Lovin on my shoes!

Shoes, there everywhere! On Mountain tops and in the air! And if you care to look around you'll even find them underground.. Wait no that's not right... Hmmm.. Well in my case it is I have shoes everywhere! I have a mild I mean HUGE obsession with shoes! And guess what!!!! Oh, come on guess.... Ok, fine I'll tell you! Wildflowers and Whimsy is have a linky party about what you ask? SHOES! How great is that? I think it is pretty darn great! So since she asked I feel only compelled to share some  or 100 pairs of my favorite shoes!

First I will start with these little sweet puppies:

My brown Candies that were on sale at Kohl's for 20 dollars! I don't know how I lived without these shoes!

I love peek a boo toe shoes! Don't you??? One of my favorite things about these shoes is the bottom of them! They have little tiny heart grippers all over the bottom! Adore :)

Here is a side shot! Drooling still over these!

Moving onto my other loves! My brown boots that were a gift from my mom for Christmas! Again seriously these boots are hot! And I totally rock them :)

I love wearing these with some skinny jeans and a long tank & Cami! Always makes me smile! If I could wear these with pj's I would :)

Next are another pair of Candies (I have a mild obsession with Candies shoes) These are super comfy and I love the deep plum color of them! I love wearing them with my white skirt and plum top and accessories! And since I live in Florida I can pretty much wear skirts year round :) But they look super cute with jeans too!

And then finally my cute but sassy black heels! Yes I realize the inside is a bit messed up. I was trying out these new heel inserts and they stuck to the inside of the shoe. Well after a month or so they became uncomfortable and well as you can see they are no more! I absolutely love these pretties! They go with pretty much anything because they are black and that works perfectly for me since I have a lot of black and gray clothes! I probably wear these 3 times a week to work. I get compliments on them all the time and well when shoes just make you smile you know they are good :)

So there you have it a little peek into my shoe collection! I hope you all enjoyed! Is there anyone else out there that shares my fondness for shoes? If so please blog about it a link up to Wildflowers and Whimsy!

Weekend Happenings

So this weekend is going to be really fun and not too busy! Just the way I like it! Tonight will be a tad bit busy though. I am having a Thirty-One Party at my house tomorrow at 11am. So that means I need to straighten up a tad bit and finish some projects before tomorrows festivities! One of the projects being the fact that we removed the towel rack and toilet paper holder and painted them, they were old ugly wood grain with Gold trim. So I gave them each two coats of a flat white paint and then I have to hand paint in the trim and change it to silver! I am really excited for the changes that will be happening soon in that bathroom. We already have paint for the walls, fabric for the shower curtain, and the rug half made! I have a feeling it is going to turn out fantastic and be very boy friendly and not so feminine! Jon doesn't much care for the butterfly shower curtain we have hanging up :)

Then after the party the hubs and I are going to take the kids out to the park! I think that will be super fun! I have been wanting to take Austin to the roller rink so I am hoping we can get a sitter so that the 3 of us can go have an evening of fun with Austin! I think it is very important for us to do things as a family and then each have one on one time with the boys! One of my favorite one on one times with Austin is when he helps me fold laundry and we just talk about his day, or what he is interested in, (right now he loves science and rocks) or my favorite, what he would like for his Birthday (even if Christmas is a month away he still will tell you what he wants for his Birthday!) and when is his Birthday going to get here :)

Then Sunday we are working in the nursery at Church so we will be there for half a day then head home and have a lazy Sunday! Maybe watch some movies, have snuggle time, tickle wars, and maybe Austin and I can even fit in a game (or 10 :) of connect 4! Austin and I love that game!

What are you doing this weekend? I hope you have a great one!

Parenting

So one of our goals this year has been to try to work harder at this thing we call parenting. And so far so good. God has been really working on changing me into a patient person. Now I find myself talking to my children, not raising my voice! I hate that there was ever a second that I yelled at my kids! I wish I could take it all back. I can't I can only move forward and learn from my mistakes. And boy what a journey it has been. More and more everyday the kids and I are learning one another. More and more I am starting to realize that how I was raised was not right and that I need to always remember that! Every night Austin, Ethan and I read. We play with puzzles. (Ethan doesn't have the whole puzzle concept down yet but were working on it!) We run around the house playing tickle monster. Or we pretend to play cops and robbers. Or hide and seek! We color and talk, we laugh we cry and at the end of the day I collapse! But it is all worth it! It's worth it to know that my kids are being raised to the best of my abilities. Being raised to respect one another, being raised to love one another, being raised up in the word of God. So thank you God for Summit Church and Thank you God for changing me into your beautiful child/woman so that I can help work and mold the lives of my Children!

New Year thoughts...

So I have thought a lot about the New Year and making resolutions and here's what I've come up with....

