: Word of the Year | 2013 :

 The past 24 hours has been quite aggravating, I attended a women's event at church and walked away not feeling welcomed and loved instead just criticized & belittled and left feeling like less of who I know myself to be.

At any rate, I was planning on writing about my "word of the year" here today but last night with the way I was feeling deflated & disheartened I had thought I wouldn't blog at all today. 

But as I was scanning through Facebook this morning I came across this verse that my friend had posted 

{this is directly from her post}

Romans 12:17-21 (NLT)
Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.
Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,
“I will take revenge;
I will pay them back,”[a]
says the Lord.
Instead,
“If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap
burning coals of shame on their heads.”
Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

Now, I know with the above situation I have chosen to do good, to not harbor anger and animosity but to be level about it ~ I know God will make good on the situation and I'm trusting Him for it.  This verse was just God using a friend to remind me of HIS plan, not mine.  And friends, I want to be in the backseat as Jesus drives...He really is the best chauffeur! 

Anyway, back to my word of the year...it's actually two words..

 Glory&Honor

from the passage in Psalms 8 :: Over the holidays I was reading my devotional and this Psalm was in it. It speaks of all the works that God did, all that He created and all the care that He took in his creation.  We are to crown him with Glory&Honor.   

That particular part stood out to me and as I searched my heart and talked to God about my word of the year, this kept on resounding to me that I am to give in all that I do/say/accomplish Him the Glory&Honor

    Do I know what this means or looks like; not nessisarily.  But I will trust in Him, in His timing and in His plan, for His plan is better & bigger than I can even imagine! 

 Last years word was "FLOURISH" :: I don't know if I flourished per say, I know I grew in great ways and learned more of what God wants me to be.  I know that you can't flourish without planting seeds and I KNOW that God planted seeds so I just need to carry on and keep watering those seeds to see them come to full fruition and flourish! 

Here's to another year! 

Love & blessings on this beautiful {at least in Vancouver} 

sunshiny day! 

{ XoXo }

: Project Organization | Home office :

 

So the office, its a funny little space.   It's actually not that little {aprox. 10x10} but it's right off the entrance when you walk into our home.  So when you walk into our home, you either notice it or walk right by it.  If you walk right by it; great!  If you stop an notice it I cringe a little. 

It's always been an odd space to fill. With almost floor to ceiling windows, a set of mirrored closet doors and some horrible cream carpet that I try to hide by having an area rug on it cause until it's removed it will never be clean!  Everything in this office we have inherited, the book shelf {the Mr.'s Grandparents} the desk {The Mr.'s Parents} the desk chair {my Grandfathers} the wicker chairs {My Parents} the little book shelf {my Parents} the rug {also my Parents} :: I like me some hand-me-downs so I do ;-) the only item I owned in this little office is the drapes and decor items! 

I don't have any money to spend on re:doing the office, not any that I want to put into it as we are are saving for our built-in that will be going into the family room. 

So with no budget and a crazy paper filled mess from months of neglect over November & December on Sunday I tackled this mess...

  

To be honest the space just wasn't working for me.  

1. I want to not cringe when friends walk in and see the office

2. I want it to 'work' for me {not just looks wise but as a functioning office}

3. Paperwork drives me mad so there has to be a better way!

Here is the office once I moved the desk and the book shelves {if you follow me on Instagram {shawnalad} you know that I started this on Sunday afternoon while the Mr. was out as he hates it when I tackle jobs that seem endless}

 

: This is now what you see when you enter the office :: Much better, no? :

: and from the window to the closet :

 : I keep magazines I really love so the office is the perfect spot to keep issues that I just can't part with :

: to add some different perspective, this is from the closet out the window :

 : I love my little desk & chairs, I would LOVE to have an all white dreamy airy office but I'm not willing to dump money into something that really doesn't matter, so for now, we have hand-me-downs and I'm quite pleased with them! :

 : So there we go; one more project completed and ready to tackle the next one {not sure what that is yet, but I'm sure there is something!} : 

: I hope you had a great day, mine was a little rough for a few different reasons, but praying that tomorrow looks better and the sun comes back out to shine on me! : 

Happy Wednesday Lovelies! 

{ XoXo }

: Project Organization | Kitchen Sink :

I wouldn't say that I'm a clean freak.  Like anyone else I like my home to be neat + tidy. 

I love it when our beds are made {which as of yet they are not} and when the laundry is all caught up. In a perfect world when I'm not out cuddling new babies and spending time playing micro machines on the floor with my little men or at the table doing homework all these things get done in a timely manner. 

However, truth be told holding new "freshies" and spending time with my kids trumps living in a perfect home where everything is uncluttered, finished and put away.  This is just not reality! 

Mixed with all that comes with being a mama {who also works a little & volunteers a little} comes with a challenge to find a way to make the normal feel cleaner, neater and more organized. 

