Late Night Tuesday Talk & Truths

Happy Tuesday Friends! I am back with another edition of Tuesday Talks & Truths...even if it's up a little later than expected. Hope you enjoy!

* I think the little room in the picture above would be the perfect kind of new prayer/meditation room or area I want in our home. There is something pulls me to India and Indian design. It's taken a long time for me to really figure out what I like, but I know for sure I like this...and all the other pictures in this blog post. Hope you like them too. 

* Jackson got grounded again tonight. We have jumped into the preteen and teen years with all the little kids. And the way it has began makes me worry.

* I was helping Scott upstairs today and when I got back to my phone all the important women in my life called in this order. 

Trina 3:54pm

Brittany Belle 4:08pm

Shanna 5:33pm

Mom 6:01pm

Margie Jaggers 6:06pm

I called back a few already but the rest are going to have to wait until tomorrow. It was funny though! :) That's some girl power for ya. I promise they could run the world. 

* It was crazy around the house today. I love Scott being here but having him be a handy man just doesn't work. The shower rod installation should have taken 15 - 30 max. It took much longer for us to figure it out. The truth is, he doesn't read directions. I left to film a video and he actually called and got some help from the manufacturer. I was also filming him off and on for the review and it was craaaaazy. Then Jackson came home with a lot of energy which made our crazy house even crazier. And lets not forget of Super Cooper bouncing around the house. I need a long bath tonight!

*It's late and the kitchen is a total mess. I am getting up in just a few minutes to clean it up. No fun.

* I am still dreaming of another house. I think it's time to really start looking. I knew there is somewhere else around here that would suit us better. 

* My back is hurting. Its felt like a full time job around the house today. Plus my calf muscles are hurting from walking last night. I really don't like it but tomorrow I'm doing another 30 minutes.

* There's been no good movies on here the past few days. I have been watching reruns of series I have been loving but finished. So I am making the best of it but we want a good movie around here!

* I feel kinda bad admitting we are suppose to have a 73 degree day while many of my friends up north are being hit with another 12 - 15 inches of snow. Yikes! Just glad for we are getting a glimpse of spring around here.

* With me being so behind tonight there is no way I am going to get to bed at a decent hour tonight. Bed sounds really good right now but it is going to wait an hour or two. It's what I get for having a busy day with Scott home.

* I keep wondering what is going to happen with Jodi Arias. I don't think they are going to put her to death but who knows. She certainly deserves it but my guess is it won't happen. Time will tell... just waiting on the jury to figure it out.

* My family is still hurting from my Aunt passing away just a couple days ago. However, I do know my mom loves seeing all her brothers too. They have been catching up during this difficult time and it's a little piece of  joy in a very sad time.

* My daughter is flipping out about the no wifi. Just like Jackson she is going to have to suck it up. They have to realize that all their decisions from now till the end of their lives have consequences. You choose the behavior, you choose the consequences.

* Ive got a to do list for tomorrow of things I want to get done...and I am already tired thinking about it. Maybe I can make a video of it and share my mini goals.

* I am tired of people complaining about Hilary. So what she used a private email. Gosh Republicans...go find her running over a bunch of nuns or kids...or kicking a puppy in the park because the crap your putting out there now makes you look so weak....like you are grabbing at straws. Move on.

* The pantry is actually staying organized. I don't like to film a video of a newly organized area until we test it out and really see how it works for us. This time its staying clean and organized with very little effort. Yay! There's another upcoming video for ya!

* I need to get down some cookbooks for new recipes. I still like the good old fashioned book. Online recipes are great but there is just something about opening a cook book and flipping through the pages.

* A bunch of emails came in today and I have a lot that need a reply. Just hang on.. they are coming!

* I think it's time for bangs to cover the wrinkles. And Taylor Swifts new haircut is pretty close to what I am wanting. It always takes so long for me to get there and actually get it cut but it's happening soon for sure.

* I am doing a little better with drinking less Mountain Dew. I seriosuly was drinking 7-8 cans a day. That's a lot. Too much actually so I am going to try harder to drink more water but... I will still have my favorite drinks, just not as many!

