reaching out.

i talked to her.
my neighbor.

i mean we had talked before like i said in my previous post. but never really talked, talked.

yesterday, my kids and i went for our daily walk around our neighborhood and she was out there with her babies. we exchanged words on the weather and her son came walking with us.

after monday's post and all of the encouragement i received from so many of you, i began to come up with ideas to invite her over and become friends.
yesterday i was reminded that moments ordained by God don't need fancy or planned moves. He sets it all up.

coming back from our walk, i don't even remember what i said to her, something about if she ever needed help with anything she could always ask me and then, just then, her whole life story spilled out.
three hours we were talking. three hours. when all i've ever exchanged with her are a few words.

her story... is heart breakening. i mean just thinking about everything she said to me had me in tears and as i type this i'm still in tears.
it's her story so i won't go into details of course, but this woman has been crying out for someone to talk to. someone to receive encouragement from. when i hugged her, she wouldn't let go.

it really goes to show everyone is fighting a hard battle and we don't even know it. or maybe we do, but become oblivious to it as to not interrupt our comfort zone. to not interrupt the bubble we have made up for ourselves that we would just focus on our own thing.
yesterday i had planned to get my blog design spiffied up, i had planned to finish laundry and get some pictures in of new goodies for the shop, though the way God changed my day completely around couldn't have been better.

it's a good thing when our world is moved around to welcome in new things. it's a good thing.

on smiling at people + happy spring!

happy first day of spring and international day f happiness!
coincidence, i think not.

spring is such a happy time. birds chirping away, trees bursting into tiny blooms, more sunshine.
all great reasons to be happy and smile.

and i was thinking, people in general don't smile much. i sometimes will go a whole day without smiling more than a couple of times. and i guess it's because at times we have a lot on our plate, or a hundred things running through our mind.

the other day as i walked down to the cafeteria, i smiled at one girl passing by, and to my surprise she smiled back. then to the next guy, and he smiled back!
when i got back to my desk i had collected four smiles. and you know what? it felt good.
just the look on their face that a stranger was smiling was priceless. it's made me feel acknowledged when someone has smiled at me without even knowing me in passing.

smiling is good for the soul i think. since then, i've tried to smile at everyone that passes me by. some people are a little intimidating and my smile will kind of turned out into a crooked, kooky smile, which i guess that's the reason why they don't smile back. ha!
but either way, it's such a simple yet beautiful display of happiness.
and who can argue with happiness?

so today. will you make it a point to smile at people? even if you don't know them. just smile and see how many smiles we can collect.

33 life lessons

so yesterday i turned thirty three, whee!

i took the day off from work to just lounge around, rest and soak in the day.
due to my procrastination of everything and sleeping in longer than intended, i spent my whole morning at the doctor's office as a walk - in getting my son's immunizations so he could be admitted back to school on monday. that was exhausting, with all three kiddos in tow.
finally when we got home, i decided we needed some sunshine and had lunch at the park. the weather was glorious, and the kids pushed me on that thingy that looks like a carousel. yeah, after eating lunch, that wasn't a great idea. but yolo right? ha.
later my parents surprised me with a cake towards the evening and took the kiddos with them, so i was able to get some good quiet time alone in the house before my husband came home after work.
and let me tell you, you know you are old when he suggests that we go out to see some live bands for SXSW and pajamas and a movie sound a lot better!

but with age comes wisdom, or so they say - so today i'll share thirty three life lessons in ode to my new age. *age is just a number, age is just a number* without further ado, my life lessons, all thirty three of them in no particular order.


