admin – This Splendid Struggle

I originally wrote this post right before the worldwide pandemic hit. At the time, we had people stopping by all the time, but just as I was going to publish this post, the world shut down and having visitors wasn’t really a thing anymore! However, as we’re all getting back to “normal” life, I thought I would go ahead and post this, especially since we’re heading into the holiday season when entertaining guests seems to be at its peak!

This little bar cart is right inside my front door. It’s usually one of the first places I go to when I know someone is stopping by. I’ll turn on my diffuser, light the candle, and turn on the lamp to instantly add a warm, cozy, inviting feeling to our home.

We’ve all been there. A friend or relative calls or texts and asks if they can stop by in the next 10 minutes. You graciously say “Yes!” but then you look around your home in a panic!

Lately, Alex and I have been lucky enough to have several people stop by our house with very short notice. I know that this can cause stress and anxiety for many people, including myself, so I thought I would go over a few different things I try to do to always be prepared for unexpected guests.

I love to bake. So often, I have some sort of baked good to offer unexpected guests. However, on the off chance that I don’t have something ready, I like to keep some frozen cookie dough in the freezer, so you can quickly throw them in the oven and be pulling out freshly baked cookies as your guests walk in the door! Store bought treats also work in a pinch! When guests come into a house that smells of freshly baked cookies, it will seem like you have been expecting them all day!
I ALWAYS start up my diffuser when I know someone is stopping by. My favorite essential oil to diffuse is Purification by Young Living. It smells so clean and fresh and makes it seem like you’ve been cleaning the house all day! Every single person that comes into my home comments on how good it smells, and it is 100% because of the diffuser and not because of my housekeeping abilities!
Lighting. Lighting can change the feeling of a space so much. First of all, turn on your porch or outside lights! It’s much more inviting to walk up to a house that has their lights on, it’s the first sign guests see that you are ready and waiting for them! Second, I like to keep just warm lights on. Our lamps, and under counter lights are my favorite. Low lighting feels much more cozy and homey than bright overhead lights. Also, light candles! Not only will they help make your house smell great, but they also give an awesome ambiance that helps your home feel cozy and inviting.
Of course, sometimes the struggle is the fact that your house is just plain messy and needs picked up and cleaned. In this case, of course, I try to pick up according to how much time I have. I start in my living room, since that is the first room our guests walk into, and if I have time I’ll move to the kitchen. Always start at the point where your guests will enter and then work from there to the points of the house your guests will likely spend time (kitchen, bathroom, etc.) Close doors to other rooms such as bedrooms, laundry, etc. if you have to.
Play some music! It makes a home seem so cozy when some light music is playing in the background. Of course, don’t have it so loud that conversation is awkward, just loud enough to add to the cozy and inviting atmosphere.

These are just some basic things I do when someone calls and says they’ll be over in a moment’s notice. Hopefully these tips will helps you feel confident to host those last minute guests! What do you do when someone stops by unexpectedly? I would love to hear your tricks too!

Holidays, Home

Fall Decor Tour

October 1, 2021October 1, 2021 admin

Can you believe it’s October? I sure can’t. Time is flying by, but the temps are feeling just a bit cooler today and I’m definitely ready for fall. One of the first things I do to break in the fall season is to decorate my home. I have had my fall decorations up for a few weeks now (even though we’ve still had our AC on), but since today is October 1st, I thought it was the perfect time to share my fall decor!

I am always switching out our throw blankets on the couch. One of the first things I do to change up the decor for the season is to add some seasonal blankets!

For fall, I often remove my candles from their pedestals and place a pumpkin on them! I think it’s such a cute way to display a pumpkin.

I usually keep a lot of my decorations pretty much the same, but just add some small seasonal items. Here, I just replaced a candle with a pumpkin on the candlestick and I swapped out my usual candle for a fall scented one.

I love this little guy. I’ve had him for years and he’s one of my favorite fall pieces.

One of my favorite things to switch out for the holiday decorating is decorative towels on my little towel ladder!

Here is another example of how the centerpiece is completely neutral, but the fall table cloth helps give it that cozy, fall feeling.

