On motivation.

Can I just tell you how much harder it is to maintain your weight than it is to lose?

When you're losing, you're working really hard and seeing pay off week after week, even if it's slower than you'd like.  You have people in your life encouraging you to keep going, telling you that you look great, and your lose clothes are a clear indicator of your progress!

When you're maintaining, you're still working hard but the scale no longer moves much, which can be discouraging when you're used to seeing a loss week after week.  It's an adjustment, even if your goal is to only maintain, and not lose.

That's where I am.  I continue to go to the gym at least 3 times a week, sometimes a day more, sometimes a day less... I have learned to give myself so much more grace on the weeks that I don't make it there all 3 times.  I've lost 45 pounds, 13 pounds more than my original goal weight, and have stayed in the same general spot for a couple months now.

It feels great and I am overall happy with the way I look.  I feel like I deserve it, because I work hard.  More than anything, I just feel confident, which is a word I would have never used to describe myself a year ago.

My motivation continues to come from the small things that I hope to never forget...
Knowing, grasping, and accepting this feeling of my husband thinking I'm the most beautiful lady on the planet.  When you have spent your life feeling insecure, this doesn't come natural.
The energy I have
The way I feel AFTER a workout
Jeans slipping on and buttoning without a battle, and without a muffin top!
Also - jeans actually being comfortable... who would have thought?
Seeing muscle and definition where I never have before
And, confidence.  So much more confidence.

My greatest battle is my immense love for food and carbs.  Give me a hot roll fresh out of the oven, and you will probably hear me squeal in joy.  Ridiculous, I know... food should not control my emotions the way I sometimes allow it to.  And I still have days that I completely undo my hard workout because of the food choices I make.

But I've come to realize, if this is going to continue to be a lifestyle change and not just a "fad", I'm going to have great days, and I'm going to have bad days.  The goal is to just not have a bad day too often.  :)

So let's hear it... where do you find your motivation?

Creative bug.

Have y'all heard of this website?

Pinterest.

I requested an invite, so if I get accepted, someday I can have my own 'inspiration' page. It makes the Type-A organizer in me craaaaaaaaazy! Look at all those gorgeous spaces!

Gorg-eous.

I was going to post a pic of my favorite one, but honestly I can't decide. Too many favorites.

I just want to run around and organize and paint and beautify so many things... yet I look around and can't. Oh my how I love my tiny rental house...... ;) All my craft/stamping stuff is still in storage because I have no where to put any of it. Drives me nuts when I'm in the mood to do/make something and can't.

Someday. . . someday. For now I will just be living vicariously through the rest of these people who get to wake up each morning and create in such beautiful spaces.

Fathers love letter.

My child,

You may not know me,
but I know everything about you.
Psalm 139:1

I know when you sit down and when you rise up.
Psalm 139:2

I am familiar with all your ways.
Psalm 139:3

Even the very hairs on your head are numbered.
Matthew 10:29-31

For you were made in my image.
Genesis 1:27

In me you live and move and have your being.
Acts 17:28

For you are my offspring.
Acts 17:28

I knew you even before you were conceived.
Jeremiah 1:4-5

I chose you when I planned creation.
Ephesians 1:11-12

You were not a mistake,
for all your days are written in my book.
Psalm 139:15-16

I determined the exact time of your birth
and where you would live.
Acts 17:26

You are fearfully and wonderfully made.
Psalm 139:14

I knit you together in your mother's womb.
Psalm 139:13

And brought you forth on the day you were born.
Psalm 71:6

I have been misrepresented
by those who don't know me.
John 8:41-44

I am not distant and angry,
but am the complete expression of love.
1 John 4:16

And it is my desire to lavish my love on you.
1 John 3:1

Simply because you are my child
and I am your Father.
1 John 3:1

I offer you more than your earthly father ever could.
Matthew 7:11

For I am the perfect father.
Matthew 5:48

Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand.
James 1:17

For I am your provider and I meet all your needs.
Matthew 6:31-33

My plan for your future has always been filled with hope.
Jeremiah 29:11

Because I love you with an everlasting love.
Jeremiah 31:3

My thoughts toward you are countless
as the sand on the seashore.
Psalms 139:17-18