.  chocolate and peanut butter are the bees knees. enough said .  keep your friends close and God closer .  raising your voice does not make the point come across clearer. it creates more tension and chaos .  forgiveness is the key to freedom. give it and ask for it  .  little white lies always snowball

into bigger lies. don't lie. except when the kids ask what the    little green things are in their burget patties. ;)  .  a great pair of heels make the world of difference  .  a great pair of flats make the world of difference and wiser to ear when out with the kids  .  God really is on our side and His plans will ALWAYS be greater and better than ours  .  sleep in truly a mother's best friend  .  marriage is not

at all like fairy tales. just two people in love who make mistakes, say the wrong things, but try hard to
work together  .  it is better to give than to receive. give freely, give often  . around your 30's, you
turn into your mother  .  even in your 30's, your mother can still tell you what to do  . metabolism is
not a myth. it does not have mercy either after 30  . water is a magic potion. drinking lots of it really does your body good  .  reading the good Word is not an option for spiritual growth. it's
EVERYTHING for spiritual growth  .  trying to fit in and act like someone else to be liked will
always leave you feeling lost  . a small group of intimate, encouraging friends is always better than a
large group of disconnected people that are called friends  . less is more.. on makeup, accessories,
possessions... and drama  . what's cheap in price will more than likely be cheap in quality. better to
spend a little more and a good quality product with great longetivity . it's okay to splurge on yourself
once in a while . it's okay to have at least one guilty pleasure... ahem... RHONJ  . smiling is

contagious. smile at every person on your next grocery run and see how many smiles you can collect.

..... okay ten more. whew.

God's love is truly relentless. Nothing we do can make Him give up on us . turns out my parents
were right about everything  . ice cream never disappoints. especially chocolate mint . don't wait for

the perfect moments. nothing is ever perfect, go for it and have no regrets. unless it's illegal and can
harm others  . do justice, love mercy, walk humbly with your God. {micah 6:8}  . always be kinder
than necessary. it will never make you feel lousy . take every opportunity to say 'i love you'  . always check the stove twice or three times before leaving the house and always have a spare house and car key  . no argument is ever big or important enough to stop talking to someone.

and finally....

life is too short. love hard, forgive quickly, serve often and worship the Lord with everything you have.

well there you have it. my thirty three life lessons!
what are some lessons you've learned?

hope you all have a beautiful weekend!

february goals

hello february. 

another month, another set of goals. which may or may not include some from last month which didn't get quite completed. spoiler alert. 

life get quite busy, motherhood happens, yadi yada, you know all that jazz. but really, life does happen and whether or not we complete our goals, it doesn't make us a failure. which is why it's so beautiful we always get another day. 

let's do a quick recap first on the goals from january.

+start kiddos on a regular bible study.

we kind of stumbled on this one. we started, yet still have to find a good rhythm. i did just receive a devotional for teens by max lucado that i won from christina's giveaway and i'm excited to begin diving into it with them. 

+design and order business cards

flopped on this one. didn't really make the time, if i'm being honest. but will now be added unto february's goals.

+do an act of kindness. 

God came through with this one beautifully. and that's what i'll say about that.

+plan a community event for kids.

i planned it, made flyers and froze. fear bit my head off on this one, and kept on postponing it for the following week, until well january was over. also adding unto february's goals

+go on an adventure with the kids

the weather has been dreadful this whole month, but on the day when the weather was glorious we left the house and explored the sights and sounds of austin. it was a swell day. 

so for february:

+continue a daily devotional with the kids and get on a regular smooth schedule

+design and order business cards

+plan and EXECUTE a community event for kids

+organize journals for blog/bible study/book reading notes/personal journal

+take family photos

+begin writing out layout for children's book. 

+meet with at least one local vendor.

sooooo i realize february is a short month, and my list looks bigger than last month. however, it's doable. 

i hope. 

what are some of your feburary goals?

choose your happy.

let me tell you. life is too precious, beautiful and short to not be happy. amen?

and i get it, there will be days where the storm cloud hovers over your head and nothing seems right. i've had those days. buhlieve me, i have.
but what if instead of crawling underneath the covers, instead of wallowing in our sorrow, even though i know it's extremely hard not to do so, we choose to do something that truly makes us happy.
even on the days where the seas are calm, why not up our day by choosing to do something that makes your heart giddy, that releases a smile upon your face?

for me its:

painting, setting a brush to a blank canvas and just going at it.
cooking, there's such a calming that comes from chopping veggies for me!
worship, even if i'm not singing because being honest there are times when i don't feel it if the storm is raging, but just listening to worship music and the lyrics reminding me who He is can have such a transformation.
crafting - especially with my littles by my side. lately it's been more my girl, but anything crafty (not too complicated) is a picker upper.
sunday funday - or any day funday. going out to dinner, to the park, enjoying my family!

there are so many things that can be done to brighten up our day! and so many of them may actually be free. it's a win, win really.

because again, life is too beautiful and short to not be happy.

so, what is your happy?

dreams.

