Open Your Eyes!

Okay so I've been completely M.I.A. lately -- I admit it. I have been super busy, though I can't say that I've been TOO busy for my blog. I've just been quiet.. I've had lots going on and plenty of things to blog about, but I feel like I've been in a time of life where I just want to soak it all in. Read all that I can. Experience all that I can. For once in my life I haven't wanted to blurt out my opinion or my views, but I've just wanted to LISTEN. (rare I know)

Sometimes we need that. To just listen. In all aspects of life. I need to stop asking God for things and listen to what He wants for me. I need to stop whining and complaining to my friends about the trivial things going on in my life and listen to what they're going through right now.

So, during my "soaking it in" session, I've been enjoying a few new blogs and they are oh-so-amazing! One day soon, I'm going to make a list of the blogs that I generally follow and share with you guys. They range from 'day in the life mommy' blogs to cooking/recipe blogs to inspirational/faith centered blogs. I guess I have a wide range of tastes.

BUT, this one certain blog that I've found... this writer is so far from anything like me... Actually, she is a Christian and a mom, so in that respect we are alike, but most other things going on in her life are different from things going on in mine. And usually, I'm that typical "southern" (love how we all use that as an excuse for everything :) ) woman who just runs the other way from anything that's different. I stick to the recipes my husband and I like. I wear the same style clothes that I've always liked. I listen to the same kind of music. I wouldn't say I'm close-minded, as in I don't force my beliefs or tastes on people, but I do pretty much live the same way I've always lived with not too much straying.

Anyways.. back to this blog I found. It's called Rage Against the Minivan. It's about a mom of four (2 biological girls and 2 adopted boys) who lives in California with her kids and husband. Her life journey is much different from mine and I find myself so intrigued. Not intrigued in the way that I want to live that way or anything like that, but just kind of in awe of the differences and her life....? I don't know if that makes any sense, but I'm just kind of shooting from the hip here. She's also a therapist so she has a very different way of viewing things and/or explaining them. For instance, she just recently did a blog post on what to do if you catch your child viewing porn! Eeek I could NEVER talk about that publicly! I just got all awkward typing out the sentence telling you that SHE was doing it.. But, bottom line -- we are different but sometimes different is good!!

Because she has adopted two children, she talks a lot about adoption, the issues with it, etc. I have no clue about anything relating to adoption because I have never been in a position to look into it. I think it is good for me to read what she has to say on issues I have no knowledge about. It widens my view on things and that's a good thing (to me at least). She also holds this reader submission series called "What I Want You To Know". This little series has really rocked my world. You think you know so much about the world and its happenings until you read someone else's perspective on the situation. I would say I'm pretty grounded in my beliefs and my view on things, and I'm not saying I can be swayed on important issues like religion, abortion, etc. but on issues that are not so near and dear to my heart, it's good to hear another side of it. For example, one of Kristen's readers did a post on how it feels for orphanage employees/caregivers when the children they've taken care of for months (sometimes years) find their forever families. I would have NEVER thought about that side of it had I not read this post. We all have this "Annie" image of orphanages and that's not always the case.

Okay, I feel like I'm rambling... and I probably am. But I just wanted to pass along the encouragement to widen your horizons a bit.. Even if that just means opening your eyes to new writers or websites. Open your eyes and ears to people who are different from you. If we always hear and experience the same kind of people, how boring and cookie cutter will we be? And also, if you open your hearts to these people's side of their stories, you might be less inclined to judge them so harshly (which is how we are supposed to live anyways!)

Happy Tuesday and I hope to be back! Maybe my month of silence is over!



xoxo

Disappear

I swear I haven't dropped off the face of the earth! Things have been CRRRAZY around here! All good things (no, I'm not pregnant!) but just busy busy busy things going on!

I'll stop & take a breath really soon and update you folks on what's been happening!! Happy Tuesday!


xoxo

Things I'm Loving Right Now!

Happy Valentine's Day y'all! I hope everyone is having a fantastic day! Big plans? Date night?

