{Shabby Apple favorites & discount!}

Shabby Apple has some really great new pieces out for fall. 

Here are a few of my favorites from their Zoology Collection...

Anamalia Dress

Darwin Skirt

 Enter code FAVORITE10 today and receive 10% off of your order!

{The Curiosity Shoppe at Target}

There is probably a very good reason that the closest Target store to us is a 30 minute drive.

Actually more than a few good reasons...especially since I discovered their new Curiosity Shoppe line. So quirky and super affordable. Love!

Pillow - $10

Chalkboard - $15

Salad Servers - $15

Melaboo Dinner Plates - set of 4 - $12

Acrylic Tumblers - set of 4 - $8

Service Bell - $10

Considering that last one for my boys ;)

And $10 for that adorable arrow pillow? Crazy. I'm having a hard time keeping that one out of my online shopping cart.

Have you checked out the Curiosity Shoppe at Target? What are your favorite items?

{the best part of life}

Sometimes when my mind is heavy with things I can't figure out, 

or explain, 

or find a solution for...

It helps to focus on the little things that bring me joy.

Signs of fall on our back patio...

A cool breeze through the open car window on my way to work...

A sweet vanilla-laced latte to start my morning...

 These little things are God's relief for a troubled and tired heart.

Peace I leave with you, 

my peace I give unto you: 

not as the world giveth, 

give I unto you. 

Let not your heart be troubled, 

neither let it be afraid.

-John 14:27

What are some of the simple joys that help to soothe your tired soul?

 

{a shift}

When the boys were born, I had a few weeks {or I should probably say months} when I thought quite often, What did I get myself into?

It was so emotionally hard adjusting to parenthood. 

It was hard on ME.

And over the past few weeks, since the boys have started school, I've been having that same thought.

What did I get myself into?

But this time, it is because I'm watching through their eyes, how they are adjusting to becoming people of this world. Seeing the world outside of our four walls, without the safety net of Mom and Dad.

I'm seeing in Landon's teary eyes the anxiety over going to school. That helpless look in his eyes that I know ALL too well when he walks into that room full of children laughing and playing, and he doesn't know how to find his place in it all. 

It brings back the same anxiety I had in junior high when I would sit and cry in the principal's office, asking to go home, because the thought of being in that room of thirty 13 year olds was just too much for me to handle. 

And now I see that same fearful look in my four year old's eyes. 

The anxiety has shifted.

And I can't help but think "What did I get myself into?" 

How do I bear both the load of not only my own anxiety, but now more importantly of my son's as well?

How do I clear the fear from my eyes so that when he looks into them he knows that everything is going to be OK?

It is unexplainably difficult at times. 

The troubles of my heart are enlarged; 

bring me out of my distresses. 

Look upon my affliction and my trouble ... 

Guard my soul and deliver me ... 

for I take refuge in Thee.

-Psalm 25: 17-18, 20

This scripture has helped to calm my heart a bit, but I still feel an overwhelming anxiety today. How do you calm your heart when you are feeling unsettled?

 

{Please REVIVE our kitchen!}

Have I ever mentioned to you all how much I dislike our kitchen?

Oh yeah...that's probably because I hardly EVER TALK about our kitchen.

Not since we moved in and replaced the nasty carpet with laminate. Yes...our kitchen had CARPET.

Proof:

And its current state:

This post shows the progress we've made in the room so far.

And here is a before shot looking into our dining room:

And a slightly more current one {we've since removed the brass fireplace screen}:

But other than that, we've been a total FAIL at making it a functional and fun place to be. And we're only in there, like 60% of our time.

No biggie.

Sooo when I saw that Mandi from Vintage Revivals was once again doing her Epic Room Makeover I got really, really excited...and started to daydream about a pretty new space...

Look at these sponsors! Who wouldn't wan to win this?!

Now before I go bashing our kitchen, and adjoining dining room, let me point out its endearing qualities:

• It is a HUGE room...like 500 square feet huge, which makes it the perfect space for tricycle races, tag, and nerf dart gun battles
• The dining room has a brick fireplace...who doesn't want a fireplace in their dining room?!
• The kitchen layout works well...it has that "work triangle" thing going on.
• I wish I had another one... but I'm all out. 

Here is a little video where I attempt to explain the space and how Mandi could work her magic on it...I think I say "ummm" about 50 times. *blush* But here it goes anyway...



So here are the things that we would love to improve about the space...

• Add color, color, color! Paint the trim and walls!
• Makeover the fireplace! Paint the brick, add a mantel, go crazy!
• Hide the AC unit....pleeeeeease!
• Makeover and fix our cabinets {or new ones? Is that even possible?!?!}
• Pretty, pretty please replace the painted tile backsplash *batting eyelashes*
• New sink and faucet???? Lowe's can do that, right? *batting eyelashes again*
• Lighting! We need more of it, badly.

It would be beyond exciting to have Mandi come to our home and makeover this space. It would quite honestly change our lives and how we live in our house. It would give us a space to enjoy spending time with our family, cooking delicious meals, and sitting around the dining room table creating memories.

Will you help us win?!  

YOU CAN VOTE FOR OUR KITCHEN HERE FROM SEPTEMBER 7-14th! {Ours is #115}

I have all of my fingers and toes crossed!!!

{the best part of life}

You make known to me the path of life; 

you will fill me with joy in your presence, 

with eternal pleasures at your right hand. 

 -Psalm 16:11

I've walked this path for many years. It is on the college campus where I work. It winds through a beautiful backdrop of old trees and criss-crossing sidewalks. Along the path, there is an large tree swing made out of weathered wood planks, freshly painted white adirondack chairs for students to sit and study, and squirrels scurrying around searching for their next meal.

