reflecting moment

My daughter Kyla is precious to me. I love my little girl to pieces. So when my little princess asked if I wanted to play dolls with her, I was all for it. Well, that lasted about 5 minutes, then she decided she wanted to play fix mommys hair. What fun we had! I had to take a picture with my hairstylist too.

Later on that night, as I was tucking her into bed, Kyla pulled me down and whispered into my ear. " Mommy, tomorrow morning lets play dolls again and I will fix your hair."

In that moment, I realized yet again how important spending time with my children is. I will be the first to admit that I am easily distracted by technology. Music, phones, internet, my camera. They all pull my attention and I think to myself its ok, the kids are playing just fine without me. But!!!! How much more fine are they when I am playing with them!

I prayed about it last night and as I did, I heard the Lord say to me. You devote yourself to me first, Dustin second, kids third. " Well, ok God, but what about me and the things I want to do?"

"You are last Sue."

Ouch!!!!!! With tears in my eyes I repented of how often I have been putting me before them.
The verse : But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first. ( matt 19: 30 and mark 10:31)came to my mind. It was a lighting bolt of revelation for me. I am to lovingly serve my family, with no hopes of anything in return. That is my mission field for this season in my life. I am to put God and my families needs above my own. The Bible also says, there is no greater love, than a person laying down their lives for another.

So, what does that mean? Well, I guess for starters, I am going to have to place some boundries on technology. Its is such a distraction to me and I need( with Christ) to get control over it. I am praying about anything else..( i sure hope there is nothing else!)
In the end, I hope that my husband and two kiddos know they are my greatest earthly treasure and I am grateful everyday for them.

Sitchin some sassy

There is something about creating that brings you a little closer to understanding why GOd always said it was good every day of creation.

Now I am NOT GOd and I did not create this amazing universe and our planets and all that inhabit it. But I did create this lovely strapless dress. AHHHH was it fun!!! Just like my cooking, it only turns out great when you follow directions. SO I am not one of those cool fashion people who can litteretly sew something just from their own drawings. I followed a pattern that I got years ago! I wish I would have really looked at how easy it was,I may have made one of these sooner! My only problem was that by following the measurements on the back I made this dres WAY TOO big. SO I had to take it in, but luckily that was all my issues!

I bought this fabric on my birthday and I was excited to make something sweet and dainty. I think that I did a pretty good job.

TKO laid back style

I have to admit that my style is mostly laid back. I don't dress up everyday and the reality is, if I dress up twice a week I am feeling pretty proud of that. I have two amazing kids Kyla is 3 1/2 and Isaac is 1 1/2. Two very active kids who always want mommy to play with them. So cute skirts and dresses just don't mix with wrestling and blocks and all other things requiring me to be on the ground and mauled by my kiddos.

So for this TKO I had to whip out one of my latest and GREATEST thrift buys! TO be honest, I got it for free!!! My lovely blue and white striped wool Gap sweater! ahhhh!!!!! Serendipity is a thrift store in Baldwin, WI and I LOVE IT!!!!( click here to go to the Facebook page) They have a great program where if you spend $10 you get a punch and get 20 punches get $20 off your next purchase. So on my birthday I went in with my filled card and was able to nab this beauty for FREE!!! yeah me!!! I have to admit that when I got home I started mixing and matching it with all of my dresses, skirts, shirts, boots, you name it I was having my own little fashion frenzy.

everything I am wearing is thrifted.

Serendipity for the sweater,necklace and orange top.

Treasures from the Heart for the jeans and shoes.

Bowls as hats.....a new fashion?

Bowls as hats......a new fashion trend? Probably not. But who can resist two adorable children asking so sweetly for mommy to participate in their fun.

When my little guy walked up to me with a bowl and pointed to my head I just knew we were in for a good time!

TKO!!!! Todays Kickin' outfit!

I thought of an acronym! TKO. In the boxing world is means Technical Knockout. But in my little blog world it will mean Today's Kickin Outfit! Yeah me, for figuring that out!

So whenever I have a new look that I have come up with that I want to share I will put TKO in the title!

