11 little secrets about Your's Truly..

With the newest followers from my favorite things giveaway I am hosting,
{don't worry, you can still get in on the action here}
I thought you may want to get to know me a little bit better...

I mean sure, you stopped by because you want to win the loot,
and you probably really don't care too much about me or this blog!

BUT...
that is about to change there friends, because today I will reveal 11 little secrets about muah!

1.  I was a cheerleader in high school.  Not too many people believe me on this one! I am not sure if I should take offense or not!  What? I am not bright and bubbly anymore?

2.  I constantly forget how old I am.  Unless of course it is January and the only reason is that I will have just celebrated a birthday.  Seriously, I always have to turn to my husband and ask, "How old am I?"  Sad, I know!

3.  I have a really yucky habit.. a few actually.  The first,  I take a cup of water to bed every single night.  I usually only drink about 1 drink or said water, and by the end of the week, I may have a total of 5-6 mostly full glasses on my night stand.  {drives my husband crazy!}

4.  Yucky habit number 2.. I shed!  I know right, but let me explain.  I have very thick hair and with each shower I seriously lose enough hair to make a wig!  So, I put the hair on the shower wall.  And after a while, my shower wall starts to look like it is growing hair!  Impressive I know, and my husband totally loves it!  NOT!  Let me tell you why I choose the shower wall.  Because it clogs the drain if I don't!  See, I am helping my husband and the plumbing he will have to do.  Don't worry, I eventually clean it up and all is ok in the world. 

5.  I have a potty mouth!  I try to work on it!  I know it is not attractive but it's me!  So there!

6.  I am totally and utterly addicted to Dr. Pepper.  And I am currently trying to give it up or even just cut back!  I seriously think I may need a support group for this!  Yep, it's that bad.  And the fluff on my tummy can attest!

7.  I have weird allergies!  Banana's, avocado's, kiwi, melons, and NSAID's to name a few!  My lips swell up, I can't breathe.  It's rather embarrassing! 

8.  I hate popcorn!  My daughter knows this and just can't understand it.  She asks me at least once a week, "Mom, do you still hate popcorn?"  Yes child!  I hate popcorn!  I blame the the dorms from college and the fact that we lived off of burnt popcorn for 2 semesters!

9.  I have a terrible fear of flying.  Like for reals, it takes a few doses of xanax to even get me on the plane!  The last trip I took, I was bawling like a baby for months before the flight, all in anticipation of the plane ride.

10.  I play bunco once a month.  Everyone laughs when they hear this.  Bunco is not just for the ole' ladies.  We have a ton of fun, and drink way too much wine and beer, and my group is a blast!

11.  I am a Gorilla!  Let me explain.  My college's mascot is a Gorilla.  I think {and I could be wrong} that we are the only Gorillas in the United States.  Fact check please!


There you have it!  Thanks for stopping by my blog and I hope we can all be friends!

My favorite things giveaway

In celebration of January and the fact that it is my birthday month,
{yes, I consider the whole month of January mine}
I am thrilled to share the love with all of you!!!

There are some fab contributors for this giveaway.  Some of my favorite items, shops, blogs! 
I could ramble on and on, but instead, I will just get to business.

One lucky ducky will win all of these prizes!

 

This mustard yellow felt headband from much love, Illy

blog   |  twitter  |  shop



This rockin mustache ring from metal marvels

facebook  |  twitter  |  shop
 

This chunky cowl in oatmeal from the sweet flutter by hannah

blog  |  facebook  |  twitter

This sweet orange lip balm from my favorite Nourish Organics

facebook  |  twitter  |  shop

Your choice of one of these super adorbs note card sets from Pen and Paint {an $8.00 value set}

blog  |  facebook  |  twitter

Your choice of 1 Phone case by CalisCases

I'm in love with this one
twitter  |  shop

And I am throwing in a Starbucks Gift card valued at $15.00, because what does a night nurse love more than coffee??



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How does one win all this loot?

First, must be a follower of this blog {mandatory}...!

Additional entries for each of the following, leave a comment for each that you do!
Head on over to Cali's twitter and become a follower.
Become a fan of Pen and Paint on facebook
Become a fan of Nourish Organics on facebook
Follow Hannah on twitter
Follow Metal Marvels on twitter
Follow Much love, Illy on twitter
Share this giveaway via facebook
Share this giveaway via twitter


For a total of 9 entries!  This giveaway will run until Kickoff!  of the super-bowl game that is!
 

