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Stories from the Porch in March

March 27, 2019 by Kristin 24 Comments

Hey, #PorchStories friends! I’ve missed you. So let’s gather together and catch up. Other friends here, welcome! And I hope you stay awhile.

Oh, March Madness, you’re the best – in the basketball sense and in the seasonal sense as days warm up and the world becomes greener. As winter fades, I’m always grateful to live in a place where we truly have four seasons – sometimes in the same week – and get to remember how nothing stays the same.

Before you’re gone, let’s capture these March days.

Highlights

One of our favorite weekends of the year as a family is going to Evansville, Indiana, to watch our beloved Murray State Racers in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. Whoever wins get an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, so we especially loved watching our Racers win two exciting games to clinch the title. (Here’s a post about how being a sports fan helps me be a better mom. It’s true.)

Of course, we’ve loved watching basketball. Our Racers have never made it to the Sweet Sixteen, but we certainly enjoyed their rout of Marquette in the first round behind the amazing performance of Ja Morant, who’s predicted to go early in the NBA Draft as a sophomore.

We spent another weekend at the lake to celebrate my best friend Jaclyn’s birthday. The weather was nicer than we expected and the six kids who are currently 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, and 3 played outside for hours and hours. Us adults played many games of Settlers of Catan while watching basketball. It was such a soul-refreshing weekend and a good time to get our vacation rental at Kentucky Lake ready for the renters coming this spring and summer.

Favorite things

Jockey Being Family backpacks – My kids had the best time unpacking the personalized backpacks our friends at Jockey Being Family sent them and I was glad to learn more about this incredible foundation that supports adoptive families. (Read more about what their backpacks contained and how we befriended these fine folks.)

California Design Den sheets – I randomly was asked if I wanted to review some sheets and the timing was perfect because I put them on my bed right after the time change during a week when my sleep was especially disjointed. Even weeks later, we still love them. (Read more about them.)

QuiFit water bottle – A friend of mine posted about her enormous water bottle a few times and I was totally intrigued because I needed something to encourage me to drink more water. My friend has the 128-ounce bottle, but I didn’t think I’d haul that around with me so I ended up getting the 64-ounce one. It’s still big to take with me, but it has worked well. After a couple of weeks, I’m drinking every ounce each day. I love the time markers down the side and the words of encouragement to keep on drinking water. It really helps me pace myself throughout the day.

From the bookshelf

“When We Were Worthy” by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen – It’s been on my list for a while and I got nervous about the story starting with teenagers in a car wreck because I’m super sensitive to that sort of thing since becoming a mom. But I’m glad it read it. The story is told well from different characters’ points of view. As the characters process what happened, the reader learns more about one night in a town called Worthy. Suspense and compassion are intertwined in this well-written story.

“He Said / She Said” by Erin Kelly – I found myself staying up late last night, reading while blow drying my hair this morning, and wanting to ignore the rest of the world this afternoon to finish this book. Obviously, it’s a good one. The suspenseful story reflects on an incident 15 years earlier and its ripple effects in present day. Going back and forth between the years adds to the suspense and surprises.

“If God Is For Us: The Everlasting Truth of Our Great Salvation” by Trillia Newbell – I’m working through this six-week study on Romans 8 and really loving it. Two decades ago, God first drew me to him through Romans 8:28, so I’m learning so much about the context of that promise through this study. I wrote a longer review of this book and have a giveaway happening (HERE) this week. Go on and enter, my friends!

On the screen

With March Madness games and plenty of exciting basketball, we are a little behind in our usual shows, but “Blacklist” has been especially good lately. I’m also excited to watch “The Village,” a new show awaiting me on my DVR. My oldest girl and I have been into the “The Voice” and “Survivor.”

How was YOUR March? Tell me all about it!

*****

Stories from the Porch in February

February 27, 2019 by Kristin 22 Comments

Well, February, I know you have fewer days than the other months, but, even so, you were so full. And wet. Oh the rain. My friends who live farther north have had snow while we’ve had many, many inches of rain that have come with flood warnings. Meanwhile, time continues to fly around here, even though I keep trying to slow it down!

