From the kitchen to the garden, the apothecary room to the craft corner, and all the spaces in between, home is where I create. Creating for me has been a lifelong passion. When I was younger, I loved to decorate: my room, the dollhouse, the backyard fort, my locker. I was always designing, rearranging and redecorating my spaces.
My love of home decor and aesthetics followed me into my adult years. With elaborate holiday decor and over-the-top themed fun, life over here is always a good time. Turning our home into a space that is connected to nature and inspires creativity, while providing a sense of warmth and coziness within our means, is my art.
While I am a maker of many things, what I truly aspire to create is not something tangible. Instead, it’s an unforgettable feeling, a memory, or a vibe that I want to share with others. I’ve used this creative drive to make life for my husband and our six kids (three boys, three girls) as joyful as can be. I’ve created indoor campouts using our real tent and undecorated Christmas trees arranged in the dining room to feel like a forest. I’ve turned that same room into 45 an underwater sea party, an ice cream shop, a movie theater, dress store, picnic in the “park,” an end-of-school-year art gallery displaying the kid’s creations,
and so much more.
During the COVID shutdown, when Halloween trick-or-treating was not an option, I decorated the inside of the house like it was a neighborhood, decorating each door differently. Then my husband and I dressed up and answered every door, interior and exterior, for the kids to trick-or-treat. Seeing their faces full of enjoyment, watching us answer each door in a different costume, is a memory I will treasure always. So much has changed since then. Our three older kids are adults now. The younger three are teenagers and for the first time in my adult life, I don’t have a full-time job.
In November of 2022, I suddenly found myself starting over at 47 without warning. After over two decades of being in radio broadcast advertising — basically my entire adult life — with 17 years of it spent working out of my house while raising my six kids, I was out. Just like that. That voice of worry and doubt in my head instantly set in. What did I know? Who was I, besides mom to Katlyn, Jack, Cole, Sidnee, Ryan, and Violet? What would I do now? How will we survive?
I allowed fear to lead me those first few weeks. It’s ironic because, at the time, I was featured in the fall issues of two different magazines, one of them at every store we went to. But I was feeling completely lost. I didn’t love my job — but it was what I did for so long. It was who I was.
Even my kids were sad to hear the news. All those years of helping mommy. So many memories of juggling it all consumed my mind. Working during bedrest, managing deadlines while juggling three under 3 (plus three more!) and making time in my schedule to still volunteer at school. Pickups, drop-offs, conference calls. Not to mention time in our gardens and all the work that goes into caring for them. I was so busy. For the first time in my life, I looked back and thought: How the heck did I do all that?
You know, we just don’t give ourselves as much credit as we should. Being a working mom is not easy. It’s a constant stream of tasks for others and always feeling like you’re letting someone down. For those of you in these trenches, I see you. I hear you. You are amazing.
While I was marinating in the loss and the weight of the rug being pulled out from underneath me, the universe had already begun to make my new path visible. The opportunity of a lifetime was coming my way. It seems while I was sharing my brightly colored squares of life’s highlights on Instagram, an account my teenagers set up for me a few years ago so I’d get out of their hair, a big-time New York editor was finding joy in them on her subway rides. It was fate. Two months after I lost my job, my little, eclectic, suburban homestead kitchen officially became my office and I started to write my very own cookbook.
An exciting new journey had begun where I was my own boss. An author! Like any new path, this one is unknown, scary and full of weeds. It will take hard work, faith, sacrifice and determination to pave this new road. Some days I think: I’ve got this. Other days I want to hide under my bed. The pressure to create something from nothing is enormous and the sacrifice it takes to rebuild at the same time can be so hard. But there is nothing like the feeling of accomplishment and gratitude.
I used to wake up dragging my feet to log into work. Dreading each task as it came. Now, I wake up excited for the new day and I’m so stinkin’ proud of every penny I make. I shouted down the hall the other day, “Mom just made $1.89 in seed sale commissions,” and the crowd went wild. Ha! What would I do without my cheering section?
Before, when I worked from home, it was at a desk in the corner that I’d used for many years. I tossed that desk out. Now I set up my workstation wherever I want in the house, usually in my tiny kitchen full of jarred herbs and hanging peppers from the garden. Infused sugars within reach, window plants and thrift store decor — all making it a magical space I love to be in. Unless I’m doing dishes … then, not so magical.
Sometimes, I set myself up on the back patio and listen to the birds and enjoy the breeze while I write. Or, on rainy days, I light candles and turn on the fairy lights in my apothecary room. I work at the table in front of the big window with it cracked just enough to hear and smell the rain.
