2015 in Review

I still cannot believe that this year is already over. It has seriously been one of the absolute fastest years I have ever experienced. It has also been one of the most stressful and anxious years as I came to learn more about myself.

January

January 2015 came with a sense of renewal for me. I was excited to move ahead and get myself where I wanted to be. I decided to do monthly goals this year with an overarching word. I started to really get into my blog and think about where I wanted to take it. I decided that I was going to go against the grain, and not be an expert in anything or find a niche. I decided to "un-brand" my blog. And, going with that sense of renewal, I decided to start defending my Mormon religion online by proclaiming that Mormons are Christians.

Recipes: Crockpot Apple and Balsamic Chicken, Winter Stew 

February

My goal for February 2015 was to focus more on my religion. I tried to participate more in Church, started a scripture journal and began over with the Old Testament. I shared my favorite scripture and what Mormons believe. We celebrated my birthday and Valentine's Day by going to Tucanos as usual--I love Tucanos! I also began to get chronic bronchitis that would plague me for a few months! Rhys even got very sick, and we basically spent a week sleeping on the couch and his swing, waking up multiple times during the night. His sleeping through the night was thrown out the window.

March

I really had a cooking bug in March and came up with quite a few recipes. I also started trying to use my DSLR to practice my food photography. My students started really trying my patience, as well as Rhys, who was developing quite quickly. I tried to focus more on the little things that I absolutely loved about being a parent. Justin talked about his daily life and why he loves March. We discovered Rhys's royal Celtic heritage while doing genealogy. And, that chronic bronchitis was kicking my butt!

Recipes: Orange Rosemary Chicken, Cornish Pasties, and Leek & Potato Soup

April

The beginning of the month was General Conference, Easter, and Spring Break. We were able to spend it with both my family and Justin's. This was a busy month--at school, we were trying to do state standardized testing, SAGE, as well as other projects. During this stressful time, I was definitely thankful for my favorite students. I had a lot of grading to do and wasn't as consistent in content-based blogging this month. Again, that chronic bronchitis kicked my trash. 

May

May was a very wet month--it rained almost every single day! It didn't help my mood in addition to the chronic bronchitis, a toddler who was refusing to eat because he had discovered his agency, and my students who decided they were done trying in school this year. We made the decision to help me focus on my mental health and my job as a mother that I would not return to teaching the next year. I thought a lot about sleep training. I thought about children and behavior and what I like in them.  Rhys began walking! We celebrated Memorial Day weekend by taking my dad out for traditional Japanese ramen (it was his birthday and he had served an LDS mission in Japan). We also took advantage of the weekend of no rain by going to park every day. Oh, and the rain and wind caused a tree from the city park to fall on and total our old car, leaving us with only one car. Thankfully, the city gave us more than the car was worth and we were able to pay off a lot of medical bills.

June

During my last week teaching, I thought a lot about what I would miss and wouldn't miss about teaching. I began my transition into being a stay-at-home-mother, and it was a whole heck of a lot harder than I thought it would be. I didn't realize how much I had missed and appreciated those 5 hours of not taking care of a baby, even if I was dealing with preteens. My anxiety began to reach a breaking point. For my mother's birthday, I decided to honor her with 15 lessons she taught me, as I have been more and more grateful for her as I am now a new mother. During Father's Day weekend, Rhys and I went up to Idaho with my parents to visit with my dad's side of the family. Once again, I defended my religion when I heard the SCOTUS decision on legalizing gay marriage.

July

Rhys turned one years old, so I shared the tips, tricks, and hacks I learned from my year of motherhood. Justin also had a birthday, and again, we celebrated true to form by going to Tucanos. Rhys's favorite part was the Brazilian lemonade. I went to my doctor and got an inhaler for my chronic bronchitis and was diagnosed officially with mild asthma, as well as mild PPD and anxiety stress disorder and was given prescriptions for all three. Both Justin and my laptops broke, so I went on a month long hiatus of blogging. We went to Bear Lake with Justin's family, and honestly, it was great therapy for me. We three had the times of our lives.

August

August was full of enjoying being a mother without the distractions of electronics, since we still hadn't replaced our laptops. I also did a whole ton of reading. I started to get jealous  nostalgic of my teacher friends who were decorating their classrooms and preparing their curriculum. We bought a bike trailer so we could buckle in Rhys and I could bike all over, since we only had one car. We celebrated our 3rd anniversary by leaving Rhys with my parents and spending the weekend to ourselves at home. We also got our first set of family pictures, ever.

Recipes: Cilantro-Lime Fish Tacos

September

I began tutoring a student in SAT prep, making pretty good money. I also started looking for other types of working at home situations. I joined Swagbucks, and have hardly done anything with it, and signed up with Elance, searching for some jobs. I opened up about my trial of faith I had during the summer, and was grateful for the book One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. Rhys and I created a routine for day to day. Blogging-wise, I began to be a little consistent, trying to find my style in pinnable images. I also noticed all my blogger friends going to Snapchat, but I held firm in my determination to not use SnapChat.

Recipes: Blueberry Razz Muffins

October

October was a very warm month for Utah. It was still in the 80s and 90's most days. Rhys and I went on a lot of bike rides, to the park often, and spent a lot of lunches with my parents (who both work about 15 minutes from our house).  Justin and I got gym memberships for Vasa and I tag-teamed with Sharlee to talk about 6 Ways to Love Your Body. Rhys started loving "helping" me with chores so I shared some tips on how to have toddlers help with chores. I went to a Blogging Sleepover and felt completely renewed and content with my blog. Rhys dressed up as Luigi for Justin's work trick-or-treating, and a doctor for our church's trunk-or-treating. We spent Halloween with Justin's brother's family because our nephew was getting baptized, and we wanted Rhys to trick-or-treat with his cousins.

Recipes: Creamy Chicken and Corn Enchiladas, Brazilian Style Fish Stew, Fried Zucchini Sticks

November

I started working as a virtual assistant for an online health and body coach, helping her create monthly newsletters, as well as transferring her Instagram posts to be blog posts, and creating pinnable images. I also decided to work on NaNoWriMo since I wasn't working. But, I sucked at it! My blog turned 6 years old. I wrestled with my thoughts and feelings on the LDS Church's new policy concerning children of homosexual families. Brad Wilcox's book, Continuous Conversion became my all time favorite religious book. We said goodbye to my 18 year old brother for 2 years as he left to go on a 2 year proselytizing LDS mission.We spent Thanksgiving Break with my family, eating and eating and eating and eating. Rhys also played in the snow for the first time in his life, and he loved it!

December

We were greated with cold weather, finally, and snow--a lot of snow. Rhys helped me to create this year's DIY ornament. I also helped to launch the new LDS women's devotional and scripture study website, She Teaches Fearlessly. I talk about our mission here. My back and neck have been bugging me a lot and have been very painful recently. After receiving bad new about a potential new job opportunity for Justin, we made the big decision that we will not renew our renting contract for our townhome, and to move into my parent's basement in mid-January until we feel confident about our finances again. Rhys had his first flight when we traveled to Georgia to spend Christmas with Justin's parents. It was wonderful!

I am looking forward to next year and the adventures we will have!

Top Posts of 2015

Blogging this year has been so much fun for me.  I've gotten a lot of engagement on a lot of my posts. I have learned a lot of things this year. And, I have loved quite a few of my posts. So, I've decided to make a few lists of the top posts of 2015. *There may be some overlap*

Top 10 Posts for 2015

1) Lessons from Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame ** This is actually a post from 2013! It's amazing that it's still getting a ton of views! 2) Lessons from Disney's Tarzan **Ditto! 3) 6 Ways to Un-brand Your Blog 4) Missing going back to school and giveaway 5) Why I Won't Use Snapchat 6) My Trial of Faith 7) Lessons from Disney's Lion King 8) Monthly goals for 2015 9) What do Mormons Believe? 10) eShakti dress review

