April Goals-How I'd Do?

Well, another month is in the books! It was a good month, busy but good. As I went through and re-thought my goals for the month and thought about next month's, I realized I was pretty comedic with my goals like "cut back on my sugary cakey goodness, work on being less Moody Judy, & wake up at least 30 minutes early one day a week." I was setting the bar to impossible with these things. First of all, I love all things sweet and cakey, no way will I ever give it up. Second, i'm a woman, being Moody Judy comes naturally. Third wake up 30 minutes early...blah blah blah, Nope. I love sleep way too much. I think May's Goals will be to continue working on April's leftover goals that ARE possible but without further ado, here's how I did last month.

1. Ask my last bridesmaid to be in my wedding.
This did happen!! There are somethings going on that may not allow her
to be in the wedding but I had a nice heart to heart with her
and let her know that's okay.
I just want her to know she's definitely
still included in any part of this wedding journey that she can be.

2. Start wedding dress shopping.
{This hasn't happened yet but I
have plans to go in the next weekend
or two!!}

3. Get our engagement pictures done.
{Still no.}

4. Get wedding invites ordered or start making them.
{Again, not yet. I have to
jump on it.}

5. Wash my face nightly with my skin care products.
{Fail!! No excuses.}

6. Iron all of Alex's work clothes on Sunday.
YES! It just makes our week go so much more smoothly.


7. Send people more snail mail, just because.
{Big. Fat. Nope.}

8. Less internet time in the evenings.
This one is so so. I still have a lot more room for improvement.
I blame all the Instagram giveaways!

9. Start my Wii-Fit work-out again or running/walking in the evenings.
Kinda. We were hiking in the evenings then
the rain came for about two weeks and we
got off track.

10. Lose 5 more pounds.
{Not five. Just two.}


11. Eat more fruits and veggies.
Yes!! We are getting lots more fresh fruits and veggies
since they're all coming into season now.
I love me some avacados.

12. Spend at least an hour a day reading.
{Umm, no. I failed. I spend the time in my
car, waiting on my son to get out of school
checking Facebook and stuff. Guilty.}


13. Cut back on my sugary, cakey, cookie goodness intake.
{No way! I'm not even sure why this was a "goal"
Eating healthy sucks. Bring on the cupcakes!!}

14. Drink even more water.
All day everyday! Except for
when I have sweet tea or
coffee.

15. Work on being less moody Judy (this one gets me in trouble sometimes).
{Ummm, well, I'm a woman so you take a stab at it.
Why was this a goal again?}

16. At least one day a week, wake up 30 minutes early.
{This did NOT happen. I was apparently
a comedian last month. I love sleep
wayyyy too much for this.}

17. Find a good multi vitamin to take.
{Yeah, no.}

18. Get my hair trimmed.
{Nope.}

19. Start to work on our menu for the wedding.
Hey! I can kinda mark this one off. We've started discussing it!!

Perception.

per·cep·tion
pərˈsepSH(ə)n/
noun

a way of regarding, understanding, or interpreting something; a mental impression.


Is perception everything?


In my life i've been perceived many ways, a lot of them not so nice. Many of them even hurtful.

I've been called a Bi*ch, as most of us have and sure if standing up for myself is being a bi*ch, then so be it. I suppose I am.

I've been called controlling. If I'm in a relationship with you and have reasons not to trust you maybe I am controlling.

I've been called an alcoholic, because I couldn't handle one glass of wine. Alcoholics can handle more than one glass of wine.

I've been called selfish and maybe in my teenage years I was but in my grown up life I'm not so much.

I've also been called a Facebook Drama Queen. If you look at my Facebook page it's all about my family and my life. I try to be nothing but positive and encouraging to everyone else.


I could probably go on and on with this list but I'll get to the point.
All of these things are not necessarily true. They are merely people's opinions of me and in my life I've learned that lions do not lose sleep over the opinions of sheep. Even though these perceptions come from people whom I'm close to and people whom I thought knew me better I've had to learn not to let them affect me negatively. People will judge you, they just will, it's a fact of life but having self confidence and being secure enough in yourself to know what's true will take you so much farther than giving into people's perceptions.

