Laura Oneill

It's fall, y'all. Cooler temperatures here in southern Mississippi mean hot beverages in the afternoon. Working out the kinks on my version of a pumpkin spice latte. No Starbucks near me means making more drinks at home. Who else enjoys a little liquid splurge??

Entering midlife means having a different perspective on things, including work. #ad #DisruptAging We can look back and we can look forward. I am thankful to join other women and @disruptaging to provide a view on disparity in pay. Because even in 2021 women tend to be paid less than men. When I was in my 20s, I expected lower pay. After all, I didn't have years of experience under my belt. Fast forward to midlife and my return to the workforce after years at home. Seeking employment was a challenge at best. Tons of resumes. Some interviews. Plenty of ghosting by companies that I interviewed with for jobs. It wasn't that I had no boots on the ground experience. Running 2 websites and their associated social media accounts provided plenty of opportunities to learn and remain fresh. But pockets of not working for someone else coupled with being older worked against me. As I needed a paycheck, I ended up doing retail and then hospitality for a while. Plus a short temp job that did use some of my business skills and paid accordingly. Then we moved to Mississippi. We'll just say there are not a lot of employers in our small town. But, I am so fortunate to have been hired on by our local community college. In the Marketing and Communications Department. When my manager called to offer me the position, he did so stating the pay range and that he was offering the TOP amount. And that they were really excited at the prospect of me joining the team. I am not making the 'big bucks' by most people's standards. But, when I consider all the paid time off we get plus what the average income is for this area, I do feel valued. Plus, I am totally loving my new job. (And I am still doing the blogging thing. Just not for tons of free product or from the goodness of my heart like I used to do when I undervalued myself and my time.) Or, leave a comment to share YOUR voice on this important topic. . . . #knowyourworth #strongertogether #DisparityinPay #ageisjustanumber #MidlifeWorkingWomen

Now that I'm working full time outside the house again, dinnertime can be a challenge. #AD I am fortunate to have four boys in the house that all take turns cooking. Yet, I still can end up with dinner duty on a workday. That's when I want a simple dinner solution. Like this Tuscan Chicken topped with pesto. (Comment if you want the recipe!) Our family tested out the @barillaus Creamy Genovese Pesto recently thanks to @momsmeet It is definitely creamier than the rustic style we are used to having. Confession time: we all stirred the pesto into the chicken after plating. Doing a dollop of pesto on top was a way to let people decide how much they wanted. Oh, it also did great for leftovers at work the next day. What are some of your favorite ways to eat pesto? . . . #momsmeet #BarillaUS #BarillaPesto #CreamyGenovese #SimpleDinnerSolutions #TuscanChickenRice #DinnerIdeas #GlutenfreeEats #GlutenFreeBlogger #FamilyDinnerIdeas

Thankful for boys who can cook. Especially when they tag team dishes. Now I am craving some of the slow cooker bean mix pictured here. A family favorite for summer holidays. Recipe is on the blog. Leave a comment and I'll send you the direct link.

After a big storm, you assess the damage. We rode out Hurricane Ida not knowing if we'd get destruction like our small town saw during Kateine 16 years ago. We weren't here for that one, but visited pockets of the area to know how much damage there was. Our small town saw the worst winds and tornadoes with Katrina. This time, we were lucky. Minor damage. Scroll to see... Limbs down in the yard. One tiny patch of front porch somehow escaped getting soaked. A flower bed where the perineal growth was flattened. Roof damage that led to a leak on the ceiling inside. That's all we've found. Many in SE Louisiana were not as lucky. Some are flooding our small town for necessities like food, gas and water. Tomorrow I'm working a table on the community college campus to collect donations. I'll be raiding my cupboards and visiting the local store for our contributions. The past year has me sad to see so many putting themselves ahead of others. But that isn't my take on the Christian life. Rather, what can I do to help my neighbor. Were you or someone you love affected by #HurricaneIda? How do you show love for neighbor? . . . #HelpingOthers #LoveThyNeighbor #ChristianLife #StormCleanUp #PostHurricane #MississippiLife #CountryLife #smalltownlife #MississippiBlogger #SouthernBlogger #SouthernBlogger #southernunitedstates #StormDebris #CatholicLife #CatholicBlogger

Do you love popcorn 🍿? We do! #ad Sharing about Monster Pop Snacks on the blog. A great item to have on hand for back-to-school season. #momsmeet, #backtoschool #monsterpop Also sharing a special 25% off code: MOMSMEET25 (good through 10/31/21 . . . .#PopcornLovers #BacktoSchoolSnacks #BacktoSchoolLunches #10DaysofCarousels @monsterpopsnacks_ @momsmeet

