In 2016 I created my first Christmas gift guide post, so this is the 5th anniversary of the Carrots gift guide! Readers have requested a new guide each year and over time I've intentionally pivoted to including ONLY small businesses. This year we've all seen restaurants and storefronts close due to the pandemic. 2020 has hit small businesses so hard! This year more than ever it's clear that we … [Read more...]
Beyond Magnolia: The Carrots Guide to Waco
My family has lived in Waco a total of 9 years (5 in the college years and then 4 years since our return to Texas!). Since we first moved here in 2004, so much has changed. Waco has recovered from decades of struggle and grown by leaps and bounds during our time here. It has become a destination town! I get asked all the time for recommendations of what to do during a trip to Waco and now with … [Read more...]
Why You Should Read This Book by a Guy Who Sat and Talked to People at McDonald’s: A Review of Dignity by Chris Arnade
If I could suggest only two books about the current landscape of America right now they would be Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson about our prison system and the recently released Dignity: Seeking Respect in Back Row America by Chris Arnade. I first heard of Arnade from my husband, Daniel, who started following him on Twitter ages ago. “Have you heard of the guy who sits and talks to people who … [Read more...]
What Bakonzo Naming Conventions Taught Me about the Gift of Siblings
Give a warm Carrots welcome to one of my favorite people in the universe, my dear friend of 18 years and fellow writer, Katherine Grimm Bowers! I twisted her arm into writing a post for you for National Sibling Day.-Haley We were gathered around the bonfire, and our hosts had detected a trend. They couldn't believe it. We were, one and all, Brits and Americans alike, firstborn or maybe … [Read more...]
The Triumph and Necessity of Festivity: Why We Trick-or-Treat
To Halloween or to not Halloween? While Halloween began as All Hallows Eve, the vigil before All Hallows (All Saints Day), and certainly has Catholic roots, whether to participate in cultural celebrations of a now secularized Halloween is controversial in Christian circles. In the Protestant circles I grew up in, “Fall Festival” parties or “Reformation Day” parties were the order of the day. … [Read more...]
Launch Day for My Book is TODAY! Here’s what you need to know.
The day has finally arrived! My book, The Grace of Enough: Pursuing Less and Living More in a Throwaway Culture, is officially available! LAUNCH DAY IS HERE. The writing process to publishing date took about 18 months, but it’s been much longer in the making because it’s the result of life-changing experiences and many, many late night conversations with my husband Daniel and dear … [Read more...]
Your Brain Only Has Room to Care About 150 People (And other things I’m learning about friendship)
Before I had any "big kids" and life at home was just babies and toddlers, it was difficult for me. As an extrovert I really thrive on adult interaction and I wasn't getting it. Making connections of any kind, whether meeting up with friends or just connecting with people on the internet helped keep me afloat. But in the past couple of years, I’ve felt an inward shift. I’ve been increasingly … [Read more...]
Hey New Bloggers, There’s Room for You! (& How to Create a Mastermind Group)
A week ago I was flying home after a weekend in the Twin Cities where I was speaking at a Catholic women’s blogging conference. I’m not sure why I use jazz hands when I’m speaking but there you are. A lovely venue (there are some seriously gorgeous Victorian homes in St. Paul!), thoughtful workshops, good food, great swag bags, and beautiful fellow speakers Nell and Laura really made it … [Read more...]
Want to Know Yourself Better? Jane Austen Is Here to Help.
image: Jennifer Ehle in ‘Pride and Prejudice’/Image © BBC Every time I re-read Miss Austen’s novels (ahem, every single year), I find something I hadn’t noticed before. I uncover another layer with each return to her works and this year what I’m most drawn to is the theme of self-knowledge. I’m not alone in considering Austen to be a philosopher and she follows in the footsteps of the ancients … [Read more...]
Edel Gathering Recap (Or, that time I had to emcee and had laryngitis)
Okay. I'm completely overwhelmed with the idea of recapping Edel 2015 because it was a jam-packed whirlwind of awesome. Here's some highlights: I rented a car like a real grown up woman. For real. AND I learned how to use the cruise control. My friend Alyssa and I road tripped it to Charleston, SC on Thursday morning to meet up with my bestie and podcast co-host Christy Isinger Thursday … [Read more...]
