unexpected blessings

we all love surprises! right?? but.... wanna know what i love more then that??!! unexpected blessings!! when i pray, i usually don't ever ask for anything materialistic. or, at least i try not to.

you see,
i love to bake.
i love that my kids enjoy helping me
i love the smells
i love the memories

Thanksgiving is next week and Christmas not far behind it and that means baking will be in full swing!!

so, you can only imagine how upset i got when our oven went out like 2 months ago! it's been rough. FHE's have been very limited on the treats we could have been baking AND what was i gonna do about the holidays?? i got so stressed that i just started freaking out about it. we've been using the toaster oven just because we didn't have the extra money to buy a new stove right now. and honestly, haven't thought about it(i guess i was just getting used to the toaster oven.)

this morning one of our friends showed up and guess what??!! he had us a nice used(but new to us) stove!! with a working oven!!! and told us it was a Christmas present!! now, tell me that wasn't right on time!?

Heavenly Father knows our hearts and he knows our needs. I'm thankful that i have a Heavenly Father that loves me and provides for me, even when i don't ask!

now time to get baking!
muahs!

fitness Friday!!!!

alright.....i told y'all i was gonna start doing these #fitnessfriday post just like, what? a day ago? lol so, i really don't have much to say, cause, I'm starting today!!
so, i guess you can say i had my "last meal" tonight.

there is a local place here where i live that make this "hood burger" it's nothing but greasy goodness in your mouth lol

it's scrambled hamburger with a patty and all the works.
i hate to say it, i don't feel guilty at all!! now to say good bye to this extra weight!!
muahs!

blog under construction....

hey guys! And beauties lol i just wanted to drop a real fast line..... I'm trying to get my blog a little more reader friendly and also a little more personalized.

I also wanna send hiyas & hellos to those new readers out there..... how are you?? I see y'all out there!! Thanks for stopping by!! Y'all keep coming back!! it's only gonna get better!!!

TGIF!! if you are out, drinking......turnen^, please... don't drink and drive!

check back soon!
muahs!

i think someone is ready for pull ups

Potty training can be such a headache!! Trust me, I know!! I've worked with 2yr olds for 15yrs! But, the rewards are nice!!
Mainly the $$ you save!

One thing I have learned is NOT to rush it!! If your child isn't ready, it's not gonna happen.... Just saying! All it will do is cause frustration for you and your child.

A few signs to know your child is ready

•dry diaper

If your child is going hours without wetting/waking up dry in the mornings and or at naps

• vocal

If your child can tell you peepee or poop that's always a good sign too.

•actions

Is your child somehow showing you?? Watch for little hints.

Now, let me give your a prime example:
"today while I was in the kitchen washing dishes, my grandson came running to me with his pants around his ankles. I wasn't paying him too much attention.... Thought he was playing around. Well, he finally gets his pants off. I asked him what he was doing and he began hitting his diaper saying "pee pee pee" he ran to the bathroom door and stayed knocking on it!"

Yaaaassssssss! If that wasn't a sign....i don't know what is!?

"we took him into the bathroom and put him on the potty. He didn't do anything but, he got all smiles and high fives for trying! We took him off, got a fresh diaper on him and 5 mins later..... He poo'ed!"

Yea, yea, I know.... Total fail! Right? No, not really. He is one step closer then before!

There are ways to help your child get ready for potty training.
Take your child with you when you potty. While your in the bathroom... Talk to them. Tell them what things are. Introduce them to sounds that may scare them.

Get them their own toilet or seat for the big toilet. Sometimes kids freak out a little cause they think they will fall into the toilet.

Put them on their toilet as soon as they wake up, and every few hours.

Remember to be consistent! If you don't stick with it, your child won't either.

*please note*

While my youngest son was potty training, about ten years ago, he needed to go potty while we were at WalMart.
I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS!!!!
My son was terrified to go any where near a toilet after that!
Any place that has a motion thingie to flush isn't good! One little move and it sounds like a huge monster is gonna suck you in! I mean, they terrify me and I'm 36 yrs old!!