Ah, now that that is done, I can get back to the task at hand. I grew up an only child. My parent were amazing and I think they did a pretty good job in the spoil factor. I grew up getting pretty much what I asked for Christmas every year. SPOILED. I also grew up buying new clothes every year school. SPOILED. But for the most part my parents were also realistic. Target and Kohls, JC Penny's were my main shopping stores and I never owned a pair of brand new Gap jeans until I got married and THEY WERE MATERNITY!!!

The one thing I never knew, was the value of a thrift store. We went to the local Good Will and Savers but it was never for clothes. We were into camping and my mom found a lot of helpful handy stuff for that. Also, BOOKS!! My mom and I were book worms and it was also a great place to get a lot of books for SO cheap! I do remember once getting a cast off mustard colored bridesmaid dress for dress up purposes, but I rarely bought clothes that I would wear for everyday.

Partly I think it was the stigma, you are wearing someone else's "cast offs". Well, I am much older and wiser now and I see the value in thrift shopping for my clothes! When I was given my $200 for buying new clothes, 70% was spent at the thrift stores. I bought the other %30 at target and Walmart and I bought a dress from Modcloth that was ON SALE! There is only one item I bought full price and it was a pair of jeans for $15 at Walmart. Yes that is right, WALMART! I don't care anymore. Labels don't really mean anything to me. Sure I love my banana republic pencil skirt, but I love it mostly cuz I got it for $10!!!! I would have bought the same skirt by some other brand and loved that just as much if I got it for so cheap.

So, I am thanking God for Thrift stores these days. I am grateful for a place to go and find cute things that help me feel all girly, sometimes sassy, even sexy.

Blouse: Serendipity Thrift Store, Sweater and boots: mine for years, Necklace: Handmade, Jeans: Faded Glory, Walmart

pretty paper makes a difference

I don't know about you, but I really don't have a lot of money to decorate my home. I love to look through magazines and drool over the lovely decor in the homes that are being highlighted. Some days, I get a bit down on my lack. But then God always reminds me of all the good things I have. He also reminds me that he made me creative, so use it once in a while and see what happens.

That's what happened when I finally rearranged the hodgepodge job I did in my living room. I took some art that we had in our bedroom and moved it into our living room. Great for the living room, not so great for the bare walls in our bedroom.

Since we don't have money burning holes in our pockets I had to get creative and one of the ways I got creative was by using 12x12 scrapbook paper with a pretty pattern. I already had 2 plexi glass holders, so picking up a third frame was my only purchase. The pretty paper added, texture back into the room and now the main wall everyone sees as they pass by our room is no longer bare. One wall down. one more to go!

feeling Nifty and thrifty!

Someday, I will come up with a fun acronym for when I find a treasure in my trove of clothes!
I had fun putting this outfit together. I actually went to bed the night before thinking that I may have a hit. I woke up on Friday morning just giddy with the idea. I actually wasn't so sure about the top at first, but all my fears were ceased. I was beaming! I knew I had a hit the moment I looked in the mirror. The best part is that the only real new thing in the whole outfit was the blue pencil skirt. I purchased it at Serendipity Thrift Store. I spent $10 on this gorgeous Banana Republic Skirt! So worth it!!!!

Skirt: Banana Republic(thrifted), Cardigan and Tights:( Target), Blue Bracelet(actually necklace: Amazima Ministries), Tank top and necklace: mine for years, shoes (Thrifted)

Whats the opposite of Blue?

DO you know my favorite color??? Well, the title might give it away. Its blue! I love blue. Its a peaceful color to me. I think I look good in blue, I feel good in blue. BLUE BLUE BLUE!!! If its a choice between yellow and blue, I choose blue. When I think of some of my favorite shirts they are blue. Yeah you are getting the point by now!

Well, one day I was on my friend Kara's blog. Go here to see her amazing work!!! In a session she did about a year ago I saw the most adorable couple. I think it may even be her cousin! Back to the topic. She was wearing a lovely ORANGE sweater with lovely BLUE shirt poking out on the bottom. I was kinda in a state of shock and awe. Orange and BLUE! come on! It was BEAUTIFUL! I could not get over the lovely contrast and I couldn't help myself.....I copied her! I had to see if it would look alright on me, and it did, of course!

