It's a Wonderful Life!

Stuck

2012-02-07T16:56:00.001-08:00

Have you ever felt stuck?
Not like overwhelming stuck.
I'm talking about the kind of stuck where your trying so hard to figure out your calling or what to do next that you keep drawing a blank?
Like the harder you try the further away from it you actually get?
If that even makes sense...
I've been struggling with this the past couple of weeks-probably since the new year.
I want so badly to see how He will use me that I feel lost.
I feel useless.
Like I am wasting precious time that could be used for my true calling.
I've spent time focusing, praying, thinking but nothing has come about yet.
No clear cut signs.
I keep reading all of my books {which I am very much enjoying!} but feel empty at the end of them.
I start each one saying to myself "this will be the one. This book will lay upon my heart what my calling is."
But none of them have...
They all excite me and challenge me to live a more Christian life but don't quite fill that void.
I'm waiting and believing but my patience is wearing thin!
I hope it gets here soon!
Until then... Keep Believing my friends!

Unplugged.

2012-02-06T16:58:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we celebrated my birthday in Baltimore.

We were completely {unplugged}...well almost!

We did keep our cell phones on us but only in case we got seperated, which of course we did as soon as we got inside Port Discovery!

The kids had a blast, the weather was gorgeous, we actually ate out

...as in at restaurants!!

That is something we almost never get to do as a family of 5!

We visited the biggest Barnes & Noble I have ever been in or seen...and the boys absolutely LOVED it!! We walked the inner Harbor, spent the morning in the National Aquarium, and ate at The Cheesecake Factory {yum}

We explored a submarine, and the USS Constellation and of course the boys thought it was an adventure sleeping in a hotel room too!

It felt great to spend quality time with our family-just US!

There were so many "thank you's" and "I love you's" from the boys that it was overwhelming and practically brought tears to my eyes just to see how thankful and appreciative our kids really are (because they're not always that way).

It was a great weekend all around!

Enjoy some pics :)

Birthdays

2012-02-01T07:07:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is my birthday!

The big 27 :)

I feel like the older I get birthdays become bittersweet.

They're bitter for the obvious reasons:

another year older, a celebration without my grandparents being here, time moving too quickly.

And sweet for the other reasons:

yummy cake and goodies, that excited feeling you get knowing its your special day, special attention paid to you from others.

Overall though I am just thankful that I was here for another year.

Birthday's have become a reminder that we made it through another year.

That's why they are a celebration of life!

Another year wise, another year to be able to see my kids grow right before my eyes.

It's funny how when we're kids and it's our birthday we are focused on presents, and our birthday parties.

Who do we invite, who don't we invite. Where do we want the party to take place? What's our "big" gift?

I've found that as I've gotten older birthdays have become more meaningful.

They are just that more special to me as I'm becoming older (eek!).

I started realizing this when we started having our boys.

To sit back and think about the day that you had your son/daughter is just incredible!

To think of all the built up anticipation of getting closer to your due date, the strenuous and straining hours spent in labor, all to bring this miracle of a life into this world is just moving and overwhelming at the same time.

Each and every year on our kids birthdays I take the time to reflect and remember these moments that we had with each of them.

I don't ever want to forget these treasured moments in time.

It's amazing to sit back and remember that absolutely.amazing moment in time when

after hours of labor you heard your baby's first cry, and held them for the first time while staring through tear filled eyes back into the tear filled eyes of your husband with complete joy!

This birthday will be spent taking our boys for a long weekend in Baltimore and they are super excited!

A hotel room, the National Aquarium, the Children's Museum, and much much more!

This is what I walked into in my office this morning...and one of the many reasons I absolutely love working where I do :)

2012 New Year Blogging Party

2012-01-31T04:45:00.000-08:00

These three amazing blogging ladies, {Casey, Danielle, and Alycia} came up with a fabulous idea to pair up bloggers in hopes of growing this awesome blogging community of ours!

Let me tell you this was so-much-fun!! I met this way talented blogger named Stephanie

from

Stephanie Leann.

This girl has got some cute boots, take some UH-ma-ZING pics and is totally sweet!

We swapped more than a few emails back and forth learning things about each other like our stress relievers, home towns, favorite authors, and what got us started blogging.

It's amazing how two people can lead such different lifestyles yet blogging can bring us together...how cool is that?!

I am so so glad that his blog party brought Stephanie into my life, and so grateful for this amazing ladies for putting this together!

Stephanie and I will definitely be keeping in touch in the near future :)

The second part to this oh-so-cool blog party was to pick out a small gift $10-$15 and send it to your new found bloggy friend!

Well let me tell you Stephanie could not have picked a MORE awesome gift {pics below}...

and I hope she liked hers as well.

Guest Post: Mary of Lily White

2012-01-30T06:20:00.000-08:00

Today we have a very special happening on the blog. I have been very excited as this has been in the works for a little while now :) It is my very first guest post from an incredibly sweet woman, Mary. Mary is actually the one who inspired me to get back into blogging so I thought it was only right to have her be my first (of hopefully many) guest posters. Let's all give her a big warm welcome and take it away Mary!!

Hi, friends! I am so excited Erica asked me to write this guest post! She is the absolute sweetest and I love reading her blog!

I have been a Christian since I was 7 years old. There was an invitation in Vacation Bible School to accept Jesus as your Savior and I did. Growing up in a Christian household and attending church since birth has allowed me to become immersed in the Word for my entire life. At the age of 13 I was baptized and recommitted my life to being a follower of God. I went to Sunday School, Wednesday night service and youth group every week. I attended camps, retreats, and conferences. I was in small groups, Bible studies and participated in local mission work. The Word of God was constantly being poured into me in every single stage of my life. However, despite my upbringing, I still managed to fail and to stray away from my beliefs. I fell in ways I never would have anticipated, spiritually, emotionally and physically. I compromised my values that were instilled in me since a young age and I became lost, distant, and far from God.

When I was 16 years old I decided that it was time for me to date. Yes, that's right, I decided. My parents never really had rules (at least that I was aware of) about when I was or wasn't allowed to start dating, and at this very wise and mature age I felt I was ready. I guess most of these feelings were the result of falling for "that boy who plays drums." He was the guy every girl wanted. He looked at me in a way that my young, innocent and girlish ways couldn't resist. I fell for him hard and fast. He treated me like a queen, spoiling me with presents and dates weekly. Blowing off his friends to spend time with me, in which I followed suit. Calling me at night and talking for hours after spending a whole day together. Telling me that he has fallen in love with me in which I responded that yes, I had fallen in love with him too. He wasn't a Christian, but I was convinced that that wouldn't affect me, that I would be a good influence on him and change him for the better. Ever heard of missionary dating? It was my mission to get him saved. To make him into the boy that I wanted him to be. However, it didn't work. Instead, he turned me into the girl he wanted me to be. Throughout those two years I lost friends, fell far away from God and made him my number one priority. I chose everything over him, including my morals and beliefs. Consequently, I ended up giving him pieces of my heart that weren't his to have and in the end was left broken, feeling inadequate, unsalvageable, and anything but loved.

Looking back, I still have mixed feelings about this relationship. I am a full believer in God working through every situation of my life for a reason and a purpose. I still don't know, and am sure I never will, the reason that God placed this particular boy in my life. Maybe I did have an impact on him and wasn't aware of it? Maybe God needed to break me in some of the most fragile ways in order for me to turn back to him. Maybe there was no other reason but to be able to look back on a time in my life when I was away from Him in order to recognize how lost I am without him. Despite all the bad, I can see many positive things that came out of this season of my life. Things that have made me who I am today. Lessons that I learned and took into my next relationships. Memories of my teenage years that will forever remain with me. Yet, I still regret the relationship. It lead me to fall, to abandon God, my faith and everything that my life had been so firmly built upon. Not only did I fail my Heavenly Father but I also failed my parents and my friends, leading to even more brokenness and hurt.

My failure and inadequacy didn't end with this season. It's still occurring each and every day. I will constantly fail promises that I make to myself, to others around me, to my Savior. I will never be without sin in my life and sometimes that is a hard concept to swallow. It is exhausting to fail over and over again. To try my best just to come up short. Yet I know that in all things, God is with me. There are seasons in our lives where we may fall away from God, abandon him and everything we have held onto, yet he is still faithful. Always with us, never leaving or forsaking us. I didn't deserve his love for me during that time and I will forever be undeserving of his love. However, I will still praise his name. No matter what heartache and brokenness I may face in the future, his unconditional, unwavering and endless love will always prove to be enough.

Thanks so much Mary for taking the time out of your busy schedule to do this for me and my readers! Congrats to you and Jed again on your engagement!

Our Weekend in Instagrams

2012-01-29T17:17:00.001-08:00

Enjoy some pics from our weekend! Stay tuned tomorrow as I may or may not have my first guest poster!! I hope your weekend was great friends!

This Friday

2012-01-27T10:54:00.000-08:00

I've been a little MIA this week. Definitely did not hit my 3-4 posts that I wanted too :( This has been a crazy week at work and home so I'm sorry! I promise to come back next week stronger and less preoccupied-hopefully. There will even be a {guest post} next week...my first one!! How awesome?! It feels great to spread these little wings of mine. And my birthday is next week too... woot woot!! So for now I hope your week was a good one, and enjoy the upcoming weekend :)
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What does this Friday mean to me?

A rainy morning at the bus stop with Angel.

Pay day- cha ching!

A trip to Bounce-U with the boys tonight for their reward of being very well behaved this week!

Catching up on some much needed reading {hopefully}.

A coffee date this weekend with my closest gals!

A visit from my husband's long time friend.

Church on Sunday.

Folding a mountain of laundry-BOO!

A much needed break from the office atmosphere.

A few days closer to our Baltimore trip next week.

Only 6 days till my birthday!! Eeek 27!!!

And now my friends enjoy a b-e-a-utiful picture from Torola!

30 minutes

2012-01-24T16:50:00.001-08:00

It's time.
30 minutes is what I'm committing to each day.
In the morning, at night after the kids have gone to sleep, on my lunch break, or stuck in traffic.
Last night was my first night and it felt absolutely AMAZING!
30 minutes with Him and the Word.
I BELIEVE this is what I need right now.
Each day. Keep me on track won't you?

SHINE

2012-01-23T16:09:00.000-08:00

There's this girl, Ashley.

She's got an amazingly abundant love for helping others.

A servants heart and a ministry mind set...what a lovely combination.

Plus an amazing eye for all things vintage.

Early last year she started The Shine Project to help inner city teens afford their college tuition.

Head over and check her out-you won't be disappointed!

Too big. Too fast.

2012-01-22T11:26:00.000-08:00

Ayden is our middle son. He's just about 3 1/2 now and always has been and I'm sure always will be our peanut. I'm writing this post because I want to remember this exact moment in time.
Ayden is growing and changing right before our eyes.
I feel like in the past 2 weeks Ayden has grown exponentially.
I have a tendancy to "baby" him. Maybe it's his size, maybe it's because I nursed him for the entire first year of his life, maybe because he loves extra cuddles in my arms , or because I don't want him to have the dreaded middle child syndrome :) either way he has a very special spot in my heart.
Ayden was very small when he was born and also spent the first 18 hours in the NICU because I had gestational Diabetes when I was pregnant with him. He was immediately taken from us when he was born so we didn't find out his height & weight until a little after we had him.
I remember there was a nurse outside of our delivery room and all I heard her say was "6lbs 4oz and 18 inches." I thought to myself....is that my baby? I didn't even know they came that tiny!
Babies usually wear a size up from however old they are.
For example if they are 3 months they usually are wearing 3-6 or 6-9 month clothing.
At 3 months Ayden was still in newborn clothing. He's always been a size behind his age (if not two sizes!)
These past few weeks Ayden has really seemed to sprout up out of nowhere. His pants are shorter, his shirt sleeves a little higher up on his arms, and he is able to reach more things. He's also becoming more independent. Angel-our oldest- was always very independent from about age 18 months and up, and he was potty trained by his 2nd birthday!
To say that Ayden has been our most dependent child thus far would be an understatement.
Over the past few weeks Ayden has successfully mastered using the bathroom ENTIRELY by himself (being a mom to 3 small children this is a HUGE help). He has mastered opening the bathroom door, turning on the light, pulling down his pants, using the bathroom, pulling his pants back up, washing his hands AND drying them, turning the light back off and he even remembers to shut the door so Aaron cannot get in there.
Ayden can also brush his teeth completely on his own (I of course always check to make sure he did a good job), dress himself ENTIRELY, put on his own jacket, shoes, and hat as well!
I am dumbfounded! This feels likes its just happening so fast-in the blink of an eye! It felt like it was a snowball effect, like once the reigns were loosened, he was set free and become his own little big guy.
This is very bittersweet.

I am a proud momma that he has become more independent in doing things for himself, but I must admit a tiny part of me is sad that my little peanut doesn't need momma as much anymore.

Skin Vs. Spirit

2012-01-21T16:20:00.001-08:00

Skin makes us want to yell at the car that just cut us off.
Spirit makes us want to stop, take a deep breath and realize maybe the other driver has their own stuff going on.
Skin makes us want to raise our voice when our child does something out of line.
Spirit makes us kneel down in front of our child and explain to them right from wrong.
Skin wants us to be overwhelmed by laundry, cooking, cleaning and trying to juggle our daily activities.
Spirit wants us to stop and look around at the chaos in our lives and be thankful that we have a life at all.
Skin wants us to envy our neighbors new car.
Spirit wants us to rejoice in our neighbors happiness.
Skin wants to us to say "it's not fair" when something doesn't go as we hoped or planned.
Spirit wants us to remember He is our driver on our path.
Skin wants us to cry "why me" when something bad happens in our lives.
Spirit wants us to know He has got us, that He always has a plan for us.
Skin wants us to be greedy.
Spirit wants us to have open hands.
Skin is so very easily tempted by the devil and all the materialistic items he can fill our voids with.
Spirit reminds us that our time here should not be filled by earthly objects as we cannot take them with us when we leave here.

Courage

2012-01-20T19:41:00.000-08:00

I just finished watching The Help.

I read the book a few months back but seeing the story unfold before my eyes rehashed all of the feelings I had when I read the book.

Wow. Emotions and a big old box of Kleenex!

The line that stuck out most to me was when Skeeters mom says

"sometimes courage skips a generation."

This really hit home for me.

This blog post is about to get real-to start believing in myself I have to tell who I am

and where I came from.

My grandmother had a huge hand in raising me and she was a very courageous woman.

I never remember her having a cold, taking a sick day, not even a Tylenol-ever.

She never once complained.

She raised 4 of her own girls, took in countless number of kids from the neighborhood when they needed it, and took me when I was just 3 weeks old.

She was never bitter.

She was never hateful, always loving.

I don't have one memory of her ever yelling at me-ever!

She was always there for me, always a constant in my life.

This woman showed me more courage than I ever knew possible.

Now it's up to me.

It's up to me to stand up and be the courageous woman she knew I had the potential to be.

If I could live to be half the woman she was I would be grateful.

Every day is a new day to be courageous.

I need to start believing in those nudges I feel, that little voice in the back of my mind telling me I can I am worth it, I need to start acting on that fire I can feel burning inside of my heart.

Today I stop planning & talking, and start doing!

Join me won't you?

Surrender

2012-01-17T12:39:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking about this word for a while now.

Surrender

So much so that I even wrote down some thoughts about it with a pen on an actual piece of paper!

Then today at work while listening to one of my favorite Pandora stations {Hillsong radio} a song came on that said

"in a moment of glorious surrender, you are with me"

I thought this is a sign!

I'm believing in and listening to His signs.

Believe being the word that I chose for 2012.

Surrender

Surrender to some may mean giving up, throwing in the towel, or being so fed up that you are just done!

To others (and me) it means giving up who you used to be and running toward the person you want to become.

It's about letting go of everything in your past and starting fresh.

This is not easy. It is hard work!

But like so many other process's it is worth it in the end.

Surrender means handing it.all.over. to Him.

Surrender can be glorious!

Realizing we can't do it all but He can.

Realizing we are not made to be ridden with stress, anxiety, panic.

He is there to carry all of that for us.

We have to submit.

We need to surrender to him and give it all to him.

He is there to comfort us.

He is there to carry our burdens and make our everyday lives easier.

Sometimes when you've tried every other option the only one left is to surrender- and that is NOT a bad thing!

This doesn't mean that you have give up.

This simply means that you are opening that door....or perhaps cracking that window and letting

Him into your life.

Letting him in to heal, to take care of, to console, to make better.

Surrendering is a great thing.

Have you surrendered?

Kisses from Katie

2012-01-16T13:15:00.000-08:00

Raw.

Emotional.

Selfless. To the core.

Relying completely on Him.

Living life with complete open hands. open heart. open mind.

Brave.

Determined.

Beautiful.

These are just a few of the words that come to mind after having just finished Kisses from Katie.

Emotionally and spiritually this is one of the hardest books I have read...ever.

There is a genuineness that Katie has toward others. An unmeasured amount of love she has to give to others.

Take one look, one glimpse at Katie's blog and you will realize the sheer selflessness she has.
You too will feel the same sense of urgency to help an innocent child that she did.

The amount of love she shows to strangers, innocent children because she feels we are all God's children.

Every single one of us.

The child without clean clothes covered in dirt

The child left orphaned who hasn't eaten in days

The child who's house is a cardboard box he shares with his 6 siblings and elderly grandmother

The child who is infected with scabies, and is HIV positive

While we are all worried about what is happening on the newest episode of our favorite tv show, or what dress we are going to wear out Friday night there is suffering going on all around the world.

We can make a difference.

We take for granted our everyday gifts of living in a first world country.

Electricity, clean and warm running water, knowing where our next meal is coming from, medical treatment, etc.

What if it was your 2 year old little girl who was aimlessly wandering around with a distended stomach because her insides are so consumed with worms and weighed just 10 pounds.

What if your 4 year old was walking around naked begging for money or food to feed his family?

What if you were the mother whose only resort was to give your child home made alcohol every night so they wouldn't be reminded of the hunger pains while they slept in piles of maggots?

These are the everyday condition these children live with.

Instead we worry about earthly objects: tv, cell phones, clothes, hair, makeup, having a bigger house, gathering more and more materialistic items so that we have them to show off to whoever is watching. "we cling so tightly to what we have because we are afraid of what would happen if we didn't have these things anymore."

Did you notice that I called them earthly objects?

That's because you can't take your million dollar house with you when you're gone.

You can't take your brand new sports car, or Louie Vuitton Purse, or Milano Blaniks when you leave this place.

Not everyone lives this way-focused on material items like we do. We all need to realize this.

I'm guilty of this.

I need to realize this.

I'll be the first one to stand up and say it too.

One of the most profound things Katie says in this book that really sticks out to me is....

"This world is not overpopulated."

If we all came together and made a genuine effort then there wouldn't be so many starving, alone, disease infected children in this world.

Don't think that you have to help everybody at once because that can be an overwhelming thought.

All you have to help is one person at a time.

That is making a difference.

One person at a time.

Now, I am not saying sell your home, your car, all of your clothes, possessions, empty your bank account and move out on the street.

But what I am saying is...

What if we all lived a simpler life...so others could have more?

Or what if instead of saving that extra $50 for a "rainy day" what if we gave it away to somebody who really really needed it?

What if we put the money we paid for our cable bill towards sponsoring a child in a third world country?

Would you be able to go without that fancy new dress to donate money to a local charity?

Would you be willing to become a one car family in order to make sure an entire family of 6 children had enough money for food, clothes, school, and medical treatment for the rest of their lives?

Open hands. Open heart. Open minds.

What are you willing to do without to make a difference in the life of one person?

Our weekend in Instagrams

2012-01-15T15:45:00.001-08:00

This Friday

2012-01-13T11:58:00.000-08:00

What does this Friday mean to me?

Mom's Night Out ministry at our church and a much need break from my kids {yay for youth group/free babysitting} while I enjoy worship and crafting with fellow momma's

Payday- and NOT the candy bar :)

Jeans day in the office

The beginning of the weekend

Not seeing my husband until we wake up on Sunday :(

Scary movies {Friday the 13th}...yeah right I'm such a chicken

Setting goals for the weekend such as: cleaning the bathrooms, doing laundry, organizing something, etc.

none of which ever get accomplished

Later bedtimes for the older boys & major snuggle sessions

Eagerly planning a craft for my little kiddies in Sunday School this week

A trip to Target for our oldest who has earned a new game with good behavior...I hope I didn't just jinx that one

Cooking up some tasty crock pot recipe's

What does this Friday mean to you?

Pic taken on my way home from work the other night!

A Good Day

2012-01-12T12:36:00.000-08:00

Let me preface this post by saying that I'm not a fan of boasting and usually do not write things like this ( I am actually very uncomfortable talking about myself and my material possessions and feeling like I am boasting in any way) but yesterday was a good day and I know it was because of Him. Because of that I thought I would share my good day with you!

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It started when I picked up the tab for the car behind me in the coffee house drive-thru thanks to Ashley. The feeling I got after doing this was completely exhilarating and I can only hope that the person behind me (I have no idea who they were) passed along that kindness to another stranger.

I have had a heavy heart regarding a ministry I am involved with at our church-not even sure that I wanted to keep pursuing it- and after weeks of prayer He finally answered me yesterday with great, great news!

The night before I went to a cash for gold party of a co-workers and turned in some old jewelry that had been collecting dust and walked a way with a nice chunk of money-which is very.much.needed! I was so thankful to my friend and co-worker for inviting me. I also ended up booking my own party too!

We're switching over to a new database at work and yesterday I sat through 4 hours of offsite training- and it felt good to know everybody else was just as lost as I was :)

I got a haircut-at.the.salon. Enough said!

I made my very first batch of my dad's homemade meatball's and cooked them all day today in the crock pot so we will have a yummy dinner when I get home from work tonight! There's a homey-ness (not a real word, I know I made it up!) feeling that comes over you when you are in the kitchen cooking recipes for your own family that your parents used to cook for you.

I have started reading Kisses from Katie and this book has been such an eye opener. In two words: its phenomenal and moving. Because of this book that I at times have struggled to get through because it is emotionally exhausting and physically could not see as a result of the tears welling up in my eyes I have felt so inspired to have less so others can have more, and hope to soon have a talk with my husband to move forward with some of my ideas. I'll keep you posted on that one!

With three kids, a full time job, and a husband who works the complete opposite shift as I do days like this are few and far between so I have to take them while I can get them! Yesterday was a good day because of Him.

BELIEVE

2012-01-10T17:35:00.000-08:00

A few months back while visiting our local library I stumbled up a Christian Author, Debbie Macomber.

The very first book I read that she wrote was One Simple Act.
Now I say the.very.first. because I have not been able to stop reading her books ever since that one!

She tells us that we need to act on those little nudges we all have from God.
You know the firemen you see raising money in the freezing winter while doing a coin drop-buy him a coffee.
The lady you see walking in the rain to the bus stop-offer to give her a ride.
The lady who is counting her pennies at the check out with the stressed out look in her eyes as though she is calculating every item being rung up at the grocery store-if you can, pay for her groceries.
You get the point!

Debbie also explains in this book that she chooses a word a year to live that year of her life by.

I thought this was such a great and simple idea that this is the first year I am doing it.
And I am going to really stick by it-feel free to hold me accountable!

My word for 2012 is:

BELIEVE

Believe in myself...try something new.

Believe in others...start trusting others (this is HUGE for me)

Believe that I can make a difference...just one person at a time

Believe in Him...spend more quality time with Him.

Believe in this world...that not everyone is out to hurt one another. Give everyone a chance.

