Hi! I’m Jenn! I’m a mom to two boys and a girl, and wife of an amazing (and comical) husband, to whom I’ve been married since 2004. He puts up with all my quirkiness, crazy ideas, and ambitious work ethic.
We live down-the-bayou in South Louisiana, and we enjoy a Cajun lifestyle with a country twist. We try to keep things as simple as possible, and we like to keep our family time sacred. We hunt, fish, play sports, and love the outdoors.
Things You May Not Know
- I’m not a morning person, but it’s my life goal to be one, one day! The struggle is real.
- My day starts when the coffee starts.
- I don’t always enjoy exercising, but I do it anyway.
- I’m a recovering perfectionist.
- I’m also a recovering procrastinator.
- I HATE getting dressed in the morning.
- At any given time, I have at least one laundry basket full of unfolded clothes (and probably one in the dryer, too).
- I gave up on socks. If you want a pair, find it yourself.
- The kids make their own breakfast most days.
- I don’t own an extra dose of patience just because I homeschool. I flip out every now and then, too.
- I’ve dealt with anxiety since I was a teenager.
- I like my house clean, so I clean every day. But if it’s messy or dirty, I don’t apologize for it. It happens.
- I love math. Yeah, I’m kinda nerdy, too.
- I didn’t love to read until I was an adult.
- I’m naturally an introvert, but you may no longer notice since I’ve learned to talk to strangers.
- I sing every day.
- 9 out of 10 times, I order salad at a restaurant as my entrée. I love restaurant salad.
- I’m allergic to shellfish.
- Dessert is my favorite course, and I have almost no self-control.
A Few More Details
Our boys are true Cajun style, playing in the mud every chance they get, fishing along the bayou, and catching every creature in sight. At a very young age, they know how to set up their fishing poles for fresh and saltwater, and they know how to catch crawfish and hunt wild game. They even know how to sneak into the backyard and make a fire, cook some minnows wrapped in foil (seasoned with lemon juice and Tony’s), and eat it! That may or may not have really happened? Our little girl likes to do all those same things, but still loves her dresses and high heels – and pink.
After going to college for Graphic Design and landing a corporate graphic design job for a few years, I decided to work from home as a freelancer. After about 8 years or so of freelancing and having a few children, I decided to take a step back from designing, and started this blog!
I’ve always enjoyed writing – poetry, stories, and essays for school. I have a strong creative side, and art has always been a huge part of my life. As a young girl, I would escape into my sketchpad for hours, following the steps in my art book instructions.
My most peaceful moments have always been when I’m deep into the realm of painting and sketching – pouring myself into the blank canvas. If you’re an artist that finds joy in creating things, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
One thing I’ve always enjoyed as well, is cooking. When I was a little girl, and I would get bored, I would make up concoctions in the kitchen. I cooked my first spaghetti when I was 12 years old (with my mom on the phone at work), and made a cheesecake of which I ate half in one sitting. I think I ate the other half later! My mom still jokes about that today! I think it’s safe to say I still have that same sweet tooth.
Coming from a family of cooks, bakers, and cake decorators, I learned from an early age how to incorporate cooking and baking into my daily life. Therefore, cooking for my family has come natural to me, and I can’t wait to share all of these delicious family recipes with you! I share lots of food photos on my Instagram, and I’ll slowly be adding step-by-step recipes each month (or whenever I can). Stay tuned! Subscribe now so you don’t miss any!
Why I Started This Blog
As I began to learn more about the lies we’ve been told in the food industry about which foods are good for you and bad for you, our overall family’s health has improved dramatically. I cannot tell you the last time my kids have been to the doctor, since we now treat everything at home. Of course, if there is a life-threatening emergency, we would seek emergency care. You can read our testimony about this topic in my blog post, The Story Behind Healthier Ingredients.
What really sparked an interest in blogging was when I shared Our Debt-Free Journey on my business website. I wanted everyone to know how much it changed our life and that they could do it too!
[Our Facebook announcement with updated link]
I began to have a passion to teach others the same things I’ve learned that have drastically changed our life for the better.
Sometimes, handling money, eating healthier, and living more naturally can become very overwhelming and seem like too much to do all at once. So then, it can become discouraging. Most people wonder how in the world I do all that. First, I didn’t do it all at once. Because I am self-taught in many of these areas, my focus is to share the simplest ways I know how to do things. But, I am still – and always – learning.
For the first 12 years of our marriage, we have lived in the city and have always lived in a neighborhood. Although we’ve always wanted lots of land, we thought that possibility may never come – but it did! Hustling to become debt-free was part of it, but more so – God.
We now live in our dream home on our dream land of 7.5 acres, and we absolutely love our simpler, more-country life. Over the years, after many victories and failures, we’ve learned to scale back more on material things and focus more on life itself. Through it all, it has brought us to a place of contentment that we may have never achieved otherwise.
Maybe you’ve considered giving up on your faith, your health, or your finances. I’m here to tell you that there’s hope. Although I’m self-taught in many areas, I will be sharing my expertise in some areas as well as the lessons and trials I faced in other areas. Through much research, trial, and error, I have overcome a ton of obstacles in my life, paired with God’s grace and blessings.
So many moms and families out there are struggling with the same things in life that I have struggled with, and may still struggle with to some degree, and I want to share encouragement and information that could be life-changing. I want to share my personal stories that make you feel like you’re not alone in this thing called life, and I hope I can make some new friends along the way!
My hope is that you enjoy reading about our South Louisiana lifestyle, that I can make you smile, learn some new things, and you can pass it on!