Too Young to Feel This Old

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Friends, I am in a funk. In fact, I think I'm having a quarter life crisis. I'm fairly certain I've been having one for the last two years. (I'm also slightly freaking out at the fact that I'll be 27 in two months.)

I think I'm getting burnt out. Between a being a wife, a mom, having a part time job, owning an event planning company, a social media managing company, working with the Blank Canvas Tour, and writing for Sprocket Ink, I'm exhausted. Not to mention tweeting, posting, and pinning on my personal social media platforms. It's a lot of work, y'all. And don't get my wrong, I'm not complaining, especially because I brought it all on myself. I like being busy, I like having a hand in a bunch of different things, it's what makes life run smoother for me. 

But right now, I feel like I need to step back. Take a few days and regroup. Otherwise I'm going to end up in a mental institution, rocking back and forth in my padded room. So, please bear with me, beloved readers. I'm going to take the rest of the week off and unplug. At least with my personal corner of the interwebs. I'll be back next week, hopefully refreshed and bright eyed again. There is so much I want to do, to talk about, to accomplish, and I just can't do that without taking a few mental health days.

I'm going to spend the next few days snuggling M, soaking up the last bit of summer, listening to Michael Buble on repeat, and drinking lots of hot chocolate. Maybe I should take a tiny break from my diet also. We'll see. 

Thanks for sticking with me, y'all, it means a lot. I hope you all have wonderful three day weekends! 

X's and O's

What's In Your Fridge?

Hello my darlings! How was your weekend? Mine was nothing short of eventful, but that's another story for a different day! Today I've got a wonderful blogger guest posting for me. I've followed Abby from Dirt on the Rocks for as long as I can remember. She's funny, witty, and absolutely adorable. And today she's here, guest posting on my blog, and she's talking about something I have a hard time with every time I go to the grocery store, how to organize all that food in the fridge. Cause lawd knows I need a much better system than my current one of "just cram everything in there!" Here's to getting organized, y'all! 

If you are anything like me then that means you love to grocery shop, and at times you might go a bit overboard.. After a long day at work I love coming home to a stuffed fridge and cooking dinner - it helps me unwind and I really enjoy doing it.

Hi, my name is Abby and usually you can find me at Dirtontherocks.com and Bigboychronicles.com, but today J is giving me the opportunity to guest post here!

I wanted to share with you the dilemma I have had for years - my fridge. When I lived at home our fridge was always full of food, but my mom hated buying a lot of groceries because she always felt like they would go bad quickly.

Around my late teen years, I started cooking myself and I think that’s when my addiction to cooking and shopping started. Every time I go to the grocery store, I would get super excited about buying things for future “ideal” meals. This lead to buying more than we could eat in a week and eventually the food went bad and money wasted. No one likes to hear those words together.

When I moved in with my boyfriend, we bought a fridge. The fridge is your typical apartment fridge - it’s not that big. Our family of three often means a lot of groceries, so this can be a bit stressful! After getting home from the grocery store, we have packed bags just waiting to be put away - but where? Our main problems are our tiny fridge and lack of organization. It gets overwhelming, so we tend to just shove the groceries wherever there is space.

This is obviously a big no no because some food gets shoved to the back of the fridge and is often forgotten. Because of this, there would be moldy food that needed to be trashed and let’s not forget that mixing rotten food with fresh food is also very unhealthy. This can lead to food poisoning and no one wants to experience that!

Our refrigerator is the normal white fridge with two bins at the bottom with two racks in the middle. It has storage on the door, but it’s not a lot. The best solution I’ve found for our small fridge is organizing each rack and using bins for extra storage. There are clear, inexpensive ones that are perfect for this.

Another way of staying organized is categorizing food. I like to use the food group pyramid as a guide to organize my food.Obviously, keep the frozen goods in the freezer - that meat probably won’t do well in the refrigerator unless you plan to cook it the same day. You can also try adding labels to the bins you buy or you can simply add them directly to your racks and refrigerator.

The more you find ways to keep yourself organized, the better it will be in the long run. You’ll always find what you’re looking for and you won’t waste another cent on forgotten food!

