I am doing it!! Even though I have not taken the time to sit down and write about it (until now). At least once a month throughout 2026 I have been taking the time to create and cook...and open my door and share a small but nourishing feast. And it has been wonderful!
Towards the end of 2025 God gave me the word 'Replenish' as I was already being nudged and reminded of how therapeutic and healing it is for me to create and share good food.
Then He gave me the vision of creating a space where a few other adoptive moms gather and be nourished through food, fellowship and His presence. He impressed a few specific moms on my heart and I reached out with a humble and simple invitation...will you come and replenish with me?
We usually gather early on a Saturday morning once a month and Pete is the barista who make us special lattes made to order. The menu has looked slight different each time and it is not unusual for me to only begin the planning at the end of my busy week as I am crawling into bed!
We've enjoyed different things like mini chia seed puddings, caramelized onion, kale & sweet potato frittata, mini berry crumbles & vanilla bean cream, spiced apple muffins with browned butter cream cheese frosting and more!
I get up nice and early - excited by the quiet early morning kitchen hours and motivated by these moms who I can't wait to love on and be with. What a delight it has been to take time to cook and create... it has also a gift to open up my humble fixer upper home and break bread with these special mamas. I know the more our table is open, the more this house will feel like a home.
Last month I decided to switch it up, Since it is summer time I thought hmmm maybe I could pull off a dinner! Maybe I could even get myself to a local farmer's market to source fresh fruit and veg from the market and then cook the day away.
(Me at a local farmers market!)
I was SO blessed by these mamas around the table, almost ALL of them could come for dinner and ohhhhhhhh it was sooooo good.
I was quickly reminded that every time you open your home, there are bound to be a few kitchen curveballs and mishaps. But this time, I was so much calmer than I used to be and refused to let anything ruin the day.
It was more like, "Ugh, I have a headache... oh well, I'm still going to the farmers market." Or, "Oh well, my phone appears to be broken. No one can text me and none of my apps work (it was like the olden days!)." Then, "Oh well, I didn't have time to make custard," and, "Oops, my sourdough looks like a flat rock... but we can still eat it!" Oh, and of course, I was running way behind schedule.
HA! Clearly I have become a little more seasoned and a lot more relaxed. I also have a much better understanding of what actually qualifies as a real crisis.
The ladies showed up and we enjoyed a simple but tasty feast! We laughed and connected and told stories and it was SO SO SO REPLENISHING!
This definitely has me dreaming and believing that one day...I will begin hosting 'underground' dinners again and create a place for neighbors, friends, or strangers to gather around a table to break bread and share life. Stay TUNED!
