Happy Day

 

 

 Hope you had a Happy Day!  ♥

Change

I've been craving change. Which is strange coming from the girl who orders the same thing every where she goes and loves a set routine. I think I just feel safe in the expected. But as I grow and stretch, God is teaching me to embrace change more. Change can be really good for you. And it is definitely needed for growth.
So. I'm embracing it.

For the past couple of months I have thought a lot about how I want to use my blog and the different ways to stretch it's tent poles a little more. There are a few things coming...probably not until after the holidays.  But for now, as you can see, we've already begun to change the look of it. I wanted clean and simple. My sweet friend from Katy Girl Designs did an amazing job don't you think?

She also worked with me to create a new logo for my shop.

 

 If you've checked out my shop lately you may have already seen the change, but there is still more to come. Including a ton of new pieces to be added! I am hoping/planning to get the shop update done this week----hopefully by Thursday!

If you follow me on instagram {if you don't yet and want to, you can click that cute little camera on the right!} then you have seen a lot of peaks of the custom work I've been doing {and loving} and also other new pieces. Soon they will all be listed in the shop along with the option for custom pieces.


Oh and speaking of change? I went from being a blondie/brownie to a reddish/auburn!
I was a little freaked out by it at first and mourned the loss of my blonde....aka my comfort zone.
But in the spirit of embracing change, I decided to give it a chance.

And now? I think I kinda love it. It's fun for fall, don't you think? 
Change is good. I'm learning that and I am excited for it.

What about you...have you made any changes in your life that you are excited about? I'd love to hear about them. Oh and also, I love to interact with y'all, so know that if you leave me a comment I almost always reply to it in the comments, so be sure to check back in them.

Love you All.
Excited for what is to come and happy to have y'all along with me.

time markers

We are supposed to get a cold front here on Friday.
I could not be more excited y'all.
I am ready to make my famous potato soup. Which is not actually mine, but my mom's. And it's not famous really except in our family. But calling it my famous potato soup sounds so much more exciting.

I ordered Asher and Bella their costumes today. Target online was the only place who had the costume Asher wanted. He had to be difficult and request the original batman....not the Dark Knight one. I repeat, not the Dark Knight. Do not mistake this. He will flash you a look of distaste like you have never seen if you accidentally suggest the Dark Knight Batman costume.

Bella is going to be Batgirl. I asked her a million times if this is what she wanted to be, and she insisted it was. I just wanted to make sure she wasn't being persuaded by her big brother. He is good at persuading.  

And Mia is going to be a leopard. I told Asher we could pretend she is cat woman but he wasn't having it.....There is no gray in Asher's world. Only black and white. We can not say Mia is cat woman unless she is wearing an official cat woman costume. clearly.

How do you celebrate Halloween? We usually just do the trunk or treat thing at church and take the kids to my grandmas afterwards where they eat an unhealthy amount of candy. No need to go door to door when Grandma has buckets full. 

We've been able to get by with "celebrating" this way up until this year. Asher has started asking questions and I am glad he has, because I want him to have knowledge of why we do things a little different. We explained things as best as we could but it is hard for a kid to understand. For now, he is good with batman costumes and buckets of candy.

I can not believe that October is almost over. October through December is hands down my favorite time of year. I always wish it would go slow, but that never seems to happen. One way I think that helps make time sort of stand still a little bit is with little things we do each year. Kind of like markers.

We like to take the kids to a pumpkin patch each year. Every year I say we are going to go earlier in October, and every year we wait till the last weekend of the month. This year is no different. Better late then never right? 
We are planning to take them this weekend. I am crossing my fingers for a good family picture.


These were from last year. Asher still had his baby teeth.
 

 




I look at these pictures and I think this..., this is why I want to document every bit of life. to mark it with significance and make memories.

It is precious and fleeting but the memories last forever. I can remember specific details about the moments of time these  were taken.
Like how Asher was more interested in jumping off the hay bales then taking pictures. How Mia couldn't walk yet, but didn't want to be held either, which was tricky.
And how that hat kept falling off Bella's head, but she was determined to keep it on for pictures {unlike her stinker of a little sister.} 
Also her dress got a hole under the arm from playing rough with Asher. And we went to eat some super delicious hamburgers afterwards.

This is the beauty of traditions and capturing them, isn't it?
Remembering. Even the little things.

Do you have any special family traditions you look forward to each year?

Currently Digging...

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1. this color from essie. I'm a fan of a good neutral and "sand tropez" is the perfect one.

2.This dry shampoo from suave. I have just discovered the gloriousness of dry shampoo and this is the only one I've tried, so I don't have anything to compare it to but I love it...if you have one you love and think I need to try it, then please do tell.

3. This J.Crew phone cover. It's on my birthday wishlist.

5. Ben & Jerry's Blueberry Vanilla Graham Greek Yogurt.

It's totally replaced my love for cookie dough ice cream.

