High Five for Friday

Happy Friday!!!

This week was a strange one for me. Full of all kinds of thoughts and fears and just dealing with my own self. I don't really know why but I'm trusting God will reveal it in due time.

In the meantime here is my Top Five for this week...you are so welcome. ;)

1. We've started back at decorating/painting/just getting our house out of the 90's again. I found this darling little half table at TJ Maxx and couldn't resist. It was just what I'd been looking for and it fits the space perfectly.

This picture was taken in the evening so it's a bit dark but you get the idea, right? 

We finally painted our master bedroom and bathroom! The rooms aren't finished yet so I won't share all the pics, but we painted our bathroom white....which I absolutely love and the hubs isn't sure about yet.

I found this old looking shelf-y thing at TJ Maxx when I found the hall table so I had to pick it up too. I have big dreams of fun little things going on the shelves...for now my lone perfume bottle occupies the space.

2. My friend Miranda has started selling Scentsy and I ordered a few things from her as she is getting started and I love my house to smell yummy! I bought this little warmer that was discounted and three scents for now. She has just started a scent of the month club too which I am signing up for!

3. I. Bought. Boots. I've been wanting a pair for a long time but could not justify the cost...because of course if I was gonna buy a pair I'd want a nice pair. I come from a family that spares no expense for their boots...my mama has a pair of Corral boots and she rocks them. My daddy and brother both wear boots and I think they look so stinking handsome in 'em. My sister in law looks adorable in hers with skirts and jeans (and let's face it anything because she is so unfairly beautiful...a sack would look amazing on her!) Of course, my hubby also rocks the boots and oh man do I like that. :) The moment I saw these Corral boots I just knew I loved them. They are a distressed brown leather with cream embroidery all over them. Be still my heart. They are tall so I can wear them with skirts, skinny jeans, and my boot cuts.

4. After BSF on Wednesday we met my SIL for a little Target date and then I stopped at McDonald's to get the kids some chicken nuggets and let's just face it....mama needed a Coke. About 5 miles from home I looked in my rear view mirror to see this....the kid fell asleep with a chicken nugget in his mouth! How does that even happen? Lauren and I couldn't stop laughing and of course I had to stop and get his picture. 

 5. Lauren drew this picture of her and Easton and I think I will treasure it forever. It's such a real representation of their relationship right now. All hurt feelings and she/he is not sharing moments. According to her this is a picture of the two of them playing with Easton's tractors. When asked why Easton is frowning, quite frankly she says it's because she has the tractor. Welcome to my world.

Okay I know this post is high FIVE for Friday but I'm totally adding one more...

This evening Shawn and I are loading our kiddos up to drop them off with my AMAZING parents for the weekend.  Tomorrow morning we will be heading to CoMO with our friends the Drew's and McMillan's to go see this man....

Woo Hoo!!!!!!

Linking up here.

Just Do It

The other day I was lamenting to Shawn about how I just feel like I am failing this whole wife/motherhood/stayathomemom/homemaker gig I have going on. It's a great job and yet most days I just feel like I'm chasing my tail.

The look on his face was priceless as I could tell he was struggling internally with whether this was an offer suggestions and help moment or a shut your mouth, listen, and nod emphatically moment. Even though I didn't really want to hear what he had to say (because he's usually thinking what I'm thinking and if I've already thought it then the reason I'm not doing it is because I just plain don't want to) I braced myself and listened.

Of course he was kind and gentle with his words and of course they were spot on with what I already knew.

I needed routine. A purpose for my days at home.

I needed to get my booty up and dressed and have times throughout the day for specific things....school time, chore time, lunch time, errand time, reading time, etc. All stuff I knew. All stuff I'd been putting off doing.

So I took a deep breath and said, I'm going to go do some research (ahem Pinterest) on setting up a routine for us. And he said....

"Jen....just do it. Don't plan it. You are great at planning things but you need to just do it. Follow through. See results. Just do it."

And I wanted to hide in a hole because he knows me so well and if that wasn't the exact truth then I'm not a girl.

