I am all about making a house a home...

and better yet, making your house a home

on a budget!

Here are some sites that I find extremely 

inspiring and creative. I just thought I'd 

share. 

I ♥ before and afters from design sponge.

I especially like the ones she featured today...

and this...

and this designer nursery...

and this outdoor couch...

I also LOVE Layla's house and her 

design ideas...

Seeing her dining room made me

re-think and re-paint our dining room...

And, of course, we all love Young House Love...

Seeing their whole house, made me re-think our

whole house's design. 

♥ their living room!

And what is quickly becoming a favorite

website for ALL of those who are looking

to make their own furniture and not spend

money out the butt, check out knock off wood! 

I ♥ her bragging board posts. Especially

this woman's outdoor dining table that cost

a whopping $16.52 to make!!!

Someday I'll have a patio and a big outdoor dining 

table and it will be awesome!

And last but not least,

the most memorable house I've ever read about...

I couldn't find the blog post about her

that I had originally read but the thing

that stuck out to me, that she said, was

that it was their family's home so they 

designed with their family in mind and also

that they never spent more then $150 on a room (i think).

Whenever I re-design a room, in our home, 

I think about family-functionality and simplicity.

I've learned a few things and I am anxious to get

back to designing our home once things settle

down a bit. Right now it's all staring at me like

a blank canvas... 

Someday I'll tackle my to-do's with all of the

ideas and inspirations I have found in blogland...

For now I thought I'd share them with you!

Enjoy!

well, maybe not...

same guy. different woman...

via keith (my b.i.l.)

so sweet...

my brother-in-law took this video today at an expo he's dj(ing)

project 52 failure!

due to a HUGE lack of energy, our date nights got pushed back. there really is no excuse for not dating each other (making time for each other is the whole point)  but it seriously hasn't entered our mind. we're lucky if we get 10 minutes alone, let alone a whole date! when we can get quiet time, it's never anything super exciting so i have felt that it wasn't blog worthy. for example, last night we watched 'pirate radio' but not without about 3 interruptions from baby needing to eat and be put back to sleep. oh, and liam sneaking out of his room. 

this is apparently a phase in having children. so i've been told from mommy friends. where you don't have a single moment to yourself and everything is screaming for your attention and you just want to lock yourself in the bathroom and pull your hair-out and cry. i'm soooo there! but i am determined to win this daily battle and especially when it comes to my marriage. we have to make 'us' a priority again. our kids are taking over!

so hopefully, my friends, we will once again join you in this wonderful dating community. we will attempt for a date this week. even if it is an hour. and hopefully it will be blog worthy.

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My sweet snuggly girl. We were listening to the rain.



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My handsome little man...


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My musical family...



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faye louise is...

5 months old!

she is such a joy! i know i say that often 

but i really mean it. she's working on 

getting in some teeth and has been a 

little bit crabby but that's understandable.

she was nearly 18lbs. at her last dr.

visit! she's a big girl and we just love

every roll and cherish our little sweetie. 

her smile lights up our world. her cry

breaks our hearts. and her kisses are the

best. she's an excellent cuddler too!

HAPPY 5 MONTHS FAYE!

we ♥ you!

every month i am taking her photo with 

a blanket that my mom made for her...

month 1 - month 2 - month 3 - month 4

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We ate meat for dinner! *gasp*
We had fun and I got a night off from cooking.



But now my stomach is a mess...


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Me. The 'little mommy'. My best friend told my Hubby that I look the best I ever have. Thankyou. It's probably because I'm the happiest I have ever been. And my happiness is here to stay because it's finally based on Christ. Not on me, my husband, or my children. They are added blessings that I have the priviledge to love & nurture.




-my iPhone did this

Last night...

I spoke for the first time in my life. I had the privilege of speaking to the youth at our church. God laid it on my heart a long time ago to minister. I didn't understand it then, but I did begin writing a bible study focusing on finding out who you are in Christ. I pursued it but it wasn't His timing. It was missing the Truth. Had I pursued it in and of myself, it may have bore some fruit, but it mostly would have just been frustrating and I would have gotten burned. And in a way I did burned because I pursued it, to a degree, and hit a dead end. So I just kept it in the back of my mind and knew that when God brought it back up, it'd be His timing and He'd give me everything in which to fulfill His calling on my life.

