• Coffee Dates,  Etsy,  Life

    Let’s Have Coffee | Vol. 15

    February 26, 2019

    If we were having coffee, I’d probably be drinking this kind because I’ve been obsessed with Starbucks lately. I used to really like the Veranda blend but I find that it’s not strong enough for me anymore.

    If we were having coffee, I’d share that working on my Etsy shop with my husband has been so much fun and super rewarding. We are slowly adding products and even have a few collabs set up with other bloggers, which I am super excited about!

    If we were having coffee, I’d let you know that I am still waking up before my son (on most days) and it is still really awesome. I’ve been going through the She Reads Truth bible studies ever since their advent study last year and I’ve been really enjoying them. Have you ever done a She Reads Truth study?

    If we were having coffee, I’d give you an update on how some of my goals are coming along. This past month I’ve been doing a 30 day social media detox and it has been super life-giving. I will probably try to get a post up about that after it ends on March 6th. I’d also share that I have been slowly purging and organizing our house. I went through all of our clothes and gave away SO many. I now have next to nothing, which I actually really enjoy. It makes getting dressed much easier!

    If we were having coffee, I’d share that I am contemplating continuing on with Shane’s monthly updates. I know I want to continue taking his picture every month until he’s two. They are so fun to look back on and see how much he’s grown. I just also never really want to write those posts (although I would love to have them to look back on too) because it’s so hard for me to remember haha. What do you think? Keep going or maybe change to every three months?

    If we were having coffee, I’d ask what you were reading lately. I’ve been reading a bit more than normal but I have a hard time getting into a book. It’s always a lot easier when someone tells me it’s a great book before I start. 😉 I recently read All the Little Lights. I’d give it 4 out of 5 stars.

    And lastly, if we were having coffee, I’d of course want to know what is going on with you. What have you been up to??

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  • Baby

    Shane’s “Wild One” Birthday

    January 24, 2019

    I thought it was time I finally get to sharing some birthday party pictures with you guys!

    But before I get into that, I wanted to thank everyone who filled out My Reader Survey! I’ve never done one before and it was super helpful! And as promised, Mary won the $10 Starbucks giveaway for participating! Congratulations!!

    Shane’s first birthday was everything I hoped it would be. It was a small family party that ended up being very low-key and relaxing.

    Shane had the best time! He had so much fun playing with his family. (And having all the attention on him! 😉)

    The Decor

    Our theme was “Wild One” and I spent so much time working on all of the decor. I took some pictures before the party started of everything we did.

    We had some appetizers, had our favorite Italian restaurant cater, and my mother-in-law made adorable cupcakes for dessert.

    I forgot to take pictures during the party but I asked some friends and family to send me theirs and have a few from when Shane was eating his smash cake.

    It was a really fun party and it was so special celebrating our one year old!

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  • Baby

    Shane Thomas: One Year!

    January 15, 2019

    Can you guys believe it? Shane is one year old already! On Saturday, the 12th he turned one and we had a little party at our house to celebrate. It was a nice and relaxing time with friends and family and it was so special to celebrate our Shaney. Later on in the week I’m planning to share some pictures from his party.

    But today I wanted to share his twelve month update. I’m not sure if I’m going to keep doing these each month, maybe switch to every three months, or stop them altogether but we will see. I’m kind of liking the idea of keeping it going to have a place to look back on in the future. Let’s see what Shane is up to this month though, shall we?

    Size: I don’t know all of his stats yet because I haven’t brought him to the doctor’s for his twelve month visit. But I did weigh him last night and he was 18lbs 4oz, so still a little guy. He fits into twelve month clothes.

    Favorite Thing To Do: Shane loves to chase after the dog, empty all of our cabinets + shelves, and loves to cuddle.

    Favorite Friends: Shane loves his baby cousin Devin.

    Favorite People: Definitely mama, dada, and grandma.

    Favorite Toy: Drumsticks! He had a meltdown once when he was super tired because I had to take them away from him so he could go to sleep.

    Favorite Foods: Yogurt, puffs, and pasta

    Favorite Books: Goodnight Moon or Dear Zoo

    Dislikes: Being in the car when he’s really tired, or getting his face wiped after eating

    Our Schedule This Month:

    8:30am- Wake up + Nurse
    9:30-10:00am- Eat breakfast
    10:30am- Nurse + Naptime
    12:00pm- Wake up + Nurse
    1:30pm- Lunchtime
    3:00pm- Nurse + Naptime
    4:30-5:00pm- Wake up + Nurse
    6:30pm- Dinnertime
    8:30pm- Nurse + Bedtime
    10:30pm- Dreamfeed
    6:30am- Dreamfeed

    Because I had low milk supply from the beginning, I’ve wanted to make sure that I kept a lot of nursing time in to make sure that my milk supply didn’t drop too much before Shane turned one. Now that he is one, I’m planning on dropped those two dream feeds (gradually), and eventually a couple other feeds throughout the day as well. As for now though, this schedule worked out well for us though.

    What trouble does your toddler get into? He loves trying to eat the dog food or trying to play in the toilet 🤦🏻‍♀️

    What is your toddler’s strengths? He is very strong and brave. He is also very determined. He also loves to socialize when he notices people are paying attention to him. He’s such a little ham.