I usually just LOVE Valentine's Day and plan this big meal (because Johnny & I do NOT like to brave the crowds on V-day) and have his gift all planned out! However, this year has been a little bit of a challenge. Here is why:

1. When you have a baby, it is really hard to plan ahead on anything except what said baby needs to survive. And even on those survival items, you might still procrastinate.
2. My grandbuddy, great aunt and uncle were in a bad car wreck on Tuesday. My great uncle sadly didn't survive the accident and my Grandbuddy and Aunt Clara are both in critical condition in the hospital, so that has pretty much consumed this week... **I would appreciate ANY prayers that y'all could life up for my family! :)**
3. I've just been busy in general lately... but busy with things I enjoy doing, so that makes it fun!!

So, because I don't have some sappy Valentine story or big plans and yummy recipe to tell y'all about today, I thought I'd post about things that I'm using and loving right now! Appropriate theme, right? Love! Here goes!

My Valentine decorations at home! Just a touch here and there makes it extra cheery!

These are some GREAT plastic cups that I found at Wal-Mart. They look like old glass mason jars, but they're plastic. They come with the lid and matching straw that are both hard plastic. These have been awesome for my Body by Vi shakes. Perfect size and I feel a little stylish! :)

PayPal & Priority Mail Flat Rate shipping have made my life SO much easier with this monogramming business! I always wondered how people knew what to charge for shipping, but with these flat rate boxes and envelopes, they say "if it fits, it ships!" so that's very helpful and takes a little stress off of me! The people at the post office let me take several home with me and I just go online on www.usps.com to print my shipping lables. Then, just drop it off at the post office! So cool and not a lot of waiting around! Now PayPal can be a blessing and a curse! It makes everything super easy when it comes to buying or selling online, which is exactly the problem! It's way easier to BUY things online when I can just put in my PayPal info instead of pulling out my credit or debit card! So, I've got to watch myself! :)

I've already blogged about this bracelet before, but seriously I wear it almost every single day! It is so cute, but kind of rustic, so it just goes with everything! Or maybe I just love it so much that I pretend it matches even when it doesn't! HA! And this ring...oh this ring.. it just one of my favorite pieces of jewelry! Again, I wear it almost every single day. I had been eyeing this thing for MONTHS and finally the other day I had a store credit at a cute little gift shop and spotted the ring, and thought, ya know what I'm getting it! And I'm so glad about this purchase. I've enjoyed it for sure!

AHH! I got an iPad mini!!! I luurrvveee it! Johnny says I'm a marketer's dream (even though my degree is in marketing) :S I don't care.. it's so much easier to throw in my purse and I just like the size better than my iPad! I did get my iPad sold, so basically it was an even trade! :)

And THIS girl. Oh this girl. She is so sweet and so busy right now! If she could crawl she would be into everything. She really has such a sweet tender heart. I can already tell! She looooves her Daddy and loves to snuggle with her mommy.

So! Those are somethings I'm using and loving, and a few little snap shots of BG's life lately! You know I can't do a post without adding a little bit of her! I hope you all have a very Happy Valentine's Day! And even all you single ladies (and guys, though I doubt any guy reads this!), just remember that you all have the BEST Valentine there is! God loves you wayyy more than some guy can try to show you with chocolates, jewelry or flowers! :)

Wednesday Whatevers!

I have SO much bouncing around in my head these days that I think this Wednesday Whatevers post will be great for me! So here goes!

• I have a strange strange obsession with grocery shopping. Like, at a REAL grocery store. It excites me. There is a Kroger that's about 40 minutes from my house that I love love love to go to. One reason is that it has a Starbucks in the front. You go in, get your yummy-oh-so-delicious Starbucks drink, and then meander around the store checking things off your list. Heaven, I tell you. Now, if you're a city-slicker reading this post you probably think I've officially lost my mind. But really.. try living in the boondocks for 2.5 seconds and tell me how you survive without a decent grocery store and a good coffee drink! 
• Bailey Grace is growing. Like, growing way. too. fast. Makes me upset just to think about it. I always said I wouldn't be one of "those moms" who got upset about silly things like that, much less talked about it out loud, but really. It all goes by way too fast. And she's only 3 months old. I can't imagine when she's like 16! AHH! 
• I love my friends. I just can't say enough how thankful I am to have each and every one of them in my life. Some are there to listen, some to make me laugh hysterically and others to tell me when I'm wrong! I just simply couldn't make it without any of them. Friends are SO important in life and I hope Bailey Grace finds amazing ones! 
• My Papa has an iPhone. What is this world coming to?! Haha no, really I love it! We chat daily about how the weather is (apparently that's a farmer thing :)) and about what Bailey Grace has been up to. It makes keeping in touch so much easier and I love it! 
• The monogramming business is booming y'all! I'm absolutely loving it and finally feel like I'm getting a little caught up! If you are reading this and haven't liked my page on Facebook, you should definitely do that now! There's a giveway going on now that will be announced on Sunday! Exciting stuff! You can find my page here. :) 
• There are just not enough hours in the day. I feel like I've said that before..but geez. I just can't seem to get everything accomplished that I need to! For instance, I started this post earlier today and here it is 10:52pm and I'm trying to wrap up my last few thoughts for the day.. So. Tired. 
• I made Teryaki Chicken drumsticks tonight for supper and it was soooo good! I even made legit fried rice to go with it! Like the kind they serve at a japanese restaurant. Johnny was officially impressed. 
• Okay guys, I feel like I have way more random thoughts than this, but I just can't seem to organize them enough to type them out! Maybe I'll do another random post later this week. Anyways, happy Wednesday! The week is half way over!

xoxo

Keeping My Commitments.. but Enjoying Them Too!!

I am the biggest worry-wart ever! Like honestly, I worry about everything. I think age has mellowed me a little bit in this category, but not much.

My biggest cause of worry is what people think of me. Not the usual "what are they going to think of my outfit?!" or "oh my goodness I can't say that because they might think I'm stupid".... I worry about what people will think of my character, my morals, etc. I do NOT like to disappoint people. Just ask my parents. This is most of the reason why I stayed out of trouble as a child and teenager (for the most part ;) ). I did not like the look on my parents' faces when I did get in trouble. Just didn't make me feel good.

So, now let's move forward to 2013... I can't stand to not keep commitments! For instance, my somewhat New Year's resolution was to read the Bible through in 2013.. Do you know how many days I'm behind?! 18. Yes, that's right... EIGHTEEN! Ugh it just causes me so much stress and anxiety knowing that I'm not doing what I said I would do. I didn't tell anyone but myself (and God) that I was going to do this, but it is just eating me up inside knowing I'm that far behind. I am very much a check list type person and I like having all my boxes checked! Kills me! Then, wouldn't you know.. I find a Bible reading app that tells you what chapter/chapters to read each day in order to read the whole thing through in a year..and it has little check boxes beside each day. All those little empty check boxes...cause. me. stress. But I also know that our God is a forgiving God and hopefully he can take me as I am, reading a few chapters at a time. I do want to read the Bible through.. just maybe not in a year! :)

Also, this new business venture is causing me a little bit of stress and anxiety. Although I absolutely love monogramming and getting to use my creative instincts (of which I don't have many), actually getting the orders completed and to the customer is taking a little bit longer than I had hoped. The other night I literally could not sleep because I was so worried about getting my orders done. I almost hopped out of bed and went over to my mom's house (where my machine is set up) to crank out some orders right then. I finally got to sleep and the next morning looked at my order list to find..... it had been 1 week, yes ONE week since those orders had been placed. That is NOT a big deal. I was getting them done as fast as I could and that's okay. Personalized things take a little while and I need to cut myself some slack. However, I do feel like this will be a positive trait to have because I won't be lazy about getting my orders completed. I just don't need to worry myself to death about it. I do think I've done a pretty good job so far though :)

With all this being said, My February resolution is to have 28 worry free days. I'm going to TRY to spend this month giving myself a break. Not saying I'm going to stop reading the Bible or stop doing any of my other commitments, but just try to not be so hard on myself so maybe I can enjoy these things and not see them as another box to check off on my list! I'm hoping this month's task will turn into a lifestyle change, but for now I'm setting my goals for just this month! 

Happy Friday y'all! I hope your weekend is fabulous! 

xoxo

Quarter of a Century..