Highlights

It’s the month of love – both for Hallmark and here for Team Taylor! Greg and I met 21 years ago on Feb. 7, 1998, and then went on our first date a week later. Yep, that would have made it Valentine’s Day. Before kids we called it First-Date Day, now it’s still that plus some more traditional Valentine’s Day sprinkled in because kids certainly make it more fun. {Read more of our story here.}

One of my favorite Valentine’s Day traditions with the kids is to hang up hearts on their bedroom doors that list things I love about them. I even do it on Rachel’s door because one day she’ll be able to read and until then she’s got people who love to read to her.

This month the love continued when we took a few road trips:

I gave the big kids tickets to see TobyMac (along with opening acts Aaron Cole, We Are Messengers, Ryan Stevenson, Jordan Feliz, and Jeremy Camp) as their Christmas present. We finally cashed in that delayed gift with the concert earlier this month. Initially, I was in it for the kids – and the delicious steak dinner we had beforehand. But the concert was so good!

On actual Valentine’s Day, we met some friends for dinner at one of my very favorite restaurants and then watched our beloved Murray State Racers win a close game at Austin Peay in Clarksville, Tennessee.

The after school the next day, we went to Louisville to hang out with my mom, some new friends, friends who used to babysit our kids, and my brother and his family. On that Saturday night, Greg and I detoured for a date with my oldest best friend and her husband before our own date to see Kentucky beat then-No. 1 Tennessee, which drew the third largest crowd ever at Rupp Arena. It was a weekend that filled my soul.

Favorite things

Chrysler Pacifica – After our fun couple weeks of travel to the concert, basketball games, and Louisville, our 2011 Dodge Caravan started making noises. A trip to the dealership service department revealed a transmission issue we weren’t sure we wanted to pay to fix. That decision was confirmed by a mechanic specializing in transmission issues. So we traded that van in toward an upgraded (majorly!) to a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica. It’s great and I’m super thankful for the protection and provision God has shown to us during this unexpected situation.

The Couch with Mary Carver – I’ve actually shared about this here before, but I got to be a guest on her podcast, which was so fun! Mary and I talked about our favorite TV marriages, so I’d love to hear about who you would add to our list. {More on the episode here!}

Refined series at Lyli Dunbar’s blog – I got to share a piece of our story about Ben being burned and how community helped us heal as part of Lyli’s blog series. She has an encouraging space on this big ‘ole internet and I was happy to be there.

Crock Pot – I told Greg and I needed a new Crock Pot, so he bought me one for Christmas … and it’s the best! The six-quart appliance has brown/saute, slow cook, bake, and keep warm functions. That means when I made taco soup recently, I could brown the beef and onion first, add the other ingredients, and switch to the slow cook function. One pot. Yes, please. Plus the one pot is stainless steel and way easier to handle and clean than the ceramic pots I’ve always had before.

From the bookshelf

“Since You’ve Been Gone” by Christa Allen – I borrowed this one for free from Amazon on my Kindle and really enjoyed it. It was a quick fiction read about a woman who was uncovering some truths while navigating grief. The characters were relatable and the plot line had enough mystery to keep me intrigued. This author has several other books I added to my list.

“The Secret Orphan” by Glynis Peters – This story is set while World War 2 is raging. I really liked the main character and her story. It was different than other books set in this time period that I’ve read because it focused more on a commoner and how the war infiltrated her life.

“Good As Gone” by Amy Gentry – I read this book in three sittings, but I’m not sure what I thought about it. The story was intriguing, but it also seemed far-fetched. That said, I was surprised more than once and was eager to finish it.

On the screen

We’re glad “Survivor” is back on! I’m a longtime fan of this show, but I’m even more of a fan of watching it with my oldest girl. Meanwhile, I’m sad “Manifest” is over for the season. What cliffhangers!

What are you loving, reading, and watching?

*****

#PorchStories Party

Stories from the Porch in January

January 30, 2019 by Kristin 18 Comments

I’m not naturally a winter person, but there’s something refreshing about the fresh start of a new year. January can linger, but it also gives me the chance to regroup and reflect.

One day I was feeling particularly overwhelmed with regular life of parenting three kids in three different seasons, processing news from people we love and from national media I can only take in small doses, and navigating a hard conversation with someone. So I made a list of stressors and joys. Some of the stressors were causing me to react in ways I didn’t want and blind me to the joys. I spent some time thinking about what I could do about the stressors, what I needed to let go of, and what I just needed to accept as well out of my control. Really, it’s an exercise I probably need to walk myself through regularly because it really helped me regain some perspective and live (more) faithfully.

