When Bad Things Happen

This last week in class at church we were talking about why "bad" things happen to "good" people. We had a pretty healthy discussion. Did God allow it? Did God cause it? Who's to blame? It brought this story to my head from John 9:

As the disciples and Jesus passed by a blind man, the disciples asked Jesus, "Who sinned, this man or his parents for him to be born blind?" To us this might seem like a really silly question, but at that time it was believed that when "bad" things happened it was because people deserved it. This totally goes against my line of thinking. But Jesus' response is perfect, "It wasn't this man or his parents, it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him." Then Jesus proceeded to heal the blind man and restore his sight.

God is bigger than anything we are going through, and he can be gloried in the midst of any hard time.  When we are in the middle of what can seem like the worst day of our life, God is still there with us. I hope this sticks with you and when you find yourselves in pain, you remember God can use you and your situation for good.

I was recently sent this beautiful pendant necklace from  Happiness Boutique. I love a good pendant necklace, and this one does not disappoint. The quality and craftsmanship is easy to see, something that isn't always true with inexpensive jewelry, and I love how it helps to dress up this outfit. Now that I'm back in school, I'm getting to wear my dress clothes again, and this jacket from Loft, is one of my favorites. This blazer is a similar option and I love it as well.

The Girl on the Train

The Girl on the Train had been on my must-read list for quite a while, so when the library finally got it in for me, I was super excited to read it.  At the beginning of the story we are introduced to Rachel, the girl on the train. She rides the same route each day from her town into London. Rachel's life is kind of a wreck, her marriage failed two years earlier, she has a drinking problem, and has lost her job in London, but continues to ride the train each day anyway.

The highlight of her journey is driving by the house of "Jess and Jason," the couple who she often sees out on their balcony while riding the train. In her head, these two have the perfect marriage and perfect life; the life she wishes she'd had with her husband. Everything changes when she sees something from the train and "Jess" turns up dead shortly after. 

Rachel goes on a quest to try to solve the mystery of how "Jess" died, and in the process unlocks some of her own mysteries inside of her head.  This page-turner will leave you on the edge of your seat and up reading late into the night. I'd definitely recommend adding it to your reading list now.

Rackroom Shoes

Well, everyone, it's officially back to school time. My kids come tomorrow for the first day and Grant starts kindergarten next week! In the midst of all this busyness, Grant and I really needed to do some back to school shopping, and shoes were at the tops of the list for both of us. Thankfully Rack Room Shoes came to our rescue. They have a huge selection of on trends shoes in all styles and brands, and always have "Buy One Get One 50% off" promotion going on. How cool is that?

Although I'm really set in the dress shoe department, my athletic shoes were literally five years old. I started going to the gym again this summer and am planning to continue doing this during the school year too, three days after school. I was super excited when I came across these ASICAS GEL Flux shoes. My husband swears by ASICAS, so I was excited to give them a try. They are super light-weight and comfortable! I also love the bright colors-they are so much more fun than my old athletic shoes.

21 Week Bumpdate

Weeks along: 21 weeks today

Size of the baby? 3/4 of a pound and 10 1/2 inches long- about the size of a carrot

Must haves: I really haven't been having a ton of cravings, although weirdly Gatorade and Mt. Dew have been delicious treats. I really limit my caffeine, so don't have pop daily, but it's nice once in a while.

Sleep: It's getting better as I've gotten used to sleeping on my side. I'm now officially back to school, so I won't be getting as much sleep as I'd like. We'll see if I'm able to stay awake until 10:00, or if I'm asleep on the couch my 9:00.

Baby Movement: I have been feeling little flutterings in my stomach, which is definitely fun!

Gender: It's a girl!

Weight Gain: 7 pounds

Challenges: It seems like waking up at 7 this summer helped my nausea, waking up at 5:30 doesn't. I'm going to try to put off eating until 7 and see if that helps.

 Best moment of the week: Finding out we're having a girl. We really just wanted a heathy baby, which she is, but having a boy and now a girl will be such a treat!

Thirty-One Gifts

Recently I was contacted about trying about some great Thirty-One pieces by Jennifer. I already have a few things, like the utility tote, which I love, and a few of the car organizers like the Hang-Up Activity Organizer, but I didn't have a Thirty-One bag.

While looking though their catalog I found a ton of pieces I loved like Diamond District Bag and the Canvas Crew Carry-All, but when I saw Canvas Crew Tote, I knew I'd found a winner. Plus it's the first thing I have that is monogrammed, so I'm pretty excited about that too!

Back to School with Gordmans

So, this kiddo is headed to kindergarten in two weeks. Yes, it is happening!

We lucked up this summer and didn't have to buy Grant very many clothes. His short sleeve t-shirts still fit and we found some gym shorts, which he loves on sale.

Now that it's time for school it really is time to stock up on school clothes. His t-shirts are getting small and his jeans and pants from last year are definitely too small too. Luckily, we have a Gordmans close by and we could stock up on some clothes that will be perfect for Grant for back to school, and we could snag them at a great price too.

One Dress, Three Ways with Splender

As I've mentioned on her before, I've really been trying to be careful about how much money I spend on maternity clothes, since I'll be wearing them for such a short time. Luckily, I recently I learned about this great site called Splender, and it's the perfect way to shop! With over 800 stores in their network, you can find the best deals all in one place.  

With stores like Macy's Bloomingdales, and Nordstoms in their network, shopping is made easy! What I really love about this site is the cash back option. After making a purchase through their link, you get an email notifying you that money has hit your account, then once you have at least $10 in your Splender account, you can transfer it to Paypal. Super easy!

 I was also thrilled to see that thredUp is part of their network too. You all know how much I love that site, and  Splender gives an extra 5% cashback, on top to the great deals you can find on thredup. Speaking of which, right now you can get $20 off your first purchase to thredUp using this link!

I came across this great striped dress from Motherhood maternity on thredUp, and knew it would be a great addition to my wardrobe for the remainder of my pregnancy. Today I thought I'd share three ways to wear it: one for now, one for fall, and one for winter.