Wow has it been a crazy year. 2018 has been one of the most memorable and eventful years of my life that I can remember. So many things happened-some good and some not so good. I think that I can definitely say I have grown a lot throughout this year and have been impacted a lot as well.


As the year winds down I wanted to actually write down all of the eventful things that happened this year. I enjoy doing this so that I can appreciate what the year brought and I can look back on it in the years to come. I wanted to focus on the good events though as I would rather not remember some negative aspects of the year so that is what I am doing today. Month by month I will be recapping what happened in my life this year.

January - I finished up my seasonal retail job and started my second semester of senior year in high school (that is really crazy to me considering I just finished my first semester of college).

February - I started my first social media and marketing internship with a goat yoga company and had one conference call as well as a meetup for that.

March - I started another social media and marketing internship at a coworking/daycare spot, had an event and a couple meetups for my internships, spent spring break with my grandparents, our cat Cosmo had his 2nd birthday, had my senior pictures taken and went to a circus.

April - I had my 18th birthday, did my first photoshoot, and went to a soccer game with my friend.

May - I stayed with my grandparents for a few days, taught Sunday school one Sunday for the children, finished my last day of high school, launched my business (Adorned With Delight), had Senior Sunday at church, traveled to my hometown for my friend's graduation and party, and went to a concert in San Antonio for memorial day.

June - I graduated from high school in Houston, went to our 3-day family reunion in Louisiana, my aunt stayed with us for about a week, saw a concert-type performance at church, went tubing down the river, and had my 3-year blogiversary.

July - I started delivering for Doordash, my family had a vacation week where we went to amusement parks and water parks such as SeaWorld, Aquatica, and Fiesta Texas, went with my friend and stayed in Galveston for a week, "acted" in a marketing video shoot for a local pottery business, and spent a weekend in Dallas with my aunt.

August - I went to Schlitterbahn with my family, finalized my registration for college courses, started my first semester of college, and started attending a young adult Bible study at church.

September - I became a small group leader for the youth ministry at church, our family came into town, and I hosted my first giveaway for the business.

October - My family and I traveled back to our hometown and I helped out with the Fall Fest at our church.

November - I voted for the first time, stayed a weekend with our grandparents, had our church Thanksgiving, and had Thanksgiving with family.

December - I went to a Bethlehem reenactment, registered for spring semester at college, went to my dad's master's graduation, fall semester of college ended, had a youth group Christmas party, went to Austin's famous Trail of Lights, had Christmas with some family, went to the Christmas Eve candlelight service at church, released my first video for the business, and started working on my photography game.

So many things happened this year with a few that I didn't even mention. I would have to say, though, that this year, overall, was a great one and definitely one that I will remember. I got out of my comfort zone, started things with my hobbies and interests, traveled a good bit, and had some once-in-a-lifetime moments. Knowing how this year went I cannot wait to see what 2019 will bring. Who knows? Maybe I will be in a completely different season of life or I might be doing things that I never thought I would be doing. Only God knows and I know that He has my best interest at heart whatever the coming year will bring.

Thank you for following along this year! I'm curious-leave a comment letting me know when you started following me or my blog. Was it this year or since the beginning? Also, let me know how your year went-I hope well! Thank you again for reading and following along! You all will hear from me next year! Happy New Year! ♥

Hello! Can you believe that Christmas is only in a few days?! The semester is over (hence why I finally have the chance to write a new post) and 2019 is right around the corner. Though I wanted to put up several holiday-themed posts this year, I decided that today I at least want to do one.



Though it is a little late to be making Christmas wishlists I still thought it would be fun to put up my wishlist for future reference. As I've done in the past, I want to put a disclaimer stating that I fully believe that gifts are not the reason for Christmas and they definitely should not be placed with higher importance than the birth of our savior Jesus. I also do not expect to be gifted these gifts, I just find it helpful and fun to look at other's wishlists and figured I would do the same.

Without further ado, here is my wishlist for 2018:

It is well with my soul. What do you think of when you hear those words? Maybe the lyrics from the hymn begins to play on repeat in your head, maybe it is just an awesome reminder of the peace that our God only can give us, or maybe you have never heard the phrase. Either way, it is a powerful statement of the way our lives are changed after coming to know Him.


