Beautiful Song

All Birth is Brave

Chantel Brankshire — Tue, 14 Apr 2015 15:24:37 +0000

Today I need to say something. I am a csection mama, and I’m not ashamed of it. It’s not been exactly easy. Sometimes I still run my hand against the scar and ache inside a little. At the same time, I am grateful. That cut means today, I have a living baby girl. I had...

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Find a Way or Make a Way {My Virtual Assistant Journey}

Chantel Brankshire — Wed, 08 Apr 2015 16:27:11 +0000

In January, I checked off an exciting milestone: two solid years since I officially began my journey as a Virtual Assistant. I have never been so proud, or excited about a profession as I am about my Virtual Assistant job. But getting here has been a long journey. Today, in honor of the book that...

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The Art of Cookie

Chantel Brankshire — Thu, 02 Apr 2015 20:23:15 +0000

There must be some special extra something required to be a master of the art of cookies. Something more than reading the recipe, and being careful to follow the instructions to a T. Maybe it’s some secret little thing that you are born with. Some of us have it, and some of us don’t. And I...

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to a new year

Chantel Brankshire — Fri, 27 Mar 2015 13:55:11 +0000

Twelve years ago, I wrote my first blog post. Blogspot was brand new, and I’d never heard of wordpress. Or blogging. I opened a new draft and wrote “Let’s see what this does.” For these 12 years, that’s pretty much been what’s happened here. I’ve written, and learned. I’ve shared a lot of crazy words,...

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Until Morning

Chantel Brankshire — Fri, 30 Jan 2015 18:45:15 +0000

She fell asleep today. As the clock struck out the first hour of the new day, her last breath breathed out. No more pain. No more struggle. Just rest. Quiet, peaceful rest. The next thing she hears will be the sound of trumpets. The next face she sees will be Jesus’ face. The next thing...

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A week gone wrong

Chantel Brankshire — Wed, 19 Nov 2014 12:24:41 +0000

My week went all wrong. Monday morning dawned with the extermination team knocking on my door giving me five whole minutes to grab our stuff and leave again. This time I had to be gone for 6 hours at least. Well, I grabbed everything I needed for Charlotte and me to spend the day at...

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Just for rest

Chantel Brankshire — Sun, 09 Nov 2014 03:16:48 +0000

It was one of those days. The kind that start our by lingering in bed late, staying in pajamas all day and sipping “coffee” curled up on the couch together. We’ve had crazy weeks. Weeks low on sleep, higher on stress and busy. And I’ve been tired. So tired. But today, we loaded up on...

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Morning turned beautiful

Chantel Brankshire — Fri, 07 Nov 2014 17:09:38 +0000

I woke up to the sound of rain drizzling down. I sighed. Our landlady and the bug guy decided that early morning was a good time to treat our house. Early enough that the baby would still be asleep. And then? He showed up even earlier than scheduled. I wasn’t thrilled. After all, one of...

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what’s on our table

Chantel Brankshire — Wed, 13 Aug 2014 18:40:55 +0000

Art comes in many different forms. For me, making a pretty plate with local food is one of the ways I unwind. When I try something new, and it looks appetizing on the plate, it makes something in my heart feel alive. Here’s what’s been on the table at the Brankshire home this summer. Best...

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The Beauty of Broken—a book review

Chantel Brankshire — Wed, 19 Feb 2014 22:34:22 +0000

“There’s no such thing as a perfect family.” If I’m honest, I don’t like that sentence even a tiny bit. If I’m still honest, I’ll admit that it is true. We’re all a little broken. Either by our choices, by our parents’ or grandparents’ choices, or sometimes just because life is broken. It’s ugly. It’s...

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a tradition is born

Chantel Brankshire — Thu, 05 Dec 2013 23:39:17 +0000

It’s been a while since it’s looked like Christmas here. Last year we were in California. I had only just dragged in the Christmas Boxes when we got our tickets and I had to drag them back out to the shed again. The year before that I had worked a super stressful job and was...

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Quick & Easy: Burrito Shell Pizza

Chantel Brankshire — Fri, 10 May 2013 15:22:46 +0000

We love our pizza around here. Loaded with veggies and just enough sauce? It’s a perfect way to round out a day. But, cooking pizza from scratch can take a long time. Ordering out isn’t always an option with our budget. And I don’t always think ahead well enough to have pre-made crusts on hand...

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Quick & Easy: Garbanzo Salad

Chantel Brankshire — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 15:24:34 +0000

I ate a bowl of garbanzo salad for lunch. For supper we had our version of fresh spring rolls. (for the third time in two weeks, I might add. Yum!) What do these two meals have in common? Both of them are simple, fast, and require minimal or no cooking. Those are the kinds of...

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31 Days: Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day

Chantel Brankshire — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 20:07:07 +0000

Since all of us kids left home, my dad has discovered a new talent. He makes the most beautiful, and tasty whole grain breads and rolls you could imagine. I am convinced that he could be a pro if he wanted to. His precision and attention to detail make him an ideal candidate for taking...

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Why Being A Writer Isn’t Easy

Chantel Brankshire — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 19:31:19 +0000

One day I looked up from behind and between a myriad of mini piles of papers covered in words and realized that I’ve always been writing. I’ve always made stories in my head, written letters out in my mind when I was suppose to be asleep and composed poetry as I worked. I’ve scribbled ideas,...

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