New Year Q&A

Happy January 7th! Can't believe we're already in the new year. Feels like it was just Halloween or something! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and New Years. We spent NYE with friends for the first time since being married and it was a blast. I actually made it past midnight which is a miracle ;) I decided to start the new year of blog posts out with a Q&A of some of the questions I got on my Instagram poll. Here we go!
1. What daily devotionals do you do or do you do any at all? I don't read a specific devotional book every day of the year, but I'm usually doing some sort of devotional, study, or reading a book that encourages me in my faith and teaches me about God. Usually I follow along with the She Reads Truth study. This is an app that you can download the current (and past) Bible reading plans for, or you can follow along for free on the website (a little less user friendly, but still a great resource!) Right now they're in Luke!  I'm actually not doing this study right now, because I'm doing a study on James by Jen Wilkin, who's one of the Bible study teachers I've been blessed by most on my journey with Jesus. All of her books have been so helpful and one of the things I've learned most from her is HOW to actually study the Bible. First, she encourages us to read the whole book or passage so we have context surrounding what we are reading. Just like we'd never open a novel in the middle of the book and try to understand what's happening, we also want to be mindful of reading the Bible the way the author's intended. After reading, the first step is comprehension, which asks "what does it say?". Then we move to interpretation which asks "what does it mean?" without looking into any commentaries first and instead really gleaning what WE think it means (solid biblical commentaries are okay after that!). Finally, we end with application which asks "how does this change me and how do I live in light of it?" Often times, we're quick to jump to the third step which makes what we read about us instead of what the Bible is really about, which is God Himself.  Anyways, love her studies! I just searched for Flower Mound Women's Bible Study Jen Wilkin on the podcast app and chose one (or here is the direct link to it on Podbean). From there, the Bible study packet is linked in the show notes or you can find them here on Jen's website. Thanks to my friend Nicole for telling me about the workbook! One thing I want to say here is I think it's really important to just be reading the word of God. You don't need a fancy app or to be reading through a book on a certain topic. Just read the Bible, first and foremost, sisters. I don't think we can get all God has for us by reading Jesus Calling or an inspirational book that happens to be sold in the "faith" section of the bookstore. That said, there are lots of helpful books and resources out there like some great podcasts and other books. I'll be sharing some of my favorite reads from 2018 with you in a post coming soon.
2. What's your Bible study structure? I try to do my Bible reading in the morning, but sometimes I don't have time and will do it in the evening with my husband. Like I said above, I'm usually reading through a book of the Bible or following a reading plan + reading another book at the same time. I don't always get to both. I find that if I don't do my reading in the morning, I don't usually get to it, so I'm trying super hard this year to do it in the morning, even if it means getting up earlier than I'd like.
3. Favorite books from 2018? I'll cover this in my post coming soon on more of this topic! 

4. How'd you find your style? You always looks so cute and comfy. Oh my gosh, sweetest thing! I totally don't feel like I have "found my style", but I do always try to keep a few things in mind when I buy clothes. 1. It has to be comfortable. I'm highly allergic to wool and anything itchy, so I have to be comfortable in it! Because of this, I have a lot staple items, like this tee I linked to yesterday. I also live in leggings and sweaters and to be honest, sometimes PJ's in the winter months ;)  2. I like feminine looking things with sweet details like ruffles, bows, a trim detail or something cute like that. 3. Color. I tend to go for lighter pastel colors like grays, creams, pinks. I have a couple darker things, but not many. 4. Layers. I get cold very easily, so having things I can layer with is key. In winter, I have a couple chunky cardigans I wear over tops and then still layer with big puffy coats. In summer I have a few sweaters and then take my denim jacket pretty much everywhere! I think I "found" my style by seeing what other people wear and what I gravitate towards. I always have my interior design client's pin their favorite spaces on a board and then look through it to find commonalities when I'm designing their home. I think the same would be helpful to find your style!

