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Okay, so two things.

One: I don’t usually like pumpkin pie.

There. I said it.

It’s squishy and tends to be too sweet and I’m pretty picky about pie crust. Usually, I load up on whipped cream (my favorite!) and other desserts while giving pumpkin pie the side-eye.

Everyone: Have some pie!

Me: No, thanks.

Everyone: WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOUUUU ARE YOU FEELING OKAY OMGGGGGG

But really, I just don’t (usually) like it. Apple pie? Berry pie? Cherry pie? Yes, please. Just not pumpkin.

Until I made this pumpkin pie filling, which was 100% inspired by the fact that I roasted pie pumpkins and made pumpkin purée from scratch. Like, whoa. Who am I even? Maybe that’s why I thought I’d give the whole pumpkin pie thing another go…

And friends, I made it in my blender. It took about five minutes and I tasted it and felt like I could eat it plain — save the crust, and baking it thing — it was THAT GOOD.

Here’s thing Number Two: It’s vegan.

Whaaaat? I know. For some of you that might be weird, but it’s really, really good. Maybe I’ll call it plant-based to make it less scary. Being egg-free and dairy-free is also a bonus because now you know why I was cool with licking the spoon. ;)

But hey, it’s amazing and delicious and comes together in minutes. So maybe before you decide it’s too healthy, give it a try. Who knows? Maybe this will become your new favorite pumpkin pie filling too.

What You Can Do With Pumpkin Pie Filling

Most people make pumpkin pie with pumpkin pie filling. Made from scratch, especially with fresh-roasted pumpkins it is SO good. You can buy or make your favorite pie crust, load it up with this recipe and BOOM. Pumpkin pie!

I’ll have a recipe coming for that soon, maybe, but I wanted to share this now because 1) Thanksgiving is coming, and 2) most people have a favorite recipe or store-bought pie crust (or is that just me?).

Disclaimer: If you’re making this for other people, be sure to taste the filling for sweetness and adjust to your preferences. It’s not a traditional pie filling, so perhaps trying it for yourself before bringing it to your family’s T-day dinner would be a good idea. Just a suggestion. ;)

While testing this recipe, I made mini pumpkin pies which were so cute and delicious buuuuut, I burned the heck out of them. They still tasted great, but the recipe is definitely not ready to share!

So, after pumpkin pie, you could use this pie filling in cookie recipes (adjust the sweetener and spices accordingly), smoothie recipes, or heck, you can eat it plain!

The night I made this my husband spooned some into a ramekin and ate it just like that. (As I said, this stuff is GOOD.) On its own, it’s similar to a pumpkin pudding.

Tools You’ll Need for This Recipe

• Blender (I use a Vitamix blender for this, but a food processor would work great too!)
• Microplane grater (optional, but handy for the nutmeg)

That’s it! Simple, easy, and delicious. I hope you give it a try; definitely let me know if you do. I’d love to hear what you think.

Now I would love to hear from you:

What’s your favorite holiday dessert? Are you a pumpkin pie fan or… not so much? Let me know in the comments below!

Please share!

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It’s FALL. Leaves have fallen, the harvest has come in, and I’ve been sick with a cold because changing temperatures and school starting and LIFE. That’s me in a nutshell. Now let’s talk about pie.

I mean, pumpkins.

I mean, making pumpkin purée from scratch and thus earning kitchen goddess/god/non-gender specific awesomeness status.

But really, it comes back to making pie and I’ll be sharing my favorite pumpkin pie filling recipe soon (hint: made in a blender, suuuuuuper easy, and lick-you-fingers-while-you’re-making-it good).

Choosing Your Pumpkin

First, you want to choose the best pumpkin for making tasty pumpkin treats. The larger pumpkins we use for carving and teeny tiny ones you see for decorating - those aren’t what you what. Look for small pumpkins labeled “pie pumpkin” or “sweet pumpkin.” Those are what you want!

And if you’re at all confused or uncertain, ask your friendly produce person. At my local food co-op, they are wonderful about answering all of my (weird, bizarre, awkward) produce questions. They also labeled the pie pumpkins so people like me can’t make the mistake of grabbing the wrong gourd (I feel like there’s a pun possibility in there somewhere…).

