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Friday, August 31, 2012

Realizing & Accepting


As I am sitting on the deck watching the boys play, I realize it's been a long time time since I've just sat and thought about pretty little simple things. Like how there is something so gorgeous about the early morning fall sun. It has this warm and inviting hazy orange glow to it, unlike the hazy yellow sun in the summer, which is still gorgeous but you know sooner or later it's gonna be a hot one out there... or the crickets, who have been sing songing all day and all night around here for the past few weeks, and it's so nice...I am welcoming the cool comforting nights with the windows open as opposed to the hum of the air conditioner. I am anticipating comfort food in the crock pot and snuggly blankets on the couch...


Yes, it's been a long time since I sat down and did nothing.  No thinking about what needs to be done, not yelling at the kids cause I hear someone screaming or throwing a tantrum, not trying to remember if I took meat out of the freezer for supper, not trying to whip through 20 emails that are sitting in my inbox all eagerly anticipating my reply {not-haha!}, not working on design projects or cutting out fabric for my shop...Yep a long time to just take a second, just to sit and maybe close my eyes and soak up the last little bit of warm summery like weather...

This weekend Mike and I are leaving the kids at my parents and having a weekend away with some friends. I know! Can you believe it, how crazy and free spirited are we?! HA! I should be excited about it, but you want to really know what I'm thinking? I've been thinking that I would really like to try and get out of this weekend, so that I can spend the weekend doing everything that I have on my to do list....blogging, shop orders, cleaning, organizing, shopping...That's bad, isn't it? How I would rather have a weekend to myself then spend it with my husband. Eek. I just got hit by lightening. That's bad. I should be counting down the days till we get to spend some much needed, MUCH NEEDED time together....


So back to my moment of solitude today... when I finally did get a second to sit down, you know what I thought about as I was trying to clear my mind? How I can't clear my mind. Yep, why do I have so much 'stuff', and that is exactly what it is-STUFF, going on up there?! Why do I think I need to take on everything, right now?! Bottom line is, I am an unorganized over achiever always wanting more but never knowing how to juggle it all! Can you believe I actually have a draft in my post folder tittled, The Secret to Balance?! Ha! Obviously I was feeling on top of things that day! I think I have been taking the saying, 'live for today' a little too literal. And I do this all the time. I think about how bad I am at juggling things, so I cut back on things and relook at my time management, but then I always get stuck in the same routine after awhile. It's awful. It's annoying. I wish someone would tell me how not to do that. I need a help group. Haha.

So my realizations today...

That lately my stuff was more important then my life. And my stuff was definitely not my life.

I realized that I do not have to accomplish everything in a matter of days or weeks or months, or whatever the ridiculous timeline that I gave myself was.

I realized that I can relax every now and then, I can shut off my brain to the outside world and say no, not today! 

AND yes, yes, I will enjoy this much needed weekend away with my husband and friends!!!


Today, I will try so very hard not to multitask until my brain explodes, to put my feet up more, to enjoy being a mom more, to enjoy my husband more...before all these enjoyable things are gone and I have no idea what the heck I was doing while everyone else was enjoying life.

Happy weekend!

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Thursday, August 30, 2012

Loves on a Thursday-Our Family Photos


We had the privilege of getting family photos done recently by Jakal Photography. I am in love with every single one and am currently trying to choose which ones to get printed for a new gallery wall I am planning {like I need another one-but they are so fun!}...

Here are some of my favorites...


Courtesy of Jakal Photography 


 Courtesy of Jakal Photography 


Courtesy of Jakal Photography 

 Courtesy of Jakal Photography 


 Courtesy of Jakal Photography 

 Courtesy of Jakal Photography 

 Courtesy of Jakal Photography 


 Courtesy of Jakal Photography 

 Courtesy of Jakal Photography 

 Courtesy of Jakal Photography 

 Courtesy of Jakal Photography 

Courtesy of Jakal Photography 

Courtesy of Jakal Photography 

You can view more on Jakal Photography's blog :) Happy Thursday!

Are you a Pinner? Etsy stalker? Blog hopper? Photographer? Have cute kids? Loving life? Always looking for pretty things? I would love to see what your loving lately!

Grab a button and link up your pretty finds!

Loves ona Thursday



Guidelines:

Please follow your HOSTS and CO-HOSTS!
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Link up your blog post about your lovely post not your homepage.
Leave your blog name in the title.
Link back with a button or text in your post :)
Be friendly and have fun :)



Linking up with Danielle for Current Crush.
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Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Wordless {ish} Wednesday-Girls Just Want To Have Fun

I am a bit behind on photos and I have so much to show and tell you from these last few busy weeks...I've been a bit or a procrastinator lately in regards to writing a real post...not sure why...but oh well...I'm going with it, and we have been having tons of fun away from the computer!!

Last week my adorable little niece stayed with us for a bit...SO MUCH FUN...

How much fun, you ask? 

To the moon and back fun...



And of course there was some girly fun too...


