Blogs by Aria

I'm Back--Kinda!!

2016-12-30T21:49:00.001-05:00

Hey friends!!!

I just wanted to come and do a super quick post to say that I'm back!! I have my laptop back up and running and I'm excited to get back to my first love!!

However, I am going to move my blog to Wordpress and have my own domain. I think this New Year weekend would be a perfect opportunity to get that done! I'm nervous and hope I don't mess up anything but stay tuned, because I think I can do it :-)

Happy New Year!!!

Back to School Shopping

2016-08-19T06:17:00.000-04:00

It’s that time of year again…summer is winding down and back to school is approaching. This year my kiddos don’t go to school until the last week of August. I don’t think it’s ever been this late before, but I’m not complaining. All of their school supplies are packed and ready for Open House Night and their school ~~clothes~~ uniforms are being shipped.

Because my kids wear school uniforms they show their personality with their shoes and bookbags. We recently went to get them started with school shoes at Foot Locker. I don’t find it necessary to buy all of their shoes at once. I decided to pace myself and get them some more in a month or so. Jordan’s birthday and Christmas will be here soon and they always get shoes at Christmas. We took the kids to pick out what they wanted, which I’m glad because Bri doesn’t like what I like and vice versa. So she got these cute pink/blueAir Jordan hightops. They were on sale (my favorite) and I like them.

Me and Bri went off to get her fitted and wait for the SA (sales associate) to bring us the ones for her to try on and left Jordan and DH to fend for themselves. I came back to them and they found these blue shoes that they both loved. I’m very plain Jane when it comes to sneakers, think Air Force Ones and that’s me. I didn’t even let them convince me how cool these shoes were I just let them do their male thing. Of course they weren’t on sale. Of course they were more than I’d spend on my sneakers. But they made my main man smile so at this point, what difference does it make? They are the Nike Kyrie 2. Whatevs. I’m just glad he found a pair of shoes he likes.

We’re still looking for a bookbag that Jordan likes but we found one Bri likes at JcPenney. I like getting her bookbags from there. I usually get them on a great sale and cute design but with extra padding than I would find at say Walmart for example. She picked this one, not me, she said “I’m going to middle school I have to step up my style”. Insert eye roll here. It’s cute and has enough pockets and padding and was $21 after sales and coupons.

While we were in the mall she wanted to stop at Justice. She is a tween after all. So I walked in with her while the guys waited patiently outside the store. I was drawn to all the cute shoes. And I knew I would either be back or online soon to order her some. So looks like I need to sign up for their emails since that’s someplace she likes a lot. It’s cool though because I found a lot of great gift ideas for Christmas : )

My Sweet Spot | Carolina Beach

2016-08-14T19:55:00.001-04:00

It’s the morning of our last full day at the beach. It’s my favorite place to be. Nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina…beach that is! I guess everyone has their favorite beach. For me it’s here at Carolina Beach. I think it’s the perfect combination of beautiful beach, laid back atmosphere and kid friendly. If you’re looking for a party every night and the club atmosphere this place is not for you. If you’re looking for not too many crowds then I say hey welcome to my haven!!

you can't tell from here but these waves got big enough to surf on

I brought my laptop to attempt to break out of the blog slump but it’s not until the end that I am even the slightest bit inspired. I guess I should’ve said before that if you want to see the highlights it would’ve been on my Snapchat (only1aria). Yes there, not Instagram or Facebook and certainly not here. I love my blog but quite frankly, as you can see I haven’t been here much. This week was my week to forget about work…that thing that keeps me away from my blog. When I get off work the last thing I want to do is open up my laptop and do anything. Not shop, not browse, not anything. That’s how stressful my job is and how draining. I don’t even want to go there, I am on vacation after all.

What I love about Carolina Beach is that it’s the place where I can just unwind. I can wake up in the morning, have my coffee and then go to the beach or the pool. Over and over again. I wouldn’t change it for anything.

love the beach and the clouds #heaven

I’d say we’re pretty spoiled because we’re usually beachfront. But this time we weren’t even planning a beach vacay. We decided last minute to stretch a few days into a week and I’m certainly glad we did. This time we were ocean view and we had a nice unit but it was three stories up and a good walk to the beach and pool. I love love love the beach, but I spent more time at the pool because that’s where the kids wanted to be, but also because the waves were assaulting! I got knocked down a few times and I was like, I’ve had enough! To the pool we go!

My sand man, Bri didn't take many pics she was too busy in the water

On the way home we stopped by Wings on the way out of Carolina Beach. Good thing we did because it was their end of season sale and everything was half off!! So if you live in one of the beachtowns where they’re located I’d say to hop to it and get the good stuff for great deals. I got a cute Carolina Beach bag and my coveted CB car magnet. I’ve always wanted one but I’ve seen them for closer to $10 that the $2 I got it for. All is well!!!

Jordan took a walk with me on the beach one evening.

I love to tan!! My nose is already peeling...

I could stay at Carolina Beach all summer and would be so happy!!! On my life goals list is to own a beach house, nowhere else but here, where my heart smiles : )

Jordan before his tan and with these goggles we got from Wings when we first got to the beach.

On the boardwalk shops is a great place for donuts called Britts Donuts, sooo good we had them two days in a row!

Every Thursday night they have fireworks, you can see them from the boardwalk/carnival area or get a perfect spot on the beach like we did.

Pillow Talk

2016-07-21T19:29:00.001-04:00

I love a good quote or a good saying. I am that person who would have all these sayings on the wall, like all over the place and you’d be like, I think this is a bit overboard. Oh well. I especially like positive phrases. I feel like in a world full of so much that isn’t positive, I will take all that I can get. I love a good pillow. And I love a pretty pillow. I was in Kohl’s the other day and fell in love with all of these pillows. I decided to snap a few to share on my blog. Lord knows I’m trying to declutter and not buy things I don’t currently need, like pillows.

These are in no particular order, and this post is not sponsored by Kohl’s. I just wanted to share what I liked and if you like them, you can go out and buy them! I looked for links so if I was able to find it online I shared the link. See how that works? Haha! Let’s get started.

It’s hard to say I have a favorite but I think this Be Happy pillow the most! It reminds you to get your thoughts and mood in a happy place!

Some others are this cute “there are so manybeautiful reasons to be happy” pillow. Reminds you to be grateful and stop and smell the roses, or in my case, look at the clouds : )

This “Enjoy Today” pillow is cute for fall. Perfect around Thanksgiving time. I think it’s so easy to get caught up in the past and the future and sometimes you just need to enjoy where you are right now in your journey.

I love this “I love you to the moon and back” pillow. It’s always been a great saying me and my kids love. I used to read that book to my babies all of the time.

“Always believe that something wonderful isgoing to happen”. Love this so much because that is something I say to myself all of the time…except I say it like this: something good is going to happen in my life today. Either way works. You have to train your mind to dwell on the good things to attract good things to you. I’m a work in progress : )

I am that person who loves the wall art that are house rules. They’re always so cute! And practical.

Since I saw so many cute pillows I couldn’t leave out those that didn’t have quotes. Is there such thing as too many pillows? That’s debatable. While I’m figuring that out let me show you these pillows that add a little something something.

I’m a tad obsessed with two main patterns that are popular now…chevron and trellis. This trellis pillow is super cute!!

This tapestry pillow is cute too, probably doesn’t match much but I like it!

I like basic shirts that have a little bit of detail that sets it apart from the rest. That’s the same way I feel about this cute pillow with the ribbon belt! At least that’s what I call it!

This cute button pillow would fall in the same category. It adds a little pizazz to an otherwise basic pillow.

I saw this basket weave pillow and knew it would be great in a bedroom. It’s sooo comfortable!!

This last pillow I’m sharing caught my eye but my daughter fell in love with it. Clearly it’s for décor and not comfort. It’s fit for a princess if I do say so myself!

Again I love pillows and I hope you saw some you liked too! Someday soon I will have my own home and you can call me out on my pillow problem! But I think that’s not a bad problem to have!! Thanks for stopping by and reading! I appreciate my readers for sticking with me even when I don’t post as often as I’d like. Truly makes my heart smile!!

Parade of Homes | Part 3 | Craftsman Style

2016-06-13T09:20:00.000-04:00

I am finally able to share Part 3 of this Parade of Homes Series. I’ve had my pictures for this post edited since I posted my last post in this series, but haven’t had the time to post nor did I have a title. I didn’t want to name this post after the neighborhood it’s in as I was intending, because some of these pictures belong to a home that was pending sale. So just in case it’s been sold I don’t want to put the insides of their home on blast by telling you where it is, if that makes sense.

This neighborhood I have loved since I first saw it a couple of years ago. I love craftsman style homes and I love all the colorful homes in the neighborhood. It’s pretty to look at. I personally think the neighborhood is overpriced and they tend to have houses that sit on the market for a long time and I’ve always seen price drops after such a long time. I used to want to live in the neighborhood but now I have other plans. I looked at two houses in this subdivision that we’ll focus on today.

Anyway, on to the inspiration shall we?

