I can’t keep ANY plant alive. I honestly don’t understand it. I can keep 4 tiny humans alive, but somehow I can’t seem to keep a plant alive for longer than a week. Until my lemon grass… my mother in law read that lemon grass helps keep mosquitoes away and bought us and herself some. We kept it in the little plastic pot it comes in for a few days. I didn’t want to go out and buy new pots if this thing was just going to die anyway. So a week passed and my lemon grass was still alive! I was so proud. So we went to Home Depot and bought some bigger pots for it. We even got some “miracle grow” and put the lemon grass in the new pots. The lemon grass has been on my front porch, alive, for a few weeks now! I felt like I had really accomplished something! Then it happened… I saw my mother in laws lemon grass. Her lemon grass was so thick and full! It was growing straight up with not a single droopy piece. What on earth!? Suddenly, my lemon grass didn’t look so good and I wondered if I should just let it die and start all over. Why do we do that? How is it that I could be proud of my lemon grass for weeks and then in a split second decide it’s terrible? That’s satan’s wheelhouse guys. He loves to place things that he knows we will compare to right in front of us. That mom on Instagram who has it all together, that house on Pinterest that’s perfectly decorated, that couple on Facebook who never fight (HA!), or even something as small as lemon grass to cause a little bit of doubt. We’ve got to have the tools to fight back. The Bible tells us in Galatians 6:4 NIV that “Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else,” And yet, in our flesh, we can’t help but compare. When you find yourself comparing to what others have, do, say, or look like ask God to guard your mind. Pray for God to help you focus on what you do have. Remembering that the person you’re comparing yourself to has compared themselves to others also. When our focus is on what others have, it can’t be focused on what we have. Contentment and envy can’t live together. 

Last night my mother in law came over and I was telling her I might blog about our lemon grass when she said “Your lemon grass is still green! Mine is brown now” and I couldn’t help but chuckle. Capture the temptation to compare today! Take pride in yourself. Push Satan and his joy stealing aside in Jesus name! And remember…. 

The (lemon) grass isn’t always greener on the other side. 😉

Dear Griffen-

The day I’ve dreaded since you were born has finally come and gone. Kindergarten. I always said that Jesus was coming back before you started school because he had to know I couldn’t handle sending you! Turns out I was wrong. You’re gone. And you absolutely love it. Sending you to school brought on all kinds of emotions for me. You’re gone from our breakfast and lunch table five days a week. I don’t  hear you and your brothers laughing throughout the day anymore (or fighting 😉 ) You aren’t home to ride your bike after breakfast, or catch lizards after lunch. I’m now waking you up everyday instead of you getting to wake up on your own and come cuddle me. There are almost EIGHT hours of everyday that you spend outside of our house. Another adult is in charge of your well being from 7:50-3:15! Before sending you, my mommy heart couldn’t take all of these things. A sweet friend of mine told me to pray that you’d get the teacher you needed, and meet one good friend for the year. God is so faithful! Your teacher recently wrote me an email saying how great you were doing, and how she loved your tender heart. The fact that she knows about your tender heart just one week into school made me a little more at ease. You come home everyday talking about a new friend. The excitement in your eyes when you tell us something new you learned is such a blessing to experience. Here at home, Beckett is growing as a big brother too. He’s remembering all the things you did for him, and he’s doing them for his little brothers 🙂 So as much as I didn’t want kindergarten to come, i’ll admit that so far seeing you grow, learn, and share your light with other people isn’t half bad. I’m so proud to be your mommy! I love you, buddy. Keep shining!

Love, Your Mommy

To anyone out there who is struggling with any transition, find the joy. I did a bible study by Margaret Feinberg where she encouraged us to find “joy bombs” (which i’ve linked at the bottom of this page. It’s a great bible study, especially if you’re struggling to find your joy!) No matter your situation, look for 3 joy bombs throughout your day. For Griffen’s first day of kindergarten my joy bombs were a smooth drop off with no tears, seeing Beckett step up as a big brother, and 3:15 when I got to pick my baby boy up and hear about his day! We can always find joy if we aren’t looking for misery 🙂 Seeing how much Griffen loves kindergarten brings me joy more than anything else.

