It's that time...

Time to start thinking of Christmas Decor! YAY! I know, I know-Thanksgiving is still a month away, but I'm a planner! And, in order to get these kind of things done I need to plan and start on them early!

We haven't had stockings yet because we have never had a place to hang them. But, our new home has a fireplace mantle! Wahoo! So, I will be making 3 pretty little stockings this year! Growing up, we had stockings that my Momma handmade and I love them. They were the simple red stocking with the white fold at the top and she put each of our names on the white part in different colors of glitter. They were simple but they mean "Christmas morning" to me. I want Abbey to have that same sentimental feeling when she sees her handmade stocking =)

So, here are some ideas and inspirations I've been tossing around.

I really like the simplicity of these. Not really diggin' the cat one, btw.

I love, love, love these. Especially the red, polka-dot ones. In any case, that garland will be mine.

I think these are gorgeous. And I think I could replicate at least the idea of them.

These are the front-runners as of now, probably to no one's surprise. I love all the colors and the whimsy. And, it would be fun to decide what each member of our little family had as their "theme". So fun!

Better have my hubby get on here and vote =)

Day 9: 30 Days of Me

I have actually been really proud of myself lately. I feel like I'm in a really good place in my personal life. As some of you know, I struggled with postpartum depression after pretty Abbey was born. I am pretty much passed it all now, but I do still have days that are harder than others. One thing I have learned is that if I can just get out of bed and get dressed, do my hair, and put make-up on I will have a much better day. So, I'm proud of myself because I have done that every school day since the beginning of this semester. Sometimes (actually, a lot of the time) I throw my hair up in a messy bun but I don't count off points for that because I still wear make up and it kind of works. Because I try to start my days off well, I am more productive during the day. I am caught up completely in all of my classes but 1 and everyday I do something productive to get myself on track. It was in my nature in the past to get overwhelmed and shut-down when I got behind and I don't do that anymore. I'm proud of myself for that. I cleaned the house today. That makes me proud. I have stopped telling myself "you're a bad person because you didn't get ____done." It really doesn't help anything and when I keep from being mean to myself I actually get a lot more done. This is in part because my husband is very encouraging and doesn't feed into or tolerate my beating myself up about things. I am proud of myself for being realistic and for accepting when I'm really just not cut-out for something. I proud that I can kind of lose gracefully and not dwell on trying to turn myself into something I'm not. Again, my husband plays a huge role in this because he never tries to turn me into any ideal or belittle me if I'm not Miss Perfect. My uncle recently kind of categorized me in the company of my Momma. That was the biggest compliment. If people are seeing me as a wonderful Mom, a supportive wife, a hard-working, committed, achieving, caring, poised, "kicking booty and taking names", room-brightening, beautiful woman of God then that makes me so proud.

I'm just really proud that I'm learning to really love myself. I'm proud that I'm accepting parts of me that are less-than-perfect and forgiving myself for not living up to these ridiculous standards that I've set for myself for some strange reason. And the best part is, in learning to let go and just be Me, I am actually getting closer to those standards than ever before.

Ahh...the power of self-love.

Day 8: 30 Days of Me

So, since it's almost the middle of October, I'm going to talk about my short-term goals for the month of November instead. But, knowing me, the goals I have in October will most likely bleed into November.

1. Give Abbey a successful and happy birthday party. This is pretty obvious.

2. Get/ Stay caught-up in my schoolwork.

3. Consistently provide my family with a clean home.

4. Don't make anymore goals or your head will explode.

Is that sad?

Setting some limits

We talked about technology in class today. About how it can kind of rule people's lives and that without it, at times, we can get very anxious. There is even debate about adding an addiction to the DSM-IV TR to explain this. I don't believe an addiction category is completely appropriate, but I do recognize that an addiction is classified not by the frequency of the behavior, but by how the behavior effects the person's life. With that said, I can definitely see technology having a negative effect on people's lives. I'm not saying technology should be avoided all together, but maybe we should be setting some limits on ourselves. I really do not want my daughter to grow up with a mental picture of me attached to my iPhone checking Facebook every 10 minutes. Yuck. So here's the deal: I'm designating "Outage Hours". I will not be on my phone before 8 am or after 10pm except in the case of traveling or emergencies. Furthermore, I will not check email, Facebook, Twitter, or surf around online from 12:30-3:00. And from 3:00-5:00 I will be focusing on productive online activities (sending emails, doing homework etc). These are times allotted for my family, myself and my schoolwork.
It goes without saying that if you call me, I will answer. If you text me, I will answer. I just feel I have a lot of time wasted at this point.
Please encourage me and hold me accountable.