 

what would you do if fear wasn't an option?

i read that somewhere and sunday afternoon, those words came back to me loudly.
it was a day of laying low, relaxing, painting, crafting, laundry or the intention of doing laundry, and towards the afternoon some park time.

i watched my little girl jump from one side of the playscape to the other like nothing. i'm talking literally jumping, swinging, acrobatics on the rails of it, without pause. then she swung as high as she could and jumped off the swing. landed on her feet.
as i got off the carousel looking thing that kids will go round and round on as another pushes it, after begging mercy, she laughed and said, 'mom, you're too scared. nothing will happen!'

kids have such a way of bringing things into perspective huh?

i've been thinking a lot about dreams this year. everything that i've always wanted to accomplish, and you know what? it's kinda scary.
scary because it's exciting. scary because i'm not sure how i will accomplish it. scary because i don't know if it'll be good.
and so i'll just spend my time dreaming, without doing. i'll talk it through in my head over and over.

and we all know where dreams end up that way. no where, that's where.

fear need to go, it needs to be ripped away from our being. but the only one that can really do that for me, is God.

i firmly believe if i have dreams, especially those that are to glorify Him, have been placed in my heart by Him.
the first step is coming boldly to the throne and speaking up on your dreams. telling Him as a child would tell their mother with stars in their eyes, chatting away excitedly. Lord, I want to do this, and i'd so love to accomplish this..

He won't laugh, He won't squirm.
He will listen attentively and smile at us making that first step in bringing our dreams and desires to the throne. and fear will be removed, because then we will have His encouragement and His love. And perfect love drives out fear.

He will guide us on the next step, open doors that we need to have opened, give us creativity to keep moving, until it is completed and our dream is complete.
but you know what though? it may never be really complete. because what i've learned is that anything in the Lord's hands keeps getting bigger and bigger.

so just one word of caution, when we come to the throne with our dreams, just be prepared to have your dreams be handed to you on a bigger scale.
Fear will no longer be an option.
Because perfect love drives out fear.

so, what would you do if fear wasn't an option?

a selfless 2014

'tis the time when we begin to reflect on this past year. the blessings, the disappointments, the struggles and celebrations.
and we also begin to think of this next coming year. and while half of the world begins to write out a list of resolutions that won't be all kept, because who really likes lists, right?
some of us will write out a single word. a word that we want to live by for this next year. a word that needs to mark in how we will choose to live these next 365 days. or 366, don't really want to check right now.
as i began to think of what my word would be, i thought about patient, because Lord knows i'm not. i thought about forgiving, because He knows i need to. i thought about other words that i thought would fit well, that would be good to abide by.
but those were not it. there was a word that kept coming back to me and it was a tug on my heart. one that i don't think i would've chosen myself, but one i'm sure He wants me to be.

my word for 2014 is selfless.

now at first i found it funny because as i closed 2013 i felt spent. spent in a way where i just didn't feel like i had any more to give. i'm exhausted yall. physically, emotionally, mentally exhausted.
and just today i came across laura casey's blog and her whole making it happen series, and the first step was to ask myself, how am i? and that's how i am. completely spent.

so i wondered how being selfless would make me feel...not spent, but filled instead.

and  i realized, much of my hurt and unresolved areas of my heart at the end of this year, come from expecting of others to make me happy, to give me attention, to ask me for forgiveness first. to do right by me first. see the trend there? me, me, me.
and no wonder i feel spent! i've been putting me in the picture in the wrong way.

i know that in being selfless i will learn to be like Jesus. giving, forgiving, kind, unconditionally loving.

most importantly i will learn to let Him focus on me, when i stop focusing on me. while i'm emptied to be filled time and time again by Him alone.

i'm ready to be stretched yall. i feel like this year will be one where i will be taken through things i could never dream of. He's already opened up one door which i will blog about later and i'm pretty excited about. but i'm ready. i'm ready for Him to teach me selflessness.

