Friday Thoughts {So Much to Say}

A Friday Thoughts post ready for you in…3…2…1! Let’s go! It’s a fun one. 🙂

{Here are some past Friday Thoughts posts if you are curious about what this series is all about.}

Quick Summer Updates

• We took off for a family camping trip the week after school let out (I had a high school graduate this year 👏🏼 but he didn’t want to walk in the official graduation ceremony, so the end of the school year was kind of quiet for us!). We headed up to Silver Creek Plunge campground for the first time and LOVED it. Stay tuned – I’ll be sharing our favorite Dutch oven lasagna recipe next week. It’s a camping staple!

• My oldest son, Jackson (20), is living at home while he works full-time. He is also in the process of enlisting in the Air Force. We are very proud of him and learning a lot as he works toward this goal!
• The other three boys (18, 16, 15) are working together at a bounce house company (and Cade, my 16-year old also is working three days a week mowing lawns and landscaping). Walker, my 18-year old starts his missionary service to the Philippines in two weeks, so there’s a lot going on and we’re speeding toward some huge adventures and milestones. The boys spend almost all their free time fishing or bowling.

• I did a little presentation for our church girls’ camp this week (it’s Cam’s first year going!). My presentation was basically about “On days when you don’t feel like you are enough, remember that God thinks otherwise.” 💗 When I was up there, I spied this “hug hut” that was in the middle of camp. It was so fun and welcoming! What a great idea (the girls were lined up!).

• Our little town recently got a Dairy Queen (people here either love it or hate it 🥴). And we’ve found the secret to enjoying DQ nights (ahem, more often than I should admit) is to order lots of mini-size blizzards to try all.the.flavors. I’m really loving the seasonal peach one right now, but the brownie batter with cookie dough is probably my all-time favorite.

• Summer is…interesting…when it comes to cooking (especially dinner!). We’re eating a lot of quick, simple meals. I try to add to my What’s 4 Dinner at Mel’s series on Instagram (saved in Instagram highlights if the link doesn’t work) to share ideas. Cam is baking bread again this summer to sell to friends/neighbors, and she very often jumps in for Sunday dinner dessert duty. She rocked the cinnamon scones!

Cookbook Party

Last week was my cookbook launch/signing party, and I hardly have words to describe the magic of the event.

Not only was the venue amazingly beautiful (and the weather absolutely perfect), but I was completely blown away and humbled by how many people came.

I met over 400 of you! Many of you stood in line and waited for hours to get a book signed and/or chat for a minute. I could have talked to you (and laughed…and cried) for hours and hours beyond the time available to us that night.

As much of a homebody as I am, meeting you one-on-one like that filled my soul in countless ways. Several of you came in from states all across the country. Others shared your favorite things (cards and sourdough starter and MORE) with me! And many of you made me cry with your sincerity and experiences and sacrifices to be there.

It took me years to finally write a cookbook. Your response (whether you were at the event or not!) has been absolutely more than I could have ever asked for. I have long felt that this, whatever “this” is, is so much more than “just recipes.”

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I posted a quick Instagram reel of the event here (thanks to Sara from Our Best Bites for putting this together for me!). The food by Whitney Fredin Events was so yummy…people are still asking me about those flavored butters! I’ll try to get recipes soon!

I couldn’t have made the event happen without the help of so, so many friends and family (including Emma, who stepped in as an event planner and literally saved my sanity – if you’re interested in her amazing services, message her on Instagram).

Also, all the merch available at the event, like homebody and other hoodies, aprons and menu planning pads, will be up on the shop site soon!

What I’m Reading

• Emma M. Lion books (I’m almost done with book 7) – witty, heartwarming, fun, charming. One of you even brought me an Emma M. Lion shirt and I am wearing it nonstop #iykyk
• Sacred Struggle – incredible book 💗
• The Choice – an absolute must-read memoir from a Holocaust survivor

Things I’m Loving

• These flipflops
• The permanent jewelry Cam and I got (LOVE, love my anklet)
• This air fryer – I think it’s available at Costco although I bought it on Amazon (I have a long sordid history with hating my big, bulky air fryer and have even done an Instagram series on how much I hate it…but this bigger, toaster-oven-style one has been a game changer for us)
• This chapstick (actually, I am loving this on behalf of my two kids on Accutane – it is the only chapstick saving their extremely dry lips)
• This Relyte electrolyte mix (most days I blend a scoop of this + a scoop of clean simple eats collagen into 12-16 ounces water and drink it midday) – my kids mix it in water after an intense workout
• These habanero BBQ almonds. Contrary to their name, they actually aren’t very spicy at all, but WOW, the flavor is so good. We always have them in the pantry.

Podcast + Health

Content warning: I’m about to say the word menopause. Probably more than once. You have been warned.

I recently listened to this podcast and this podcast (both from Huberman Labs) and can I just say: 🤯 🤯 🤯 (also reading The Hormone Cure – not all the way through it yet).

It has prompted me to dive headfirst into the pool of women’s health, particularly in regards to hormones and peri/menopause. I am embarrassed at how little I knew in regards to all of this; I definitely have some issues to tackle, but I’m kind of weirdly excited to keep learning, seek out some help, and make some changes. 💪🏼

Looking through all the notes I’ve jotted down, below are four things that stand out as improvements I can make now (obviously, there are MANY, many more than just these ones – gotta start somewhere!):

1. Increase protein
2. Eat lots of colors
3. More fiber
4. Lift weights/build muscle

I would love your thoughts on this…can we all stay open-minded and kind? 😘

A Few Last Things

Hmmph, this is quite the rambly post. But let’s continue with that theme!

Yes, our animals are still around! Lots of scratches, brushes, and fresh water to beat the heat during the summer. (We got 20 baby chicks in the spring and they will be laying eggs in just a few months, and we just had a baby calf born to one of our back pasture heifers!)

Temperature blanket is still coming along. Slowly but surely. My method is to get about 25 rows behind and then spend a few days catching up. 😬

We relocated our garden to our front pasture (necessary after it was demolished from the recent remodel). I have nine 4X8-foot garden boxes packed to the gills with…tomatoes. Ok, also jalapenos, peppers and a few other things, too, but there are A LOT OF TOMATOES, because I really only plant a garden for this salsa.

And on a final, more somber note, I just want to put a placeholder here to remember my sweet friend, Liz, who passed away from cancer last week. She was a powerhouse of faith, love, friendship, and goodness. She had an extensive network of really close friends who supported her and her family through her cancer battle, and although I wasn’t one of Liz’s closest friends, I did have the privilege of bringing dinner occasionally and talking to Liz about everything from pigs (she and her husband, Adam, bought kunekune piglets from us years ago) to her favorite scripture verses to if it’s ok to eat dessert before dinner. As I’ve felt the loss this last week, I’ve also felt kind of guilty for being sad. Like, that should be reserved to those who were the very closest to Liz, right?? But I’ve taken it as a reminder to readjust priorities in my own life so that I’m focusing more on what really matters. Life is so short; none of us are guaranteed a tomorrow, but I can make the most of today. And truly, I am so grateful for the light and influence Liz was to me. She always treated me like I was important and valued, and her example of living as a disciple of Christ with absolute faith will always, always stay with me. 💗

I hope summer is going well for all of you! Would love to hear your thoughts about any of the above…and I always want to know what’s going on in our world.