Top Posts for Each Month

January -- 6 Ways to Un-brand Your Blog February -- What Do Mormons Believe? March -- Rhys is the Long-lost King of the Celts April -- Get Fit Thursdays // Meal Planning May -- Why I'm Not Teaching Next Year June -- How We Wore It // Casual Wear July -- Baby Tips, Tricks, and Hacks August -- Missing back to school and Giveaway September -- My Trial of Faith October -- Lessons from Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame November -- Reminiscing and Favorite Things Giveaway December -- The Future of this Blog

My Favorites (in no particular order)

What Do Mormons Believe? 6 Ways to Un-brand Your Blog Renewal Why the World Needs More Bingley's and Why I Married One 8 Ways to Encourage Your Kids Love, Marriage, and Religion My Trial of Faith Why I Won't Use SnapChat 6 Ways to Love Your Body 5 Tips for Having Toddlers Do Chores

My Favorite Recipes (in no particular order)

Semi-Southern Chicken and Dumplings  Orange Rosemary Chicken Cilantro-Lime Fish Tacos Brazilian Style Fish Stew
What was your favorite post from The Morrell Tale this year? Also, leave a link to your favorite post that you wrote this year for me to read!

7 Blogging Lessons from 2015

I have learned absolutely a ton about blogging this year. I'd love to share these lessons with you.

Collaboration is the Best

When you decide to work with another blogger to gain exposure, collaborate posts work best. Rather than guest posting, or sharing on social media, or even having the same content on both blogs, have half a post and your partner has the other half. That way, both of you will get traffic from each other. Also, group collaborations, like How We Wore It, is really fun because not only does it create traffic for all involved, but it is a fun way to get and keep new friends.

You Don't Have To Spend Money for Graphics

I don't use the membership on PicMonkey, I don't have a subscription to a stock graphic site, and I didn't buy PhotoShop. But, my graphic skills have developed throughout the year as I took more time and patience with PicMonkey and discovered other sites as well. Currently, I'm loving the free BeFunky Graphic Designer site.

Facebook Groups are Nice, But...

I've gotten involved with a lot of Facebook groups for bloggers, but honestly, aside from small stat and comment spikes every blue moon, they haven't really been very useful in growing my blog. They have been useful for blogging/social media questions, but I haven't really built relationships or community out of them. This is just on a majority. There are a few more tribe-like groups I'm a part of, and those benefit me more.

There are a lot of Christian Bloggers

I knew there were a lot of Mormon bloggers out there, but I've recently discovered the huge population of Christian bloggers. I love it because I don't feel as awkward or overly religious anymore when I post religious posts. I also get a lot of comments on them because quite a few of my followers are Christian.

Remember the Why

Earl in the year, I was fed up with all the bloggers saying you needed to find your niche and you needed to be an expert in something if you wanted to survive in the blogesphere. I decided to go against the grain and "un-brand" my blog. During the Blogger Sleepover Soiree I went to a few months ago, this idea was brought back to me. What is my "why" for blogging? It is because 1) I want to because I thoroughly enjoy it, and 2) I love the friendships I make through it and want to build on that community. That is going to become my mission for blogging in 2016. I'm super excited for the ideas I have for this little space.

You Don't Have to Do EVERYTHING

I'm not on Periscope or SnapChat. I don't have a Pinterest-worthy image in every post. Not all of my posts are content-heavy. I'm not involved in campaign groups or affiliate programs. I don't blog about the most popular issues. I don't have a newsletter, nor do I have perfect photos. I don't post every weekday (although I mostly do), and I don't always have content-heavy posts. My blog isn't necessarily continually growing. But, that's ok. I'm learning, I'm expanding, I'm creating friendships, I'm remembering the "why", and I'm still enjoying it. you don't have to be perfect with everything to be a good blogger.

Just Because You are Consistent Doesn't Mean Your Numbers Are

Even if you do post on your different platforms consistently, it doesn't mean that you will get consistent or even greater views. Does that mean you shouldn't blog consistently or often? No. I have a ton of ideas that I want to write, so I will. Remember your "why."

