The Carter LoDown

Backyard Farming & Life Musings

My name is Lauren, and I am so glad you have stopped by. I have always loved writing, so much so that I have actually kept all my journals—even the embarrassing ones from middle school.

There is something about documenting moments in your life that you can reflect on. Expect the LoDown on all things backyard farming, home remodeling, and life happenings while keeping it real, one authentic post at a time. 

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xoxo, Lo

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Recent Posts

  • My Favorite Summer Paintings

    My Favorite Summer Paintings

    Here is a gallery of my favorite paintings that I watercolored this summer.

  • Summer Album 2026

    Summer Album 2026

    A summer full of memories and lots of smoke. It was the summer I got back on Instagram, and Susan took social media by storm. We started off the summer going shrimping on my parents’ boat. We had our fill of ice cream truck treats as they visited our road…

  • America 250: She Carried a Century of Change

    America 250: She Carried a Century of Change

    Last week, I bought a Time Magazine titled “America at 250.” It’s a pretty interesting magazine and one that made me think about my ancestors. My mom was in town for a week, and we were talking about how our aunt lived to 106. I’ve talked about her before, my…

When Adoption Doesn’t Go the Way You Thought It Would with Nellya Canfield – Stay Planted: Life, Faith, & Adoption

What happens when the adoption process you trusted begins to unravel?In this episode of Stay Planted, Lauren and Em sit down with Nellya Canfield, a mom, advocate, and founder of Long Arm Malawi, to talk about her incredible journey through international adoption—and what happened when she began to realize that not everything she was being told was adding up.Nellya’s story hits especially close to home for Lauren because they share a very similar experience involving the adoption agency Children of All Nations and Jason Carney. From unanswered questions and things that didn’t make sense, to pushing back, advocating for children, and ultimately facing an incredibly difficult road, there are so many parallels between their stories.But Nellya’s story doesn’t end with disappointment. Through the hardest parts of her adoption journey, God began opening doors and leading her toward something she never expected: starting Long Arm Malawi, a ministry focused on caring for and advocating for children in Malawi, among so many other things!We talk about the realities of international adoption, learning to ask hard questions, what it looks like to advocate when there is a lot at stake, the spiritual battles that can come with stepping into something God has called you to do, and how God can use the most painful seasons to lead us somewhere we never imagined.If you’re in the middle of an adoption journey that feels lonely, complicated, or discouraging, we hope Nellya’s story reminds you that you can keep going—and that God is not limited by our timelines or our circumstances.Follow Nellya and learn more about her work in Malawi on Instagram: @longarmmalawi
  1. When Adoption Doesn’t Go the Way You Thought It Would with Nellya Canfield
  2. Learning to Live in Today When You’re Waiting for Tomorrow
  3. Catching Up After a Hiatus
  4. BIG Adoption News, Funny Farm Stories & Honest Mother’s Day Thoughts
  5. Double Date Night Part Two