A Special Piece of Art

Ok, so I was conflicted on whether or not I should post this on the blog.....but then I thought, "I post about everything else" so here we go. In all my years as a legal adult I had always wanted a tattoo. I had bounced back and forth with ideas and eventually I just said forget it. If I changed my mind that much about it then I would regret having something permanently on my body.....FOREVER. So I waited. Until 2011, when my dad passed and the thought was re-ignited in my body. I knew that I wanted something for him and it would have to do with music....but really didn't want your typical run of the mill tattoo. So I waited some more. Batting ideas back and forth. Bouncing them off the hubby who gave me his input on every one. He encouraged me from day one! In 2012 I was perusing the internet and I saw a sketch of a songbird, but the body was made up of music notes and the stave. It immediately stole my heart. I knew I wanted to include some words in it, but really didn't want to take away from the tattoo, so I stewed some more. People this was a process.....I didn't just want to jump into it. So, about 6 weeks ago, I sent the sketch and all my ideas to the artist. 30 minutes later I had an email and a revised sketch of the art, and I burst into tears. It was perfect.....now to incorporate colors. I wanted it to be feminine and not solidly filled in. So I printed out the sketch, took my colored pencils and played with shading and coloring until I came up with a scheme that I loved. With the appointment looming, I started to get super nervous about the pain......how bad was it going to be?

The day of the appointment I was completely panicked! I was so afraid of the pain, and it didn't help that I was asking EVERYONE I knew about it. Everyone I have talked to (after the fact) said that I picked one of the worst places to put a tattoo. On my ribcage. An area that rarely sees light, or rubbing. Nadda. I guess that means its the best place for longevity too! I arrive after dinner with the hubby in tote. He was so excited, smiling, asking me if I was excited!! NO! I was a wreck! The artist was really nice, and saw how nervous I was so he just kept cracking jokes. He put on the transfer, got his equipment ready and I lied down in preparation. I grabbed my hubby's hand and squeezed it the entire time, the whole 30 minutes it took to do the piece. I'm not gonna lie, it was painful, but not unbearable. Not bad enough to warrant crying or screaming, but beforehand I did ask D to talk to me during to keep my mind occupied, but once underway he asked me a question while the artist was going on a pass, and I just asked him to not talk to me, just talk to those in the studio. In between I was fine, but with the needle to the skin, I was channeling my inner ohm and maintaining my calm. It was worse when he was going directly over my ribcage, but honestly....the pain was totally worth it! I love it so much and am glad I picked what I did. It's something I know that I won't ever tire of or regret because it's a memorial tattoo. It got several meanings to me. #1 the bird signifies the souls release into the spirit world and the freedom to be anywhere, anytime....the bird also signifies love in the tattoo world. #2 the music notes are something that he and I shared a passion for, we both love music. #3 His initials at the base of the body, near the feet. #4 "I love you to bits" is a family saying, something that we always say to one another. Also, I can add to it, with other initials or other things because its open ended! #5 the location is on my left ribcage, closest to my heart.

I know that there is still a stigma on tattoos, but honestly I think they are beautiful. It's a perfect way to showcase your love, and keep it with you forever. A quote has been circulating around Facebook and my inner circle "Tattoos have a power and magic all their own. They decorate the body, but they also enhance the soul." Do you have any tattoos that have special meaning to you? If you don't have any do you have thoughts of getting any?

CnC #9 - Books and Faith

Whoooooweeeeee. This weekend was pretty uneventful, and the question must be asked.....why am I so tired? Could it be that summer officially sprung in my neck of the woods with triple digit heat and really bad sleep? Ding ding ding! I am SO not ready for summer. I really would like spring to hang around for a little while longer. 


We have a new question for this week's CnC! "What was the last book you read that really caused you to grow in your Faith?"

