Death to Optimization
Back from our September Che Vita trip to Umbria, I’m slowing down, saying no to optimization, and celebrating the ordinary gifts of life. Plus a big photo gallery from our weeks in Italy.
How To Bring Your Kitchen To Life!
Home from three weeks of guiding guests through Umbria, Shaye shares the simple, practical ways she breathes life back into a tired kitchen — from fresh air and a rising loaf to a well-stocked harvest table.
A Month In Between
August is a month in limbo: summer’s bounty still pouring in while school, routines, and autumn wait just around the corner. A few thoughts on finding delight in the in-between seasons of life, plus simple, Italian-inspired ways to savor the middle moments.
I Got a New Pep in My Step!
At 40, I’ve got a new pep in my step. On being a beginner again, fumbling through a new language in Italy, and why stepping outside our comfort zone keeps us young at heart.
The Elliott Homestead Is Ending
After sixteen years, The Elliott Homestead is ending and becoming Shaye’s Italian Kitchen. Here’s the story of how it began, why it’s changing, and the beautiful, Italian-inspired road ahead.
Contentment Is Our Medicine
On why I refuse to waste my life being ticked off: choosing contentment, gratitude, and joy in the ordinary, everyday moments of home and family.
My Morning "Routine"
My morning 'routine'... it's not what you think. A peek at how my days really begin at the cottage.
Dear Guilty Woman...
A letter to every woman carrying guilt she doesn't need to carry, from someone recovering from the very same thing.
The Contentment Exercise
Three small practices that actually work, even on the hard days, for cultivating contentment right where you are.
This Is Good!
Life hasn’t gotten any smoother lately, yet somehow it has gotten better. Honest thoughts on hard seasons, small kindnesses and hope, plus a new video from my kitchen.
Sleeping With the Same Man, Washing the Same Dishes
On a faithful, steady, and ordinary life: sleeping with the same man, washing the same dishes, and finding deep, quiet joy in the beautiful repetition of home.
Let's get this over with...
Before parsley bouquets and ironed linens, the unglamorous corners. The first, decidedly ugly step of our 90-day mission to fall back in love with our homes.
Care to fall in love with me this summer?
I'm on a 90-day mission to fall back in love with my home (and my life) this summer, and I'd love for you to join me.
The Common Art of Kitchen Work
Chicken salad, stock simmering on the stove, flowers in jars on the counter: the everyday kitchen work of a home cook is its own kind of art. A few thoughts on rescuing the common art of cooking from the daily grind.
I Can’t Believe I Get to Be a Part of This
The last day of our homeschool year, a messy house, and a tired mama. Why raising a family is hardly a sacrifice, but one of the greatest gifts in the whole world.
God said no.
I turn 40 tomorrow. Let's talk about hot dogs and holy things: how I'm celebrating, and what I've learned from the prayers God answered with no.
Self, Are You Listening?
Home again after a surprise 40th birthday trip abroad: on noticing the good gifts of ordinary life, growing less and enjoying more, plus my Sourdough Honey Cake with Italian Honey Meringue.
Let’s Talk About “It”
Therapists and pastors agree the two biggest challenges in marriage are sex and money. An honest, faith-filled letter about intimacy, seasons and choosing your spouse again and again.
My Non-Negotiables as a Homebody Leaving Home
A self-proclaimed homebody’s list of travel non-negotiables: the snacks, supplements, cross-body purse and little comforts that make leaving home (even for Italy) feel doable.
Linoleum is your new flex.
What if we moved life's goalposts so we could actually succeed? On redefining success, contentment, and why linoleum just might be your new flex.