organization.

At the beginning of every year I like to try and start off with a clean, organized home. This year I was semi-successful in doing so. My wonderful grandma-in-law (is that such a thing?) gave me the cutest basket for Christmas this year. I absolutely love it, but the color didn't match my color scheme even though it was absolutely beautiful. Nothing a little spray paint can't fix. 

Adorable basket right? The rectangle in the back is home to a small chalkboard you will see in a minute. I decided to spray it a great neutral--gold. I'm totally loving gold right now. 

And let me tell you. I LOVE the basket in gold. LOVE. LOVE. LOVE.

I still hadn't completely decided what to do with the basket but once I got it painted I knew exactly what I wanted to use it for. It's basically my "to-go" desk. Since we are living with my in-laws currently, space is tight. Having all of my office things in one small basket would be great and very practical. The basket is now home to my beautiful Whitney English planner, pens, highlighters, sharpies, and my little filing system to keep me organized in between running all my bills and paperwork to the church where the filing cabinet currently is. 

Forgive my totally subpar photography skills. Hoping those will improve in 2015. ;) Also, can I just say I love washi tape? 

basket--Homegoods

planner -- Whitney English

one little word.

I love that instead of resolutions many people now choose one little word to focus on in a years time. This year I couldn't help but jump on the bandwagon. Many words came to my mind but one word spoke louder than others--

This year I want to embrace life, embrace the season we are in, embrace the changes that have happened and will happen, embrace motherhood, embrace being a wife, embrace. Plain and simple. I could easily sit and complain, just as I'm sure you could, but instead I will embrace my life to the fullest. I will throw out the bad, learn from it, and embrace the good. This year though I also want to be mindful of what God wants for me, what God is calling me to do in my life, my marriage, our ministry. Many times I focus on what I want when really I should focus on what HE wants for me. I will embrace what His plans are for me. 

Did you choose one little word (#olw) for this year? It's not to late if you haven't. I would love to hear what everyone else chose! 

reintroduction.

Hi. My name is Tiffani and I care way too much what other people think about me.

That is just the plain and simple truth. I think it's partially due to the fact that I know some of the things I have done in my lifetime are easy to judge, are easy to call me out on. But I have to remember that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," (Romans 3:23, emphasis added). Everyone has areas people can judge them in. I am no exception to that. Some of my sins, the things I have been judged on, may be more evident than sins of others but we are all sinners. I am a sinner.  I've got to learn to not be discouraged by the judgement and instead just loving and accepting of others as Christ would have me to be. And willing to share the things I feel lead to share knowing that I may in turn help someone else and encourage them. 

Hi. I am a mother who strives to love her children daily but may fail at keeping the house clean and dinner on the table. 

I strive to be the perfect wife and mother. Clean house, happy kids, healthy, organic meals on the table--you know, the whole nine yards. But let's be honest, there are mornings like today were I have on my husband's t-shirt and some leggings and have uncombed wet hair because my precious baby girl is sick. Instead of being inside the house cleaning every inch and disinfecting it, I am sitting in my driveway, in my car, typing this post while my Lila Mae sleeps of the dreaded, horrible stomach bug going around. My bed needs made. There are dishes to be done. And yes, there are now mountains of laundry to be done due to said dreaded stomach bug. That's real life.

I could go on. But mainly this post is sort of like a re-introduction to my imperfect world. I want this blog to be a place were you can come to laugh at my momma failures or read about my faith and love for Christ and maybe be uplifted and inspired. Or just read about my love for my husband, my love of motherhood, and my love of being a pastor's wife. My life is not perfect. Some days I want to pull my hair out. Some days I just want to sit and cry. Some days are beautiful, glorious, and happy. But everyday I am me--a Christian, wife, and momma--and that's just were I want to be. 

{this is me. sitting in my car, in my driveway while Lila Mae sleeps away the yucky.}

♥

december goals.

Better late than never yes?

one// blog more. pretty simply put I would say. I always say I'm going to blog more and this month, I'm really going to try to even though I know this is one crazy busy month.

two// remember the reason for the season. Once again, simply put. I have been going over the story of  Jesus and his birth with the kiddos and I truly love it.

three// give. This season is about giving as well and I don't want to forget to give.

What are some of your goals for this holiday month??

{also because you are all dying to know--this is what I look like right now, glasses glare and all}

november goals.

I finally have a fully working computer again, so hello blogging world. I love that my sister-in-law over at walking in between always lists out her goals for the month so much that I decided this month, and probably every month, I will do the same. 

one //  read my Bible every day. This shouldn't have to be in my goals. I should crave to do this every day. And honestly, i do. I crave to read my Bible every day but yet so many days go by and I'm "too busy" or "too tired". NOT AN EXCUSE, SELF, NOT AN EXCUSE.

two // take more pictures. I LOVE that on my new computer I can just put in my handy SD card. This makes life so much more convenient. 

three // budget. How many months can I say this and not do it? Budgeting is so important. Just do it Tiffani, just do it.

