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Hard to Embrace

After finally choosing my word of the year (you can read about that here ), I was ready to embrace everything. Even if it was just a gentle embrace. To embrace change. Embrace newness. Embrace people. And I’m not going to lie. It’s been hard. Really hard.

February 25, 2020

My Word: EMBRACE

New year. New decade. New start. At least it should be. And it is. But for the past couple years I’ve chosen a word of the year. And this year I’ve been struggling to choose one. I feel like I am wasting time. Losing focus. Spinning a bit. Needing a direction.

February 6, 2020February 7, 2020

Thank You

It has been said, and I’ve said it before, that motherhood is a thankless job. We don’t do it for the thank yous, or we might never do it at all, but it is nice to be acknowledged for what we do. Nice to feel seen.

November 22, 2019

Another Bite

Last week I wrote about how funerals always make me wonder what people will say about me when I have left this world and gone home to be with our Lord. I resolved that more than anything, I want people to remember that I loved Jesus and that I loved them. Anything else is a bonus,… Continue reading →

Life in a Nest

We came upon this tradition kind of accidentally. The kids were young. Grade school and younger. And we were all sick. With a really horrible flu. The kind of flu where our bodies ached like we had run three marathons while being hit in the head with bricks.

February 3, 2020

Christmas Tree Sleepovers

A few of my friends do this too, so it isn’t necessarily original, but sleeping by the Christmas tree is a time honored tradition in our home. This year was the seventeenth year. We used to do our Christmas Tree Sleepover the night after decorating the tree. Now we do it when it fits best… Continue reading →

December 13, 2019December 13, 2019

Gallery Wall

We have a local art museum that is near and dear to us. It’s located right inside our house as a matter of fact.

December 6, 2019

The Naughty Stocking 2

Christmas Eve is just over a week away and that means it’s time to start thinking about one of our favorite traditions of the season. Because once the stockings are hung by the chimney with care, and the children are nestled all snug in their beds, my husband and I like to sneak away and… Continue reading →

December 16, 2019

Twenty-five and counting

Our 25th anniversary came and went last month without a lot of hoopla and celebration. I posted a couple cryptic pictures on FaceBook. Our closest friends and family wished us a happy day with many more to come.

November 21, 2019

Vegas Vacation

A couple weeks ago we took our son, Trevor, to Las Vegas to celebrate his twenty first birthday. Getting to celebrate milestones with adult children is new and fun and different and exciting. Gone are the days of themed parties like Buzz Lightyear and Spiderman, with cupcakes and party hats, party games and pinatas. And… Continue reading →

July 3, 2019July 5, 2019

Cookies, Cookies, Cookies

Each year on the Saturday following Thanksgiving, we throw a party to kick off the season. You can read about the 2018 party here. We make Christmas and Advent wreaths, decorate cookies, drink cocoa, watch Christmas movies, and write letters to Santa.

December 15, 2019

Oh! Christmas Tree!

Over the years my kids have made it their mission to find the most beautiful, ugly Christmas tree they can find each year. You can read about our experience last year here. This year was no different. Except that maybe the ugly beauty came more from perseverance than from the tree itself.

December 11, 2019

7 for Thanksgiving

This year we made Thanksgiving easy. Really easy. Thanksgiving weekend is always busy for our family. Kids come home from college, sometimes with friends in tow. There’s the Turkey Bowl in the morning (a football game my “boys” play in every year), the actual Thanksgiving meal, Black Friday Shopping, the Civil War football game, and… Continue reading →

December 4, 2019

When All You Can Do Is Trust

It’s a curious thing, adoption. Even open adoption. Because as the biological parent, you must walk away trusting that the people you’ve chosen to be your child’s parents are the best. You read their letters, look at their pictures, possibly interview them (I didn’t have time – you can read about that here), and then… Continue reading →

Choose Family

People often ask how I chose a family for my oldest daughter. And I haven’t really shared too much about it. My honest answer would be that I chose quickly. But not without a lot of thought.

What I Did For Love

“Kiss today goodbye, the sweetness and the sorrow. Wish me luck, the same to you. But I can’t regret, what I did for love.” ~song lyric, “What I Did For Love,” A Chorus Line. I wrote those song lyrics in an album for my baby girl when she was just a few days old.

February 20, 2019

Opening Up

I really hate disappointing people. But somehow I manage to do it anyway. Getting pregnant as a teenager is probably near the top of the list of disappointments I’ve provided my family.

January 10, 2019

Gorgeous in the Hood

I ran the Gorgeous Coast Relay in the Fall of 2018 (you can read about that relay here), so when I was asked to run the Gorgeous Hood to Hood Relay this June, I emphatically said, “I’m in!”

July 2, 2019July 2, 2019

Running Intentions

I had planned to write a blog about my running plan. Which was a great idea. Except I don’t really have a plan. I thought maybe I would create a new plan this year. I mean I’ve always wanted an actual running plan. Something to put on a calendar, of course. The idea of color… Continue reading →

January 18, 2019

Jesus Runs Too

I promised my friends I would write about the time I ran with Jesus, because it is a sweet and funny reminder that He is always with us. “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” ~Matthew 28:20 (ESV) A couple years ago, I was training for a relay run… Continue reading →

December 12, 2018December 25, 2018

Organizing Easter: Part One

I’ve been asked by some close friends to tell about Easter celebrations in the Mastrantonio house, and to include a list of what I’m putting in baskets this year so that those who haven’t even taken their baskets out of the attic (you know who you are) can get some ideas. In this first part,… Continue reading →

Organizing Easter: Part Two

I was asked to tell about Easter celebrations in the Mastrantonio house, and to include a list of what I’m putting in baskets this year so that others can get some ideas. In Part One I told about Easter dinner, Easter eggs, and organizing egg hunts. You can read about it (here). In Part Two… Continue reading →

April 18, 2019April 18, 2019

Organize the Meals

I think next to my faith and my marriage, the thing I get asked to write about most is how I stay organized. Organized with my household, my kids, our activities. Organized is a relative word. Honestly, I’m not that organized. I think I’m surface organized. But we have a lot of people who really… Continue reading →

January 16, 2019January 16, 2019

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Recent Posts

Hard to Embrace
My Word: EMBRACE
Life in a Nest
The Naughty Stocking 2
Cookies, Cookies, Cookies
Christmas Tree Sleepovers
Oh! Christmas Tree!
Gallery Wall
“Warm Showers”
7 for Thanksgiving

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