Train up a child in the way the he should go: and when he gets old, he will not depart from it.  Proverbs 22:6 KJV

As promised, this post is our images from our lifestyle photo session with the fabulous Rachel Coney! If i’m being honest, I’m not always the greatest at doing photo shoots. It can be a lot of work when you have multiple children! I always tend to over analyze how I look, how my kids are acting, and what kind of mood my husband will be in during the shoot. Lifestyle session is a different story!  It took so much stress off of me because we were all in our lounge wear just hanging out. We didn’t have to be super posed or stress about what we would wear. In fact, we were all barefoot!

Here are some of my favorites in color…

And a few black and whites, because who doesn’t love a good black and white? 😉

I hope you’ve enjoyed these, and maybe even been inspired to gather up your family and do a lifestyle photo shoot! You won’t regret it 🙂

Until next time! XOXO

Our Lincoln Hays is here! We woke up the morning of August 1st and headed to the hospital for our planned induction! I must say, a planned induction was pretty nice! When we got to the hospital they already had our room ready, and our nurse came in and started asking all her necessary questions. After SEVEN tries for an IV, we finally got one. (For some reason i’m always a hard patient to get an IV on, so we halfway expected a little trouble) They drew blood, ran labs, and ordered my antibiotics. Around 9:30 in the morning, my OB came by to check on me. I was already at a 4 cm and she said it was time to break my water. Right after she broke my water I told them I was ready for an epidural. I wasn’t feeling too much pain yet, and wasn’t really interested in changing that. 😉 Not too much longer the CRNA showed up to start the epidural. Zack actually got to stay in the room and watch the process. (I made sure to tell him he wasn’t allowed to make any comments regarding needle size, say phrases like oh my goodness, or ask any questions until the epidural was complete ) The epidural took a little longer to work than they were expecting, and I had to lay flat on my back for what seemed like forever. Have you ever laid flat on your back while 9 months pregnant? Ouch. But it finally started working! Not long after it started working, I started itching everywhere. The CRNA (who was very attentive and prompt) came in and switched the kind of medicine which solved the problem! Around 1:45pm I asked the nurse to check me. I was starting to feel a little more pressure and thought maybe it was go time. She checked and I was a 7cm. Darn! At 2:00pm my OB came back and asked how everything was. I told her I really thought it was time to push, but that the nurse had just checked me. She asked if I wanted her to check me again and I said yes. She did, and said it was definitely go time! She went and got the nurses and they started breaking down the bed and getting everything they needed out. At 2:21pm our precious baby boy was born! The hospital I delivered at has started a new thing, and immediately put him on my chest for 1 hour of skin to skin. So we let everyone know he was born, but didn’t have any stats on him yet and no one was allowed back in the room until the hour was up. After the hour, they weighed him, cleaned him up a little (although they’ve now also decided that a bath before they’re 6 hours old is a bad idea apparently) gave him his shots, did his footprints, and gave him back to us. It was finally time for all my babies to meet! My sister in law came in to take pictures of everyone’s reactions. Some were more thrilled than others 😉

Mommy and Lincoln

Daddy introducing Collier and Griffen to Lincoln. They immediately loved him and wanted to hold him.

Our poor Beckett didn’t understand at first… he said he didn’t want another baby and acted like his life was over. Life is hard when you’re 3 and your nap didn’t happen because mommy was in labor. Haha! (To all mommy’s worried about how their current children will react to their future children, stop worrying! Children adapt. Beckett now loves his brother and probably already doesn’t remember life before him. 😉 )

Beckett starting to come around, and Collier trying desperately to get Lincoln to open his eyes! He kept saying “Like this baby Lincoln” and opening and closing his own eyes.

Next up were the grandparents! (and not pictured, my sister in law… who is always behind the camera. We love you Rachel!)

Our very first family photo. (Which we had to give out gum in order to get them to smile for. Whatever works people, whatever works)

We had a great rest of the day. We got moved into our overnight room, had great nurses, doctors and caregivers (including Zack’s cousin who we were lucky enough to have as our nurse for the day after delivery) and got to go home after a 24 hour stay!

I can’t wait to share our lifestyle newborn pictures with you! Stay tuned and subscribe so that you’ll be up to date on when I post 🙂

As always, thanks for reading!

