Planners and Pregnancy: how keeping my bullet journal has helped me keep my sanity while I'm expecting

We all know that I might be just a tad obsessed with having and using a planner.

It keeps my life so much more organized than if I didn't have it in my life. It's changed forms a little the past few years, but it's a mainstay, and I still lug it around everywhere. Especially now that I'm pregnant.

Blessings this Week: 08.25.2017 Edition

We spent the last couple weeks out where the buffalo roam... or in our case, where they remain lying down and swat flies off of themselves without paying any mind to the motorcycle passing by.

Our annual Black Hills trip is always something we look forward to- ten days camping with family and friends in the beautiful mountains- who could ask for more?

He Is with Me + He Is Trustworthy {Guest Post}

I'm honored to share my little space here today with Natalie Brenner, a fellow sister in the infertility struggle, victorious through Jesus. I asked her how her journey of infertility and loss shaped her faith and her understanding of who God is, and I know you'll love her thoughts just as much as I do. 

I’ve always been a Jesus girl.

In middle school I had a crush on Ethan Souers and he wrote me a little note saying I was the most Christian-girl he’d ever known. My heart swooned and I was sure I’d marry him.

I didn’t marry him but I did carry around his flattering compliment. I carried it with me as a reminder that people notice when we have great faith, people see when we genuinely love Jesus, even when we aren’t trying to put on a show. I simply loved Jesus and wanted to love other people like Him, even in my flawed, awkward, middle school stage of life.

He was with me when my parents yelled and fought, I knew He’d be with me forever. He deemed Himself trustworthy to me at a young age.

What Surprised Me Most about Motherhood {Guest Post}

Lisa Newton has been a great support to me, and to a lot of other sisters in the infertility struggle, I'm sure. Her blog and her friendship have been mainstays in my journey through infertility for years, and I'm honored to have her here today to share with us! I asked Lisa to tell me about what surprised her most about becoming a mother, and I'm sure you'll enjoy what she had to say. 

Blessings this Week: 08.11.2017

This week has been absolutely gorgeous- and the weather has just mirrored all the many God-given blessings from this busy, but wonderful week.

...   ...   ...

My morning view- I never get tired of it.

Blessings this Week: 08.04.2017

And just like that, it's August.

My landscaping is showcasing an impressive weed jungle, there are buildings to be roofed and vacations to be taken and babies to plan for... and I'm feeling a little overrun and a lot rushed.

Because it's August already.

But I'm trying to slow down, to look at the small things, and to give thanks in this moment instead of focusing on the moments to come.

My Favorite (Non-Maternity) Second Trimester Clothes

Disclaimer: I am not a fashion blogger. I am not a fashionable person in general (just ask my sister...), and most of my wardrobe consists of camp t-shirts and flannel.

But being pregnant this summer has necessitated a bit of a clothing update. I still wear lots of camp t-shirts, though.

Because of the whole "not a fashionable person" thing, shopping for clothes is not my favorite- especially shopping for clothes that I'll only wear for a few more months. It also isn't very financially practical to spend a lot of money on a maternity wardrobe, and I'm cheap. I wanted to use what I've got as much as possible, buy things that helped the stuff in my closet stretch for a while longer, and purchase clothes that can be worn when I'm not pregnant, too.

Here's what I came up with: