Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

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Shazam! Some songs technology helped me discover

March 14, 2016 by Kristin Leave a Comment

I’ve been known to jot down lyrics to a new-to-me song I want to look up later, especially while watching TV shows or movies. Now with technology, I just click on the Shazam app, which “listens” and then tells me what song it is.

Okay, I realize I sound way behind the times starting this post like this is a new technology. BUT I’ve just been appreciating it lately and thought it would be a good time to share.

I probably sound old admitting I recently rewatched “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” and the sequel. {Um, I just noticed you can buy them as a double feature!} I owned the soundtrack to the first at some point and am tempted to dig through a box of memories to find it. It’s really good, y’all.

Anyway, back to Shazam. I’m going to share the last 13 songs I Shazam-ed. Why 13, you ask? Well, that happens to be how many are on my list since the beginning of the year.

  1. “No Longer Slaves” by Bethel Music :: Since Shazaming this, I’ve heard it a lot, but I love it anyway. 
  2. “Crazy Faith” by John Waller :: This was in “War Room.” Yes, I also Shazam during inspirational movies, apparently. 
  3. “Diamonds” by Hawk Nelson :: This song has led to good conversations in the minivan with the kids. 
  4. “Possibility Days” by Counting Crows :: I knew this was Adam Duritz and company when I heard it on “Hawaii Five-0,” but I hadn’t heard it before. 
  5. “Bulletproof Picasso” by Train :: This one is also thanks to “Hawaii Five-0,” but I recognized the band. 
  6. “How Marvelous” by Daniel Renstrom :: I’m guessing this was from the radio, and it must not have had the info available. 
  7. “It Is Well” by Lauren Daigle :: I love her and this song some the combination is good for my soul. 
  8. “Everything Comes Alive” by We Are Messengers :: Again with the radio, I assume. 
  9. “Good Good Father” by Zealand Worship :: Sorry, Chris Tomlin, I like this version better.
  10. “If We’re Honest” by Francesca Battistelli :: I’m pretty sure my oldest daughter asked me about this song. 
  11. “When I’m With You” by Citizen Way :: I saw them in concert this winter and I like so many of their songs but I don’t always recognize the band. 
  12. “No One’s Aware” by Jack Savoretti :: This is from the “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2” soundtrack.
  13. “Rock & Roll” by Eric Hutchinson :: More from the sequel to the sisterhood soundtrack.

{Side technology note: Did you know you can stream music for FREE with Amazon Prime? Some of these songs are available there, so following the links!}

Do you use Shazam? If so, what are the last few (or 13 …) songs on your list?

And, hey, it’s Monday, so let’s have some fun with this. If you share in the comments your last Shazams, or at least the last new-to-you songs you’ve discovered some other way, you’ll be entered to win a mix CD from me. 

Let’s be honest – I’m sounding older by the moment. I know there are all kinds of ways to make playlists online to share, but who doesn’t like real mail and a mix CD to listen to while you’re driving around? {Tweet that.} Hey, at least I’m not going to send you a mix tap – because then I’d be really, really old.

So, use the Rafflecopter below for other ways to enter and be sure to log your comment below as an entry to officially count. I’ll choose a winner on Monday, March 21. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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This post was inspired by my blogging friend Mary Carver. That’s just one of her Shazam-related posts. She’s got a couple others here and here.  

Want more insights?Subscribe to get new posts and/or a monthly newsletter with content not available on the blog in your inbox. When you subscribe, I’ll send you a FREE #choosingJOY printable.

“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, or follow 152 Insights at Bloglovin’.

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Five Things I Learned in January

January 29, 2016 by Kristin Leave a Comment

January and I have a history. 

It’s the month I decided to follow Jesus two decades ago, we met Cate’s birth mom nine years ago, Greg proposed 14 years ago, Ben’s adoption was finalized six years ago, and I was diagnosed with diabetes 12 years ago. In 2012, it was January when decided to adopt a third time, and while we waited more than three years for that to happen, I remember the day God freed me from those fears. Last January, we decided to go on a mission trip to Guatemala, a trip that’s still rocking my world.

So, yeah, January. 

Honestly, this January hasn’t had big moments. Rather it’s been the kind of month where I’ve felt settled with where I am and who I am. I see God working in the everyday moments. I get teary thinking about all that God has done for us, in Januarys and all the other months of our lives.

In no particular order, here some things I’ve learned this month … 

1. Snow days are the best.

Okay, so, really, I’m a summer girl. But if we’re going to do winter, let’s have some snow days! And then when the snow days are over, let the sun come out and the snow melt. Clearly, I’m an all-or-nothing girl too.

And, yes, I’ve had snow days before, but we had a couple in one week (the same week the kids already had that Monday off in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.) and having everybody home FOR TWO DAYS PLUS THE WEEKEND was so great.

One snow day was a Wednesday, and then the roads were fine enough for a delayed-start school on Thursday, which worked out well because I needed to go to the grocery. And then more snow came so the kids were off school again Friday. Hello, long weekend! And Greg stayed home Wednesday and Friday too, which is a definite perks of owning his own business.

We played games, ate warm foods, drank hot chocolate, made snow cream, and hung out with neighbor friends. One day our best friends were even here for eight hours. We managed to play five games of various versions of Settlers of Catan while the kids enjoyed each other’s company.

The whole third week of January was a sweet balance of each of doing our own things and hanging out together as a family.

2. Swiss Miss Simply Cocoa (Milk Chocolate) is the best packaged hot coca.

I don’t drink hot drinks. Not coffee. Not tea. And I used to only want real hot chocolate, like the kind my mother-in-law makes or the kind that comes from a coffee shop. But I bought this on a whim in January. And we liked it so much I bought it again. And, well, those snow days I mentioned gave us ample opportunity to heat some milk to mix with these packets.

3. Strep throat can still happen even when someone doesn’t have tonsils. 

Ben, who is 6 years old, and strep throat are not strangers. Since he was 11 months old, he’s had it 16 times. But only two of those have been since his tonsils and adenoids were removed nine months ago. So, basically, we’ve had a good stretch lately.

Ironically, Ben was at the allergist the day before his latest strep diagnosis and the nurse practitioner even looked in his throat, which was red and irritated by the time the pediatrician looked at it. Within hours of leaving the allergist, Ben started running a fever. The pediatrician did say the way the winter weather has been back and forth around here is hard on kids with allergies.

4. Technology makes managing a chronic condition more efficient and fun. 

Medtronic Diabetes has the best customer service of any company I’ve ever used for anything. When I called to order some glucose sensors (a little piece of technology that is inserts near where my pump is inserted and monitors my blood sugar levels) and the lady told me I could get a free Connect , which is a small Bluetooth device that lets my pump and sensor communicate send data to an app on my phone.

{Read more here about my diabetes diagnosis 12 years ago and what living with a pancreas that doesn’t produce insulin in like.}

5. Those DVR shows will have to wait. 

Greg and I started watching “The West Wing” when all our regular shows took a holiday break. Now there are multiple episodes of “Madam Secretary,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Blacklist” on the DVR just waiting for us. We can’t stop watching Josiah Bartlet and company.

{Speaking of President Bartlet, why is Jed a nickname for Josiah?}

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I’m linking up with Emily Freeman, like I do at the end of every month. 

{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. September. October. November. December


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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7 Things I Learned in August

August 28, 2015 by Kristin Leave a Comment

I’m just going to skip the part about how fast August has gone and how I can’t believe it’s basically fall. Even so, August managed to teach me some things. In no particular order, here are seven things I learned this month …

1. Having Rend Collective release one song a time when I pre-order the album is fun and frustrating.

I love getting an email from iTunes telling me I have new music, but I wanted all the songs quicker than they were available. Talk about a lesson in delayed gratification. {The whole new album is available now.}

And, for the record, Rend Collective isn’t the first band to do this, just the one I’ve been playing over and over again.

2. One Tree Hill went off the deep in end for season nine, affirming the fact shows should end at their peak and not drag on.

I loved OTH … for about seven seasons. And I certainly liked moments of the eighth and ninth seasons, but more than anything I just kept watching because the end was in sight and I needed to know what happened with my friends in Tree Hill, even if Lucas and Peyton had moved on. I could have done without most of the ninth season, but the finale episode itself was a good ending.

3. Sometimes books are exactly what you need when you open them up. 

Okay, so I didn’t just learn this, but I remembered it as I read Emily Freeman’s “Simply Tuesday: Small-Moment Living in a Fast-Moving World” and Kristen Strong’s “Girl Meets Change: Truths to Carry You Through Life’s Transitions” this month.

4. Sending the second-born child to kindergarten at a school that also housed his preschool is totally different than sending the first-born child to kindergarten at a new school four years earlier.

This is a story from my life this month. And, really, as much as I like order in my life, getting back into a school-time routine always comes with some resistance, even from me. So we just jumped in, although admittedly we’re all missing being able to jump into the pool! But we’re doing well and the new school year is off to a good start for both kids. I’ve been motivated to get some things done while they’re at school before we add a baby to the mix!

Seasons are a-changing … 

5. Right Now Media has some good Bible studies. 

Specifically, I’ve watched two video series :: “Living Life Together: The Rhythm of Grace, Rest and Community” by Shauna Niequist and “Pulling the Thread: Unraveling Your View of God’s Calling” by Jen Hatmaker. Greg and I also are making our way through “Have a New Kid by Friday” by Kevin Leman.

While watching each of them, I’ve scribbled notes and questions and scriptures and quotes in my journal. I’ve quoted things to friends and send invites to Right Now Media because I don’t want people missing out.

6. The Project Life App is awesome. 

I’ve never gotten into digital scrapbooking. Sure, sometimes I print out blog posts to include among the pictures. But I’ve loved the traditional paper and embellishments of scrapbooking, even if I’m mostly fitting pictures into divided page protectors that are the foundation of the Project Life philosophy. But I downloaded the app a couple months ago at the recommendation of a friend. And then this summer I started using my iPhone for more pictures.

One afternoon at the pool I decided to mess around with the Project Life App and ended up scrapbooking five pages right there. On my phone. At the pool. And then I ordered 12-by-12 pages that showed up in my mailbox and were then slipped into page projectors in an album. I made another layout while sitting on the couch at my mother-in-law’s after a fun afternoon. Just this week, I made five layouts on the way home from Louisville.

The quality is superb and the convenience is amazing. I’m looking forward to the most recent batch arriving in my mailbox.

7. As I was thinking about coming to college 18 (!!!) years ago as college student moved back into our small town this month, I realized HALF OF MY LIFE has happened since then. 

HALF. Whoa. That’s a crazy realization and place to be in time. {And, of course, I wrote about it and then I submitted the post as a letter to the editor for The Murray State News.}

How’s your August been? Tell me about it. 

_____________________

This post contains affiliate links, but I only recommend books and other items I really love.  

I’m linking up with Emily Freeman for my favorite monthly recaps. Read other Things I Learned posts :: {From 2013} June. July. August. September. October. November. {From 2014} January. February. March. April. May. June. July. August. September. October. November. December. {From 2015} January. February. March. April. May. June. July.

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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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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“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
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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