So, I have been wracking my brain on this question since last Monday. Hence why the post isn't ready until late! I am not really a religious person in the sense that I don't practice organized religion. I grew up Catholic, did the Sunday School thing, First Communion....all that Jazz, but once I hit puberty we as a family just didn't continue to go. There were underlying reasons, which I wont delve into, but it just kinda fell by the wayside. I have been to church since then, but it's never been the same. I love going and hearing the scriptures, the music and the beauty that is a Catholic Church.....I just haven't gotten back into it. Partly because my hubby was raised Lutheran and it's just different. I know it's still the Christian religion, but it's not church as I know it. I dunno, I guess I just have the faith and I pray, because He is always around and listening that I don't feel the need to sit in a building to make me feel closer to him. But that's just how I feel. Everyone is different and has their own opinion about religion.

Back to the topic at hand. Books. I love to read......I love to read suspense novels. Murder mysteries. Things that make me want to help solve the problem. There have been a couple of books that have made me want to research the history behind religion and faith, but not necessarily caused my faith to grow. The Dan Brown novels and a couple of others have made me curious into conspiracy theory's about Mary Magdalene and the Illuminate, but also television series like the historical fiction Tudors make me curious as to how power shapes the course of religion as well. I was never a history buff, but these kinds of things intrigue me as to how the past has shaped how we see religion and the world today. The recent Bible series on History Channel really peaked my interest even more. Some of the stories I remembered from my learning's, but a lot I had forgotten about. It makes me want to read more and learn more. I guess my brain is thirsty for knowledge because it's not full of school anymore! Haha. I know that these books and television shows are purely for entertainment, and facts have been altered to create drama, but it really makes me curious as to how and why we live in the world we do today. I also really do want to start going back to church and finding my love for it again. The hubbs and I just need to go to several and pick the best one for us! I want our children to have faith and understand the beauty in it.

Below are a couple of shots from this weekend. Our pup decided that the sun was the BEST place to be while I was cleaning on Saturday.....of course this was before it decided to hit the 90° mark and she came into the shade. I thought that it was too precious and had to share!

After cleaning I pulled out my sketchbook and started to play around. I miss drawing and every time I walk passed the chalk nude I did it makes me want to draw. I did the eye this weekend really quick, and even though it was really quick, and not shaded very well...I think it turned out pretty good! :-)

Saturday night I went to one of the local high schools final dance show. It was circus themed and very well done! It was my friend's baby cousin's final show with the school! She graduates this year! It was bittersweet knowing that this is the last show I will watch knowing a member of the team! All the girls did a fantastic job! Congrats on National Champs! :-)

Sunday we did absolutely nothing of interest. Laundry and lounging. That's it. No photographic evidence to that effect! I hope you all had a great weekend!

A Mammoth Triptych

Wow, I have been a busy bee the last couple of weeks. Last weekend I finished up a couple of crafts, after failing at my attempt to fix the hubby's suit pants. He's got a hole in the pocket that I just cannot seem to fix! I guess they are going to get shipped off to mom's house! Cest la vie! Also, I was able to do some photo editing as well. Still needing to work on Florida, but these things were asked of me LONG ago.

We all love our smart phones and the fact that we can take photos at the drop of a hat. However most of these photo's are not print worthy. When my friend asked me to do some editing of some photos for his home I thought ok no problem. Well that is until he emails them to me and the below shot is one of them. Needing to color correct and remove the blue haze (caused from being in the shade and the setting sun) was my first task. Now since we are doing more to the photo, I didn't so super crazy with the photo editing, but the after (on the right) looks so much better than the original photo.

Before (Left) After (Right) Also, this photo was taken on a smart phone! Haha

I played around with a couple of techniques and came up with this cool, sketchy triptych. Although, I think were gonna need a little more work on the last photo, since it doesn't quite match the other two. Hey. Not too shabby for less than an hours worth of work! Hopefully we can figure out what kind of techniques to use, to make the photo's wall worthy. Once completed, I'll post em!

