Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

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Six Things I Learned in September

September 28, 2015 by Kristin Leave a Comment


If you follow me at all on social media or we hang out in real life, then you probably know Team Taylor became five this month. How’s it going you may want to ask? The simple answer: It’s going well. Rachel fits in our family. God continues to show us how he makes beauty from ashes through adoption.

But, obviously, I’m not usually one for short answers. I’ve told some stories already about Rachel, her birth, her adoption, and our family, and I will tell more. Fun note: Today was her due date, but we’ve gotten to have her nine days already!

For now, let’s wrap up some randomness from September before yet another 2015 month escapes me. And, yes, beginning with the baby-related items …

1. People really like baby pictures and stories. 

Okay, well, maybe this isn’t news. But as soon I started posting picture of newborn Rachel and sharing more about our adoption story on Facebook, people started giving my posts thumbs up.

If you didn’t know we’re adopting a baby girl who was born Sept. 19, catch up here:

We’re adopting again!
Generosity in adoption
Team Taylor welcomes Rachel!
Opening up about open adoption

2. Hallmark had a fabulous baby book with adoption option pages.

Cate and Ben have baby books in binders that include pages from a regular baby book and additional pages I printed and made to tell their adoption story. They’re like scrapbooks meet baby books. Rachel’s is going to be more of the same but with a different starting point because Hallmark has a great baby book with optional pages and room for other homemade ones to be added.

{That’s not even an affiliate link. I really just like this baby book.}

3. I can have bulk groceries delivered to my front porch.

Okay, I know about {and love to use!} Amazon’s Prime Pantry, which has some groceries, and ePantry, which sells household products, but Boxed is new to me. It’s like a mail-order version of Costco. And there’s an app.

My first order included Gatorade, Mandarin oranges in snack-sized cups, paper plates, allergy medicine and contact solution. But next time it’s going to include fruit snacks, chips, noodles, and all sorts of other things I’m currently stocked up on.

Did I mention a bulk purchase of paper plates?! Exactly 170 paper places, to be precise. Hello, perfect timing, as I cuddle my newborn.

You can join in the fun! Use 28SI6 at check out and you’ll save $15 on your first order PLUS GET FREE SHIPPING. Now, there’s always free shipping for orders totaling at least $75.

4. Making my son’s bunk beds into a tent earned me cool mom points and helped him sleep later!

Ben is the epitome of a morning person. He wakes up ready to go and isn’t usually quiet about that. A few weeks ago, we were in the process of taking some down curtains and putting up blinds instead. Like many household projects, it took longer than expected because the lady at the store told us to get the wrong width of blinds based on my window measurements.

During the week, it didn’t matter if his window wasn’t covered because he has to get up for school. But one Saturday I was hoping to sleep in. And by “sleep in,” I mean I hoped not to wake up until the 7 o’clock hour.

So I darkened his bunk beds with a tent. And it worked.

Now that his blinds are up, the tent is still up. Because, hello, I’m a cool mom who still wants to sleep in.

5. Losing teeth is a weird process.

Well, okay, really, I don’t deal with the actual losing of teeth. Cate lost her 10th tooth this month. After losing nine teeth is in 16 months {starting the month after she turned 5}, she hadn’t lost one in 23 months. Crazy.

{I’m not really a numbers person, but I like when numbers tell stories.}

Meanwhile, Ben is two months from turning 6 and doesn’t have a loose tooth.

6. A Precept Upon Precept study is perfect for a girl who has always liked school supplies. 

Hello, colored pens! I joined a Bible study this month at a big church that’s nearby. It’s not where we regularly attend, but I have several friends there and have been wanting to do a study with them. We’re doing “Covenant: Knowing God’s Covenants” by Percept Ministries International.

We’re just a couple lessons in, but so far so good!

Tell me about your September. Are y’all glad it’s fall?

_____________________

I’m linking up with Emily Freeman for my favorite monthly recaps. Read other Things I Learned posts ::

{2013} June. July. August. September. October. November. 
{2014} January. February. March. April. May. June. 
July. August. September. October. November. December. 
{2015} January. February. March. April. May. June. July. August.


This post contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase through any of them, I’ll receive a small portion of the sale. But I only recommend products I really do love and buying through my link doesn’t change the price for you and sometimes, like the Boxed promo code, actually helps you.

Want more insights? “Peace in the Process: How Adoption Built My Faith & My Family” is available on Amazon. Like me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, peek into my life on Instagram, follow 152 Insights at Bloglovin’, or subscribe to receive “Insights in Your Inbox.”

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Filed Under: adoption, Ben, Cate, faith, motherhood, Rachel, Things I Learned

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About Me

Telling stories is my therapy and I love sharing them with friends on my porch.

The main characters in my stories are my entrepreneur husband, our high school girl who never forgets, our middle school boy who has no fear, and our joy-filled first-grade girl. As we live out our stories, we seek God as the author of them all.

Learn more about my story here.

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I sat on my porch beneath a blanket and finished t I sat on my porch beneath a blanket and finished this book today. Yes, I’m fully invested in this Cuba saga involving the Perez family. “The Last Train to Key West” by @chanelcleeton is the third in the series. I have the fourth on hold at the library for pickup on Monday. 

I wasn’t sure I was going to love this one as much as I did Cleeton’s first two, but it was a slow-building story that turned stormy. I loved how the three women were in Key West for their own reasons, developed meaningful relationships as they navigated their lives, and managed to survive the storms of their lives and an actual hurricane. 

The historical fiction story offers hope:

“It’s strange how your life can change so quickly, how one moment you can barely eke by, desperation filling your days, and suddenly, out of the unimaginably horrific, a glimmer of something beautiful can appear like a bud pushing through the hard-formed earth. There’s so much broken around us; maybe all we can do is try to fix each other, do what we can to preserve these precious moments in a world where there is so much sadness and loss. … Maybe some would say my dreams are too small. Perhaps they would dream of railroads that go over the sea, great, wonderful things. Maybe others want riches and jewels, a chance to travel the globe. For me, this is enough: A corner of paradise in this wretched world that I am able to call my own.” — Helen in “The Last Train to Key West” by Chanel Cleeton

#KHTreads #bookstagram #booklover #librarybooks #historicalfiction #weekending #favoritethings #choosingJOY #bookquotes #bookreview
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Wright Road needs a permanent solution for when Wildcat Creek rises. A bridge seems to be the best idea, so the creek can rise and flow beneath the road rather than flowing across it and washing out the gravel on top of the culverts. 

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I’m going to rest here while believing God created life and light when there was only darkness and continues to order my days. 

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