Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

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Game Nights for the Win!

March 5, 2015 by Kristin Leave a Comment

{This is an updated version of an earlier post.}

Movies. Books. Snow cream. And board games. These are fixtures of a snow day. I really should say snow days. Plural. Because we’ve had several the past few weeks. With nearly a foot of snow on the ground right now, I anticipate we’ll break out some games later today. Probably after the kids go sledding.

Games go through phases around here, especially as the kids grow into games they can play. {Unless, of course, you’re talking about Settlers of Catan, which has remained a fixture among our best adult friends since February 2007 when our obsession began.}

Here are some of the games my second-grade girl loves ::
  • Bananagrams :: Cate is still learning about the speed element of this game, but she likes finding words to use. Right now we play this together. It’s a boys versus girls thing around here. Of course, that means Greg is just making sure Ben doesn’t swipe any of his letter tiles in the quick pace of making words in crossword fashion.
  • Skip-Bo :: We love card games! This one is about numerically ordering cards while trying to get rid of all your own stockpile. 
  • Catan Junior :: I already told you about the adult addiction to this game. Good thing there is a kid version too. Like the original, it’s about expansion and strategy. 
  • Phase 10 :: Hooray for another card game in our rotation!
  • Apples to Apples :: There are kid versions of this game, but sometimes Cate will join in this regular edition. She doesn’t get all the noun cards matched with adjectives, but she gets the concept and enjoys it anyway. Plus the explaining makes for some good history and life lessons!
  • Game of Things :: This is on my favorite party games. People make up answers to prompts and before long everyone is laughing. It’s fun now that Cate and her friends are old enough to play too. They’re actually pretty good at it!
And these are ones my preschool boy can play :: 
  • Uno :: Ben likes this one, when he’s willing to sit still long enough. It’s good for numbers, colors and matching. Thanks to Diego and Dora, they both have long had the “Uno!” part down. 
  • Blokus :: The board reminds me of Tetris, but here your own pieces can only touch corners. Plus there is a competitive element of blocking your opponents. Sometimes when the kids are sleeping Greg and I like to break out this one. Shhh. 
  • Sequence for Kids :: This is my favorite preschool game. It’s easy enough they get it, but it also involves some strategy. {No offense Candy Land and Chutes & Ladders!} The goal is to get four of your own markers in a vertical, horizontal or diagonal row as your draw cards that match animals pictures on the board.
  • The Best of Charades for Kids :: I’m not a fan of charades generally, but I like that my preschooler who doesn’t know how to read can still act out words based on the pictures on the cards. Each card has one picture and two words that can each be performed. Ben is especially good at animals and sports. 
  • Hedbanz :: Once I can get beyond the intentional misspelling, this is a good game. It’s like 20 Questions for trying to guess what picture is on your head. 
  • Sorry! :: This one always produces the insincere “SORRY!” but it’s a good lesson for kids to learn to be good sports when games don’t go their way.

Does your family play games? What are your favorites?

________________

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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Joy to the World (Vol. 3)

February 7, 2015 by Kristin Leave a Comment

Happy weekend, friends!

Today I’ve officially known Greg half of my life. We met 17 years ago through a mutual acquaintance and then went on a date the next week, on Valentine’s Day. Ah, how romantic! I suppose, but, really it was about logistics of going on a date the next Saturday. It was my freshman year of college people, I wasn’t looking for marriage. My how time flies … and most of it’s been fun! 

Life with Greg also been a bunch of real life that looks nothing like I expected. I mean that in a nice way. Really, that’s the theme of my life … 

We had a little blimp in our normal routine this weekend when both kids came home from school at lunchtime Wednesday with fevers. Cate also complained of her throat and stomach hurting, so I ended up taking them to the pediatricians’ office to get swabbed for strep. Positive!

This was Ben’s fifth strep diagnosis since late April 2014 and third since Christmas. It’s Cate’s second time in less than a month. Talking about health and medicine always prompts a good Facebook thread … 

But they’re better now. Hopefully for good. Or at least the rest of this winter.

Meanwhile, I’ve been posting things I’m loving over at Instagram, so I’d love to have you connect with me there. Here are some snapshots of #choosingJOY the past couple of weeks ::

1. “Experiencing Joy” by Jeannie Cunnion :: Joy seems to be a theme on the internet right now. At first I thought, well, isn’t my focus this year cliche? And then I realized it just means there are that many more resources out there. Like this article.