Roasting Pumpkins

To make your purée you first need to roast your pumpkins. It is very simple. Just rinse your pumpkins to remove dirt and debris (since pumpkins are grown on the ground there is often a bit of mud/dirt on them - no biggie!). Then carefully slice the pumpkins in half and remove the stem and scoop out the seeds. You can save the seeds to make roasted pumpkin seeds (yum!) or compost them. Or give them to your chickens who consider pumpkin seeds THE BEST THING EVERRR!

Houdini says: Can I eat that?

Roasting pumpkins

This is the easy part! Simply lay your pumpkins face down on a lined or greased baking sheet. Rub the outside of the pumpkin with a little coconut or olive oil (I prefer coconut). You can also rub the inside of the pumpkin with a little oil and sprinkle with salt, but I usually skip this.

Bake at 400° F for 45-50 minutes or until soft; use a fork to poke it, if it slides through cleanly then you’re done! Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

And just to warn you: your house will smell WONDERFUL while these are roasting. Even without spices and sweetening, roasting pumpkin smells like fall and coziness and will make you want to curl up in a blanket with a good book. (See what I did there?) ;)

Once they are cool to the touch (usually after about an hour), scoop out the pumpkin leaving the skin (compost it!). Put it in your food processor or blender and blend until smooth. And that’s it! You’ve made pumpkin purée!

How to Use Homemade Pumpkin Purée

Pumpkin purée is best known for making scrumptious pumpkin pie filling (recipe coming soon), but you can also add pumpkin purée to cookies (I’ve got you - check back…), make pumpkin smoothies (coming soon!), and soups!

Storing Homemade Pumpkin Purée

To store, simply scoop your pumpkin purée, place it in a freezer-safe container, and freeze or refrigerate OR (my favorite) measure your preferred amount of purée - the amount for your favorite pumpkin-riffic recipe, for example - and put it in a freezer-safe zip-top baggie, then squeeze out all the air, flatten, and move to your freezer. Pull it out and thaw to use in your favorite recipes!

Tools for making this recipe

• Blender (I use a Vitamix blender for this, but a food processor would work great too!)
• Baking sheets
• Parchment paper or silicone baking mats
• Zip-top freezer bags (I haven’t tried these freezer safe reusable bags, but they look cool!) or freezer-safe containers

Now let’s make some purée!

Well, that’s it! Simple, right? And trust me - sooooo worth it!

Now I would love to hear from you:

What’s your FAVORITE way to have pumpkin? Pumpkin pie? Latté? Cookies? Soup? Let me know in the comments!

Please share!

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Whenever I work at the farm, I can’t help but take at least one photo. I try to simply enjoy the beauty, but I always want to snap a photo so that I can share it. It seems unreal to me, that such a stunning, magical place exists, and I wanted to share it with you too.

In case you missed it: Here’s the first blog post I shared about the farm.

The farm kitchen is cute but also functional. In addition to processing each week’s CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) shares, they also host events (like rehearsal dinners, farm dinners, and more) at the farm, so the kitchen needs to be up to the task.

And check out those veggie harvests!

It’s hard work helping with the harvest, but each week I’d leave feeling absolutely spoiled — with a cooler full of fresh produce and herbs. Well worth the hard work!

This fruit tree corridor was one of my favorite spots on the farm. Even better when the trees are heavy with fruit!

The farm cat liked to “help” with the harvest…

It is truly just a beautiful space. I feel so grateful for getting to exchange work for food.

Thank you for reading, friends! Let me know what you’re up to in the comments below … Have you ever done a work-share at a farm? Or ever thought about it?

Since I haven’t been posting on Instagram, I’ve missed having a place to share photos. While I’m shifting my perspective on blogging, from blogging to achieve something to blogging simply for the joy of it, I’ve decided to start sharing little snippets of happy life things here on the blog. Including photos!

Which means I’ll be sharing some photo-heavy posts (more photos than words). I hope you enjoy! Definitely let me know what you think in the comments. :)

For this particular tea adventure, we rode our bikes to Courthouse Wash. We hiked in a small distance, just enough to get away from the highway, and within minutes had the entire place to ourselves. Well, there were plenty of dragonflies and birds enjoying the warm fall temperatures to keep us company.

The cottonwoods were showing off in brilliant gold-yellow colors, and the peaceful sound of running water kept us company while we enjoyed our tea.