I also finished another baby shower quick gift. The diaper/wipes strap. Tutorial to come on that later! They look so cute! I am in love with the pink ABC fabric, too bad I'm almost out of it! :-( Also I did some hand stitching a couple of weeks back (finishing up a couple things) and tried some hand embroidery. Another new thing for me. All I had ever done was the simple techniques that come with the bib patterns. I think it turned out pretty cute! I love the colors! Need a technique for transferring an image for embroidery? Print your image off from the computer or wherever you would like, trace it onto Glad Press and Seal, pin to your fabric, and stitch over the design. You'll have to cut off the press and seal later, but it made my life so much easier! :-)

Closeup!

And finally a Saw It, Pinned It, Did It moment. This chicken with tomato and basil recipe I found on Pinterest. We had everything except the chicken so I thought, what the hell it's worth a shot! Once this was simmering, it was hard to not want to lick the pan. It smelled that good! Another one on the list for dinner rotation!

Tomato Basil Chicken

What You'll Need:
2 chicken breasts
kosher salt and black pepper
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
2 tsp minced fresh garlic
4 Tbsp cold butter
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
freshly grated Parmigiano reggiano cheese, for garnish (optional)

Head on over to Menu Musings, for the rest of the directions! If you love Italian food, this is one for the books!

Happy Friday! Have a great weekend!

Seriously I Hate Spiders!

Happy Wednesday, and a Happy Hump Day. We are officially half way through the week. I have a couple of things to post, but they require editing of photos, that I don't have access to right now. So, I figured I could do a post from this list I posted back in December.

"Describe 3 legitimate fears you have and explain how they became fears."

Fear one. Heights - I know that I am so not alone in this fear, but I was watching the Big Bang Theory and the character Sheldon made a good point when he stated in the episode "Are you afraid of heights? Or falling to your doom?" I loved this and it really got me to examine my fear all together. To answer his question, I am both! I can be on top of a high building, enclosed with no way of falling and I will still get a racing heart and sweaty palms. Case in point, the Eiffle Tower in Las Vegas. Half the size of the original, you take an elevator up and are enclosed in a steel viewing room.....I had a mild freak out looking out the windows. Guess I can never go up in the real one! I also fear falling to my doom, hence my aversion to roller coasters because that is the SOLE purpose. To make you lose your stomach for a thrill. Not my cup o' tea! Honestly I cannot think of any one particular incident that made me afraid of heights, because I liked to do things as a child. Neither of my parents were afraid, or at least they didn't act like it. I can however pinpoint a memory where I just might have cultivated this fear. It was when my dad threw me in the corner! To clarify, the abridged version, he didn't throw me in the corner, on purposed. We had a ritual at night where he would take me to my room for bed and without turning on the lights would throw me from my door into bed, then we would read a story until it was moms turn to tuck me in......well one day my mom cleaned my room and, because she was unaware of this ritual, moved my bed to the complete other side of the room. Needless to say I was left in a crumpled mess on the floor and my dad was a wreck. Well its safe to say that ritual was shot to s#^t. Haha. I am taking many steps towards overcoming this fear. In February, when we went to Catalina Island we decided to do the zip line, and even though I was TERRIFIED I still did it and my hubby was so proud that I conquered my fear!

Fear two. I absolutely hate bugs. Any bug that creepy crawls. *shudder* Especially spiders. I know it's not something that I should be afraid of, but honestly they do! I know what your thinking....."they are more afraid of you" or "your bigger than they are" seriously, I don't care. If I see a spider on my ceiling I keep a closeful watch on it until we can dispose of it properly! The hubby just shakes his head and kindly takes care of the problem. Last year we had a major ant issue and I would have nightmares that they were in our bed crawling on me. I just don't like bugs. Give me reptiles, or any other beast. Honestly, if this video ever happened to me, I would probably have a heart attack! I saw this on a comedy video show, and literally screamed at the tv and tossed my hands up in the air like it fell on me. The people we were with looked at me like I was a little looney!

