goodbye .. hello

in light of it being new year's eve i would like to take the time to give a little wave goodbye to 2012 and a welcome! come on in to 2013 ..

first i put together a mash up of all of the outfits i featured on the blog in 2012 .. it is pretty fun to look at these pictures all together ..

it is hard to believe that 2012 actually existed before a couple of months ago. a lot has happened these last few months!! since october .. my heart has been broken more times than i could have handled in a lifetime.. i have cried an innumerable amount of tears .. i have prayed my little heart out .. i have experienced anxiety like i did when i first started having my panic attacks .. i have learned to fear hope .. hope is no good because then you are vulnerable to a sucker punch straight to the heart .. these final months of 2012 have been hard to say the very least. i am not sad to leave them behind but i will say it's not all bad.

i have grown closer to RT. i have learned to lean on him and trust him and run to him even more than i did before. i have experienced more of his emotional side .. RT is pretty closed off when it comes to emotions but he has shown me that he can seriously open up and be vulnerable right along with me .. i don't think he will ever know just how special that is to me .. i feel like if i have RT by my side we can get through anything .. we are about to find out that's for sure :)

i have grown stronger in my Christian faith. in this post a while back i talked about how hard it is for me to pray during the hard times but i have had to get over that hurdle and talk to GOD .. HE is our strength and we can't get through anything without HIM .. so i pray

and really the first .. oh i don't know .. NINE months of 2012 were not too shabby :)

i have the most awesome family and friends on the planet earth

i have a job that i love and enjoy every single day

i have food and shelter 

i have love and laughter

the world did not in fact end on 12.21.12

i am one lucky little chiquita so to complain seems a teeny bit loser-ish

never the less i am excited for what 2013 will bring!!

i won't lie .. i worry about what is to come but i trust that everything we experience is for a reason and i am trying to be confident that 2013 will bring good things :)

so to you 2012 .. peace out see ya later so long farewell!!

and to you 2013 .. welcome {and be nice} :)

happy new year all you awesome readers!!

instalove

just a few instagrams from the past few weeks ..

my sister and her husband spent a few days in new orleans a couple weekends ago celebrating their ten year anniversary so my parents and i tag-teamed the babysitting deal .. it was so much fun!! on sunday after church i took the kids home and put the twins down for a nap .. while they were napping the two biggins and i decorated gingerbread men .. awesomeness!!

by the time the twins woke up uncle RT had arrived and proceeded to have nerf wars with the kids while i made dinner .. notice that little spencer was legit climbing the walls haha

happy engagement katie and chance!! i could not be more excited for you guys and i thought the party was SO much fun!!

oh so sleepy puppy <3

sunday i spent the day cooking/prepping all of the food for christmas lunch with my mom and my sister .. i cherish that quality time together so very much .. love!!

yeehaw!!

i took this picture on my way home from barre this morning .. the snow is still holding on strong and i couldn't be happier about it

happy thursday!!

christmas elf

here is something interesting .. it is currently 12:07am and i am still awake! i never ever ever stay up this late! i am a morning person all the way to my core and .. well .. i guess you just can't be both

but you see i am a busy little Christmas elf :) i have been working on cinnamon rolls for family and friends. they are INCREDIBLE but a little bit of a labor of love. i use this recipe from the pioneer woman and you should make them and eat them ASAP because they are one of the closest things to heaven on earth you might ever experience {FACT: along with being a morning person i am also a shameless food lover :)}

i have also been working on decorations for my friend katie's engagement shower that my friends and i are throwing for her and her fiance on friday night. i am so excited for them and we have been working hard trying to make sure that everything is perfect and presentable :)

and ... stockings! my mom, sister and i make beaded stockings modeled after the ones my great grandmother made for us for all of the new addition family members. i finished sewing all of the beaded pieces onto to spencer and tommy's today. all that's left on those is sewing in the lining .. woohoo!