Let's be real for a second. Life can be hard and every day might not be as good a day as the one before it. Because the world has been infected by darkness we are bound to be affected by it. Though I hope that none of y'all have to experience anything like this you may have to go through some life-altering changes such as the loss of a loved one, the loss of a job, a bad relationship, health problems, or you may find yourself financially struggling. There are so many bad things that this world can throw at us and they can definitely be challenging. If you have never experienced anything of a negative nature then maybe you can't relate and you may be thinking that you plan on preparing yourself for the unexpected later on in life. I think I can say something that a lot of others would agree with: there is no amount of preparing that you can do to try and act like a negative situation hasn't affected you. We have emotions and when they are influenced by the slightest thing that makes us unbalanced, it isn't uncommon to struggle while trying to get back up.

"We have emotions and when they are influenced by the slightest thing that makes us unbalanced, it isn't uncommon to struggle while trying to get back up."

As much as we would like to be able to know it all and independently try to fix ourselves, as our generation seems to think, we just can't. We may think so but we, as fallen humans, need the guidance of others to help. Broken people can't try to fix themselves independently, we need someone else to help us become balanced again. Fortunately, we have been given the opportunity to know (and have a relationship with) the one who can help us do that.

"As much as we would like to be able to know it all and independently try to fix ourselves, as our generation seems to think, we just can't."

God. He is the only one who can help our broken population. And I am not talking about some temporary relief but an everlasting cure. That's not to say that we will become immune to the evil in this world but we will be able to be in peace while we go through it. He provides the ultimate way of life and the ultimate love that goes along with it.

"God. He is the only one who can help our broken population."

That's where this phrase comes in. It is well with my soul. He provides peace for our souls no matter what we are currently traveling through. It may be murky or it may be as clear as day but He has given us peace through it all.

Romans 15:13 is a perfect representation of this. It says "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (NIV). How awesome is that? For believers who have the Holy Spirit, they have been given this wonderful gift. Nothing should be able to knock us down. The God of the universe has already won the battle and brought hope back into the world.

""May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" Romans 15:13 NIV"

So, yes, worldly things may seem important in the moment and we may feel the burden of fear, worry, or anger. In other words, we may sometimes get caught up in the here and now and think that what we are going through on this earth has cause to wreak havoc on our lives and threaten to take away the promises that He has already given us. But guess what? That's not how it works.

The truth is that the battle is OVER. Grace wins. Victory has been accomplished. So that means nothing, N-O-T-H-I-N-G can take away the hope and joy that He has given us when we trust in Him. That's an amazing story, friends.

"The truth is that the battle is OVER. Grace wins. Victory has been accomplished." 

So the next time you are threatened with some temporary hurdle in life or you find your joy and peace diminishing remind yourself "It is well with my soul" and take the time to really evaluate what that truly means for you and your walk with Him. ♥

I want to start giving the chance for y'all to send me prayer requests. It is something that I want to really challenge myself on doing more. If you have anything that you want me to pray for then please leave them in the comments below, send me an email, or DM me on social media. If you want to keep them anonymous you can certainly do so. If you are leaving a comment on here then make sure to choose 'anonymous' when asked how you want to comment. I would love to pray for y'all in any way that I can. I want this to be a place of encouragement for one another. Thank you for reading and I hope that you have a wonderful rest of your day.

I wish I could be more active on my blog and post regularly. But, there has been something that has hindered me from doing so and it can be summed up into one word: college. It has been taking up all of my time and been kickin' me in the booty when it comes to taking away the time I need if you want to be real. I really want to be able to find a good schedule to stick to in order so that I can complete all of life's obligations in a timely manner and a stress-free environment but it is something that I have yet to succeed at. Sometimes I just want to watch a movie or hand-letter in peace without all my assignments screaming at me letting me know they need to get done.

