What I Learned in October

It seems hard to believe that we're already into November!!  I went to the mall on Saturday and was shocked to hear Christmas music playing.  While I love the holiday season, I also really love November and I refuse to think about decorating and getting ready for Christmas right now.

Emily hosts these end of the month link-ups every month, and I love to think back through the different things I've learned.  Some serious, some silly, but all lessons worth noting.

1. Southern food continues to be my favorite to eat and cook.  I was sent a copy of the new Southern Living Community Cookbook to review, and let me just tell you it is hands down, the best cookbook I've ever used.  I've made several recipes from it, each of them being a hit.  Sweet Potato Biscuits, Butternut Squash Soup, Grillades and Grits, Sausage and Pinto Bean Dip, just to name a few that I've cooked so far.  I look forward to trying out more recipes, including a Hummingbird Cake, which has been on my 'to-do' list for awhile.

2.  Persimmons are a fruit that grows on trees.  They look like oval oranges, but aren't supposed to be eaten on their own; usually you put them into jams or baked goods.  We didn't taste any, so I can't comment on the flavor, but I had always been curious about these things.

3. Cotton fields are beautiful, particularly when the cotton is ready to be picked.  It's like big snowballs growing in a row.  We found this patch on a back road near an Alabama farm.  I might have picked some to take home...

4. Losing weight in my 20's was way easier than losing weight in my 30's.  In college, I could simply cut back on my calories.  I've found now that doesn't work.  Exercise and cutting back are necessary.  But, when I combine them, it works.  As of this morning I've lost 62 pounds since giving birth to Jennavieve 15 months ago.  This is very exciting to me, and it's fun to finally wear some clothes that have been collecting dust in my closet for the past few years.  My favorite pair of  red pants will be worn this year, without fear of ripping the seams when I bend over. Ha!


5. Running is way better with a friend.  I had a goal to try and do a 4-mile run by the end of October.  My sweet friend Trish was in town for the weekend and she agreed to accompany me on Friday.  With her help I did it!  Having someone to talk with made it go by more quickly, and I didn't even want to give up.  Now, my goal before Christmas is to try for a 6-mile run.  I may need to find a running friend :).

6.  Writing everyday on this blog is not realistic during this season of life.  I thoroughly enjoyed the #write31days challenge, and had fun with my topic, Made to Pour, but it's been nice to take a break the past few days from writing.

7. Fall does come to Florida, it's just not full of cold weather, brightly colored leaves, and snuggling under blankets.  There is beauty to be found, though, and the colors on these plants by the ocean are gorgeous.  I have always loved wearing shorts and a long-sleeved shirt, so this weather is perfect for me.  My sandaled feet are quite happy each day, and it's possible I'll still be wearing them come Thanksgiving.  I'm very much okay with that.


What did you learn in October?

What I Learned :: June/July Edition

I take a lot of pictures of feet.  This is what my husband told me when looking through my Instagram photos one day.  I told him he just didn't get it.  Also, those sandals were only $17 at Target, thanks to a tip from my sister.  She says they look just like some of Steve Madden's.

Steve Madden is a designer.  I had to google him after finding out about the look-alike at Target.  {see above}.

Dolly Parton wears wigs. I overheard this on a TV while shopping in Target.  I haven't verified the accuracy, but it makes sense.  I always wondered how her hair looked perfect all.the.time.

You can live without a bed for 12 days and survive.  This, and some other things about how God showed me that I love my stuff too much, written up in a blog post a few weeks ago.  You can read it here.

No matter how old I get, there are still days when I just want my mom and dad.  Life changes do that to me, like having a baby and moving.  There have been many days since we moved to Florida that I would love to be with my parents, sitting in their living room drinking coffee and chatting.

Having a GPS on your phone doesn't mean you won't get lost.  Navigating my way around our new town has been a challenge for me.  Everything is so spread out.  When we lived on the West Coast it was easy for me to tell directions because I could just look for the water.  For some reason the water of the Gulf Coast has me all confused.  I make a lot of u-turns and try not to get frustrated when running errands takes twice as long.