And I rejoice over you with singing.
Zephaniah 3:17

I will never stop doing good to you.
Jeremiah 32:40

For you are my treasured possession.
Exodus 19:5

I desire to establish you
with all my heart and all my soul.
Jeremiah 32:41

And I want to show you great and marvelous things.
Jeremiah 33:3

If you seek me with all your heart,
you will find me.
Deuteronomy 4:29

Delight in me and I will give you
the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:4

For it is I who gave you those desires.
Philippians 2:13

I am able to do more for you
than you could possibly imagine.
Ephesians 3:20

For I am your greatest encourager.
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

I am also the Father who comforts you
in all your troubles.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4

When you are brokenhearted,
I am close to you.
Psalm 34:18

As a shepherd carries a lamb,
I have carried you close to my heart.
Isaiah 40:11

One day I will wipe away
every tear from your eyes.
Revelation 21:3-4

And I'll take away all the pain
you have suffered on this earth.
Revelation 21:3-4

I am your Father, and I love you
even as I love my son, Jesus.
John 17:23

For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed.
John 17:26

He is the exact representation of my being.
Hebrews 1:3

He came to demonstrate that I am for you,
not against you.
Romans 8:31

And to tell you that I am not counting your sins.
2 Corinthians 5:18-19

Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled.
2 Corinthians 5:18-19

His death was the ultimate expression
of my love for you.
1 John 4:10

I gave up everything I loved
that I might gain your love.
Romans 8:31-32

If you receive the gift of my son Jesus,
you receive me.
1 John 2:23

And nothing will ever separate you
from my love again.
Romans 8:38-39

Come home and I'll throw the biggest party
heaven has ever seen.
Luke 15:7

I have always been Father,
and will always be Father.
Ephesians 3:14-15

My question is…
Will you be my child?
John 1:12-13

I am waiting for you.
Luke 15:11-32

Love, Your Dad
Almighty God

{source}

Handy man. Err... lady.

Seriously, how cute are these for my boys room?!

Really stinkin' cute is the correct answer.

However, they're not cute enough to pay $200 for, that's for sure. Try again, Pottery Barn Kids.

I think I'm going to try and D.I.Y. them ... anyone have a suggestion on how to start? I think once I get all the supplies I am totally capable of making these. But what I need to get started is where I'm stuck.

A trip to Hobby Lobby is in my near future.

Dreaming.

Want to see my dream house?



I love yellow houses.  Love the big wrap-around porch.  Love the gazebo in the yard.  Cherry cabinets, granite countertops, brazilian cherry floors, stereo system wired throughout the house and a 1,000 bottle wine cellar in the basement?

Imagine what you could do with 4,140 square feet...

I keep dreaming of the day when I can sit on my front porch sipping a cup of coffee while my boys play in the yard.

Sign me up.

A newborn's conversation with God.

Received this as an email the other day and just had to share it ... it makes me cry every time!

A baby asked God, "They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow, but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?"

God said, "Your angel will be waiting for you and will take care of you."

The baby inquired further, "But tell me, here in heaven I don't have to do anything but sing and smile to be happy."

God said, "Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you. And you will feel your angel's love and be very happy."

Again the baby asked, "And how am I going to be able to understand when people talk to me if I don't know the language?"

God said, "Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will teach you how to speak."

"And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?"

God said, "Your angel will place your hands together and will teach you how to pray."

"Who will protect me?"

God said, "Your angel will always talk to you about Me and will teach you the way to come back to Me, even though I will always be next to you."

At that moment there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from Earth could be heard and the baby hurriedly asked, "God, if I am to leave now, please tell me my angel's name."

God said, "You will simply call her, "Mom".