Fear three: death. I guess I fear it because it is a certainty, and I am not ready to leave this world. There are so many things I want to do and I need many MANY years to do it. The loss of my father was an eye opening experience. One to show that you must live each day to it's fullest. Never take the people in your life for granted as there is no telling how long we will be with you. I also hope that there is an afterlife. My faith tells me that there is, but sometimes the skeptic in me is curious. I guess that is something that I will have to leave until the time comes, and practice my faith in hopes that I can make it to the golden gate when the time is here.

Sorry to leave the post a little heavy! But there it is, my three greatest fears....well at least the ones I have right now. Hehe. What are your fears? Have you overcome any?

What's in the Box? Sea Salt Mystery Box!

Oh you guys I was so excited when my Julep Sea Salt Mystery Box and It Girl starter kit arrived!!! I opened the box and was thoroughly amazed by all the stuff that was inside! I wasn't expecting the amount of things I got, especially the full size products! I am so excited to try them all! With both boxes I got 11 nail polish colors!!! I can change my toe color for almost 3 months without reusing something! EXCITED! I also got some colors that I would never buy myself! EEK! The hubby picked out #9 for me to do, so I will get on that right after this post! Also I got all three of the Sea Salt colors instead of just one! From seeing on Instagram its a really cool, sand looking finish! Almost like a caviar!

Crappy photo cause the SLR is getting serviced!.....don't you love my "Love" candle from Target!

1. Sea Salt Finish; Color: Sadie
2. Sea Salt Finish; Color: Jill
3. Sea Salt Finish; Color: Madeline
4. Iridescent; Color: Melissa
5. Organic Moroccan Argan Oil - Elixir
6. Age Defying Hand Brightener - Glow On
7. Pomegranate Body Scrub and Body Creme
8. Solid; Color: Janel
9. Glittered; Color: Sarah
10. Solid; Color: Dakota
11. Solid; Color: Gunta
Additionally I received toe separators and a nail file! 

1. Glittered; Color: Carly
2. Solid; Color: Simone
3. Solid; Color: Stefani
4. Trial size Instant Warming Foot Scrub

I can't wait to start going to town painting my nails! Who else got a great Julep box this month? I also got the May box preview this morning and am hopping over there to see what in store for next month! I have already tried the Glow On, and it made my hands feel so soft!!!

My whole shipment!

All the polishes!

Coffee n Conversations #8 - Best Friends

It's Monday! You all know what that means.....back to work. Whomp whomp. It also means that I am linking up for Coffee and Conversations with Lauren and Kalyn!


This weeks question: What is the most valuable friendship you have in your life and what makes it so great? 

Based on previous CnC's I'm sure your all thinking that I am going to say either my hubby or my mom, and for the most part you would be right. These people are my two best friends, but honestly I do have other friends who I am not related to! Haha. So I think for the basis of this post, and because I have already sung their praises in many other posts, I will talk about someone other than these two magnificent people that I have in my life.

So, back in the good ole days of high school.....honestly its been almost 12 years since I graduated, I know I am dating myself here yes I am gonna be 30! We all had that one friend that just stuck out and was always there. For me that was my dearest and longest friend T. I have talked about him in the past.....here and here, oh and here and here!

We first met on day one of Senior Year. He had transferred from another school to come to mine because we were an arts and technology magnet school. We were both on the dance team and by mid year he invited me to his 18th birthday party. This is where it all began. After that, it seemed like we were constantly together. He had many friends, and I didn't have very many. I was an extremely introverted teenager and he completely ripped that person to pieces and pretty much transformed me into the person I am today. No more thin skin and being overly sensitive....well somewhat...we had many inside jokes and we were constantly laughing and having a wonderful time. He and I both worked at Disneyland where we made many other friends and he eventually introduced me to my loving husband. My life would be completely different if he wasn't in it! He makes both D and I laugh and he is a person that can truly be trusted to be at your side. If you are a friend he goes above and beyond to make sure you know it! He is one of those people that I can not see in months and when we return to one another, it's like no time has passed at all!