6. This print from my friend Katy.

 7. This post from one of my favorite bloggers.

8. This sad but hilarious truth.

9. This song. It makes me cry in a good way.

10. Chocolate Croissants from Whole Foods. 

11. The Mentalist. Although all of these CSI, Law & Order, NCIS type shows are making me paranoid. Everyone is a suspect. Trust no one.

12. And lastly, this reminder that I need daily. 

Are you loving anything in particular right now?
Tell me about it.

xo

California

 
Last Friday Brandon and I had the fun opportunity to go out to Corona California for a few days to visit with a church called South Hills. Our church here in San Antonio {where Brandon currently serves as associate pastor} will soon become a South Hills campus and in September of next year Brandon and I will actually be starting our own South Hills church somewhere here on the North West side of San Antonio.

I remember so clearly that when I first met Brandon, one thing he said to me before we got really serious was "you know I will always be in ministry, so that means you will always be in ministry too."

In other words he was letting me know then, that this would be our life. Ministry. At the time I was so love struck with this boy that I was like "oh yeah, of course, uh huh, ministry, yeah, sounds great"

Over the years I've been stretched and grown in so many ways. I used to pray that God would give me a compassion for people. A love for them that was so strong and so real. Because I wanted so badly to be used by him, for him, and in a real, genuine, from the heart way....with a passion for those who are lost and hurting.



9 years ago, being a young and in love girl, I would never have wished for what has come my way over the years. But 9 years ago I could never have known how it would all change me. Completely. And I would never have guessed that I would one day be thankful for how it did.

Even though this has been a prayer of ours for a while, the timeline for how God has made it all happen is perfect. It always is isn't it? And we are really excited to see how it begins to unfold over the next few months.

I'm not going lie, it is a tiny bit scary for me. I get nervous about not being the typical "pastors wife"...or about the responsibilities that come with leading a church. But something I've recently resolved within myself to do, is not to focus on what I am not, and instead on what I am.

And what I am is a girl who is genuinely seeking after God's heart. A sinner, a mistake maker, a mess...an imperfect girl totally reliant on a perfect God. A girl who loves people and wants them to know God's love for them in return.

California gave us a chance to see and hear from the hearts of the people who will be praying with us and supporting us when we step out. It was really good for us to be able to connect with them on a deeper, more familiar level.

It was hard to leave the kids for a week though. I cried like a big baby when I had to say goodbye to Mia. I've never been away from her for longer than one night. She is basically just another part of me. Like an extra arm or something. But I got daily pictures and text updates and they all did great. We are extremely fortunate to have family who love our kids like we do. It was so good to be away knowing they were in good hands.

I was definitely having a pity party up until we boarded the plane to take off for Cali. Then it hit me that we have no idea when we would get to go on a trip just Brandon and I again, and that I am always pushing to live in the moment and be glad for where you are.
So I slapped my self upside the head, told myself the kids would be fine and made a choice to enjoy my time with Brandon.



And I did.
We ate a lot. We met some amazing new people. We ran. We shopped. We went sight seeing in New Port Beach, Anaheim, and Laguna Beach {I kept looking for L.C}
We slept a lot in between meeting times and places to be. Literally I slept like a baby on this trip. I haven't had that much uninterrupted sleep since Asher was born. No lie. Also, I ate cheesecake for breakfast one morning.

And I got to meet my sweet blog friend Leslie. She took us to a yummy restaurant right on the beach. It was so fun to meet her. Sometimes you forget these people you get to know on the internet are real....like it's sort of bizarre to see them in person. but I'm here to tell you that they are real ;) Leslie was just as beautiful on the outside as she was the inside.

California was refreshing and eye opening in more ways than one. I'm super excited for where God is taking mine and Brandon's path.
But there is nothing like coming home to your own bed and your own home and your squishy kids.
We got home late Thursday night so the next morning I went to get Mia from her crib, and she was so happy to see me, then stopped for a second, reached for my face and touched my cheek, as if to make sure I was real. I couldn't even handle it. I melted like putty in her little hands.

We picked up Asher out of school early and went to our native land---chikfila and Target.
California obviously has both of these but it's just not the same as your own, you know?

It's good to be home with these 3 turkeys.

xo

Half Marathon Training {an update}

I've been asked many times to share my training schedule. And to tell you the truth, I have only hesitated because I feel so unequipped to talk about running. To give any advice, or to lend any suggestions because there are so many other blogs out there who are way more experienced than I am.

But that is not why I started sharing this whole running thing with you. I started, because I wanted to show you that a girl like me, and a person like you, can be a runner.

Many of you know I started running a few months back. April 10th was my first run if we want to get specific. And in August I started training for the rock-n-roll half marathon.