Do y'all have any potty training tips? Things to avoid? How did your lil ones let you know they were ready?
Muahs

bathroom remodel

Earlier I had posted a blog about our lil house and some DIY I've been doing. I really wish I had taken some before pics but, I never thought I'd really share it with the world!
Lol
Back in Feb 2014, I decided to sink some money 💵 into the house and start fixing it up. I wish I was rich sometimes so I could have my "dream" house or bathroom! But, at the same time I am also humbled and thankful because, it may not be the best of the best, but, it's ours, and my daughter and I did it ourselves!
Since money was tight, we saved money by looking at clearance paint at Lowe's and WalMart. We found this sage green color for 20.00.
Green? Ugh, wasn't excited at all!
(now I have green everywhere)
We attempted sponge painting the walls.... And, I really ended up loving it!

There was this huge ugly medicine cabinet right behind the toilet! I hated it. Every time you sat on the toilet you would hit your head! We removed it just to discover my bathroom mirror almost took up that whole wall!! Just by removing that cabinet and having that huge mirror made my bathroom look so much bigger!

I had some black home made shelves that were already here when we bought the house. I was gonna paint them but got lazy. After I added them back, I loved the black accent! So, I started to incorporate black in with the decor

For flooring we just got those cheap peel and stick squares

Looks pretty good, huh?
After adding a new shower curtain, rug, accent towels, and a few odds and ends, my bathroom was complete, and all for under 100.00! Not to bad!

I'm pretty proud of it. I do believe the best part was getting to do it with my daughter though!
Y'all got any cool DIY ideas you wanna share?
Muahs

children look up to us

Good morning y'all!
This morning I just wanna talk a min about kids and how they mimic what we do.

My youngest son is 11, he will be 12 in about 2 weeks. I've always "taught" my kids right from wrong. They know...
I'm far from perfect.

I mean, who is??

But, in all my years of parenting, I've learned that the most affective way to teach our kids is not by lecturing....
Not by scolding...
But, by example!
This world is in shambles! And, my opinion is that it's up to us to raise our children with morals and standards to get this world back on track!
Over the years I've always told my kids what to do..... But, if your not doing the same things, it's somewhat confusing to children. I mean, at least that's my opinion....
Small children are very observant and see everything we do. And you know what?? They LOVE to play monkey see monkey do.

What are we teaching our kids when we tell them its not right to tell a lie.... But we spent 60.00 at the store and come home and tell our s.o. We spent 50.00?
Seems a little harmless. Right?
Maybe, but, your child just saw you tell a lie.

What about foul language?
We teach our kids not to say things. Things that can be ugly or disrespectful....
Yet, every other word out of our mouths is ugly...
That's disrespectful

We teach our kids to be responsible
Yet, we go spend money on something we don't even need and put off a bill..
That's not responsible

We teach them not to smoke, or drink... It's not good for them, yet, we do it

The bible teaches us to honor thy mother and thy father. It's one of the ten commandments. But, what about us as adults and parents? How do we teach our kids to honor us when we aren't honoring our Heavenly Father and his commandments?
Like I said earlier, I am so far from perfect
I make mistakes..
Just like our children will do.
But, I try to always honor my Heavenly Father and the gospel and my children see this. And if my children learn just one thing from me, I would want it to be that.

I want them To grow into good hearted, law abiding citizens who have morals and standards
Who love their Heavenly Father
And endure until the end!
Muahs

down 75lbs up 25

Hey sweets 🍬! How are y'all today? Hope your staying warm!! I've really been thinking about this blog. I'm not a professional writer, I don't have a degree. All I have are life experiences. I've been really just thinking of different topics of things other people can possibly learn from me and/or be entertained. So, one of the many things I look up are weight loss tips and tricks.
But, hey!! I wanna learn from y'all too!
I was thin in middle school. But in 9th grade,I started to gain a lil weight..... Maybe just filling out?

Middle school 8th grade prom

Summer before 10th grade

So, I was always considered "big boned"
Once I got pregnant and 3 kids later...... I was pretty plump lol
In 2007 I started doing a ton of walking while I lived in Utah and started losing weight... Yay!

2007 at about my lowest weight since high school
175lbs

Once I moved back to Georgia IT HAPPENED
I was dx'ed with bipolar disorder. As anyone that has a mental illness knows, it's hard at the beginning while the Dr tries all the different med cocktails. The emotional rollercoaster, getting sick, hives, adverse reactions, weight gain, weight loss, sleeping all the time, not sleeping at all, ECT
It really takes a toll on your body. By the time they got my meds adjusted and together I was pretty much at my heaviest and still gaining weight

Me in 2011 at my heaviest
275lbs

Y'all, I was miserable!! I had NO energy
I wanted to sleep all the time
I was a walking zombie
Never left the house

So, can someone please explain to me how the meds were helping me other then sedating me!!?
In 2012 I did the unthinkable.