Believe that I have power...to do great, powerful, life changing things.
Believe that my kids are only 5,3, and 1...and will not march to the drum like army ants and obey me (and that's okay).
Believe that I matter...to believe in myself more, to gain confidence.

So that friends is my word for the year...Believe.
Whats yours?

A Beautiful Offering

2012-01-10T08:43:00.000-08:00

So there's this uh-mazing blogger that I discovered a few months back and her name is Casey.

She holds some of the very same beautiful beliefs we have, and has two of the cutest kids!
Her and her husband have decided to hand it all over to Him, to put all of their trust in Him...
...and so far it has worked out!
He is good!
There have been hard times-but they have simply made her stronger and more thankful for what she already has.
We could all learn a lesson or two from this incredible woman.
Plus she has one of the most adorable senses of fashion-like EVER!
She's someone I have started to look up to in this blogging community :)
A while back she mentioned this life changing book she read called A Beautiful Offering.

After hearing her talk about it more and more I decided I had to get my own copy and see for myself.

WOW!

That's all I can say.

The amount of knowledge and thirst for Jesus this book left me with will forever be immeasurable.

The way Angela Thomas breaks down some of the most crucial passages in the bible and the way she tells us we need to start living our lives as a.beautiful.offering to Him is truly inspiring!
This book will leave you feeling refreshed!
It makes you feel like you can do well by Him,
and that he knows we are all trying our hardest!

It feels as though she is sitting right across from you at a table in a cafe drinking a chai latte and explaining life :)
There are no judgements.
This is no feeling of inadequacy.
We all have a clean slate.
She admits she hasn't led the most Godly life and that He doesn't expect you to either because if you read this post He knows we're not perfect.

After reading this book I felt like I was able to breathe a high sigh of relief.

And take another deep breathe to start my beautiful offering to Him.

This will definitely be a once a year read and my newest go to birthday gift!

Thanks again Casey for bringing this wonderful book into my life!

Our weekend in Instagrams

2012-01-08T15:29:00.001-08:00

Perfection

2012-01-04T23:34:00.001-08:00

Ever since I can remember I have been a perfectionist.

An over achiever if you will.

I thought everything had to be the best, and I always had to be on point.

Boy was I wrong!

A few years ago when I decided I wanted to really start developing my Christianity I realized that living my life according to the way Jesus wants me to isn't always easy.

In fact most days it's a battle.

Sure some days are easier than others but some days I feel like I can't reach perfection, and that is very frustrating!

It feels unattainable...and then it hit me.

That's okay.

As much as He wants us to live a perfect life because He is perfect He also knows that we are human and that we sin.
Isn't that great news?
He realizes that while we can try our darn hardest day in and day out we will never reach perfection because we are not Him.
Sure some days are easier and we feel better when we try use the heck out of our little hearts to live a pure and right Christian life but the good news is He will love you even when you fail.
In fact he expects you to fail.
Some days it can be exhausting to try to fulfill His every want and expectation to live perfectly.
The good news is He knows we are not perfect.
All He expects us to do is give our best effort and to try to make the right decisions.
I've learned sometimes it's more about the path you take when you don't succeed rather than the path you do.
Every failure brings us closer to Him because when we feel inadequate we bring those feelings to Him.
When we feel like we are at the end of our rope and we don't have anymore steam we go to Him.
When we are consumed with fear or don't know what decision to make we go to Him.
And He is always there for us.
He's like the 24 hour mini mart down the street that always serves coffee.
His light is always on, he's always got a warm cup of coffee and his arms are always open and ready to catch us!
Isn't it great having a savior?

P.S. We had our first snow here in Jersey and the boys are super excited!!

Salt & Light

2012-01-04T13:27:00.000-08:00

What could these two possibly have to do with one another you ask
What do salt & light have in common?

The common denominator is...

JESUS.

Jesus tells us to be the salt and the light.

Salt can be cleansing, and leaves you thirsty for more-just like Jesus.

Light is hopeful, promising, and radiates- like Him.

Think about it...

~SALT~

I can remember being a young girl in the summer on the beach with a freshly skinned knee and nothing stung more than going into the salt water.

But in just a few short days and before you knew it-that scrape was all healed up and clean-thanks to

the salt water!

Perhaps we had apprehensions of stepping in to the ocean water because we knew it was going to sting our cut...

just as we may have apprehensions about bringing ourselves to Jesus if we have not been following in His footsteps,

or if it has been a long time since we have been close to him.

It was painful stepping into the saltwater

but it was a process

and in the end....

our cut was cleansed and healed.

Jesus is our salt water.

He cleanses us and heals us-no matter how long it's been or how far we have strayed.

It might not be an easy process (emotionally or physically) but we get through it and in the end are even closer to Him.

He wants us to be his disciples and make others thirsty for Him too.

He wants us to leave others quenching for more of Him!

He wants to use us to make others eager about Him.

To intrigue them...make them passionate.

To make others want to get to know more about Him, praise him, and delight in him!

~LIGHT~

Which leads to my second part: light.

Jesus wants us to be the shining lights in the dark where there is no other light.

He wants us to go into the deepest, darkest, wettest, moldiest places,

the coldest darkest caverns, (okay not literally!)

but you get my point!

He wants us to radiate our light from Him onto others.

To show them that there is a an everlasting life.

That there is more to a days work than bringing home the bacon.

That we have opportunity after opportunity in front of us to share Him, to spread Him among our peers.

There are countless opportunities to bring light to those around us and we should

take in every opportunity.

Purpose

2012-01-03T09:52:00.000-08:00

Since making the decision to really dive into this whole blogging world {feet first, hands in the air, and not a care in the world}community a few months ago I have been asking myself what is my purpose?

What is my goal in blogging?

What do I want myself and others to get from stopping by this little space?

After A LOT of thought here's what I came up with:

I want to make an impact in the lives of others.

I want to make a difference in someone's life.

I want to let others know that they are not alone in fighting the battles they are fighting.

I want to be an outlet for busy, over scheduled mommas, a place of peace for them-to laugh and delight and see that others are going through the same struggles as they are.

I want Him to use to me touch, impact, and leave an impression in the lives of others.

I want to inspire others.

I want to make people believe-in themselves, in others, in Him, in this blogging community-just life in general.

And to be honest I am so glad I have finally decided how I want to use this space. I feel like I have opened a new window in my life and the fresh air is freely blowing through-it's amazing! 2012 you are going to be a fantastic year! I'm determined to make the best of this blog, see the best in people, and see the glass as 1/2 full!

Everything should always have a purpose in this life and I'm glad to have finally figured this one out-so far!

I'm committing to learning as much about HTML as I can in 2012 {tips and hints are always welcome}.

I'm committing to at least 3-4 blog posts a week in 2012.

I'm committing to opening up more to you guys-somethings will still stay private, but I would love to step out of my comfort zone in 2012.

I'm committing to following through on my saying of open hands. open hearts. open minds in 2012.

This all starts right now.

It's been a long time coming and I hope you stick around for this journey because I promise some pretty amazing things are coming your way!!

2012

2011-12-30T07:32:00.000-08:00

A new year.

A fresh start.

Open hands.

Open hearts.

Open minds.
I'm going to adopt that as my motto for this year.

I don't know about you but 2011 was a tough year for me, emotionally.

I am blessed to have found comfort in God when I needed it most.

And of course my husband, and family.
We rang in 2012 kind of quietly-we usually have big parties with my in-laws but this year
hubby was working
my sister in law just had her wisdom teeth out
and I got a flat tire on my car :(
So it was just me and my boys hanging at home!
Aaron was asleep by 6:30 and Angel and Ayden made it till midnight with me!
~

2012 is a new year and I am looking forward to wiping my slate clean and starting new!

My goals for 2012 are:

More patience

Better organized

Cook more homemade food

Learn to crochet

More self confidence

Continue to develop my relationship with God

Less judgmental

More carefree-less uptight
More crafting-less complaining
Being thankful for the good and the bad

2011

2011-12-28T12:47:00.001-08:00

2011 was filled with lots of ups and downs, love, death and everything in between.

A new year means a fresh start and who doesn't like a fresh start?

Before I get onto my hopes for 2012 I'd like to recap the bigger moments of 2011:

My grandmother who helped raised me fought the toughest battle of her life against cancer that eventually took her from us in February leaving me officially grandparent-less.

We bought a second good car and are very thankful!

We watched 3 of our friends declare their love for one another at their weddings.

Angel started kindergarten.

Ayden started preschool.

I started teaching Sunday school.

We survived Hurricane Irene.

I really started developing this little blog and opened my own shop on Zibbett.

We had Aaron christened.

Family vacation to the Pocono's.

We celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary.

I brought two great forever-friends back into my life.

I've learned to lean into the lord with all of my heart, and soul.

I've developed new bloggy friendships and found support from women I have never met face to face but whose opinion and beliefs genuinely mean something to me.

Here's to a successful, faith filled, fun, 2012!

Teething

2011-12-27T19:11:00.001-08:00

Teething is no fun!

No fun for baby.

For mom.

For dad.

Or for siblings.

This poor guys has had many rough nights trying to fall asleep lately due to teething :(

It's so heartbreaking!

First we overcame the severe colic, the reflux, the power puking after every bottle and endless crying for hour upon hour.

After 5 months we moved onto the teething

...dum dum dum.

This kids is the one and only one I have ever used Oragel on and I feel terrible.

I've always heard that it actually toughens the gums and makes it harder for the teeth to come through.

Well let me tell you after 5 months of relentless crying you are willing to try anything for his sake

-and ours!

Oh I pray these teeth come through soon!

Chistmas

2011-12-26T15:52:00.001-08:00

Christmas eve is always bigger for my husbands family than Christmas itself.

We usually host Chistmas eve dinner at our house and this year was no different. :)

I wish I had some amazing pictures to show you but as the hostess I spent about 99% of the night in the kitchen.

There was some pretty amazing food though!

After dinner we opened gifts from extended family and both older boys got their very own drum sets!

I foresee some very loud mornings in our future :)

Once the extended family left the boys set out their cookies for Santa and reindeer food (oatmeal, marshmallows, glitter, and raisins) and we nestled them in their beds.

We stayed up a little later spending time with family and cracking jokes on one another-as is the usual with the in-laws!

Seriously-the best family EVER!

Fast forward to Christmas morning...

Angel tried to sneak downstairs first but thankfully with so many listening ears we were able to stall him with just enough time for all the adults to semi-wake and brush our teeth.

There was also enough time for us to wake up the other two kids and get them downstairs as well!

Our family tradition is to put all of the gifts from us to our kids under the tree as we buy them so while they do see all they get from us before Christmas morning they are still ecstatic on Christmas because they know they have been waiting a very long time and they finally get to open their presents!

They also have their Santa presents out and unwrapped that morning as well!

This Christmas was special to my husband and I because Angel was able to recognize his name on the presents as he can now spell, write, and recognize his name with no problems.

We spent the first part of Christmas morning handing out and unwrapping presents,

the second part cleaning up wrapping paper and taking gifts out of their boxes,

and the last part serving up a delicious home cooked breakfast for all of our guests that spent the night! All in all Christmas 2011 was another great Christmas for the books!

Now bring on New Years!!

Bitter Vs. Thankful

2011-12-21T07:40:00.001-08:00

Remember this post?

The one where my husband's car unexpectedly ended up in the shop?

I was disappointed in His timing but like always...

things worked out.

Well Monday I got in my car after work one night and my check engine light came on...

{insert}

me throwing my hands in the air while calling my husband on my drive home to tell him the news.

We were able to get it into the shop just this morning and found out what the problem is NOT covered under the extended warranty that came with the car we bought there back in April!

Now {insert Grinch-iness}

Talk about bad timing for so many reasons!

The week of Christmas.

We're hosting Christmas Eve at our casa.

We just upgraded my cell phone.

We still have gifts to purchase for extended family.

Our normal food shopping, target house supply shopping, diapers, wipes, etc.

I mean I could go on and on about why now is not a good time for this to happen to us.

Instead though I took a step back

after talking to my hubby of course!

and realized that we do have the money to fix the car

and I really do need to be thankful for that.

We do have the resources to pay for this- it really could.have.been worse timing.

So instead of letting all of those bitter feelings course through my body and take over

I am instead letting go

knowing that it is better and right to be thankful that we had the funds to fix the problem.

So friend, next time you are faced with a situation where you can either be

bitter or thankful

remember to choose the latter of the two because

it can always be worse!

Lesson learned :)

This weekend in Instagrams

2011-12-19T16:38:00.001-08:00

I finally crossed over to the iPhone side and gave up my crapberry... I mean blackberry. Here is our weekend in pics, enjoy!

Crossroads

2011-12-15T06:37:00.000-08:00

~Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.~

Proverbs 3:6

At some point in our lives we come to a crossroads.

A time where we have to choose which path we are going to take.

I feel like I have been at this point quite a few times in recent years-perhaps you have too.

Are you going to take the road on the left or the road on the right?

The scariest part is

that we do not always know what speed bumps or curves lie ahead of us on these paths.

Are we going to have enough strength and courage to take the harder road...will it break us down more than it strengthens us?

Will we make it through the rough patches, the rainy weather, the potholes, the detours?

So... how do we decide?

How do we put all of our fears and hesitation aside and take that leap?

Faith & Prayer.

There's nothing more comforting than bringing my decision to Him because I know he will always lead me in the right direction.

That direction may not be the easiest, it may not be what I want to go through right now, but it is where He says I need to be.

In the end because of this decision I will have become stronger because

God will have led me on the path I have traveled.

We don't always know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel,

but we have Faith that it is there.

Via Pinterest

Truth is...

2011-12-13T16:23:00.000-08:00

The truth is...

I don't have as much confidence in myself as I once used to- I miss the feeling of invincibility

I miss being able to go anywhere at anytime-you know just my keys, my car, and the radio but I wouldn't trade Thomas, late night Dominoes dinner dates, and sleepless nights for anything in the world!

Most days I don't feel as though I have accomplished all that I want to at this point in my life but I know one day I will.

I complain a lot-but I'm becoming more conscience of it

I love driving a mini-van

I have a severe sweet tooth and would rather eat desserts than a real dinner any night

I am not an animal person and our kids want a dog more than anything right now

My kids have taught me more patience than I ever knew was possible

I have a hard time asking for help

I live on coffee-usually about 6 cups a day to be exact

I've realized the hard way that friendships are an incredibly important part of our lives.

My husband is my biggest supporter and I ask his advice on every decision I make.

                                                           I get overwhelmed very easily

I'm better at giving advice than taking it

                                       I'm not always grateful for the good and the bad-but I'm working on it

Sometimes I just want an hour to myself-no noise, only silence and my.own.thoughts...by the beach

I could not have married into a more loving, caring, and open family

         Some days I just want to throw my hands in the air and give up-then I remember to seek Him for help and that one day I will look back on this and laugh.

I miss hand written notes and actual phone conversations

                             I think everybody deserves to have a voice and every opinion counts

When everything seems to be going well I wonder what is lurking around the corner...

Football

2011-12-12T17:11:00.000-08:00

I am a firm believer that everyone should experience a professional sporting event at least once in their lifetime.

There's nothing like it. It's an American past time.

The crowd.
The roar of the stadium.

The cheering.

The food...oh the food!

The drinks.

The camaraderie...between the young and the old!

The rivalry between opposing teams.

I've been to many many baseball games but this past weekend I was able to experience my first NFL game. Jets V. Chiefs.

1 word: UH-MAZING!

I went with my husband and sister in law and it was just great! It was about 40 degrees and not a cloud in the sky-we were even able to take our jackets off and rock our jersey for a while :)

What's your favorite sporting event?

And this was the breath taking view on the ride home!

Reason for the Season

2011-12-09T17:36:00.001-08:00

As yet another Christmas season is upon us I feel like it's so easy to forget the true meaning of Christmas.

It's much easier to get wrapped up in the gifts, food, cookies, and parties-you know the material things rather than to stop and take a look around at the reason we are celebrating Christmas.

We celebrate Christmas for the most important reason in the world...because Jesus was BORN!!!

Each year our church does a Christmas pageant that acts out the night Jesus was born and right after Mary has the baby all of the children run rapidly and wildly through our church shouting "Jesus is born, Jesus is born!!" They do this was such excitement screaming almost at the top of their lungs with noisemakers and horns tooting they are so excited!

This kind of put things back in to perspective...why can't we all be as passionate as this group of young children? Where did we lose the true meaning of Christmas and start worrying about how many presents we are buying for our children and families?

Now this is not to say that we don't get caught up in all of the buzz surrounding Christmas because we are guilty of this too...

Each year we sit down with our kids and make their {Christmas Lists} and then when Grandma or Aunts and Uncles call we begin to rattle items off the list that our children want to receive.

This year in particular I have been very moved to not make the Holiday's all about gift giving and counting, etc. In fact I've been praying for guidance...asking the Lord to let me be okay with not buying our kids a TON of toys-to not make the Holidays all about presents. Praying that we can use Christmas to remember and celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.

Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God"

Marriage

2011-12-06T10:45:00.001-08:00

~Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.~

1 Corinthians

Marriage is more than the joining of a man and woman.

Marriage is a life long bond between two best friends.

It is an all consuming love that overwhelms you and takes your breath away when you think about it.

It is the core of your very being.

Marriage is the untouchable perfection of teamwork.

It is two lives becoming one in more ways than one.

Marriage is finding your soul mate and never letting them go.

It is the willingness to work through any and all problems that may come at you.

It is having the strength to always be there for the other person even when it might be easier to just walk away.
Marriage is being your partners biggest supporter.
Marriage is one of the most selfless acts a human can be a part of.

Girls Night

2011-12-05T16:50:00.000-08:00

I have these two girlfriends and they're pretty amazing.

6 years we've known each other and have been through our biggest life events together.

Remember this post about the amazing people that will come into your life?

Well these are those girls!

Our friendships have not been easy but who said it was going to be?

Everything we want in this life we have to work for-and work hard right?!

They have been worth all of the blood, sweat, and tears we have all cried during the past few years.

We have been through marriages, additions to our families, moves, deaths, and every up and down between.

There was a time a few years ago when I wasn't even on speaking terms with these two girls but recently we have come back into each others lives and I could not.be.happier!

We finally got together-all 3 of us- and had a girls night filled with: Spaghetti with homemade meat sauce, Cesar salad with homemade croutons,champagne, wine, old pictures, and lots and lots of laughing.

This was our missing piece and I'm glad it was put back into place.

Therapy

2011-12-04T04:49:00.001-08:00

Sometimes we all need a little therapy.

For me there is no better therapy than cute fabric, thread, my rotary cutter, my sewing machine, and great inspiration!

The steady movement and humming of a sewing machine makes all of my stress and problems disappear.

Last night I sat down at my sewing machine for the first time in {too long of a time} with Pandora, our Christmas tree lit up, hot cocoa and made this adorable camera strap cover via The Cottage Momma.

What's your therapy?

Have a great Sunday everyone-I'm off to church with all of my chickadees :)

A letter to 16 year old me

2011-12-01T10:34:00.001-08:00

Dear 16 year old me,

Don't worry about popularity because as soon as you graduate it won't matter anymore. In a few short years you will meet amazing people who will become life long friends-sisters almost-that will be by your side through your biggest life events.

You know that boy you're head over heels in love with? He will teach you many things {some ~~good~~ and some bad}, lessons about life, love, and learning but he will not turn out to be your true love. It's a painful lesson, but you will become a better person because of it- and be blessed with 3 adorable little boys.

Enjoy every second of your teenage years now because in 5 years you will become a mommy and while it is something you have ALWAYS wanted and is more rewarding than words can say it will be by far the hardest job you've ever done in your.entire.life.

Put more time and effort into your academics than field hockey,lacrosse, and parties because at the end of the day college's want to see you excel in the books more than on the field and with your friends.

Go to your senior prom-it is a moment you will NEVER get back.

Even though you feel like you don't have a concrete connection to you high school or the people in it-that's okay and you will make it through this experience alive. Don't let insecurities and unknowns stop you from reaching your full potential. Adapting to your surroundings will become one of your best qualities later in life.

Don't join in activities just because your closest girlfriends are doing it. Stand up for yourself and your beliefs and stay true to who you are.

Cut your parents some slack...they are dealing with their own issues.

Don't skip class or write fake notes for early dismissals-you will get caught!

Most importantly enjoy your youth, live life to the fullest and never stop dreaming. Reach for the moon, if you miss you'll land upon the stars. You'll never know if you don't try so give it your best shot!

Sincerely,

A much older and wiser you

Enjoy some throwback pics!

Sniffles

2011-12-01T07:34:00.001-08:00

Baby Aaron is sick..again :(

Sniffles, running/stuffy nose, cough, drooling uncontrollably because he can't breathe through his nose, stinky baby breath, boogers galore, and cranky as all heck!

Thankfully 3 kids later we have figured out the perfect recipe to beating the common cold...or at least kicking it sooner!

Here are our neccessities:

1. Humidifier

2. Aspirator

3. Saline spray

4. Vicks baby rub

5. Lots of water/watered down juice

6.Lots and lots of snuggles

I hope this helps you as much as it does us..because it seems like now Daddy, Ayden and I have a touch of the cold, boo!

Coffee Date

2011-11-30T08:44:00.000-08:00

Coffee dates are great they are time with close friends to talk about life, our struggles, and our triumphs. So grab your favorite drink my friend, and pull up a comfy seat as we enjoy our very first coffee date!

On our coffee date I would share with you...

How I'm learning to treat everyday for the gift that it is, and to always find the positive and good in every situation. It's hard, but I'm getting there.

How having two kids in school has completely turned our world upside down in more way than one and I'm extremely uncomfortable with it. That since Angel has started Kindergarten he has learned so many new things: his letters, numbers, words, and has even started reading...but we've also encountered other not so great school habits. We've struggled with him being SUCH a social person, bullies, new ways of him expressing his feeling-which are not always good, and how all of these changes came on so quickly in such a short amount of time that I don't know where to turn for advice.

That I have not been spending nearly as much time with Him as I should lately. I have not been setting aside time for my devotionals each and every day, and I feel terrible because I've been so far from God.

How I worry that my kids will only remember the times I reprimand them because some days it feel like that is all I do! When all I really want them to remember is us playing make believe, building forts with sheets and pillows, our dance parties, and their Dad and I trying to let them stay young and carefree for as long as possible.

That I truly enjoy my job and sometimes feel bad that I know I'm not cut out to be at SAHM. I love waking up every morning, putting on freshly pressed pants, a crisp shirt and high heels then going into my office, greeting my co-workers with a genuine smile on my face and carrying on conversations with them during our lunch hours.

I would ask how you were doing...and if there was anyway I could help you on your journey?

I would also say thanks for this time together and thank for listening, friend.

Patience

2011-11-29T15:09:00.001-08:00

~Proverbs 15:18
A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel.

We have 3 boys age 5 and under...and at one point 3 age 4 and under!

I understand it was our choice to have kids so close together; however I never knew how much children could truly test your patience.

It's incredible. Almost impossible to measure.

There are many days when my throat hurts from yelling so, my head hurts at the sound of my own voice, and if I have to count to 3 one more time for someone using the coffee table as a trampoline or seeing if they can jump from the top of the couch to the rug with a perfect landing I might just explode!

But I'm learning every day to...

stop and breathe.

This is something I am working on every day and it is NOT easy, by any means.

But to know that I am working on it with Him by my side to go to whenever I need guidance and help is amazing!

This is just another one of those times when I have to learn to rely on Him while working through my shortcomings.

A time when I am able to bring my troubles and worries to God I know that he is there to comfort and get me through my struggles.

A time to be grateful that he is there for me-

always.