throw in a regular work week and extra appointments with all kinds of people who are involved in the total remodel of my life in general and you get me .. struggling to keep my eyes open but powering through because there is still much to be done .. i am off for more work :)

happy .. hmmm .. well technically it's thursday i guess {ha!}

top: h&m

skirt: parker

tights: anthropologie

shoes: gianni bini

parentals

today marks 35 years that my parents have been married. the above picture was actually taken at my wedding but i think it perfectly portrays how they are thirty five years later .. even more in love

it is so special to me that my mom and dad have stayed together. they have loved each other enough to make it work. there is no way that every second of the last 35 years has been easy and wonderful but they have kept their promise and stuck by each other in good times and in bad

this has always been important to me but now that i am grown and in the beginning stages of my own marriage it is the most special thing my parents have ever done for me. they modelled a healthy strong loving marriage. a relationship that .. in my opinion .. could conquer anything

so here is to you mom and dad!!

congratulations!!
and thank you .. from the bottom of my heart .. thank you for not only loving each other but also liking each other!!
i am so excited to celebrate with y'all tonight :)

happy monday!!

sandy hook elementary school shooting

photo from ctpost.com

here is a link to the new york times story of the connecticut elementary school shootings ..

i can't not blog about this tragedy today. there are no words good enough to use in a situation this horrific but i have to none the less

i imagine the families of the children who attend sandy hook elementary school. in my mind .. this morning those children woke up and got ready for school just like every other morning. i imagine their moms coming into their rooms and stroking their hair while whispering sweet words to wake up their little babies. i picture the children climbing out of bed, yawning and rubbing their eyes while padding, pajama clad, into their bathrooms to brush their teeth. their moms soon rushing back into their rooms to hurry them along .. it's almost time to leave for school and you haven't eaten breakfast yet. hurry and get dressed. your breakfast will be ready in a couple of minutes. i imagine these kids sat down at their dining room tables and ate breakfast in the company of their parents and siblings before heading out the door to start another day of school. excited for the impending christmas break

a morning

just like any other

for some of the families this was not at all how things went this morning but none the less it was probably business as usual getting everyone up and going for another normal friday

and then .. in the blink of an eye .. tragedy strikes 

everything changes

life will never be the same

there are simply no words

nothing i can say here is worthy of the sadness that these precious families are having to endure

and will continue to endure

forever

my heart breaks for the people who were affected

it sickens me to think that there are people in our world who are capable of this kind of evil

27 people dead .. 20 children

complete sadness today

my prayers are lifted and i pray that the people of newtown, connecticut will feel the warm arms of the LORD wrapped round them in consolation

twelve things

 

1.. today is 12.12.12

2.. i only have one Christmas gift left to buy. this is awesomeness!! RT and i both have really big families so being finished two weeks before Christmas all but makes me want to jump up and down and do a happy cheer

3.. i happen to know a happy cheer .. RT taught it to me .. i'm not kidding :)

4.. i am still waiting for a year when i don't completely adore these boots but so far it's not happening. i am still completely obsessed

5.. we have finally had a few cooler days here in TX. up until now we have still been in the upper seventies and lower eighties {bleck!!}

6.. my sister and her husband are going away for the weekend to celebrate their ten year wedding anniversary and my parents are keeping all four kids .. i get to help :)!! i LOVE this!!

7.. RT and i got some lattes and drove around looking at Christmas lights a couple of nights ago. i am like a kid when we do this. all full of ooooos and aaahhhhs

8.. we are STILL waiting on the bid for our possible remodel {i am too impatient for this ha!}

9.. it is wednesday

10.. the show rizzoli and isles is back on for their fall season and i am really excited about that

11.. the fourth season of sons of anarchy is FINALLY on netflix and i am really excited about that too

12.. my car has carbon build up in some kind of car valve and therefore has been in the shop for a week. i am in a loaner. at least i like it :)

 

happy twelve/twelve/twelve!!

 

top: target

jacket: rory beca

pants: joe's jeans

boots: just plain amazing

choices

confession .. i am HORRIBLE at making decisions!!

we are talking hard core indecisive here people

i have a hard time deciding what to make for dinner

what movie to see

what to order at a restaurant

anything

simple things

it's horrible

and big decisions are even worse!!

i get terrified that i will make the wrong choice ..

i don't know why this freaks me out so bad. i mean if it turns out bad i will know for next time right?? RIGHT?! well my brain just can't seem to go there

so .. right now RT and i are trying to decide if we want to buy a new house or remodel/add on to the house we live in. this is HUGE!! you see we completely love love love where we live. the street is quaint and quiet and we are close to just about everything. the neighbors are all great and it would be basically impossible to find a better location. but .. the house is itty bitty teeny tiny and the lot is just the right size for the house so adding on is a little bit sketchy

what to do?!?

right now we are leaning toward adding on .. we feel like the yard wouldn't be too small if we were modest with the add on and we could upgrade the existing structure and have the best of both worlds .. a house we could stay in at least semi-long-term in a location we are obsessed with

ask me again in a week

you never know

i might have changed my mind {ha!}

 

happy monday!!

