2017 Reading List

If you know me at all, you know that I love to read.  I almost always keep a book beside my bed, in my car, in my purse, on my desk, on my phone, or really just anywhere that I can pick up and read when I have a moment.  I am really trying to be more intentional with the my time and while yes being lost in a book, may not always be considered productive, I do feel like it is better than scrolling mindlessly through my social media feeds.  I have decided that I don't really care too much for a numerical reading goal because it makes me feel forced and pressured to read and I can't enjoy it as much but I do want a little more variety in my reading this year.

I always have the hardest time picking out what I want to read.  I tend to find a reading list or some recommendations and then buy a bunch of books but never get around to reading them.  Or I get stuck on one author or genre.  My mom sent me a reading challenge a few weeks ago so I did a little editing to it based on some other reading challenges I had seen and came up with this to make my reading list a little easier and more organized this year...

I have a few of the books already planned but I would love to get some recommendations for some of them as well.  So if you know of any good books, please send them my way! What are you planning to read this year?  

Helloooooo Whole30

A few years ago, a friend introduced me to Paleo/Whole30 and I had really great results.  I love the idea of being completely committed to eating whole real foods and eliminating added sugars, dairy, and grains.  I don’t always have the willpower and accountability to stick to it like I should though.  However, I have signed up for a new Whole30 group that begins today and I am really excited and motivated right now to really commit to it.  January tends to slow down for us a bit so it is the perfect time for me to dive into the program.  

It takes a lot of planning and prepping so I have been busy getting it all together so I will be ready to jump in full force. I found some really great tools around the internet and there is support galore through our Facebook group as well as tons of books and recipes and blogs to help as well.  I am trying to keep things simple and easy so I can stay on track 100%.  Looking forward to kicking off the new year with Whole30 and hopefully sharing my (successful) experience! 

Blog-tember - A letter to my 16 year old self..

I have really had a lot of fun linking up with the Blog-tember 2016 Challenge this month.   It definitely made my step out of my comfort zone a little and create some special posts and I am actually kind of sad to see it go.  Today’s challenge was to imagine that  you've been stopped on the street by the photographer of Humans of New York, and he asks, "What advice would you give to a large group of people?" However, I got to blog hopping and found out last year during the challenge they wrote a letter to their sixteen year old selves and since I already shared the one thing that I think is the most important to share with everyone a few days ago, I decided I would stop my 16 year old self on the street and give her a little advice today instead..

To my sixteen year old self…

Look how cute you look waking down the street in your size 4 denim mini skirt and spaghetti strap tank top with those new Birkenstocks on your feet… be sure to hang on to those shoes when they go out of style in a few years because they will come back in and you will be too cheap then to fork out 100 bucks for them.

That boy you like right now is very special.  He will break your heart next year but don’t worry, it all works out.  Just hang in there and enjoy your time with your friends.  You and that boy will share lots of firsts together.  You will go to lots of ballgames, waste a lot of time browsing through sporting goods stores, and watch a billion movies from Blockbuster while eating Taco Bell.  You will go to lots of fun places and share a lot of great memories.. especially the one where he gets on his knee and asks you to marry him.  See, I told you it would work out!  

You will get marry that boy at his church that will become your church and you will fall even more in love with him than you can even imagine.  You will love him so much as he stands by your side holding your hand in that delivery room when you finally deliver that sweet baby girl after 18 hours of labor.  He will be there with a big huge smile when the second baby comes in a hurry.  And those babies will both look just like him.  He will be your teammate in raising those little girls and you will learn to depend on each other on a whole new level.  He will be there when you get let down. He will be there when you write the bills and when you complain about the laundry.  He will be there when you reach your biggest goals with a big high-five and tell you how proud he is of you.  He’s definitely a keeper.

Keep doing well in school.  I see you over there making sure you’ve got all your homework done first thing.  Always work hard and strive to do your best and take pride in studying and being smart even when it is not always so cool. It will pay off for you.  You get a really great job that you love.

