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Hey friend! One week turned into two. Two turned into four. And somehow I looked up and it had been several months since I'd written to you.

I've been meaning to sit down and do this for weeks. Life just kept winning. But spring is finally here, the ducks are teenagers now (more on that in a second), and I'm not letting another week go by without catching you up.

So here we go! The last three months in one letter.

This past week 3 months in a minute:

Three books, somehow all at once 📚️ I genuinely don't know how book releases end up happening in batches, but here we are. Three books in three months. My Easter book came out first, and I was completely overwhelmed by your response. So many sweet pictures of baskets with little books tucked inside. It never gets old.

Then came Our Big Book of Animals, and most recently Scribble Scrabble… the sequel to Wishy Washy that parents have been asking me about at every single event for years. If your little one is in that language-building stage, it's the one I'd grab.

Now we get a breath. A short one, but a breath. I have a lot planned for this fall, including something I genuinely cannot wait to tell you about. Some things are still coming together, but when I'm ready to share, you'll be the first to know.

And then there was the health stuff 🤒 If I'm being fully honest, the books weren't the only reason I went quiet. We got hit (hard). All four kids, both adults, and my parents too. Illness after illness, a random injury or two, allergic reactions and on top of it all, a hospital visit. There were stretches where I genuinely couldn't remember a week where everyone was upright and okay at the same time. It was one of those seasons where you just put your head down and survive it.

But we're on the other side now, and I cannot tell you how grateful I am to feel like ourselves again. Healthy, rested (mostly), and back.

Are any of you coming out of a season like this? One of those stretches where it just keeps coming? I'd love to know… and if anything actually helped you get through it, please tell me. I'm all ears. 🙏

On the farm 🦆 … If you haven't been on Instagram lately, I have some news: good and not so good. We lost our sweet Ellie Mae a couple of months ago. She was our mini Highland… soft and slow and so gentle. She had this way of just setting the mood for the whole property. Quiet and calm and completely unbothered by everything. We miss her more than I expected.

But Jordan (who swore he was done adding animals) finally caved. (He always caves 😜 ) We now have Gracie and Heidi, a mama and baby Irish Dexter. AND… Gracie is pregnant!!! Which means come fall, there will be a new little fluff ball roaming our pasture. I cannot wait.

The chickens have finally decided to earn their keep. We're getting a couple dozen eggs a day, and our nine-year-old has turned it into her next side hustle. She sells a few dozen a week and splits the profits with us. She negotiated the terms herself. I'm not even a little surprised.

And the ducks. Oh, the ducks. About a month ago we hatched 17 runner ducklings. They are now teenagers- lanky and loud and growing at an almost alarming rate. Jordan built them a huge coop aviary out in the pasture and we're about to do the big move-in. I will absolutely be documenting this.

I've missed writing to you. Truly. I'm back now and I have so much I want to share this year. More soon.

All my love, Tabitha 🤍

The best thing you can do for someone who's struggling

Going through a hard season has a way of clarifying things. And one thing I keep coming back to (something I shared on Instagram a few weeks ago) is this:

Don't ask what you can do. Just do something.

When you're in crisis, your brain shuts down. You can't think straight, let alone come up with a to-do list for a well-meaning friend. The people I remember most from our hardest moments aren't the ones who asked. They're the ones who showed up. With a meal, a care package, a quiet presence in a hospital lobby. My parents are the best at this. They would sit for hours, just to be available. That meant everything.

So many of you resonated with this when I posted it, and your responses stopped me in my tracks. One that I keep thinking about came from a follower who wrote: "Everyone brings meals to those who just had a baby. But not very many people bring meals to those who just lost a baby." I had to set my phone down after that one 🥹 .

If you want the full list of ideas; practical ways to actually show up for someone — I posted it here. Save it. Comb through the comments. You'll need it someday, and so will someone you love.

Be a doer. It's what people really need. 🤍

Sometimes I make books & other pretty things…