sunny with strong chance of happy

when the forecast is for 80+ degree weather after many weekends of chilly winds, it's bound to be a good weekend. 

and a good weekend it was. see those two people up there, i love them so much. 

those are my beautiful parents and my rock. 

they took me, my husband and kids out to lunch to celebrate my birthday on saturday after church. 

sunday, was laid back. after oversleeping in, if there's such a thing, we had a late breakfast and went outside to enjoy the sunshine. 

it felt so good to have some vitamin D shining and warming our bones! 

we made up some cheap and quick game and surprisingly it was pretty fun. harder than it looks though!

even i got in on the action. so there's that. 

after some fun, and work around the house we headed down town for some delicious pizza. 

and as i currently type this little post up, i'm listening to meredith andrews worship music to end my day just the right way. 

what did you do this weekend? hope it was lovely and well rested. have a beautiful week friends!

ps. i'm officially on bloglovin'
what i found interesting was that my blog, although, i had not set up an account yet, was available for anyone to follow already. which also meant i was able to search for all the blogs i read now and add them to my reading list. sweet!!
i'm at bloglovin.com/beautifullymolded.

linking up with:

Miscellany Monday
life lately

better late than never.

You know life is good when you get free flan.

Yesterday I woke up feeling so much better, and even got some laundry done. My husband asked if I felt well enough to celebrate and after a couple more teas and an allergy pill, I was good to go.

I'm so glad I mustered up the energy. It was a nice intimate evening with my husband and kids and couldn't really have asked for more.

thank you all for your beautiful birthday wishes and hope you all enjoy your weekend with your loved ones!

(sorry for the horrible quality in pictures. my phone may need an upgrade!)

sacrificing for them.

motherhood: the greatest and most difficult unpaid yet rewarding job.

an affirming nod, an amen or standing ovation to that statement would be acceptable. because it is. some days you wanna pull your hair out, book a one way ticket to the Fiji islands and some days you are filled with overwhelming joy to hear the word 'mom' come out from the little people you brought into the world.

if the world ends, i got chicken soup.

can we all agree the weather has gone bonkers? yesterday driving back to work from lunch, the highways almost looked like there was an evacuation. fire trucks and ambulances whizzing by, stoplights completely out, a tree had been knocked down due to 55mph winds, and smoke clouds from a serious fire at a water facility plant. my house walls just shook all through the evening. it was scary, like the end of the world scary. okay, maybe i'm exaggerating. i can't even imagine what it must be like in the middle of a snow storm. i'd probably die.
anyway. i was glad to be home and toasty, so i did what seemed fitting just in case the world ended.. made some nice and piping hot chicken soup. threw in some corn for a southwestern kind of flare. cause i'm from texas. you got to.

if you're snowed in, stay in pj's all day, roast some marshmallows and jump on the bed with the kids. i know that's probably what i'd be doing. if not then enjoy the day if you have sun. i'm jealous.

ps. i've read a lot of 'blogging how to, why to blog' posts recently. if you feel the slight interest in these topics check this one out, and this one.

linking up:

tell me tuesday

perfection.

the other night as my family was winding down after a pretty overwhelming day, on impulse from the kitchen i told my husband:

'you know, we have a perfect life. don't you think?'

cautiously he replied, 'um, it's pretty good but i don't think it's perfect.'

to which i said, 'yes it is. think about it. we are alive, our kids are safe. sure we drive each other crazy and disagree a lot sometimes, but which marriage doesn't. so i'm claiming it, this is perfect.'

so before you roll your eyes and think that i'm delusional and need to face reality, hear me out.

life with all its imperfections, with all its curve balls and roller coasters is perfect because Jesus is carrying the load. yes this is a Jesus talk friends.

'take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for i am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.' matthew 11:29-30

throughout all the difficulties i've had to face, and believe me when i say i've cried more than that river JT sings about, i've seen God's hand present and constant. That's what makes this life perfect for me. Knowing that it can get crazy, that things don't work out as i would want them to, that people will disappoint you...hard, but that through it all my Jesus walks beside me taking most of the load when I let him.

and we all know i can get lazy sometimes so yes, i will willingly and happily hand Him my load. and faithfully He is always so loving to take it on without question, as it is His pleasure.