What are you waiting for?? Ready, Set, Go!

love never fails...

I consider myself lucky to witness so much love present in my family.
From my own parents who have been married 30 years,
and between both sets of my grandparents, collectively they have been married 123 years.

And on Sunday we celebrated 70 of those years with my Grandma and Grandpa.
70 years of marriage!
Definitely something to be proud of.
A true testimony to showing that love never fails.

70 years ago, my grandmother says, "I saw him across the room, and I instantly fell in love."
She goes on to say, "The priest said our marriage would never last."
Grandpa chimes in, "I guess we showed him." 

Indeed they did, they showed everyone, their family and friends, what true love means.
10 kids and 110 grand kids later, love surrounds each and everyone of us.

 
My grandmother wore an exact replica of her wedding dress, and she still looks as beautiful as ever.

 me and my grandma

 my mommy and her momma...

 my family and my grandparents

 my brother and his bride

my sweetie

and my love, I can only hope that we can share everything that my grandparent have.

The news even came to celebrate.

They interviewed my grandparents,

and it was the sweetest news segment!

You can check it out here

Happy Monday friends!

Trying to keep it clean here...

Many of you asked about my "loose cleaning schedule" that I mentioned here...!

While it is still a work in progress, I will share the rough draft with you today friends.

I have bumped into several different cleaning schedules via pinterest,
and while they all would work!
I needed something a little more personalized for me and my house and my schedule.
So I tried to think of those things that I do {or let's face it, should do} everyday,
and develop a system that would get me looking like the perfect housewife,
or at least keep my house tidy!
and one that wouldn't take up most of my day as well.

I broke it up into two different sections..

Those things that I need to do every day, which I call my Dailies
{is that a word? like the plural of daily??}
and then specific cleaning duties assigned to each day of the week.

Sure, I am positive I forgot something, and as I get going with my cleaning schedule and see that something needs to be added, I will throw it in...  that's the beauty with it being my schedule and that it is flexible!


Dailies // cleaning duties that are to be done everyday!

with scheduled cleaning on specific days...

I couldn't help myself with these cute papers from pic monkey

Swing days include all those fun things like cleaning the fridge, organizing closets,
cleaning base boards, etc.

And my good old fashioned floor scrubbing includes me + hands and knees + bucket of hot water and vinegar = good times friends!  {It only smells like a pickle until it dries, don't worry}

There you have it!
Let's see if I can stick to this routine and keep a clean home!  I'll let you know how it goes!  Any of you follow a schedule that works for you?  See anything I am forgetting??

Have a lovely Thursday!  and Keep it clean!

It's like riding a bike...

This weekend, we were blessed with some lovely weather.
And our little family took full advantage of the sunshine and fresh air.
Presley was finally able to take her new set of wheels on a test drive.

 

This girl, much like her momma, is a thinker.  Has to make a plan, see the exits, think it through.  Before we even took off, she asked, "Exactly where are we going?"  "To the sidewalk?"  "Are we crossing the road?"  "Daddy, you will be with me, Right?"

Something that comes second nature to us, Riding a bike!, was such a task for my little 3 year old.  I loved watching her trying to figure this out.  She wanted to be good at it and take off, but she just couldn't get it down at first.  The "big kids" were riding along, on what must seem to her like huge bikes, with no training wheels, and she was working hard to join them.  And become a part of the big kid bike club.  

 

But that didn't come without trial and error and a lot of frustration.  "I can't do this!"

Continual encouragement and coaching and cheering, "YAY, Presley!"  "You did it!"

A cycle of a little success, followed by frustration.

Her and daddy kept at it, she was determined to get this right.

And by the end of the ride, she was mostly doing it all on her own.  She was shouting "Look at me, I'm a big girl!"  So proud of herself, and you could tell, something as simple as riding a bike, is such a big deal to a 3 year old. 

grounded

First off,
Let me start by thanking everyone for the encouragement after posting about baby number 2.
It was nice to hear that other people are going through the same thing.
Sometimes, just knowing you are not alone makes all the difference.

And while I appreciate each comment, I haven't quite figured out how to respond to each comment.

I turned on the embedded comments, thinking that would allow me to reply right there.

Only to find out that when I do that, it notifies me, however, does not notify you that I replied.