Day 7: 30 Days of Me

Today is my day to write about what has impacted me most. That's easy.

This little girl is, hands down, responsible for having the biggest impact on me. Not only did she save me from myself, in a sense, but she continues to encourage me and keep me motivated without even knowing it. She is all beauty, inside and out, and that is so inspiring. God has blessed me with a beautiful gift. How can I doubt that He holds me in His arms and guides my life the way it is supposed to be. I can not imagine my life without my Abbey Kate. Her arrival changed the way I live my life, redirected experiences I should have, and all in a good way. Don't get me wrong, being a young Mommy definitely operates on a learning curve and requires difficult decisions and realities at times, but it is all worth it ten times over and has made me a better Me. I cannot discount my husband's role in all of this. He has blessed me beyond understanding and I am such a lucky wife! And, hey, Abbey is so much like her Daddy. The two go hand in hand.

Thank you, Pretty Abbey, for your smile every morning and your hugs every night. I love you to the moon! Can't wait til we get to Disney World, girl!

Getting a bit ahead of myself...

My beautiful friend, Morgan came to visit me this weekend. It was such a lovely visit. She brought me a baking book (my first one!) for my birthday. It's called I ♥ Sugar but I can't find it to provide a link for it. It's wonderful, though. Over 100 recipes to satisfy the sweet tooth we all get. It has big, pretty pictures on each page and easy-to-follow instructions. My favorite part about it is that each recipe has such simple ingredients and it's an old-school "pour on the sugar" kind of book. I love it.

So, Morgan and I made one recipe out of it, the Chocolate Crumble Pie. It was delicious, especially after being refrigerated over-night. So, I'm thinking about trying to work my through the whole book, Julie and Julia style. I am debating whether to wait until I have finished my 30 Days of Me or to do it concurrently. I think the latter may win out because I really can't wait for the white truffle cake and that's not until page 180. I would only do 1 or 2 recipes a weekend, so it would be manageable.

What do you think?

Day 6: 30 Days of Me

Okay, so I'm not really into today's topic so this will be brief. I'm supposed to decide who my favorite super hero is. I have gone back and forth between Super Woman and Batman. In the end, Batman wins. I suppose he is my favorite because the dude is messed up. I like that his super hero-ness is because of a trauma and the fact that he has gone crazy as opposed to some freak accident involving a spider or kryptonite. And seeing as I am a little psychologist in training, this really appeals to me.

a lovely home: master bedroom

Here are some pictures that are currently serving as inspiration for our bedroom.

aww...beautimous.

Hello, people!

So we are working on finally getting our bedroom looking like some thought went into it. I ordered a few things on Target.com and the order has been shipped...yay! Stay tuned later today for a sneak peek at what I have planned as well as Day 6 of my 30 Days of Me adventure.
Off to class!

Day 5: 30 Days of Me

Like the post about my friends, I'm discovering that I do not possess pictures of a lot of the places I've been. I would attribute this to the fact that most of my traveling was done when I still lived at home, so my Mom has a bunch of those photos. Here are a few that I do have:

Abbey and I in Mexico with Gammy (aka my Momma!) This was specifically in Puerto Vallarta, January 2009.

Here is a photo of 2 of my siblings and I on a cruise ship with our dinner waiter. I think this trip was when we went to Jamaica, but I could be wrong. During our cruising adventures we have been to: Cancun, Cozumel, Belize, Jamaica, Yucatan Peninsula (the ruins of Chichen Itza) and the Bahamas.

This is a photo from July 2009 in Colorado. We went for a family vacation with my husband's side of the family and I loved it!

