Hannah Cox | The Grit and Grace Project

Follow These 5 Creatives for Beautiful Inspiration

Artistic expression goes deeper than simply producing a beautiful product—it’s therapeutic and relaxing when dealing with stress or anxiety. It’s also a great way to bring your kids in on the fun and help them learn new skills as well. So, gather your supplies, take advantage of online craft store sales, and buckle your seat belts. These five creatives are here to inspire you and help you express yourself in every season of life. Hellohydrangea Lindsey Campbell is a weaver in California, and because of her, I’m a weaver too. She is an excellent and inspiring teacher. If you are looking to learn how to weave, she is the girl to follow. Lindsey has two books out that you can purchase and […]

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3 Ways to Be an Independent Woman

By Hannah Cox / Purpose

I’ve had a change of heart regarding what it means to be an independent woman. I can be proud of my singleness and my ability to function without a large number of friends in my life. I can be proud of being an only child and growing up entertaining myself and being my own best friend. At the same time, I’m bombarded with messages about what an independent woman is: she doesn’t need a relationship, she can take care of herself, and she uses people for her own purpose. It’s confusing in light of my experience. And it’s confusing in light of what God says: we are made for relationship and community. So, which is it, dependence or independence? My answer is

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5 Great Book Series You’ll Love to Escape Into

By Hannah Cox / Life & Culture

I love to read. To know me is to know that reading is a big part of my life and daily routine; I spend at least 30 minutes every day reading. I usually carry a book with me everywhere I go. So I thought I would share my top 5 favorite book series of all time. Not all of these are super popular, but the writing and characters are so good! I hope these books bring light to your day and provide a screen-free way to escape the world. “Redemption” series by Karen Kingsbury I am a huge fan of Karen Kingsbury. Every time a new book comes out, I grab it on release day, along with my favorite venti drink from

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5 Inspiring Women of Faith I Love to Follow

By Hannah Cox / Faith

Instagram is filled with inspiring women, both “famous” and not, who are being brave and sharing their stories and encouragement with the online community. In a world that is telling us to be one way, it is beautiful to see women stand up and choose God’s way, to be themselves and proclaim the truth. These five women are women that I look forward to hearing from every week. They use their platform for a higher purpose. 1. Annie F. Downs Annie must be on my list of women I love to follow. From her podcast to books, she is amazing. Her Instagram stories give me life; they are real and hilarious. They remind me to be present in my own life and

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When Life Gets Tough, Look to These 3 Things for Help

By Hannah Cox / Purpose

I’m no stranger to the temptation to give up, throw in the towel, and walk away when life is too hard to handle. After I was diagnosed with a birth defect that required me to move out of college for the second time and undergo major surgery, I was tired. I wanted to quit pursuing my dream of becoming a writer. I was tired of moving in and out of college, making new friends, dealing with the aftermath of losing my Nana, and the broken relationships that resulted from my grief. It is hard to persevere when you are worn, tired, and just want everything to calm down in your life. As I spent the summer of 2013 recovering from surgery, I

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Podcasts Can Help You See the World Differently

By Hannah Cox / Life & Culture

I wasn’t on the podcast train. I didn’t see the point in listening to an individual or a group of people chat about life and exciting topics. I didn’t have the patience for it, and that was my problem. I needed to learn how to listen again. To be present in a conversation that I couldn’t interrupt. To learn from people that I don’t see eye to eye with, not just those I share a common denominator with. I tend to want to skip to the meat and purpose of a conversation and not enjoy the journey of listening to the people in my life. Call it lack of patience or a desire for instant gratification, from living in an overly-connected state,

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Is Technology Sucking the Life Out of You?

By Hannah Cox / Life & Culture

I spend most of my days in front of a screen; I find myself spending most of my time staring at either my phone or my computer. I spend more time glancing at pictures of my friends than looking into their eyes. I have been consumed and captivated by the joys and opportunities I’ve found inside my phone while the richness and beauty of my reality sit on the sidelines. And girl, I know I’m not alone. I’m burned out, and I think we all are. We are tired of the screens but can’t see beyond the glare; the call to pick it up and scroll, work, discover, and do more and be more than we are today is stronger than ever.

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5 Ways That Social Media Makes Your Life Better

By Hannah Cox / Life & Culture

We all know the negatives of living in our social media universe. The blue light hinders our eyesight. The constant dump of negativity mixed with highlight reels leaves us angry, bitter, and trapped in comparison. On the off chance that you do meet up with your friends in person, it is likely that they will spend a few moments (or possibly much of the time) on their phones. We can get sucked into the constant scroll of pictures and pins, and before we know it, hours have gone by. The sour parts of social media are real, but there are positive attributes amid the unattractive! 1. Keeping up with family and old friends. I don’t know about you, but this is the

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4 Tips That Can Heal Your Mother-Daughter Drama

By Hannah Cox / Relationships

The mother-daughter relationship is both beautiful and complicated. Today, I am proud to say that my mom is not just a great adviser and trusted confidant in my life, but she is also my friend. Our relationship hasn’t always been long conversations, all day shopping dates, and mother-daughter trips. Seven years ago, one of the most devastating seasons of our family’s life turned out to be the very thing we needed to bring our relationship back to life. I spent the majority of my childhood and teen years speaking hateful words to my mom. I did not get along with her. I am a free spirit and she is very orderly. Every time I tried to grow or do something unique, I

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This Is What Happens When You Let Your Mask Fall

By Hannah Cox / Faith

Strength that is rooted in faith in God is not a sign of weakness, and being strong doesn’t mean we don’t have feelings. The ability to keep pressing on in hard circumstances doesn’t mean we don’t grieve or process our emotions. Being strong is a reflection of what’s happening in our hearts and a sign of where we place our trust. When my trust is in myself, my strength and abilities falter with the waves of emotions and opinions. I can’t sustain myself. I spent years putting on a mask of strength and toughness, but inside I was so unhealthy. I didn’t know how to embrace the broken and bruised places of my heart. I thought that if my cracks showed and the

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3 Questions You Should Consider Before Buying New Clothing

By Hannah Cox / Health & Beauty, Life & Culture

I am the queen of buying clothes that I wear once or twice, then they sit, and are given away. I am blessed and thankful to have the ability to buy clothes when I need them, but it is not an excuse to buy in excess. To stop buying unnecessary pieces or ones that only get worn once or twice I have started asking myself three necessary questions before I checkout or leave the dressing room: 1). Is this piece transitional? Can this item journey with me throughout the seasons? There are so many cute pieces out there and it is tempting to buy a little bit of everything when the seasons change, but that is neither cost effective nor an option

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This Is How You Protect Your Worth, Girl

By Hannah Cox / Relationships

Honesty is always the best policy… until you are under the fire of pressure and then it looks like the worst choice. We want to be liked. We want to fit in. We do not want to see our friends or boyfriend give us another eye roll over our standards. Fitting in is not everything. Going with the flow and compromising your values to fulfill others’ desires is not worth it in the end. Your identity is at risk every time you let a piece of your beliefs, values, and standards go, until one day you look up and you do not even know who you are. You have morphed and turned into what they wanted you to be. Be Strong in

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This Is What “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” Taught Me

By Hannah Cox / Life & Culture

I am a huge fan of romantic comedies and am happy to see that they are making a resurgence in our world. We all need some good feelings and heart melting moments right now; life is hard. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before did not disappoint me. For those who have not been on Netflix or missed the buzz about the book, To All the Boys is centered on Laura Jean Covey. Laura Jean has deep wild crushes and to deal with the unrequited love she writes love letters. There are five letters, ranging from camp crushes to the boy next door, who is her best friend and just so happens to be her sister’s boyfriend. Early in her junior year of

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10 Ways to Make the Most of Girls’ Night Out

By Hannah Cox / Life & Culture

It is cliché, but we are all busy. In our pursuits, passions, dreams, relationships, and all the craziness that comes with life, we are busier than we were a few years ago. But in the midst of the crazy, we crave our girlfriends. We all need time to kick back and be with our closest ladies to not only catch up but to have fun with each other. From trying something new to gathering around the table and enjoying real conversations to getting creative together, there are plenty of things we can do. Here are my top 10 ideas for your next girls’ night out: 1. Try a new restaurant. If you and your friends are like my circle, you can get

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A Strong Woman Can Respect Other Opinions (Even If She Disagrees)

By Hannah Cox / Life & Culture

The world is loud. The world is full of viewpoints including your own. Social media is beautiful until it gets opinionated. Then it becomes an overwhelming wave pool of strong stances and diminishing people’s thoughts and beliefs. In a world filled with perspectives and values, every one of them is valid because every person is of great worth. How do we respect others’ opinions and beliefs without agreeing? I think there are 3 steps we can take, both online and offline, to love and respect people well—without agreeing with them. 1. Remember: behind every comment or long ranting post is a human being. Read through the post carefully and compassionately, even if you painfully disagree on the topic. Remember that the individual

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Make the Most of That Third Wheel Life

By Hannah Cox / Life & Culture

It is awkward being the odd girl out. My friends are dating, engaged, married, and some are starting to have kids. Then there is me. Single like a Pringle and feeling left out. I feel more like a pain and burden than someone my friends look forward to seeing. All because I am single. The reality is that my friends have done nothing wrong. Their man should be the priority. Those relationships are more important than our friendship, and that is hard to swallow sometimes. So, what am I supposed to do? 1. Invite him along. Solo girl time will always be needed, and something to be fought for in the craziness of life. But, find opportunities to include your friend’s man.

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Why Is Daily Inspiration and Motivation so Important?

By Hannah Cox / Purpose

Life can be busy, crazy, and full of ups, downs, and turnarounds no matter what season you are in because, life is life. It can also be in slow motion as you go through times of rest, healing, and being in the in-between of chaos. No matter where you find yourself, it is vital for you to seek and find inspiration in your every day, because there you will find motivation. And where you find motivation, you will also find inspiration. It is a beautiful cycle. But why? I have no doubt that you are doing great and impactful work with the days of your life. You are working. You are mothering. You are studying. You are creating. You are inspiring and

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