Get Back Up

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=1758

I heard a quote once that said "Hope for the best, but expect the worst." I don't know about you but I have been disappointed many time when someone that I loved didn't meet the expectations I had for them. But I have also been on the other side of the coin and been crushed when someone I cared about and trusted had high expectations for me and I ended up letting them down. It's a terrible feeling to know that you've disappointed someone you love. In one of the books I'm reading the author recommends this, "Be hard on yourself but easy on others. Carry your own cross but never lay one on the back of another. " If you feel wilty like the flower in the picture above and it seems like you're constantly letting others down maybe it's time to stop caring so much what others say you should do and focus solely on what God says you should do. He doesn't want us to walk around in a constant state of discouragement. We all go through ups and downs but you don't have a feel when you're knocked down that that is where you are supposed to stay.

"If you have made mistakes there is always another chance for you. You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call 'failure' is not the falling down, but the staying down." ~Mary Pickford

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=1857

 Everyone falls down. You don't have to feel alone. Get back up and try one more time.

If no one else has told you today, I love you and I believe in you.
xoxo Heather

Everybody Has A Laughing Place...

I'm not sure why I haven't shared this magical place with you all yet but I decided it was far past due. Disney World played a large roll in my childhood. We visited there often enough that I stopped counting how many times I've been. The picture above is from last fall when we took our kids for the 1st time. It truly is something I wish every small child could experience. After having the memories from when I was small it was delightful to go back with my children and witness it again through their eyes.

Here they are at our "Home Away From Home." A term the resort employees (or "cast members" as Disney calls them) use to greet you upon check in.

We raced on the Tomorrowland Speedway...

sailed on boats that docked at the Rainforest Cafe...

and explored the sea with Nemo and Friends.

Epcot is full of learning opportunities form various countries that are often accompanied by sweet and savory  treats.

A classic ride that should never be skipped or overlooked in my humble opinion.

Here we have a member of the royal family of Disney attractions. I can hear the music playing, the click-clacking of the boats being pulled along the track, the excited screams of the boat passengers and the splash of the water as the boat races down the 36ft long, 22ft high drop.

I wish I could capture the warmth and humidity, the smells and the sounds and send them through the computer screen so we could all feel like we're there together.  If you haven't been blessed to visit this magical world yet start saving your money and watch the deals. I promise it's worth it and you won't be disappointed. I know I never am.

Pixie dust, Mickey Mouse, and smiles around every bend,
xoxo Heather

Rewards Or Bribery?

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=1789

This week seemed like it was much busier than most weeks. I was getting up earlier and leaving the house before I normally do which meant for everything on our morning "To Do List" to get checked off I either had to get out of bed hours earlier or the rest of the family needed to pitch in more. Thankfully, I have 2 very thoughtful kiddos. I don't think I even mentioned to them that this was a crazy week. But I got more help than I could have asked for. They made their own lunches for school, helped themselves to breakfast and they even made their daddy lunch a few times. I know I couldn't have done it without their help and I wanted to do something nice for them to let them know that I appreciated their efforts.

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=987

 So, while I was in town doing my weekly errands I bought them each a treat for after school and also a couple of other small gifts. While I was looking for their small special "somethings" I found myself being oh so grateful that I didn't have to bribe them in order to produce the results I desired. They have such amazingly considerate hearts and I love 'em to pieces!! 

Wishing you a day filled with random acts of kindness,

xoxo Heather

A Mini Face Lift For My Laundry Room

Yesterday while I was cleaning my laundry room I decided that it was a terribly drab room and no wonder my laundry never gets done. Who wants to spend time in a boring, ugly-looking room? Not me, apparently. I had some leftover off white paint that I used on my livingroom walls and numerous small bottles of acrylic paint in various colors so I filled a red solo cup ("I lift you up" ... I couldn't help myself) with the off white and tinted it with acrylic paint in blue and green. Above is a picture of the color I ended up with. I am terrible about remembering to take "before" pictures so I'll just tell you what they looked like... The cabinets were just plain white and the shelf was white with accents of furniture polish stains and scratches.

Above is the finished product. I bought clear glass knobs to make it all look a bit fancier.

Aren't they lovely?? I'm now inspired to be on the look out for more items to fancy up my laundry room which also doubles as our pantry so I may have to get creative.



Laundry soap and sparkly knobs,
xoxo Heather

Antique Shops On Saturday

Yesterday while I was at the thrift store I saw an amazing little white desk that would be so cute after a coat of paint and I knew that today was half price so Tay and I went to check and see if it was half price too. Turns out it wasn't so we just left it there. We did end up finding a few other goodies while we were there. I got a throw blanket for my bedroom and Tay found a new stuffed animal puppy. The stuffed puppy he has now is missing both of his ears from being loved so very much. Anyway, we finished up at the thrift store and decided to wander across the street to the antique shop. The lady working there was super nice and let Tay pick a sucker right when we walked in. We saw lots of great stuff. This is some of what we found...