So, no dice.

I have heard about disqus, but it does not work with Internet explorer and I am not sure how I feel about it.  

So, if you have a secret about replying to comments, please do share!

enough technical talk!

One of my goals this year, yes a goal, not a resolution, is to be more present.

I have decided that a goal seems easier to stick to than a resolution.

Present in my daily life, my husband's life, my daughter's life.

Sometimes, especially with my job, and the fact that most day's I am exhausted,

I find that I am engaging in entirely too much screen time.

I stare at my laptop, online shopping, fabric browsing, blog hopping, and now influence network forum reading... 

Not to mention the blog posting and photo editing, emailing, tweeting, facebooking, instagraming...

and Yes I love all of the above, but can not let it consume me.

Over the last few weeks, my house has been suffering, the dogs, my daughter and husband.

and here I am, so tired, sitting on the couch on my lap top or IPhone in a funk.

I thought a lot about the direction of this blog and the community it serves and I want to be a part of this, however, not at the expense of my family.

What does this mean?

For starters, I followed 50 wifey's example and put myself on a loose schedule.

Scheduled cleaning time, craft and blog time, cleaning time, Presley time, Phillip time.

and also developed my own cleaning schedule.  

At the moment, my cleaning sort of goes like this.

Spend 2 whole days and clean my bum off,

then over the next week or 2, I fall off the wagon and the house is a mess.

I have seen cleaning schedules all over the web, and took bits and pieces of several and devised my own.  

One that will work for me and my work schedule and my family.

But in order to even start this schedule, {how many times can one person use the word schedule in one post?  guilty...!} I had to start off fresh with a clean and organized house.

So, I grounded myself.  

No computer time, no screen time, no anything until my work is done. 

Finally, after 2 days of cleaning and organizing and laundry folding and a good ole fashioned floor scrubbing, I can finally sit down and treat myself to a little screen time.

And what's more, I can put myself on this "schedule" and see how it goes.

I am hoping for a tidier home, more efficient use of my time on the net, more actual conversation with my husband, more play time with my daughter. 

All helping me work towards my goal of being present!

Another post with no pictures, GAG!

Sorry about that friends...

I will make it up to you I swear! 

Isn't it about time for baby no. 2?

I wish I could tell you the amount of times I get asked this exact question.

Well, let me try and answer this question.

 

When I decided the first time that I wanted to have a baby.  I couldn't wait.  I wanted her now and I wanted to be pregnant yesterday.  I had it bad.  The.Baby.Fever.

 

I keep thinking the fever will hit me again, but It.Hasn't....
Sure, once in a while, I will get a taste and I think "this is it!"
and shortly there after it leaves and and I question myself and having more children!

Does that make me a bad person? A bad mother?  A selfish human being?

I never intended on only having one child.  And I am often reminded how having one child is

NOT. normal.  She needs a playmate.  You can't have an only child.

 

And while I appreciate the advice, and know deep within my heart that I want more children.

My reality screams at me, "You have about all you can take with one.

She's easy, out of diapers, potty trained, and pretty self-sufficient for a 3 year old.

Not to mention, just about all you can afford."

 

Then my heart chimes in, OK, just have another one.  Just get pregnant.  As soon as you do,

the baby fever will return and you will get excited and fall in love all over again
 and the world will be right.

 

Oh! but then the worrying sets in. 

I have dealt with anxiety for most of my life.

Worrying! making things worse than they are just by thinking.too.much.

Over analyzing. Yep, that's me.  That's what I do.

I worry, what if I am breech again?

I don't want another C-section {it flipping hurts}.

I don't want another breastfeeding nightmare.

What if something is wrong with this baby?

Can I manage loving 2 babies?

And, what if I am puking my guts out for 16 weeks again?

Can I still be a good mom to Presley, when I can't even get out of bed from morning sickness.

Of course there is the financial aspect?

Will I have enough vacation time to take a full maternity leave?

Can I afford a second child?

So when EveryOne asks, when is number two coming?

When are you going to give Presley a baby brother?

 

Believe me, the thought has crossed my mind.

It crosses my mind every.single.day.

But I just don't know if I am ready.

I want to be ready.
I know timing wise, I should be ready.

I never intended my children to be so far apart in age.

I want Presley to be a big sister.

I want to have a healthy baby in my arms again.
 