I do NOT condone this or say it's ok without talking to your Dr first

I stopped ALL meds! Cold turkey!! And it was not easy. But, after 6 months, as I started recognizing my triggers, and knowing how I react to things....i started managing it on my own. Yes, I'd have panic attacks, yes... There were sleepless nights... But, I coped with it and got through it, and still get through it.
Then, weight started falling off. I wasn't dieting, I wasn't exercising, just losing weight.
Within four months I was wearing an 11/12 from a 16/18. Went to the Dr and had lost 60lbs. The Dr did blood work and everything came back normal. He said he was glad of the weight loss(cause I was overweight) but not the way I was losing it. He said it was probably due to anxiety. He suggested me going back on my meds!! I wasn't hearing that!!

So, can you guess what I did?????

I took advantage of this opportunity to make a lifestyle change! I started getting more active and just watching my portions. And, it worked.... The weight kept coming off

So, I took it to a whole other level.
started walking to the gym Mon-Fri (4 miles)
I started running
I added weight training
And started trying to EAT CLEAN as much as possible

It was working great too! Until I broke my foot! Ever since then my motivation had just disappeared!! And it makes me so angry at myself because I've gained back 25lbs and can't get off my butt to get back at it when I know it can be done!!
All it takes is

•becoming more active
• portion control
• eat as clean as possible
• weight training
• time
•dedication
•motivation

Which I'm really lacking in the motivation part!!
Y'all have any tips?
Starting Friday I'm gonna do fitness Friday. I'll take my measurements and weight, and share tips, ups, downs, anything fitness related!! Maybe this will help keep me accountable!

Y'all should join me and we can do this together!!
Muahs

please, it's cold outside, bring in your pets of possible!

I don't know about y'all, but..... It's feeling pretty frigid here in Georgia this evening!!

We live in an 850sg ft house..... Pretty tiny, huh? And even though it's a pain in the butt sometimes, we still bring our dogs in. I mean, think about it, right now with my daughter up, we have 5 humans. So, as cramped as it is.... Add a 65lb American bulldog and an old coon hound(who is an old nag) we have no kind of room left!!
But, we do it anyways.

I'm not saying you don't love your dogs or pets if you don't let em in. But, if your pets have to stay outside, please, make sure they have some type of shelter to escape the wind.
If they have a dog house, you can always throw extra blankets in there for them.

Here is another cool lil tip:
If your dog has to stay outside while it's cold, add additional food to their diet! Dogs burn more calories to stay warm!
Do you have any tips for people who can't bring their animals in?

Muahs!

poor sick baby!

So, yesterday during nap, my grandson was so congested and you could just tell he wasn't feeling well at all!! I can't stand a sick baby. It breaks my heart when you can't make them better. If y'all have kids, I know you know that feeling I'm talking about!! I made my lil boog a DRs apt. My daughter gave him a good bath 🛀 then blew dried his hair.... Lol he looked like Don King

Needles to say, his momma made him wear his hat even inside the DRs office!!!

Is it me, our does this happen to all moms?? Once you get to the Dr, your child miraculously feels better??
Yea, I know.... Everytime!

Anyhow, the Dr gave him some meds. Said he had croup and a head cold! We have to get him better before Thanksgiving!

He has been taking it easy. Isn't it funny?? Even through snotty noses and coughing, a child still manages to smile 😊

Y'all try and stay warm tonight!!
Muahs

November 2k14 beauty box 5

Good morning beauties!! How are y'all?? Cold??? I believe they are saying all 50 states are below freezing right now!!!!!

Brrrrrrr

Anyhow, so far today has been lazy lazy!! I did get my beautybox5 in the mail!! Yay! I love getting my sub boxes, kinda like my birthday every month!!
Got inside, opened it and was pretty excited!

The things I got this month are

• Nicka K New York

Eyelight crayon/ retail:$4.49 0.056 oz

• DenTek

Floss picks & case retail:$2.49 4 count

• HASK

Macadamia Revitalizing Shine Oil/retail:$2.99 5/8 fl oz

•Laura Ashley

Body butter/ retail:$20.00 sweet of 6 butters (1.75 oz each)

• Dove

Deep moisture body wash/ retail:$6.49 22 oz

Eyelighting pencil in chrome

I'm actually excited about this!! I've been trying to do more of a Smokey eye look and I love shimmer, so....PERFECT!!