Part two.

On a much, much, much happier note...

... Tyler makes me laugh. Hard. He has the most random personality, he can go from quiet and serious and just randomly make this off-the-wall comment that has tears rolling down my face. A lot of people are not fortunate enough to see that side of him. I love being his wife. Love.it.

... I had one of those "ah-ha" moments realizing that I honestly think the reason the stupid bank fired me was because I was never going to trust God enough to quit. As much as I hated it there and absolutely loathed being a working Mom (hardest thing EVER!), I would have never trusted God enough to quit. I know, that sounds terrible, but I am sure a lot of you can relate to that feeling... thinking you know better. I would have thought there was just no way we could ever survive without my income and wasn't strong enough to risk it all and quit. So here's those fancy bank people laughing thinking that I'm suffering because I don't have them anymore, and here's me laughing because they are soooo wrong. We are not suffering. We are happy and thriving.

... It is such a weird thing being pregnant. First trimester, let's face it, sucks. Puking and my terrible coffee aversion I had ... it was terrible. But now I feel kicks. I feel him moving around. Jaxon lays his head on my belly and {tries} to wrap his hands around me. The sickness is gone, the belly is sticking out there, and it is amazing. I am really trying to enjoy these moments, because I am about 99% sure we're going to be done having kids after this baby boy makes his appearance into this world. So despite the back pain, the RLP (round ligament pain), and having "i'm huge and fat and disgusting" meltdowns... I love these times. I love carrying our second son. It is a miracle.

... I looooove being with Jaxon all day, every day. As overwhelming as it can get at times, I love moments like this:
{watching Barney in the morning}

and like this:
{knocked-out asleep after a fun day at the pool with mommy}

... I love the sunshine. I do not love heat, but I love how sunshine instantly boosts my mood. I love driving down the road with the radio cranked up and windows down just enjoying life. It may be crazy and upside-down, but I have everything I need.

... I think people take advantage of being together with their spouse. Sometimes while I'm sitting at stop lights I look over and see this man and woman sitting there just staring forward. And all I can think is, "hold his hand. Love and remember the small things, even if you are just on your way to the grocery store. At least you're doing it together." I can't wait until the day that Tyler and I can just be together again. I mean, we are right now, because I'm visiting him, but I mean permanently. I think this time away has seriously taught me so much ... I'm learning to love the little things and it's funny how every day since I have been here I have thought about what to wear, and seriously tried to look nice for my husband. He deserves to have a good-looking wife, not someone who is still in PJ's and hasn't showered for a few days when he gets home from a long day at work. Right? Right. I hope I never forget marriage is something to constantly work on and to never get lazy at.

... I love the movie "Pretty Woman". Sometimes when people ask me what my favorite movie is, I can never think of it. So next time, just remind me that my favorite movie is Pretty Woman. I could watch it once a week and never get tired of it. I also like The Notebook, The Holiday, The Proposal, and all of the Bourne movies.

... I was at Target a couple days ago and bought leggings. Aren't you proud of me, sister? I am a little behind (always) on fashion things, that is one thing I wish I would have the motivation to change about myself. I love dressing cute, but I really just don't have that many cute clothes. One day maybe I can give my credit card to my sister and let her buy a new wardrobe for me. Anyways, back to the leggings. A lot of maternity shirts now are really long and they just don't look that cute with shorts or capris. So I thought "hey, maybe I should buy some of those legging things." Later that day when Tyler got home (correction: to the hotel), he said "wow, you look cute!" Score.

... A couple days ago, I went to this really fancy mall a couple miles away from our hotel. Jaxon and I spent... um, 3 hours there... just walking around. People watching. Sitting by the fountain and letting him splash in the water. Walking slow and letting all these rushed people pass me. Sipping on my beloved Starbucks that I can finally drink again without vomiting. And I loved it. I never do things like that... everywhere I go I am always in a hurry. It was so refreshing and relaxing to walk slow and just browse, I had no intention on buying anything (and you'd be proud... I didn't!). You should try it sometime. Just take a moment (or day) and relax. Let life and people pass you by and just enjoy having a slow-paced afternoon.

