Welcome to my online diary. I hope you enjoy these short glimpses into my real, ordinary life.
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Sunday, April 26, 2026 – Truth Be Told (That Time I Keyed a Car)
April is always a notoriously busy month for our family between birthdays, Easter, and the Great Homeschool Convention in Cincinnati. Those last two events are usually in April but sometimes fall at the end of March.
This year, our April had a few extras. Our oldest son joined the track team, so we attended several track meets and volunteered at some too. The Reds/Tigers baseball series, which only happens once a year, also fell in April. As this is the one game we try to attend as a family each year, we made it fit into our calendar. Thankfully, the Reds smoked the Tigers on the night we attended – not that this pleased my husband or daughter. They celebrated the following day when the Tigers returned the favor.
Last but certainly not least, my husband and I added in a short getaway to the Smoky Mountains. Because our cars are aging (a 17-year-old van with 245,000 miles and a 22-year-old SUV closing in on 200,000 miles), we decided to rent a car and put our van in the shop at the same time.
Three days into our trip, we noticed a chip in the windshield on the passenger side on the rental car. The point of impact was about the size of a pinhead, but the chip radiated out from it. We had chosen to use our own insurance for the rental and worried at the extra cost this might cause, even if it was only our deductible. Because we spent the day at Cades Cove, we didn’t investigate anything until that evening when we learned that repairing a chip this size was usually between $50 and $120.
That set our minds at ease, but we still worried that it might grow bigger over the next two days. We also wondered if the rental company would up-charge a repair like this. As we spoke about it, we both agreed that we would point it out to the rental company rather than hoping they might miss it.
Two days later after the long ride back to Ohio, we had enough time to turn in the rental car a night early and did so to get the matter settled. The lot was nearly full, so it took me a few minutes longer than my husband to park our SUV as I left him an open space by the office for the rental. Finally, I was able to find a space.
Keys in hand, I walked around a car and toward the rental office. That’s when I tripped over an out-turned wheel and keyed a rental car that wasn’t the one we had taken. No one saw me do it. It was a nice slice out of the paint between the windshield and the passenger window. I continued to the rental office where my husband was waiting and shared this dismal news. Now we had two separate issues with two separate rental cars.
The rental car employee approached and we shared about the new issues with both cars. I think a customer damaging a car other than the one rented was a brand new use case for him. After he got over his surprise, he examined both cars, spoke to someone over his phone, and returned to tell us that the windshield chip was in acceptable parameters, so they would repair it without charge. The key mark I left on the other car was borderline within parameters, so they decided not to charge us for it.
Our policy was honesty and a willingness to fix the issues we had caused. That’s good stewardship. Truth be told, we had allowed ourselves to worry over this while reminding each other that God would provide. Yet even if we had had to pay for one or both marks on the cars, that would have been okay because that is what we are called to do in life. The chip was not our fault. The key mark, while accidental, was my fault. We took responsibility for both.
Bonus Tidbits: (1) Isn’t it ironic that within three days of having the rental car, the windshield was chipped, yet neither of our old vehicles has a chip in any window. (2) Those really old cars are both Hondas. We bought them both used (13 and 15 years ago), and they have served us quite well. (3) The rental company was Enterprise.
Wednesday, April 1, 2026 – Worth It
My daughter was in her first musical last weekend. She had a minor role in the opening scene of Anastasia and was in a few ensemble scenes later in the musical. She auditioned for the musical in August, began practices in September (three hours once a week), began twice-weekly practices in January, and went all in for the ten days leading up to and concluding the musical. Thankfully, they did not practice over the weekend between theater move in and tech week.
It was a homeschool production led by some very amazing people who gave it their all and made it truly wonderful. They rented a theater at a local college, rented and purchased numerous costumes, and bought and created stunning set pieces. Most of all they taught my daughter so many things that I never could and expanded her community of friends. As a people person she has reveled in the experience and can’t wait to do it all again next year.
Tech/show week was a lot for me, but not nearly as much as for those who run the show. I had not planned on accomplishing much with our homeschool work, and that was a good thing. I helped out with set pieces and did some cleaning at the theater. I also got to do a lot of driving back and forth and enjoyed some of the rehearsals. To see it all come together and watch as they ironed out the kinks just in time for opening night was amazing.
This was my first (second, third, and fourth) time seeing Anastasia the musical. My two favorite scenes were the train station with the song “Stay I Pray You” and Vlad and Lily meeting up once again and dancing to “The Countess and the Common Man.”
Although being a drama mama has filled my calendar more than I typically like, it has been totally worth it. Here’s to doing it all over again for years to come.
