Quick Blog (Then back to work!)

My husband went back to work today after a three day vacation at home, and I have been slowly but forcibly chipping away at the decluttering/organizing/decorating block here at the home. I took a quick break to recap the goals I wanted to finish for today and google images for inspiration of future projects. I came up with the following thus far:



An organized office would for sure get me more hours of sleep at night, but this room will definitely be saved for last. This is my biggest problem area of the house. I have NO idea how to organize an office. Any thoughts or anyone with office-organizing skills out there for hire? For real.



This dining room is beautiful. I think I need to add some more texture to our dining room, and maybe a little more variety of color. I also would like to get new, (and more sturdy!) dining room chairs.



I am in love with this room. It appears to be so elegant.



I am needing something with "umph" in the living room. Our living room is crying for something with a BOLD pattern, or an interesting sculpture, or maybe an interesting bookcase like this one. Something that will be a conversation starter and something that will make the room POP.



This is a very classy living room I adore. I will also be looking for a single, very sleek, chair like the one on the right in the photo for my own living room after getting rid of a very clunky chaise my husband had when we moved in. We're slowly upgrading the "it will do" items in our home we had when we moved in and owned nothing for items we both love and that are functional.



One thing we do not need more of is dishes. However, after getting a new set I am retiring a set of dishes that I really do have a sentimental spot for, and am looking for a fun way to display them as art now. Does anyone have any good ideas on how to decorate your walls with retired dishes?



I have two lanterns like this that I'm really considering hanging in our bedroom, but I'm wondering is it too pre-teen of a look? Our room and the lanterns are lavender.



This will be my next simple, crafty project. I'm really looking forward to purchasing some glass vases (or possibly find some around here or at thrift stores)and decorating them with some cheap candles and non-perishable food for our kitchen! Coffee beans are definitely at the top of my list. I'm also thinking cinnamon sticks. Do you know of any other food items that would look great?

Resolution #11

Resolution #11 : To get my home exactly the way I want it.

I wanted to post some pictures of my home, and some projects I've been working on.
With a final home study for fostering coming up this week I have an overwhelming amount of work to do, yet I needed to start it off this week by blogging about it all. I am hoping to get some ideas from the pictures (I'm SUCH a visual person), capture photos of the 'halfway' stage, and hopefully get some ideas from y'all.

Unfortunately things always (well at least with me, what about you?) get worse before they get better and the house is overly organized in some spaces with a big ol' heapy mess in others. I will not be ashamed (well, maybe I'll just play it off that I'm not) because I know in a week or so I will be posting 'after' pictures that will blow both our minds (I'm hoping hoping hoping!)!

Some places I've worked on that I really enjoy:


Hard to see, but this is a windowsill in our bathroom that I really love.

Have been wanting a board like this for our lists on the fridge for awhile now. Love how something so small can make a big difference.


I de-cluttered this serving station that needed it so bad. It was PACKED a few days ago.


This is the 'launch pad' I created in our living room closet. It's nice to have a bin for each of our shoes and a place to put my purse and mail that we can hide.


My husband decided to put this picture here awhile ago and I LOVE here about the entryway from living room to dining room.


Movies sorted into bins so it's easy to find a romantic movie or comedy. Also saves space as well!


My mom found this shelf at a yard sale for $4, and we stained it and hung a light from it. I love using it to store our cereals VS the top of the fridge.


LOVE the vines and grapes in the hallway above the bathroom door. Ties in the kitchen to the living room.


Some places really needing some help:


This fan kills me. You can't see it, but there's a huge pink flower on the globe. I'm not wanting anything spectacular. Considering spray painting the blades and finding a new globe.


Our office (specifically our office desk) needs some dire organizational help.


I painted this ceiling with a process that needed like 6 coats, when I replaced the light the white ceiling is peeking through. I'm pretty sure I'll never get it to match, so I bought a decorate piece that goes around it. Need to paint it, and take down the light to put it up.


I need some fake flowers or something to go about the shelf. Our ceilings are so high I would like something decorative here and this little pathetic thing is NOT working.


I got rid of a big chunky chaise here, and am now looking for a sleek chair and floor lamp to fill this corner. Must also hang new picture.


Like I said, the office is A MESS. I want to get rid of 90% of this stuff here. Help!

2011 is a Different Year

I promised a list of my New Year's Resolutions! :) Walter and I always make 13 and work on them throughout the year, so here goes:

1. Invite 10 people to church and see them attend.
Sometimes I get stuck on the routine of waking up, going to church, coming back and not saying a word about how AWESOME the service was! I would really like to share the blessing I have of a church I adore!

2. Loose weight and weigh 180lbs.
Instead of just the usual 'loose weight' or 'be thin' I'm decided to set a smaller goal of an actual weight I would like to be. Would I like to be 180 forever? No. But it's a great starting point and I wouldn't mind getting there! :)

3. Read at least one book a month and blog about it.
I love to read, but sometimes I let life pass me by and I don't make a good enough effort to take the time to read. One book a month is small, but it's a fair start as well.