As my son continues his journey into the teenage and adult years I hope this is a lesson he takes with him. I hope he knows his own self worth and has a shining self confidence that won't allow other's opinions of him affect him. I hope he continues to be the continues to be spirited and fun and silly. I pray that the judgement others will inevitably place upon him only boosts him up more and that he shines brighter everyday.

I write this all just to say before you place your own judgements and perception on anyone else make sure you find the good in them. People are meant to be loved and there's far too much hate in this world. Why not be the one who changes that?
Do not allow yourself to be defined by other's perceptions of you and therefor, do not define others based on your own perception of them.







Where Have I Been?

Hi y'all. Sorry for the absence last week. I had jury duty all week long and it drained me. When I got home in the afternoons I was exhausted and didn't even want to touch the computer. I took yesterday as a day to make a dent in our laundry and treated myself with a trip to Michael's for more beading supplies and then made my mom a bracelet she wanted. I'm so ready to be back on to that. I have so many ideas for pretty new jewelry. I also have to deep clean the house but anyway, I thought I owed y'all an explanation for my absence.

I haven't done our weekend re-caps in two weekends but I assure you we've been having a lot of fun. I can't remember two weekends ago day by day Saturday was our fun day. We went to the Georgia Renaissance Festival. If you like jousting, Kings and Queens, festival food (especially giant turkey legs), Shopping, Comedy, & fun check it out if you're ever near Fairburn, Ga from April-June. My Fiance has always gone on opening day and usually dresses in full costume. The last couple years it was muddy so there was no costume but we throw on our sloppiest shoes and head out to the mud for a fun filled day.

Here are the pics so you can see all the fun for yourself.





This guy is the town Idiot (I can't make that up) and he's pretty funny.



And excuse the mess I am in this picture. The humidity had gotten to my hair by this point so up it went.
My honey had been kissed by one of the Kissing Wenches.



That was a fun way to enjoy the weekend before Jury Duty and my buddy had their big state wide Milestones testing, too so there was a lack of posts and pictures but this past weekend was more fun.

Friday I was too tired to remember anything. I'm not sure what we did but I think it involved napping.

Saturday was my best friend's son's 6th birthday! I have no pictures for this because he's not my kiddo and I won't post pics of him for that reason but I'm so glad to be a part of their lives. We've been best friends for over 17 years. She's my best girl and so i've been in little man's life since day one. I remember when she brought him home from the hospital. He was so tiny. I think he had a good birthday this year and it was great to catch up with her and her momma. We were the last ones there so we got to stay and visit. We both needed that a lot. It was the highlight of my weekend. I also went shopping for wedding decorations with my momma. We didn't buy anything but we got some great ideas! I'm so excited. Everything is starting to feel so real because it's getting so close!!

Sunday we ran about a million errands, visited with my in-laws and then went back to my mom and dad's and cooked dinner with them. We had the most amazing coconut chicken and my mom's fried rice, it's always to die for. The time spent with them is always fun and treasured.


So lately that's where i've been. I'm such a creature of habit that i'm still trying to get into the swing of things after last week. Once I got put on a case it was interesting to see how it actually works from the inside, not just on t.v. (it's nothing alike). It was rewarding to know that we got someone off the street who shouldn't be. Maybe we saved him from hurting himself or someone else. Maybe he'll see his mistake and never do what he did again and maybe he'll get help if he needs it.

I'm so glad that this week is a new week though and we can (hopefully) settle down and get back into the flow of things.

Foodie Friday.

Hi Peaches. It's finally Friday! We made it through another week!! Let's celebrate with another Foodie Friday post :) Today we have a special guest, my son, Dylan! He makes the most amazing smoothies ever. He's been making these delicious, fruity treats for a few years now (no joke) and he makes them better than anyone I know. Maybe it's the extra love their made with but at any rate, they're delicious!


I'll let him take over now and tell you how he makes this delicious goodness.


First, you want to get your ingredients. You will need Strawberries, Sugar, Blueberries, and yogurt.
The tools your gonna need are A knife, a spoon, a blender, and a cutting board.

Next, you chop up the strawberries and put them in the blender.




