In Case You Were Wondering: My Netflix Binges

I love watching TV at night after we put the kids to bed. It is definitely mine and Kyle's way to wind down and relax after each day. While I am over-the-moon happy it is now summer, the only downside is weeknight TV. I miss some of my shows but I'm pretty happy with Netflix as well! I love it. I'm totally convinced that if Netflix would have been around when I was a teenager, there is a good chance that I would've stayed home more and been in trouble less! :) I'm an extremely extroverted person, but I know it is a good show when I find myself wanting to be at home watching Netflix instead of out doing whatever it is I'm doing. That is saying a lot for me! :)

First, some shows that I have binge-watched in the past are:

The Vampire Diaries-  I was borderline obsessed with this show when I was binge watching it. But once I got caught up, I lost interest. Proof that binge watching is way more fun than live tv :) Still a fun show though, and I even went on a tour with some friends a few years back, since they film it about an hour away here in Georgia. It was pretty cool!

24- I watched the first season. I actually have a mental note to come back and watch more. This show is good, but it is a little hard to get going since it is so old and I'm just now watching in life. The dated technology/fashion is fun yet distracting :)

Parenthood- hands down one of my all-time favorite shows ever. I started this show in the beginning live on TV and stayed with it until the very last episode. One of the best!

Raising Hope- this show is like goofy funny. Laugh out loud for sure!

Once Upon a Time- Kyle got really into this show a few years back. We don't watch it currently, but really enjoyed binge watching it for several seasons!

New Girl- another hilarious sit-com. Definitely a laugh-out-loud kind of show.

The Office- this show brings back good memories of 2006ish. Good times. SUPER funny show!



 Between being pregnant and not sleeping well, then nursing throughout the night, and now just lazy summer days, I've gotten into a few shows again this summer!

First off, when Preston was less than a week old I believe, I started Gilmore Girls.

Ohmygoodness. I finished it when he was 8 weeks old. The show is SO GOOD! I went through a bit of a grieving process after I was done. If you haven't already seen it, start now. Love it!! It only took me about 6 months of a grief period to finally start up a new show again. And it was worth the wait.

Hart of Dixie- this show is cute! It is easy to watch and a cute little comedy. I originally started this so I could have something to leave on while folding laundry during quiet time each day... but Kyle somehow ended up picking it up along with me and now we watch it at night together. It kind of is an "us" kind of show... after all, there are about 50 references per episode to the University of Alabama... so Kyle had no choice but to be somewhat in to it :) A cute little fun fact- it is filmed on the same set/town square as Gilmore Girls! It was like coming home to Stars Hollow at first. :) :) This show only had four seasons, too bad. We are in season 2 and I'm not in any rush to finish just yet! I'm enjoying this one a lot.

Since Kyle joined in on my original laundry show, I had to find something else and ended up coming across the cutest little Hallmark original show.

Cedar Cove- this show is so cute, too!! It is a little cheesy at first, but I find it really refreshing to have something wholesome to watch on tv. I believe this show was written after a book series, so I may have to check them out! Netflix has the first 2 seasons, and I know it still airs on Hallmark channel. Yay for not being cancelled yet! :) I REALLY love Cedar Cove.

Friends- ah, the go-to for easy, no-thinking-required tv entertainment. As I've gotten older, I've gotten even more into this show than I was when it first aired. It is fun watching episodes and remembering them. Anyone else miss the 90's? :)

Okay, so I watch more shows than just those listed, but most are live on tv still, so that is for a different post. :) I have a dream of one day, when Preston will finally let me leave him with someone other than Kyle, of spending an entire weekend at home with just Kyle and no kids, watching a series on netflix uninterrupted. I doubt that dream will ever happen, but it is definitely a goal. ;)

 Now, tell me, what are YOUR favorite netflix shows to binge watch? 

In Case You Were Wondering: Favorite Devotionals

Today I am going to share some of my favorite devotionals that I've done over the last few years.

Doing individual bible studies, group bible studies, or just reading books written by Christian authors, are absolutely my favorite ways to dig deeper in to the Word. Aside from attending weekly worship and bible class, I just love how reading and going deeper into what God has to say about a specific topic really helps me to understand more about how He wants me to live my life. It helps me to be a more purposeful wife, mother, friend, daughter, and servant of the Lord.

The first book is one that truly changed my life when I first read it about four years ago. 