I especially love walking through the shadows stenciled onto the pavement by the dancing leaves. 

The path I use to deliver mail or visit the bookstore, now has a whole new meaning. I walk along it, sometimes taking shortcuts through the grass to the next piece of concrete, until I get to the other side of campus, where my boys are attending preschool. 

I feel blessed to have them so close to me during the day. 

This vast plot of God's creation being the only thing that separates us.

And for the opportunity to slow down after a long work day,
to appreciate the beauty of nature,
and anticipate the treasures that are waiting for me at the end of my journey.

Eternal pleasures indeed.

 

{Nectresse Natural No Calorie Sweetener}

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of NECTRESSE™Sweetener for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

For those of you that know me, you know that I have a HUGE sweet tooth. So I was super excited when I was given the opportunity to try out NECTRESSE™Sweetener, a new all natural no calorie sweetener.



Nectresse is the only 100% natural sweetener made from fruit. They combined monk fruit extract with other natural sweeteners to provide the sweet taste of sugar without all the calories.

 It is 150 times sweeter than sugar and can be used in cooking and baking to add natural, low calorie sweetness to your favorite beverages and foods.

When my sample arrived, the first thing I tried it out in was my coffee...



I am an almost daily coffee drinker, and I have to add creamer and some sort of sweetener or I just can't bare to drink it. I like the Nectresse so much in my coffee that I have been converted...it is the perfect amount of sweetness and doesn't taste at all artificial.

Next, I used it in a fruit and yogurt smoothy for my boys. They love smoothies and we usually include some honey for added sweetness.



I don't have an exact recipe, but I usually include about a 1/2 cup of OJ, 1/2 cup of vanilla yogurt, a handful of frozen strawberries, and a banana. I used about 1/2 of a packet of Nectresse in the smoothy instead of the usual honey and it was the perfect amount of sweetness. The boys loved it!



There is a familiar celebrity face who also loves NECTRESSE™Sweetener, Lisa Ling! Lisa is the NECTRESSE™ Sweetener spokesperson. Due to a family history of diabetes she has always been cautious about her sugar intake and relied on no calorie sweeteners to satisfy her sweet tooth – but she hasn’t liked any as much as NECTRESSE™! Check out her video testimonial here:



Would you like to try out Nectresse? Head on over here: FREE sample of NECTRESSE™Sweetener to sign up for a free sample!

{necklace refashion}

You all, I'm obsessed with jewelry making now.

And not even my current jewelry collection is safe.

I've had an inexpensive turquoise beaded necklace from Forever 21 for a few years now. While I loved the color and the design, I wasn't in love with the length. It was super short. So the other day I had a light bulb moment and pulled out my jewelry making tools and a few simple findings and beads to turn it into a new piece that would be much more wearable. 

Here is the necklace before...

And a neck shot to give you a better idea of how short the necklace was...

First, I removed the chain with my jewelry making tools, and added a set of three white beads to either side...

and then finished it off with a new chain so the necklace would hang much longer...

I am in love with how it turned out...and I know it will be getting A LOT more wear time now than it ever had before.

Have your refashioned or re-purposed any of your jewelry? I would love to see your projects!

Linking up with...

{Eclectic & Colorful Laundry Room with World Market}

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ but all opinions are my own. 

Who wouldn't want to go on a World Market shopping spree?

I took a virtual shopping trip to decorate our laundry room and found some eclectic and colorful decor and accessories...

Aren't these fabric covered Venetian-print letters beautiful and fun? I love the idea of placing a whimsical word on the wall above our washer and dryer, and at $6.39 on sale each, they make super affordable wall art. 

1. Letter "S"
2. Letter "C"
3. Letter "R"
4. Letter "U"
5. Letter "B"

To give the room function and comfort, I picked out a colorful group of decor and accessories to coordinate with the bold colors in the letters...

1. Aqua Floor Tile Indoor/Outdoor Rug
2. Yellow Punched Metal Pendant
3. Ryan Wall Storage Unit
4. Spinach Green Madison Baskets
5. Industrial Metal Shelf

The rug is a classic pattern, but I love how the turquoise gives it a modern twist. The pendant light and baskets bring in bold pops of color. And I can imagine getting a lot of organizational use out of the wire wall organizer and the industrial bookcase.

It was so much fun putting together this space, and World Market has something else fun in store for you!  Head on over to their Facebook page to enter to win their Gourmet Getaway Sweepstakes!

*Grand Prize package includes:

• A trip for two to to Santa Fe, New Mexico (this is a 5 day Trip for 2 to Santa Fe which includes airfare and hotel)
• Hands on Southwestern Cooking class with Master Chef
• Personally signed glossy cookbook
• Multi-course dinner at the acclaimed Geronimo
• Southwestern Foodie Tour with a cultural kick
• A $1,000 World Market gift card 

** There will also be 3 runner up prize winners that will each receive a $500 World Market gift card! 

**The Gourmet Getaway Sweepstakes runs from August 18, 2012 until September 21, 2012. 

**If you share the sweepstakes with 5 of your friends (via FB share or email) you can receive 5 additional bonus entries. This is part of the registration process when entering. Users can also enter daily for more chances to win.

Visit World Market online!

WEBSITE
TWITTER
FACEBOOK
GOOGLE+
PINTEREST

Do you shop at World Market? Have you decorated a room in your home with their fun and eclectic accessories? I would love to hear about it!

Linking up with...