Saturday, February 28, 2026 – A Broken Streak But Not a Broken Toe
Since December 2022 I’ve successfully rowed 100 kilometers every month on my indoor rower. This was a monthly goal that I set for myself. Somehow, even in the hardest months, I managed to keep that goal afloat even if I had a lot of catch-up meters at the end of the month. I’ve pushed myself as high as 20 kilometers in one day (and paid for it the next).
February 2026 is the official end to my 38-month streak. At the beginning of the month, I worked two long Saturdays redoing drywall in our basement. The following Sundays were spent recovering since neck pain from working too much above my head gave me headaches. By mid-February, I had only rowed 11 kilometers. The odds of continuing my streak were already becoming iffy.
Then on Monday the 16th, I walked hard and fast into the leg of our couch, damaging three toes on my left foot. I knew I couldn’t row for several days. That Friday at a follow-up appointment with my doctor to discuss my heart, he took a look at my foot and sent me for an x-ray, fearing a dislocation as much as a broken toe.
Thankfully, the x-ray revealed no breaks or dislocations. However, I’m still having pain in the ball of my foot, so I haven’t rowed any more this month.
Maybe having an excuse to break my streak is a good thing. I always want to complete all my tasks – even if that means pushing myself too hard. Honestly, it’s a bit of a relief to reset and rethink my monthly rowing goal especially when I am trying to combine rowing with home remodeling which is always physically taxing.
Monday, February 9, 2026 – A Weight Lifted
I’ve been worried about my heart since a routine checkup with my doctor in May. He informed me that the murmur was more pronounced, and he recommended an echo-cardiogram. In early July I had that test. It indicated that regurgitation from mitral-valve prolapse may have moved from moderate to severe, but the results were inconclusive.
In early November, I met with a cardiologist who recommended a TEE (trans-esophageal echo-cardiogram). This test would determine if I needed to have heart surgery to repair the valve. I waited until after Christmas and confirmation with our health-sharing network that the cost of the test would apply to our high deductible before scheduling the TEE. Last Wednesday, I had the procedure.
Thankfully, the regurgitation is still at the moderate stage and surgery is not warranted at this point. My cardiologist, whom everyone at the hospital seemed to love, is leaving for a fellowship. Although I wasn’t his patent for long, I trust his judgement that my next step is to follow-up with an MRI in two to three years.
It is amazing the weight that was lifted with this news. I knew the possibility of heart surgery in my mid-forties was a burden I did not want to bear, but I also coached myself to be grateful that I could have surgery if needed.
I’ll continue to follow up with my doctor in the coming years to monitor my heart health. In the meantime, I’m doing everything I can (rowing, getting enough sleep, and trying nutrient-dense supplements) to be healthy.
On an unrelated note, I’m super excited that tomorrow Ohio should start to thaw out from the huge snowstorm that we had a couple of weeks ago. It will be glorious to see the grass once again.
Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026 – Snow and Cold
We received over twelve inches of snow over the weekend along with very cold temperatures. Perhaps its my Mississippi youth that makes me long for warmer weather that doesn’t cancel plans.
I’m thankful for my husband and kids who shoveled the driveway. We also had very kind neighbors who brought their snow blowers over to help dig us out. Even though we haven’t lost power, we’re being careful about the plumbing that runs over and next to the garage – dripping faucets at night when temperatures drop too low and adding extra heat to our laundry room.
The two-week forecast does not include any temperatures above freezing. When this feels like a hard pill to swallow because the snow won’t be melting any time soon, I remind myself how blessed we are to have heat and power even on the coldest days. After such a long cold spell, spring will be all the sweeter this year when it finally arrives.
Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026 – Basement Ceiling
My husband completed the 3-hour photo shoot of the kitchen on January 1st. I had a six-page shot list that included things like emptying out the corner cabinet to show just how much room it has and how many things it can store. I poured myself into cleaning and organizing the kitchen for three days as preparation. It was exhausting, and our kitchen will undoubtedly never be so clean again. Now to get those photos processed and those blog posts written.
We started back to homeschooling on Monday. None of us were early risers this week, so some days were long, but it’s good to be back in the flow of things again.
This morning I finally got back on the rower to get my first kilometers in for 2026. I tend to start each month off behind, but I’ve now completed three years of rowing 100K every month.
This afternoon, I’ll start mudding and taping a small part of our basement ceiling that we have decided to drywall. Although I’ve sanded/flattened several ceilings and done a lot of patchwork for our kitchen ceiling, I’ve never started out with freshly installed sheet rock. Here’s to hoping that I can do a good job.
