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Patience in Advent

December 7, 2017

Advent season has begun, and more than ever before, I feel like I get to experience true anticipation of a gift closest to what it must have felt like waiting for Jesus’ birth as it was foretold, and what it feels like to anticipate the return of Christ.

See the season of advent is a time of celebrating and reflecting on Jesus’ birth, the anticipation of the best gift that was ever given, which is the entire reason we celebrate Christmas and what everything Christmas (whether you believe Jesus was Lord or not) circles around. Christmas is so magical and full of anticipation for a reason… it’s all about the best love story ever told. And who doesn’t get giddy over a good love story? Jesus told us to live with child-like faith (Matthew 18:3), and Christmas is a season that embodies that command more than any other time of the year.

As my due date inches closer, this child could literally come any second, I feel like a kid waiting for Christmas morning so that they can finally unwrap that gift under the tree they know is the gift they asked for the most. The best part is, like so many of us before we discover a relationship with Jesus, my gift I am waiting on… I didn’t even know the extent of how much I wanted or needed it until I saw it wrapped and waiting for me to open it. It wasn’t until I experienced pregnancy that I knew what this love was. How sweet to experience this kind of love and agonizingly long wait now, during Advent.

Isn’t it beautiful how much those gifts under our tree that we so meticulously picked out and wrapped for the people we love truly represent? The gifts you bought for mom, dad, your husband, your best friend… they represent Advent.

Now, because the Lord has given me a platform, I wouldn’t be using it well if I didn’t share with you the story of Jesus’ birth.

You may be a Christian who has ready the story of Jesus’ birth in Luke hundreds of times, or you may be a brand new Christian still figuring out this CRAZY story. Or, what really gets me excited, you might be here on my blog for some random reason -maybe the first time ever- and you do not claim Christianity. I am SO GLAD you’re here. You, my friend, are supposed to be here today. Right now. Yes, I am talking to you.

So, yes, the story of Jesus is crazy.

Like, if you really think about it… it’s a wild thing to believe what I believe. That is, that God sent a piece of himself in the form of a baby to grow up and walk with us, fulfilling a prophecy foretold hundreds of years before, and bringing the promise of oneness with the creator of the universe again following the fall of man in The Garden of Eden….

Cricket, cricket.

Yeah, it’s a little crazy. But I believe in it with every single bit of me, because I have experienced a relationship with Jesus that makes all of the crazy make sense.

Jesus’ birth was foretold from the minute God started the process of redemption after Adam and Eve separated themselves from God by listening to Satan’s lies and welcoming sin into the world. But there was always a plan of bringing us back, and the Old Testament into the New is the story of how God proved time and time again he was real, at work, and redeeming. As it was said it would happen, the prophet Samuel chooses David as King -son of Jesse- and the process of redeeming God’s people continues. Then in Isaiah, the prophet gives a word from God that the process of redemption is still happening (can you imagine being the people of God waiting thousands of years… hoping for oneness with God again?… ahhh the spirit of Advent!).

Read Below to see what I mean:

Isaiah 11:1-10

“There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. His delight is in the fear of the LORD, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears; But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, And decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.”

Isaiah 7:14

Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.

So far, so good. All the proof is in the pudding, everything has happened that people said God told them to share would happen hundreds of years before. Then just as it was said, fast forward hundreds of years from David, and the king of the universe, the bright morning star, was born in Jerusalem from a virgin betrothed to Joseph from the lineage of David who came from Jesse.

You can’t make this stuff up. It sounds crazy, but crazy love is hard to grasp. God is hard to understand.

Jesus’ life, he did exactly what he said he would. He did exactly as the prophets of old said the son of God would do. He lived a life you couldn’t live because of sin, and then died the death you deserved because… again, your sin. He was sinless, he did as he said he would, and on the cross the story of redeeming love was complete. He absorbed the wrath of God, God hates sin and hated we were separated, and Jesus soaked up every bit of that as the replacement.

It is THE greatest love story. Period.

Now we get to pray and talk to God in constant communication because Jesus did what he did, and God did just as he foretold for thousands of years. (Have I said that enough yet?)