4. Organize a family routine and budget.
Preparing for little ones in our life and hoping to make our lives a little more consistent, this is a VERY important resolution. The most important one to me. Prayer, hard work, and commitment I'm hoping for on this one!

5. Have a child in our home through foster care, pregnancy, or adoption.
I'm done just WANTING to be a mommy to a little one here on Earth! It's possible, I just need to devote myself to DOING it more than PINING for it. Walter and I are going to work harder at preparing our home for foster care and checking the requirements off more quickly. As for getting pregnant again, we'll do what it takes- even if that includes IVF this year.

6. Blog Date Nights with my husband.
Again, life passes by so quickly I sometimes let the super-sweet things my husband does or plans for me. I want to blog and remember them! :) Also, sometimes we get lazy with our planning, and I would like to blog to keep myself accountable to spontaneity and being creative!

7. Get $1,500-$2,000 in savings.
We want to NO longer be the 97% of America (that's a real statistic!) who live paycheck-to-paycheck! A little nest egg needs to be taken care of immediately.

8. Take vitamins daily.
I would like to get in the habit of taking vitamins daily to be more healthy and to be more prepared for another possible pregnancy.

9. Get another tattoo of something meaningful.
Before we lost our little one, I had this one down just because I was itching to get a new beautiful tattoo done, but I wanted it to be something that mattered. Now, my plan is to add a baby butterfly by my first tattoo- a butterfly I got in memory of my grandmother when she passed away. I believe she is taking care of my little one for me, just like she did me!

10. Lower my soda intake.
When I tried to give up soda, I felt like I was dying! I want to be able to whittle it down to something I don't NEED to have multiple times a day, and instead be a treat on a rare occasion.

11. Get my home exactly the way I want it.
My plan is to declutter, decorate, and make some tough choices. I'm ready to make my home my santuary, that works just the way my family needs it to be. I have a list and when I run across a problem or pitfall, I'll decide why and change it. (Ex: Can't find jeans. Why? Clothes scattered on the floor, laundry not finished. Solution: Buy necessary hangers, organize closet to find jeans easily, work out a laundry schedule and make sure my laundry area works smoothly.)

12. Be more consistent with my daily devotionals.
I'm so hit-or-miss. I want to pray through pain, through joy, and through my wanting to question Him.

13. Spend more time with our dog.
I've spent time being frustrated with her, but in the end she's not going anywhere and she's part of the family! I need to treat her like so! Walks, training her, etc.

There they are! A challenge, but all good. My husband sent me his as well, and I LOVE them as well!

Walter's are the following, in his words:
1. Recommit my life entirely to Christ, and get in line with His step

2. Commit to a daily devotional (personal and with Jen)

3. Make more decisions based on the way the Bible says to live life and be more firm in them

4. Help out more around the house both with chores and starting to do the home maintenance better

5. Take better care of the cars (maintenance and cleanliness)

6. Be a better daddy for my Belle

7. Read more often and make it into my new hobby (give up on parkour...FOR NOW)

8. Stay on top of bills and all other aspects of finances (more organized and start saving money)

9. Be completely serious about date nights NO EXCEPTIONS!! (unless there is a good reason)

10. Journal more frequently

11. Find and maintain an accountability partner

12. Make a better attempt at connecting with family and friends (Invest in those I want in my life)

13. LOVE... have a deeper appreciation for life and everything that goes with it including keeping a positive attitude and constantly trying to better myself

The Housewife Lobe of the Brain

My mind has been full of 'Oooo! I should blog about [insert fun event here]', and 'Please God, don't let me forget to blog about [insert forgotten unforgettable feeling here]', and lastly '[Everyday moment worth gold] would be a good thing to mention in my new re-vamped blog!'... but instead my body has been running in one thousand different directions and my mind is asleep by time my body finally gets to rest. So this particular entry is going to be almost a literal chunk from my housewife brain. Lots of random topics, all being planned and coordinated at once. :)

1) Walter and I had our first Date Night of 2011 last night. He had to work a little overtime, but when he got home he changed and we went out to Olive Garden to use up a gift card we received for Christmas. Being low on money, and starting to ease towards a diet, our goal was to spend UNDER the gift card and not spend a dime on the meal at all. Walter got the soup, salad, and bread sticks deal and I got the spinach-artichoke dip with the salad and bread sticks as well (of course!). It was a great night of talking, and people-watching, and was fun to 'stick to a budget' per say. Lord knows we need to do this is all the areas of our life... With the meal winding up being $2 (we couldn't leave just a 10% tip, with me being a past waitress and all) it was a nice night out. Afterwards, we went to Home Depot to get the final price of what our dryer will cost. We were given a new washer from my parents for a Christmas gift, because our washer was pulling clothes too far down and making little holes in all of our favorites pieces! Talk about frustrating! It was SUCH a nice gift to get and I was thrilled (funny the items we get excited about now, I am officially old...)! When my family heard this, they all started chipping in gift cards to Home Depot for their Christmas gifts! The dryer is about $550 and we have $350 in gift cards! The dryer will soon be ours and I can't wait to dread using our NEW one for doing laundry vs our old one... lol just kidding. I need an excuse to be excited to do a little laundry!

