This morning as I drove my daughter downtown to Nutcracker practice, enthusiastically singing along to 70s dance hits, feeling carefree and happy, tears sprang to my eyes. This is what surviving looks like right now – deliciously, blissfully mundane and normal. Not a week goes by that I’m not hit with this same feeling of thankfulness – just insert a different scenario. The practice of referring to cancer patients as “survivors” has generally unsettled me, but I’ve never been able to put words to what bothered me about it. Lately, my thoughts have come together. I have realized that the label of “survivor” (noun) implies something that has already happened.…

By popular demand, we’re doing another tank order. Link to order is below. Thanks! Tank Order Form Link

When I originally tiptoed into the world of blogging, it was at the urging of a couple of friends as a way for me to share recipes. When setting up the site, I wanted a name that was fun and perhaps a little meaningful. Cast Iron Magnolia popped into my head and wouldn’t go away. The name felt a little silly or melodramatic to me at that time, but obviously I went with it. The reference to Steel Magnolias cannot be missed, and that was intentional. Southerness would ooze throughout my posts – people needed to know what they were getting into.[ I also want it to be noted that this…

When I was in the third grade, my mom was the homeroom mother for my class. I never questioned this at the time, but looking back, I wonder how on earth she made this work. Mom’s job was running a daycare out of our home. There weren’t lunch breaks or days off, or any of those other things that allow working-moms a touch of breathing-room. So, how she put together parties for our class remains a mystery (not to mention before Volunteer-Spot and email and Facebook and texting…). I tell you this to set the stage for a memory that has grown in significance to me as I journey along this…

Please pray this scripture (customized from Psalm 3) with me. Pray it over Mama, or yourself, or whoever in your life needs to fight or is giving up.  “But you o Lord are a shield around HER, HER glory, and the one who lifts HER head high.  She’ll call out to the Lord, and He’ll answer from His holy mountain.  She will lie down in sleep and wake again because the Lord sustains her. She will not fear though an enemy has invaded her body. And the the army attacks her insides, feeling like the enemy.  Arise Lord! Deliver her, my God! Bring her strength and hunger and the energy…