Messy Bun Blog

Writer, Adventurer, Coffee-Addict, Pirate

Welcome

 

The Messy Bun Blog continues the conversations that began in the newly released book, Messy Bun Mantras.

Join me for conversations on topics such as mental health, anxiety, positive affirmations, motherhood, books, coffee, and everything in between. You don’t have to do life alone and we’re so excited to build a positive community of women.

I’m glad you’re here!

Let’s Get Reading

Everything is Fine

Everything is Fine

Last summer I felt a stirring in my spirit to take the next step in my faith journey. I could give you a play-by-play recap of what that stirring felt like and the decision-making process - hint: prayers, fasting, and partnership with trusted confidantes - but...

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday

- A call to confession and repentance as we enter into the Lenten season. We didn't sing this song tonight at my church's Ash Wednesday service, but it's been on my mind since February 2nd - Gratitude by Brandon Lake. There are a few lines in particular that stand...

Hospitality

Hospitality

Have you ever had the thought, "I wish I was in full-time ministry"? I'm not great at compartmentalization. If I am passionate about someone or something, I let it consume me. I want to pursue that passion with every fiber within me, and I don't want anything to get...

Refined by Fire

Refined by Fire

Be careful what you pray for. I had a conversation with a friend not too long ago about worship song lyrics. We both admitted that we're uncomfortable singing songs that express surrender or a commitment to God's will when we're not entirely prepared for it. It's one...

Oh Hey, I’m Back

Oh Hey, I’m Back

It's been a hot minute, I know. Let's do a quick recap! In March of this year (2022) I released my poetry collection, These Bones Will Sing. If you haven't had a chance to pick up a copy, please do! It's now available on my website, Amazon, and if you're local to me,...

I Am Capable

I Am Capable

the following is an excerpt from Messy Bun Mantras One day a song on the radio caught my attention. The lyric that popped into my ear essentially said: hey, maybe it’s alright that I’m a train wreck sometimes. I remember thinking, Oh, thank God. I may look like I’m...

I Am Not Alone

I Am Not Alone

the following is an excerpt from Messy Bun Mantras In the early fall of 2017, I read the book In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick. It tells the true account of the tragedy of the Essex, an ill-fated whaleship that was attacked and sunk by a whale. It is the...

I Am Enough

I Am Enough

The following is an abridged excerpt from my book, Messy Bun Mantras. I always assumed that at some distant point in my life I’d feel like I had things under control. I’ve since learned that it’s not about having control so much as it is about accepting who has...

Meg’s January Reads

Meg’s January Reads

Happy February! We’re currently experiencing a little winter snow-and-ice storm in the great state of Ohio. I spent yesterday evening curled with a couple books and some tea and listening the sound of sleet hitting the window… Today I plan on baking some cookies and...

I’m Feelin’ ’22

I’m Feelin’ ’22

Somehow it’s already the second week of January. I tested positive for Covid on January 1st and spent the first week of the new year exhausted, sick, and isolated. Of course, in typically Type A, Meg personality, all I could think about was how far behind I was on all...

The Everlasting Light

The Everlasting Light

a Christmas prayer - Jesus, the Light of the World, as we celebrate your birth, may we begin to see the world in the light of understanding you give us. As you chose the lowly, the outcasts, and the poor to receive the greatest news the world had ever known, so may we...

Blue Christmas

Blue Christmas

Apologies for not posting last week. As you know, I am transitioning from part-time to full-time again and it's taking some adjustment. I am working on 2022 plans for this blog and a few other projects, including the poetry book, and will announce those as they get...

I am Chosen

I am Chosen

My small group at church just wrapped up a study on the show The Chosen. If you're not familiar with it, it is about the life of Jesus told through the perspectives of different people who were called, or chosen, by Him. In terms of production quality and acting, it...

Greater Things

Greater Things

I am standing at the precipice of who I used to be and who I'm meant to be. All that's left is one final step over the edge and into the fullness of faith. It's not that I'm afraid of falling. I've fallen before. I know what that feels like. I have more trepidation...

Mischief Managed

Mischief Managed

Happy Halloween! I decided to re-post my Spooky Season post from last year. It received a lot of attention last year and I thought it was worth a re-post as a reminder of what Halloween truly represents and a quick survey on paganism for those who are reading it for...

Still Here

Still Here

I am in a season where most of my friends are either pregnant or have recently had their babies. I've been enjoying this season, watching their hearts grow in love and excitement for their new baby. It's been a joy to talk compare pregnancies and give advice and buy...

Now Serving: Humble Pie

Now Serving: Humble Pie

Life is not about me. I get caught in the trap of what's in it for me quite often. Faith can be inconvenient. Faith says Stop what you're doing and listen or Stop and help or Go or Testify and none of that comes easily to me. I don't like getting sidetracked and I...