One of my favorite memories is downloading Britney Spears music videos (this is pre You Tube folks) and watching them over and over copying the choreography until we had it memorized. Honestly, anything to do with dancing and we were pretty much doing it. Taking classes, going to competitions and conventions, doing gymnastics and having my back thrown out, (so fun) choreographing, and making costumes. Even today, when we get together we sometimes have a high kick contest, he tends to win because he still dances and I usually end up being really REALLY sore the next day! We would drive with musical soundtracks like The Lion King, Newsies or 42nd Street blasting and singing every line. Going to midnight showings of every Marvel movie, seeing The Lord of the Rings the Fellowship of the Ring twice and falling asleep! Oh and there was that time when he fell asleep on the dvd remote and I had to listen to the intro to Legally Blonde for hours because I couldn't see to turn off the tv. "It's a perfect dayyyyy, with nothing standing in my wayyy." That line will forever be burned into my brain! AND! My first speeding ticket was with him. We were coming home from our shift at Disneyland and Caltrans decided to close every major freeway to get home at 1AM. We ended up on PCH completely lost. Apparently they were doing road construction there as well.....although no signs were posted. I get pulled over, T starts laughing hysterically on the phone with his mom and the CHP didn't believe that we were truly lost until after he gave me the ticket (for speeding in a construction zone) and I asked him for the 4th time how to get home. He finally changed his attitude and gave me directions, honestly he probably thought we were stupid teenagers just acting ridiculous! Thanks. I wouldn't trade any of these memories for anything in the whole world!

We still get together at least once a month to hang out, laugh, watch movies, play video games and just be overall silly! Throughout the years as you acquire friendships or acquaintances you grow apart from those that were once very close to as a younger adult. You learn about yourself through each of them and change ever so slightly. The ones that stay, and stay forever are the truly special ones. Not many people can say that they have had the same friend their entire life, like my hubby, but we both cherish this friendship because he truly is a special part of both our lives. Even with all the teasing, and the nickname I hate, (which wont be mentioned) I know that he will forever be a loyal friend and somebody that I can count on whenever I need a laugh, an ear, or just a hug. That is what makes a best friend. I love his family as though they are my own, and to me he is FAMILY, not just a friend.  I hope over the next 13 years our friendship only grows stronger! Love you T!

Now for the photo dump!

Please be kind.....some of these photos are not the greatest of me. I didn't edit any of them! My mom has a million more, it's just getting the scanner to her house and getting them all digital!

Sweet and Spicy Wing Recipe and a Non-Sequitur on Netflix!

We all love chicken wings right? Heck ya! I have a couple of super simple recipes below, after my totally unrelated non-sequitur about television! Hehe. The hubby and I have this habit of not watching a show when it's on live tv. Honestly we hate watching commercials and it's getting to the point that we hate fast forwarding through commercials also. So what's next? Netflix! We get recommended a show, wait for it to make it's appearance and we watch the entire season, usually without breaks, so then our DVR gets really full! Oops.

source

This was the same with Sons of Anarchy. I was so against watching it because it didn't look like anything I would be interested in.....bikers and guns. No thanks. Seriously you guys. I am hooked. It's got a full cast including Katey Sagal! (remember from Married with Children) It's totally not a girly show, but sometimes you have to let the hubby watch some cool stuff too right?! Honestly it's a pretty good drama, with lots of character development and of course the action that all men like! Ladies, it just might be something worth looking into watching with your man.....if he likes that kind of television. Throughout the first season it was bugging me that I couldn't figure out who the main character "Jax" (Charlie Hunnam) reminded me of. It was another actor.....not Channing Tatum, not Paul Walker......who was it! Then in the second season, my question was answered.....Brad Pitt....scruffy.

Seriously....twins right? Or just me? Anyways, I just thought I'd share that little tidbit and in case any other fans of the show were wracking their brain trying to figure this out!

Anyways, onto the recipes. We usually just stick to making one type of wing, SPICY, but since my cousin gave me a new one to try we just decided to make both kinds. Seriously folks, this is some easy stuff here! The sweet wings just fell off the bone! SO GOOD!

