Wishing you a sweet Thanksgiving with your family and friends, guys! It's nice and gray and frosty here today, and all I can think about is loading up the car and getting the holiday started. Today we leave for Thanksgiving in Nebraska with my side of the family. I cannot wait to get there! Talking, eating, shopping, hanging up the stockings, and being home for the holidays; what more could I ask for? This year I'm making the green bean casserole and bringing the ingredients for Grant to make this incredible sweet and spicy kettle corn that he's been perfecting. While we're on the road, we'll probably talk about baby names and I have plans to finally start reading a birth book. I'm currently in the middle of week 34 with this babe and feeling both excited and nervous to be approaching the end/beginning.

SHOP NOTE: any orders placed in my shop over the Thanksgiving holiday will be shipped out Monday, December 2nd!


Hadley and I made a Thanksgiving garland last week, based on Casey's cute one. We didn't have pinecones and I wasn't brave enough to introduce glitter to my 2-year-old yet, but it was still fun to make. All I did was gather up some construction paper colors I liked, cut up the paper into feathers and strung them on some white string. If Hadley were old enough to express her gratitude with more than just "Tay!" (Thanks!) we could have written out some things we are thankful for and added them to the garland too. :)


This year on Thanksgiving, I'm especially grateful to the Lord for some simple (huge) things.
a. this new life inside of me
b. new life in Christ
c. a steadfast, sweet, and smart husband
d. healing
e. food on our table and bodies that can enjoy it
f. a daughter to nurture and be my faithful little companion
g. a warm house and clothes on our backs
h. our car that got us to and fro throughout another year
i. family and friends to fellowship with
j. peaceful days
k. opportunities for growth
l. having enough, and then some

Thank you, Lord!

Yesterday was one of those days where you walk across the room doing one task, and by the time you get to the other side of the room, you're on a different mission completely. My to-do list was in full swing, and so were the sidetracks. Basically, I ran around the house wearing myself out, avoiding the big jobs that were hanging most over my head. I was glad to be getting the little things done, but I'm sure I could have done them more peacefully knowing the bigger tasks were done or underway.

When I finally took a moment to sit down at our table, and talk with Jesus, and read a little Spurgeon, I found this (see quote above). This passage had been underlined by Grant years ago, but it was perfect for me at that moment. It talked about how we all think "later we'll attend to the serious things" and it ends up being a lifetime of later. Which can either be a lazy or an exhausting way to spend a life, ironically. For me constantly avoiding a job takes effort- it saps my energy and thoughts. My time at the table ended in asking for His wisdom to know how to catch the flying hour instead of flying around my house, refusing to be caught.

So what was on the agenda for the day? (because some day I will come back to this post and wonder what I was so supposedly "busy" with)

Laundry, printing invoices and processing orders from my little shop, vacuuming, a bath for Hadley, potty training, baking and photographing some cookies for a blog contribution I'm doing soon, dishes, going to the chiropractor, making a new batch of homemade diaper wipes, washing bedding, cooking some soaked quinoa, cleaning the kitchen and our bedroom, washing out the crockpot, making a packing list for Thanksgiving, planning a meal to bring on the road trip to Grandma's, cleaning out the fridge, and making my sister-in-law Heidi's yummy honey mustard chicken.

Blogged 2 years ago: Simple Roasted Cauliflower Soup

Yesterday, as the shop orders came in and it started to snow, we played with the Christmas decorations. They're not "up" yet, so now is the perfect time to play-- before they're plugged in. Hadley is obviously in the middle of a very important sentence of gibberish right here. But to get to my point, huge thanks to everybody who ordered things from the shop yesterday and today!! We've already been busy packing and taping and running to the post office, so thank you.