If I could skip the morning sickness and delivery part,

I might be more apt to just Go.For.It.

But the fact is, I struggled with the fact that Presley was breech

I was terrified of laying on that table and being awake while my abdomen was cut open.

And even more scared to have to do it again.

I had my mind made up that I would have this beautiful unmedicated delivery.

And while that could have been me being niave.

It's what I thought I wanted.

And don't get me wrong, she came into my life in her own way.

And she was perfect and beautiful and healthy.
And I thank God everyday for giving her to me.

But I couldn't help but be upset, that I felt robbed of my woman-hood.

I wanted to feel a contraction.

Wanted to push my baby out and have her handed to me right then and there.

And when it didn't happen.

I just felt robbed.

And then I felt guilty for even feeling that way.
I would tell myself, you DON'T get to think like that.
Look at this perfect little life in your arm's.
But I still did.
It took some time for those wounds to heal.
and

I look at my scar now and smile, knowing my daugher and all her sass,

of course she would do things her way.
But I remember the sting, and not sure I am strong enough to tear open those wounds again.

And then I have to continually remind myself that when the time is right. 

It will just be.

I have to remember that there is a plan for me and my family.

I need to surrender the control that I have to have.
Put the worrying and anxiety aside.

And do my best to trust in his plan.

Yet it's often times hard, to keep this mentality.

Just let.go and believe.

I know I want more children, but I am Scared.
Bottom line.
Way more scared for this time than last.
 

So, is it time for number two?

I guess not even I know that.

But I am willing to trust and follow my heart,
and pray the rest will just.be. as it should.

 

a girl can never have too much.. lip gloss!

Thanks to a recent Christmas present,
PJ has recently realized the need to have lip gloss on at.all.times.
"Mom, my lips need some gloss"
as she puckers up to show me.

The best part of her newest lip gloss wearing,
is the aftermath, because the girl just won't move her lips.
She keeps them puckered up just right, you know so that none of the lip gloss will rub off.
She talks and sings and never moves her lips.
At a restaurant the other day, friends asked, "What's wrong with Presley's lips?"
Oh that, it's just her lip gloss.
This girl never leaves a dull moment.
And she has my heart.
 
In case you weren't all ready aware, Presley would like to show you the proper way to apply lip gloss.

She of course has to have all 4 Dora lip glosses put on, layer over layer to get the full effect.

Then you must dip the wand in the gloss, several times to make sure you get plenty.

Apply a generous amount of gloss to lips.

with a few different glosses.

{notice the puckered lips that will stay that way for at least an hour after application}

Reach down, and grab a few more different flavors of gloss.

and continue to layer your glosses.

Put the lid back and assume the position.

"Mom, don't make me laugh or my lip gloss will fall off!"
Ok, Presley, I won't make you laugh.
But mommy sure is because I get to look at this lip glossed face.

My favorite faces

The many faces of 

Presley Jane

the girl that looks an awful lot like her daddy,

and acts like her momma.

With a lot of spunk,

and too much sass.

The 3 year old that thinks she is 13,

who prefers to hang with the adults

most of the time.

My sweet and sometimes stubborn,

not so little anymore

girl.

On my heart | Proverbs 31

A wife of noble character who can find?

    She is worth far more than rubies.

Her husband has full confidence in her

    and lacks nothing of value.

She brings him good, not harm,

    all the days of her life.

She selects wool and flax

    and works with eager hands.

She is like the merchant ships,

    bringing her food from afar.

She gets up while it is still night;

    she provides food for her family

    and portions for her female servants.

She considers a field and buys it;

    out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.

She sets about her work vigorously;

    her arms are strong for her tasks.

She sees that her trading is profitable,

    and her lamp does not go out at night.

In her hand she holds the distaff

    and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

She opens her arms to the poor

    and extends her hands to the needy

When it snows, she has no fear for her household,

   . for all of them are clothed in scarlet.

She makes coverings for her bed;

she is clothed in fine linen and purple.

Her husband is respected at the city gate,

where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.

She makes linen garments and sells them,

and supplies the merchants with new sashes.

She is clothed with strength and dignity;

she can laugh at the days to come.

She speaks with wisdom,

and faithful instruction in her tongue.

She watches over the affairs of her household

and does not eat the bread of idleness.

Her children arise and call her blessed;

    her husband also, and he praises her:

"Many women do noble things,

    but you surpass them all."