Wilma’s favorite part of new decor is fresh pillows and blankets to lounge on.

A gold pumpkin and fall candle make our ” cozy room” seem even more cozy!

Do you have your fall decor up yet? When do you normally decorate? What are your favorite decorating tips?? I would love to chat with you all about it! Happy October and Happy Decorating!

Holidays

Decorating for St. Patrick’s Day

March 1, 2021March 1, 2021 admin

Happy March! While I don’t generally do a ton of decorating for St. Patrick’s Day, I did more this year than I ever have, so I thought I’d share it with you!

I don’t even have a lot of actual St. Patrick’s Day pieces, but I gathered all the green pieces I had in my home and really highlighted those for the holiday. In the picture above, I swapped out the white cake stand I had as the centerpiece for this beautiful green one I had and then put a few pieces of antique depression glass on it. I also used a houseplant to add even more green and then just accented with white. I love how this turned out for our kitchen table!

This is one of the few things I have that I actually bought just for decorating for St. Patrick’s day. This little doorhanger is a whopping $1 from Dollar Tree.

I got this little banner on clearance last year, but it’s not even necessarily “St. Patrick’s Day” any green party banner would work!

I love this little towel ladder that Alex made for me. I have so many cute towels I want to display, but don’t want to get used, so this is the perfect solution! This towel is particularly special to me as it was stitched for me by my aunt. I layered it over a green hand towel I had to help make the green in the tea towel pop.

This is an example of how I really just looked around my house and pulled out anything that was green. A green hand towel, a green towel I purchased around Christmastime, and my green mason jar salt and pepper shakers.

I already had this little chalkboard with the mint green frame, so I used a green chalkboard pen to draw a clover, then I switched out the pink pitcher I had my utensils in to this bright green sequin vase, which I had with Christmas stuff.

This was a spring wreath I already had in storage. The little green berries are a perfect accent for St. Patrick’s Day. Plus this will probably stay up through all of spring.

I love my letterboards! It’s the perfect place to add a little festive saying without having to buy any additional seasonal signs or decor.

This little doorhanger is another Dollar Tree find!

I love to have a little doorknob hanger on the inside of my front door. I found this cute little guy at Hobby Lobby for 40% off.

This gold banner is something I picked up last year on clearance. (If you haven’t noticed, I like to shop after holidays for clearance items, pack them away and then use them the next year as something brand new!)

This is the regular chalkboard that I always have hanging in our living room. I just used a green chalkboard pen to write out my own St. Patrick’s Day design. I got the green chalkboard pen for a steal at the Dollar Tree!

I have had this little gold “lucky” sign for several years. I just paired it next to a green houseplant and a green candle and now it screams “St. Patrick’s Day!”

My other letterboard! I used my gold letters for this one. St. Patrick’s Day is a great excuse to pull out all of your gold stuff as well!

Bringing attention to your houseplants is a great way to feel festive for the holiday without buying a bunch of decor.

This coffee table display was just a couple of green candles I had on hand, paired with some vintage depression glass on my usual gold tray. Perfectly festive and free!

Do you decorate for St. Patrick’s Day? It can be as easy as rearranging a few items you already have to accentuate greens and golds. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Tips and Tricks

How To Enjoy Winter Instead of Just Enduring It

February 15, 2021February 15, 2021 admin

I think it was about two years ago that I read an article that totally changed my mindset on winter. I have tried to find it so many times since then, to no avail. I really wish I could so that I could share it with you. The article was about how people that live in extremely cold climates, including those that have very few, if any hours of daylight, do not have an increased number of cases of depression. In fact, the article mentioned how these people actually looked forward to winter. As a time of opportunity, and enjoyment. A time to look forward to.

This article has really stuck with me and I think of it often. In the US, it always seems like winter is something to dread, something to get through. There are exceptions for sure. Many people love skiing, and most everyone I know likes some snow and winter weather for Christmastime. But once January rolls around and the bitter temperatures continue in February, most people start complaining and pining for spring.

