Happy Friday! Geesh, sorry about the Charlie Brown edition last week, but thank you guys for your encouraging words and prayers. When my mom called me on Saturday she insisted I go to the doctor. And, yes, I am a 36 year-old woman who still needs her mother’s encouragement to go to the doctor. Turned out I had both a sinus infection and a raging ear infection. Lesson learned, always listen to your mother. One round of antibiotics later and I am feeling like a whole new woman. I was also happy to hear that I had not visited the doctor since last September so that is a pretty good track run! Go me!
This edition is going to be about some things that are making my mornings better. I took this shot on Instagram to share a little bit about my progression towards a better morning. I am lucky and very unlucky when it comes to my mornings. Unlucky in the fact that I have to get a middle school kid on the bus by 6:30, but lucky in the fact that I am having productive and happy mornings thanks to getting up so much earlier.
Here are some things that are making me happy this morning.
She Reads Truth
I don’t talk a lot about religion on here, but faith is an important part of our family life. I have fallen off the wagon, so to speak, in diving into my Bible on my own and relying on Sunday sermons to power my weeks. It is usually in the Fall that I am seeking something to fill the void in my day.
Here is the honest truth. Working at home is a beautiful thing and it can be very isolating especially when you find yourself alone at home with no adults or even children to talk to for the day. There are days where the only interaction I have with anyone is at the gym which isn’t good for someone who loves constant noise in her life. I wouldn’t change my job for the world, but I definitely find myself seeking something when I feel a little empty and I am feeling empty.
She Reads Truth is a free devotional series that I am doing to get back into the daily discipline of reading my Bible again. You can download the app or subscribe to the emails to get the latest devotion. The lessons are real, they are applicable, and they are current. I had never read Hosea before so I decided to read that series and, boy, could it fit me more? It’s all about being an unfaithful servant…which is ME.
I think God might be telling me something in these morning chats with Him and maybe I needed that silence and loneliness to find Him again.
One Line A Day
I struggle with journaling, but since I was getting my mornings back on track, I wanted to make this a priority. Have you heard me talk about my One Line a Day journal? It is one of my favorite things. One page holds five years of memories, giving you the chance to see how your day changes from year-to-year. My biggest struggle is at the end of the day, the last thing I want to do is jot down my thoughts on the day. I am exhausted (see bus time above) and all I want to do is watch mindless television or read a book.
In the morning, after much coffee, is a great time for me to journal so I just jot down my thoughts from the previous day which works much better for me and makes me really happy that I am finally putting pen to paper again. You have to make good habits make sense to your life and this just makes sense.
The best part is that this little journal costs less than $10, but can give you FIVE YEARS of joy.
My Gallery Wall
For two years this wall has bugged me and every morning when I would come down the stairs I would see it and wonder how I could finish my gallery wall. I am a slow decorator because I want things to have meaning in my home, but I just didn’t know what to do with this wall. I finally finished it and this is the first thing I see when I come down the steps and it makes me so dang happy.
After organizing my photos this week, I updated the prints with some of my favorite shots that I took this year. I added this free printable and this free printable to the space to round out the corners.
My favorite things on the wall though are the special things that make us, “us.” I hung my great-grandmother’s biscuit cutter that she used to make biscuits for us each morning when we would stay with her in the summers on the farm. My husband’s grandfather was quite the ping pong player and his ping pong paddle (with his name handwritten on it) hangs on the wall to honor him. The, “It Is Well,” hymn (from this AMAZING Etsy shop owner) is my absolute favorite and one I loved to BELT OUT (as only a girl like this can do!) at church so I hung this print on the wall.
I also love this beach photo that my hubby had snapped with my phone when we were in Saugatuck that I transferred into watercolor using the Waterlogue app. All those things make this wall oh-so-us.
Happy, happy!
And if that doesn’t cut it- cut a rug to this adorable video with your kids.
Three Things I Wore From My Fashion Capsule (note the transition from heat wave to Fall- yay!). Grab more inspiration on my Fashion Capsule Pin Board.
Gap Black Skirt (purchased second hand on Twice)/Ann Taylor Loft Pink Print Collared Shirt (purchased second hand on Twice)/ Mint Belt (owned- Target)/Pink Sandals (Owned-see here for details!)
Mossimo Short Sleeve Coral Shirt (purchased- Target)/Seven Skinny Jeans (owned- Flourish Boutique)/Nude Ballet Flats (owned- Gap)/ Bow Belt (owned- Ann Taylor Loft)
Free People White Cowl Neck Sweater (owned- Flourish Boutique)/ The Essential Leggings in Black (owned- Flourish Boutique)/ Boots (owned- see details here!)
3 Things YOU Loved This Week (you, lover of MomAdvice things, you!)
Here are our top 3 posts this week!
Gluten-Free Broccoli Grape Harvest Salad
How to Make Glow-In-The-Dark Jell-O
DIY Minecraft Costume Ideas
*this post may contain affiliate links- I only recommend what I love though. Check out past editions of It’s the 3 Little Things!
Now it’s your turn! What’s making you happy this week?