Hello September

Hello September

Welcome back! I took off last week because honestly, I ran out of time to write, plain and simple. I'm the type of person who is excellent at planning and not-so-great at plan execution. But I'm here now and you're here too, so thank you for showing up. It means a lot...

Peace – a poem

Peace – a poem

In a family of green thumbs, I have none. Still I plant and water and enjoy the fauna and the florals while they last. I try, and even though they die, I find joy in planting still. Reflections Is there something you are terrible at doing but still enjoy...

Anxiety 101

Anxiety 101

Anxiety: A feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome (Google Dictionary); A nervous disorder characterized by a state of excessive uneasiness and apprehension, typically with compulsive behavior...

Dear Meg

Dear Meg

(Dear Reader - this is a letter written from my alter-ego, Diane. See this post for context. The digest version is that Diane represents all that could have been, but isn't. She's a creative exercise in letting go and learning to be content.) Dear Meg, It's been a...

You Are Not A Loser

You Are Not A Loser

You are not a loser for not knowing what you want to be when you grow up. At least, that’s what I’m trying to tell myself. I envy the folks who have always known what they wanted to be when they hit adulthood, took the steps necessary to pursue those goals, and are...

Charcoal & Ivory

Charcoal & Ivory

My grandma taught me piano basics. I spent countless hours through the years piddling around on her piano and my keyboard, teaching myself to play popular songs by ear, learning to sight read, and attempting duets with my cousins at Christmas. I always wanted to play...

Mission Accomplished

Mission Accomplished

I registered for the Cincinnati Flying Pig Half-Marathon in the fall of 2019. I signed up because my sister-in-law - who claims to have no memory of this - countered my suggestion to run a 10k with the statement, "We should do a half." And I replied true to character,...

Asian-American Heritage: China

Asian-American Heritage: China

Hello! For the month of May I am excited to celebrate Asian-American heritage. Each week will highlight either someone with Asian-American heritage or some aspect of Asian-American culture. This week I'm sharing some of my thoughts on my Chinese heritage, as well as...

Asian-American Heritage: Worth the Read

Asian-American Heritage: Worth the Read

Hello! For the month of May I am excited to celebrate Asian-American heritage. Each week will highlight either someone with Asian-American heritage or some aspect of Asian-American culture. This week I am focusing on books that I think are worth reading, both fiction...

Asian-American Heritage: Japan

Asian-American Heritage: Japan

Hello! For the month of May I am excited to celebrate Asian-American heritage. Each week will highlight either someone with Asian-American heritage or some aspect of Asian-American culture. Kicking off the month is an interview with my dear friend, Meredith...

Anxious Minimalism

Anxious Minimalism

I have anxiety. I wrote a whole book about it and started this blog to continue the narrative that began in Messy Bun Mantras. One thing that I don't discuss at length in the book is minimalism. It worked its way into an earlier draft, but by the time the final edits...

Earth Day

Earth Day

I spent a large chunk of childhood indoors, reading, writing, watching movies, and exercising my imagination until I had the foundation for my creativity, humor, and love of story-telling. Truth be told, I wasn't an "outdoorsy" girl. I liked air-conditioning and not...

April Showers Bring…

April Showers Bring…

One of the best things about warmer weather is the reappearance of outdoor markets, whether they are farmer's markets, fea markets, or artisan/craft markets. Nothing welcomes the sunshine quite like a weekend stroll through vendor tables and the discovery of a new...

A “Beth March” Book Review

A “Beth March” Book Review

Dear, sweet Beth. There are so many lessons to be learned from the quiet, contented March sister. I think because of the time period in which she lived she was able to get away with sheltering herself within her family and her home. She spends much of the book coming...

A “Jo March” Book Review

A “Jo March” Book Review

One of the things I love best about Jo March is her fearlessness. She isn't afraid of being different or of being herself. She is the March sister we all see in ourselves (or wish we could be): that wild part of us that longs to break free from whatever it is that is...

A ‘Meg March’ Book Review

A ‘Meg March’ Book Review

And just like that, it's March. Is it just me or is the year flying by? For the month of March, I'm reviewing books through the lens of Little Women. If the sisters were here today with modern reading material, what would they be reading? What might they review? How...

Hi-De-Ho, Neighbor!

Hi-De-Ho, Neighbor!

I read Bob Goff's Everybody Always right before the pandemic shutdown. All of the motivation I gathered to go love my neighbors was snuffed out with the warnings that anyone - anyone - might have Covid-19 and might give it to you. In a world where we were only allowed...

