That's right, I crush on blogs...

When Erin from Living In Yellow put together this linky for those blogs that you most crush on, I knew I wanted to be involved.  It is so funny to me, that I assume, that what I am reading in blog-land, EVERYONE else is also reading!  Silly me! 

One of my closest friends is an avid blog reader and we can sit down and literally have conversations about our favorite blogs and bloggers and nearby listeners are like, "are you talking about a soap opera?"  Always makes me giggle, because, blog reading has become such a part of my life and sometimes I do feel invested and involved much like a TV series! 

With that being said, there are actually blogs that no matter what they day may bring, I always check them out!  My favorites!  Those that I am crushing on!  And I am excited to be sharing it with you! ummm. like right now!

here goes...  My top 3, which is a really hard thing to narrow to 3!

Raechel Myers | Finding my feet

Raechel Myers is the real deal, and the first blogger I ever formed any sort of relationship with.  When I contacted Raechel for advertising, I had no idea the community that could take place with this journey in which I was about to embark.  But Raechel, made me feel like one of the girls, and took a chance on me and gave me the confidence that I needed!  Not to mention, that her writing is flawless and her mothering skills are admirable, she has an amazingly strong and ground sense of faith and she is beyond creative and her blog reflects all of this and more.

Danielle Burkleo | Take Heart



Danielle is my love!  The girl never disappoints.  She is an amazing mother, wife, designer, fashionista, traveler, decorator, writer, speaker!  And more than anything, she is down to earth! I look to her for so much.  Danielle can take any sitution and make it into the most relatable and respectable blog post.  I have enjoyed getting to know her especially through working with her and her designs.  She is my go-to when I need anything in the bloggie world, and the girl nails it everytime.  She is awesome and I have a crush on her!

Erin | Living In Yellow
Well, who doesn't have a crush on this gal?  I mean she is funny, and sarcastic, and drinks wine on a regular basis!  In real life, not that bloggie world is not real life because it is, but if we lived in the same or nearby towns, I know we would be like the best company.  I mean we both like to have fun and drink!  What's not to love!  I enjoy and admire Erin's honesty.  She calls it like it is and if you don't like it, she's ok with that!  Although everyone does because she is so much fun and says all the things you are thinking but never ever thought to say!  And with that, she gave me the courage to truly be ME on my blog!  And for that, I am grateful to her.  Typically I find myself laughing out loud or craving some macaroni after reading her posts! For reals!

 

 

Of course I have like a hundred more bloggers that are daily reads and are so influential to me.

I mean just to name a few....

Casey Weigand

Gussy Sews

Oh Sweet Joy

Just Lovely Things

The Anderson Crew

Dreaming of Dimples

and the list continues to grow daily!!!

 

Thats right y'all!  This post just goes to prove that I spend entirely too much time reading blogs!  But, I enjoy it and so love each of the stories behind them. 

 

So here's my list...

Who's on yours?





influential women link up

Excuse me as I get a little bit heavy here... 

When I think of influential women, I definitely don't put myself in this category.  I look up to those women that have a strong faith, and beautiful words, and lovely photo's.  Those mom's who seem to have it all together with clean houses and organized lifestyles.  Perhaps I am selling myself short, but I look to these women as a source of encouragement and feel influenced by each and every one of these them. 

Recently, I joined the influence network, as a way to network with said women, and also better myself.  Just as the title states, to network and be influenced.  Influenced in faith, marriage, mothering, managing money and everyday life as well as my passion for blogging and anything handmade.  A place to bounce ideas off other people and to feel a sense of community.  It has been one of the best things I have done, and while I probably don't put myself out there like I should, I am undeniably the person in the corner just "taking it all in."  And taking it in I am.

What you should know about me and the reasons I joined Influence, besides the obvious, that I am a mother, wife, and friend is that I am hard on myself.  My own worst critic. I often get questioned or even teased about my love for blogging by my non-blogging friends, and I really can't give a solid answer on why I blog.  At least not on the spot, but I can sit down and write out my feelings to my heart's content and after I push publish, I feel lifted, satisfied, and hoping that I can influence others.  With the influence network, I often feel encouraged and supported by others, and can relate to other bloggers going through similar struggles and triamphs and our common desire to just put it out there.