I know basketball is your thing now, but stick with softball.  It will bring you some of your most special friends and memories you can ever imagine.  Not to mention, a free college education.  I’m sure that isn’t a top priority to you right now but it’s kind of a big deal.  Plus that feeling when you hit that grand slam in that close game is unbelievable!  You will never forget it.  Calhoun isn't so bad.  Really it will be two of the best years of your life.   

Worry about your reputation but not your popularity.  Don’t compare yourselves to others.  There are far more important things in this life than a big house, fancy car, and expensive clothes.  Some of those girls you see will never learn that, but you will, and you will experience so much more joy for it!  Be kind to everyone!  

Keep going to church even when all your peers abandon it.  You will grow as a Christian more and more but always feel like you have a long ways to go.  You will seriously be in awe of what all Christ has done and will do for you and realize the importance of making him the center of your life. Stay faithful.

There is so much I wish I could say to you but you will figure most of it out pretty well on your own.  Stay honest and true to yourself.  Don’t always follow the crowd and always be proud of who you are.  Savor the moments and make sure your loved ones know how much they mean to you. Time will fly by so fast and you will be sitting here at this little desk writing blog posts, journaling in your Bible, and helping your kids with their homework before you even know it. Try not to worry so much.  It goes by way too fast but I promise it all works out pretty well for you!   

Blog-tember - Favorite Bloggers

Today, I am sharing a couple of my favorite bloggers!  I don't really read blogs on a daily basis but I do like to sit down every once in awhile and catch up on my favorite bloggers. I have followed and unfollowed many blogs over the years but these are some of my current favorites...

But first, stepping on my soap box-- I don’t care too much for a blog full of sponsored posts and product pushing.  I get blogging is how some people make a living but I just don’t feel like they are very genuine and tend to be very staged. My favorite blogs are normal everyday blogs from real life people that I can relate to. I have found some really awesome new bloggers through this challenge and I love reading your post every day! I really love peeking into your lives and seeing your family and friends and how you spend your time! --

Kelly’s Korner - This is one of the first blogs that I ever read.  My sister introduced me to Kelly’s blog when her first child was born with some medical issues.  I would read about her everyday and prayed for that baby so much!  Now that baby is in the second grade and Kelly is a mom of three!  I love following Kelly’s little family and their busy life and I really love that she strong in her faith and has a passion for sharing that with her kids and others.  Her posts are so honest and encouraging.  She also hosts some really fun Link Ups that I like to join in on every once in awhile.

Taz + Belly -  I just found Kristen’s blog a few months ago when Kelly shared about LiveWhole365 while doing her Whole30.  Turns out, LiveWhole365 was started by a few ladies from Birmingham.  And after reading just her bio, I discovered this girl is so much like me.  She is married to her high school sweetheart, has two little girls who also love to dance, lives in her small Alabama hometown, and bleeds crimson and white!  It is almost a little weird how much alike we are. Her posts are all fun and so relatable to me and she has some really great printables and fun ideas.

My “famous people” blogs I like are  Lauren Conrad, Rory Feek, and Rachel Cruze!  I guess some of these are really more of websites but I tend to check them pretty regularly.

My friend Dana has a fun blog.  She is the one who really inspired me to get back to blogging.

I read Gracie’s fashion blog every now and then too.  She went to high school with me and I enjoy reading her posts!

And I love checking out Modern Mrs. Darcy for some great book posts.

I always love finding new blogs to explore so I can’t wait to read everyone else’s posts today!  I have really really loved some of the fun blogs I have linked up with during this blog-tember challenge and have "met" some really awesome ladies!

Blog-tember My Year so Far...

Today's blog post is to share five pictures that sum up my year so far...


So I have gone through the thousands of pictures I have taken this year and it was pretty much impossible but I finally cut it down to five...

 I have been super committed to my quite times each morning.  One of my goals this year was to start every day in the word in some way and I have pretty much stuck to it for the most part.  I have discovered new ways to study God's word through Bible journaling, daily devotional books, podcasts, and study groups and I cannot say enough good things about it all.