Ironically these 3 little miracles that make me want to pull my hair out most days and don't listen have taught me to have more patience than I ever knew possible.

I think I've actually learned to have more patience with each child we've added to our family.

I've learned that these days taking a few.deep.breaths

goes a long way.

I hope this post finds you well my friends! Feel free to share your latest struggle below...whether you are a mom or not :)

Fall

2011-11-28T16:20:00.001-08:00

Fall is almost over....almost!

This season is quickly becoming my favorite...so there is no rushing fall to be over.

Who doesn't love colorful leaves, crisp air, pumpkins, Halloween, pumpkin spice coffee, hot chocolate, cowls, uggs, and sweatshirts?

I certainly do!

When I was a little girl one of my favorite memories was playing with my cousin in the piles of leaves my uncle used to rake up, by hand....fast forward to today and you'll find him with a gas powered leaf blower ha!

That's right the entire front and back yard-we're talking HUGE piles of leaves!

This past weekend I was able to watch our two older boys Angel and Ayden enjoy in the same activity I used to when I was little at the very same house!

Oh how special :)

What's your favorite fall memory?

P.S. Use code CYBER35 to get 35%off your purchase in my shop!

Thanksgiving

2011-11-27T10:46:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving in one word to me is: FAMILY

Believe me we had LOTS of family time these past couple of days and I think family and friends are good for everyone.

They're good for the soul, the heart, and our sanity...well sometimes ha!)

In the past we have always hosted Thanksgiving at our house, but since our little family has continued to grow our house seems tinier and tinier so we opted to have my husband's aunt host it this year and it could not have been better!

One thing I have always said about my husband is that he is a family man and always has been.

It goes right back to his roots-everyone in his family is so so close.

It is truly an amazing bond his family has created and I am blessed to have become a part of it.

There were warm smiles, lots of homemade food, family, jokes, grace, spirits, cousins playing with each other, music, and love truly filled the air.

Are you ready for a photo overload?? Here they come....

Getaway

2011-11-23T18:28:00.001-08:00

We're spending a few days at my mom and dad's house (in laws) and I could not.be.happier!

Seriously I got sooo lucky when I met my husband because I fell in love with his family too!

Of course the boys are having a blast and being spoiled by their Abuela, Abuelo, and Titi :)

I am blank because

2011-11-22T18:37:00.001-08:00

Inspired by Little Miss Momma, Casey Wiegand, & Lily White

I am {weird} because....

I think I sometimes enjoy kids movies more than my actual kids
I cannot eat in the dark
I answer my own questions once I say the question out loud-ALOT!
I can't sleep with my feet covered
I have to sleep with my closet doors competely shut

I am {a bad friend} because...

I sometimes forget communication goes both ways
I can be stubborn
I don't put as much effort into friendship as I do other areas of my life

I am {a good friend} because...

I am always here for my friends day or night
I can keep secrets
I am great with advice, therapy, and words
I try to put myself in my friends shoes
I do not judge

I am {sad} because...

I miss my Grandmom and Pop-Pop everyday
I've lost touch with a lot of used-to be close friends
I know there are children out there who are abused, malnourished, and can't speak up for themselves and it breaks my heart
Most people are too quick to judge

I am {happy} because...

Thanksgiving=family overload
I have 3 healthy kids
I always wanted to be a mom, and now I am
I have a husband who is not afraid to do it ALL-diapers, dishes, bathtime
We are finally a 2 car family
I married my best friend and we're doing everything on.our.own.

I am {excited} for...

Seeing what the new year brings
Watching my boys grow up-and being involved 100%
This journey we call LIFE :)
Repairing and developing friendships
Seeing what God's true calling is for me
Growing my shop and this lil blog
Meeting our college roomate's newest addition Baby Khloe

These are *best friends*
Pass it on...and leave a comment linking to yours!

Sweet Dreams

2011-11-22T10:32:00.001-08:00

These have become our "sweet dreams".

Perfect and precious in every way and we thank God every day for them!

In case I do not get on here tomorrow... HAPPY THANKSGIVING =)

Let there be cake...and lots of it!

2011-11-21T15:58:00.001-08:00

For nearly the past week we have celebrated Aaron's first birthday!

Needless to say there has been a ton of cake!

So far we have had 2 cakes and still have celebration #3 this week at my in-laws house while also celebrating Thanksgiving. Here are some pics from our birthday celebrations thus far!

In a way its kind of sad because this could really be the last of our "infant" days.

I asked my husband the other night "is this our last first birthday we'll be celebrating?"

It's kind of heartbreaking to know that there may be no more bottles, no more formula, no more onesie's, no more Johnson & Johnson sweet baby smell.

We always wanted to be young parents and for quite a while had 3 children-3 boys- and our oldest was 4 1/2.

Now I'm not saying that we're closing up this baby factory for good or for EVER because we're still young but we are taking a much needed break! For our sake and for our sanity!

Maybe one day in a few years (ahem-QUITE a few) we will get the baby fever but for right now we're enjoying our family just the way it is!

Timing

2011-11-19T15:22:00.001-08:00

Every once in a while I'll write a post about something God has laid on my heart. Yesterday was one of those days...

Our timing is not always His timing. Two days ago I saw down as I felt we were in a good place to make a to-do list (usually this thing is a forsure jinx). My to-do list was filled with typical activities:

pay car insurance

buy boys winter jackets

make brownies for LNO at our church

start christmas list

sweep kitchen floor

fill our Operation Christmas Child Shoe Box for church this weekend

laundry

pick up diapers

clean the downstairs bathroom

Well we woke up the next morning and He had a different plan.

My husband's car wouldn't start. One phone call to AAA, a battery check later and our car was on the back of a tow truck on its way to the dealership =(

My first thought and feeling was: frustration.

I was frustrated at the fact when were were finally financially in a good place-for the time being, something like this happens?

Why can't we ever just catch a break, take a breather, let somebody else deal with this?

My second thought?

This is God's way of telling me we can plan and save ale we want, but ultimately it is what He sees fit for us that will happen.

This is just another sign and time that we truly need to trust in Him and lean on Him always.

Yes we're going to have crazy days, sometimes even weeks.

Maybe the baby is cutting teeth, or wants to switch his bed time routine, or wake up and play from 3-4am the night before a BIG day.

Something will always happen. Usually when you least expect it.

We may have one plan for our lives, but God has another.

And his plan will always make us stronger.

As hard as it was to let go of the frustration the moment I told myself to hand it all over to Him-the frustration, anger, fear, trust, and hope-I did not feel alone.

I felt as though someone was right along side me holding my hand, and it was a great feeling!

via

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." ~Proverbs 3:5-6

Linked up here

Cupcakes & Brownies

2011-11-17T18:09:00.001-08:00

Since our oldest has started Kindergarten...actually preschool in general I have made more brownies and cupcakes than I have in my entire life! This is more than high school bake sales, college nights with bored girlfriends and during the Holidays! Here's a little snapshot of my yummy night!

{who doesn't looooove funfetti??}

Cupcakes & Brownies

Tomorrow

2011-11-15T16:43:00.001-08:00

Tomorrow is Aaron's first birthday. I cannot believe a year has gone by since I have had him, it feels more like a whirlwind than a calendar year! I figured it might be kind of cool to write his birth story on here that way he has something to look back on when he asks about the precious day he entered this world.

Aaron was due to arrive December 5th but came three weeks early, November 16th. We were expecting an early arrival because his brothers were early-but not quite THAT early! In fact we borrowed a car seat from a friend because we hadn't gotten ours yet :)

False labor started about 4 weeks before he was actually due and each time I went to the OB for a checkup I was diliated a little more. At my last appointment my Dr. said I was 2cm's dilated (or so he was telling me-we'll get to that later).

November 16th I woke up and was a little crampy-nothing out of the ordinary as I was pretty far along in my pregnancy. I got Angel dressed for pre-k since it was Thursday and Dad drove him as my "crampiness" was getting a little worse at that point. While Ayden hung out with Daddy downstairs I laid upstairs in our bed hoping water and rest would make the contractions stop...needless to say they did not.

My Uncle was our planned kid watcher to come get our other two boys while I went to the hospital, had the baby, and then my aunt and uncle would bring the boys to visit his new baby brother the next day! Well let me tell you even though this was our third child my husband went into a panic the moment I hung up with my Dr's office and they told me to head up to L&D (Labor & Delivery). He called our close family friend-Jamal as he was on his was to pick Angel up from preschool early. Luckily Jamal was able to get here in the time gap that my uncle was not! He stayed with the boys until my Uncle got here, and was able to get the boys packed up in his car. I forgot to mention that hospital bag that all mom's are supposed to take the hospital with them and pack like 2 months before baby arrives...yea I packed that as I was in labor/having contractions that morning!!

When hubby and I arrived at the hospital and told the nurses this was baby #3 they skipped triage and put me right in a delivery room! Hubby and I got situated ( meaning I got into my lovely hospital gown and he postitioned the recliner at a perfect angle to the TV). I was already 4 cm's by the time I arrived and labor was progressing nicely...and by nicely I mean after I had the epidural I was in Heaven.

Aaron's actual birth was very calm, and peaceful. The midwife came in a checked me and said "okay time to have a baby!" I looked at my husband and looked back at me with a grin that went ear to ear. With just a few short pushes we had brought a brand new baby boy into this world! As the midwife placed him on my chest I looked at my husband and we both knew we were relieved, excited, and thankful all at the same time.

Okay and now for the kicker....

Remember when I told you at my last Dr's appointment my Dr. (whom I loved and wanted to deliver me this time as he had with our second) said I was only 2 cm's....well about an hour after I had Aaron there was a knock on the door. Yup you guessed it, Dr. M that I had wanted to deliver me...he was on call that night for c-sections and saw my chart and wanted to see how things were going. As soon as he walked in the door he greeted us with big hugs and smiles and I told him he was about an hour too late. It was at this point in time he said, "yea I knew it was going to be soon you were close to 4 cm's in the office last time, I just didn't want to tell you and scare you!" Way to go Doc :) Just Kidding....we still <3 your Dr. M!!

Enjoy some pics from Aaron's Birth Day!

Kindergarten

2011-11-08T17:35:00.000-08:00

Kindergarten.

I remember those first few nervous days of being in a classroom with what felt like a TON of new kids I had never met before.

Kindergarten brings to mind:

Piano's- my teacher had one in her classroom that she used to play while we sang

Getting to play with the "magic" felt board that things would stick to

meeting my best friend, Melissa-who I am proud to say I am STILL friends with

I was definetly a shy kid-you know the one who would hide behind mom when she introduced you to someone new, yup that was me!

Luckily our oldest son, Angel is the complete opposite.

In fact I call him Mr. Social....he has this amazing ability to talk to anybody.

He is loving kindergarten and thriving in his new school.

Here is his Kindergarten pic, enjoy!

What is your fondest Kindergarten memory?

Happy Place

2011-11-07T17:52:00.000-08:00

I'm in a very blah kind of mood tonight-in fact I wasn't even going to blog but then I realized this is reality.

Real life has ups and downs and struggles and who I am to leave that out if I want people to realize that this blogging thing comes from my heart.

This is something I don't do for money, or to see how many followers, or comments I can accrue.

This is therapy, this is my time alone with my thoughts, this is my thinking process, this is my space to share what's important to me.

I feel like I've hit a wall but somehow have got to keep going.

Keep going with my husband, with my kids, with my activities, with my commitments all the while I am standing against this concrete wall pushing as hard as I can with all of my strength watching it go nowhere.

There's a saying I once heard and it goes something like this:

"The definition of crazy is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result."

Well my friends if that is the case I have gone CRAZY!

I'm going to my happy place for the rest of the night...

Handmade Love

2011-11-06T11:56:00.000-08:00

Let's face it, handmade gifts totally kick store-bought gifts butt...am I right?!

Yes, I think I am :)

Last weekend I attempted my very first faux chenille baby blanket tutorial which you can find here!