Fast forward to now... At the beginning of this year God called me back into ministry. I didn't know how it was gonna work but I knew it was specifically for helping people find their identity in Christ. I realized, in my own life, that nothing was making me happy and nothing was satisfying my need to feel like I belonged. When I started learning about God's grace and about His truth, I began to see His plan for my life and for life in general and it has lit a fire under my butt and I just can't contain it!

About 2 months ago I had asked my good friend, Hannah (youth pastor's wife), if they needed help at the youth group. I was kind of just testing the water to see if God was really calling me into ministry right now. Well, a few weeks after that she asked me to come along to youth group one night because they were splitting the boys and the girls up and talking about love and relationships. So I went and quietly observed the girls and listened to their stories. I felt compelled to share my story the following week. I had never spoke in front of people but it didn't frighten me. I had complete peace and just a knowing in my heart that He was speaking through me, and that I am simply a vessel with a mouth and a story. So I shared my story with about 8 girls that following week.

What I have found in the past 6 weeks is that when God calls you to do something, He gives you a will and a way. He also gives you butt load of courage and strength that you didn't know you had in you. And when He calls you to do something, you cannot keep silent. Not only will you be blessed, you will bless others.

And what I found last night is that even if my words sound like my words, it sounds like Jesus to the enemy. (thank you beth moore!) I have the awesome opportunity to share my heart with the entire youth group for a couple of weeks. Last night being the first. And although I trailed off from my notes and lost my place several times and had a complete brain-fart, I know God still used me. And He gave me an awesome friend in Hannah and she perfectly summed up the night and what I was saying. I did so much better when I wasn't looking to my notes for help and just talked. Lessons learned...

I thought I'd share what I talked about last night. Written out, it makes a whole lot more sense.

The Lord laid Jeremiah 29:11 on my heart.

"For I know the plans I have for you,"

declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you

and not to harm you, plans to give you

hope and a future."

And as I was preparing for my little series for the youth, I kept coming back to this verse and how encouraging it is. So I decided to talk about each part of the verse. 

1) "For I know the plans that I have for you," declares the Lord

HE has plans for us! Psalms 139:13 says that He knit us together in our mother's womb. And Jeremiah 1:5 says that even before He made us in our mother's womb, He knew who we were. Regardless of how we got here or whether or not our parents wanted us or were ready for us, He was ready for us to come to earth and live out the life that He set before us. We are here on purpose. He has a plan for our lives that HE created and HE created us to live out that plan. And we are all uniquely special because we all have a specific calling.

He knows the plans He has for us. 

2) "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, (i just wanna bold this whole part it's that good)

But He also gave us something called freewill and with that freewill we can choose to walk away from these plans that He has for us. I have found though that when you walk away from His chosen path for you, He brings you back to where He wants you. Those paths that are away from Him can bring on a lot of damage and stress and anxiety. And not because He is 'teaching us a lesson' so therefore making our lives harder but because we've stepped away from His plan and therefore cause a lot of drama for ourselves. A lot of the 'bad things' that tend to happen to us comes from us being stupid or from other people acting within their freewill. But that is a whole other something that I'll share with you soon...

My point is that, His plans are great. Sometimes it's not something easy (like speaking in front of people) but His plan is ALWAYS better and He always gives us the tools to succeed. He will never harm us. He is love and cannot act outside of who He is. He gave us grace through His son dying for our sins and therefore has given us freedom from all that condemns us. We are free in Him. And your life is forever changed for the better when you are following His plan. 

We can try and try to do things that we think are best. We can try and make our own way. But I have found though that this often causes stress and unexplained unhappiness and discontentment. I get a gut-feeling and I am learning to let that gut-feeling speak louder then me. 

I have also found that when i'm in one of those predicaments, it's easier to let God get me out of the mess I make then to try on my own. And that letting Him take care of a concern in my life, heals the whole wound forever and is not a short-lived quick-fix. But that is another whole other thing I'm going to share with you sometime. 

3) plans to give you hope and a future."

He doesn't mean that if you don't follow His plan that you won't have a future and He'll kill you off. It means that with Him you can have a future. And good future fulfilling your life's calling and living in the freedom of His grace. But more importantly, an everlasting future. Not weighed down by heartaches and troubles or even by death. 

Next week I'm sharing about what those plans for our lives might be...

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My adorable nephew, Parker.


-my iPhone did this

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A sweet moment I captured during church. She loves her daddy!


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A little Saturday afternoon stroll to a coffee shop down the street.


