Author Archives: Ann Kirsten

Last year at this time, I felt that God was giving me a one word direction: SIMPLIFY.  And, I thought I knew exactly how that would look.  I pictured “simplify” in a romanticized...

There are people who don’t look forward to this time of year - perhaps you’re one of them.  The reasons for this are as varied as the people.  Some have lost family members and t...

A friend shared this recipe with me thirty years ago and it has been part of my Christmas baking ever since.  For one thing, the name is adorable.  Who wouldn’t want a cookie named &ld...

Every family has their own holiday traditions.  Some of them are sweet, some are touching and some are spiritual.  In my family, most of them are just plain weird.  Here are a few: ...

I tend to overestimate the food I'll need when entertaining. When I was a young mother, I gave a party and ran out of food (thanks to some voracious eaters on my guest list). I was humiliated. Ever si...

In my dreams, I wear a dress and a pretty apron on Thanksgiving.  My table is set like an Instagram photo and all the food is picture perfect.  My house is, of course, spotless and decorated...

Did you happen to see the post that Spirit 105.3 put up on their Personal Growth page entitled Stop Trying to Convert & Start Listening to Stories?  I can’t tell you how happy I wa...

The other day a little clich showed up on one of my feeds: "The same boiling water that softens the potato hardens the egg. It's about what you're made of, not the circumstances." I took a screen shot...

The other day, I was feeling particularly frazzled and tired when a lovely picture popped up in my Instagram feed.  It was a hand-lettered sign illustrating Lamentations 3:22-23: “The stead...

This week I received the most amazing package in the mail.  It was a custom mixed box of my favorite chocolates.  The card read:  “You are brave and beautiful.  You deserve t...