Hannah Morrison

Every Good and Perfect Gift

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):

FAQ Coffee Chat with Paul & Me

Hey y’all!!

I am so excited about today’s post, because I am doing something I have never done before. Rather than trying to keep emailing or sending back DM’s that are restricted to a certain amount of characters, I wanted to get on video with Paul to answer some of our most asked questions. These are q’s I get emails or DM’s about a couple times a week; from asking about ministry, being a pastor’s wife, marriage in general, dating, buying a home, setting up a budget… we get these kinds of questions way more than I could have ever expected or dreamt. First off, I am blown away by how much we DO get asked these kinds of questions, and I don’t take that lightly. That you would value what we have to say about marriage, babies, budgeting, buying your first home… that is so special to me and I just want to say “thank you” for trusting us and welcoming us into your lives. Like, what? That just blows my mind. When you email me asking for prayer about situations in your life, I want you to know I pray for you. I know your stories, I care about your heartache and frustrations, and I am cheering you on.

Alright so here we go! Rather than a big long written post that you’ll skip around in and skim through, here is a much more exciting way to hear our answers to allllll the questions.

Disclaimer: We are young, don’t have all the “right” answers, and learn daily how to better our marriage, faith, and life. On that same token, I do also believe in the truth that you only have to be a couple steps ahead of someone in a similar season to be able to help and speak into their situations. For example, I have now experienced pregnancy, therefore I can help my friends who will be pregnant in the future through their pregnancy by telling them what worked for me while also encouraging them to do what feels best for them. So, without saying we know or have all the answers (because dear Lord, we do not and that’s why we have mentors!), we are answering these questions to the best of our ability and what worked/works for US.

Take what we say and custom tailor it to your own life, relationship, marriage, budget… all the things!

I combined and narrowed down a lot of your questions to be able to keep this as general and concise as possible, while still answering with practical, in-depth steps of action you can take. And, bonus, you get to know my hubby better -I am obviously a big fan of his and want you to know him better- and maybe get to know us as a couple together better. So grab yourself a cup of coffee (or glass of vino- and drink one for me please?), cozy up on your sofa, and enjoy!

xoxo- Han

 

Outfit Details: 

Exact jacket from Landry Kate

LK Instagram: @shoplandrykate

HUGE shoutout to our favorite videographer (and dear friend), Jordan Stratton, of Stratton Creative. If you need video content for your company, wedding, event, etc… he is your guy for sure.

Incredible content, incredible turn around time.. he’s just seriously so good.

 

Prepping for Baby Together

The days are flying by at this point, and thank goodness for that because my body is aching and I have never felt so ready to knowingly and willingly endure pain before in my life. Like, let’s just do this. I told Paul last weekend, “What if we all anticipated Jesus’ coming like we did to get a baby out of us by 34 weeks?!” All while in the middle of trying to put pants on and breathing heavy, because lung capacity is at an all time minimal amount currently, and it really was the thought I had haha. You just can’t make these things up. I have also definitely fallen over attempting to put pants on lately, so there’s that.

Moral of the story: Pants are always optional- especially while pregnant.

(But if necessary, these from the Ingrid & Isabel line at Target… holy smokes. So good.)

As Paul and I have gotten ready for baby- the car seat, nursery, birthing classes, hospital prep, etc.- we have also prepared emotionally the best we possibly can. We have valued every minute together and said “no” to a lot lately. If we can have an evening together, which isn’t often, we take it. We’ve done the nursery together, shopped for baby items together, and done as much as we can together. This is our baby and our new life, and it’s most certainly a team effort despite the fact I am the one carrying Baby K. Life is about to change as we know it, and we get that.

I have always known and believed you only fall more in love with your spouse as you grow older together. But, I didn’t expect to love him so much more and in so many new ways as I have throughout pregnancy. Sure, I figured I would love him in a new way as a dad once K is here, but being pregnant alongside my husband has grown a deep love for him that wasn’t there before. I didn’t even know I had space for it, and it’s been incredibly sweet to experience. I can’t hug or kiss him enough.

