Erin Akin Carroll

If the person on your gift list is looking for a new Bible, Christmas is a great time to give them just what they’ve been looking for.

I was recently introduced to Zondervan’s new StyleLine collection. A few months ago I showed you the Bloom Bibles. This next collection of Bibles is geared toward the stylish woman. The Bibles use styles and textures to enhance any woman’s personal style and attitude.

Of course, the leather is soft and beautiful as we’ve come to expect from Zondervan. The text is all NIV translation with the words of Christ in red.

The beautiful Cherry Quilted Bible comes in a standard and compact size.

For more information on the Bibles, visit the Style Line site.

The StyleLine collection features the Zebra, Gray, Cherry, and Chocolate/Copper Flowers.

*This is not a sponsored post. I received a press kit and had an opportunity to review the actual Bibles for you, which were donated to a women’s shelter in town.

When I first realized I was pregnant with Hudson, I had a general idea of what the calendar looked like. We weren’t “trying” to get pregnant, but I wasn’t completely oblivious to certain dates.

I called the doctor’s office to schedule my first appointment, and the nice lady on the phone talked with me about dates and she was able to give me a general due date of June 15. She explained that we’d come up with a more accurate due date after the first ultrasound.

I went onto BabyCenter.com to come up with my own due date calculation and it was right around June 15, too.

But at my first ultrasound, they measured little Hudson and determined that he was measuring a little bit ahead of the due date they’d given me. We received a new due date of June 10 at that time.

Around the time of my 37th week, I went to my appointment and that was when I started measuring a couple of weeks ahead. My doctor guessed that my baby was a little on the large size, but assured me that it was fine.

So they predicted a large baby, but I wasn’t progressing at all. And then I started thinking about how much I wanted my parents to be there for the birth of my baby, but they were 17 hours away. We started considering scheduling the baby’s birthday at that point.

At my 39 week appointment, I was still measuring really big and an ultrasound guestimate had my baby’s predicted weight at 8.5 lbs. They thought he was going to be a good size, but definitely not huge.

My doctor decided to do an induction on June 5 before my June 10 due date because I was measuring ahead. Looking back, being induced didn’t lead to the greatest delivery and recovery experience, but it was the decision we made at the time.

But I’m also very thankful that we did induce on June 5 because Hudson ended up being 9 lbs 6 ounces. I hadn’t progressed at all when we went in to the hospital. I know I would have been way overdue if I had waited to go into labor, and he would have been even larger.

I suppose it’s a possibility that my due date was a little off, but I really just think I had a big baby. And I am so glad that my parents were able to be there for Hudson’s arrival.

Was your due date accurate? Was your baby overdue, early, or right on time?

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours!

We are so thankful this year for the blessings in our lives. But, mostly this year, we’re thankful for God’s perfect provision. We know that His hand is all over our lives and that makes it so much easier as we sort through the unknown.

I’m thankful for my loving husband, my sweet children, my supportive parents and in-laws, and our many friends that add so much love and encouragement to our lives.

We’re leaving early tomorrow morning to head back home, and this week away has renewed my spirit, and made me really excited for the Christmas holiday season.

We have spent most of the week doing a whole lot of nothing. We watched movies, we cooked, we did a little bit of shopping, and went to a few movies.

We fixed Thanksgiving dinner yesterday so we could eat all of our leftovers before we left town. I think it was a good decision!

We went sledding again today and had the most fun time.

We didn’t take Hudson skiing this year, but we’re already talking about coming back next year and getting him in ski school when he’s 4 years old. He told us he was ready! We’ll see.

*Make sure you’re following along on Instagram (@blueeyedbride)  and Facebook

Yes, it’s the day before Thanksgiving. But I’m feeling especially grateful today.

We’re in Beaver Creek, Colorado with all of our family- my parents, my Todd, my boys, and my brother, who lives here. And our lifelong dearest friends are here, too. It has been incredibly relaxing for all of us.

Hudson and Hayes have loved all of the attention, Todd has had the rare opportunity to read a book, and I’ve just loved the company of so many loved ones. And I’ve also been able to see Skyfall and Breaking Dawn Part 2 in the theater. Score!

Coming off of an especially emotional and stressful week, this was just what the doctor ordered. We’re surrounded by God’s beautiful creation. Getting away from it all is a great way to reflect on all of the blessings in our lives.

All of our belongings are in storage. We don’t currently own a home. But we have family, and we have great family. We. Are. Blessed.

I am thankful for so much this year, but the one thing at the front of my mind is my family and what keeps us all together.

* Make sure you’re following along on Instagram (@blueeyedbride)  and Facebook. The days that I can’t blog, I try to post there.