Hannah Morrison

Always Something

When I was a teenager, burnt CDs were the thing. If a boy made you a burnt CD, geez almighty that meant you must be getting married. A whole burnt CD of Iron and Wine songs, and you know that boy was digging your chili. Gosh, kids these days… they just will never know the beauty of receiving a burnt CD as a gift from somebody haha. And I mean, let’s be real, I had one made for every mood of mine. I had Taylor Swift albums, High School Musical Mixes, one called “Depressing Love Songs”, and another called “Party, Get Loud”… the list goes on and on. Unfortunately, burnt CDs always met that day after much wear and tear that they would start skipping or get stuck on the same line and keep repeating over, and over, and over. My T Swift Fearless CD got to the point that it literally always repeated the same line, like a DJ Remix, on The Way I Loved You at “2 Am and I’m cursing your name.” I would have to press “next” and never hear the rest of that song, because it couldn’t move past that one line.

Like my favorite Taylor Swift CD became after lots of wear and tear in my silver Escape, Angie, I have found myself the last couple of weeks saying over and over, on repeat, “It’s always something.”  Then followed every single time by a half-hearted giggle attempt to press “next”, all while adding another tally to my “things I would rather not have happening right now”. Slowly as the tallies add up, the weight I feel on my shoulders from the events of the past weeks weigh me down all before inevitably cracking. There is crying, there is anger, there is feeling like a victim, there is frustration and bad moods… no matter how the weight decides to unload itself, it none the less comes out and I have to sit and sift through all the reasons I feel this way.

I always end back up at the tally board.

It’s okay to be frustrated in days, or weeks, or even seasons of “one thing after the next”, where you feel like the same line is stuck on repeat. It’s okay to feel the burden of the world, because we are human and are going to experience the weight of humanity that only God can bear. But, the freedom in that is that we are not made to carry the weight. We are not made to keep tally or score of what has gone wrong in our day. Rather, we were wired to daily open our hands and release our cares and worries to a gracious God who is WAY better at carrying them for us, healing our wounds for us, fixing the things we can’t fix for FOR US. We just forget that we are made to NOT carry our burdens. Sounds silly when you say it out loud, right? We are literally created to worship God and daily remind ourselves of who he is and, because of how human we are, we are daily reminded of who we are not. But, we forget. Proper recognition of who God is leads to a beautiful relationship with him. It’s one that says, “I know where I stand and it’s at your feet, because you already conquered this. There is already victory.” But, again… we too often forget. We can’t, but He can. How liberating when we remember that, right? That’s why God says his mercies are new every day. Lamentations 3:22-23 says, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Steadfast, meaning He is constant and unwavering. New every morning, never ceasing, because he will never say “you have been stressed out one day too many.” That’s not how he works (thank goodness).

So, here I am fully aware of the freedom that comes with saying, “I can’t carry this today, Lord”, yet I find sometimes that even when I think I have released my cares and burdens, I never really did because I find myself back at the tally board counting the things that have gone wrong in the last month, two weeks… year, whatever your timeline on the tally board might be. If love keeps no record of wrongs, not only am I failing my earthly relationships when I keep tally of wrongs, but I am failing to acknowledge how good God is when I keep record of  things I feel wronged in.

“Well God, this happened, and then this bill came, and then our car broke down, and then we fought about this, and then our tire popped, and then we fought again about all the things we are stressed about… are you there? Do you care? Are you honestly just watching this unfold? I think we have maxed out our tallies for the month.” Tally tally tally. Adding up all the things we feel unjustly wronged in, which will always end in a state of victimhood. Ouch, yikes. Who has been around people who live as the victim in everything? It’s hard to be around isn’t it? You want to get away from that real quick. Well, newsflash, if you’re keeping tallies of the bad things that have happened in the day, week, month… you’re no better. Remove the plank, my friends.

OOOWEEE, we are preaching this morning. 