We have started to picture life with K around. At night we read a story from The Storybook Bible out loud to get into a new routine, and we talk to K a lot. We want his name to be on our lips and part of life before he’s even here. We pray for him as though he’s already here. We sit with Presley and let her sniff my belly, hear his name, and smell all of his tiny clothes and toys. His nursery has been free range for her to explore so that she, too, is as accustomed to this new tiny human that will be taking over all of our lives as best as possible.

So, to answer the question, “How have you prepared together emotionally for a baby?”

Well, it’s looked like taking every minute together we can, knowing now is the last of our time in our marriage we will ever be like this. It’s putting our phones down more than ever and feeling the baby move and kick together. It’s taking advantage of every opportunity we can to connect and do new things together. It’s going to the grocery store together, it’s being more intentional than ever to ask good questions at the dinner table. It’s stealing kisses whenever you get to, and it’s being blubbering babies together every time we finish something new in the nursery or see a little boy out and about or on television (For real, though. I have never seen Paul cry so much before until we were parents to be).

Preparing emotionally together for baby is just as important as prepping the home for baby. You can have all the best baby items, the best stroller, the best car seat, the top-rated mattress and monitors… but if you haven’t made baby part of your routine and life before he gets here in some capacity, I truly feel it only increases the shock of the new addition. Of course, we are first time parents. Of course, we can’t speak to that with full knowledge and I won’t even try to act like I know it’s true. But, it’s helped us prep for K. It’s made us excited and feel like he’s already part of our lives without even knowing him yet.

So there’s that. We’ve been incredibly intentional with time together, and have started to do life slowly but surely as though he’s here. There’s not a ton you can do to do that, but having his stuff around the house and making him present in the home before he’s here is something you can do.

We cannot wait to meet K! It’s crazy to think how close we are. Like, insane.

xoxo- Han

Outfit Details

This top is from Pink Blush, here.  I got so many compliments on this adorable but slightly edgy crushed velvet top. Collar neck + crushed velvet= 2 trends in one top WITHOUT being too extra. I love it worn with this pair of black denim from Target (They’re less than $35!!!).

My slide on mules, here, are still my go-to right now in pregnancy. They’re the bomb.

All photos by Cottonwood Road Photography for The Cake by Hannah

     

10 Things You Don’t Know About Us

 Hey babes!

I have had so much fun getting to know all of you over the last year and a half. It seriously is so much fun hearing from you, writing posts for you, and creating a genuine community with all of you. I thought that since I see so many new faces (or Insta-handles, I suppose) it could be fun to share 10 facts about me and Paul you might not know. I have felt pretty MIA lately with so much traveling and being sick, but I promise I am getting back into my groove and I can’t freaking wait to share so much exciting news with all of you soon. Life is so fun, and I love getting to live it with ya.

T E N  T H I N G S  T O  K N O W

1. I am the baby of my family by 5 years, and Paul is the oldest. My siblings are barely a year apart, and then I was a surprise while Paul and his brother are barely a year apart. We definitely embody a lot of the cliche sayings about the baby and the oldest, which keeps things pretty interesting around the Morrison household. 😉

2. I was a dancer in high school and Paul was a hockey player. We always joke about how HAPPY we are that we didn’t know each other in high school, because we would have hated each other. (Although, Paul thinks he could have shmoozed me. I beg to differ.) I was a goody two shoes and Paul was a rebel.

3. My favorite show since I was 5 years old has been I Love Lucy. I watch it almost daily, and I can probably tell you the entire plot line of every episode within 10 seconds of the show starting.

4. Everybody thinks Paul and I went to college together, but we didn’t! We went to different schools and met through a mutual friend at church. I happened to sit behind him, and he left church that night telling his friends he was going to marry me.

5. I am an INFJ, which people are always like “Nooo, there’s no way you’re an introvert”, which gets me on my soap box about personality types. Extrovert vs. Introvert in most cases is less to do with social interaction, and more to do with how you connect with people and how you best rejuvenate after a long day or with big crowds. I am definitely a glass of wine and a book or Netflix at the end of the day kind of girl, and I have to challenge myself to go out with people more than once a week. Paul is the opposite. He loves being around people all the time.