So the past couple of days I've been mulling over this new little thought my sweet husband put in my head about just doing it already. Sure, a cute little routine taped to my fridge might make me feel better, but if I don't just suck it up and do it I've gotten nowhere!

I'll never regret playing with my kids, quiet time alone in the mornings, or teaching Lauren to read. But, I will regret time wasted thinking about doing things or searching Pinterest for the best way to do things but never actually getting around to doing them.

So, here's to just doing it! No more creating a list of books to read in 2013....I'm just going to read! No more researching the best way to do at home preschool.....we are just going to learn! No more looking to other people to see how their quiet time looks....I'm just going to meet God the way I am (with what little I have to offer in the mornings!) No more trying to come up with the perfect gift or meal or whatever...I'm just going to do it.

I'm learning over and over again that perfection is my enemy. God hasn't called me to be perfect. He knows I am so far from it. He's called me to daily take on the characteristics of his son, Jesus. When I look at Jesus' life I see that he just did it. Whatever God called him to do, he did. He didn't research or wait or mull over for days that turned into weeks. He just did it. And so, with his help, I will to!

Project Life: Weeks 3 & 4

I am IN LOVE with Project Life! Seriously I cannot believe how much I love it. It's getting easier and easier each week. The best part I've found so far is that by documenting each week, my eyes are being opened to the little things. I know that I'll look back on these "little" things years from now and realize just how BIG they really are...so I am glad to be documenting them as we go!!!!

Week Three:

 

 Week 4:

With Insert of Lauren's conversation heart graphing (and picture of her completing the activity on the back)

Project Life: Week 1 & 2

So...I've had the Project Life kit for over a year. It's been in a box under my bed and the thought of opening it just about gave me hives. Last year (or at least the beginning half of it) was hard and scrapbooking was something I knew I couldn't handle.

But, this year? Oh this year! This is the year of CELEBRATING EVERY DAY, EVERY THING! And what better way to do that than to stop and pay attention to the things that need celebrating! I've found myself photographing things I might not ordinarily take the time to capture. I've listened more carefully to the conversation in our home. I've found that creative spark I'd been missing!

I'm going to attempt to take this Project Life journey through the entire year. I'd like to do a spread a week. It's a lofty goal....especially since the amount of scrapbooking I've done in the past four years has been nada, but I really feel like this is something that honors my phrase for 2013. I also feel like it is something that honors my family. It honors the ebb and flow of our life together and I'm excited to document it!!!

My week one layout is nothing fancy, but I think I caught several things that would have otherwise gone under the radar. :)

Week Two is even more simple...but it was during creating this week's layout that I realized how many more photos I need to be taking and printing!

Things I've learned so far:

1. I tried to have my pics printed at Walmart, but they were awful. I'm pretty much using my iPhone exclusively. It's so much easier than lugging around my big camera. However, when I sent my pics to Walmart (especially my instagram ones) they were just ridiculously bad. Thanks to my friend, and Project Life all star, Leslie, I sent them off to Shutterfly and was extremely pleased!

2. I didn't have enough pics printed off. My first couple of weeks are picture deficient. I need to be more thoughtful about the ones I take and the ones I send to get printed.

3. I'm going to have to keep a simple PL notebook where I can keep up with the happenings of each week. It takes at least a week to get my pics back after sending them to be printed and in that amount of time I must lose all memory! I noticed as I was trying to put together the first two weeks that I couldn't remember all the details. I'm going to use a notebook to help me remember the things I want to include on each week's layout!

All in all, I'm really loving Project Life so far. It is easy enough for me and I don't have to get a ton of stuff out to create a page!!!

High Five for Friday

Happy Friday! I haven't blogged in a pretty little while, but I wanted to pop in and share my High Five for Friday!!!

1. I am seriously way too in love with the vinyl decal my sweet friend, Leslie, made me! It really adds such charm to an otherwise ordinary moment....but now my poor clothespin jar is jealous! ;)

2. I've been working out. I have a long way to go, and even though the scale is taking its sweet sweet time showing any loss I'm going to keep trucking on. So thankful to have found Downton Abbey to watch while I sweat my booty off on the treadmill.