When I am not working on my cookbook, I may be crafting, making my own beauty care, gardening, decorating, pressing and drying flowers and herbs, or working on a DIY upcycle/repurpose project. I’m always creating something at home. Being able to write a cookbook on preserving food at home and ways to use what you’ve preserved is truly a dream come true.
My husband and I turned our suburban oversized yard into several gardens where we’re able to grow some of our own food. We grow herbs, edible flowers, a large variety of vegetables, several different kinds of fruits and berries — and I even grow my own holiday decor! We also have a backyard flock of hens that provide us with fresh eggs. Backyard farm-to-table is a favorite for us.
Preserving what we grow has been our passion and the gardens we’ve created are part of our 30-year love story. What an honor it is to write a cookbook about something so meaningful to us and the life we’ve built together since we were 15 and 18. It’s beyond my wildest dreams.
Courtesy of Holly Capelle
My family sure loves our “test kitchen” days when they get to be taste testers, and the aroma of food cooking has been a constant comfort in uncomfortable times. So much to be grateful for.
I’ve always been a planner; always know where I am going and what’s coming next. But this experience has changed all of that for me. Now I move with faith. I’m listening more and learning so much about myself. I have no idea what each day will bring. No clue where I will be six months from now. Or what will happen once the book is published. What I do know is that the things I create and the reasons I create them are what got me here today, on this new journey of unbelievable possibilities.
LIFE WITH GRAM
The story of Gram begins with the loss of our first pup, Phifer. We got him when he was just 7 weeks old. He was 17 years old when we said goodbye. I thought I could never love another dog again the way I loved him. But my kids longed for the companionship only a pet can provide, and so, after a few years of my heart healing, our saving up had begun. I told the kids any money mom made from Instagram would go towards buying a new friend for our family. There he was. A white labradoodle puppy with a severe heart murmur. I knew this unwanted pup who needed love was just the guy for us. We named him Gram and he’s been by my side ever since. Some may say we saved him. But the truth is, he saved us. I don’t think I could have managed this time in my life, with all this change, without the unconditional love and emotional support he gives me. He’s 2 years old now, and every day with Gram is a gift and a blessing.
Life is truly a quilt with each patch woven together with meaning and intention. If you have something you’ve always wanted to do — a business you want to try, a creation you think you can sell, a career path you want to explore — do it! I wasn’t brave enough to make that leap. I’d probably still be doing the same thing if I hadn’t been shoved off the ledge. And honestly, it’s the best thing that ever happened to me.
Take the leap of faith. Feel all the feels. Learn all the new things. Be scared. Be excited. Be brave. Be alive! Like my hubs said to me, “Throw your hands in the air, babe: It’s time to go from the merry-go-round to the roller coaster.” I’m ready for the big ride but I’ve got a barf bag in my pocket, just in case.
Be on the lookout for my cookbook (currently untitled), scheduled to hit bookstores in summer 2025. Until then, you can find me, and updates on the book, over on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube.
From the kitchen to the garden, the apothecary room to the craft corner, and all the spaces in between, home is where I create. Creating for me has been a lifelong passion. When I was younger, I loved to decorate: my room, the dollhouse, the backyard fort, my locker. I was always designing, rearranging and redecorating my spaces.
My love of home decor and aesthetics followed me into my adult years. With elaborate holiday decor and over-the-top themed fun, life over here is always a good time. Turning our home into a space that is connected to nature and inspires creativity, while providing a sense of warmth and coziness within our means, is my art.
While I am a maker of many things, what I truly aspire to create is not something tangible. Instead, it’s an unforgettable feeling, a memory, or a vibe that I want to share with others. I’ve used this creative drive to make life for my husband and our six kids (three boys, three girls) as joyful as can be. I’ve created indoor campouts using our real tent and undecorated Christmas trees arranged in the dining room to feel like a forest. I’ve turned that same room into 45 an underwater sea party, an ice cream shop, a movie theater, dress store, picnic in the “park,” an end-of-school-year art gallery displaying the kid’s creations,
and so much more.
During the COVID shutdown, when Halloween trick-or-treating was not an option, I decorated the inside of the house like it was a neighborhood, decorating each door differently. Then my husband and I dressed up and answered every door, interior and exterior, for the kids to trick-or-treat. Seeing their faces full of enjoyment, watching us answer each door in a different costume, is a memory I will treasure always. So much has changed since then. Our three older kids are adults now. The younger three are teenagers and for the first time in my adult life, I don’t have a full-time job.