I have always prided myself on being someone who is real, someone who doesn't sugar coat things, someone who is full of compassion... Well I find that I am not always being this person. I find that I am trapped inside myself (if this makes any sense, please bare with me) I feel like there is so much more I can be, so much more I can do, but I am stuck. Stuck here in this place unable to move forward or back... I have thought a lot about this over the years. Thinking why can't I open up, why can't I let it go. And well I still don't have the complete answer there. But what I have learned is that because of my life (from birth up until 4 to 5 years ago) I am stuck. I didn't grow up with love or compassion, in fact my life lacked pretty much any light! My mother was a hard worker and ALWAYS worked to provide for me to make sure I had a life that she never did and I'm grateful for that in a way. But while she was concentrating all her time on school and work she had no time for me. She would rarely sit down and just play with me. I was a mistake in her eyes, some responsibility that she had to live with. She never really loved me the way a child should be loved. And all of this hindered me. I couldn't love because I wasn't loved. I started randomly dating boys when I was 14. I would do anything to just feel something, anything from someone else. A year later I had sex (something I am not proud of) and then when I was 16 I got pregnant. This was extremely scary for me. I was then pressured into marring my Ex husband. It was a pretty bad marriage. The day I gave birth to Austin was special, yes I was a scared 17 year old girl but I had this sudden feel of love fill me. I had someone to love who would whole heartily love me back! Someone who would look to me for guidance. I had a chance to break my cycle. I was married to my Ex husband for 5 years. And besides having Austin I would have to say that was probably the worst 5 years of my life. My ex would get drunk a lot. He would physically and mentally abuse me. I was a scared women. I was the weakest I had ever been. I was scared to leave and scared to stay. Finally one day after 5 years I had, had enough. It was the straw that broke the camels back. I told him to leave and never come back. He tried to convince me that he could be the man I needed but after 5 years. I couldn't repair that bridge. It was shattered into a million pieces. Of course I was no Angel in this whole marriage. I cheated on my ex several times with the same man. I realized what I had done was wrong but again I just wanted someone to care about me. So we went our separate ways....

And then I met Jon, someone who loved me, I mean really LOVED me. I couldn't believe that men like him actually existed. It was too good to be true. We had a great but sometimes bumpy relationship and we haven't had the perfect marriage but we work at it everyday! I could sing praises about my husband and two amazing boys all day long, but I think you get the picture. My life isn't great nor perfect, but it's a blessing to me. Because it is a life that is filled with God's never-ending love. A love that I think I am finally starting to understand. A love that I don't deserve. And having Jon and the boys around make it that much better. I don't deserve them or the life I have but I am blessed and humbled that God would give me three such amazingly awesome guys!

I guess what my point is, is that I have a lot of baggage. Some that I am ashamed of, oh heck a lot that I am ashamed of! I think it is time that I seek some Godly council. Someone that may help me unlock my inner demons, someone that can help me face all the hurt, pain, and suffering, and can turn it into something that I can use to bring glory to God in the highest. And my thoughts are that in turn if I can release this pain, guilt, suffering, then I may even be able to become a better person for my husband and for our boys! And someone more equip to bring forth God's word someone who can reflect it and someone who can help my mom and sister see that this is a life worth living a life full of love, a life where your never alone!

The reason why I tell you this isn't because I want pity, it is because I want to keep myself accountable. And I also want to be a person who is real, a blogger who is real. So this is me folks. I have baggage, I need some help to sort out my baggage. And I'm not afraid to admit it.

So that is one of my New Years resolutions.

Some others are:
I want to be a patient person. Slow to anger and quick to apoligize. I want to make my family proud. I want to be a mother and wife who was known for my compassion. I don't want to set these unattianable goals, and I don't want my family to think they can't live up to my expectations. And for that reason I am not having any expectations. I will set ground rules you know, Love God, work hard, have fun, clean your rooms, and so on.

I want to read my bible everyday. But like Jamin said (My pastor at Church) I don't just want to read the word but I want the word to dwell in me. I want God to do a mighty work in me. I want it to soak it in and dwell!

This is my prayer, these are what I desire! I have a feeling 2011 is going to be an amazing year. Not one without speed bumps, I'm expecting those. But one with more love, understanding, and PEACE! I can finally say that I believe whole heartily that my life will have peace and balance.

So I am wishing you all a properous and Happy New Year. I pray that you all will come closer in your relationships with God or that you will come into a relationship with God! Either way I pray that this will be a year centered on the One who truly matters!

I'm dreaming.....

Of a  White Blessed Christmas....

