AUTHOR + ONLINE EDUCATOR

We’re in the middle of Atlanta winter over here. Atlanta winter isn’t much of a winter, and that’s fine by me. I enjoy the glimpses of spring. Today I’ve opened up the windows in several rooms to hear the birds chirping. I am surprised to find I am ready for spring.

My mom comes into town on Wednesday, and I cannot wait. I’m busy getting the guest room all set up for her. I have my first traveling speaking engagement next week, and I am all kinds of nervous. I got so used to being home that it feels strange to board a plane and leave next week. This will be my first time leaving Novi for a speaking engagement, so all prayers are appreciated. 

We’re doing a lot of home projects these days, and we are finally revamping our master bedroom. And here are a few other things I have been loving and learning lately!

001. Home Chef

Last year, I went on a bender and signed up for every free trial of every meal service out there. I wish I were kidding. I tried Martha Stewart’s meal service. I tried Evolved Eating. I tried HomeChef, GreenChef, Hello Fresh, and Blue Apron. 

The results are in: Home Chef wins every dang time.

Here’s the thing: if I use a meal service, it has to be efficient yet delicious, yet not pre-cooked. I can’t handle the pre-cooked stuff I’ve learned. I want something I can throw together, but your girl has no time to pickle and peel vegetables.

I am not kidding; every meal we’ve tried with HomeChef has been divine. 

The salmon last week was amazing. 

The BOK CHOY was out of this world (and it was my first time trying it). The pastas are delicious. 

I look forward to picking our meals every month. 

When I recommend Home Chef, it’s because I’ve tried everything else out there. Some days you don’t have time to make it to the grocery store, and you don’t feel like doing all the prep work. HomeChef has been a lifesaver for those kinds of days. 

If you want to try out Home Chef, I have a code that will get you $110 off your upcoming orders. Apply code “HANNAH110FREE” or click this link! I think that ends up being 10 free meals (which is insane) but it’s a risk-free way to try it out and fall in love!

002. This Free Course on Genesis

I am a continuing education junkie. I love learning, and I make it a point to add courses into my daily life to constantly be advancing in the areas that matter most to me– spiritually, financially, and professionally. 

I recently enrolled in a free course through the Dallas Theological Seminary on Genesis, and I couldn’t be more pumped. I’ve wanted to immerse myself in Genesis for a long time entirely, but the book itself is intimidating. This course is self-paced and ten weeks. Enrollment is open until February 16th.

I just finished week 1, and my mind is blown by all I’ve learned. I can’t wait to continue and maybe become a Genesis expert with you by my side!

003. The BEST Pair of Leggings EVER

Let me be clear: I will never again purchase any other pair of leggings but these for the rest of my life. 

The Offline leggings by Aerie would be the gold medalist in the Leggings Olympics.

I am a leggings expert (self-proclaimed). I wear them often. I dress them up, and I dress them down. But friends, I have traveled the world to find the most divine pair of leggings. One that is not too tight or too rigid. One that is breathable and not too athletic-y. And I have found THE pair. I have also tested THE PAIR in multiple colors, and every one of them passes my test. I am obsessed and never going back. 

004. Hinge Habits

If hinge habit isn’t an actual phrase, I am coining it right now.

Hinge Habit: Noun: A habit that lays the foundation for other practices to take form and come to fruition quickly. 

That’s my definition. 

I started reclaiming my early mornings recently to get up an hour earlier than everyone else and enjoy the quiet. Here’s the thing: I did not wake up with a legalistic to-do list and plan to power through my morning. I gave myself a simple mission that, to me, was worth getting out of bed for:

• Wake up.

• Turn the coffee maker on.

• Drink a cup of water while you wait.

• Snuggle into your favorite chair with a blanket to do your bible reading for the morning.

And let me tell you what began happening. I began to savor and look forward to this quiet time. I began to love it more than anything. And then I forged a rhythm: journal, write down my please’s + thank you’s, read my devotional, read my scripture for the day. 