* Isn't that an amazing cake...I would totally love this for my birthday but I doubt Scott will walk through the door with it. But maybe by next year I will talk him into it! 

I hope you guys had a great Tuesday. I'll see ya tomorrow. I have a late night date with the kitchen! I plan on cleaning super fast so I can get it done, get a shower, and finally climb in my comfy bed. xx

Sunday Inspiration

Happy Sunday friends! I hope you are having a wonderful afternoon. I am hanging out with Scott and Jackson today but I thought I would take a few minutes to write a Sunday Inspiration blog post.  It's just a time when I can look back and concentrate on the miracles, challenges, and happenings that God has put into my life. Hope you enjoy. ♥

Scott and I have a beautiful family. We have healthy loving kids who are doing their best to figure out who they are along with trying to navigate through all the paths this life gives all of us. However the younger kids are giving us a run for our money this year. Thanks to this wonderful internet, they have been subjected to things they should never have to see. I think as parents is our job to stay ahead of technology to protect them. But what happens when they are around other children at school, sleep overs, and even at home sometimes when other parents don't do the same? Well let me tell you that is something we have been running into here lately and it's caused us some trouble in our family with our kids. We had our family trip down south that was stressful enough on its own, only to come home and have to deal with internet issues on the other kids.

I won't say that it's life altering or anything but happened to kids being kids? Why is everything starting so fast for them now? I guess it's all the access to the internet and just the changing times. This is really uncharted waters for us. We have a 25 year old who married with her family. My oldest son lives with his grandparents and is pretty immature but still older and then we have two 12 year old boys and a 13 year old daughter. The oldest two are past this point but we are still running as fast as we can to stay ahead of the little kids. Then we think we are ahead of the game only to realize that the kids at school who's parents are not monitoring showing other kids. It amazes me how much fast children destroy everything we are doing. I have felt pretty defeated here lately but I have been praying more for grace, understanding, and patience. Sadly, we are not the only influences in our kids lives. But during these times, I realize that I am not going to stop doing my part in protecting our children.

It's hard for me to accept that we are finally at the point where the outside influences are coming into their lives. We have controlled the tv, internet and phones for a while now..and we have even controlled their friends to a big degree but we are coming to the point where we can only hope our influence is the best and most constant. Our hope is that God's influence trumps all. From our prayers to theirs, we want them to take the path that God has laid out for each of them. I know that will bring trials and tribulations along the way but in the end, I hope they are happy healthy kind people. That's my hope for all of our kids. I have come to think that the influences that I don't like will come and go through their entire lives. If they keep their faith strong, they will be able to just kinda pass through those times moving on to something better. It's been a challenge with all the kids here lately. I have been reading a new parenting book which I will come back and discuss at another time. I have a wonderful support system who I call upon in good times as well as bad to give me their fresh insight into whatever situation is going on. I can't even begin to tell you how important they are in my life and the kids lives too. It takes a village and I need all their support. 

Life is a bunch of challenges and parenting is the hardest job on the planet. Each day there is something new happening or changing. And as scary as it is, I have to just go with the flow and keep an open heart with a lot of forgiveness to get through it all. We have to let the kids be themselves and grow up but in the right time. Just because some of their friends are doing things/seeing things or saying things does not mean our children will follow suit. We will remain strong in our faith and convictions and let God lead the way. 

Thanks for stopping by. I hope your Sunday is going well. I am hanging out with Scott and Jackson and have a food haul coming up in a bit! Stay tuned. 

Sunday Inspiration: Let Go & Let God ♥

Happy Sunday friends! I hope your having a great afternoon. The boys just to go fishing and do some boy stuff that I am not so fond of. :) It's great for them to get to spend some time together since Scott works so much. It also gives me some free time to write this blog post! 

I thought that picture quote above so right on point. So many times we all get tired and grumpy with this worlds problems and such but the more we let God in, the less we experience those feelings. It's been a journey for me trying to understand that. The more light you let in, the less anything else can fill the space. It's hard to remember that sometimes right? We are all going on with everyday life... good times and bad and its so easy to forget to let God in when you are stressed out or upset. But if you just take a few seconds in those times, its amazing how the issues will flow through you and not get stuck in your head or heart.

