Homemade Bathtub Crayons

3/4 bar of Ivory soap

+

1/8 cup of water

+

food coloring

=

tons of fun

Mix, mold and allow to dry for two days. So easy!

P.S. - We received the soap complimentary of #Influenster for testing purposes. If you're interested in receiving products for testing purposes too, leave me your email address and I'll send you a personal invite! #Ivory #SudLife

Our Weekend

Another weekend gone and another week ahead. This is one of very few days off I will be getting in the next few weeks so I plan on enjoying it. My hope is that the sky will look less gray by evening and we'll be able to uncover the pool for an hour or two. This rain and cooler temps have kept us out of it for over a week now and I miss it. Maybe I'll even run to the store and get something to cook out.
Henry has had a cold for a few days so he spent most of the weekend in the house. I had to work both Friday and Saturday so Jeremy planned them a weekend full of movies and laying around the house - something I think they both needed. Sunday we got up early, went to breakfast, spent several hours at the strawberry festival, and then came home and worked on the bathroom. It's probably pathetic that it's taken us this long to get some more done in there, but life is just busy anymore and it's hard to be motivated to work together when we never seem to have time to play together. I am pretty excited to see some progress in there though, and it motivates me to continue working towards getting it done.

I ended up bringing home a few charms from work this weekend that I'm excited about too. Several clearance flowers marked down to a quarter that are perennials and will come back next year, some light bulbs that were on clearance for 17 cents, and a 8x6 vinyl wood-looking remnant that I cannot wait to try out as a photo ground drop for $5.00.
I am in the process of researching and ordering a lighting kit as well - one more step towards having enough things to set up a small studio space. I'm praying that if I continue to dig in my heels and buy a few things that I feel are necessary, I can then take a step towards building my clientele through a few teachers and friends that have been waiting for my call. I'm grateful for their patience and willingness to help me, but I want to make sure I'm 100% prepared before I jump off that ledge.
Maybe one of these days this will be my full-time job. Maybe. I hope.
Jeremy and I also talked to some members about joining The Lions Club this past week. I know it seems kind of random - but both his mother and my grandmother suffer from glaucoma and this is something we could both be passionate about. We've been looking for ways to give back and we know that it's mostly a (much) older generation running everything now and we're hoping our young presence could really be a great blessing to them. I'm really looking forward to the future as members ourselves and the thought of having Henry grow up volunteering in different ways just fills my heart with utter joy.
This week is going to be very busy. Aside from tonight, we are going to be on the go or at work constantly until next Sunday. And then there's that: next Sunday. I have no idea what we're going to do or what we're going to get Jeremy for Father's Day this year. I'm sure he'd be happy with a scribbled on card and a nice dinner, but I always enjoy using holidays like this to show my husband how much I appreciate him, as my husband, as our provider, and as Henry's father. I'm sure we'll come up with something.

I hope you all had a great weekend and that your week will be a little less busy than mine!

TLC VoxBox

So excited to receive my TLC VoxBox this week complimentary from Influenster! This is my 2nd box although I've also earned a few badges from virtual boxes. I'm looking forward to receiving more of these because let's be honest - who doesn't love getting free stuff for testing and reviewing purposes?
So what's in the box?
Shell Fuel Rewards Breyers Gelato Indulgences Coupon Puffs to Go Neosporin Neo to Go Ivory Bar Soap Avon Anew Reversalist Express Wrinkle Smoother
I'm pretty excited about the Neo to Go and the Avon Anew wrinkle smoother and Jeremy was actually like 'Oh man, I LOVE Ivory soap'. The Puffs came in handy for Levi's graduation this week and they were super soft and I love the added lotion. The Gelato sounds so, so, sooo good, but I'm sure it's not going to fit into my diet very well (haha). I could care less about the fuel rewards. I don't shop at Shell and I'm not even sure there's one around here anywhere. But, I will give it a try if I can find a station and see if it's worth it.
Are you a member of Influenster nation? Did you receive the TLC VoxBox?  Which product is your favorite in this box?

Levi's Graduation

Congratulations Levi! 

It seems like just yesterday I was packing you up and 'running away from home'. And again, just yesterday that Jeremy and I were taking you to your freshman orientation and hitting up Tim's afterwards for coffee (although it was not Boston Stoker).