I’ll go more into what the tea-drinking part looks like in a future post (I didn’t take photos of it on this adventure). ;) But for now, here are some photos from our time there, plus a short post-tea hike.

The phrase “Tea Outside” was inspired by the “Coffee Outside” meet-ups, which encourage cyclists to get together for coffee and bike rides. Which sounds like great fun. It was started by a guy named Rob Perks, but I heard about it through the couple who runs Path Less Pedaled. So, hat tip to those guys! Visit their website to see if there’s a Coffee Outside meet-up near you.

Have you taken any adventures to look at the leaves this fall? I’d love to hear about it!

Do you ever struggle to eat your veggies? Lately, I’ve been trying to eat more vegetables, especially of the leafy green variety — spinach, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, kale… My stomach is still sensitive after the health challenges I had last year and raw vegetables aren’t always easy to digest.

I’ve looked for alternatives, like steamed vegetables and (my favorite) oven-roasted vegetables. But green smoothies have also given me an easy and delicious way to get in more dark leafy greens. I’m not sure why, but they’re easier on my stomach too (as long as I don’t go too crazy adding handfuls of spinach!). ;)

This smoothie is simple and quick — I almost didn’t share the recipe! But since I’ve been enjoying it so much lately (the fresh ginger really adds a nice zing), I wanted to give you a chance to try it.

You can add as much or as little ginger as you like. Fresh-grated ginger is simply wonderful, especially this time of year as germs fly and temperatures change. I find it warming as well as tasty. You can try powdered ginger, but I haven’t tested it — let me know how it goes if you do!

I’ve used both fresh and frozen spinach for this smoothie and like both options. The frozen banana makes the smoothie creamy, so don’t skip it! You can use as little as half of a frozen banana, and it makes a difference.

The blueberries are packed with antioxidants and fiber, and create a lovely blue-green color and wonderful berry flavor. Yum!

The spirulina is optional. Spirulina powder takes a bit getting used to, but it adds amazing nutrients.

From Mountain Rose Herbs:

The high concentration of amino acids has made spirulina a popular nutritional supplement for those who are unable to obtain sufficient calories and protein through diet alone, particularly athletes who burn calories at a high rate.

In addition to amino acids, spirulina is also a rich source of numerous other nutrients, including many essential vitamins and minerals. Research into the medical benefits of spirulina is ongoing, but there is no doubt about its nutritional benefits.

Buy Spirulina online or from your local health food shop (check the bulk section)

Ooh, not bad, right?

If you are new to spirulina, start small (maybe 1/2 tsp to start). The flavor can be off-putting if you put in too much. I don’t even notice it anymore, and enjoy adding it to my smoothies.

Enjoy!

Did you try this recipe? Or do you have a question? Let me know in the comments below!

xxoo,

Bridgid

Please note: This post includes affiliate links. If you use a link to make a purchase I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you so much for helping support my work!

Last year I started to get into burning candles in the evening or early mornings before the sun came up. It’s a great way to help my brain settle down at night; instead of turning on a million lamps (or using my phone/devices), I light some candles. The glow of candlelight is so comforting and cozy. Perfect for this time of year!

I decided to start making candles for several reasons. First, because it sounded fun; I like making things by hand and thought it would be enjoyable to learn how to make candles (and it was!). I also quickly realized it would be far cheaper to make them (versus buying them) and as an added side benefit, I could use ingredients I liked.

Many of the candles I have bought in the past used synthetic fragrances or non-clean burning waxes like paraffin. It’s a personal choice, but I’d like to avoid those. I have tried making beeswax candles, which are great, but found that I preferred working with soy wax. (I save my beeswax for making salves and other body care items!)

What follows is my simple approach to making beautiful, naturally scented candles at home.

Step One: Gather your supplies.