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Out celebrating my mom's 45th birthday



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What you'll see me in this summer...

If I know you personally that is and feel comfortable enough to be near you half-naked. I will never feel comfortable being half-naked though, in public, but this suit sure does help with the stage-fright. Let me tell you about this wonder suit...

It's been a while since I've actually worn a one-piece. I shopped for one after Liam was born. I looked ridiculous. I am only 5'4'' and I have no torso so a one-piece just made me look shorter and wider. So I never bothered with a one-piece again. 

Now, after having faye, I have a few more pounds to lose but more then anything I have more loose skin around my middle that makes a lovely ring that I really didn't feel like showing off this summer. I'm sure it'll go away eventually (she's only 5 mo. my husband reminds me) but it's there right now, and I don't want to see it or worry about it. I just want to enjoy my summer. 

So I started shopping online for some one-pieces. At first I found this one at Victoria Secret...

but for $169 i wasn't about to buy.

So I kept looking. I looked at oldnavy.com, gap.com, forever21.com, etc. etc. with no luck at all. Nothing was really like that suit or worth the price. But then I looked on target.com and I was happily surprised to see an almost identical suit for only $35.00! 

the only downside is that it was online-only but after reading reviews like:

and another woman gave it 5 stars but said, 'don't buy this suit!!!

cause i don't want every woman on the beach matching me!!!'

So I decided to order it and take my chances. I could always sent it back. I ordered a small in the blue (which is actually more of a teal in person). I was surprised with the quality of the suit and how cute it actually was. Much cuter in person then even on the model. Probably cause that model doesn't have awesome baby-baring hips like me.

Anyways, the small fit but it was a little small in the butt area and a bit short in the torso. I didn't feel like having to constantly adjust so I ordered a medium and decided that I also loved the red, so I ordered the red. 

I am very happy with the fit of the medium. It's a little big in width but it's not noticeable and I'd take that over being too small in bad areas. My only complaint is that the strap comes off easily (it's one of those optional straps) and it slips out of the little fabric hook. And it is not adjustable. I am going to figure out a way to make the strap stay where it needs too and maybe shorten it a bit or tie a knot in it. But that's a minor thing. It's not like my girls are gonna fall out. I just like the added support of a strap. 

I would post a picture of me in it just to show you how wonderful it truly is.... NOT!!! I don't know how this review is that helpful since I am not willing to do so, you'll just have to take my word for it and all the other women's reviews. You can always send it back and it's only $35.00!! Can't beat that. 

So if you're looking for the perfect not-my-grandma's-one-piece for this summer, I highly suggest this one.

what i've been feeding my family...

other then our past week because we were 

extremely busy. but we're back on track 

this week! 

i thought i'd share with you what changes we've made to our diet. so far it's worked for almost a month.

after my husband watched food inc and we started watching jamie oliver's food revolution we have decided to try and eat healthier. we are totally grossed out by what is actually in our meat so, we've omitted meat in the meals at home unless i get it from a local organic source. until then, i've been cooking most of my regular recipes just without the meat and by adding more vegetables. 

so example, just the other night instead of making chicken fettucini with alfredo sauce i made vegetable fettucini with alfredo sauce. i used steamed broccoli, cauliflower, and peas. we all agreed that it was better then the fettucini with chicken.

i also make veggie burritos, spinach tomato pizza, veggie soup, rice and veggie stir-fry, etc.

so far, we aren't missing meat. but when we go out to eat (which is about 2 times on the weekends) we usually eat things with meat but since making this change, we really try to order things with more veggies and less meat. 

i feel a lot better eating this way. not to mention that it's cheaper! at the start of each week, i do my grocery shopping. i mostly buy fresh fruits and vegetables with the exception of a few bags of frozen veggies to steam. then i cut-up, what's not for meals and put them into baggies for snacking.

grapes, strawberries, cucumbers, green peppers, celery, cantaloupe, and pineapple

now that we're used to this way of eating and since we're heading into summer with local food markets, we're going to incorporate organically grow fruits and vegetables. i know most of our fruits and veggies from the store aren't as healthy as they can be but it's a step in the right direction. we've also stopped buying milk as most of us, in this house, are lactose-intolerant. 

some days i wish i could live on a farm and raise and grow our own food but i'm not cut-out for that lifestyle nor do i have a green thumb. so until or if ever that happens, this is how we are eating. 

for all my non-facebook or twitter friends...

here is our daughter olivia singing a song
for her baby sister and telling me the
story of adam and eve.