I’m thankful that we purchased scaffolding a few years ago for our tall living room. We soon found out that it is perfect for standing on at the lowest level to work on ceilings (if you’re not over 6 feet). Now that I think about it, I hope I’m not too tall for the scaffolding in the basement. I’m counting on it to keep me from being up and down ladders and craning my neck too much.
Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025 – Prep for Kitchen Photo Shoot
Our Christmas celebrations with family are over, and now I have a full week to be home while still on homeschool break. Since we just replaced our fridge, and I have time to reupholster the last kitchen stool that needs it, we’re finally ready to do the photo shoot of the kitchen that we worked so hard on so many months ago. My husband is a photographer, so we’ve scheduled a photo shoot of the kitchen for January 1, 2026.
In the meantime, I’m finally getting every cabinet organized as I would actually like it to be, implementing some changes that I’ve been meaning to make for months. Everything is getting wiped down and ready. I’m making my shot list and checking it twice because I don’t want to have to ask for more photos (or clean again) if I miss anything. With the kitchen open to the family room, desk/hall area, and dining room, I need every space to look neat and tidy.
It’s a labor of love, but it’s still exhausting. Yet I’m so excited about the result. I have been longing to write about the kitchen since we first came up wit the new design. I have so many details that I want to document. The photos will be done soon, and school will start again. Still, I am hopeful that I will be able to write and organize my thoughts on this massive renovation in a timely manner.
Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025
Gratitude keeps popping up in my life. Yesterday, I read Gratitude As Business Advantage and watched a few Angel Guild short torches that focused on gratitude.
Sometimes we know to be grateful in the moment; sometimes that gratefulness arrives later as our understanding expands. Sometimes gratefulness is a step of faith, knowing that our present situation is not where we want to be but choosing to recognize even the smallest blessings in our lives.
A few months ago I was startled when the supplement I ordered from Amazon turned out to be a name-brand laptop/phone charger. It had a label for my supplement on it, but it was clearly not what I had ordered. Amazon allowed me to keep the charger and refunded my order. However, I had no need of the charger, and I was not grateful that my order was wrong.
A couple of weeks ago as I was blow drying my hair before church, the lights flashed and a puff of smoke went up. The twenty-year-old+ hair dryer stopped working immediately although it was still plugged in. I could see the wires at the base of the dryer where the plastic was torn and melted. In that moment I was grateful for a safety plug (and a backup GFCI outlet had it been needed).
I do not know if the cord of my hair dryer was already fraying at the time of the incident. However, I had recently noticed that the charging cord to my laptop was beginning to fray at one end. I had even made a poor attempt to wrap it with electrical tape. After searching the vendor website for replacement chargers with no success, I remembered the charger that Amazon had mistakenly delivered months before. My husband located the charger and confirmed that it would work for my laptop.
I realized then that God had provided the laptop charger to me before I knew I needed it. He also used the hair dryer as a lesson to me to replace the laptop cord, which I use much more frequently than the hair dryer. I am grateful for his provision of the charger and the warning to replace it before it could cause a fire.
Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025
It’s been a full week here in Ohio, including our first snow day. Of course, my kids had school anyway after they shoveled our driveway.
I also had to lead co-op STEM class with only a week’s notice, subbing for the other team. My teaching partner suggested a Christmas-themed lesson, and we decided to teach binary digits with a candy cane coloring page. I also found a great resource on Teachers Pay Teachers for Christmas-themed tangrams. Thanks to my daughter’s Cricut Maker 3, I was able to cut 100 tangram puzzle sets accurately and relatively quickly.
Our two middle children competed in First LEGO League with their team. While they didn’t advance to the next round, their robot performed well, and they had the opportunity to present a group project in front of a team of judges. Although they’re disappointed not to have moved on, the silver lining is that our family calendar now has more margin for the next two months than it would have otherwise had.
We also discovered that our youngest suffered a concussion from a collision with his sister. We’re adjusting his school schedule and activities to try to avoid headaches and rest immediately if one occurs. This is all new to us, but thankfully his concussion does not appear to have been severe. We’ll follow up with his pediatrician this week.
Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025
Today we called my cousin and sang Happy Birthday to her. This isn’t something we’ve ever done before, but she’s been on our minds a lot over the past several months. I didn’t grow up near Tera, and our paths tend to cross only once a year at her mom’s house in Kentucky, but she and her husband had a big impact on our family this year.
For years Tera has offered her home to us if we ever found ourselves in the Atlanta area. When we decided to have our oldest child take the Johnson O’Connor aptitude test, which our family pastor recommends for high school students, we were excited to see that Atlanta was one of our closest testing centers.