Highlights

We have a group of friends who like to travel to away Murray State basketball games together in a 14-passenger van we borrow from a Taylor family business. We went to SEMO in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, this month. We stopped at Lambert’s on our way and then enjoyed a good basketball game from our third-row seats. It was a fun time with good people. We have our favorite restaurants in the cities we road trip to, so it’s fun to have these traditions and invite someone new to join us like we did in January.

(Unrelated to basketball, my day in Cape Girardeau also gave me the chance to spend a few minutes with blogging friend Sarah Geringer inside Target. Win-win-win!)

We also went to Martin, Tennessee for another game with our friends, but we ended up taking our own vehicles to that one. But it was still a fun night together cheering on our Racers (and eating at a local BBQ restaurant along the way).

Favorite things

Bacon-wrapped crackers – I know this sounds weird. But it’s a Pioneer Woman recipe, so just trust her and me. I made them (the brown sugar version) for New Year’s Eve and the bowl full were gone well before the new year began.

Steaks cooked in the oven – Not only could I stay warm inside and not fool with the grill, but this recipe was super easy and quick. I used ribeye steaks and made our favorite fried rice to accompany.

Free bagels – Panera gave me a free bagel every day this month. It was a surprise perk on my reward card that I took advantage of most days. My son who likes bagels for breakfast was especially pleased.

Board games with my big kids – On a snow day we had, my husband proposed each picking a board game to play. It was a simple but totally fun idea! I’ve always loved playing board games and am so glad we’re well passed the days of Candy Land. Here are some of our favorites.

The Couch with Mary Carver podcast – My friend launched a fun new podcast. I binged the first few episodes and was immediately ready for more. Mary does a wonderful job finding truth in unexpected places, including TV shows, books, movies, and ordinary life. (Learn more about it here.)

#HospitalityMatters series – A winter installment is coming to inboxes on Friday, so make sure you’re signed up to receive emails from me. You’ll get weekly-ish emails from me, a free guide about how to serve in your community with your family, and a couple #HospitalityMatters emails each season.

From the bookshelf

“Rock Needs Rivers: A Memoir About a Very Open Adoption” by Vanessa McGrady – I finished this first book of the new year in two days because I love adoption stories. I was especially happy this was one of Amazon’s First Reads for January.

“The Forgotten Hours” by Katrin Schumann – This book had some heavy storylines, but I liked the storytelling and really was invested in finding out what happened and where the characters would go from there. Happy new year because Prime members got to choose TWO BOOKS for January’s First Reads.

“Letters to the Church” by Francis Chan – This is one of those books I need to keep close even though I finished reading after several weeks because I’m going to consult it for many, many days to come. Francis Chan’s words took me into God’s word, affirmed things I already knew to be true, and challenged me to think about other aspects about church & community. Our small group is working through the accompanying video series and study guide.

“The Sacred Enneagram” by Christopher Heuertz – This book had been waiting on my Kindle for quite some time. I’m glad I finally read it at what turned out to be the perfect time. It was full of some things I needed to hear about myself and those around me. Like this quote: “… when type Ones disentangle themselves from their idealized drive for perfectionism, they realize that everything is already just as it should be; as Father Richard (a type One himself) says, “Everything belongs”—the good, the bad, and the ugly. In this case, perfectionism is no longer a cruel master but a gentle guide back to grounded presence, perfect peace, holy perfection.”

“The Secret Mother” by Shalini Boland – I spent my free moments a couple days this month reading this book that I thought I had figured out but still managed to surprise me. I’m happy this new-to-me author has several more books.

Speaking of books, I also shared how I make time to read. Of course, I have been saving my favorite reads on categorized lists for you.

On the screen

“Safe” on Netflix — I stayed up way past my bedtime the night we had only two episodes left because I had to see how it ended. I’m a longtime fan of Harlan Coben’s fiction books, so I am excited he’s branched out to writing suspense stories for television.

Shows back on the DVR — I’m especially excited to have “Manifest,” “Blue Bloods,” “New Amsterdam,” and “Madam Secretary” return.

How was your January?

*****

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