My mom was the first one to remind me of the color wheel and how orange and blue are actually opposite on wheel, so they compliment each other in their contrast!

So, needless to say there is probably more orange in my home and in my closet than I ever thought I would. The funny thing is this, the things I love about blue. I love about the orange that I wear. ( more pumpkin color than orange orange!) Its peaceful, I feel like I look good in it and I feel good when I wear it. SO Blue, you are still my first love and will forever be my first choice. But please don't make me choose between orange and you. I may have to choose you both!

oh Christmas trees......

I saw this adorable craft in the December issue of BHG. If you want to make them yourselves go HERE!

In the article the paper trees were actually candy/gift party favors. I thought they were so adorable I had to make some for my table centerpiece. Mine aren't as cute since I didn't make a star to go on top, but it still gave me the feel of a Christmas tree wonderland.

Bits of wisdom from the "girl" who is another year older

I am 31 today! Gasp!!!! Can you believe it! I told the entire world my age......Well with the world of Facebook everyone already knows how old I am anyways, so why not just embrace it and enjoy it.

Reflecting on what I would possibly write today I just came up with this. Simple bits of wisdom that you have probably all heard before!

1: Write out some goals for your life that you want to accomplish. I am so grateful that I did. I don't know that I would have ever gotten to the healthy point in my life without a written goal I looked at everyday.

2: The Bible has it right( in more ways than one!) Don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself, Today has enough troubles of its own.(Matt 6:34)

3:When we get to the end of our lives, most everyone doesn't say...."oh, I wish I would have made more money, worked more, or bought that car or gone on that Mediterranean cruise, fill in the blank with anything that preoccupies us..." instead when we get to the end, most everyone wants one thing. Time. Time to spend with those we love, regret over time lost doing things that don't matter. Time to right the wrongs and mend the bridges we have burned. Time is precious. We don't know the hour that God will call us home to Heaven. So use what you have wisely.

4: Facebook, Twitter, Texting or BLOGGING can not replace the most valuable thing ever. Interaction with people. Face to face, over the phone, real friendships and relationships. I enjoy all these outlets, but they give you a false community. You think you are connected but you really aren't. To prove the point, I took a break from Facebook once and no one noticed that I wasn't on posting things. So, don't spend so much time in the Internet world trying to find meaningful connections. Connect with your neighbors, friends and family, that is real!

5: Be you and don't care about what other people think or say. I would rather swim against the current that look, act or say everything that everyone else says. Be who God created you to be.

Drum roll please!!!!!

6: Check out the awesome guy named Jesus. We are coming up on the day we celebrate his birth. Its pretty significant.... God decided to take on our lowly human form, was born, lived sinless and died for all of us. He didn't stay dead though. He rose from the grave and now is seated at the right Hand of God. He loves you, and he would love for you to get to know Him. If you have never read a bible before in your life, check out the Gospel John. Its a great place to start.

a little bit of sunshine....

I did this during the summer, but I never posted it. I was feeling like our bathroom was in need of a bit of a face lift. So I started scouring the stores for a new shower curtain. I know, I know.....I followed the Grey and Yellow decor trend, but I don't care! It really does look good together. I really struggled though with finding #1 a curtain I liked and #2 a curtain in our budget( which wasn't a large budget).
My mom was with me on one of these said excursions so she knew what I was looking for. Lucky for me I have an amazing mom! She had the most amazing idea. ( If I have any kind of craft sense, its from her!) She bought me this lovely yellow table cloth. A table cloth that just needed some holes........ i got out my sewing machine and my minty green floss. I made button holes across the top and Viola! I now have the most lovely shower curtain.

Virgin Online clothing buyer NO more!!!