Just a reminder that The 50 Promises are 10% off right now, but the sale will be ending soon. So order fast! Next week we'll get back to Thanksgiving style posts, I promise. Since it's so late this year, I felt like I needed to get a jump on Christmas! I don't think anyone really minds that much. :)

Have a great weekend! We'll be grocery shopping for my contribution to the Thanksgiving Feast, possibly putting up our Christmas decorations, and possibly making the ice rink in our backyard (Grant).

Edited to add: I don't know why Big Cartel has their carts set up the way they do, and I know some have had problems with it in the past. If you want to increase the quantity of items in your order (like ordering 2 sets of 50 Promises), you have to go back to the home shop page and add it to your cart again. So sorry! I wish I could set it up differently. Please, if you guys run into any issues with the cart over there, shoot me an email so I can look into it and help you figure it out! summer.harms@gmail.com

Hope you have a great Thurs! Ours is off to a blustery start, with newspapers blowing around the street outside our house and leaves smacking our windows. The snow is supposed to start falling around lunchtime! We cannot wait. Better go make some cocoa in preparation. And in the meantime, I will start packing up your Christmas orders!

Blogged one year ago: If you have gluten-free company coming over... GF Banana Pancakes
Blogged two years ago: GAPS-friendly Toasty Butternut Pancakes

You can tell that I'm ready for another baby in my life. When I carve out time to make a meal like this for lunch on a regular old Tuesday, it means I'm feeling sentimental, domestic, and hungry. (aka: pregnant.) Yes indeed, Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole holds a special place in my heart. It's what I think of when I hear the words "comfort food." So, when I realized we had a bowl of leftover roasted chicken, a head of organic broccoli I had gotten on sale, and plenty of homemade chicken broth all in the fridge at the same time, I knew what I had to do.


This is what a skillet full of comfort food looks like in my eyes. And it's made with real ingredients, so now it's extra comforting. Speaking of comfort-- the other night at dinner time, when Grant was praying before our meal, he was thanking Jesus that we were inside a house, instead of outside somewhere looking for a cardboard box to stay in for the night. It hit me when he said those words, specifically the cardboard box imagery, how horrible that would actually be, and how wonderful we really have it. Thank you, Lord Jesus! For a warm house and hot food every day!



Blogged 2 years ago: A Roasted Chicken

While the men were out hunting deer last weekend at our annual family Deer Hunting get-together, all of us sisters-in-law were back at camp making food, minding kids, talking, snacking, and we somehow found a few spare minutes to mix up this homemade mouthwash. It's super easy, refreshing, and minty-yummy. I'm not normally a mouthwash person, but I'm kind of hooked on this.

We followed this recipe from The Nourished Life, although we didn't have all of the essential oils it called for and ours still turned out nice. The great thing about this mouthwash is the ingredients it's made from. Not only do they freshen your breath, they can help remineralize, whiten, and protect your teeth. And, of course, we all liked that it doesn't have any of the fake sweeteners or chemical additives that are in ordinary store-bought mouthwashes.

Disclaimer: As you guys can probably guess, I'm super interested in foodie stuff and do quite a bit of reading about nourishing and caring for our bodies. I wish I blogged about health & nutrition more, and will probably start doing some posts on these topics soon, because I usually get a few emails a week with questions about gut health, digestion, food issues, etc. But I struggle with how I want this information to be perceived via a blog post. I don't like to play doctor. I'm not an expert. I just like to learn. I don't want it to seem like I'm presenting my experience as the standard or my views as the ideal. I'd rather just feel free to share things here that have been helpful for me, with the hope that they may be helpful to someone else. Like we're chatting across the kitchen table. 

With that being said, here are a few supplements that have been beneficial in my life, in my family, in my body. And I'm willing to share them with you because I know you'll accept them as just that! 







1. Organic 3 Gut Pro probiotic powder. I like to eat fermented foods/drinks because they tend to have a wider spectrum and larger volume of probiotic strains, but I do take this supplement as well. It's a convenient way to pack in an extra punch of beneficial bacteria. And, with another human being inside me, I can't get too much of those good guys right now. I like this probiotic in particular because it doesn't have any fillers, allergens, additives- no unnecessary ingredients. I've seen it's effectiveness in everyone in my family, and over time it ends up being one of the least expensive probiotics on the market. I take this first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.