I have always loved living in Iowa where we get the opportunity to experience all four seasons to their extremes. Sweet springs, hot summers, beautiful falls, and cold winters. However, a few years ago, I found myself less enchanted with winter. I was a hassle to always have to scrape the car in the morning. A pain to shovel the driveway. So annoying to have to wear a coat everywhere. And as people around me grumbled about the cold, so did I.

Then I came across this article and read how people in other countries, countries much colder than it is here in Iowa, looked forward to the coziness of winter. They looked for ways to actually enjoy it, not just endure it until the warmer temps of spring came. I felt so convicted. Here I am in the middle of Iowa (I love Iowa by the way. I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.) where compared to these extreme climates the article was referencing, our winters are mild and our hours of daylight long. Our winter season much shorter, and temperatures much higher. Yet I was grumbling about the cold. Shouldn’t I be able to look forward to winter and enjoy it as much as the folks living in Norway, Canada, and Russia?

So ever since then I have tried to be so intentional about finding things to take advantage of during the winter time instead of complaining about its inconveniences. Instead of complaining about the cold, I get to enjoy wearing all my favorite sweaters. Instead of complaining about the snow, I get to wear my new snow boots. I get to build a snowman with my husband. Instead of resenting all the lost hours of daylight, I get to enjoy candlelight in the evening. I read many more books in the winter than I do in the summer, since I often feel guilty about being inside and reading a book while it is a lovely, warm day outside. So I take advantage of the cold to “hunker down” and curl up with a book. This winter I have started to crochet, another hobby I would feel a bit guilty indulging in in the middle of summer. I can bake and cook all day to help warm up the house, whereas in the summer I tend to avoid “heating up the house.” I enjoy more hot cups of coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and apple cider. I get to enjoy watching the beautiful snowfall and the peace and quite that comes with a fresh layer of snow at night. The beauty of the moon reflecting off all the intricate snowflakes.

It sounds like I’m romanticizing winter, doesn’t it? I’m not denying that winter has it’s struggles. Try getting a puppy in mid February. Potty breaks at 3:00 AM are not very fun when it’s 5 degrees. Ice covered windshields, fender benders, slick sidewalks, freezing rain, weather delays, cancelled flights, frozen pipes, and countless more struggles exist because of winter. But there are also so many splendid things because of winter. Ice skating, sledding, building a snowman, icicles, snowflakes, cozy evenings at home, hot drinks, warm sweaters, handmade mittens, any many many others.

I am choosing to look for, and celebrate those wonderfully special things about winter, and resist complaining about the struggles of winter. Keep in mind it is -4 degrees F outside where I am right now and the wind chill is making it feel like -22! But I am inside my cozy home, sitting next to our space heater writing this, so it is okay. I am warm. I am cozy. I am so grateful to have a warm, cozy home.

I encourage you to finish out this winter with a positive attitude. Enjoy the extra time you have to spend inside. Read more. Do more crafts. Cook new things. Enjoy the inside of your home. Work on making your home a place you enjoy. Use all the scarves and mittens and hats that you’ve got. Sit by the fire. (Or space heater that looks like a fireplace in my case.) Make a cup of tea. Start a snowball fight. Use the opportunity to serve your neighbors, shovel their sidewalk, bake them a loaf of bread. Stack up all your cozy blankets on your bed. Wear your favorite slippers and bathrobe around the house. Light some candles. Take a hot bath. Rest. I know that for us, in the summertime we are constantly outside working on projects. Winter is a time for rest. For recharging. For slowing down. Winter is a special time to experience coziness and comfort in a way that no other season brings. I hope this year that you can appreciate all the wonderful things that winter brings and avoid complaining about all the struggles that come with it as well.

Homesteading, Life

Why We Got Backyard Chickens

February 9, 2021February 9, 2021 admin

This past June we started our backyard chicken flock with 6 young pullets and we have never regretted it! We love having chickens, and for us it is a no-brainer. However, I have had SO many people ask us “WHY?!?” So I thought I would do a post about how we decided to get them, why we love them, and some reasons that may convince you to start your own flock!

These are what the pullets looked like when we bought them.