3. Shawn found an old Ball mason jar (a blue one too!!!!) in the woods one day and brought it home for me! Seriously better than flowers. I am sort of obsessed with these beauties! This one is smaller than the others I have and it is just darling. Can't you see fresh spring flowers in it?!?!? Meeee Tooo!

4. I got to go to the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions last night with my dad, hubby, and brothers. They were kind enough to let me take a ticket so I could watch Nixa play! One of my former students got to dress out with Varsity and I was seriously soooo proud of him! I absolutely love his family and it was great to get to chat with his mama too. It's families like that that make me miss teaching! I can't wait to catch more of their games! I snapped this picture of my daddy and me! We had awesome seats...right behind the players and I totally loved listening in on their conversations! Also I totally love this man. I am so proud to be his daughter.

5. Homemade granola bars and coffee. Need I say more? If you like crunchy granola bars but haven't found a good recipe you have to try this one. Shawn and I are hooked! And, I love knowing what is in them!!!

Yay for another beautiful week!

One Little Word ~ 2013

I've participated in the One Little Word craze the past few years and while I'm not sure I've shared a ton about it here it's something that has really helped me focus my life and goals each year.

In 2009 my word was Create. I pursued new areas of crafty-ness and found such pleasure in making my house a home.
In 2010 my word was Joy. I went on a journey to be a woman of true godly joy. I learned that joy is more than happy times....it is a deep rooted reaction to hard times and good times.
In 2011 my word was {be}Present. The iPhone and computer were taking over my life and I sought to remind myself to be in the moment with my God, kids, husband, family, and friends.
In 2012 my word was Survive. I struggled deeply with postpartum depression and learned the importance of relying on God daily.

And in 2013 I've chosen a small phrase that I think will still count as my one little word.

Drumroll, please ~ dum dum dum dum dum dum

I want to celebrate every single day of my life. I want to celebrate the smiles, the tears, the half birthdays, the dinners cooked well, the friends I've been blessed with, the family I love, the little things and the big things....I want to celebrate it all.

Celebrating the every day opens my eyes to the beautiful gifts God has given me. Focusing on the positive rather than the negative allows me to grow a heart of gratitude instead of discontentment. I am so thankful that God placed this little phrase on my heart this year. I won't even begin to speculate what he has up his sleeve for me with this word, but with him in the lead I'm ready!

Do you have a "one little word" for 2013? I'd love to hear it and cheer you on!!!

Back to Reality

The past couple of weeks have been an absolute whirlwind of fun and food and sleeping in and staying up way too late and just plain ignoring reality!

We've been traveling a bunch and with that has come some of the sweetest moments of loving on our families and laughing until our stomaches hurt. It has also spoiled me completely silly in that we've had doting grandparents willing to wake up with our two little munchkins and let this mama sleep in! Wah Hoo! I've reverted to my old college ways of staying up way past my bedtime and then sleeping way past breakfast! It was glorious while it lasted but now its time to get back on the saddle!

So this morning I was up bright and early. I know that if I don't get up before my kiddos and spend time with God that I have absolutely little to nothing to give them. Sadly, too many times I hit that snooze button thinking I will just deal with whatever comes when I wake back up. Not this morning! I was up at 5:30 thanks to the graciousness of the Lord. I prayed last night over and over that he would prepare my feet to get out of bed and my mind to be open to hear him in the cold darkness of the early morning. And by his amazing love for me, he woke me before my alarm! I had to smile when I woke up and realized it was just a few minutes shy of my 5:30 alarm. I believe without a shadow of a doubt that he woke me. What a great start to the day!!!

Since I've been away from home and my routine for so long I haven't had a chance to sit down like I'd like and plan out my goals for the new year. But, I've sure been thinking a lot about them. I'm excited to get them written down and posted here soon! Oh and I can't wait to share my one little word for the year with you. Although it is more of a phrase....I think it will still work! Also, I'm hoping to have time during the kids nap today to post some pictures from our time with my sweet in-laws!

It sure was great to get away for a while, but it is so nice to be home!