...14 colors of fun {plus sparkles}...


and I couldn't help but whip together a pretty lil' headband for her too...:)


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Monday, August 27, 2012

Embracing My Journey

This was a previous post that I wrote for Baxtron {Life}... but just in case you missed it...

indeed

After over 10 years of working in the Fashion/Retail industry and deciding to be a SAHM shortly after having my 2nd son, I started looking at myself differently. I was wondering what made me~ ME~ or what defined ME. It's funny how having kids made me wonder who I had been this whole time. Not in a bad way of course, I love my kids and they mean the world to me. But they have made me question who I truly was, or who I truly wanted to be, and what I wanted in return. For the first time in my life it was just me and two kids, while my husband worked the nine to five grind. That left little room for quality ME time but I often found myself feeling very alone. Adult interaction was very limited unless you counted the daily phone call to my best friend and emails. The truth was that in addition to post partum blues, feeling fat, and having a brand new baby and toddler, I was a bit lost without having a 'real' job. I had never really felt that my job had defined me, but once I didn't have it, I felt a little naked without it. For instance, I usually would have  answered the 'what do you do?' question pretty comfortably. My response would have been simple, I'm a Store Manager for a small retail company. That would get the conversation flowing as to what we sold, blahblahblah... But now, when people ask what I do now, what do I tell them? I'm a SAHM/Blogger/Shop Owner/Photographer/Graphic Designer?....the list could go on and on....LOL...and I tend to shy away from telling them my lists of things I do. {Because honestly, I do way to many things and quite often not all of them are done to the best of my ability. But, maybe that is just one of my flaws..I like to be busy! I am also the worst self promoter ever!} So I usually end up saying nothing, that I am just a SAHM. The conversation, unless it's with other moms, usually ends there...Because really, who would find that interesting? Who would care that my kids and I color, go to the park and I clean up pee on the floor. 

I think I struggle with putting a label on myself. Or rather what my career path is and where I ultimately will end up. I am an instant answer person, so the journey thus far has been a bit of a headache but definitely a  learning experience...
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I can think of a million things that would be cool to do, but how long would I enjoy it? I guess like most things, marriage for instance, it's all fun and games in the beginning but then it takes a bit of work to keep the fun and excitement there. I suppose just like a new job would feel? Exciting and new and then bam! You wake up doing the same routine thing for the rest of your life. I don't want that. I don't ever want to lose the passion that I have for what I do everyday. Ideally, what I want is something easy {doesn't everyone!} something that doesn't take time away from my kids, something that I don't feel pressured to do and that cures the hankering I have to just create and of course make money!!!

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Maybe I am being selfish? Maybe I shouldn't be taking this time to figure things out while my husband works his butt of at work? Maybe I need to squash my passion {whatever it is} and figure it out later? After all, life is the journey, right? Do I need to have it all figured out now? Or should I embrace this journey called self discovery and find the path that will take me to the place that I have been longing for...?

Do you know what your passion is?

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Sunday, August 26, 2012

September Sponsor Call


Want to join Imprintalish in September?!

I'd love to help promote your blog or handmade shop! I have one Feature Spotlight Spot available and a few Small but Mighty spots. Each spot comes with some social media mentions and a few other perks...to purchase or for more info go here

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Friday, August 24, 2012

Happy Friday & A Very Sunny Giveaway!

Happy Friday!!! What better way to celebrate the weekend then with a giveaway!
Sunny with a Chance of Sprinkles
The fabulous Chelsea over at Sunny with a Chance of Sprinkles is giving one of you lucky ducks one of her new creations from her shop...

The 5 Strand Braided Headband!

These 5 strand braided headbands have become my babies. They're something I find so much joy making & I love helping other women feel confident & beautiful when they wear them! Such an inexpensive, easy and fun way to dress up any outfit! 
-Chelsea 





How cute are they?!

And you will get it in your choice of colors...


For more info on how great these headbands are and how to order head on over here and to enter the giveaway...

Good luck and have a fab weekend!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Thursday, August 23, 2012

Loves on a Thursday-Moody Fall


Welcome to another Edition of Loves on a Thursday friends!

This week has been hopping busy around here... My niece was visiting for the past 4 days and I also opened up my NEW SHOP!!! I just barely had time to put something together for today...

So, funny enough last week I was showing off some bright and cheerful things, daring to hold on to summer for just a wee bit longer. Well, I have finally caved in and admitted that fall is here. We've been waking up to much cooler temps, sweaters and socks optional, warm drinks are a definite!

So here are some of my moody fall favorites this week...

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my weekend
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I couldn't get the linked page to load from Pinterest, 
so I have no idea where this photo originated from...BUT gosh, it is gorgeous I had to use it anyway!

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Are you a Pinner? Etsy stalker? Blog hopper? Photographer? Have cute kids? Loving life? Always looking for pretty things? I would love to see what your loving lately!

Grab a button and link up your pretty finds!

Loves ona Thursday



Guidelines:

Please follow your HOSTS and CO-HOSTS!
Please credit the original source when using other's projects and photographs.
Link up your blog post about your lovely post not your homepage.
Leave your blog name in the title.
Link back with a button or text in your post :)
Be friendly and have fun :)



Also linking up with Current Crush
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    Follow along on Twitter  Facebook  Pinterest

{Featured Sponsor}

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