In today’s episode, I talk about an incredible book about achieving your goals.  This week, I share excerpts from Mark Patterson’s book “Circle Maker” - A Christian perspective book about how to achieve your goals. Goals are important for us as humans, and I share 10 steps you can take to make your dreams and goals come true. Be specific, include others, and remember to celebrate along the way. 

This episode is sponsored by She Made Herself a Home, my book that will help you discover how to create a home that is inviting, beautiful, functional and uniquely personal all while staying on budget. It is a home decor planner that features beautiful photography from more than 40 real homes and contributions from other successful home decor bloggers. I promise it will make home designing an exciting, un-intimidating process. My hope is that these pages spark your passions, guide you to create spaces you love and most importantly give you the confidence to try something new. Anyone, no matter age, status, income level or past can make a home for herself and those she loves. Because no one has to break the bank to bring new life, intention and purpose to a home. You can buy your copy anywhere books are sold or at crateandcottage.com/book.

Connect with me on Instagram at @crateandcottage Visit my website: crateandcottage.com/

In this episode, I talk about how most of us do not know what fun is. While some of us still live with that same childlike playfulness, a lot of us- especially women- suffer from a crowded plate and too much guilt to even think of fun. This week, I share why as adults we need to have fun. You don’t need to schedule a playdate, but you should have time for fun! Having fun increases our cognitive capacity, enhances our creativity and improves our overall wellbeing. Playtime shouldn’t end once the real adulting kicks in. Though it might be hard at first, I am here to remind you that it’s time to have fun.

Article referenced: https://daringtolivefully.com/more-fun-and-play-for-adults 

This episode is sponsored by She Made Herself a Home, my book that will help you discover how to create a home that is inviting, beautiful, functional and uniquely personal all while staying on budget. It is a home decor planner that features beautiful photography from more than 40 real homes and contributions from other successful home decor bloggers. I promise it will make home designing an exciting, un-intimidating process. My hope is that these pages spark your passions, guide you to create spaces you love and most importantly give you the confidence to try something new. Anyone, no matter age, status, income level or past can make a home for herself and those she loves. Because no one has to break the bank to bring new life, intention and purpose to a home. You can buy your copy anywhere books are sold or at crateandcottage.com/book.

Connect with me on Instagram at @crateandcottage Visit my website: crateandcottage.com/

In today’s episode, I talk about how there is a common rhetoric amongst parents that we are raising children in such frightening times. While some of this might be true, I believe for the most part we are quite lucky to live in the USA and raise our children here. This week, I share why we should focus on uplifting our children, setting aside negative thoughts, and shifting our attention to building our children’s spirits through positive parenting. 

This episode is sponsored by She Made Herself a Home, my book that will help you discover how to create a home that is inviting, beautiful, functional and uniquely personal all while staying on budget. It is a home decor planner that features beautiful photography from more than 40 real homes and contributions from other successful home decor bloggers. I promise it will make home designing an exciting, un-intimidating process. My hope is that these pages spark your passions, guide you to create spaces you love and most importantly give you the confidence to try something new. Anyone, no matter age, status, income level or past can make a home for herself and those she loves. Because no one has to break the bank to bring new life, intention and purpose to a home. You can buy your copy anywhere books are sold or at crateandcottage.com/book.

Connect with me on Instagram at @crateandcottage Visit my website: crateandcottage.com/

In today’s episode, I talk about how the perfect marriage and effortless marriage is a fairy tale and not reality. The “Perfect Relationship” is for the most part, not real but there is an alternative. This week, I share ways to strengthen and grow your relationship when it comes to dealing with household chores. Open communication, fair expectations and equal division of labour prevents stress, allows couples to feel satisfied, and addresses the issue rather than place blame on each other 

• Rachel recaps last week’s episode on marriage and the responsibility and division of duties within the household, and how it is a ticking time bomb. She shares what that looks like within her own marriage  (:01)
• Communication is key! Having an open conversation about what division of duties looks like and explaining why certain things matter and certain things don’t allows couples to avoid stressing out about domestic chores. However, division of labour shouldn’t be a women’s responsibility! Rachel shares what she believes what an actual partnership looks like (9:42)
• It doesn't build character to give your kids jobs that you hate to do, it builds resentment. If you want your children to help around the house, have them choose tasks from your list of household responsibilities that they would enjoy doing (13:30)
• How to approach the conversation about shared duties and division of domestic labour with your chore (14:43)

This episode is sponsored by She Made Herself a Home, my book that will help you discover how to create a home that is inviting, beautiful, functional and uniquely personal all while staying on budget. It is a home decor planner that features beautiful photography from more than 40 real homes and contributions from other successful home decor bloggers. I promise it will make home designing an exciting, un-intimidating process. My hope is that these pages spark your passions, guide you to create spaces you love and most importantly give you the confidence to try something new. Anyone, no matter age, status, income level or past can make a home for herself and those she loves. Because no one has to break the bank to bring new life, intention and purpose to a home. You can buy your copy anywhere books are sold or at crateandcottage.com/book.

Connect with me on Instagram at @crateandcottage Visit my website: crateandcottage.com/

In today’s episode, I talk about communication and marriage. Over the long weekend, I had a chance to connect with my husband and we talked about what I could talk about on the podcast.  Richard and I don’t necessarily fight but we do bicker with each other like old people, only because of how long we’ve known each other. This week, I share ways that you can communicate with your partner and what communication looks like in a marriage. 

• Rachel shares how she and her husband got into an argument over the weekend and what transpired afterward (1:48)
• How to approach the role of housework with your spouse - tips from author and marriage expert Willard F. Harley, Jr’s book. One way is to identify all the household responsibilities  (5:14)
• Many women have this argument that they don't get the help that they need in the household, but this can be avoided through proper communication about each other’s roles. Rachel shares how this looks like between her and her husband (9:30)
• Communicating with your spouse about what you need help with is important to consider. Another way to address housework and avoid conflict according to Willard F. Harley Jr is to communicate which tasks you don’t mind doing yourself  (11:12)
• When it comes to housework marriage takes you a step further because you do things for each other because you care about each other's feelings and not because you want them done yourself (13:27)

Book mentioned: His Needs, Her Needs by Willard F. Harley Jr. 

This episode is sponsored by She Made Herself a Home, my book that will help you discover how to create a home that is inviting, beautiful, functional and uniquely personal all while staying on budget. It is a home decor planner that features beautiful photography from more than 40 real homes and contributions from other successful home decor bloggers. I promise it will make home designing an exciting, un-intimidating process. My hope is that these pages spark your passions, guide you to create spaces you love and most importantly give you the confidence to try something new. Anyone, no matter age, status, income level or past can make a home for herself and those she loves. Because no one has to break the bank to bring new life, intention and purpose to a home. You can buy your copy anywhere books are sold or at crateandcottage.com/book.

Connect with me on Instagram at @crateandcottage Visit my website: crateandcottage.com/

In today’s episode, I talk about feeling mentally exhausted. With everything that is going on in the world, and within my own household, everything seems out of control. As a mom, I want to be more mindful of what I say and feel so that my children know that not everything I feel is doom and gloom, and I know many parents out there feel the same. This week I want to share with you something that has touched my heart and changed my perspective, and how we can see the silver lining on even the darkest of days. 

• Rachel shares a passage from CS Lewis, a brilliant author, that has helped shift her perspective on what is going on in the world. In his quote, CS Lewis writes how we are already sentenced to death the moment we are born, but that should not prevent us from living our lives (1:47)
• Through loss, you learn that our lives will eventually end but you cannot wait. Life marches on! Though it seems easy to lament and mourn, the world continues to move forward and you must pull yourself together and continue to live life with joy (6:07)
• Rachel shares why she loves the word hope and what it means to her on a day to day basis (8:39)
• We are constantly consuming despite not having the mental space to store all this information. This increased level of consumption leads to compassion fatigue, but despite this, there is hope and there is good in the world (10:28)

This episode is sponsored by She Made Herself a Home, my book that will help you discover how to create a home that is inviting, beautiful, functional and uniquely personal all while staying on budget. It is a home decor planner that features beautiful photography from more than 40 real homes and contributions from other successful home decor bloggers. I promise it will make home designing an exciting, un-intimidating process. My hope is that these pages spark your passions, guide you to create spaces you love and most importantly give you the confidence to try something new. Anyone, no matter age, status, income level or past can make a home for herself and those she loves. Because no one has to break the bank to bring new life, intention and purpose to a home. You can buy your copy anywhere books are sold or at crateandcottage.com/book.

