Tag: evening routine

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Let's Look

Let’s Look: Quiet and Prayer Time

Hello all!

Happy Wednesday! This has been a BUSY week, I just wrapped up a big work project, so the fact that my weekend starts tomorrow is huge sigh of relief.

I got to witness my first Total Solar Eclipse which was an incredible experience.

Such a cool moment

It’s the second Wednesday of the month which means it’s time for another Let’s Look as I link up with with Shay and Erika.

In January, we talked about How We Clean Our Closets.

In February, the topic was Things We Do Every Day

In March, it was all about what’s in our Grocery Carts

This month, we are chatting all about our Quiet and Prayer time.

This is a personal topic for many, and I know everyone has their own faith life and practices. Today, I’m sharing what has worked best for me in my prayer life as an adult and how I have incorporated my relationship with God in my every day life as I have gotten older.

I have gone to church my entire life. I went to Catholic grade school, high school, and college, so I always felt like I had a good relationship with God. As an adult, I wanted to grow more in my faith life and that came in the form of making more time for prayer every day. 

Every morning, I begin my day with a daily prayer/reflection. I like to ease into my day with quiet time before the days gets busy.

I use the app Laudate, which contains daily readings, prayers and reflections. During special seasons in the Catholic church, like Advent and Lent, I spend more time in my prayer by reading other devotionals I get through my Church, they typically contain a reading and reflection and prayer.

 This was the one I was using for this Lenten season at the end of the day before bed.

After some prayer and intention time, I spend time journaling about my day, what happened, what was good or bad, what’s stressing me out and what’s bringing me joy. I really like to take the time for reflection before the day begins, plus it gets all my thoughts out on paper and out of my mind. This takes about ten to fifteen minutes depending on how much I need to unpack, haha! Once my quiet time in the morning is done, it’s off to start the day.

At the end of the day, I have been working to unwind and have a few minutes of quiet time before getting ready for bed. I started the year by reading Near in the Night, it’s a companion piece to Sure as the Sunrise by Emily Ley.

It’s 100 daily devotionals and reflections. I made my way through Sure as the Sunrise last year in the mornings and have been making my way through Near in the Night this year. I did take a brief pause for Lent, but now, I’m back into it. I like the different devotionals and prompts that Ley writes and I like the room for daily and weekly reflection that she provides. After a little bit of quiet time, it’s time for bed.

Everyone has the own relationship with their faith life, some may choose to go to Church every day, while others may only go once a week. Faith is such a personal choice, and everyone has to decide for themselves what works best for them. I have found that incorporating time in the morning and night to spend time on my faith life is what matters most to me, so I make it a priority every day. There is always room for more time with God, but at this stage in my life this is what works for me.

If you are struggling with a faith life, I hope this encourages you to explore what else is out there for you. 

See you back here on Friday for another edition of Friday Favorites!

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Let's Look

Let’s Look: Evening Routines

Hello all!

Happy Wednesday! 

I hope you are having a great September. It’s the second Tuesday of the month which means it’s time for another Let’s Look as I link up with  Erika and Shay. 

This year has been flying by, I can’t believe we are closer to the end of the year than the beginning or middle. It’s been such a good and fulfilling year, I can’t complain. 

Here’s a quick recap of all the Let’s Looks we have done this year. 

In August, we talked about our worst habits, In July, we talked about new favorite summer finds, in June, we talked about best travel tips, in May, we talked about our morning routines, in April, we talked about pet peeves, in March, we talked about Amazon purchases, in February it was about our medicine cabinets.

I love getting a look into other people’s lives and I love sharing a bit about my own too!

This month’s prompt is a look into our evening routines. My evening routine is pretty lowkey and not too exciting compared to my morning routine. It also ebbs and flows more than my morning routines.

 For me, the end of the day is all about wrapping things up and prepping for the next day so I can do my part to have a smoother morning.

After I get home from work or whatever I’m doing that day, I’ll eat dinner, visit with my family and clean up. Then I’ll do some computer work or picking up, like laundry, getting my lunch, prepping for the next day, anything that needs done.

I’ll shower and wash my face then unwind for the night. Unwinding is typically done by watching a show (whatever I’m binge watching or if there’s a weekly show I’m watching) or I’ll do some reading. If I have to be up early, I may drink some Sleepytime Tea to unwind. This is what I’m currently drinking.

My current favorite tea!

Right now, I’m watching A Perfect Story on Netflix which follows the story of a runaway bride and how she turns her life around when she meets someone totally unexpected. It’s a light-hearted mini series that’s only five episodes long, so it’s been a fast watch.

I just finished reading Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson. I have been waiting all summer to read it, but it was always checked out at the library. It was such a good and fast read all about the dynamics of a wealthy family in New York City. I loved how it was told from different perspectives and truly fell in love with the storylines and characters. Sometimes I’ll watch an episode or two depending on the time or read a few chapters or pages, it mostly depends on the day and how busy I am.

My latest read!

I try to be in bed between 9:00 and 9:30 when I’m working an early shift which means my alarm goes off at 3:30 a.m. or by 10:00-10:30 when I’m up at a normal time like 6:00 a.m.

A few things I always use before bed is my Sara Happ Lip Scrub and Slip. Since I always have lipstick on, I like to use this scrub and slip to clean and protect my lips nightly.

I also like to use essential oils at night for a good night’s sleep. I use different scents through the day, but at night I stick to Lavendar, Peppermint or mixes like Calm, Headache, or Deep Sleep.

I always use these at night.

If I also use a pillow/room mist that has Lavendar in it too and then I always apply some hand lotion before bed, Bath and Body Works Lavendar has been my go-to.

Now all that’s left is to put on my eye mask and hit the pillow. I do one final check on my phone for social media or to see if there’s any calls or emails I may have missed and then it’s time for bed.

My morning routine is way more detailed an expansive. However, at night, it’s just about wrapping up the day, getting set for tomorrow and then calming the mind and body. I’ll do some deep breathing techniques right before bed and that typically puts me to sleep.

Alarms set for the new day!

I wish my evening was more exciting, but it’s pretty subdue. 

I’m always curious to learn about other people’s evening routines! Tell me, what do you do at night that helps you get ready for a new day or unwind at the end of the day? Let me know in the comments below!

Happy Sleeping!