Candace Cameron Bure

Executive Editor

Actress, Producer, New York Times’ bestselling author, and international speaker Candace Cameron Bure is both outspoken and passionate about her family and faith.

With a successful television and movie career that started at the age of five and continues to flourish today, Candace knows that the greatest success in her life has been that of her marriage to Valeri Bure and their three children, Natasha, Lev and Maks.

Her desire is to minister to the hearts of women so they might pursue wholesome values that nurture and reinforce the family unit; that modern women would be bold enough to stand against the negative message our culture tends to reflect, and embrace the women we were created to be.

You can find information about Candace on her website at www.candacecameronbure.net or follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/CandaceCBure

Clare Smith

Senior Co-Editor

Clare and her husband and 2 children live in Northeast Ohio. She has her bachelor’s degree in business management and left a promising career to be a stay-at-home mom to her children. She is a certified fitness instructor and teaches pilates and group fitness classes at her church and local university. Clare’s passion (outside of raising and nurturing her children and home) is motivating women of all ages and stages of life to live well physically, emotionally and spiritually. Visit her at Peak313 and on Facebook!

Ruth Schwenk

Senior Co-Editor

Ruth is the wife of a pastor, who is her best friend and the love of her life. She is a blessed mother to her four beautiful children, and she eagerly awaits meeting her five others in heaven. She has a passion for following God, leading worship, rescuing orphans, and inspiring others to create a God honoring family.

She thoroughly enjoys warm spring breezes, blooming lilacs, tall skim mochas with whipped cream, root-lifter, eye cream, gel polish, laughing (lots of it), venti iced teas, exclamation points!!, and snuggling up to read a good book with her family. She is the creator of The Better Mom and she tweets at thebettermom.

Courtney

Special Projects Manager

Courtney blogs at WomenLivingWell.org on the topics of faith, marriage, parenting, and homemaking. She has been married to her high school sweetheart for 14 years. She homeschools her son and daughter and is a graduate of the Moody Bible Institute.

Darlene Schacht

Design Coordinator

Mandy Young

Social Media Manager

Mandy is a southern social butterfly; who loves her family, friends, sweet tea, the color pink and most of all the Lord! She believes she's one of the cheesiest people you'll know and that the simple things in life are the best. Mandy is a receptionist by day, a motivational speaker at night and Candace Cameron Bure's traveling partner on the weekends!

Mandy has lived a life that most would not choose to live. From staying months at a time in hospitals, to 27+ years of research, to being diagnosed as the only person in the world that has her genetic defect. And while her life has been a roller coaster ride of ups and downs, she wouldn’t change a single day. Her story has been featured in countless newspaper articles like USA Today, in Good Housekeeping Magazine and on T.V. shows like Extra, Montel Williams, NBC Nightly News and international programming like CNN’s Medical Mysteries. She has been honored to be the spokesperson for several organizations and the "Face of Hope" for the new Undiagnosed Diseases Program at the National Institutes of Health. You can read more about her story on www.mandyyoung.com and follow her on Twitter at mandy_young.

Crystal Paine

Crystal Paine started MoneySavingMom.com in 2007 in an effort to help women with practical ways they could wisely steward their finances and reduce their household expenditures. Her blog has since become one of the top personal finance blogs on the web, garnering hundreds of thousands of visitors each month. Crystal’s first book, The Money Saving Mom’s Budget, is being released in January 2012 by Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.

Renee Swope

Renee Swope is a national conference speaker, co-host of Proverbs 31 Ministries international radio program and author of the best-selling book, "A Confident Heart." For over 16 years, Renee has served on Proverbs 31 Ministries leadership team and currently serves as Executive Director/Editor of Devotions and Radio. But, her favorite titles are wife to J.J. and mom to Joshua (16), Andrew (14) and Aster (3). For more encouragement and FREE resources from Renee, visit www.ReneeSwope.com.

Shelene Bryan

Wife. Mother. Humanitarian. Poverty Fighter. Justice Pursuer. Producer. Dreamer. Jesus Follower. Founder of Skip1.org.

Joy Eggerichs

Joy serves as the Director of Love and Respect NOW. She began her journey in ministry as the Love and Respect Conference Coordinator for her parents, Dr. Emerson and Sarah Eggerichs. During these live events, she would hear couples say over and over again, "I wish I knew then what i know NOW."  This inspired her to help her generation, of 18-35 year olds, avoid that very feeling.  She has pursued her passion for relationships through focus groups, observations, studies and discussions, not to mention learning from her parents. You can find her site at www.loveandrespectNOW.com FB www.facebook.com/loveandrespectNOW and Twitter: @joyeggerichs

LaToya 

LaToya is a single, homeschooling mom of two bouncing boys. She graduated from law school in the summer of 2011 and is currently working on a Master's degree in Social Work. In her spare time (haha) she loves to read novels, write, listen to music and watch old movies. She lives for the quiet moments of the day which are few and far between with two rambunctious young men running around the house.