So when we look at life, in all its mess and glory, refuse to dwell in the bad things. Instead look to your side and you will find perfection walking beside you, making this life perfect. He takes the messy and transforms it into something new, something beautiful. that is pure perfection right there.

wishing you all a beautiful friday!!

shenanigans.

well hello and happy monday!

i wasn't really planning on posting but i thought i would do a quick post to let you in on our shenanigans here lately.

lots of family time. and eating. because that's all that important:

family and eating. good times right there.

yesterday we headed out of the house to have lunch and do a little shopping. long day but productive.

i've realized i have an obsession with avocados. i will add them on just about anything. pizza, yes. eggs, yes. soup, yes. salad, yes. spaghetti. better believe it.

my little girl and i have found a place in the house where we are both in our element and enjoy the heck out of it. this girl looooves to be in the kitchen, if it's not eating, it's helping mom around. she will even bring out her own little cookie cutters.

i got taken over tha chalkboard mania, and hung one big one for inspiring memos to my little family. currently it says:

'gratitude turns what we have into enough.'

word.

if you recall i once stated that for my 32nd birthday, i'd be rocking leather skinnies. that was my motivation. well, lace skinnies are somewhat the equivalent and this girl here rocked them for date night on valentine's. yep, i felt oh so pretty.

i might as well be able to claim legos on my tax return. these annoying little things are everywhere in my house, but i try not to complain as much as it awakens my little one's creative juices. he does these crazy creations without templates or manuals. just out of his little imagination.

my valentine's. handsome and witty. i heart him a lot.

napa valley salad. walnuts, cranberries, and grilled chicken on a bed of greens with balsamic vinaigrette. it was yum.

and finally my cheesy old self.

that's in a nutshell my life as of late. anything interesting happening in yours? tell me about it!

have a lovely day sweets!

digging wells.

via tumblr.

Sometimes i wonder how much 'heart' is okay to share on this little space and hesitate at times writing what's on my heart out of fear of dissappointing or sounding too deep. As I continue to read some of my favorite blogs, I realize that my thoughts are pure silliness because speaking from the heart is what we all want. So I will share my heart once again today.

My life is going through a different season. A season of questions and a prayer that is being pressed more and more on my heart as the days go by. It tugs at it, makes me wonder, and makes me cry hard at times.
However, time and time again, I am convinced that I am not alone. I am not alone not even for a second. And I am encouraged by my Father to keep going as His promises never fail.

This weekend I received that message. You remember Isaac, yes? Kid about to be sacrificed by Abraham, his dad, in obedience to the Lord and saved by the Lord at the last minute?
Well that Isaac grows up and is a man after God. Walks in His paths, and by His will.
God blesses him to the point that for every one seed he sows, he reaps a hundred times more. The surrounding Phillistines become jealous and their king Abimelech kicks him out of their land. Isaac doesn't put up a fight. He just simply moves.
Reaching the Valley of Gerar, he sets up his tent and digs a well for he and his flocks need water. It is a well with fresh running water, a blessing for sure. However, the people dwelling there as well, claim the water to be theirs even though they didn't dig the well themselves. Isaac doesn't fight, just moves and digs another one and the same thing happens. Someone else quarrels over it again. At this point  I think I would be taking off my earrings and having someone hold my purse, but he rather than fighting, he moves away.
The third spot he comes to, he digs a well and finds running water as well. This time though, nobody quarrels with him. He is at peace, he is able to set up tent and live peacefully in his space. He names this well Rehoboth, meaning a place of enlargement and flourishing. He then goes up to Beersheba and builds an altar for the Lord where He appears to Isaac and says:

'I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid for I am with you; I will bless you and increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.'

Not only do his enemies leave him alone, but King Abimelech (king of the Phillistines) comes to him and swears an agreement with Isaac for they have seen that the Lord is with him. The same man that rejected him, that ordered him away from their land, now is in alliance with Isaac.

We too are going to encounter seasons where it seems everything and everyone is against us. Where every well we dig seems to be quarreled about and things seem to be going nowhere, or just simply staying the same.
Seasons where your prayers seem to go unanswered and the enemy is winning the battle. Do not give up. Keep digging your wells. If it is to honor the Lord, keep digging, no matter if the outcome looks bleak. In due time, the Lord will bring you to a place where everything is at peace. In His perfect timing He will give you your space and allow blessings to flourish. Don't give in to the taunts of others, the one telling you that you are wasting your time.
The enemy will use everything in His power to diminish your faith, to have you throw in the towel but we must keep digging our wells, because we are not alone. We have the Father on our side and Jesus is praying for our faith to not falter.

'and i have prayed for you Simon, that your faith may not fail. and when you turn back strenghten your brothers.' luke 22:32

I wish I could tell you that my heart will not be burdened from this moment on, that i will not sadden, but that would be a lie. However, I can tell you friends that the Lord has given my heart a big long bear hug, and I will cling onto His promises even in the darkest night. I will keep digging my wells until I come to my own Rehoboth. And you know something? I think I'm near, because my God is faithful. Things have already begun turning around.


ps. hope you have a beautiful valentine's day with your loved ones. my oldest son bought his very first 'special' valentine's for a little girl. yes mommy is freaking out. haha.

overload.

my heart is on overload. last week i did not blog at all. it wasn't a planned break, but a much needed one and will probably be falling off the blogging wagon periodically for a little while. maybe not. there are things that are not getting done as promised or scheduled, but i'm okay with that. all depending how everything currently on my heart  gets settled.