So, what’s my encouragement for you today? Be upset, cry a little bit in the bathroom to feel the weight of “another thing”, but then release it. And I mean actually release it. Not just a “God, I need you to fix this for me” prayer, while then sitting around watching for instant relief. And if it doesn’t come, tally. I mean, release it. God, you are working all things for your good. And, I know that you love me, therefore, this will end well. Somehow, some way, this will end with you receiving glory and shining through this situation.

Then, “next”. Enjoy the next song, sing it as loud and zealous as you possibly can without getting hung up on the last line that kept repeating. Feel the weight, pray, breathe, toss it up, and trek onward.

On a separate note, I want to say how absolutely devastated I am over the massacre in Las Vegas. I feel that weight, I have been trying to shake that burden, but I carry a righteous anger for innocent lives lost. Be angry about this, be shocked, be sad. I have been in shock for the last day, praying for Jesus to make himself known and turn this devastation into something beautiful… somehow. Far beyond my ability to comprehend how something so horrible could be made into something beautiful, I am still believing in it because that is who God is and that is his character. Good will rise from ashes. Pray, love, and now- more than ever- bite your tongue against arguments that aren’t worth having in the midst of people’s pain. Sure, let’s have necessary conversations when the wounds of devastation are not still gushing. Humility is recognizing your opinions don’t matter as much as love does.

Be kind, friends. Love people well. In the midst of chaos, in the midst of a time in this country where it feels like EVERYONE is on a different page about something, fight to love those who look different than you, act different than you, voted for somebody different than you *gasp*, have a different religion than you, kneel or stand during the National Anthem… Yeah, I am going there. I am hitting it all.

Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, asked or -how icky to even have to say it- deserves to be mindlessly murdered. I have seen such ignorant comments on social media about those who were lost, and I have wanted to vomit at some of them. Those were moms, dads, brothers, sisters, children, hard workers, dreamers… the list goes on, and all of those roles, relationships, and titles just ended in an instant. Let us be mindful of this. Let us be pushed toward love, without pointed fingers and without taking someone’s devastation as an opportunity to push opinions. I truly am speaking from both ends of the “political scale”, if you will. I could give two craps about who you voted for, what you believe, or what cause you fight for. I love and appreciate your passion. So let’s take that passion and put it toward loving people, of all kinds, and recognizing it’s ok for us to differ but it’s not okay for what just happened to happen. We can find unity in that. Let’s take a stand together in that.

xoxo- Han

10 Things I Didn’t Know Before I Was Pregnant

Listen, when you get pregnant, your body doesn’t even fully know what the heck is going on. So many things are shifting and changing to make space for that little human inside of you that you kind of lose track of the amount of weirdness unfolding from your body that is now a bit foreign to you and definitely being borrowed by a stranger for 9 months. I always joke about how odd it is that a human moving around inside us is normalized and we, like all the other pregnancy things, grow a little unfazed by it. But, y’all… there is a foreign body moving around in you and you can see it… that’s freaking weird.

Anyways, I went into pregnancy knowing a whole lot … of nothing. I had nothing but everything left to learn, and I have (to this day) held a baby maybe 2 or 3 times. They say it comes second nature when it’s your own, so I am really banking on mother nature for this one (and my momma!). Though I knew it’d be an odd 9 months or so until baby gets here, I didn’t realize just how much or what all would happen to me, my body, what I needed to do to prepare for baby, etc. Let’s just say there have been quite a few laughs, some gasps, and a whole lot of fun over the last almost 7 months between me and Paul. So, I am sharing with you what I didn’t know but now do in hopes of helping all you future moms-to-be when it comes to be your time!

