: Talk :: Foundation Friday :

*{Foundation Friday is going to pop up on here every once in a while, may be more often or less often but really it just comes down to when I feel led to write something based on the foundation I know and love}*

If you're a facebook friend of mine you know that I posted a photo via a challenge my friend Amanda had posted.

"Here's how it works: Take a pic of how you look RIGHT NOW and post it. Tag me or comment that you have done it. Some of you may be too afraid to do it but COME ON! I did!"{this was us -- at that moment...It was supposed to be just me but that's what made it so real, once the boys saw the web cam on, they were in there like white on rice!}

This was {at least what I took from it} meant to show all of us that really we're all the same, some of us may have a better hand at house-keeping, organization, laundry, sports, playing an instrument, saving...blah blah blah...the list goes on. But we're all the same, we all have mountains of laundry and if not laundry be it dishes, we ALL lack in some part of our lives. Not one of us is perfect - nor do I think any of us claim to be.

However, if we {mostly as women} feel deficient in one particular area that someone else has great success in we tend to get down on our selves and place our friend on a pedestal thinking "she can do it all" -- "she never yells at her kids" -- "her husband brought her flowers so he must REALLY love her".

When you actually say these stupid assumptions out loud you realize how pathetic and un-true they are.

This assumption goes along with blogs and bloggers {as well as other social media outlets *ahem* facebook!!!}. As a blogger, I desire to share my heart, my life, my passions and things that bring me joy.

I don't need you looking at my blog or my life thinking "wow - how great is she" cause really I'm not that great! I strive to do all through Christ who gives me the strength and let me tell you most of the time it's Him working through me.

One of my friends took a poll on facebook the other day and asked "why do you blog?" I wrote this in response:

"I {heart} blogs; reason being for ideas/others thoughts+outlook as well as encouragement..sometimes it's nice to know your not alone on this road of life :)
I blog as an outlet - for my memories too - my everyday things that make up my life. The good, bad and ugly. It's an outlet for me and I highly recommend it - its cheaper than therapy ;) "

I aspire to be the best that I can be, not the best that I can be cause I have friends who do this or that better than me. No, just the best I can be -- and trust me, my life has bumps and ditches that sometimes during the course of my day, week, month, year can run into or crash into and that my friends is a fact of life for ALL of us!

I strive to build my house on the rock -- I don't need to throw my beliefs around at you or how great my God is {cause He really is} but I do feel it on my heart to let you know that before me He goes and where I lack I try to trust Him to pick me up.

²⁴ “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. ²⁶ But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” - Matthew 7:24-27

I hope you get what I'm sharing and the heart that it's coming from.

* * *

We're at home with a snow day for the littlest one, but since our school is walking distance for Jacob, he's at school :)

We've got workers in the basement that I'm over-seeing today to hopefully be finished up with the project down there this weekend - YES!

{XoXo}

: Project :: Chalk Board :

Morning All! It's a lovely Thursday {lovely because I'm home all day with my littlest} trying to get things accomplished as we have a pretty full weekend ahead!

I thought I would share a project that I finished last week. If you remember in our last house we had a chalkboard window just as you entered the house --- I loved that window and used the chalk board often..one of the things about moving from that house that made me sad was not having that lovely little chalk board.

But alas, I have fixed that!
-INSERT-
{Old framed art from garage sale}
{Some chalk board sticky paper from our local $ store - and it was truly just $1}

{Apply chalk board paper to glass - trim the edges + find the perfect spot to mount the chalk board}{Mr. L was a little sketched out about having to screw something into our wood cupboards, but I hated that big blank pantry wall always staring back at me - so I said "justdoit" and that he did}

{Add the best invention since sliced bread - liquid chalk - that I got in my stocking (thanks Marm!)}{Paint the edges of the frame with craft paint and you've got yourself a large chalk board for the grand total of $5 (including the chalk paper/paint/brush/liquid chalk) --- Not bad for an old framed piece of art!?!? I love the chalk paper too vs. the chalk paint - it seem sturdier and I know I won't have to touch it up any time soon!}
Here's how it look in the kitchen -- I love it and can't wait to use it more often!
ps. I was out last night with a girlfriend {Hi S.B.!} shopping HomeSense and saw that our kitchen table pendant is on sale for $88! I paid nearly double that --- so if any of you are looking for some great {cheap} pendants stop by HomeSense ;)

I'm off to finish laundry, vacuum and make hay while I only have one little guy at my heels ;)

Have a wonderful Thursday!
{XoXo}

: What I LOVE Wednesday :

It's another snowy day around here -- some places almost record breaking. When we woke up this morning it was -8 not including the windchill....So for this balmy West Coast city this weather is quite the shock!

