Hello and Welcome!
I’m Abbie–mama to ten, Bible-believing Christian, home educator (and homeschool graduate myself), fitness instructor, one-time high school Spanish teacher, bargain hunter, perpetual furniture rearranger, and wife to one very good renaissance man.
Such a renaissance man, in fact, that though he writes software for a living, he also has the mad skills to have built our family not one, but two DIY houses. I documented our first nine-month build but never got around to getting all of our second build’s info into one post. Blame it on how long it took (two years!), how many more kids we had than the first time (five), or sheer laziness. But…I did share our house plans in case you’re interested. And there’s a Christmas tour of the downstairs if that’s your jam. (Plus tons more pics of the interior on Instagram).
Oh! And I’m a published author, which is the culmination of a lifelong dream that God brought to fruition in his perfect way and timing.
Speaking of God, I am passionate about sound, biblically rooted theology and pointing women toward the one true God found in the pages of the Bible. Jesus is not my homeboy or my social justice hero, but he is my Lord and Savior, and I am so grateful for his blood on the cross that covers my sins. If you’re curious about my views on the inerrancy of Scripture or how I use it to approach cultural issues, you can read about that here.
I also get really fired up about helping mamas claim their identities and find simple, doable rhythms for their days that allow them to create an environment of realistic joy and peace (we’re not talking about sitting around singing “Kumbaya,” y’all) in their homes. You might find my Mama Life Hack series, my penny reward system, or several of my other most popular posts helpful.
You might be surprised to know that I never planned to have ten kids before my thirty-eighth birthday. But then again, I never planned not to (you can read about our open-handed approach to family planning here). I’ll tell you what, though: I definitely never planned to have twins twice. In fact, before our girl twins, I begged God not to give me multiples at all. But man, am I glad he didn’t listen, or else I wouldn’t have my cute “quad squad.” Also! Fun fact: Both sets of twins share the same birthday! (You can read my twin girls’ birth story here and my twin boys’ birth story here). As I am prone to say, “Hard is not the same thing as bad,” and having twins is one of the best proofs of that.
Have your eyes glazed over yet? I totally understand. If for some reason you want more, though, you can read my “getting to know you” posts in part 1, part 2, and part 3. I’ve also been known to talk about my favorite books and a few of my favorite chick flicks here.
I hope you’ll find a comfy chair and stay for a while. We live in the Piney Woods of East Texas (think lush, green, and rolling hills, not flat, brown, and tumbleweeds), and while I can’t stand sweet tea—quick, somebody revoke my Southern Loyalty Card—I’d offer you a glass of ice-cold mint tea made with leaves from the bush in our backyard in a heartbeat.
—Abbie