One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp will truly change your perspective of how you view your life and how you live it. This book is perfect for anyone at any place in their life. In my opinion,it is not an "easy" read, as in it is not the kind of book I want to read while my kids play at my feet and ask 50 questions an hour. So be sure to carve out some quiet time for you to be able to sit and read and really take in all that she is saying. I loved reading this book about a chapter a night before bed so I could really focus and think about it throughout my day the next day. She also has a ton of resources available all over the internet for encouragement and inspiration. I follow her on Instagram and love her deep views and poetic thoughts.

The next book I highly recommend is Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge.

Let me just go ahead and tell ya. As a woman, this is hands-down the best therapy you could get aside from prayer with God Himself. This book speaks so much Truth and really puts it all out there. These are the same authors who wrote the book Wild at Heart (the same type of book but for men). I have not read it but I've heard it is also a great one for women to read to help understand men better. I am so in love with Captivating though! I always go back to it and read it again and again. It is powerful. 

The next few are some of my favorite Beth Moore studies. Beth has a way of speaking that is exciting, loud, and straight to the point. I really love every study I've done of her's, and any time I am starting a girls bible study or looking for one to do on my own, they are the first place I go to for a good selection of what I know will be a great study! The studies I have done are Daniel, Breaking Free, and Esther. All are wonderful studies! There have been seasons of life where I was able to really dig in and do all of the homework, and then other seasons where I really could just read and watch the videos with my group, but I really feel like I took away a lot either way.

The thing I love most about Beth's studies are that she is so great at breaking scripture down one at a time, giving you a history of what was happening during that specific time period on the Earth, teaching everything in the exact context as it was written, so you can better understand how God intended for it to apply to your life today. Plus she is a spunky little southern woman and I love her.

I'm also a fan of Jonah, Life: Interrupted by Priscilla Shirer. I did a group study of this one with my bible class girls and I'm sure each and every one of them can testify that the timing of that study and what we were all facing during that time in our spiritual lives was unbelievable. God works in mysterious ways! Priscilla is an amazing speaker and writer, and what I love most about her is that she has young children so she has a fresh perspective for a season of life I am currently in. In my head I picture her and Beth Moore being BFF's and grabbing coffee together while writing the world's greatest bible studies in their free time. ;)


For daily bible study, or even just a quick moment of encouragement, I love my Jesus Calling book by Sarah young.

A sweet friend of mine who I've known most of my life (I used to babysit her children when I was younger) was one of our guest speakers for the Becoming, and she brought me a leather copy of this book with my name on it. I love how I think of her every time I open it! I keep it in my night stand. Some days I read it first thing in the morning, some days I read it at the end of the day before bed. It is amazing at how much each devotional applies to what I'm facing that exact day. I highly recommend this book if you are simply interested in adding a little more Jesus to your every day life, but aren't exactly ready to do a full and intense bible study. Either way, it is a great devo for all Christians, young and old!


One of my favorite, most thought-provoking studies I did was Crazy Love by Francis Chan.

I love how I ended each chapter feeling more prepared than ever before to love God passionately and to really have a deeper prayer life with Him. This book opened my eyes to how I pray, aside from praying for others. This book really showed me how to put every single thing in my life aside and to focus on Him. Loved it.


Similar to Captivating, this book really hit home for me, but more specifically for my role as a Mother.

Desperate by Sarah Mae and Sally Clarkson. It has been several years since I have read this and I just decided today, after starting this blog post, that I would pick it back up and re-read it. I think it is especially a saving grace during a season of babies and young children in the home. The first time I read it I only had two children, and I did not home school. I cannot wait to grab a cup of coffee, sit down and re-read it to see how it applies to my life now!



Well, that is all I am going to write about today on this subject. I have many more books I look forward to sharing in the future, but that is for a different post. :) What are some of your favorite devotionals or women's bible studies to read? I am in the market for one to do over this summer so I would love some recommendations! 

In Case You Were Wondering: First Edition

Since I'm a girly girl, I love all things girly. I also love when my girlfriends share things that work for them in the girl department. Things like favorite hair products, cosmetics, books, recipes and more. I'm going to start a little series of this blog called the In Case You Were Wondering Series. If you have any questions you'd like to ask me, feel free to email me any time at coveredingraceandkisses at gmail dot com.

To start things off, I want to share about one of my favorite topics ever: hair products.

Now, just to be transparent here, I must admit, I'm a low-maintenance gal in this department. God gave me naturally straight, fine/thin hair. So really I only have so many options on what to do with my hair each day (aka straight, straight, or straight). Please know, I am SO not *that* girl who always comes around with fab-looking hair. I wish! Maybe when I'm not in the having-babies season of life I will be her, but for now, my great-hair days aren't as often as I'd like. But when I DO get to do my hair, I can tell you, I've definitely shopped around when it comes to certain products for my hair, and others I've just recently discovered but am LOVING them, so I'm going to tell you all about it!