  1. Your belly might not grow until month 6, but that doesn’t mean something is wrong with you.
    I really started to get concerned that I didn’t have that big ole pregnant belly yet, but also certainly haven’t hated being on the smaller side throughout pregnancy up to this point. But, relatively speaking, I am big for my frame and my hips are certainly letting me know. Just remember: Every body is different, and yours will surely take to pregnancy completely different from your sister, best friend, mom, etc. To all the naysayers telling me “You’re too small for going on 30 weeks”… back off… just kidding. 😉 Well, sorta… Haha. I don’t like people commenting on my body when I am not pregnant, and -surprise- I don’t (nor do other pregnant ladies) like it while being pregnant. If your baby is healthy and growing at a perfect rate, then put on the blinders and put in the ear plugs and just keep doing your thing, momma! And, on the same token, your baby might not be growing quite like they’re supposed to, but it’s nothing to be ashamed of. People commenting on your belly have no idea what your circumstances are, so just keep doing what you’re supposed to, keep seeing your doctor and doing what they say, and that baby will be perfect no matter what. You will get so much unsolicited advice from the second people know you’re pregnant, but just smile and say “thank you”, and toss out about 90% of what people tell you unless it’s someone you love and trust as a source for pregnancy information.
  2. Buy seamless panties!
    I never thought about how my panties with a ribbing or elastic top would dig into my growing uterus, but one week it’s like my uterus just puffed out and my panties were so uncomfortable and left almost a bottleneck-like line on my puffy lower abdomen area. It didn’t hurt necessarily, but I am sure it couldn’t be good, so I went and purchased a ton of seamless undies from Aerie, and it has made all the difference for comfort.
  3.  Stores DO NOT CARRY maternity clothes (OR THEIR OWN MATERNITY LINES)
    Oh how I wish I had researched and known this before being in dire need of jeans because my regular ones all of a sudden didn’t fit over night (yes, you can literally fit in something one day and not the next). Y’all, the most tears I have shed in pregnancy have legit been because every store I went into said “Oh we stopped carrying our maternity line in store” or, the few places that did, “we don’t carry that size in store”. For real you guys. Every. Single. Store. I almost had a preggo meltdown in Gap at the lady who told me “We don’t carry maternity anymore in store” but my mom led me out before I did… haha. I have a hard time finding jeans in general, because I am 5’1, and a size 0 while my actual hip width is a 00. It makes finding jeans near impossible, but I have found Madewell denim is THE BEST, and I freaking love their 9″ high rise. Those are around $130 and I am down to pay that for my everyday denim. (This is my go-to basic denim from there) They make me feel long and lean, and they’re great quality. But, listen, I am not spending $200 on maternity jeans at Pea in the Pod or Motherhood Maternity. That’s crap to take advantage of being a niche market- while knowing you are some of the only people who carry decent maternity clothes- and marking up jeans so much because you KNOW people have to buy them. *Hannah, step off the SOAP BOX* Phew, it’s been frustrating. But, I ordered three different pairs from online at three different prices points (I caved even though I despise buying jeans I have never tried on from online) and I will be sharing all about my favorites so that you do not have to endure the pain I went through in finding a good pair of maternity jeans.
  4. Your belly button will change
    Apparently a lot of people know this… I, however, did not. The first morning I woke up to feel that my belly button was a whole lot more shallow than it was when I went to bed, I kind of flipped. Now, I can tell it’s getting close to popping out, and I just really don’t know how to handle that. Just being honest, lol.
  5. It’s okay if the first time you feel baby move is kind of scary
    I had this expectation for when I first felt baby boy move to be completely over-joyed and a noteworthy moment. But, turns out, it freaked me out more than it excited me. I sat in shock, speechless, for at least 5 minutes and Paul didn’t know what to say. I guess when you feel baby first move, it makes the hypothetical idea of “a baby is inside of me” real. I felt the weight of the realness that I am pregnant hit me, and I felt scared and overwhelmed all at once. Does that make sense? I don’t know. Now, I can’t get enough of it! We sit and stare at him move around, and I feel so close to him because he moves when I say his name or place my hand on him.
  6. You might not have crazy preggo cravings
    I know, the expectation is to crave pickles and ice cream… or sardines and hot fudge, or something ridiculous like that. But, I didn’t have any of those. People ask me all the time “What’s your oddest craving been?” and I am like… ummm Toaster Strudels? LOL. I have just “craved”, if you will, foods I already love but they just sound significantly better in pregnancy. I guess the funniest thing I have gone through is craving foods from my childhood. I have dreamed of Toaster Strudel Scramblers that I grew up eating, Hot Pockets, chicken nuggets with mac and cheese and ketchup mixed in.. like, these are the weirdest things I suppose, but it’s nothing gross. We just have joked that having a kid has taken my own taste buds back to my childhood. The worst part is that I am allergic to all of my favorite childhood foods- I was diagnosed at 20 years old- so I couldn’t satisfy any of my childhood cravings. I suppose… maybe that worked out in my waist line’s favor, though.