I wanted to take a picture of this house because it’s green. It’s not a color I would gravitate towards, yet it’s appealing at the same time. Let’s just say if I was building I would choose different colors and I’m not a fan of a front facing garage yet in this neighborhood I give it a pass.

Let’s take a look inside…

Don’t mind my shoes, I’m just making myself at home… just kidding. In many of these houses they prefer you to take your shoes off and for some reason when we entered the house everybody had their shoes inside and not on the porch. I waited till everyone was gone to snap the pictures I got. But anyway, I like this entryway. I like that the stairs are off to the side. I really don’t like when you walk into a house and you’re greeted by stairs.

In this picture I am standing in the formal dining room to get a good picture of the entryway. I love the size of the room and I love the molding and wainscoting. I also love the hardwood floors. And I love the view of the stairs!

While we’re discussing stairs let me say how much I love this molding detail. It just adds that something special.

And this light fixture you see as your‘re climbing the stairs… love.

I love these built-ins in the living room but I am not a fan of the small windows. It wouldn’t have been too much to make the windows a bit larger in my opinion. The wall space above them is unusable to me, and I do like the windows to the right but they shortchanged these windows if you were to ask me, and I’ll assume that you are!

This kitchen is from the same house…I love the light fixture again, and the kitchen is nice but it feels as if something is missing. Maybe counter space…again for this price point the kitchen should be bigger.

I like this little eat-in nook space, space is an overstatement though, it looks like it would be quite tight when you add a table and chairs. Seems like it would only hold a bistro table set.

This kitchen is configured a little differently. What you can’t see is that there are some cabinets and a fridge behind this wall on the right. Still seems too small for me.

I didn’t get nearly as many pictures as I would have liked but next are some master closet pictures. I liked all of the closet spaces in both houses, they are very similar so I just grouped them all together here:

To me, there is nothing worse than buying a new house and it comes with those plastic wire hanging rods. This is what a closet should look like.

Lastly in this home I got a picture of the bathtub in the master bathroom. I thought it was interesting although it’s not the tub I would prefer, or rather it’s not how I would design my tub area. I don’t like standalone bathtubs. I’d prefer it to be encased but the tub itself I like.

And these other pictures from the bathroom in the second home. The shower and bathtub are much more my taste.

I hope you enjoyed this Parade of HomesSeries. I think that I will do them every year now. I like Parade of Homes because I like to see what’s new in home and interior design. I like to get inspired! If you haven’t already seen them, be sure to check out Part 1 and Part 2 in this series. I mentioned in the first post that I wasn’t sure if other areas had this Parade of Homes setup and it turns out a lot of them do! I found this great feed on Instagram called ParadeCraze. You should check them out if you like posts like this! Thanks for stopping by!

Birthday/Father’s Day Gift Guide

2016-06-11T17:20:00.001-04:00

My husband’s birthday is this weekend and Father’s Day is next weekend. In a perfect world my honey would get an overload of gifts…but that’s not our current reality. I decided to make a gift guide for the men in your life, well my life. I have curated a selection of fine gifts that my man would enjoy and you may find some inspiration for the man in yours.

Let’s get started…

These aren’t numbered in any particular order…

XBOX ONE Elite - He already has a 360 but he’s been wanting the XBOX ONE for a while now. Might as well go with the one with the higher storage capacity.

2. ClarisonicAlpha Fit Sonic Cleansing System for men – basically a clarisonic for men and I think he would like it.

3. BeatsStudio Over the Ear Wireless Headphones – wow that’s a mouthful! He has a pair already but they’ve been through some thangs, so he needs another pair. I won’t lie, I like the headphones myself, I wouldn’t mind a pair of on the ear wireless headphones : )

4. LouisVuitton Keepall 55 Bandouliére in Damier Ebene canvas – another mouthful. Okay so if you don’t already know, let me inform you…I am obsessed with Louis Vuitton. I want bags, slgs (small leather goods) and luggage. This is the bag I will get for my husband one day for when we are going on weekend trips or short trips. I want the same bag but in monogram print canvas and this one will be for him. : )

5. Louis Vuitton Multiple Wallet in DamierGraphite Canvas – yes another LV item…but I figured if anything, he would need a Louis Vuitton wallet. Well, perhaps not need, that’s an overstatement.

6. Kiehl’sMen’s Starter Kit – I like this set and it’s perfect for when we travel and I like to give gifts like these so that he can try the products and see how he likes them.

And a few more…

1.

1. Burberry Check Stamped Bracelet watch – I just love a good watch on a man. It’s very attractive. And for me, a watch is for me what shoes are to others…yes I want you to have nice shoes, it says a lot about oneself, and so do watches. This watch is by no means inexpensive, but it’s worth the investment in my opinion.

2. Thisguy is one awesome dad Mug – this is for the times when he wants to just have a small cup of coffee. When he goes to work he uses a large coffee mug but I think this is too cute to pass up!

3. FitbitAlta – I currently have a Fitbit Flex and I will upgrade soon to the Fitbit Charge HR but ever since I got my Fitbit Flex my husband has wanted one for himself. Not so much for his activity but for his sleep. I think this one would be good for him because it’s sleek.

That’s all for my roundup of gifts for my sweets. He deserves all of these and more. Now what my hunny loves the most are shoes and hats and clothes and when I can I will build him his dream closet. I showed him Dwayne Wade’s shoe closet/kingdom that I saw on Snapchat. Something like this…

DJ Khaled's Shoe Closet

One day it will happen…for now he’ll enjoy his birthday and Father’s Day!

Parade of Homes | Part 2 | Townhomes

2016-05-25T08:34:00.000-04:00

Thanks for joining me for round two of my little Parade of Homes series. If you haven’t read Part 1 you can click here to check it out. Today’s post is going to share some area townhomes that I have looked at for years and are more realistic for me when looking for houses. I’ve decided on the one that we would get if we did go the townhouse route. But for now, I’m sharing some of the great townhomes in the neighborhood that we would move to. What I like when I do look at these townhomes, or any of the homes on the Parade of Homes tour, is that sometimes they’ll open up several homes that are for sale, but not on the Parade of Homes tour, for you to look at. And that’s what happened with the townhomes.

Before we get to the townhomes, I wanted to share a couple of pics that I forgot to share in my last post. These are from a home/neighborhood that I really fell in love with. It wasn’t a neighborhood I paid much attention to before, but after seeing this home, yes I would totally live here. And they’re not overpriced in my opinion.

I loved this house but I only took these pics of the master bathroom. I liked that the sinks are separated and the master bathroom is huge. {Don’t mind my children who made a few cameos}

Now onto the townhomes…

When I’m looking for homes I am looking for square footage, great kitchen, storage space and great bathrooms. The following pictures are all from the top contender townhome for us. With a first home one has to make compromises. I am willing to compromise having a single family home for a townhome if it means more square footage. I am willing to not have as many windows, and I’m willing to have a large overbearing garage.

This kitchen is really great for us, has enough counter space, has enough cabinet space and I love the floors. It gives me a little backsplash action and it looks like it can fit a monster fridge, which is awesome.

One of the reasons I love this kitchen…I love a lazy Susan. Why she has to be lazy is beyond me, but she reminds me of my grandma Josephine and is a must have for me.

Across from the kitchen is the laundry room. I’m glad it has cabinets.

Here’s the living area in the townhome. I am not a fan of a corner fireplace but I do love the stone façade. I also like that it allows more space for windows on the other walls. This looks like it’s enough space for a sectional or a full sofa collection.

This master bathroom is amazing. Gives me everything we need. It doesn’t give a full water closet but is that really a necessity? Apparently not seeing as how I don’t have one now. But I do like that it has a partition.

Talk about storage space…this master closet tho.

This is a master bath/shower combination in another townhome. The tub is jetted.

This master bath also has a water closet enclosed with a pocket door. I love a pocket door.

Here’s one of the kitchens we saw. I love it. I’m really torn when it comes to light or dark kitchens. I used to be totally cherry cabinets but now I’m really open. As long as it’s not light oak cabinets I’m happy.

I am also loving this beautiful kitchen. But what I don’t love is that this is all it is. An island could be added but where I’m standing to take the picture is where a table would go and that’s the only dining space in the home. That takes it off the list.

That’s all for today’s post in the Parade of Home series. I hope you enjoyed it. And look forward to the final post in the series coming soon. Eventually once we do move the blog will start to turn in direction. I want to be more of a home/décor/organization/lifestyle blogger and add all of that on to what I share currently. Until next time friends!

Parade of Homes | Part 1

2016-05-22T15:44:00.000-04:00

I don’t know if every area has a Parade of Homes but here in Eastern North Carolina we do in my city. Parade of Homes is when the home builders association along with builders and realtors select a number of homes to be on display. They are mostly new homes for sale or upscale homes that a current owner is selling. The event runs for two weekends in the spring and I’ve been going for several years. I always look forward to it and this year I was on the lookout for it and I was able to plan for it. I was able to get the brochure ahead of time and decide what houses I wanted to see. This post is a huge photo dump from the first weekend of parts of homes I was able to take pictures in. So grab a snack and enjoy some great features of houses.

Most of these pictures go in no order in particular; it’s literally a photo dump of rooms/houses/details of a space.

