A few things

I am finally getting around to uploading almost 200 pictures from this past month. Here is what we have been up to.

Been doing a little crafting and made these cute mason jar candle holders wrapped with twine & burlap. What do you think?

Still going strong not eating meat. Although Marvin only made it 16 days I am very proud of him. He has to have his ground turkey so I'm sure he was really missing it. Here is a simple pasta salad that the whole family loves!! Takes about 10 minutes to make. Leave me a comment if you want to know how.

Took a visit to the local pumpkin patch on a cloudy and rainy day. Of course shay had to ride all of the rides and slides so needless to say he was soaking wet when we left. I didn't mind at all because it really wasn't that cold and he had a blast! Here are the two little rascals posing for a pic :)

Finally made a trip up to Rancho Cucamonga to meet the sweetest little baby boy (other then mine of course). Bashie was born on Sept 22nd and is absolutely perfect!!! Congratulations to Morrissa & Adrian on their beautiful little blessing. Can't wait to get my hands on him again or maybe one of my own?

Soccer is back up again and last night was our first practice. Really second but last weeks got rained out. Here is Shay making an awesome kick!! I'm so glad I was able to capture this photo even though the quality is not so good because I had it on extra zoom or something. He had a blast and has gotten so much better. He seems way more focused then last season but I honestly think that dad not coaching this time has something to do with it.

Kross turned 10 months yesterday and on the day started pulling himself up on the ottoman. That is exactly how Shay started walking and we are so excited!! He loves to stand and has been pulling himself up every chance he gets. He is growing so fast and developing such a cute personality.

There are way more pictures to share but I don't have time or the patience with Blogger today. It's taken me 20 minutes to upload 5 photos. Can't believe this month is almost over and we are into November!! 9 more weeks until Christmas :)

{Life}

Just wanted to share this bit of inspiration as we truck through the week.

Thankful Thursdays

Today I am thankful for my best friend Amy. We have been though so much together in the 14+ years that we have known each other. Lots of good and crazy times, fun adventures, interesting schemes and of course a lot of hard times too. We have helped each other through some of the worst situations, laughed ourselves out of unbelievable predicaments and supported one another 100% through it all. I am so thankful to have this girl in my life, knowing I can always count on her to be there to help me out when I get myself into a 'Bit of a Pickle' and to be there to listen as I figure out what shade of white I am going to paint the cabinets. Thank you Amy for always being there, for being your crazy self, for being an inspiration to me and for always making the best of every situation. You are an amazing woman that anyone would be proud to know. Thank you for showing me what motherhood is about, how to take care of a household and how to get exactly what you want. You are more like a sister in every sense of the word. Thank you for your friendship!

For Today...October 18, 2010

Outside my window...The still of the night

I am thinking...that I should have gotten that farm table I saw at a thrift store today to refinish! Might have to go back tomorrow to see if it's still there. A steal at only $20.

I am thankful for...So many great ideas in my head. Just need to act on them.

From the kitchen...oh goodness, a grocery trip is definitely in order.

I am wearing...pajamas.

I am creating...nothing at the moment but hope to create some fun pieces of furniture for my house.

I am reading...The Bible

I am hoping...that it does not rain tomorrow and ruin our Disneyland plans.

I am hearing...the TV in the backround

One of my favorite things...Kisses from Kross. He kisses back now!!

A few plans for the rest of the week...Disneyland if it does not rain, grocery shopping, errands, work, organizing the garage.

Here is a picture that I'm sharing...

:The Cleanse:

In case you were wondering, I quit the cleanse after 2 days. I got a horrible migraine that I couldn't deal with and was so sick from it. I know those are pretty common side effects but I couldn't be out of commission with two small kids so I gave up. I would try it again sometime because really it didn't seem so bad and I was so mad that I was feeling sick. I didn't even miss eating for those two days but being a migraine sufferer as it is, it was pretty painful. Aw well, you win some you lose some :)

::Time::

With Some Extra Time I Would...

*Do some craft projects with Shay

*Clean out the garage and get it organized

*Visit an old friend out of state

*Re-paint my patio furniture instead of buying a new set

*Have wine and movie night with girlfriends

*Paint my nails black

*Clean out the kids closets

*Send an entire day by myself

What would you do?

