Loving a Chevron Pocket ♡

Today was a pocket T kinda day. I ran to Wallie, picked up some long sleeve T's and a pack of men's T's. To try my hand at some pockets! So I measued precut my pockets and I was ready to monogram.  Bad idea!! I quickly realized I had no way to pull the pocket tight in order to monogram.  Next.....

Now I was off to try again.

1. I monogrammed my fabric.
2. Cut my pockets out.
3. Sewed on my pocket.
4. Ready to wear!!

I've posted my step by step pics! :)

Family blessings

I must say I am blessed to have a family as amazing as mine. As I sit on my couch reflecting on my day my heart is over flowing. I got to spend the day with my sister who is 7 months pregnant with my sweet Bentley. We planned her babyshower, created invites, and I got to feel him moving in her tummy!! ♥ Sweet baby Cole my great nephew came by to visit as well. This sweet boy is so happy and full personality I just eat him up everytime he is around. As if that wasn't enough my Nana and Papa insisted on bring me dinner because my Nana had finally gone through her sewing box for me. They showed up with honeybake ham, sweet taters, and cheesie veggies, along with a pumpernickel rye bread.. yummmy ♥♡ My Nana and I then went through the box she gave me and it brough tears to my eyes. I remember some of the items and other items she just had left over. Honestly the contents are a blog of their own and I can't wait to share. I am so very blessed I do feel tonight I am the luckiest woman alive!!♥♥

Valentine's Day ♡

I really don't get excited over Valentine's Day only because I don't feel I need a special day to tell my loved ones I love them. And my 10 yr old son sure doesn't need a day to get a bunch of candy that is like crack and he can't stop once he eats it. Umm... hate to admit he gets that from me! I love sweets!!♥♥ So even though I didn't want to I got heart shape boxes full of candy. I love handing them out it just feels my heart with joy to see the faces of the ones I love as I hand them the hearts. My Rock was first I sneak to my hiding spot, pull out his fav candy in a big box snuck back upstairs where he was getting ready with the candy hidden behind my back, pop through the door hold the box out yell "Will you be my Valentine" .... he was on the phone! Yep on the phone no immediate kiss as I had imagined a smile and thats it. :) Next My Son, I snuck his box and got the biggest smile and he yelled CANDY! ♥ yeah! Then My Daughter, she just grabbed the box with a quick thanks and asked to have a piece! ♥  Ohh the difference that I do love. I must admit My Rock did amazing this year he actually had a Valentine for me this morning. He typically lets me know he is stopping by the store as he is heading home to get my Valentine!! Just knowing after 7 years together he planned was all the Valentine I needes he honestly could have just made me a card and I would have loved it. ♥♥

Measure of Success

Often times I think we push instead of trusting and being lead. I find the is common for me. I push so hard to be successful,  I give 110% to my work and rarely every get the appreciation I think I deserve.  For 2 years now I have been pushing to find success.  I quite my secure job to start a new one that would provide me opportunity to earn more money and grow. Umm.. didn't happen. In 2013 I joined not 1 but 2 direst sales companies. There were both amazing companies and I hit the ground running with each. I made money, hit bonuses, and then both came to a screeching hault. I had exhausted all my contacts, my leads, I was starting all over. I was reaching out to my upline and getting nada. Seems they all seemed to have the common answer which resulted in a the same damn question to me..."Have you made your list of friends and family and have you contaxted them all?" Really... not everyone is interested in my products, not everyone has the money to purchase it, and most don't want to get involved with industries. So at the beginning of the year I found myself taking a hard look all that I "tried" to find success in and found that I successfully spent a lot of money only! I am realizing that success may not be measured in dollar signs but maybe by the lives we touch, how we inspire, how we encourage, how we grow. I am successful and so very blessed.

What's For Dinner

I must admit my most favorite times everyday are as follows!

1. Popping a Thrive capsule and feeling the zing it gives me within the 1st 5 mins.
2. My first sip of coffee with my fav creamer
3. How I feel when my workout is finally over
4. Waking my babies up
5. My am shower
6. Cereal with fresh fruit and my fav Almond milk
7. Snack
8. Lunch, Lunch, Lunch
9. Snack
10. Seeing my kiddies after a long day at school and smoochin my Rock!!
11. DINNER ♥♥

Dinner is my fav meal every day!! I always try to have atleast 4oz of meat, veggies, starch, and dessert!!  A low calorie balanced meal is most important and it insures you get full.