What did you learn this year about blogging?

2014 In Review

This was quite the busy and exciting year! It went by exceedingly fast! There was quite a few big changes in our lives! It was one of the hardest, most tense and stressful years, but also one of the happiest years, too!

January
Teaching at Navigator Pointe began to get extraordinarily hard as I was still having morning sickness and we were starting SAGE prepping. Justin took me to the Robert Burns dinner, which I loved as always. I started doing baby bumpdates for Rhys. I also had jury duty, but was called before it happened and told I didn't have to show up.
Recipes this month: Better Than Chef Boyardee Ravioli and Apple Braised Salmon Salad

February
I had my birthday and Justin got me one of my favorite presents ever: a personal pensieve! I did quite a few posts on marriage...I was really in love with Justin this month, and Why We Work is my favorite. I started a new link-up series called Weekly Focus, but failed with it. We also found out that our baby was a boy!

March

We started looking for housing in places other than Provo for after summer and Justin started applying for jobs. The first half of March was busy, but I talked about why I would never be a big blogger, we had our Baby-Moon in Salt Lake City that taught me to focus on the small things in life, I also had to start buying bigger clothing, but not maternity clothing yet.

April

Our church had the funnest international potluck ever this month! Justin and I also did our first ever Vlog. I made the big decision to work part-time as a teacher after giving birth. Justin's baby sister got married, and it was a beautiful wedding.

Recipes this month: Chinese Cashew Chicken and Leek and Potato Soup

May

I began to wrap up my second year of being a teacher and got reflective on what it meant to be a teacher and talked about understanding preteens.There was a very scary rainstorm that almost kept me from driving home from work one day. I was also on a skit-comedy TV show called Studio C as an extra for one of their episodes.

June
This was quite the busy month! School finished the first week of this month for me, but there were some issues with Justin's graduation. The last week, we found a townhome to rent. It was also the first summer since I was 16 that I didn't work. Again, I talked about why I won't make it in the blogging world. We had a scary incident with some bad, potentially dangerous smell at our apartment late at night. Justin and I took maternity pictures, but then, two weeks before my due date, on June 23, I wound up in the hospital due to bleeding, but Rhys and I were both ok.
Recipe this month: Easy Lettuce Wraps

July

On July 1st, we moved into our new home in the neighboring county. Then, on July 5th, we went back down to Orem very early and I was induced and Rhys was born at 5:21 PM. It was actually a pretty smooth birth! Justin's birthday was not overlooked (it is on the 9th), and he was finishing up a class at BYU while I stayed home and adored our new baby. Thankfully, Mom and my sisters were over almost every day for the next week to help me out as I was a bit overwhelmed and exhausted.  The rest of July was the best time of my life, being a new mom.

August

The first half of August was spent oohing and awing over our, now, 1 month old son, reading a lot of baby books, and finishing up decorating our townhome. Justin and I had a good weekend celebrating our 2nd anniversary by making a visit to Provo to show our son to our old friends and then left our son (with my parents) for the first time as we went out to a fancy dinner in Salt Lake City.

Recipe this month: Nilla Wafer Pudding

September
I started teaching the last week in August and it was hard to go back and leave my baby, albeit for less than 5 hours a day, but I still loved being a mom. Justin hadn't found a job yet, although he had plenty of 2nd interviews at places, so he stayed home and watched Rhys as we hadn't found a nanny or daycare that had openings or were in our budget! Justin loved being able to spend some special bonding time with his son. Rhys turned 2 months old and he was blessed, and we took him to a day of Comicon. The blog was redesigned by Elizabeth from Elizabeth Loves and rebranded from Our Fairy Tale to The Morrell Tale. I also went to a Sleepover Soiree with some other Utah bloggers (I only went the second day and brought Rhys with me).

October

I started to make a series on Lessons from Disney Movies and did one on Tarzan. I also thought a lot on parenthood and post-partum bodies. Rhys turned 3 months old. Justin got a good job at a company he liked using some of his computer coding skills. I also found a "nanny" in a friend of one of my teaching colleagues. We were very thankful that things were coming into place. I even went to a Salt of the Earth (lotions and bath salts) blogging event.