Abby is 23 and a single mother living in Southern California trying to make ends meet. She is a freelance blogger whose clients include UMoveFree.com, an apartment-finding service for locating   downtown Fort Worth apartments. Abby loves spending time with her son and is constantly learning new things about him as each day passes by. In her blog, Dirt on the Rocks, Abby writes about food and life. Like many single moms, Abby finds that her life experiences are both daunting and inspiring, and her blog reflects these experiences.

Inspire Me: Streetlights to Stars

I am always on the look out for inspiration, and I can find it in a lot of different places. Lately I've been wanting to start a new segment here on the blog, so I can share some inspirational people with all of you. Today I'm sharing Erin's story, which is nothing short of amazing. I love reading about her adventures on her blog, and she's such a great person! So read her story, then check out her blog, she's definitely going to inspire you!

In case people don't know about you and your blog, tell us a bit about yourself.

Well, I’m a 23-year old wanderer, graduated from college last year and have spent most of the time since living in Honduras working at a kid’s home. I started my blog to document just that -- life overseas, inspiration and thoughts on faith. I’ve been “home” for almost a month now and seeing what else I can get into.

What is Give Hope 2 Kids?

Give Hope 2 Kids is a non-profit organization that  focuses on community education, taking in abandoned and orphaned children, and agriculture. Right now they are taking care of ten kids who, over the past few months, have become part of a family. It was started by Jason and Sarah Furrow, a couple from Minnesota, who had big dreams to make change happen for kid’s with no hope. Adoption in Honduras is nearly impossible (there were less than 10 kids successfully adopted in the whole country last year), so this 100-acre property serves as their permanent home until they become adults. You can read more on their website.

Can you tell us a bit about the work you did for Give Hope 2 Kids?

My volunteer work at Give Hope 2 Kids was a bit of almost everything. Most of my focus was on teaching English for four grades at the local elementary school and being in charge of the library “after school” program open to all the kids in our village. I was also a part of running the volunteer house, hosting groups and visitors, and helped with a bit of the administrative work. Of course, the focus and motivation for doing all of those things was being part of a family for the kids who never had one. Spending time with them was the most valuable thing I did there.

You lived in Honduras for a while, what was the most amazing thing about living there?

Being in the Honduran countryside, all up in the mountains is the most beautiful  place I’ve ever lived. What makes it more amazing is how much I felt part of the family in our village and community on our property. We cooked together, shared stories, worked hard together and dreamed about future plans with a common desire to be a family for these kids and raise them to be fulfilled, functional and faithful adults.

How did you adjust to living in a different country?

Although this wasn't my first experience living overseas, it was difficult at times. Living in the countryside was definitely the most dramatic thing to get used to. I had never killed (or seen) a scorpion, dealt with other Jurassic Park-sized critters in the house, used cold water for so long, wore farmer boots as part of my daily attire (yes I wore them with my skirts :) ), traveled an hour and half to the nearest grocery store, or thought of a machete as the most useful tool around. But...somehow your perspective changes when your environment does and suddenly all those things seem part of your daily life, and you embrace it, knowing that what you wake up to do every morning is so meaningful and way worth some of the hard stuff.

You're back in the states now, what do you miss the most about Honduras, and how have you adjusted to life "back home"?

I SO miss my community in Honduras, getting to spend time with all those people I love  and lived with, and making sure those kids know that they are such a precious gift. (Thank God for Skype!)

Life back home is a bit chaotic, trying to find a job, move to a new city, and make it look like I’ve got my act together. But overall I’ve really enjoyed it. I’ve loved getting to reconnect with family and friends, go shopping at Target (!), speak English to everyone (although I do miss Spanish,) and Instagram the crap out of my life.

Do you plan on returning to Honduras anytime soon?

I fully intend on visiting everyone there...possibly next summer.

What advice do you have for someone who’s wanting to volunteer with an organization like Give Hope 2 Kids?

Do it!! Make sure it is something you are passionate about and want to put your whole life into, at least for a little while (because you will.) Be open to opportunity and differences, love those around you, and pack light. Real light. :)

What is your life motto?

“Go out into the world today and love the people you meet. Let your presence light new light in the hearts of people.” -- Mother Theresa

(This is where the name of my blog comes from, actually.)

Another good one that I’ve recently started applying to every life situation is “under-promise and over-deliver.” You can ask me about that one sometime if you’d like :)

What inspires you?

