Childhood Inspirations

 April is the month I choose to focus on ladies from both the past and present that have or currently inspire me in someway. I am purposefully choosing to only speak on those aspects of each woman.

There are so many women who have truly changed the outcome of my being, my whole self. However, I am sure that is the case of all adult women.

The first, and probably most important will always be my mother. There is no greater female influence in a girl's life. My life is no exception. My mother has taught me so many things that make me who I am. I have written about her many times for this reason. Through perseverance she defies odds daily. Through creativity she feeds when there is little, makes beauty out of rags, and blessings out of emptiness.

Second is Mrs. W. A wonderful, godly neighbor that my family was blessed with where I grew up. She brought me to church, took time to mentor and teach me, and truly cared about me. To me she is something like an adopted grandmother.

Third I have Mrs. G, a teacher in middle school who pulled me out of my math hating rut. She took the extra time to help me understand and change my outlook on my abilities. I am to this day now fairly capable in math. I think a good teacher changes everything.

Last but by far least is Pastor D. One of my life's few spiritual guides. She taught me how to truly love others by loving me. I miss talking to her.

I have many other ladies who inspire and change me on a daily basis even today. Due to the fact I don't have permission to use their names, I will use their initials like I did for the ladies above. I just want to shout out a little thanks to each of them.

C, You are like no other teacher I know. No one has a heart quite like yours. You are a blessing to everyone you meet. Your energy is amazing. You are a dear friend and a great woman!

Mrs. T, you have no idea what you encourage in my on a daily basis. The patience and skill in a classroom are my goals for a future classroom. You may not realize how much of a mentor and friend you have become to me.

C, its a quiet admiration from afar that I have for you.We are not close, but I often wish we were. You are so joyful and fun. You are stylish a chic. You are my ideal of a beautiful woman, inside and out.


 Well, that is all the time we have for April. Next month is a new month with a new theme. I cant honestly remember how many different themes Ive offered up to you guys, but I think I'm leaning toward 30 Days to a Refreshed You. I say this because I am in need. We will see what tomorrow holds!

Speaking of tomorrow, my giveaway ends tomorrow evening. If you haven't yet entered my Spring Break Giveaway, get to it! Its so easy to do, why not?

Dear Mom

The deep dark hole of an internet-less apartment can nearly drive someone into insanity. My heart is broken over all the missed posts and glorious time on Pinterest. However, life must go on. The theme for this month is "A Thankful Heart is a Happy Heart". I won't lie, I borrowed this title from a VeggieTales movie. November is a perfect time to be reminded how blessed we are. Its also a good opportunity to thank those who have blessed us! I plan to write letter of thanks each post this month. Each letter will be addressed to a person, company, or organization that has blessed me.

All that being said, I want to start this month of with a letter to the most important and influential woman in my life. I have her to thank for so much. Without further ado...

Dear Mom,
There is no other person on Earth who has the impact you have had on my life. Thank you for giving up dreams and plans to raise me I know how big a thing it is to have a baby now.You gave me the world view that keeps me grounded, strong, and hardworking. Thank you for all the skills that you instilled in me. From cooking and housekeeping to multitasking and critical thinking, you made me the woman I am today. Thank you for being an example of helping others and building strong relationships. I have learned how to lead others, give selflessly, and nurture those around me, all from you. Even today, I look at you as an example of those things. You are a picture of overcoming insurmountable obstacles and challenges. I only wish I was more like you in that area. Thank you for giving me a love for others and a strong background of tradition. I know you worry sometimes about my desire for self perfection, but you are quite the example to live up to. On behalf of all those lives you have blessed, thank you. I love you so much.

I could have spent all day writing things I'm thankful to my mother for, but I spared you all the crazy stories and personal details!

I have some fun to share with you on the next post, so be on the look out. (Think GIVEAWAY)

Digging Deeper: The Contents

I have always heard that you could tell a lot by the contents of a woman's purse. If this is true, I figure I should be able to learn a little about myself through it. I figured I would bring you for the ride. I have some fun pictures for you too!

This is a picture of my purse. (I change my purse every week to two weeks, depending on the season. It changes less in the Summer.) Although I change my purse regularly, I basically pour the contents from one to another, so that stays the same.The second picture is all the contents of my purse, prior to exploration.

First we will go through the things that were not in separate little bags. Some of these things should have been in those bags, but oh well!

The first photo is of educational flash cards. They were left overs from work that I brought home for Ben.

The second photo is of my handkerchief, nail file, lip balm, and pen. These three things actually say a lot about me. The handkerchief comes from tendency to be old-fashioned. In fact, I wrote about bring hankies back, here. As for my nail file... I will have to admit, I am a little OCD. As far as things on myself goes, I strive for perfections. I hate ragged nails, pimples, and stray hairs (I keep tweezers in the car, bathroom, and my room). I used to be ridiculous about my nails though. The lip balm comes from my college days. I love Soft Lips (I've done several giveaways!). I like to keep my lips soft, moisturized, and kissable. Last, who doesn't need a pen?! I got this one from work. It has a light on the end!

The third photo is of my son's "wallet". Basically I carry around his pennies for him.

The fourth photo brings us back to work again. Those scrap papers are work notes and fliers. You can also see my badge, marking me as official. I usually leave this in the car, but I forgot to take it off because I was excited that it is Friday.

The last photo is of my sunglasses. If you don't already know, I'm thrifty. I got these awesome specs from the Dollar Store. I mean, why pay more when your kids will likely break them?! I can't live without my glasses. I feel like the wicked witch in the sun.... MY EYES!!!

