thankful

I thought this would be a good time to express some gratitude.
I am thankful for the simple things such as warm pajamas, fuzzy socks, and fleece blankets. I enjoy a good mug of strong coffee to start my day, or a relaxing cup of tea to end it. But I always fancy my hot drinks in a fun cup. I enjoy holding it from the curved handle, or if I am cold, holding it in both hands to warm me up.
I am thankful for the changing seasons. I am glad to have the variety. So many of us enjoy the autumn time & what it brings. I am thankful for the colors, the slight chill in the air, & the smell of bonfires on cold nights.
I am thankful for family & friends. I am thankful for time spent in deep, thoughtful conversations that  then turn into pure silliness & giggles. I am thankful for where & what time I am living.  I am thankful for my Savior & His love.
What are you thankful for?
God bless!

Blogtober, day 4: instagram favs

I am still trying to participate in Blogtober14. So far, so good.

The suggestion for the day 4 post is my favorite Instagram photos. Here are three of my favorites:

Here is the very pretty, yet very strange, Lily. She is one of the family cats.

My mom & me Mother's day weekend this past year.

And here is a recent photo of a super cute little tree frog I found last week :)

Happy weekend! God bless!

high 5 Friday: Oct. 3, 2014

I thought I would give high 5 Friday another try. I think it will be a good addition to #Blogtober :)


1) For the past couple of weeks I have been ordering the London Fog steamer (a.k.a. London Fog Latte or Earl Grey latte) from my local coffee shop. I usually will get a chai tea latte this time of year but I am really digging the London fog.












2) My hair hadn't had so much as a trim in about 10 months. It was getting very unruly so I had to make a trip to the hairdresser's this week to tame the mane. I am glad to get that over with. I am not one who enjoys the process of getting my haircut, but I am always happy with the outcome.

3) For many years now, I have been a big fan of dark, fall nail colors. I like navy, dark purple, burgundy, oxblood, chocolate brown, & hunter green. I will have to paint the digits this weekend.

4) Here is the Bible verse I have been thinking about this week:
  For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you,    plans to give you hope and a future.  - Jeremiah 29:11 
I try to focus on the fact that God is always in control. Good times or bad it makes no difference.  


5) I am also thankful that the Lord has been watching out for my family. Dad was in a car accident last week & was unharmed.

Did you have any favorites from the past week?

I hope you have a great weekend!
God bless!

what I love about fall

Here it is the second day of October. I am so excited about the changing season. It takes a little longer for the weather to get cooler here in North Carolina compared to other parts of the US. So we do take notice when the temperature does drop. There is something about the Autumn time that excites many people including me. Is it maybe something biological engraved in us so we will have motivation to start the harvesting & prepare for the coming winter?  I don't know. I, like many other girls, love Fall fashion. I am ready to wear scarves, sweaters, & cute boots. I love drinking hot drinks such as chai tea lattes and London fogs. Burning candles, warm blankets & cuddles from the fur babies while binge watching Netflix are some of my preferred ways to spend my free time during this time of year.
What are some of your favorite things about the fall time?
Have a wonderful day & God bless!

What if Money were no Issue?

Happy October 1, 2014, everyone! Wow, October. Two months away from Christmastime!? Yikes. Lets not get to far ahead of ourselves, Hannah! Let's just enjoy Autumn for now. It being the first day of the month, I am going to write about the prompt from the list I found,which is,"What would you do if you won the lottery?". Well, I don't play the lottery, so I do not see this happening, but I understand the purpose of this prompt. If I happened to come across a great sum of money, what would I do with it? Whenever I hear scenarios such as this my mind jumps to those reality t.v. shows about how winning the lottery ruined the winners' life. I try and keep in mind that money will not solve all the problems in a person's life. Money is merely a tool. And if I somehow acquired a great deal of "tools", I would like to be a good steward of what I am allotted.
For one thing, I don't think that I would be able to stop work in some capacity even if I had enough money to live on for the rest of my life. But, a wonderful benefit to having enough money is that you have more freedom to pursue an occupation you enjoy. With that freedom I would choose I job where I could be creative. Maybe I would even "flip" a couple of houses to re-sell. As to what I would do for fun; I once read that people find more happiness in spending money on experiences rather than material possessions. I happen to agree with this school of thought. This being the case I would do some travelling. Tokyo, most Europe, Cape Town, to name a few. And of course I would hope I would have the decency to use the money in helping others. I really love charities that help individuals with an occupation. A "teach a man to fish" type of thing. Such as charities that give sewing machines to under privileged woman so they can create merchandise, or donate farm animals for a family to raise and to sell the products.
I want to also remember to be prepared, and save some cash for a rainy day.
Well that is all I have the energy to think of at the moment.
What would you do in this case?
Have a wonder day & God bless!

a month of writing

Hello, all you lovely people out there. I hope you have had a wonderful start to Autumn.
I am wanting to start blogging regularly again. I have seen that some fellow bloggers are making the commitment to blogging everyday in October. After seeing this I said to myself,"Self, this would be a great challenge for you to attempt".  I stumbled upon some writing prompts on Pinterest a couple of weeks ago that might help with inspiration (Check out The Daily Tay's Blogtober14).
To any bloggers, or any other form of writers reading this, from what or where do you draw inspiration? I am curious.
I hope your September was wonderful! And here's to October!
God bless!

25 things I learned in 25 years

I have been meaning to post this for over a month now. This past July I completed a quarter of a century of life. I am now 25 years old. Bam. I honor of my birthday, (over a month after the fact) I thought it would be a good idea to post 25 lessons I have learned in my lifetime. Now, I am not saying that I am perfect at practicing these facts I have learned. I have just found them to be true. And they are listed in no particular order. Here we go...
   1) Do not take yourself too serious
   2) It is better to give than to receive
   3) Show more gratitude
   4) Count you blessings everyday
   5) Take the time & effort to show others that you care about & love them. You never may know when it will be your last chance.
   6) Laughter is GREAT medicine
   7) Do not worry about having many friends, put the effort into quality friends
   8) It is good to break a sweat everyday
   9) Find a hobby that you love, & DO IT
   10) Try to take your experiences, especially the hardest one, and grow & learn from them
   11) DO NOT let bitterness into your life!
   12) When having a conversation, listen. Don't just wait to talk. (Thanks, Pulp Fiction)
   13) Sometimes is best to just shut up, Hannah!
   14) Do not let your expectations get in the way of enjoying the moment, or what actually happens
   15) You can't judge a book by it's cover
   16) Worrying is pretty much useless, & causes more trouble than it is worth
   17) Always be polite
   18) There is no reason not to show kindness
   19) Make whatever life gives you an experience
   20) Try to encourage others as often as possible
   21) But, you cannot please everyone (some people are impossible to please)
   22) Start my day in prayer & scripture
   23) Be patient with others because you do not know what they are going through
   24) Making others happy will lead to your own happiness
   25) Forgiveness is more for the one who was wronged more than it is for the one who committed the wrong

God Bless!