Oh yeah! I don't think that I have mentioned it here but I have gotten back into calligraphy/hand-lettering. A while back I started doing calligraphy but it was with authentic calligraphy pens and now I have started working on more new-age calligraphy like brush-lettering. I have really liked it and I have a few ideas of what to do with it so you might be seeing more of that in the future. (;

Anyway, that is not what today's post is about. I recently came across an Instagram post where someone had taken common perceptions of introverts and changed them to be from an introvert's perspective. I thought that it would be fun to write a whole post dedicated to how I see it and how others might perceive introverts a little differently than introverts themselves.


First to tell you how I relate to this: I am an INFJ (the Advocate) personality type and I don't think it could be more accurate. When I found out that there was a name for my personality type and that someone could explain it seemed a little crazy because what they described I could 100% relate too. If you want to read about the Advocate personality type or find out what your personality type is then you can do so here.

Now, according to my personality type, I am an introvert but, don't get me wrong, I can be more extroverted around certain people and in certain circumstances. I am more so on the quiet side though.

On that Instagram post, there were a few points that were made about introverts. I will include the points that I can relate to. The first part will be from the outsiders perspective and the latter will be how introverts may see things.


I think that there are many more ideas about introverts that are popular but I don't think that they can be completely understood without hearing the other point of view. Everyone is different and has a different personality but I think that these are pretty common and introverts may feel that extroverts think this way.

For me, I can understand how I may sometimes come off as quiet or not very easy to talk to. I would probably say the same thing if I saw myself sometimes. But, just because introverts can come off one way doesn't mean that they are actually feeling that way.

I think a lot and try to listen before I add my own thoughts to a conversation. I also may not join in with everything but instead, stand on the sidelines and watch beforehand. I think that to some they may feel the need to try to include introverts or feel like they need to give the floor to them sometimes. They also may feel like they are being left out. But, that may not be the case. They may be perfectly content with just listening.

The INFJ personality description is "Quiet and mystical, yet very inspiring and tireless idealists." I think that sums me up pretty well. I have even had people say that they see that in me. I do a lot of thinking and enjoy my quiet time as I come up with new ideas and aspirations but I may not always share them with others.

Though my personality may not be the one to add my 2 cents in every conversation and or be the first to join in with others, I definitely will speak up when I feel the need to or when I feel that my ideas will be beneficial. I think that there are many others that feel the same way.

Like I've said, everyone has their own personality type that has a lot to it. It would have to be a very deep and lengthy post in order for me to even try to explain to others my thinking or how I perceive things.

This post might have been entertaining or it might not have. I'm not entirely sure what the point I was trying to get to, is. I hope you at least learned a little about an introvert's perspective that you may not have known before reading this or maybe you can relate to it and feel like you just read something that resonates with you.

Either way, I am so glad that I finally had the chance to write another post and I hope I can do it again sometime soon. If you have a comment or question about today's post or anything for that matter then leave it in the comments section below. Thank you for reading and I hope that you have a wonderful Wednesday. ♥

If you are in college or you know how it is then you would know that note-taking is a big part of your college career. It is not like high school anymore where your teachers give you handouts on everything you need to know. Though, at times, the professor will make it easier and give you a guide on what notes to be taking the majority of the time you are left to do it yourself. Since professors share a lot of information during lectures, you better be taking some good notes.


Over summer I had heard of many people taking notes on their iPad during lectures. They said that it was very convenient and helpful to have one device to hold everything. Once I thought about it some more I decided to go ahead and invest in an iPad that I could take notes on. Granted, I did already have an iPad but it was very old and not compatible with the Apple Pencil so I gave my old one to someone that would use and enjoy it and I purchased a new one.

First off, I am going to have to put a disclaimer in here. First of all, this post is not sponsored and all opinions are my own. Secondly, I am not trying to brag at all or act like everyone has hundreds of dollars laying around because, I get it, we don't. The only reason I was able to purchase one was through my college fund. I would not have gotten it otherwise.

Anyway back to what I was saying...

I thought that this new purchase would be a good investment and it would make my college experience a tad easier. I love using real paper and pens (don't get me wrong) I just really liked the idea of having everything in one area.

So, the reason I am writing this post is to explain to all of you how I take notes on my iPad and the apps that I find most helpful. Whether you are in school or just enjoy taking notes, I think that this will be helpful to you.