For several years, I have told myself I was going to run a half marathon.  I couldn't tell you the amount of times I started thinking about it and never went through with it.  On December 31st, I officially signed up so I wouldn't back out and talked a friend into joining me.  We had some AWESOME support and I am super proud to say that back in April, I completed my first Half and actually did way better than I expected!  It was so much fun and I was so thankful for our fans!



 

Hunter Claire turned three this year.  I love love loved my girls being babies but this stage in life is just so much fun.  We can finally go and do without having to load up four bags of baby stuff and it is just a little easier to actually be able to sit down at a table and go out to eat or to the store without having to worry about a toddler climbing up the walls and screaming.  However, we have also started the stage of life where the girls have learned to "fight" and are daily having to remind them about being kind and sharing with everyone.  HC is sooo different than Hadley was at this stage and I am absolutely amazed at how much she still surprises me each day. 

I would definitely say that one of our biggest adjustments we have faced this year was Hadley starting Kindergarten.  It was super tough on my emotionally and logistically but we are finally in a new routine and have found our new normal of getting up and ready everyday, homework, and all the other fun stuff that comes along with "real" school that we get to enjoy for the next decade or so.

 And I couldn't talk about this year without brining up these few people.  We met our friends Jared and Meighan a couple of years ago when they started coming to our church and quickly became the best of friends. I am so blessed by their friendship and they really have no idea how special they are to both Jarrod and me.  The girls adore them (mainly because they buy them ice cream and junk from the dollar tree) and I adore our long talks and fun times we have shared.  They have become such a huge part of our lives and I could not be more thankful!

Okay... so I lied... I have six...

I can't end this post without mentioning my husband.  We have been together for what seems like forever but this year, we celebrated seven years of marriage.  And I know this sounds so cliché but each year really just gets better and better.  I am so thankful for Jarrod and all he does for us.  He is so supportive and helpful and I am still so glad to call him my very best friend.  I truly love doing life together.

Blog-tember - Book Reviews

Today's challenge is to review something so I am reviewing a few books I have been reading lately.  (Sorry for another book posts-- well not really sorry -- I love books).

Sum It Up - Pat Summitt
This book is Pat Summitt's memoir that she wrote shortly after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's a few years ago.  Coach Summitt lost her battle with Alzheimer's this summer but I am so glad she left us this memoir.  Her book is so great.  She talks all about growing up on a country farm in Tennessee, facing the struggles of playing women's sports in the early 70's, and her outstanding career as a coach at the University of Tennessee.  She had such a passion for the game and cared so much for her players.  Growing up, Pat Summitt was definitely an idol of mine.  I was lucky enough to meet her a few times and loved watching her coach and attending her camp.  She is a true lady of courage and strength and will greatly be missed in this world but her influence will live on for a very very long time.  This is an inspiring and motivational book about a super tough woman who juggles both being a superior coach also while raising her son and caring for her family.  It is a great read whether you care anything about basketball or not!


Heart of the Matter -   Emily Giffin
I have had this book lying around all summer.  I loaned it from my mom a few months back but just now got around to reading it.  I have read several of Giffin's novels and enjoyed them all (even though almost all of them have included some type of cheating/sneaking around).  This is a story told from two women's perspectives.  Valerie is a lawyer who is a single mom and Tessa is a new stay at home mom and housewife trying to adjust after leaving her career.  The author did a really great job pulling me into the story and I had a hard time putting it down but overall, it wasn't my favorite.  I didn't really care for some of the characters.. *spoiler alert* especially the husband who I wanted to punch in the face... and I felt like they all were a bit whiny and poor pitiful me at times.   However, if you like these kind of stories, it is a pretty good read.  The characters are very real and relatable.

