It's okay Thursday

It's okay that…
I have not been as productive as planned this week.
This is how these two spend their time.

That I've fallen behind on my water drinking.
That I've decided to not lose 20 pounds and instead be happy with who I am.
That I can't wait for my husband to be back to working full days (I get so much more done)
That we found out we'll be in Bama till June.
That I am already house hunting.
That I already miss my family.
That I can only handle them 4 days at a time.
That I am getting more and more impressed with my photo taking

That I am not nearly as far along in my November to do list as planned… There's always December!

Starting my 30 b4 30 goals

I made my list about a month ago of 30 things I want to do before I turn 30. Now it's time to get started on a few things. I want to get started on the long turn goals now this way they become habits that I cary into my 30th year.
Here are the goals I've chosen to get started on:
8. Set a daily schedule that includes scripture and prayer
9. Maintain 3 days a week exercise
10. Build a menu that works month to month
26. Routinely drink more water
30. Build a better stronger marriage with my husband

5 at one time that can seem like a lot to start but if you really look at the goals it's really only 3 and in some ways 2. These goals are interlocked.

This morning I began by breaking out my bible. I've decided to start with Matthew and to read from there. Faith, religion and prayer are things I have struggled with in the past, I believe in Jesus and God I just don't have a great relationship or connection. I am striving to gain this. Advice wanted! What is your daily schedule like? Do you include daily scripture and prayer?

For the past 6 weeks I have been working on a couch to 5k plan with a friend of mine. Things are going as expected I have my good days and my not so much ones. More than anything I am just proud of us for sticking to it for this long! Doing good on the 3 days a week of exercise. How often do you exercise, what does your routine look like?

I make my weekly meal menu every Friday. Every friday I am at a loss on what to cook. We eat a variety of food I just always seem to forget something. I want to make a meal plan that is a no brainer. This can be a little tougher for our eating habits than most (we try to stay away from preservatives, HFCsyrup, dairy milk, most meats, and eat all natural organic as much as we can). What is your meal planning strategy? Cost saving advice?

Water, water, water. I really struggle to make myself drink enough daily. It's really not that I drink a bunch of crap I'll simply go through the day and drink nothing. To kick start my water drinking I am taking part in resolution in motion a plan to get my drinking going. You can read my steps to success for me on the link and offer advice here or there. I must be doing something right though I wore out my water bottle!

Building a better stronger marriage with my husband. This might be the hardest one for me. It's not that I don't love him. In all honesty being an affectionate and outwardly loving person just doesn't come natural. Being a mom and good home maker come natural to me being a good wife not so much. I am hoping by building a better relationship with God this will help me with my husband. How have you built your marriage?

Wonderful weekend

I love the holidays! I love the food and the family.
This year my brother hosted the big turkey day. He and his wife made a wonderful dinner. She made most of it and still had time to make everything beautiful.

It was great day the kids all got to play outside thank you warmer weather! When the sun went down the adults got to play hello poker!

So Black Friday shopping who went? Was it worth it? How about cyber Monday? I don't do the whole going out at some crazy hour shopping. Mostly because I try to finish all of my shopping by Thanksgiving. This year I did order 2 leapfrog game cartridges for my kids they were like a third of the original price but thats it.

thankful Thanksgiving

Source

I have wonderful people in my life and I am so thankful for everyone one of them. I haven’t decided yet whether I think Thanksgiving is a good or a bad thing. After all, shouldn’t we be thankful for all the Lord has given us everyday, but then we aren’t, so its kinda great that we have a day to remind us how amazing everything really is.
This year like most in the past I am so lucky to get to go home for the holiday. Being in the Army this doesn’t always happen for everyone. I am thankful my family gets to spend Thanksgiving at my brother’s house with his beautiful family and my parent.
I will be out of town until late Sunday so there most likely not be a blog update until Sunday or even Monday just know there will be lots of fun and lots of pictures when I return. I am bringing my computer, which is funny since it’s not a laptop (my tech savvy big bro is helping me with something) but still not likely I’ll have time.

I am a blessed women and I have so much to be thankful for especially this year. I have an amazing husband who puts his family before himself on a daily basis. He truly is an amazing gift from God. He puts up with me not an easy task. I am thankful that he works incredibly hard so I don’t have to, allowing me to stay home and spend time with our children.

