Life Lately

It’s been a busy summer in the Hunter household! Here’s what’s been happening:

We celebrated Lively’s 1/2 birthday on July 24! It’s still surreal that this baby – the one we longed for and prayed so hard for – is a part of our lives (if you’re new to the blog you can read more about our journey with infertility caused by PCOS here and here). I praise God every single day for His faithfulness and for the opportunity to partner with Him as Lively’s parents. I’ve quickly learned that all the stuff parents say is totally true. They grow and change SO fast and I’m doing my best to soak up every second. She’s almost sitting up by herself, has started eating solid foods (we’ve tried avocado, green peas, spinach and butternut squash so far), she gives everyone she meets a big open-mouthed smile, puts everything into her mouth (especially her hands and Sophie the giraffe), and loves listening to this Pandora station while bouncing in the door jumper.

  

We’ve spent several weekends at St. Teresa Beach and took Lively on her first boat ride.

How adorable is this sweet strawberry swimsuit from Mini Boden? I have an affinity for fruit-themed attire and I literally can’t handle her in the hat. 😂

Lively and I spent several weeks in my hometown of Jacksonville, FL. I work for a non-profit ministry called ThouArtExalted and our mission is to creatively equip this generation to know Christ. One of the ways we do this is through our summer Art Camps for girls (think VBS but for middle and high-school girls plus we do lots of fun art projects that reinforce the Scripture we study). This summer, we did our “In and Out Cafe” Bible study, hosted close to 300 campers and shared the Gospel message numerous times across three weeks. It’s definitely one of the coolest parts of my job! My mom kept Lively during the day while I worked at camp. It was a win/win for everyone! This is me and our ministry founder, Annie Pajcic, who also happens to be my godmother. 🙂

I completed Whole30 for the second time during the month of June. Full blog post on my experience doing Whole30 while breastfeeding + my tips, favorite products and recipes will be coming soon!

For about two years, we’ve been wanting to add shutters and repaint our front door, so we made it a goal to tackle the project this summer. When we first built our house, I went back and forth whether or not to have shutters. I liked the clean look without (largely in part because Joanna Gaines doesn’t have shutters on her farmhouse), but after living in the house for a bit I kept thinking something was missing (notice how I said “I” because my husband couldn’t care less either way😂). We purchased these paintable shutters from Home Depot and painted them this color. Next up on my house project list is the guest bedroom. FSU football season is on the horizon which means lots of loved ones visiting this fall!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

You may have noticed on Instagram that I’ve been making smoothies every morning for breakfast. If you missed my last blog post here, I shared why I love smoothies and how to do them the right away + a recipe for a blueberry smoothie with lots of veggies. I’m a big fan of Kelly Leveque and her Fab Four smoothie method, and I highly recommend her book Body Love. I’ve also saved several of my own smoothie creations in my highlights on Instagram.

  

I’ve been reading a chapter of Everybody Always each night before bed. It’s easy to read, humorous and packed with simple truths about the Gospel. Highly recommend!

I downloaded the audio version of Girl, Wash Your Face from the Amazon Audible app (first book is free). I very much enjoyed Rachel’s voice, her stories and enthusiasm for working hard and achieving your goals. After finishing the book, I discovered a devotional on the YouVersion Bible App called Holy Hustle. The author, Crystal Stine, is a work-from-home mom like me, and she challenges you to consider what it means to value hard work in a way that honors God. To give yourself completely to the things God has set before you, not by striving, but by submitting your own agendas and fears to God’s desires for the work in your life. I love her Gospel-centered approach to work and rest (something I personally did not get from Girl, Wash Your Face). Once I finish Everybody Always I plan on reading Holy Hustle.

 

In a few weeks, Lively and I are headed on a Mother/Daughter trip to 30A and I could not be more excited. Every other year, myself and my mom, along with all of my aunts and cousins, take a Mother/Daughter trip together. In 2016, we went to New Orleans and this summer we’re heading to one of my favorite places, 30A. 30A is about two hours west of Tallahassee and it’s a place near and dear to my heart. Todd and I got engaged in Seaside in 2012, and have spent all of our anniversaries there the last few years – the last time I was there was last May and I had JUST found out I was pregnant with Lively. I can’t wait to hit up all my favorite eateries like Fonville Press for coffee, Georges in Alys Beach for lunch (their grilled grouper salad is sooo good), Cowgirl Kitchen, Bud & Alley’s + some new spots I’m excited to try like Black Bear Bread Co and Pescado. I always make a point to hit up the J Crew Factory at the outlet mall in Destin, and I love all the adorable boutiques in Seaside. We’re renting one of the houses in The Hub which will be fun to have so many shops, restaurants and a pool right outside our door.

I finally found the unicorn of natural deodorants: Primally Pure deodorant. After being diagnosed with PCOS two years ago, I decided to make the switch from synthetic deodorants to a natural/non-toxic version per the recommendation of my wholistic nutritionist. It has been a long journey trying to find one that’s healthy for me and my body AND that actually works. I’ve tried at least a dozen but they either made me smell worse than my natural BO, gave me a rash or were sticky and didn’t keep me dry. Well, I finally found my perfect match thanks to my friend Hannah at Cold Coffee Hot Mess who introduced me to Primally Pure. I wanted to use the entire product before sharing whether I liked it or not because I’ve been fooled in the past. I thought Pit Paste was great at first, then after about a month the baking soda in the deodorant started tearing up my skin. While Primally Pure does contain some baking soda, it seems to be a much smaller amount and has caused zero skin irritation. It also smells great (using only essential oils) and it keeps me dry. I’ve been using the Lemongrass scent and just placed my second order. I love this product and highly recommend giving it a try! I’ve linked some of my other favorite natural skin/body care and makeup products under the “Shop” tab on my homepage.

One of the things God has been teaching me this summer is the power in His name. I’ve been going through this Bible Study with my small group and it’s been both encouraging and challenging. As a new mom, this part about knowing God as El Shaddai or “The Pourer-forth” really spoke to me:

How amazing is that? After breastfeeding a baby I really connected with this. I decided to meditate on this name of His in particular throughout the next month. I don’t know about you, but I tend to look to the things the world offers (relationships, material things, food) to satisfy my spiritual hunger that only Jesus can fill. If we know Him as our El Shaddai – our All-Sufficient One – not only will our hunger be satisfied, but His power will be perfected in our weakness. “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:10

(Prayer journal is from Val Marie Paper and it’s a tool that has helped transform my prayer life and deepen my relationship with Jesus.)