Its funny how you see advertisements on the side bar of your computer everyday and most days I don't notice. But one caught my eye. MODCLOTH! oh my yum! I fell in a deep state of like with this online store. I know I talked about being a bit obsessed about my new nail polish and its all Modcloths fault! But To be honest I was falling in love with all the pretty dresses, skirts, shoes, tops, EVERYTHING!!! I felt like it was an online store that was a beacon of style that I had been craving to add to my own life and wardrobe.

I have never bought a piece of clothing online. Frankly, its scares me to death! I mean, pay shipping charges get the dress and then if it doesn't fit or ends up being a flop then what???? I may have saved time by shopping online, but not hassle.......

Lucky for me, all those things really didn't matter when I saw this lovely dress on sale.....

Dress: Modcloth,Sweater: Target, leggings: Walmart, Shoes: Naughty Monkey(thrifted),
Bracelet(actually a necklace): Amazima Ministries, Necklace:Mine for years

For those of you who don't know me, I made a deal with my hubby that when I got down to my goal weight that I could spend $200 and buy the new clothes I would need, since I would be too small to wear the clothes I already have. I hit my goal months ago and I have been slowly purchasing jeans, tops, skirts, you name it I was buying! My money went a long way since I bought a lot of my clothes at thrift stores or on major sales.

Back to the details on my "first time." (giggle) When this dress was put on sale, I just knew it was going to be my first online clothing purchase. Lucky for me too, free shipping! Modcloth also has a great return/exchange policy so I felt pretty good about if it didn't work out it would not be a hassle.

When my dress arrived, I was literately giddy and could not wait to try it on. I am happy to say its a perfect fit and I feel like a thrifty princess!

Challenging my own sense of Fashion

I have been pondering questions a lot lately. Maybe turning another year older.(31!!!!) and getting to my goal weight is partly to blame.But, I ask questions, for example, Who do I want to show the world I am? How can I glorify God with what I wear? Am I really style challenged or do I just not try. How in the world do magazines make such random pieces of clothing work and not look silly??? Or how bout my favorite( usually while complaining that I have nothing to wear.) Why did I buy this_______ (fill in the blank)!

The answers are these. I want to show the world that I am an individual who loves herself and doesn't want to hide who she is. I want to glorify God, by wearing modest clothes with flair and sass, Cuz frankly that is who I AM! I am not style challenged....I just have not really tried to stretch myself or my wardrobe to really see all the potential that is within.

So lately I have felt the pull to challenge myself. To not complain about what I don't have, but rejoice in what I do. Seek and find treasures within my own clothes! Here's is my latest example too.

Skirt: Thrifted, Boots: Columbia, Socks:Wigwam, Grey sweater: Target,
Shirt,Peacock necklace and black belt: Walmart, hat: mine

Everything but the belt, necklace and grey sweater have been in my closet for a year or more. and those three things cost me less than $20! It just took a push to find this quirky outfit. Now that I have, I think I will be wearing it quite a few more times.

latest mini obsession

Obsession (əbˈsɛʃən)
— n
	psychiatry a persistent idea or impulse that continually forces its way into consciousness, often associated with anxiety and mental illness
	a persistent preoccupation, idea, or feeling
	the act of obsessing or the state of being obsessed

When you start to examine the definition of Obsessed I see that I am surely not the first but more than likely a bit of the second when it comes to things that inspire me. I have been doing a lot of self analysis upon my life and I am recognizing that not only have I been metamorphosing my body by eating healthier and exercising, but that I am also finally starting to branch out and try to find and create my own style.
I have said it once and I will probably say it again. I am no fashionista nor do I really want to be. I can't afford it! But there are little ways I can reflect a bit of me, enter the nifty sassy nail polish.
Who knew that nail polish could be such a good mood reflector! Moody, thoughtful, deep, contemplative, introspective. All the things I feel like I am feeling and doing these days.
I saw a similar nail color on the website Modcloth in their fall Stylebook( see here). I fell into a deep state of like and had to find it.

I bought a couple different colors when I bought this one, but this color seems to find its way back to my nails.

God is doing big things in my life and attitude and I find it quite funny that one of the ways its being reflected is on my fingers.



nail polish: Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Slick Slate