LITTLE BY LITTLE in March / Spring is Coming!

Spring doesn’t officially start until March 20th, but it has been unseasonably warm here in North Carolina. Lots of things are blooming a full month early. We are likely getting snow over the weekend, so you may see me out with blankets and a hair dryer trying to protect all my early-blooming plants. Seriously. My peach tree is in full bloom and I just might have to run a portable heater out there and put a tent over it. (You guys, I have become a crazy garden lady! I do love my plants, and I especially love our Elberta peaches.)

I couldn’t wait to share this month’s edition of Little by Little with you. In these monthly posts, I share 10 things to help you make little-by-little progress on what matters. I hope these encourage and refresh you.

This sign from Ashley at Under the Sycamore makes me giggle every time I read it!

1. Start your garden! If you haven’t always had a green thumb, or don’t think you could ever have one, part 1 of my Gardening 101 series is for you! Plus, get the first peek inside my upcoming book, Cultivate.

2. Watch an inspiring story unfold. If you haven’t been following my friend Millie’s foster care and adoption story, you must follow along. This was a big week for a very special little girl named Wren.

3. Step into my house. Besides both books, I’ve never prayed more over something I’ve written than this Living with Kids feature on Design Mom. I was grateful to share the story of our marriage ups and downs, thoughts on adoption, cultivating a life-giving home, and our first-ever home tour.

Breakfast on the back porch with my loves and some dinosaurs.

4. Dig into March. I made progress on my PowerSheets goals in February, but some things needed to get shaken up a bit! Read about my February progress and my March goals here. I crossed off my first monthly goal last week!

5. Grow in the wait. I’ve been eagerly anticipating the release of two special books this week. First up, When God Says Wait by my friend Elizabeth Thompson. I got to read an advance copy and it’s just so good. Download two chapters for free here.

6. Step into the garden with Erin. Next up, I’ve been counting the days till my friend Erin’s book, Cut Flower Garden, released. And wow did it have a great first day! Before this week’s launch, they were already on their fourth reprint just with pre-order sales. That’s huge! But really, it’s no surprise. This book is stunningly beautiful, practical, and well-written. Erin has been a huge encouragement to me the last several years as an intentional business owner, mama, educator, and gardener. Get the book here, and take a tour of Erin’s flower farm here.

7. Read good words to your little ones. This has been a great week for books! I got three books in the mail for Grace from two creative and kind gentlemen. The first is When God Made You by Matthew Paul Turner. Such a great message in this book and the artwork is colorful and fun. The second two are The Lion’s Pride and The Fox Hole by a local author, J.S. Davey. These are longer picture books and both are beautifully written and illustrated. Thank you, Matthew and J.S.!

8. Celebrate little Sarah alongside us. Sarah turned one a couple weeks ago, and I finally shared some thoughts on our adoption story. I love this photo that Gina took of us a couple weeks ago. 

Photo by Gina Zeidler.

9. Retreat. I got together with 10 friends a couple weeks ago for a faith retreat–a time to step away from our normal rhythms and grow in our faith and friendships. Read more about it here (and how you can host one yourself!), and there’s a HUGE giveaway we put together for you!

10.  Mark your calendars for March 22! I’ll be posting a special post here with my book cover and film release, and I will be live on my Facebook page that day at noon EST to give you the behind-the-scenes of the cover and the film. I can’t wait to see you there! Till then, I have lots more coming for you here on the blog. Gardening 101 Part 2 goes live on Monday!

Photo by Gina Zeidler at the NC Botanical Garden–we love this place!

I hope these links encourage you! I also shared lots of updates on life lately, and a peek at the new Write the Word journals, in my live broadcast this week.

Cultivating what matters with you, little by little,

P.S. Many of you have asked, so here’s my daily #RunLiftPraise workout playlist. Enjoy!