The tutorial was great, very detailed and I am so super happy with how the blanket turned out!

Keep in mind this is a very looong project but I just figure it's that more love that goes into it-YUP!

I shipped it off to our old college roommates who are expecting #3 any.day.now!!! Enjoy the Car seat cover I made for baby Khloe as well, which you can always purchase from my shop!

This may just be my new go-to baby gift.

I've linked this post up over at Casey Wiegand!!

Give Thanks!

2011-11-05T16:55:00.000-07:00

Since this is the calendar Holiday month to give thanks I've decided to do - or attempt rather a 30 day give thanks blogging extravaganza. Now I feel like I do have to preface this post by saying this: I think we need to be thankful everyday for everyone in our lives, every struggle we face- every success we feel, and every thing we have-even when we think it might not be a lot.

Remember there are always less fortunate and besides when we do leave this world it's not like we're going to take all of our stuff with us so who really cares if we have the latest Coach purse or the newest Iphone? ...God certainly doesn't.

Okay, phew now I feel better :)

Onto the fun!

Since today is November 5th I will play catch up and this may happen again in the near future, I'm apologizing in advance ha!

I am thankful for:

Living close to the beach

Having such a loving & kind church family

My husband's willingness & excitement to do the grocery shopping

Having a job and being able to provide for our family

3 healthy kids

I guess that'd be it for now! What are you thankful for?

Credit

Bye Bye October

2011-11-01T16:57:00.000-07:00

Every beginning has an ending.

I can't believe its already November!

For October as excited as I was for it to begin by the end I was more than ready for it to be over!

Now, don't get me wrong I am in no way, shape, or form being a party pooper but man October was downright exhausting!

The truth is I think October was just the beginning because I don't see any end in sight :)

We started off the month with a trip to the pumpkin patch and ended it with Halloween night.

Now what happened in between is the real story, so without further ado enjoy our month of October in pictures.

What was your favorite event in October?

The boys in the local Halloween parade as Alvin and the Chipmunks

Angel aka Alvin enjoying catching some candy at the parade

My husband and I attended our first Halloween party since we were in college

Angel at his school's Halloween sing-along

Ayden at his school's Harvest Party

Our Trick or Treater's that were too afraid to go outside so we passed out candy instead

Halloween Overload

2011-10-31T18:03:00.000-07:00

My apologies on being MIA!!

This year Halloween has really taken charge of me beginning with last week our our local Halloween Parade.

Now, there is some history to this parade as my cousins and i were always in it when we were little...in fact one year we even took first place as Barbie and Ken!!

It was adorable, we even used my Barbie Powerwheels Corvette and everything!

Anywho in addition to the parade we had two kids Halloween parties at school, pumpkin decorating, festivities at work, hubby and I went to a Halloween party, I was able to complete 3 custom order's for the shop this weekend and much much more!!

Pics are coming soon from all of our crazy events...for now enjoy this picture of me this Halloween as Princess Peach from Mario Bro's :)

Rainy Days

2011-10-29T15:04:00.000-07:00

Sometimes we all need a rainy day.

A day to relax, not accomplish tasks from our to-do list, stay in our pajamas with our kids all day, eat take-out and just unwind.

Today was one of those days for the whole family.

Let me tell you it felt great, and I was able to catch up on some sewing projects I have been meaning to finish!

Courtesy of here

Harvest Festival

2011-10-24T13:12:00.000-07:00

Every year my home town has their annual Harvest Festival.

It's a fun filled day for kids and families to hang out, enjoy live music, great food, rides & games for the kids, crafts, and enjoy the beautiful fall weather outside!

We have been going to this Harvest Festival since I can remember and now I am bringing my kids to it as well!

Yesterday was certainly a family filled day...not only was it myself, my three kids, and my aunt and uncle who go with us every year because they live right up the street from the fair- but also my mom, dad, brother, and sister-in law decided to come as well as my husbands aunt!

There's almost nothing I love more in this world than the feeling of being surrounded by family!

I had to cut the day short because Aaron was being a complete fuss-montster but the rest of the family stayed and enjoyed the entire day!

Enjoy our pics!

Laid on my heart

2011-10-23T07:06:00.000-07:00

Today I attended our church's 8am service which is much different than our usual attendance to the 10 am worship service.

I should also mention that I was completely alone-meaning no kids at all...it was actually lonely!

Anywho our Pastor began his sermon and was talking about the different ministries we have in our church and how our church family has the chance to fulfill what God has laid on our hearts through our different ministries.

For me I feel like over the past couple of years God has laid on my heart:

being a mommy,

a wife,

serving God and his people whenever possible,

and

giving to those in need especially when you feel like you just can't-as we have learned God will always provide.

One of the ministries I have become involved with this year is our Sunday School program.

I teach our 4-5 year old's their bible lessons and about Jesus and it is SO rewarding!

To see their little eyes and faces light up when they find out that Jesus loves not only them but their entire families unconditionally is very powerful to these young ones!

For me, and this year I feel like this is what God has laid on my heart.

What has God laid on your heart?

Fall

2011-10-17T15:57:00.000-07:00

Fall is quickly becoming my favorite time of year and that's saying a lot because I was born and raised a Jersey girl with sand between my toes!

Fall brings on cooler weather, colorful leaves, pumpkin coffee, apple cider, yummy treats, the first stews of the seasons,pumpkins, fairs and festivals, Halloween, and much more!!

One of our favorite things to do in the fall is to stop by one of the local farms and let our kids pick their own pumpkins to decorate for Halloween.

This year we made it into a family trip-all 5 of us were there!

Remember this post, where I apologized for using an old digi cam and promised more pretty pics because our DSLR was fixed...well enjoy the photo overload my friends :)

P.S. What's your favorite fall activity?

{Angel sizing up pumpkins}

{Aaron's 1st Halloween}

Angel & Ayden

Look at those eyes

Ayden

Homemade apple cider

Fresh grown apples

Gords

Brotherly Love

Outside one we came home w/ our pumpkins!

Semi Productive Weekend

2011-10-16T13:39:00.000-07:00

I woke up Friday morning feel as though I was being held captive by the head cold monster...and for us mom's that simply can't happen!

I tried my hardest to fight the symptoms all day at work on Friday and took 2 rounds of Airborne {amazing product}!

Unfortunately my efforts were too late because I've spent most of the rest of the weekend with an insane head cold and trying my hardest to keep my eyes open

enough to make sure my kids

didn't kill one another!

On a happier note I did get the supplies I have been waiting for to come in for my shop which you can visit here.

I've added lots more goodies for all of the Mom's who come to my shop to do their baby shopping. Now you can feel guilt free about picking up an item for baby and one for you {or your sister, cousin, friend, etc} without feeling guilty!

Here's a sampling of the new products in all of their bright glory!

Which one is your favorite??

P.S. Even though I was under the weather the whole family decided to head to our favorite fall farm to pick up some pumpkins...stay tuned for that post tomorrow :)

Let it Go

2011-10-14T15:29:00.000-07:00

I know this is something I struggle with on a daily basis-maybe yo do too.

I'm the type of person to re-create scenario's over and over in my head thinking

what I could have done differently,

or said differently

or reacted differently,

or how I could have thought about something for a few more minutes before opening my mouth and inserting my foot!

But you know what? Some times we all just need to learn to let it go because after all nobody is perfect and everybody makes mistakes.

WIWW #1

2011-10-12T18:49:00.000-07:00

So I always see these other amazing blogs posting about What I Wore Wednesday and I always thought....

how cool would that be??

So for the first time ever I threw all of my reservations to the side to bring you my first ever {drum roll} WIWW :)

SIDENOTE: I'm a workin' momma so most of my WIWW will be in "business" clothes that I will try to make as crafty as I can!


Top-Target, Pants-Target, Necklace-Ta da! {a local shop}

{B&W}

This our 5 year old being my photographer...come on you KNOW you've done it before!


Bottom of pants a/k/a my hemming job and boots!

What did you wear today?

MNO #1

2011-10-09T06:37:00.000-07:00

This past Friday night the moms of our church all came together and started our first MNO (Mom's Night Out) crafting night!!

I have 4 words for ya {food.fun.friends.worship}

It was an amazing night with childcare provided-which is always great these days!

By the end of the night we went home with 4 crafts, full bellies, and a new friend :)

I can't wait for our next MNO in November and hopefully I'll be hosting one after the Holidays.

What's your favorite craft to make?

Delicious food!

Serious concentration!!

Kim was our Hostess for our first MNO

Philly pretzel tray..YUMM!

Coffee Bar

Craft #1 Gift Card Holder

Craft #2 Greeting Card

Craft #3 Candy Corn holder

Craft #4 Candy Holder

Apple Cider,Mmmm!

In {crafter} style with my rosette headband

Close up! Excuse the roots LOL!

P.S. Excuse the old Cybershot camera... our DSLR and I had some miscommunication a/k/a I thought it was broken and took it to the Geek Squad after not using it for almost an entire month because I was so angry at it for not taking pictures crispy clear and it turns out it was {user error} woops! There will be many pretty pictures to come :)

Wedding Bells

2011-10-06T17:19:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday a very long time friend of both mine and my husband's were married.

We could not have been more happy for both of them.

They are one of those couples you just know God brought together.

He made him for her and her for him!

I have to tell you this was our third wedding of the season so far this year and they were all catholic ceremonies, now no offense to the other ceremonies but this past one was by far the BEST catholic ceremony!

I don't know if it is because we have such a history with the couple, their whole families, and the majority of the bridal party---but there was not a dry eye in the entire church ( including hubby).

The reception was very emotional for me too.

Perhaps it was the fact that I know the bride was such a Daddy's girl and unfortunately her Dad passed away about a year and a half ago...or maybe it was the fact that I saw a friend who I used to be super close to as well {the 3 of us were inseparable at one point, more on that later} who lost her mom the same week of the wedding. Can you imagine a funeral and a wedding all in the same week? Ugh, I'm tearing up just thinking about it!

In any case my husband and I feel blessed to have been a part of our friends wedding day, we enjoyed great friends and great food...and an open bar :)

Enjoy some pictures from our night out!

{Hubby and I}

{Reunion}

{The Happy Couple}

{Mel and I}

{Mel, Kristie, and I}

{First dance as husband and wife}

A little something about me

2011-10-04T17:33:00.000-07:00

So the whole idea of this blog is to let others see the real you.

To not hide behind fake words and pretty sentences, because lets face it life is real-it's not always shiny with glitter, or cookie cutter perfect.

Life is tough, and people have flaws-but it is how we view those flaws and accept people that make the world go round!

Tonight I am going to share with you a fact about me that many do not know...

Every day I write in my journal. Yes that's right...I'm 26 and I still have a diary.

This journal is a bit different than an ordinary journal though...it is my prayer/gratitude journal.

That's right! Every day, usually in the morning {sometimes during my lunch break if its a really busy day} I take a few minutes to write down at least 5 things I am grateful for and write down all of my prayers for that day.

My 5 grateful items can be something as simple as: being grateful for shoes to being grateful for someone showing me compassion the day before.

I think this is something that is truly special and will be just awesome to look back on years from now.

It will be kind of funny..somewhat ironic... I'm sure to see what it was I was praying for and how He decided to put His plan into action.

Do you still keep a journal?

Celebrate

2011-10-03T17:43:00.000-07:00

Today is one of those day where I am trying to not throw my own pity party.
It has been a rough, and exhausting day but I know it will get better.
Today I'm celebrating life for many reasons...you should too!

A mother's worry

2011-10-02T16:32:00.000-07:00

I never knew how cRaZy moms could drive themselves.
With so many responsibilities on us-every day...it can be kind of overwhelming.
Let me backtrack by saying this: Aaron is refusing to eat baby food (he's just about 11 months) and has decided he is just done with baby food. The only thing that interest's him is table food.
Now, Aaron is our third and you would probably figure since he's our third that our way of life with him is pretty lax and for the most part it is; however when it comes to anything and I mean anything he ingests you would think I was a first time mom who has no experience whatsoever with babies lol! Since Aaron was born we have had one problem after another: colic, reflux, and a battle between diarrhea and constipation almost weekly not to mention the fact that he is our first and only child to have an allergic reaction to medicine :(

Needless to say I have had so much anxiety this past week with giving him so much table food...every time his cheeks looks like they have the slightest hint of red I have to stop my mind from immediately panicking and thinking he's allergic to what he's just eaten.