what word will you be abiding by in 2014?

just gotta laugh.

source

i have to share this. just have to, because i think it's so funny. not funny, funny. but funny in a kind sad of way. in a got a keep it real kind of way.

so you've heard the expression, 'when it rains, it pours', right?

well, it's been pouring around here. and before i dive in, please know i'm sharing this not to throw a pity party in any way, but honestly to serve as some kind of comic relief for it all.

this winter we've been hit earlier than usual, i think. usually my bones can take it, but this year i just can't seem to warm up. which is why i asked my husband to get our furnace replaced asap this year.
our furnace is much too small for the size of our house, which is small too. but the cheap builders decided to cut corners in this area. so, every year when we've dared to turn on the heater, our gas bill comes with a pretty $400+ price tag on it. every. month. of winter. until last year when it just gave out. so, this year so far we've been heating up with pretty nice heaters which warm up the whole room. but the living room never really warms up even with the fireplace on.
the furnace will be replaced next week due to parts, of course it's always parts, that haven't come in. blah.
on top of it, att (oh lovely att) is making upgrades to a high speed service, something like that, and it was supposed to be streamlined. no interruption at all. riiiiiight.
we've been without internet going on five days now. aside from our phones that are able to get the basic internet and runs extremely sllllllooooooowwww, we have nothing.
not only for blogging, but we need the internet for other purposes. including setting up a shop. (hint!)
if that wasn't enough, we're kinda strapped for cash. i dislike it very much when we're strapped for cash.
all things, thankfully, are paid, we have groceries too. so that's the bright side. but in all due honesty, it kind of stinks being strapped for cash, no?

okay, so all that to make this last thing the best of them all. as i drove in to work today, everything was fine and dandy, until i got to my workplace.
just like i do, everyday, i rolled down my window to swipe my badge to enter the building, and when i did, i heard a very loud clunk!

my window fell of the tracker and wouldn't come back up. honestly, i just died laughing.
now i have no window! oh my gee.

so, it's been pouring around here. but you know, what can i do but just laugh? i could choose to have these things bring me down, get me in a bad mood and have me take it out on the people around me.
but in the end, the only one miserable will be me.
bad things will come, and as long as they're material things, it can be fixed sooner or later. even if it's concerning health, it's all in God's hands. so why worry!

my husband last night joked we were living like in the great depression. no heat, broke, no internet. just each other. ha!
sometimes we gotta take life for what it is and just do the best we can, no?

anyway, how's your tuesday going?

a little bit of pinning.

 

are you on pinterest? i'd encourage you to go and sign up for an account pronto, but it all depends whether or not you're willing to spend an obscene amount of time on that thing.

lately, that's what i've been doing.

but there's so much inspiration on it, i can hardly stay away. thankfully i have a job and a family to take care of, otherwise i'm sure i would be glued there just unrealistically pinning away from dawn to sunset. nonetheless, i find it fun and who can argue looking at pretty pictures, especially when your creativity is in a rut?

these are some projects/recipes/designs i'm definitely wanting to try:

faux stacked logs

source

 

 

this is such a cute and easy decor that could also be a gift for someone who loves the ocean.

rustic simplicity.

source

 

right now we are in the planning stages of a backyard deck and i believe these would look great as seating. again rustic simplicity at its best.

although you betcha i'm not going to be purchasing these from anthropologie. sorry not sorry.

 

source

 

and really what's more to say about these? cheesy goodness. glorious cheesy goodness.

currently my oven is being a drama queen and haven't been able to bake as much as i'd like. but once it begins acting like it should, these babies will be baked asap.

source

 

and finally, these pretties. we're hosting a new year's eve party and i am dead on having it as sparkly and pretty as possible. these will be making their debut!

 source

 

there are many more projects and recipes i want to try, but for the near future, these will do.

 

do you enjoy tackling diy projects or prefer to purchase?

  

life.

 

that's what my house looks like right now. sans the newspapers.

it's messy, chaotic, looks empty.

 

life right now is kind of the same. sans the empty.

