Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

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How to enjoy winter days at home

December 19, 2022 by Kristin Leave a Comment

God has made each season beautiful and appropriate in its own time. - Kristin Hill Taylor, Bringing Home More Than Groceries #morethangroceries

Y’all know I’m a summer girl, but cozy, slow mornings or evenings at home are one of the perks of winter. Yes, days are short and temperatures colder than I’d prefer, but let’s look on the bright side of these colder times of the year. Even though I’m not sure about the single-digit weather coming our way later this week, I’ll have to take advantage of my warm house and some cozy activities!

Pajama mornings

I just told someone today I’m craving a slow morning in my pajamas. We have some plans during Christmas Break, but I purposefully didn’t make any early morning appointments. To wake up without an alarm and be able to stay in comfy clothes for a few hours will be a treat for us all in my house. My son will make hot chocolate, my oldest daughter will sleep in the longest, and my youngest will sneak into my bed to snuggle with me. I love making pancakes (especially this Cracker Barrel copycat recipe) or French toast on our griddle. 

Game nights

Game nights are our favorite winter social activities! Inviting people over in the summer comes more naturally with our pool and porch, but there are fun winter opportunities too. We have friends over to watch our favorite Murray State Racers basketball team or play board games. There are many new board games out there, and I even bought my kids some for Christmas! (Here are some of our other favorites!) 

Prepare meals

I like to cook more in the winter too. Warm casseroles and soups hit the spot and provide good meals. Sometimes it’s just as easy to cook for more people, so we will invite friends over to share Taco Soup with us. I have a couple of meat lovers in my house, so maybe I need to learn new ways to make the best tomahawk steak at Jerkyholic.com or embrace baking a little more! I do love baked goods, but I’d rather cook the main courses. 

Get outside 

Of course, I’m tempted not to leave my house in the winter, but getting outside – even in the cold – is always good for my soul. Thankfully, we live where we have lots of wide-open spaces to roam, so walking through our woods, down the logging road, or even down the street is always a welcome break from the indoors. My kids like when it snows – and then they’re most definitely interested in getting outside! Yes, and then Ben will make more hot chocolate to warm himself right up! 

How do you like to spend your winter days?

*****

Hospitality matters in every season, and I share some ways to connect with others even in winter in the free printable that goes with my book, “Bringing Home More Than Groceries: Stories About Gathering & Nourishing People.”

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Let’s come before the throne

April 26, 2022 by Kristin 2 Comments

We collectively are living in difficult times. I’m sure every generation has said that. But it doesn’t make the harsh world in which we are living any less true. We’ve weathered COVID-19 and the many ripples in our daily living, healthcare system, political climate, and soaring gas and grocery prices. 

Plus as individuals, we are all facing our own trials. I think the assumption is nobody will understand our difficulties as wives, moms, friends, sisters, and aunts. But that’s not actually true. We have a God who understands and wants us to “approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help at the time of our need” (Hebrews 4:16). 

At the time of our need. Not after we’ve figured it out. Not after the difficult season has passed. Not when we’ve sought the advice of our best friends. (I’m preaching to myself here!) 

I’ve been disappointed with people, but I’m not the first person to navigate difficult relationships. Just think about Moses. God called him to lead the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt and through the wilderness to the Promised Land. The people grumbled. Moses needed Aaron to speak for him. But God didn’t give up on Moses and Moses met with God regularly. Moses may have never gotten to see the Promised Land, but he had a faithful relationship with his God and his people. 

Jonah didn’t want to go to Nineveh, but he prayed even after his disobedience. Plenty of times in my life I didn’t want to do what I knew was right. I’m thankful we can approach God despite whatever circumstances and choices are keeping us from obedience. 

Those are just two examples of people who prayed in difficult times. “Before the Throne: Finding Strength Through Prayer in Difficult Times” is an eight-week Bible study I’m looking forward to working through this summer. Lord knows I have my own difficult times, but I still want to deepen my relationship with God in ways that come about through prayer. 