And then another rhythm emerged: pour more coffee, plan out the day in my Full Focus Planner.

And most recently, a final rhythm took shape: plan out what workout I will do that day.

Why is this so huge for me? My day will hold a lot of decisions and a lot of tasks. My family will also surround me throughout the day. This one hour grounds me and enables me to tackle the day fresh. More than that, it allows me to root myself in scripture before the world gets a chance to leave its fingerprints on my day.

The workout component is a big piece for me. Sometimes I follow a workout program, but I love creating my lifting routines. I find that saving that task for later in the day, where my brain is already fatigued, means there is a lesser chance the workout will happen. By planning in the morning, I have something to look forward to later in the day and the assurance that I don’t have to waste any more time thinking about what I “feel” like doing in the gym that day. 

Here’s what I wrote in my journal this morning: It turns out there was a habit that all the other habits were stacking on– like a foundation. I call this a hinge habit because when I commit to this one habit, many smaller habits naturally fall into place. 

005. Reading Scripture in Community

Y’ALL- CAN WE TALK ABOUT THIS?! This method of scripture reading from my friend Jason Dyba has been flipping my life upside down in the best way possible. 

Lane has done multiple scripture reading groups with Jason but in January, a few girlfriends and I started our own. The premise is simple yet groundbreaking:

• Pick a book of the Bible

• Read a chapter every weekday (weekends and holidays off)

• Use a text thread with 3-5 people to share thoughts, prayers, + takeaways.

My girlfriends and I are going on week 6 of this way of reading with one another and I can honestly say it has been the most life-giving rhythm I’ve created in 2022.

You can read about the full method here but definitely let me know if you start your own scripture group with friends!

006. A Thought on Freedom

I’ll be honest: I am someone who can easily be riled up by things outside of my control. I’m working on this. Lane doesn’t have this issue (for that, I am thankful), but I could waste SO much time thinking about things that honestly don’t deserve my energy. At all. 

The other day I brought all my junk into prayer with God and said, “HELP. I need your help with this. I’m freaking out over things you would tell me don’t need to be a big deal!”

Of course, in pure God-who-knows-me-because-He-knit-me-in-my-mama’s-womb-fashion, he sent me to Galatians 5. A chapter that is all about the life of freedom. 

• I can use my freedom to become a slave to grumbling and ruminating. 

• I can use my freedom to gossip and commiserate.

• I can use my freedom to get angry and fired up.

• I can use my freedom to worry my day away.

Or

• I can use my freedom to set others free.

• I can use my freedom to set healthy boundaries.

• I can use my freedom to serve others in love (that’s the one Jesus highly recommends).

Galatians 5 put me in my place as it preached over my soul that I am to live freely– animated and motivated by God’s spirit. And then I will be freed from the compulsions of selfishness. 

Dang. Truth. Yes. Amen. 

I know it will take me some time to walk it out, and I don’t always get the answers to my questions instantly, but I feel like God spoke to me through that chapter, and maybe someone else needed the same truth. 

007. Dagne Dover Bags

Lane got me my first Dagne Dover bag for Christmas, and let me tell you- it will not be my last one. I instantly fell in love with this company and am now eyeing the diaper bag as a future purchase. 

I love how versatile and EASY TO CLEAN (imagine me screaming this part since I have a baby who gets into absolutely everything) the bag is– it can quickly shift from gym bag to office bag in a matter of seconds.

I’m always in need of a bag that’s a little oversized to fit some diapers and wipes in it, but I don’t always want to be hauling around a diaper bag. This bag was PERFECT for holding everything we needed on our recent plane ride to Connecticut to see family. 

I’m a sucker for good website copy, so I love this description they wrote about their bags, “Dagne Dover creates problem-solving bags – for all the badass, problem-solving humans out there. Bags that keep up, stay organized, and look good doing it.”