Me and my man

Jared and I.

He likes Coke and I like Dr. Pepper. And we still love each other.

The End

Just For Me

Sometimes I need a place where I can just be me. As much as I love being a wife and mother, and as much as those things are such a big part of who I am, I feel like those parts are an extension of myself. And there are times I want to spend time developing my inner self and let out the thoughts and feelings that are all me. I feel like the ideas and feelings inside me that make me who I am can get suppressed quite often as I spend most of my time thinking for other people. Like remembering that my husband wants his good pair of jeans clean for tomorrow, Libby and Ellie need lunch money, Milo needs to practice his letter sounds, and I need to remind Indy to clean out the litter box. Oh and don't forget the baby! Nash is taking up most of my brain function right now. Trying to take care of a newborn and everyone else has become my biggest challenge! 

  But knowing that I have this little space in the universe for me to share my thoughts, ideas, and feelings makes me happy. Because it's so easy when you are a mom to just survive and forget that you are a person too. A person that has experienced a lot in her little corner of the world but realizes that it is only the tip of the iceberg. That there is so much about this world and the people in it that I want to learn about, to see, to do, to go, and I have to start keeping track of it somewhere.

 And for me, that place will be here...

:0)carrilyne

I love glasses

And it's weird, that I love glasses, because I have perfect vision and I always have. But maybe that is why I want them so bad.  When I was about 8 I decided I really wanted glasses. And when I would rub my eyes really hard every thing would get blurry for a few seconds. So, I told my mom I needed to go to the eye doctor because my eyes would get blurry sometimes. And she being the good mom that she is took me.
  I remember a little bit about the appointment because I was hoping so badly that they would find something wrong with my eyes.  But to my disappointment they kept saying words like good, great and perfect after all the tests.  At the end the doctor told me I had perfect vision and they sent me out to the waiting room so the doctor could talk to my mom alone.  After I left I knew that while I had passed the vision tests, I had failed in getting something I desperately wanted.  I would never need glasses.
  The doctor told my mom that it was normal for kids to make up vision problems because they have a friend or relative who wears glasses and they wanted to have them too. While in my case I didn't want to copy anyone, I just wanted to make my own fashion statement. I did eventually get over my 'glasses envy' and lived the rest of my childhood finding other ways to show off my individuality in ways I probably shouldn't have- like with puffy paint, big bangs, and big t-shirts with knots tied on the side.  But I still love glasses! Even though I don't NEED them I still want them!
  Fashion has always been my outlet, (as you can tell from my reminiscing, it started at an early age) and when I  cleaned all the pics off my phone and I was surprised at all of pictures I took of myself! I guess that I use myself as my own fashion pallet and try new fun things and will take pictures of myself when I am wearing something that makes me feel really cute or just going somewhere really fun and I feel free and full of fun. Am I the only one who does this?? Someone please validate me!
 
Well, I thought it would be fun to embarrass myself and post them. These are all this pics of me over the past couple months and as you can tell I really love wearing glasses!

And alot of the time I will pull into the picture my hubby who is fantastic, or some of my greatest creations off all time, like my little man there at the bottom. Out of the 300 or so pics on my phone these were the only ones that had just me in it, so I am not that obsessed right!??

Paper flowers

It's time for me to start blogging again. I figured I would start posting some of my pinterest adventures! I got an awesome old window pane for my birthday and I have been trying to figure out how to display it!  Of course, pinterest had lots of inspiration and I decided I would make a wreath of paper flowers.

  These flowers were super easy once I got the hang of it! All you need is a metal hanger, an old book you don't mind tearing to pieces, hot glue, a brown paper bag, and an entire afternoon!

And voila, decorating dilemma solved and it didn't cost me a cent!

Click  here to go to the blog where I learned to do this. I added the pleated paper bag to the out side of my wreath because people see my wreath from the side as they walk into the room and I needed it to have a finished look. Over all this project cost me nothing and I think it really makes my old window pane look awesome!

Skin care

   I really want one of these! Have you seen them? Do have one or wish you had one like me!?  I have read lots of good things about the Clarisonic  in beauty mags and online. And now that I have entered my thirties I find myself more interested in skin care. The reviews say that the little scrubber gently removes 6x's more dirt than just regular face washing, making your skin glow, your pores shrink, and also making it easier for your skin to absorb your skin care products, like moisturizers and anti-aging remedies. So, if they are so awesome why don't I own one, you say? Well, the price tag isn't cheap. At $119 it is out of my beauty budget for the moment, but it will definitely be going on my birthday wish list!

  But until then, I have fallen in love with these little scrubbers that come with the Loreal 360 face washes. I actually got the little scrubber from my little sister Aubree who uses the face wash so she has a few extra scrubbers! I don't use the face wash because my skin is sensitive and switching cleansers can make me break out, but its probably great and it smells wonderful! The cleanser I use is Cetaphil or a Dove Beauty Bar on my face then scrub away with the little scrubby! The dirt you will find in your scrubber at the end of the day will surprise you! I just keep scrubbing until my scrubber isn't collecting dirt or make up and rinse. My skin feels clean and glowing! It's cheap and does the trick!

What are some of your skin care habits? Is there any thing you can't live without??

I love light!

I love light! And I am lucky enough to have a house that lets the light shine. And the best part about light is- it's a totally free decorating tool! I love it! :o)  Light, airy and kinda beachy would probably be the best way to describe the theme of my home.

Something else I love is when people post pictures of their homes and so I thought I'd treat you to a picture of mine!  I would have done more pictures but this was the only room clean enough for a photo shoot. And this room is getting a mini makeover so I thought I'd do a before and after!  My front door is just to left of the black chair with the zebra striped pillow. But watch your step because the room goes down a step from the wood floor entry! I took this picture at night so you can see the difference the light makes in the next picture...

 Don't you just love it in the day, when the lovely light is streaming through the windows?? Even on this snowy morning the room looks brighter and more friendly! And Ta DA!!  Doesn't the new rug look fab! I am having issues with this room because I can't decide whether I like the couch across from the chairs or the way  it is in this picture!? 

 Do you like a room more open and easy or cozy and intimate?

Older the better

Sometimes older isn't better, but in this case it is! There are lots of things that get better with age, like cheese, friends, men, jeans and books! And I love old books!  Classics are my go to comfort books. And the best thing about books written over a hundred years ago is that they are free! The first free option is obviously go to the library!  But if you are like me, the library is not always free (late fines, boo!) and because I have small kids it is almost always a hassle! So my new favorite thing is to use my smartphone to get books with Kindle and I love it! Here are two books I have read recently for free!

The Three Musketeers is an amazing story that has been made into a lot of movies so you know its got to be good!  The book is full of excitement, romance, danger and intrigue! And I am only on the 6th chapter! Don't spend money on pricey books when you can get this for free!

 Jane Erye is one of my all time favorite heroines.  If you love old fashion values, orphans, older men, and lots of romance and mystery this book is a must! If you haven't read it since high school it a great re-read! It was just as entertaining the second time!

Some other books you should try are The Girl of the Limberlost, Little Women, Wuthering Heights,  Pride and Prejudice, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Tale of Two Cities... just to name a few! So if you have a smart phone start reading! (and, really, if you don't have a smart phone you should really think about getting one!)