Sweet and Spicy Wings

What You Need (Sweet):
Half a Bag of Frozen Chicken Wings (thawed)
(1) Cup Soy Sauce
(1) Cup Sugar
(1) Cup Water

Pot large enough to house the wings and the sauce.

Directions:
1. Pour sugar, soy sauce and water into pot and heat until sugar is dissolved.
2. Add wings, bring to a boil.
3. Cover and simmer for an hour.
4. Consume!

Note: I like to use frozen wings because they are cheaper when purchased in bulk, just remember to have enough time to let them thoroughly defrost first! :-) You will have enough sauce to make the entire bag of wings, we just used half because we made spicy ones too! 

What You Need (Spicy):
Half a Bag of Frozen Chicken Wings (thawed)
(1) Bottle Crystal Hot Sauce

Pan large enough to house the wings and the sauce.

Directions:
1. Add thawed wings to pan, add a little olive oil to keep them from sticking to the pan. About halfway through cooking coat wings in Crystal hot sauce and turn. Repeat with every turn.
2. Once fully cooked, remove from pan and toss in some more sauce.
3. Consume! 

Seriously, simple! Add some fries and a cocktail and you have the perfect gaming meal! Nom Nom Nom!

Parties, Guitars and Wings - Weekend Recap

I want to start off this post by saying a prayer for all those that were affected by the Boston Marathon bombing yesterday. It was very scary to say the least because I actually knew someone who was running in it. She is safe and sound and we thank the Lord for that. My thoughts go out to the families of people who's lives were lost, and to those who were injured by the events. Please lets all say a prayer for all the victims of the shocking events and let's also thank the members of the police, fire, and emergency units for all their hard work rushing to the aid of all the people affected!

So this weekend was an eventful one. Saturday was my great aunt's 75th birthday hosted by her children at my Papa's home in Simi. 50+ people attended the party with a taco cart, cupcakes and a little accordion/guitar serenade from her grandchildren. The hubby had to work so I went alone, but got to spend time with all my family. We ate, drank and acted like the large Italian family that we are! Since spring is finally starting to show itself here in SoCal, I took a photo of this blossoming tree that just smelled amazing. This was of course before the clouds and cold weather rolled in later that afternoon and hung around for the rest of the weekend.

Of course I had to spend time with the baby at the party. Emily is my cousin's 6 month old baby girl, who apparently has stranger anxiety with everyone else, but she just loved me! Yay! I held that child for hours and she eventually just fell asleep in my arms. *Tear Tear* While she was sleeping my aunt came up to me and said that holding her is giving me good baby pheromones, and when her daughter held her nephew that's when she got preggo with her first daughter. Well by all means, if that's all it takes then I will hold every baby on the planet and share that secret with the world! Haha....I know that this is just silly talk, but honestly every little bit helps. Especially since she was so cute, I would have held her until my arms fell off.

Sunday was a little more mournful. It was the 2 year anniversary of my fathers passing. I woke and spent the early morning looking at photos and shedding a few tears. I posted some memory photos to Instagram and Facebook. Then I bombed the hubby out of bed so that we could go get breakfast and run a couple of errands.

We went to several stores looking for cushions for our patio table set, but ended up coming home with this beautiful succulent. Since it's in the cacti family I am hopeful that I can attempt to cure my brown thumb. Honestly, I just forget that the plants are even there! They don't stick their leaves in my face with big eyes saying "Water ME!"

After arriving home, we got to work hanging up my father's guitars that we brought back from Florida with us. Of course as with any other project, we needed assistance from our neighbor because the screws that came with the hangers were too short to hit the studs and just pulled out of the wall. No bueno! So our handy dandy neighbor brought over some long screws and his kick ass drill and we hung those bad boys in no time! Thanks R!

 

After that we listened to my dad's CD watched some Netflix and got ready for Wings and fries. We tried out a new sweet wing recipe that was BOMB DOT COM! They fell off the bone! I will put that recipe up for you all later this week! Thanks to cousin B! We toasted his life with a cocktail and watched Ted. Since my dad was from MA I thought it appropriate! 

So that was our highly eventful weekend. I am linking up with Sami's Shenanigans!

Cupcakes to Polka Dots Bloglovin Link Up

Today I'm joining up with Heather from Cupcakes to Polka Dots to co-host her Bloglovin' Link Up!

She hosts it the first and third TUESDAY of every month!

Have you heard the news that Google is getting rid of it's Reader feature?

Thankfully bloglovin is here to fill in that gap!

Here's the rules:

 Follow Cupcakes to Polka Dots and the co-hosts (that's me!!) on Bloglovin & then add your own link & then share it on Twitter! The more who join the more new exposure you get!

Hi!!!

Make sure you follow Cupcakes to Polka Dots on Bloglovin'
&

Say hello to the lovely sponsors!!

Lauren from LB in Wonderland

Diane from DD Kimball Road

Brittany Jean of Where My Soul Belongs

Rebecca from Caravan Sonnet

Make sure you tweet out:

 I joined the 2nd @Bloglovin Bloghop hosted by @heathgiff! Come join us! http://hgifford.blogspot.com/2013/04/bloglovin-link-up-2.html

Ps. If you're interested in co-hosting next month (it's free!) e-mail Heather at cupcakestopolkadots@gmail.com!

Coffee and Conversations #7 - Strengths

It seems this week is going to be a BIG one. With CnC's going on, I am also co-hosting a link-up tomorrow and I am participating in the Bigs and Littles Blogging Network too! Sometime this week I need to do a weekend recap (because it was a big weekend) AND I still need to download the photos from Florida. We have been home for a month! YIKES! Hopefully I can throw in a craft or two.....sounds like a lot. I'll try my best! Also I want to give a shout out to my new followers there on the left and to those on Bloglovin'! Thanks for joining me! I hope you like what you read. Onto the convo.....

This weeks question: What do you consider your two greatest strengths? What about the areas you would like to improve?

source

Whooooooeeee. This is a good question. What are my strengths? This is always a hard question for me because I tend to build myself down....not up.....there's an area of improvement right off the bat. I guess I would say that I love deeply and with conviction. If you are in my life it's for a reason and I hold onto that connection very strongly. I tend to go above and beyond for those people and truly try to make them feel like a special part of my life. When someone chooses to leave my life for whatever reason it's very hard for me to let go because that person found their way into my heart and there will always be a place for them there, regardless of the situation that caused them to leave. If someone asks for my help, I am always willing to jump in and do so. I love to listen and even if I don't have a solution I feel like I can be a good sounding board for all my family and friends. I am a redhead, and they say that we are passionate people, and I think that's true. I am passionate about my relationships, my hobbies, and anything else that is deemed worthy in my heart.

An area I can improve upon is: I don't let go of things easy, I like to hold onto them and think about how if the situation had been different how my life would look now....but honestly this is an area I need to work on. Letting go of things that aren't in my control. I am a controlling person, and like things to be done a certain way, but I need to know that if I cannot control it, then I should just let it be. This one has been something I have been working on a lot recently, within the last year. Letting go of situations a can't control, feelings that have harbored over the years, anything that causes undo stress in my life I have tried to just let it be. I have made great strides in this, but I think it will always be an area in my life that I will need to work on. However since the hubby and I decided to do this, our relationship and our all-over well being has improved dramatically! I can be thankful of that! We both understand what's worth fighting for and what isn't. Our relationship is, other things are not.

Another strength I have is that I tend to be extremely organized, in my own way. Again this stems from me being controlling and wanting things done a certain way....however I do have a mild case of O.C.D. and I know where everything is at any given time. I do have to say that my filing system does tend to get a little lazy, but when it comes to re-organizing the hubby and I tend to get it done rather quickly and usually everything has a place. I also HATE clutter, so we like to go through our things and get rid of clothes, or other items that we haven't used in the past year to eighteen months and donate it to charity. You look around my desk at the office and it (for the most part) tends to be the cleanest and easiest area to find paperwork in.....I also tend to stack finishes and fabrics in a very neat way and have files and folders for EVERYTHING! Thus why I can find it all, and if I am ever out at a job site I can explain to someone calling me very easy! I wish I could be more organized at home, but with little storage in an apartment I deal with what I have, and let go of what I cannot control! See! I am trying!!!!