You should probably also know that I am lost when it comes to faith and any direction there of.  I have been on this "faith" quest now for a few years and I am still just out of the loop.  Growing up in Catholicism, I never felt any "real" connection to my church, or to my faith.  Deciding to take my faith in a new direction was quite the decision, but one I feel strongly about for my family.  It has been a struggle and I probably haven't dedicated as much time to it as I should, but my heart is longing for this void to fill and to strengthen this relationship.  Again, right on cue, influence helps provide me with these amazing women of faith, encouraging words, good reads and classes, and a sense of direction.  I was blown away from Ellen Parker's 1 hour class than ever in any religion class or church service.  And to acknowledge that is the first step.

I should also probably mention, that I am a handmade shop owner and enjoy using this as a creative outlet.  Again, influence has taught me more about the "business" side of things than I ever imagined possible. From branding, social media networking, growing, and having the support from other business owners has been huge and has kept me inspired and happy. 

As I continue to strive to become more influential like the many women that influence me, I feel I have discovered a good reference point to grow.  If this sounds like something you would like to join or be a part of, you can join here, I promise it is worth it!


 

better late than never

I had every intention of participating and posting this when it should have been posted.  Yes, Valentines Day!  But I never got around to it!  I almost threw it in my virtual trash can, except that I thought, what the hey, this is my space and I'll do what I want, m'kay?

So let's pretend like it's still Valentine's Day, I mean I do still have some chocolate stragglers around the house.  This was too fun a linky not to participate. 

The Life of a Not so Ordinary Wife hosted this linky party, "How well does your spouse know you?" 
So I thought the hubbs deserved this challenge! 

How long have you been married?
Me | 5 1/2 years
Him | 5 years


Where was your first date?
Me |  Hunan House  A hole in the wall chinese restaurant in our college town.  He taught me how to eat crab legs. 

Him | Hunan

Where was your first kiss?
Me | Kelli's mom's house
Him | Summerfield Pool

Who first said, "I love you"?
Me | I am honestly not sure.  I want to say it was a mutual thing.  The night you asked me to be your girlfriend
Him | me

What were your wedding colors?
Me | gold, chocolate brown, fall colors
Him | chocolate and pink  {hmmm???}

What is her most commonly used phrase?
Me | Really?
Him | Really?

Who is her celebrity crush?
Me | hmm... Channing? Tony G?
Him | Team Jacob 

If she was ordering drinks for both of you what would you each get?
Me | Bud Light Bottles
Him | Bud Light Bottles

What is the best meal she has ever cooked you?
Me | Spinach stuffed chicken breasts
Him | all of them

What is the worst meal she has ever cooked you?
Me | I often cook frozen pizza and macaroni... I'll say that!
Him | nothing terrible. all is good

What is the most-played song on her iPod?
Me | probably something by Muse
Him | anything Muse

What would she say is your most annoying habit?
Me | Sneezing!  very loud!
Him | "my temper"

What is the last thing she does before she goes to bed?
Me | gets a drink and "doesn't take one drink!"
Him | brushes teeth

If you could throw out one item of her clothing what would it be?
Me |  I honestly have no idea!
Him | not sure

What would you say is your favorite thing about her?
Me | my hot bod and brilliant personality!  HA
Him | her compassion and her strong passion for her family

What's her go-to drink at Starbucks?
Me | pumpkin spice latte
Him | pumpkin spice latte

What's her blog's name?!
Me | Pocket Full of Lovelies
Him | Pocket Full of Lovelies


Not too bad there!  This made me smile!

Linking up here today!

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.

