, to help me tell our adoption story. Jess: After watching a single mom in our church take in three little boys and walk through healing and restoration with the family, in January of 2008, my then husband and I started praying about being foster parents. We had been married for four years, just built a house, had no kids of our own and knew the Lord was stirring something in us to do more than create a life...

My husband and I suffered with infertility for over 4 years. It was a time consumed with numerous doctor visits, injections, blood work, and procedures. It was a time full of worry and anxiety. It was a time of hope and then disappointment. It was a time in which every possible emotion came to be. It was a time in which we felt so alone. It was a time in which our faith was challenged, and a time in which we stopped living. Our entire existence became defined by this one thing. Then the time came to let go of our dream of becoming pregnant. We had to accept that this season of infertility would not end. We stopped the...

I love the holidays for many reasons, and getting a chance to host family and friends is definitely high on that list.  Now, while my cooking may not be up to the normal standards of a typical host, I can whip up a few print items that make celebrating a holiday just a little more festive and personal for all involved. I’m no stranger to designing and printing out lots of things that will only get thrown away in a matter of hours, but that’s not the point.  I absolutely love seeing people’s reactions when they realize something is personalized or made just for them. So this year for Thanksgiving, while it may not be my turn to cook the turkey,...

I absolutely love to be outdoors! Whenever I have a free moment sans kids, I like to take advantage of the chance to run off the frustrations I face each day as a single, stay-at-home, homeschooling momma -because there are many. The free time to think, breathe, enjoy peace and quiet, get fresh air and sunshine, as well as get your blood pumping...it just makes you feel good about yourself! I don't think I ever appreciated Baton Rouge until I began running. I lived in Houston as a child (one of the many places I have lived) and have always wanted to get back to a "big city". I associated "downtowns" with high-rise offices and a beautiful skyline. I just couldn't...

6:55 am in red letters on the stove clock. “Kids, let’s go. If we don’t hurry up, we will be late.” Now I see 7:00 am ... keep calm but we gotta get moving. “Bennett, you have enough toys for the 10 min car ride to school. You don’t NEED a bad guy. Buzz, Ninja Turtles, and Jake can all be friends in the car. How about we play nice and don’t bring a bad guy? Oh whatever, just get in the car.” “Avery, I understand you don’t like your shoes. You tell me every morning, but those are part of your uniform. The car is open, go get in your seat and buckle up!!” OK, kids out the door, lights...