::Thankful Thursdays::

I try to live my life being thankful every day for all of the blessings that I have received. It's so easy to find ourselves complaining about not having enough money, a big enough house, a brand new car, being the ideal weight, and so on. But if you stop and think about what you DO have..you will be a much happier person. I am so thankful for my beautiful family. My boys are so amazing and I am so thankful that God brought them into my life. I'm thankful for my wonderful husband who takes such good care of us, protects us, makes us laugh, is supportive 100% of the time no matter what crazy scheme I have up my sleeve and loves us unconditionally. What is there to complain about when you have that? I'm thankful for this house and for electricity so I can keep my boys warm at night. I'm thankful that they have a safe place to come home to. I am thankful for my car that I beat up so bad but it still takes us where we need to go and is dependable. I am so thankful for this life. I am so blessed!!

What are you thankful for?

::Master Cleanse Day 1::

So I started the MC yesterday and am proud to report that I completed day 1! The drink isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be although I have not done the salt water flush or the tea. I need to make a stop at Whole Foods and get a few things today so I will definitely be doing the tea tonight. Not too sure about the SWF yet. I felt pretty hungry last night and had a bit of a headache but woke up feeling great and down 2.2lbs. Also feel less bloated which is wonderful. Ok off to drink some more lemon water. Hoping I can get through another day!

:Happy Monday:

For Today...October 11th, 2010

Outside my window...A beautiful October day

I am thinking...that Kross is growing too fast.

I am thankful for...this life

From the kitchen...a trip to Henry's is in order

I am wearing...a skirt and t-shirt

I am creating...a strong and happy family

I am reading...The Bible

I am hoping...This weather last for a while

I am hearing...Country Music on Music Choice

One of my favorite things...Sunshine! It makes for such a productive day.

A few plans for the rest of the week...meetings, a workshop and maybe something fun!

Here is a picture that I'm sharing... Shay at Soccer a few months back. We are starting back up in a few weeks!

:Detox:

For the past few months I have been trying to educate myself about where our food comes from and just how foul it really is. All of the chemicals that are sprayed on fruit and veggies, the hormones that are fed to the animals that we eat and their horrible living conditions. I am horrified by the information that I have found. So last week I made a decision to stop eating meat. I'm not a huge meat eater as it is, especially red meat but Marvin and I definitely live off of ground turkey. I make everything with it! Taco's, chili, spaghetti, turkey burgers, the list goes on. I asked Marvin is he was willing to go meat less for at least 30 days with me and he agreed. Of course I had to give him a few good reasons so I read him a ton of information as well as showed him a video I found on Peta's website showing the horrible treatment of these animals we have been consuming. He agreed without even hesitating. Today is day 6 with no meat and we are going strong. I have had do make more meals then usual (I don't cook that often) but I have really enjoyed finding new ways to make things.

I'm excited to see how we are both feeling after the 30 days and hoping that Marv sticks with it much longer then that.

While I'm on the topic of food, I have also been doing a lot of research on theMaster Cleanse. A friend of mine did it a while back and urged me to do it with her but I just couldn't commit to 10 days of lemon water. Obviously there is much more to it then just that and I feel like I'm in a place now really wanting to detox from all the disgusting food I have been consuming so what better time then the present. I'm planning on going to Traders tomorrow to get a few essential items for the cleanse and hopefully starting on Tuesday! I think the hardest thing for me is going to be giving up coffee. At the same time I am hoping that I can kick the caffeine addiction and see if this can at all help me with my migraines. I stopped taking my migraine meds because I just don't want anything in my body that I don't have a whole lot of information on. As expected, the headaches have returned and are worse then ever. Hoping a drastic change to my diet (clean eating after the detox) will really help with the headaches. I will just have to wait and see.

Wish me luck! :)

::God in my everything::

I can't believe September is already here. This year has flown by and to think we are going to be getting ready for the holiday's here soon is unbelievable to me. Although I am getting excited that it feels a little bit like fall is in the air :)

These past 2 weeks have been eventful already. I celebrated by 32nd Birthday with some good friends on the 8th of this month. Marvin and I had planned on hopefully getting out of town for a weekend with the kids but that didn't exactly work out with our busy schedules and $$. I was happy to stay in town and celebrate here. Our anniversary is quickly approaching so we'll see about getting out of town for that.