I have been thinking a lot about the reason for the season, you know why we celebrate Christmas! And I have truly found peace in celebrating this year! Every year of my life Christmas day has always been kind of chaotic, stressful, have to run here, have to be in two places at once, can never make all parties happy, and so on. Well this year I put my foot down. Everyone will be coming to our house in the morning (ie: Jon's mom and sister, and my mom and sister) I had to do this because I was starting to lose sight of the reason why we celebrate Christmas. Not to run from house to house and make everyone happy, not to have me so stressed because I can't be in two places at once, not to open presents, But to celebrate Jesus' life! His birth, what HE means to us, what HE has given us, what HE has given me. There aren't enough words in the English language to sum up how much I love him! I am so grateful that I get to spend this day with my family worshipping HIM! He has given me fresh eyes and a new heart. I see things differently then I did before I knew him, and on this beautiful day I get to celebrate HIM (I already do celebrate HIM) but I get to find peace for the first time in a long time on this day! Praise the Lord for always providing for us! I wish you all a Blessed Christmas, and a Happy New Year! May you all find peace on the Lords day!

Forgive me, For I have lost track of time....

It has been 34 days since my last post....

I have been super busy! Way too busy. In the last month I have hosted Thanksgiving at my house, Been to an product party, Went to my fisrt baby shower ever (other then my own), went black Friday shopping for the first time ever, Been to four Christmas parties, BECAME AN AUNT AGAIN!!!! The list goes on! But lets skip straight to talking about the whole aunt thing! I am so excited to be an aunt for the third time now! It is amazing! He was born yesterday 12/9/10 at 5:04am weighed 7lbs 13oz and was 20 1/4 inches long! He has all ten fingers and all ten toes and a cute little button nose :) I can't wait to meet him! It may take awhile but I will hold my little nephew in my arms and tell him how much I love him! I will!

Back to the begining of my list Thanksgiving. It was a blast my husband and I hosted our first Thanksgiving in our home and it was nice! We had the most juicy turkey ever! And the company was nice too :) Things went smoothly and I had all the mess cleaned up before anyone even left! It didn't even look like we have just hosted Thanksgiving! That's the best part!

The product party I went to was super fun! I will talk more about it after I host my own super fabulous party on 1/22/11 @ 11am! I hope all my dear friends can make it! I know they will have loads of fun!

Jeni's baby shower! It was so amazing! She is completely beautiful and Haley hosted a wonderful event! It was so much fun! I loved the punch! (Haley I must have that recipe :) I can't wait to meet baby Logan! I know he will be such a blessing!

Black Friday Shopping was amazing and crazy all at the sametime! I will probably do it again next year! Hopefully I will have a shopping buddy next year!


Four Christmas parties all within the span of 2 weeks! They were all loads of fun! I am so greatful to have been invited to each and every one of them!

This is a very short week for me! I have Friday off! Woo Hoo! I need this day of badly! I am so looking forward to it! I will get some Christmas shopping done! Yes, I am not done yet! I know it is horrible! I need to get with the program! I should be done by the 22nd! I hope! Stocking stuffers and all!

So as you can see I have had a ton of reasons to fall off the blogging band wagon so to speak!

Have a great week!

Mouse pad makeover!

So I have had this nasty mouse pad that houses my mouse at work. It is something I see and use everyday and the look of it was killing me! I mean really how does a mouse pad get so icky? Well I could no longer stand it, I knew I had to get a new one from the supply cabinet. (but to me that just seemed like such a waste) I mean I knew the next one would be clean but boring and that I would never be totally happy with it, so I decided to make it pretty! I like to surround myself with pretty things! (who doesn't?) So I was like "ok I am going to give this pad a full body makeover"!!! So I knew I had some pretty fabric sitting around at home that would look lovely on it! All I needed was something to go under it  you know to cover up the fabric so I thought well maybe felt?? And then thought no that would slide around too much so I looked up and down the aisles at the craft store and found foam! Duh, Why didn't I think of it sooner? And for 30 cents a piece I was happy :)

So here is what you will need for this project:

- Fabric (Make sure you have enough to doubled it so your mouse pad doesn't show through)

- Mod Podge (Glue)

- Foam paint brush (For brushing your glue on)

- Foam (They come in squares at the craft store)

Step One:

Cut your fabric & foam to size  (Sorry no pictures, but this is pretty self explanatory)

Step Two:

Put mouse pad face down on folded fabric.

Step Three:

Start applying glue to the back edges of the mouse pad, all the way around. Then put your fabric on top of the glue folding as needed. (Again very easy no pictures)

Step Four:

After all the pieces are glued down go over the top of them with more glue to make sure they are really stuck down!

Step Five:

Cover one size of the foam with glue. Then paste on the back of your mouse pad. Then maybe get a heavy book and leave it on top of the mouse pad all night to make sure it all holds together!

And that's it, it's that easy! So for the cost of 30 cents I have this completely cute totally functional mouse pad! Check it out!



Here is the finished product! (Sorry the picture is so bad it was taken at night!)




Back view!




And here she is in her home on my desk at work! Isn't she pretty??

 I hope you all have a blessed day!

I am linking up to this party: