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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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Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites #76

Happy Friday friends! I hope you had a great week and are ready for the weekend. Maybe you have something fun planned whether it’s a date night, hanging with your girlfriends or tackling some house projects.

We are in a new year and that means lots of fresh starts and new beginnings which evident in today’s Friday Favorites. I also got some fun presents for Christmas, so I’ll be sharing those in the coming weeks too. As always, I’m linking up with Erika and Andrea. for some new favorite things this week and year. 

New Lotion-Strawberry Snowflakes– The timing worked out perfectly that I needed a new scent as the new year rolled around. I got Strawberry Snowflakes lotion and body spray for Christmas, and I have really been enjoying the warm scent with a hint of sweetness. I like body sprays and lotions that have a bit of a sweet or refreshing scent, but that’s not too overpowering or strong. I don’t splurge too often on Bath and Body Works, but when I do, I make sure it’s during one of their major sales they have throughout the year. This has been a luxurious way to treat myself every day.

New Planner– I purchased my Simplified 2024 Yearly planner back in the fall, but just started using it last week and it has been a favorite of mine. Before the new year begins, I always like spending some time setting up my new planner with dates to remember, goals to follow and items to track. I made a few minor changes of how I plan to use my planner more efficiently this year and I’m eager to see if these new systems work. It feels so good to start the new year out with a clean slate and new planner. I also will be using their mini notebooks to keep track of notes and to-do’s that come up through the week as well.

New year, new planner

Near in the Night– I purchased the second devotional, Near in the Night from Emily Ley last year, but saved it to start at the start of the new year. I typically do my quiet time in the morning, but it has been nice to wind down with some reading and reflection at the end of the day too. It’s been a soothing way to get off my screen a bit earlier in the evening and read and unwind before I head to bed. Plus, I love the way Emily writes and have really enjoyed the scriptures she chose reflect on.

Libby– Speaking of reading, it’s no secret that reading is one of my favorite hobbies. I always read every day, even if it’s just for a few minutes. I recently downloaded the Libby app, which allows you to check out EBooks and audiobooks from your local library. I prefer reading hardcover or paperback books as opposed to reading them on a screen, but I have found that if I have a book on my phone, I’m more apt to read it as opposed to scrolling through social media. I’m currently reading “The Senator’s Wife”, both the book and Libby have been favorites for this book lover.

Clutch Charger-I got a Clutch charger for Christmas and this has been a favorite tech device for me. This slim, portable charger attaches to the back of your cell phone with a magnetic ring and provides a fast charge to your cell phone. It isn’t big or bulky and it charges both as a device and your phone fast. I can’t wait to use this charger more when I travel more through the year. Plus, the pink color sparks joy for me too!

That’s a roundup of some of my favorite things from this past week and from the new year.

What’s something that has brought you joy this week? Let me know in the comments below!

Happy Friday!

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Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites #64

Hello All! Happy Friday! I hope you had a great week. I can’t believe we are one week out from Halloween weekend! This month has flown by, but I have made the most of it between fall walks, apple picking, baking and fall fests!

Hello Fall!

It’s been a great month and it’s not over yet. Today’s roundup is all things fall as I link up with Erika and Andrea or a fun roundup of Friday Favorites!

Pinterest Boards– Kicking things off with all things fall, my Pinterest boards reflect how I feel about fall and they bring me so much JOY!  Give me all the fall vibes, from nature photos to recipes I want to try, cozy scenes indoors and book and movie recommendations. I go through phases where I am always pinning things up for ideas or inspiration or I am not on the app at all. I’m currently pinning all the fall things, all the time. I love to go on Pinterest at the end of the day for inspiration and to unwind. Here’s my page to follow along, not just for fall but for recipes, fashion, home decor and organization.

SO much JOY!

New Room Scent– New season, new scent! Does this scent not scream fall..honeycrisp apple for fall?! I love apples and and the fresh and sweet scent they bring and I know this was the perfect scent for the next few months for fall! Whenever I have it on, I am drawn back into an apple orchard. Bath and Body Works is my go-to for all the sweet scents, they always get me with their deals for lotions, car scents, body spray and candles.

The perfect fall scent!

Near in the Night– Emily Ley’s latest book, Near in the Night just came out and I can’t wait to dive in. I’m still deciding if I want to start it now or wait until the new year to begin, stay tuned! This is a companion or part two to her first set of devotionals, Sure as the Sunrise. I loved starting my day with Sure as the Sunrise, after some journaling and quiet time and I was thrilled when she announced she had a set of 100 nighttime devotionals coming out. Ley is such a talented writer and I have loved all the different genres of books she’s penned and published. I’m looking forward to ending my day with some quiet time and devotional time and can’t wait to start Near in the Night.

Stuffed Butternut Squash-My boyfriend made Stuffed Butternut Squash for a date night in and it was delicious. The perfect fall recipe. I asked him to share the recipe if you are looking to try it!

A delicious fall meal!

Ingredients

2 acorn squash, halved and seeded

1/2-3/4 pound ground sausage of your choice

½ teaspoon salt and pepper, more or less depending on seasoning of sausage

herbs and spices to taste, depending on which ones pair with the sausage of choice

¼ cup breadcrumbs

1/3 cup milk

1.5 cups cooked rice, ideally cooled

1 diced bell pepper

½ diced onion

Directions

  1. Combine all ingredients except breadcrumbs.
  2. mix well and divide into squash halves.
  3. Top with breadcrumbs and a melty cheese if desired, very lightly drizzle oil or spray tops of each
  4. Place squashes into lightly oiled baking dish
  5. 5) Bake covered at 350 for one hour, then uncovered for 30 minutes 

Sitting in Bars with Cake– If you are looking for a movie for girls’ night or a mother-daughter night in, I have you covered. I found the movie, Sitting in Bars with Cake on Amazon Prime and watched it with my mom, it looked so cute and fun. Two young best friends living together in LA head to bars with cake as a way to make new friends and guys while making memories along the way, what more could you ask for in a movie?! I loved the story of friendship, seeing them make all these unique cakes and creations, but the movie had a lot more depth than I realized. This was a tearjerker and really showed the power of friendship and how it endures all. Make sure you have tissues on hand when you watch you have something sweet to indulge in, because the movie will leave you hungry!

That’s a quick look into what I have been loving this week, lots of fall favorites, from scents to inspiration, recipes, and movies! Tell me, what have you enjoyed the most about the fall season? Let me know in the comments below! Happy Fall Friday!