Those are some things that are my strengths and weaknesses. I'm sure there are probably better ones, but I couldn't think of any but these! I hope you enjoyed reading and that you head on over and link up your own discussion! The hosts of this great link up are Kalyn at Love Laughter Happily Ever After and Lauren at Simply Free. Go check out their great sites too!

Julep Nail Polish - Monthly Beauty Box

I'm not a beauty guru, nor do I play one on tv. However a TON of bloggers have been going CRAZY over this monthly nail polish/beauty box subscription called Julep. I signed up to see what my profile was, you take the quiz to find out your beauty style....I'm an "It Girl." I perused their site and decided that I had enough nail-polish and really didn't need anymore. (By the way....I'm obsessed with painting my toenails!) That being said, I was ok with not signing up until I got an email from them this morning with an offer for a $25 Sea Salt mystery box. Guaranteed to have $70-$200 worth of product in it with a chance of a $1000 Visa gift card. That peaked my interest for SURE! What else drew me to it was the colors. Very pretty nude colors, with a hint of glitter. I don't have ANY nudes and you are guaranteed to get one of the pictured colors in your box. Praying for the dark nude or the black!) Add in the fact that Samantha from Designer in Teal told me about the free first box code: (FREEBOX) I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get over $100 in products for $25, plus shipping of course!

Sea Salt Mystery Box

'It Girl' Starter Box

EEK! I'm so excited to receive this box and hopefully gonna get some great new products and nail colors to try on my tootsies! Hop on over to Julep and give it a try! I'll be sure to let you know when I get my box! YEAH!

Crochet Pillow Cover

A couple of weeks back I posted about this ADORABLE crochet pillow cover that I wanted to do. I have a ton of leftover yarn from Christmas projects and I am in a "lets recover every pillow we own in our entire home" kind of mood lately. The husband gives me a side eye whenever I utter the words, pillow or re-cover. Hey. At the end of the day I'm saving us money by not going out and shopping! Right?! Right. So anyways I saw this adorable pillow and I knew instantly that I could re-create it. So here she is!

I am so excited to add this baby to our collection of teal pillows on our bed. Head on over to check out the other pillows I re-covered already! Also I am linking up for Saw It, Pinned It, Did It with Beautiful Mess and Keep Calm and Carry On.

Lovin' on my Smoothies!

The hubby and I both have major sweet tooth's. Sometimes it's hard to tell whose worse, but we both like to end our day with a little something special. This usually can include any of the following: cookies, cupcakes, brownies, bagged candy, ice cream, chocolate.....I think you get the picture. But in looking towards the future we both know that we should try and cut out the refined sugar and go for the healthier option. Enter, the smoothie. A great way to get your daily intake of fruit/veggies if your don't get them during the day. We have tried the Oatmeal Smoothies but have found that these really are better for breakfast as the tend to fill you up, and I don't know about you, but I hate trying to fall asleep with a full belly. So I took my handy blender and some frozen and fresh fruits and went to town. The hubby loved it and it was a great sweet ending to our evening. Maybe even diabetic friendly?

What You'll Need:
(2) Cups frozen mixed berries
(1) Apple (Cored and diced)
(1) Banana (Peeled and diced)
A Dash of Light Cranberry Juice (Or whatever liquid you prefer)

Directions:
1. Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. If your smoothie is a little thick, continue to add small amounts of juice until you get your desired thickness.
2. Pour into cups, add a bendy straw (cause they make everything more fun) and enjoy!

Simple, and also healthy dessert. I have tried this with peaches, pears and oranges as well. Next on my list.....veggies. Eek! I'm a little scared! Let me know if you have tried and interesting smoothies lately.