About the book

God’s people know they can turn to Him when times get tough. Instead of trying to fix things on our own, we can enter God’s throne room in prayer. The access granted to us by Jesus our High Priest is our comfort when the world is turned upside down. In “Before the Throne,” Crickett offers eight prayer warriors from Scripture who turned to God when times became difficult. You’ll learn to pray with:

  • Moses in times of disappointment
  • The Psalmists in times of need
  • Hezekiah in times of battle
  • Habakkuk in times of questioning
  • Jesus in a time of intercession
  • Paul in times of hardship
  • Revelation saints in times of worship

As you study these prayers, you’ll be strengthened as you see how these godly Bible characters poured out their hearts to God and how He responded to them. You’ll learn how to pray with the same power when you feel weak, helpless, stressed, or afraid. As you turn your focus toward God’s character through prayer, He will supply the strength you need to face whatever is before you.

“Before the Throne” is a 256-page paperback Bible study published by Moody Publishers (March 1, 2022). 

About the author

Crickett Keeth is the women’s ministry director at First Evangelical Church in Memphis, Tennessee, where she writes and teaches women’s Bible studies. She is the author of several published Bible studies, including “On Bended Knee,” “The Gift of Rest” and “Sumatra with the Seven Churches” (co-authored with Sandra Glahn). Crickett was on staff with Cru for ten years and is a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary. In addition to teaching regularly at her own church, she also speaks at women’s conferences and retreats. She offers free resources for discipleship and encourages others in their own walk with God through her website at www.crickettkeeth.com. Her life purpose is to encourage others to passionately pursue Jesus Christ.

Giveaway

And I’ve got a copy to share with one of y’all! The giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. A winner will be chosen randomly Monday, May 2. Use the Rafflecopter below to enter to win!

ENTER HERE! –> Before the Throne giveaway

*****

I received a free copy of this Bible study from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I only recommend books I believe are worth your time. 

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How to bond with an adopted baby

March 28, 2022 by Kristin Leave a Comment

Adoption involves so many decisions, but those decisions don’t end when the baby or child comes home because then the bonding process needs to happen. And that process involves much intentionality and patience. 

I held each of my babies on the days they were born and bonding came naturally for us. I’m incredibly thankful for that. This year as my son navigates his identity as a middle schooler, I’ve actually seen firsthand how there’s a deep separation that happens when a baby is bonded to someone not his biological mother. 

Honestly, I wouldn’t change anything about bonding with our babies. We were there from the beginning and we’ve been there nearly every day since. We’ve told them stories about their birth families and celebrated the faithfulness of God who made us a family.  I’ve hardly spent significant time and rarely overnight away from my kids. 

Yet the separation that affects kids of different ages is a real thing. Of course, it varies because every child is navigating different circumstances and has unique personalities. 

Don’t rush the process

When you adopt a baby,  you’ll want to bond with her as quickly as possible. It can take some time – even if you start on day one. Honestly, thinking about the different adopted families I know, the younger the baby, the quicker bonding will happen, although there are exceptions to that thought. 

Remember: All babies cry, so tears don’t mean a lack of bonding. 

Bonding happens with each snuggle, diaper change, bottle, and burp. Just keep going. Yes, of course, it can feel monotonous, but it’s all working for the good of your relationship. 

Care in the right way

I know when the nurse handed me hours-old Cate, I wasn’t sure what I was doing. That feeling continues all through my parenting years, although I’m more confident now. Don’t be ashamed if you need to learn to care for your baby, adopted or otherwise. There are so many resources out there, so don’t hesitate if you need to take a class or have a conversation with an older mom.

Each baby is different, which is both freeing and terrifying for moms. They’ll respond to things differently and have specific preferences about eating and sleeping. 

Alongside this, you’ll need to know how to treat particular conditions, such as baby heat rash. These can be relatively common and easy to take care of, although you’ll need to know what you’re doing. Don’t be afraid to call the pediatrician either!

Don’t forget family support

I don’t know who claimed it takes a village to raise a child, but that person knew what she was talking about. While you won’t need an entire village every moment of every day, you will need support. That should begin with your spouse and then go outward to family and friends. 

Some families who adopt choose to “cocoon” with their new addition. This can be particularly important when bringing home a child from another country. Hunkering down as your immediate family can help to bond when a child has lots of cultural and language adjustments. But still don’t forget to ask for help from people outside your home. They can bring groceries, meet you in the driveway for chats, or assist in whatever other ways will free you up to care for your adopted child. 

Focus on eye contact

Communication with your child is vital. An overlooked aspect of this is eye contact. Getting and maintaining this can be tricky, although it shouldn’t be difficult as you go about all the hands-on care for a baby. You can play peek-a-book, make funny faces, and sing songs while you feed or diaper. 