I'm enjoying it, wasn't enjoying it when I was driving to school & church and was sliding all over the place this morning, but I am embracing the slower pace; so that I am enjoying!

Today's list of what I LOVE is all compiled of stuff I received as gifts for Christmas. Most of these things I didn't ask for but were truly gifts --- Just goes to show my family really knows me :)
{click on photos to find the source}

* * *
Panasonic Ear buds :: These are so super great --- I've used them since boxing day for every work out and I LOVE them, they cut out any background noise so I can't hear anything that is going on in the house when I'm working out. And that in itself is a God-send! Secondly they actually stay in my ears! Go figure ;)
L'Occitane Hand Cream :: This stuff is fab-u-lous!!! Especially with this bout of dry cold weather, it's worth it's weight in gold!
LuLu Lemon Gift Card :: I got not one but two gift cards for LuLu and I cannot wait to pick me out some cute little things to wear - oh how I LOVE LuLu!
Erin Condren Planner :: I don't know how other Mama's are able to keep track without a planner! I depend on mine and this one is absolutely the Queen of them all!
Sid Dickens Original :: This is my 3rd Sid Dickens wall plaque and I LOVE it, kinda like that I'm building up on the first two that I have!
Bulletin Board :: This bulletin board is huge like 3 feet by 2.5 feet huge and works perfectly in our front office, now just to get the guts to poke something into it ;) {and I don't have a link for it as Mr. L got it from HomeSense}

Clear Umbrella :: Saw this last year and have loved it ever since! So glad I have one of my own, since we live in the balmy West Coast I have plenty of reasons to have to pull this baby out more than I would probably like ;) Hope y'all are having a great "hump day" -- One of my goals this year is to keep up on scrapbooking our lives -- so that's what I'll be doing this afternoon, wish me luck ;)

{XoXo}

: Weekend Recap :

We had a great weekend around these parts...we had our first dusting of snow for 2012 and it was sure welcomed from around here! I LOVE snow, I love that it makes you slow down, that life seems quieter and simpler - all in all, I have no complaints about snow!
So on Saturday after the big dump of snow on Friday night, the boys woke up SO excited to head out in the snow and Mr. L happily obliged by building them their first "Frosty" in this house.Pretty cute little {ahem, not so little at 5ft 9 inches} Frosty -- the poor little guy now has a mean lean going on from the sun beating down on him for most of the day on Sunday...but as of right now he's still standing; leaning ;) Saturday afternoon we headed into the city to celebrate our niece's 4th birthday -- it was a beautiful afternoon for a drive into the city {as pictured in the first photo}. We enjoyed some great food and had a fun time celebrating the little princess. It's always great to catch up with Michael's family as we don't see them as much as we'd like.Sunday we went to church and had a great time of worship, I love that we have a church that feels like family to us. We've been through our fair share of hardship as a church but I truly feel blessed to call it my home. I look around during the service and I see faces of love and comfort; the faces of family - SO blessed!

Sunday after church we all came home for a rest -- once the boys got up we bundled them up and sent them outside to play while Mr. L {and I} installed the new faucet we purchased from Lowes on the way into the city on Saturday...isn't she lovely!?!?


Here is the old faucet, worked like a charm just wasn't as esthetically pleasing ;) She wasn't cheap but since we're installing a new sink in the suite and it needed a faucet we decided to put our faucet downstairs and install a new one for us...just shy of $200 it's the only change {other than paint} that we'll be doing in our kitchen for a couple years, so it was worth it! Did you see the cute little succulent on my window sill? I bought it from Ikea for $3 and transplanted it into one of my old glass candle jars from Ikea {you know the ones that you buy with the candle wax already poured into} -- they are great little glasses and clean up like a charm -makes for a cute little holder for my succulent, and since you can kill succulents by over watering it's a great way to ensure the soil stays dry! On Monday the streets were less than ideal for driving so Mr. L stayed home and we declared it a "snow day" at our house. The boys had new paint projects to work on, fresh snow to play in and lots of Christmas puzzles to complete.
Mr. L and I worked. He on advertisements and me on cupboard organizing and finishing up a few projects I had on the go...twas a great way to spend our snow day!But alas, we're back at it today, the snow is still here but a little someone needed to go back to school and the littler one needed to be registered for Kindergarten! Oy Vey!
So off I go to attack another corner of our home and to finish up the new load of laundry piled high on my mud room floor!