Next, you put the blueberries in, you only need like a handful of them.



Then you add 2-4 spoonfuls of the yogurt.


Add a few pinches of sugar to sweeten it up.


Blend it and then your done!!!





You can also substitute the strawberries and blueberries for any other fruit you'd like or add in kale for some extra nutrition. He added some to mine the other day and it was yummy!
And there y'all have it! That's how my sweet buddy makes his amazing smoothies. He should be the Smoothie King.

I hope you enjoy!

Spring Wishlist

Oh Spring! It always gets me! I love all the colorful pastels and bright colors of the season. All the flowers and lovely textures. I want it all this time of year and the bad part is that my birthday already passed :( So for now, I wish and what better way than to organize it into a post? I mean Mother's Day is right around the corner *hint hint* {wink wink}.

Without further ado here is my spring wishlist.



1. Love This Life Georgia Bracelet {Kohl's} $50.00 $14.99

2. Jessica Simpson Metal Clubmaster Sunglasses {Belk} $50.00 $25.00

3. Vinrellas Umbrella In A Bottle {Merle Norman} Price??

4. Essie Nail Polish in all the colors!! Especially the 2015 Bridal Collection. {Essie}
Who can resist anything whose tag line is "after you toss the bouquet...I suggest you have hubby for dessert"?

5. Victoria's Secret Very Sexy Now {Victoria's Secret} $52.00

6. Lily Pulitzer for Target Pink Eyelet Vacation Shorts {Target} $26.00

7. Merona Floral Chino Shorts {Target} $19.99

8. 3 Hearts Crochet Shorts Tiffany Blue {Target} $22.99

9. Lily Pulitzer for Target Beaded Head Wrap White & Gold {Target} $15.00

10. Lily Pulitzer for Target Scarf with Pom Poms Nosie Posey {Target} $20.00

11. Lily Pulitzer for Target Teak Beach Chair Nosie Posey {Target} $60.00

12. Lily Pulitzer for Target Beach Towel Fan Dance {Target} $25.00

13. Lily Pulitzer for Target Canvas Shopping Tote Nosie posey and Bella Donna {Target} $15.00

14. Tom's Natural Burlap Ballet Flats {Tom's.com} $84.00

15. Tom's Natural Woven Diamond Classic Wedges {Tom's} $69.00

16. Kate Spade New York Tied Up Pave Bangle Bracelet {Belk} $88.00

17. Kate Spade New York Sweetheart Scallops Single Stand Necklace {Belk} $98.00

18. Kate Spade New York Sweetheart Scallops Bangle Bracelet {Belk} $38.00

19. Kate Spade New York Gramercy Grand Watch {Belk} $225.00

20. Kate Spade New York Day Tripper Pink Earrings {Belk} $48.00

These are just a glimmer of the things on my wish list right now. With the Lily Pulitzer for Target coming out soon you can pretty much bet everything from that line is on my list, too!

What are some of the things on your wishlist?

Weekend Re-Cap

Hey Y'all. Sorry for the disappearing act. Yesterday was the first day of getting back into a routine after Spring break and I wasn't feeling it at all. I did laundry all. day. long. That was it. Our weekend was another filled with errands and nothing much else so there's no need for a weekend wrap up post. The best part was spending time with my parents, my brother and sister in law on Saturday. We don't get together nearly enough but every time we get together is guaranteed to be a blast. We spent a lot of time outside goofing off and enjoying the gorgeous weather.

We shot Dylan's bow & arrow and sat around the pool and talked and laughed. A lot.



My Sister in law shooting the bow and arrow. My brother and son. My honey giving needy Bella lots of love.

My honey and I did leave to run a couple errands and Dylan made us the most delicious smoothies as a surprise when we got home.
P.S.-I've talked him into doing my Foodie Friday post this week ;)



We're lucky to have such a sweet, thoughtful son.

Well, I guess I just did a weekend wrap up post after all. :)

I hope you are all having a wonderful week so far.

This one goes to the dogs...

Hi y'all! We're Bella, Minnie Mouse, and Drago. We heard our Sissy is doing a meet the canines link up so we jumped at the chance to take over. We call her our Sissy because our situation is different than most. We're one big blended family. We'll explain that in a minute. First you have to see our adorableness!



Okay, okay. That's not our best side. We don't like to cooperate for pictures together unless our Sissy begs us with treats.



Then we're all smiles.

So we call Leslie our Sissy because, like we said, we're one big blended family. To two of us she's our human sister, the other she's our Mom or Grandma. Sissy got engaged and she and our boy, Dylan moved out but don't worry! We live with Mimi and Pa (or Mom and Dad) in house with a nice big yard we get to run free in. At Sissy, Alex and Dylan's house we have to be on leashes when we visit. We don't like that and they don't like it for us so we live here and get to have spend the night parties at their house. They spoil us. We have our own blankets, toys, and cookie jar at their house. Sissy drives a convertible, too so sometimes we get to ride with the top down! We love that! Some days she takes us to pick our boy up from school, too! We really have the best of both worlds. We have two homes full of lots of love.

I, Bella, belong to Dylan-Leslie's Son.


Nicknames: Bella Girl, Smella Bella, Beautiful, Bells
Jessica Simpson because i'm pretty but not always smart.

Santa brought me to him about 8 years ago. I got my name because Mimi named me Bella then Pa said Holly for the middle name since it was Christmas time, like the song "Deck the halls with Bella Holly."
My boy was only 4 so he couldn't take care of me all by himself, so Leslie is technically my Mom, too but Dylan says she's my Grandma. We don't argue.

I'm a full blooded Golden Retriever. Everyone always says how pretty I am until I roll on something dead and stinky. I like doing that a lot. I really like spa day. I love having my hair dried and pretty smelling perfume sprayed on me. I also like bows and clothes and costumes. I love attention. I make everyone pet me and if they stop then I put my head under their hand and make them start again. I talk, a lot and always bring gifts to anyone who comes over. Those gifts range from dead creatures, sticks, pine cones & stuffed animals. It really depends on what I can pick up first, after all, a Southern Lady never shows up without a gift, right? I love socks and dish rags best of all.

My Grandma Linda says I have the most soulful eyes. I'm not sure what that means but I think it means I get my way most of the time. I'm the Diva of the group but after having 20 kids I think I deserve that! A few years ago I slipped out and found a Rottweiler boyfriend in the neighborhood and had babies. I didn't learn from the first time and slipped out and had more babies before my Mimi had me fixed. It's kinda good that I did that though because if I didn't we wouldn't have Minnie Mouse.

Hi, I'm Minnie Mouse.


Nicknames: Mouse, Mousey Girl, Minnie, Crazy Horse

I belong to Mom and Dad, or my boy calls them, Mimi and Pa.
I am Bella's girl. I was the runt of the last litter of puppies, that's how I got my name. Mom said I was so tiny that they used to cut the ends out of socks and make me sweaters to wear b/c I was always cold. Dad would come in from work and pick me up and snuggle me while watching t.v. even though he said I couldn't stay at first.

I'm part Golden Retriever and Rottweiler. I'm scared of strangers but I love my family. I talk even more than my mom but everyone thinks it's soo funny! I love stuffed animals, especially my unicorn. I also love to chase the squirrels. I think it's great in the summer time when Dad fills up all the bird and squirrel feeders because they're everywhere! I'll stand at the door with Dad and watch the squirrels then he says "Ready, Minnie? Go get 'em" then he opens the door and I run like a crazy horse at the squirrels. I've never caught one but I just know one day I will!

I love spending the night with my Sissy, Alex, and Dylan so much that sometimes, when they're getting ready to leave Mom and Dad's I sit by the back door and wait, when they open it I run to the car and won't stop until I get to go. I don't like taking baths so I don't get dirty. I don't like dressing up either but sometimes I do just to amuse the humans. They're silly like that. I'm easy going except when Mom and Dad brought the puppy home. Sissy was so worried about me because I wouldn't eat or anything that she made me stay with her for a couple days. Now that little guy is one of my best friends.

Hi-A Guys! I'm Drago.


Nicknames: Dray, Drake

I think I was named after someone on The Game of Thrones, I don't even know what that is but it sounds scary and i'm scary!! I'm the newest family member. I just got to move in back in January. After Mom's buddy Duke passed away she wanted another dog so bad she started looking on line. She found me on Facebook and the rest is history. Dad couldn't say no to this face. When I first came home it was scary because Bella and Minnie didn't want to be friends but all my humans loved me and helped us all get along. Now they're my best friends. We get in all kinds of trouble together! Minnie and I love to wrestle around the house. She's a great big sister! Everyday when Sissy and Dylan come to see me I cry like I haven't seen them in a month. I love to give my boy hugs when I see him, too.

I sleep with Mom and Dad, they said something about crate training. They even set up this giant cage in the kitchen but I won that! I love going in the car and Sissy says i'm a great car rider. We get to go pick our boy up from school some days, that's my favorite! I'm full of mischief and have recently discovered the swimming pool, even though there is a cover on it right now I still get in and walk around. I keep hearing that the cover comes off! I can't wait!

I also love to help with housework! I attack the Swiffer and follow the vacuum around. Cleaning is fun! Oh and I love to eat flowers. Sissy picks them sometimes and I eat them. Everyone thinks it's funny when I tilt my head back and forth when i'm listening, too. My favorite thing to do is harrass Sissy's cat, Chance. I just don't understand why he won't be my friend and why he makes this spitting sound at me and shows me his sharp claws. He has really good food though and his toys are super fun. They're better than mine. Okay, well maybe not as good as the zombie football in the front yard or the bones mom gets us but they're good. They have feathers!! Who doesn't love feathers? I know Minnie and I do!


Hi y'all. It's Bella again. Before we sign off I want to show you a picture of my best buddy Duke. He passed away in October because he had Cancer. We miss him a lot but we know he's in Heaven now with Papa.



Thank you all for stopping by and seeing us. We really like it when we get love so leave us lots of love please!
We've heard Chance gets to take over soon. You'll get to see our other fur-brother, too!

Lots of Love,
Bella, Minnie, & Drago

Here's the link up info, too!
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Check out this amazing link up featuring our wonderful canine friends!

Essential Oils

Hey y'all. You get a double dose of posts today because I have so many ideas and I want to get them out there + it was National Sibling's Day and I had to celebrate with a bonus post.

I'm feeling un-inspired on the food front again so there's no Foodie Friday :( Sorry, kinda of. The best thing I made this week were cupcakes and they were straight out of the box thanks to Betty Crocker and iced with store bought icing, too. I had to do what I had to do to satisfy my cupcake craving. I did make a couple of adjustments off Pinterest pins but i'll share those later.

If you're still with me after all that rambling I want to share with you about the essential oils I've been using. I've been thinking about this post since I got my oils but of course I had to actually use them first so after a post I put on Facebook earlier this week I decided now is the perfect time.

I did lots of research on Pinterest before I bought my oils. I know that there are plenty of brands out there; Young Living and DoTerra being two of the major ones right now. I've never used them and more than likely will before long but I started off with this set from Amazon.



Here's the link, in case you're interested in buying them, too.

http://www.amazon.com/Synergy-Essential-Blend-Beginner-Starter/dp/B00LXGC4L8/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1428692534&sr=8-5&keywords=fabulous+frannie+essential+oils+set

I have to say, hands down, my favorite is the Tension oil.
It is a blend of Lavender, Peppermint, Rosemary, & Grapefruit.

I posted this as my thankful post one day.



{Day 39} I'm so thankful for my tension essential oil. My shoulder has killed me (to the point of actual sobbing last night) for about a week. I've done everything I can think of to relieve the pain. It doesn't hurt all the time but when it does OUCH! This morning I remembered my essential oils and massaged my shoulders with this oil! Relief!!! #simplylovegratitudeproject

This is one oil I swear by and will never ever run out of.

The other day I used all of these over the course of a day.
De-Stress-A blend of Grapefruit, Lavender, & Ylang Ylang
M.B.S.-Mind, Body, & Spirit- A blend of Orange, Clove, Ylang Ylang and Amyris
Renew-A blend of Clove, Peppermint, Orange, Lavender, Rosemary, & Eucalyptus
P.M.S.-Geranium, Oregano, Clary Sage, & Lavender

I felt like a new person after I used those.



I'm not sure I can live without my P.M.S. blend, either.




These last two are pretty amazing, too.

Bug Away-A blend of Citronella, Lavender, Eucalyptus, and Lemongrass
Happy Feet-A blend of Tea Tree, Lavender, Thyme, & Clove

Bug Away smells awful but of course anything Citronella does. I used this on my entire family when we went for a hike in the woods. I came out without any ticks or bug bites on me. My Fiance had one tick and my son (who had been in the woods earlier in the day without any bug away on to begin with) had one tick on him and no one had bug bites. I'd say that was a success. I'll be using this one for the rest of the summer.

Happy Feet is wonderful. I just rub a little on my feet and magic. They feel relaxed and relieved. I've yet to soak them in water and oil but that's coming so soon. My feet often get tired and need relief, this is the little bottle of magic works wonders.

One thing I didn't know about until I got my oils is that you need a carrier oil, such as coconut, to go along with them. I don't have any yet but next weekend we're going to the Georgia Renaissance Festival and there is a guy who sells all kinds of essential and scented oils that I plan on hitting up. I'm so excited about that! I'm sure i'll have lots more goodies to share with you then.

Also, I'll say this. You don't buy essential oils because they smell amazing. They're Earthy, something I wasn't prepared for but they don't necessarily smell horrible, either, at least not all of them. Remember, they're for health benefits.

If you have any questions about oils feel free to e-mail me at lesliew21282@gmail.com or check out my Pinterest board-https://www.pinterest.com/peachykeen31/essential-oils/

I'm off now to try my Aches & Pains oil for the first time. My hands are killing me today.

Have a great weekend everybody! I'll see y'all on Monday.

Happy National Sibling's Day.





Today is National Sibling's Day, at first I wasn't going to participate because it's a bittersweet day for me. It's something I rarely talk about because I don't want to upset anyone but growing up I had two of the most amazing brothers ever. I still have them both in this world but one has since moved along from the rest of us for reasons that I can't explain. Reasons that I'm not even sure of anymore. It hurts but I've learned that it's okay because God has something bigger in store for us than I can even imagine, I'm sure of it, I just don't know what it is so I get by with my faith and prayers that God is working on this. He's working on us and he'll make it all okay. I still love that brother and always will, no matter what happens. That's the bitter part. That's the part that I don't want to hurt anyone.



The sweet part, the part that made me write this post and the one I shared on Facebook and Instagram is the fact that I still have three amazing siblings who are always there for me and who make this life so much brighter and happier. They're worth celebrating! Anytime we're together there are guaranteed laughs and memories made. My favorite part of being together is when one of our Dads grabs their phones to start taking pics. I've yet to see these pics but they're probably all kinds of silly candids because that's how we are when we're together. If I have these three in my life I can do anything. We've all been through some pretty tough times together but we always come out laughing and loving a little harder. So thank you all for making life's tough times a little easier and the sweet times much sweeter.



I ♡ y'all to infinity & beyond!

Currently {April}

Hi Lovelies! Welcome to Wednesday! It's hump day! Normally this would be a great thing but this week it's bittersweet. It's Spring Break, we're 1/2 way through it but it also means it's almost time for my honey to be off work for the weekend, too! We have no plans for this weekend, so hopefully we can take it easy.
Anyway, it's time for an April Currently post. I know you're all wondering what i'm up to these days ;)




hearting | Southern Charm and Dinner at Tiffani's. They're both my current guilty pleasures. Also the Lily Pulitzer line coming out at Target, okay basically everything at Target. Pastels and pretty bright colors. It's Spring Time and all the flowers are in bloom, the weather is warm & we're on Spring Break. What's not to heart right now?

reading | I'm still reading Phil Robertson's newest book UnPHILtered but i'm also reading a book called Finding Southern Comfort by Barbra Lohr on my iPad. I'm only on chapter one so I can't tell you how it is but anything Southern, i'm all about. I can't decide what to read so I chose two books at once :)

pinning | whatever looks pretty. Seriously, I have no pinning theme. If I like it I put a pin on it {sing that to Beyonce's Put A Ring On It}.