Well folks, it's official. I'm old. Tomorrow is my 25th birthday. Although I realize I'm getting closer and closer to 30 (wow), I'm really not sad about it. First of all, it's way better than the alternative! And second, this season of life has been and hopefully will continue to be SO much fun!

John-John & I continue to learn more about each other and really grow together, Bailey Grace is just simply the joy of our lives, my relationship with Christ is headed in the right direction -- definitely not saying it's perfect or where it should be, but headed that way..-- and I'm super, super thankful for my family and friends! I'm just content. Content with life at 25.

Now typically I would think content meant you were okay where you are, therefore you don't strive for anything different. I'm not saying that. I do want to strive to be a better, kinder person, to have better and deeper relationships all around -- with God, John-John, friends, family and Bailey Grace as she grows! I want to strive to make more money to help my family (hence the new business venture!) and I for sure want to keep striving to have a healthier lifestyle. My friend and I were talking the other day about how we don't want to just "lose weight". We want to BE healthier! We want to be good, healthy role models for our kids so that they know how to make good choices when they're older.

I would love to do one of those posts about "all the things I've learned in my 25 years", but honestly I can't remember half of them to write them down, and plus -- most of the fun was figuring it out. Failing. Trying again. Falling. Getting back up. Being angry or hurt. Learning to forgive.

So, the best advice I can give is get out there and figure it out for yourself! Experience failure and experience success! Sometimes it will hurt, and sometimes it will feel like you'll never make it through. But, you will and you'll be so much better of a person for it!

**These family photos were taken by Juanita Pullen Photography. She does such an amazing job and I'm thrilled with how these turned out!! Check her out!!

NEWS!!!!

Hey y'all! So I can finally spill the beans!!

I have started a small business! It's called "Sew Obsessed with Monograms" and honestly, I am loving it!! I've got several applique designs so I can do cute little childrens shirts and onesies and really any other monogramming need anyone has! I've just gotten started and already have like 15 orders!! I am positively overjoyed with how well it's going!!

Here's my super fabulous logo, designed by Cory Jones @ Jones & Company in Unadilla. You can find him Here!

I've always loved monogrammed items for myself, and then after becoming pregnant with Bailey Grace -- you could forget it! If I was buying something, it was either smocked or monogrammed. End of story. Can't stand the cuteness!! And aside from this, it's such a good creative outlet for me. I've always loved crafts, drawing, etc. but have never really been good at any of it, HA! But with my handy dandy embroidery machine, I can do anything and still feel creative!!! Also, it's a great way to make a little mula on the side and take up some of my time when I used to be shopping or some other nonsense.

Here's my first completed item for a customer.

So stinkin' cute! I just love it! Okay, I'll quit gushing about my new business venture...but y'all go "like" me on facebook HERE!

And PS, sorry for skipping the "Wednesday Whatever" post this week!! Here are some "Thursday Tidbits" of what's been going on:

• hmm, I've been starting a business (see above)
• Bailey Grace is the cutest, sweetest baby in the world -- but duh, y'all probably already knew that.

• We celebrated John John's 26th birthday (old man!) this past Saturday and had so much fun! We rented a bus, had a DD and went to Macon to have dinner and go out for a bit with some friends. 

• We took family pictures on Sunday afternoon with my friend Juanita Pullen. She does a FABULOUS job and y'all should definitely check her out HERE. I can't wait to share some of my favorite pictures with you guys! 
• My mom came to visit this past Friday and left today :(. Big time sad face. We always have so much fun while she's here and hate to see her go. But, I guess we have to share her with everyone else too! :) 
• I'm getting my hair done today and I can't WAIT. Ugh you know when you just feel ick about your hair for those last couple weeks before getting it done again? That's where I'm at. Nice to meetcha! 
• I ordered this reeeeally cute pearl and leather bracelet off Etsy a few weeks ago and it finally came in the mail today. I can't tell you how much I love this thing! It will go with everything! You can find it Here.

                  

• Still loving Body by Vi! Don't know a weight update, but definitely still losing!! 

Although SO much has been going on lately.. that's all my brain can muster up to chat about. I hope everyone is having a great week and YAY tomorrow is Friday!! 

xoxo