“What produces JOY is first remembering the good news of God’s grace and then letting it flow through us to one another.” {Jeannie Cunnion}

2. Extra! Extra! board game :: Even though I haven’t played this game yet, it’s making my list. Here’s the back story: Greg and I have played Settlers of Catan regularly with our best friends since February 2007. In May 2007, we started an perpetual scoreboard that we still tally wins. We sit in the same order around the table.

I haven’t been wanting a new game. I’m still happily addicted to Settlers of Catan, but then I read about this one. By the makers of Settlers! Before I was a mom, I was a reporter. So, yeah, this game seems perfect for me.

3. Road trips with friends that involve stops at good restaurants and our favorite college basketball team :: This has happened once with our friends the Gachokas. And it’s happening again today and next Saturday. I love basketball season. And my friends.

4. Sharing my story at other websites :: Yesterday I has posts at both places I regularly contribute – God-sized Dreams website and Circles of Faith. The GSD post is about marriage and how I’ve known Greg half my life {officially, today is 17 years!} and at COF I’m sharing another excerpt from my book that talks about how God hears the desires of our heart. I’d love for you to join me at both places.

5. Reading a new cookbook like a novel :: I’ve been lacking meal planning inspiration. So I resubscribed to eMeals and ordered a new cookbook, recommended by my friend Kayse Pratt. I spent an hour Thursday reading “Dashing Dish” by Katie Farrell.

6. From my #choosingJOY list on my iPhone :: 63. Walking in the morning. 64. My time with Ben during the day and him saying, “We have a busy day, you and me.” … 67. LeeAnn Willet bringing me JOY stickers at a Racers game. 68. A meal with so few carbs {tilapia, green beans, salad, blackberries} I barely have to take insulin.

How have you been #choosingJOY lately? {Tweet that.}

___________


Read other JOY-related posts and Joy to the World (Vol. 1) and (Vol. 2).

Want more stories? “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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Joy the World (Vol. 1)

January 16, 2015 by Kristin Leave a Comment

My kids are sick. Again. I thought we quit sickness, but apparently it didn’t quit us, despite the essential oils I’ve been slathering on my kids right after they take vitamins. Just another reminder that I’m not actually in control. Of course … 

Greg and I stayed up late last night watching an episode of “Blue Bloods” after we’d been out at a Murray State basketball game while my kids were sleeping in their beds and our college friend Amber watched Netflix and read a textbook on our course. I told her it would be the easiest babysitting job, ever.

I should have known when I stayed up later than usual that I’d also be up more than usual throughout the night. My kids are sleepers. Really, they always have been. Perhaps I’m spoiled, but we all like our sleep around here.

About 12 minutes after I’d fallen asleep, Ben was suddenly standing beside my bed. “My head hurts. It hurts to swallow my germs.” Even in my grogginess, I could interpret his 5-year-old boy speak: His fever was back up and his throat hurt.

So I gave him another dose of ibuprofen and wrote down the time, temperature, and medicine. I have to do that when I have one sick because I can’t always remember what time I did what. But this time I have two pieces of paper on the kitchen counter. Alternating Tylenol and ibuprofen with two sick kids is a momma’s version of math.

Anyway, all of this to say, I was laying in bed last night after I got up the first time (Yes, there were other times …) and I had an idea. I know, sometimes middle-of-the-night ideas aren’t good ones. But it still seemed like a good idea this morning, so I’m going with it. We shall see how it goes.


As I’m choosing joy in everyday life, I thought it would be fun to share (perhaps weekly? monthly? randomly?) things I’ve read or heard or watched that bring me joy. Now, I realize joy comes from the Maker of all things in this earth when we decide to let go and realize moments matter. But I also know choosing joy can be helped along by a blog post, song, movie, or conversation with a friend.

So I want to share. And I hope you will too.

1. The Packers of Catan :: You may know we’re obsessed with the Settlers of Catan board game. We have an ongoing scoreboard with our best friends that’s we’ve been tallying wins on since May 2007. We have other friends who play too, so we’re glad there’s an expansion version. Apparently the Green Bay Packers agree with us. This article just made my husband and I smile.


2. “Sugar” by Maroon 5 :: This video has been circulating on social media. And I’ve watched it more than once. I like it that much. If you haven’t seen it, go watch now. And you can thank me later.

3. Kristin Strong’s words about blogging trends :: I realize some of you don’t care about blogging trends. Actually, I don’t either. In the new year, there have been many articles and posts and tweets about the best practices of blogging. Honestly? They annoy me. Sure, I want people to read my blog, but I also like what’s happening here at my little corner of the big ‘ole internet. So Kristen’s words were refreshing for me. She has a way of doing that.

