Top 10 Posts of 2013

 This time of year, I love reflecting on all the changes and growth we had in 2013 -- in life and on the blog. Thank you so much for following along and reading what I have to share. This space has been a creative outlet for me and, I hope, a springboard into some exciting changes in 2014!!

Here are the Top 10 Posts - thanks to YOU! - of 2013.


10. Spring Twig Wreath

9. Chalkboard Sign Makeover

8. DIY Washer Pendants

7. Personalized Valentine's Day Fortune Cookies {Insert your own message into a fortune cookie? Yes, you can!}

6. Garage Organization - sport's equipment {This one won the "Man Approved" Award!} ;o)

5. What I Wore - <>>What I Wore Collection

4. Teacher Appreciation Gift Ideas

3. Mini-Man Cave {This one is my personal favorite, because my boys and their friends use it every day!}

2. Frozen Inspired Christmas Wreath

1. Medal Display {This one is another personal favorite - I hope to add another medal to this display in January!}

 Thanks again for reading and following along!! Did you write a 2013 post? Share it with me in the comments or on Facebook! {Links below!}

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

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{What I Wore} A New baby

Last week I stayed with my sister and helped with my 2 year old nephew and 2 WEEK old niece. They were so much fun and both so sweet I didn’t want to leave! I mean – aren’t they cute?

 {Ruffled Romper and Bow: Target}

But, let me tell you – I have a 9 and 12 year old at home and I forgot how different life is when you have LITTLE little ones!! Here is a brief list of things I learned (or relearned!) while I was there. Maybe you can think of even more things!

THINGS I LEARNED WHILE WATCHING A NEWBORN AND A 2 YEAR OLD

1. Apparently, you CAN sing “Ring Around the Rosies” all day for hours and hours and not get bored. (If you’re two.) Along with Frere Jacques, Ring Around the Rosies was was my nephew's favorite song. I learned that when we “all fall down” it is much easier to fall down on the couch with pillows than on the floor. And I also forgot how catchy those songs are. I was humming them in my head all week. In fact… I’m humming Frere Jacques as we speak….
2.  You talk about pee and poop – A LOT. When you have a new baby and a 2 year old that’s potty training all you do is discuss bodily functions, examine poop and ask “do you have to go potty?” Good times.
3.  At any given point in time in the day, someone in the house is naked – or about to get naked. Yep. This one is self-explanatory. Plus it was hot, so little ones run around in their diapers, or are eating, potty-ing, bathing or changing. It doesn’t matter if company is over, or not. Or if you’re in public.
4.   You plan your trips and activities in 1 to 1 1/2 hour increments. (Because someone is either going to need to eat, or nap, before that time is up!) So we became experts at getting the kids ready and out the door in the morning so my little nephew could play outside before his sister needed to eat again! (So I guess this one could also be titled “You learn to multi-task!!”)
5.    9:30pm bed time? Sounds good to me! The first couple days I was still my old night owl self. After 2 days of playing with a 2 year old and holding a newborn between feedings, I found 9:30pm a good time to crash. Or rather, it found me. I TRIED to stay up, but my body and eyelids usually had other ideas!
6.  However ‘ready’ I was by 7am is how I looked the rest of the day. True story. I did not realize this on the first day. Sorry to anyone who saw me in public those first couple days. My nephew woke up at 7am. If I wasn’t ready by that time, forget getting my hair done, adding jewelry or accessories to my outfit. And if my sister wasn’t there, I very well probably would have ended up in my pajamas all day. PS – yoga pants make great PJ’s. 
7.  When you hold a newborn baby – people often don’t see or hear you – they just see the baby. I held my newborn niece during most of our outings. She liked to cuddle in the baby sling and I would get lots of “aaaws,” smiles and comments. Example:

{Polka Dot Sunglasses: Target}

KIND LADY: Aaaw, what a sweet little baby! How old is she?

ME: Thank you! She’s my sister’s baby. She’s 2 weeks old.

KIND LADY: How precious! Congratulations! You don’t look like you just had a baby at all!

… … …

ME: …Thank you! 

(Sometimes it’s not worth the argument.)