Here are the tools I use to make soy wax candles (click for links to products):

• Pouring Pot
• Lead-free wicks
• Soy wax
• Masking tape OR Wick Centering Devices
• Glass jars (I tend to find them at the thrift store but you could also purchase something online. Examples: glass jars, tins, decorative tins.
• OPTIONAL Glue dots (I skip these and will show you what I do instead.)
• If you’re not using glue dots, you’ll want an empty pen body (see photo above for an example)
• Scale (I like using a digital kitchen scale)
• A spoon you don’t mind reserving for candle making
• Newspaper or similar to lay over your workspace
• Essential oils (I used lemon, Texas cedarwood, and clove bud for this batch)
• Plastic gloves (optional)

After you’ve gathered your supplies, you’ll also want to clear away distractions. The wax will be very hot once melted, so perhaps warn kids/spouses/roommates, tuck away pets (if you can?) and avoid making candles when little people are running about. Gloves are nice because you can take them on and off and avoid getting wax or oil on yourself/your phone/everything.

Step Two: Measure your wax.

To measure your wax, aim for roughly two times the volume of your container. Take one jar (or tin, etc), scoop up enough of the dry wax flakes to fill the container to your desired candle volume, and put that amount into your pouring pot. Then do it again. That’s enough wax to make one candle.

Alternatively, you can weigh the amount of wax you need to make one candle (twice the volume one container will hold) and multiply that by the number of containers you have in that size. For example, if your glass jar holds 20 grams of dry wax flakes, you’ll want to melt 40 grams of dry wax flakes for one candle.

Step Three: Melt your wax.

I use the double-boiler method to melt the wax. To do so, set a pot of water on the stovetop and bring it to a boil. Place your pouring pot in the water. Note: You may need to hold it in place to keep it from tipping over. Spilled wax can make a mess! (Although spilled beeswax is much harder to clean up than spilled soy wax. #learnedthehardway)

Give it a stir with your dedicated candle wax spoon. The wax will turn cloudy at first, then will begin to clear. You’re aiming for about 200°F. When it looks clear, you can remove the pouring pot from the stove.

Set it on a trivet near your jars and allow to cool a little bit (you don’t want the wax to be too hot before adding essential oils). Another side benefit of allowing your wax to cool a little before pouring is that you’ll be less likely to have dips and craters on the surface of your candle.

Step Four: Prepare jars.

There are two ways to affix the wicks to your jars. You can use glue dots or you can use wax. I tend to use wax, but it can be tricky if the bottom of your jar is not flat.

To use the wax: spoon a small amount of your newly-melted wax into the bottom of your jar or tin. Thread a wick through an empty pen body (see photo below). Use this to press the base of the wick into the wax. It will act like an adhesive.

Once your wick is in place, use a piece of masking tape to hold it upright. (You can also use wick centering devices.) Simply rip off a piece of tape that’s wide enough to span your jar or tin, poke a hole in the middle, then thread the wick through the hole and press the tape onto the sides of the jar or tin. See the photo below if you’re like whaaaaat.

Step Five: Add essential oils.

Now that your wax has cooled a little, you can add the essential oils. Here’s a great article on how to make essential oil blends. I tend to try whatever sounds good at the moment.

The amount you use may vary. I prefer a mildly scented candle and I also don’t like using loads of essential oils in candles. I’d rather save them for making body care items—where their medicinal properties can really shine.

A good place to start when adding essential oils to your wax is 1/4-1/2 ounce of essential oil per pound of soy wax. Right now I aim for about 60 drops of essential oils in a large batch (nearly a full pouring pot, so almost 4 pounds) of wax.

The scent isn’t strong, but I prefer it that way. After you’ve made your first batch of candles you can see what you think and play with the amount of essential oils.

Step Six: Pour wax.

You’re ready to pour! Carefully pour the melted wax into your containers. Leave a little room at the top to avoid overfilling.

Step Seven: Allow the wax to cool.

This step is very important. You want to give your candles 24 hours to cool and set. They’ll burn longer if you do so.

(With that said, every time I make candles I get too excited about it and burn one right away. It might go out faster but I’m okay with that!)

Step Eight: Trim the wicks.

Once the candles are completely cool trim the wicks to about 1/4”. Use a sharp pair of scissors to avoid damaging the wick (or yanking it about).

And you’re done! You can light and enjoy your beautiful wax candle. Hurrah!

Let me know if you have any questions, and if you give this tutorial a try I would be delighted to hear about it! Leave a comment below or send me an email. I’d love to hear from you.

And… just for fun:

What’s your favorite candle scent?

Share in the comments!

The sun hasn’t crested the cliffs yet and the valley is still in shadow. There’s more than enough light to see as I make my way to the front garden, where raised beds are surrounded by miniature forests of self-seeding flowers and herbs.