    Describe the love you feel for your toddler: Shane is my whole world and I would do absolutely anything for him. This past year I spent almost all of my time learning how to be the best mom I can be to him. I pushed through one of the hardest things I ever did, breastfeeding him, and worked so hard to give him as much breastmilk as I could because I wanted him to have the best start to life. I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for us and to keep learning how to be the best mom I can be for him.

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  • Baby,  Faith

    How Waking Up Before My Son Changed My Life

    January 9, 2019

    This may be a little bit of a premature post to write, as I’ve only been waking up before Shane for three days. BUT I am so confident and have already seen the craziest results that I still feel pretty confident writing this.

    Before Waking Up Early

    Before I started waking up before Shane, I felt stressed and overwhelmed most days. I used to feel like there wasn’t enough time to get what I needed to get done. I felt like I was always trying to squeeze in having some downtime and also trying to be productive around the house. Some days I managed to find the balance well. Most days though, I felt like I either was super productive all day and exhausted by the end of it or like I rested the majority of the day and had gotten nothing done.

    My Daily Morning Schedule Now

    6:30am – Wake up
    6:40am – Spend time with God
    7:00am – Read blogs, watch Youtube videos, have some “me time”, etc.
    8:00am – Have breakfast, possibly write a blog post
    8:30am – Shane wakes up

    This is honestly just a rough schedule and each day might look a little different going forward but really the point is I get to fill my own cup before pouring myself out for my family for the rest of the day.

    You Can’t Pour From An Empty Cup

    I’m sure you’ve heard the quote, “You can’t pour from an empty cup”. And that is essentially what I felt like I was trying to do when I’d wake up at the same time as Shane.

    I felt like there was never enough time to really spend with God, and also take care of Shane and the house. I almost always felt like I had no patience and I hated that.

    Having the time in the morning that I can dedicate to whatever I want to do and not feel guilty about changes everything for me. I feel like I have so much more to give to my family. It leaves me the rest of the day to “work”. During Shane’s nap times I can get some housework done, spend time with Tommy, blog or work on Etsy.

    Getting My Priorities Straight

    I think the biggest change and the real reason why I feel like my life has changed though is because I’m putting God first. Having a baby shook my world up in ways I am still processing and it definitely shook up my relationship with God.

    It took me a lot longer than it should have to really get back into spending quality time with God, but I’m so glad that I finally did.

    Timing Is Everything

    For a long time I imagined a time when I could wake up before Shane. When he was waking up in the night to be fed there was no way waking up before him would be healthy for me. So this had to wait.

    I just wanted to give a little disclaimer in case this may be you too. There will be a time when you can wake up before your baby. Sometimes it feels like it may never come, but I promise you it will. Give yourself grace in the meantime. ❤️

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  • Faith,  Life

    Currently, January 2019

    January 7, 2019

    c h o o s i n g

    To let God fill in the gaps. I am such a level 10 perfectionist and hate relying on others so I try to do everything myself and I try to do it all perfectly. God’s really showing me how much I can’t do on my own or perfectly and how I need to trust that he will take care of what I can’t.

    t i d y i n g

    All of the things. Honestly though. I have been purging all of the things from our house. It was completely unplanned too. One day when I was dusting I just started throwing everything out. Our house feels so much better because of it too. I can’t wait to finish the rest of the house I haven’t gotten to yet.

    e x p l o r i n g

    Currently exploring all of the party isles of all of the stores. Shane’s first birthday and party is on Saturday (!!!) and I am currently in preparation mode, buying all of the party supplies.

    r e s o l v i n g

    To waking up before my son each morning. I did it this morning and it is so life giving. There’s just something about waking up and collecting yourself before tending to the needs of a baby. I’m going to be trying to do this every day.

    r e f r e s h i n g

    Our home. While I was tidying up and purging I also moved some furniture around and our house feels so refreshed because of it. I love moving things around every little while. It makes it feel like you’re living in a whole new space.

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  • Faith,  Life,  Self Care

    2019 Goals: Family + Personal

    January 4, 2019

    I remember this time last year so well. I was two days away from my due date and my thoughts were very obviously consumed with this precious baby who was about to make me a mama. I had no room left to focus on goals or anything I wanted to accomplish in the new year. My only goal was to bring my baby into the world and to be the best mama I could be to him.

    Last year was a year of growth in so many ways. I did reached those goals, even though being the best mama I could be looked way different than I had ever dreamed. But that’s a story for another day.

    This year I feel much more ready to set some goals for the new year. I finally feel more settled into being a mama now that I’m a year into my new role. This year Tommy and I sat down and came up with some family goals to try to make sure we stay on the right path this year. We want to not waste the year and use the gifts that God has given us to serve him and others.

    I thought today would be a good day to sit down and share what we came up with. You know, to hold us accountable or something. 😉

    Our Family Goals

    • Read our Bibles/spend time with Jesus daily
    • Save money (for house + vacation)
    • Tommy pass the weld test by May
    • Start an Instagram teaching about God’s view of family
    • Be healthy (by eating + working out)
    • Grow our Etsy shop
    • Minister to our families by having monthly dinners at our home

    I also set a few personal goals that I’d like to focus on this year as well.

    My Personal Goals

    • Organize our house + get rid of unused/unneeded items
    • Have intentional time with Shane
    • Go on more dates with Tommy
    • Read more
    • Have one social media free weekend a month
    • Set social media limits
    • Read my Bible every day
    • Keep journaling
    • Keep praying for Shane using this book
    • Be more active

    Did you set 2019 goals or resolutions? I’d love to hear them if you did!

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