Life

I've been MIA as I took a whirlwind trip home.  You see, my dad is on hospice, and the nurses didn't think he was going to make it.  My siblings and I all went home (my sister lives there) to be with our dad.  As it turns out, he got over the pneumonia and pulled through. He has lung disease, so he struggles to breathe everyday.  Any little virus or bacteria make breathing nearly impossible for him.  I am so happy my friend, Naomi, used her airline benefits to fly me home in a flash.  What would we do without caring, helpful friends? I am grateful.  

It was hard to go home under these circumstances, but wonderful to be together as a family.  So many memories together.  And I pray God blesses my mother, who constantly and sacrificially cares for my ill father.  She won't even leave his side to go to the store.   She is a strong person, I've always thought so, but I still see it in action even now at her age of 77.  

Life is uncertain.  We never know when God will call us home.  We don't know why my dad is still living, when the nurses say all other patients they know in his condition, don't last.  I marvel when I look back at the changes he made upon becoming a Christian.  He gave up cursing, smoking and drinking cold turkey.  He faithfully attended all services of the church.  He worked as a greeter and organizer each service. He used his talents for the Lord.  He taught us to give. Even before we were taught the truth, dad led by example in praying at each meal, giving God thanks for our blessings, buying us Bibles and instilling in us a reverence and love for our Creator.  I always think that's why it was easy for our family to obey the Gospel once we were taught, because dad & mom taught us to respect God from an early age. 

Perhaps Dad still has more work to do on earth before he goes home to heaven.  That is our greatest comfort, knowing that we can all be together again in that Great Day. 

FAMILY

BFF Trip!

What a wonderful, fabulous best friend weekend with my college girls!  Almost 25 years ago we met and have stayed in each others hearts all this time!  I'm thankful to God for best friends!

Before and After- Laundry Room & Office

It was time. Things were a little out of hand and my laundry room/office had become my dumping ground. It's taken several weeks of cleaning out but I've made progress!

 Before 
Looking into the laundry room 
This was post Christmas-time. Trying to put away my decorations and shopping after holiday sales. You can see I hang dry my clothes on a rod above the washer.  This has kept our clothes nice for a long time.
 

After 

Looking into the laundry room 

 Finally got rid of that horrifying navy blue blind that made everything so dark!  Put up photos of my children on the top shelf.  I bought the iron work wall decor piece at Ross for $16 and my hubby spray painted it teal.  Found the Levolor rattan blinds at Ross for $12!!  Curtains from Target Xhilaration line - they were too long so I cut them off after the third tier- these totally remind me of the Anthro ones! Got rid of one of the clothes sorters to make more room.  Rug and pillow from Target.

 

  
Before 
Looking at the closet, powder room area

 I was able to fit all of my jewelry, makeup, hair stuff (dryer, curling iron) into new bins in the closet, thus getting rid of the rolling sterilite drawer thingy. 

    After
Looking at the closet, powder room area

 Bought the peg hangers at Home Depot to hang my statement necklaces.  My BFF got me that print years ago. I finally framed it - the border on the mat is little red mushrooms!

  

Ironing board that folds down. I also bought a new Conair steamer at Ross for $17 that works awesome. I've always wanted one!


Before 
Desk and workspace
Check out that bowl of M and M's!  And all that laundry in the sorted baskets!
 
 After 
 Desk and work area
I removed the dehydrator and now store it in the closet until I need it.  Made more room for my Desk Apprentice to work better.  My laundry is caught up today! 
 

Shabby Chic curtain hangs in the doorway. I removed the door to make more room. I got that cross stich at a garage sale for $.50!  And same above mentioned BFF gave me the framed Mary Engelbreit print!  I hang my workout jackets, yoga mat and aprons here.

 The details!  Rug and pillow from Target. Tractor desk chair from Target.
 

Apparently, I like animals everywhere, not just on my clothing!
Anthro wrist pad, Target dollar spot mouse pad.

I feel great making this much progress! I still have to go through all of the overhead cabinets and declutter and organize.  Thanks to my friend Dianalin for the inspiration!

A Love Story

When is the last time you cried over something as small as having a hot dog for lunch?  I would guess you have probably NEVER cried over something like this.  I know I haven't.  Does it make you overjoyed to have the ability to take a bath?  Probably not. 