Connect with me on Instagram at @crateandcottage Visit my website: crateandcottage.com/

In today’s episode, I talk about compassion fatigue. With everything that is going on in the world, everything seems overwhelming and out of control. There is a lot of suffering and I feel like I am not doing enough. This week my anxiety is out of control but I want to share with you how I refocus, recenter and tackle compassion fatigue through the work of Jennie Allen.

• Rachel explains how events this have increased her anxiety and what she does to calm herself down, quiet her mind and refocus (2:08)
• How detoxing from social media and being constantly connected to technology helps combat anxiety, and allows you to reconnect with those around you (3:26)
• Compassion fatigue is real! Rachel shares how you can disconnect by reconnecting through another medium. We might feel connected online but are we connecting enough in person, with the people in our own circle? (6:28)
• Educate yourself deeply, speak up, and give and serve one or two big issues a day. Don’t try to tackle everything! Centering yourself in spirituality and God’s word helps remind you of that intention (9:09)
• We have access to too  much knowledge, too much power and too much news. In a world of “more” how do you step back and process it all? (12:25)
• Rachel shares a few Bible verses that help her soother her anxiety, help get over certain situations and address compassion fatigue (15:02)

This episode is sponsored by She Made Herself a Home, my book that will help you discover how to create a home that is inviting, beautiful, functional and uniquely personal all while staying on budget. It is a home decor planner that features beautiful photography from more than 40 real homes and contributions from other successful home decor bloggers. I promise it will make home designing an exciting, un-intimidating process. My hope is that these pages spark your passions, guide you to create spaces you love and most importantly give you the confidence to try something new. Anyone, no matter age, status, income level or past can make a home for herself and those she loves. Because no one has to break the bank to bring new life, intention and purpose to a home. You can buy your copy anywhere books are sold or at crateandcottage.com/book.

Connect with me on Instagram at @crateandcottage Visit my website: crateandcottage.com/

In today’s episode, I continue on from Episode 52 last week, to talk about a few ways you can eliminate toxic thoughts. I summarize key points I’ve read from Jenny Allen’s best-selling book that talks about how our thoughts shape our lives. It can be easy to feel overwhelmed by challenges in life and oftentimes thoughts control and affect our behavior.  I want to remind you that letting our thoughts spiral out of control won’t help us, and instead, we should try to eliminate our toxic thoughts. Change your thoughts, change your habits, change your outcome.  

• Why are we having toxic thoughts? Knowledge is power, so what is triggering these thoughts and how can we address and acknowledge them (4:07)
• Tip #1 - Acknowledging what triggers the toxicity can also help determine if the fear or toxic thought is real or fabricated. Once that is established you can then let go (6:40)
• Tip #2 - One way to address toxic thoughts is to do a “Tangible Act.” Rachel explains how writing a letter directed to some of her anxieties and thoughts helped her release some of that toxicity (8:49)
• Tip #3 - Focus on new and better influences. Surround yourself with positive people and allow that energy to transfer over (12:03)
• Tip #4 - Distance yourself from toxic and negative energy. You can also situate yourself in nature and allow the outdoor to provide peace  (12:31)
• Tip #5 - Connect with others and forge meaningful connections. This allows you to prevent yourself from ruminating in toxic thoughts and allowing your loneliness to make you feel sad (14:07)
• Tip #6 - Choose thankfulness. Rewire your brain and mindset to focus on more positive aspects of life and expressing gratitude (15:42)
• Tip #7  - Center yourself in Christ. In instances of despair and sadness, remind yourself what would Jesus do? (17:06)

This episode is sponsored by She Made Herself a Home, my book that will help you discover how to create a home that is inviting, beautiful, functional and uniquely personal all while staying on budget. It is a home decor planner that features beautiful photography from more than 40 real homes and contributions from other successful home decor bloggers. I promise it will make home designing an exciting, un-intimidating process. My hope is that these pages spark your passions, guide you to create spaces you love and most importantly give you the confidence to try something new. Anyone, no matter age, status, income level or past can make a home for herself and those she loves. Because no one has to break the bank to bring new life, intention and purpose to a home. You can buy your copy anywhere books are sold or at crateandcottage.com/book.