Other places I have been that I don't have photos of:

-Toronta, Canada. Not sure why I don't have this trip documented. I know I have pictures from it, they just must be somewhere else. Part of that same trip was Niagra Falls. Boy, was that beautiful!

-Various fun family vacas in Branson, New Orleans, Florida (Disney World), Mall of America (!) in Minnesota. (Forgive me, Momma, if I am forgetting some. I've been doing homework all day and my brain is a little fried.)

I would love to do more traveling when my little family is older and more set in our finances, but I have some amazing memories from the places I have been so far!

Day 4: 30 Days of Me

Apparently, I'm supposed to pick a habit of mine that I wish I didn't have. 1 habit?! I'll try to pick my least favorite, I suppose.

My absolute worst habit has to be my procrastination. It bites me in the butt all the time and I still rarely change my behavior (isn't that called insanity?). I have gotten a handle on procrastination within homework and school-related things...almost. But, when there is a pile of dishes in the sink or laundry to be done, I am much more likely to put it off.

I say that, and today I cleaned the whole house. It feels great. I even timed how long it took me to do one meal's worth of dishes: 7 minutes.

The worst part about this bad habit of mine is that it upsets my hubby. I hate the feeling I get when I can tell he is frustrated that the house is messy after he has been working all day. I never want him to feel like I don't appreciate what he does or that I am not doing what I can at home.

Sometimes I am really, really busy. With school, Abbey, babysitting, errands, cooking...

But usually it just comes down to the fact that I. don't. want. to.

Ugh...I hate that about me! I really am making strides to improve on this part of me.

It's all part of this journey I'm on.

Day 3: 30 Days of Me

Today's challenge is to post pictures of my friends and Me. How sad. I barely have any. I'm especially sad that I have no pictures with my good friend, Sarah B. And I could only find 1 picture that has both my friend Sarah R and me in it. sheesh.

Well, at least I have a goal!

This lovely lady is my first best friend, Hope. I don't get to talk to her much but I am really loving seeing that she is seemingly living the life that she always wanted. I love you, Hopey!

These girls made my life in high school. I miss them so much! Nanas forever =)

Rae has been close to my heart for such a long time. I miss her a whole bunch!

My beautiful baby sister (my little rainbow). I am so proud of her and wish everyday that we lived closer.

Lisa and I were college roomies our freshmen year. That was admittedly difficult, but we are all peachy now and I appreciate her more everyday!

Apparently this is the only picture I have of Sarah and me (far right). That makes me really sad. Sarah is my bestie. The other 2 lovely ladies to the left are some new friends of mine: Staci and Peyton.

More girlies at Staci's wedding!

My number 1 best friend: my beautiful hubby, Rusty. He's my favorite.

Other people worth mentioning that I do not have pictures of:

Sarah B-we haven't known each other for long but I believe we have built a strong friendship that has silly husbands and beautiful baby girls in common. She has kept me sane in so many instances.

Kayla-we didn't become good friends she was about to graduate so our friendship is mostly long distance. We can talk for hours over an iced mocha! I have a special place in my heart for her and I pray that she is a happy girl!

Adam-Adam is one of the only guys that is obviously Rusty's friend that I would also consider my friend. He is a good conversationalist and really fun to shop with. ha! If I talk much longer I may embarrass him =) He's just a great dude and uncle to my girl!

Cully-He and I were friends through middle school and high school. He was a lot like a big brother to me. I'm so glad he is taking care of my girl, Morgan. But I never doubted =)

Gabe-We were friends since about 8th grade. I could always be silly with him and he kept cheer practice light. I'm so proud of him for getting his 1 man full extension with his lovely girl, Shelley.

Can your Mom be your friend? :)

The old adage we all learn in Girl Scouts: Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold. It's so true. Without my friends that know me at the core, that knew me when I was growing up and becoming Me, I think I might die. Maybe that's an exaggeration, but at least I know I would cease to thrive. And my new friends that are with me through my current struggles and ambitions, that are seeing the extent of Me unfold (whether good or bad) and sticking with me through it all and sometimes even treating me to coffee, ice cream, or good ole moral support are priceless.

I love you all.