Virtual Coffee - The Rambling Health Edition

Happy Tuesday!

It's time for some Virtual Coffee.

Or, in my case, Virtual...well...nothing.

I don't have a drink with me right now but

if we were really meeting for coffee right now I'd tell you that

health has been on my mind.

About a month ago now I wrote about my health.

After writing that post, I wanted to dive right into a series of challenges for myself.

But I stopped.

And pondered.

And listened.

What I wrote about was my eating habits.

My lack of sleep.

My being overweight.

I wanted more energy.

More stamina.

To feel strong again.

But I stopped.

And pondered.

And listened.

And here's what I've learned about myself.

My life right now isn't just about eating right or getting strong by

blasting away the calories with kicks and punches and thumping music.

It's about s l o w i n g   d o w n.

I want to lose weight, yes.

I want to feel stronger, yes.

But first I want more energy.

I want to eat CLEANER.

I want my head cleared of fog and negativity.

I want a good foundation.

 So for the past several weeks I've been doing little things.

 Breathing.

Yoga.

Stretching.

 Earthing.

Oh yeah.

That sounds a leeeetle strange.

But it's awesome.

You should try it.

Just take off your shoes and run outside and play.

 I've also been turning my phone to SILENT after 6:00pm.

This might come as a shock to some of you.

But yes.

I didn't realize that the constant dings and songs and buzzes were affecting my anxiety level as much

as they were.

 

 These little changes have made a huge difference in my anxiety level.

I feel more rested.

I'm still getting roughly the same amount of sleep as I was.

It's just better quality.

I stand taller.

My head is clearer.

I'm eating cleaner.

All these little changes have made an impact.

And that's what I needed.

That's what my body needed.

My mind.

If we were meeting for coffee right now

I'd thank you for listening to me ramble.

And I'd remind you I'm not preaching anything.

I'm just trying to find my way here.

I'd ask you how you're doing.

Have your Littles started school yet?

How is your summer list coming along?

I'm linking up with the ever awesome Amy today.

For more Cawfy Tawk head over the Lucky Number 13!

Oh Happy Day!



Whittling The Summer List - New Crayons

We've crossed another item off our summer list.

Making new crayons out of our broken ones!

It was super easy.

I'll show you how!

 I went ahead and nabbed a new muffin tin from the store

instead of using one that I bake with.

Is that weird?

 Then we

(by "we" I mean "me" while Hurricane Griffin ripped through the house)

tore all the paper from the crayons...

 ...and placed them in the muffin tins.

I preheated the oven to 275 degrees and baked the crayons for roughly 8 minutes.

At 8 minutes there were still a few chunky bits in a few of the tins so I left them

in the oven a bit longer and took them out when fully melted.

 They looked like this when they were fully melted.

I let the tin cool at room tempurature until I could touch it with my bare hands

then placed it in the freezer.

 After about 3-5 minutes in the freezer, these little beauties popped right out!

Everywhere I read told me to spray the tins with non stick spray

but years of putting candles in the freezer to pop out old wax told me that

this should work without non stick spray and I was right.

(It's the little things.)

:)

 Friends, meet Sock Hand.

Sock hand is sneaky.

 They turned out so cute!

I'd love to hear about any fun summer lists or projects you are working on!

Happy Friday!

42

Yesterday was Hubs' birthday.

42.

I asked him to show me what 42 looked like.

This is what I got.

His birthday.

In pictures.

 

This day was good.

It didn't make life's stresses disappear.

It wasn't perfect.

It was small and relatively uneventful.

But it was good.

Virtual Coffee - The Pouting Edition

Sometimes we feel stuck in life.

And we wish we could just pout about it.

 Sometimes we feel like we are carried by others and are dragged along

down paths we don't want to take.

Or aren't ready to take yet.

Good or bad.

And we wish we could just cry about it.

 That's the way I've been feeling lately.

So grateful for all the wonderful opportunities that have come my way.

But there are situations that are dragging me along.

Dragging me down.

Pulling me in every direction.

I feel I have to touch absolutely everything.

Or all the good will go away.

The result?

I wind up half-assing a lot of it just to get it done.

And I'm not a half-asser.