 

 

top: joie

shorts: free people

tights: anthropologie

shoes: a gift from RT :)

jamaroos

ok everyone .. this is VERY exciting!! if you own an iPad you need to download the jamaroos app.

you should do it now before you read any further

i'm serious! you are going to love it trust me :)

so here is the skinny on this thing .. my mom owns a pre-school and she wrote the curriculum that is used at the school. to teach the alphabet and reading .. there is a "jungle friend" that represents each letter. 26 friends in total. each jungle friend has their own story but each story involves many of the other characters as well

yesterday the jamaroos jungle friends app launched for the iPad and will soon be available for the iPhone as well. right now there is one book that has been released .. zap and the no fly zone .. and i spent over an hour last night discovering all there is to do within the story

here is what their facebook page has to say about it:

"The flies are driving Zap Zebra crazy. Follow Zap as he visits some of the Jamaroos Jungle animals to get advice on how to get rid of them. Play along with the buggy flies and meet some of the jungle friends.Young readers will love the interactive surprises on each page. 

Tap-happy touch interactive elements animate and spring to life with fun sound effects. 

Book personalization so you can add your child's name.

Read or follow along with spoken narration. Or, record your own voice for each page and listen to your own narration.

On screen text lets you read along. 

Every time you touch the characters name on the page, their alphabet letter is reinforced by a sound effect and giant visual.

22 pages of whimsical music, animation, sound and illustrations.

The Jamaroos Jungle is home to 26 animal friends, one for each letter in the alphabet. Each Jamaroos character will be released as an interactive book. This is the first installment in the alphabet series, beginning with the letter Z!"

you can visit and like their facebook page here

happy learning :)

and of course .. happy weekend!

fish tacos

last night i made fish tacos for dinner and they were pretty yummy so i thought you all might like to make them :)

first .. slice up one small onion .. seed and dice one jalapeno .. and saute them until they are all soft and golden and happy

blurry!!!

meanwhile .. in a small bowl .. mix together a couple of tablespoons of rough chopped cilantro ..

.. the juice of one lime ..

.. and 1/4 cup light sour cream

mix it all up

add the sauteed veggies

and mix it all up again 

onto the fish .. in a different and even smaller bowl {just kidding! the size of the bowl doesn't actually matter ha!} .. mix together 1.5 teaspoons paprika .. 1.5 teaspoons brown sugar .. 1 teaspoon cumin .. 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder .. and some salt and pepper .. lay your fish fillets {i used tilapia but you can use whatever fish you want} out on a cutting board and cover them generously on both sides with the dry rub you just mixed up 

put the fillets in a non stick skillet heated to medium heat with 1 tablespoon olive oil and cook them for 3-4 minutes on each side depending on thickness of fish

take them out and give it all a rough chop

slice up some fresh avocado

then .. assemble! 

lay out your corn tortillas .. put some of the onion mixture on the bottom {bottom of plate} top it with a good portion of fish {middle of plate} and top them off with a few avocado slices {top of plate}

eat and enjoy!!

happy wednesday!!

a glimpse of light

via

i am a talker. if you actually know me the simplicity of that statement might make you laugh. to say i'm a talker is an understatement of major proportions. going right along with that .. i am also a writer. i journal quite a bit. just getting my thoughts and feelings out. it is kinda like therapy .. i just pour out my words on paper/computer as a way of moving forward from wherever i am

on this blog .. i only talk about some things and normally it is not religion or my beliefs. that is not because i am ashamed of my faith but because .. in general .. my blog is a very breezy space that I use to show my creativity and love for fashion .. but sometimes {as you may already know if you are a regular reader} i force myself to be honest and dig down to show my true emotions {you might want to get used to this kind of post for a while :)}

today is a little bit like that except i don't have to dig down .. these are the only words i have. it is this or nothing :)

as a christian, i find myself in a fairly consistent state of prayer. i have worked hard at conditioning myself to pray as many times throughout the day as i can. constantly acknowledging my LORD's blessings

always
for everything
all day long
every single day

i am aware that everything i enjoy and experience is a gift from my heavenly FATHER. that includes the hard stuff. the moments of sadness and confusion and heart brokenness. but what i have found is that .. for me .. it is hard to pray during those times

the dark times

however, not everyone feels this way. some people i have talked to find it easier to pray during times of need

in light of this .. let me explain my reasoning ..