6. I studied Broadcast Communications in college with a minor in writing, and my internship was at D Magazine as the Weddings and Mom blogger. It is what gave me a love for this blogging thing, and I learned a lot from that. I had to write as if I was a mom, making meals for her kids with a column “What’s for Lunch and Dinner” and wrote the column “Dress for Less”.

7. I have the world’s biggest sweet tooth- I would totally eat ice cream and cake for the rest of my life- while Paul could care less about chocolate and sweets. But, funnily enough he loves sweet and savory stuff like pineapple pizza or sweet ham.

8. I love each season individually- I get giddy as each one’s distinct smell starts to fill the air. But, by far, Christmas is my favorite time of year. I live for Christmas. My best Halloween outfit ever was dressing up as Jovie with a friend who dressed up as Elf, and we won best costume at a sorority event. Paul is equally as much of a Christmas fan, and it was genuinely something early on in our relationship that we both knew we could date one another because of our ridiculous amount of excitement for Christmas.

9.  My most embarrassing moment was during high school in my AP English class. We had weekly themed journals we had to write for a final grade at the end of semester, and we NEVER had to read them out loud… until the worst possible moment came along. Our prompt for that week was to write a piece about something you regretted. So I wrote a great piece about a horrible date I went on with the biggest jerk of the school. The voice of it was great and my descriptives were on point…

Yes. I had to read out loud. Yes. Everyone knew who it was about.

I was absolutely mortified.

10. When I was a little girl, I refused to eat pizza. I know- tragic. I swore I hated it. I also didn’t eat cheesecake until I was a teenager, because I thought that meant it was made out of cheddar or swiss cheese. Now, I would give anything to be able to eat a slice of pizza and cheesecake with my food allergies. I actually have vivid dreams about thick crust pepperoni pizza at least once a week.

Love this two piece set I am rocking? It’s so so cute, and I felt on point for Easter weekend with it. Pink AND gingham? Yes please!  You can find it here from Tobi.

xoxo- Han

All photos for The Cake by Hannah by Cottonwood Road Photography

Walk Humbly

It was one of those mornings after a huge blow up. The kind of mornings you both wake up still furious, and you can slice the tension with a big fat steak knife. It was the same fight, same story, different day, and I was emotionally exhausted over the repetition of this same topic and the harm it was causing us in our marriage. But, I wasn’t done yet and I certainly wasn’t waving the white flag. I sat in the middle of the sofa, crisscrossed with my coffee, making certain Paul could see I was still angry as heck at him, and we both know I am not over something when I just make eggs for me. Ughhh, I hate mornings like this- yet, it’s as if my inability to pick battles just welcomes them with open arms.

Been here before?

Maybe it’s with your husband, maybe it’s your roommates, maybe it’s your parents. No matter who your repeating fight is with, I think we can all agree on two things: 1. We don’t actually enjoy fighting over the topic (if you do, you need to do some serious counseling and soul searching.. haha) 2. We hate that we care so much to win, which is what causes the fight on repeat in the first place.

I am really into personality tests, like REALLY into them. I have probably taken just about every kind there is. And, I know they are fairly accurate, because I always test the same personality, perhaps just named different depending on the test, for every single one. I recently took one called 16personalities, and I tested once again as an INFJ-T. (The ‘T’ addition is specific to the 16 personalities test.) I was reading through each little section about me out loud to Paul, and felt so justified. Everything was so on point for me, and I was like “See Paul! Look, this is just who I am.” Then it said my personality type is the kind who are often soft spoken, but when they have an opinion they fight to the death for it. And, we see every little thing as an injustice, no matter how big or small, so picking battles is tough because we want every little injustice fixed for the greater cause of humanity.

This is SO TRUE. But, guys, gut check, come on. No matter what a personality test says I am, and no matter how accurate, this doesn’t justify or make it okay that I don’t pick my battles and turn on the spice easily when I walk into battle. Just being real! Y’all, sassy is my middle name, and I am not always proud of it. Sure it can be funny in the right time, but when it comes to being sassy in a fight, it’s never going to end well. We can’t always chalk up our sinful patterns or tendencies to simply “that’s just who I am, and you have to be okay with it.” See, with maturity comes an understanding of “yes, this is who I am and these are my tendencies, so what I am going to do about it to tame it?”