In November of 2022, I suddenly found myself starting over at 47 without warning. After over two decades of being in radio broadcast advertising — basically my entire adult life — with 17 years of it spent working out of my house while raising my six kids, I was out. Just like that. That voice of worry and doubt in my head instantly set in. What did I know? Who was I, besides mom to Katlyn, Jack, Cole, Sidnee, Ryan, and Violet? What would I do now? How will we survive?
I allowed fear to lead me those first few weeks. It’s ironic because, at the time, I was featured in the fall issues of two different magazines, one of them at every store we went to. But I was feeling completely lost. I didn’t love my job — but it was what I did for so long. It was who I was.
Even my kids were sad to hear the news. All those years of helping mommy. So many memories of juggling it all consumed my mind. Working during bedrest, managing deadlines while juggling three under 3 (plus three more!) and making time in my schedule to still volunteer at school. Pickups, drop-offs, conference calls. Not to mention time in our gardens and all the work that goes into caring for them. I was so busy. For the first time in my life, I looked back and thought: How the heck did I do all that?
You know, we just don’t give ourselves as much credit as we should. Being a working mom is not easy. It’s a constant stream of tasks for others and always feeling like you’re letting someone down. For those of you in these trenches, I see you. I hear you. You are amazing.
While I was marinating in the loss and the weight of the rug being pulled out from underneath me, the universe had already begun to make my new path visible. The opportunity of a lifetime was coming my way. It seems while I was sharing my brightly colored squares of life’s highlights on Instagram, an account my teenagers set up for me a few years ago so I’d get out of their hair, a big-time New York editor was finding joy in them on her subway rides. It was fate. Two months after I lost my job, my little, eclectic, suburban homestead kitchen officially became my office and I started to write my very own cookbook.
An exciting new journey had begun where I was my own boss. An author! Like any new path, this one is unknown, scary and full of weeds. It will take hard work, faith, sacrifice and determination to pave this new road. Some days I think: I’ve got this. Other days I want to hide under my bed. The pressure to create something from nothing is enormous and the sacrifice it takes to rebuild at the same time can be so hard. But there is nothing like the feeling of accomplishment and gratitude.
I used to wake up dragging my feet to log into work. Dreading each task as it came. Now, I wake up excited for the new day and I’m so stinkin’ proud of every penny I make. I shouted down the hall the other day, “Mom just made $1.89 in seed sale commissions,” and the crowd went wild. Ha! What would I do without my cheering section?
Before, when I worked from home, it was at a desk in the corner that I’d used for many years. I tossed that desk out. Now I set up my workstation wherever I want in the house, usually in my tiny kitchen full of jarred herbs and hanging peppers from the garden. Infused sugars within reach, window plants and thrift store decor — all making it a magical space I love to be in. Unless I’m doing dishes … then, not so magical.
Sometimes, I set myself up on the back patio and listen to the birds and enjoy the breeze while I write. Or, on rainy days, I light candles and turn on the fairy lights in my apothecary room. I work at the table in front of the big window with it cracked just enough to hear and smell the rain.
When I am not working on my cookbook, I may be crafting, making my own beauty care, gardening, decorating, pressing and drying flowers and herbs, or working on a DIY upcycle/repurpose project. I’m always creating something at home. Being able to write a cookbook on preserving food at home and ways to use what you’ve preserved is truly a dream come true.
My husband and I turned our suburban oversized yard into several gardens where we’re able to grow some of our own food. We grow herbs, edible flowers, a large variety of vegetables, several different kinds of fruits and berries — and I even grow my own holiday decor! We also have a backyard flock of hens that provide us with fresh eggs. Backyard farm-to-table is a favorite for us.
Preserving what we grow has been our passion and the gardens we’ve created are part of our 30-year love story. What an honor it is to write a cookbook about something so meaningful to us and the life we’ve built together since we were 15 and 18. It’s beyond my wildest dreams.
Courtesy of Holly Capelle
My family sure loves our “test kitchen” days when they get to be taste testers, and the aroma of food cooking has been a constant comfort in uncomfortable times. So much to be grateful for.
I’ve always been a planner; always know where I am going and what’s coming next. But this experience has changed all of that for me. Now I move with faith. I’m listening more and learning so much about myself. I have no idea what each day will bring. No clue where I will be six months from now. Or what will happen once the book is published. What I do know is that the things I create and the reasons I create them are what got me here today, on this new journey of unbelievable possibilities.
