Money Saving Mom®

Guess what I did Monday and Tuesday? I recorded my audiobook! This was my fifth book to record (I skipped recording my third book and had my publisher hire a voice actor because I got such negative feedback on my voice in my first two book recordings that I was scared to record another book!)

I recorded at a new studio with a new producer and I wasn’t sure how I was going to like it, since I had the same producer with the last two books and loved her. Well, I ended up really loving the whole experience and having so much fun doing it!

I can’t wait for you to hear it – I laughed multiple times when recording and got emotional in other parts. This book is so personal for me as it shares so many stories from my childhood and from the early years of our marriage. I think you are going to love it! (It comes out September 15 but you can pre-order here.)

We had a baseball tournament in Knoxville Wednesday night through Sunday night, so Silas pressure-washed his jerseys to be clean and ready!

Silas’s team got to participate in a showcase at University of Tennessee on Thursday.

And then they got to play a game at the UT baseball stadium on Friday!

These three did SOO well for hours in the heat all 4 days! I was so proud of them — especially because their baseball friends didn’t get to come on this trip so they didn’t have the built-in entertainment that they usually do.

Watching them play together is just so heart-warming!

We also got to explore Knoxville some! We found a coffee shop/used bookstore that we would highly recommend! It’s called The Great Awakening and just opened recently.

I got a lavender lemonade and it was amazing!!

They had so many old books that we knew/loved/read as kids and teens!

We bought these books for the kids. Kierstyn was SO excited about the easy reading books to read them to Micah. And I’m excited about the devotional to read aloud to the kids!

This is Kierstyn and Micah reading the books together in bed that night!

We also went to The Spice & Tea Exchange — which is right up my alley!

I got some Raspberry Leaf Tea, some Nutty Chocolate Mate Tea, and some Chai Sugar.

I asked my followers on Instagram to share their top recommendations for places to go in Knoxville and Cruz Farms was the #1 recommended place!

We got 2 pints of ice cream to take home and it was delicious!

I’ve been wearing a LOT of dresses this summer and I got three pairs of these biker shorts to wear underneath them. I LOVE them!! And they are just $3.77 right now!!

We also went to K.Brew in Knoxville and Micah and I were very excited about the hammocks!!

Do you bring a real mug with you in the car and live on the edge? I do often!

One of the baseball games this weekend was in Sweetwater, TN so we stopped by Tastee King to get some doughnuts. They were amazing!

This is TMI, but I thought it might help someone: My functional medicine doctor had me start drinking Red Raspberry Leaf tea and it’s made a big difference in my cycles! I genuinely couldn’t believe it!

I was having a lot of weird bleeding and spotting throughout the month. My OB wanted to put me on hormonal birth control to fix the issues but this tea has made a huge difference!!

For those who asked: I drink one cup daily — usually in the morning but sometimes at night if I forget to in the morning! — with honey and milk. During my period, I drink two cups. That’s it.

Truly, I cannot believe that such a simple thing has made such a difference for me in my cycles. And when I stopped doing it for awhile because I thought that probably I had just gotten better. Book, the bleeding came back!

If you want the link to the tea my doctor recommended, here’s the link.

By the way, this is just my experience. As always, do your own research. Also, it’s not recommended to drink red raspberry leaf tea if you are in the first two trimesters of pregnancy. (But it’s GREAT to drink in the last 6 weeks!)

Also, bonus perk: the ritual of making and drinking a cup of tea with honey and cream or milk is so calming to your nervous system!

I finally got my 10K race reel done and hope you’ll check it out! 

One random day in March, my 21-year-old asked if I would run a 10k race with her on May 30. Mind you, I was not a runner and didn’t even know how long a 10k race was. But when your 21-year-old asks you to do something, you say yes — and then you figure out how to make it happen! 

In saying yes, I entered a whole new world of running. From getting outfitted with new running shoes and socks and insoles at Fleet Feet Nashville to creating a training plan thanks to the Runna app (use code CRYSTAL2 to try it free for two weeks!) to learning all about proper fueling and breathing… I had no idea just how much it was going to change my life!

