Hi there! I’m thrilled you stopped by and may this be your official welcome to living a life that believes in your destiny and knows you’re here for a divine purpose.

You know that crazy idea you have right now? The one that’s way too big for you? The scary one far outside your comfort zone? I call it a God Dare and it’s Him, divinely nudging you. Take the plunge! Follow through, make the phone call, start the business, go back to school, start the ministy, write the book. Whatever it is, Just Do It. If you fall flat on your face, so what? What if you don’t? What if it is God and He has a huge plan just for you?

I’m an accidental writer and author of 2 books and I love to cook and chronicle life’s moments with my iPhone. I’ve been married to Mike, my best friend, for 36 years and I’m mom to Grammy-winning recording artist Francesca Battistelli and Mimi to Franny’s five children. Before giving my life to God, I acted and sang in the New York Broadway musical theatre world, touring for 2 1/2 years in the Broadway National Tour of The King and I playing Anna opposite Yul Brynner as the King. That’s where I met my amazing husband.

I’m the author of the bestseller The God Dare published in June by Barbour Publishing and Growing Great Kids: Partner With God to Cultivate His Purpose in Your Child’s Life, published by Charisma House. I’m a New Jersey girl living in Franklin, TN, and I love to share what I’ve learned about God, family, food, and hospitality. My passion is to remind you there’s a big God Dare with your name on it!

You know, I always imagined myself as the mom of 4 or 5 kids, house in disarray, chaos, crumbs and craziness everywhere. Of course, things don’t usually turn out how we plan do they? God had a different path, a unique story crafted just for me. His plan? Give me one precious child and teach me day by day and year by year. He slowly helped Mike and I uncover her gifts and talents deep within and taught us what we needed to do to give her dreams wings. I wrote about our struggle with infertility and having an only child here.

I never saw myself writing a book, no way! But God did. All along He was writing the chapters deep in my heart year by year as I took up residence in “the mother hood.” His lessons stuck with me and when He was ready He gave me a ‘divine nudge’ and Growing Great Kids was born. My part? Obey and start writing. It didn’t really matter how I saw myself. He said write so, I wrote! Good thing He doesn’t only call the equipped but still equips the called!

Fast Facts About Me

• I love to cook.
• I HATE to clean.
• I’m a word nerd and appreciate good grammar and spelling.
• Give me all the coffee, organic and bulletproof.
• I make my own jams and preserves and can them at home.
• I’m a messy (just ask my husband).
• I’m a complete Broadway musical theatre nerd.
• I’ll take the ocean over mountains every time. Honestly, mountains scare me.
• I make pretty much everything from scratch. Here’s my Recipe Index.
  
• My grand-babies are the cutest kids on the planet.
• I can’t draw to save my life.
• I always write in pencil. Pencils have erasers so I can erase my mistakes. I don’t like mistakes.
• For five years, Mike and I were certified childbirth instructors in The Bradley Method of Natural Childbirth.
• I went to 4 colleges in 2 years and didn’t graduate from any of them. Thus my initial reluctance to write a book.
• My love languages are acts of service and gifts. I’m the person you want to have around on holidays because not only will I cook everything, but I’ll clean up and then give you presents 🙂
• I’ve been to traffic school 3 times. Oops.
• I’m an 8 on the Enneagram.

I’ve been married to my best friend for 36 years. We literally fell in love across the footlights when I was traveling across the country in The King and I back in the ’80’s. Mike joined the tour in Detroit as the Associate Conductor…and I knew he was the one for me.

Mike is the smartest person I’ve ever known. He’s consistently modeled what integrity, honor and humility look like, even when it’s cost him. He’s a graduate of the Eastman School of Music and he has a master’s degree and a doctorate in conducting from the University of Massachusetts. He’s a brilliant musician, Dr. Mike! (I figure his 3 degrees and my 0 degrees averages out to a nice B.A. for both of us, amiright??)

Why do I love and respect him so much? He’s a faithful husband, he’s devoted to God, he’s a fantastic dad and amazing grandpa and after more than 36 years of marriage, he still makes me laugh and I still can’t wait to tell him whatever interesting thing happened to me each day! Oh…and he makes the best pizza and meatballs and spaghetti sauce you’ve ever had.

You might know her as Contemporary Christian Recording Artist Francesca Battistelli. To me, she’s Franny. Amazing wife, daughter extraordinaire and devoted mom to my little heartbeats! Her devotion to worship and her heart for God inspire me and her passion to make His name known is contagious!

Being a mom is fantastic but being a grandma? It satisfies my heart in a dozen different ways. I didn’t know what to expect when Franny was expecting. What can I say?

I. Simply. Adore. Those. Babies 🙂

I’m so glad you stopped by…welcome!