Debt-Free

https://youtu.be/QpE6iXpldXc This is Jake. Jake is my husband. If you've been around me long enough, you know a couple of things to be true: A) I do not gush about my love for him on the internet, and B) Jake likes Dave Ramsey. So, in honor of Valentine's Day weekend,...

Love Story – a poem

Love Story – a poem

You stand at attention, in anticipation. You’ve prepared for this moment: long, tiring hours filled with hope and longing. Fire rumbles through your tortured soul, the turquoise heat melts your love-plumped heart, creating a raucous din of a pulse that bleeds chaotic...

Are You There, God?

Are You There, God?

If God could send a burning tumbleweed every time He wanted to get my attention, I'm convinced that life would be a lot easier. But it would probably lack faith. A burning bush is a sure sign, right? I would have almost no choice but to believe and obey whatever God...

Voices

Voices

some days most days I feel terribly utterly isolated void without hope or joy heavy because the voice inside my head feeds me poison and I drink it because the voice tells me it’s what I deserve some days fewer days I feel Brave incredibly powerfully Invincible full...

Dear Younger Me

Dear Younger Me

On Monday you turn thirty-two. THIRTY-TWO. You've had some new thoughts since the letter written on your 30th birthday: You have five gray hairs. Yes, you're keeping track. You've given up on the idea of dyeing your hair because you've leaned into the boho, wild-woman...

Day 7: Grace

Day 7: Grace

I'm thankful for grace. Not just the kind of grace that we humans extend to each other around the holiday season, but divine grace. Limitless grace. The sort of grace that stepped down from a heavenly throne and came to earth in a newborn baby. The kind of grace that...

Day 5: Freedom

Day 5: Freedom

At the end of the day, I'm grateful and proud to be an American. Yes, our country has some things to work out, but there is always hope for the future. I've found new meaning in this verse: For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on...

Day 4: Work

Day 4: Work

Today I am grateful for my work. I’m grateful for a full-time job that gives me the means to provide for my family, normal co-workers, and a flexible environment should non-work emergencies arise (and they have). I’m beyond grateful that we were considered an...

I am Enough

I am Enough

I was recently on the receiving end of phone call with an extremely rude customer while at work. I won't recount what he said, because ultimately it doesn't matter, but it left me seething. I didn't do anything wrong and I knew this particular customer was simply a...

Autumn Love

Autumn Love

Today is our ninth wedding anniversary. We're not much for gift giving, but I thought I'd check on what the traditionalists say we should give. According to Hallmark.com, our anniversary themed gifts to each other should be either willow (wicker) or pottery. Does...

Find Your Why

Find Your Why

I was recently chatting with some friends about motivation. We're all feeling a little less motivated these days. We have plenty of excuses, but no good reasons. I thought about how to reply to my friend's quest for motivation and it led me back to a book I started...

It’s Fall Y’all

It’s Fall Y’all

It's officially Autumn - my favorite season. I love this time of year. I love the crisp air, the last remaining rays of sunshine, the overcast clouds huddling together in the gray sky, the blankets, the flannel, the bonfires, and the snuggles with family and fur...

For Diane

For Diane

One great thing about writing a book is the dedication page. I'm serious. Google "funny book dedications" and you'll find that writers are so amused by their dedication pages and what they're allowed to print there. Trust me. I believe I thought about my book's...

Pursuing Bravery

Pursuing Bravery

"Hey, I've decided to read 100 Days to Brave by Annie F. Downs, do you guys want to read it with me?" My friend sent that message via Snapchat to our little friend group in the final week of December 2019. Without hesitation, we all bought the book and committed to...

How I Survived Post-Partum Depression

How I Survived Post-Partum Depression

Let’s start by talking about the difference between the “baby blues” and postpartum depression. The baby blues are mild mood changes and feelings of worry, unhappiness, and exhaustion that may occur in the first couple of weeks after having a baby. These feelings are...

Just Do It

Just Do It

How do you write a book? How do you run a marathon? How do you do anything worth doing? The answer is obvious: you start. You'll see this pop in interviews with people who have accomplished big things. Someone always asks, "how did you do it?" and nine-out-of-ten...

Why I Don’t Complain About My Husband

Why I Don’t Complain About My Husband

I want to apologize in advance because I'm probably going to sound like the biggest tightwad of a snob, but just hear me out. I know you've been here: some social situation with other couples present; the food is great, the company is spectacular, and the stories have...

Making Room for Error

Making Room for Error

For most of my life I've been a perfectionist. I was a (mostly) straight-A student with honors, meticulous in my writing and my art projects, incapable of letting myself make mistakes. Perfectionism held me back because it kept me afraid of failing. Failing was simply...