So many things! Mainly stories of people who are doing what they are passionate about, the entire blog community filled with people finding the brilliance in the ordinary, the life of Jesus, and, well, a good, strong, cup of coffee.

Anything else you’d like to add?

Just want to thank J for this awesome opportunity to share with all of you something I really care about. Hope to see you around!

See, told you she's inspiring! You can read more of Erin's story over at her blog, and visit the Give Hope 2 Kids website for more information on this great organization,

Today...

Today I will wake early and watch the sunrise.

Today I will count my blessings.

Today I will pray every chance I get.

Today I will eat healthy.

Today I will laugh more than I frown.

Today I will breathe deeply.

Today I will dance with my daughter.

Today I will enjoy the company I'm in.

Today I will stretch.

Today I will get outside.

Today I will not worry about the dust bunnies under my couch.

Today I will tell my daughter how much I love her.

Today I will tell my daughter how beautiful she is.

Today I will love unconditionally.

Today I will not lose my cool.

Today I will be patient.

Today I will sing.

Today, I will live. Truly live.

Today, and every day afterward, I will live.

Life is a Blank Canvas...

...Paint it however you like.

Hello m'dears!! I've been meaning to share this post with y'all for awhile now, but kept forgetting!

I wanted to tell y'all about something that is near and dear to my heart these days. I'm sure you've heard me mention the Blank Canvas Tour every now and then, and I wanted to make sure you knew exactly what the BCT was!

I somehow came across the Blank Canvas site earlier in the summer. After reading their story, I was sucked in. I knew I wanted to help with the tour. OK, wait, I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's back up and I'll tell you exactly what the BCT is. The BCT all started when the founding members, Tico and Tina decided to travel the country to meet inspirational people. People who were taking risks, and living adventurously. They wanted to share those people's stories with the world. And share they have!

Source: blankcanvascards.com via the Beauty on Pinterest

Now, after reading all about the tour, I knew I wanted to help, but obviously I couldn't travel the country with them, so I shot them an email begging asking them to let me help. And guess what? They said yes! In fact, they asked me to handle their social media accounts, which, if you know anything about me, you know I'm all about social media! So, for the last few weeks, I've been the "social media maven" for the Blank Canvas Tour, and I'm absolutely loving it!

I love hearing all of the amazing stories of the people they've been interviewing, and I love hearing about the adventures they're having on the tour! They make me want to live adventurously too!

So, there you have it, that's my new obsession lately. So, head over, hear their story, check out their stuff, get involved, follow them on twitter, become their best friend (they're totally cool, they're gonna love you!), and while you're at it, enter the amazing giveaway that they have going on right now!

Happy Wednesday, my loves! 

Life is a blank canvas, how will you paint it?

P.S. My apologies for all of the exclamation marks!!!!!! in this post, I just get really excited when I talk about something I love!!

Texas Tuesday {vol. 9}

<div align="center"> <a href="http://www.ohheyitsj.com/" title="Texas Tuesday"><img src="http://i47.tinypic.com/34zftph.jpg" alt="Texas Tuesday" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

(Right clicking is disabled on my blog, to get the button, highlight the code, and hit "control" and "C")

Y'all, I have a bit of a sad announcement. Amanda and I are putting Texas Tuesday on hold for a bit. She's so busy with school, and between event planning, social media managing, my part time job, being a mom, and being a wife, I'm swamped. I just can't commit to writing about my wonderful state every Tuesday. So, we're placing it on the back burner for now. Thank you to everyone who has linked up, I've loved reading your posts and finding new blogs, all of you are awesome!

OK, so now that the sad news is out of the way, let's talk some Texas, shall we?

I wanted to go out with a bang, so I decided to write about one of my most favorite Texas things.

Warrenton Antique Week

Or, as I like to call it, "going junkin". I've written about Warrenton before, and this probably isn't the last time I'll write about Warrenton! In fact, you can probably expect at least two posts a year on antique week, since it comes around twice, once in the spring and once in the fall.

I love antique week, like, love, love, lovelovelove, love antique week. One week of Texas heat, junk hunting in a huge field, what could be better!? No, seriously, I love it. OK, let me back up and tell you what antique week is, just in case you don't know.

Antique Week is a week-ish long event that stretches from the outside of La Grange to the other side of Round Top. It's miles and miles of tents set up in cow pastures and filled with amazing junk. That's really the best way to describe it. And when I say junk, I mean like junk treasure. Stuff you'd want. Are you picking up what I'm putting down here?

And the best part of antique week is definitely the Junk Gypsy Junk O Rama Prom. It's a huge party that the ladies of Junk Gypsy throw for anyone and everyone. You put on your most fabulous prom attire, and dance the night away.

Perfect Junk O Rama Prom attire. Yup, that's Miranda Lambert.

So, if you ever find yourself down this way during antiques week, you gotta make your way out there. Even if you aren't in the area, you should make the trip, I guarantee you won't regret it!

All photos via the Junk Gypsy Blog

Lovely Ladies

Hello my loves! Hope you're all having fabulous Mondays, and I hope y'all had even better weekends! We had a very eventful weekend that included cleaning the couch and and moping the floors. Very exciting. Anyway, I wanted y'all to meet some very special sponsors of the ol' blog today. 

First up we've got Holly, who is one of my bestest besties. She's a ragin' Cajun who I absolutely adore, despite the fact that we are complete rivals when it comes to college football. I love her blog, and she feeds my twitter addiction like no one else, so I think I'll keep her around for awhile!

blog // twitter // pinterest

I’m Holly, a twenty-three year old Cajun belle living the good life in South Louisiana. Engaged to a Cajun musician. Stay at home (almost) wife.

I’m just trying to figure out life one deep breath at a time. My blog is inspired by all the things I love.

Next up there's Aimee. I've only been following her blog for a few weeks, but I already love her! She's funny, she's insanely sweet, and has the most adorable cat, Idgit! She's a total makeup addict and addicted to reality tv, so she's definitely my kind of gal! 

blog // twitter // instagram // pinterest

Hi! My name is Aimee and I blog over at Aimee's World. I blog about anything from my blessings in life to long distance love to my kitty, Idgit (he's there in the picture with me!) I love all things beauty related, my beau, Richard, reading blogs, reality T.V., and shopping. Meeting new bloggers and having relationships in the blogosphere is one of my favorite things! I hope you come on by my little ol' blog and join the family!

And last, but certainly not least, there's my girl GiGi. She's a fellow Texan and fellow spit fire. I love her spunk, her sass, and her fashion sense. With her quick wit and humor, she's definitely a girl after my own heart!

blog // twitter // pinterest

Hi all, I am Gigi, and I blog over at SweetandSassyTexan.com I am a mommy blogger that blogs about my family's adventures and odd sense of life. Having a teen with ADHD, and tween with a speech impediment that is a genius, and a husband that works shift work. I have learned to become a very strong lady that will fight for my family and what we believe in. We are a very diverse family. We ride Harleys and love Texas Country music, many days you can find us fishing, or during football season you can find us at Reliant cheering on the TEXANS! We are a retired Army family that believes in the values of our country, religion and guns.  BBQ, sweet tea, and Dr Pepper are staples in our household, along with my desire to end any stressful day with a good dose of vodka. I am just like a six shooter when it comes to life, I am a straight talker that tells you how I feel. I am me and I don't believe in being fake. I am sassy when it comes to being fun and enjoying life. I believe in the work hard, play hard philosophy of life. Lastly, you should be a little worried when I am quiet, I am probably reloading.

I am so very excited for y'all to meet these girls! I adore each one of them, and I'm sure you will to! Go check out their blogs and show them a little love!

Happy Monday, my darlings, hope it's a good one!

Let's Talk About You

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Happy Friday, you fabulous people, you! Are you excited for the weekend? We don't have definite plans, but I'm just glad the weekend is here!

Today I am wanting to talk about you. I saw this over at Diana's place (she's fabulous, if you don't follow her, you're missing out!), and she originally got the idea from Allison (also a very lovely blog!).

Here in my little corner of the interwebs, I talk about myself a lot. My likes, my dislikes, my family, my, my, my. This a very selfish blog. But today I wanted to change that up a bit. I love getting to know my readers, and what better way than to stop and say, "Hey, you, what's your story?" So, here are 5 questions, just copy and paste them into the comments section and list your answers! You can write as much or as little as you like. Write your entire life story if you want to!