i know that GOD planned for me way before i was ever born. HE knew every detail of my life from beginning to end before my parents even considered getting pregnant with me. i fully trust HIM and HIS plan. i want to follow the LORD's plan as accurately as possible without straying. i trust that every situation i find myself in .. whether happy or sad .. has a very specific purpose. i am meant to experience these things
nothing is by chance

so .. during the dark times .. i find myself at a loss for words

what i want is to scream

and cry

and beg for relief and understanding

what i want is for GOD to protect me from hurt and sadness

what i feel .. if i am really being honest .. is betrayal

my FATHER loves so unconditionally

so passionately

so how could HE ever lead me into the darkness??

knowing how troubling it would be

knowing how hurt i would feel

what i want it to be enraged

to spit words of anger about how

i would never let someone i love go through something like this if i could help it

so how could HE??

but i can't
i can't because i trust
i trust that GOD leads me through life with purpose
no mistakes .. nothing is by chance

so what do i pray for?
courage?
strength?
faith?
because relief isn't really an option ..
i'm meant to experience this pain .. for some reason that is still unknown to me
nothing is by chance

anger is a defense mechanism
GOD understands it but that doesn't make it ok
anger becomes a wedge between me and the LORD
so .. anger is out

instead .. i find myself in a state of silence. not being able to find the words
not the right words
or even just acceptable words
i have none

no outlet of communication

just faith

the mindset to weather the storm

eventually the skies will clear .. just ask noah

no mistakes

nothing is by chance

eventually .. the light will pour down

in the midst of the darkness

just when you think you can't go on anymore

HE is there

always

"in order to keep us from becoming too attached to earth ..

GOD allows us to feel a significant amount of discontent and dissatisfaction in life ..

longings that will never be fulfilled on this side of eternity

we're not completely happy here

because we're not supposed to be

earth is not our final home

we were created for something much better"

- rick warren: the purpose driven life -

" when life gets tough

when you're overwhelmed with doubt

or when you wonder if living for CHRIST is worth the effort

remember that you are not home yet

at death you won't leave home

you'll go home"

- rick warren: the purpose driven life -

the magical world

as you probably already know .. my family and i just got back from a week long disney cruise. there were 37 of us total and it was such a blast! getting to spend so much time together as a family was really special for everyone of us and it was even better that it was disney. there were 13 kids the oldest of which is 8 and so disney really was the perfect choice. it was entertaining for every age group

 

so here is the run down ..

we got on the boat on saturday .. were at sea all day sunday and monday .. stopped in st. thomas tuesday .. stopped in san juan wednesday .. were at sea thursday .. stopped at disney's private island "castaway cay" on friday .. and got back off the boat saturday

 

there was a ton of stuff to do on the boat. there were several pools and slides and water rides for the kids to play on/in. there was a different musical theater show everyday. all of the different disney characters were making appearances throughout the day everyday so that you could get their autograph and have your picture made. there was a movie theater playing several different movies currently in theaters. there were pools for adults only, several restaurants and a few fun bars. there was even a magical place called the bippity boppity boutique where the little girls could go and have their hair, makeup and nails done and some of the synthetic hairdos our girlies acquired were nothing short of spectacular :) the staff was amazing and the boat was really nice

 

the port that was best for the entire group was castaway cay. the beach there was really pretty and clean and they have built the whole place up with tons and tons and tons of things to do. we played on the beach and made sand castles. played in the water collecting sea shells and floating on tubes and rode the water slides. we took a jaunt on the water tricycles and personal catamarans and sailboats. we stayed on the beach all day long and it was really a lot of fun

the other ports were really nice too but were way more suited for adults rather than children

 

these are memories that i know we will all treasure forever! what a special trip it was :)

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

happy wednesday!!