I don’t think I knew the full depth that hospitality could take until we stayed with Tera for several days in August. She made us feel so welcome in her home, going above and beyond to see that all of our needs were met. On the day of the aptitude test, she and my aunt watched our younger kids and treated them to lunch and flavored vinegar to serve over ice cream. Tera made every meal that we shared special. We finished our last night with Guesstures and an epic game of Pictionary that kept us up late into the night.
Tera’s extravagant hospitality is a new standard that I hope to live up to someday. At a time when we couldn’t afford a big vacation for our kids, Tera gave us the gift of great memories and family togetherness. I’m grateful to have had those days together and look forward to future trips to visit Tera and her family in the coming years.
Friday, Nov. 28, 2025
Thanksgiving break with family was exactly what I needed. My in-laws have always created a home away from home for us where we can relax and leave the stress of ordinary days behind. My favorite part is always conversation – whether catching up or sharing deeper things. Weather permitting, we’ll get to spend some much-needed time with my family this weekend.
It’s not officially winter yet, and we’re already taking weather forecasts into account here in Ohio. The truth, beauty, and goodness of the Christmas season make the beginning of winter bearable for me.
Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025
Today was restful yet productive. While the kids enjoyed the day off from school, I prepped food for the next few days, ran a load of laundry, updated my address book for sending out Christmas cards, and updated the meal planning calendar that I use for 2026.
The kids finalized their Christmas lists with me so that we can share them with grandparents and cousins for their gift exchange. We base their lists off of the want, need, wear, read idea, making sure to cover every category so that not all items are wants.
I finished the night with a slow 10K on the rower, perhaps my slowest yet. While rowing, I continued to listen to the second book in the Little Britches series and thoroughly enjoyed being transferred back in time to the early 1900s in Colorado.
Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025
For the first Saturday in seemingly forever, none of us had morning plans, so we watched the first two episodes of This Old House Season 47: Carolina Comeback. While we enjoyed snuggling together in our pajamas, we were reminded of the devastation that hurricane Helene unleashed in the Asheville area. We heard amazing stories of survival and neighbors helping neighbors.
The kids are officially on Thanksgiving break. Well our oldest has a little bit of logic and biology class on Monday, but all other classes are halted for the week.
I, however, have spent most of the day preparing for school. I’ve scheduled out everything for the three weeks of school between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I also began printing out everything we need to complete Passport Project: Ancient Rome, which includes a lap book, scrapbook, audio tours, and optional crafts. I hope to finish my school prep, which includes creating science worksheets, by Monday.
My husband installed a new toilet in our kids’ bathroom, which we had remodeled a few years ago. Unfortunately, the old one leaked into the floor last Saturday night, and he had to remove the toilet, vanity, and flooring. Thankfully, we were able to verify no water damage between the second floor and basement. Had we not moved a wall when we remodeled our first floor bathroom in 2020, the water would have pooled over that bathroom ceiling. Instead, it rode the pipes to the basement and fell safely away from all HVAC and plumbing equipment.
Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025
We wrapped up our eight-week Parenting 201 class at church tonight with dinner together and a question and answer session. It’s been really great to meet up with other like-minded parents who don’t limit their sharing to the things that are working but are willing to humble themselves and be vulnerable about struggles too.
Every stage of parenting is new and challenging. I’m thankful that our church has a strong family ministry that brings parents together so that we can learn from each other along the way.
Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve gotten to reread Little Britches: Father and I Were Ranchers for the third time as part of our homeschool. It’s a true story that takes place on a ranch near Denver in the early 1900s. Due to some language I choose to edit this book on the fly as I read it aloud, but I am thankful that Sonlight included it in our study of American History. Every time I read it, I know that I will cry, but I love the father/son relationship in this book and the character lessons woven throughout.
I’ve never read the remaining seven books in the series, but I just found an audio version of book two on Hoopla to listen to the next time that I row.
Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025
Life. Family. Friends. Church. Homeschool. Projects.
I think about blogging often, but it sits on the back burner, waiting for me to accomplish everything else on my list first. Unfortunately, my to-do list never ends; it just grows no matter how much I check off.
I have a friend who makes me laugh when she says of distant obligations, “That’s a problem for future Sarah.” I think I spend so much time and effort trying to clear the way to make life easier for “future Rebecca” that I often have trouble living in the moment. I keep telling myself that if I can just get through life’s current demands, it will all be better.
My calendar fills up before I know it with good, worthy things. So I push blogging and other tasks/wants/dreams off to another day/month/year. Because this diary will bring me back to my blog on a regular basis, I hope it inspires me to write more posts on a regular basis.