Tonight I made homemade veggie soup which simmered in the crockpot all day. It is the best comfort food on a day where we are sniced<-- my new combo word for snow and ice... in the home for days!! I also threw a batch of chocolate cupcakes made with coke zero( no eggs or oil ) together. Seems to make more when made this way I get 18 cupcakes from 1 box vs the 12 made from the way the box calls for. This makes me a happy momma since sweets are my ♥♥♥ and the 1st to go when you choose to eat healthy. Making with coke zero I still get to eat sweets without the guilt!! ♥

 

Easy Peasy Soup Recipe

 

I Large Family Size Bag of Frozen Mix Veggies

1cup of Marinara Sauce (Bertoli is my fav bc of all the spices)

3 Chicken Bullion Cubes

Tsp of Minced Garlic

Chopped potato

Can of drained Kidney Beans

Water do not fill your pot all the way to the top you need to leave room for the veggies to thaw and release water!

 

 

 

   

 

 

Applique....Applique...Sew Hard

It never fails I look at a sewing projects and think I can so do that. I even go as far as to think I could "quickly" knock it out. Hehe I am a beginner sewer, never touched a machine before January 2014. Yeah 1 month ago!! I had a friend ask me if I could make her daughters Minnie Mouse applique shirt for their Disney trip. I was like sure no problem!! She got the shirt and the fabric and I was set.

1. I ironed on the Heat and Bond Light to the reverse side of the fabric for Minnie's head.

2. I drew the Minnie head out on copy paper cute to perfect size for 12m t-shirt and 4t t-shirts.

3. I then traced the Minnie Head on top of the Heat and Bond paper, cut out, and now I am ready to start the shirts.

4. I peeled the backing off the Heat and Bond placed in the middle of the shirts, measured for accuracy,  and ironed it on.

5. Now its time to sew the applique on... oh decisions.. do I do a Satin stitch, Zigzag Stitch, or Straight Stitch???I tried the Satin Stitch and quickly realized you have to be good at going around the curves evenly or it shows. So I pulled it out and decided to try the Straight Stitch. I quickly learned it's best to stay close to the inner edge of the applique.

6. Monogram time... this project has made me realize how much I would love to have Monogram editing software!! I set my Brother Monogram machine letter on Large and it still seems rather small for my applique.

7. Applied a big fat ribbon to Minnie's head with a permanent glue.

8. Done!!

Oh what a process!! Practice makes perfect. I completed 6 Minnie Mouse Shirt and the more I did the better they looked. My girlfriend was happy with the final product and I can not wait to share the photos of her girls rockin them!! 

Choices....

Workin Out, Eating right, Being Positive, Your Moods, etc are all things we Choose. It's. CHOICE to workout and eat healthy.  Last week I chose to workout 3 out of 5 days. I thought..." I should workout" but it was easier to do nada! I despise workouts still!! They are hard!! Seems it is easier in liife to give up when it gets hard!! Why??? I want to have a beautiful fit body, I want to be healthy for my babies, I dont wanna workout!! Haha woke up this am with the same I don't wanna workout attitude and I Chose to do it anyway!! Feelinng so wonderful!! Like a #BeastModeBeauty

Fitness Journey Progress

My progress feels little to none until I did my measurements. 

01/14/14 Measurements
Hips 40"
Legs at Thigh 24"
Arms 12"

02/06/14 Measurements
Hips 37"
Legs at Thigh 23"
Arms 12"

Clothes still fit the same and I still suffer from hail damage on my Thighs and Butt... ugh I must admit that is my biggest issue. How am I suppose to wear shorts? Especially when they do not make a perfect length short for moms.. I mean my kids really don't wanna see my icecream butt hanging out the bottom of mine!! Here are my progress photos as well!!