Top-heavy echinacea blooms bob and weave in the early morning wind. Across the field, a cottonwood’s leaves whisper and swoosh. Crickets and birds are awake, and their busy, joyful sounds keep me company as I make my way through the garden, brushing past dew-soaked blossoms and making the echinacea heads sway.

I plop down among a forest of chives with my bucket, sloshing with cold water to keep the herbs fresh until they make it to the farm kitchen. The chives are bright and stand pointed and tall like green exclamation points, some are topped with purple-white blossoms that never cease to surprise me.

Birds call to each other from the trees peppered throughout the farm—cherry, pear, peach, and bushes of serviceberry, plus so many others I cannot name.

“Good morning!” they call. “Wake up! Wake up! The sun is coming!”

These moments—before the sun crests the cliffs, before the heat of the day reaches the farm—are like a held breath. Ready and waiting for the busy rush to get fresh produce from the fields to the kitchen before the heat sets in. It is a moment of peace and joyful stillness. The only rushing right now comes from the bumblebees, happily slipping among blooms, seeking out their treasures.

Before working at the farm, I didn’t know what chives looked like—beyond the tidy bundle I could buy at the grocery store, or the chopped green bits you might see sprinkled over your meal at a restaurant. I didn’t know they grew in great clumps, that they self-seeded each year and would come back, again and again, each spring if you let them.

Snip-snip.

Take a handful of the abundant chives, cut near the base. Pick out any dried out bits of straw. Add a few blossoms for color, to bring a smile to the recipient’s face. Band and tidy each batch, place in water to keep fresh.

I learned how to harvest chives from the farmers, two women who have poured themselves into running, growing, and operating a small-scale farm with the grace and precision of artists. They don’t simply put plants in the ground and pull them out when they’re done; they create a masterpiece from a mosaic of plants, dirt, bugs, birds, and people. Like a symphony of beauty with a firm undertone of hard, sweaty work hidden beneath.

Each chive bundle comes together quickly. Beads of water gleam like gems at the freshly cut ends.

Snip-snip.

Tidy.

Band.

On repeat until my bucket is full. I stop, but not for long because there is far more to harvest. The wind rustles through the cottonwood. The buzz of the crickets surrounds me. I take a moment to wonder what has the birds sounding so excited.

“The sun is coming! It’s here!”

It arrives. Soundlessly. Brilliantly. Bright sunlight crests the cliffs, spilling into the valley like golden honey. It illuminates the flower heads, waking the wasps who’d been sleeping on fallen pears, heating the soil and reminding everyone and everything what it means to be alive. To have one more glorious day.

Morning has arrived at the farm.

Thank you for reading, friends. I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into my time on the farm. This style of post is a bit different from my usual, so let me know in the comments what you thought! If you liked it, please consider sharing this post with someone who might enjoy it.

xxoo,

Bridgid

Photo: My mom sent me a colorful pair of slippers about a month ago, just in time for Slipper Season! They have cute little elephants on them and look suuuuuper cool when I tuck in my yoga pants. ;) Thanks, Mom. <3

Can I tell you something?

It is SO hard for me to blog without Trying To Achieve Something; without teaching you something, suggesting a book, recommending a tool or resource, that kind of thing. Do any of my fellow bloggers struggle with that?

But here’s why I’m trying: after taking time off this past year — a much-needed rest and reset instigated by my body saying, “OK LADY THAT’S ENOUGH TIME TO CHILL” (my body felt the need to say it in all caps, no punctuation. To make a point, obvs.) — I realized a number of things in the deep quiet and space created by not working, not feeding my brain constantly with books, social media, looking at my phone, planning adventures, etc. etc. etc.

One of those things?

I missed blogging and writing just to write. Not to teach something. Just to share. To ramble. Maybe share a recipe, just because I enjoy doing so.

It’s also what I started looking for as a reader. I found myself seeking out books by writers who explored the things I was working through — how to care for yourself as a creative person, how to explore and cultivate spirituality in our go, go, go power- and money- and image-obsessed society.

Do you remember blogging before Pinterest?

When bloggers shared rambling posts with thoughts and stories and not always with a point?

