Made for the Heart Stuff

04/30/2026

I spy with my little eye 👀…the cutest Spring display at Rendered Unique featuring our Mamahood set! ✨🌸

Decorah friends, if you’re still looking for that perfect Mother’s Day gift for the mama of littles in your life or just need some Spring retail therapy, head downtown this weekend to shop Rendered!

Our front table is FULL of color & things we’re loving for spring!🌸

We’re ready for a brand new week! Open today from 10-5pm!

01/23/2026

2026 has already been a dumpster fire of a year.

In 23 short days, I've experienced anger, betrayal, and a kind of sadness
that brought me to my knees.
Honestly, I'd like to fast forward to see what 2027 has to offer because from where I'm sittin' it can only get better.

But yesterday morning, as I pulled up my usual spot at the kitchen island to talk *cry* to God and soak up His Word, He reminded me of who He is and who I am to Him in the coolest way.

And I had to share, in case you need this as much as I did.

I have this tendency to try and put a positive spin on everything.
"This is really hard, but hey look at the bright side!"
I'm trying to retrain my brain to stop doing that.

The hard, messy, not-so-pretty feelings deserve space to exist.
They can be true, AND I can choose not to live there.
They don't have to disappear for me to move forward.

That, I'm realizing, is grit.

Grit sounds like such a tough, almost masculine word.
But when you see it lived out, when you recognize it in another human,
it carries a quiet beauty.
Not an elegant kind of beauty,
but a risen-from-the-ashes kind of beauty that I've always admired.

Which brings me to one of those God moments that are just so undeniably and delightfully Him.

I looked up where the idea of “beauty from ashes” comes from in Scripture, and Isaiah 61 popped up.
Do you know what the heading of that chapter is in my Bible?

“The Year of the Lord’s Favor.”

I sobbed.

I had already written this year off.
I was looking ahead with dread, assuming it was broken before it even really began.
And God whispered, No.
I see it all, Lindsay.
Every circumstance. Every tear.
But because of Jesus, you don't have to live in darkness.
You are not stuck in never-ending brokenheartedness.
My hand, My favor, is upon you.
Let me take this year and show you what I can do with it.

To be clear, I know God's favor doesn't mean nonstop rainbows and sunshine, or that the hard things will somehow magically disappear.

It means I can persist despite my circumstances.
It means my soul will continue to rejoice -- not because everything is good,
but because God is.
I am a favored daughter of the King.
He can take brokenness and turn it into something beautiful.
He can take ashes and turn them into a crown of beauty.

So, my friends, fellow daughters of the King --
may you move forward into this year with grit & favor.

P.S. I think that's gonna be my new sign off, feel free to borrow it ;)

With Grit & Favor,
Lindsay

12/30/2025

In 2026 may we have hearts overflowing with Jesus and humble strength that stands in unflinching opposition of the world’s ways.

12/22/2025

The days/weeks/months after having a baby are filled with beauty and growth and for some of us, a lot of struggle. I wish I would’ve known about the Postpartum Support International-Iowa Chapter. If you’re in that postpartum season and you’re feeling overwhelmed or alone, please consider reaching out to them!

12/21/2025

I started this company with the hope of getting God’s Word into the hands of women as they navigate the ‘Heart Stuff’ of life. So I am beyond excited to be partnering with Let Them Live and getting the chance to encourage mamas as they choose to bring sweet life into this world 💗

12/02/2025

If you’re looking for a way to love on a mama of littles, this is the gift. Hope and peace that only comes from Jesus, served with a side of mom humor. On sale all December! Link in bio.

10/20/2025

I am so excited to be partnering with Barn Happy to get the word of God into the hands of Mamas all over Iowa (and hopefully beyond)! If you’re in the Cedar Falls area and looking for cute Iowa-made finds or even just a good panini and a cup of coffee, Barn Happy is the spot ✨

10/10/2025

I had the most ‘God-but-make-it-Iowa’ experience this morning. And you can’t read this and tell me God doesn’t have a sense of humor.

Everyone in Iowa knows October means we’re knee deep in harvest. Combines and corn dust everywhere. And this morning on my gravel road walk and talk with Jesus, I was accompanied by the smell and site of manure. Piles of natural fertilizer waiting to be spread over the fields. Some say it’s the smell of money. I say chicken p**p is always gonna stink like chicken p**p and don’t try to change my mind.

Anyways, at the exact time I was walking by these small mountains of p**p, this song by Brandon Lake popped up. My mom and I saw him last night and let me tell you, rocking out and praising Jesus with 10,000 other brothers and sisters, led by maybe the coolest praise and worship team ever, isn’t something I’ll soon forget. But in this song Praise You Anywhere, Brandon sings about shouting praise from the mountains, louder in the valleys. Praising God not just when life is easy and we’re feeling the warm fuzzies of faith, but the day after the rock concert when life can feel more like trudging through metaphorical (or for some of us, literal) piles of crap.

So this morning, I lifted my hands and sang praises to our faithful God walking beside fields of chicken p**p. And I just encourage you to do the same, regardless of whatever crap you’re walking through. He will faithfully walk with you through it, and He is so worthy of our praise.

08/25/2025

All my Ankeny mom friends, Made for the Heart Stuff: Mamahood is now at Tweedle Dees!! Go pick up a few sets for the new mamas in your life, and shop all the cutest fall decor from local artists!

08/20/2025

As a woman myself I'm probably a bit biased, but we really do have the most incredible hearts! Whenever I have a raw, honest conversation with one of the women in my life, I'm constantly reminded that we are all working through something at any given moment. Whether it's kids, marriage, job, illness, strained relationships, you name it, we usually have something weighing on our hearts. Like, feel-it-in-your-chest heavy. And that's the case for girls aged six to ninety-nine.

But if you dig into the Bible, God's perspective on our character and capacity as women is so much more expansive than what we often think.

Proverbs 31 describes a woman who is industrious and strong, while also being wise, caring, and maybe my favorite — "she can laugh at the days to come". When you have Godly faith as a woman, you can handle all the 'hard' life throws at you and still have enough room for a sense of humor about the craziness of it all! That's what Made for the Heart Stuff is about. Acknowledging the reality that women are walking through each day with a lot of 'heart stuff', and then gently reminding them that God is with them in it and, as a result, we can approach these hard moments with levity and perspective.

Shop our new Made for the Heart Stuff: Mamahood bible verse cards at the link in our bio!