I'm a whole-asser.

I want to cross my arms

*HARUMPH*

dig in my heels and say

NO MORE!

 But the good news is this:

This too shall pass.

This chapter in my life.

In the life of my family.

The struggles.

The anxiety.

And stress.

This shall pass.

I know this because I have faith.

I have faith that God knows the desires of my heart.

He knows what is best for my family.

Somehow,

even though I can't really see why,

I'm exactly where I need to be.

But let me be the first to tell you.

I'm ready for it to pass.

I'm ready for calm to settle in my heart.

I'm ready for the headaches and chest pains to cease.

I'm ready to feel like I've got a grip on my own life again.

I'm ready to be in a situation where I look over at Matt

and we both just smile and nod our heads because we know that that moment is so so good.

 Know this: When you are three and you are grumpy and pouty there are

two things that will make it all better.

A Mister Machine on a hot day.

 And

A monkey under a sheet, eating a cucumber.

Happy Tuesday!

I am linking up with Amy today for Virtual Coffee venting.

Oh How Sweet It Is

This past week was crazy.

Mounds of editing.

Mounds of details for upcoming shoots.

Mounds of laundry.

 But this evening was hazy.

And lazy.

And fun.

 Bubbles were blown.

 Twirls were a must.

 Laughter was abundant.

Oh how sweet it is.

Happy Sunday!

Spreading The Bloglove

A whole week.

A whole week since I came here.

I am super excited to say that I've been so incredibly busy with my photography!

My head still isn't above water yet with editing but that's okay.

I'll get there.

Any spare second I've spent away from Photoshop or on shoots,

I've spent it at my day job, or cleaning the house, or spending much needed

time with my boys.

But I do make time to read the blogs I love.

Every day.

They uplift me.

Challenge me.

Make me think.

Make me strive to be better.

Make me laugh.

Inspire me.

And so often they make me "get over myself".

I thought I'd spread some bloglove and share my favorites with you.

Meg at Whatever.

She is a woman who tells it like it is.

So refreshing!

Her recipes are scrumptious.

Her crafts are always inspiring.

Her commitment to her husband and children are amazing.

Her heart. It's huge.

Oh yeah, and her photos rock. Totally.

Cherish at Kiwi Freckles.

I love this girl.

Her design and style are just. totally. fabulous.

She's uplifting and positive.

And I love the images on her blog.

Not posed or over processed.

She takes pictures in a way that make me feel like I'm really there with her.

Hard to do.

And I want her hair! :)

Shauna at The Reed Life.

This woman has a depth of soul and a well of strength that I totally draw from.

Her insights into being a mom and a woman really make me think.

Her faith is strong.

Her love for her children is fierce.

And oh em gee her photos are beautiful.

But she lives in CA.

Everything is sun-drenched and beautiful there!

Amy at Lucky Number 13.

I love her eye for vintage treasures.

And I love her heart.

It aches like mine does at times and I love that she shares.

I don't feel alone.

Lindsey at The Pleated Poppy.

I want her house.

Love.

:)

I adore that she's really going strong professionally doing what she really loves to do.

Such an inspiration.

Ashley at Under the Sycamore.

Single most crafty and talented person I've (virtually) known.

Every post spawns a fresh new idea and perspective.

Her photos are spot on amazing

and when she does open up about her personal life you want to pay attention.

Lessons to be learned.

New to the group is Madeline Bea.

Man are her images moving.

When I have more time, I'll read more into her story.

But for now.

Eye. Candy.

Post processing heaven.

Jen at IHeart Organizing.

Her blog is so dang cheerful!

Her ideas about organization - not just in the home but in life - are addicting and always

super easy to pick up and do.

This is one happy gal who loves what she does.

Loves her family.

Loves design.

Loves color.

Loves organization and simplicity.

And boy does it show.

She. Rocks.

Jasmine Star.

'Nuff said.

For those of you who don't follow many blogs and think you don't have time...just check out a few.

Not every single person blogs every day so some days I'll check

and only two have written for the day.

But these are the women who inspire me.

Daily.

I hope to meet them all one day.

Until then, I'll see them on Facebook!

Check them out!

You will be happier for it.

Happy Monday!