... I love weddings. And I love that I am the matron of honor in Brian & Angie's wedding. {They have an incredible story, check out their blog!} Their wedding is in October, which means I am going to be... 8 1/2 months pregnant. The really funny thing is that when we were little teenage girls dreaming about our wedding, Angie used to always tell me I would be pregnant in her wedding. She has always been spot on about things like that ... a little freaky, actually. ;) I am so excited for her to be married and experience how much fun it is. I mean, yeah, it's hard work. But it's fun, isn't it?! I love it. And I love her. Cannot wait to see her walking down that aisle.

... Now that I am a SAHM, I am going to try reeeaaallllyyyy hard to: A.) cook more frequently, because my husband loves it when I do. B.) do laundry more frequently, because my husband loves it when I do. C.) Get dressed and 'get ready' every day, even if I am staying home... because my husband loves it when I do. {and so do I! I hate feeling yucky and lazy}. D.) blog and stay in touch with friends. I love it when I do. E.) spend a lot more time with God, and not so much time on facebook. Yes, I am a facebook addict. And I am terrible at devoting specific time with my maker. Because HE loves it when I do, and I do too. So refreshing. F). Find a gym, get a membership, and work out. Because it makes me feel sooo good when I do. And if they have babysitting service, I have no excuse. And... G). Read more. I love to read, just never ever do it.
Those are my goals, hold me to them.

... There's more that I could say, but because I only had two pictures in this post my sister is probably thinking about algebra and other boring things by now, along with the rest of you. I love to blog, I am just not very good at it. But I'll keep trying.

See? No matter how crazy your life is, take a second to reflect on the many good things surrounding you right now. So here's your challenge... write a post about all the good things in your life and the things you love and send it to me. Things are never as bad as they may seem. I promise.

Love this song.

I don't have youtube at work, so I can't post a video of it. But if you decide to look it up and listen to it, I hope you love it as much as I do. I hope it encourages you as much as it does me.

JJ Heller’s “Your Hands”

I have unanswered prayers
I have trouble I wish wasn’t there
And I have asked a thousand ways
That you would take my pain away
You would take my pain away

I am trying to understand
How to walk this weary land
Make straight the paths that crooked lie
Oh Lord, before these feet of mine
Oh Lord, before these feet of mine

When my world is shaking, heaven stands
When my heart is breaking
I never leave your hands

When you walked upon the earth
You healed the broken, lost and hurt
I know you hate to see me cry
One day you will set all things right
Yeah, one day you will set all things right

When my world is shaking, heaven stands
When my heart is breaking
I never leave your hands

Your hands that shaped the world
Are holding me
They hold me still

Mother Teresa.

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;

forgive them anyway.


If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;

be kind anyway.


If you are successful you will win some false friends and true enemies;

succeed anyway.


If you are honest people may cheat you;

be honest anyway.


What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;

build anyway.


If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;

be happy anyway.


The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;

do good anyway.


Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;

Give the world the best you've got anyway.


You see, in the end, it is between you and God;

it was never between you and them anyway.

My chalkboard pantry.

I bought a chalkboard Uppercase Living decal recently and when it came, it was huge. I wasn't thinking when I ordered it and should have measured it first, so last night just as I was sitting down to email the demonstrator saying I wanted to return it, an idea came to me. Ever since I saw all of these different bloggers make a chalkboard for themselves, I have been thinking about how I wanted to implement that into my house also. (See Leslie's here, Holly's here, and Jessica's here.) However, my kitchen layout is a little different and there isn't a lot of wall space for that. I decided to cut the decal in half and then size it to the molding on the cupboard on on the pantry... genius, right? Long story short, here it is:



The best part? For my non-committing type personality, anytime I get sick of it being there, I can just peel it right off. For now, maybe this will help me be a little more organized when it comes to meals. And maybe, just maybe, it will cut down on the multiple times my husband says weekly "we don't have anything to eat!" Nahhh... probably not.