Like I have said I use the iPad and Apple Pencil to take notes. I then heard a lot of people mentioning an app called Notability that they use and love. After doing my own research over the best available note-taking apps I decided that Notability would be the best version for me as well.

Below are a few shots of what Notability can do and how it works.




I personally really enjoy getting to take notes now because it is really fun to be able to have access to many colors and highlighting tools. You can also add pictures easily and move things around. It also has the ability to have two notes open at once.

Overall I really enjoy taking notes now and it works out well for me. If you have been wondering how others take notes on their iPad or if you are interested in doing it yourself then I highly recommend the tools I have mentioned.

As well as taking notes the iPad can obviously do a lot of other things helpful for school. Because of this and the fact that it is more easily moveable, I don't even take my laptop to school. I just use it when I am home. I have said this many times but it seriously makes things a lot easier.

I hope you found this post helpful (or at least interesting). If you are in school and have any tips that you can share then please leave them in the comments below so that we can all see them. I hope that you have a great rest of your day and thank you for reading! ♥

Well hello. It has been over a month since my last post. I don't realize until later that I haven't posted in a while. Life has changed a little bit and new chapters are unfolding. As much as I enjoy writing blog posts, it has been nice getting to take the extra time to focus on where I am in life and where I want to go.


I know, I know, let's not get philosophical but it really has been nice to direct my attention to something new for a change. I have started my first year of college, I am involving myself in church more, and I have had time to just relax and live life without thinking about things that need to be done.

Since the last time I have posted I have:
- helped with a video marketing shoot with a local business
- spent time with family
- went to a couple amusement parks
- started going to a bible study at church
- added new arrivals to the store (check it out here!!)
- tried out the 21 Day Fix health plan
- finally got my phone screen fixed (which was way overdue)
- went back to school shopping
- started college

I also am going to be a small group leader for the student ministry at church. I am excited to be able to serve more and I'm excited to see how the Lord uses us in this new adventure.

I am writing this after I have gone through my first week of class and it has been busy to say the least. I am taking 14 credit hours with a total of 5 classes. This semester I am taking Biology, Speech, U.S. History, Composition, and Effective Learning which is a course that helps you succeed in college. I have 2 classes a day Monday-Thursday and I am taking Biology online. I thought that it would be nice to have Fridays off but this Friday I spent all day working on homework. :/ I have a busy schedule but the first week went pretty well.

I want to start posting on my regular schedule again though. Even if I have to pre-schedule some posts I still want to get back to posting. Even though I should give myself credit because of how busy I am it is still sad for me to think about how I haven't posted. I have put so much work into this blog and I definitely do not want it to slowly step out of my life. This blog is the OG and I want to be able to work more on it like I would like to.

Thanks for listening to this little story of my life and I hope to be back soon. I would enjoy hearing about how your life is going or hear about new things happening in your life. Leave a comment down below with anything and I will be happy to chat with you. ♥

Hey y'all! Happy Wednesday! I know that I haven't posted in a while but I have been so busy with my business that I haven't had enough time to sit down and write a post! We got new arrivals in so it has been taking up all of my time. You can see what we got here if you are interested.


Anyway, back to the topic of this post. If you don't know I recently became a driver for Doordash and asked y'all  via Instagram polls if y'all wanted a review of my experience thus far. 60% of you said yes so here I am sharing my review.

First, if you aren't already familiar, Doordash is an on-demand food delivery service that operates similarly as GrubHub, Uber Eats, Postmates, etc. Doordash has an app that customers can order their food on and then a driver (in this case me) will go to the restaurant, pick up the food that the customer ordered, and take it to their home or work.

At the time that I am writing this post, I have done 16 deliveries. So far I would give this job a 7 out of 10. Let me explain why...

I love (seriously love) how I can set my own schedule, the pay is decent for what I am doing, and I like that I can take a break from it whenever I want. The only con of it is the wear-and-tear on my car and that is a big deal to me. That's why I rated it the way I did. Sometimes the deliveries are a little farther away and when you are on a dash (a shift) you are driving a lot.