A mother's worry never ends :)

Inside of me

2011-09-30T18:03:00.000-07:00

This week was a rough week at work.

Do you ever feel like a puzzle piece that is trying to fit into a space that looks like you could fit but not matter how hard you try or how hard you push yourself you just don't fit?
That is how I have felt all week and it only worsened each day...okay if I'm telling you the truth that is how I have felt for the past {8} months..
I thought that it would have gotten easier at this point-but it hasn't.

Each day I try to remind myself that I'm here for a more important purpose. I'm here to do God's work. I'm here to please Him...not my co-workers. I constantly tell myself to stand my ground to not gossip, to not feel belittled, not give into them, not let them get to me, to remember that He will be the one to judge me at the end of the day-not them. Honestly though-it is so hard!

This has made me realize that for too long now I have cared what others think about me.
I have felt inadequate because of the way I think others perceive me.
This is something I struggle with every day with nearly every person I come into contact with.
I have been praying so hard lately for the strength to look past what I think others see in me and try to focus on what I know is there.
I've prayed for the strength to know I am worth more than I give myself credit. It's a battle and I'm fighting this battle everyday.

This is a new motto I need to adopt:

Mornings

2011-09-29T18:25:00.000-07:00

While all of us in our family (minus hubby) thoroughly enjoy summer more than any other season I know I was happy for it to come to an end as I was craving getting back into a routine with the three kids. I'm one of those people that does best when I know what is going to happen next-I do even better when I plan what is going to happen next!

This year brought to us a completely new routine as two of our three children would be in school. Angel our oldest was starting kindergarten, and Ayden our 3 year old was starting preschool. I can't think of anything more "scheduled" or "routine" than school days. From the outsider's perspective {which included mine up until about 3 weeks ago when school actually started}I assumed life would be much easier with 2 out of 3 kids in school and only one at home. Boy was I WRONG!! Instead of waking up in the morning and just getting myself ready for work and heading out the door now I have to get myself and Angel ready 5 days a week and 2 of those 5 days I have to get myself, and Angel, and Ayden ready for school.

Getting ready includes:
waking up, brushing my teeth, putting on my face lotion, putting on my "mommy makeup", picking out clothes for myself and the two kids, ironing all clothing, and finding matching socks, serving breakfast, brushing the kid's teeth, doing our 5 year old's hair as he has a "fauxhawk" this year, putting on shoes (sneakers for days there is gym and "Percy Jackson" shoes for days there are not gym...I'll explain in a future post!), making my super important coffee with our awesome Keurig, making my lunch, packing Angel's afternoon snack and juice, and rushing out the door in time to catch the bus!

So far I've found that doing as much as I can the night before really helps! Every night after all of the kids are in showered, in bed and asleep (usually by 7:30, sometimes later for Aaron because he's teething) I go downstairs and go through Angel's folder his teacher sends home every night and sign any paperwork that may be in there....thankfully the amount of paperwork coming home each night has significantly decreased since the start of the school year...then I make sure to get his lunch money and snack money ready for the following day. This is also when I go over any activities, fundraisers, or show and tell we may have the next day that I've written on an extra large calendar I've hung in out kitchen and color coded with each kids activities-see I told you I <3 schedules!

Phew, ok I think that is enough details on our schedule change. For now enjoy some pictures of Angel and Ayden's first days of school. More on our morning routine to follow so stay tuned!

Angel on his first day of school at the bus stop

Angel and his friend Sinai waiting for the bus together

Ayden outside of preschool

Ayden and his Thomas the Train backpack

Angel and Ayden before school

A little dust on the bottle

2011-09-29T18:07:00.000-07:00

Ever heard that country song "A little dust on the bottle?" Well there's a little dust on this blog and I'm going to try my darn hardest to get it all off! I've been following a lot of blogs lately and have been so inspired. I feel like I have a much better grasp on the blogging community thanks to these lovely ladies: Mary at Lily White, Casey over at The Wiegands, Ashley from Little Miss Momma, and Ashley from The Shine Project.

Over the past couple of weeks these girls (some fellow momma's & some not) have taught me many life lessons. Lessons such as being yourself, not hiding who you truly are, not being afraid to show people your faults, handing over all of your worries and anxieties to the Lord, using what we have to help others-even when what we have may not seem like that much, and so much more! These ladies have truly been inspiring and I can only hope to achieve a tiny little piece of what they have through their amazing words in each of their blogs.

Who knows...maybe this will be the time that I actually find myself through this blog.

MDW Recap!

2011-05-30T15:57:00.000-07:00

This weekend was all about friends, family, good food, a little alcohol, and a whole lot of outside! From the time I arrived home from work on Friday night my kids and I were outside w/ our family and neighbors. In fact the party just stopped tonight!

The Simple Things

2011-05-27T17:10:00.000-07:00

Our days are crazy, hectic, jumbled, mangled, bad, good, and ugly. This is true for any lifestyle in today's world. Today I came home from work and decided to embrace Memorial Day Weekend for the first time....well EVER!!

See living at the Jersey Shore MDW is somewhat overwhelming with the thousands of "shoobies" that decide to invade our towns, drive crazily, park incorrectly, litter our streets, and feel that they own our towns!

I came home from work and enjoyed the simple things in life: my two oldest boys and their neighborhood friends running through our sprinkler! Doesn't get much simpler than that!

A great night!

2011-05-21T20:23:00.000-07:00

Thanks to newbie blogger Garnished Girl, who you should all go follow like right NOW! I had a great night in the land of Facebook. I sold two of my crayon rolls that are available in my shop :)
Here's the Tinkerbell one I sold:

If you like this head over to my face book page and let me know!

Blessings,
~E

Day 2

2011-05-19T15:42:00.001-07:00

Home again from work...sick :( I'm really starting to get fed-up with this sickness!

Day 2 in a row blogging, are you proud of me yet?? I know I am!

Last night hubby and I watched our movie. Our latest fad has been Netflix since his debit card was recently hacked and we're pretty sure it was due to Redbox :(

So last night we watched Little Fockers...not my fav of the 3 movies in the series but I'm always down for QT time with hubby :)

My weakness during movies: Popcorn, Coke, and chocolate..yumm!

Need a cute gift for a baby shower? Want the gift to be one of a kind and already wrapped? Order from the shop if you want a present like this!

Day 1

2011-05-18T08:51:00.000-07:00

Day 1:

Back to work: fail
I'm back home blogging from my bed again because I felt so terrible at work. I went in at 8:30 and was on my way home by 10am..boo! I just can't seem to shake this headache/body ache/sickness.

Blogging: success

Here's to day 1 blogging and sticking to my word on blogging at least once a week.

I entered a flash auction last night on facebook via Mama likes it and made out successful! I sold my Vrroom Vrroom loopy blanky! That also makes sale #3 {THIS WEEK} in the shop..woot woot!

Like this loopy? You can find other just like it in my shop {Ga Ga Galore}

Just one more for the night!

2011-05-17T16:00:00.000-07:00

Okay so now that I have posted 3 times in one night after not having posted in over a MONTH...are you sick of me yet?! I just wanted to touch on one more topic...okay maybe two :)

First off...my facebook fan page for {Ga Ga Galore} has officially hit 200 fans and it feels GREAT!! So here is a big shout out to everyone who has helped spread the word about my business and helped to get people over to my page. If you haven't yet, what are you waiting for?! GOOOO!

Now, second since I can't seem to keep up w/ posting on here daily I think I will set myself up with a goal to at least post once a week. Maybe posting once a week I can give you guys the run down of what has happened in our family/crazy life for the past week because most days I don't feel like anything significant enough has happened to post daily. So here is to my attempt at posted once a week :)

Like this adorable Azalea headband? Head over to my shop to get your hands on it and other great ones like it :)

Angel's 5th Birthday

2011-05-17T15:40:00.000-07:00

Our "Baby Angel" turned 5 on May 2nd. I cannot believe 5 years have gone by and he's grown so much. I remember the moment I found out I was pregnant (it was the first time in my LIFE i missed my period LOL), I remember bringing him home from the hospital to our first apartment, I remember his first whole month he was born how he had his days/night confused and it was exhausting!! Angel is a Taurus and the astrological sign could not fit him any better! He is so very stubborn, hmm I wonder where he gets that from! He is one of those kids that we learned at a young age needs to learn and figure stuff out on his own, even if it means learning from his mistakes. The past 5 years have been life changing and a lot of work but I wouldn't trade them for anything! Happy birthday baby Angel :) Here are some pics of our lucky guy's birthday WEEK!

Our Birthday week kicked off at Chuck E. Cheese

Our birthday boy!!

Pinata Time :)

Our every birthday party family picture <3

Angel got his XBOX Kinect!

...and his Justin Bieber!!

My first vendor show!

2011-05-17T14:17:00.000-07:00

April 30th I did my first vendor show at the Hidden Valley Riding Center Spring Festival. I opted to share the booth with a lady I went to high school with who makes AMAZING cakes. If you can think it, she can make it! This helped to cut my vendor fee in half, as I wasn't quite sure how I was going to make out and investing a large chunk of money into this event was very nerve wracking to me. To my surprise the day turned out great! the weather was amazing, I brought my sister Emma along w/ me for companionship and manual labor lol, and ran into a lot of people from high school that I haven't seen since I gr aduated. Now if you know me, you would know that I wasn't ube r excited about at first about seeing pe ople I hadn't seen since graduation and having fake "I miss you" convo's and probably would not h ave done the show if I had thought about running into all th ese people beforehand but I didn't and it worked out for the better! I ran into a couple of old girlfriends who I was friends with since middle school, one of whom now has a baby and husband of her own and its great to see that she is doing very well for herself and her famil y!

Okay now that I've rambled...back to the main point. Whe n I showed up I had NO idea what to expect because I had never done anything like this before. The fairgrounds where we were to set up looked very tiny to me at first and in all there were about 20 ve ndors lined up in a horse shoe shape to display our work. There were people there sellin g screen print t-shirts, a lady making tu-tu's, a couple who made hand made jewelry from sea glass they found along the Cape May Beach and then there was tiny old me. Except for Jamie, the lady I was sharing my booth with who had never done a show either, I didn't know any of the vendor s. The crowds were the perfect clientel for my products as it was a lot of families with young children and pregnant mommies. All in all i t was a great day, all of the money raised from rides, food, and our vendor fees went towards a great cause a nd I felt very blessed to have made out so well. Now, without further ado here are the pictures from the da y.

My Set up! Gorgeous sign provided by Holly-Lynn of Helen's Hassack on Etsy

Flower headbands and burp cloth's.

OF COURSE...my famous Loopy Blanky's were on display and the big item of the day!

Crayon Rolls on display.

A quick recap!

2011-05-17T14:05:00.001-07:00

It's been another 4 weeks since I have written. Life has been mega consuming between work and our 3 kids. Most days feel like a fight just to keep your head on straight. As usual here is a quick run down of what we have been up to!

~Aaron hit the 6 month mark and we began feeding him solid foods. We attempted at 4 and 5 months to start him on rice cereal but he wanted nothing to do with it. So we gave it another try-this time with banana flavored baby oatmeal and he loved it! We're also working our way through veggies. So far he has had (and liked) sweet potatoes, green beans, carrots, and squash. Tomorrow is the dreaded peas...I'll let you know how that goes!

~"Baby" Angel turned 5..yes thats right our oldest son who we still call Baby Angel is now 5 :( We had a family gathering at Chuck E. Cheese (pics to follow) during the week followed by his birthday party for all of our family and friends the following weekend.