2. New Chapter Perfect Prenatal Multivitamin. Last time I was pregnant, I just took the prenatal vitamin someone handed me at a clinic. I had no idea what was in it. This time, I was excited to pick out my own, because I knew what I wanted. I chose this one because it's made from whole, cultured foods, it's non-GMO, and it even has a blend of sprouted seeds in it- so it's extra digestible. Plus, it's available on Amazon Prime and it never bothers my stomach a bit. I take one tablet with each meal.

3. Ancient Minerals Magnesium Oil. After Hadley was born, I learned that I was very deficient in magnesium. For a great, great read on how crucial magnesium is, why it's so common to not get enough of it through our food and water, and what symptoms are related to magnesium deficiency, read this post by Cheeseslave. I love it. And I'm in love with magnesium!! I supplement with this magnesium oil, instead of a pill, because it's much more easily and efficiently absorbed via the skin (our largest organ) than the digestive system. Also, digestion changes a lot during pregnancy, which can make it even tougher to absorb magnesium from your food, multivitamins, etc. I use the oil almost daily, as I'm trying to correct my magnesium deficiency as much as I can before the baby comes, but I know that my pregnant body is currently using the bulk of nutrients I put in it and isn't able to store up much. I will still continue supplementing with magnesium oil after the baby is born. I chose this Ancient Minerals brand of magnesium oil because it's completely free of mercury, lead, arsenic, and fluoride. It works great and makes my skin so soft! There was a tingly-itchy feeling the first few times I used it, but that has gone away now. I spray it on my torso, arms, and thighs after I take a shower, leave it on for 20 minutes while I put in my contacts, dry my hair, etc, and then wipe it off with a warm cloth and put on some lotion. Make sure you moisturize the areas you put it on, because that will help with any dryness/itchiness.

On another- possibly hugely helpful- note, vitamin D and magnesium really helped tame my morning sickness! If you're interested in reading more about how morning sickness and magnesium are connected, check out this post by Wellness Mama or this post by Mommypotamus.

4. Green Pasture's Fermented Cod Liver Oil. Because I believe in healthy fats!! And I think cod liver oil is a healing superfood! I take this one because it's a fermented, raw, live food- it has not been heated. So, the life-giving nutrients (vitamins A and D, EFA/DHA, omegas) have not been destroyed by the manufacturing process. Along with magnesium, I was also deficient in vitamin D after Hadley's birth and throughout the first year of nursing, and cod liver oil is one of the best sources (after the sun- which I took full advantage of while pregnant this summer) for real, bioavailable vitamin D.

5. Naturally fermented sauerkraut -- not actually a supplement, but I think of it as something to "take" every day because it is such a nutrient-dense, probiotic and enzyme-rich, healing food. We make ours homemade, but I like this store-bought brand, too, because it's inexpensive and made using traditional methods, with only cabbage, water, and sea salt. We also like to make a sauerkraut salsa sometimes, which is a blend of cultured veggies and peppers that tastes really great with eggs for breakfast. Sauerkraut is high in B vitamins, also vitamins C and K, calcium, magnesium, fiber, folate, iron, potassium, copper, and manganese. (The fermentation process increases the bioavailability of nutrients making it more nutritious and digestible than plain cabbage.) Honestly, I care the most about the live probiotic strains that are present in sauerkraut. These will help me give the baby a good start in life- a healthy and balanced gut, strong digestion, and a tough immune system. I shoot for having a spoonful (if not more) of kraut with each meal.

Whew! There you have it: all the supplements I eat/take. And if you made it through all that- you are incredible and awesome. Thanks for reading! I hope some little tidbit somewhere in there will be helpful to someone. If you have questions, please feel free to ask or write me an email! Not that I know a lot, but I'd be happy to try to answer them from my experience.