Committment

Big word huh!!! It's a word that is used in most aspects of our lives on a daily basis. We commit to job, relationships, parenting, friendships, ets. What happens when out of frustration we commit to getting healthy,  eating healthy,  working out. What happens when we look in the mirror hate the body we see and commit to changing that mirrored image? What happens when we commit to working out daily starting Monday. I'll TELL you what happens our Monday never comes!! It's easier to hate what we see, eat, and wear, then to male that very difficult change. Committments such as Weighloss and Fitness are difficult and at times Suck!! I was was told to stop bitching about my body if I wasn't going to do anything about it. It's a very true statement and I not bitching im doin!!! ♥

DreamGirls-Acceptance

Met with my sweet middle school and high school girls tonight and the topic was Acceptance. Oh what a word and even as an adult it's still a struggle. We had a 7 year old Brayle visit tonight to share her amazing story of her journey the Acceptance while fighting Alopicia.  What an inspiration this beautiful young girl was. She was dancing, singing, and laughing with the other girls without a care in the world. Oh to be like that.... to take what tough challenges life throws at me and smile and sing in the face of defeat. I asked the group what a "Normal" person was and she said "it's a person that doesn't care what anyone says or thinks" normal is YOU! ♥♥

Walk By Faith

I've been on my spiritual journey for 3 years now. I was reborn again in April 2010 and it has been a journey.  I feel as if the devil has been attacking me with every step I make since that day. Most days its not obvious and then there are days where he is full attack mode. At times I feel he doesn't let up for days to a week. He has been in full attack mode since last Friday. He is creeping into my thoughts. Thoughts of negativity, thoughts of bitterness, anger, inner sadness hidden with a fake smile thoughout the day. I often say "I rebuke you satin now leave me alone". I blast my "Jesus" music.( That's what my kids call it) and I seek after peace in scripture amd quotes.  Only to find myself right back at that same negative feeling. I control my attitude, my thoughts of negativity, my anxiety. I seek after God for the inner peace and joy I deserve and would love to share with others. I am on a journey to trust God's plan for me and know he has me exactly where he wants me and when the time comes for a change he will open that door of opportunity for me. I am learning to Trust God because he is bigger then the devil or any negative thought, attitude, or act!! Amen!!! ♥♥

Keep Pushing!!

I had a dear friend who is also on a WW Lifestyle Change Journey reach out to me in frustration today. She must have been reading my mind as I was feeling the same way. In my moment of frustraion I thought I have been staving (even though we know I am not really), I am working out 5 days a week ( so not loving it at all), for 30 days and I look in the mirror and I see Nothing, Nada, Zero, results. I still see a flabby belly,  hail damage on my legs,  and my butt is melting down the back of my legs. Ughhh.....

I then had to remember just like I told my sweet friend that it did not take me 30 days to gain the fat on my body like a bear going into hibernation and it's not going to shred in that time either. I have to remember this is all a process and honestly weight does shed off quicker then you add it on if you work hard, commit, and Don't Cheat!! Give it 3 months! Yes 3 months and then you can make the decision if what your doing isn't working!! Honestly doubt by month 3 you will have to do that!!! 

Jillian Beating Done!!!

I've just completed mt 20 min beating by my fav trainer Jillian!! We have a love hate relationship. I love how I feel after I finish my workout but so hate to do them daily!! I feel there are times where she is yelling at me through the tv bc she knows I just wanna give up. Committing to working out is so much harder then the committment to eat healthy!! It is necessary in your journey! I encourage you to find a workout video, a gym, or walk at a fast pace daily!!

Weight Watchin

I dedicated my health to WW for the second time on January 1, 2014. I have not cheated since that day. I had gotten to the point again where I was eating all of the bad tempting crap society throws at you. I am now on a mission a what I call a #BeastModeBeauty to have a #RockinBikiniBody in 2014!! I dedicated my start to my fitness journey the second week of January allowing Jillian Michael to kick my butt 20 mins a day #Rippedin30 style. I would love to inspire other to join me on the amazing lifestyle transformation.  I will be posting very vulnerable pics to share progress along with my daily meal plan for others to mimic if you choose. #InspiringChange ♥

(Photos taken 01/01/14 Day 1..sorry they are blurred)

This month is Childhood Cancer Awareness month as a way to raise awareness I am having an online funraiser event through my Thirty-One business. All of the proceeds I make off of the orders for the month of September I am donating to a local charity by the name of Blue Skies Ministries. They are a non profit orginazation that gives terminally ill children family vacations in order to help keep their little minds off their battles.