  7. Nothing is quite as “life altering” as you think they’ll be
    I just really thought that when I got pregnant my whole life would immediately change. But truth is, life kept going exactly as it did before without much change at all for weeks after finding out. It’s almost eerie how you know something that nobody else does (except your chosen few you shared with), and that life just rolls on. The nausea, if you have it, is definitely the first bit of life change, but even still, life goes on. You find a new normal, a miserable one, but normal none the less. You don’t instantly have this life changing sense of motherhood or fatherhood either. In fact, I couldn’t say I loved this little boy inside of me until recently as my connection with him and his growing physical presence in my life has become more evident. For you men, it might not become truly real to you until that baby is in your arms, and that is NORMAL. You aren’t feeling the baby kick all day and getting a feel for his personality like mom is, so you probably love the idea of them once they’re here… but how can you REALLY love something you haven’t been able to truly or fully experience yet? Don’t be discouraged by that if that’s what you feel!
  8. I was pleasantly surprised by people ASKING to touch my belly!
    Everyone warned me “Oh, just be ready for strangers to swarm you and touch your belly”, but I haven’t had this experience at all! I feel like everyone has been so respectful and asked, even my closest friends and community, before touching my growing belly. Some of them I even laugh at and am like DUHHH you can touch my stomach! I haven’t shown until so late in the game, so I do think I have had this in my favor in regards to random people coming up and petting me… but still, I am definitely pregnant now and I haven’t had one single person just come up and touch me. I did totally pray for that, so God definitely heard me. I don’t like a lot of attention or making a big commotion, and I definitely am choosy about who touches and hugs on me … so I have been so thankful for how respectful people have been and it’s made me LOVE when people ask to touch my tummy!
  9. Budget for babymoon- it’s not just a fad.
    Listen to me loud and clear- you will want a babymoon. Budget for one, do whatever you need to in order to make certain you can get away with your husband before baby comes. We really thought this was just a fad, something people made up in order to have an “Instagrammable Moment” or for the luxurious who can afford a nice vacation… but y’all… it’s real. We really regret that we didn’t plan for one, and now that we are right around 70 days out with packed schedules from now until December, it’s probably not feasible. Mind you, buying our first house was our “babymoon” I suppose… ha. We put a lot of money toward that, obviously, but regardless, I so wish we had taken it seriously early on.
  10. We didn’t know we would be grieving the closing of a chapter.
    With the babymoon thing, part of why it’s so important is because though you’re so beyond excited about what’s to come… it’s still the end of a chapter. Though adding baby is going to make you more full and happier than you probably could have ever imagined (or so we hear 😉 ) you’re still saying goodbye to life as it was and that calls for some grieving. No matter how sweet the coming season on the horizon, the start of a new chapter is the close of another. I cannot wait to meet this little boy that is inside of me. I can’t wait to hug and kiss his cheeks over and over, and it’s hard for me to imagine just how much it is humanly possible to love something you created and brought into this world. But, I have also found myself so incredibly sad, selfish for every minute I can get with Paul, and trying to soak in every second of alone time with him before it’s gone forever. Our normal today will never be our normal again once we have children. I experience just about every emotion possible every day from fear, to excitement, to overwhelming sadness, to urgency to get stuff done, to feeling inadequate. I have wept, like ugly cried to Paul, because I don’t want to lose a moment of life as we know it while we still have it. This is a special season, that time of just you and your husband, and it has been a fun 3 and a half years. Take advantage of absolutely every second, be selfish for time with one another as your due date gets closer, and now- more than ever- be okay with saying “no” to things if it means being with one another. We had no idea that most couples do actually go through mourning the loss of life as it was before baby arrives. I wish we had spoken with people about this beforehand, rather than feeling guilty once we felt these emotions to later find out from friends it’s totally and completely normal. And, not only is it normal, but allow it and welcome it. It’s healthy to grieve loss.