Regarding the schedule, you can schedule a dash up to a week in advance for as long as you want or you can simply 'dash now' when they need more delivery drivers at that moment. Peak delivery times are normally 11-2 and 5-9. I usually will just hop on and 'dash now' but I have scheduled  a dash in the past. This is definitely  something that I have liked is working when I want to work.

The pay is decent for what I am doing. Delivery drivers don't get the same salary as a doctor obviously so the money is decent for the job and the hours. I am going to be really transparent and go ahead and share how much I have made. After doing 16 deliveries, with a total of 11.52 hours, I have made about $156. If you divide that by the number of deliveries that is $9.75 per delivery. Hourly that comes out to be about $13.5 an hour.

The other thing that I really enjoy about being a Doordash driver is the flexibility of making my own schedule. I like how I can make some extra money when I want but I still have the time to do the other things that I want to do such as my business. I can hop on whenever and make some side cash.

Overall, I think being a Doordash driver is a decent side hustle. I do recommend it if you also want to make some side cash and want the flexibility of choosing your own hours. The only thing that I would have you think about is the wear on your car.

If you decide to be (or already are) a Doordash driver I would love to hear about your experience! Feel free to leave a comment below!

Happy hump day! I am back with another post and decided to share my summer reading list with you all. Now, I am not a bookworm by any means (which I should actually work on) but every now and then I will see or hear about a book that catches my attention. Recently that has been happening a lot.


Social media, my family, and friends have been recommending or mentioning certain books which have influenced me to eventually put together a summer reading list which is what I have now. So, here is my summer reading list...

• Victory Over The Darkness by Neil T. Anderson - A family member had recommended this book to me and I am already about halfway through it. So far I am really enjoying it and feel like it will be one of my books that I will go back to many times. 
• Follow Me by David Platt - This book was actually given to me as a graduation gift and I am excited to start reading it. I actually didn't know much about it but, what I have heard, has been all good!
• Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis - So, I follow Rachel on IG and many other influencers had been mentioning her book so I decided that I would get it on Amazon. I was in Hobby Lobby and saw it for a great price so I grabbed it and it is on my to-do list. I trust everyone's opinion that said it was good so I'm sure it will be a good one as well.

So, that is my summer reading list and yes it has only 3 books (2 1/2 considering I am already halfway through one). Like I said I am not a bookworm and I get distracted very easily so 3 was a good number for me. Honestly, though, I wouldn't be too surprised if I didn't finish them on time considering this summer has been pretty busy so far. I also don't want to rush through them but I will get them done at some point.

I want to hear your favorite books right now or your opinions on one of the books that I mentioned. Drop them in the comments and I would love to have a conversation with you about them. Also, let me know if you have any book recommendations as I would love to hear them. ♥

Today marks the 3-year blogiversary of My life as Madalyn. Three years ago this journey started and it hasn't stopped any time since.




It is crazy to think that the impromptu decision to start this blog has grown so much over the years. So many things have changed with the blog and my view of it. When I first started I didn't really know what I was doing (and still don't) but have finally begun deciding on what I want to do with it and what direction I want to take it in.

At first, it was just a way to share my life experiences as a "diary" to look back on in the future. Over time though my interests changed and I started doing posts over different categories such as lifestyle, beauty, and faith. As of now I still like to do posts over many different categories and particularly like doing faith posts.

The design of my blog has changed drastically as well. I seem to change my mind about things pretty frequently and I always get new ideas so it shouldn't be too surprising to see the design change every once in a while. From it starting out as a basic gray and peach colored theme with poorly designed icons to flowers and pink to where it is now I think it is safe to say it had some pretty rough times. When I changed it this recent time I did a whole re-branding and I am pretty happy with it so it shouldn't change any time soon.

All in all, I am very happy that I have continued and I want to continue blogging for the foreseeable future. It has been through many different drastic changes but I like where it is now and that is just a part of having something for so long. Plus, it is fun to look back as I am doing now to see how it has changed.

Today marks the 3-year blogiversary and I am content with where I am and where the blog is and I hope that I will be saying this 5, 10, or maybe even 50 years from now. Thank y'all so much for following (and sticking!) along with me and I am so excited to continue on this journey. ♥

Whoa. I finally have a moment to sit down and write a post. This past month has been crazy full but I am not complaining because some great memories have been made. Milestones have been surpassed and the summer festivities have begun.

