Becoming a mother// Guest post by Beka.

  Hello loves! Today I have a special treat for you coming from one of my friends Beka! I'm so excited to have her here today and share with you some things she has to say from her new experience of entering the world of motherhood.
                                                                
Hello ladies! My name's Beka, and I blog over at The Castilles. I am very honored to be featured on Like A Morning Cup Of Coffee today. I often enjoy reading her posts on marriage, motherhood, and Godly femininity. She's someone I would love to sit down with over coffee! Thanks for letting me take over your blog for the day, Heather!!

 My husband Sean and I got married last August and we just found out this February that we're expecting our first! After some initial shock (and three pregnancy tests), we let it sink in and praised the Lord for the gift of life he placed inside me. I'm young - only 19 - and both marriage and motherhood are happening for me at an age when most girls are in college, starting internships, or studying abroad. Even though I know full well that marriage & motherhood at a young age was exactly what God had best planned for me, the lies of the culture around me still creep in... It whispers, "you're wasting your life". It mocks, "you're not ready for this." It degrades, "there's other women who would have done better at this than you." It lies, "you're weak, God isn't strong enough to hold you." So often I fall into the temptation to believe these lies and I grow disheartened: Oh my goodness! I'm having a baby! Nothing's going to be the same again! I can't handle these changes! God, surely you could have chosen someone else for this task of motherhood. I'm clearly not cut-out for this. I choose to fret instead of looking at my growing belly with overwhelming joy. I choose to feel regret instead of peace in holding my husband's strong hand. I choose to worry about the disapproving looks of others who scoff and think I'm too young - instead of rejoicing that the Lord is sanctifying me in such a unique way! I dwell on the opportunities I won't have instead of noticing all the open doors that a life of stay-at-home motherhood is going to offer me. Do you see how easy it is to view a change in circumstances, such as impending motherhood, as a threat to the comfortable life you've grown accustomed to? As Christian women, we ought to see these changes as a sign that the Lord loves us and loves to teach us new things! God desires to be glorified in our lives...but how can he be glorified if we fret and worry over what He calls blessings? Over what He calls good things? May we view changes such as these with JOY and run after them with reckless abandon!
                                 
                             
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                                       http://castilles.blogspot.com/

Some good cup of Friends.

Hey Beauties, I have a special treat for you today.. I'm going to share with you some great friends and bloggers that are worth reading.. I love each and every one of these ladies and I'm positive you will too once you go check out their lovely blogs.

                                                              xoxo Much love!

From Bisons to Buckeyes

What do you love to do more than anything? Spend time with my husband. Is that too much of a cop out? I love exploring new places... with my husband. :)

What are you looking forward to this Spring/Summer? Warm weather, baseball, being outside, rain, animals, pool time. I could go on and on.

Describe your blog in three sentences. I started blogging to keep in touch with my family and friends when the hubby and I moved 500+ miles away from everyone and everything we knew. Since then, the blog has turned into so much more of a hobby and community that I love. I blog about my life, love and faith.

 
 Harbor Hope
 1.What is your blog about?  Harbor. A place of refuge. To hold tight. Harbor Hope is both of these things. In my mind's eye I see a small dinghy. It is stranded. A boat without a paddle. All hope seems lost. There are no sign posts or how-to books on board. And yet there is an ember. Small. But existent. Harbor Hope is about fanning that ember. Building up hope. Restoring lost hope. A place for those who feel lost. Or battered and bruised by the storms of difficult parenting. It is about fostering change. In the way people talk. The way people think. The way people respond. It is about inspiring hope. Pulling each other through the moments we don't think we can survive. Seeing opportunity within challenge. Hoping despite what we see. And it is about promising forever. Not everyone can or will adopt. Not everyone will foster. I don't aim to make this a reality. But everyone can... See the child beyond the behavior. See the mom hanging by a thread. See the parents who love so deeply but don't have the answer. See that every child. Every parent. Is worth the effort. And that no one is beyond hope.

2.What gives you inspiration?  I am inspired by...

 ...the ocean and the great grey sky that stretches above it. Reminding me of the awesomeness of my creator. 

 ...my mom. A more excellent and dedicated woman I have never known. 

... my husband. A man whose friendliness and patience are endless.

...my son. A boy whose joy overflows and who tries so hard. 

...life. And all that God has brought me through. 