1. Where do you live? Be as generic or specific as you want.
2. What do you do for a living? What are you doing when feel like you’re really living?
3. You have to move out of your house in 5 minutes. What items do you grab?
4. What’s one brand that has your loyalty?
5. Share a link to your blog!

I can't wait to read all about y'all.

Have a great weekend, m'dears! X's and O's

Raising M: Bilingual or Not?

Happy Wednesday, my loves! I hope you're all having fabulous days. I'm at the office all this week, which means I'm stuck behind a desk and not out enjoying the sunshine with M, but at least I'm raking in cash, right?

Speaking of M, I read an article on Babble this morning, and it's had me thinking ever since. It's about raising bilingual children. Now, M talks like crazy. The girl's vocabulary never ceases to amaze me, and she learns new things everyday, but we haven't pushed on her learning another language. I've thought about it, and even brought it up to B, but aside from her repeating Dora every now and then, that's about as far as we've gotten on the other languages train. 

I feel like, since we live in Texas, she should learn Spanish, after all, it will greatly helpful in her adult life. But, I would love for her to learn either French or German. Most of my mom's family has a German heritage, and I think French is a beautiful language. Plus, I'm hoping that M grows up to be just as much of a culture addict as I am, so I feel that interesting languages will fuel that. But four languages is quite a bit for a toddler, I would think. So, I'm stuck as to which to teach her first. Obviously I will be learning right along side her, seeing as how my knowledge of Spanish stops at "Where's the bathroom?" ("Dónde está el baño?") and the only French I know is "Je t'aime beaucoup mon petit chéri" which means I love you very much, my little darling. 

So what do y'all think? Should I stick with Spanish and add the other ones later? And what's the best way to teach a toddler different languages? I should probably hit up a bookstore, huh?

What about you, are you teaching your child another language, or planning to?

Texas Tuesday {vol. 8}

Hello, you fabulous people! I have to apologize for missing Texas Tuesday last week, my internet was out, so I missed posting that day, so we'll just pretend I posted, m'kay? Anywho, let's get down to it, shall we? Time for another Texas Tuesday!

(Don't know what Texas Tuesday is? It's a weekly link-up hosted by Amanda of Princess of the Panhandle and I, that's open to anyone, not just Texans! All you need to do is write about something Texas related, post our little button in your post, then come back here and link up! That's it!)

<div align="center"> <a href="http://www.ohheyitsj.com/" title="Texas Tuesday"><img src="http://i47.tinypic.com/34zftph.jpg" alt="Texas Tuesday" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

(Right clicking is disabled on my blog, to get the button, highlight the code, and hit "control" and "C")

At some point last week I read an article that thoroughly ticked me off. It was all about how Texas sucked. It's safe to say my ears were steaming after I read it. (If you want to read it, let me know in the comments and I'll send you the link. I'd rather not link to it from my blog). It went on and on about how Texas is a "sprawling bowl of dust has nothing to do with its overwhelming heat, its high quotient of carnivores, its giant arsenal of privately owned firearms...." and then the author even goes on to say "Texas somehow manages to be both Southern and Western without being very good at either one. You’ll find real Southern hospitality, Southern charm, and Southern cooking anywhere due east of it, and you’ll see better scenery in any state west of it." He says Texas is flat and resembles a dried up turd.

I'm sorry, what? All of that is wrong. Just flat out wrong. Yes, west Texas is dusty, and parts of Texas are flat, but not all of Texas is. Word of advice, if you're going to bash something, make sure your facts are straight. So, I thought I'd set the record straight today.

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That's Big Bend National Park. Does any of that look flat or dusty to you? I didn't think so.

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That's Jacobs Well in Wimberly. I'm fairly certain that doesn't appear flat or dusty either.

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Another shot of Jacob's Well. Still not flat and dusty.

Now, let's talk about how you'll find "better scenery in any state west of Texas."

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That's La Grange. That's not pretty?

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That's Hamilton Pool State Park in Austin. I'd say that's pretty, no?

How about that? No one would say those bluebonnets aren't gorgeous. Not to mention the cutie in the photo! 