Now for the bags! On your left you will see my favorite ipsy bag. I filled it with all kinds of goodies. Most importantly you see my collection of cards and family photos. I mean, I need my money and my loves! Next you will see hand sanitizer, because lets face it, kids are nasty. You will also see my Soft Lips lip gloss. There is also some blister wax for my feet. I have a consistent problem of buying shoes I love that don't love me. Lastly, there is mints. I got those so I could use them before kissing my husband or give him one when he has what I call "breath tentacles". However they have been used for bribery for my eldest.

On the right side you see another ipsy bag. This one is actually one of my least favorite. I fill it with stuff for Benjamin. Henry has a whole separate diaper bag devoted to him still. Crayons, Play-doh, and action figures are pretty common things to find in my purse. I figured giving them their own bag would reduce the mess. As you can see, I also have mini dinosaurs in there too!


So, what do you think the contents of my purse say about me? Im pretty sure that it gives away my life story! Mom, wife, educator... thats me.

Promised Pictures

I know I promised a few pictures from yesterday's festivities. I like to keep my word whenever possible, so I loaded them up just for you! I even stayed up late to do it!

Since I was up and loading photos, I figured I would share our new professional photos as well!

I'm Bringing Hankies Back

So, I have now found my new "thing". I think ladies should again carry handkerchiefs, or at least I should! I used to, when I traveled. I would purchase them all over the world. Who knows where they are now though. So, I had so order a few super cheap from ebay and hope for the best. When I say a "few" I mean I ordered 58.... from China.... don't judge. They came in sets of 29 and they were very cheap, so I took a chance.

Anyway, what old-fashioned things do you wish would come back in style? I love to do what I want fashion-wise, so I will rock it if I love it!

Many people say I am an "old soul". I act years beyond my age more often than not. This unusual combination has been my struggle as of late. Its hard to be in your mid-twenties and have people believe your nearing your forties due to behavior and maturity. I'm glad to be mature but I don't want to risk aging myself out of a full life!


Alternate Title: Happy Birthday Mom.

My mother celebrated her birthday today. We went over for dinner and lounged around. Benjamin sang for her and we all ate way too much cake. I plan on sharing a photo or two tomorrow. The lack of photos is why the title didn't stick today!

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day! I wanted to take a moment today and thank my mother for all she is to me. She is my dearest friend, the strongest woman I know, the woman who knows "everything", and the best grandmother my children could ever have. I learned so much from her. She has dealt with me through my whiny childhood, moody teen years, and exhausted, crazy, busy, and sometimes depressed adulthood. I cant imagine a world without her.

I have to tell you... My mother fights her own body on a daily basis. She has MS, yet she continues to do so much. She keeps my children, teaches my younger sister, and changes lives everyday.



Mom, I love you. So, to honor you I dedicate this whole post to you. You will always be the most important woman in my life.

I hope she doesn't kill me for posting a picture.

I think you look beautiful!

"I want to stay home and..."

   ...bake cookies with you! No, really. I want to stay home and cookies don't sound too bad either. Going back to work after having my son is so much harder than I thought it would be. I miss my long days with him, now that they are gone. I'm so busy all the time, I have no real time for anything or anyone.
    I'm considering going back to school. Doing so would put my school loans on deference and allow my husband and I to buy a home. It will be pretty tough working two jobs and going to school, but in the long run I hope its worth it. Perhaps my husband will get one of those great jobs he has been applying for and I can let my second one go. Hey! Perhaps I can even let them both go and stay home with my little dude until he goes into preschool in a few years. That would be the high life.
   If I do go back to school, I think I've finally decided on what I should get my masters in. I'm thinking of getting another useless degree. This time in Asian Studies with a focus on Japanese culture. Sounds exciting, right? I think so, although I have no clue how I'll use it. Other than missions, what could you use it for? Anyway, Ive found myself missing school terribly. I didn't think I'd miss it until I was living the "adult" life. Not that I will be able to go back to being the "college" student again. I miss being in classes, writing papers, and taking in new things that interest me. Not to mention, I had girl friends then too. If I apply in the summer and get in by fall, Hubby and I can be looking at houses by September! Who knows?
   As for now, I'm stuck working my two jobs.  I'm blessed my son is sleeping pretty well at night. I dont get much done at home, I'm so tired most nights that I cant barely think. I do like my jobs, I'm just worn out. I assume that this gets easier in time. Although, you know what they say...
   I also spoke about cookies! Losing the baby belly is exactly what everyone warned me it would be, hard. My coworkers and I are starting on the South Beach Diet on the 15th, and I need to get my sweet cravings out now. I don't think I even have much food that works for the diet in my house. Hopefully I will find something until Hubby gets paid. Otherwise, we are going to be pretty hungry. We couldn't start the diet until after Valentine's day. Almost everyone had plans. Sadly, I wont be getting any chocolate or special reservations this year. Babies are also expensive. I spent over $35 dollars on diapers and wipes the other day! At least I have two very good looking men as my valentines this year.
   I miss my family. I miss family time. I really miss couple time with Hubby. Living a double life of work and home (especially when you work a lot), can drain the energy out you. Not just physically, but emotionally too. I've only been back two weeks and I already feel like a I need a break. I just want to catch up and "fill" my family bucket. I'm sure I'm not alone, every new mom has to feel this way to some extent. The question is, how do they get past it?