I even shared 12 things I had learned from running in this post. 
*The only thing I would change about that list, is to wear whatever the heck you feel most comfortable in. For example, I've learned that I like to wear looser tops so they don't ride up while I run. I also prefer to wear black workout pants that fit to right below my knee.
Running shorts are cute, but running shorts are short. and I don't like worrying about whether my booty is going to try to make an appearance while I'm running on the busy street I run on. 
I still wear them, but only when/if my pants aren't clean*
 .
In these months of running, I'm not sure I've learned much more except to just get out and do it.  You will come up with every excuse in the book. You will even want to turn around and quit. It will be too hot, it might be too cold. Your shoes feel too tight, your shoes feel too loose. Your music stopped working....the list could go on and on. Trust me, I might be an expert. 

But the key to becoming a runner, is to stop the excuses and just get out and run.  Also, don't worry about your pace or time. I had to learn that one big time- I still need reminders in fact. The minute I stopped worrying about how fast I was going, I was able to run so much further. 

Here's the deal. I still can't say I love running.
Are there days I enjoy it? Yes. Days where I feel like I'm flying. Like I could go on forever. Wind in my hair, dixie chicks in my ears, and all is right in the world. 

Then there are days where it is all I can do to push out a 3 mile run without passing out.

My legs are in a permanent state of achiness.
My toes are starting to get blisters.
My form is probably jacked up from running/limping through pain, and I don't think I'm wearing the right kind of running shoes {I have nikes--If you are going to become a serious runner, look into asics or brooks}
My diet is also probably not the best for someone who is serious about training.
I am not willing to give up my chikfila or diet dr. peppers.

I've had to constantly reminded myself of all the reasons I am doing this....

 -The fact that I said I was going to do it. Sounds simple enough, but for me it's big. If I set out to do something and say I'm going to, I do.

-The fact that my sisters and my dad are training for it too.

-The fact that my dad is double my age and continues to give it his all, following the training schedule to a "t".

-The fact that I just really really want to know how it feels to cross the finish line.

-The fact that no one cares how fast or slow I go... in the end, that I finished will be what matters. 

All of the reasons above, are what keep me going.
It's a choice I have to make every single day to get up and go. It's not always easy, but the days where I feel like I'm flying? They kind of make up for it all. Those are the days you keep running for. 

But what I have learned the most is that we can either be our worst enemy, or our biggest cheerleader. We fight so many battles within ourselves, against ourselves. We have to push through those thoughts of quitting, or giving up, or inadequacy that are discouraging us.

Cause on the other side is a finish line waiting for us to cross. And I don't know about you, but I want to finish it.

Since so many of you asked, here is what my training schedule looks like. I believe it is the same training schedule that many people use by Hal Higdon The days are just adjusted to fit my schedule. If you are thinking of training for a half, check out his site for sure, and pick the training level that fits. 

 {sorry it's blurry, if you have any questions feel free to ask away!}

I hope that through all of this- all of my honesty and vulnerability, discouragements, and victories- you'll see yourself, and know you can do it too. Cause you can.

Since it's been a while since I updated y'all with my running, I'd love to hear from you too. Are you still running? Just started? Thinking about starting? have you ran in any races before?

Fabric Wrapped Fall Wreath

One of my favorite ways to decorate for a changing season is with wreaths. 

Last year I made a burlap rosette one, then for the spring and summer I made a yarn one. 

This year, I'd been seeing a lot of super cute fabric wrapped wreaths and wanted to try to make a fall one for our front door.

It was so much easier than the yarn wreaths. Lord have mercy those take forever!

This one is as simple as cutting your fabric, wrapping, then hot gluing.

{I used an 18inch straw wreath form and kept the plastic on}

Most of the fabric I used, I found at Joannes this past weekend. 

The mustard yellow polka dot {my favorite} was from Hobby Lobby. 

Confession: I am totally obsessed with buying fabric even though I can't sew.  

So anytime I have a way to use it, I'm all about it. 

I love how random and eclectic the wreath turned out. I wasn't concerned so much with making it look too "put together."  Instead, I wanted it to look coordinated, but not matchy-matchy. 

I'm really into these colors right now. I added the black and white polka dot ribbon, because you wouldn't think it 'goes', but then it did. 
I love that. 

Also, the lace added a little different texture too. My nana gave me a bunch of her old lace a while ago and I love to find ways to use it. 
But you can find some in the ribbon and trim section of any craft store. 

 I made a few felt rosettes and added a couple of "leaves" in one of the fabrics to sort of pull it all together. added the polka dot bow and called it good.

I really really love how it turned out. 
What do you think?

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Meanwhile... Mia is obsessed with Bubba and Betty.  She talks to them like she thinks they will talk back.  We had a bad rain storm yesterday and she was very concerned for them. She kept asking me if they were ok as she watched them get spun around by the wind from the window.

Bubba and Betty survived. Not to worry. 

And as soon as she woke up this morning, she wanted to go check on them. 

No clothes and all....

She does what she wants around here.