Not only did I run the full 10k and not stop, but I hit my goal of running it under 1:15 (just barely!) AND I LOVED it!!! In fact, I signed up for a half marathon in October that same weekend!! 

I have more I’ll be sharing on this experience in the next few weeks as I’m reflecting on it, but for today I’ll say this: I always believed I wasn’t athletic and wasn’t a runner. I let that belief hold me back for years of my life. 

I’m so grateful Kathrynne asked me to confront these long-held beliefs by saying yes to this 10k. Not only did I have so much fun, but y’all, I AM A RUNNER! I might not be fast and I likely won’t ever stand on a podium as a runner, but I AM A RUNNER! And that feels pretty stinkin’ cool to realize and own!

What is the thing you’ve always believed you aren’t good at or can’t do? Are you letting a negative belief hold you back when maybe it’s not even true at all? 

Question: Can you share your full routine for resetting your nervous system?

Answer: It really started with three big things:

1. Recognizing that my days were packed so full i wasn’t leaving space to pay attention to how I was feeling and that I was living in constant fight mode.
2. Walking away from an abusive relationship. This one was huge and took enormous amounts of bravery that I didn’t know I possessed. And now I’ve been working on healing from years of impact that this had and how much I stifled myself and my voice because of it.
3. Cutting back from working 60+ hours a week to around 40. This involved lots of hyperventilating and worry and acknowledging how much my worth was in my work and how much I believed that the success of the business was due to how hard I worked.

Question: What have you done to work on resetting your nervous system?

Once I worked through those really huge things – and that took months! – I had more space to breathe and to pursue things that would slow my brain and my body down. I’ve been really intentional about prioritizing some of these things every day – things that aren’t “productive” but that feed my soul and help my brain to breathe. Things like: walking, reading fiction, running while listening to worship music, sleeping more, gardening, crocheting, puzzles, embroidery, shows like When Calls the Heart, etc.

The thing I’ve discovered is that by prioritizing these things, I’m so much calmer in my soul and body AND I’m living so much more rested and refreshed. Which actually means that I’m getting more done during my work time and I’m just enjoying life so much more!

Question: Are you planning to change your Oura ring to Oura5?

Answer: Considering I have a phone that is years old and refuse to upgrade until I absolutely have to, um no. I’m not an early adopter of anything except possibly things like social media. But electronics? Nope. If it ain’t broke, no need to replace it! Anyone else with me??

Question: Is Kathrynne living at home for the summer?

Answer: This is her first summer to stay in Murfreesboro. We miss her but are grateful she’s close so we usually see her almost every week – sometimes multiple times a week!

She’s working full-time for a state senator as his personal assistant and she is having such an amazing summer full of so many cool opportunities!

Question: What are the plans for schools for all your kids for the fall?

• Kathrynne will be a senior at MTSU!
• Kaitlynn finishes cosmetology school in September and will be likely working at a salon nearby after she graduates.
• Silas will be a junior and is making a big switch in schools but we are SO excited for him and so that a spot opened at his dream school!
• Kierstyn will be in first grade and Micah will be in pre-k again – they are staying at the little classical school they’ve been at.
• And David will be starting Kindergarten (full day) at the same public school he’s been at the last three years for pre-k.
• Jesse and I are so grateful we’ll be taking care of baby girl three days a week otherwise we are not sure what we’d do with an empty house!!

Question: Any advise for having two under two?

Answer: As someone who has had two under two multiple times (and two under one!), I can tell you that you will figure it out and you will become a pro at it!!

Give yourself six weeks to really adjust before you try to do anything but the very basic of basics. And then, have a super simple routine for your days. Get outside for a walk or go to the park to meet a friend or go to the library almost daily it was always good for me to get out of the house!). Do one load of laundry a day. Have dinner done in the morning. Do a quick pick up twice a day. And stick to the basic of basics.

There will be hard days. You will be stretched thin. But look to Jesus and cry out to Him for what you need. He is faithful!

Question: Was it working with the dietitian that got you started on your healing journey?

Yes!! My dietitian was really the first step in this whole journey for me. She challenged me to really start paying attention, prioritizing my health, and nourishing my body well. And she helped me connect a lot of dots about health things I hadn’t thought of before. It was because her that I first began realizing I was completely under-nourishing myself and it was causing quite a few health issues as a result.