BUT HOW GOOD IS THAT? And, sometimes my logic tells me I am crazy for believing this stuff. But, I cannot deny the relationship I have with God. When I doubt HOW we got to where we are, I cannot deny the perfect love I have felt and live in daily. Faith the size of a mustard seed is all God says we need, and I can say I definitely have that. As I said above, my relationship with Jesus daily proves the crazy just enough to me.

I can’t deny my finger has healed the week of my due date after having a pregnancy tumor removed at an unreal rate. I have watched a miracle unfold, but of course I have… I prayed for it and God cares.

“For all the promises of God find their YES in him (Jesus). That is why it is through him that we utter our amen to God for his glory.” 2 Corinthians 1:20

I cannot deny that at 12 years old I asked God to make me nauseous on every single date I went on until I met my husband. And, because I prayed it, of course it happened. You can’t make this stuff up.

There are so many instances in my life I have seen God unify my heart in crazy, God ways with people, timing, and circumstances. That I have been prompted awake from my sleep to pray for things I had no explanation for, but come to find out was timely and needed at that second.

God is so real. That is what I am trying to get at here. The story of Jesus and his birth, the story of Christmas and all that the season of Advent represents, it is proven to me daily throughout the year in my relationship with Jesus.

Advent is a season of waiting and reflecting, just as the people we read about in the Old Testament did for years and years, generation after generation waiting for Jesus. They waited for this king to come, like a gift that they anticipated unwrapping underneath the tree. Like at 39 weeks and 4 days pregnant, waiting for a baby to finally be born.

Like Mary who was told she would be the one to carry the child of God for 9 months, and had to -at the worst timing ever- ride with her betrothed to Bethlehem on a donkey for a census BECAUSE Joseph had to go to the city of his ancestors… Jesse, David… Can you imagine? As a very pregnant women myself, no. I cannot imagine.

“And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David.” Luke 2:4

You tracking?

God is the God of answered prayers, miracles, and fulfilling promises.

I hope you experience this Advent season in a new way like I have been able to already as I wait for Baby K to come any day. I hope you feel the anticipation of Jesus’ return in a way you’ve never experienced. I recently read that we are in between two different Advents right now. We reflect on the first Advent, the thousands of years God’s people waited for Jesus to fulfill the prophecy of his first coming and redemption. And, now, we are in a season of Advent waiting for his second return as it is foretold throughout the New Testament after his death and in Revelation.

I hope you know love like you’ve never known this Christmas.

Merry Christmas, my friends. Happy Advent. Happy waiting, happy anticipation.

xoxo- Han

Gift Guide for Your Favorite Gals

December 6, 2017

Shopping for those girlies in your life, in my opinion, is the most fun! I love finding that great accessory or piece of clothing I think they need or great make-up and skincare for them to test out. I seriously love buying gifts for my gal pals, and it’s always so hard to narrow down what to get. There are years my grandma knitted scarves for all of my friends in custom colors I picked for them according to their style, candles and cards, my favorite make-up choices, gift cards to special date nights with their boo… I LOVE tailoring gift ideas for people.

Below you will find my top favorite current items and things I have on my own Christmas wish list. I first and foremost love supporting smaller shops, so I have a couple of my favorites (including The Cake Shop… duh) for you to gander through.

All photos by Cottonwood Road Photography for The Cake by Hannah

My Outfit Details

Boutique Skincare: I have been using A’del Natural Cosmetics for about 6 months now, and I love it. I wear their cream foundation and powder every day. They just did a huge rebrand and launched their very own skincare line. After three weeks of using it consistently, my skin is GLOWING (and it’s NOT just because I am pregnant). In fact, sleep has been minimal, so I can assure you I am not glowing because of pregnancy. My skin tone is more even, and so soft to the touch. And, everything is natural! I feel great putting it on my skin, and I know my little chunker who I will be kissing non-stop in the coming days will be just fine touching my skin and breathing in what I have on.

Young Living: I have mentioned them throughout my pregnancy, and though I am not your diffuse them all hours of the day kind of oils user, I do believe in Essential Oils and have the whole starter kit. (c/o of my momma!) I started using them for my anxiety attacks last winter and have slowly added to my collection until my mom just finally sent me the whole starter kit. She is incredibly knowledgable of them and has an amazing team of women she leads who also believe wholeheartedly in these and can teach you anything you could ever want to know! This would make for a GREAT gift. It’s pretty (sorry, but I am all about aesthetics), you get a diffuser, and it is filled with the top 11 most used oils. (Lavender and peppermint are my go-to ones from it!) The best way to get the starter kit is by signing up and ordering your whole kit here. Then type in 2289666 for the enroller and sponsor IDs!