Recipe this month: Bloomin' Onion Rings

November
I started November out with a link-up series that was mainly for me to build back up my confidence. Rhys turned 4 months old and decided on his own to stop nursing and went to formula and rice cereal. We had Thanksgiving at my in-laws and Rhys had his first solid besides rice cereal--carrots. And, they were not nice to him at all.

December
This month has been hectic, trying to end the semester, working with Rhys becoming 5 months and trying to change his sleeping patterns and the length of stretches between feedings, and prepping for Christmas Break and vacation! This year, the DIY ornament I made for the Morrell girls' ornament swap had a sad ending. For Christmas, we went to my family in Farmington. Rhys had a terrible time sleeping at night that entire week, although he was ok with naps, but I was exhausted and a little cranky all break because of that--sorry, family! Christmas Day was a lot of fun, full of gifts, Rhys being cute, chocolate, relatives coming over to visit, and Lord of the Rings Risk. That is, until in the middle of our game, we got the sad news that my maternal grandpa had passed away. The rest of the time we spent at my parents' was trying to be in charge, console grandma and mom while dad helped them out, and be there for my younger siblings. Then, we quickly packed up and went up to Boise to Justin's siblings' for our nephew's baptism. Tomorrow, we will race back down to Utah so Justin can return to work and I can attend my grandpa's funeral.
Recipe this month: Semi-Southern Chicken and Dumplings

I am so happy with the year and having a new addition to our family. I can't wait to see what 2015 holds in store for us!

This year, I'm linking up with Brooke for her annual year in review link-up!

What was your favorite part of the year 2014?

2013 in Review

This has been a big and exciting year--much like last year was. I'm a little more of an adult, and a little less of a kid--a bittersweet thing.

January

I started my second semester of my teaching internship. I continued on US history with my 8th graders (forming of our government to the Civil War) and I received a new class for Utah Studies. My "Students Write the Darndest Things" linkup started. 

My favorite recipe of this month: Flatbread Alfredo Pizza.

February

February is always a busy month for my family: my 22nd birthday, my brother's 16th birthday, my Aunt's birthday, and my cousin's birthday, as well as my 6 month anniversary and Valentine's day. My 8th graders were the biggest pills ever this month, but I made bacon roses for Justin for Valentine's Day, so that was pretty cool. My favorite recipe of the month: Honey Glazed Salmon and Ginger Spinach

March

I participated in the Daily Slice of Life competition to blog every day in March. I went to my first Teacher-Fair and had a few on-site interviews. I started applying for real teaching jobs once my internship would end. It was a scary, stressful month. I also cooked a lot of new, yummy recipes!

Both Justin and my favorite recipe this month: Hawaiian Haystacks Casserole.

April

Biggest and most important: I graduated BYU! We also went to BYU's Senior Bash which was the funnest date I've ever been on. Justin finished school (for the semester) whereas I still had to finish teaching. It was a very busy month with me finishing my TWS, applying for jobs, etc that I actually didn't post any original recipes!

May

I went to Lagoon with my students and the rest of the school. The school year finished and I was sad to leave Springville Junior High, but so glad for the summer to start. I wrote about things I learned as a 1st year history teacher. We got a hand-me down couch from my parents and some really nice bookshelves from my aunt and uncle, and had quite the adventure rearranging the apartment. I also redesigned the blog to what it looks like now. My favorite part was Justin and my date with the dinos at the BYU Paleontology Museum.

Favorite recipe of the month: My first attempt at pasta salad.

