Pregnancy Announcement!!!!!!

When our eleven year anniversary rolled  around, my hubby had no idea what a surprise I had for him. I told him the kids and I were preparing a special breakfast and to stay in bed until we told him it was ready. He obviously had a bigger gift than breakfast awaiting him. I put up this little clothes line of onesies then the kids and I all held numbers. My daughter held a 1, my son a 2 and I had a 3 with an arrow pointing to my belly. Since I'm pretty sure this will be the last kid in the family, I wanted to put together a fun and creative pregnancy announcement for my man.
This little bun in the oven was a complete surprise to me as well. We weren't expecting to get pregnant with a third. I always wanted another baby though. It was a constant on my mind and God seemed to think now was as good a time as any to add to the family.
So here we go with another sweet baby coming next year. I can't wait to meet my little one!

This is the photo Brett took of us as our Facebook pregnancy announcement.

Starting Over - Again

     The last month has been CRAZY.  I made a big job change and switched to a new salon. It has been stressful trying to notify my clients, order product, try new products, make sure I have all my supplies on hand, buy supplies I'm lacking, (so far there has been more cash out than in), get a business license, and adjust to being an independent contractor. Right in the middle of all this I also got into a hit-and-run car accident. Madness! But at some point, you just shrug your shoulders and press on. I'm hoping this change will simplify my life in the long run. Since I will no longer be an employee, I can go home early on a slow day and pointless meetings will be a thing of the past.
     I may be stressed out and tired, but this brings us one step closer to achieving our long term goals of owning our own little salon/photography studio. Hooray for that!
   
   

11.8%

11.8%  is the unemployment rate in California and my husband recently joined that percentage.

BUMMER.

I don't mean to drag all of you down, but I do want to share. I know we are among MANY and if you are in the same situation, I feel your pain!
So it's time for both of us to find work. The last time this happened it took 6 months for him to get a job.
To promote myself and hopefully drum up some clients we put together a little portfolio while at family camp (it was already paid for so we went on a little vacation despite our turn of events)
First I did hair and makeup for some fellow campers and Brett took pictures by the lake. Here's what we came up with:

Then we turned our cabin into a photography studio. I did the hair and makeup of this staff volunteer and Brett took these pictures. This is how they turned out:

 

I hope to get back into the salon world in the next couple weeks. I just can't decide if I want to do commission or booth rental. After a few meetings with a few key people those questions should be ironed out and I'll be able to make a decision. Either way, I won't be making a killing by any means. But every little bit helps right?
I plan on writing for my blog still. I need the distraction! So hang in there! My life has just received a little twist and I need to adapt. After all, it's the twists that make life interesting right?

Home Atmosphere

     We've had a few rough weeks. You know the kind. Something arises and you get stressed, cranky, and have zero patience for the kids or anyone else in your life. Insomnia strikes and now you're constantly tired as well. 

    What do you do? Fume? Throw a pity party? Get depressed and let the house go to pot?

     I contemplated my options. I didn't like what life looked like when I gave into the negativity. I refuse to let unkind people or unfortunate events steal my joy. So I accepted our circumstances. Life happens. Troubles come. It's inevitable. I want my kids to see grace under pressure. Experience patience and joy when the road is rocky. That seems so unnatural and can be really hard, but I want my home to be a place of peace and a haven of rest for my family. So I slowed down and wrote a list of how to stay calm and what my focus should be each week. My list will probably look different from another persons, but this made a huge difference in the atmosphere of our home.

1. Cuddle

2. Read to the kids during the day and read something fun for myself before bed.

3. Lavish extra love on my family.

4. Try to stay home as much as possible to simplify my week.

5. Play outside.

6. Be content.

7. Write down my blessings and what I'm thankful for.

8. Ask my kids what they are thankful for.

9. Make a special  meal.

10. See house work as a way of beautifying our home rather than a drudgery.

11. Avoid negative talk and complaining of any kind.

12. Have a movie night.

13. Stick to a schedule so the day goes smoothly and naps are taken on time.

14. Invite a friend over.

15. Pare down the to-do list.

16. Cuddle some more!

17. Read my Bible.
18. Pray.

What do you do when hard times come?