And this whole being Western thing, but not being good at it? That's a ridiculous. Any given weekend you can find at least a handful of rodeos going on in Texas. From ranch rodeos, to small time rodeos, to professional rodeos, there's always one going on somewhere in Texas. In Mesquite there is a rodeo every Friday and Saturday night. We have the King Ranch here, it's one of the largest ranches in the world. And that little thing in Houston called the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo? It's world's largest live entertainment and livestock exhibition. The largest in the world. And according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in 2010 there were  247,500 farms in Texas. And that's just counting the ones that make a profit. 

Bottom line is this, we Texans have every right to proud of where we live. Our food? It's some of the best. Not only have we mastered the art of Southern cooking, but we can also whip up some mean Tex Mex.We are Southern, while also being "Western" at the same time. We have Southern hospitality and charm. Men take their hats off indoors, we say yes ma'am and no sir, we hold open doors, we wave at people passing us on the road. But we also wear boots for a reason, so it's wise to mind your manners when you're talking about our state. 

People You Should Know

Hi lovers, I hope y'all had fantastic weekends! I wanted y'all to meet one of my newest favorite bloggers, Paige from Eloping Stethoscope! She's funny, she's adorable, she's insanely creative, and she's this month's Big Kahuna here on An Unstyled Life! So, read all about her, then head over to her blog and her shop and give her some love!

Hey everyone! I'm Paige and I blog at Eloping Stethoscope! I used to be "The Eloping Stethoscope" but like Facebook, I dropped the, the. Isn't that the way it always goes?

I thought I'd start by introducing myself with a couple of random facts.

First, I love pot roast with carrots and potatoes. Seriously, I could eat it everyday of the week and not get tired of it. 

Second, I'm probably the biggest slacker of a nursing student ever. Nursing students are supposed to be analytical, attentive and super focused. If I sit in a four hour lecture class, I will start pretending I'm a seal and balancing pencils on my nose. I've also been known to spin in my chair. They really shouldn't have spinny chairs in classes.

Third, my husband is a full foot taller than me. It makes for some pretty funny kisses, pictures and hugs.

Can you tell he just LOVES to take pictures? Haha

Another thing I wanted to talk about in this introduction is my new jewelry shop called Eloping Designs!

I started making jewelry a couple of years ago as a creative outlet. It really is a destressor for me. With all the analytical thinking in nursing school that makes me want to tear my brain out, I really need to exercise my right side of the brain!

I decided on jewelry making because I was always having a hard time to find bracelets that fit right with my tiny wrists, earrings that didn't hurt my ears, and necklaces that were perfect without spending a ton of money.

Then I found out my great grandmother also made jewelry and before she died, she passed on a box of the jewelry supplies she had. (She kept them in a metal tin! Typical Grandma!) It's been a joy for both me and my mom to feel like we carry a piece of my great grandmother with us when we were the jewelry I make from her supplies!

Now, through the entire month of August, every jewelry customer is going to play the lottery! Each order is going to contain a scratch off lottery ticket that will have either no gift card or a five, ten or fifteen dollar gift card!

Also, keep a watch on my facebook because before I list items, I put a picture on my facebook. When I do that, if you are the first person you can get them at a discounted price PLUS free shipping!

So order some jewelry and try your luck!

Want to get updates from my blog? Follow me on Twitter!
Follow @paigers91 Want to see all the pretty blog planners/printables and jewelry I've been making lately?  Visit my shop! Eloping Designs
Want to sponsor An Unstyled Life? Check out all of the info here!

Looking At The World A Little Differently

{found here} Here's to seeing the good in the world. Happy Saturday, my loves.

Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread

So, I saw this over here, and had to share with y'all, seeing as how it has put me in a much better mood!

Happy Friday!

Dear Whomever,

I am so out of sorts this week, I don't know if I'm coming or going. In fact, up until yesterday, I had no idea what day it was. I'm a mess.

Anyway, I am in no condition to blog today, but I wanted to stop in and say hey, and link up with Ashley for some Friday's Letters!