Blogged 1 year ago: Pecan Crusted Pies-- for gluten-free holiday baking
Blogged 2 years ago: Homemade Mayonnaise

Hey, happy Friday, guys! Tomorrow is the annual Deer Hunting/Thanksgiving weekend get-together with Grant's side of the family. It's a big weekend. Lots of brothers and sisters, lots of babies, lots of hunting boots and blaze orange vests, and lots of food. I can't wait! On the menu for tomorrow's lunch is soup and sandwiches, and this is the soup that I'm bringing.

This chili is making soup season for me. It's the new favorite at our house. The blend of spices is so yummy! It's loaded with veggies and willingly accepts more, so toss in whatever you're wanting to use up from your fridge. Just put everything in the crockpot and it makes the most colorful, warming, well-rounded bowl of white chicken chili you could want. The pivotal ingredient is smoked paprika- a new addition to my spice cupboard. It completely upgrades the flavor of the chili. Mmm. We had it again last week on Halloween night and it was all I wanted.. even the Snickers and Kit-kats paled in comparison. Try it!



Blogged 2 years ago: Normal Life with a 5-month old 
Blogged 3 years ago: Christmas gift idea--DIY Vintage Cake Stands

A few weeks ago my twin sister was here for a visit and I made quiche for Saturday breakfast. Actually, I made it late Friday night while she ate a sandwich at my table, and our babies were sleeping soundly in their beds, and our husbands were out shooting Nerf guns with a bunch of boys. Then I just had to pop it in the oven on Saturday morning. This is my go-to quiche recipe and the easiest breakfast to make for company if you already have a pie crust in your freezer, which I did! I found some kinnikinnick gluten-free pie shells in the freezer section at our grocery store and they're really yummy. I have one left that I'm saving either for chicken pot pie or a pumpkin pie.

Sister visits are so nice. Your sister will sit up late with you and talk about your childhood, your baby, your current bible study, your stage of life, and the latest news from high school friends on Facebook. She'll drink tea and watch Love Actually on your couch. She'll let you scroll through her Instagram roll. She'll huddle around the iPad with you and watch Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon videos. She'll sit on the floor with the kids while you clean up the dishes. She will laugh with you while you eat a whole chocolate bar in one sitting. Sisters are just the best. Oh, and, sisters give you a reason to wake up and bake a quiche.

During Hadley's pregnancy, I didn't buy any maternity pants. Being as pregnant as I am right this minute, I don't have a clue how that could have worked! I guess it was a different time of year, and I did have some maternity dresses/skirts, a pair of really stretchy jeans that were too big for me previously, and I wore a Be-Band from Target every day. This pregnancy, my baby bump was much bigger much earlier on, and I'm more interested in being cozy and less in love with the Be-Band, and I was determined to find some good maternity skinny jeans for less than $50.

Thankfully I had gotten some maternity shirts during my first pregnancy and quickly learned that Old Navy's online maternity section was my best bet for things that fit me and aren't ridiculously priced. So that was the only place I shopped this time, and because I bought during a sale, I was able to get not just one, but 3 pairs of jeans/pants for $50. I bought some black jeggings, some dark wash skinnies, and some black maternity leggings, and have been so grateful for each of them. They've become the essentials of my current wardrobe. Just pair one of those pants options with some inexpensive knee-high riding boots purchased with free shipping via Amazon Prime (I've been wearing them everywhere), and the longest shirt I can find, and you've got my daily uniform.

I've been happy enough with all of my new maternity pants to actually go and write a review for other online shoppers. (!!) They were just what I was looking for and fit so nicely, and I wanted to help other people know how to buy the right size-- which is always the headache in trying to buy maternity clothes! I rely heavily on the comment/review section when I'm purchasing clothes online, and always appreciate the helpful people who take the time to explain how things fit them and if the item is true to size. All that to say, if you're on the lookout for maternity basics and you don't like to spend big bucks or leave your house to shop, I would send you to old navy.com. What are your maternity wardrobe favorites? And how do you "make do" during those last 3/4 months? I love borrowing from my sister-in-law if we aren't pregnant at the same time, stealing from Grant's closet, and going through my mom's garage sale stuff!