Almost exactly one year ago we brought home a brand new Bloodhound puppy, Wilma. Being a bloodhound, she is a natural hunting dog, and knowing that someday we would love to live on a homestead with lots of animals, especially chickens, we wanted Wilma to grow up from puppyhood being around chickens so that we could train her to not be aggressive toward them.

The ladies are enjoying some hot, homemade porridge.

My parents conveniently had a small chicken coop that they were no longer using. So we hauled it to our small, city lot. My dad fixed it up for us by reinforcing some chicken wire and repairing the feed box and door.

So we started tossing around the idea of getting chicks in the spring. I’ll be honest, the thought of getting chicks kind of overwhelmed me. We don’t have a big garage, nor did we have a lot of the equipment you need to raise chicks such as heat lamps. I looked at many homemade chick brooders on Pinterest, but I was still overwhelmed by making one, so I started doing more research.

That’s when I discovered the term “pullet.” A pullet is a young hen, under one year, but older than a chick. Old enough that we could put it straight into the chicken coop and skip the brooder stage. We would also know that they were definitely females and avoid accidentally getting a rooster or two. This idea was very appealing to me. I knew that pullets would be more expensive than getting chicks, but since we were only wanting about half a dozen or so, I was willing to pay a bit more for the convenience of getting older birds. Also, they were a bit harder to find than just walking into your local farm supply store and getting chicks, but not impossible to find.

I scoured Craiglist until I came across the perfect listing for us! I found a group of 6 Sapphire Gem pullets for $30. They hadn’t started laying yet. We hurried to get our coop all prepared and went and got them the next day.

For us, this worked out perfectly. We were able to put them right into the coop without having to worry about a brooder. Six birds also proved to be the perfect number for us. Our coop has 12 nesting boxes, so they have plenty of space, and when they started laying eggs we got about 3 dozens eggs a week, which is too much for just the two of us to eat, so we sell a dozen here and there for some extra money, which is a great perk!

We love having chickens for many reasons, so I’ll just make a quick list here for you.

Fresh Eggs – This is obviously the most obvious perk of having chickens. I am never out of eggs. (Except the one time Alex sold 3 dozen in one day and didn’t tell me. It worked out fine though, because I just ran out to the coop and the girls had already laid 3 more.) It is so nice using the nutrient rich, dark yellow-yoked eggs that we get from our own backyard. We know exactly what the chickens are fed and can feel good knowing that we are eating something healthy.
Extra Money – This ties in with having fresh eggs, but since our hens produce more than we can eat, we sell eggs for money! We usually put this money right back into the chickens with the purchase of straw, feed, etc. So it’s a great way to pay for having them, they just earn their own keep!
Entertainment – If you haven’t just sat in an Adirondack chair with a cool drink and watched some chickens do their thing on a summer day, then you probably don’t know what I’m talking about. You need to do this. Chickens are so fun to watch! The way they strut across the yard, scratching for bugs, and randomly get scared and run to the other side of the yard is really very entertaining.
Companionship – OK. This probably sounds so stupid, but our chickens love us and we love them! The girls will follow me throughout the yard wherever I go, and will run to us when they hear us coming outside. Our chickens are very tame and enjoy getting pet and held. I have caught Alex on a few occasions, just sitting with them, hand feeding them sunflower seeds.
Compost – Chicken poop makes great compost! We have a little backyard compost bin that we toss all of their droppings and old straw in to make great fertilizer for my garden come spring!
Education – We have learned so much about chickens since we started. We didn’t even begin to know it all, we just started and we are learning along the way! We learned how to care for a sick chicken, how to tell if one is sick, what foods they can eat, etc. It also teaches responsibility, just like any pet or animal. If we ever have children, it will be a great way to teach them responsibility (feeding, watering, gathering eggs).

Alex enjoying watching our little flock.

Most of all, we just really love having chickens. We may live in town, but we would love to someday live on an acreage and have a homestead. This is something we can do now (since our city allows it) to help our home feel more like a homestead. We are learning and building our skills so that someday, if we can have a big coop with 100 chickens then we know how to care for them!