 

our life lately has been pretty messy lately. and i say messy simply because there are things that are not really in order that i would really, really, love for to be in order.

things that need some fixing. some ironing over.

 

must you know, those things include marriage, finances, decisions regarding our church plant.

there are decisions to be made, questions that still need answers, prayers that need to be continued.

but, and yes there's always a but.

 

but i don't feel empty. that's good news, no?

 

i feel thankful. i feel happy, even though my sleepiness right now seems to make me think i'm not. but i am. i am happy.

happy knowing that God is in it all.

that He is working through the mess. and even though there are some areas that still need a second coat of paint, sadly much like the walls above, He is waiting for the perfect timing.

 

funny how an afternoon of painting walls can get me in a reflective mood, huh? and leave me with very sore arms. ouch.

 

anyway, i know the walls look scary. i mean leather brown is not really what i would've chosen. but with marriage comes compromise, and it's better than 'hey here's our obnoxious house bright orange.'

plus i'm hoping once we get the second coat on and put our paintings back on the walls with the white bench next to it, it will all come together. here's to hoping!

 

hope you all had a lovely weekend!

 

 

celebrate, we are blessed!

nine more days. that's all we have left of november. can you believe it?

 

neither can i. with the days, months, years passing us by so fast, it's so important that we take the time to really look around us and see how blessed we are.

so many things can be taken for granted, but the truth of the matter is that we are so blessed.

one thing that i'm incredibly thankful for this year is autumn.

it's my favorite season of them all, and sadly living in texas i feel i get cheated out of its gloriousness when it comes to the weather, but also out of its gorgeousness. usually the trees go from full green to naked without the beautiful transition in between.

 

one day on facebook last or this week, i ranted on texas because of its lack of beautiful trees. and lo and behold a few days later, the trees have orchestrated a beautiful symphony of golds, reds, and oranges.

 

this morning as i drove in to work, the parking lot had turned into a carpet of golden leaves which, no joke, made me gasp a little. i'm not kidding.

and as i naturally shot out of my car with no make up and hair in a messy bun to quickly snap a photo, God graced me with a beautiful shower of gold as the wind blew. it was magical i tell ya.

 

now i know i may be sounding like a crazy person raving about leaves and trees, but i tell ya, crazy i'm not. i'm just a little...festive.

 

and isn't that what this life is about anyway, being able to celebrate the little things that bring us joy. the bits of gloriousness that send our heart into song?

we have been so, so blessed. and so, so, so loved!

what are you thankful for?



 

 

linking up with:

 

be kind.

i'm not very good at staying on track with something, especially if it means doing it everyday and especially when life gets in the way. go figure right?

anyway, today i'm picking up with the thankful project this month.
today's prompt is something we were taught.
i thought long and hard about this one, as my parents were wonderful teachers and God has given me a share of lessons himself. but one that truly sticks out is to be kinder than necessary because everyone is fighting a battle of some sort.

lately with the economy the way its been, i've had customers call in who sound aggravated and mean at the beginning of the call which causes me to be defensive. many of those times i've realized that these people are going through such hard times, and they're in a desperate spot.
would i have known that at the beginning of the call? no.
would i have known at all if they hadn't told me? no.

a few months ago at work, a co worker lost his wife. this man is one of the friendliest in that place. always says hi to everyone and jokes around. the few weeks preceding his wive's death, i noticed a change in his attitude. although he was still friendly, he wasn't as talkative as before.
when she passed, the news of course were communicated and i was left in shock. never do we know the battle someone is dealing with.

whether it's a little one or a life long struggle, it's necessary to be kind. our kindness may be the only glimmer of light they may see on that day.

and although some days i may not wake up with birds singing outside my window and i may drag my feet all the way to the office, it's so important to remember that. one voice, one act of kindness may be what turns someone's day around.

what have you been taught that you are thankful for?

 

 

linking up:

 

link

slow down love.

 

saturday morning, i was given a wake up call of sorts.
it started off rough, mainly with my boys. and not to beat a dead horse since i wrote a little about it yesterday. but there in front of my eyes, stood no longer a couple of toddlers that could be tickled back into a good mood, but boys who are growing rapidly and with a temper that i haven't seen before. especially my eleven year old. i can't believe i just typed that. he's eleven. going into middle school next year. and i'm freaking out.

just basically because today's generation no longer focuses on what life should be about. i see fifth graders with iphones, back talking to their parents, dating. yes dating. which i think leads to an unsatisfying way of life from growing up too fast. instead of enjoying their childhood laughing, running outside, playing hopscotch, and enjoying time with their parents.

it's cray. yes i did just type cray because it really is that crazy to me.
you know one can tell me i just need to adjust and go with it, and i may be wrong, but in this get it now, do it now type of world, i desperately want to just slow things down.

i want to hit the brakes without second thinking, get out of the car, and take in the sun, the air, the grass, the smell of fresh air. and i want my kids to do so as well.

i know i've been partly to blame, well a lot to blame for this type of outlook in them. i mean kids only do as parents do. and saturday i realized once i made a determination to take in the sweet moments instead of focusing on the sour morning, that there is  A LOT of deliciousness in life to enjoy when we slow down.
the giggles, the funny faces, the serendipity of how things work sometimes, the love that surrounds us all.
i've been one to want to tackle many things in a 24 hour window and being upset at not being able too finish my list or get upset at when things don't go my way. wanting everything now. like if the world owes me something.
....they...have started acting the same.

i had to sit down and look at my priorities and some things are going to need to be placed somewhere towards the bottom, some will need to go altogether.

this blog, this little space that i couldn't do without, will just be given less attention. i just can't give it up completely. it inspires me, encourages me. but i foresee myself not posting as often, possibly not posts this long.
 i foresee more photos. capturing those moments that i would otherwise miss. and i guess that will be okay, since a photo can tell a story in itself, no?

now that my kids are out of school, i want to enjoy the afternoons actually enjoying life. i want us all to slow down and enjoy what life is really all about.
so for now, that's where my heart is at. and i think it's a pretty good season to be in. off to enjoy life's moments now.


what are your favorite moments of life?

1. 

who says?

selena gomez or song of solomon. (in jami nato's form)

i have them, you have them. and i allowed mine to make me pretty miserable throughout high school. no, not mean girls and their queen bee, but insecurities.
come to think of it, insecurities are kind of like mean girls in your brain constantly chanting things to bring you down. and mine were pretty loud. loud enough that i believed them.

not just some rosemary.

you want to know what's the best feeling? when someone does something special for you and leaves you feeling so thankful and fuzzy inside. 

last week, a friend out of the blue promised to take me some rosemary from his garden. a couple of days went by and i didn't have my rosemary. it was no big deal, but i would tease him that my grandma's recipe for rosemary chicken was waiting on him. he jokingly would hide from me because he had forgotten yet again.

yesterday as i was coming into work he called me over to his desk, and as i walked up he had a huge bag of rosemary overflowing out of it. it was pretty hilarious, well not for the girl with allergies, but instead of simple cutting a few sprigs and handing them to me, he said he would bring them over to my desk. 

bob seller is not his real name. it's an inside joke at the company we work at

after a good while, and me starting to think he had forgotten yet again, lol, he handed me a nice little bunch wrapped with a red ribbon and a little printout of what rosemary can be used for! it was such a nice touch!

and to think he did that for each of the people he promised rosemary to. 

i mean something like a bunch of rosemary which may seem nothing of the extraordinary, but it's those little details that make something more beautiful, more filled with love. 

it's such a reminder to do every small thing with love, with my full heart, not ever forgetting those small little details that might will make any other day, one to always remember and inspire others to do the same.