I am thankful for the beautiful children I have. They are each so amazing all in their own ways. A few months ago I’m not sure I would have been so happy to write this (we found out three was all we would ever have) I am thankful to be done having children and to watch these ones grow every day.

I am more than Thankful for my amazing parents and their good health. I can’t even think about what life will be like when they are not here. I am so blessed to have my parents.

I am thankful for my brother, his wonderful wife Jess, two people who accept me for who I am and love me for it, their three beautiful children. I am so lucky to get to see the kids grow and change; I would do anything for them.
Grams, we may not get to see each other as much as either of us would like but you are an amazing women and so much of who I am today.
I am thankful for all of my family and friends, the Army, and to live in a nation where we have a say.
I am a blessed women I just wish it didn’t take a holiday hidden at the end of November to see it.

TOMS

I drank the kool-aid and I feel really good about it. last week I ordered my very first pair of TOMs and today they came in the mail. I've wanted a pair for a long time however I have huge feet and my extra large size 11 isn't carried in stores so I waited and waited. Then I finally broke down and decided I could always return them if they didnt fit right. Man oh man am I so excited I decided to order them and now I want like 10 more pairs. Yes, I love they way they look and feel but more thank that I love the company. I love the idea of one for one. Not only did I get myself a pair of shoes but I got a kid a pair of shoes to. Blake (the owner and idea man) really has a great thing going it truly is a beautiful thing to help people on this level. For those of you who are unfamiliar with that TOMs does check this out.

This is a beautiful thing. I have always been one to want to help. I just seem to find myself not knowing what to do. This is something I can do in the short term. In the long term it reminds me that something needs to be done I can make a difference. This is something I would like to develop with my blanket making business. I am still in the thinking stages but you all will be the first to know. I am motivated, I am excited, I am going to help.

DIY Christmas project

I love easy projects especially since easy usually means little time obligation. Remember I have three little ones to chase around all day. This is just about one of the easiest projects I have ever done.
It was free to make too!
I took a old window frame that I use as decor and "framed" 4 hand drawn holiday pictures. You could make it easier by using printable, I just prefer the hand drawn look.

Material list:
Frame
Pictures
Double sided tape

Here is the frame I used.

I simply applied the double sided tape to the back attached the picture and DONE.

Holiday oh holiday

Despite all the negativity I went for it… Heck yes I completely decorated my house for the holiday’s this weekend.
I love the holidays and I want to enjoy it as long as possible. Even if that means I am decorating the house in the middle of November all by myself.

Growing up my mom went NUTS over the holidays. She decorated, she cooked and not just a little I mean the entire house was changed over. We usually had 3 or 4 trees and she cooked enough for 50 people every Christmas. It was a huge event. Things have gotten a little smaller since moving to Tennessee but we are never short of love, family, decorations or food. She still cooks enough for 50 people lol. She’s convinced my husband can eat enough for 20. That’s how Italian mammas are, we could tell her to cook less but she wouldn’t even know where to start.
I love the holidays like I said before. I am so happy to be finished shopping and decorating. I do have a few more projects I’ll be crafting but that’s about it.

My mom

Today is my mom’s birthday. As I said in a previous post this is one of the first birthdays in a long that we haven’t spent together. So we facetimed, we sang happy birthday and I even opened her present for her. Luckily we will be able to visit her later this week so she can have it then.
The kids helped me make her a knob hanger.

My mom is a crazy fleur de lis fan.

Originally I was going to use three completely different knobs but then I had a change of heart.
The kids helped me paint and sand the gift.

You can find a complete step-by-step tutorial for the knob hanger here.
Here’s our gift to mom.

Keep in mind the screw holes do have covers…

Wine and sip

Lets talk artistic ability here for a second. Okay, so as for me I have very little true artistic ability. But once a month I try to support my friend Pauli who teaches a paint class in our community.
After a long week what could be better than girls and wine. Did I mention that it isn’t just a painting class that wouldn’t be fun? This class is coupled with all you can drink sip wine. Basically we drink wine and attempt to paint a picture that is above our artistic abilities.
I have attended this class a few times and let me tell you it’s a blast. This time friend and fellow blogger, Candace, came along to enjoy the fun. Candace is a new mommy to the most beautiful little girl Harper.