Dear M, you're growing entirely too fast, please slow down just a bit and let Momma cherish this time. Dear Holly and KB, I cannot wait to see y'alls gorgeous faces, November can't get here quick enough! Dear Color Run, see you in November, bring your A game. Dear C25K, you're not that scary anymore. Dear Neglected Hair, I promise we'll make a trip to the salon soon, I'm just really busy. Dear Summer, I always get sad when you go away. Let's make these last few weeks count. Dear Fall, don't tell Summer, but I'm anxiously waiting for you. Dear Fall TV Schedule, I'm most excited to see you. Hurry back. Dear Readers, y'all rock my socks. Stay awesome!

OK, m'dears, I hope you all have fantastic weekends. I promise I'll show up on Monday with a smile on my face.

X's and O's

Writing Down My Story

Hello m'dears! I have to apologize for being MIA the last week, between a sick kiddo, being covered in poison ivy, and my internet being out for almost two days, this week has been a bit hectic. But, M is better, the internet is back, and even though I'm still itchy as all get out, I'm back to blogging!

Today I wanted to share something very special with you. I was recently contacted by Katie from Making This Home about the journals that she makes. She owns Gadanke, a handcrafted journal shop. She asked if I would like a journal of my own. Now, here's the thing, I believe in fate. I believe everything happens for a reason, and at the exact time it's supposed to happen. I used to love journaling, in fact, I still do, I just haven't been doing it lately. Life kind of got in the way. But, a few days before Katie contacted me, I was researching my family line, and wishing I knew more about my ancestors. My great grandmother was a published author, yet all I know about her are her books. I know nothing about her life. I started to think that maybe I should start journaling again, so M would have a way of remembering me, and she could pass it on to her children and grandchildren. And then I got the email from Katie, and I knew it was fate. 

See, Katie has a very similar story. This is her's:

A couple of years ago, NPR's StoryCorp was in town. It was also my grandma's 90th birthday. The two of us decided to hop into the recording studio to capture some pieces of her story. I had all sorts of prompts to help her. The only problem? My grandma couldn't remember. Too much time had passed. Later, my dad turned to me and said, "Katie, I need you to write down your story." I knew he wished he had his mom's stories. So I started writing.

I started wondering about all of the other women who have stories deep inside of them. Gadanke was born with fabulous writing prompts and recycled papers.

So after reading her email, I clicked over to her shop to check out her journals. Y'all? I immediately fell in love. First of all, Gandanke's motto is "celebrate your story!" I love that. Secondly, there's everything from baby books, to prayer journals, to travel books, to diaries. The journals are filled with creative writing prompts and tidbits to make you think (and laugh!) and make your writing process more meaningful and fun! Plus they're totally eco-savvy with 100% recycled papers. You know I'm all about going green! They're a perfect way of documenting who you are and what you crave and believe.

I sent Katie an email back, and told her I'd love to tell my readers all about her journals. She emailed back and within a few days, I received my very own journal. I went with the She 1.1 in turquoise, and it's so..... me. It just fits, you know?

I love the inscription on the front!

I am already yearning for more journals! I'm thinking I need the Seeking Grace prayer journal (It would go hand in hand with She Reads Truth!),

the Become journal (a journal for finding your direction), 

and the Love Letter (a minibook for someone you love).

But until my new journals come in, you can find me writing away in my She journal!

You can find out more about Katie's story over at her blog, or you can catch her on twitter, facebook, or pinterest. She's also offering a discount code for y'all!! Use code 

OHHEYSUMMER10

for 10% off your order through next Wednesday! Trust me, you definitely want one of these journals!! 

Happy Wednesday, my loves, I hope y'all are having great ones!!

I received a free She 1.1 journal in exchange for this review, but, as always, all opinions are my own. I wouldn't tell y'all I loved something if I really didn't!

I am a dreamer...

{via here and here}

Happy Friday, my loves. Keep on dreaming.

Linkie Love

Y'all, it's August, how'd that happen!? I mean, I'm not complaining, there's only one more month until I can put up my fall decorations, but that also means I only have one more month of summer, and one more month to finish our bucket list!

Anywho, I wanted to share some of my favorite posts from my July sponsors. So, grab something to drink (preferably sweet tea!), settle in, and check out what these lovely ladies have been up to!! 

Paige from Eloping Stethoscope did her first vlog, went to her family reunion, and shared some blogging tips.

GiGi shared 20 random facts about herself, showed us some cowgirl bling (my favorite!), and her son passed drivers ed.