LaToya also has a heart for children and hopes to use her education to open a God-centered adoption agency and pregnancy center. She strives each day to life fully for God and although she often falls short she is determined to stay the course.  LaToya blogs about her life at Christian Momma.  You can also find her on Facebook.

Karen Ehman

Through her daily blog, writing ventures and many speaking events, Karen’s passion is to provide women with creative inspiration and doable ideas to help them live their priorities and love their lives. She is the Director of the Proverbs 31 Ministries speaker team and is a contributor to Focus on the Family’s magazine Thriving Family.

A popular presenter at Hearts at Home moms’ conferences, Karen is also the author of five books including The Complete Guide to Getting and Staying Organized, A Life That Says Welcome: Simple Ways to Open Your Heart and Home to Others and the recently released best-selling ebook Untangling Christmas: Your Go-To Guide for a Hassle-Free Holiday.

She has been a guest on national media shows including The 700 Club, At Home Live, Engaging Women, The Harvest Show, Moody Midday Connection and Focus on the Family. The mother of three, she and her college sweetheart Todd just celebrated their silver anniversary. You can find her blogging at http://www.karenehman.com

Jessica Zigenis

Jessica Zigenis is a writer and blogger at Monster Cakes, her personal life and style blog where she shares her adventures as a Christ-following, husband-loving, puppy-owning girl in her twenties. She holds her BA in English and Writing and currently works for Blackstone Audio Publishing, an independent audiobook publisher in Southern Oregon. She loves Jesus with all her heart and has a fondness for snail mail, coffee, reading, hiking, and Oregon's rainy weather.

Mel 

Mel works remotely from home as the Community Coordinator for Collective Bias. She also homeschools her two rambunctious boys, Jacob and Jaden. She and her husband, Dan, run MamaBuzz Media, and she enjoys writing on her blog, MamaBuzz, where she shares recipes, crafts, reviews & giveaways, and more. Her mission, through MamaBuzz, is to inspire women in their everyday lives. You can follow Mel on Twitter @mamabzz or @MamaBuzzMedia.

LeAnn Rice

LeAnn's passion is to bring people around the kitchen table to share good food and good conversations while creating lasting memories. A caterer, event planner, and licensed esthetician until God called her to full time ministry, LeAnn currently serves as the Executive Director of Proverbs 31 Ministries in Matthews, North Carolina. She is the co-author of the best-selling ebook, Untangling Christmas: Your Go-To-Guide for a Hassle-Free Holiday as well as a contributor to www.AWidowsMight.org.

In June of 2010 she launched www.SheCooks.org, a food blog where she shares recipes, menu ideas, photos, and glimpses of her crazy life.

Summer

Summer is one of those women who certainly isn't trying to hide anything--except maybe what is behind her beloved bangs.  She is refreshingly open about her mommy meltdowns (she has 2 children, but one is strong willed, so it's more like 4), her love of Jesus, and her obsession with thrift store shopping and makeup/skincare hauls. Although, sometimes this doesn't work all that well to the advantage of everyone in her family. (as seen on her YouTube channel where she documents her kids' tantrums in Walmart as well as her husband's "dance moves.")

But her transparency about her life, struggles, and parenting is what she believes God has called her to do in this life, in hopes that others not only feel less alone, but more importantly feel a greater closeness to God.  Whether it's through writing, speaking, or leading her youth group girls, Summer's greatest passion is connecting with others.  And she does this by being open and honest, all while trying to find the humor and lesson in it all.

To connect more with Summer, find her at Le Musings of Moi, The SheKnows Mommalogues, or on Facebook and Twitter.

Sheila Wray Gregoire

Sheila Wray Gregoire is a syndicated parenting columnist and a popular speaker. The author of five books, including The Good Girl's Guide to Great Sex, she loves encouraging women to forget about the dust bunnies under their beds and keep their focus on family! Together with her husband Keith, she speaks at marriage conferences across Canada. You can usually find her in Belleville, Ontario, where she homeschools her two daughters and knits. Preferably simultaneously. You can find her at http://www.sheilawraygregoire.com/!

Janelle Nehrenz

Janelle is a Christian, a Wife, a Stay at Home Mom of 3 young children and a proud- to- claim- it “Foodie”. She absolutely loves to cook and typically has an audience of 3 children, pulled up on chairs, taking turns pouring ingredients into bowls. Her spiritual gifts are a mix of “hospitality and evangelism” and is here in the center of God’s will hoping to help you get a little more “comfy in your kitchen”!  You can find her displaying step-by-step photos of her recipes, giving devotionals,and sharing meal ministry stories on her blog Comfy In the Kitchen.