First things first: shampoo & conditioner. Right now I'm using Redken Color Extend for both my shampoo and conditioner.

 In years past, I've gone around six months between getting my hair done. But last fall I decided to go toward the Auburn/brunette family hair color, so I've been going more often. In order to save some money and also save myself some time, I switched to this product in hopes of extending the length of time between hair therapy sessions. ;) So far, I'm pleased. I recently had my hair done, but it wasn't because my color had faded, it was because I wanted to change up the color. So, I feel confident that these products are working!





For after the shower, I recently discovered this gem of a product, the Wet Hair Brush.

 I promise, I found it like a week before my last hair appointment, and even the salon had it. I'm pretty sure they had it before and I never noticed. But with a house of four girls, this brush is a miracle worker!! It never hurts to comb out any tangles, and my girls love how easy it is to brush their wet hair. Seriously a game changer, especially if you have fine hair as well and are used to getting tangles easily. Do yourself a favor and run to Target and get yourself one. You will never use another brush again!!


Again, as a girl with fine hair, I have to be careful about letting it get super flat at the roots. Needless to say, if I have time and on a good hair day, lots of teasing is done to help lift 'em on up to Jesus! To help me with that, I use this Big Sexy Hair Root Pump.

A little goes a long way with this bad boy, so I lightly spray my roots and crown area, and IMMEDIATELY blow it dry and lift it with the round brush. It works immediately. Love. it. Don't know how I went so long with flat hair.


My most recent addition to my hair products is this Living Proof 5-in-1 styling treatment.

LOVE it! My fine-hair girls out there know what I mean when I say usually I can never put any products on my roots, let alone all throughout my hair. This product is great about letting me use it all over and working as I'd hoped. I use about a nickel size in my hands and place it all throughout the length of my hair, as well as some on the roots area. I've used this product both at night with wet hair before bed, and at other times just before drying it. It works great either way.



I only wash my hair every 2 sometimes 3 days. I wish I could say I do this because it is so much better for your hair, and that is part of it, but honestly, I do it because I just don't have time to completely *do* my hair every day from start to finish. Not to mention I have naturally oily skin and product an insane amount of oil in my hair. After going most of my life of having to wash my hair every single day in order to not look homeless, I finally started using baby powder as my go-to product. I used it to absorb the oil and I can honestly say this stuff got me through most of my years in high school, bangs and all. But thankfully, the good Lord above let there be dry shampoo. And all God's fine-haired girls said Amen.

I've used TONS of dry shampoo products, from the expensive stuff to the $2.50/bottle stuff. Right now my absolute favorite is this Bastite in the Tropical scent.

First of all, it works great. Second, it smells like you just stepped foot into a pina colada. Amazing. It mentally takes me to Hawaii every time. Perfect for these Spring/Summer days!!

I try to wash, dry, and curl my hair on day 1, then sleep on it with an elastic hair band that won't leave a dent like these:

Then on day two, I wake up and spray it with the dry shampoo, brush it out, and am free to style it anyway I need to. It looks, feels and cooperates even better than it did on day one every time. 

End of Day 2 hair. Not bad considering underneath it is nothing but oily, flat hair!

The key to having great hair on day 2 and 3 for me is using those products throughout the length of my hair on day one! It makes a world of a difference. 

Day 3, I only need to apply about half the amount of dry shampoo. This day I can usually wear my hair up and it has lots of volume and is very easy to tease because it has great texture. Sometimes if I didn't sleep too rough on it the night before I can even get away with re-styling it with the curling or flat iron and wearing it down again. To me, as a busy mama of four, this is like winning the lottery! Love it when I get an extra day of wearing my hair down and it took no longer than 10 minutes total. 

For a wet hair/wavy look, I just started using sea-salt spray in my hair at night before I throw it into a bun. I'm going to keep playing with this style and see if I can perfect it before I share all the products that go into it. So far, I'm having a hard time getting my hair to fully air dry at night when it is pulled up tight in a bun. So when I take it down the next day, it is partially wavy and the rest is wavy but wet, so when it air dries, it dries straight. Not the look I was going for ;)

Well, so far, that's all I've got in this First Edition of In Case You Were Wondering.

Wondering about anything else? Ask me in the comments section or email me. I realize I'm not that interesting at all, but if you're anything like me, it is always fun getting some tips on good products without having to risk wasting your money up front! 

Hope you all have a fab hair day!!