The other half of the decal is now in our office. And maybe this one will help us be more organized with our busy and not-so-great-at-communicating-to-each-other lives. Hey, a girl can dream, right?

A book review.

Yesterday I spent my work day reading a book.  Some of you may wonder why I'm able to read an entire book in the 8 hours I spent at work, but let me assure you that I still did my job and helped customers and smiled and the whole 9 yards.  It was a cold rainy day in Kansas so NO ONE came to the bank.  I had 10 customers the entire day.  Anyways - I was thankful that earlier in the week one of my tellers recommended a book for me to read.  He brought it for me to borrow and I started it yesterday morning around 7:15 and was finished with it by 2 pm. 

The book is called "The Shack" by William P. Young.  Even if you never read - take the time to read this book.  You will NOT be able to put it down.  You will laugh, cry, and if you're anything like me, you will take many many deep sighs throughout the book.  I can't say much about it without giving the entire book away, but among the hundreds of amazing quotes and incredible pages and pages of deep thoughts, I can honestly say I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to be challenged and truly encouraged in your faith.

Here are just a few of my favorite passages throughout the book...

Papa continued, "Lets use the example of friendship and how removing the element of life from a noun can drastically alter a relationship.  If you and I are friends, there is an expectancy that exists within our relationship.  When we see each other or are apart, there is an expectancy of being together, of laughing and talking.  That expectancy has no concrete definition; it is a live and dynamic and everything that emerges from our being together is a unique gift shared by no one else.  But what happens if I change that 'expectancy' to an 'expectation' - spoken or unspoken?  Suddenly, law has entered into our relationship.  You are now expected to perform in such a way that meets my expectations.  Our living friendship rapidly deteiorates into a dead thing with rules and requirements.  It is no longer about you and me, but about what friends are supposed to do, or the responsibilities of a good friend.
"Or," noted Mack, "the responsibilties of a husband or father, or employee, or whatever.  I get the picture.  I would much rather live in expectancy."

-----

"What he did was wrong, and anger is the right response to something that is so wrong.  But don't let the anger and pain and loss you feel prevent you from forgiving him and removing your hands from around his neck."

-----

"Grace doesn't depend on suffering to exist, but where there is suffering you will find grace in many facets and colors."

-----

"Jesus?" Mack whispered as his voice choked. "I feel so  lost."

A hand reached out and squeezed his, and didn't let go.  "I know, Mack.  But it's not true.  I am with you and I'm not lost.  I'm sorry it feels that way, but hear me clearly.  You are not lost."

-----

"I am what some would say 'holy, and wholly other than you'.  The problem is that so many people try to grasp some sense of who I am by taking the best version of themselves, projecting that to the 9th degree, factoring in all the goodness they can perceive, which often isn't much, and then call that God.  And while it may seem like a noble effort, the truth is that it falls pitifully short of who I really am.  I'm not merely the best version of you that you can think of.  I am far more above that, above and beyond all that you can ask or think."

-----

Life takes a bit of time and a lot of relationship.

-----

So there you have it.  Check it out and buy the book.
http://www.theshackbook.com/

I'm thinking stripes.

I have been torn thinking about all the million different paint color choices we could have in our new home, and especially torn about which color to choose for our kitchen/dining room.  Our house has a very open layout, so I'm struggling with how to paint different colors without breaking up the rooms.  One solution I came up with is to paint stripes on ONE accent wall in the dining room.  Then we would carry one of the colors from the stripes into the kitchen, above the cabinets. 

One idea with the stripes is to do vertical stripes, such as this:

(Picture courtesy of Eastcoastbride from TheNest)
She used two different colors of paint, just a couple shades lighter/darker.  She did stripes throughout the entire room, which I won't do, but I love the look of these stripes and I think it would look awesome on the accent wall.