    I hope this helps you current moms-to-be feel more normal, you’re not alone! Or, maybe you future moms-to-be reading this note these things and keep it in your back pocket for when this time comes for you. You are so loved, and I am so thankful for you.

    THIS DRESS. It’s my favorite preggo go-to dress, and you will absolutely see a lot of it in the next two and a half months. Sorry, but I am so not sorry. Just call me Lizzie McGuire, the outfit repeater. 😉 They JUST restocked this olive color again and I made sure to share it on my Instagram when I saw… but it is unfortunately sold out again already. So hopefully if you really wanted it in olive, you jumped on it when you got the chance earlier this week! But there are so many colors and patterns available, so don’t miss your chance. Head here to grab the most wonderful dress you will ever own. It is designed with pregnant and breastfeeding ladies in mind, but is great for any girl looking for a comfy dress.

    xoxo- Han

    All photos by Cottonwood Road Photography for The Cake by Hannah

     

The Best Chili

 

I am unashamedly as nostalgic as they come, and a serious traditions keeper. Okay… stickler. I don’t like for things to change, because why change things up that seem to be working just fine? If it were up to me, I would happily be running out of the back bedroom of my parent’s home on Christmas morning with my siblings where we all crashed together in our sleeping bags the night before (and, of course, we would let our spouses join in now…) to see what was left for us in the living room from Santa. What can I say? I am a hopeless romantic and I love family traditions. I love Saturday mornings with bacon, eggs, and biscuits with gravy made by my daddy because that’s what Mamma made every Saturday morning for him, and Sunday mornings getting ready for church together and piling into the truck. Ahhh, and quite possibly my favorite tradition- the ceremonious pot of chili when the first cold front of the year pushed through the stickiness of summer and brought hope for the holiday season just around the corner. It was like a sigh of relief that blew in, replacing the lingering heat that with it came the giddiness of what was to come over the next couple of months. Cooler Friday night lights, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and the absolutely perfect and special Christmas season my parents provided us with year after year. We didn’t make chili until that cold front came each year, and it was anticipated. Mom’s chili tasted like comfort, cozy blankets by the fire and a bowl of goodness and cheddar cheese on top while watching something on television all together at night before bedtime. Likely to be some Saturday night movie on ABC or a special movie we rented from Blockbuster that was on our “must watch” list. Now, with that same giddiness and excitement, I still make chili when fall rolls in. Although, I will say, I married a chili loving fool who wants chili year-round, so I have had to compromise a bit on “chili can only be eaten when it’s 60 degrees or less outside.” I remember I was legitimately appalled the first time he asked me to make chili for dinner in the dead of summer. Marriage is all about compromise, right? But, for the most part, I really do try to keep chili special- for fall and winter only unless very specially requested by Paul.

 

So my chili recipe? It’s really simple, and to be completely honest… I don’t measure anything out. I just toss seasonings in until it tastes like mom’s. But, for sharing a recipe’s sake… I will attempt to give you some measurements for a massive pot of chili that will last you all weekend long.

 

1 lb lean ground beef (or turkey- but, beef if you’re going all in)

1 can of red kidney beans

1 can of black beans

1 can of Rotel (momma’s secret game changer!)

2 cans of tomato sauce

1 can yellow corn (drained)

1 Green bell pepper chopped

2tbsp Chili Powder

Finely diced onion to taste

Garlic, salt, pepper to taste (I say to taste… because… well, I toss and taste)

You can seriously add just about anything into a pot of chili, and it’s good. But this is a classic red chili recipe that never fails. If you’re a pumpkin fan… add some pumpkin puree for an extra taste of fall. My hubby, however, is not a pumpkin fan so I have to make my own pot when I do that. 😉 Or… just not tell him. SHHH- he literally never knows when I sneak it in.