This next week, is going to be extremely stressful for our family. We have to travel south to go to a court hearing about Zane. In case you are new here, my husband has a son by a previous marriage and that child has been taken from his mothers care and put in foster care. We are making the long car trip for a court hearing that I am not too happy about. While I would like things to happen in a much different way, it's really out of my control. Giving it to God was our only option. I've had some light bulb moments in the past week but none so bright as realizing that maybe I am just a visitor in Zanes journey. Maybe I am not here to fix anything. Maybe I am here just to be a witness to his life. So much is totally out of my control which drives me crazy. When you really think about it, most things in life are out of our control. I think you have to surrender to that alone. All we can really do is let God do his will and try to see the blessings in disguise.



Since this next week is going to be pretty stressful, I know I will have to redirect my heart more towards God and let go. I am just going to allow the situation to flow through me instead of living within me. God lives in me. Someone cleverly once said to me that I should let life's problems flow through me but don't allow them to take up residence in my heart and body. Let their stay be short. 

We are all on our own separate journeys. In case you are going through something stressful yourself, I thought these reminders might make you feel a little better. ♥

Matthew 6:27 

" And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?" 

Romans 8:18

" The pain that you've been feeling, can't compare to the joy that's coming," 

Proverbs 12:25

" Anxiety is a man's heart weighs him down but a good word makes him glad."

Psalm 94:19

 When anxiety was great within me, our consolation brought me joy. " 

I hope you have a beautiful and blessed week.

Sunday Inspiration

Happy Sunday to you all. I hope you are all having a wonderful afternoon. All of us around here were sleepy heads today including myself. :) I love it when we can all sleep in and wake up together easily. Weekends are great! Most Sunday's I try to publish a more spiritual blog post. Normally it is influenced by life and today is no different.

 While we were in Indiana for Christmas, I had a crazy little moment where I realized we were now really the grandparents and we are moving up in the line and soon we will just be memories in our kids and grand children hearts. I don't know why it hit me so hard in the moment but it truly did. It was huge for me. After that thought came in my mind, I just could not stop thinking about it. Scott reminded me that even though we are in fact grandparents, I still have my mom and dad. Sadly, his are both gone but we still have time. That spun my mind in even more directions. 

Here are some of the thoughts that were coming to mind:

* How could it be this way?? * Are we really getting old so fast? * Eventually we will be all the kids have. * I have to try to set better examples in everything. * I totally need to master the art of self control. * I should be praying more. * Still so many happy memories to make with all the kids. * Scott really does love me. I have to keep our marriage strong no matter what. * We need more family time. * Why haven't we found a church? * I need to control my cursing. * We really are going to just be memories one day. * Maybe we should get more life insurance to give to the kids? *I need to print this blog into books for the kids to have. *What's happens if Scott or I get sick? * I need to smile more. * I need to really make the most of this time now. *Doesn't life seem to go by in the blink of the eye.

All those thoughts and more flowed through my mind for days on end. I felt sad but I also felt compelled to really make a difference in my families life. I want to be a better wife, mother and friend. I know at this point in my life I should have more self control than what I do. I should be choosing my words more carefully and speaking in love not anger. Especially with my family. I should be more patient even on days I am tired. I just had a real awakening that we are the grown ups now. We are the one's who are setting the example. It's crazy thinking about it that way but its been that way for a while now and it's just starting to sink in how important my role in this family is. I have so many things I still want to teach my children. I have so many things that I still need to learn and it doesn't seem like much time to get it all done.

I think for a while now I have let past things haunt me in the current day. In which I think it has altered my ability to trust. I don't just mean trust other people. All the anxiety I have has to be from the past when something has scared or hurt me. So realizing how it all ties together, has been a real revelation for me. I am not saying I know it and its all better now. But what I do know is I am working hard to have everything on that tree above in my life.