Guilty Wives - James Patterson
I listened to the audiobook version of this book on my drives to and from work.  I really enjoy Patterson's style of writing and find myself really sucked into his stories every time.  I was intrigued by this one first considering it is a story about a group of friends headed to Monte Carlo for a husband-free, kid-free weekend.  But, things go bad when someone winds up dead and the women are framed for the murder.  The women are arrested and brutally tortured over something they say they didn't do.  I figured out who did it about half way through and caught myself actually getting angry at the characters in the book for the lying and conspiring.  This was a great read if you like the murder mystery action packed type book and I would definitely recommend.

And in honor of her powerful memoir, a little throwback to my twelve year old self with Pat Summitt from the time I went to her basketball camp at Tennessee..

Blog-tember - Fall Favorites

Fall is one of my favorite seasons!  I love everything that comes with fall.. pumpkin, riding boots, football,  apples, sweaters.  Some of my favorites that I am looking most forward to for fall are…

Place : One of my most favorite places to go in the fall is to the Pumpkin Patch.  The girls usually go on a field trip and we try to go as a family at least a time or two.  I love riding the hayride and picking out the perfect pumpkins and the girls love playing on zipline and riding the train.  The last few years, the weather has been so nice to enjoy a day at the farm sipping lemonade and eating a funnel cake while the girls run around and play! I can’t wait to go back this year!

Food: I love anything and everything pumpkin flavored… pumpkin spice latte, pumpkin pie, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin bread, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin coffee creamer… haha I am starting to sound like Bubba talking with Forrest about his love for shrimp but seriously I do love it that much!

Event : My hometown hosts the Old Time Fiddler’s Convention every fall at Athens State University and it is by far my favorite fall event!  The place fills up with craft booths, great food, and lots of sweet little old(and a few young) people sitting around their RVs strumming on their instruments.  I love the atmosphere and seeing all the neat and unique things people make and bring to sell.  I am pretty sure I have attended every single year for as long as I can remember and am looking forward to it again this year!  If you are close to North Alabama, I highly recommend you come check it out Oct 7-8.

Book : I have a few books on my radar I am looking forward to curling up in my chair with my pumpkin spice latte and reading.  I am currently listening to The Shack and reading Love Your Life, Not Theirs.

Outfit: Sweater. Jeggings. boots.  I will definitely have this outfit on repeat for most of the fall!  I love love love my jeggings.  I mean reall who doesn't love jeggings?!?  I usually throw them on with a comfy top or my chambray button up and add a sweater or scarf with my boots and I am on my way!  I buy most of my fall tops from Jane or Target and really love the few I have picked up this year.

Blog-tember - If you were a flavor of ice cream..

This is a little odd post for me for the Blog-tember challenge but I figured I would still jump on board today…

If you were a flavor of ice cream, which flavor would you be?

Pistachio Almond!  It is by far the best flavor there ever was.  I can’t even describe it but I love anything pistachio flavored and I love almonds so what could be better than putting them together with some sugar and milk and freezing it?  Durbin Farms in Clanton, AL has the VERY best of it in case you were wondering!  We have to stop there every single time we head south just so I can get a big huge bowl of it!

Blog-tember - God's Grace

Today’s challenge is to share something that you wish more people knew or believed.  I can’t let this one go by without sharing the story of a gracious Heavenly Father who sent his son to die for us so that we may have everlasting life in the Lord!  I am not some fancy writer who can share the gospel in some amazing powerful way but I can tell you what God has done in my life and let you know that He loves you and cares for you no matter who you are or where you’ve been.  

I am not perfect.  In fact, I am far from it.  I fail every single day.  But my God forgives me and shows grace and mercy to me every single time.  He is always there for me.  He is there when I share my biggest joys.  He is there when I face my biggest heartaches.  He is there in those moments when I am overwhelmed with chores and bills and have too much on my to do list.  He is there in those still quite mornings when I sit at my desk reading my Bible.  And He wants to be there for you too.   