I love a good built-in. I think they’re great above a tub like this for décor and essentials.

I love a good structured closet.

I have a few pics of this master bathroom.

Here is a look from the master bedroom into the master bathroom and closet.

And here’s the master bedroom.

I shared this pic on Instagram because I love multiple living/common areas in a home. I love a morning room and this is a morning room/sunroom combination. I love the almost floor to ceiling windows.

This is the living room on the opposite side from the morning room.

I really took this pic for one reason… I’m obsessed with large mirrors and I want to get one like this.

These next three houses were all out in the country. You had to access them by going through a neighborhood and when it looks like the road is going to end, you come into a small, private neighborhood of upscale homes.

Inside this last house I took a few pics inside…the sign clearly said no pictures, but I saw a woman leaving with a DSLR around her neck so idk how that worked out. This was a home someone lived in and they were selling. They had several areas roped off, all that I would have loved to take pics of but was unable to.

I love a good quote on a wall, like the one in this nursery.

This playroom is kind of a loft when you come off the stairs on the second floor and it’s too cute.

If you liked this photo dump post then I’m glad and stay tuned because I have more pictures to share. I just didn’t want to put them all in one post because it would be extra long. I hope you found some great design ideas and some design inspo!

Erin Condren Life Planners on Sale!!!

2016-03-28T22:09:00.001-04:00

Guys I’ve been so slack with my blog. Sorry. I have been binge watching a show and if you’re a binge watcher you definitely understand where I’m at in my life right now! Haha

But before I let next week arrive I had to share a sale that Erin Condren is running right now. As you may know, I am a planner girl and I really love my Erin Condren Life Planner or ECLP for short. Right now the Life Planners are 40% off!!! Which is freakin awesome!!! I’m debating getting a blog planner but I’ve struggled to pull the trigger. Why? Because it’s something for myself. 40% is really too good to pass up if you’ve been thinking of trying an Erin Condren life planner. They are available in vertical (the one I have), horizontal (the one I’m debating), and hourly. So head over and check them out if you’re interested.

vertical

horizontal

hourly

Erin Condren has recently revamped their notebooks and they are also on sale. I really wanted to get my hands on one of the older versions of the notebook but I just never got around to ordering one. It’s not like it was high on my priority list, so oh well. In place of the previous notebooks they have introduced a new notebook and journal option. They are very similar; both available in a smaller and larger size, and both available with lined or dotted pages. The key difference is the notebook is spiral bound and the notebook is book bound. I prefer the notebook and really want to get one. If you know me, you know I’m a notebook fein. I have so many notebooks…none of them that cost more than $6. But this (these) notebook(s) will be for something special or important.

The notebooks and journals are on sale for 25% off!!! It ends on 4/3. That’s why I had to come and post this quickly!! I’ve looked online and through my emails and I haven’t seen a date listed for the end of the Life Planner sale. If/when I find one I will let ya’ll know.

Oh and I almost forgot…if you are a new ErinCondren customer and want to save $10 on your purchase, yes even on sale items, then click here and register through my link. You will receive an email with your code for $10 off your purchase!!! Sweet!!!

I think that about wraps it up… back to my binge watching.

*affiliate links

*all pictures from ErinCondren.com

Travel with Me - Joyce Meyer Conference

2016-03-15T23:20:00.001-04:00

This weekend I went to Winston-Salem, North Carolina to attend the Joyce Meyer conference. If you’re Christian, you may know her, she has an awesome ministry and has taught me so much about the Word and my relationship with God has truly grown thanks to her teaching ways…she just makes it very plain and real to my life. Very much like my own Pastor at my church, I just love her.

Growing up I heard Joyce Meyer thru my Mom. She loved listening to her. I knew I was turning into my Mom the day I downloaded the Joyce Meyer podcast and 90% of the time, I’m listening to her each and every day. Especially when I’m at work. When I heard on the podcast that she would be somewhat local to me, I told my friend and we decided to go.

The conference was in Winston-Salem, NC which is about 3 hours away from me. If not a little longer. It’s the equivalent to me driving to Charlotte but it’s a little north of Charlotte. It was my first time going to Winston-Salem. But why is it so far??? Ugh. The conference was for several days but we didn’t want to take several days off from work so we decided to go to the Friday and Saturday services.

I really enjoy praising and worshiping God with a multitude of people. It’s an awesome experience. I enjoyed seeing Joyce Meyer in person. She’s a hoot.

One of my great takeaways are the wonderful resources I picked up while there. Prior to the conference I only had one Joyce Meyer book, but I haven’t finished it. I will. But when I listen to the podcasts, I always hear about some of the different things she’s offering and I had an idea of what I would buy while there. As a bonus, she offers a buy 2 get 1 free deal at her conferences only. So of course I bought 3 items! I can’t wait to dig in to them all, so far I have read the intro to the little purple book and it will be in my purse everyday so I can access it easily.

Of course travel means food. My friend had already looked up some places for us to go on the trip. The first spot was Sweet Potatoes in Winston-Salem. We reviewed their menu online prior to going. We were disappointed by several things. For starters, their online menu wasn’t the same as the menu inside. Quite annoying. Why? Because there’s a big difference between garlic mashed potatoes and horseradish mashed potatoes. Anyway, they only had a limited menu and their desserts are only offered on certain days. I ended up getting the Mama V’s meatloaf with onion and mushroom gravy served with onion strings with horseradish mashed potatoes. The meatloaf was very flavorful but the horseradish was very detectable. My friend wasn’t a fan of her meal. Thankfully I ordered the half portion and didn’t spend too much money. The restaurant had a nice ambiance and that I liked, but that’s about it.

On the way home from the conference, we stopped at Dames Chicken and Waffles in Greensboro. I have one word for you: AMAZING. Yes it was quite delicious. I had never had chicken and waffles before and let me tell you…ummm ummm good!!! I thought the waffle was great, they have a lot of shmears you can spread on top of the waffle. I got the maple pecan shmear to try and it was good but I also got syrup because I’m a plain Jane like that. The chicken was seasoned and fried crisp to perfection. We waited 30-40 minutes to get a table but it was totally worth it even though by that point I wanted to be with my husband and kiddos so bad. Who knew I had separation anxiety???

We still had quite a way to travel to get home but there is another location in Durham, NC which is about an hour and a half away from me. Way more doable. So it would be great to go after a day of shopping at the Streets of SouthPoint and I could definitely make the drive home without falling asleep! Lol I totally left my friend hanging at some point in the drive back because I destroyed my food!

I really enjoyed the conference and the trip and I am debating on trying to go to the Women’s Conference in the fall in St. Louis. It was nice to get away and have a nice experience. : )

Keep Pounding

2016-02-03T20:47:00.001-05:00

It’s Super Bowl week!!!! I’m super excited for one reason… my Carolina Panthers are not only going to play in Super Bowl 50 but they are going to WIN!!!

I’ve been a Panther fan since their inception in 1995 and we’ve made it to the Super Bowl before but win we did not. And I know that Cam and all the boys are gonna kill it because this is our season to go all the way!

I had a rough day/week last week and I had popped on YouTube once I got home and for some reason it was suggesting this hype video for the Panthers. It was on my home page and I found it rather odd that it suggested a football video to me, since I don’t watch them. So I called my son over to watch the video with me.

As we’re watching I am really listening to the words and it was speaking to me. I just could not get out of my thoughts last week and when I watched the video I was encouraged and fired up!

Why?

Because no matter what life throws at me… I Keep Pounding.

When life flips on me… I Keep Pounding.

When the voice in my head says “you’re never going to make it”… I Keep Pounding.

When my car is acting up… I Keep Pounding.

When I’m feeling like, what’s the point?... I Keep Pounding.

No matter what I Keep Pounding.

I have to remember that whatever is thrown at me, I am capable of handling it. I am built for this. And whatever I’m going through now is preparing me for something in my future. I don’t let that scare me, I let it motivate me. I know that in the future, the day will come where I’ll look back on times like this and I’ll see how far I’ve come and I’ll be grateful for each and every circumstance I encountered.

I resolve to Keep Pounding. When I fall down (listening to that negative, crappy voice) I don’t stay there, I get right back up and continue along the way.

No matter what… KEEP POUNDING!!!

I truly appreciate how the Universe put that video right in my face at a time that I needed to see it and ironically at a time that I wouldn’t normally be on my computer…so thankful!

If you don’t follow football, let me say that my Carolina Panthers have had their share of ups and downs. I love and respect the way I’ve seen this team come together and support each other and how they play the game…it’s just great to see. To see us year after year, improving, steadily and this year was the year we exploded!!! I mean, week after week of wins and records being crushed…a near perfect season and now we’re days away from the biggest victory to be won…I’m a super excited Carolina Panthers fan to say the very least! : )

Whatever you do…don’t give the voice in your head the time of day if it’s saying anything that doesn’t serve you. #KeepPounding

Go Panthers!!!

Erin Condren Life Planner Wishlist

2016-01-18T03:00:00.000-05:00

January is a month to get back on track, in many ways, but particularly financially. If you already know, it was a rough holiday season. I know 2016 is going to be an awesome year, but temporarily it’s a time to be financially mindful. That means, no unnecessary spending.

