• Life on the gray couch

    ByKristin life

    After some months of deciding what we wanted, we welcomed a gray sectional from Ashley Furniture into our living room in January 2020. We pieced it together so it takes almost all the wall space on three sides of the room that is open on the far side of the dining room. 

    I don’t typically name objects, but this couch deserves a name for the amount of life it has absorbed in the past nearly six years. When we first got it, I didn’t let the kids eat on it. If we watched a ballgame while eating, I made them sit on the ground. Yet I did let them jump from cushion to cushion to ottoman to cushion. We didn’t have any pets at that time, so I certainly couldn’t imagine dogs wanting to sit on it. 

    Winter is a good time to hunker down, watch basketball and movies, and gather comfortably inside. And that’s what we did in January and February that year. Then it was March 2020, and we spent more time on the new couches than I would have ever imagined, thanks to the uncertainties and restrictions of COVID-19. 

    We did church with the five of us spread out on the sectional. Rachel was lovingly called “two crack” because she would manage to sleep with her body contorted into the two cracks in the corner section. We watched several seasons of Survivor, and I introduced my girls to Chad Michael Murray movies.

    Restrictions loosened, and my Bible study friends moved from my porch to my couch. Other friends gathered here throughout the summer and into the fall. The way the couch takes up most of the living room meant we had to find a new place for our Christmas tree. The kids would come home from school and rest their bodies and minds. The wild, unruly tree found a new home, and we opened stockings and presents on the couches. 

    The calendar turned to 2021, and the couch became more and more comfortable and felt like home. We rang in that new year, and have watched the ball drop at 11 pm Central Time on New Year’s Eve most every year since. 

    At the beginning of the new year, my mother-in-law had quadruple bypass surgery and recovered at our house, so we moved in a recliner that didn’t match the gray couch but would help her rest and heal. In February, my oldest, Cate, was the first in our house to get COVID when quarantining was still a thing and nobody was vaccinated. I didn’t allow her on the couch for at least 10 days because Gran Gran’s healing chest couldn’t handle the respiratory sickness like that. 

    Everybody healed, more sickness came and went, and I would Lysol the couch. We kept living life with people coming in and out of our house and our lives. The kids grew up. Rachel didn’t take many two-crack naps, but many pillow forts have been built. But we watched more basketball games, reality shows, and probably another Chad Michael Murray movie. 

    Ben had a rough eighth-grade year, so after various obstacles and insights, and probably some tears cried into the gray cushions, we got him a dog in May 2024. Balto is a bigger dog who loves to snuggle and be near. At first, I only let him on the older couch in the back room, but now he jumps on the gray couch when it’s covered by a quilt. Even so, I still can’t believe I have a dog on my couch. 

    But that’s our life right now. My boy needed this dog, and I really think this dog needed my boy. 

    In April 2025, we became a two-dog household. Rachel’s dog, Bailey, and Balto immediately bonded and cuddled together on the quilt-covered couch the first evening they were together. Bailey seems to prefer the cool floor, but she lies near the couch when we’re in the living room because she knows life happens here on the gray couch. 

    *****


    God authors the stories on our porches – in every season. If you haven’t already, please subscribe to  #PorchStories emails to receive them about every other week.

  • How to protect your home

    ByKristin family, life

    When you own a home, it’s a natural desire to want to keep it safe and comfortable for your family. Sometimes that takes extra effort! Here are a few things to keep in mind as you’re protecting your household. 

    Home security

    Being able to see what’s happening around your home when you aren’t there is a good way to protect your property. We use Amazon’s Blink outdoor cameras and have loved them. They come in wireless and wired versions. Some even have floodlights integrated. We also have the Blink doorbell. The doorbell and all the camera images and videos can be viewed on an app on our phones and our Echo Show devices.

    Another technology that helps our home be secured is the myQ app which allows us to open and close our garage doors automatically and remotely. The U home app gives us that same freedom with our keypad lock on our main porch door and allows us to program codes. These simple features are helpful when we have servicemen at our house when we aren’t there or when our neighbor feeds our cats when we are out of town. 

    Internet security

    With teenagers and their friends and all their devices, we are thankful to have filters and restrictions on our WiFi network, thanks to Cleanbrowsing.com. We also use Apple parental controls on our daughter’s iPhone and son’s iPod. The kids’ Kindles are set up for them to use without inappropriate content. Even so, we can relax knowing any device on our WiFi network is protected with the settings we’ve set up intentionally. 

    Pests

    We have two cats who help keep mice and voles and whatever else away from our house. Of course, there are sometimes wasps or flies that are easier to trap or zap. We also have an annual inspection with a local expert exterminator to prevent major problems like termites. 

    We live in the country so we have also been known to trap and terminate (thanks to my husband!) raccoons that like to hang out on our porch. I realize all kinds of animals live in the woods that surround our house, but I don’t need them camping out on my porch! We see varmints on our security cameras sometimes! 

    Obviously, security is important at our home, and technology helps make that more convenient. Once it’s set up and implemented like we want, it helps us all rest easier. By exploring security and safety options you can make sure your home stays cozy for everyone in your family. 

  • How to recreate favorite foods

    ByKristin food

    We all have that one dish from a restaurant that we absolutely love and always look forward to having. It may be an Indian curry, a Japanese ramen, or a Mexican enchilada — sometimes we just think of them and instantly crave them. But what if you could recreate these dishes at home with much more ease than you’d realize? It’s possible! With a little effort and the right ingredients, you can start serving up your favorite meals at home.

    After a recent cruise, my kids have all kinds of ideas about the food we should have at home! But they’re not going to get New York Strip Steak nightly or late-night pizza snacks at home like they did on the ship. Even so, I loved seeing them try new foods, like my boy eating his first lobster tail, which he had mixed feelings about.

    Research

    To get started, you need to do your research. So start by looking up recipes online, watching cooking tutorials on YouTube, and reading cookbooks. The more you know about the cuisine, the easier it will be to replicate it. Look for the key ingredients and techniques that are used in that particular cuisine. It might be that you need to know exactly what does into chicken gyros or what spices make a Thai curry pop. Doing your research will help you understand the flavors and techniques of the cuisine and give you the confidence to experiment a bit more in the kitchen.

    Get the right ingredients

    Once you have done your research, it’s time to gather the right ingredients. In my small town, I’m going to need to find these at Kroger or Walmart. I’ve been known to ask Alexa for substitution possibilities! Just make sure to keep the essence of the cuisine intact.

    Practice makes perfect

    Recreating your favorite cuisine may take a few attempts before you get it right. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Cooking can be about experimenting, so keep trying until you achieve the desired taste. Start with simpler recipes and then move on to more complex ones. I always follow the recipe the first time and then tweak it in the future. Make adjustments according to your taste buds and experiment with different spice combinations. And then it’s always best to share a meal with friends and family who appreciate the meal and gathering.

    Some people would say presentation is the key, but we aren’t formal people around here. Sometimes after I’ve spent time preparing a meal, I just want to eat it – on my pretty plastic Pioneer Woman plates. Of course, others may want to break out the garnishes and china. 

    Enjoy the process

    And finally, recreating your favorite cuisine should be a joy. So make sure that you enjoy it and don’t get too hung up on the outcome. Remember, cooking is all about experimenting and having fun. Be creative with your dishes and try new things. Cooking is a skill that takes time to master, so don’t get discouraged if you don’t get it right the first time. Keep practicing and before you know it, you’ll be a pro in the kitchen – and your family will thank you!