Hello there! My name is Hope. I'm a wife to a wonderful husband and and a mother to a beautiful 8 year old and 5 year old. I work full-time as an an Elementary Music Teacher and part-time as a blogger, author, public speaker/presenter, essential oil educator and online fitness instructor. I am also the new author and brand ambassador of Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbooks! As you can see, I like to keep busy! I love to cook and I love my life!
So, how did this all come to be???
I rediscovered my Slow Cooker when I was nearing the end of my Master's Degree (which my husband and I were both doing at the same time! YIKES!!!). We were so incredibly busy and by the time I picked our daughter up from daycare, got home, and attempted to make dinner, it was bed time. There was zero time to spend with her. It made me so frustrated! One day, I pulled out my Slow Cooker and I told my husband, "This could save us, you know?!" That was February of 2010 and my Slow Cooker(s) have not left my counter since! This whole blog began when I started bringing my leftovers in for lunch! The ladies in the teacher's lounge asked what I had and then began asking for the recipes. At first, I would copy them and leave a pile in the teacher's lounge. One morning I woke up early and I remembered I had started a blog pre-Ella. I began typing.....and that's how it all began! Never in my wildest dreams had I ever imagined my blog becoming as "popular" as it has become!
In the early spring of 2013, I discovered I was Gluten Intolerant. To make a long story short, I suffered for 20 years not knowing what was "wrong" with me. I was in SO much pain and discomfort I no longer wanted to eat. My doctor urged me to try a gluten free diet. After 2 weeks, I felt 20% better....which was WAY better than I had felt in 20 years! So, I continued on and at the 2 month mark, I was literally a new woman. I felt like I got my life back. I was 100% better. I am SO grateful I found this out so I can live the rest of my life feeling as amazing as I do now!
I am SO happy that I can help others spend more time with their families and make their lives easier as well! It brings me great joy! I am grateful to my husband who has put up with this "crazy" idea and who has been so incredibly supportive! It has brought us closer together as a family, and that, I wouldn't trade for the world!
In 2016, I became the new author and brand ambassador of the iconic Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbooks! I'm only just beginning my journey with this, but have already completed several Fix-It and Forget-It titles and am working on many more! It's incredibly exciting and surreal!
This "crazy" idea has also brought me several cookbooks with MANY more on the horizon. NEVER in my WILDEST dreams, did I ever imagine I would be a published author!!! I mean, me?! WOW! Thank you to all of you for literally making my dreams come true!
So, how did this all come to be???
I rediscovered my Slow Cooker when I was nearing the end of my Master's Degree (which my husband and I were both doing at the same time! YIKES!!!). We were so incredibly busy and by the time I picked our daughter up from daycare, got home, and attempted to make dinner, it was bed time. There was zero time to spend with her. It made me so frustrated! One day, I pulled out my Slow Cooker and I told my husband, "This could save us, you know?!" That was February of 2010 and my Slow Cooker(s) have not left my counter since! This whole blog began when I started bringing my leftovers in for lunch! The ladies in the teacher's lounge asked what I had and then began asking for the recipes. At first, I would copy them and leave a pile in the teacher's lounge. One morning I woke up early and I remembered I had started a blog pre-Ella. I began typing.....and that's how it all began! Never in my wildest dreams had I ever imagined my blog becoming as "popular" as it has become!
In the early spring of 2013, I discovered I was Gluten Intolerant. To make a long story short, I suffered for 20 years not knowing what was "wrong" with me. I was in SO much pain and discomfort I no longer wanted to eat. My doctor urged me to try a gluten free diet. After 2 weeks, I felt 20% better....which was WAY better than I had felt in 20 years! So, I continued on and at the 2 month mark, I was literally a new woman. I felt like I got my life back. I was 100% better. I am SO grateful I found this out so I can live the rest of my life feeling as amazing as I do now!
I am SO happy that I can help others spend more time with their families and make their lives easier as well! It brings me great joy! I am grateful to my husband who has put up with this "crazy" idea and who has been so incredibly supportive! It has brought us closer together as a family, and that, I wouldn't trade for the world!
In 2016, I became the new author and brand ambassador of the iconic Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbooks! I'm only just beginning my journey with this, but have already completed several Fix-It and Forget-It titles and am working on many more! It's incredibly exciting and surreal!
This "crazy" idea has also brought me several cookbooks with MANY more on the horizon. NEVER in my WILDEST dreams, did I ever imagine I would be a published author!!! I mean, me?! WOW! Thank you to all of you for literally making my dreams come true!
