Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

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Stories from the Porch in December

December 29, 2018 by Kristin 1 Comment

Oh, December, I have such mixed feelings about you. I adore Christmas season, even when we approach all the festivities simply like we did this year. But I’m not so sure I’m ready for 2018 to end. Obviously, I don’t have any choice in this matter of time. I’ll take the mildness that let me go on walks outside, the sweetness and joy that come with Christmas, and wonder for just a little bit longer if I’m ready for 2019.

Highlights

Obviously, Christmas was a highlight. I love the way Christmas lingers while we catch up with friends are who aren’t always near, reminisce and plan with family members, and enjoy some slow days of working puzzles, reading books, and building new Lego sets.

I also really loved reflecting on 2018 and anticipating 2019 with my friend Kayse Pratt from Anchored Women. She hosted #reflectandrefresh2018 on Instagram and the prompts were just what my heart needed. (Here’s one of my posts. I’d love for you to scroll the others and share your reflections. Plus I didn’t realize how much this challenge would help me sort the thoughts in my head and come to a word for the year I wasn’t expecting. More on that on Wednesday.)

Favorite things

“One Line a Day: A Five-Year Memory Book” — I’ve filled this out almost every day this year and am excited to begin year two in the five-year journal. I gifted it to three people this year.

23andMe DNA tests – I wrote a post about our experience testing my kids and then ordered kits for Greg and me. We’re going to send off our saliva samples soon!

Murray State Basketball – We love college basketball around here, and are happy to be in the midst of a fun season cheering on our Racers. In December, we took a road trip with friends to see MSU play at Middle Tennessee State and got to watch an exciting game against Auburn on TV the Saturday before Christmas.

Christmas cards – I know social media threatens this tradition, but I sure do love sending and receiving Christmas cards, family photos, and year-in-review letters. I’ve got the ones we’ve received hanging in our kitchen bay window and I may just keep them there for a while.

From the bookshelf

“Come, Let Us Adore Him: A Daily Advent Devotional” by Paul David Tripp – I really enjoyed reading this advent devotional and have no doubt I’ll bring it out again in the years to come too.

“Letters to the Church” by Francis Chan – I’m reading this one slowly, but it’s excellent. Our small group is actually getting ready to work through the video series and study guide.

“God Over Good: Saving Your Faith by Losing Your Expectations of God” by Luke Norsworthy – I’m excited to be into this one. I’ve been waiting for the mental space to start reading this.

Here’s a list of all the books I read in 2018. I got several new fiction titles on my Kindle, so I’m reading to immerse myself in those.

On the screen

“Smallfoot” — We saw this in the theater for not-quite-first-run movies while visiting my family before Christmas and I really loved it. It reminded me of “Trolls” in some ways, but I loved the message so much.

“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” — I think I liked the second season better than the first. (This is included with Amazon Prime!)

*****

As one year ends and another begins, it seems appropriate to share some lyrics from Rend Collective I’m loving:

“Your grace will never be forgot
Your mercy, all my life
Will be my source forever song
My story and my light

From mountain top to valley low
Through laughter and through tears
Surely the goodness of my God
Will follow all the years

For all that You have done for us
For every battle won
We’ll raise a song to bless Your heart
For all that you have done

… In unity we’ll stand as one
As family we’ll go
Shoulder to shoulder
Hand in hand
Into the great unknown …”

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Filed Under: Porch Stories Tagged With: books, Christmas, life, music, quotes, TV

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  1. Being faithful in 2019 says:
    January 2, 2019 at 4:01 am

    […] I also shared some highlights, favorite things, books, and TV shows from December, if you want to check out that last post of 2018. […]

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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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On Instagram

“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
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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
Today is National Milk Day, so Saputo, which has a Today is National Milk Day, so Saputo, which has a dairy plant here in Murray, donated chocolate milk for all the kids at @ncca.lions. This girl has never turned down chocolate milk and basically celebrates milk every day. #momlife #reallife #thirdchild #nationalmilkday #preschool
Honestly, I’ve been in a reading funk. I’ve qu Honestly, I’ve been in a reading funk. I’ve quit one book and started another today, so we’ll see how that goes. 

I did finish this one by @booksbyheather last week and enjoyed it. I loved the Southern setting, charm, and magic. And I loved how the characters untangled assumptions and expectations from their pasts to find where they belong.

What are you reading these days? #amreading #bookstagram #fiction #recommendedreads
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