Lily Bloom

Yesterday I discovered the lovely little handbag brand, Lily Bloom. I was at T.J. Maxx looking for boots for my daughter and of course their purses at the front of the store caught my eye. I instantly fell in love with these bags!

They are so cheerful and the price was amazing.  They are also made from recycled plastic which is always cool.  Most bags were only around $16 - $20. At least at T.J. Maxx they were. I'm pretty sure the original prices were closer to $55. Sadly enough, I walked away empty handed. They had enough in stock for me to contemplate the purchase for a while. We'll see. I have plenty of bags already. Maybe if I budget extra carefully this next week I'll have a little money to play with and treat myself to something fun. :)

Happy 4th of July

Portraits

     I came to a sad discovery the other day when Ucreate needed a picture of me to put with my tutorial Apparently I didn't have any nice pictures of myself despite the fact that my husband is a PHOTOGRAPHER!
     Good grief! You know how it is. You are always the one posing people or getting the kids attention so you get left out and there are a million pictures of everyone else.
     So last night we had a little photo shoot after the kids went to bed. He then gave me a lesson in using Photoshop. I think they turned out great! Thanks honey! If you'd like to see his portfolio check him out at

Nelson Fotography

My Dream House

I'm house hunting obsessed. Anyone I've talked to in the last 6 months realizes just how obsessed I am. My husband works an hour away and I want to buy a house by where he works. I keep imagining my life would be perfect somehow if we lived somewhere else. In my darkest moments of discontent I look around my home and try to analyze what exactly I think is so unpleasant and what I can do to make it better. Then one day I bought a magazine about decorating and in the back a new book was being advertised.

I loved the idea of making my home fit our life style regardless of it's layout. Due to the sad state of our economy, we are probably better off staying in the home we have. It's actually a very nice house. But I drool over having a separate office for my husband and getting his work stuff out of our bedroom. I dream of a playroom for the kids, and now a school room as well. These homes do exist (in our price range even) but there's also termite damage, mold, and various untold issues that would ultimately cost too much to fix.
My new focus needs to be rearranging what the Lord's blessed us with in such a way that it will work for us.

We have what I like to call the piano room. It doesn't serve much of a purpose other than to hold a few unsuccessful bookcases, our piano and a small sofa. I plan on making the most of this room somehow. I just haven't figured out how to do it yet. I'm hoping my new book will help.

There is always a chance we might still move. Until then I'll learn contentment and look at the home I have now as my dream house.

 "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." Philippians 4:12

Afternoon Naps

My survival depends on afternoon naps for the kids and for me. Don't judge me, but my youngest still doesn't sleep through the night.  Therefore, if I don't get a nap, our entire family suffers. All of our closest family and friends know to not call between 2pm and 5pm. Yesterday was a little extra rough for me. Little Man decided to start the day just before 7am. By noon I was pretty wilted and was trying my best to muster up enough energy to at least put a clean load of laundry away. I searched my brain for every possible energy boosting trick I could try. Caffeine just keeps me up all night so that was out of the question. Here's what I came up with:

1. A tablespoon of honey
2. Deep breaths for extra oxygen
3. Stretching
4. Protein and carbohydrate snack
5. B12 vitamin

Do any of you have suggestions for getting past an afternoon slump? I'd much rather be perky and productive, than  grouchy.

Sweet dreams Little Man

How precious is my sweet baby? Shortly after I took these pictures we all had a siesta. Then it was time for more laundry.

The Key to Your Childs Heart and Amazon Mom

 

I think many parents focus too much on discipline and not  enough on loving their kids. We are so scared we'll mess up and have rowdy, uncontrollable children that we over "train" them and forget to nurture their little hearts. 

Then there are parents who are too permissive setting very few, if any boundaries. These kids never learn self-control and think only of themselves.

I read this book when my daughter was a baby and have decided to read it again. Gary Smalley does a great job in showing us what a loving and yet firm parent looks like.

AMAZON MOM 

Speaking of books, have you discovered Amazon mom? A friend introduced it to me over Facebook just a few days ago. THANK YOU MELISSA!!!! You just type "Amazon mom" into the search and you can sign up for free. You get free 2 day shipping on "prime" items along with major discounts on other child related products.