Connect with me on Instagram at @crateandcottage Visit my website: crateandcottage.com/

In today’s episode, I talk about eliminating toxic thoughts. With this being the last week before school starts, I've been busy preparing for the end of summer and the beginning of the school year, but I’ve had a lot of time to reflect on my own thoughts. Recently, I finished reading a book by Jennie Allen that talks about how our thoughts shape the lives we live. It can be easy to feel overwhelmed by our day-to-day life and oftentimes thoughts can be consuming to the point of controlling. However, I am here to remind you that letting our thoughts spiral out of control does more harm than good. It’s time to eliminate our toxic thoughts  

• With how life is going recently, we spend more time with our thoughts than ever. But how exactly do our thoughts shape the lives we live and what is the relationship with our health? (2:27)
• Rachel shares the 3 lies we believe about ourselves covered in the book“Get out of your head” by Jenny Allen, and how it’s impacted her own life (3:48)
• The danger of toxic thinking is the distorted version of reality it creates in our own minds (6:38)
• The power of repetition and interruption: How to combat toxic thoughts by redirecting them with something more positive (9:46)
• Rachel speaks about how her negative thoughts spiral and her habit of “burying” her concerns instead of confronting them (14:01)
• Changing your thoughts will change your behavior. What are some of your toxic thoughts and what categories do they fall into? How can you begin to change these patterns (17:26)
• What are some steps you can take and resources you can use to combat toxic thoughts? (20:40)

This episode is sponsored by She Made Herself a Home, my book that will help you discover how to create a home that is inviting, beautiful, functional and uniquely personal all while staying on budget. It is a home decor planner that features beautiful photography from more than 40 real homes and contributions from other successful home decor bloggers. I promise it will make home designing an exciting, un-intimidating process. My hope is that these pages spark your passions, guide you to create spaces you love and most importantly give you the confidence to try something new. Anyone, no matter age, status, income level or past can make a home for herself and those she loves. Because no one has to break the bank to bring new life, intention and purpose to a home. You can buy your copy anywhere books are sold or at crateandcottage.com/book.

Connect with me on Instagram at @crateandcottage Visit my website: crateandcottage.com/

In today’s episode, I talk about a profound revelation that came to me earlier in the day. I have a lot of stuff, and it made me feel overwhelmed with just how much I consume. It’s easy to get overwhelmed, but it’s also important to take a moment and center yourself. We can opt to worry about the small things or take some comfort knowing most things almost always get sorted in the end. I encourage you to focus on the less and be mindful of what you allow to enter into your home.

• Feeling consumed with consumption  (2:15)
• Refocusing on thanking the Lord for what we have (4:04)
• Seeking inspiration on social media and following those who encourage you (5:20)
• If I could raise my child again, a poem (6:28)
• When the mom guilt comes in (8:06)
• Building traditions and incorporating more fun and spontaneity (10:15)
• Less correcting, more connecting (14:56)
• Taking a moment to step back as an adult and tapping into our inner child (18:23)
• Slow down and enjoy having “less” (22:05)

This episode is sponsored by She Made Herself a Home, my book that will help you discover how to create a home that is inviting, beautiful, functional and uniquely personal all while staying on budget. It is a home decor planner that features beautiful photography from more than 40 real homes and contributions from other successful home decor bloggers. I promise it will make home designing an exciting, un-intimidating process. My hope is that these pages spark your passions, guide you to create spaces you love and most importantly give you the confidence to try something new. Anyone, no matter age, status, income level or past can make a home for herself and those she loves. Because no one has to break the bank to bring new life, intention and purpose to a home. You can buy your copy anywhere books are sold or at crateandcottage.com/book.

Connect with me on Instagram at @crateandcottage Visit my website: crateandcottage.com/