Well, this is what happened with my mother-in-law today. You see, she is a stroke survivor.  It's been 7 years since she had her stroke. After coming home to rehab in our home for a short while, she made a complete recovery, minus some of her peripheral vision. She returned to living in her own home and even cared for her dying husband.  Her recovery seemed nothing short of amazing! A few weeks ago, she had a heart episode. Her advanced age of 85 is now slowing her down and so she has come to live with us again.

Today she cried, not because she was having a hot dog, but because of what the hot dog represented- the happy times and memories in her life.  The happy times when there would be a picnic with loved ones, friends, brethren all around, laughing, joking, talking, encouraging. 

I can't imagine what it would feel like to have to give up your independence, to rely on someone else for everything, to give up living in your home.  I know she has gone through several emotions in the last few weeks.  Bless her heart, she is so thankful for the smallest things.  When I bring her food or help her put on her socks, she tells me over and over again thank you for caring enough about me to help me.  She has told me time and again if it wasn't for her son (my husband) she wouldn't even be alive.  Seeing this attitude on a daily basis really makes you think.......think about what is important in life.  Shopping and clothes are fun......but people are what make life worth living.....and people are what TEACH you what life is really about.
 

Right after the stroke with our boys.  The kids gave her a reason to live, to know who she was and her importance in their life.

During her 3 month rehab stay where we would visit each day.   These 3 kids were a huge part of her recovery.

A few years ago with our oldest.

Never underestimate your importance in the lives of others.  Your love and caring may be what makes all the difference.

Beautiful Friends!

Today we attended a wedding reception for one of our dearest friend's daughters. She eloped in Tennessee, and came back this weekend for a reception with her church family - romantic!

It was such a fun party, seeing all of our church friends from near and far. I feel exceptionally blessed by all the wonderful people in our own congregation, and then we got to see other dear friends that go back as far as college! It was a happy day. I think you can tell by the photos we were happy to be together. That's how the Christian life is!

Me and my BEAUTIFUL friend, Naomi! I think she should be a model! She gets me when it comes to "fashion" talk! I have taught her in Bible class since she was a cute little girl with ponytails! What a wonderful young lady she has become! Her Mom is my bosom friend (think Anne of Green Gables - Anne & Diana Berry).

Girlfriend shot! Deanne is always keeping me laughing, this girl is so funny- she is also my esthetician and keeps me looking good! Over the years D has become one of my closest friends. She has helped me in my Christian walk - such a great worker for the Lord- and mama to 4 children!

Beautiful ladies all - and what makes them beautiful - THEY LOVE GOD!

Happiness Project Week One

Well, I've completed my Happiness Project for week one! The first month I'm focusing on "Energy". So far, so good. I exercised every day, ate "pretty" well (still munching on M&M's-this just won't do) and tackled 3 projects that had been looming over me.

I am keeping up via You Version with my Bible readings. I am cataloging all my notes and recipes and style files via Evernote. I am also "automating" everything I can using my Google calendar. I use Motivated Moms to keep me on track with the "odd" house chores and I am adding them weekly to my Google calendar. I also am planning my menus with recurring events weekly. I feel like by doing these organizing chores on my calendar, I'm saving so much time, because once this year is over, everything will be set to "auto-pilot"! I'm feeling pretty organized and frisky! I would say success for week one.


Now heading into week 2- I'm making a more dramatic commitment to my exercise routine - I'm going to do Power 90 with Tony Horton. For 90 days.....yikes! I think I have set myself up for success- I took all my "before" shots and I picked a Beachbody coach to help me along the way! I want to be accountable to a group. I did P90X a few years ago when I was at my fitness height .It was a super hard workout, but a great one and I love Tony - he is so funny. I'm going to start with the basics and work my way up!

My 3 children are doing it with me. It will be our PE class! I don't know if I had mentioned on the blog, but we decided to leave the soccer scene. It really monopolizes your entire schedule and the games and tournaments on Sunday were just not working out for our family and our commitment to church. Although we loved soccer and our teams and teammates, this is a positive change for our family. I feel like we have so much free time now to spend working out together-these are exciting times!

Selflessness

Check out this wonderful blog post by Jessica from Monster Cakes! It's great to be reminded to keep our minds on others, not self.

Fashion Crossroads......Have You Been There?

Hello blog friends! I miss you all and reading your blogs! I just have NO time for blogging these days!

Since the start of the school year, we have been busy schooling, playing soccer, attending tournaments, attending gospel gatherings, and visiting family and friends. We are busy, but a good busy that I want to etch in my brain - all these wonderful times with our children are so precious!