Help me raise money for the orginazation by shopping my event at:
http://www.mythirtyone.com/shop/catalog.aspx?eventId=E3751977&from=DIRECTLINK
Let stand up as a community and raise awareness!!

Random Thought For This Morning.....

Been a while since I have taken the time to blog as I have been in what I guess you would call a RUT! I am so overwhelmed with being overwhelmed! My days all seem to be a lot like that movie "Groudhogs Day" I wake up at 6am to get my son up and beg him to get dressed, brush his hair and teeth, I wake my spouse up and beg him just to get out of the bed, I run down stairs to let my dogs out and feed my cat. I then proceed to make lunches and rush my babies onto the bus! After that I am left to get myself ready and rush to work. Only to sit behind a desk and listen to people complain! :) After I have completed my 8 hrs of work with no break I rush to my sons school in order to get him to football on time. I do this daily Monday-Friday and my weekends are concusumed with laundry, cleaning, football, nascar, and fighting kids.  When I place all of this in writing I see exactly why I am in a RUT I have a lot going on!! :) Honestly I would not change any of it as I love every minute! I just need to learn how to manage my time a little better so I can still feel as if I have time for "Me" if there is such thing when you are a busy working mother of three!! I so love my crazy life! <3

THRIVE Changed My Life!!

Hello Friends!

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If you are still unsure about taking the greatest step towards financial freedom in your life you can still help me achieve my goal by visiting my personal website and signing up free with NO OBLIGATION so that I can hit my personal goal of 30 website hits a day! You can do that for me RIGHT? Thrive by Le-vel has helped so many people in my life and I would love to help you help yourself or someone you love that suffers from the one or all of the illnesses below! Do you or someone you know suffer from high blood pressure, Diabetes 2, ADD, ADHD, faint of memory, or have problems focusing? Are you in chronic pain with little to no relief from pain medication? Do you suffer severely from joint pains, gout, arthritis, or even spinal pain? Are you tired of carrying around extra weight and don’t know how to rid yourself of it? Are you lacking the necessary energy to deal with your busy life? Kids? Are you sick of going to doctors just to get medication that only treats your symptoms but never get solved? What if I told you that by taking 2 capsules and a shake a day that is %100 all natural, gluten free, contains no GMO, loaded with probiotics, natural caffeine, plant extracts, raw minerals, vitamins and contain the worlds number one fat burner, Garcinia Cambogia, you could change your life. THRIVE…. THE 8-WEEK EXPERIENCE THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOREVER.

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Rise and Shine

Good early morning! It's 4:30 am and guess who is awake.....This girl! Can I get a whoooo! So as I am laying here listening to my Rock and my pug, Lulu have a contest to see who can suck the most paint off the wall I thought....why not post a random thought of the morning blog. The only issue is that it is so early and I have not had coffe so the random thought process is ....blank! My noodle is all over the place all the time I can seriously go from saying a prayer thanking God for how amazing he is to thinking about how bad someone's breath stank when they spoke to me yesterday! My thoughts will even go as far as to wondering how could they not know their breath smelled like a potty, do they not taste it, does it change how their food taste when they eat? Once I realize that I forgot I was praying I try to atleast go back complete the prayer, say thank you, and amen!

Welcome and About Me

Hey everyone welcome to my new crazy blog! There is no telling what you may read here! Melissa with "Melissa Say What" said this would be a great way for me to vent, and reach out to people who need to meet me! :) I am a mother to three children ages 16, 12, and 9. I work fulltime for a job thatat times I wish I did not have to work! Yes I pray daily to win the lotto but I do not play!! :) I have a wonderful fiancé who is my soulmate, bestfriend, and partner in crime!! I have 2 dogs, a cat that is old and honestly needs to go to kitty heaven ( said nicely to all the kitty loves), a guinea pig and a fish. I am a Christian, I pray, I praise, and I love me some good Christian LOVE! I am a daughter, a twin, a sister, and soo much more. As if I do not already have enough on my plate I also have 2 of my own businesses well kinda hehe! I am a Thirty One Gifts crazy bag lady and a Le-Vel Thrive-ing sales representative as well! I am passionate about fashion and helping people physically and mentally! I do not spell well, I am not good a punctuations so if you are going to proof read this may not be the blog page for you!:) So in a tiny nutshell that is me I do hope you enjoy my occasional rants and whatever else I share! :)