I encourage you to check your local laws regarding backyard chickens, and if your city allows it, give it a try! We love ours and I think you will love it too!

Life

My “Why” – The Purpose Behind This Blog

February 1, 2021February 1, 2021 admin

Blogging is something I have been interested in for a very long time. For a long time it seemed unreachable to have a successful blog. I had a feeling that success in blogging only comes to a few, lucky people who happen to stumble upon the opportunity at just the right time. Or only to those who are experts in one specific field. But me? No. I couldn’t be successful at it. I am mediocre at a lot of things. Baking, writing, nursing, homemaking. But I am not stellar at anything.

However, I was still so drawn to the idea of it. Sometimes things would happen in life and I would think “I wish I had a platform that I could write about this on.” So back in 2017 I took the plunge and I started this blog.

I had great intentions of making it into this beautiful, successful, money-making blog. But it was hard. I struggled to put the web pages together. To upload the photos, to figure out the technical part of it. I am not very tech savvy and by the time I had it all set up, I mainly just felt discouraged that it didn’t look like a super professional, established blog. (Which is crazy, of course.) And when I went to actually write posts, I had lost my inspiration. My good ideas. So I wrote a few posts and then fizzled out.

I tried to revive it again in 2019 and thought I would just write posts about anything I could think of. Then I thought “Who on earth wants to read what I have to say? Who is even interested in this? I’m no expert, I have no content to produce!” At this time, I was also getting married, and starting a life with my husband, raising a puppy, learning to care for a small flock of chickens, and doing tons of home renovations, all in addition to working full time. So I got busy and fell out of it again. But looking back, what great content I missed writing about!

So now, here I am again. In 2021 trying to save this blog once more. But now I have a better sense of my purpose for this blog. I have opened up about it to my husband, who fully supports and encourages me to go for it, whereas before I was self-conscious of sharing my blogging ideas with him. I have also decided to just blog about my daily life. My daily struggles. My Splendid Struggle. (Read more about the inspiration for my blog name here.) I’ve accepted the fact that I’m a beginner. My blog will look like a beginner made it. I am learning new things and I can blog about learning them! I don’t have to blog like I am an expert on the topic.

So basically, I wrote this really long post to tell you that I’m trying again. Starting over again. And I really hope that you will enjoy reading about what I’m learning, and doing, and making, and creating on this splendid struggle of life.

Holidays

10 Valentine’s Day Ideas

February 4, 2020 admin

No matter if you are single, or in a relationship, married with kids, or working this Valentine’s Day, I hope you do something fun to spread love and make the day special! Here are some ideas!

