Keepin it real.

I'm free!

Why don't I blog more? I ask myself this all the time. I even have friends ask me this question. And I always come up with the same answer...because I'm so busy. I have so many other things going on in my life and blogging, for me, takes a lot of effort and time. Yea, okay. Well, I am slowly coming to the conclusion this is not the real reason (although it really does take a lot of time and effort for me). It's not like I have been lying on purpose, though. It's more like a subconscious thing. I'm figuring out that I don't blog or do more of the other things that I love doing because I'm a perfectionist. And if what I'm attempting to do isn't just right or doesn't meet my high expectations, I don't do it. Like an all or nothing kinda deal. I think that also fits into the category of being a black and white thinker. I do this with my marriage, my diet, my parenting, my workout regimen and many other things. I also do that really ugly, poisonous thing called "comparing". I look at other people's blogs and feel like a failure or inadequate because mine doesn't look like theirs, but I reaaaaallly want it to! What I'm forgetting is how much time and effort (did I mention time?) went into those blogs to get them to look like they do. I look at other women's bodies and long for mine to look like that, but I forget how much effort and attention it took to look like that. Take today for example. I had written down in my planner that I would workout at they gym. I joined the gym about a month ago and I LOVE going. It makes me feel good about myself. But lately, I've been gaining back some excess weight I lost last month while doing my 10-day detox and I feel fat and frumpy and so I don't want to go to the gym and workout next to my friends that look amazing because they faithfully go 3-5 times a week. Sheesh! How backwards thinking is this?! 

As I sit here trying to figure out what the hell heck I want to do with my life and what direction I want to take next, I am reminded of all the opportunities that have come my way but I have been too scared to take them because I feel inadequate, not good enough. I think the Lord is showing me to stop this stinkin' thinkin'. It's time to accept and realize my worth because thinking any other way is holding me back. This is exactly what it means to believe the lies of the enemy. He wants us to think we are not worth a hill of beans and that we don't have what it takes so that we will stay stuck and not use our God-given talents and not walk in who we were created to be. I say "No more!" It's time to start believing who God says I am and start living out my true, authentic self.

And it's time to let go of the perfectionism. That's what grace is all about and God has been soooo gracious to me. I don't have to get it "right" every time. Really I don't.

So what is the point of me being crazy vulnerable enough to write such a post like this? My hope is that it helps me to start living fearlessly. To not be afraid to go after what my heart is desiring and what my passions are. And to receive encouragement when needed. And maybe, just maybe, to receive a bit of accountability for when I retreat back into my shell due to fear and anxiety and not feeling worthy or good enough.

I will end with this beautiful quote by Marrianne Williamson:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,
talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other
people won't feel insecure around you.

We were born to make manifest the glory of
God that is within us.

It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people
permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear,
Our presence automatically liberates others.

Photo by rosiehardy

earrings on a cheese grater.

okay, i realize i might be a little late on this and that these have been on the scene for a bit now, but I just learned how to make an earring holder out of a cheese grater. who knew?!

you simply take a cheese grater and some spray paint and you're good to go. i gave it two coats, letting the paint dry in between each one. i also gave it an extra touch by wrapping some jute string around the handle using a glue gun to secure it.

and if you want to give it an extra touch of cuteness, have your husband dig through his tool box in the garage and find some wire and have him cut it and then bend it so that it has these creative little curly things at the end of it and then do the easy part yourself of gluing them to your cheese grater.

super easy, super cute!

dr. seuss birthday

today is dr. seuss' birthday and we wanted to do something fun for homeschool. here is what our day looked like:

we started out with green eggs and ham. okay, we didn't have any ham so i made bacon. and i wanted to mix eggs with spinach in the blender to make them green, but i didn't have any spinach (i'm so organized and prepared), so i used a dash of our green powder supplement we use for smoothies. now, before you say "gross", let me assure you the eggs were quite tasty. maleah even said so. we also enjoyed some fresh green juice (apple, lettuce, and lemon) on the side.

while we ate our breakfast i read the book, what else, green eggs and ham by dr. seuss.

we enjoyed a game of tic tac toe.

and maleah made some cute dr. seuss door hangers for her bedroom.

we ended the day with a fun family outing at the movies. today was the opening day of "the lorax". it was super cute and had a good message behind it.

thank you dr. seuss for sharing your gift of writing to the world! your books have brought joy to many households, including ours.

christmas decorating

tis the season to take down the thanksgiving decorations and put up the christmas ones. okay, so i'm a little late on doing a blog post about this topic because I'm sure most of you have had your christmas decor up for awhile now. forgive me. this has been a very stressful adventurous last few weeks for me. lots of changes, trials and opportunity for growth. more on that some other time and post.

let's start with my favorite, decorating the mantle. if you don't have a mantle to decorate then just hang up a large shelf and pretend that's your mantle. it will still look really cool and you can change up the decor for each season...or whenever you feel like it!