LIFE WITH GRAM
The story of Gram begins with the loss of our first pup, Phifer. We got him when he was just 7 weeks old. He was 17 years old when we said goodbye. I thought I could never love another dog again the way I loved him. But my kids longed for the companionship only a pet can provide, and so, after a few years of my heart healing, our saving up had begun. I told the kids any money mom made from Instagram would go towards buying a new friend for our family. There he was. A white labradoodle puppy with a severe heart murmur. I knew this unwanted pup who needed love was just the guy for us. We named him Gram and he’s been by my side ever since. Some may say we saved him. But the truth is, he saved us. I don’t think I could have managed this time in my life, with all this change, without the unconditional love and emotional support he gives me. He’s 2 years old now, and every day with Gram is a gift and a blessing.
Life is truly a quilt with each patch woven together with meaning and intention. If you have something you’ve always wanted to do — a business you want to try, a creation you think you can sell, a career path you want to explore — do it! I wasn’t brave enough to make that leap. I’d probably still be doing the same thing if I hadn’t been shoved off the ledge. And honestly, it’s the best thing that ever happened to me.
Take the leap of faith. Feel all the feels. Learn all the new things. Be scared. Be excited. Be brave. Be alive! Like my hubs said to me, “Throw your hands in the air, babe: It’s time to go from the merry-go-round to the roller coaster.” I’m ready for the big ride but I’ve got a barf bag in my pocket, just in case.
Be on the lookout for my cookbook (currently untitled), scheduled to hit bookstores in summer 2025. Until then, you can find me, and updates on the book, over on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube.
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From the kitchen to the garden, the apothecary room to the craft corner, and all the spaces in between, home is where I create. Creating for me has been a lifelong passion. When I was younger, I loved to decorate: my room, the dollhouse, the backyard fort, my locker. I was always designing, rearranging and redecorating my spaces.
My love of home decor and aesthetics followed me into my adult years. With elaborate holiday decor and over-the-top themed fun, life over here is always a good time. Turning our home into a space that is connected to nature and inspires creativity, while providing a sense of warmth and coziness within our means, is my art.
While I am a maker of many things, what I truly aspire to create is not something tangible. Instead, it’s an unforgettable feeling, a memory, or a vibe that I want to share with others. I’ve used this creative drive to make life for my husband and our six kids (three boys, three girls) as joyful as can be. I’ve created indoor campouts using our real tent and undecorated Christmas trees arranged in the dining room to feel like a forest. I’ve turned that same room into 45 an underwater sea party, an ice cream shop, a movie theater, dress store, picnic in the “park,” an end-of-school-year art gallery displaying the kid’s creations,
and so much more.
During the COVID shutdown, when Halloween trick-or-treating was not an option, I decorated the inside of the house like it was a neighborhood, decorating each door differently. Then my husband and I dressed up and answered every door, interior and exterior, for the kids to trick-or-treat. Seeing their faces full of enjoyment, watching us answer each door in a different costume, is a memory I will treasure always. So much has changed since then. Our three older kids are adults now. The younger three are teenagers and for the first time in my adult life, I don’t have a full-time job.
In November of 2022, I suddenly found myself starting over at 47 without warning. After over two decades of being in radio broadcast advertising — basically my entire adult life — with 17 years of it spent working out of my house while raising my six kids, I was out. Just like that. That voice of worry and doubt in my head instantly set in. What did I know? Who was I, besides mom to Katlyn, Jack, Cole, Sidnee, Ryan, and Violet? What would I do now? How will we survive?
I allowed fear to lead me those first few weeks. It’s ironic because, at the time, I was featured in the fall issues of two different magazines, one of them at every store we went to. But I was feeling completely lost. I didn’t love my job — but it was what I did for so long. It was who I was.
Even my kids were sad to hear the news. All those years of helping mommy. So many memories of juggling it all consumed my mind. Working during bedrest, managing deadlines while juggling three under 3 (plus three more!) and making time in my schedule to still volunteer at school. Pickups, drop-offs, conference calls. Not to mention time in our gardens and all the work that goes into caring for them. I was so busy. For the first time in my life, I looked back and thought: How the heck did I do all that?
You know, we just don’t give ourselves as much credit as we should. Being a working mom is not easy. It’s a constant stream of tasks for others and always feeling like you’re letting someone down. For those of you in these trenches, I see you. I hear you. You are amazing.
While I was marinating in the loss and the weight of the rug being pulled out from underneath me, the universe had already begun to make my new path visible. The opportunity of a lifetime was coming my way. It seems while I was sharing my brightly colored squares of life’s highlights on Instagram, an account my teenagers set up for me a few years ago so I’d get out of their hair, a big-time New York editor was finding joy in them on her subway rides. It was fate. Two months after I lost my job, my little, eclectic, suburban homestead kitchen officially became my office and I started to write my very own cookbook.