God is Holy.  He is set apart and greater and more powerful than we can ever be.  He is kind and loving and cares for us. We are all sinful people living in a fallen world.  The Bible tells us that the wages of our sin is death but God gives his grace.  God loves us so much that he sent his son to die on a cross for us to take the punishment for our sins so that we can have hope in eternal life in Christ.  And best of all, all you have to do to receive this salvation is believe and confess.  Acts 16:31 tells us that all we have to do to be saved is the believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.  All we have to do is believe in the Lord and put him at the center of our hearts and we can be saved from the sins of the his world and find hope in Him.  Isn’t that amazing?  It is actually a bit overwhelming to think someone could love us that much and I am sure something I will never understand this side of Heaven.

If we could all learn to put our trust in Him and turn to Him in times of struggle and need.  If we would just surrender our hearts to Him, we could all find that peace and joy we all so long for. I know I have been forever changed by God’s grace and I can’t help but share it with the world!

Blog-tember - My Favorite Blog Posts

Today on the blog-tember challenge, we were asked to share our favorite blog posts.  This one was a tough one for me because I have loved just about all of my posts.  I love rereading them a million times and reliving all the little moments of our life that I capture here.  I use my blog as a platform to not only share about my day to day happenings but also whatever God has laid on my heart.


But I guess if I had to pick a few to really say were my favorite, these would be them...




To my first baby on the night before Kindergarten...
As you probably already know, Hadley started Kindergarten this year and I'm not going to lie, I had a bit of a tough time with it.  My girls are growing up so fast and as much as I try to savor these big milestones in their lives, I really just want them to slow down a little bit.




Mom-Shaming
I wrote this post one day when I was so fed up with some of the posts and comments I was reading on the Internet.  I am not sure why we all think we have to shame and critique other moms to make us feel better about how we are doing.  It is really sad and I feel like social media just makes it even worse.  So many people play their highlight reals so often and make it such a competition between ourselves and the rest of the world. We are really all just trying to do our best!




Testimony Tuesday
I started this little series on my blog a year or so ago and it is by far one of my most favorite things I have shared.  I contacted several of my friends and asked them to share their testimony on my blog.  I believe this blog is am excellent resource to share God's word and I was so proud of some of my friends for coming way out of their comfort zones and sharing their testimonies with the world.  I would love to get this back going so if you would like to share, please let me know and I would be so happy to share your story here!




I am a Working Mom
I literally wrote this post in my head driving home from work one day.  As soon as I got home, I grabbed my notepad and jotted it all down.  There is so much that goes into being a mom whether you work from home or out of the home and they both have their positive and negatives.  Neither is better or worse than the other, but it is different.  I guess I just needed to give myself a little pep talk one day and so this post is what came out of it. 


You can check out some of my other favorite posts here, here, and here.

Blog-tember - The one product I can't live without

I have mentioned this in a previous Blog-tember post but the one product that simplifies my life the most is by far my dry shampoo!  I have extremely thick hair and I hate washing and drying it so this little product is a life changer for me!

I can usually go three days between washes.  One day one, I wash, dry, and style with either rollers or curling iron.  Day two, I spray some dry shampoo and let it sit for about 15 minutes or so before touching it up with the curling iron or just pulling it back.  Day three, I usually spray and pull it up somehow.  Sometimes I can get a fourth day out of it depending on what I am doing.  

This is a huge time saver for me!  It takes me a good 20 minutes just to dry my hair and it hurts my arms and I get bored and I just really don’t like it at all (can I whine any more about this>?>)

The Living Proof brand is my favorite.  It absorbs the best for me but it also tends to leave a light residue so not sure how it would work on dark hair. I usually keep a bottle at home, one in my gym bag, and one at my desk for whenever I need a little pick me up.  I am telling you, this little product completely changed my life!

Blog-tember - Me Time

Today’s blog-tember prompt is how do you destress/take care of yourself?