 

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

It truly is the greatest time of the year...
I mean besides the cold, and the snow, it's not too bad.
Christmas has become a little nearer to my heart with this little sweetheart running around...

speaking of little sweethearts...
I had the opportunity to take place in an ornament swap hosted by the lovely Erin // Living in Yellow and the fab Jessah // Dreaming of Dimples.  I mean who doesn't love ornaments and meeting new bloggie buddies!  So of course, I signed up to participate. 

I found my swap mate, the sweet Hallie // Life: Oceanside and immediately starting stalking checking out her blog space.  I learned several things about Hallie, like her belief in gaurdian angels, the fact that she moved from Minnesota to Florida, hence the title Life: Oceanside, you clever little thing Hallie!  that she has a love for fur babies and a huge heart, and Oh! yea! she is engaged and planning her wedding.

I knew exactly what I wanted to get her for this #ornie {thanks Erin for dubbing this term} swap.  Hello, a bride-to-be, first year of marriage ornie!  Perfection.  I love to support handmade and so automatically went to search on etsy for the perfect gift that fit in my budget.  after much searching and stewing {I like to be a good gift giver}, I came up with this .  The store rocked my socks off and they were so great about gift wrapping and communication.  Win! Win! all the way around. 

So Merry Christmas Hallie, enjoy your wedding planning and your first year with your new hubby, and of course many years to come!  Congrats! you are a doll and I will be back to stalk say hi again!

But Wait! OH SNAP!  this is a swap right?  why yes it is.. and that means not only did I get to meet the lovely Hallie, but I got a lovely little package in the mail as well, from the super fun Eliza // Case Study.  Not only is she super awesome, but she shares with me the first half of my name, which hello, sweetness.

I fell in love with the colors and design of her blog, and of the lovely pictures she infuses in her posts!  It's a match {said in my best SNL target lady voice}.  And I was doing a happy dance at the mail box when the package came! 

*happy dance, happy dance*

 Upon arrival of Rudolph, {our #ornie} named by Presley, we had to do some picture taking to make him feel at home.  and showcase some of our best cheesey smiles possible...

Welcome home Rudolph.  He fits nicely with my decor and is glittery and has shaky legs {a term used to describe by yours truly PJ}.  Thanks Eliza... It has been so fun to make some new friends, Rudolph included, and really kicked my Christmas spirit into high gear. 


Oh and I'd like to apologize for being a totally lousy blogger lately. 

but Oh Wait! Hear me out!!
I can explain.  I am getting ready to launch my store opening and have been one busy worker bee getting things prepared.  Now that we are getting close to opening, I have some more free time on my hands to sit down and pour my heart out on my bloggie!  and I have a TON of awesomeness planned for December, so for reals, check back, especially if you love DIY projects and Christmas.  {hint, hint}.

Ok, my little reindeer, I have to run!  It's my weekend to work so I'm outta here!  Did anyone else see that full moon a few nights ago?  Yes, well think of me when you look at it because it's true what they say about the full moon and pregnant ladies popping out babies!  that's right, should be a good night!

thanks again to  Erin and  Jessah for putting on this little shin dig! 

the headband challenge...

 "I select my outfit and then add one of my extra cute headbands for garnish...then...just as I am about to walk out the door, I feel uncomfortable and take it off." ~little miss momma

so true!

I do the exact same thing... so I took the challenge little miss momma's headband challenge. and so did presley jane...

trying it out {hippie style}.. how'd we do?

ruffles in her hair and flowers in mine...

switching it up this time, ruffles for me and flowers for little miss!

I was feeling silly that day...

let me just say, I had a ton of fun wearing my headbands, and you know what.. I got a TON of compliments... yay to headband love!
and can I toot my own horn for one second...
yep, I made all of these lovely headbands!
It's what I do, make headbands, adore them and then never wear them!

but thanks to little miss momma for this challenge..
I am actually going to wear them from now on!

and on my headband wish list...

I have had my eye on one of these for a while now...

really want to try this out...

quite possibly my next purchase...

be brave!  put on your headband too!

just an ordinary day...

I work part-time by night, and full-time mommy, wife, friend, blogger and sewer by day {or around the clock, rather}.. with that being said, my days are usually jam packed with ordinary, repeated activities, that really nobody would find interesting...  recently, a friend, wrote a post that I thought sounded fun, so I decided to do something similar.. and then the lovely gussy, sent her weekly inspiration workshop email and the prompt... your everyday life! 

for the entire day, I wrote down everything we did!
here goes...

8:45 squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak.. presley wakes up.. she loves to jump in her crib, and that is usually my alarm clock through the baby monitor...  we decide to crawl back in bed and watch an episode of Dora... {what I was tired?}

9:05 presley, bored with dora, wants some milk, head to the kitchen for breakfast

9:08 as I am pouring the princess her organic, whole milk, the phone rings!  it's the mister... "good morning, what's up, you what?"  forgot to pay the water bill.. stink!

9:10 throwing on some suitable for public clothes for myself and deciding miss can stay in jammies as we head into town to pay the water bill {on a side note, my very teeny town of 400, yea they don't allow online bill pay for the water, which is how we pay every other bill.. needless to say it tends to be forgotten, oopsie, and they will turn it off at 10 AM and charge you a reconnect fee and litterally turn it back on about 2 minutes after you pay, not that it has ever happened to me, insert sarcasm}

9:12 presley screaming at me, "brush teets, brush teets."  I wish I could take credit for her obsession with brushing her teeth but I can't.  she loves the way the fake flouride free toothpaste tastes, and well, it's a dora toothbrush.  whatever it is, the girl loves brushing her teeth.

9:20 construction at the front of city hall, sign says "use back door."  back door?  I never even knew, now how to find the back door!  great!

9:25 find the make shift entrance, get pj out of the car and head on in to pay the bill.  dang, presley is in christmas jammies and it's all ready 97 degrees out and what month is this, august now.. oh well!  I probably shoud have brushed her hair, it' standing up.  mom of the year here! 

9:43 back home to resume breakfast. 

9:48  texts exchanged with the mister... did you get it paid? yes, dear!   talked with the mortgage broker today.... and what did she say... which reminds me, my house is a mess and yes, folks there is a for sale sign in the yard.. time to tidy up

10:00 pick up toys, do the dishes, clean toilets, sinks, showers, vaccuum, windex, dust, and mop the entire first floor with the assistance of my little helper.. what is today? monday... I have to work tonight, better wash my uniform. 

11:00 and I'm spent, flip on the TV {young and the restless time}, only presley is telling me "no, no mommy"  "need, mote" apparently she is not into the young and the restless, so we turn it to nick jr.  {fresh beat band}  hey, I like this song. don't judge me  so we decide to have a dance party... what can I say, the girl's got moves!

11:09 she hears an airplane I didn't even know she knew what an airplane was!  we run to the window to watch the airplane...

11:15 all that dancing made us hungry.. lunch time! presley picks out her Dora spaghettio's for lunch.. and is requesting a bitamen!  here have a vitamin...

12:00 with the house being on the market, I had to transform the, toys 'r us bomb that went off in my house, meaning all of the big toys are put up in the closet.  Presley picks to play with her kitchen.. we baked cookies, did some dishes, and some laundry.. I was forced to try a bite of a wooden cookie {like literally shoved in my mouth} and had some fake air coffee, yummy baby...

12:30 presley now playing with her dolls, I decide to package up a few pink jellybean orders ready to ship.

1:00 miss is sleepy, says mommy, night night? she loves naptime {and so do I.}  depending on the day {meaning if I work that night or not} depends on my naptime activities.  yep, it's still monday. I put miss down and decide to hop in bed and try to take a nap as well.

1:15 presley's out, me-no luck, thinking about my fall line, decorating the house I haven't bought yet, go to sleep!

1:30 tossing and turning,

2:00 forget it, I can't sleep!  pull out my laptop and catch up on my fave blogs, emails, etsy, and watch the y and r episode I missed earlier today... I am going to regret this at 4 am...

3:00 baby is still sleeping, I decide to catch a quick shower alone before she wakes up...

3:04 never fails! she wakes up, squeak, squeak, through the baby monitor.. a quick shower and I'm out. shoot, scrubs are still wet. into the dryer!

3:30 a quick trip to the post office to mail some orders... the temp in my car says 110 degrees... is summer over yet?

4:00 getting ready for work with help from my little stylist... she too is getting ready for what I am not sure?

4:20 daddy's home..  cleam jammies in the basket upstairs, there is dinner in the fridge, my mom will be here at 8 am, see you tomorrow night... kiss, hug for the mister, kiss, hug for the baby...

4:35 what's that smell.. ohh pj has a surprise in her diaper for you daddy.. this mommy is off duty!

4:40 out the door.. every 6th week of my work schedule I meet my purple peeps for dinner before work. {purple peeps are my nurse friends, dubbed because we are required to wear purple scrubs}

5:00 dinner at the ole' shoppe {that's our usual meet up, pizza shoppe}

6:00 head to the hospital

6:45 put on my nurse hat and take care of a few new momies and babies tonight... need to make some coffee...

9:00 call to check on my baby did you give her her lovee? yes dear! did you read her bible? yes, dear! did she eat dinner, yes dear! and tell my hubby good night!

pretty ordinary... and I wouldn't have it any other way..

what'a an ordinary day for you like?

linking up with gussy's inspiration workshop..

an evening out on the town...

a lovely little evening downtown...

adult conversation...

sushi...

a perfect view...

we enjoyed it!

linking up with emily for embrace the camera

what.we.wore

the lovely lindsey over at the pleated poppy has a linky party {what I wore wednesday}... I decided to join in on the fun for several reasons..

I am so not in style anymore.. my pre-baby clothes.. just don't fit my style anymore, and my after-baby clothes.. well, they are lacking {to say the least}... thanks to my little sister and my go-to fashion lady at francesca's and some wonderful sales at Gap.. my wardwrobe is turning around a bit.. and it feels good to look good! so this, my friends, will hold me accountable to focus on me once in a while.

I have tons of lovelies on my wish list.. and slowly but surely I will have a stylin' mommy look! 

and because another big reason why my wardwrobe in lacking is because my daughter's wardwrobe is rockin'... she needs to be included too!

so... jumping on the what.we.wore bandwagon! 

{her~ tank-vintage baby gap aka hand me down | jeggings-old navy | cream ruffle sandals-old navy}

{me~ tank and white jeans-gap | flip flops-havianas | sunglasses-buckle}

xoxo....

so, I have been wanting to link up with emily from the anderson crew for her embrace the camera link up for a while now... then, weeks passed and I would look through my pictures and realize that oops.. didn't take any of myself, and then it dawned on me.. this is the reason that miss emily created this link up... to help us {the picture taker} have memories of OURSELVES as well!

so I have made an effort to snap a few shots {or for the mister to} of myself...

this past weekend, we had a little family time playing with sidewalk chalk.. tons of fun! 

won't you join in on the fun too??

remembering...

Dearest Dani~

I can not believe a year has passed.  A year since you were so suddenly taken away from your family and friends. I think about you everyday, you are always on my heart Dani.  I can still remember everything about this day last year.  The feelings still fresh, the wounds still deep, my heart still hurts the same.  I just wish the last time we spoke, I would have had a lot more to say than the things we actually did. 

Dani, your family is so strong , and I am so proud of the way they are able to celebrate your life. Your mom is truly one of the most amazing people I know, and those babies of yours are just beautiful.    Your friends, always remembering the happy little Dani, that we all know and love.  Your life is truly something to celebrate and so many people love you dearly.  You touched so many hearts!!

I don't always understand God's plan, but must trust that he needed you to be in heaven with him.  That doesn't make it hurt any less, it doesn't make it sting less to know that you were stolen out of this world, it doesn't seem fair, but I have to know that someday, we will meet again in heaven, and we will get to talk again and laugh and hug.  I miss you Dani.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them.  They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.  He will wipe every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

Revelation 21: 2-4

What's on your heart ?