Sole Sister

I had been looking EVERYWHERE for a good pattern for baby shoes. My little girl will ALWAYS take her socks off... unless she has shoes on to stop her! I found a fantastic pattern from this wonderful lady's etsy shop. I'm not quite sure if she is still offering the pattern, but her items are too adorable:)

Here is the finished product:

They are made out of jean material and one of my FAVORITE fabrics (that I can no longer find in stores).

I most definitely will be making more. Anyone interested?

New Beginnings

Looking ahead to the new year is so exciting! I always like to think ahead to things that I would love to see myself accomplish for the next year. 

- I absolutely LOVE our church here in Virginia, but I do struggle quite a bit with it being an hours drive away. I so desire to help serve in ministry there, but am unsure of what commitments I can realistically make. I pray for wisdom and clear direction.

-Ok... I know, I know. Almost EVERYONE you know has resoluted to be more healthy, lose some weight, etc, etc, etc.  I think this is a fantastic plan, but I once heard it said that it's not about being motivated to be healthy, it's about the commitment to be healthy. Simply put, do it even when it's hard! I lost quite a bit of weight before my I became prego with my baby girl, and let me tell you... IT FELT GREAT! I want that again. Once I got on a routine, big changes happened. I loved the energy I had, the way my clothes fit, and most of all knowing that what I was putting into my body was good for me.

So... I need LOTS of good recipes!

- I started school this last year at Liberty University working towards my Psych degree. I love the school and the classes I am taking. My goal is to continue with school and ENJOY it! Oh what I can learn in a year!

- To teach Andrew how to read! I love teaching my children things. Andrew just turned 5 and I can not wait until he can read!

Here's to New Beginnings!

Christmas Eve will find me...

This year, we are spending Christmas with our little family and loving it! I spent most of the afternoon baking with help from my boys. First, we made a birthday cake for Jesus. I let the boys decorate, if you were wondering:)



Last year I found this great recipe for the BEST fudge EVER. Well this year I made the same recipe but did walnuts instead of the candy canes. YUM! You can find the EASY recipe HERE.

And since I didn't do the peppermint fudge, Ryan requested some white peppermint bark.

I am a sucker for Chex mix. And popcorn. And caramel. I found this AMAZING recipe for Carmel Chex Popcorn HERE. I did however change up the baking process a bit. I think that baking it in the oven gives it a MUCH BETTER taste! So... Heat up your caramel ingredients on the stove until melted. Drizzle over popcorn, chex mix, and peanuts. Shake in covered container. Bake for 20 min @ 250 degrees, turning mixture every 5 or so minutes. Viola! So good!

Our card wall is FULL of cards! I just love walking by looking at all of the pictures and cards that our friends and family have sent us! It reminds me of all of the wonderful people in my life and how I am thankful for the wonderful gift of great people!

And... Our tree is up and finished. We decided against lights this year. Don't ask me why I only bought lights for our two bushes outside (one of which burned out already) and didn't get an extra strand for our tree. Oh Well. Today, I finished it off by adding the matryoshka doll handmade by my friend Nikki. She is SO talented and amazing might I add. She does ornaments every year and I am very happy to see mine on my tree again this year! Cute, huh?

 (I just can't seem to get a good picture of the tree, but we found these really pretty brown ornaments at Hobby Lobby. LOVE!)

I think I will call her Patty

Grandma Kathy sent cards and gifts. This is my most favorite card of all time. And it made my baby girl smile:)

WHEW! Well, there you have it.

Merry CHRISTmas to all and to all a good night!

Braided Updo

Thought I'd share a quick, simple updo of mine with you! Rosa is getting married in September of next year so of course she is looking for the perfect wedding "do". Thought we'd have some fun. This is more of an everyday up-do, but good for getting some other ideas!



(maybe soon I will start doing some tutorials!)

Hairspray

            Have I EVER posted about hair? Hmmmm... I think I need to do something about that! I have been finding some awesome hair blogs recently that have inspired me in the hair department. Since I have been inspired lately, my hair has been looking a bit better:) I have been accustomed to doing my own hair since I am usually so busy with the kids. I must say, I WANT to get my hair done by someone else. Recently, I had a friend from work trim up my horribly uneven layers. THANK YOU Rosa! Much better:)

Here is what I came up with today:

don't mind the visible bobby pin:)



Products I used: Big Sexy Hair- Blow Dry Volumizing Gel, Root Pump foam, Spray and Play hairspray

Sexy Hair

(Round Brushed)