As exciting as turing 32 was...(ya right) it was overshadowed by the excitement of my brother finally coming to California!!! As many of you might have seen from my post on Facebook, my brother recently returned from Afghanistan. I posted some pretty awesome pictures of him reuniting with his son so if you haven't checked those out, head on over to my page. Anyway, he arrived in SD a couple of days ago with his wife and son and we have LOVED every minute of it. He won't be here for long so we are trying to enjoy it while it lasts. Silvia's family lives in Simi Valley so they are off to visit them at the end of the week and then back to New Mexico. We are hoping to head out there for Thanksgiving or Christmas to visit so we will see.

Jumping back to my Birthday real quick..one of my favorite gifts that I received was a Bible from my friend Alison. I have always had an on and off relationship with God. More on then off, and even though I was baptized a few years ago {with my good friend Michelle though Calvary Chapel} I never felt like He was in our day to day lives as much as I wanted or needed Him to be. Lately I have been feeling like we really need Him. Maybe it's because our schedules are so busy and there is so much chaos a lot of the times, maybe it's because I need more discipline when it comes to so many things. For all of the reasons I know and some that I don't yet, I am excited to begin a journey towards a personal relationship with Him. I have been reading my Bible every night and am excited to have that quiet time to learn and connect with God. Marvin and I are also reading Children's Bible stories to Shay {and Kross} before bed so that he too can learn about Jesus and what He did for us. Marvin and I have even talked about doing a Bible study together. I'm really happy about his support and I know this will only bring our family closer.

Please pray for us as we start this journey.

A few pictures from my Birthday.

::Where does the time go?::

Seriously, where does it go? I can't believe it has been so long since I have blogged. Of course a million things have transpired since my last post..a new baby, a new job, a million little projects, no wonder this poor personal blog has been neglected. But in an effort to get back my personal life, I am making a commitment, today, to blog at least once a week! You heard be folks, once a week. It's in writing.

I would like to start this particular post off by saying this has been an amazing year. We started it off with the birth of baby Kross Emory Harrison on December 26th 2009. Our little Christmas present. He is prefect!! Now 8 months old, he is growing like a weed, with 7 teeth and weighing in at about 22lbs. He is sitting up, rolling all over the place, talking up a storm and amazing us every single day! We are so thankful to have added to our little family and Shay is so happy to have a baby brother. Those two are so cute together and Shay really has turned out to be an amazing big brother to Kross.

Speaking of the big guy, Shay turned 4 this past June and has since entered Pre-K which he is loving!! We could not be happier or more impressed with his progress over the last few years. He is so eager to learn, to do 'school work' every chance he gets. He knows how to count to 100, count backwards from 20, count by 10's and by 5's. He know's simple addition, all of his shapes, days of the week, months, how to spell his name, our names and Kross's name. He know's our address and phone numbers. The kid is a sponge let me tell you!!

Marvin is business as usual, working so hard to provide the best for all of us. Coming home and taking care of the kids while I juggle my crazy schedule between my brides and Bridal Insider. It is definitely a challenge at times {or should I say most of the time} but we are making it work. Somehow. We are like two ships passing in the night most of the time but we try to get our time in where we can. One of the things I am trying to work on is scheduling time for date nights either in or out of the house. Just quality time that Marvin and I can spend together and enjoy each others company. It is so hard these days to find a quiet moment with the kids and our busy work schedules. We have to always try to remember that without the two of us there is no family so while we are here nurturing our children we have to remember to nurture this relationship and keep it a strong foundation. So far so good but more time together would be nice any day!

Our 6 year wedding anniversary is right around the corner, October 2nd, I can't believe it

has been 6 years already. Time really does go by so fast. You have to stop and enjoy what is going on around you or it will all pass you by. This has probably been the craziest year for me and I am really starting to realize how important that time with family is. It won't stand still or come back to you once it is gone. The time is now to grab a hold of it and live in the moment. I am committing to more time with my hunny, the kids and the rest of the family.

I believe that I can find the balance between all of it.

Good night friends.