Happy National Dog Day to all you dog lovers! We adopted our 2 gals last October. Rescue pups. Mama looks to be at least part American Bulldog. Dad is unknown. Although we suspect at least part Rottweiler. After more than a decade without pets, we are happy to have them in the family. Even if they lose their minds when someone comes to the house. Or ignore us when they catch a scent and follow their nose. Do you have a dog at home?? . . . #NationalDogDay #MississippiLife #CountryLife #MississippiBlogger #RescuePups #RottweilerPuppies #LoveMyDogs #PuppyLife

Today is #NationalDogDay 🐶🐾 We love our rescue pups. This is Miss Ursa. She was the biggest of the litter and rather vocal when we got her. She used to sing, even. At 11 months old, she is now 20 pounds smaller than her sister, Miss Rook. They are both significantly larger than their mama. Go figure! . . . #RescuePuppy #rescuedogsofinstagram #LoveOurDogs #RottweilerPup #mixedbreedsofinstagram

🧇 Today is “National Waffle Day”! 🧇 I’m sharing some sweet goodness & sending the fun over to @tiptoefairy 😍😍 Visit their post to see who they’re sharing the love with. Join the tour by clicking on each handle until you get all the way back to my post! Let us know if you did! Swipe to see some of my favorite waffle dishes. Photo 1: Savory Belgian waffle with fried chicken piece on the side Photo 2: Gluten-Free Multigrain waffle Photo 3: Belgian Waffle topped with fried chicken slices and homemade sausage gravy I am also rather partial to a waffle topped with berries and a bit of whipped cream. But, I don't have a photo of that at the moment. What are some of your favorite ways to eat a waffle? . . . #cutefettiloops #nationalwaffleday #waffleday #MDGBizBoost #yummyfood #nationalwaffleday #waffleday #10DaysOfCarousels #CTECarousels

With Labor Day coming soon, I decided it is time to get my decorative letter hung up outside. I left the stars off, but you can add them with stencils. For my personal one, I didn't even do the white paint so I have an Americana look. Swipe through for the basics of how to make this. Leave a comment or message me if you want more specific information. . . . #patrioticdecor #patrioticdecorations #patrioticdecoratingideas #EasyCrafts #EasyCraftIdeas #MississippiBlogger #MississippiLife #HomeschoolMomLife #CTECarousels #10DaysofCarousels

Our main activity in Sundays is to attend Mass. This week, we took a drive to Bay St. Louis on the coast to join other Catholic homeschool families marking the start of the school year. It has been a few years since we attended a Latin Mass. Such beauty and reverence. And this older church is gorgeous inside. Grateful we were able to make the trek and join the others. . . . #CatholicLife #CatholicBlogger #LatinMass #MississippiLife #SouthernMississippi #BayStLouisMS #OurLadyoftheGulf #CatholicHomeschooler #CTECarousels #10DaysOfCarousels

Had a delicious birthday dinner the other day. Each of the boys made a different part of the meal. I only at half of my dessert, an Italian chocolate "pudding" as the serving was almost 700 calories! 😯 . . . #BirthdayDinner #GratefulMom #AugustBirthday #MississippiLife #MississippiBlogger #GlutenFreeLifestyle #SurfandTurf

While it is hot hot, hot here in southern Mississippi, I'm dreaming of campfires. And s'mores! Today is “National S’mores Day” so I’m sharing a tasty treat & passing the torch to @iamqueenthrifty. Be sure to check out their post and see who they’re sharing the s’mores love with. Join the delish tour by circling all around until you get all the way back to my post! Let us know if you did! Meanwhile, I will be buying (and hiding) some chocolate bars for this fall's s'more making season. So thankful to have gluten-free graham cracker options to enjoy this favorite campfire dessert. . . . #nationalsmoresday #nationalsmoresday🍫🔥 #smoresday #smores #smoresseason #smoresseasonishere #cutefettiloops #MississippiBlogger #SimplePleasuresofLife #GlutenFreeGirl #GlutenFreeLife

Nature has so much beauty for us to soak in. I adore magnolia trees. Being down in southern Mississippi means I can see plenty of them. Like here on the community college campus. Where are you finding beauty today? . . . #MississippiLife #CountryLife #smalltownlife #MississippiBlogger #SouthernBlogger #Magnolia #MagnoliaTree #BeautyinNature

Tis the season for spiders here in southern Mississippi. 🕷🕸 Spotted these beauties walking on campus. Grateful for what they do for our surroundings. So long as I don't need to touch them, I am fine. But I do NOT like when they dangle down by me when sitting on the porch. Or worse... in my house. Then they get rehomed. Honestly, these ones are smaller than some on our property. How about you? Do you like or loathe spiders?? . . . #spider #spiderweb #spiderlove #spiderwebs #MississippiLife #CountryLife #smalltownlife #MississippiBlogger #PRCC #Nature_captures #ThingsSeenOnMyWalk #NaturalWorld