Coffee

Currently: December 2017

Current book Sisters First by Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush. I’m about halfway through and really enjoying it. It’s neat to have an inside look at the Bush twins’ life. Also reading II Peter during my devotion time!

Current mood Relaxed. Jimmy and I both took two days off of work to have a staycation together and it’s amazing. I slept until 8:30 am yesterday!

Current indulgence Naps snuggled up with Malcolm. And wearing clothes that don’t match whatsoever 😉

Girl sleeping with black cat

Current need Texting gloves. It’s getting cold here in Pittsburgh, so I’m always wearing mittens or gloves when I walk dogs. The only problem is that I need to be able to take pictures and text my clients without freezing my hands off (dramatic, I know).

Current blessing Jimmy and I had a family from our church over for lunch in late November and it was such a lovely time with Christian friends.

Current beauty product Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Nail Coat. I’ve been trying to paint my nails once a week, and this top coat works wonders for two reasons: it drys super fast and really protects the polish underneath from chipping.

Coffee in catfinated mug from Kirkland's

Yay for non-chipped nail polish!

Current procrastination Getting my hair trimmed. I keep trimming it myself to save time. I know it’d be good to have a professional do it for once.

Current goal Getting our house decorated for Christmas this weekend. It’s going to be an interesting holiday season with trying to keep Mavis and Malcolm from destroying our Christmas tree 😉

Current obsession Dove milk chocolates. I love having these after a meal for something sweet. Yum!

Dove milk chocolates

Current craving Meeting mine and Jimmy’s cousins’ son. They just adopted a ten-year-old boy from China and I cannot wait to meet him!

Current food We’re getting a HomeChef delivery today! We are continuing to test out all the different meal kit delivery services. I’ll report back soon 🙂

Current excitement I photographed a gorgeous property for my family’s real estate business. It’s a huge horse stable facility (I feel like there’s a more official name for that?!) with acres and acres of land for horseback riding. It was so peaceful.

Brown and white horse overlooking field

Current drink Coffee! Really enjoying the Organic Honduras Whole Bean Coffee from Aldi.

Current prayer Jimmy and I do a lot of communicating and working with a family at Shiloh Christian Children’s Ranch, which is a safehaven for abused and neglected children. The homeparents told us that this time of year can be especially hard for the children living with them, as it can bring up memories of trauma. We’re doing a lot of praying that this holiday season would be a great one for the children living there.

Current confession I love this picture of my brother and Mavis napping together in my dad’s truck. I’m also a little jealous she actually napped with him. Mavis is usually looking out the window when she rides on my lap!

Man and puppy sleeping together

Current question What are you doing this weekend?

Things Our Pets Destroy + Trying Meal Delivery Kits

Add ceramic vases to the list of things our pets destroy 😉

Black cat with broken vase

I was in our basement doing laundry the other day while Malcolm and Mavis were upstairs playing. I heard a big crash and found the shattered vase all over the floor. I’m pretty sure Mavis may have ate some of it, too. I’m happy to report she’s alive, though!

Other things our pets destroy
– The ability to sleep in (<– Mavis)
– Unattended books, shoes, and rolls of toilet paper (<– Mavis)
– Anything that can be knocked off of a counter (<– Malcolm)
– Food that is literally sitting on my plate right in front of me (<– Malcolm)
– Our old couches (<– Lola)

Dog and cat playing in bathtub

See Instagram for more of their antics.

They’re worth it though. It’s all material stuff (except sleeping in…) that can be replaced!

So, have you guys heard of meal delivery kits? I know I’m super late to the game with these because I’ve been seeing advertisements for Blue Apron, Hello Fresh, and a few others for years now. I found a Groupon for HelloFresh and decided to give it a whirl since it was such a good deal!

HelloFresh Kimchi Chicken HelloFresh Kimchi Chicken

Sorry for the poor quality photos (daylight savings is killing my photography at night!). I have to say, we really enjoyed the whole process of picking out meals, not having to shop for them, and then having all the ingredients and recipes on hand to prepare them.

Jimmy and I were just talking last night and agreed that we want to try all the meal delivery services out there and pick which one we think is the best. It sounds like a fun experiment that will keep us out of dinner ruts! It’s probably not something we would do forever, since I think it can be a bit pricy, but I like the idea and all of the companies seem to have good deals for first-timers.

We are trying Home Chef next and looking into Blue Apron, Sun Basket, and Plated. Send any other recommendations our way!

Alright, enough about meal delivery services! Let’s talk about fun things like coffee.

Coffee in catfinated mug from Kirkland's

I tried Trader Joe’s coffee for the first time and loved it. I think I’ll have to add their coffee to my list of favorite foods from Trader Joe’s. What else is on the list, you ask? Their chocolate coconut milk ice cream and sunflower seed butter! Also, I painted my nails for once. Yay!

Mother and daughter

My mom and I spent some time together on Friday because she needed to pickup a 5k race packet on “my side” of Pittsburgh (she also made an appearance in my most recent vlog!). While we were out and about, I got a new candle from Bath and Body Works! It’s the cinnamon caramel swirl scent and I’ve pretty much had it burning nonstop for the past two days.

There’s just something about a lit candle that makes a home feel so cozy, especially in the fall and winter 🙂

Bath and Body Works Cinnamon Caramel Swirl three wick candle

Alright, I’m off to do some chores around the house and then Jimmy and I are heading back to our church’s evening service. After the service, we’re co-hosting a taco fellowship for everyone with my sister and her husband. Yum!

I have lots of questions today…

If you have pets, have they every destroyed anything?

Have you ever tried meal kit delivery services?

What is your favorite candle scent?