Love y’all and happy fall!

xoxo- Han

All photos by Cottonwood Road Photography for The Cake by Hannah

Dress is from Pink Blush Maternity #Sponsored 

 

 

My Favorite Fall Color

From the crisp red apples growing in the orchards to the chili my mom always ceremoniously made on the first cool weekend of the new school year that said “fall is coming.” The leaves that drifted softly to the ground as the wind picked up while the temperatures dropped, and the color that coursed through my veins from birth because well…  football season + Aggies.

There is no color that encompasses all of my favorite things about fall quite like a deep red or burgundy hue. I just feel right, as though I am a part of the season and setting when I am in a pretty burgundy in the fall. Naturally, when I saw this amazing dress from the brand new Rachel Parcell fall collection, I knew it was a must for my brother in law’s wedding and other upcoming fall fancies. (It’s totally dressable with booties and a denim jacket, too, for a slightly more casual look!) I love the delicate pleats and the chiffon sleeves that feel elegant and almost Elizabethan. Plus, come on, it fit my bump perfectly without having to buy something “maternity.” Unfortunately, this dress literally sold out in a week and my plan to post about it today has all but failed.

BUT, fear not- I found dresses incredibly similar that are also gorgeous fall options for dressing up or down!

Shop them below.

Now, if fall would like to ACTUALLY show up here in Texas, that’d be just wonderful. Tomorrow might be the first day of fall, but it is certainly still 90+ degrees here and slightly depressing… I believe in you cooler temps! I know you will prevail!

As for this whole pregnancy thing, let’s just say I am feeling… pregnant finally. 😉 I may or may not have yelled at the man working the Taco Cabana Drive-Thru at 11 PM when I was so hungry I didn’t even know what I was doing…. haha. Maybe… it’s all hypothetical… The countdown is on, though, and we are tackling the nursery this weekend.

xoxo- Han

Shop my heel and make-up:

All photos by Cottonwood Road Photography for The Cake by Hannah in partnership with Rachel Parcell

    

 

Hey Hey, 3rd Trimester

My toes are disappearing, my belly has rounded out, my back is most certainly starting to ache, and tying my shoes is a task. It must be the third trimester, y’all!

It’s unbelievable how quickly pregnancy has flown by, and I am both anxious and thrilled the closer I get to my due date. The cooler the temperatures drop, the more my mind starts to wrap around the idea that this is all actually happening and that December is fast approaching.

So, how am I feeling and where are we on the whole “prepare for baby boy” thing?

Great question… we are REALLY behind. We have so far built a crib, almost finished one dresser, and failed to start the second dresser. KILLIN’ IT, you guys. Our entire set is from DaVinci Baby, which I will be showing more of here in the near future when I do our official nursery reveal! We need to paint the walls, add shiplap to one wall, and we have zero baby items other than some cute onesies and Solly Wraps. Being I am a very scheduled and timely person, it is both shocking and stressful to me that our nursery is nowhere near being done… haha. But, I know it will be (right, P Mor?) 😉 We have, however, as I mentioned last week picked out our stroller, carseats, and all that jazz. Which, I will say, has made me feel more prepared and educated on this whole baby thing. Before picking them out, I had no clue what I even am supposed to buy or what goes on what, or how to transport a baby.

We started our birthing classes last Monday, and those are every week for a few hours for the next 6 weeks. I am extremely happy with our decision to do this class, and highly suggest it for first time mommas. Especially so if you’re aiming for a non-medicated birth like I am doing. Paul and I go together, and they speak to a lot of questions that we both have. Paul will be trained as a coach how to help me through labor, and I am getting great advice for pushing through the contractions, how to achieve the type of birth I want, etc. It is scary, for sure, but also exciting.

We have our registry just about finished, which is great because all of our showers are coming up in October! We used Baby List for an easy-access, online universal registry. We also will have a Babies R Us registry for our people who would rather touch and pick out things in person.

How am I feeling? Well, I have gained 13 pounds so far from my pre-pregnancy weight, and I feel really good! We are 81 days to my due date which is NUTS, and I can feel the anxiousness that comes with that. But other than the third trimester aches and pains, and insomnia setting in (me and 3 AM have become good friends as of late), I am feeling pretty darn good.

xoxo- Han

Dress: Pink Blush

 

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