Maybe it is me getting older that makes me realize how precious time is and important it is for me to make the biggest impact in the smallest amount of time with the kids. My fear of the ticking clock has to be set aside for me to get my life organized and cleaned up while I still have the time to do it. I haven't been the best person I could be in the first part. So maybe if I take control of my mind, body, and spirit....the rest of my life here can be more meaningful. None of us are promised tomorrow and my questions to you is....are you living a life you are proud of? Could you do it better? How would you do it better?


Here's my short list of needed self improvements:

• Make more time for God. No matter if we find a church or not in the near future, my family and I can still make more time to pray, to read scriptures and mediate. 
• Stop Cursing. Yep. It's time. You never sound like a lady saying the F word all the time. Wish me luck. 
• Be nice to strangers. I need to trust that most people are kind. I should know that by now because you guys have been amazing to me. 
• Forgive when I don't get that apology I want or think I need. 
• Make more time with the kids. I think they just want to see our eyes light up when they enter the room. Really the kids have actually taught me so much. 
• Try to believe & trust in people until they actually give me a reason not to. 
• Make my marriage a example the kids are proud of. 

So you can see the things I am going to start with. I didn't want to categorize them in New Year Resolutions. It's really more life changes instead of some change for the year. I just feel like time is running out to get it right. Do you ever feel tat way? Idk but I am taking stock and trying to figure out what is most important.

Happy Sunday. ♥

Sunday Inspiration

Hello to you all! I hope you are having a great Sunday. I am not moving very fast today at all. The boys woke me up around 8am and I haven't been so pleasant.  I think what drives me nuts is they wake me up and then both of them want late morning/early afternoon naps. Its totally frustrating sometimes because I am tired... I need rest too and then after I'm up they go back to sleep!? It totally reminds me though of my grandfather because he did the same a lot of times. He would wake up the entire house super early and after we were all up, drinking coffee and complaining, he just had himself a power nap right there in the lazy boy.  I have never understood the point of waking someone up if you are just going back to sleep yourself and still don't get it. In a way I think God is saying get your butt out of the bed and spend more precious time with your family but the kicker is....the patience I need to learn in that simple process. I am a big believer in prayer. I seriously have seen it work miracles in my own life and I know that God hears everyone's prayers...not just mine but he also wants us to listen. He wants us to feel his presence and listen to the little inner God voice within us. How do I know a prayer has been answered....is a question I get a lot. Well...sometimes its simple prayers like....God I need a favor, my cat is lost and I need you to help me find him. 30 minutes later the cat is in my arms again...so I give God that credit. Other times, I don't know if a particular prayer is answered...but all you need is faith the size of a mustard seed..

He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” 

Matthew 17:20

Its not just faith in God that matters. Is the faith that he will stand beside you, guide you and carry you even if needed. Its faith that he hears your prayers and will answer them. It's faith in his timing and faith that you will be ok no matter what. 

I have the faith that God exists, hears and answers my prayers, performs miracles, and gives us everything but I sometimes get stuck in faith in current day and time. Its hard to have faith sometimes in real life but the more you have, the more armour you protect yourself with. And if you need a little more armour...I found this cute Emergency contact numbers that might guide you too! 

I hope you have a beautiful and blessed Sunday! I have the boys to have fun with so no telling what the day has in store! I should be back in a bit with our weekly food shopping haul and grocery day prep video! 

Sunday Inspiration + Updates!

Hello friends! I hope you are having a wonderful evening. I am back a little later with my Sunday Inspiration post along with a couple of updates! So as you can see, the blog has went through some changes today. I have been working hard with another web designer to get this happy place of mine just a little bolder and a little brighter! I really hope you guys like it. Everything is still pretty much in the same area so you should be able to easily navigate through the blog with ease. I still have a few things I would like to finish but I plan on doing a full review of the web designer and show you her work in full and even do a giveaway for a premade template. Yep! So stay tuned for that to come in the days or weeks ahead. I am totally excited to share the love with one of my fellow bloggers! If you run into any issues feel free to let me know because it takes a couple days sometimes to get out the kinks.