I could get crazy and list more. I really could. But then I look at my calendar and remember that this month is ABSOLUTELY crazy looking. 

What is one of your goals this November? 

When I pour my heart out, it goes something like this...

We all have this vision of what parenthood would be, should be and then parenthood happens. You might be a lucky one, I sure was with Lockland, or you may be like me. Sixteen months and two days in of not sleeping through the night. Sixteen months and two days in of having very little time to yourself. Sixteen months and two days in of having someone virtually awake from 7 am until 10 pm on a nightly basis.

Today is one of those days it really has caught up on me. I feel worn, tired, exhausted, and quite frankly not human. 

I struggle to write words to try and explain everything. I struggle because I partially feel like it's my own fault she doesn't sleep through the night. What could I, should I have done differently? Should I have done the "Cry it out" method that breaks my heart into a million pieces? Should I wean her so she doesn't want me/need me in the middle of the night? Should I have put her on a strict schedule during the day? 

But then a peace comes over me.

My daughter is happy. She loves to laugh. She is thriving. She loves me. She loves to snuggle me when I nurse her. She loves to hold me when she's sad and when she's happy too. She is WORTH it. She is worth all of it.

There is no guarantee that anything I could try or do would change the fact that she doesn't sleep as well as her brother. So tonight (as Lila Mae is actually asleep before her usual bedtime because daddy put her to bed) I will have the peace, comfort, and joy in knowing that my daughter is happy. My daughter won't always be little. She won't always want me in the middle of the night. She wont always want to snuggle. And ten years from now I bet I will look back and cherish this time I had with her. After all, they are only little for a short time.

               

Lord, 

Thank you for the gift of motherhood. Not every woman is so lucky to have not one, but two beautiful children. I know I all to often complain of being sleepless but Father, I just THANK YOU for the gift that makes me sleepless. Thank you Father for the little girl who hates sleep because the little girl who hates sleep is a gift that can come only from You. I pray I stop and think of her a gift when I'm stressed, tired, and exhausted.  I also pray Father that I do not let my exhaustion affect my actions and my speech Father. Let me speak with grace and love even when I feel like a ticking time bomb.  I ask forgiveness for the times today that I spoke hatefully and let my exhaustion speak louder than my love Father. Help me to learn the power of my tongue and when I should bite it. Help me to season my words with grace Father. Thank you once more for the gift of motherhood, for my sleepless nights.

In Your name, Amen

Sorry for the poor quality images. Straight up iPhone photos. One day my computer will have room to upload pictures. One day when my external hard drive becomes my friend and not my enemy.

update.

As much as I love blogging, I love my family even more. Even though this year it was my {original} intention to really blog more and get in the habit on blogging, I realized something else before embarking on that journey.

I needed to just settle in and get a good Christian, wife, and mommy routine down.

My typical life is chaos right now. I don't have a laundry routine, I don't have a day to day routine, I don't even have a wake-up time or a goodnight time. CHAOS. CRAZY. HECTIC. And this greatly bothers me. I want to not dwell on having a good blog post or taking pictures for my blog posts but rather live in the moment of being a mommy. I know there are bloggers out there who have a good routine in place and can take pictures without taking away from mommy time but I'm not there yet. So why the chaos you ask? We moved. That's right--we left our much loved Northwest Arkansas for a new life in Northeast/Central Arkansas as youth pastors. We are loving our job as youth pastors but still settling in in all other aspects. Right now we are living with my wonderful in-laws--which has been another adjustment. It's a challenge to move from your own almost 1,300 square foot house into two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a couple of kitchen cabinets, but we are grateful to have a place to live here while we get settled into jobs and deciding where to live. Lockland has started at a wonderful school here in Batesville that i ABSOLUTELY love. The progress we have seen since he started is absolutely surreal. He can now drink out of a cup and jump with TWO feet off the ground. He also sings his ABC's and my "No more monkey's jumping on the bed" just to name two. Lila Mae has regressed sleep wise but other than that is a happy, learning little girl. She finally, at 15 months, hit 20 pounds so she is still mommy's itty bitty. Perhaps the biggest adjustment this far has simply been that Keith is working two jobs. He is a youth pastor "part time" (any of you involved in youth ministry no that there is no such thing as part time, ha) and WalMart associate full-time. It has been hard on this momma to see less of her husband but we know we are in God's will for our lives and still VERY happy. Okay, I'm done with this long post now. It's hard to catch everyone up on 7 months of missed life. Hopefully as I settle into my new normal, I will be able to follow my blogging dream to it's full potential. 

{for picture updates on the morris family follow me on instagram}

♥