To first catch you up, the last time I posted was May 16. Ever since that day it has been nonstop activities and events but it has been a great time that I haven't had in a while. So many things have happened that, now that I can slow down, I'm not sure I want to haha.

The early part of May had been taken over with trying to finish up my classes in school which brings me to my first event which was my last day of high school. May 18 was my last day of senior year which means it was my last day of high school. It honestly hasn't hit me yet that I am actually done. If you follow me on Instagram you would have seen my story of the day that I finished. To see that ratio of classes say 100% felt amazing.

May 19 was a big one. I launched the business Adorned With Delight at 10am CST. There wasn't a flood of orders that came in that day but it was a great feeling getting those last minute things checked off of my to-do list and knowing that we were finally live and ready for business. That is another thing that seems surreal. I am only 18 and I already own a business. My family and I also traveled to a historic state park and went to look at Texas A&M's campus.


May 20 was Senior Sunday at our church where all graduates have a display board of pictures from us growing up and its where we go up on stage and the congregation gives us a gift and prays over the next chapter of our life. I had a lot of fun putting together my board of pictures and laughing over some good memories.

That next Friday, May 25, my family and I traveled back to our hometown to cheer on my best friend as she walked across the stage and graduated. We stayed the weekend up there and I went to her graduation party that Saturday. It was so fun getting to go and I am so happy that I was able to. I know that I will keep those memories forever.


On Memorial Day, the 28th, we traveled down to San Antonio and went to the Memorial Day concert put on by the Air Force band. It was fun and they were really good.


June 2 was the day that my parents surprised me with my graduation present-a kitten. She is so cute and her name is Lila. Our other cat Cosmo wasn't too happy about it but they are becoming friends now lol. If you know anything about me you would know that I love cats so I was so happy.


On June 3, right after church we traveled down to Houston for my graduation. My family and best friend got to go down too and we had a little pre-graduation party at dinner. I still can't believe that I am done with high school and that I actually walked across the stage after thinking about it all of these years. It all went well and we got home late that night but it was a great day that I know I will talk about in the future.



June 5 was one of my best friends birthdays and June 7 was my moms birthday. Even though I didn't get to celebrate with my friend I am glad that I got to do so with my mom.

On the 8th we got up early to head to Louisiana for our family reunion. We stayed that whole weekend and headed back home on the 11th which was also my cousins birthday and the day that my other aunt and cousin came down to stay for a few days. Some of our family from the reunion also came back with us to see us later that week. I always love our family reunion and have a great time with everyone since we don't get to see each other very often. We always make some good memories.





This past Tuesday and Wednesday (the 12th and 13th) we went shopping and hung out while my aunt and cousin were visiting. We also hung out with my other aunt and uncle and cousins that had come back from the reunion. It was nice to see them and we had a fun time.

Lastly, the 14th, before my cousins left we all went tubing on the river and hung out with them for the rest of the day which was so much fun. Even though we have lived in this area for a while now we had never gone tubing before. Now that we have done it I'm sure it will be more often that we go.



This month has been a blast and truly a lot of fun. Even though we are all tired from nonstop activities I can't wait to see what He has in store for our future. I am already getting ready for our next adventure.

These next few weeks won't be as busy as this past month has been but I do have some exciting things coming up (such as the 3 year blogiversary of this blog!). I wasn't expecting this summer to be this busy already but I am so happy about it and happy to see what this summer brings. ♥

It's that time of the year again... school is almost out (and already is for some). Some are moving on to new things and others are just excited that they get a summer of freedom until they have to go back.

Personally, I am moving on to new things after this summer. I am graduating high school this coming June *whoop whoop c/o '18* and starting my freshman year of college this fall (lookout world, I'm comin' for ya). While I am excited for this next chapter of my life I also can't believe that graduation is finally here.