So today I tackled under the kitchen sink.  Pet peeves with this area is, it's always changing, I can't have coordinating labeled things {I'm not that ocd} but I can take things and re:organize them.  

: This is the mess I started out with :

 : Got a few supplies from my local dollar store :: $8 later I was in business :

 

: Since we didn't buy this house new the wood under the sink was quite beat up, nothing could clean it and I wasn't about to paint it just so more water and junk could make it look bad again.  I had seen someone put these sticky tiles down under their sink and thought that was the perfect fix!  

Then when I was at the dollar store getting my baskets I saw boxes of the sticky tiles for 3/$1.25 :: they may not be the exact look that I was going for but hey for $3 I can't beat that! Especially since they will be inside a cupboard not seen for half the time! :

 : The finished tiled cupboard :: took me about 20 minutes to do this :

 

  : Voila! The finished product!  I don't like packaging, boxes etc. so using the re:usable bins for my dishwasher pucks and little odds and sods makes it much more appealing to the eye and makes it so that I {+the mr.} can see where everything is! It's a good thing and I love it! :

: Well I'm off to go finish making the beds and fold thus said laundry before I go get the boys, I'll be back tomorrow with my completed office overhaul :: Feels so good to cross things off the list! :

Praying you enjoy the day : Happy Tuesday Lovelies! 

{ XoXo }

: Christmas 2012 Wrap Up :

I can't believe how full and fast Christmas came and went this year!  We had a wonderfully magical Christmas.  

Do you remember "the" Christmas, the Christmas that Santa still existed, the Christmas that couldn't have enough treats, the Christmas that the more event to go to the better!?!  Well that was this Christmas for us; we knew well before December that this Christmas was going to be a big one for our little boys and that it was! 

Here is a wrap up of our Christmas events and travels 

{I would do a whole post with official photographs, but this will have to do as I have yet to blog about our vacations this Summer and September!}

Hoping you had a wonderful Christmas in more ways than just gifts but in the true reason we celebrate!  

Happy 2013!  I will be back early next week to post my word of the year.  

Happy Weekend lovelies! 

{XoXo} 

: Bath time fun :

 We are in the midst of the busiest time of year for us.  As we work at Cranberry Creek {mostly me but also the Mr. for a small portion of it}, plus the added events at school, church & with family.  It's a great time but we try to compress so much into two months gets a bit nutso!

Last night in the midst of baths I decided to take out my camera and grab a few shots of these growing boys...right now as I type this Jacob is working on an oral presentation at our kitchen table.  My how things have changed!

 Mostly these photos are for my Marm, who is missing these boys like nobodies business.  

Right now she's a 3 hour time difference with the addition on being at her show for 12 hours, it doesn't make for any time to catch up over skype or face time.  

But soon this nutso season will be over and for whatever demented reason we will look upon it fondly!

 

 In other news our home is almost fully decorated for Christmas, my shopping is almost complete and wrapped and we have so many celebratory events to go to/host this season it's very very exciting.  A few of which I can't write about because my biggest little boy now knows how to read...seriously, I thought this raising kids got easier ;) NOTHING is sacred!

If you are at all interested in doing a Christmas home tour or jumping on the band wagon with me...I might just throw one together and give you a tour of our home decorations this season.  Let me know if you would like to include your home in the tour! 

Till next time lovelies, hold your family close and remember how great you have it {even if it doesn't feel that way today!}

{XoXo} 

: Pumpkin Patch 2012 :

So so so much to talk about; to catch up on but alas my time just doesn't allow. 

But I'm gonna give it a go, try and get a few things {photos/memories} down and into my blog so I don't forget what we did all of August & September.  Sad but true, I have done very little in the way of celebrating every day and putting our life into a scrapbook.

I put trust in my blog to remember the details of everyday life that become foggy when we are doing just that; life!

Anyway I digress, I have all hopes and intentions to be back on the saddle of blogging, but I ain't making no promises cause I wouldn't want to disappoint myself ;-)

This past weekend was a hum-dinger, it was supposed to be filled to the gills with friends and outings, which it was, however our friends all cancelled on us due to being sick or a change of plans.  And yet, we still found a way to fill up every corner of the weekend with random jobs around the house, church, other un-planned friends, a trip to the pumpkin patch and carving pumpkins.

Amazing how busy life is when you write it all out.  This weekend wasn't the exception.

On Sunday after church we headed over to the "train store" aka Art Knapps, where they have a great display of pumpkins, trains, rides for the kids, trains, amazing display of holiday decor, trains...get the hint!?!?  The real reason we went there is because JJ is a train nut!

At any rate we had a great time enjoying the sunshine, fresh air, pumpkins and of course the trains.  A little secret is we went there and didn't spend a dime, I had purchased our pumpkins from our local big box store for a steal at $2/pumpkin a couple weeks ago.  I didn't know this at the time, but they were a super duper deal...the pumpkins at the patch we went to were selling for $6/piece and that's for the mid sized ones!?!!

 I hope to catch up sooner than later, however with Cole's 5th birthday on the horizon and Mr. L's shortly after, I can't promise much but I will try! 

{XoXo}

: Today :

Today was a big day in many ways...

I came across this quote from another blog I read and had to re-post it here as it embodies exactly what I'm feeling 

you will never have this day with your children again. 

tomorrow, they'll be a little older than they were today. 

this day is a gift. 

breathe and notice. 

smell and touch them; 

study their faces and little feet and pay attention. 

relish the charms of the present. 

enjoy your day today, mama. 

it will be over before you know it. 

- jen hatmaker from her book

I'll be back to catch up on the last month of living, but just let me catch my breath from today...

welcome September, welcome schedule, welcome celebrations, welcome change.  

Happy September Lovelies! 

{XoXo}

: Shopping Dollar Store Style :

 

I know, I know, what a silly thing to blog about!?!?  But listen here, I often have people surprised at our home income, surprised that we have money for the "extras" & the "treats" :: So I thought I'd let you all in on a little secret...but promise you won't tell nobody!?!  I shop at the dollar store, and not just one...multiple ones!  Oh my! {lol, can you sense the sarcasm!?!?}

Okay, so here are a few of the every day items {essentially the consumable items that we use and are thankful for but are not worth their $2.50+ price tag} :: Deodorant, I get mine & the Mr.'s at the Dollar Tree for $1 - full size, works like a charm!

 Liquid soap for every sink, we have 6 sinks in our home that need soap by them :: I buy the pumps for $1 & the refill for $1 - I started using soft soap when we moved to the new house, even though I love Bath&Bodyworks delish smelling soaps, how can I justify dropping $4 down the drain!?!? I buy these at Dollar Tree.

 Organizational bins :: With lids, without lids, for random items...I use them for the kids toys, in the pantry and as seen here under my sink to organize all my crap...I mean all my beauty essentials {lol}.  We all have these bins under our sinks with extra soap/toothpaste/tooth brushes/deodorant so when you're in your birthday suit you don't have to run down the hall to the linen closet or to the other bathroom to fetch that new bar of soap. I also buy these at the Dollar Tree for $1 with the lid.

 Granola bars are highly over rated, but they are a quick, easy and somewhat healthy snack for the boys when we are on the run out the door to church, school or another family outing.  These are made in Canada, bought in the States at the Dollar Tree {6 for $1} I typically even with coupons or sales can't even come close to buying these for any cheaper.  Such a steal of a deal! :: Also in this photo is a cute little box of kleenex, $1 @ the Dollar Tree..buying the Costco pack can't even touch the price of the Dollar tree even when it's on special!

 Specialty items, raisins are a treat at our home; especially when they are individual little boxes.  I get these at the Dollar Tree for $1 :: At the grocery store they are almost $3 for the same bag. 

 Shampoo for $1, Revlon eyeshadow $1.50 {sold in stores for $6+} and fake eyelashes $1.50, all items that we need, well kinda {lol, eyeshadow and eyelashes are not considered a need to my Mr...lol} I got these items at Dollarama in Canada, serious score!

 Mirrored frames $2 :: Can't get them for that on a discount shelf at HomeSense for that!  I got these at Dollarama.

 This one is quite funny, but I had to share :: boys briefs/3 pairs for $2 :: my kid doesn't care if he wears briefs or boxer briefs and a figure since one day will come and I will have to purchase the $5/pair underwear for him...I figured I would revel in the fact that for now he doesn't care and save the money...at least for now ;) :: they are fruit of the loom for crying out loud!  Who cares that I bought them from Dollarama {ps. walmart carries the same package for triple the price}?!!? LoL

 There are multiple other items I buy at the Dollar Tree :: jar candles, box candy {treats for camping etc}, tooth paste, tooth brushes, bar soap {all name brands too}, cleaning supplies like comet, dish soap, really the list is endless...I can easily go and spend $70 at the dollar store with items to keep the house running.  If I were to add up the cost of all those products from a retailer in a non-dollar store I'm sure my bill would surpass $130.00.  

There are some things you can't save money on; like heat, electricity etc.  I can't shop around for those items, they are what they are and we have to pay the bill.  However the extra items that we need in life I get to choose where I buy them and when I can save over $2 on most those items it makes a huge difference in our pocket book.  

I have only listed a few of the items we actually purchase at the Dollar Store(s) :: If you have any questions or want to know more feel free to drop me an email...I'm full of useless but money saving ideas!  Click on the sidebar for a link or email me at laderoutefamily@gmail.com

I'm off to write lists for our upcoming camping trips...oh joy! 

Have a lovely Thursday! 

{XoXo}