Staying Stylish by Candace Cameron Bure: I had the opportunity to team up with Zondervan and get Candace’s brand new book, Staying Stylish, before anybody else. It’s SO CUTE, first of all- it makes for a great coffee table book. And, it’s packed full of fun stylish tips, health and fitness tips, and so much more!

Shop Small Items:

The Cake Shop

Auj Poj

Always More Bar Necklace | Always More Dad Hat |

Soul Scripts

Brokenness Welcome Hat | Sweatshirt |

Gift Guide

Every Good and Perfect Gift

December 1, 2017

One year ago, as I was writing my Christmas cards and thinking on 2016, I was beyond grateful for a year of starting new things and slowing down drastically in other areas. A year ago, I was also coming out of/still enduring the hardest year of my life personally. But, I had finally launched my dream of The Cake Shop just weeks before as The Cake by Hannah continued to grow, and I was truly overwhelmed with excitement for 2017. I didn’t know what was coming, but I did know I had all the ingredients to have the best year of my life.

Let me tell you what… that seriously is exactly what I had. The absolute best year of my life.

Things have always been “good”, I have victory in all things because of Christ’s death and resurrection (1 John 5:4). I have just failed to recognize and be as grateful for what I have or what’s been done for me in other seasons as much as I have in this one. 2017 came after a year of personal storms, intense anxiety, and a lot of late nights filled with prayer asking God to show me what it is he really wants from me.

But friends, It’s always darkest before dawn. A daily surrender to my flesh, begging God to remove fear and anxieties is what 2016 felt like. It was exhausting, but what a beautiful dance it was.

In the surrender came life. 2017 brought blogging full-time for me and becoming a small business owner that has been both successful AND a fun outlet for my creativity. Paul and I chased after a crazy extensive plan of fixing up an old farmhouse that I left a letter on the gate of the year before to end up leaving that dream behind in order to buy our first home that was less of a doozy… because we found out we are expecting our first baby. We moved into our first home, bought our first family car, and have had the most life-giving year of marriage to date. We were laughing a couple nights ago as we drove to a date thinking about how if this is the difference 3.5 years can make in our marriage/life/finances… what on earth will 3.5 more years look like? By God’s grace, I pray it’s just as fruitful, just as life-giving, and just as stable. I find myself saying “thank you Jesus for your favor” daily, multiple times. We feel so beyond blessed by God. And, we know that we literally get to take Z E R O credit for absolutely everything that has panned out for us over the last year.

I mean that with everything in me- I truly recognize that without God’s favor and grace in our lives, we would not have had the year we just had. I spent an entire year worrying over things, and he could have very well been a God of no mercy who said, “Why in the world would I bless you and bring you the desires of your heart when you failed so badly at trusting me for so long?”

But that’s not the God I love, worship, and serve daily. I am constantly being wrung out and reshaped. The process never ends. I am an imperfect being in need of a perfect God.

“Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6

So here I sit one year later, looking at Christmas card photos and addressing envelopes, and I cannot believe all that has unfolded over the last year and that we are days away from the arrival of our son. A year ago, having a baby was not even close to being on my radar. A year ago, I still didn’t want kids until I was 30. A year ago, I just wanted a home desperately and to finally do full-time what I felt called to do with my life- both of which I felt stuck in and trapped behind a wall that seemed impossible to get by. Debt that we needed to pay off, credit scores we needed to raise, money we needed to save, and so much more. (All of which we successfully, by the grace of God, accomplished- and with dance parties every time our credit jumped and debt was chipped away at!). I wanted to figure out a schedule with my husband that didn’t run me down ragged between multiple jobs. Funny how God works in the hearts of his children, and how he unifies husband and wife. Paul’s and my heart truly are knit together, and it’s so incredible how we get to watch our hopes, dreams, and desires align over time in perfect time. Not only did God bring to life the desires of my heart that I knew I wanted, but he brought immeasurably more than I could have ever hoped or imagined.