Now, I don't know about you but, I seem to always have some sort of a to-do list and now that I am graduating, that list seems to be growing. Some things that I have to do are order my cap & gown, make graduation plans, finish up my schoolwork, and send out graduation invitations. It's honestly not the best time to have all of these other things added to my plate considering I am really busy with other things at the moment such as the launch of my business and keeping up with the blog. But, since I know that I have to get these extra things done, I like to keep my stress levels to a minimum so whenever I have the chance to get things done easier, I am all for it.

So, if you are in the same boat as me or you know of someone that is then I have something that might interest you. If you are a graduating high school or college senior this year (first of all, congrats) and also have an ever-growing to-do list, I am going to let you in on a little helpful tip: stop procrastinating. Yep, probably not what you wanted to hear but the truth is graduation is right around the corner and there are things that need to be done.

If one of those items on your list is grad party invites, high school graduation cards, or thank you graduation cards and you still are in need of getting them done then you should definitely check out Basic Invite. First of all, I know that it can be overwhelming while trying to find the perfect design because there are so many options out there. That is one of the reasons Basic Invite is different from other stationery brands because they offer a ton of customization options.

Some of the reasons why they are different than other brands are that they offer almost unlimited color options, you can order custom samples, they have a lot of envelope colors available, they have an address capturing service, and they have foil that can be included in your designs.

I personally really like their colors that they offer and I really like their address capturing service. When a lot of people are expecting to receive a card you really don't want to forget somebody. With their service, they have a link that you can share with family and friends on social media and it will capture their address and add it to your Basic Invite account for easy access when ordering--super helpful.

Below are some pictures of their products. When I first saw their product line I fell in love with their aesthetic. I love the calligraphy and the different themes. It's all so beautiful!





Ready to start checking off your to-do list? Quit holding off on the things that need to be done and start relieving the unnecessary stress from your life. I can relate and understand how stressful things can be but it really doesn't have to be! Just start working on one thing at a time and things will go by much smoother.

If you decide to make use of Basic Invite and their services while you plan for your upcoming graduation (or for any events/milestones for that matter) make sure to use their coupon code 15FF51 to get 15% off of your order.

Also, if you want more information or you are ready to start designing your cards, you can check out Basic Invite's website and social media accounts listed below:

I am so excited that I get to finally write this post and share it! We finally have a launch date for the business and I can share it with all of you!



First things first, if you don't know what I am talking about then you are probably new here. Hello if you are! So, I have been working on the launch of my online store for about a year and I have been dropping hints about it occasionally across social media and on here but I haven't been able to give away much about it yet. But, the online store is called Adorned With Delight and we sell many different things such as accessories, gifts, and jewelry with the intent of pointing others to Him.

This process has been a long one and I can't believe that all of my research and work is about to come to fruition. Little did I know that the little idea that was planted in my head would actually start to sprout later on. Hopefully, it will continue to grow and bloom as time goes on.

I am also so happy that I get to take you all along on the journey with me and that I get to document the process. I know that I will be glad that I did later on in life. I also hope that y'all like the first-person point of view on how it is starting a business.

Ok, so enough small talk, I will finally share the launch date of my business. We will be launching... *drumroll please*

May 19, 2018 at 10am CST! You can check out the website here and follow along with the countdown.

So, the secret is out! Mark your calendars and tell your friends, family, pets, and random strangers because the party is about to start! I am so excited about it and I hope that you are too! ♥

Hey y'all! During a past Sunday service we talked about the importance of being a follower and a believer -- not just a believer. It was a message that stuck with me and I thought that it was an important one so here I am sharing my thoughts on it.

Photo courtesy of LP Photography of laurenelizabethparr.com

Anyone can say that they are a believer -- just like anyone can say that they are a follower. The legitimacy of those words though can make a huge difference in how we live out our lives.

"Anyone can say that they are a believer -- just like anyone can say that they are a follower. The legitimacy of those words though can make a huge difference in how we live out our lives."

If anyone could say that they are a believer and follower then what is the difference between someone who devotes their whole life to Him compared to someone who calls themselves a believer and follower but does not budge when it comes to actually following Him throughout everyday life?

When you choose to follow Him you have decided to do so wholeheartedly and not when it is just at your convenience. See... the Lord doesn't want your attention just 20, 50, or 80% of the time. He wants 100%. 100% of you. 100% of you in order to speak to you in your life, in order to use you in His plan, and in order for you to become more and more like Him every day.