It doesn’t help that when you’re trying not to spend your money, that’s when everything is luring you to pull out that credit card. I am strong enough to abstain from indulging, but I do like to look : ) When I window shop I get great ideas for what I may want and I find that if it’s something I want bad enough, I’ll usually be able to get it…even if I have to wait a little while.

I’m adding a lot of goodies to my Erin Condren wish list. If you’re not already aware, I have an Erin Condren Life Planner and I love it. Not only does it keep me organized, it also serves as a creative outlet for me. She just keeps sucking me in. I have it bad!!

I typically wouldn’t change my covers, but she has so many beautiful covers and I figured, why not change them during special holidays? And what’s not to love about this pretty follow your heart cover?

As if I don’t already have a sticker obsession issue on Etsy, here goes Erin Condren with some of her own cute planner stickers!

The stylized sticky notes I’m already in love with!!! I love that they snap right into the planner coils!!!

I love Erin Condren and I can’t wait to get my hands on all of these goodies!!! I like that she has a rewards program and gives coupons for being a frequent shopper! I’m looking forward to my first code that I believe comes after my 5^th order. My next order will be my 3^rd. I’m not obsessed or anything. I’m not in any facebook groups or anything. Ha!!!

If you’re interested in an Erin Condren planner or to see any of the cool things she has, check it out HERE and earn $10 off your first purchase!!!

*affiliate links

*all pics are from ErinCondren.com

Join Ibotta | Get $10 Welcome Bonus

2016-01-17T03:00:00.000-05:00

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I have a few savings apps on my phone and my favorite one is Ibotta. I’ve shared it a few times before on the blog; I did an overview of my fave savings apps and I’ve shared how it’s a great way to save money for the holidays.

Today I wanted to share this limited time offer if you’re not already on Ibotta. If you join today using my link you will get a Welcome Bonus of $10 after you redeem your first rebate!!! You must redeem your first rebate within the first 30 days in order to get your bonus. Once you redeem it within 24 hours (usually within a couple of hours) you will see your $10 bonus. Also, you must be a brand new Ibotta user in order to get the bonus, so if you’re just switching phones, unfortunately that won’t work.

I think this is a pretty awesome deal!!! I sure didn’t get $10 when I joined! Haha

If saving money is important to you, I encourage you to download Ibotta and you will thank me for it! And if for some reason you don’t like it, delete it off your phone and no harm, no foul right? : )

Click HERE in order to get your $10!!! (downloading without the link doesn’t earn you the bonus)

Happy Savings!!!!

*affiliate links

Happy 2016!!!

2016-01-03T23:20:00.000-05:00

Happy 2016 everyone!!! I’m really excited for this year! There’s an energy inside me that’s just buzzing at all of the wonderful things I know are coming for me and my family this year.

from my IG

On New Year’s Eve we went to Watch Night service. If you’re not familiar, it’s when you go to church on New Year’s Eve and thank and praise and worship God for bringing you through the year and praising your way into the New Year. When I was a kid I had to go and I enjoyed it but as a young adult I stopped going. I didn’t go to the club or anything either, but I just preferred to be at home. My church offers two services for New Year’s Eve; 6:00 and 10:30 and I elected to go to the early one after work.

I really got an encouraging Word and confirmation on where I’m at in my life and having the confidence that we will win in 2016!!! This was the first year we let the kids stay up. That may be shocking to some but to me I’m a stickler for routine and usually will only vary off of the regular bedtime up to an hour at most. We let the kids camp out up front and when it was time we counted down, toasted our glasses, hugged and kissed and screamed and shouted ringing in 2016!!! It was really fun and I think our new family tradition! : )

2015 will always be remembered as the year Crystal died. It’s still hard. Thanksgiving and Christmas was hard. She was supposed to be there. The other day at the sandwich shop I passed a woman whose shampoo smelled like hers and it hit me. Life can change in an instant and quite frankly I’m tired of living life the way I have. I am intentionally going to enjoy my everyday life. I have a lot that I want to accomplish this year and I am motivated and ready to get what I want.

Here’s to an awesome year!!!

Christmas 2015

2015-12-30T22:54:00.001-05:00

I’ve debated back and forth whether or not to do a blog post about Christmas this year. Then I was reminded by my facebook memories that I did last year and for me personally, I like the look back. As long as I get it up by New Year’s anyway.

I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas this year!!

For me it was our first Christmas without Crystal. Overall, I kept it together, but it was really hard on my brother, understandably so. Crystal is the one who did all the Christmas shopping and decorating and all of that so he’s been pretty lost without her. I continue to pray for him and I ask you to do the same.

Usually we do Christmas morning at home, then go to my in laws then go to my Moms. This year my Mom wanted to do Christmas Eve and it worked out great. When my brother and nephew first arrived, you could just feel the heaviness of the energy. He just kept saying “she’s supposed to be here” over and over and I felt myself about to succumb to the tears too. I said a silent prayer and pushed back the tears because that’s not what I wanted this day to be. My Mom had come up with a few rounds of the “Left-Right game”. None of us had ever heard of or played it before and it turned out to be a riot! It was just what we needed to stop being sad and start laughing and smiling!! I am so grateful for that experience!!! I was even inspired to create a Pinterest board for my future holiday parties, because this game is a MUST!!!

Before Christmas I was really stressed. Because we went to Charlotte before Black Friday, and my job was cutting back overtime, it was really beginning to weigh on me just how was I going to pull Christmas off this year. DH was getting a bonus which I knew would help but it just wasn’t coming fast enough and I was beginning to lose my cool. I decided that there was just no way I was going to get it all done on a weekend, so I took the Friday before Christmas as a half day. The plan was to get a lot of shopping done that day and the weekend and I’d pull off a Christmas miracle!!!

Instead what happened was (it’s never good when it starts off with that statement), when I was skipping to my car with glee around noon on Friday, my car wouldn’t start. I’m growing because I didn’t cry or spazz, I just calmly texted DH to have him come get me. My weekend plans of shopping were now ruined and how much is this going to cost was becoming the big question. We hoped it was the battery. Nope. Of course it wouldn’t be something that easy. AutoZone suggested it may be the alternator. So I had it towed to the auto shop that I work with and was hit with the devastating news… it’s the starter. Wanna know how much that set me back? $350.

Yes, I know, my thoughts exactly.

I was devastated and at this point is when I started to break down.

At this point in my life I really should be used to things like this. So maybe that’s why they don’t phase me immediately anymore. I’m not sure. What I do know is that, everything will work out. And that you grow during the tough times. And that right before the breakthrough, comes all of the turmoil. So I’m looking at it from that point of view. Greater is coming!!!

So outside of that…we still managed to have a good Christmas. Sure I couldn’t get the kids everything I wanted or they wanted and I couldn’t really get anything for DH the way I wanted to. I still got him things and the kids really enjoyed everything they got. It was an all toys Christmas and they were happy. And although I would’ve loved to receive great things under the tree… greater is coming. And I guess my gift is the starter that DH had to pay since I was broker than a joker.

We celebrated Jesus and being together with family and I really couldn’t ask for much more than that.

As a side note…. It’s been years since I’ve wanted my DSLR and it hurt my soul so bad for it to be a TSV on QVC that Saturday after my car mishap, before we knew what was wrong and how much it would cost. They enticed me with Easy Pay and free shipping and the promise of arriving before Christmas…but because I didn’t know what the future held for my car, I had to be an adult. As we all know, sometimes being an adult effin sux. So maybe in 2016…here’s hoping.

I’m grateful for the things money can’t buy this year but I will do everything in my power to make next Christmas amazing!!

I hope you had a great Christmas!!!!

It’s a Wonderful Life

2015-12-12T21:08:00.001-05:00

Only my second all-time favorite movie.

And a Christmas Classic.

And a tradition in my life for as long as I can remember.

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When I still lived at home with my parents, I had it on VHS. Shocking I know. I never bought it on dvd for some reason. When it came on tv this year I set the DVR to record because this was going to be the year I introduced it to my daughter. I told her once you’re a few minutes into it, you don’t even notice it’s in black and white. Sure I know they made it into color, but it’s not the same. It’s better in black and white in my opinion.

We watched it over a few days’ time due to practices and pesky things like school for her and work for me. We finished it up last night and at the end I asked her what did she get out of the movie? Her response… that our lives impact so many others so we should be grateful for what we have. Yep that about explains it!

But as an adult who has seen the movie well over 100 times who now watches it with a spiritual lens so to speak, I see so much more in the movie and I felt it would be nice to share these thoughts.

For starters, I was bawling my eyes out in the first moments after the opening credits. I knew the people of Bedford Falls were praying to God before, but it hit me for real this time, like oh my gosh, all of these people praying to God to help George! It made my heart so full!!! And it came out of my eyes in the form of tears! God is so good!!!

I cried so much this time watching because I really saw myself in George Bailey. George wanted so much for himself. He had such big dreams and goals and aspirations and as his dreams were being crushed I realized that that is exactly how I feel in my own life. And I remind myself that God’s plans for my life are way bigger than I can even begin to imagine and it hurts when you don’t get some of your hearts desires, but when you look back you realize that God knew exactly what He was doing!