Making friends as an adult is just as hard as it was in middle and high school.  I get all nervous, spending way too much time thinking about what to wear assuming that somehow that is what will make people like me, and then I chicken out and won't even ask for someone's phone number because of the insecurity that I feel.  Please, tell me I'm not the only woman in my 30's who still struggles with this!!

Apparently I slam on the brakes.  A lot.  When stopping at a light the other day, Isabella said to me, "Mommy, why do you always do that?"  I don't really think I have a problem with this, but maybe it has to do with the u-turns and getting lost {see above}.

There is a man here in Pensacola who fishes seven days a week, 14 hours a day, in the same spot, and earns a living of about $75K a year.  That's pretty amazing.  He loves his job.  And people who visit the Gulf Coast must really love to eat fish.

 H&M has some amazing prices on kids' clothing.  I ordered some dresses for Isabella the other day, and we're eagerly awaiting their arrival.  How did I never know about this store before now??

The average piano weighs 600 pounds.  I know this because we were exactly 600 pounds overweight on our recent move and Bradley thought was certain it was because of the piano.  I'm sure it had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that we purchased bedroom furniture since our last move...

My kids are pretty incredible.  I already knew this, but had to include it here.  They've put up with a lot of change, busy parents, no friends, traveling in the car, strange schedules, etc., and they have handled everything beautifully.  Yes, we've had our share of tears, bad attitudes, grumbling, and disobedience.  But they truly are flexible and adaptable.  God is good and has showered us with countless blessings, four of which are our precious children.

What have you learned this summer?? I'd love for you to share!

Linking up with Chatting at the Sky

What I Learned :: April Edition

Joining with some others today for a little re-cap of lessons learned in April.  It was fun to think back on this month about the varying lessons I've learned.  Some are serious, some might seem insignificant, both are channels of change.     

1. My husband can throw a baby shower.  He planned and organized a baby shower for one of his Navy buddies.  It was a corn hole tournament.  Everyone could buy in to the tournament for $20; half of the proceeds went to the parents-to-be, and half was divided between the members of the winning team.  We had a blast, and I would highly recommend it!

2. Eating by a strictly Paleo diet is not fun, but it did teach me to have better self-control.  I needed to completely eliminate sweet foods and carbohydrates from my diet for a time, so that I could go back to a more moderate form of eating.  It was amazing, too, how much I learned about self-control in other areas of my life.  {This has made me want to do a thorough study on fasting in Scripture}.

3. It is possible to keep the top of my dresser clutter-free.  We've had our house on the market for about 52 days now, and it's been spotless {my dresser, not the house}.  My husband used to say he was going to buy me a dresser with a slanted top so that everything would just fall off, forcing me to keep it tidy.  Change is possible.

4. I love banana pudding.  I served it twice to company in April, using this Southern Style Banana Pudding recipe.  Delicious.

5. There are some wonderful connections to be made via Instagram.  Pictures from all over the world are coming into my feeds every day.  It's inspiring, encouraging, reminding me to pray, and sharing life in a small way with people around the globe.

6. If you drop a jug of milk on the floor, it will quite possibly crack in half, burst open, covering your floor with its frothy sticky substance.

7. 1 Peter is quickly becoming my favorite book of the Bible.  We're studying this in our Women's Bible study at church right now and I am loving it!

8. I learned about www.blueletterbible.org.   Some of you may be familiar with this site already, but it was new for me.  When I was in Bible college we had to flip through concordances, commentaries, Bible dictionaries, etc., for help in studying; that's the only way I've known how to do it all these years.  Now, I can just type in a word or phrase and this website will pull up all kinds of information for me.  {See #7 as to why this is so exciting}.

9. My children are learning spiritual truths.  We talk to our kids about the Lord, read God's Word to them, and strive to live out our faith in front of them.  We don't always know, though, what's really sinking in.  The other day, my oldest daughter, who is 5, brought me a piece of paper and a marker and said:

"Mommy, can you please write: Pray When I Am Scared on this piece of paper?  I'm going to put it on my nightstand, and when I look at it I will remember to pray.  Sometimes when I'm scared I forget to pray, but this will help me remember." 

Thank you, Lord, for working in her little heart.



What do you learn in April? 

 Linking up with Chatting at the Sky today.  Come on over!