Dinner Date Night Out Now, I had to start with this classic, because this is what Alex and I always do! He always takes me to a nice restaurant that we’ve never been to before! It’s always fun to get dressed up, try a new place and enjoy a good meal with your Valentine. After dinner, we will sometimes hit up a movie, or a cocktail bar for an after dinner drink. But usually, we head home and snuggle on the couch.
Date Night In We all know that restaurants are packed and flowers are overpriced on Valentine’s Day, so it’s always an option to stay home! Cooking a delicious dinner and dessert together can be so fun and then you eat in the comfort of your own home as you enjoy your favorite tv show! You can make it a little more exciting by trying a new fancy recipe, or play it safe with a classic meal you both love.
Fancy Night On The Town Where are my single ladies at??? You have to do this at least once! When I was in high school, me and my entire friend group was single. So we decided to get all dolled up and fancy and went out to a nice dinner together. We had a blast and let me tell you, we were having way more fun than anyone else in the restaurant! We then did some shopping in our heels and dresses and then went to see the girliest movie in the theater at the time “Confessions of a Shopaholic” This was such a fun night!
Homemade Pizza Night I love this idea for families with kiddos! Growing up, mom would give us each our own pizza pan (or tin pie dish) and a ball of dough and we would make our own pizzas! She would have all of the toppings like cheese, pepperoni, peppers, pineapple, etc. We loved seeing how our pizzas looked coming out of the oven! You could even make them heart shaped!
Do a Craft I love crafting! There are so many options with this one. You could do a paint and wine night at a local art studio, you could have your girlfriends over and all do a craft as you watch chick flicks, you could have your kids make Valentine’s for their friends or neighbors. You can do this by yourself, with your friends, or with your Valentine. Get on Pinterest and get crafty! If you need an idea, check out the Valentine Heart Paint Chip Banner I made. Last year, I hosted a Galentine’s Day Party and we each painted a little canvas!
Pamper Yourself Whether you book a massage, or do a face mask at home in the bubble bath. Take time for you! Again, this can be if you’re spending the day alone or you could plan this with your spouse! You could even enjoy a nice bath, book, face mask, and glass of wine when you come home from work! This would also be such a fun girl’s night in if you hosted a little spa party for your girlfriends!
Bring Some Joy to Work If you are like me this year, then you will be working on Valentine’s Day! I also had to work last year on Valentine’s Day and Alex always makes it work and we go out on a different evening. (This can actually be beneficial for more reservation options as well as better prices) However, consider doing something for your coworkers on Valentine’s Day. Bake some heart shaped sugar cookies, or bring in a box pink donuts! It may not be how you’d choose to spend the day, but it will help make the day seem more special and make you and your coworkers happier! (If you are one of my coworkers reading this, I am making no promises!)
Go on a Mini Vacation This one is perfect this year since Valentine’s Day falls on a Friday. You could find a little town (or big city) that’s not too far from you and you could spend one or two nights in a hotel there, exploring a new town and just relaxing with each other. This would also be a great stay-cation. Our city has lots of beautiful and unique boutique hotels that we would love to stay a night in. Splurge on a suite with a jacuzzi, since you aren’t having to pay for travel fees and it still feels like you got a little vacation!
Make a Fun Breakfast Maybe you have time on Friday to make a fun breakfast for the kids with heart shaped waffles, or maybe you will celebrate on Saturday and enjoy a nice slow morning (my favorite) cooking chocolate chip pancakes and bacon! This is always fun for kids and adults and you can make it super cute with Valentine’s plates and napkins from the dollar store, or do a theme like “pink foods’ and serve strawberry milk, heart shaped pancakes with pink sprinkles, etc.
Do Something for Someone Else No matter how you are spending your Valentine’s Day this year, I hope you do something to show someone else love. Maybe you bring your lonely neighbor a cookie, maybe you spend your night volunteering, maybe you just make your spouse all of their favorite things for dinner. I hope your focus will be on others. On the ones you love. And also on the ones that rarely feel loved. Happy Valentine’s Day.

Books

The Great Alone – A Book Review

January 24, 2020 admin

After reading The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah, I knew I had to get my hands on another one of her books. There have been few books that moved my emotions so much and I wondered if all her works were like this, or if The Nightingale was just a special one.

Luckily, my husband knows me well and bought me The Great Alone for Christmas. I finished it a few weeks ago, and I’m still thinking about it! In true Kristen Hannah form, it shook my emotions so much. My husband found me crying multiple times while reading this book.

I had absolute no idea what I was getting into. I hadn’t read anything about the book or the plot. I didn’t have a clue what to expect.

At the beginning, I was not convinced it was going to be a tear-jerking, gut-wrenching, emotional roller coaster that The Nightingale was. The setting starts in the 1970s, and through the eyes of a 13 year old girl, Leni. I was surprised at what seemed to be a totally different type of storytelling and storyline. When Leni’s family decides to pack up and move to Alaska in hope of a new start and a life of self-sufficiency, she had me hooked. I’ve always dreamed of living a self-sufficient life, although never in Alaska.

I thought I was going to enjoy this book solely from reading about their new self-sufficient life. Little did I know that I would end of loving this book for all of the different human emotions and relationships that are portrayed in this book.

I’ve always loved books that portray wonderful, romantic, steadfast love. This book does that perfectly. But this book also made me ponder and understand other types of love better. Like the love between a mother and a daughter. The love between a person and their homeland, and also other types of love that can be complicated and confusing and incomprehensible. Like love that still persists even in abusive situations.

I’ve thankfully never personally been involved in an abusive relationship and I think reading this book really helped open my eyes to why people stay in those relationships.

