right now.

Yes.

I realize it's been well over a month since a REAL post.

I'm not even going to try to make up excuses.

Because there are no excuses.

But I'm back (yay!!) and I wanted to need to get some things off my chest.

I lot has happened in the past month or so.

(I'm not going to go into detail... I just need to "vent" if you will.)

But it's all helped me to push myself.

To become better.

To become stronger.

To become more confident in who I am.

First:

I AM good enough.

Do I have the perfect body? Absolutely not.

Am I happy with my body right now? No.

Do I want to get stronger and continue working towards my dream body? You better believe it.

But that doesn't mean that I'm not good enough.

That doesn't mean that I'm not already beautiful.

That being said, I'm determined to better my life all around.

I am taking some time to lay out in the sun and enjoy God's beauty.

Take some time for myself - to think and be at peace with myself.

I'm diving back into God's Word.

Learning more about my Creator.

Striving to live my life for Him.

Am I to where I need to be? Absolutely not. I'm far from being a "good" Christian.

But I'm trying.

I'm working to get some more balance in my life.

Getting more organized and prioritizing my life again.

Figuring out what's truly important to me.

((Got my planner from Erin Condren Designs. Amazing. Go get yourself one.))

I'm learning to be ok with my body.

I was recently asked if I was happy with where I am with my body.

My answer? No. I want to be better.

I want to be more fit.

I want to be skinnier.

I want to turn heads when I walk into the room.

Who doesn't?

But I'm still beautiful RIGHT NOW.

I am more fit NOW than I was then.

I am skinnier NOW than I was then.

I feel more comfortable taking pictures NOW.

Because right NOW?

I'm healthier. I'm confident. I'm stronger.

I'm beautiful.

I still have a long way to go before I have my life where I want it to be.

And something else that I have to remember came to me in a devotion.

----------------------

From Living the Surrendered Life:

A lot of times things just don't go our way. The natural response to an undesired event in our life is disappointment. When you apply for that dream job and don't land it. When you think a relationship has potential and it suddenly ends. When you study for hours for an exam only to find you have to re-take it. When you take your 13th pregnancy test and still don't see that second line. When you submit your writings for publication and they aren't accepted. When you pray for that person to change and you don’t see anything different.

If we say that we don’t ever feel disappointment over things like this, we are probably trying to be too spiritual. Feeling disappointment is understandable and even accepted. But, it should be a stepping-stone on our path with Jesus…not the anchor that drowns us.

We all have dreams that we want to see transpire in our lives. But if they are our dreams and we have not consulted our Heavenly Father, then they often lack vision and purpose toward a higher goal. Our plans, even on our very best day, are nothing compared to the amazing plans God has for us.

We have to rest in the sovereignty of God and the fact that he will always keep His Word to us. The last time I checked, our Creator is never late in His promises to us.

Prov 3: 5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
----------------------------------------

I may not be 100% happy with my body, my life, or my relationship with Christ.

But I'm working on it, and God has a plan for my life.

And it's bigger, better, and all around greater than any plan I could ever have for my own life.

I just have to trust Him.

So you may think that I'm not good enough because I don't have the supermodel body.

But that just means that I'm too good for you.

I may not be sexy yet...

but I'm beautiful and I know it.

go here.

So you like how I apparently fell off the face of the earth?

No worries.

I'm still here.

Just 10x busier than normal.

Like for reals.

I'm so tired today that my whole morning workout?

Yea... I did it with my eyes closed.

Didn't realize they were closed till I was done.

And I've been running into stuff nonstop while walking in my classroom and the hallway because my eyes slowly just close and therefore, I run into things.

It's slightly ridiculous how tired I am.

I feel so far behind on everything.

BUT...

That's not the point of this little tidbit today.

No siree.

((Sorry... I know you were hoping for a catch up on my life. No worries... that's coming as soon as I get some sleep and have a half hour of time to write it. Promise.))

Today I just wanted to tell all y'alls to head over to Chalk in the Rain.

Stat.

She's having her first ever giveaway.

And I'm probably definitely going to win.

Now go have a happy Thursday!!

I'm heading off to Louisville for a great weekend getaway with B!!

Woop woop!!

ten.

So I was going to post about lots of delicious drinks.

I mean, it's Thirsty Thursday is it not?

Too bad I've drank like 2 times since November and have no crafty drinks to share.

Oh and both those times?

Wine.

Opposite of creative.

So... I have a "top 10" list if you will.

((I am totes stealing this idea from Erin @ LIY.))

After you're done here you should probably go check her out.

She's hilarious.

In fact, she just dedicated a whole post to macaroni and cheese.

No joke.

She's THAT cool.

So here are 10 confessions of mine.

Or 10 things you may not have known about me.

1. I used to hate doggy kisses.

Then I met Duke.