You have coined phrases used often in our household such as 'Get some Tina', 'Taking a Levi' and of course 'Legendary'. You got me hooked on HIMYM, and I'm pretty sure you will always think I'm the best sister ever for introducing you to The Office (at least let me pretend, okay?).

You are a class A smart-ass, full of yourself, smart, funny, and a wonderful brother, uncle, and friend.

I keep reminding you that your bedroom is here and ready for you to move in, but no matter what you do, do it with your whole heart and you will succeed. Keep your head up during the hard times, appreciate the good times, talk to God as often as you can, and never forget that you are loved.

You've come far, grasshopper, and believe it or not, being an adult is really not that bad most of the time. I think you're going to make a kick-ass grown up myself, suiting up daily, and being your sister's very best friend (right? right??).

Love you and congratulations again, you have made me (us) so very proud.

Where I am Right Now

Whoa. Is it really June already?
 I've always heard older people say that 'the older you get, the faster time goes' and I truly believe it's true. It's like I can blink and an entire month can be gone just like that.
May was a really rough month for me. Vacation was wonderful and the time I spent with Henry and Jeremy was priceless; I wouldn't trade those moments for anything. But the rest of May was just down right hard...and for no real obvious reason.
I've spent a lot of my days focusing on just making it through. I wake up tired, stay tired, and go to bed exhausted - just to wake up and do it again. I've had a lot of moments where I've felt extremely depressed. Not unhappy exactly, but disconnected, alone, and vulnerable. Chuck it up to the stormy days, having to be away from my husband, a crazy mood swing, or God's way to telling me to draw closer to Him. I don't know what it is, but it's been there and I've been fighting it almost every day for two long weeks.
I get this way occasionally, forcing myself to enjoy the little and big moments that typically fill my heart with joy. I know a lot of it stems from the repressed emotions of feeling like I don't belong anywhere, that for some reason I am that extra crayon that just doesn't fit in the box. I look the same but in the end, I'm left thrown to the side while the others remain snug and happy in their closed little world.
Most of the time I am okay with this. Seriously. I enjoy being unique. I enjoy being an individual. I enjoy not allowing others to influence who I am and why I live my life the way that I do. I enjoy going without in order to be home with Henry, and spending my free time gardening and crocheting, and knowing that at the end of the day my very best friend in the world is my husband. I enjoy spending all day every day with those who are important to me, living in a way that is important to us.
But occasionally it gets me down, and the fact that everyone else is doing something else can be hard. The fact that no one else seems to understand can be hard. The fact that we had to let go of so many friends and family because we just weren't willing to compromise to an extreme can be hard. Never clicking, or getting it, or feeling part of the whole can be hard. Sometimes life can be just hard.
So that's where I am right now: fighting to make it through days when life just seems so hard, drawing closer to God and relying on His strength to get me through, and knowing that this too will pass.
---------------------------------
I won't be doing a fitness update or goals this month. As of right now, I am up 3 pounds from April. It's not great but I feel like it's not horrible either considering I gained almost 10(!!) pounds on vacation. I didn't take measurements like I normally do so I'll update on those next month too. I've been eating well, exercising often (although not enough), and focusing on slowly getting back on track. Slow and steady wins the race for me, and honestly, I need a break from the exposure. I need to pull back and focus on the things that are really important to me right now: God, my family, and myself.

Memorial Day

We stood there silently as the commands rang out and when the guns went off, I could feel the aching down deep in my soul.
One. Two. Three.
Off in the distance the long, sad sound of bagpipes began to play and the floodgates tore open, unable to contain the pain anymore. Tears traveled down my cheeks as I reflected on the sacrifice made by so many buried in this cemetery and cemeteries all around this great country we call ours.
I brushed them away as the song came to an end and we all bowed our heads to thank God for these men and women who were never able to return home from war.
All day the pain has remained: the deep hurt of knowing that someone died for me and my own. Someone died to keep me safe. Someone died to keep me free.
I hope that God allows them to look down from heaven and see the tears and the celebrations and the time we take to honor their lives. But mostly I hope that we never forget the sacrifice they made so that it can never be said that these heroes died in vain.

A Day in My Life [May]

Deleon Springs & the Old Spanish Mill Pancake House. We love this place and the food is awesome. 

Meet Posum!

Happy Mother's Day to me!

Now go check out Sara's post about 'A Day in My Life' and follow the circle around!