It’s so easy to get caught up in the mundane aspects of life, especially if life has flipped on you. When you’re down to absolutely nothing… and you feel like you have nothing left…my God!!! But you do!!! That’s nothing but the enemy convincing you to throw it all away. Of course! Because then he wins. But you, just like me, and George Bailey we are all overcomers!! And when George had his second chance at life and saw life through a different lens, he then loved and cherished everything he cursed! Not only was he then the richest man in Bedford Falls monetarily, but he realized he was rich in love, family and friendship. I never noticed that as soon as he came in the house after his second chance that he praised God with a Hallelujah!!! That touched me so! He said he wasn’t a praying man and a man of faith, but funny how he knew to pray and he knew to praise!

Pray and praise. That’s really it right there guys. Pray to God, He wants to hear from you. Yesterday this scripture screamed at me and I received it.

Matthew 7:7-8 Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. (NLT)

I was sitting at my desk at work and I just started to cry because God answered my prayer by directing me to that scripture and I won’t go into all of it, but it encouraged me and then noticing that in the movie after reading the scripture… it just all came together for me.

And then praise…well the bible says we are to give thanks in everything. 1 Thessalonians 5:18. To give thanks is to give praise. In EVERYTHING. That means the good, the bad, whether happy or sad, to thank Him.

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So yes, some of my dreams haven’t been fulfilled and I don’t have all that I want to have but I know that I have a wonderful life. My prayer is “Lord please help me to see with your eyes. Help me to see past myself and see the good. Help me to be a blessing to others. Help me to not complain, because I know that when I complain I am complaining against you and I know that you are blessing me. Forgive me Father.” Sometimes you just have to take inventory. When I take inventory I realize that I am truly blessed. And you will find that you are too. We’re blessed in different ways and as I walk through this test, I am praising my way through it. A lot of tears shed, but not all sad tears. It’s far too easy to fall into a slump or depression this time of year and my prayer for you is that you are able to focus on something good, no matter how small.

My last point that I wanted to share is that Mr. Potter symbolizes the devil. The devil has one job and one job only and that is to kill, steal and destroy. What is he trying to kill? You!! He’s trying to destroy you! And he wants to take everything you have from you…joy, peace, a sane mind, you name it, he wants it. You have a marriage? He wants to destroy it. You have a family? He wants to kill the family unit, he wants to cause rifts and separate you from each other. And we as humans, have moments of weakness where we may entertain the notions of the devil… George went to Potter for help and then realized he just could not allow himself to make a deal with the devil. He was willing to accept whatever fate was in his future.

I’m not trying to preach to you, but to encourage you… you don’t have to be a Christian to read my blog, but I am a Christian and because I watched this movie and was so moved, I can’t not share it in the way that I see it. Jesus is the reason we celebrate the holidays and I would be remiss to not invite you to get to know Jesus on a personal level. If you are in a place in your life where you feel you have nowhere to turn or you are alone, know that you are not. You can turn to Jesus. If you are in that place and you want someone to talk to or to pray for you, send me an email and I’d be glad to!!

Think about what you do have and focus on that… it makes such a difference I promise you!

Oh and if you haven’t seen this movie, please do yourself and me a favor and do!!! It comes on so much during the holidays but you can find it just about anywhere. It’s so worth it! : )

Our First Carolina Panthers Game!!!

2015-12-06T21:47:00.000-05:00

Happy Holidays everyone!!!

Did you break the bank doing Black Friday Shopping? Small Business Saturday shopping? Cyber Monday shopping? Giving Tuesday? Cyber Week shopping?

Well I didn’t participate in any of the above…with the exception of buying a couple of dvd’s for the kids from Walmart.com I didn’t throw my hat in the ring this year for Black Friday.

Why? Because the weekend before we were in Charlotte for the Carolina Panthers vs. Washington Redskins game where the Panthers won and went 10-0!!! Now it’s after Thanksgiving, which means the Panthers are 11-0 after beating the Dallas ~~Cowgirls~~ Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day. If you didn’t already know…I’m a Carolina Panthers fan and have been since they became a team and this is our year we’re going to the Super Bowl!!!

So when you know that you’re going to be travelling the weekend before, you accept the fact that there will be no Black Friday shopping for you in 2015. And that’s okay. To be honest, there wasn’t much on my list for big ticket items this year, but I did want to be able to gift myself the Canon T5 DSLR that was on sale at all the stores and on QVC. Another deal at another time I kept telling myself.

We had a lot of fun in Charlotte. It was the kids first time going to the city and it was all of our first NFL football game. It was mind blowing and surreal to say the least. Like I know I was there but it feels like a dream… a very cold, chilly dream…but a really good dream. And with every time my husband and I visit Charlotte, we always come away feeling like we belong there. We must go in the Spring! Each time we’ve gone before it was cold. And now that we’ve been bitten by the NFL game bug…we must make this a regular occurrence!!

Next time I want to be at least a section lower...

The ECU Marching Pirates performed at halftime!

That's my Alma Mater if you didn't know : )

I scoped the halftime show as well as the entrance of the players over on Periscope. I'm @Aria82 pretty much everywhere that I am on social media so when I do get the whim, follow me on Periscope! I'm also on #Katch which allows you to watch anything I've ever scoped, except my first one, any time you want.

Hubs and I after the win!!!

We stayed at the DoubleTree in Uptown Charlotte. It was nice.

Our view from the hotel...that's the Bank of America Stadium, home of the Carolina Panthers. Oh how I am so looking forward to my DSLR...

This is Brianna at the American Girl Store.

Check out my restaurant!!! lol

Until next time Charlotte!!!

Oh and since I’m a major procrastinator…as of the posting of this post on Sunday night…the Carolina Panthers are now 12-0 baby!!!! #KeepPounding #PantherNation : )

Birthday Treats

2015-11-18T23:01:00.000-05:00

I’ve downplayed my birthday since my son was born. I mean, when his is the day after mine, it’s something that I’ve accepted. But this year I feel differently. I’m doing some things for me and I don’t feel bad about it at all. I’ve been buying gifts for myself since late October and I wanted to share them all with you.

The first gift I got myself were these awesome kitchen utensils from my dear friend Ree Drummond aka The Pioneer Woman. When her Pioneer Woman line came out at Walmart I quickly made myself a wishlist online of all the items I wanted to get. I’ve been in both of the Walmart’s that carry her line locally and never saw these items I picked up. So when I did see them, I had to have them then!

I have wanted both the slotted turner and the chopping knife since forever because she uses them all of the time on her show and on her blog. I am so happy that these are not only in my collection, but they were the first items of my collection!

As an added bonus, my Mom had asked me what I wanted for my birthday prior to me getting these items and I told her I wanted something from the Pioneer Woman line. Of course I couldn’t pick just one thing, so I emailed her my list from Walmart.com so she could choose. I’d be happy with anything, and this is what I got!

She was trying to get me the cast iron grill pan and couldn’t find it so she got me this cast iron skillet and wooden turner. I already have a cast iron pan but I say you can’t have too many! So I’m going to keep it. : ) It even comes with a few recipes included!

A couple of weeks before my birthday Erin Condren was having their Friends & Family sale offering 25% off everything. I decided it was the perfect time to order my 2016 life planner. I wanted to be sure I got it before the holidays come and I forget and start the New Year without it. Unfortunately they don’t allow me to stack coupon codes, but I did do well with the combination of the sale and money earned from my savings apps in my paypal account. So it didn’t feel like a big purchase after it was all said and done. As an added bonus, I received it really close to my actual birthday!

Isn’t she pretty??? I know, I love her too!

Oh and I can’t leave out these yummy Cake Parts from a local bakery called Your Perfect Cake. I’ve had her cupcakes before and they are absolutely delicious!! My co-worker was telling me the week before my birthday about these cake parts. Basically, in the mornings when they are baking the cakes and they cut out the layers they need, all of the scraps aka parts, are put into bags and sold by the pound. Totally perfect for me because I always wipe off the icing when I eat cake. It took me three days to eat the whole bag and it was worth every single calorie it was soooo good. : )

I have so much to be thankful and grateful for this birthday and I’m choosing to celebrate myself and all the great blessings I have from now on. 33 is an amazing age (I love the number 3) and I am really excited for all that is on it’s way to me!!! Be blessed!!!

Size 12

2015-11-02T08:42:00.000-05:00

I’ve been in denial for about a year now about my weight. As hard as I worked to get it off of me, you would think that as it began to creep back on that I would have nipped it in the bud and would be as happy as a clam.

You’d be wrong. Very wrong.

Instead I have lamented the extra pounds each time I needed to get dressed.

Each time that I put my jeans on and they left me with no breathing room.

Each time that my roomy “fat pants” became my “go-to” pants.

Each time that I realized I don’t have enough clothes to make it through my work week because I can no longer fit my clothes.

Each time that I thought, it would be so much easier to just buy maternity pants.

Each time I cursed myself under my breath because clearly me and my laziness has allowed all of this poundage to come back. As if that’s where I want to be right now.

So after days, weeks, and months of feeling like this… I decided that I had to buy some pants.