And he loves to give kisses.

I mean LOVES.

So this is what happens every day. And I wouldn't trade it for the world.

2. I struggle daily with going to workout or laying on the couch and being lazy.

When I get home from work I would much rather lay on the couch and watch Ellen.

However, I've figured out that if I don't sit down, it's 10x easier to go straight to the gym.

3. One shoulder dresses?

Love them.

However, anytime I try one on, I hate how I look in them.  And I can't figure out why.

You can buy this dress for me here.

4. I continuously crave pizza.

More specifically one kind of pizza... from one specific place.

Terry's Pizza in Middlebury.

For reals. I'm about ready to ditch the BBQ chicken I'm making right now and order a pizza.

Unfortunately I made a deal with B.

No pizza or taco bell for 40 days (aka Lent).

Lucky for me, this ends Sunday!! Woop Woop!!

Pizza for dinner on Monday?! Yes, please!!

5. I desperately want to play this game.

6. I want to do a morning workout every day.

However, there's this little thing called sleep that wins out every stinkin day.

Crap.

7. I broke the law.

((For those who aren't from around here, there were Elks placed throughout our county and they were later auctioned off as a fundraiser.  However, it was illegal to climb on them.))

So I did it anyway.

I also gave him a kiss.

But shhhh... don't tell.

Disclaimer: This may or may not have taken place on a "Papa Smurf night."

8. I have a love/hate relationship with asparagus.

I love the taste and the health benefits.

Hate the texture.

9. I honestly believe I was supposed to be born in Italy.

I have this obsession with Italian food.

Mainly pasta and pizza.

My dream vacation?

Italy. Pasta. Pizza. Wine.

10. I love this picture.

And I want to recreate it and hang it in our house.

Found on pinterest.

Now...

That pizza?

Yea I can still taste it.

I want it that bad.

O. M. G.

COME ON MONDAY!!

((Just kidding... I kinda want my spring break to last forever.))

So go eat a pizza for me and have a happy Thursday!!

whoa. it's wednesday.

Whoa nelly.

It's already Wednesday??

Time to slow this spring break train down.

Way down.

I'm not ready to go back to work yet.

((insert pouty face))

Anywho.

Thought I'd just play a little catch up today.

Ya know... A little miscellany Wednesday.

1. B has the cutest puppy ever.

Ok he's not technically a puppy anymore.

But still...

Just look at this unbelievably adorable face.

Yup. And I get to snuggle this cute face every stinkin day.

2. I got my birthday present from my aunt Lorraine.

And I pretty much love it.

Yes, I realize the "L" is backwards in the picture.

Chill out.

It's not backwards in real life.

Promise.

3. This is what my spring break has consisted of.

Partially.

((It's also consisted of a lot of cleaning, gym time, and tv watching))

Laying on the couch snugglin with my 2 boys.

((The 3rd boy (B) was out golfing at this moment)).

(Oh and the 2nd boy? We have Dexter this week while my mom is house/dog sitting for someone else)

They've been snugglin machines.

4. I finally saw the Hunger Games!!

And yes. I loved it.

I went to a matinee Monday afternoon.

Can you say cheap?

Even better.

I already can't wait for it to come out on DVD.

And I already can't wait for the next movie to come out.

For those of you who have read the book and/or seen the movie,

what are your thoughts?

I'm thinking my thoughts may be a whole other post.

Cause I don't even know where to begin!!

So there's what I've been up to lately.

Uber exciting... I know.

Be jealous.

Happy Wednesday beauties!!

it's a tasty tuesday

Tasty Tuesday anyone?

Well I'm gonna share a delicious recipe with all of you.

I found it at skinnytaste.com.

Behold....

"Skinny" Chicken Nuggets

Now I've given you the link to the original recipe, but I changed some things up so...

this is what I did.

First: preheat oven to 425.

Here's what ya need:

Olive oil

Olive oil spray

Italian flavored bread crumbs

Chicken breasts

Parmesan cheese (I used shredded because thats what we had in the house)

Cut up the chicken into bite sized pieces.

Put 2 tbsp. olive oil in a bowl.

Put 6-8 tbsp of bread crump and 2 tbsp of the cheese in a bowl.

((I used 8 tbsp bread crumbs because I cut up 3 chicken breasts instead of 2))

Season with salt and pepper.

((I didn't have pepper. We're out. So I used Famous Dave's Seasoning.

Cover the chicken with the olive oil.

Spray the pan with olive oil spray before adding the chicken.

((I added a little more parmesan cheese on top))

Then cover with another thin layer of olive oil spray on top.

Cook for 10 minutes.

Flip.

Cook for 5 more minutes.

And Wa-La!!

They look delicious right?!?!

Yummy!!

**I also made some later in the evening for the boyfriend and he added some hotter spices to give it a little "zing" and he loved them!! Feel free to play around with the spices!!

Today I'm linking up with The New Modern Momma!!

when you wish upon a star

Yo.

It's SPRING BREAK Y'ALL!!!

It's only Monday and I already don't want this break to end.

Pretty sure spring break as an adult is 10x better than spring break as a child/teenager.

No joke.

So.. I had every intention of writing this post Friday when I got home from work.

And then I was completely exhausted from the week.

 So I was going to write it Saturday.

And then I woke up early to clean then was completely exhausted the rest of the day.

So I was going to write it Sunday.

And then I took one last lazy day.

So here it is Monday, and I'm finally writing this post.

Now let me preface by explaining that last week my preschool classes were learning the letter "W".

What starts with "W"?

Wish.

So I made a wish jar during the week and on Friday we wrote down our wishes to place in our wish jar.

Got the idea for the jar here:

(source: pinterest)

Now obviously mine is not near as pretty because I didn't have a hot glue gun.

But that's besides the point.

Back to the point of this post...

I wanted to share some of my preschoolers wishes with you.

Enjoy!!

((Warning: some of these are tear jerkers))

"I wish I had a new house."

"I wish I could go to Florida with my friends."

"I wish everything in my house was pink."

"I wish I was a princess."

"I wish I was a monkey."

"I wish I could go to South America."

"I wish I had more Barbie's."

"I wish my Grandpa could come back alive."

"I wish I had a billion sisters."

"I wish I could see my mommy."

"I wish I could play basketball."

"I wish I could play Plants vs. Zombies all the time."

"I wish I could play basketball."

"I wish that my daddy would come back home."

"I wish I could play baseball in minors."

"I wish I was handsome."

"I wish I had a pink car that goes slow with GPS that turns into a radio."

"I wish I could go to the waterpark."

"I wish I went to princess land."

"I wish I could fly a rocketship."

"I wish I was a mermaid."

"I wish I had a phone and could play games on it."

"I wish I could read a book."

"I wish I could surf on my own surf board."

"I wish I went to Hawaii to discover fish."

"I wish I had a Belle costume with gloves, high heels, a crown, and earrings."

"I wish my sister had a princess bike."

"I wish I could go to Minnesota."

"I wish I could drive."

"I wish I was a fish."

"I wish I had a Hotwheels car with a door that goes up and I could drive it."

"I wish I had a unicorn with rainbow hair, a horn, and wings."

"I wish I could do a flip on my 4-wheeler."

"I wish that my sister had a horse."

"I wish I could have a fire surf board."

"I wish I could have my birthday a million times."

"I wish I had a real unicorn."

What are some of your wishes??

why i love birthdays

Hey chickpees!

Happy Thursday!!

((That means only one more day of work!! Woop woop!!))

So I was actually asked why I make such a big deal out of my birthday.

Here's why.

This is what my birthday celebrations included:

Dinner at Rulli's with B's family.

26 spankings, a pinch to grow an inch, and a punch to grow a bunch by B's 10 year old nephew.

Fishing on the golf course with the most amazing man ever.

Waking up with a smile on my face with extra kisses from that most amazing man ever.

Feeling like I'm on top of the world... even if it is just for a day.

The countless "happy birthdays".

The many many handmade birthday cards from my kids.

The variety of birthday gifts from my kids even though their smiling faces are enough for me.

Eating delicious Olive Garden for dinner with my mommy and B.

Eating my favorite kind of cake.

The most amazing man in the world spoiling me and letting me shop online for my birthday present.

My kids singing "happy birthday" to me over and over and over.

I believe that everyone should feel special on their birthday.

It's their day.

It should be all about them!

That's why I make such a big deal out of my birthday.

I do have to say one of my favorite parts out of that whole list was spending time with B fishing on the golf course.

I hate fish.

Scratch that.

That's an understatement.

I'm terrified of fish.

But I loved spending that time with him!!

Here are just a few snapshots of fishing.

 My first catch!!

Isn't he a handsome little fella??

Second fishy!! 

My third and last catch of the night!! 

I love this stud muffin..

And he's mine, all mine ladies!!

((Notice how he was nice enough to hold the fish for me every time?? Yea.. that's one of the many reasons that he rocks))

Maybe by the end of the summer I'll work up the nerve to touch the fish myself.....

maybe.

Spending time with B doing something that he loves to do??

There's nothing better.

Even if it was freezing outside ;)

Bottom line??

It's ok to spoil yourself every once in awhile.

Did I cheat on my diet and probably gain 5 lbs?

Absolutely.

Do I regret it?

Absolutely NOT.

So go ahead, plan out your own birthday and make it the best birthday ever!!

Happy Thursday

aka

Happy Almost-Spring-Break!!