Amy Bayliss

In her home, Amy Bayliss is the sole expert on all things pretty and organized. She’s proud to be married to Ryan, a 6’5” hunk who’s a pro at taming their brood. They have a blended family that consists of four rambunctious boys who range in age from toddler to teen. It takes some pretty creative engineering to keep her home in order but she does it with style and grace.

Amy is the co-founder of DIY Ministry, an affordable consulting solution for those looking to build an online platform. She has been featured in Woman’s Day Magazine and was cover girl for CWO Magazine in August of 2008.  She is creator of Homemaker’s Challenge and her personal blog, Cajun Joie de Vivre. You can follow her ramblings on Twitter and keep up with her mischief on Facebook.

Mandy Ballard

Mandy is a follower of Jesus, the wife of one very wonderful man, and the homeschooling mama of four little ones eight years old and under. In her "spare" time she loves to shop at thrift stores, teach kickboxing and weight lifting classes, bake sweets, have friends over for dinner, and work on all sorts of DIY projects around her 116-year-old home.

She is thankful for the sweet, undeserved love of God and deeply desires to glorify Him in her time on this earth. You can find Mandy writing each week about faith, family, fitness, food, fashion, and more at her blog, Biblical Homemaking.

Darlene Weir

Darlene is the owner and principal designer at Fieldstone Hill Design, where she delights in adding beauty and functionality into her clients’ spaces all over the country. She enjoys sharing regular interior design inspiration, tips and lessons at her blog, Fieldstone Hill, which features her well-loved “ditto” series. Darlene has a passion for beautiful spaces and things, and loves the challenge of creating beautiful rooms that also meet the needs of lifestyle, family and reality.  She believes that adding beauty to your home is accessible to all, and can be a ritual of joy and celebration.

Angela Perritt

Angela is the wife to her high school sweetheart and mom to her 3 adorable little girls. Some of Angela’s favorite things in life are dancing with her daughters, laughing with her husband and loving her Lord with the amazing life He has given her. You can find Angela at

GoodMorningGirls.org where she blogs with her good friend Courtney,from WomenLivingWell, together they encourage women to be in God’s Word on a daily basis through tech accountability groups. Angela’s goal in life is to inspire her children and others to love God greatly with their lives one day at a time.

Joy Forney

Joy is the wife to a missionary pilot and they, along with their five kids, live in Indonesia.  Joy is a proud wife, blessed mommy, Diet Coke fanatic, runner, homeschooler, reader, thinker, home-maker, lover of nature, and most of all, an undeserving recipient of amazing grace, and grateful daughter of God.  Joy’s heart is to encourage women to revel in their job as mommy and wife, and to see it as good and needed work.  She shares her heart and life of being a mom with readers at her site, Grace Full Mama.

Erica Arndt

Erica is a Christian, a wife, a mom, and a homeschooler. She authors Confessions Of A Homeschooler  that offers tons of printables, resources, ideas and homeschool curriculum. She likes to digi-scrap and dabbles in graphic design in her *free* time. Feel free to drop by her site for a visit anytime! www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com

Glynnis Whitwer

Glynnis is on staff with Proverbs 31 Ministries as the Senior Editor of the P31 Woman magazine and director of the Writing Team. She is one of the writers of Encouragement for Today, the Proverbs 31 e-mail devotions, with over 500,000 daily readers.  Her newest book, I Used to be So Organized, has just been released.  Glynnis, her husband Tod, and their five children live in Glendale, Arizona.  Visit www.GlynnisWhitwer.com for more information.

Gina Smith

Gina Smith has served along side her husband  at a small Christian college, right outside of DC for almost 20 years. She met her husband, Brian, while she was in college and he was in seminary.  They married in 1988.  After graduating, they served with “Youth for Christ” for  2 years until  Brian was offered a job at the college Gina attended.  Brian is  a faculty member and the dean of students, and Gina is the dean of women.   She has a degree in Bible and when she is not spending time with her family or students, she writes for MomLife Today and Internet Cafe Devotions. You can visit her at her personal website: www.keepinitreal-gina.com

Rachel Wojnarowski

Rachel is originally a small town country girl who converted to a suburban mother of seven by way of life happening.    She and her husband, Matt, enjoy caring for their busy family, whose ages span 9 months to 21 years and includes a special needs daughter.  Rachel leads community ladies' Bible studies in central Ohio and serves as an event planner and speaker for special needs parenting groups.  She is a member of the Ohio Writers' Guild and the National MPS Society; and loves to inspire others through her blog by sharing faith, family, and fun.   Wife, mom, reader, writer, speaker and dreamer, you can find Rachel on Twitter and Facebook.