Hope you all have a lovely of loveliest Tuesdays!

{XoXo}

: Working it :

Today is Thursday - in the second week of January and today is my first day of "work" for the year...So I'm in the kitchen building a princess cake {actually 2 of them} for my niece - so even though it's work, it's still for pleasure as it's for her ;)

I've been keeping up and working it on the treadmill since boxing day and I've been able to squeeze in some interval training as well....feels good, but finding that extra 1/2 hour to 45 minutes a day is nuts, but so glad it's a priority!Yesterday I had a little guy come down and count me out when I was doing leg lifts/push ups/traveling planks and I guess my face looked rather pained when I moved and Cole burst into tears! I said what's wrong? He said with such sadness "that was a really hard one and it looked like it hurt!" and started to cry again. What a sweet little thing! I ensured him that the self-induced torture was not hurting Mama ;)

Nothing like a new pair of kicks to help you get back into the step of things -- here are mine; they fit like a glove....I'm in love ;)
Edited to say: BabySteals has Lindsay Brin's dvd sets on sale today -- So for those days that I'm feeling less inspired and want to have someone working it with me I'll pop in one of her amazing work outs --- she is incredible {I bought the 60 day slim down, for a steal @ $30!!!}!

Have a fabulous Thursday lovelies!

{XoXo}

: Wednesday :

Correct me if I'm wrong but don't Wednesday's always creep up on you!??! I always wake up Wednesday mornings thinking "it can't possibly be Wednesday already!".

Wednesdays are good days -- but typically the busiest one of the week. I have Women by Design in the morning {during Cole's school hours} which I love, but means that I'm not just going to spray shampoo my hair and throw on my favorite LuLu's and Nike's...I'm going to actually put some sort of thought into myself as it's the one day that I get to interact with humans that are taller than 4 feet!

But along with it being one of my favorite days, it also comes with more time being needed on everything, my breakfast/snacks, getting ready, fixing the house prior to leaving so I don't come home to beds to make, dishes to do...which in turn makes Wednesday just that much more busy than any other.

At any rate, it's a beautiful day in my neck of the woods and thus it's a lovely day.

I signed up for a new study @ Women by Design this morning and I'm really looking forward to it -- so much promise and hope washing across my January...it's gonna be good!Anyway, I better run here as "project organization" is still in full effect and I've got a few more minutes before I'm dashing out the door to pick up JJ!

Oh, but I must share one of my new "things I LOVE" ---- My girlfriend CJ told me about this fabulous tea, and F A B U L O U S it is! So fabulous I bought 2 boxes of it at our local grocery store this afternoon! Thanks CJ for letting me in on one of your favorite things! Happy Wednesday all!

{XoXo}

: Project Organization :

Happy Monday!!!

We had a great weekend enjoying some family time, dating time, church time & friend time. Now it feels great to get back into the swing of things and into our daily/weekly schedule...
& ORGANIZATION!

We've been in our house since the end of September - between move-in and now we have celebrated 3 birthdays {in our immediate family}, our 9 year anniversary, halloween, renovations in the basement, survived another season of Cranberry Creek and Christmas...obviously that's not including the every day/week events that happen with school and such!

{*}
So to say the least, our home is ready for some good 'ol organization, from adding hooks to the entry way to re-organizing the cutlery drawer; our home is getting an organization face lift!

Mr. L and I hit up Ikea after dinner on Saturday night {our yearly "goals" date} and invested in some new tools to help organize our new place.{ this is Mr. L's idea of o r g a n i z a t i o n :: he loves the thought of being organized but kinda lacks the way in which to make things organized - ha ha}

I'm trying to organize our home on a budget -- I have grand schemes in mind, but little budget so I hit up one dollar store on Friday night prior to heading out for a "girls night out" then hit another one before I picked up JJ from school today. I've found most of the things I've been looking to create a more organized place at the dollar store...may not last me a lifetime but it will do me for a year or two and for a buck, you can't beat that!

I've heard of lots of friends organizing and I feel it too, when the weather is dreary and all those organization containers are on sale plus the increase of "new" from Christmas...I've got to get the STUFF under control or I'm going to loose control! Anyone else feel my pain, or am I the only crazy one!?!