An exciting new journey had begun where I was my own boss. An author! Like any new path, this one is unknown, scary and full of weeds. It will take hard work, faith, sacrifice and determination to pave this new road. Some days I think: I’ve got this. Other days I want to hide under my bed. The pressure to create something from nothing is enormous and the sacrifice it takes to rebuild at the same time can be so hard. But there is nothing like the feeling of accomplishment and gratitude.
I used to wake up dragging my feet to log into work. Dreading each task as it came. Now, I wake up excited for the new day and I’m so stinkin’ proud of every penny I make. I shouted down the hall the other day, “Mom just made $1.89 in seed sale commissions,” and the crowd went wild. Ha! What would I do without my cheering section?
Before, when I worked from home, it was at a desk in the corner that I’d used for many years. I tossed that desk out. Now I set up my workstation wherever I want in the house, usually in my tiny kitchen full of jarred herbs and hanging peppers from the garden. Infused sugars within reach, window plants and thrift store decor — all making it a magical space I love to be in. Unless I’m doing dishes … then, not so magical.
Sometimes, I set myself up on the back patio and listen to the birds and enjoy the breeze while I write. Or, on rainy days, I light candles and turn on the fairy lights in my apothecary room. I work at the table in front of the big window with it cracked just enough to hear and smell the rain.
When I am not working on my cookbook, I may be crafting, making my own beauty care, gardening, decorating, pressing and drying flowers and herbs, or working on a DIY upcycle/repurpose project. I’m always creating something at home. Being able to write a cookbook on preserving food at home and ways to use what you’ve preserved is truly a dream come true.
My husband and I turned our suburban oversized yard into several gardens where we’re able to grow some of our own food. We grow herbs, edible flowers, a large variety of vegetables, several different kinds of fruits and berries — and I even grow my own holiday decor! We also have a backyard flock of hens that provide us with fresh eggs. Backyard farm-to-table is a favorite for us.
Preserving what we grow has been our passion and the gardens we’ve created are part of our 30-year love story. What an honor it is to write a cookbook about something so meaningful to us and the life we’ve built together since we were 15 and 18. It’s beyond my wildest dreams.
Courtesy of Holly Capelle
My family sure loves our “test kitchen” days when they get to be taste testers, and the aroma of food cooking has been a constant comfort in uncomfortable times. So much to be grateful for.
I’ve always been a planner; always know where I am going and what’s coming next. But this experience has changed all of that for me. Now I move with faith. I’m listening more and learning so much about myself. I have no idea what each day will bring. No clue where I will be six months from now. Or what will happen once the book is published. What I do know is that the things I create and the reasons I create them are what got me here today, on this new journey of unbelievable possibilities.
LIFE WITH GRAM
The story of Gram begins with the loss of our first pup, Phifer. We got him when he was just 7 weeks old. He was 17 years old when we said goodbye. I thought I could never love another dog again the way I loved him. But my kids longed for the companionship only a pet can provide, and so, after a few years of my heart healing, our saving up had begun. I told the kids any money mom made from Instagram would go towards buying a new friend for our family. There he was. A white labradoodle puppy with a severe heart murmur. I knew this unwanted pup who needed love was just the guy for us. We named him Gram and he’s been by my side ever since. Some may say we saved him. But the truth is, he saved us. I don’t think I could have managed this time in my life, with all this change, without the unconditional love and emotional support he gives me. He’s 2 years old now, and every day with Gram is a gift and a blessing.
Life is truly a quilt with each patch woven together with meaning and intention. If you have something you’ve always wanted to do — a business you want to try, a creation you think you can sell, a career path you want to explore — do it! I wasn’t brave enough to make that leap. I’d probably still be doing the same thing if I hadn’t been shoved off the ledge. And honestly, it’s the best thing that ever happened to me.
Take the leap of faith. Feel all the feels. Learn all the new things. Be scared. Be excited. Be brave. Be alive! Like my hubs said to me, “Throw your hands in the air, babe: It’s time to go from the merry-go-round to the roller coaster.” I’m ready for the big ride but I’ve got a barf bag in my pocket, just in case.
Be on the lookout for my cookbook (currently untitled), scheduled to hit bookstores in summer 2025. Until then, you can find me, and updates on the book, over on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube.
The Women Create Foundation is a catalyst for small but significant strides to empower women creators through grants that help bring projects to life and foster innovation.