4. What do you love to do more than anything? More than anything I love to be with my boys.


 

The Castilles

1. My blog is about my life and adventures as a young newlywed and soon-to-be mother...which includes everything from crazy stories, favorite recipes, thoughts on the world, and really a hodge-podge of everything.

4. I love to create more than anything. Whether that's a blog post, or a floral display at work, or something in my home - being creative, writing, and designing give me such joy and I never lose motivation to do it again and again!

8. As cliche as this sounds, my husband Sean is totally my favorite person of all time. He's my best friend and he brightens every area of my life. I'm sure I annoy people sometimes with how often I'm beaming about him ;)

Sponsor with me in April.

Interested????? I'd love to have you! Here's what we'll do. You take my button for your blog and I'll take yours. Sounds good?

Every one of my sponsors will have the opportunity to guest post and be given shout outs at the end of my posts. I want to start getting really serious with my sponsors so my little blog mascot and I will do every thing we possible can to make you feel welcome! If you have any questions please let me know. You can either comment or e-mail me. 

To all of my present sponsors let me know if you'd like to sponsor with me for another month. I'd love to have you. :)


Email me at heather.amorningcupofcoffee [at] gmail [dot] com.   Space is limited.

 

Due to my girl moving this month we are taking a break from TVRL. However, we'll be back before you know it with more randomness. :)

Meet these incredible ladies!

 

                                                                  Meet Charlene.   


                                                    
-Why did you start blogging?  
I started blogging because after my husband and I got married, we moved 500+ miles away from everyone we knew. I wanted my family and friends back home to be able to keep up with us better than the occasional Facebook status.

-What is your favorite post you have written and why?
 My favorite post is probably "I Live for Little Moments Like This..." (http://mrsmaugeri.blogspot.com/2013/06/i-live-for-little-moments-like-this.html) because it was fun to right and the response I got was great. I love writing about our life and marriage. Really that whole "From One Year and Beyond" series was pretty great...

http://mrsmaugeri.blogspot.com/2013/06/i-live-for-little-moments-like-this.html

http://mrsmaugeri.blogspot.com/2013/06/hardest-moments-of-first-year.html

http://mrsmaugeri.blogspot.com/2013/06/learning-from-unexpected.html

- Where do you get blogging inspiration?
 I try to write about my life and little things that happen that spark creativity. But if I get stuck, I get inspiration from other bloggers. When I'm going through my Bloglovin feed and I see and Idea I like, I make a note. If I write that post, I make an effort make it my own and I make sure to give the other blogger credit.

 

                                                                        Meet Jessy

                                                         

1. What’s in your closet right now?
   I have a lot of things in my closet! Clothes- summer and winter, a plastic tub full of home decorations, our emergency bag consisting of all important paperwork, (that I’ll grab during a fire or emergency where we have to flee), my wedding dress, shoes, and scarf collection! It’s a semi big closet, but I do have way too much stuff!

2. Where do you get blogging inspiration? 

From my brain. 😊 Seriously! I’ve wanted to blog for a couple of years now, but my life was a bit crazy and I wanted to be able to devote myself to it fully. So, I’ve been keeping a running list in my head, of everything I wanted to write about. Naturally, I’m not the Rain Man, so I’ve forgotten most, but the well isn’t dry yet! I still have about 20 topics yet to be published!

3.If you could visit any places in the world, that you haven't visited yet, where would it be and why? 

ASIA!!!! I’ve been in love with the Asian culture since I was little. I’m more obsessed with Hello Kitty than my 7 year old niece! In particular, I want to go to Japan. While living in Hawaii, I had quite a few Japanese friends, and the stories they would tell of Japan made me want to go there even more! I love the beauty in simple things that they strive for. Husband’s not a big fan, he’d rather our next adventure to be South America, so we will see who wins this one!

Sponsor for January 2014 saaay whhaaat?

Yeppers, you heard that right!


                                                   Interested?!?!?!

Okay,  Here's the deal...

Put my button on your blog and I'll put your button on my blog and we'll call it a deal. :)

Help me promote my blog, and I'll help promote your blog. 

Can't wait to hear from you!!

Please contact me at Heather.amorningcupofcoffee@gmail.com

Love ya'll!

 XO

 Heather.
 
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The details.

•  Space is limited and is given out on a first come, first serve basis. 
• As a January  sponsor, you will be given a sponsor feature, consistent mentions on social media, and the opportunity to participate in a guest post and/or FAQ or giveaway.
  

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