So its not just Sundays when I am spiritual per say. But I do tend to put up more of a spiritual kind of post on Sundays. Tonight I will share with you that my journey to get myself, my family, my life back on track. For the past few weeks, I have made myself get out of the depressed worried anxious mood I tend to stay in with a new schedule. I speak about it here but it has helped me so much. Not just with the housework, blogging and youtubing schedules. But with making myself follow a new routine in the morning. I normally don't take a shower in the am because I always take a long bath before bed. But the shower is kinda refreshing and gives me a few minutes of solitude to get some positive thoughts running through my head first thing, Straight out of the bed and into the shower. Normally it would be right to the coffee pot! Then I come out and have some time reading my prayer book and mediating simply sitting in a quiet area alone with my thoughts....eyes closed...taking in the natural noises and let every negative thought that some how enters, pass through and go back to a positive thought. I am now thinking about my thoughts... what they are telling me and what I am telling myself. I keep bringing it back to positive. So this little routine takes roughly 30 - 35 minutes and has been giving me the the extra boost I have needed to start my day in a more positive way. Winter is right around the corner. And if you haven't checked out my winter time blues video....it might be helpful if you have been off schedule too.

But now back to my mornings....everything went well the past week with this new routine but I must say...weekends are harder. The boys are home and noisey...I was out of bed without a shower this morning because I was needed in a hurry. And to be honest, mediation didn't happen either. I did make the time to read my morning prayer book, watch Joel Osteen with Scott but its crazy different with my family in the house. It's ok though. I still filled my head with tons of positive thoughts. And its still been a little stressful. I have been working hard with another very sweet kind lady who I have harassed like a crazy person. I still have some items that I would love her help on. I feel like I am very comfortable with webdesign but she is better and knows more. So I was totally stressed out. I know she probably was too. So it was a teaching day. Actually last night my friend was on the phone with me when the changes started happening and told me to calm down and breath. She feels sorry for the lady working for me since I am such a control freak. But I really am impressed by Leslie. She has been such a sweet heart making stressful change less stressful even with all my 71 emails. Bet she wasn't expecting that! :) 


I am really trying to see and think about things differently. Thoughts are just an extension of me.. they are not me and they don't always mean something. Let them flow in and try to just live in the moment. Today that meant spending time with my family and not getting half the stuff I wanted to get done. But that's ok. Their company is more important than my schedule. We even went and looked at another house that might be free of a peeping tom. Ha! I'm not even joking. I don't know if we will really be moving but the idea sure sounds nice right now. Expensive but nice. Our oldest daughter Laura has been trying to work out a plan where Scott, myself Jackson, herself , husband and their 3 children move to Florida. All of us in one large house until the kids could get into another. The boys totally squashed our dreams but I think the timing is off. And I also think Scott and I should get down their first and get settled in before the kids come. Laura's not giving up though! :) And I am not so sure old Scott is ready to live with 3 kids all under 3 years old. Plus all of ours in the summer. Yea...we might have to find separate places to start off with. But close enough we can help with the baby's. And I know she needs the help! 

So I hope you go into this new week with as many good and positive thoughts as possible. Try to fall a sleep tonight thinking something nice and positive. Wake up and force yourself to do the same. I am ready to control my mind more than letting it control me. So keep thinking positive thoughts no matter how hard things are. See ya tomorrow with my week in review. 

Sunday Inspiration

Happy Sunday Friends. I hope you are getting a good start to your day. I am sitting here enjoy the beautiful day with coffee in hand and computer in front of me. I woke to cuddles with a very special little boy and a bunch of animals competing for my attention. Scott is on the golf course and should be home pretty soon. I don't really know what the rest of the day holds but I am just glad that I don't have to be in the Sunday mode with getting things ready for school on Monday. At least this week we all have one extra day before starting a busy week.

So how about the rules above for being human? What do you guys think about it. I saw it and felt instantly everything listed couldn't be more true and/or accurate. I think what most of us fail to realize is that this entire life is just a big classroom. I think we are all here to better our souls and we do that through the lessons of our lives. I know when going through a big breakup or someone close to you dying doesn't feel like a lesson in the moment but it truly is. I don't think many of us look at the bigger picture most days. There is a reason for everything but that doesn't mean we are suppose to know that reason right away.