These small moments help develop routines and traditions within your family too. We still sing bedtime songs to two of our kids and the song choices are the same ones we sang when they were tiny in our laps in the nursery rocking chair. 

Start traditions

Since bonding takes time and is an ongoing process, it’s something you should think long-term about. Starting some family traditions now can help you bond more effectively with your child in the years and decades ahead.

Doing so now will give you memories to look back on when your child is older. Because they may be too young to remember them, it’s worth documenting them. That’s why I love scrapbooking and posting on social media. I want to remember and I want them to remember. 

If you’ve adopted a baby from abroad, then it’s worth considering some holidays from the country you adopted them from. In the future, they’ll appreciate how you helped them learn and maintain parts of their cultural heritage.

Take care of yourself

When you have a baby – regardless of who you became a mom – it’s easy to put their needs ahead of yours. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t look after yourself.

You’ve probably heard about postpartum depression. Though this applies to women who have given birth, there’s a similar condition called post-adoption depression. If you fail to look after yourself, the likelihood of developing this could increase. Be sure to take the time to look after your needs – even simple ones like eating meals, taking showers, and catching up with a friend. 

Other ways to bond

There are multiple other ways that you can bond with your baby. When doing so, you’ll need to keep in mind that each child is different. That’s really become such a mantra in my own motherhood. Kids go through similar situations as they grow up, but how they handle things certainly varies. 

Bonds need to be created with biological babies too, but the following two strategies can be especially helpful with adopted babies:

  • Snuggling: Showing your child affection and cuddling them helps you bond with them while also helping you look after them. It’ll encourage increased closeness over time. I’ve got one kid who is now in kindergarten but still considers snuggling her love language. 
  • The Kangaroo Method: Skin-to-skin contact is essential to bonding with a baby. New fathers can even bond with their babies this way. Try carrying your baby in a sling to encourage more skin-to-skin contact while promoting bonding with them.

Figuring out how to bond with an adopted baby can be complicated. Each child has their specific needs, but as long as you’re trying you’ll figure out the best way for each child. Timing will vary from child to child too, but be patient and keep going. Yes, bonding with babies is important, but it’s also essential to maintain those bonds as the babies grow into toddlers and elementary school children, and teenagers. 

Parenthood doesn’t stop at a particular age, but laying the foundation from the beginning is the best way to begin. 

*****

Bonding is just one aspect of bringing an adopted baby home. If you looking for more adoption resources, check out my “Peace in the Process” page, where you can learn more about my book, listen to a playlist, and read other articles.

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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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The world feels heavy & broken because it is. Pare The world feels heavy & broken because it is. Parenting has me at my max emotional capacity because it takes much soul and mental work. Spring soccer season started in the cold tonight. 

Even so, God is good and wants us to live abundantly here on earth while we wait for heaven. This week that looks like church league basketball games, dinner with friends, apologies, sideline encouragement, prayers, middle school humor, theological conversations with friends, tears, and laughter. 

Now it’s time to rest and do it again tomorrow. These are the rhythms of grace and goodness, heaven and earth, sorrow and joy. 

#livingfaithfully #choosingJOY #soccermom #thirdchild #momlife #reallife #faithlife #PorchStories
I sat on my porch beneath a blanket and finished t I sat on my porch beneath a blanket and finished this book today. Yes, I’m fully invested in this Cuba saga involving the Perez family. “The Last Train to Key West” by @chanelcleeton is the third in the series. I have the fourth on hold at the library for pickup on Monday. 

I wasn’t sure I was going to love this one as much as I did Cleeton’s first two, but it was a slow-building story that turned stormy. I loved how the three women were in Key West for their own reasons, developed meaningful relationships as they navigated their lives, and managed to survive the storms of their lives and an actual hurricane. 