My girl Holly shared a video of her fiance's band, shared some of her favorite things, and some random facts. 

Aimee actually just started her blog in July, then shared her "20 in 20 list", and wrote about what she does for a living.

Danette kicked off a new series with her sister, wrote this amazing note to women, and shared this post, which has become one of my favorites.

Katie was picked to be a part of the Dodgers Digital Series, she got crafty, and made me miss the 90s.

Rachel shared a recipe that looks downright delicious, posted her first vlog, and made homemade lip gloss.

Sarah made gorgeous lemon cupcakes, hit 181 GFC followers, and wrote about her newest obsession.

Tiffany made food that made my mouth water, twice, 

Kenj did a color run (so jealous!), shared her weight loss journey, and had a fun filled fourth.

Kristen got new furniture, went on a scavenger hunt for green pants, and went to a German movie theater.

Emily wrote about how sports has been a big part of her life, shared photos from a trip to Gruene Hall (my favorite Texas dancehall!), and took some amazing photos!

Courtney went to Maine, showed us what she's loving, and got thankful.

LWLH went on a fabulous honeymoon, and then wrote all about it. I'm still jealous.

Sarah wrote this post, which I loved, told us what being a "culture nerd" meant, and shared this adorable short story that her son wrote.

Amanda got a new sippy cup (lol), started school, and gave us the 411 on herself. 

Savanah wrote an "if you really knew me" post, shared some of her wedding registry, and showed us some great photos.

Teresa got me hooked on some adorable shoes, shared what swimsuit best fits your body, and put together a Hamptons wishlist that made me want to go shopping.

Erica went on a rescue mission, embraced the camera, and wrote this amazing post.

Crystal went on vacation, got real, and shared 100 facts about herself. 

Sarah made some insanely good looking carnitas and pizzucchini, and shared some of her gorgeous wedding photos.

Mrs K announced what she's expecting, went to Mississippi, and vlogged!   

Krystal had a fabulous co-ed baby shower, made some mouth watering food from Pinterest recipes, and shared her Instagram statistics.

Ray Jay shared this video, which made me gigglesnort, went on a mini vacation, and drove the wheels off of a car.

English wrote a beautiful letter to her husband, shared some facts about Germany (and made me want to move there!), and wrote about what she's scared to tell her readers.

Now go, check out these lovely ladies. I'm so honored to have them as sponsors, and I absolutely adore each and every one of them, so I know you will to!

Happy August, y'all! 

On Letting Go and Moving On

Lately I've been reflecting on my life a lot. On the decisions I've made, the paths that have brought me to where I am today, and the people who have been there beside me for the journey. And the ones who haven't.

It's funny how you get to a point one day, and you realize there are people in your life that haven't done you any good, and you've got to cut them loose. Maybe they've held you back and kept you from being who you're really supposed to be. Or maybe you've been holding on to them because they remind you of better times. That was my problem. But then one day, it hits you like a pile of bricks, and just like that, you realize you've got to let them go. 

I like to think that every person who has been a part of my life has taught me something, has helped me become the person I am today. But not everyone is meant to be in your life forever. Some may be in your life for the blink of an eye, yet still make a lasting impression on you.

I was driving home from my mom's the other night, M was asleep in the backseat, and I suddenly started thinking about an old friend of mine. In the last few months we've grown farther and farther apart, and I started to get upset about the fact that we really don't talk that often anymore. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized how toxic the friendship had really been. In the beginning we were great friends, but as we grew older and we changed from kids into adults, our friendship became something that was a burden to the both of us. I didn't miss my friend, I missed the way things used to be. After I got home and put M to bed, I started catching up on my reader, and came across a post over on Marc and Angel Hack Life. It was all about letting go of toxic things in your life. As I read through the list, I realized there was a reason I came across that post. I felt like it was God's way of telling me that I was right, I needed to let go of my old friend. One line stuck with me the most, "The world changes when you change." I had changed, and so had everything around me. The time had come to evaluate my life and decide what could go forward with me, and what needed to be left behind.

I have a wonderful life now, right here in the present. I shouldn't miss things that are in the past. I should cut my ties and move on. It's just a lot easier said than done.

Source: imgfave.com via J on Pinterest