June

I hate not doing anything over the summer, so I got hired at a brand new Subway that opened. I had worked Subways before, so working part-time was a fun way to get out of the house, have a few free meals, and earn a little extra money. I also watched a lot of movies on Netflix and read a lot of books. I also did physical therapy on my knee. As I was enjoying myself, Justin was working hard in school. Poor boy. We also made the most of summer by going to water parks, taking Sunday walks, seeing movies, and just having a lot of adventures and fun. I also started writing for the website Femiology.com

Justin and my favorite recipe of the month: Crockpot BBQ Pulled Pork

July

I worked very hard on the blog, doing a lot of linkups and guest posts. I blogged almost every day. We spent July 4th with Justin's family, and it was a blast! Then, around Justin's birthday, he got very sick, like super sick due to a new medicine he was on--it was the sickest I'd ever seen him and I was really, really scared. I still worked at Subway part-time, ran a lot, read a lot, and watched a lot on Netflix. I was also officially hired to be an English Teacher at Navigator Pointe Academy in West Jordan!

Due to Justin's illness, and the amount of eating out we did this month with conflicting work schedules, I didn't post any recipes this month.

August

This was definitely a busy month! We had our first anniversary and camped at Yuba Lake. I joined a group of Mormon Bloggers who share their testimonies on their blogs. I started teaching English to 7-9th graders at my new Charter School and fell in love with the way my classroom was decorated. Little did I know just how busy and exhausting this job would be. I also went to my first concert ever--a Three Days Grace concert!

Favorite recipe this month: Homemade Fried Rice

September

I participated in Skirtember, a blogging challenge to wear skirts every day in September. During Labor Day weekend, Justin and I went to Virginia to visit his sister and her family. I was so excited to return to where I grew up! The following weekend, we went to Comicon in Salt Lake City --we both were super excited! I went with a good friend of mine who also blogs to a panel about ADD/ADHD disorders and how it affects their education and work habits. It was another very busy, but fun month.

Favorite recipe of the month: Hawaiian Chicken Pizza

October

I'm very deep into the books I taught my students. I already have things I love and things I strongly dislike about the school. I already hate the 50 minute commute. Justin and I ran our first 5K--the Hit and Run. It's kind of like making Wipeout into a 5k and it was a blast! I also almost got charged $17 for 15 heads of iceberg lettuce at Wal-Mart! Thankfully, I checked my receipt before leaving with the 1 head I actually purchased!

Favorite Recipe of the month: Crockpot Taco Stew

November

We found out I was pregnant, but kept it a secret from everyone! But, first trimester side effects were definitely in full force! I felt terrible almost every day during school, and wanted to go to bed for the night once I got home. I was invited by my mother-in-law to be part of her homemade Christmas ornament exchange. I made my first ornament ever and it was adorable! We spent Thanksgiving with my family, but I was hardly able to eat anything thanks to pregnancy nausea.

Favorite recipe of the month: Rice Krispie Holiday Wreaths

December

This was a tough month for me physically, mentally, and emotionally. I still had terrible nausea and exhaustion due to the first trimester. I also was having a hard time staying caught up and motivated grading and lesson planning at school. It snowed a couple of times, and it was quite scary driving the 40 miles to my school in the snow, on the interstate. We also had our first ultrasound due to the fact that I have a uterus that faces my back and the doctor couldn't find the baby for a heartbeat. But, we were able to see the baby with a real ultrasound.

 Justin and I celebrated our Christmas early.

Justin got: $10 Sodalicious gift card, white button up shirt, owl jigsaw puzzle, and Despicable Me 2

Tayler got: Epic (the movie), skeleton key necklace, modern gourmet pizza cookbook

We both got: Bourne trilogy, Sonic Heroes video game, Hyrule Historia

We spent Christmas Eve and Day with Justin's brother and his family. Their kids are 8, 6, 3, and 2 months, so they all still believed in Santa. It was very nice to have a magical Christmas because of their belief, but it was also quite hard for me because it was the first Christmas I spent without my family. Now we are up in Boise visiting Justin's other sister and her family for New Year's. We'll drive home tomorrow after New Year's, and I'll have to go back to school on Thursday. Yuck.

Favorite Recipe of the Month: Potato Scones

I am definitely ready for the new year... as well as the break the second trimester will give me! Here's hoping the nausea will go away and I'll have my energy back!