I still can’t believe insurance pays for my sessions with her!! If you’d like more info on my health journey and the link to see if your insurance would cover a dietitian, read more about my health journey here.

This weekend, my run looked a little… different! 

Since we were in Knoxville for the baseball tournament and we weren’t staying in the safest part of town (there was a literal dog fight on our street while we were there!), I got creative and went for a run around our AirBnB fenced backyard.

3.5 miles in circles! 🤣 This picture from Strava of my “run” makes me laugh so much!

I had to go slowly so I didn’t get hurt but, hey, I got my run in!  You do what you gotta do in less than ideal circumstances! 

Some days, we live as though it all depends upon us. As in, if we make a mistake or miss the mark, the world is going to fall apart.

This produces fear, worry, shame, guilt, over-analyzing, and stress.

Because we’ll never be enough or do enough in our own strength — and we don’t have to!

Jesus came to set us free from needing to live in our own strength, wholly dependent upon our own works and effort. In Him, we can do all things. Through Him, we are more than conquerors.

I’m so grateful it doesn’t all depend upon me and my effort. I’m so thankful I don’t have to do life all on my own. 

Thank You, Jesus, that in my weakness, You are strong. And when I don’t have what it takes, You do and You can empower and enable me to do everything You have called me to do. Through You and Your strength! ❤️

Save on Summer Reading with Kindle Unlimited (Includes Audiobooks)!

Prime members can currently sign up to get a 2-month subscription to Kindle Unlimited for only $.99/month! This is regularly $11.99/month!

When you sign up for this deal, you’ll get access to over 700,000 ebooks and thousands of audiobooks — all for free! Sign up quickly, because it’s for a limited time only and could expire at any time. It’s a great opportunity to score some fantastic reads on a budget.

Beauty Brands Liter Sale! Salon Liter Products as low as $17.98! (Redken, Kenra, TIGI, Paul Mitchell, CHI, and more)

For a limited time, Beauty Brands is once again hosting their popular Liter Sale and you can get up to 70% off brand-name salon favorites! Choose from over 400 items including CHI, TIGI, Biolage, Paul Mitchell, Redken, and more!

Plus, get an extra $5 off select $24.98+ liters when you use code 22371 at checkout (select liters are marked on the website)! These are AMAZING prices on professional hair care brands like these, so be sure to snag some before they’re all gone!

*SUPER HOT* Sam’s Club Membership Deal — Just $15!

Want to purchase a Sam’s Club membership? Right now, you can get a one-year membership for just $15!

This is a HUGE discount off of the regular price of $60 and a HOT Sam’s Club membership discount and the LOWEST price we’ve seen in months!

This is a GREAT time to lock in the price as they raised the membership fee on May 1st to $60.

Valid through July 5, 2026.

In Case You Missed It – Links From This Week:

• My Favorite Non-Fiction Books — As many of you know, I’m a HUGE fan of books and reading. Making reading a priority — even if it’s just a few pages a day — can make a big difference in your life! These are 14 of the best non-fiction books I have ever read. I hope you love them as much I do!
  
• Hire a Registered Dietician for Zero Out of Pocket + My Honest Review of Nourish — Are you wanting to make healthy changes in your diet but don’t know where to start? Struggling to hit your health goals or feeling overwhelmed by trying to stay on track? I was there too — and my experience with Nourish has been truly life-changing. Check out this post for my full review and my best tips for getting the most out of your dietician appointments.
  
• Five Years Ago… and Today — Kierstyn and David are not only siblings, but best friends. Check out this precious flashback to the day after DCS dropped David off at our house and a current video of how much joy they still bring each other! 
  
• 10 Genius Side Hustles for Teens — Most teens only hear about mowing lawns and babysitting…but there are so many other creative (and higher-paying!) ways for them to make money! This freebie suggests jobs that will help teens develop important skills and earn significant money this summer.
  
• Amazon Prime Day is Coming THIS week! — June 23 – 26 will be Amazon Prime Days! If this is anything like last year’s Prime Days sale, we will see deals that are as good as or even better than Black Friday deals! Visit this post for tips to maximize your savings.