5. What made you want to become a Beautycounter consultant? This is a fun one! My friend Carmel sent me some products to try once and I was truthfully pretty hesitant. I have sensitive skin so I didn't want anything to happen to it by trying new products! I did end up trying them after MUCH research and really, really liked everything she sent me to try. Around this time I was also doing lots of research on making sure my home cleaning products were well, clean and safe. I didn't want any toxic chemicals in them that could effect our bodies. My husband's father had just passed away from cancer, so I was feeling very overwhelmed with trying to implement things now to live a healthier lifestyle. If I was so worried about cleaning products and what we put IN our bodies, I realized I should probably consider what I put ON my body.  I started doing more research on the cosmetic industry and realized all the horrendous things I was putting on my body definitely contribute to my health. I was not okay with putting hormone and endocrine disrupters on my body (especially when we do eventually want to have kids!), much less cancer-causing ingredients. Beautycounter works to get laws changed and passed to actually better the future of the cosmetic industry and get safer products into the hands of everyone.  Well, after coming to trust the company, I decided to sign up to be a consultant because of the discount, people. Let's be honest...25% off is a nice deal ;) But then after using them more and telling my friends about them, I realized this had potential for being a really great addition to my business. I had been sharing clothes and design tips for years, so why not share what makeup and skin care I use, too? It seemed to fit in so naturally. And once I started sharing, you guys were pretty interested in it, too! I have loved getting safer beauty tips in your hands for the past year through my monthly newsletter. Beautycounter has been a blessing to our family both financially and health-wise!  Let me know if you ever want to learn more about the products or if you'd want to join my little team. 6. Do you enjoy thrifting? Sadly, I actually really do not :( I hate that I might be disappointing people on this one, but I just don't have a ton of patience for this. Now, if I'm looking for a vintage piece of furniture, then yes, I'll do that. But thrifting for clothing is not my jam.  7. How tall are you? 5'5" exactly!  8. Where are your favorite local places to shop for decor? I have a couple faves! My number one is Dwellings, followed by Blue Door Antiques, the Found Cottage, and a couple other boutiques. I can sometimes find fun stuff at Nordlies, which is a wholesaler, but they don't do returns, so I'm not a huge fan of that. I also love World Market for accessories.

9. How do you curl your hair? See highlight on my instagram for this one! 10. What first attracted you to your husband? First thing I noticed was his kindness and his smile. After just a few conversations, I knew he had a good heart! As we got to know each other more, I learned about his heart for God, for always growing and improving, and for seeking truth for himself, which were all things I loved. I could see how generous of a person he was right away as well-- something he got from his Dad -- and that was a huge quality I fell in love with. This post goes more in depth on this!

11. Do you have any plans of moving into a house soon? Ha! Are you reading our minds?! ;) We've lived in this apartment since we got married in 2016. It's a 1 bedroom, 1 bath and it's small. It's worked so well for us for these few years, but we definitely need more space especially since we have a dog now. He needs a yard!! I need an office so badly. So yes, we are going to plan to start looking at other living situations. We're going to explore a couple of options, so we're not sure if we will buy (and if we'd do a fixer or what?!) or rent, but we will definitely be moving this year to gain more space and a yard. And as of now, we will be looking in Michigan. My husband loves his job, which he got back in February of 2018, so living here for at least another year or two is in our short-term plans. But you never know what God has in store! 

12. How did you start your business? I wrote a whole series of posts on that! You can find part one, part two, part three and part four.  Essentially, I started my blog in college and when I graduated I had enough readership and enough people asking for my services that I was able to start my business right away. Of course I worked for designers in the beginning to get experience, too. I've been so thankful to be able to do what I love and run my small business ever since 2014. 
13. Do you recommend going to school if you want to become an interior designer? Good question! I do think that school gives you an edge on other designers-- you learn so many things there like Auto CAD, Photoshop, and specific skills you'll need for dealing with materials, etc. That being said, I don't think you HAVE to go to school to be successful at interior design. There are thousands of designers who are self-taught. I'd just say to work with a firm or another designer first!

14. What's your Enneagram number? Love this. I'm a 3 wing 2. That's the Achiever with the Helper as my wing. My husband is a 9 and I'm pretty sure his wing is 1 (Peacemaker / Individualist).  I've found this to be a common pairing, which is kinda cool! If you want to take the "test" you can find it here, but also make sure to read through the types and see where you THINK you fit. The test is a good guide, but really looking into the 9 types is the best gage of your true number. This has been really cool as a resource to learn more about myself and my husband!
15. If you could hire out one thing, what would it be? HANDS DOWN, someone to cook for me for every meal. I just really don't like doing it-- I want to be so good at it, I really do, and I'm just not. So, I'd rather outsource ;) Getting Blue Apron or Hello Fresh once month is really helpful so I don't have to think of what to make / go grocery shopping. 


That's it for today! Let me know if you have any other questions for another Q&A down the road :) xoxo
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