As a result, I just really could care less about dressing up and snapping my pic each day. Crazy I know. Can't even believe I am saying it myself. Of course I get dressed and go about my day, but lately I can't stand wearing heels. They kill my feet. After the last 2 years of wearing heels or wedges most days, I can't bear the thought of them. Boots are great and now I'm dreaming about a pair of Toms because they are so comfy! I just want to be comfortable! I have too much to accomplish each day to spend any minute of it adjusting my shirt, or re-tucking something.

And guess what happened today? I went to an outlet mall - Jcrew, Cole Hann, Banana, and I could have cared less. Couldn't even find a thing I like. Couldn't wait to get out of there! Someone take my temperature! Along these same lines, I don't even like some of the outfits I loved last winter -what's up with that? I guess I am writing this all to say, does any of this sound familiar to anyone?

Miss you all and thanks to Diann for the kind note she sent me saying she missed my blog!

Healthy Eating

Recently I watched "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" a documentary by Joe Cross journaling his 60 day juice fast and segue to a healthier lifestyle. It was amazing! The transformation you can make in your body with only FOOD and movement is nothing short of incredible.

I'm ashamed to say I've been lured into eating too many items from the SAD Diet (Standard American Diet) of late......ice cream, chips, candy, chocolate, cheese. I always eat great food, but then add in these "treats" too often and that is a recipe for becoming fat, tired and perhaps sick too!

We are re-committing to watching every bite that enters our bodies. Will we never have ice cream again? No.......but it will be the rarity and not the every day occurrence. I believe Christians have an obligation to care for their bodies (I Cor. 6:19-20, Rom. 12:1-2) and do our part to keep healthy so we can do the Lord's work during our time on earth.

Tonight's Dinner Dani Spies Turkey Zucchini Skillet made with organic vegetables fresh from Farmer's Market!

Look at all the beautiful colors in this Jason Vale Super Chute Juice! Juicing is so easy to do and adds so many benefits to your health! We drank a small glass of this juice before dinner to give our digestive system plenty of raw live enzymes to digest the cooked food. Raw foods are LIVE and full of energy for the body. As we age, we don't produce as many enzymes and it makes eating cooked foods harder on the body. Adding juice will give you that boost you need. This juice contained organic beets, carrots, red pepper, yellow pepper, kale, chard, lemon, apple, ginger, celery, zucchini and cucumber.

This morning we had a Hot Pink Smoothie ala Green Smoothie Girl to start off our day! With food this good, you don't need to eat processed! It contained coconut water, beets, carrots, cashews, dates, vanilla, strawberries and rice protein powder- BAM!

When you meet blogging friends in real life!

It's been a super fun two days, hanging out with Debra and her husband, Jay! My husband, children and I took Debra and Jay on a driving tour of San Francisco today and it was loads of fun. Debra is exactly how I thought she would be from reading her blog, then emailing her and even talking on the phone. Being around her was like being with a friend I've known for years. Her husband has the same easy-going, fun personality and we all got along like we had been long-time friends! We saw the sights all around San Francisco and Muir Woods, and were treated to In-and-Out and Jay even bought the kids Ghirardelli sundaes! Yumm!

This is the cool Golden Gate Bridge that is built out of Rice-A-Roni boxes at Anthro!


These are the gals who came to the blogger meet-up! Bethy of Style Aesthetic and Anjali of Love and Wardrobe. It was so great meeting these ladies! They were both as I had imagined them from reading their blogs. It was fun to get to visit and get to know each other better. We had a great time shopping the Anthro racks and chatting along the way about jobs, marriage, children and blogging.

To me, this is THE best thing I have gained from blogging. Although I have gained a ton of inspiration, fashion and sale tips, and have learned along the way more about myself and my own style, it's the friendships I have gained across the internet waves that mean the most.

OOTD- Faceted Skirt

I found this little number at Anthro this weekend while spending my birthday gift card from my friend V!

I got this Floreat Faceted Skirt and a Bayla Jane silk blouse and I had to pay a whopping $2.17!! That's $1.08 per item! Love that! (Retail on these 2 items is $256!)

Definition of Faceted:
having facets; "a faceted diamond"
Having a number of flat sides, as opposed to a continuous round contour
So I guess this skirt fits the definition!

I think I will get many wearings out of this piece, making it "multifaceted"!

Wearing it with this simple black tee, almost makes it seem like a dress!

Shirt: Ross
Skirt: Anthropologie Faceted Skirt
Cardi: NY&Co.
Shoes: Report via Ross
Earrings: Kohls

Today husband and I took a lovely walk, to a lookout point and read our chapter for the book club we host on Monday nights. Combining exercise of the body with exercise of the mind! It was a lovely spot to stop and take a read!