Honestly, while I try to fit some me-time into my afternoons and weekends, I rarely do.  And when I do, I often feel guilty that I should be spending that time with my family or doing something productive at home.  Working full time, I miss a lot of time with my kids.  And to tell the truth, it hurts me that I don’t get as much time with them as I wish.  Especially now that school is in swing, what little time we have is usually busy doing homework or rushing to and from dance practice, church, or the ballfield and I don’t want to waste the little time I have with them each day, on me.  But there are a few ways that I try to destress and take care of myself a little extra..   

I am blessed with a really great job that on most days, I get a lunch break where I can go and get out of the office.  I use this little hour of my day to spend on me. Sometimes, I head out to the shaded picnic bench and read while I eat.  Sometimes, I head to the track for a short run.  Sometimes, I go to Target and get Starbucks and waste time browsing the aisles.  Sometimes, I go to Barnes and Noble and explore the bookshelves there.  Sometimes, I just go out with friends for lunch.  Either way, no matter what I am doing, I try to take a few days each week to go enjoy this hour and block out everything that is going on at work and forget all about my to-do list at home and just enjoy a little “me” time without having to feel rushed or guilty.

I try get up early on Saturday mornings and go for a long-run.  This doesn’t get to happen every weekend, but Jarrod usually either sleeps in with the kids while I go or takes them somewhere fun for a bit.  I love to listen to podcasts (Stuff You Should Know is my favorite btw) or turn on an audio book on my phone while I run.  I try not to worry about my pace or keeping up with anything and just spend that time moving and listening.

And my favorite “me-time” as I have mentioned many times before is my early morning quiet-time before everyone else wakes up.  I love to spend this time exploring and illustrating scripture and spending a little time just talking to God. I usually do this in the mornings but I also like to sit down at the end of a busy day after the girls go to bed in my big fluffy robe with a cup of hot peppermint tea.  My husband and friends call me an old grandma in my robe and slippers but I don’t care.. They really have no idea what they are missing out on!

Relax. Reflect. Recharge.

Blog-tember - My Greatest Adventure

What is the craziest adventure you have ever been on?

Thanks to some really awesome family members, I have been pretty fortunate to have been on some great trips in my life… New York, Hawaii, California, Disney World, Yellowstone… and as much as I loved and cherished each and every little adventure, nothing compares to the adventure that I am on now…. Motherhood!

If you had told me that I would be the first of my friends to have kids at the age of 23, I probably would’ve looked at you like yeah right!  I always enjoyed babies growing up and did some babysitting, but I never felt like the “mother hen” of the group.  I knew I wanted kids one day but that was about as far as my dreaming got.  

When Jarrod and I had been married about four months, we got the biggest surprise of our lives.  We were pregnant!  A few months later, we welcomed a sweet little baby girl into our lives and had no clue what we were doing.  All of a sudden, we were in charge of this little human that pooped in my face and spit up in my hair and cried like a little monster when she was hangry.  We were expected to clothe her and feed her and teach all kinds of things.  To say I was a little overwhelmed would be a serious understatement.  I relied heavily on my mom and sisters-in-law for lots of advice and encouragement.  And slowly, I kind of figured it out… well I don’t think we ever truly figure it out but we made some progress.  

Fast-forward six years or so and that little baby is a beautiful bubbly little kindergartner with a little sister that is as strong and tough as they come.  I have a very long road ahead of me in this whole parenting thing but this adventure we have been on over the last 6+ years has been wild and crazy and the very best adventure I could ever imagine.  We’ve had lots of bumps, bruises, and tears, more wails and fits than I can count, some yelling and fussing and even a few stitches but we have also had a whole lot of love and happiness.  I did a little victory dance when those babies finally slept all night long in their own beds and a big high five when they peepeed in the potty.  I was filled with overflowing pride as those little tiny dancers took the stage and bubbled with joy when their teachers gushed about their sweet spirits.  I have been bent over in laughter.  I have been covered in tears.  I have been so extremely filled with love.

I would not change a single thing about this crazy adventure of motherhood.  Every tear, every smile, every moment is etched deep in my heart and I know one day too soon, I will look back on it all and just think… we made it and By George we did a pretty good job along the way.