Floss sticks with case

Sorry about the lame pic, but, my grandson got hold of it before I got pics

This was just......idk, like a whatever. I mean, I can get these pretty much anywhere. The little case for them was pretty neat.

HASK hair oil treatment

Ugh!! I've been trying to jump on this bandwagon for almost a year!! Something about the hair oils and serums. I can't find the one for me. They either make my hair look greasy or flat. I have only found ONE serum I use and I'll do a review on it in another blog.
I will try it though..... Cause I would love to find one that's right for my hair!

Body butter

I was super excited for this!!! Until I opened it and the safety foil was open and it was half empty!!
I love trying new lotions and body butters! Specially during fall and winter months!
This smells so good!! Italian lemon. Yummy 😋
I called costume service and they are getting me a replacement sent out! Yay!

Body wash!!??

Yea, smh....
All in all.... I'm happy with my box!!
Beauty box 5 is a monthly subscription box for 12.00 a month! If you'd like to get one.....

get it here

I'll do reviews on each of these as I get to use them!!
What was your favorite item in your box this month?
Muahs!

there are still good people out there!!

Just an update on my stolen purse. I got a phone call yesterday and someone found my wallet thing!!! It was thrown into a creek about 2 miles from where it was stolen. The purse is still missing and so is my debit card, but I got my license, birth certificate, and all my kids info back!!

How's the weather where you're at? I live a lil south of Atlanta and at 4pm the wind chill is 34 degrees!!brrrrrr, are you ready for winter??
Muahs

Christmas too commercial??

In my opinion..... Yes!! When retailers are competing to get out all their Christmas stuff put out before Halloween now!! I really hate that!! I mean, come on!!! Lets get through one holiday at a time!! Let us enjoy seeing our kids dress as scary lil goblins...... Let us get through Thanksgiving and enjoy being thankful instead of worrying about what we want for Christmas!!

Christmas is a time of family..... And remembering the birth of our savior. I've tried to keep reminding my children this and I do it all year. My children know Christmas is about giving, helping those less fortunate, and being with our family.
To keep Christmas as simple as we can, my kids(my youngest) usually gets 3 gifts.... That he actually asks for. Sure, he will get a few extra small things... From his dad and I, and my oldest get a limit, 100.00. If there is something they want.... That gets deducted.
I'm thankful that I have kids who don't complain, our expect everything!! Makes me feel like I've done well so far on raising my kids!!
Also, with the spending limit and gift limit, it makes things less stressful for me and allows me to enjoy Christmas! No one wants to sit and watch their kids open all these big expensive gifts!! I mean, sure.. . It's nice to see your child happy! Sure,I wanna give my kids EVERYTHING they want.... But, do I honestly wanna sit there Christmas morning and be stressing the whole time because my bills fell behind? Our do I wanna go in debt just to see my kids happy, no! And my kids are good with that!! I pray that they learn from this and carry it on through their adulthood. And I have to say, I have to pray for strength to not give in to ask the commercialism of Christmas!! It's hard as a mom..... Cause if I could, I'd buy everything I saw for my kids and grandson!! So, it's not only a learning process for my children, but for me as well and it gets harder and harder each year!!
So, be strong! Set limits for yourself and kids!! Free yourself from financial worries and enjoy your family and lil ones this Christmas!😁

It's gonna be such a fun Christmas this year!!
Do y'all have any budget ideas for Christmas that you set for yourself?? How do you remind your kids about the true meaning of Christmas 🎄?
Muahs!

nails for today!!!

Well, today I found this matte top coat while at WalMart. I went ahead and picked it up cause I've really been wanting to get used to the matte look. It just doesn't look right to me??? And, my nails were looking really really horrible 😒
I have been having the worse trouble getting my nails to grow out. They start growing then one day I look down and they are all broke!! I really want the stiletto nails!! By George..... One day I will get there!

See?? They are getting there!! And taking shape 👌
I have this beautiful dark purple that almost looks black. (I'll list the colors and brands later.)
I did my toes first.

I didn't use the matte on my toes. But I decided to add a sea green set of dots and a light gray set of dots to the big toes.
I really like the way my nails turned out.

I did the matte from the base of my nail up about 3/4 of the way up. Then I added the green and gray does. I love how they turned out!
My daughter also wanted me to do her toes....

What's your current manicure 💅?
Muahs