...a lovely little model of an antique stove. So cute! I wish this is what my actual stove looked like (with a house to match of course!)

I loved this cherry covered cart. I could think of a million uses for this in my house!

Tay and I thought this supersized birthday cake was loads of fun. Those candle looking sticks out of the top are paint brushes.

A beautiful french-cottage inspired vanity which I wish could come and live at my house.  Unfortunately none of our great finds came home with us as the price tags weren't as nice to look at as the item itself :) We still had fun though!

And after all that shopping Tay was sure he was in serious need of refreshment so we ventured down the street to the doughnut shop. He picked a yummy cherry glazed one and I had a chocolate, peanut butter cookie with coffee. I wish everyday could be like Saturday.

Giant birthday cakes and glazed doughnuts,
xoxo Heather

Finding Joy

"One has but to look at a healthy child at play or listen to the song of a bird at sundown and he will know that God meant His universe to be a joyful one." ~A.W. Tozer

It's hard for me to believe that this was 6 years ago. I miss these day! My kids have brought more joy to my life than I could ever have imagined! But the key to finding joy is that sometimes you have to look for it. If you're not looking for it then the negative things of this world will be all you'll see. It's sad but true. A couple of days ago my mom said to me, "Look for at least one perfect moment in each day." How many days go by without stopping to enjoy what we've been given. It all can be taken away so fast. We are not promised tomorrow so take time to appreciate today. Don't just tell you're family you love them, make a point to show them! And spend time with the people that show you that they love you. Hug and kiss your kids! Hold them while they're still small enough to. Even if you're tired, tuck them into bed. I don't want to look back and think, "I wish I would have..." And most important of all...BE GRATEFUL!

"Gratitude helps you grow and expand; gratitude brings joy and laughter into your life and into the lives of all those around you." ~Eileen Caddy

Joy and Laughter,
xoxo Heather

Mini Vacation

This is the view from my Mom's kitchen window which was the destination for our weekend getaway. They live in the middle of nowhere on 20 acres so it's very quiet and as you can see there is no snow (it was still too cold to be outside for very long though). I don't usually hear much from the kids since there are "new" toys to play with and lots of space to run which in turn gives mommy plenty of R&R time. I spend most of my time drinking coffee, and playing games with my mom. And laughing! We do a lot of laughing.

This is how I look when I play Scrabble and I don't like any of the letters I have and my mom is beating my pants off!

This is how Maci looks when its about 11pm, we're still playing games, she's ready for bed, and no one else is. Poor girl.

Now I'm off to fold a mountain of laundry, clean bathrooms, mop and vacuum floors and tackle whatever else is on my huge "To do" list.

Wishing you a warm and wonderful day,
xoxo Heather

Eyes.Lips.Face

This is my beautiful momma. We were shopping in Target yesterday for birthday gifts for 2 of my nephews that are celebrating birthdays this weekend.

Paper Jamz, Rock'Em Sock'Em Robots, and all the wrapping to go along with it! Looks like loads of fun, huh?!?! I ended up buying Paper Jamz guitars for each of my nephews. They are the craziest thing. They look just like they're made from cardboard but play like a real guitar. And because it's right after Christmas I got a screamin' deal on them! Yay!

I also found this...100 count eyeshadow palette from e.l.f. (eyes.lips.face) and it was half off so I only paid $5.00 for it. I've been watching for these to go on clearance. I have a much smaller palette that I bought last year that I LOVE! So I was super excited when I found this. Now, because I'm such a procrastinator I am all out of my regular contacts and my prescription is expired. So I am currently wearing my brown contact lenses until I make an eye appointment. I think that purple looks beautiful with brown eyes so here's what I did...

If you look close you can see my blue eyes behind the brown...I prefer my blue eyes but these are fun once in a while. And I was sick of wearing my glasses so I was grateful I had them.

I started with a skin tone color all over the lower lid and up to the brow bone and then I covered just the lid with a pale lavender color leaving the inner corner nude. I used bright pink in the very middle of the lid and then starting from the outer corner and working in a v-shape along the lash line and into the crease I used a bright indigo colored purple. I finished off with black liner all along the upper lash line and extended it with a wing. I love the mixture of pink and purple! I don't usually wear purple. I'm pretty boring and stick to the browns and golds because I think they look best with blue eyes... but I think I might try this again without the brown lenses and see how it looks.

Birthday parties and eyes to match,
xoxo Heather

Question...