2) I'm reading a new book that Walter kind of suggested. While I was away on a mission trip in Mexico he stumbled across the book, 'Every Man, God's Man' by Stephen Arterburn and really enjoyed reading it. He's really interested in the 'Every Man' Series now, so I decided to pick up 'Every Woman's Battle' for myself and 'Every Man's Challenge' for him with he gift card I received from my brother and his family for my birthday! (Thanks Tim, Valerie, Michael, and Killian!!!) The book is reading really fast, and I am enjoying it. I am also realizing that I am actually 'unfaithful' to my husband. I know it's odd to read, and hard for me to even admit... thus the quotes to help a bit... however, the book is all about how women struggle with lusting after other men. While I didn't think this was ever an issue, I am realizing I do tease about being 'in love' with 'super hot' actors and I do compare him to others husbands from time to time. While I don't mean bad by it, I do catch myself saying '[blank]'s husband buys her flowers' and 'you would never [blank] say that about his wife!' I just want to cut all that crud out. My husband is unique and a true Godsent to me, and I am beyond blessed to have HIM and not whoever [blank] is! Check it out. Good read so far. (However, prepare for some nudges from the holy spirit if you choose to do so!)

3) I've been working on my weight lately, but I'm trying to ease into it. If I go all die-hard like always I'm sure to get burnt out quickly like always as well. This week I'm taking to make better choices when it comes to meals and start cutting back on all the soda I drink. Next week I'm going to get a little tougher and so on and so on. I'm planning to ease into a detox and weight loss plan from Arbonne's Figure 8 Detox and such. Basically shakes for breakfast and lunch, and dinner contains no caffeine, no gluten, no alcohol, no nitrates (sweetener, soy, vinegar...), no dairy, no sugar or honey, etc. What's left? You tell me! :) No really, things like chicken breast, brown rice, vegetables/fruits, nuts, etc. Not only do I want to loose weight I just want to GET HEALTHY! Who knows what all the fertility drugs and hormones have done to my body! *rolls eyes* I'm taking the next few months to get feeling good and wouldn't mind loosing at least 30lbs along the way. Some goals are: to decrease soda intake til it becomes a rare treat, loosing 15lbs by the end of January, 30lbs by the 1st of April, and so on... I'm sure there will be more to this later.

4) I'm itching to do something fun and crafty. Does anyone have some fun ideas on where I can get some easy and fun crafts to do? I need to stretch my imagination and creativity a bit, it's been a little while since I've done anything of the sort and I feel it being harder. I'm challenging myself to do SOMETHING semi artsy craftsy by next week!

5) This week I've really gotten back in touch with some amazing women I've missed over the last month of hiding. Tuesday I spent chatting with Sarah, Wednesday I had lunch with Rachel, Thursday I had breakfast with Connie AND then lunch with Jamie, and tomorrow I plan to have lunch with Leah (who has an amazing new blog I am now addicted to!) and pedicures back with Connie. I feel very blessed to have each of these women in my life, whatever role they play, I can definitely say they've all been influential to me!!! Thank you ladies!

6) Speaking of blessings, I am feeling more and more blessed to be involved with selling Thirty-One. I really enjoy every minute of it. I love connecting with women, the thrill of booking a party and having a great night ahead, and I don't even need to mention the products!! The new Spring line is coming out soon and I am IN LOVE with some of the new products, patterns, and specials! I don't intend this to be a plug, really, I'm just serious about loving this 'job'! However if you are interested you can find products here. The special this month and next are AMAZING! Thermal totes on sale and spend $31 and get 31% off an item! I'm my own best customer!

I am really excited for this year. The 'newness' has not warn off, and neither has the hopefulness a new year always brings. I feel really confident about this year. "This year is going to be MY year!" I claimed on facebook and I still stand by it. Speaking of which, something else I wanted to add was New Year's Resolutions, which I will post later tonight. I love setting goals and working towards them, (especially checking them off!) and I try to update my 43Things account frequently. Follow my current everyday goals and long term goals if you are interested. :) But for now, my husband just got home and I need to snuggle up to him! It's hard to be apart from him all day, and I want to take every opportunity to be with him as possible. Especially since today I re-found an amazing cute poem he wrote me over three years ago on facebook. Love that man!

Cleaned up & Ready for new life

...in more ways than one I've cleaned up and am ready to go out and live life.
1) I've pulled myself out of a funk this morning, and literally cleaned myself up, got feeling cute and am ready for Date Night tonight with my husband.
2) I've scanned the blog, deleted some useless posts and got it ready to be filled with many entires 2011 will bring. I am excited to post about our Date Nights and some other great ideas I have brewing...

If you're reading this, please say a quick prayer for this blog. I really need to feel like my life is more than TTC sometimes, and I'm holding some hope in this blog to help me find what those things are.