P.S. Details on my outfit from yesterday's 30 week pregnancy update... I was wearing the dark wash skinny jeans, brown boots from amazon, and a thrifted Volcom sweater with a homemade scarf.

30 out of 40 weeks completed over here! And feeling really good. That's my thankful for today. I'm so grateful to the Lord for His grace, for a smooth pregnancy so far, and for feeling like myself... well, a rounder version of myself. There's so much of me in front of me these days. Also, those round ligament pains are gone and seem to be staying away, so yay for that, too.

These days, I'm walking slower, but definitely walking. We got a treadmill a couple weeks ago and what a huge friend it's already been. (I'm actually using it! Super important to be able to say that when you make a big purchase and hope, hope, hope it will be a worthwhile one.) It saves so much time bundling up and going to the gym because I can just walk upstairs and do a couple miles and then be back down in time to make dinner. Loving that. Hopefully it will help me finish out this pregnancy strong.

These days, I'm drinking gallons of water and tea, doing pelvic rocks on my hands and knees, and thinking about re-reading my favorite book about birth: Ina May's Guide to Childbirth. Also, I'm craving pizza (not an actual craving, because pizza always sounds good), snow, and Christmas music. The snow, supposedly, will arrive tomorrow morning. Approximately 3-6 inches. It's like I ordered it! Yay!

These days, we're talking about names for this little someone inside me. It's one of our favorite conversations to have when we fall in bed at night or if we're on a long drive. We never really make any solid decisions, but we're enjoying just bringing it up over and over and pondering our options. We've got lots on our lists that we like, but only a handful that are so us that we can actually picture using them. The naming process is so fun and fascinating to me. Making such a big decision secretly with my husband is a big part of the fun. Definitely one of my favorite parts of being pregnant.



Dear Baby,
You sweet little second of mine. I hope I always remember what a peaceful pregnancy you gave me. If I had to guess just by the ounce of information and experience I've had with you so far, I'd guess that you are going to be a laid-back and accomodating kind of kid. Just thinking about the idea of you coming into our family and making us four, it seems like you might just have a harmonious nature. Here's what's up with you lately: 

You spend most of the day curled up sideways inside me- like you're laying in a little basket. Sometimes you go head-down, but you still move around a lot. Like crazy a lot. In the evenings when I sit with Dad on the couch, we watch you manipulate my stomach with super strong punches and kicks and slides. 

You are growing beautifully and quietly- never giving us any trouble. You let me sleep so deep and help me feel really energetic and creative most days. You are making my hair, nails, and skin thrive. Your heart sounds awesome. You must be liking the food I'm eating because I never feel sick- not even a trace of heartburn lately! Like I said, you don't ask too much of me right now, such an obliging little one you are. 

I'm starting to picture us together in the wee hours of the morning when you wake up hungry. It will be in the middle of the deep, dark, Minnesota wintertime. I've got a comfy chair ready for us, and I'll have twinkly Christmas lights still strung up (no matter how late you come, I promise) and we're already thinking of extra heat in our attic bedroom to keep you warm. I can't wait to have another try at baby-soothing and to remember how to swaddle and to watch your Daddy be a master at the whole newborn in our house thing. He's amazing. I just know you'll love his arms for bouncing and my arms for nursing as much as your sister did. Only 10 more weeks or so until we might be meeting you! Your name is in the works. We'll pick out a good one for you. 

Love you madly,
Mom

ps. Mom, can you believe it's been 23 years since you made your girlies into a pair of dice? I know you'll love seeing your granddaughter bringing it back!