This was before the big glossy images in every post (man, I love making those!), before the SEO-everything, before making sure you ticked all the share-worthy boxes when writing blog posts?

And yes, I say this as someone who has taught a course on blogging, highlighting those very techniques… Which are great techniques if your goal is to increase site traffic. Less great if your goal is to care for your creative self, connect on a deeper level with other lovely humans, and follow your heart (versus that image of success you’re chasing based on things other people said you should want).

Again. I’m guilty of all the things.

I thought I wanted a really popular blog. That it would lead to (in no particular order)(and tbh, I was hoping for all the above):

1. ALL THE TRAFFIC
2. An agent and/or a book deal
3. Book sales
4. Blog posts that go viral
5. Soul mate writing friends
6. Oprah might call me
7. Financial success (i.e. making a living off my blog and books)
8. Unicorns
9. World Peace

And then, once I started getting site traffic, I wanted to teach others how to do the same. So I did. Only, the more I followed that path, the further I felt from the writer I wanted to be, from the person I wanted to be. I got so focused on numbers and likes and shares that I exhausted myself. I stopped writing what felt fun or fulfilling and forced myself to focus on what I thought I should write.

Looking back, I know I was doing my best. I was trying to make a living as a writer by following the advice I found from other writers. Well, at least writers who were/are online.

The thing that never occurred to me: There are writers who aren’t active online but who are successful.

And I don’t mean “successful” as in J.K. Rowling. (But her too, maybe.) When I say success here, I mean that they are happy.

Happy with however much or little they make. Happy with the amount of time they spend writing. Happy with the state of their health. Happy with the state of their relationships.

What changed for me last year is that, after a foghorn-style wakeup call, I realized that I wasn’t defining success based on what felt right to me, but based on what other people had said.

Things like:

You should write 2k a day!

You should own a fancy [FILL IN THE BLANK]!

You’re a romance author, you should wear makeup!

You’re a YA author, you should dye your hair a cool color!

You should publish three/four/ten books a year!

You should put more sex in your books!

You should put less sex in your books!

You should go to [FILL IN THE BLANK] conference!

You should post regularly on Instagram/Facebook/Twitter/etc. etc.!

You should shave your legs for #SockSunday photos!

You should buy all the new releases and take photos of them in front of your enormous and very clean bookshelf!

You should want to get X agent and make X dollars on your next book deal!

You should feel bad for not writing/posting/sharing/selling more!

Ugh. Even writing that, I can remember feeling so torn because I thought I should want those things, but they simply didn’t feel right for me. Writing every day isn’t good for me. I don’t like to write quickly (and I can tell my writing quality takes a nosedive when I do). I don’t wear makeup (it’s cool if you do, I just … don’t). Posting on Instagram/Facebook/Twitter is draining and not my jam. I don’t like buying lots of books (instead I request them through my local library!) or spending lots of money in general. I could go on. And on.

So… What does make me happy?

• Hanging out with our chickens
• Drinking tea
• Making things with my hands
• Walking in the dessert
• Going for bike rides
• Spending time in the wilderness
• A phone chat with a dear friend or family member, the kind that makes me smile so much my face hurts
• Learning how to grow food
• Writing letters
• Painting cards for people
• Writing when it feels good to write, writing what is on my heart
• Waking up next to my husband, knowing I have been given the gift of 24 more beautiful hours with him in my life

It occurred to me at some point that I’m already wildly successful. I have a full, beautiful life. I have my health. I can breathe in and out, go for walks, feel the warm sun on my skin, and enjoy the freedom and privileges that come from a myriad of causes and conditions.

When you realize you have everything you need to be happy/successful, then what?

Well, for me it looks like this. Writing sometimes. Not all the time. Blogging to blog when it feels right. Writing not to race to a finish line or meet an arbitrary deadline, goal, or marketing strategy, but to learn, to explore, to do my best. And above all, to care for my beautiful self. To ask what would be best for my health and happiness, not what I think I should do.

Honestly? I have no idea how this will go or what it will look like. (When will I publish a new book? Will I publish a new book? How does blogging fit in? What about social media? Answer: I don’t know I don’t know I don’t know. And that’s OK.)

I’ve been practicing checking in with myself before I do things. Do you do that? I ask that deep, quiet part of me that knows what’s good for her/us (bear with me) before I start something new. Just listening to that voice instead of telling myself to do X, Y, or Z because that’s what I’m supposed to be doing, or acting based on habit has been so powerful.