We are so blessed!

Our oldest son decided to obey the gospel and be baptized into Christ on Sunday at the close of our gospel meeting. Is there any happier day for a parent, than the day their child decides to give his life to God and live for Him? We are so thankful for our son, and for the blessings of salvation.

Home- A room for a sweet little seamstress!

Another room complete at our home! This room has had quite a history! It started out housing all 3 of my little kids, then it became a room for grandmother during her rehab from the stroke, then it became a guest room, then it became Maggie's room, then it became the schoolroom and now.......back to my little girl's room.

My daughter loves neatness and order. She loves things to be clean and neat. She loves crafting and crocheting and now is teaching herself how to sew using her Grandmother's machine (her Grandmother was a Singer sewing machine teacher and a seamstress extraordinaire!) It must be in the genes, as Maggie has been working away on designing and sewing clothing for her American Girl dolls!

Her daddy painted it a color of her choosing and she picked out her covers, rug, lamp, mirror, etc. The only thing we lack is some cool curtains, waiting until we spy some we love.

"The Workshop" - school desk and sewing machine!

Kickback and relax! Rug, cubicles, lamp from Target. Pillows, bedding, chair from Ross.

Cute little owls on the lamp!

The master at work.

Her first completed project- a Pea Coat! It even has contrasting lining!

It's a sad day

One of our dearest friends lost her husband this past week. He had the flu for a few days, laid down to take a nap and never woke up. It was a total shock. His family and our church family are grieving. Today is the memorial service and I am making food preparations.

All of this just reminds me of the brevity and uncertainty of life. You never know, no matter what your age or health, when you will pass from this life. We always need to be prepared to meet our God. Live the faith of the Bible and you will have nothing to fear, only the hope of eternal life in Heaven and joy everlasting.

Our friend will be so missed as a husband, father and friend. We will try our hardest to help, encourage and strengthen his family that is left behind.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Lavender Icing and a Curated Knock-off

I have THE sweetest friends! Ever! Look what Chicka-San brought for me to church tonight? Can you even believe this delicious combo -Red Velvet cupcakes with Lavender Icing? Oh they were so delicious and GLUTEN-FREE! Last week she asked me for some of my gluten-free flour and she tricked out her recipe to make me these special cupcakes. I am so grateful for her thoughtfulness and efforts.

And no joke- this photo is from Anthro, but I saw a tee at ROSS today that was an exact replica- so keep your eyes out!!

Edit to say - I found the ROSS shirt online - it's from Nordstrom, designer, Olivia Moon, and sells for $44. It was $12 at ROSS.

In Nutrition & Health - Cowboy Beans!

I have been trying to perfect these "Cowboy Beans" since we made a trip to the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming this summer. I have never gotten them right.........until last night! Oh this batch tasted soooo yummy!

In this economy, I know everyone is trying to pinch pennies and cut corners on their grocery bill. Dry pinto beans are about as cheap as you can get at 25 pounds for about $14 dollars. Throw in some brown rice (gaba rice even) and you have a complete protein!

Recipe: I threw a bunch of beans into my Lodge dutch oven, soaked overnight in water. Cooked them in 1/2 chicken stock, 1/2 water. About 1/2 way through cooking add a pound of already cooked bacon and chili powder to taste (about 3 tablespoons). Cook until tender.

I am a HUGE advocate of beans for health, as my mother-in-law, who lived through the depression, grew up on pinto beans. It was a staple in their home. Even when she would arrive home from school hungry, her mama would give her a "little bowl of beans" to hold her until suppertime. My mother-in-law was always healthy and lean growing up, and remained that way throughout her life with healthy eating and daily walking. I believe the beans helped keep her healthy in their own small way.

Read about all that pinto beans contain at the
World's Healthiest Foods!

Need more convincing you should add more beans to your diet? Check out these links:
SOUL FOOD AND SOUTHERN COOKING
BLISSPLAN
PREVENTION MAGAZINE
YAHOO HEALTH

Travel plans..........

I am planning on doing some travelling this summer so the kids can spend time with their cousins. They love being together - they Google video chat every week and it will be so fun to let them just have time together.

So I'm in the market for new luggage. I have my eye on this Delsey Luggage because I like the hard side suitcases. An entire set like this would be nice! The bright color would be easy to recognize coming off the conveyer belt.

Does you have any luggage they adore? What do you use?