Whew! It’s been awhile since I’ve been back to write! The truth is, I’ve been struggling lately. I’m sure i’m not alone. It’s so hard to juggle all the things life requires of us. It’s hard to feel like i’m being enough for everyone who needs me. In the song “O Come to the Altar” it ask “Have you come to the end of yourself? Do you thirst for a drink from the well?” Yes! Then it says “Jesus is calling, O come to the Altar, the Father’s arms are open wide.” I think that’s exactly my problem. I haven’t been going to the well. How can I give to others if i’m not taking time for myself? If my cup is empty, how can I pour into others? Sometimes as moms, we have to remember to take time out to recharge. Not just physical time out, but mental and spiritual as well. Our Father’s arms are open wide to embrace us! Our spiritual health directly correlates with our attitude, and honestly my attitude lately has been rough. When we aren’t going to the Father to be fed, we aren’t feeding others well. So tonight I challenge you (and me) to head to the well. Spend time alone in prayer, asking God to remind you that you are enough. That he chose you to be those kid’s mommy, that man’s wife, in that position at work. Whatever it is that you’re feeling not enough for, you are. Sometimes we just need a little time out to be refreshed and tackle the day!

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Mark 1:35

PS: I haven’t forgotten about my “What’s in my hospital bag?” post! Stay tuned for that, and as always, thanks for reading!

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Did you notice the new little tab at the top of my blog!? It’s almost time to expand our Entrusted brand and i’m like a kid in a candy store! 🙂

Zack and I have combined our passions for design and woodwork and we are finally taking the leap into a business! Entrusted design will include almost anything that involves wood, but for right now our primary focus is on our new adorable wooden signs! We have really been working hard the past couple of weeks to make sure we take all the proper steps in starting a business so that we are fully equipped to handle all your needs. We will be welcoming our little Lincoln in a few weeks and because of that we are not quite ready to open our online shop just yet but we hope you’ll stay tuned and get excited with us!

So, I’ve been needing a work space that I can leave a mess, and lock when necessary.  Our house doesn’t have an office, it just has a desk that’s in our kitchen. Not ideal with 3 young kiddos who want to “help” with painting, gluing, cutting, etc. & that’s when it came to me! We can turn the little closet under the stairs into my own mini Entrusted office! Being the only female in a house full of boys, I decided it would be the perfect little nook that was just for me. I had to really get creative and get as much function out of that tight space as possible. Once I had the plans in mind, Zack started building and I started decorating! We had so much fun and I wanted to share our space with you!

Amazon has tons of gold office supplies that is just too cute! And for a mommy who is usually surrounded by boy stuff, I “needed” it. Right?

• U Brands Desk Accessory Organization Kit, Rose Gold
• U Brands Hanging File Desk Organizer, Wire Metal, Gold
• Nate BerkusTM Limited Edition Swingline 747 Gold Stapler
• Nate Berkus Gold Desktop Organizer (Pack 1)

I got the sign, shelves and cork board from Hobby Lobby. Also found that adorable calendar from a free printable here, and the chair from IKEA.

… and now a sneak peek of our wooden signs! We are so excited about these and hope you love them as much as we do! You can hang them on your doors or walls. Our Lincoln’s will hang on his hospital door when he’s born and then be on his nursery wall after that!

Don’t forget to subscribe so you can be in the know for when you can have a sign of your own! We are so grateful for those who have “entrusted” us with your designs in the past, and we hope we continue to expand! 🙂 Have a great fourth of July weekend everyone!

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Persistence… in kids it can sometimes be viewed as a negative characteristic. People will say, “Man, he sure is persistent!” Or moms will say “She just will not stop!” But persistence in a biblical sense is everything. Persistence by definition means “firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition.” Have you ever faced difficulty or opposition while trying to live out your course of action? Haha, Yeah, me too! But don’t you want to be known as someone who was persistent with the will of God? The Christian walk commands persistence. Endurance. Stamina. Perseverance. Constancy. We were never promised it would be an easy road. Did you know that before Jesus died on the cross he asked God if there was another way? In Mathew 26:39 & 42 he says “my father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me…” But he persisted. He pushed through it. He endured the cross so that you and I were free. Boy am I thankful for that kind of persistence! See once we find Gods plan for our lives, once we decide we are in, we are called to persist. We WILL face opposition, Satan WILL attack us while we try to further the kingdom of God, but with Gods help we also WILL persist. The Bible gives several examples of how we should act when we are faced with opposition. In Romans it tells us to be patient in affliction. (12:12) In Galatians it tells us not to become weary, for in proper time we will reap our harvest if we do not give up. (6:9) Revelations tells us that since we have endured patiently, we will not face the hour of trial. (3:10) Seeing the same pattern I am? It could take awhile guys… persist anyway. Let the spirit lead you. Talk through when you’re discouraged. Let others help you persist, but persist!