This past week, I have just not been feeling like myself. I can't really explain why but its been hard finding any kind of balance. I haven't been sleeping well...I haven't been feeling well along with a bunch of other things. Cooper ( our dog ) is still not feeling well. The house needed a ton of my attention. I had lots of videos and blog posts I was needing to do. I really was trying to  do my best to try to return to some kind of  normal schedule. Jackson started back at school a couple of weeks ago and since I have been off in every way. I am not sure I even came back from Myrtle Beach. I think my head and soul are still lingering around that resort watching that ocean come crashing in. But my head has to be here. This past week, I did my best to catch up on the house cleaning, shopping, animal care but still I just was not feeling myself. By time Tuesday evening showed up, I knew it was time to slow down and focus on myself. If we as mothers/fathers do not take care of ourselves how in the world can we take care of our families?? I decided for just a couple days I would stop worrying about the blog post or video I needed to get done. I really didn't watch much tv and I still can't tell you where the days went. I really tried to focus on myself to get feeling better. I think it helped shutting things down and focusing on what my heart and soul was feeling. I took more time outside where I listened to the birds sing, felt the trees and grass come alive and I knew that was all God. I think God wanted me to slow down my life to see the beauty that I had been missing with all my busy thoughts and busy life. I know being out in nature is being with God. I see the presence of God everywhere. The key though, is slowing down long enough not just see it but to feel it. Its all about the timing. His timing.. God's timing. 

So this next week, I am going still try to keep to my schedule but more importantly Gods schedule. I already know when things are going wrong, to stop and refocus but I rarely do it when I should. I was hard for me to decide to shut down the computer for a few days. It was hard to cut myself out of things I normally do but it worked out because I do feel better now. I really wish things would go according to my schedule more but over those few days,  I realized that its totally ok to just let go and let things happen in the divine way and I hope you guys do the same. 

Have a beautiful day. 

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Thankful Thursday

Hello friends! I hope you are having a wonderful Thursday. I am back with this week's Thankful Thursday Post. We all should take some time to reflect on what we are really thankful for. Rather it's in a blog post or private diary, it doesn't matter. It just helps you not take things for granted and also helps bring out happiness from sometimes the most simplest of moments. Hope you enjoy. 

♥ I am thankful for such beautiful weather. I get to listen to the birds sing, see the flowers bloom and enjoy late afternoon showers. Its simply beautiful here. I am sure the fall will be just as nice. We normally have the doors and windows open as much as possible and just let the sunshine come in. I am so thankful its not winter. 

♥ I am thankful to Scott for working hard. Our bills are super high. We have a larger house with 2 different air air conditioners and heating it costs a fortune. But he works really hard to pay all the bills ( in the same month! hahaha ) and I admire that about him. He is a wonderful provider. 

♥ I am thankful to my sister who told me on a recent phone call that I was good mom. She said our mom says it a lot and that people who are not really in our family, have given me a bad rap at times. It touched my heart to hear someone I love so much say I am a good mom. I am not conventional in anyway but it makes me proud to hear both of them say it. I grew up with my grandparents who put my mom through hell for many years. My father and her split up and they financially fueled the custody wars. I was told terrible things about her but was still able to see her and have her in my life. Once I got older, things changed. She was in my life full time and she is a wonderful mom. I don't get it but I am thankful that she is with me every step of the way and the same with my sister. We are both better because of her and lucky to have her as our mom. I am thankful both of those ladies are my family and I hold them so close in my heart. 

♥ I am thankful things calmed down with my ex husband. We got into a scheduling war and gosh...it was a mess for a couple of days. Trying to line everyone's schedules and wants up is very difficult at times. We got it worked out though. 

♥ I am thankful that my daughter is growing up into a strong smart young woman. I am trying to guide her but at the same time let her be herself and walk her own path. However, that path better lead to college. :) 

♥ I am thankful for you guys. There are days when things are not going so well for me and all of a sudden, a email or comment will pop in and totally life my spirits. You all are so inspiring and I am thankful that you take time to come our lives and I am proud to say you are my friends! 

