BIG Changes coming to the blog + Kathrynne shares about her first semester at college!

Christmas movie recs, books I've been reading, a game and a recipe we love! Hi, Friend! What do you know?? I'm sending a long personal email newsletter two weeks in a row??! One of my big goals for 2024 is to revive this email newsletter and to send you a newsy enewsletter every Saturday morning. My plan is to work on it a little bit every day and share: - Bits and pieces from our life -- especially behind-the-scenes things that I might not share elsewhere - Books I'm reading and really honest reviews -- I'm moving my book reviews on the blog to this weekly email newsletter because I felt like that would give me a bit more freedom to share more in-depth and honestly than I feel like I can share in a public space that's on the internet - Things I'm loving -- products, hacks, websites, music, etc. - TV shows and movies we're watching -- and honest reviews! - Lessons I'm learning, things I'm thinking about, etc. - Any fantastic deals that I think you might want a heads up on - New products we're working on/launching -- we have some exciting new things we're rolling out in 2024!! - Podcasts/interview links and details -- If I released a podcast or if I was interviewed on a podcast, I'll share the links and info in the weekly newsletter So that's what I'm thinking. I'd love to hear what YOU would love for me to share on a regular basis here. How can I best serve you here? By the way, I read and reply to all email replies to this newsletter. It comes straight into my inbox and I love hearing from you! Unless you respond and cuss me out and tell me how much you dislike me (which happens on a fairly regular basis; I always do those people the favor of promptly deleting their subscription as clearly it's not serving them!), but aside from that, if you reply to this email newsletter, I will always read and at least send you a one line response... because it means so much that you would take the time to do so! We had our [All Day Family Christmas celebration]( on Wednesday. ([Read more about it and see more pictures here)](. As per usual, we went to Dollar Tree together to pick out stocking stuffers. This has become one of our favorite family traditions -- and it makes stockings something that are zero work and very inexpensive but also memorable. [Read more about our Dollar Tree Stocking Stuffer Tradition here.](=) = KATHRYNNE'S FIRST SEMESTER AT COLLEGE We released the final episode of [The Crystal Paine Show](=)for 2023! I was thrilled to bring back a familiar voice – my daughter Kathrynne! In this episode, we reflect on Kathrynne’s first semester of college, exploring the highs, lows, and the valuable lessons learned. From the challenges of living independently to the joys of making new friends, Kathrynne shares her perspective on the transition from high school to college life. We take a dive into her initial uncertainty about the chosen college, the surprising ease of making acquaintances, and the deeper bonds forged over time. Kathrynne offers practical advice for upcoming college students, emphasizing the importance of intentional connections, reaching out to others, and starting good habits early on. She candidly shares her experience with procrastination on a major History project, highlighting the crucial lesson she learned in managing time effectively. We also touch on the impact of faith in college, the challenges of maintaining relationships while in different schools, and the overall growth and self-discovery that come with this transformative journey. I’m so grateful Kathrynne was willing to join me again to share on the podcast and I hope that this episode encourages you — no matter where you are in life, that God is faithful to provide, that community is worth investing in, and sometimes what you think is just a small stepping stone turns out to be the path you’re supposed to be on for longer than just a short season. [LISTEN TO THE EPISODE HERE.]( Note: She also shared about something she spends money on that we don't buy -- some of you might find that part funny/interesting! :) We played a rousing game of [Catch Phrase](=) on Wednesday. It was boys against girls and the girls ended up winning. This is such a fun game to play as a group! If you've not played it before, [Wikipedia explains more how to play and gives some fun variations on the game, too.]( Links You Might Be Interested In: - [Making Time for What Matters Most](=) — I had the privilege of having my interview with Focus on the Family Chosen for the Best of the Year series and it re-aired again this past week. If you missed it when it came out earlier in the year, [you can listen here.](=) - [Parenting With Grace](=) — I was honored to be interviewed on the Moms in Prayer podcast sharing encouragement for moms to have less stress and more joy in their parenting, what it looks like to parent from a place of reliance upon the Holy Spirit, and go into your day anxiously anticipating how God is going to show Himself strong on your behalf. [Listen here.](=) - [My Friend Kate Got Engaged!!!](=) — After 20 years of waiting and praying, it was a pretty epic night! [Read more of her story here.](=) Of all the yeses I’ve said in my life, you were one of the best. One year ago this week, David became a Paine. I have so many big feelings around this. Adoption is both the severing of a family & the making of a family. It’s the juxtaposition of so many beautiful & brutal things. So we don’t celebrate adoption today, but we do celebrate the gift of David’s life — & his brave mama who loves him so much & regularly checks on him to make sure he is safe & healthy. My heart breaks for her & the grief that she carries every