~I have been taken hostage by a nast sickness that has landed me in bed/on the couch for the past 3 days straight! Now any moms of small children know how hard it is to take even 5 minutes for yourself let alone 3 days. Thankfully my husband has stepped up to the plate more than I could ask.

~I did my first craft show as a vendor-and made out pretty well for it being my first time! I made my vendor fee back plus much much more and had a great time. I'll save all the juicy details and pics for a future post!

~I got a raise at work :)

~I joined the gym in my attempt to get into shape post baby. I had been going to the gym once a week since about February to take a Zumba class with some ladies from work and decided to join just because it made the most sense.

~I'm nearly down to pre-pregnancy baby weight (with baby #3) that is...Weight Watchers has been an incredible tool that has helped me through the process along with a walking program I have joined at my job as well. I walk nearly everyday at lunch, sometimes in the morning before work too. I've come to the realization that 3 kids and nearly 10 years later out of high school I am NEVER going to be a size 00 again, or even be able to squeeze myself into the tiny hip hugger jeans they sell these days. Quite frankly, I don't want to either. The HOT MOM look isn't have your thong hanging out of your pants, but rather a look of tailored, fitted jeans and a nice form fitting top. It's a work in progress but I am slowly coming to terms with my new body and embracing the new curves that my 3 kids have given me!

~Angel has started Karate...it's been so long since I've blogged that I can't remember if I told you that either. Of course more pics and post to come on that one too!

Okay so I think that about sums up our crazy/busy life up for the past month! Until next time

~E

{Crafty Goodness}

2011-04-15T19:14:00.000-07:00

It feels so good to sit down at my sewing machine again!! The past couple of weekends I have been prepping items for the machine and tonight I was actually able to run a bunch of them through! You can see the finished product in my shop or over at Ga Ga Galore!!

Life

2011-04-14T17:40:00.000-07:00

Wow! It has been over a month since I have sat down and written a post! Time has been flying by for us these days. Here are a few of the happenings in our life:

~We had Aaron's Baptism
~I had my first handful of sales in my shop
~We bought a new car-a MINIVAN lol
~We donated our old car "Betsy" who got us through college, brought 2 of our children home from the hospital, and was very very good to us
~I have taken up Zumba at our local gym
~We hired a housekeeper
~I have started working OT at work as we have entered our busy season

That about sums up our lives over the past 6 weeks!

New Look!

2011-03-01T16:51:00.000-08:00

It's nice to have a friend of the family who is a graphic designer.
Ga Ga Galore got a new look today!!
Head over and check it out.
Check out Facebook too and like my shop :)

Pictures

2011-02-26T17:54:00.000-08:00

Wake up 6:30am

Feed Angel and Ayden Breakfast 6:45am

Give both boys hair cuts 7:30am

Give Aaron a bath/bottle 8am

Get myself, and all three boy dressed 8:45

In the car on the way to the mall 9:20

Finding outfits at Children's Place and Baby Gap 10:45

Getting to Picture People and 2 of my 3 kids have a meltdown as soon as we sit them in front of the photographer-wanting to RIP my hair out LOL!

Finally getting my {Mommy} wish of just ONE picture of all 3 of my kids...PRICELESS :)

My first {Giveaway}

2011-02-25T18:38:00.000-08:00

I'm having my very first giveaway this Sunday @ 9pm...STAY TUNED :)
PS- Become a fan of my page on FB for more details!

New Items

2011-02-22T15:52:00.000-08:00

Here's a sneak peak at some new items I am hoping to list this weekend in my zibbet shop! Don't forget to become my fan on Facebook too :)

{FREE SHIPPING}

2011-02-21T18:30:00.000-08:00

In an effort to feel slightly back to "normal" after the passing of my grandmother I am offering FREE SHIPPING to my existing Facebook fans and those that they suggest to me from their friends list. I'm hoping to gain many more fans from this-as well as make my first sale :) So head over to my Zibbet store Ga Ga Galore and see what I have to offer!

Grandmom

2011-02-21T15:09:00.000-08:00

She was diagnosed in June.

She started radiation in July.

She was 75 years old.

The staple of a grandmom: she crocheted, always had cookies and tasty cakes in her house, a fresh pot of coffee whenever you stopped by, and always always had warm arms for hugs.

Always signed her cards "xoxo"

100% Irish and proud as heck of it :)

"A tough old bird" is what my Pop-pop used to call her- and believe me she was all the way till the end.

She walked me down the aisle at my wedding <3

May you rest with the Angels and be reunited with our beloved Pop-Pop.

For you GaGa:

An Old Irish Blessing:

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Saying goodbye

2011-01-30T19:00:00.001-08:00

How do we say goodbye to someone special? Not just any ordinary family member, but someone who practically raised us?

How are we to feel when we know their time is near?

Are we to be selfless and know they are joining their loved ones in heaven or dwell on how much we are going to miss them down here?

Time can change in an instant; never take for granted the lives you have been given...for tomorrow may not exist.

Praying for a peaceful rest, a joyous homecoming to those above, and a treasury of moments from the time we had together.

New in the store

2011-01-28T16:14:00.000-08:00

Here are my newest items listed in my store. Rosette necklaces in some very pretty colors...what do you think?!

~E

Find me!

2011-01-25T15:14:00.000-08:00

Business cards and packaging labels arrived today :) :)

Just waiting for that first sale!

Ga Ga Galore

2011-01-23T16:40:00.000-08:00

It happened again! I've neglected my blog :( This time with good reason (s) LOL...please don't be mad! This was my Saturday to work @ my company, we only work 9-12 but it still puts a damper on your "lazy" Saturday! But my main reason for being gone is because I finally opened my own online shop. Needless to say my weekend was consumed with ironing, pinning, and sewing! You can find my Ga Ga Galore store here! I finally did it, I'm so excited!! You can also become a fan of my shop on FB here :) Happy Shopping!

~E

Weekend Recap!

2011-01-17T14:34:00.000-08:00

I'm so sorry, I didn't even realize its been nearly a WEEK since my last post! Life has been crazy here, with me returning to work full time! A little recap from this weekend...My MIL took our 4 year old, Angel, snow tubing with all of his cousins and other aunts/uncles in upstate NY @ the Wyndham ski resort and he had a BLAST! I'll be doing a separate post on that in the next few days. So with only 2 kids @ home with me this weekend (which by the way was easy peasy), and a hubby who worked pretty much the whole weekend it was very quiet! Saturday night Ayden was in bed by 7:30 so I took advantage and got to sewing! Of course I wanted to get more done than I actually did, but I am grateful for even the small amounts of time I get at my sewing machine so I was happy nonetheless. I was able to make 2 of my "Loopy Blanky's" that I've posted on before, and even took pictures of one of them from beginning to end in case I ever work up the courage to do a tutorial. The owl blanky is for a co-worker of mine who's son absolutely loves owls and the other is for a my cousin's daughter just because she's so darn cute! I wish I had more girlies to make things for...i LOVE pink! I'm always jumping at the opportunity to make something or little girls-so if there is something you want, PLEASE PLEASE just let me know! Without further ado here are my two "Loopy Blanky's".

P.S. Head over to Sewchatty's blog....she featured my cell phone case on her Made with Love Monday!

My favorite things

2011-01-11T16:57:00.000-08:00

Inspired by this little ladie's blog post over at Funky Polkadot Giraffe I've decided to do a post on things that I can't live without. Who know maybe it'll get me some more comments too, that would certainly be sweet!

A few of my favorite things:

Carmex lip balm
~
Purell hand sanitizer
~
Outdoor showers
~
J&J pink baby lotion
~
Remote start & heated seats
~
Post-its
~
My toothbrush
~
Crest whitestrips
~
My Nikon D3000
~
Fat quarters
~
Books
~
My crack...I mean Blackberry!
~
Mascara
~
Bare Minerals makeup
~
Coupons
~
Yard sales
~
Nivea Hand cream
~
Dr. Brown's bottles
~
Aquaphor & aveeno oatmeal baths for my kids
~
Etsy

So now that I've shared it's your turn! What are your favorite things?

Linky Tuesday!

2011-01-11T16:40:00.000-08:00

Remember that loopy blanky I made a few short weeks ago? Well Aaron absolutely loves it. He loves holding onto the ribbons that are attached to it! Plus our middle son, Ayden, keeps trying to take it so I've been brainstorming up one for him and am waiting for some great fabric to arrive via snail mail from fabricshoppe to make for a favorite co-worker of mine who has a 2 year old son and looooves owls! P.S. I entered my loopy blanky in a linky party...go join the fun :)

~E

Ta Da!

2011-01-09T16:39:00.000-08:00

Here it is as promised last night, the final product. This is my semi-own creation with a little inspiration from Sew Chatty! I was sick of not having a case for my new blackberry torch so I came up with this cutie :) P.S. stay close by I just ordered a ton more fabric for new projects!!

~E

Cliffhanger...

2011-01-08T19:58:00.000-08:00

For those of you who follow my tiny little blog (hopefully one day, a very jam packed successful uber advertised blog LOL)...I made a new creation tonight but can't get around to doing a full post on it so I will just leave you with a cliffhanger to leave you wanting to come back tomorrow night to see my creation in its entirety :) Here you go!

~E

A quick mommy tip!

2011-01-04T17:45:00.000-08:00

I haven't had much time to blog lately with the holidays, family, and returning to work. First off Happy New Year! I've been so busy I haven't even had time to make a resolution for 2011. I'm hoping to sit down and make a few resolutions as well as write a blog post of the big happenings for our family for 2010!

Ok so here's my newest learned mommy tip that I would like to share with you. I returned to work yesterday from my near 3 month maternity leave and have begun wearing makeup again. Now, I love the way mascara makes my eyes really stand out but when it comes to removing it it's not so much fun. So I've come up with a solution that works really well without using eye makeup remover, because lets face it as a mom eye makeup remover is not really at the top of our grocery list each week...am I right?! My solution: a baby wipe and a dab of Johnson & Johnson allover body wash for baby! Put a little bit of J&J on the baby wipe and suds up with warm water and voila...bye bye mascara! No rubbing, no digging it comes off super super easy! Now go put on some sexy eye makeup with plenty of mascara (and a cute outfit if your up to it)...even if your toddlers are the only ones to see it :)

~E

Loopy Blanky

2010-12-23T17:48:00.000-08:00

Tonight I was able to make it to A.C. Moore to finally pick up ribbon that I have been needing to work on a blanket for our youngest, Aaron. Inspired by this wonderful woman and mommy, Kayteedids, who was also nice enough to give me a few pointers I was able to create my first loopy blanky. This was a very easy project and seriously it took me longer to pin everything, than it did to actually sew it! Here' my "loopy blanky", enjoy and as always leave some love!

~E

Rosette Headband

2010-12-22T14:15:00.000-08:00

Well I sat down today and had my first attempt at making a rosette headband, and it was super fast and easy to make! I made it out of a headband I bought from CVS and scrap material I had lying around! Beware of the hot glue gun though...man those things get really really HOT!
Glue gun:1 Mommy:0 <---not fun! Check out the pics and tell me what you think :)

~E

Toddler bed blankets

2010-12-21T16:49:00.000-08:00

After making Aaron's car seat cover last night and feeling so accomplished I decided to sit down this afternoon ~while our oldest was in preschool~ and make Angel and Ayden's new blankets for their toddler beds. When Angel originally got his toddler bed (nearly 2 years ago) we bought him a sheet set that had a cars and fire truck pattern. Needless to say 2 years later the comforter is dunzo... there is absolutely no life left in it, and he's not into cars or trucks anymore! So at my last trip to Joann's I picked up fleece material to make my oldest two boys new comforters. Angel was with me and he picked out his own Spiderman material and I picked out Ayden's Cars pattern because he is still OBSESSED with cars! I paired each fabric with solid fleece to match on the reverse side! I think they turned out great and were super duper easy to make :) Enjoy!

~E