Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

Being faithful in 2019

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Happy new year, friends!

When I chose to focus on living rescued in 2018, I knew what I thought that meant. Of course, God took things to his own level and interrupted my plans. But he wove that theme into my heart through books, devotions, conversations, podcasts, and everyday life. He knows I need repetition to truly learn and he was faithful to teach me.

I’ll never be an expert on living rescued because I’m too quick to want to make a plan and solve a problem. But I believe God knows who I am in all my first-born, recovering perfectionism ways and won’t give up on using my natural disposition to lead me to him.

I reflected on 2018 and have been anticipating 2019 with my friend Kayse Pratt from Anchored Women. She hosted #reflectandrefresh2018 on Instagram and the prompts were just what my heart needed. Thinking through and documenting those eight posts led me to my word for the year when I didn’t expect to have one. I really assumed God was still working on the RESCUED theme in my life. And he is. But he’s also reminding me of how living rescued leads to faithfulness in all areas.

I want to say yes to the moments that interrupt my plans, to the little voices in my house even when they’re loud and constant, to loving people well even when they’re hard to love, to drinking more water and taking more walks and eating more vegetables; to moments that seem small because they matter in the big picture.

I want to say no to listening to voices that aren’t rooted in the same principles on which Greg and I are building our lives, to defending choices I know are right for our family, to guilt and shame and doubt, and to trying to please people who will never be satisfied.

I want to be faithful in all the small ways in my everyday life as a wife, mom, daughter, sister, friend, and, most importantly, Christ-follower. I want to live believing the small steps have great value in the current season and the ones to come.

Being faithful is about being loyal and steadfast,
true to the original, who is Jesus, the only one
who can and will faithfully rescue and redeem us.

{Tweet that.}

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If you want to see my #reflectandrefresh2018 posts that inspired this word FAITHFULNESS for 2019, here they are:

One thing I’m grateful for in 2018
The best new discovery in 2018
One book that impacted my year
Something that went well in 2018
Something that was a challenge in 2018
One thing I’m saying yes to in 2019
One thing I’m saying no to in 2019
One big dream for 2019

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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Kristin Hill Taylor - Porch Stories

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Learning more of our stories

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Even with adoption, I know many details of my kids’ stories, but I still wanted to learn more about their ancestry – and so did they! I’ve been watching DNA tests, waiting for the prices to come down. They have, especially coupled with holiday specials, so I recently ordered all three kids the ancestry test kits from 23andMe.

The kids come with specific instructions and are simple to complete. Cate (11) and Ben (9) had no trouble filling the tube with spit, but Rachel (3) took forever and we apparently didn’t even get enough in (even though there’s a marked line) because hers wasn’t able to be tested. But 23andMe sent me a replacement kit that’s good for about a year for free. I didn’t even ask. That was just their emailed response. That’s good customer service!

The big kids loved getting their ancestry results back. I mailed them just after Thanksgiving, received an email when they were received, and then got emails less than two weeks later that the reports were ready. The reports included showed percentages of ancestry composition and a timeline of how many generations ago was the most recent ancestor from the given populations.

I ordered two more kits for Greg and myself. I’m totally intrigued by the ancestry information and look forward to learning more about mine. Greg is just being a good sport because I want to see his ancestry too!

Because all three of the kids were adopted at birth, I wanted some privacy so long-lost biological relatives couldn’t connect with us. I used their initials when I registered their kits and didn’t connect with other 23andMe users.

The ancestry DNA kits are typically $99, but they do go on sale. I paid $49 each for the kids during a Thanksgiving promotion and $69 for mine and Greg’s during another holiday promotion. The kits that test both DNA and medical are regularly $199. (You can save 10% with this link!)

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I paid for these kits with my own money during 23andMe’s Thanksgiving promotion and wanted to share my thoughts on the DNA testing process because several people have asked about my experience.

Documenting life on the wall

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I recently heard gallery walls weren’t the thing to do anymore. Now, I’m not decorating expert, far from it really, but I have two gallery walls happening at my house and I really love them. One of them, in fact, is actually a work in progress, so I have plans to continue adding to it.

While I’m not a decorating expert, I do like documenting memories around my house. I scrapbook, have binders for my kids’ papers I want to save and books for their school years and birthdays, and hang pictures of our family adventures all around our house.

So when MyPix2 approached me about reviewing one of their personalized photo products, I was all in. I chose a 20-inch-by-20-inch wrapped canvas. And I knew which vacation photo I wanted to use. It’s the one on the far right of the gallery wall.

My husband questioned why I love this photo because neither boy is wearing a shirt and the girls’ hair is kind of messy, but I love the snapshot moment of our time together at the British Virgin Islands stop on our Disney cruise. The memories that surface when I see life documented around our house is why I hang photos.

Setting up an account and ordering the canvas was super easy and quick. It shipped quickly, was well packaged, and looks great on my wall. Yes, the untrendy gallery wall that still in progress.

In addition to the wrapped canvas I chose, MyPix2 offers many other products, including prints, banners, greeting cards, photo books, mugs, calendars, and ornaments.

Like other photo sites, there seem to be plenty of sale options, so I’d watch for promo codes and deals before ordering to save yourself some money. I suspect I’ll order from MyPix2 again sometime – perhaps even another piece for a gallery wall.

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I received this wrapped canvas for free in exchange for a review. These opinions are my own and I’m happy to have it hanging on my wall.