i think we all have been there, yes?
where there's so much that you think about, that gets questioned, that makes you want to scream from the top of the highest mountain because sometimes it feels like nobody hears you.
oh friends this life can be so surprising, so painful, so beautiful that sometimes you just have to halt and breathe it in little by little.
that's kind of what i'm doing now, breathing it all in. trying to come at peace with my prayer not yet being answered, praying for more faith, praying for more patience...just praying.

but i'm okay, because i'm in His hands. whatever He has planned, even if His plans are not what I'm praying for, I'll need to learn to accept. sometimes you just need to write. sometimes you just need to cope.
and this is my outlet. this is my space. i'm good.

before i sign off, did you know that Jesus prays for us?
I mean I know that He is our way to the Father, but this weekend at church in the pastor's message He read this verse:

'But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strenghten your brothers.' Luke 22:32

That tugged at my heart. I can imagine you praying for me, my family on their knees praying for me, but the Sovereign Son praying for me it's beyond me. Praying for me that my faith doesn't falter, that I hold on.
That is amazing to me. And that gives me so much hope.

a princess turns eight.

Today my little princess turns eight.

Eight years ago I received a little princess in my arms, tiny and precious.

As I watch her grow up, I realize in a few more years I will have a teenager running around asking for make up, wanting to go shopping with her friends.

But until then, she is still my little girl who I can do mommy and daughter pedi's with, play scrabble with and dance around with.

Until then, she looks up to me and I realize it's one of the greatest responsibilities as a mother that I have.

For now, she is just eight. And we might eat eight cupcakes each to celebrate.

Real mini cupcakes for mommy's sake.

Mommy loves you baby to the moon and back times infinity.

snowflake?

It's a kinda crazy roller coaster. This motherhood thing. One minute you're way in over your head and the next you're just laughing inside and smiling from ear to ear.


this morning, as i am trying to get everyone out the door, my ten year old informs me his reading assignment is not completed!
i'm trying to work really, really hard on not yelling but talking sternly. so i do just that. talk as sternly as possible, at times talking through my teeth....and in the middle of it all, he pulls out a folded cut up paper from his pocket and hands it out to me.

'snowflake?' he says.

perplexed i look at him and say: 'what??'

'snowflake. you want a snowflake?'

his little peace offering. how could i not. wow. these kids are something else and how can i not let them have my entire heart?

may your day be filled with snowflakes friends. have a beautiful weekend!

baby fever.

five to ten diaper changes a day. spit up milk stains on my shirts. loading, unloading strollers as the biggest pain in the butt. no, no wait having to pack a diaper bag even to go for a quick store run. that was probably it.

 but then, the baby fat rolls on their arms and legs. their sweet baby scent that i loved to inhale. the innocent and most beautiful smile ever for their momma. their coo's and sweet babbling from their crib, signaling a new day. the awkward and unsure first steps that filled my heart with excitement. their eyes locked with mine during feeding time.

if i could turn back time, and be able to enjoy those moments once again, i'd do it in a heartbeat. then i'd be able to relive all the beautiful memories my kids have brought me. i've been hit with baby fever.
they are growing up so fast. so, so fast. they're in a different season, and while i am enjoying their wittiness, their testing of boundaries, their imagination running wild. i'd give anything to hold their little feet to my mouth and blow raspberries.
i guess i could do that now the same. but who knows if their feet might be stinkier than i bargained for. my sweet little monkeys are my pride and joy.

for now, i have my sweet little niece Suri to satisfy that silly fever. i love when this little princess comes to visit.

do any of you get baby fever every now and then?

linking up with:

Tell me Tuesday

pack your bags.

so tomorrow night, we leave on a jet plane. well more like a passenger plane with coach seats, but still, we leave.
although, i love vacays, i dread packing. mainly, i think because i always feel like i'm forgetting something.
last time we flew, it was so chaotic and forgot lots of my little guy's clothing....in the dryer.
this time i got packing list print outs people! it doesn't get more organized than this.

25/75

if you're wondering why my watermark is upside down, it's because the little lady in the middle threw a fit she was upside down in the original photo and mom had to flip it.

when they're not trying to drive me crazy (out of love, i know), my three little monkeys make laugh the hardest.

on our drive home after church one evening, my oldest asked me what my new year's revolution was. no, it's not a typo, that's what he called it. *grin*

for a minute.

via 



more loaded than my to do list, are my pinterest boards. pin, pin, pin and never get around to doing it.

i came across the above quote a couple of days ago, exhaled, smiled, but forgot to pin.

i like happy.

there was a time in my life, not too long ago either, where anything could bring me down.
many, many nights i would cry buckets over my feelings being hurt, the past that hounded me and little things that stole my joy. it was a rocky season in my life that not only impacted me, but those around me including my marriage and my children.

And the only thing I had left after all the crying, was a massive pounding headache, puffy eyes and many tears lost and Advil was getting lots of my money. it was a season of lots of pain, lots of stress but in it all, i learned something.

i like happy.