{virtual} coffee date

Happy Saturday!  For a moment, can I just share with you that this week I've consumed coffee fresh from the pot three days!  Maybe it's the new coffee pot we got, maybe it's the foamed milk I added, or maybe this baby realizes that I really, really need it this week.

If we were having coffee this morning....  I would share with you that my dear friend, Lindsay, and I went and got pedicures together last Saturday morning and it was so glorious.  There is just something about sipping some chai lattes together, getting your feet massaged, and chatting away.

 I was enjoying it so much I added on a manicure, and the entire day afterward I was trying to figure out how to budget this into a regular thing.   Getting pampered felt amazing, and just made me feel good about myself too!

If we were having coffee this morning... I would tell you that I'm running a 5k next weekend!  When I signed up I was seriously struggling to get my workouts in, and highly doubted I could even run 3 miles at best.  But last weekend I ran first thing in the morning, and each time they were glorious.

They were just what I needed for that boost of confidence, and now I'm more excited than ever to have something planned to stay active and fit!  I'm also loving the fact that I'm 29 weeks and can still run!  Each time it feels like a victory, and I'm just so amazed at what this body can do.

If we were having coffee this morning... I would tell you that the Mr. has been Mr. Wonderful this week.  The cold creeped up again this week, and he made dinner for me, brought me tea, and let me lay on the couch from 6pm on.  That same night I went to bed at 8 and it was glorious.  On top of it all, I woke up to a clean kitchen!

If we were having coffee this morning... I would share that I was able to wear boots this week and fall weather arrived for a few short days!  It rained, and my heart just swelled with joy.  I know, I'm pretty mushy, but I truly love foggy mornings, cold and rainy days, and blankets to snuggle up into.  It was pretty amazing, and I'm hoping that weather comes back soon!

If we were having coffee this morning... I'd tell you that I'm dying to go on a trip!  I just went to get away for a weekend, relax, and breathe in some fresh air.  To be honest, I'm dying to go up to San Luis Obispo, but it doesn't look like the Mr's work will allow him time off.  In the meantime, we are soaking up Saturdays off together to be intentional with one another.

If we were having coffee this morning... I'd tell you that the dresser for our nursery arrived and I couldn't be more excited!  Decorating is a huge insecurity of mine and I'm feeling a bit of anxiety and sense of failure at the fact that the nursery is painted and the crib and rocking chair are the only things occupying the space.  I'm waiting for some sort of creative bug to finally bite and for me to feel confidant in that space.

2-minute pumpkin pie

I promise that you didn't read that title wrong!  This, my lovelies, is truly a 2-minute pumpkin pie..or cupcake, depending on how you look at it.  And all it takes is a mug, some simple ingredients, and a microwave!  I've had my share of a sweet tooth during this pregnancy, or maybe I should just say that I have one in general.  And I truly try to balance out everything and not over indulge in sweets, but each night I just want that little nugget of sweet goodness to get me through.  This concoction is perfect.  Don't be alarmed if the top doesn't look quite set when you take it out, it's nice when it's just a bit gooey on the top.  Also, I wouldn't judge you if you added a sprinkle of chocolate chips to the top and allow them to melt into your cupcake.  

2-Minute Pumpkin Pie:

3 Tbsp. almond flour

3 Tbsp. pumpkin puree

1 egg

2 Tbsp. honey

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice 

a dash of salt

1. Combine everything into a mug and mix well. 

2. Microwave for 2 minutes.  

3. Eat immediately! 

mornings bring me back

via

There is something so divinely beautiful about the mornings.  It's a fresh start, a new day.  Any mistakes that I have made, words I have said, regrets I have made, seem to disappear in the mercy of a new day.  The light draws in the awakening of God's beauty.  The warmth from my coffee mug warms my soul.  And I am filled with hope for this day-today.  It is a truly beautiful thing to be able to set your intentions, create space for your day, decide how it will go, and the mornings offer this space.

I know for some, mornings are hard and difficult.  The wretched alarm clock goes off and all we want to do is pull the covers up over our head and whisper a prayer that God would add more hours to our day so we could just get an extra hour of sleep.  When these feelings creep in, I truly have to push myself to block them and press on.  The other beautiful thing about mornings is that they are my time, and I have my routine.

Each day I always get ready for work, and then I make breakfast, sit at the counter and eat it in the company of myself and Jesus.  My bible is next to me, and I pour over God's word and allow His word to fill me up with sweet goodness, His mercy to wash me anew, and to lift up my worries.

This morning, I was immensely blessed through the perseverance of this little routine I have.  I'm currently reading through the She Read's Truth devotional and read 2 Timothy 1:7:
"For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control".  

This verse was already highlighted in my bible, which made me think back to when I read it before and highlighted it.  And I was quickly taken back to a time when I desperately needed this verse.  This verse was like my life saver on a quickly sinking ship.  It was what I clung to in hopes that I would be better.  A year ago, it seems like I was a completely different person.  Anxiety and depression and fear entrapped me.  I lived in fear.  What if I never get pregnant?  What if there is something wrong with me?  When if we never figure out how to live life and just be happy?  My fears were rational, but mostly irrational.  God's word was literally a lamp unto my feet, shining light on the hope that I would have a spirit of power one day-not fear.

I'm overcome with emotion when I look back on the time in my life when this verse was what I clung to, and that today I feel God's spirit of power and love, not of fear.  I can clearly see the ways in which God brought me out of living in fear and anxiety.  He placed amazing people in my life, surrounded me in love, and it has only allowed me to feel more secure in His amazing love.  Today I can easily see the truth in 2 Timothy, the truth that God will provide for me, He will bring us through hard times, He will capture our fears and set them free.  God's promises are worth so much more of my time than holding onto fears.  And I'm ever thankful and grateful for his amazing promise!