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She's bad-A cause she has a tattoo... And she did it herself... Without medication...


She's not afraid of ink pens...


-posted via my iPhone

my girls...

they mean the world to me. i would do anything for them. and, more importantly, i will be honest

and open with them always. i never want to sugar-coat anything. when i feel myself starting to sweet

talk something, i stop and realize that the words coming out of my mouth aren't even my words.

it's what i've been spoon-fed my whole life. so then i make a conscious decision to speak truth. 

there is freedom in truth. there is life in truth. and i pray they'll find encouragement in their lives from their truth speaking momma.

today i ended up having one of those 'truth talks' with olivia. we discussed molestation, abduction, sex within marriage, gay people, and masturbation... are you gasping? i didn't use that terminology, i assure you. but i didn't sugar coat anything and i didn't make any harsh judgements. i simply explained our beliefs and stressed God's grace and love for us and His plan for us. i made it easy for her to understand without going into actual details. i realize she's only five but nowadays things happen earlier and earlier on in life and i want her to be prepared for anything that might come up. i did not take her innocence away or make her feel uncomfortable. i just talked to my daughter. 

and then i painted our toenails...

and before i get judged, i know that i could have benefited from some truth in my life early on... if only i would have had things explained to me, i would have been saved years of heartache, confusion, and surprises. and no i didn't just dive into such deep subjects with her. it started with her making a woody doll and buzz light-year kiss and then her laughing about it and asking me if that was silly. if you listen close enough, your children will give you cues and you'll have an opportunity to have those 'truth talks'. 

i know i am raising strong-willed (bloodline given) girls but hopefully God-believing women too who know what they want and how to stand-up for themselves and who believe in who God says they are. it takes one 'truth talk' at a time and their momma to be a living example. i'm still a work in progress and will always be learning. but i'm not afraid to share my heart. especially with my children.

our weekend...

my entire family (on my mom's side) headed down

to st. louis because my mom's brother 

(who lives in seattle) and his wife and son

were in st. louis because she was running

 the marathon.

it isn't often that we see them, as you can imagine, so

we took the opportunity to spend some time with

them by driving the short distance to st. louis. 

we had lots of fun! 

friday evening we all went to pf changs. 

afterwards, olivia made wishes in the fountain.

she wished for a puppy that didn't poop

or pee... i wished that she would stay

this cute and fun forever...

that night they swam in the tiny hotel pool.

i don't think i've seen a smaller pool except 

for the one i blow-up for my kids every summer.

on saturday we went to the st. louis zoo.

oh what an adventure.... we were planning

on spending just a few hours there and spend

the rest of the day with the whole family. 

since we had such a large group, we never

stayed together and most of the time i was

stopping to nurse or waiting on other people

or hurrying to find our groups to make

sure they had my children.

we got there at 9:15am and because of

how busy the zoo was, we parked ridiculously 

far away and got to the zoo entrance i think around

10:30. and we didn't leave until 4:30!

we had lots of fun though!

(and now i will flood you with a ton of pictures...)

on our lovely 'stroll' to the zoo...

my uncle and his son, dylan.

(seeing that it's a zoo, you're going to see a lot of

people's butt's cause that's how i roll. 

i like to take a lot of in-action shots)

my youngest brother and sister...

my other sister and her little family...

it was pretty warm and she loved poking her little

piggies out to get some air.

and here is some more cuteness... he was annoyed 

with me taking his picture and he finally just gave

me this look as if to say,

 'here you go mom! go away!'

a lovely candid shot...

(yes he is picking his nose)

my monkeys with some real monkeys...

more butts!

some sweet sister moments...

i ♥ him...

we had some very sleepy moments. 

(waiting for the train)

and even more butts... 

this is my grandpa. his great. it was a special

little moment for me...

another special moment. 

a little family catch-up amongst the chaotic day to 

talk about what we had seen and done...

by the end of our long day we all felt 

a bit like this...

we were all exhausted and

ready to go to back to the hotel and just relax.

and that's exactly what we did. 

the next day most of the family had gone 

back home so we took the opportunity to 

go to a gym that had an indoor waterpark

and spend some family time together. 

it's just what we all needed to re-group before

heading home to start our week.

we thoroughly enjoyed our trip and loved

seeing my uncle and aunt and little dylan.

wish we could see them more often.

we could just move out to seattle...

i'd be ok with that.