eating | Nothing at the moment. I just got done with coconut chicken strips though. They are so yummy. One of my fiance's faves so I make them often. In fact, I've shared the recipe on a past Foodie Friday post.

anticipating | Summer vacation and our up-coming wedding in September! We have booked a beach house that will also be the reception site, our wedding planners and set our date. I've picked out the package and colors with the planners now it's time to find a dress!


listening | sometimes I listen to Ross Mathew's podcast Straight Talk when I need a good laugh, The Lively Show
with Jess Lively when I need some inspiration or Save the Date podcast with Aleisha McCormack for some wedding inspiration. I'm currently digging Darius Rucker's new album Southern Style, too.

So what about you. What are you currently
hearting
reading
pinning
eating
anticipating
listening?

I hope you're having an amazing Wednesday lovelies.


Easter Sunday.

Good Morning y'all. It's Monday and that means Spring Break for us! I hope you all had a wonderful Easter Sunday yesterday.

Usually Mondays are weekend re-cap posts but this weekend was pretty much the same as every other weekend and I'm sure you're tired of hearing about our nights of take out, sleeping and grocery shopping so today we're going to talk about Easter.


Ours was small and relaxed. It was just my party of 3, my Mom and Dad and my Grandma.
Mom and Dad cooked a delicious ham lunch/dinner and desserts. They always go above and beyond.


Holidays are my favorites. I love the food, the family and the fun. There are always guaranteed to be adventures and laughs and lots of memories made.

This year was different though because my buddy is 12 and dying Easter eggs and doing Easter egg hunts are no longer on his list of interests so this year he wanted to go on a hike in the woods to the river. It sounded like a great idea to everyone else so after our late lunch we laced up our tennis shoes while our buddy gathered his survival bag and into the woods we went. I have to say i'm really proud of my Grandma. She kept up. (It's a long hike. At the river it's downhill and rocky, too!)

We found bullet shells where someone has been out shooting. I made everyone collect them because I can clean them up and make jewelry out of them to sell.


During the hike my son came up to me with a purple violet that he had picked for me. It meant a lot. It's been a while since he did that for me. He's 12, remember? He had also picked one for my mom and grandma.


Some more snaps of our hike.


Me and my Sweet Grandma


My Mom picked up a zip tie and put it on her wrist then couldn't get it off. Honey to the rescue!


I tried to take a selfie with my son but he said "no technology in the woods, Mom." "Maybe later."
So this is the best I got.


My Survivalist Guys


My Handsome Honey


Drago and Bella loved swimming in the river. Minnie just dipped her toes.
Drago also went to town digging in the mud. He was so funny. He had the time of his life.


And our family snaps



After all that excitement we went back to Mom and Dad's house and sat on the front porch to relax for a while. Our sweet cat, Chance came out of hiding and Alex and I got to love on our other son. Our fur son. He stays in hiding since Drago came along. Then we came home and played some Mario Party with our buddy while we laughed lots and ate Nerds. It was a nice day. It was great to enjoy a relaxing day and celebrate Jesus.

Before I leave I'm going to share yesterday's Instagram and Facebook post one more time because I believe it's something we all need to hear, we all need to think about and remember. In a time when it seems easier to find the dirt in people and to hold grudges it's important we find the gold and forgive people for the past. It's not our place to judge anyone, it's Jesus' so let's love each other and forgive.



"Anyone can find the dirt in someone, be the person who finds the gold." Proverbs 11:27. Happy Easter everyone. As we go through this day filled with Easter Eggs, Brunches, family and love let's remember what this day is truly about. Remember that whatever is heavy on your heart and soul, whatever is messy and broken He can fix. Just pray and find the gold in people. Be that kind of loved one and friend. None of us are perfect but we're all wonderful in our own way. I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter with those you love. Take a minute to look around and see who is with you today, love them a little more and squeeze them a little tighter and find the gold in them.

I hope you all have a wonderful week and try to find the gold. Be the gold.

The End