For example… (dramatized for funzies)

Me: Does it feel right to post something on Instagram?

Little voice: NO. NONONONOOOOOOO

Me: Okay, no Instagram… How about posting something on the blog?

Little voice: YAY! YES! I want to write about this, and this and this and this and let’s share recipes again! And and and—

This might sound woo woo or out there, but it’s been an important practice for me. I rarely checked in with myself before committing to jobs, projects, deadlines, and more in the past and it created a lot of suffering for myself and the people around me. Like a weak muscle, I’ve worked on strengthening this little check-in, starting with simple things (am I actually hungry, or am I eating because I think I’m supposed to?) and working up to bigger things.

Still, not knowing exactly what I’m doing is equally thrilling and scary (coming from someone who used to depend on spreadsheets, productivity trackers, and quarterly goals), but I’m delighted to be where I am right now. Exploring. Asking some hard questions. Figuring it out one day at a time, one moment at a time.

Now dear friend, if you made it this far (AMAZING!), I would love to hear from you - in the comments or feel free to email me directly if you prefer! (It may take me a long time to respond to emails, but I will respond.)

Have you experienced something similar? Do you struggle with expectations (at work, in our society, in your life or relationships) and feeling like the outcomes aren’t right for you?

What makes you really and truly deeply happy? And this could be today, right now, or big-picture kind of happiness. Whatever you want to share.

Thank you so much for reading, and for sticking with me while I explore a new path. :)

Sending a hug to you wherever you are. You are beautiful, deserving of love and happiness, and I’m so grateful you took the time to read this post. <3

Our yard is an absolute mess at the moment. After a busy couple of weeks and some travel, we returned home to a house project that required a good tree trimming. Our yard boasts two beautiful, large male mulberry trees, which might not have mulberries, but they do have impressive branch growth each season and provide ample shade — a gift in the desert. The price we pay, of needing to trim our trees to keep the roof clear, is well worth it.

After the busy buzz of the chainsaw, our yard became a maze of fallen branches and leaves. The chickens were delighted. They bob and weave through the branches, perhaps pretending they are real chickens; the kind that lives in the forest (versus the kind that race to our front porch when it rains and gets regular treats from their favorite humans). As we started to clear the mess, we even found a hidden cache of eggs nestled beneath branches. Chicken in the wild!

Even with the mess, the yard is such a lovely spot. We have a couple of chairs, complete with burn marks from the big fire that hit our neighborhood a couple of years ago, and a rickety wire table that falls over if you look at it sideways. It’s perfect.

And really, I blame the table.

Just as we came out on this particular, sunny but crisp morning, I set down my plate of goodies on the chair to make sure the table was stable.

Bad idea!

The moment I turned back to my plate, I caught one of our chickens just as she craned her neck around the chair and snagged a piece of my hot-from-the-oven banana bread.

I realize chickens may look small, the type to take a dainty bite or nibble of something, but this chicken managed to snag the ENTIRE piece of banana bread with her tiny beak. And it was an end piece, my favorite.

I had even brought out some stale sourdough for the flock — a very rare treat. I was feeling very generous… up until Harriet (the chicken) snagged my banana bread!

What happened next looked like a cartoon version of a chicken free-for-all. Feathers flew, squawks, chirps, and chortles abounded, and the slice of banana bread went from slice to crumb to memory in seconds flat.

After having a number of uncharitable feels towards my chickens (looking at you, Harriet), I got over it and was able to enjoy the over-the-top chicken antics (and a fresh piece of banana bread, one that I guarded with far more care).

Anyhow. Our beautiful birds seemed to enjoy the banana bread as much as I do, so perhaps it worked out okay. (For the record: banana bread is NOT a chicken health food. ;))

I thought I’d share the recipe, so you could see for yourself just how tasty it is.

This recipe is quick, easy, can be made vegan, and is a fantastic way to use bananas that are getting ripe. The lemon zest is such a delightful addition. You can skip it, of course, but it truly makes the flavors shine. Something else people notice is the flavor of the coconut oil. Use extra-virgin to get that extra-coconutty flavor; you won’t regret it! Another addition I like is fresh-grated ginger. Yum!