But everything was worth it, because this sweet smile is what I woke up to every single day:

How about you? Do you have little ones? Can you relate to this list?

{WIW} Value

When you look in  the mirror, what do you see?

Do you see someone big? Small? Ugly? Pretty? Significant? Or insignificant?


There is a battle raging.

It's keeping you from achieving your dreams...

It's keeping you from reaching your potential...

It's keeping you from accomplishing your goals.

There are no soldiers.

There is no supernatural course of nature.

There is no uncontrollable force.

There is only one  thing.

You.

The voice in your head.

The voice that tells you you can't.

You're not good enough.

You're not worthy.

You are not enough.

But I am here to tell you that YOU ARE.

That the steady mantra inside your head needs to be replaced with the marching shouts of confidence.

And that when you look in the mirror you see

Value,

{Old Navy "Diva" skinny jeans and Old Navy ballet flats. The shirt was a gift. Smile}

Strength,

Worth,



and Beauty.

 Because you are beautiful

in His eyes.

That  your dreams are there for the taking.

That you have what you need to acheive your goals.

That your potential is withing reach.

And you are enough.


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I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you. {Eph. 1:18}

Find more information here: http://www.saddleback.com/series/loveandwar/

{WIWW} #momfails

#momfail: (verb) the act of being unsuccessful in achieving one's goals as a mom.

Here are some examples.
These may or may not be from my own life experiences. #cough

GOAL:
My child's first taste of sugar will be of his 1st birthday cake. Sugar will only be on special occasions/holidays after that.

REALITY:
Child #1 - success!!
#Ishouldhavestoppedthere
Child #2 is born.:
#1 son: "Mom can I have a piece of this cake?"
ME (I mean random mom): "Sure, but give a piece to your brother too or he'll cry."
#momfail


GOAL:
My child will only eat homemade food, no fast food.

REALITY:
Mom: "You only have 30 minutes between school and practice. If we drive thru and you eat in the car, we'll make it!"
#momfail
(or is it?) The child got fed AND made it to practice.... hmmm, may have to rethink this one...


GOAL:
My children will be intelligent hard workers in school. They will work diligently and without complaint.

REALITY:
Teacher: "You're lucky your child is so cute and charming, because they just CANNOT sit still."
#momfail


GOAL:
I will have valuable, deep, meaningful conversations with my children daily. I will make every moment a teachable moment and teach them to grow their minds by asking challenging questions.

REALITY:
This one's a work in progress...

Trev: What is that on your head, mom?
ME: It's a scarf.
Trev: Oh, it looks like a bird's nest with your head poking through it.
ME: Um, thanks...
#momshoppingfail



Me: It's actually an infinity scarf.
Trev: What's an infinity?
ME: It means it has no end. It just keeps going and going!
Trev: Oh.

Crocheted Infinity Scarf: Target

Trev: I love you.
Me: I love you more.
Trev: I love you a google!
Me: I love you INFINITY!
Trev: I love you a google TIMES infinity...

That one ended in a tie.

#momsuccess

{What I Wore} Shoes

Some say moms wear many hats,

The way I see it, I wear many shoes…
 
Life is a journey, and you need a good pair of shoes to walk the path.
 
I remember, ‘back in the day’ where I wore my jazz shoes longer in a day than I did my regular shoes...

I remember school times of Keds and jelly shoes and summertimes of no shoes at all...
 
And I remember when these boots, were made for more than just walking...

{Target}

 


And when these shoes went to the party more than they went to work…
 

{Target}

These days my shoes wear thin with many steps.

Where some days my feet seem too small to fill the soles.

There are days, like today, where more than my feet feel small.
Where the kids are sick,
Where I am sick and
My time is not my own.
Where I know God did not design parenting to be alone.
Where I wish I could have moments of freedom whenever I wanted or needed.
To kick off my shoes,
To be free to hang out with my friends whenever and however long I would like.
With no worries of schedules,
medicine,
practice,
plans,
meals,
homework,
bedtimes,
play times,
and out grown shoes,
Where I feel the awareness of how even a short break makes me a better, refreshed mom
and yet
these fleeting thoughts still carry self-inflicted guilt for needing time away,
without sacrificing their needs.
Or their time.
Because in life,
they really ask so little,
and love SO much.