I feel unworthy to encourage this, as I promise I’m in the struggle to persistent just as you might be. But let’s choose to persist. Let’s make sure our motives are spirit driven, and let’s endure in spite of opposition. Just as we are called to do.

I will leave you with this word from Beth Moore’s entrusted bible study… (Page 151 in the study guide for those who have it)

” Pure persistence will carry you where no amount of talent, skill, aptitude, and experience can… persist.”

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What do they call it? Champagne taste on a beer budget? That’s me. I LOVE for things to look nice, but I HATE spending money. Since we are a one income family, I try to stay innovative and do things as cheaply as possible. Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and spend the money, but other times it’s so fun to see what you can do for as cheap as possible! When we first built our house, I went through THREE different breakfast nook designs. It took me forever to get a vision. Because of that, I don’t recommend tackling a project until you have a clear vision of what you want it to look like. TIP: Find a quiz online to help determine your design style. Pick a few items you love and design around them.

So here’s my before.

I loved the light that was hanging there, but because my area was longer than it was wide, and the light barely put off any light, it had to go. So my TIP for lighting is to pay attention to the amount of light it puts off, and also to the shape of your room when picking lighting for a specific spot. Be intentional, don’t just find a light you love and try to make it work.

And here’s my after…

Granted, I know the before picture is not a great shot. But a big part of that is lighting. So this light was hanging in my dining room, and again was one of those “I love this light, but it’s not perfect for this space” situations.  Suddenly, I had an idea. It took some convincing to my husband, but he decided to let me get a new dining room light and we moved this one to the kitchen. What a difference it made immediately. He also built me the window bench that you see in the background and pictured below.That helped to center up my light and provided more seating! I sketched out what I want and he made it come to life.The tops open up for storage and the middle provided a space for dog bowls without worrying about them being kicked and knocked over.

Next, we needed a table. We loosely based our table from these plans . Picking a stain was a challenge for me at first. Our kitchen cabinets are a dark stain, and I knew I wanted black to be worked in somewhere. I created a mixture using jacobean and classic gray from minwax and I loved the way it turned out! The legs of the table are Sherwin Williams antique white. TIP here is to paint the legs BEFORE you put the top on. So much easier… especially if you happen to have a big baby belly in front of you. 😉

Because I have 3 kiddos, I love the idea of the metal chairs. I found these at overstock and they have a lot of options/pricing!

Now that the fundamentals were in place, it was time to decorate! I felt like the window valance that I had before just kind of brought the room down. Something about it wasn’t working for me. I wanted something above the window so that it had a more finished look, but I didn’t necessarily want to draw attention up there. So I had the idea to just build one, stain it, and slap it up there. We just took at 1×8 pine board, cut it at a 45 degree angle to accommodate sides, added stain and called it good! Less than $15 for a window treatment just made my heart (and wallet) smile. 🙂

For wall art I painted a piece of ply wood we had with the paint I used for the table legs, framed it out with some extra trim pieces that I stained, and used the scroll saw to make the letters “EAT” which I spray painted black!

There are millions of tutorials and pictures of these shelves on pinterest .  

It is important to know you do have to buy three parts for the pipe. There’s the flange that is against the wall, the actual pipe, and the end cap. TIP we used for ours is to just take mineral oil and wipe them down. That eliminates the black stuff you get on your hands from touching pipe. I’m sure there’s some technical name for that, but we aren’t here for technicalities, right? Ha!

I got that Give Thanks Printable for free from Shanty sisters and found an empty frame laying around my house! The plant and container are from IKEA!The cute little “6” sign represents the number of people currently in our family, including the belly, and was purchased at hobby lobby. I added a few cookbooks(Double Delicious: Good, Simple Food for Busy, Complicated Livesthis particular one gives TIPS on how to hide veggies in recipes so kids don’t know it) I already had up there and Ta-da! Cheap shelf decor done!

I hope you’ve enjoyed getting a look inside my breakfast nook & I hope you’re inspired to challenge yourself! Remember, it doesn’t take a lot of money to make your space happy!

Questions? Email cris@entrustedmom.com, comment below, or find me on facebook or instagram!