On my lunch break the other day, I ventured over to Burlington Coat Factory because clearly I don’t want to buy expensive pants, I just need something for the moment and if I can get a nice pair of pants for under $20 I’d be satisfied.

To be honest I need a full wardrobe. Everything from shoes to pants to jeans to shirts to dresses to handbags to accessories to underclothes… I need it all right now. But I really just needed to be practical and get a pair of pants and maybe a sweater since it’s starting to turn cold.

It’s very rare for me to try on clothes in store and this was no exception. I found a sweater that was a Junior’s size Large and I found a pair of cute dark gray slacks in size 12. I held them up to eyeball the fit.

These better work I thought to myself as I purchased them and headed back to work.

When I got home I tried on the sweater and it fits more like a dress…but it’s bigger on me than I expected which was a good boost for the ego. It would probably go great with leggings or skinny jeans with a nice tall boot.

I actually didn’t try on the pants until the next morning when I was getting ready for work. They fit me perfectly!!! I was so happy! I was able to delight in that moment.

Here’s why…

You know how if you’ve ever lost a good amount of weight you have a weight that you refuse to let yourself go back to? Sometimes it can be a clothing size… well for me the weight is 200lbs and the size is 14. I stepped on the scale a couple of months back and was devastated when it had me at around 192 when I had been holding steady all year around 185. I haven’t stepped back on it since. I have no size 14 clothing to wear so we’re definitely gonna be up the creek if I don’t rein this back in.

So for the size 12's to fit me was very encouraging. : )

I have got to get my life together in so many areas but this is a big one. I worked way too hard to get the weight off before and I deserve to be happy in all areas of my life. It’s gonna take some hard work and discipline but I’ve done it before and will do it again. Besides, it would be nice to get a few pounds off so that I can enjoy some fall clothing. I am really wanting a couple of cute fall plaid shirts this season. : )

Anyways---I used to say anyways instead of anyway lol --- I wanted to end on this note…I saw this pic on twitter or Instagram, I don’t recall…maybe twitter…not that it’s super important, jeez. But I saw this pic and instantly I said I want to be the slim girl. I’m not ashamed to say that. Honestly I want to be a solid size 6 sometimes a 4 depending on the brand. 136lbs is my dream weight…not my goal weight, but my dream weight. Anyhoot…I’m just rambling now so…thanks for reading!! : )

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Close But No Cigar…Almost Manifesting

2015-10-09T20:33:00.000-04:00

this is a long post...

I want to share my story about how I came very close to manifesting…but not quite close enough. And FYI… I write many of these LOA posts both to share with others but more so, for me to have a point of reference for myself. So yeah, I’ve been in a huge blog slump and I know why, but sometimes you gotta say “eff it, when I blog I feel better and I could use a whole lot of feeling better right about now.”

I started a post but never finished it and therefore never posted it…but in that post that may still get posted, I shared that I am still very much struggling with the passing of my sister in law. I mean, it’s a hurdle to say the least. Some days are okay and some days are awful and I just can’t seem to keep an emotional balance. But I am very much aware that I have been unhappy since the vacation from hell. And it’s hard to rise up out of that place. All it did was make me go backwards. I haven’t been manifesting {the stuff I want}. The car and the house are still out of my grasp and it sucks in a nutshell.

BUT!!! I wanted to share my almost manifestation. Because in the scheme of things… it was really big! And I want to share it before I forget it…let’s be honest here lol.

Ok so if you know me, or are a regular reader (even though I haven't been a regular poster in a while, tsk tsk) then you know that I’ve wanted two things for a while now… my house and my Highlander. If you live in my neck of the woods and happen to be in the market for a used Toyota Highlander you may find, as I have, that these babies are highly popular, retain their value, and are very hard to find. I have been able to easily manifest Highlanders into my view. Every day I’m seeing them in the colors I want and body style and I say thank you every time. I won’t lie… seeing them and having one are two very different things. I enjoy seeing them, but I want one of my own!! It’s like having a hard time conceiving and everywhere you look you see pregnant women and mothers with infants and you can appreciate it but deep down you’re still saying “but where is mine?”

Last week I was at work and something just said inside “go to Pecheles Toyota website”. I did and I was pleasantly surprised that they had the EXACT Highlander that I want. Color, year, mileage, price all of it was screaming to me THIS IS YOUR CAR!!! With much excitement I filled out the online form to get more info and to let the dealership know I was very interested. I just knew this was right!!

The lady called me maybe within the hour and I didn’t answer because I was trying to take a car nap. She left me a message and called me again in another hour. Persistent little chick she was. It was then that I realized why… it was September 30^th. The last day of the month. So they were trying to move this inventory and I understand that, but I wasn’t really ready to buy that day. I hadn’t even contacted the Credit Union for my preapproval. The lady who called me seemed really nice and I felt comfortable. She led me to believe that they would do all the work with the Credit Union and that it would be easier to do that and come down that day to make the deal. I went against my original plan of having preapproval on my own time, and I texted DH and asked him his thoughts… he said “go for it” which was an even bigger sign to me!

I was very excited!! But the more excited I became about this finally happening, the more I got knots in my stomach…and I’m talking more than just I’m nervous for a job interview, which I get, even if I feel like I got it in the bag. So I chalked it up to just the way I am at the time. Let’s fast forward because you know I can ramble… I tell the lady I’ll be there at 6. I live in Greenville, this dealership is in Washington which is 20 minutes away AFTER I get out of rush hour traffic. As I’m headed to the dealership I’m thinking to myself… this car is filthy, you’re not even prepared to trade it right now.

Side Note: About a few weeks ago I decided to clean out my car to prepare it for trade. I started but I didn’t finish. I still had some stuff in the trunk and in the side pockets on the doors that I didn’t want to put into the new car and just hadn’t completed the task.

At 5:30 the lady calls me again… okay chick, I understand it’s the last day of the month and you have a quota and you’re trying to ensure that I’m coming in. Twenty minutes later, if that, not even 6 o’clock yet and this lady is calling me for maybe the 6^th or 7^th time that day…but this time her bubbly demeanor is gone and she is putting on quite the show for me. A show that quite frankly, I’m not in the mood for. I’m out of my comfort zone and taking what I think is “inspired action.” She explains that her manager just informed her that the Highlander that was supposed to be sold to me, was just taken to New Bern about an hour earlier to be sold. “I am sooo sorry. I am sooo sick to my stomach right now.” she says. I said it’s okay and it just wasn’t meant to be today. Yes inside I’m pissed that I left work and didn’t make overtime money. Yes I’m pissed that I wasted gas and time to go and yes I’m pissed that my car is already crap and you just made me drive said crap out of town. That’s what I’m feeling, but it’s not what I’m saying. She’s begging me to come in and wants to know if there’s anything else I am interested in. I tell her that I am ONLY interested in a 2011-2013 Toyota Highlander. I could win the Powerball Jackpot at this second and you know what I want? A 2011-2013 Toyota Highlander.

I figured I’m already here, let me go in and give them my info and when what I want comes across their lot to contact me and we’ll go from there. This is where the story turns.

Now I’m dealing with the sales guy who happens to be friends with one of my friends I work with. I felt comfortable with him and he takes down all of my information. Why only a Highlander? Why those model years? I give him my reasons. Now, at the time that I pulled up I saw there was a Highlander on the lot… it was that very pretty blue color…almost like a Cerulean/Carolina Blue. I’ve seen them and I liked them but didn’t feel like the color suited me. I like the dark gray or white or silver options most. So of course this is the one he wants to show me. Of course this one wasn’t listed online. Of course it’s pretty as hell and of course I didn’t take a picture. To be honest, I thought about pulling out my phone and snapping a pic while he was getting stuff together but I couldn’t because inside my stomach was churning. The one thing I did notice when I looked at the window sticker was that there was no listed price RED FLAG #1 and that it was listed “as-is” with no manufacturer warranty RED FLAG #2. I let him go through his entire spiel… look at the engine the outside the inside and then the test drive.

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Did I mention that this beautiful, Red Flag wearing Highlander was a HYBRID??? Yes I was excited. Hybrids are hard to come by. Hybrids cost a boat-load up front but they’re amazing. This Hybrid Highlander was a 2010 and had less miles than the 2013 that brought me there, less by like 10,000. But that price… ouch… that price was for a HYBRID. A fully loaded Hybrid at that. Not the standard model of the 2013 I wanted. I’ll admit… I was intrigued…until we couldn’t bring the price down. I told the dude, look, my insides aren’t agreeing with this and I’m sorry we aren’t making a deal today. No I’m not putting money down. This is a car not a house. And Heck NAW am I going to FINANCE a 2010. We’re at the end of 2015 and I am not financing a 6 year old, technically about to be 7 year old vehicle. Now if I had cash then I would be writing a different post right now and quite frankly I did want it, but at the end of the day, this isn’t a shirt, it’s a car, and it just didn’t fit. You don’t buy a car the way you do a pair of jeans on sale that are a size or so too small but you buy them anyway because of the awesome deal. I had to accept that I was close, but no cigar and I had to let it go and if it is somehow meant to be in the future it will be.