Another idea is to do horizontal stripes, with different colors.


(Photos courtesy of Mamabear7 from TheNest)
So, I really like how she took one of those colors from the stripes and painted the rest of the room that way.  However, since the wall that I'm doing is so long, I'm wondering if vertical stripes would be better than horizontal.

The last thought I had was to do "sheen" stripes, which means that it's the same paint color on the stripes, however you would use 2 different types of paint, such as a flat paint for half the stripes, then a glossy paint type for the others, while still using the same color.  Confusing, right?  But it gives it the look that it is 2 different colors, even though it's not.  Here's a pic of that:


(Sorry about the crappy picture, it's all I could find.)

----------

Any suggestions on a paint color?  I have red/black countertop appliances (ie: kitchenaid mixer, knife set, canister set, toaster, etc) - and the appliances that are in the home are white, such as the fridge, oven/stove, and microwave.

Your thoughts?

Qualities I love in a home.

Our lease is up in our townhome at the beginning of June, so the hunt for a house begins.  I'm going to go ahead and apologize now, because for the next few months I have a feeling that "house-talk" will take over my blog.  I got an email from our realtor yesterday, and she asked for a list of "qualities" we're looking for in our first home so she could start the process, so I thought I'd share with you what we told her. 

(Disclaimer: some of these pictures are from million-dollar homes, so obviously our home won't look anything like it, but we can dream!)

The Kitchen
We told our realtor know that if the house has white cabinets, to not even bother showing it to us.  Maybe that's "over the top", but remodeling a kitchen would not be cheap, and I really prefer oak over white cabinets any day.  I also really want an island in the kitchen. 


Garage
Tyler wants a 2 car garage and would love a work station somewhere, whether that's in the garage or maybe even a seperate shed in the backyard.


Open floor plan
We love entertaining, so an open floor plan is ideal for us.  Not necessarily a "deal breaker", but it's a big plus. It also makes spaces feel bigger, which is ideal.


Back yard
I want mature trees, Tyler wants a fenced in back yard.  We would also like a big deck for all that entertaining we'll be doing...hehe. ;)


Exterior
We would really prefer vinyl siding on our home to wood siding, but unfortunately in this area vinyl isn't a popular choice for some reason.  Ideally I'd love a mix between brick and vinyl.  Hopefully we'll get lucky.


So there you have it.  A few qualities we love in homes and would like to have in ours.  Wish us luck and pray for us as we begin our search!

The polls are open...

In a kitchen, which do you prefer...

White cabinets OR Oak cabinets?



OR...

My wanna-be craft room.

Well, as promised, I return tonight with pictures of my craft area.  Remember in my previous post when I said it wasn't going to be anything fancy?  Well, it's not.  But it works for now.  It's going to be so nice to be able to stamp and not have to completely load everything back into my tote everytime I stamp.  Here's a few pictures...
     

 I'm so happy that everything now has a home.  :)

I wasn't able to stamp tonight because I spent the evening with Lindsay Seldon - she is working on favors for her upcoming wedding in June, and called me in a panic while she was at Archivers because she had no idea what she needed to buy.  I told her I'd be right there, and we went to Hobby Lobby and found lots of stuff.  She is making bookmarks and since she has never stamped and doesn't really scrapbook, she was overwhelmed with trying to come up with a design.  We went back to her apartment and came up with about 7-8 "mock" bookmarks for her and Andy to choose from, and then we'll duplicate them.  I had a blast with her... we don't get together nearly as often as we should since we only live minutes apart, but when we do get together, it's always fun.  So even though I'm sad that I didn't get to stamp tonight, I'm happy that I was able to spend some time with a friend.  :)

In honor of my little-tiny-not-so-great craft area, here's a few inspirational craft rooms that I want to have someday.  All courtesy of www.ratemyspace.hgtv.com

      

Hey, a girl can dream, right?  :)