As a mom, especially as a stay at home mom it is so important for us to get that time away from the kids and just let down and have a good time. These classes are great for that. The wine loosens you up and the amount of concentration I have to put into my painting makes me forget what’s going on back at home.
It’s kinda like bowling I always seem to do better after a few drinks.
This is what we were attempting to paint.

Pauli is pretty good at this art thing.
Check out my progression:

Well there it is in all its glory! Not perfect but I had a great time doing it!

Fridays letters

Christmas 2010

Christmas 2011
Dear Preston, Thank you for an amazing week. You did great on the potty lets keep it up!
Dear Payton, Please stop being so whiney and so much like me.
Dear Cooper, You are almost two I think it’s time to start talking.
Dear Colder weather, I’ve had enough.
Dear Tennessee weather, please be gentle on us we’ve been away for a while.
Dear Army, Please let my husband finish up ASAP so we can get home.
Dear Paint and sip class, Please be easy (not just the whine drinking part) this painting looks difficult.
Dear Saturday morning shopping, Please be productive. I need to finish off my Christmas shopping.
Dear Saturday morning Starbucks, Please be all I have waited for.
Dear Christmas decorations, You are so coming out this weekend and I can't wait.

Happy Friday!

Potty training might just kill me {UPDATE}

To read the back story go here.

This is my sweet boy Preston.

Let me define sweet: determined, stubborn, rotten, hard headed, and at the flip of a switch the sweetest most loving boy on Earth.

As I talked about previously he's well behind the potty training curve. My big boy is almost 3 1/2 I know. We've been trying and trying and trying FOREVER. FOREVER=11 months. Last week we (husband and I) decided we would take a break. Everyone was burnt out on trying to get Preston to go on the potty. Even our 5 year old was tired of all of it. So we took a week long break be went back into diapers and resumed his role as a forever baby.

Monday morning we got up and I let preston know he was no longer a baby. That he was done with diapers. We sat on the potty and we went potty. It's now Friday and this has been a great week. Yes, he's had accidents. Yes, I've gotten frustrated. But only twice. In 4 days only twice. In this family this is something worth celebrating.

Being a mamma to this little guy is so much easier when I'm not having to nag about the potty. I hate to say it but potty training this little man was making me not enjoy my role as a mom. We were all so stressed. I'm not saying its over, but my goodness it's so much better.

Have you ever had a situation like this where you had to stop completely in order to accomplish what you started?

Featured!

As a new blogger moderate crafter this was super exciting for me… Seriously brought a HUGE smile to my face. I was featured this week at
For my wreath tutorial!

It's okay

Most weeks I am more than ready for Thursday. We have a busy schedule and days seem to be crazy. This has been a great week. It's okay….
That I am so overly excited about this boys potting progress.

That this is my favorite picture I took of these nuts.

That I totally staged this one.

That I am decorating for Christmas this weekend. (I don't care that we haven't had Thanksgiving yet)
That I ran out of room in my magazine rack so I started a floor pile.
That I am overly excited for my Friday paint class and Saturday morning shopping.
Have a blessed weekend.

Lost puppies

I've never been that girl who brings the sad lost puppy home. You know the kind or you might even be the kind. I have a soft heart but it's not for the cute fluffy ones.
According to my husband I bring home sad, lonely, and lost furniture. I've brought homes some crazy stuff, desks on their last legs, dressers with drawers that couldn't be fixed, buffets with vainer missing, random wood, oh the list could go on. At first my husband couldn't see the potential, at first my husband thought I was NUTS. Now, he enters the situation with an open mind and an open heart.
I even see him eyeballing things as we drive down the street.
It's not that I hate to buy things new (but I do hate paying full price). I feel bad for the piece of work. Most everything I gather, usually craigslist finds, are super cheap like $20-$30 and someone just wants it GONE! How sad. This is going somewhere… There is a big reveal coming up:
Here she is in all her ugly glory!

Lovely color huh? To be honest I didn't think the color was all that bad. But it was done so so bad.
There were like 5 coats of brushed on latex paint. We used a paint stripper this got most of the paint off and we only had to do a mild sand.

Once we got all the paint off we found the top piece to be in GREAT shape. I was excited. I think I did a dance. My husband looked at me like I was nuts. But anyways good top = stain not paint!

I love spray paint. I painted the bottom with Valspar spray paint. Here she is in her new found glory living in our dining room as a bar:

What do you think? Do you like the wood paint combo? Let me know.