Hello Friends,

How was your first month of 2022? Did it go by fast – or slow?

January has become one of my favorite months of the year. To me, it feels longer than many of the other months, so I feel as if I have more time to get things done and get a good jump start on a brand new year. My motivation is usually running high, so it’s a good month to knock out some goals. Thanks to the snow storms we typically get in January, it’s also a good month to get ahead in reading!

Unfortunately, this is the second year in a row that we got sick in January! Last year it was COVID and this year it was the dreaded stomach flu (it hit each one of us). While that entire week wasn’t very fun, it did force all of us to slow down for a bit.

Now that it’s 2022, I am starting a new series on the blog. Instead of sharing about *just* the books I’ve read, I want to share more about our month – what we’ve been up to, what I’m reading, what goals I’m working on and things our family is loving/enjoying. This way there should be a little bit of something for everyone, and I have I more thorough way of chronicling our year. Sharing about my books and goals should also help keep me accountable!

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January Highlights

Some highlights from our month:

• Snow! We had several snow storms this month. I love the excuse to hole up inside with a book… and Daniel loved going outside in the snow for a little bit too!
• Visiting the PA State Farmshow – this was Daniel’s first year visiting the Farmshow. It was so fun to watch him as he saw cows, chickens, sheep, alpacas, goats, pigs, and more! We talk about animals (and the sounds they make) a LOT, so it was really fun for him to see these animals in person.
• Play Dates with Friends –  Since getting married, Adam and I have lived in two very different towns. Making and maintaining new friendships has been a challenge. I am very grateful for the local friends the Lord has brought into my life and the fun times we were able to spend together this past month.
• Fellowshipping with our Church Family – I’m so grateful for the little church family God has given us. Church planting is not easy, but blessings still abound. Every month we have the opportunity to meet new people and deepen the relationships with the people God has brought our way. It’s very special!
• Daniel’s Birthday – Our spunky little boy turned TWO this past month. It’s hard for me to believe. There are moments when his brith seems like such a long time ago – so much has happened in this world (and our lives!) since he was born… regardless, it’s still hard to believe he’s a two-year-old!

January Reads

My goal is one book per week, so I’m right on track so far… these are the books I read this month:

When Less Becomes More: Making Space for Slow  Simple, and Good by Emily Ley 

This was a very  practical book for the beginning of a new year. As the title suggests, this book is about simplifying your life in practical, yet meaningful ways.  I enjoyed it and gleaned some helpful things, but it wasn’t amazing. I enjoyed Emily Ley’s book, A Simplified Life more than this one. I gave this book 3 stars.

Disciple Her: Using the Word, Work and Wonder of God to Invest in Women by Kandi Gallaty

This book was very good, but not exactly what I was looking for. This book is basically a formula for starting and hosting monthly, year-long discipleship groups. I wish the author could have shared other methods of discipleship, because a discipleship group like that is not very doable in this season of our life and ministry. However, if I ever do start a group like that, I will reference this book again! I gave this book 3 stars.

It’s a Wonderful Life: Serving God Joyfully in Marriage and Ministry by Terrie Chappell

This is a favorite marriage and ministry book of mine. It just felt like a good book to read at the beginning of a new year – king of like a refreshing reminder about the things I should be doing/working on in my marriage and our ministry. This book is pretty specific to pastor’s wives, but I think any woman in ministry could glean from Mrs. Chappell’s wisdom. Her meek and godly spirit really shines through in this book – such a wealth of wisdom for ministry wives! I gave this book 5 stars – again!

Creating a Beautiful Life: A Woman’s Guide to Good-Better-Best Decision Making by Elizabeth George

Yes, you may remember that I read this book last summer. At the time, it was just what I needed – a good reminder of the wise decisions I needed to be making regarding my time, my priorities, and more. I felt like I needed to read this again at the beginning of this year as a reminder to make wise choices as I go throughout this new year. It wasn’t quite as impactful reading this book a second time, but it was still helpful and inspiring. I gave this book 4 stars – again. 

Your Best Year Ever: A 5-Step Plan for Achieving Your Most Important Goals  by Michael Hyatt

The title made this book seem like a great choice for January – and it was!  All about goal-setting, this book had some great tips and encouragement for setting goals and actually seeing them accomplished. This certainly wasn’t my “most favorite” book on goals, but I still learned a lot and gleaned some really helpful takeaways! I gave this book 4 stars.

Please remember that just because I read a book does not mean I recommend it wholeheartedly. Always read a book using discernment. Chew the meat but spit out the bones, and always compare what you read to the perfect standard of God’s Holy Word!

January Goals 

I use the Powersheets Intentional Goal Planner to plan and keep track of my monthly and yearly goals. 

My big goal for the month of January was to start working on our family photo books. Since getting married I have struggled with photos – what do I do with them? How do I organize them? How should I have them printed and recorded?

The indecision and disorganization was driving me crazy!

I finally decided to go ahead and make a yearly family photo book on Shutterfly. Traditional albums just take up too much time and space. So, I am working hard to catch up on the past serval years and get caught up to date. This month I finished a photo book for 2019 and now I am working on 2020. Hopefully, within a couple months I will be all caught up and can start working on 2022 as we go throughout our year!

A few other goals I completed from this month –

• Christmas thank you notes
• Visiting the chiropractor – first time in a year! It was much needed!
• Finishing one book per week
• Updating our church webpage

January Favorites

Here are a few favorite things from this month:

This essential oil diffuser – it was a Christmas gift from my husband and I LOVE it. Much, much cheaper than the expensive EO diffusers from Young Living, I also love it’s simplicity. As a bonus, it has some really nice features like a timer and several different LED color settings. When my other diffuser gives out, I plan to get another one of these – I’ve been enjoying it that much!

This 48-Pack of Happy Birthday Cards – one of my goals for this year is to do better remembering birthdays. Last year I made a master list of family and friend birth-dates and I am doing my best to either send a text and/or a card on their special day. This pack of blank birthday cards has come in very handy.

The Motherhood Magazine by Sprigs – This is a free magazine put out by Sprigs. I received my winter copy the same day I was recovering from the stomach flu and the timing could not have been better! The article on building your immunity was especially helpful and I loved browsing the new motherhood shop in the back of the magazine. This is a FREE motherhood/natural living magazine put out by Sprigs – it comes quarterly and it has been a blessing to me!

I Would Love to Know

• Do you have a favorite memory from January?
• Did you read any good books?
• Did you accomplish any goals?
• Are there any favorite things you’ve been loving?

Until Next Time,