The historical fiction story offers hope:

“It’s strange how your life can change so quickly, how one moment you can barely eke by, desperation filling your days, and suddenly, out of the unimaginably horrific, a glimmer of something beautiful can appear like a bud pushing through the hard-formed earth. There’s so much broken around us; maybe all we can do is try to fix each other, do what we can to preserve these precious moments in a world where there is so much sadness and loss. … Maybe some would say my dreams are too small. Perhaps they would dream of railroads that go over the sea, great, wonderful things. Maybe others want riches and jewels, a chance to travel the globe. For me, this is enough: A corner of paradise in this wretched world that I am able to call my own.” — Helen in “The Last Train to Key West” by Chanel Cleeton

#KHTreads #bookstagram #booklover #librarybooks #historicalfiction #weekending #favoritethings #choosingJOY #bookquotes #bookreview
This morning there are three “holes” in Wright This morning there are three “holes” in Wright Road after the creek flooded it overnight. The Calloway County road department responded quickly and is working to pack in various kinds of gravel so it will passable again soon. I’m thankful for their work, but these Band-Aids aren’t an actual solution. 

Wright Road needs a permanent solution for when Wildcat Creek rises. A bridge seems to be the best idea, so the creek can rise and flow beneath the road rather than flowing across it and washing out the gravel on top of the culverts. 

I know it’s an expensive fix and would take local government working with state government, but I wonder how many times the road has to break before it can be truly repaired.

#callowaycounty #kyweather #kentuckyweather #countyroads #countryliving #reallife #murrayky
In a week filled with all the parenting emotions, In a week filled with all the parenting emotions, God has provided conversation with friends who understand, new mercies, a few walks and talks with a friend, and cinnamon rolls on a rainy Friday afternoon. I’ve been reminded when we are vulnerable and share our real lives, friends bring truth and goodness — often in ways we don’t expect but bless us anyway. 

#bettertogether #createdforcommunion #reallife #momlife #weekending #parenthood #choosingJOY #favoritethings #livingfaithfully
People ask when I have time to write. The truth is People ask when I have time to write. The truth is I like to make time to write, but sometimes it happens in the cracks of my days — at Panera, in the Notes app on my phone, at the library before I pickup my kids, or while I’m waiting on kids at activities. This week I edited my manuscript while Rachel practiced soccer. 

#momlife #writerlife #selfpublished #bloggerlife #authorlife #soccermom #thirdchild #createdforcommunion #bettertogether #favoritethings
I needed this weekend. The UK Wildcats didn’t I needed this weekend. 

The UK Wildcats didn’t win this afternoon like I had hoped. But following our house full of people on Friday night, I’ve spent a lot of time on my couch, under a soft blanket, with a book, while I watch #MarchMadness. 

Yesterday I pulled “When We Left Cuba” by @chanelcleeton from my to-be-read stack and then realized it was the second in a series about the Perez family. Thanks to @libby.app, I was able to get “Next Year in Havana” immediately. 

I finished it today during commercials and timeouts. And now I’m going to start “When We Left Cuba” as another basketball game also gets going. 

#KHTreads #basketballseason #weekending #bookstagram #reallife #booklover #librarybooks #KindleOasis #Kindlebooks #favoritethings
What a fun night! Basketball is best with friends What a fun night! Basketball is best with friends and food. So thankful for all these provisions and others in my life. Oh and a Cats win is icing on the cake. 

#MarchMadness #weekending #basketballseason #bettertogether #choosingJOY #BigBlueNation
You know it’s #MarchMadness when Greg Taylor pos You know it’s #MarchMadness when Greg Taylor posts on Facebook — and a picture at that! — and puts his radio/TV degree to work figuring out how to improve the viewing setup. 

#reallife #basketballseason #wifelife #choosingJOY
I had no idea just how deeply I would be affected I had no idea just how deeply I would be affected while studying Genesis 1-2. Going back to the beginning and seeing how God created, ordered, and filled the earth has been exactly what I didn’t know I needed, especially as a mom. 

For quite a while now, I feel like I’ve been living a day at a time. I used to be able to see my life in larger chunks of time and anticipate and prepare accordingly. Now, I slap things on the calendar and then deal with them as they come. Navigating life with two teenagers and a first-grader is the best and hardest thing I’ve ever done.

Honestly, this moment-to-moment living has been good for me and helped me rely on the God who created the stars and rivers that still exist in our world. Focusing on where I am helps me take slower steps, trust God to provide, and remember I’m not in control. I’ve felt an internal shift with my relationships — with my husband, kids, and friends. I’ve felt behind on laundry and dishes and piles of papers. But I’ve also felt a refreshed nearness to God. 

I’m going to rest here while believing God created life and light when there was only darkness and continues to order my days. 

#livingfaithfully #choosingJOY #momlife #faithlife #preceptstudy #genesisstudy #genesis #beginnings #reallife #PorchStories
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