Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

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Four things I’m loving

May 9, 2018 by Kristin 14 Comments

I want my virtual porch to be like my real porch, where we could sit and chat about everything going on – the big things, what we’re loving, and ideas we have. The conversations would probably go from meaningful to practical without notice, which is exactly how I like it. With that in mind, today for #PorchStories, I’m going to share four things I’m loving right now.

1. Faithful Moms Summer Planner

My friend Erika Dawson created this resource that I’m so excited to dive into before I make my first official jump into the pool for the summer. My kids have LESS THAN TWO WEEKS of school left, we couldn’t be any more excited. But there’s a different pace to summer, and I have no doubt this summer planner will help me get everything that’s in my head down onto paper.

Yes, it offers a calendar and place to make plans, but it also offers spaces for moms to discern and reflect on summer priorities while still enjoying summer with their kids. These pages will help me process, prioritize, and document my favorite season that usually passes too quickly.

(You can still order one for yourself.)

2. A gooseneck clamp to hold my Kindle

You guys! Almost every time I read my Kindle in bed I (jokingly) asked Greg if he will hold it above me so I can lay down and read. Then I mention how I should invent a clamp that will hold my Kindle at the appropriate spot. Turns out someone already invented that AND MY HUSBAND SURPRISED ME WITH IT. Now I can stop talking to him about it and just read. Happy birthday and every other day to me!

(If you want to see the kinds of books on my Kindle, I keep an ongoing list of books I’ve loved.)

3. “Keep a Quiet Heart” by Elisabeth Elliot

This book is full of wise essays about following Christ in everyday life. I’ve mentioned before that I’ve been taking a break from most non-fiction books because I couldn’t handle all the noise, but Elisabeth Elliot is like the wise grandma everyone needs in their lives. I’ve sent passages from this book to friends and posted them online. I’m grateful for her words that do quiet my heart and remind me what matters.

4. Slugs & Bugs’ Sing the Bible Vol. 3

This new CD is officially available now! If you have kids or even know a kid, you’ll want this music in your home, car, head, and heart. The songs are full of fun, truth, and sometimes silly voices. But the music is excellent and I sometimes keep listening when my kids have left the room. I will recommend any Slugs & Bugs music because I believe in what Randall Goodgame is doing for families.

What are you loving right now?

{Tweet that.}

*****

There are a couple Amazon affiliate links in there, but I would never recommend anything to my friends that I don’t actually love and use. If you purchase through my Amazon links, the price doesn’t change for you but I get a tiny income for my recommendations. I supported the Slugs & Bugs CD on Kickstarter last year and it’s currently the disc playing in my minivan. I bought the Faithful Moms Summer Planner and have been stalking my mailbox for it to arrive, but I’ve seen it in person because Erika is my friend.

*****

Kristin Hill Taylor - Porch Stories
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Filed Under: Porch Stories Tagged With: books, motherhood, music, summer

Comments

  1. Rebecca Hastings says

    May 9, 2018 at 6:16 am

    Such a fun list! It’s always nice to see what’s working for other like-minded people 🙂

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      May 9, 2018 at 6:55 am

      Thank you! Hope you can enjoy some of these things too!

      Reply
  2. Michele Morin says

    May 9, 2018 at 6:21 am

    It makes me so happy that you have fallen in love with Keep a Quiet Heart. I have a flip calendar (over 20 years old and it looks it!) that came out at the same time as the book, and I’m still loving EE wisdom every single day.
    Actually, I’m also reading a book she wrote the forward to: A Leopard Tamed. One of her friends was a missionary to South Sudan, and she wrote a book about the challenge of white North Americans landing with all their stuff and all their strange ways in the middle of a primitive people group and trying to translate biblical values into that culture back in the mid 20th century. The book has the same tone as These Strange Ashes (by EE), and the recently released version adds a new preface by EE’s daughter Valerie Shepard.

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      May 9, 2018 at 6:57 am

      I’ve read “These Strange Ashes,” but it’s been awhile and I should break it out again. “Keep A Quiet Heart” has been so good for my soul. It’s quiet but powerful. And that’s exactly what I needed to get through all the noise in this world. I’m always glad to have you here and hear what you’ve read, Michele!

      Reply
  3. SUSAN SHIPE says

    May 9, 2018 at 8:03 am

    What am I loving right now? I love this blogpost! I love the sunny day out my window. I love my good health. I love my family to the moon and back. I love that we will be moving soon. And, I love you!!!

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      May 9, 2018 at 8:07 am

      Well, I love this comment and YOU! And the sunshine. Always the sunshine. 🙂

      Reply
  4. Barbara Harper says

    May 9, 2018 at 8:25 am

    I love EE and have long considered her my mentor from afar. That book is one of my favorites. Nice to know about that Kindle camp!

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      May 9, 2018 at 8:26 am

      Two separate friends recommended the EE book, and I’m so grateful they did. Thanks for being here today, Barbara!

      Reply
  5. Lisa notes says

    May 9, 2018 at 12:32 pm

    What? I’d love that clamp! Going to check it out as soon as I hit “send” here. 🙂 Thanks, Kristin. Sounds like a game-changer.

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      May 9, 2018 at 2:20 pm

      Hope you love it too! I was so happy Greg discovered it and surprised me with it! Thanks for being here, Lisa!

      Reply
  6. Tara says

    May 9, 2018 at 3:05 pm

    That Kindle hook looks really cool. And I will for sure have to check out Elizabeth Elliott’s book!

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      May 10, 2018 at 12:38 pm

      I’m glad you got some ideas here today, Tara! Thanks for being here.

      Reply
  7. Anita Ojeda says

    May 9, 2018 at 4:09 pm

    Oh, I’m loving all of the birds that sing and chatter and tweet all day long now that spring has arrived :). My ‘pets’ (aka hummingbirds) keep things lively at the feeders and give constant reminders of God’s creativity and care.

