Life By Honey

Life By Honey Welcome to the Back Porch! We are delighted to offer a selection of home decor and furniture, ranging from classic items to the unexpected!

Refinished vintage home decor, thoughtfully sourced treasures, and handmade comforts — all curated to bring warmth, charm, and quiet beauty into your home… and maybe a little healing to your heart. We have something for every home and you never know what you might find here! Our handmade items are completely customizable. Perhaps you love our trays, but would like to have a different color or size

. Maybe you need a more masculine tool caddy. Do you like the size of one of our signs, but prefer a different color or saying? Let us make YOUR space beautiful! Send us a message and let us serve you!

Apparently consistency isn’t my strong suit, because I haven’t posted in… well… long enough that even Facebook was like,...
11/16/2025

Apparently consistency isn’t my strong suit, because I haven’t posted in… well… long enough that even Facebook was like, “Oh hey, you still alive?”
🤦‍♀️✨

BUT — I am still here, still juggling life, still trying to feed myself without crying in the kitchen, and today I’m showing up with the easiest “throw it all in and hope for the best” recipe ever.

If you need a dinner that tastes like you spent effort when you absolutely did not… this one’s for us. 😂

⸻

🍍 Instant Pot Teriyaki Pineapple Meatballs

(aka: Dinner for when your brain says “No ma’am.”)

Ingredients
• Frozen meatballs
• Frozen peppers & onions
• 1 can pineapple chunks with juice
• ½–1 cup teriyaki sauce

Instructions
1. Dump meatballs into the Instant Pot.
2. Add peppers/onions.
3. Pour in the pineapple with the juice.
4. Add teriyaki sauce — as little or as much as your heart says.
5. Pressure Cook 7 minutes on High.
6. Natural Release for 5 minutes, then Quick Release.
7. Optional: Stir in a quick cornstarch slurry (1 tbsp cornstarch + 1 tbsp water) and switch to Sauté to thicken the sauce.

✨ Done. No effort. No guilt. Tastes like you tried.

08/24/2025

Four years ago, I came home from the hospital with a blood clot near my brain and another in my chest. My ex-husband called me a “walking ticking time bomb.” My daddy wanted to talk funeral plans. And honestly? I lived under that shadow for a long time.

In the early years, when the anniversary of my stroke rolled around, I felt shame, frustration, fear, and failure. I carried the weight of inadequacy.
But this year is different. This year, I feel pride. Gratitude. A deep thankfulness for how far I’ve come.

Because today, I’m working a job that truly makes a difference. I have meaningful relationships with friends and family. I laugh a lot. I enjoy life. And those clots? Gone. Non-existent.

Here’s why I’m sharing this: if you’re in the middle of something heavy right now, please hear me—your story isn’t finished. The chapter you’re in doesn’t define the ending. You may not see it yet, but God is still writing. And He writes redemption into places you thought were ruined.

So keep going. Don’t let anyone else steal the pen from Him. ✨

(And if you made it this far, thank you 🤍. I’d also love to invite you to check out a unique fall centerpiece I just added to my Etsy shop—see link in comments!)

I love my job, but this week got hands. That’s all I got today, folks. Keep hangin in there ❤️
08/21/2025

I love my job, but this week got hands.
That’s all I got today, folks.
Keep hangin in there ❤️

When life hands you detours, sometimes it’s best to thrift your way through them. 🧺✨I was determined to post consistentl...
08/13/2025

When life hands you detours, sometimes it’s best to thrift your way through them. 🧺✨

I was determined to post consistently when I ramped this page back up… but sometimes life has other plans. This weekend I put on my Auntie hat and babysat my niece and nephews so my brother and sister-in-law could enjoy some time away.

We had a grand old time. We thrifted, we napped (okay, I napped), we ate, we argued, they argued… and yes, we ate some more. By the time they went home, my house looked like a toy store exploded, my fridge was empty, and my heart was full. 🩵

The best part? I found a few treasures along the way—including this adorable wicker basket that’s straight out of a cottagecore kitchen dream. 🌿 Perfect for dish towels, produce, or farmer’s market finds, and it’s now waiting in the shop for its new home.

🛒 Take a peek here: (link in comments)

Sometimes life’s detours bring the sweetest stories—and the very best finds. 🌼

Becoming a new version of yourself comes with a lot of goodbyes.People don’t always realize that the hardest one is sayi...
08/03/2025

Becoming a new version of yourself comes with a lot of goodbyes.
People don’t always realize that the hardest one is saying goodbye to the old you.

From the outside, growth looks like a joyful thing — blossoming, evolving, rising. And it is.
But what they don’t always see is the grief that comes with it.

Because even if you didn’t love where you were… or who you were…
You know deep down you were doing the absolute best you could with what you had.
You fought to survive that version of your life. You defended your choices.
You gave yourself grace when you could — and when you couldn’t, you still kept going.
You might not have been your best self back then, but you were the bravest version of you in that moment.

So when you finally start to grow, to heal, to rise — it can feel a little like betrayal.
Like you’re leaving behind someone who got you through some of the hardest days of your life.

But here’s the truth:
You’re not betraying your past self — you’re honoring them.

You are the proof that they didn’t give up.
You are the reward for their resilience.
You are the version they were fighting for all along.

So grow. Rise. Blossom.
And carry your old self with you — not as something to regret,
but as the roots that made your bloom possible.