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So very long post, but what did I learn from this experience is the key…a few things…

*it’s coming VERY SOON!!! I took inspired action and although I didn’t get the thing I wanted, I manifested an experience that I learned from. Yes I was bummed at first but I had to drive back in a monsoon of very strong and heavy rain. I was scarred as I drove back home and I was thankful for my car and not having to learn how to drive a new car in a really bad storm.

I also know it’s coming very soon because this was the first time I’ve actually been in a Toyota Highlander. I love it even more and feel even more a match to it. What if I had test drove it and realized that I didn’t like the way it drove or how any of it was inside? That would suck. Instead it is as if it’s proving to me that it’s coming, the right one is coming. Now that I’ve been able to feel what it feels like to be in the driver’s seat. The luxury of having all of these added features that I don’t currently have in my car. It’s coming very soon.

*my gut knows me. Turns out those knots in my tummy were trying to signal to me that it’s not quite right and I’m grateful that I’ve learned over time to listen to my gut more and more.

*learn from everything. I learned that everything is a teachable moment. I realized a couple of days later after being bummed on the inside but trying to act like it didn’t faze me on the outside, that it wasn’t what I said I wanted. Sure I would have loved to be in a new car but at what cost? I don’t want to be a slave to my job so I can make a car payment. I don’t buy/finance anything that is not under manufacturer warranty. I did not say I wanted a 2010 anything! That never was an option so why get pissed about not having that? I went through that experience and now I am better prepared for the next time I have to be in a dealership. I now know what a dealership is willing to give me on trade on the last day of the month and will use that information moving forward. I now know that although the idea of the Hybrid is awesome, me and my lead foot wouldn’t be the best match for the Hybrid.

The Universe has more than enough to go around!! When I’m seeing everybody else in a Highlander I tell myself that there is more than enough to go around. There is a Highlander for me and there’s no limitation. I can have what I want. Greater is coming.

In the meantime, I’m focusing on feeling good. Because things have been out of whack for me emotionally since July, I have a lot of work to do. But knowing that I came very close to manifesting what I want… I don’t look at as a negative… I look at as a very big positive. I am grateful for this experience and I’m excited for all that is to come!!!

I hope you stuck out this long post and I hope it helped you along on your LOA journey : )

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Ebates Giveaway | Enter to win a $150 Etsy Gift Card!!!

2015-09-07T15:23:00.001-04:00

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I just stumbled upon this giveaway while I was doing some online shopping and I wanted to share. Aren’t I nice? : )

For starters, if I shop online I go through Ebates first. I’ve shared about Ebates before here on the blog, so check out those posts.

Perhaps it’s because I’m really into my ECLP (ErinCondren Life Planner) which has led me to become really into planner stickers on Etsy. Did you know you can earn cash back on your Etsy purchases? How cool is that?

In my browsing around on Ebates for coupon codes and Labor Day sales, I saw that they are having a giveaway with 6 chances to win an Etsy gift card! One winner will win a $150 Etsy gift card, two will win a $100 gift card and three winners will win a $50 Etsy gift card. All awesome prizes and I’d be happy to win any of them! If you like planner stickers or you like to support handmade on Etsy, this is the giveaway for you!

Now in order to even enter, you have to be an Ebates member, if you’re not already, then click here and become a member, it takes a few moments. As a bonus, when you join Ebates right now, you will earn a $10 Welcome Bonus!!

Once you’re a member then enter here…some entry options can be done daily and the giveaway ends tomorrow…Tuesday September 8^th at 11:59pm PST. I know it’s super short notice, but I just stumbled upon it and wanted to share it asap!!

Happy Labor Day!!!

What Vacation?

2015-08-26T21:35:00.002-04:00

I’ve gone back and forth on what to title this post, whether to post this post, and how to post this post.

I’ve decided to go with sharing this post in the most positive way possible.

Vacation was a month ago and if I don’t share at all it will never get shared.

I’m going to keep it real… I was robbed of my vacation.

I know that’s selfish but it’s how I feel and I’m allowed to express how I feel.

We arrived in Myrtle Beach, SC on Saturday July 18^th and if you’ve ever done a beach rental before, you know that check-in is later in the day because the guests who are checking out usually have to do so by 11am. That day is more about travel and getting settled in.

On Sunday we went to Broadway at the Beach which is a great area with a boardwalk, all kinds of shops and restaurants and different attractions. We went to Ripley’s Aquarium.

I’ll be the first to say that if you’ve seen one aquarium, you’ve seen them all. But hey, I’m a Mom and we go to attractions such as the aquarium when on vacation. I will say that this aquarium was probably one of the coolest I’ve visited….wouldn’t say it’s worth the $100 for a family of four to enjoy but, you know what you’re getting involved with when planning a Myrtle Beach vacation. DH didn’t know, but I did.

I never quite understand why people take pics of everything in an aquarium…it’s beyond me. I’d rather take it in at the moment. Two highlights of the aquarium were the mermaids {they put on a cute show, more for pre-school kids} and the shark tank that you’re walking through. They built it so that the tank is on both sides of you and goes over your head so all of the sharks, fishies and everything else, even a huge sea turtle, are all around you and that’s pretty effin cool. Again, not $100 cool, but still cool nevertheless.

We went to the aquarium after we ate at Captain George’s which was amazing!! Sooooo delicious! I’ve heard of them before and I know they have a few in a handful of states but they did not disappoint at all!

That’s where most of the fun ended for me. Because the next day, the sky went black for us.

Monday was our real let’s lay out on the beach and play at the pool day. That was July 20^th and the beach was amazing. My very favorite place in the world to be. I don’t recall what we ate for lunch or dinner to be honest because I didn’t write it down. What I do recall is us out playing putt-putt that evening and my Mom getting a call from my brother saying that his wife, my sister-in-law was at the hospital. Everything else from that point on was a blur. I was there, but I wasn’t.

We already had purchased tickets for the Pirate’s Voyage dinner show for the following afternoon. So we went to that on Tuesday before my parents headed back to NC to be with my brother during that time. Can I just say that if you come to Myrtle Beach, you can’t leave without coming to this show! It was amazing!!! It helped take our minds off of life and for about two hours we were in Pirate Land and it was really cool. You get a full meal and a show. The meal is okay, nothing to write about, but the show…is AWESOME!!!

You can't take pics or videos during the show, so I snapped this real quick at the very end.

After that my parents left and we stayed because that made the most sense. I worked very hard to pay for this vacation, not just for me but for my kids. If it was just me, I would have left but I didn’t feel that was fair to the kids. So as I cried and prayed for the next few days, the kids enjoyed their time at the beach and pool and I enjoyed that I could provide that for them.

My parents came back Thursday evening and on Friday we went to the Upside Down House aka Wonder Works. It’s a kid’s science museum that we’ve wanted to go to for years since passing the Upside Down House {that’s what we call it}. It was cool but super crowded. If I could, I’d rather just rent out the place for my family only…seriously… I don’t like that many people around me and everyone doesn’t raise their kids to be polite. After that we went to our favorite calabash crab joint… Crabby Mike’s!!! Always a tradition of ours.

No amount of succulent crab meat could make me and my mom not cry at dinner tho. It was very tough and still is.

Check-out was for Saturday at 10am. We couldn’t wait to leave. I couldn’t get home fast enough because the faster I got home the faster I could get to the hospital and be with my family.

I don’t want to act as if I’m not grateful for our vacation because I am very grateful. The water was amazing. We got to see fireworks on the beach. We got to be together as a family.

But I will never stay in Myrtle Beach again. We will always go down to Crabby Mike’s and make a day of Myrtle Beach when we do our beach vacations, as we always have; but this is the first and last time that I will vacation there. It doesn’t represent happiness for me. It only represents sadness and being so far away from home when we needed to be home…idk…it just doesn’t feel good thinking of staying there.

If you don’t know me personally… I’ll share that my sister in law had a heart attack on Monday July 20^th and my brother performed CPR and brought her back; however after being rushed in an ambulance to their local hospital she was airlifted to the next largest hospital, which is my hospital in Greenville,NC. There she stayed in ICU, after suffering extensive brain damage, she was taken off of life support on Thursday July 23^rd. She fought for her life, but God called her home on Friday July 31^st. She was laid to rest on Tuesday August 4^th.

So that was my vacation…if that’s what we can even call it. Everything around that time is such a blur. I’ve been so numb. I’m still numb. I can’t look at a calendar and see the 20^th, 31^st or 4^th right now. Hell, the other day I looked at my calendar on my phone, I think it was the 18^th and I burst into a crying spell. It just doesn’t seem real. I’m crying as I share this. It hurts so damn bad. I know that time will help but….

I just felt like I couldn’t move forward in trying to even post anything on my blog if I couldn’t get past the vacation…if that makes sense. I’ve wanted to share so much but I’ve felt like I’ve been standing in concrete since the beginning of the month. I’m making strides each day and every day I pray for my brother harder than I ever have before. My heart is still broken but Jesus is mending it. I’ll stop typing now because I can’t stop the tears.

SHOW your love to others because tomorrow is not promised.