day; but my heart is also profoundly grateful for the deep honor of loving her boy on her behalf. If you know our story, you know adoption wasn’t on our radar with David but God dropped it in our laps & made it abundantly clear this was the path He was calling us to. Honestly, I struggled with fears of the unknown & if saying yes to adoption & (likely) lifelong caregiving would negatively impact our kids. And I had to really release all of that to the Lord and say yes. Here’s the thing, saying yes to David has for sure deeply impacted our kids… I watch my kids teach their friends how to understand what he’s communicating. I hear them stand up for those with disabilities. I see their eyes light up whenever they see another child or adult with Down syndrome. I read the thesis papers they’ve written on the need for reform in the foster care system. I listen as they talk about how being prolife is about so much more than being anti-abortion & challenging others that there are so many children & adults with disabilities whose parents have chosen life whom we should be loving, supporting, & walking alongside. But most of all, I see how they lavishly love David… not out of compassion or feeling sorry for him, but because they genuinely just deeply love their brother. He brings so much joy and laughter to their lives — even on the challenging days. He’s taught all of us — without saying a word — more than really anyone else ever has. We will never be the same because of the gift of this beautiful boy in our lives. What We've Been Watching: We've been watching a few Christmas movies this week. We watched [Family Switch](=) (wouldn't recommend it for younger kids, but a cute and sweet movie that was a little better than Hallmark though also quite predictable), [The Grinch]() (Kierstyn loves this one and wanted us to all watch it as a family), and [The Christmas Chronicles]( (wouldn't recommend for younger kids but a fun story for older kids). One we are hoping to watch soon is [Candy Cane Lane](=) -- have you watched it? Is it worth watching? Any other Christmas movie recommendations that you think we should watch? What I've Been Reading: I finished [The Whole and Healthy Family]() (overall thought-provoking. I felt like it was a little too idealistic in some parts and not as grace-based, heart-focused parenting as I would lean, but it challenged me in some areas and made me think about other areas and I love it when books do that! I'm also finished listening to [The Winter Rose audiobook](=) and loved how I couldn't immediately predict the storyline from the get-go and loved how it brought up themes of redemption and what it practically looks like to let go of past mistakes and hurts and wrongs. I'm currently reading: [Lovin' With Grit and Grace](=) (so far it's been so encouraging to me!), [The Warsaw Sisters](=) (I'm really enjoying it), and listening to [The Personal Librarian]( (not sure what I think of this one yet but it's intriguing me enough to keep listening). = I've been [talking on Instagram](=) about not waiting until 2024 to start working on good habits and I've been challenging myself to set small goals for each week. Above were my five goals for Monday-Friday this week. I didn't do them perfectly every day, but setting the goals meant that I was much more intentional! = This was our table spread for our [All Day Family Christmas]( on Wednesday. Our older kids chose all of the food items (please laugh at the massive number of beverages -- they are clearly quite into their drinks!) and helped make everything, too. The one request they for sure asked for was [Brown Sugar Biscuit Twists.]() This recipe is a longstanding staple at our house for holidays. In fact, I'm making it for my family's Christmas brunch on Monday, too! If you've not made it before, [here's the yummy recipe.]() Psst! Notice the Congrats Grad napkins. :) We had some leftovers from Kathrynne's graduation party in May to use up! BIG CHANGES Coming to the Blog! This past year, I've really stepped back to rethink about the best way to show up online with the time and capacity I have. I tried a number of different things that didn't work and felt like I was stretched too thin and always behind in trying to share what I wanted to share and never getting all of the posts up that I wanted to post. As I contemplated things more, I realized that I could choose where and how to show up and it was okay to change the way I've done and approached things. I know, that seems so obvious, but I think I had gotten stuck in ruts and it took me awhile to realize this! So beginning this week, I'm moving most of what I usually would share on the blog to this weekly email newsletter. I started this newsletter out (above) haring what you can expect here in this email each Saturday -- and most of what I'll be sharing here won't be shared elsewhere. So if you want to read my book reviews, see peeks into our week, hear about what I'm thinking about/learning/trying, hear my goal updates, etc. this newsletter will be the place to read about it! I'll also be sharing some of those things on the podcast and on Instagram, but the newsletter will be a more in-depth space for me to share + I'll include links so you can go check out whatever products or posts or podcasts or books I'm talking about! Thank you so much for being on this list and for being invested in what I say and share. It means so much to me! I'll be back in your inbox next Saturday sharing a special freebie we've been working on that I think you're going to LOVE + sharing some of my goals for 2024 and more! Have a wonderful Christmas! -Crystal [Unsubscribe]( Money Saving Mom, LLC 2020 Fieldstone Parkway, Ste. 900 #313 Franklin, Tennessee 37069 United States