♥ I am thankful our cat Gabby came right up to the back door when she got out the other day. She's no dummy... there's no pillows or fancy feast outside. I didn't even know she was out until she just showed up on the back porch. I was bringing groceries in from the garage earlier and I guess she just got out. 

♥ I am thankful for the new Dr. who is helping me with some medical issues. I have some testing to go through next Wednesday that I am dreading but hopefully he will figure everything out and fix me up!

♥ I am thankful for lazy days at home. We always stay so busy around here so lazy days are highly regarded. However on Scott's lazy day he worked his ass off in the yard. I was shocked at how long he was out there working and sweating. He slept really good that night.

♥ I am thankful for my Erin Condren Life Planner. It truly gets me though the day in one piece. If I did not have a roadmap of how things needed go, I would be a total disaster. I write down everything and the planner keeps my head straight. I do have a giveaway going on, you can click here to get entered!

♥ I am thankful my husband finally agreed to getting me a Afghan Hound. It might early next year but we are getting one.. and I am sooooooo freaking happy! We are now just trying to figure out what his name will be!

♥ I am thankful for Jackson coming home soon. Its always heartbreaking for him to leave his dads but its time for school to start and he has to get serious again. As soon as he gets home, he has a very busy schedule getting ready for the new school year. We really miss him and are so ready for him to come back.

♥ I am thankful long hot bubble baths. I haven't been taking a long bath every night. Instead I sometimes opt for a quicker shower but I had a to die for bubble bath last night and loved every minute of it. I was so relaxed when I got out.

♥ I am thankful for all the summer bounty of fresh produce. Here in SC we have some amazing fruit stands. All the veggies are bright and fresh right now. The peaches are mouth watering and I was truly thankful the other day when I sunk my teeth in a fresh peach. It was summer in every bite.

♥ I am thankful for the internet and tv working today. Three days this week it has went out. Last night it went out at midnight and I was so angry. It wasn't even raining. This morning it was back on and I was thankful to be able to tune in to CNN.

♥ I am thankful for the stars in the sky. A few days ago our outside table umbrella was destroyed in a storm so last night I went out there and I could see so many stars. I sat out there for a while just gazing up wondering who else was doing the same.

♥ I am thankful for workout pants and yoga pants. Yep. I sure am. They have been a staple the past few weeks to do everything from yard work, housework and even quick errands around town. They are comfy, and so easy to wear.

I hope you take a few minutes today and reflect on what you are thankful for. If you are a blogger and have a Thankful Thursday to share, leave it in the comments so I can come drop by!

I have a skin care review coming up in just a little while.. come back and check it out. Happy Thursday! 

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Sunday Inspiration

Hello everyone. I hope you are having a wonderful Sunday. I stayed up super late last night and it took forever for me to fall asleep. I think it was after 5am before I really got into a deep sleep. So understandably, I am running a slow today. Scott got up early and kinda hosted a pre golf breakfast and had a 9am tee time. I know he was up late too so I am guessing he will be napping while I am doing the grocery shopping later. Here lately, it seems like I have been had some pretty evil energy around me. You know those people who put their negativity in your life and if your not careful....you will let it in; and then it can spread. We all see evil everyday on the news don't we? Its here rather we want it or not. But what happens when it shows up in your life? For me there have been a few things that have happened. At first, I was struck off guard. Then I got angry and once that happened...it took a while to clam down and figure out how to deal with it. First I know God does not give us more than we can handle. I know that. I also know that life is a big classroom filled with numerous lessons for us all. But I fell short and thought handling it with my fast acting temper could combat evil and negative energy. All that did was get me worked up and still the energy was around. Not only did it surround me in a sense but it was starting to dwell inside me. It seeps in whenever you least expect it. Once I was able to have a clear thought...actually many clear thoughts I put together a plan to rid myself of all that energy and to focus on better things. One of the first things I did was have a serious conversation with my husband about what I was feeling and who I was feeling it about. It was brutally honest conversation that we had. We talk about everything and knowing I could tell him what I was thinking and feeling helped a lot. I then had a decision to make. Let this energy fill our home and our lives or to fight back. I am choosing to fight back. What does that mean?? I am certainly not going to actually be fighting anyone. But I am going to fight for my family, our happiness, our lives with grace. I have fallen short with grace when evil showed itself in whatever form. 

