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 ninth-grade girl who never forgets, our have-no-fear sixth-grade boy, and our joy-filled kindergarten 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 miss … … a few particular friends from whom I miss …

… a few particular friends from whom I’m separated by circumstances, logistics, and distances. 

When I make a friend, I intend to stay friends forever. Of course, life doesn’t always work out that way. 

I don’t miss my kids being young, but I miss the ease of socializing with my friends during that season. It was easy then to meet at the park or go somewhere for lunch. Now there are so many schedules to work around. 

Scheduling time to lunch or get together is still my love language, it just takes a little more work, patience, and persistence now. And sometimes that’s exhausting. But it’s always worth it. 

#OneDayMay #maydays #bettertogether #livingfaithfully #reallife
School’s out FOR THE SUMMER! #88daysofsummer #mo School’s out FOR THE SUMMER! #88daysofsummer #momlife #siblinglove #summerisbest #maydays
I’m proud of myself for … … surviving and t I’m proud of myself for …

… surviving and thriving this school year. I resist change almost all of the time, and the past nine months have been full of so many transitions for our whole family. I know, that’s life, but these changes seem like the kind that will mark us forever. 

My kids navigated new beginnings in kindergarten, middle school, and high school. As a mom, sometimes I’m too close to see the growth, but this year it happened in each of them right before my eyes. They navigated friendship hurdles, embraced new friends, and settled a little more into who God created them to be. Middle school isn’t for the faint of heart, but I feel like I’ve come out of this year closer to my son, so I will take it. 

I’m proud of myself for leaning into where God has me. I’ve grown deeper friendships, invested in my kids’ school as a board member and business manager, and seen God work in our ordinary days. 

Y’all know I’m a summer girl, so I’m proud of myself through getting through the winter and coming into summer stronger and braver. 

#OneDayMay #maydays #livingfaithfully #choosingJOY #momlife #summerisbest #bettertogether
I’m honestly surprised I didn’t read this book I’m honestly surprised I didn’t read this book sooner. I loved so much about it, but I did want some of her stories to be  less repetitive and offer more practical advice for living out “radical, ordinary hospitality.” Rosaria Butterfield defines hospitality like this as sharing what you have in real time, preparing to continually life this lifestyle, and bringing strangers in so they become neighbors who become family. 

I took notes throughout, but especially during the introduction. I came away with an appreciation that hospitality can involve lists, schedules, and habits. I felt encouraged, even if I thought the book could have been organized better to include practical tips and other people’s stories. 

#KHTreads #bookstagram #audiobooks #livingfaithfully #bookreview #booklover
Something I don’t usually share (online) … I Something I don’t usually share (online) …

I am an opinionated person, but I don’t usually share political opinions on social media. People who know me in real life know I value being pro-life, having less government involvement in our everyday lives, defining marriage as God intended it, and being fiscally conservative. As a former newspaper reporter, I still get excited about elections. I admittedly pay a little less attention in the almost 15 years I haven’t been in a newsroom. But I still care and have plenty of opinions. 

I voted today in Kentucky’s Primary Election. I’m thankful for the freedom to share my opinion by darkening some blocks on a paper ballot. 

#OneDayMay #maydays #reallife #livingfaithfully
Old friends and live music are two of my favorite Old friends and live music are two of my favorite things, so having them together is the best. My friend Aaron and I went to multiple Dave Matthews Band shows together during our college years, so now two decades later it’s fun to do it again as grown ups with our spouses for a band that speaks truth into our lives. 

@needtobreathe put on the loudest acoustic tour I’ve ever seen, but it sure was good! And its encore of completely unplugged songs was especially sweet. 

#NTBlive #needtobreathe #bettertogether #choosingJOY #favoritethings #livingfaithfully #weekending
Happiness is … … a slow morning that gave me Happiness is …

… a slow morning that gave me a chance to finish reading a good book right after I fixed my favorite cinnamon toast. 

… some shade to invite me to pick some more weeds around the house. But why doesn’t my Apple Watch count this as exercise? It felt like exercise to me! 

… an appointment with my oldest girl for us both to get our nails done this morning. 

… my youngest girl’s last soccer game of the season, even though the heat made her a little grumpy. 

… pool time, another good book to read, my mom visiting for the second weekend in a row, a little more weeding, and a night at home with no specific plans. 

Happiness is everyday, normal life with my people, especially when it comes with a slower pace after a hectic week. 

#OneDayMay #maydays #soccermom #KHTreads #momlife #weekending #choosingJOY #livingfaithfully #poolpeople #PorchStories
I regretted having to go to sleep last night befor I regretted having to go to sleep last night before I finished this book, so I picked it up at breakfast and didn’t do anything else until I finished it. 

I loved the Alaskan cruise setting, the quick love and understanding between Greta and Ben, and the realistic ways grief changes people. Well done, @jenniferesmith! 

#KHTreads #bookstagram #kindlebooks #booklover #kindlepaperwhite #reallife #weekending #recommendedreads #poolpeople #amreading
Happy Friday! 🎉 We’ve got four more days of s Happy Friday! 🎉 We’ve got four more days of school next week and then it’s #88daysofsummer! Obviously, we’re ready. ☀️ 

Here’s to a refreshing weekend with much anticipation of what’s to come! #weekending #choosingJOY #livingfaithfully #thirdchild #momlife #summerisbest #poolpeople #PorchStories #maydays
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