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” Ephesians 3:20

God is faithful. He cares about every detail.

There is so much to be thankful for, so much to see the Lord in. And, there always is. The whole earth is a reflection of his glory, and there is always much to worship the Lord in. I wish I could feel as much gratitude as I do now in all seasons. In seasons of overwhelming joy, and just as much in seasons of darkness, loneliness, angst, anxiety, or frustration.

I have kept the following scripture close to my heart as we prepare for Baby K to make his entrance into the world, and as I reflect on all of the amazing things that happened this past year for us:

“So, my very dear friends, don’t get thrown off course. Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light. There is nothing deceitful in God, nothing two-faced, nothing fickle. He brought us to life using the true Word, showing us off as the crown of all his creatures.” James 1: 16-18

Every good and perfect gift, every single thing we delight in on this earth, is from God. These gifts are extensions of his love and overwhelming glory. Every single bit of goodness, it’s his reflection, it’s his light. Nothing is given to us to hurt us, nothing is given to us to tease us. God is true to his word, he is good in all things and through all things, and gives freely because it’s just who he is. His grace is good, his love is limitless. Just like this child that Paul and I are about to have is an extension of the love we have for one another, so is every single good gift and day of life that we get from God.

God has been so good to us. 2017, it’s going to be really hard to beat you, but I can’t wait to see how 2018 somehow does. As for you, The Cake Community, who have truly become part of my life… thank you. Thank you for everything. Thank you for celebrating the highs with me and encouraging me in the lows. Thank you for loving this growing little family of mine, and I wish I could hug each and every one of you.

Merry Christmas, sweet friends.

xoxo- Hannah, Paul, Baby K, and Presley

Scroll for More Family Photos by Cottonwood Road Photography

Venue: The Nest at Ruth Farms

Paul’s Outfit:

Shirt | Chelsea Boots

Scroll to Bottom For Similar Dresses to Hannah’s

Similar Dresses to Hannah’s (The one pictured is out of stock):

Gift Guide for a New Or Expecting Mommy

November 28, 2017

It’s funny how as you get older your Christmas lists change.

From the toys to the coolest threads to feel “in” phase, to food and money in college. In adulthood, I find myself asking for kitchenware and plates or things for the house. And now, as a mommy to be, my list is yet again practical and tailored specifically to this stage of life.

Not only do I have a list for myself come Christmas Day as a new mommy, but I am surrounded by so many women I love who are also currently pregnant I want to buy ALL THE LIFE-SAVER THINGS FOR. For the first time in my life I get the “mommy connection.” Any time I see a pregnant woman waddling her way through the store or out and about, I just give her the “I know, but you look awesome and are killing it” look. My gift guide below is for those women in your life who are expecting or just had their first baby. From the practical to the pampered, it’s all necessary. Spoil the ladies in your life this year who are carrying child. It’s tough work, treat them!

What I have found throughout pregnancy is the better and more put together I feel, the easier my day. This doesn’t by any means mean a full face of makeup every day or having my hair done every single day. BUT, it has meant having on hand pajamas that fit me well and make me feel cute, slippers that keep my swollen ankles cozy, seamless panties (TRUST ME!), a good planner, feeling organized in my home, feeling pampered and groomed every month… simple things, but they are what kept me feeling beautiful as I grew bigger and increasingly more uncomfortable.

Gift Guide for Him

November 25, 2017

Thanksgiving has come and gone, and we can officially launch the Christmas season.

Lol, as if we hadn’t already around here.

I don’t know about you, but Christmas is life in the Morrison household. I sort of feel like I live the entire year counting down to when Christmas has returned once again. Gift giving is definitely one of my top reasons for why I love Christmas so much. Buying gifts for the people I love, intentionally picking things I want for them to have and bringing to life a wish of theirs, makes my heart burst at the seams. Shopping for Paul, my dad, and my brother can be a little tougher than the ladies in my life simply because… well, boys. It takes a little more thought for me so that I don’t just resort to gift cards or the same things I bought them the year before (because, let’s be real, anybody else’s men in their life seem to have the exact same things on their list every year?)

Here’s a wide variety of gifts for those men in your life. I have linked items on Paul’s wish list as well as things he already has and loves!