This book is a beautiful balance of adventure and emotion. Kristen Hannah is so good at stirring your heart with just a few lines and The Great Alone is no exception!

Have you read The Great Alone? I would love to hear what you thought of it!

Faith, Life, Self-Improvement

2020 -My Hopes, Dreams, and Goals

January 1, 2020 admin

Don’t you love the feeling of a new year? Now, don’t get me wrong. I LOVE Christmas! I love the shopping, and baking, and decorations, and chaos that comes with Christmas. But once it’s all over, I love the new year.

The fresh start feeling. The clean feeling when you pack up all the Christmas decorations. (Mine are currently still up, including a Christmas tree that only has working lights on the bottom half of the tree!) Everything feels fresh and new. Not only the environment, but also my attitude and my motivation.

Don’t get me wrong, I often get WAY too ambitious in the new year resolve to do way too many things, as I addressed in last year’s new year post.

Last year, I said I just wanted to look back and be able to say I am a better person now than I was at the beginning of the year. As I look back, I can’t say for certain whether or not I achieved that goal. I had a lot of new and better experiences, for sure. I even developed better habits this year! Like fixing the bed every day and never sleeping in my makeup! But am I a better person? Do I love more? Am I more patient and considerate? Do I exhibit the fruit of the Spirit?

I don’t know.

But I do know what I want to strive for in 2020. I want to be known as a follower of Christ. I want people to be able to look at my life and see Him. I want to show love and compassion, patience, and goodness. I want to produce spiritual fruit. I want others to be energized and uplifted by being around me. My husband, my family, my friends, and my co-workers.

I want to be a better person, and I will do that by trying to be more like Jesus. In 2020, I want to be more intentional in my pursuit of Christ. To intentionally make time to spend reading His Word and praying.

Of course, I have goals to eat better, and save money. We have a lot of house projects on our 2020 to-do list. And I am really wanting to become more organized. However, out of all of these things, I hope and pray that this year my focus will not be on me. But that it will be on Christ and how I can be more like Him. And when I do that, I know all the other things will fall into place.

I hope you have a wonderful New Year. I would love to hear what goals you have for 2020!

Life

2019 – A Reflection on My Best Year Yet

December 31, 2019 admin

As I sit writing this post, I am in shock that 2019 has come to an end. What an incredibly fast year. 2019 happened in the blink of an eye, but it also brought me the best times of my entire life.

I can honestly say that 2019 was the best year of my life. Back in January, I finally launched this blog, which I had talked about doing for years. It’s obviously not much, but I’m so glad I did.

February brought one of the happiest days of my life when Alex proposed! The next several months flew by in a whirlwind of wedding planning and preparations. I was overwhelmed with the amount of love that was poured out to me with the showers, parties, gifts, and help from so many friends and family members.

July was here before we knew it, and we had a fairytale wedding day that was so beautiful, and special, and perfect in every way.

Our honeymoon in St. Maarten was probably the best trip I have ever been on. The perfect weather, wonderful resort, and great food were made even better by getting to spend an entire week with my new husband.

In August we both started to learn a lot. We began to figure out how to live together and how to develop new routines. I learned how to wake up before 8:30 and Alex learned how to live with a crazy woman who loves to bake and is obsessed with the Iowa State Fair.

Our trip to Vermont in October was so much fun just relaxing with each other and enjoying God’s fall masterpieces.

Before we knew it, November was here bringing Alex’s birthday and Thanksgiving.

Now here we are on December 31st. My 28th birthday, while I whined and joked a lot about getting old and not wanting a birthday, was my best one yet. Our first Christmas married was a blast and our Christmas party was exhausting, but so much fun.

So as I look back onto 2019, I can honestly say it was the best year of my life. So much happiness, so much change, so many adventures, so much love. The best thing by far, better than all the trips and experiences, is spending every day with my best friend. Building a home and a life with him. I will forever look at 2019 as the most life-changing year. This year has brought me so much that I’m sad to see it go, but I am so excited to see what 2020 brings. Much love to you in the New Year.

Author: admin

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