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;

    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

Honor her for all that her hands have done,

    and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

 Proverbs 31:10

 

Let us all follow in her example, and strive to be a "Proverb's 31 woman"

Rest.In.Peace 

a lot about nothing...!

Hello. Monday

NOT!

Who says that?  Does anyone really have open arms for Monday?  I know I don't. 
Speaking of things I don't especially get a kick out of.  Cold, frigid, Antarctic temperatures.
So maybe I am exaggerating a fuzz, just about the Antarctic part, but it's freezing out.
Enough that I dread leaving my house. Ugh!

Also, if you're into Scentsy like I am, then I must tell you a little secret.  The green tea smoothie scent, smells very closely to a crown and peach shot, and let's just say it doesn't bring back the fondest of memories for this girl.  But, if you are into those, then you'll love it, and I'd be happy to give you the rest of my bar.

On to happy thoughts, the hubbs and I have been busy planning my craft room. 
You know, my birthday present he agreed to undertake...
Well, we have a plan, and a supply list, and a lot of DIY in our near futures, but I am so excited to have a room that is organized and is ALL.mine.

instead of this ^
Yes, that would be my dining room...

I know it doesn't look like much, but it is a huge step.
First, we had to find time to actually Talk.
Anyone else have that problem?  Between working opposite schedules and a 3 year old that immediately has something to say anytime the hubbs and I start a conversation, actually talking about things other than the daily necessity is a rarity around these parts {yes, I live in a country western movie}.  So the fact that we were able to discuss my wants for the room and him to bring me back down to earth and tell me what is actually possible, and that we were able to tape out the space, is HUGE!

And now for the content of this post, OH snap!  I am just writing to write, and really had no vision or plan when starting this post, so if you are looking for some good content, sorry, I have none today.  Last week, I actually sat down Monday with my laptop and scheduled all my posts for the week.  I was so proud and it was really nice, but that lasted all of 1 week because here I am today with no plans.  I like to call myself a fly-by-the- seat-of-my-pants-blogger.  However, recently, I have joined up with the fabulous ladies and the influence network and have been really inspired on how to be a better blogger, and ways to get my bum organized and I'm ready to take some of these tips and apply them to not only my bloggie but my real life.  If you guys haven't heard or joined in the influence network, go there now and check it out! 

In other news, several new products are going to be added to the shop tonight, and I think you will love them.  So be sure and check it out tomorrow when you wake up.  Like first thing, don't forget, m'kay?



Is anyone else watching the new season of the bachelor?  Apparently, the bachelor is a popular little ditty in blog world, because my twitter feed is blowing up with reviews and analyzations {is that a word?} and I'm pumped because I watched the first episode and hook line and sinker I set the DVR and ready follow.  I am kind of weird with a TV series.  If I miss the first episode, I will rarely back-watch to get caught up.  Now, if its a series I have all ready watched, like Grey's or Glee, then yes, I will cozy up and watch all of the episodes I missed.  I like the bachelor, I loved Allie Fedotowsky, and also the Jake and Vienna disaster but like I said, if I miss that first episode, I'm doomed. 
And that is probably more about my TV watching practices then you ever wanted to know.  {I told you no content here folks}.

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One more thing of note, mark your calendars because January is my birthday month.  Go ahead and feel free to send me sweet birthday wishes because, well, I really like them and it makes me feel special.  And in return, I am going to host a Giveaway at the end of the month for all you lovelies.  I have some fab goodies lined up and some Ah-mazing shops to feature.  {if you want to be included, like give something away, it's not too late, holler...!}


All righty then, thanks for those of you that are still reading!  Tomorrow, I will try and return with something blog-worthy.  Until then, Peace, I'm out!

snow day

It seems that since Presley was born that we have not had much snow.
and while I can appreciate that because I am not a huge lover of cold and slick roads.
a little snow now and then is fun.


Especially for a girl that loves frosty the snow man.
Her and daddy built a snow man, {well, daddy actually}
and Presley sang the whole time,
"Frosty the snow man, was a jolly, happy sore"
Hmmm... we need to work on that one!

Even shandy {our huge puppy} enjoyed the snow.
A first for her as well.

As for me, I played with my camera and had so much fun taking pictures with my family.

and now that we've had our fun in the snow, you can leave now winter.  Nothing personal, I just prefer summer.