Enjoy!

I’d love to hear from you in the comments! Have something to share or just want to say hi? I’d love to hear from you.

What do you think about my chickens? Lovable, right? ;)

This post includes my MailerLite referral link. If you use it to sign up for MailerLite, both you and I will get $20 credits toward our MailerLite accounts. Woohoo! Please read the post for my full (glowing!) review.

So maybe you’ve heard that mailing lists are an essential marketing tool, but you’re still in the market for the email marketing service provider and you like hearing what your friends are using.

Or perhaps you have an email marketing service, but you’re not 100% in love with it. Maybe it’s too expensive. Too complicated. Or just not working for you.

If the above describes you, then you’re in the right place! Out of all the “marketing” I do, I find email marketing to be the most powerful and the most enjoyable. I love sending emails to my favorite people, and it’s important for me to have a tool that makes my work easier for a price I can afford.

I wanted to share my experience because I find this kind of recommendation SO helpful. I’m not an expert. I don’t have a huge mailing list. I’m an Indie author who wants a good, simple but powerful tool to help her connect with her audience. So keep reading if you’d like to hear what I learned!

Mailchimp vs. Mailerlite

MailChimp was a great app for getting me started (way back in 2011!). Once I figured out the basics I got used to it, and even once my list grew to where the monthly cost was prohibitive I was tempted to keep using it simply because it was what I was used to. Also, the idea of migrating my lists to something new was daunting.

But there were several things I really didn’t like about MailChimp, most notably that it felt complicated to use and the pricing was not ideal which, apparently, has only gotten worse. Since I’m not an expert on this, I’ll point you to David Gaughran, who has a fantastic article about the recent changes MailChimp made to its pricing and why he recommends finding an alternative.

I explored numerous different email marketing service providers. I won’t go through all of the services I tried, but will simply share that I came to the conclusion that it would be absolutely worth migrating my lists to MailerLite.

Why is MailerLite so great?

1. Customer Service
2. Ease of use
3. Features & design
4. Price

Initially, I liked the price, but what really captured my interest was that the service had all the features I wanted without feeling too complicated to figure out. It was SO EASY to migrate my lists to MailerLite—it made me wish I’d done it sooner! And walking through setting up lists, landing pages, automations, and forms was simple and straightforward compared to MailChimp. I didn’t need to watch tutorials to do things and I really liked the way my emails, forms, and automations looked—the designs, templates, and options are fantastic.

So I made the switch to MailerLite in late 2016.

Use this link to get a $20 MailerLite credit when you sign up

(I’ll get a $20 credit too!)

After using MailerLite as my primary email marketing service provider, I became even more enamored with it and the number one reason was the FANTASTIC customer service. Well, that and the fact that it was so easy to use I rarely needed help. But! When I did need help, I quickly messaged the customer service team, and each and every time would get a fast, friendly, helpful response. Often with a goofy gif or emoji. Every time I interacted with them, I’d be left smiling, with my question answered or concerns addressed.

I deeply appreciate it when I can simply ask my question instead of spending oodles of time searching help sections, YouTube video tutorials, and blog posts. And MailerLite’s team is outstanding. Every interaction I’ve had with the company has been so great, so positive.

This is the kind of thing that makes me stick around. I don’t feel any need to search for something new because I feel that MailerLite has all the features I need, but I also don’t want to go searching because their team does such a great job. I know that if I have any problems, I can go to them for help—and that’s priceless.

Even better, the longer I’ve stuck with MailerLite, the more I’ve seen their dedication to creating a truly great service. They’ve added new features that feel like they have a direct line to my wish list, and are constantly making things work better. Truly, I’ve gone from being a satisfied customer to a loyal user (aka fan girl, apparently ;)).

Which is why I felt the need to write this blog post!

I hope this helps you if you’re trying to choose an email marketing service. Or if you’re in the same boat I was in, where you’re using something you don’t totally love… Either way, I encourage you to consider MailerLite!

Use this link to get a $20 MailerLite credit when you sign up

(I’ll get a $20 credit too!)

I’d love to hear from you in the comments below: Do you use an email marketing service? Do you have any questions about MailerLite?

If you’d be interested in MailerLite-related tutorials or similar, let me know. I’d be happy to help you get started. :)

Thanks for reading!