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      May 10, 2018 at 12:39 pm

      We’ve been watching the turkeys on our land, and I’m excited to see the babies soon. Their little heads bob up and down among the grass. And they’re all wild turkeys, so I don’t have to take care of them! 🙂 Thanks for being here, Anita!

      Reply

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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 eighth-grade girl who never forgets, our have-no-fear fifth-grade boy, and our joy-filled preschool 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 was overdue for some TLC to my hair, so I got it I was overdue for some TLC to my hair, so I got it trimmed and colored this week. You know it’s time when the stylist takes before and after pictures. My friend @whitneyrscott at @blushsalon always does a good job. 

In addition to the much-needed TLC, I also got bangs. After a few days, I can say I love them. The resident teenager at my home doesn’t like this — and she tells me daily. I tell her I don’t care whether she likes them because I do and it’s my hair. She also didn’t like the tennis shoes I bought a few weeks ago. Again, I do, so who cares. 

Anyway, it’s Friday! So let’s do some #fridayintroductions around here. Tell me three things you’re loving these days. I’ve already mostly told you mine: 

1️⃣ My bangs. I’ve included a picture of the fun waves that Whitney gave me at the salon and the more likely normal styling — by that I mean blow drying and some minor straightening to train the bangs. 
2️⃣ New tennis shoes, which are gray & purple Brooks Launch 7, if you’re curious. My nail color accidentally matches them. 
3️⃣ The teenager in my house. I’ve been giving her grief about her dislike of my fashion choices, but I really love being around her. Honestly, she’s the easiest kid in my house right now. 

✨ Bonus current love: Who can tell me what TV character inspired my hairdo? If you know, then that’s also the TV show I recently binged and am eagerly awaiting new episodes. 

So, what are you loving — even if nobody else in your life does? #momconfessions #reallife #reallifeconfessions #momlife #choosingJOY
It’s been a night of basketball! First, my girl’s middle school game. Now, our favorite college team. Turns out they’re both navy & gold so that’s good for wardrobe choices. 💛 #girlmom #momlife #RacerNation #WeAreRacers #MurrayState
“The Chicken Sisters” by @kjda was a fun, quic “The Chicken Sisters” by @kjda was a fun, quick read this weekend. I added it to my to-read list recently and then saw it as a @bookofthemonth add-on.

I enjoyed the feuding sisters story unfolding while filming a realty show about their family’s feuding chicken restaurants in a small Kansas town. Of course, not everything is quite as it seems, so the reality show helps uncover some reality both sisters were missing.

#amreading #bookstagram #booklover #recommendedreads #thechickensisters #weekending
We needed to get out of the house today — even t We needed to get out of the house today — even though the sun barely peeked through the clouds into the cold air. #countryliving #weekending #choosingJOY #boymom #thirdchild
A week into Peggy’s recovery at our house, and t A week into Peggy’s recovery at our house, and these two have spent a lot of time together. Rachel encourages her and stays close. Peggy plays games and watches movies with Rachel.

Honestly, this #thirdchild of mine was probably my biggest concern with having Peggy recover from open heart surgery here: I didn’t want Rachel to hug too hard. I didn’t know if she’d understand that her Gran-Gran looks fine on the inside but hurts on the inside. She’s been booted from her room, but she’s been sleeping well on her mattress in the back living room. She’s actually probably not going to know what to do when Peggy moves back home.

For now, we’ll let them make memories together. That’s part of caretaking I hadn’t considered. #bettertogether #weekending #choosingJOY
I’ve been in a reading slump. I returned one lib I’ve been in a reading slump. I returned one library book I couldn’t get into and then couldn’t decide what to read next. So I went with this library book — and I’m glad I did.

“The Unhoneymooners” by @christinalauren is a funny romance novel that helped distract my mind from heavy thoughts. It also made me want to go to Maui. The dialogue is delightful, the story of quirky from the get-go, and I definitely found myself rooting for Ethan and Olive.

I also discovered by reading the acknowledgements (possibly my favorite thing about books!) that @christinalauren is the pen name for a writing duo. What fun to write novels with a friend! 

As always, I’m happy to accept your recommendations on what to read next. I may also be pondering what friend with whom to write my next book. 📚 #amreading #fiction #authorlife #bookstagram #bettertogether #romcombooks
My friend Delana called before she brought us dinn My friend Delana called before she brought us dinner yesterday and asked if we liked chocolate pie. Um, yes. Turns out both Peggy and I love chocolate pie. Delana gave us chocolate chips cookies too, you know, just in case we didn’t like pie.

My friends are loving on us so well this week with dinner & dessert, obviously. Yes, the food is good, but the way they saw a need and met it is even more gracious. (I wrote a book about gathering & nourishing your people!) Having someone provide dinner has freed up some mental space I’m able to use for taking care of Peggy and parenting my kids, some of whom have needed a little extra love and guidance this week. 

Peggy is nine days removed from open heart surgery with quadruple bypass and is doing well. She had a good check up with her primary care provider this morning. We’re thankful for our community of people who continue to pray for us, feed us, and provide help, like today’s impromptu preschool pickup when an appointment ran long. (Thanks, @katie_cunningham85 & @tstanger25!)

#bettertogether #momlife #reallife #morethangroceries #choosingJOY
We are all happy to feel some sunshine today! ☀️#thirdchild #catsofinstagram #winter #choosingJOY
Sweet @ashleelyoung brought us delicious dinner to Sweet @ashleelyoung brought us delicious dinner tonight and the dessert became a craft. I’m so thankful for the way our people love us. 💛 #bettertogether #reallife #choosingJOY
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