I saw a video today of an ant standing still on a piece of paper.Someone had drawn a simple circle around it with a pen ...
08/02/2025

I saw a video today of an ant standing still on a piece of paper.
Someone had drawn a simple circle around it with a pen — nothing physical, nothing real. But the ant wouldn’t cross the line.

It wasn’t actually trapped.
But in its mind, it was.

And that hit me harder than I expected.

How many times have I done the exact same thing?
How many dreams have I not chased, opportunities I didn’t reach for, or risks I avoided — not because I couldn’t, but because I had drawn invisible boundaries in my own mind?

Even more than that, I realized the labels I’ve picked up along the way — from other people, from past mistakes, from fear — are the biggest fake walls of all.

“I’m not qualified.”
“I always mess things up.”
“I’m too old.”
“I’m not the type of person who…”

None of those are real walls.
They’re just circles drawn in pen.

What if we stepped over the line today? Just one small step past the story we’ve been telling ourselves?

Anyone who’s had a real conversation with me has probably heard me talk about a cactus blanket.A cactus blanket is anyth...
08/01/2025

Anyone who’s had a real conversation with me has probably heard me talk about a cactus blanket.

A cactus blanket is anything — a habit, a situation, a relationship — that you don’t even like… but you keep going back to because it’s familiar. It’s not comfortable, but it feels safer than having nothing at all.

We tend to reach for the cactus blanket when we’re in that in-between space — the space between what was and what’s next. That space is quiet and scary and uncertain. And sometimes, even when what’s next finally shows up, that can be scary too.

Can I do this?
What if I fail?
And maybe scariest of all… what if I succeed?

One of the hardest parts about moving forward is realizing that you can never go back to the cactus blanket again. No matter how uncomfortable it was, it was yours. It was what you knew. And in its own weird way, it was there for you.

We don’t talk enough about that part of healing — the ugly part. The lonely part. The part that feels like grief, even when you’re growing. It’s not all breakthroughs and celebrations. Sometimes it’s just waking up every day and choosing not to crawl back under the cactus blanket.

It takes real courage to let go of what’s familiar in order to make room for what’s possible.

Whew. Facebook is really in my business this week.Yes, I stole the meme. But the throat punch? That was all mine.I don’t...
07/30/2025

Whew. Facebook is really in my business this week.
Yes, I stole the meme. But the throat punch? That was all mine.

I don’t struggle with this as much as I used to, but wow…
It still stings to think about all the opportunities I let pass me by just because someone else didn’t support me.

But this more healed version of me? She knows better.
She knows — that she knows — THAT SHE KNOWS when she’s been called to do something… whether anyone else claps or not.

I’ve learned some people will never clap for you, no matter how much progress you make.
And I’ve learned that some of the best progress? Happens in silence.

I just saw a reel that said, “Comparison is dangerous — you might be comparing where God has you to where the devil has ...
07/29/2025

I just saw a reel that said, “Comparison is dangerous — you might be comparing where God has you to where the devil has someone else.” 😳

And whew. That one hit.

Especially in this digital world we live in. Everybody’s life looks polished and perfect online, but let’s be honest — most of us are just one bad angle away from a full breakdown and a bag of Hot Cheetos in bed.

Truth is, almost nothing is what it seems. Behind every “blessed & thriving” post might be a late light bill, a fight with their spouse, or a toddler who just Sharpied the walls.

So if you needed the reminder today: you’re not behind, you’re not failing, and you’re not alone. Keep your eyes on your own paper — and trust that God’s got your story handled.

(And if the devil’s handing out highlight reels… he better at least throw in some good lighting.)

“Reminder for anyone who’s barely holding it together: You’re doing better than you think.”We don’t talk enough about th...
07/29/2025

“Reminder for anyone who’s barely holding it together: You’re doing better than you think.”

We don’t talk enough about the kind of strength it takes to show up when you’re tired, grieving, anxious, or just plain overwhelmed.

Sometimes, just getting out of bed… answering one email… or making it through a workday is a full-blown victory.

If that’s where you are today — I see you.

Your effort counts. Your presence matters. You are doing better than you think. 💛

This one really kicked my butt tonight.I have reached a point where my choices look different now — thank you, Jesus. Bu...
07/28/2025

This one really kicked my butt tonight.

I have reached a point where my choices look different now — thank you, Jesus. But the truth is, the consequences from past decisions don’t just vanish. They linger.

Real healing doesn’t happen until you stop blaming everyone else and start being honest with yourself. And let me tell you — that is a bitter pill to swallow.

But if you can get over that hump…
If you can sit with the discomfort instead of running from it…
It’s worth it. Every. Single. Time. 💛

It was an unbelievably hard week at work. We lost a coworker in a sudden and tragic accident.But Krystal wasn’t just a c...
07/27/2025

It was an unbelievably hard week at work. We lost a coworker in a sudden and tragic accident.

But Krystal wasn’t just a coworker — she was my friend.

She knew things about me that most people don’t, and never will.

When I first started at the Council on Aging, I was terrified. It was my first “real” job in many years — and my first since having a stroke. I felt overwhelmed and completely unqualified.

I was certain I couldn’t do it.
Krystal was certain I could.

Every time I had a meltdown, she followed me outside and sat with me on the bench, reminding me who I was. She encouraged me until I started to believe it, too.

We were on a journey together. We had both lived through things we weren’t proud of. We both wanted better — to rise to the potential we believed God put in us. We shared our fears, our failures, and our quiet victories.

I’ll keep walking this path — but for a while, it will feel a little dimmer without Krystal beside me.

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Jena, LA
71342

Telephone

+13183162893

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