I have said it over and over { maybe one day my brain will understand it } but we can't choose what others do but we can choose how we handle and or react to it. I am so emotional most of the time which makes it hard to see clear in difficult times. I can still stand up and fight off all the negative energy but in a way that is graceful and not distasteful. Sometimes I will get right in the gutter and fight back. I was made that way but I think one of the biggest lessons of my life is learning not to fight back. Be graceful. Everyday its a challenge. Its easy to love your kids. Its easy to love your parents. Its easy to love your husband/wife but its its not easy to be loving when faced with a horrible person. Love is not the first thing that comes to my mind in those kind of situations. Mercy is not something I think of often either. Most of us want mercy shown to us when we are having a difficult day so why is harder to give it for others? Another thing I am trying to do to keep the negative evil energy away to simply not let it in our home. Our home is our sanctuary. Its the one soft spot for Scott, myself and the kids to be so we have to be careful with the energy in the house. I think each person is responsible for the energy they bring into our home. I also think its up to us...the adults to always be mindful of how negative energy can quickly move in. As many of you know Scott's ex has been giving us all kinds of problems here lately. We could let that suck the life out of us but instead we are pushing that negative evil energy away. Simple as that. When I don't put grace first, it always always comes out worse. And believe me I am not very graceful when challenged. Its just not in my DNA. So like many of you... I am constantly learning how to cope better, how to love harder and how to forgive more. I think I like Eckhart Tolle's quote on grace the best....

I strive.. I want.. I need a resistance free life. I have a feeling I have a much longer journey ahead of me until I have that grace, ease and lightness. I think the important thing is...we all keep trying.  Thanks for coming and visiting today. I hope you have a beautiful and blessed Sunday!

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Sunday Inspiration

Good Morning Friends. I hope you are getting along with this beautiful morning. I am trying to get as much coffee in me as possible so I wake up and get all the things I want to do accomplished today. When I saw this quote a few days ago, I knew it fit my life perfectly right now. I have been working hard to find the peace that I was longing for. I am a planner and I am someone who thinks things should fall in place for my life to be more peaceful. But I have had more than my fair share of complicated days in the last month. I started having anxiety and I was feeling depressed often; which prompted me for a change. I shut the computer for days on end. I didn't take a picture or video of anything. I just seriously tried to disconnect and center myself. Now I am on a new schedule of sorts to help which includes more personal/spiritual time along with more family time. And life doesn't seem to be so complicated anymore. I have been cutting negativity out of my life and learning to accept that there are very few people in my life who's opinions really matter. I thought after years of blogging and just recently I got into making videos on youtube, I had a tough skin when it came to bad comments. And to be honest, I am not so tough. I hurt like anyone else and instead of letting that energy into my life I choose to ignore it and let it go. I think these experiences are teaching me so much. I am learning self control more than ever which God knows I need help with.   But I am working on it daily. I am also learning to not let anyone steal my happiness. . All lessons I thought I already learned. 
{ Guess I needed a refresher. }

Thanks to therapy w/ Scott,  I am just learning to handle things differently. I know God keeps giving the same lessons over and over until your soul learns and grows. I am still a work in progress but I am trying and each day seems a little brighter! 

Have a beautiful Sunday. 

♥ Valentine Inspiration ♥ ..

Valentines Day is right around the corner! Yay!!!!!  So its time to start doing some fun

Love 

posts.. and these cut out cupcakes are adorable.. served with strawberry milk! I might just have to do this one!

xoxo

K Jaggers
♥

Sunday Inspiration

Happy Happy Sunday Friends! I hope you take the time to enjoy the day with your family. Its days like these when I am with both my boys that mean the most to me. I don't take that for granted one bit. Its suppose to rain off an on today.. so I don't know what our plans are. I need to do a little shopping and I also plan on getting those swatches done from the new make up I got a few days ago. 

Besides that.. I am going to relax.. and maybe do a little baking! 

xoxo

K Jaggers

♥