4. I’m keeping a list of #choosingJOY moments on my phone, like people count gifts, so I thought I could share a few of those too …

#22 French toast for dinner // #23 Ben building with LEGOs // #24 Reading fiction because it’s like a vacation right in the middle of everyday life (It was “Shoot the Moon” by Billie Letts this week.) // #25 Greg coming home for lunch and cooking me a fried egg for a sandwich because I wanted something warm

Your turn. Anything to share from your own #choosingJOY this week?

___________

I’m linking this post with Jen Ferguson for the Soli Deo Gloria Sisterhood Gathering. 

Want more stories? “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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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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Y'all have been so awesome celebrating my new book Y'all have been so awesome celebrating my new book! If you've had a chance to read it, I'd really appreciate you leaving a review. For authors, Amazon is the best place, but you can copy and paste the same review on Goodreads and Barnes & Noble too: 

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Of course, if you haven't gotten your copy yet, you can buy "Created for Communion" at Amazon or Barnes & Noble (from those links above!) and from the trunk of my minivan! 

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To live in communion with one another, means to sh To live in communion with one another, means to share meals, space, advice, and prayers. It also means sharing hope, disappointment, dreams, and forgiveness. 

We explore what this looks like in “Created for Communion,” along with other biblical foundations for friendships and community.

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So many of my Facebook friends shared lovely pictu So many of my Facebook friends shared lovely pictures of their daughters yesterday for the completely made-up National Daughters Day. Regardless, today I'm all in my feelings about my daughters. 

They're 16 and 8 right now. Both of their classes have been studying ancient Egypt and had a joint feast today. Sweet, huh? 

BUT THEN TIMEHOP GOT ME! Apparently, NINE years ago today, when Cate was a second-grader, her class had an Egyptian feast. I think about a particular picture of Cate and her friend Kilee from that day AND THEN IT CAME UP IN MY TIMEHOP TODAY. Facebook also told me that same day nine years ago, Monica and I became Facebook friends. We probably were at the Egyptian feast and decided we'd be friends because our girls were friends. Y'all, God has been so good to me through my friendship with Monica. Our families click in a special way with our three sets of same-aged kids, most of whom have been adopted. 

Anyway, my daughters. They're lovely, funny, and smart. I love that Cate helped Rachel with her Egyptian eye makeup this morning and made her a Nutella and banana sandwich. I love that they got to have a party today at school together. I love that even though they're eight years apart, they're sisters. 

I hope you enjoy these pictures as much as I do. 💛

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I’m pretty much always thinking about my next tr I’m pretty much always thinking about my next trip! Be it a weekend getaway or a family vacation, I’ve always got ideas of where I want to go next. The rest of my family always has suggestions too. Yes, take the (next) trip!

In the blog post HOW TO TAKE THE TRIP, I share lots of links and suggestions on where to go, who can help you, and what to take with you. 

✨ https://kristinhilltaylor.com/2023/09/how-to-take-the-trip.html

Where do you want to go? What do you always take with you?

#linkinbio #ontheblog #roadtrip #vacation #documentlife #takethetrip #bloggerlife #adventurers #choosingJOY #traveltips
I was thankful for some rest time on the couch on I was thankful for some rest time on the couch on Saturday afternoon — and a chance to finish this suspense book. 

“Between Two Strangers” by @katewhite_author had such an intriguing plot that pulled me right in. I was close to figuring out how it was all intertwined, but I didn’t quite get there through all the twists. Good, quick read!

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Recently, in random snapshots. This is a full life Recently, in random snapshots. This is a full life, but it’s a good life. 💛

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When you subscribe to emails from my porch, you ge When you subscribe to emails from my porch, you get some free goodies! Plus, it's a fun way to chat about life, books, and faith. 

I just updated the free gifts to include a lovely PDF that has links to 27 (!!!) how-to posts about life, home, and parenthood. I'm going to give away more goodies when I meet some subscriber goals, so, if you haven't already, please join me on my virtual porch. 

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Well, don't they look lovely together! ✨ Find Well, don't they look lovely together! 

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You’re a light wherever you go! And you like to You’re a light wherever you go! And you like to go! You’re always making friends, asking about our next adventure, wanting to know what’s next, and talking if you’re not singing. You’re the joy our family needed in 2015 and you continue to be the one who makes us laugh and love better than we did before we knew you. 

... You ask a million questions, know the words to thousands of songs, have so many ideas, and still try to sneak into my bed at night. You say I’m the best snuggler in this family. I’ll take it – and your hugs and love, although the middle of the night will never be my favorite time. 

Happy birthday to the girl who loves loudly! 

✨ kristinhilltaylor.com/2023/09/rachel-is-8.html

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