Literal things I'm working on:
Daily file :: for mail...Mr. L drives me nuts with this, so hope this will help
CD file :: specifically for Christmas movies/music
Linen closet :: organize & label

And speaking of home, one of my favorite design couples is coming back to HGTV! The Novogratz family is back with a new show called "Home by Novogratz" can't wait to watch it tonight!

Any help with your organization tips would be greatly appreciated!

Happy organizing!
{XoXo}

: word of the year :: 2012 :

flour·ish (flûrsh, flr-)

v. flour·ished, flour·ish·ing, flour·ish·es

1. To grow well or luxuriantly; thrive

2. To do or fare well; prosper

3. To be in a period of highest productivity, excellence, or influence

I don't know about you but you and your word for the year, but when God laid it on my heart that mine would be "Flourish" it was pretty exciting. I do want to flourish, I want my life to be in constant place of "high productivity, excellence & influence" ~ What an exciting feeling!

When I think about my past "word of the year"2011 -- I know that it was building up to this one and that feels really good too!

Last year's word was "Change" and change I {we} did - it was painful, long and very little of it was enjoyable; the change I mean...the year was enjoyable but you do the best with what you have and we continued to trust that God's best was in store for us through it all...and we are always shown that His best does reign in our lives.

Anyway, so there you have it...if you care to share your "word of the year" leave a comment with a link to your blog; I'd love to hear about it!

May God give you a word to hold on to in the craziness of this life and in the stillness of the moments we have with Him.

Happy Weekend Y'all - I'm off to a "Girls Night Out" tonight and a full weekend ahead!
{XoXo}

: Christmas 2011 Recap :

Before I start in on my resolutions for 2012 or my word of the year...I better post about our Christmas.

We had a great Christmas, a homey Christmas, a Christmas busy enough to make us feel involved in celebrations but close enough to home to be relaxing and warm.

We kicked off the season the boys and I by making our sugar cookies - this is the first year they really got into the decorating {and got sugar beads everywhere} - but it was OH so fun!

As a family we completed our gingerbread house & train

Then we celebrated Christmas with the our whole family {including our Island portion} by going on the Bear Creek Farm Train and meeting for dinner later that same day

Love this shot of the kids, my SIL has a cuter shot, but I couldn't resist posting this one with my little guy yelling at us to "hurry up"!

...might be built for little people Mr. L ;)

Later that night we tried to get a shot of the kids in their matching pj's - what a riot...three photographers, not enough light, no flashes and moving babies - HA!

We enjoyed Christmas Eve at our church then on to dinner {drive through McD's is what the boys wanted - HA!} drove by some beautiful lights and then on to home to go through our traditional events. Reading the night before Christmas, opening one gift that Santa left while we were at church ;) and tucking the boys in so we could enjoy some movie watching, wrapping gifts and enjoying some snacks...all in all a perfectly {late} night :)

JJ brought home reindeer food from school {oats&glitter} to through out in the front yard, super cute idea and they loved the hype around it!

Tree all dressed with presents and love..

Christmas morning we got up to Santa's footprints left in our family room, some lovely gifts under the tree and in our stockings. We enjoyed a quick little breakfast of our traditional panettone, yogurt & fruit...then quickly got ready to head out for the rest of the day by 10 am.

Sang an important happy birthday song to baby Jesus and laid him in the manger

Tree all unwrapped and some of the boys new toys {train set for JJ & pirate ship for Coley}

First stop was my parents for brunch..my Marm makes a mean brunch and they are always so great at personalizing each of our gifts & gift baskets {aka: family stocking} -- we also got a chance to be with my Grandma Rosie and have a short visit with my Aunt Shirley & Uncle Ron -- which hasn't happened in many many years. That was definitely a pleasant surprise!

Around 3.30 pm we headed out to Paul's families place across the bridge...there we enjoyed great appies and time with the cousins. When the house is filled with 4 kids under 5 it makes the volume go up intensely; so it was a beautiful thing when our kids finally retired to Nana & Papa's bed at 9 pm.

We got home from the In-Laws well into Boxing Day so to say the least, Boxing Day was a low-key day letting the boys enjoy the toys they just opened and spending the majority of the day with Christmas video's playing and trying to put together said toys - OY VEY!

There we go, now onto resolutions and the word of the year..it's

a good one and I've had it for a couple days now so I can't wait to share!

{XoXo}