Mother Dough Starter

Words & Photography
by Lisa Hsieh

These loaves were made from a starter by my friends in Portland...the mother dough starter is just flour and water, combined with the natural microbes in the air and bacteria on the baker’s hands...

I made two loaves of sourdough country bread (Tartine Bakery recipe), gave one away to family and kept one for ourselves. We top slices with sweet fresh figs and some Irish butter. These loaves were made from a starter by my friends in Portland. Since the mother dough starter is just flour and water, combined with the natural microbes in the air and bacteria on the baker’s hands, I wonder how my own starter will change the taste of my next batch of breads.

It's Not The Walls

Words & Photography
by Alexandria Smith



I took this picture out of a window on the top floor of a clients' home. So yes, this is their view. I've been struggling to find the perfect something for above our bed, and the moment I pushed the button, I knew this would be it.

I live on a farm, a long way from this city, but the knowledge that there are families of all kinds, people with triumphs and struggles and paths, all inhabiting these pretty buildings, intrigues me to no end.

I live on a farm, a long way from this city, but the knowledge that there are families of all kinds, people with triumphs and struggles and paths, all inhabiting these pretty buildings, intrigues me to no end.

We all have stories, they're never boring, there's always beauty, and each time I look at this photograph, I'll be reminded that it's not the walls, but the people, who make a home.

Speak Life

Words & Photography
by Danielle Murray



It’s so important to speak life into our kids. Even in frustrating moments. Something happened the other day that really shifted the way I think when I talk to my kids.

Tyler is definitely our independent child. She does what she wants, when she wants, and getting her to listen to us can be quite the challenge most days. I found myself telling her often, “You just don’t know how to listen.” In my mind, I was thinking it would somehow help her understand that she needs to stop what she’s doing and start listening to what we’re telling her. So the other day she was being her usual self and doing something we were telling her not to do, and I asked her, “Why won’t you just listen to me?” And with a snarky tone she replied, “I don’t know how to listen.”

BOOM.

That straight up rocked my world right there. She had heard it so much that she had digested it and held onto it and was becoming it; Someone who just doesn’t know how to listen.

That straight up rocked my world right there. She had heard it so much that she had digested it and held onto it and was becoming it; Someone who just doesn’t know how to listen. It was crushing for me and I knew my words were causing harm to her character. She knows how to listen. It just takes a little more effort on her part than some of our other kids.

Because of that incident, when she acts that way now, I tell her that I know she can be obedient. That I know she’s my good listener. It’s starting to help, and with prayer I think it will undo any damage I did with the words I was choosing before.

I just wanted to encourage any parent out there to truly be mindful of what we’re saying. Even when it’s not necessarily mean or hurtful, is it uplifting and encouraging to your child? SPEAK LIFE!

Sweet Orange Marmellata

Words & Photography
by Melanie Lionello

The fragrance of the oranges drifting through the house alone was reward enough for the days of preparation! And that it tastes like sunshine.

A week’s worth of effort is ready to eat today. Preparations for sweet orange marmellata from Paola Bacchia's new cookbook, Adriatico, started on Monday with pricking oranges with a fork all over then soaking in water. The water was changed twice a day. Then yesterday I could finally cut the oranges up to begin simmering in a big pot to make jam. The fragrance of the oranges drifting through the house alone was reward enough for the days of preparation! And that it tastes like sunshine. I’ll be making this again as soon as my last jar is gone.

A New Chapter

Words & Photography
by Katie Emmons



Sitting in Scarlett’s nursery putting the final coats on her dresser, thinking how freaking fast this pregnancy is going to go! Only one more month before I’m in my third trimester, and as relieved as I am that this is my last pregnancy, because holy crap my body could not take carrying another baby (can anyone say back aches?!), I know that there will come a day where I will mourn this season of my life coming to an end.

But I would be lying if I didn’t also whisper that I’m also slightly paralyzed by the fear of losing that part of my identity....the bringing a new life into the world, the starting over...

Come December, my life changes forever. Every new stage will be like closing a chapter and moving on. The days of longing for the tininess and slowness that a new baby brings, will no longer be something to satisfy, but something to process and accept, and press forward. I’m so looking forward to what that new part of my life will look like with my children, as they will continue to grow and change and teach me along the way, I really am. But I would be lying if I didn’t also whisper that I’m also slightly paralyzed by the fear of losing that part of my identity....the bringing a new life into the world, the starting over, the possibility of new life...it’s over in just a few months.

I’m ready, but I’m not. Does that make sense??