Katie Pierce Hendricks

10/03/2025

Mind blown. The man was a genius.

06/02/2025

This! 😂

09/01/2025

25/12/2024

Christmas Eve. It’s a night of wonder and anticipation. Whether you are looking forward to the remembrance of the arrival of the Christ Child or Santa or both, it’s a magical, wondrous night. As moms, we are the curators of the magic and memories, but I urge you in the bustle of this night, making sure everything is wrapped and under the tree, whether it’s 20 presents or 2, take a moment to savor. As the mom of a pr***en, elementary schooler and preschooler, this year has been unique. The age gap has never seemed so big and yet so perfect. We have handprint ornaments and gamers. Tomorrow they’re getting a phone, baby doll toys, and a giant Bluey. We’re turning a page and I am acutely aware of it. As I sit in this twinkle of the lights, I wonder where has this time gone? I think of the year of the giant Winnie the Pooh already a decade ago, the giant Minnie 7-8 years ago, and now our giant Bluey. The perfect caboose. I ponder these moments and cherish them in my heart, much like Mary and many other mothers before me and those who will come after. It truly is a privilege this motherhood. Sure it’s an adventure with the fighting and navigating the craziness of siblings and trying to keep the older ones quiet while the little one naps or the little one from wrecking the oldest’s new LEGO set and keep everyone out of the girl child’s skin care (because every 9yo needs skin care 😂), but this is life, and life more abundantly, so I will cherish it. It is a beautiful, wonder-filled adventure. All is well, mamas. Angels and man rejoice. Lift up your voice and sing or take a quiet moment in your heart knowing that despite everything else in this world, whether the packages are wrapped or not, the tree looks abundant or sparse, you are loved and you can rest in the knowledge that you are a great mom. Merry Christmas.

06/05/2024

April Reads: Let me start by saying April is a CRAZY month at Hendricks Hacienda! As I look at the star ratings, I’m a little surprised but they are what they are.

Best Read: Bonhoeffer I did a whole post on this one when I finished it. I’ll sum that up with excellent, paradigm-shifting, and a very important book.

Most enjoyable book: This one is tough. My kids are crazy about the Wings of Fire books and I am thoroughly enjoying them. Undoubtedly, some of it stems from their enthusiasm but they are very good and well-written. I am also loving The Inheritance Games (spoiler: I just finished the 4th book and am kicking myself because another one comes out in November. 🤪). Full of intrigue and puzzles. I love the characters and they are fantastic YA reads. I’ll probably let Rowe read them soon.

Least Favorite Reads: Spare and The Woman in Me. Honestly, I don’t love celebrity memoirs as a general rule (the only one I liked/loved was Matthew Perry’s). These I also found almost completely unrelatable. Undoubtedly, they have both been mistreated by their family members and those who should have protected them. That said, both, imo, came across as very one-sided, which of course is their right but I didn’t enjoy it. Britney’s I gave a 2.5 because I found her at least sympathetic. Prince Harry seemed like he was sharing his side and saying what he wanted because he knows his family can’t or won’t respond because of who they are and the position they hold. One takeaway from both books is the toxicity of the paparazzi. It’s horrible, toxic, and damaging.

Also, I finally had a kid’s school book I enjoyed!! The Lemonade War was great and a really good discussion prompter for business and economics. If you homeschool or feel like your kid could learn a little about business or entrepreneurial endeavors, I would highly recommend it.

14/03/2024

10/03/2024

06/03/2024

11 books for February!

I didn’t read any nonfiction this month and I miss it so March is definitely going to have some!

I really loved a lot of the books I read last month. Fairy Tale is brilliant. Reading The Nightingale and The Alice Network so close together was really cool. I’m kicking myself for starting The Empyrean series before it’s complete because I NEED to know what happens. I almost DNFed Addie LaRue but am so glad I stuck it out! It may be one of my favorite books ever (only if series count as 1, let’s be real Narnia and LOTR are 11 books). As far as reviews:

Book I was supposed to love and didn’t: Matilda. I know, I know but the people were all so awful! It didn’t help that I was reading it with my 8yo and I was so over it before their novel study was over.

Book I wanted to love more than I did: The Night Circus. It was beautifully written and I did enjoy it but not as much as I wanted to. It was slow and meandering.

Feel-Good Read: The House in the Cerulean Sea. I loved this one. I loved the story and absolutely fell in love with the characters. It is a loving, kind, portrayal of a diverse set of characters and I loved it.

The Nightingale and The Alice Network are very, very similar. I love that I happened to read them so close together. The writing and characters were brilliant, but if I were only going to pick one to recommend, it would be The Nightingale. I can’t explain why without spoilers but if you’ve read it, you know why. Plus, Kristin Hannah made me love the characters a little more and actually, literally brought me to tears (y’all know I’m not a crier but it was perfection).

I can not pick a favorite book amongst the others. I gave out way more 5s than normal this month. If you don’t think you like Fantasy check out Fairy Tale. If you like Romantasy, join me in my misery waiting for the next Empyrean book. There was not a bad read this month except Matilda and I know that’s an unpopular opinion.

01/02/2024

Because January was forever long and also absurdly fast (anyone else??) I was so surprised when I realized I read 15 books. 😱🤩 I asked for recommendations from friends and it’s led me to some fun books. Some I loved (like my favorite this month) others not so much (The Road, glad I read it. Won’t read anymore of his.)

Overall Favorite: Hands Down Rembrandt is in the Wind. It’s a Christian (not preachy, but from that perspective) non fiction books that takes a look lives of some of the greatest painters in history. I absolutely loved this book and actually learned a lot, even though I have loved art and art history for as long as I remember.

Runner Up: Either the Cruel Prince or The Inheritance Games. Both are fast-paced and engrossing. I’m just mad I have to wait for the next books in the respective serieses.

Surprising Let Down: The Midnight Library. Sooo many friends recommended this one so my expectations were high, probably too high. I kept thinking it would come together like Remarkably Bright Creatures (LOVED that one) but it never did for me.

I’m going to be doing more in-depth reviews on TikTok (something I want to learn more about this year). I’ll add a link in the comments when I get the first ones posted. Gotta be better about real time. 🤪 Read anything good lately?