And I remember that some days filling their needs means I get to wear my flip flops…
 

{Roxy}

And I remember that activities planned means we get to wear our hiking boots…

{Sports Chalet} 

{And it’s an even better day when plans mean I can don my snowboarding boots -- 

but they’re new and I don’t have a picture of those yet.}

 

And remind myself, that there are many times when we DO get to kick off our shoes and enjoy days like this…


 

And those days make up for when I have to put my big girl boots on, and get ready for the road ahead…


 

{Boots: Target}
{Ruffled Socks: Urban Outfitters and then I sewed on the buttons}

Because the journey is long… the road often hard,

And ironically, what matters is not always what’s on our feet, but in our hands… 

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What I Wore: Living my Dash

1977 - ?
I have a beginning date -- a birth date.
And by the grace of God, I don’t have an end date yet.
But I recently read that it’s not the beginning or the end date that counts, but that dash in between.

Think about it.

Your birth and death will be two significant dates, marked with importance and prominence. But the majority of your life will defined by that dash in between. That tiny dash - and what you do with it.

I want my dash to matter.
 To God. To my kids. To others.

So, what matters?

That answer is different for everyone.

But I know what DOESN’T matter:
Cars. Money. Houses. Decorations. Trophies…. 
All those things go away.
In the end, I won’t ask to be surrounded by my trophies, houses and money. I will want to be surrounded by the people I love and relationships I’ve built.

So how do I live my dash?
I love God.
I love my boys.
I love my neighbor.

And I try to live and love fully and freely.
Every day.
And even when I fail, at least I fail trying.


Sometimes living my dash means showing God’s love by extending love out of my comfort zone or out of my borders. {Literally}

 

{Volunteering at a Mexican Orphanage, September 2012}
Shirt and Jeans: Old  Navy

 

And always - living my dash means being a mom and spending quality time with my boys: 

{SDSU Football Game, October 2012 – Little man is tired in this pic... or giving a model pose}
SDSU Shirt: a birthday present
Jeans: Styles for Less

They are the extension of my life and my legacy of God’s love here on earth. 

And every once in a while, living my dash means pushing the limits of my inner and outer self:

 
 

{Zip Lining in Big Bear, August 2012}

Shirt: “Shine On” shirt from The Shine Project

Capris: Target

Shoes: New Balance Running Shoes

Awesome hat and gloves: From the zip lining company

I noticed something from writing these 'what I wore' posts as well. My best, shiniest and nicest clothes are not always worn in my best, shiniest and nicest moments. 

I realized the most extraordinary, meaningful and significant moments in my life usually require the most ordinary and insignificant clothes.

Living my dash.

What does it mean to live yours?

Here is the poem I read that was the inspiration for this post and my thoughts:

 

Sharing at WIWW at The Pleated Poppy

What I Wore Wednesday: Integrity

“Be who you are and say what you feel,

because those who mind don’t matter,

and those who matter, don’t mind.” ~Theodor Geisel

Except it’s not that easy.

Except that sometimes

There are people

Who will want to quiet you and

Keep you still.

Except that sometimes

You will put up walls

That get in your own way

That you will try 

Days

Weeks

Months

Years

To climb out of

Until the only way to climb out

Is to 

Just

Be 

You.

Deeply rooted

Full of 

Action

Consistency

Principles

Value

And measure

Your worth

In His hands.

And that those words you speak

Build up
because they are spoken

with Truth

And always

With love.

And that you,

That ‘you’

who you are

Is always you.

Even when no one is watching.

“Live, 

so that when your children think of FAIRNESS, CARING and INTEGRITY, 

they think of you.”  

 ~H. Jackson Brown Jr.~

 {source}

  

Not afraid to be me!

 I WON! {Just kidding! I've just always wanted to take a picture like this!} :)

Flip Flops: ROXY

Dress: Snap

 Live life, deeply rooted and free.

“He who walks in integrity walks securely.” ~Proverbs 10:9