See, me fighting for justice and seeing where there could be cause for hurt isn’t a bad thing. It’s what drives me and, when it’s used well, it is a great asset to contribute to a team, because I can see and feel all different possible outcomes of situations and I consider how this could effect people’s feelings. What I have had to learn the hard way over my first three years of marriage is I can’t pick every battle and I am not going “win” every single one I do go for.

The Bible says “Seek justice, love mercy, walk humbly with your God.”

(Part of Micah 6:8)

Seek justice: check. I am real good at that. My personality test even said so. 😉

Love mercy: Yeah, I like that I don’t get everything I actually deserve, and that God extends countless amounts of grace on me.

Walk humbly with your God: Womp. See, to walk humbly means you don’t need to win every battle and, dare I say, be right in every single one?! Self reflection before coming to someone in confrontation is the first sign of humility. Asking yourself “Is this an injustice that is causing real harm to me or others? Or am I just annoyed?” That’s maturity, that is humility, that is what it means to walk humbly with your God in the setting of confrontation and picking battles.

You don’t always have to win.

You aren’t always right.

It’s not always worth the picking.

Gasp. I know. If you’re like me deep at the core, you’re thinking “NO. It’s worth the fight to see that person grow and get better…”

Ah but sweet thing, we need to check the plank in our own eyes before pulling the one out of your neighbor’s. I am with you, that’s me. I am literally speaking about myself above all else right now. I originally wrote this post a week and a half ago, and am reading through a final time for edits… and I am laughing/cringing BECAUSE THIS WAS US THIS MORNING. Ugh, the sofa, the coffee, the eggs… EVERYTHING.

I so often want to pick the planks out Paul’s eye or family and friends, but often when we look at the core of things, we have the same plank in our own eye to work on, which is why we can see their’s so strongly. It’s the same one.

My prayer for the last month has been “Help me to care less, God. I don’t need to win. I have already been justified through the cross for everything I need.”

This has been a game changer. It’s truly changed my view of the topics that Paul and I have had on repeat battles for the last three years. Truly, it’s been a shift. We haven’t fought about these things since I started praying this prayer. (LOL- until this morning.) Do the topics still boil up, and I have to decide before speaking how I want to handle it? Yes. Duh. The battles don’t go away, but how we choose to pick them and approach them causes a shift.

Taming the spicy, y’all, and not having to be right. That’s a battle in and of itself. But, it’s one worth taking. Pray that prayer with me, if this resonates with you.

“God, I don’t have to win. I have been justified through the cross.”

Love you guys so much! I have worked so hard to get back on my game after a month and a half of being here and there, all over the place, and I planned literally the next 3 or 4 months of content. It’s going to start rolling out here in the next week starting with this post. I know I have been MIA, and it’s because of a plethora of things, but I will share about it all with you. Adulting is real y’all, haha, but there are some fun things on the horizon!

This awesome striped dress, perfect for Spring and Summer, is from Landry Kate! I styled it up with some fun wedges (literally, these wedges are freaking tall), but you can wear it with some kicks and a ball cap for a casual look, too! Call them up to order yours: 469.307.3770. Ask for the Jacey Tie Dress. 🙂 I am in a Small! Tonight I am hosting a fashion show at Landry Kate with my sweet friend, Lindsay Smith in celebration of her brand new book, Be Clothed. It’s going to be such a fun night, and I cannot wait to share more about it and the book itself. Some of my students and I have read through already, and we will be sharing our thoughts about it for all of you.

This lip color is actually Caramel Apple from Lipsense. I thought it was time to try out what all the talk is about, and so far I am a big fan. I got mine from my sweet friend, Liz Larsen (@accessoryjane) who is a distributor. I love supporting my friends and watching them succeed in their businesses!

xoxo- Han

LET’S GET SOCIAL