Blessings this Week: 01.29.2016

(Again, I wrote "2015" the first time, and I had to edit. Goodness.)

Counting my blessings helps me change the narrative in my mind from "I don't have enough" to "Look at what God has given me."

It fosters contentment even in circumstances that don't seem full enough.

And it makes a difference in my heart.

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Our Long-Distance Relationship was Super Awesome.

Trevor and I spend a lot of time together.

Really.

We wake up together, we drive to work together, we have lunch together, go to staff meetings together, drive home together, go grocery shopping together, watch TV together, go to sleep together, and then wake up and do it all over again. Together.

There usually isn't an hour in the day that I don't know the general whereabouts of my fella.

I love it.

It wasn't that long ago, though, that we did life pretty well separately.

Trevor and I went to colleges 500 miles apart, and with busy schedules and limited finances, we only got to visit one another about every two months or so.

It was a two hour El ride, eight hours on a Megabus, and then two more hours to get to his place. Most of the time, we spent more time traveling than we did actually spending time together.

Even after the weekend we got engaged, I went back to college and he went back to college and we knew we wouldn't see one another for a couple months.

It sucked. 


But safely on this side of history, I can say that it was hard, but it was so good for us.

Featured Farmers: Meagan's Story

Today's Featured Farmer is Meagan of Novelties and Trinkets.

Welcome, Meagan, and thanks for joining us!

1. Tell us a little about yourself! 

My husband and I and his family grow tobacco and own a cut flowers and greenhouse business in our hometown in Western Kentucky where we sell floral arrangements and potted plants. The tobacco is our main source of income that we use to fund our greenhouse, cut flowers and florist dreams.

I sell my flowers by the stem, in arrangements and through teaching floral workshops.

 My husband has grown up around agriculture. He grew up raising tobacco, helping his dad here and there with their small dairy and helping raise and sell homegrown vegetables at farmers markets. This is where his passion for owning a business and farming stem from.

Both my husband and I are students at Murray State University. My husband will graduate this May with a degree in Agronomy. I will graduate in 2017 with my degree in Middle School English Education. We will both pursue our masters degrees in the years to come- mine in literature and his in biblical counseling. We have loved our season as students, but it has been incredibly difficult to tackle entrepreneurship and degrees at the same time.

We hope to expand our greenhouse business in the future and to continue raising tobacco to help provide for this endeavor.

Blessings this Week: 01.22.2016

True story? I totally forgot today is Friday.

This week went by so quickly.

Sometimes, a week going by quickly is a sign of a week that was full of joy- like how a week of vacation seems to just fly. But sometimes, a week that goes by quickly means that it was full of stress and demands on time, and that feeling like you're doing everything and accomplishing nothing.

You know what I mean?

This week was the latter, unfortunately. And I'm finding that it's weeks like these that it's hard to find those blessings, to count the gifts.

So today, I'm counting my blessings as a way to remember all the beauty in my life this week, and to thank God for all the gifts He's given me.

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This electronic temperature gauge that I really thought we didn't need. Trevor convinced me to buy it, though, and I'm so glad we did. (So, also, a husband who knows what is a useful thing to spend money on.) 

And yes, that does say -17-- that was on Sunday. I put on two pairs of socks, two coats, two pairs of pants and a face mask before taking Bear out to do his business. 

Planner Power: Or, Why I Lug Around My Binder Everywhere I Go

Need a pen?

I've got one.

What were the dimensions of the bathroom ceiling? Lemme look it up a minute...

When was that doctor's appointment again?

Gotcha covered.

The Reading Wish List

As a little girl, my parents would punish me (usually for not doing my chores...) by putting my book on top of the refrigerator.

It was the worst.

I would often make up for those hours by staying up late with the door open just a crack to let the light from the hallway into my dark bedroom so I could finish just one more chapter... 

I spent hours curled around whatever book I was reading at the moment, losing myself in the story, the adventure. Even with the TV blaring or my sisters playing loudly right next to me, the allure of a good book tuned out all the noise.

I'm still like that.

Although, now I don't have to sit with the door open, breathing quietly so Mom doesn't catch me reading late at night. Now, I just turn on the lamp next to my bed and prop up pillows to block the light so it doesn't wake Trevor.

Blessings this Week: 01.15.2016 Edition

(Full disclosure- I totally typed 2015 the first time. <Sigh>) 

Finding the blessings (even the speckled ones) and in turn, finding joy in the every day. 

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Frigid temperatures this weekend (we're talking -20 or so), meant our little farm stayed pretty quiet last Saturday and Sunday. The peace and rest was needed- we hadn't been home for a whole weekend since before Christmas!

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It also meant that the winter-wonderland look is ongoing...