Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

Here’s to sleeping comfortably!

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Our sleep has been messed up this week.

We went to a basketball game that didn’t start until a little after 9 p.m. Friday, had trouble checking into the hotel, and didn’t get in bed until 1 a.m. We spent Saturday hanging out with our friends and then went to a 7 p.m. basketball, stayed afterward a while to watch our team celebrate winning the conference tournament and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, and then drove two hours home. We didn’t get into bed until after midnight and then the time changed.

We did get some lovely Kentucky weather on Sunday and slowed down to enjoy it, but we all still struggled Monday morning. I woke up with my youngest curled up beside me. I let her stay when I saw it was 4:50 a.m. when she showed up beside me. I usually don’t let her stay unless it’s morning — which she calls “happy out” — but I was too comfy to deal with sending her back to her room.

She moved over to the other side of the bed right before my alarm went off at 6:20 and then stayed until after 8 a.m., about an hour after “the kids,” as she calls her older siblings, had left for school with Dad.

Aside from the fact I wanted to sleep more, our new sheets were part of the reason I was so snuggled comfortably in bed.

Our new sheets are California Design Den’s 600-thread count, sateen weave set. The fabric is 100% pure cotton that features yarn structure to eliminate the possibility of pilling and has extra durable fitted elastic. The corners do fit my deep, queen, pillow-top mattress well. My husband and I both like the coolness of the sheets – both the spa color and the feel even after being under the comforter.

The head/foot of the sheets is marked with a tag, which makes making the bed a quicker chore because I wasn’t left wondering which way the fitted sheet went. I also like that the sheets and pillowcases are marked with size. This would be a great convenience at my lake house, where we have different size beds.

Sold on Amazon, California Design Den has many colors and sizes of sheets available as well as duvet covers and quilt sets. (Here are all the options.)

Here’s to sleeping comfortably – regardless of what else is happening in life!

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California Design Den approached me about reviewing a set of sheets, but these opinions are my own – and I certainly don’t joke around about sleep.

God Made the Animals

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My youngest child likes to play with stuffed animals more than I thought possible. I have one kid who used to collect stuffed animals. Another kid still likes to sleep with a bed full. But Rachel truly plays with them. She is always wanting us to come “play animals” with her, which means she wants the stuffed animals to talk to each other and go on adventures together.

So I knew she’d like this new book called “God Made the Animals.” Plus, if I can find another book involving animals for her to love, that’s one less time I have to recite “Brown Bear” with her.

My 9-year-old Ben actually read the book to Rachel first and she’s basically been carrying it around since. Obviously, it’s a winner here!

Gigantic animals, teeny-tiny animals, soft furry animals, shiny animals that crawl – God made them all. In “God Made the Animals,” brothers Clive and Ian visit the zoo and discover that God created each amazing animal perfectly unique!

As a parent, I’m always happy to have favorite books teach about faith and creation. These are the kinds of resources that help us parents lay the faith foundation we want to build on for the years to come. Conversations about who made the world and why animals are unique are possible even with toddlers and preschoolers. In the back of the book, there are suggestions on how to further connect to help kids know the love of God, grow in God’s love, and show God’s love to others.

About the book

This sweet book features characters Clive and Ian from the bestselling video series “Buck Denver Asks …What’s in the Bible?” “God Made the Animals” is one in a new series of fun, easy-to-read board books designed for preschoolers. Written by bestselling children’s book author, Hannah Hall, the series features charming illustrations and helps parents teach their children about God’s creation and His love for them.

The other books in the series are “God Made the World,” “God Made Me,” and “God Made Night and Day.”

This 24-page board book is published by Jelly Tell Press (Jan. 8, 2019).

About the author

Hannah C. Hall is wife to a worship pastor and stay-at-home mom to three delightful kids. She is the bestselling author of fourteen children’s books lives with her family in a small town in Arkansas.

About Jelly Telly

Jelly Telly works with the top creators in Christian family entertainment to provide new and classic shows the whole family will love. Parents can feel good about the shows and movies that lead their kids into a life of faith where they walk with God every day, at home or on the go! Learn more about Jelly Telly’s subscription programming and app at its website.

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I received a copy of “God Made the Animals” to review and share with my 3-year-old girl from Hachette Book Group. These opinions are my own.

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.