 

what has someone done for you that inspired you or made you feel special?

oil + water = love.

on our way to the movies. love dates with my love.

he sleeps with the tv on lights off. i like the lights on, no tv noise.
he is also a night owl. this man will go to bed until well past midnight watching sports recaps, playing FIFA, and catching up on his dvr. me i'm out by eleven. sometimes eleven thirty. and that's pushing it. he will have the ceiling fan turned on full power and i will be bundled tight under the covers.

he likes it, he buys it. i like it, i look at the price tag and convince myself i don't really like it. 
while he is such a hard worker and super responsible with our bills, when it comes to buying something new for the house, the kids, himself, or us, he does it. no second thinking, unless of course the price is ridiculous. i on the other hand, am the frugal one. i over think it to the point it's put back on the shelf. guess which of us the kids like to go shopping with?

he's a social butterfly, i'm still in the cacoon.
this man has such a way to go into a room knowing not a soul, and leaving the room with a new friend. laughing it up with strangers over politics, sports, even the weather. i'm next to him fidgeting with my purse and counting down the minutes until we go home. i'm just such a homebody. i like being in my zone at my own pace. i mean is it such a bad thing i just want to be in my pajamas, dang it? i'm kind of getting better at this, but it's definitely out of my comfort zone.

i like a good chic flick, he pretends to not like a good chic flick.
movie night in our home is like vacuuming. pretty much every other or third day. while his first choice might be a macho,muscle flaunting, busting robbery type of flicks, he has no problem enjoying a bowl of popcorn while we watch the single dad tell his nine year old daughter the story of how he and her mom met. (name the movie) and possibly get a little teary eyed. just don't tell him i said that.

these are just to name a few things we are different in and it's funny really, how very few commonalities we share. when we do agree on something it's like time stands still enough for the celestial beings to join their voices in a hallelujah. ok that was totally dramatic, but high five giving might take place though. might.

how about you. are you and your significant others quite different or quite the same?

pillow fights.

it's friday yall! time to get happy. hope you all have a beautiful weekend. have a picnic, do some yoga, or have a pillow fight. you pick. see yall!

to be inspirational.

since starting this blog, i've asked myself quite a bit of times where i want this to go?
is this truly for documenting my life for just me and my family, is it just an outlet for my creativity, or something bigger?

over the past few weeks, i've told myself i want this blog, this space to be a source of inspiration. whether it be for mothers, wives, healthy lifestyle seekers, women, believers, etc.
i want to be used to inspire and encourage. yet a lot of the times i don't feel like i have a lot to bring to the table.

when i look at my life, i haven't written a book, i'm  not a famous artist, i don't have a perfect marriage, i have self image issues i still struggle with, i don't have motherhood figured out completely, i have horrible grammar, i ramble without really making a concise point.
how can i ever be an inspiration to others when i don't have things together?

and this is where i always get stuck. this is where i stall. and i feel defeated.

these past couple of days, i've been dwelling on that thought. and i have finally realized: who does?

who honestly has it together? who honestly leads a perfect life that is worthy enough to be of inspiration?

nobody. nobody has it together, nobody has it perfect.

see, what i'm starting to finally realize is that being inspirational doesn't only come from  being famous, or having an established business or having numerous book deals. it also comes from  having the right perspective. whether you see the glass half full, or half empty. it comes from falling hard but standing up and trying again. it is in those that make mistakes, sometimes ugly ones, but learn from them and next time do better. it can be found in those that choose to be transformed into beauty from ashes. that's inspirational. that's a breath of fresh air.

and for me, that's where powerful stories are born. not in perfect situations, but in the middle of a mess that isn't powerful enough to keep you down. in being honest and raw about our heart and letting others know, hey i'm kinda messy, i got a past, i struggle but i'm pushing through it.
those are the stories my heart seeks. those are the ones that i look up to in being real and allowing me and others in to know i am not alone. that we are not alone.


i'm going to keep it real with you all. sometimes it won't be the right post for you, but for someone else it might. sometimes it will be a little sad but that will be what my heart feels at that moment, in that same token the next day it might be completely lighthearted because that's just how i function.
but i will not hold anything back that my heart feels to pretend i have it perfect.


and that's what i hope for this space to be. for me to share my falls, my struggles and victories with anyone who graces these words. and in the middle of it, even if it's just a small sliver, that i can inspire someone with my words, in sharing struggles that they too might be facing, in sharing my brokenness that i experience from time to time still and encouraging that life is a gift and must be experienced to fullest (see, run on sentence) because we are all in it together, and that is a perfect inspiration in itself.

we are all inspirational. we all have something beautiful to bring to the table. we all have an amazing  story to be told. your life is a beautiful inspiration.