“It’s Been a Long Day Without You my Friend…

…and I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again.” -Charlie Puth 😉

Hello Dear Readers!

How are you doing? I feel kind of silly apologizing for my absence because I know you guys understand, so I won’t go there. Just know I haven’t forgotten about this little space on the internet where I share with you all the things in good-old-fashioned letter-format. <3

So, what’s going on with me you ask?? Let’s do this in an old-fashioned 7 Quick Takes post, even though it’s not Friday. If Kelly Mantoan is still doing these, I’ll link up with her on the next one. 😉

1. First Quick Take! I created this visual of a comforting Bible verse at the prompting of my husband Matt the other day. Such a simple well-known verse that carries so much power and the reminder that we need every single day. If we can just let it sink in, I feel like our blood pressure will automatically start to regulate! (obvs I’m not a doctor so this is not medical advice!) I hope it does you some good to read it, as it does for me. <3

2. I have some rather sad news to report that will not affect this blog at all, really. I am no longer able to tolerate full-fledged caffeine. *cue tears* It’s too bad and I’ve been in denial for a very long time, but as I shared on my instagram page, I’ve found some work-arounds to this. Not the least of which, is finding good-quality decaf and knowing what to order at Starbucks:

3. My husband now works at the same church as I do and it’s been amazing so far. It’s such a blessing to be serving at the same parish and have the same goals in mind + working together towards them. It’s been a dream of ours for a long time!

4. June, July, August, and September are birthday months at our house, and I’ve been traveling down memory lane so much lately. I just can’t believe how quickly time just flies by. I met my husband 10 years ago and now we have 5 beautiful children. I’ve also been thinking so much about how it was so hard when we had the first 3 in diapers at the same time and no extra helping hands. But now the oldest 2 are big enough to read aloud to their siblings, and they’re so much fun to talk to + help when we make trips to the grocery store! It will never be the same kind of hard and yet…I really miss those early baby days! I don’t think I’ll ever not be a mess of a mom with all the crazy ups and downs and emotions and love that motherhood brings. <3

5. I’ve been enjoying these clean-eating keto-ish foods (pictured below) lately! The Impossible meat is probably the most astonishing discovery I’ve made in quite a while! If you know me, you know I absolutely HATE cooking with raw meat. I don’t mind eating some chicken, and I love Matt’s beef ribs once in awhile when he makes them, but other than that I’m not really big on meat, much less having to handle it to make a meal. So Impossible Meat burgers and “ground beef” has been a huge thing for me. I use it for so many meals! Picadillo, korean-style tacos, hamburgers, you name it! So amazing, and everyone here loves it! I buy mine from Costco.

6. Also have to mention the other foods in the above pic – PicNik coffee creamer is my fav. I still drink decaf and this froths up beautifully, plus it tastes amazing. I actually prefer it to half and half! Love the Keto bread I buy from Costco too – no carb crashes, which is huge for me. The macadamia milk, also from Costco, is great for smoothies, and I’ve been using the vegan butter for Matt who had a season of sensitivity to dairy. YUM!

7. My last quick take! So, I’ve slowly been adding to my YouTube channel (Alleluia Is Our Song) and it’s been kind of a nice stress-reliever for me. When I feel things are a little out of control whether with health-related stuff, keeping up with mommy-ing, or life in general – it turns out that curating a nice little makeup/nail tutorial and chatting about something beauty-related really lifts my mood! It’s kind of my “me-time” too and I just love sharing this little hobby in video format. Feel free to hop on over and subscribe! Then you can chat with me in the comments about all the pretty things, hehe. <3 These are just a few that I’ve done lately:

That’s it for now, friends! Thanks for reading and for being here. <3 Let’s talk again soon! And feel free to comment below, even if it’s just to say hi. I love hearing from you!

Love,