"When you choose to follow Him you have decided to do so wholeheartedly and not when it is just at your convenience.... He wants 100% of you in order to speak to you in your life, in order to use you in His plan, and in order for you to become more and more like Him every day."

The deal is though you have to put in the effort. You have free will to follow Him or not too. He doesn't make you listen to Him or make you follow His ways but you are the only one that can choose how you want to live your life. You could do so following the Lord or letting the devil control you and depicting how you live out your life.

If you have personally given your life to Christ then you can understand me when I say this: following Jesus is the best decision you can ever make.

I don't mean just going to church on Sundays, praying over your food before meals, or sending someone the occasional "I'll be praying for you" message. I mean the wholehearted talking to Jesus regularly, listening to His words, letting His will guide your life choices (the big and small), really investing into people in the hopes of pointing others to Him and possibly even showing them the smallest amount of the love the Lord has for them. That kind of relationship. Not the do what you want but ask for help only when times get tough kind.

"I don't mean just going to church on Sundays, praying over your food before meals, or sending someone the occasional "I'll be praying for you" message. I mean the wholehearted talking to Jesus regularly, listening to His words, letting His will guide your life choices (the big and small), really investing into people in the hopes of pointing others to Him and possibly even showing them the smallest amount of the love the Lord has for them."

Believing and following the Lord is a daily relationship and a daily process of surrendering ourselves and our human desires to follow Him in all that we do. It is the constant desire to become more like Him everyday -- throughout the good and the bad.

"Believing and following the Lord is a daily relationship and a daily process of surrendering ourselves and our human desires to follow Him in all that we do."

Follow Him 100%. Give yourself to Him and see what happens. I am confident that it will result in good. Will everything be good all of the time? No. We still live in a fallen and broken world. But, through Him, you will be able to live your life to the fullest without fear of anything that the world throws your way. You will be able to walk fearlessly knowing you have a Lord and Savior with you every step of the way.

"...through Him, you will be able to live your life to the fullest without fear of anything that the world throws your way. You will be able to walk fearlessly knowing you have a Lord and Savior with you every step of the way." 

So don't just be a believer. Be a follower as well. Live your life according to His will and not your own. Wake up every morning, surrender yourself to Him (yes even the broken parts), and choose to be a follower who wants to build a relationship with the Lord and see how He can change your life. ♥


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Hey you! Long time no talk! I have pretty much been MIA on here for the past month but don't fret because I am back and plan to get back on schedule. A few things have changed so let me catch you up...


The reason I was gone for so long is because of a few things 1. I wanted to take a short break 2. I had been busy with life things and 3. I wanted to change a few things about the blog. I had my senior pictures, 18th birthday, worked on internships, and had a few events/tasks to do and go to. I also have been really working on the launch of my business and wanted to change up a few things about the blog during this time. I always change my mind and see things that I want to change up so it shouldn't be too surprising that I did though, haha. I changed the theme and fonts, and the logo. You might have noticed some of these changes around the blog.

All in all, I began thinking that it might be a good time to 'relaunch' the blog and give it a face-lift. I hadn't been posting for a while, wanted to change the design, and my motivation grew to begin working on it again. After much consideration and thinking, I decided to come back with more of a bang and make it a full relaunch so that's what I am doing.

It has a new face, improved design, and a motivated blogger behind it all. I plan to get back on track, stick more-so ;) with a schedule, and put the work back into running it. I am happy to be saying welcome to the new-and-improved My life as Madalyn.

As I relaunch I want to hear from you. I made a blog reader survey for all readers so that I can gain a better understanding of what you do and do not like about the blog and any comments you may have about it. If you take the time to respond it would be really helpful and greatly appreciated. There are less than 10 questions, it should only take you a few minutes, and you can answer anonymously.

Click here to answer the survey.

So now that the blog is officially launched be prepared for some more content and new changes. The next post should go up on Wednesday and, for those that don't know, the posting schedule is Sunday and Wednesday.

I am excited about this new chapter of the blog and I can't wait to hear your thoughts on it as well! ♥