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Oh and I completely forgot to mention that we got the worst sleep on this vacation. I know we all have different parenting styles and we’re all on vacation, but the people upstairs let their kids rip and run all night and they were loud and the parents were loud and would ash their cigarettes over the balcony right on top of my husband’s car. As if an ashtray is too much to ask especially when all of the units are smoke free including the balconies. On top of that,our windows were thin and our bedroom was facing the street and walkway to other condos and we heard everything. People talking, yelling, garbage trucks at 3am, everything. It was absolutely dreadful.…I digress.

With each vacation rental we learn something new and we learned that it’s worth the extra steps to be on the top floor. If we can’t get a full beach house to ourselves {which is now my goal} then we have to be on the top floor because we have to have our sleep! I also learned that I prefer Carolina Beach hands down. I love the laid back atmosphere and the Boardwalk and the beach and we know Carolina Beach. Not saying we’ll never go anywhere else, but as far as our standard beach vacation goes…that’s the hot spot baby! CB!! I want one of those stickers for my Highlander when I get it…you know the ones I’m talking about? Anyways, now I’m just rambling…

Check out my IG for more pics and vids from the good times of our trip : )

Thank you for reading.

Get to Know Me | A to Z Survey

2015-08-06T21:28:00.002-04:00

I’ve found a ton of new blogs to read in the last few weeks at work. I don’t have time to read all the blogs I follow, let alone find new ones, but I did stumble across a few that I liked. One post that I thought was a cute idea, was this A to Z Survey. I decided I would do the same : )

A – Age: 32

B – Biggest Fear: idk about biggest, but I’m afraid of frogs and crickets.

C – Current Time: 12:05pm

D - Drink You Had Last: strawberry lemonade kool-aid. It’s my favorite flavor.

E – Easiest Person To Talk To: myself…I talk to myself all the time and I’m not afraid to admit it!

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F – Favorite Song: Cupid by 112 comes to mind first… my all -time favorite male group : )

G – Grossest Memory: again tmi…when I was preggo with Bri I had one day of morning sickness and I was woken up by it and ran to the toilet without turning on the bathroom light. Usually the toilet seat lid was up…but not this time and all of the puke went on top of the toilet lid, over the sides and onto the floor. It was absolutely disgusting and I was furious with him for the one time he wants to put the lid down on the toilet.

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H – Hometown: I was born in Plattsburgh, NY. I’m a military brat so I’ve lived in Altus, OK, Spangdahlem, Germany, Goldsboro, NC and now Greenville NC. My Mom and Father are divorced so I spent my summers and some holidays in Philadelphia, PA once we were back stateside.

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I – In Love With: my husband James

J – Jealous Of: my husband because he can eat absolutely whatever he wants and never gain an ounce.

K – Kindest Person You Know: Sister Kathleen Simmons. She was the Youth Minister at my previous church and I swear, she beamed kindness. I’ve never met a sweeter person than her. She always asks about me when she sees my Mom, she sends me cards, just the best!

L – Longest Relationship: This October will make 8 years married and we’ve been together for 12 years. A few days ago was our 9 year engagement anniversary!

M – Middle Name: Montrice…my godmother’s name.

N – Number of Siblings: 1 – my older brother, I have sisters in law, Crystal, my brother’s wife, just passed away and I’m still devastated, and my husband’s sister Carinda. I have a few step-sisters also and former step-siblings.

O – One Wish: my house and my Highlander…it’s a combo wish, but that’s what I want.

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P – Person You Spoke To On The Phone Last: my sister in law Carinda

Q – Question You’re Always Being Asked: how’s the new job going?

R – Reason To Smile: aside from the obvious…clouds make me smile : )

S – Song You Last Sang: “Weak” by SWV…I have no idea why but it just popped into my head so I started singing it.

T – Time You Woke Up: 8:12am…I’m off this week for bereavement so I’ve been sleeping in. So rare.

U – Underwear Color: black with multi-colored polka dots…talk about tmi…

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V – Vacation Destination: the beach…we just came back from Myrtle Beach, SC and I wouldn’t mind spending a couple of weeks right now at my favorite Carolina Beach, NC : )

W – Worst Habit: I procrastinate.

X – X-Rays You’ve Had: bone x-ray when I was a child and broke my collar bone, chest x-rays because I had asthma when I was younger, and teeth x-rays more often than I’d like : (

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Y – Your Favorite Food: this is hard, I could answer favorite food category better, but I’d say my favorite food is shrimp because I love seafood and I love shrimp a number of ways.

Z – Zodiac Sign: Scorpio baby!!

That was fun! I tried to go off the cuff and give the first thing that came to mind, but some of these questions I had to really think of an answer. That’s why I love doing these type of surveys. I’d love to see some of your answers : )

I started this post on Saturday with the intention of posting it on Saturday but here it is Thursday and I’m just now finishing it up and posting it. It’s been a really rough week with my sister in law passing and her services being earlier this week. This is helping to take my mind off of it some. Have a great day everyone!

Be Near

2015-07-29T21:41:00.000-04:00

I would love to share all things vacation right now but I can’t. Maybe later. But now, my family is going thru a very difficult time and I can’t just post as if it’s not happening. If you know me personally then you are well aware but for those of you who are not… my sister in law, my brother’s wife is currently fighting for her life in the hospital. I say fighting for her life because that’s exactly what she is doing. I won’t go into detail, but it caused me to want to share something.

I haven’t had a lot of death and tragedy in my life. I remember when my Great Grandma Josephine passed away from Leukemia in the summer of 1996. It was the summer between 8^th grade and 9^th grade and it changed me forever. I was devastated. I was in Philly for the summer and she was in the hospital for most of June and I would go visit her but I couldn’t look at her, couldn’t touch her, I was so afraid. She passed in July and it was truly awful for me. I broke down during the processional and I wanted to go into the casket and get her. Ever since then, I’ve avoided funerals and anything of the sort. I have had a few people pass in my life and have gone to funerals for only those close, but this is the first time anything has come this close to me since the summer of 96. I have strong faith but I’ll admit it’s being tested. I have been at the hospital every day since getting back into town from vacation, with the exception of today. I can feel myself rambling, so let me move on…

When bad things happen, you don’t have the right words. No one has the right words. If I was just in a car wreck you can’t come tell my husband, oh she’s going to be ok, everything’s going to be alright…that’s not going to make him feel better. It’s not about the words you say. It’s about your actions. It’s about being near. When someone is hurting and you don’t have the words to say, just be near. We all face tragic events in our lives, we all know someone who has gone thru something completely unimaginable. Sometimes when you’re in the thick of it, you don’t want to hear Annie saying the sun will come out tomorrow. It’s true, that it will, but it’s not helping the person right then and now. I’m the first to admit that I don’t know what to say in some situations, and that’s okay. Just being near is what counts.

So how can you be near?

Well, physically you can be around the person in need. In my instance, I’ve been at the hospital as much as I can. You can feel love. You can feel encouragement. You can feel support. It doesn’t take words, it takes action.

The power of social media really helps if you can’t be near physically. Just a simple I love you or I am here for you means the world to someone who feels like their world is falling apart.

Love is a verb, which means it’s an action. Any act of kindness or love that you can show is more than appreciated. Sending flowers, making a meal, offering to take care of something for them, donating towards expenses, any and all of these things are great examples of being near by showing love.

If you can and are willing to donate, my brother and sister could really use some help because hospital stays, especially lengthy ones are not cheap. I continue to pray for my sister and my brother and my niece and nephew and I trust God.

It's Ok

2015-07-16T22:47:00.001-04:00

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In spirit of one of my favorite sections of Glamour magazine, I decided to share a few things running through my mind right now…because frankly, it’s okay because it has to be. No other choice.

It’s ok that I’ve been a huge blog reader as of late, and not so much of a blog writer.

It’s ok that I haven’t tried to really lose weight pre-vacation.

It’s ok that in addition to the beach, I’m looking forward to eating all that I can.

It’s ok if I’m super slacking at work because, how can you expect me to work when I’m about to go on vacation? Seriously, I’m super productive but I’m super slacking at the same time, if that makes sense…when else am I going to read all of these blogs I’m stumbling upon?

It’s ok if every day leading up to vacation, that I’m waking up like, dang it’s not Saturday yet.

It’s ok that as the Mom, I have to do all of the packing…I accepted that a few years ago…it comes with the territory.

It’s ok that I want to call out desperately tomorrow but I’m not that girl. And stupid work ethics aside…selfishly let’s not use up all of this time off in July…I have the rest of the year to get through.

It’s ok that my body signals to me that it’s hungry for lunch at 10am…actually this is so not ok. But all this week, it doesn’t help that I don’t want to work, but that I’m working (or not working) hungry.

It’s ok that I just scarfed down two Krispy Kreme donuts…thanks to my colleague who offered them to me. Usually I respond with a resounding NO and this time I responded with GLADLY. Smh

It’s ok that I totally just wrote this post to make me feel better about the slacktastic ~~day~~ week I’ve been having.

What’s even better than okay is the fact that I have made it through this day. I’ll do better tomorrow. I have tons to do tomorrow so my day will definitely not drag both at work and home. That’s the plan anyways : )