isn't this little guy cute?

i love silver (as if you couldn't tell) and i put in splashes of green. most of my decorations came from hobby lobby and michaels.

hanging christmas cards from a jute string gives the mantle a nice rustic touch.

and, of course, the main piece...the christmas tree!

a friend of mine gave me a trimming from her fresh cut christmas tree (i still use my fake one from years ago that i purchased at walmart. don't hate.) and i came up with this card holder.

and i LOVE this rosemary plant that I got from trader joe's. it looks like a miniature christmas tree and smells delicious. who knew?!

here are some other odds and ends that i have put together.

there are two things that i love about decorating my home for the holidays and any other time of the year. for one, it allows you to be creative. all of us have a creative side and it feels so good to get in touch with that part of yourself. and two, a warm and inviting atmosphere is created when you put your special touches to your home. people enjoy coming to your home and experiencing it.

so, there ya have it! my christmas decorating for 2011. i hope and pray all of you have a safe and blessed christmas and may we all remember why we celebrate this season. the birth of our sweet jesus. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

pumpkin patch

today was decidedly a field trip day for school. i rounded up a couple of other homeschool moms and we headed to one of my favorite places to go during the fall, the pumpkin patch. it was super cold out, but then it wouldn't have been the same if it would have been warm outside at a pumpkin patch, right?!

 we climbed hay bales and slid down slides.

and played in corn. i think this was the girls' favorite part of the whole trip. notice the corn and other foreign things in maleah's hair that took a lifetime to pick out. ugh!

a couple of the girls spent time shucking corn. silly girls!

we ended the day with "picking" the pumpkins. 

despite having to leave a little early because it started raining we had a fabulous time. i love field trip days!

It's Fall Y'all!

This is my absolute favorite time of year. There are so many things to love about Fall. The crisp coolness of the air, beautiful colors of the changing leaves, football, pumpkin patches and any type of food or drink with pumpkin in it. I LOVE all things pumpkin.

I also enjoy decorating my home for Fall. It makes me feel all cozy and happy.

It's always fun coming up with new and creative ways to show off the new seasons and holidays with decorating the fireplace mantel. Notice the the vintage books. I found those for 25 cents a piece at a thrift store. Score!

Here are a few other odds and ends. One of the easiest and least expensive way to add some Fall'ish deco to your home is to add mini pumpkins and gourds throughout the house.

 

I love this little guy. So cute! It's called a miniature pumpkin tree. I found him at Trader Joe's. I seriously doubt that those are real pumpkins but they sure look like it.

I made this wreath a few weeks back at a friends' wine and craft party. We all made wreaths to take home. Super fun!

And what would Fall be without all of the gazillion leaves that fall into your yard, especially in my neighborhood with all the old trees. Mike told Maleah he would pay her to rake up the leaves, but I actually like how they look.

This is a shot from my street in front of our house. I LOVE all the trees!

Happy Fall Y'all!

Letting go.

 
I knew this day would come. I mean, I can't hold on to him forever. I knew he would turn into a young man one day. I just didn't think that day would come this quickly. My first born is 19, almost 20.

Jarod has always wanted to travel and experience the world. He has been saying for the last couple of years he wants to take a road trip, but he wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do. That would mean quitting his job--the only job he has ever had and that paid him well. That would also mean putting his Bible college studies on hold. He wrestled with this for quite some time, but finally came to realize that if he didn't do it now he would never do it. So the decision was made. He put his two weeks in at his job, he told his school that he was putting his studies on hold, and he got a dog. Yep, a dog, because he has been wanting one for awhile (unfortunately, his parents have not had this same desire) and he figured now would be a perfect time. The dog's name is Kota, as in Dakota. He is the sweetest dog I have ever met. He is totally attached to Jarod and cries and barks if he can't be by his side.

 

Jarod has been gone for a couple of days now on this journey. He doesn't know how long he'll be gone. Maybe 2 weeks...maybe 2 months. His travels will include South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, California, and Texas. I have to admit, I'm a bit jealous. I wish I would have done something like this when I was younger, before kids and marriage. That's okay. I can live vicariously through my children.

Even though I miss my son, I am excited for him. I know this will be an amazing, life-changing experience. He will meet new people, see new places, and find things out about himself that he doesn't already know.

It's hard for me, not being able to know exactly what he's doing. Or know that I can see him whenever I want to. Or call him and tell him to bring me home some Chocolae Haagen Dazs ice cream. He isn't even staying in hotels. Just sleeping under the stars in his camping gear. Oh Lord protect him. Make sure he is eating enough. And brushing his teeth. And washing out his underwear clothes, even if it is in a river.

I'm so proud of Jarod. He has turned out to be a fine, young man. He is a deep thinker. He is compassionate. He is gifted in music and art. He loves nature. He has a tender heart. He loves people. And most importantly, he loves God. What more could a mom possibly ask for. I'm so proud of him. I love you, son! See you when you get home.