Are you a body with a soul OR a soul with a body?

I prefer to think of myself as the latter. Although that's not as easy as it sounds. Living in the world we do today Hollywood bombards us with images of "perfect" looking people. Of course the question is asked: What do I have to do to look like that?? And these "perfect" people are always ready with an answer. "I work out 2 hours a day, 7 days a week." Not an appealing option if you ask me. "I don't eat anything white." I'm not making that up. I actually heard an actress say that once. And the answer that really gets me,"Oh I just have good genes." While that may be true when referring to the physical composition of their face, I know that body size all boils down to calories in vs calories out. And we can't forget the unbelievably expensive resources and procedures they have access to that you and I probably haven't even heard of.

God made us to be so much more that just the image that people see. Our soul needs just as much or maybe even more nourishment than our bodies do. And while I do believe that God expects us to take care of the body we've been given, I don't believe he wants us to spend so much time obsessing over it's appearance that we let it steal our joy. If you do have a few extra pounds that you want to lose (like I do) try to focus on feeding your soul and fueling your body. Put your energy into feeding the part of you that will make an eternal difference and remind yourself that food is fuel, not comfort! I have a terrible weakness for eating while I'm bored. Or eating because there's something else I'd rather not be doing...like laundry!

This year I want to focus more on mental and spiritual health... and I'm hoping that my body will follow suit.

Love as big and wide as the ocean,
xoxo Heather

What I Wish My House Looked Like

This is what I wish my house looked like. I am in love with everything in this cozy little sitting room! The colors, the furniture, the pillows and all the accent pieces. Its warm and cheery all at the same time. Oh, and I just noticed that the chairs have covers on them which means that they were more than likely bargain chairs. Even better!!

This is what my house actually looks like...

...well actually this is what my livingroom looks like. It's a work in progress as is the rest of the house. I'm constantly on the search for a new couch. The one that we have is terribly uncomfortable. Spend any time sleeping on that baby and you'll wake up feeling like you had a rigorous 2 hour work out. Not even kidding. The decor in my livingroom is ok. Not horrendous. But, it lacks the cute, friendliness of the room pictured above. It's a good thing I love to bargain shop! What will I do with my self when my house is exactly as I want it?? Hmmm...

Cozy window seats and daisies on the coffee table,
xoxo Heather

Tax Time Again And My "Aha!" Moment

I don't make New Year's resolutions. I think they are silly because they always get broken! BUT I found myself having an "Aha!" moment and making a few today (while I waded through the paper work involved with our yearly taxes) that might actually stick. Here goes:

1) Spend less- Hahaha...I know! But after going through bank statements and noticing that a good portion of the money I spent in the last year was on purchases that I really don't have much to show for or didn't need (coffee, restaurants, clothes, home decor, etc) I decided that this year is going to be different. Instead of buying "stuff" (and ALWAYS regretting it) I will save that money and put it toward a vacation fund. We'll see how well I do. I'm sure I'll have moments of weakness, but at least I'll try to be more aware.

2) Get organized- And by this I mean, get my finances organized. And by finances organized I mean invest in software that will basically do it for me. Because if I'm being honest with myself, left up to me, it would n.e.v.e.r get done!

Here's to resolutions I said I wouldn't make and future vacations!
xoxo Heather

Happy New Year...And Spring?!?!

This is what my backyard looks like this morning. It's early so there's still some frost but the sun is quickly melting it and on the news this morning the weatherman said the temp today was supposed to be in the 40's.

Last week it felt a lot like spring with the temperature in the upper 50's. I know we need the snow in the mountains but I can't help but love all the sunshine. It certainly has made this winter way more tolerable than previous years.

My little Maci follows the rays of sunshine through the house napping...and to be honest... I'm tempted to do the same.

Beautiful sunshine and Vitamin D,
xoxo Heather

Thrifty Treasures: Home Decorating Edition

I looked around my house the other day and noticed that about 90% of the decorations in my house are from the thrift store. And I LOVE all of them! It's much more satisfying for me to shop at a thrift store and find bargains than to pay full price for something new. It's like treasure hunting. I bought the lamp, the "Home" sign, and the nightstand they're sitting on all at a thrift store.

It was half off day at the thrift store I bought my nightstands at so I paid about $20 dollars for each of them. STEAL!!

I love all the pictures hanging on my walls and I know I didn't pay over $5 for any of them.

So cute and cheery! One of my very favorites that hangs by my kitchen door.

Candlesticks that make their way all around the house just depending on the day.

You can't see it very well from the picture, but this little flower pic is 3D. A few of the blossoms and leaves pop out. So fun and a great find, I thought!

Hugs and 3D flowers,
xoxo Heather