Thankful

North Carolina will be our home for the next few days. We made the long trip to spend Thanksgiving with family. As I sit by my grandmother next to a cozy fire, I'm feeling so very thankful.

I'm thankful for an incredible husband who showed amazing strength during some tough seasons this year. No matter what came our way, he always kept me laughing. I don't know how it's possible, but I love him more every day.

I'm thankful for family who love us well.

I'm loving my sister's new haircut. I can't wait for her to work her magic on me!

I'm thankful for an incredible meal - (not so thankful for the miserable feeling I had after eating too much of said meal).

And today I'm especially thankful for my savior, Jesus Christ and the grace He so freely offers to me and those I love.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Digital Age

A great magazine is my favorite guilty pleasure. I don't buy things on impulse very often, but if I see a great deal for a magazine subscription, I take it. My current subscriptions include Southern Living, Better Homes & Garden, Martha Stewart Living, Good Housekeeping, Cooking Light, and US. I know, ridiculous, right? I actually recently added a couple more (I traded in frequent flyer miles). But over the last few weeks I've decided to cut back. Not because I love the magazines any less, I just don't have time to read them. There are four unread magazines sitting on my kitchen table and I'm not exactly sure when I'll get to them. It is starting to feel like my investment in magazine subscriptions isn't really worth the money I pay for them. So as the subscriptions run out, I'm going to let them go.

However, I have a great backup plan up my sleeve. Another reason I have decided to cut back is because there are so many wonderful online-only magazines. I don't feel bad if I don't get to them right as they come out because they're not piling up reminding me how I'm wasting money. They are completely free! And although you can't hold them or tear out your favorite article, the quality is as good as any mag you will find in stores.

Since I know I have friends who love magazines as much as I do, I thought I would share my finds. If you get time over the holidays, curl up with your laptop or iPad and a warm drink and check these out! (Clicking on the title will take you directly to the site.)

1. Southern Flourish
    I have mentioned this one on my blog before, it's definitely at the top of my list.
    I think of it as "Southern Living for 20-30 somethings."

2. Rue
    Home Decor at it's finest.

3. Lonny
    Another great home decor magazine.
    This mag leans a bit more high-end for my taste, but it's a great go-to for new ideas.

4. Sweet Paul
    Great recipes and craft ideas. A new favorite!

5. Nesting Newbies
    Great for all things cooking, entertaining and decorating!

Those should keep you busy for awhile!

Have a great weekend!

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Bittersweet Winner

Drumroll, please....

Thanks to Random.org, the lucky winner is SugarFreeAsh. Congrats Ashley! I'll e-mail you with more details. 

Thanks to all of you for humoring me and participating in my first giveaway. Hope to see many of you tonight at Shauna's event. For more details, click here. 

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Bittersweet Giveaway

It's giveaway time!

If this isn't your first time reading my blog, you know that I'm a big fan of Shauna Niequist and her latest book, Bittersweet. It's rare that I read a book twice in a lifetime, much less twice in less than six months. I'm currently reading Bittersweet for the second time because a.) I really love the book and b.) Shauna is coming to the Nashville area for a reading this Friday!

To celebrate her upcoming event, Shauna is providing my very first giveaway - a copy of Bittersweet for a lucky reader! For your chance to win, just leave a comment below and I will choose a winner at random Friday morning.

Already own a copy? That's okay! Win a copy for your mother, sister or friend! Wouldn't it be nice to check an item off your Christmas shopping list?

And if you're a Shauna fan like me, and live in the Nashville area, come to her reading this Friday. It will be a great event! For more info, click here.

 Come back Friday to find out if you won!

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Life on the Farm

Life has been a bit busy lately. So much so that I haven't even had time to think about this blog. I'm trying to get back in the swing of things because a lot of exciting things are coming up (including my very first giveaway thanks to Shauna Niequist!).

Last weekend we made a trip to Missouri to celebrate my baby brother's birthday. He doesn't technically turn 16 until this Friday, but since I'm not able to make it home then, we celebrated early. Unfortunately I didn't get any photos of him or our time together.

I did, however, get photos from our time at the farm. Last Friday Todd and I woke up early to feed the cows with Grandpa Joe. Todd's parents were at work and his grandmother was out of town, so it was just the three of us. We were up with the sun and bundled from head to toe. The temperature was a freezing 24 degrees when we stepped outside.

I had my camera in hand and when I wasn't shaking from the cold, I snapped a few photos. I felt a bit like the Pioneer Woman that morning, and one day I think I'd like to trade the corporate world for life on the farm.

I'll be back soon with new recipes and a giveaway!

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