Liebster Award

I have been running on caffeine....not a lot of sleep...and may have put my shirt on backwards this morning. Things have been a bit crazy lately so when I opened my email and saw I had been nominated for a Liebster Award...I was super excited.

Thank you so much to my new friend all the way in Maine... Angela over at The Mommy Stories. Her blog, y'all...precious. Her family...too cute. You have to check it out for yourself HERE.

Sweet Angela asked me the questions below....so let's get started!!!

What are 3 words to describe how it felt when you learned you were going to be a mother? 

Amazed. Nervous. Thankful.

When did you start your blog? Why did you start writing?
I actually had started in 2007 as a way to document Grayson's stats and to update our family on what we were up to since we have family all around the world.   

What is the coolest thing about your life right now?
Honestly....it's that I am learning. I have been heartbroken about certain things lately but they are things that I am thankful I am heartbroken over. Things like spending more time with my kids, being a better wife, and being a Godly woman. God is doing some amazing things in my life and works in my heart. It is hard but so eye opening. I would say I have learned more in the past year about what kind of mom and wife I want to be than I have in the past 9 years of marriage and 7 years as a mommy. It's changing the way I view things and see things which has been a battle but I am just trying to have an open mind and heart.  

If you could not do the job you do now (and tell us what it is), then what job would you want to have and why?
Currently I am an interim assistant principal/school counselor. It is a blessing. If I wasn't doing what I was doing now I would hands down be a stay at home mom or Kindergarten teacher. Every job I have had has been a huge blessing and great experience and each kiddo has such a special place in my heart. Middle school is where I am and I love the kids' sense of humor and personalities but elementary has always been "my place." Luckily, I currently am at an amazing school and have always had the privilege of being at great schools with great people.Aside from home, there is no place I would rather work than in schools!

Interim assistant principal/counselor

Me and Lauren (doing her observations hours) in my Kindergarten class

What is one of your child's names and where did you get name from?
Funny story....our first one is Grayson. We were watching t.v. one night and saw a Severe Thunderstorm Warning on the news for Grayson county. I also liked Dallas. Haha so his name was picked based on counties and bad weather. We knew we wanted a New Testament middle name, so...it was Luke.

I loved the name Elle from Legally Blonde but my sister said she claimed that name for her next one (she has since had two boys...just sayin') so I went with Ella. Joey loved the name Grace and we wanted something somewhat spiritual (there's nothing better than His grace) so we went with that. Both were pretty laid back experiences. 

Where in your home do you write your blog posts most often? Why there?
In our bedroom in bed. I wait until the kids are asleep to do any blogging or work. It's cozy and I feel like I am not disrupting Joey or the kids. I usually only blog if Joey and I already watched a show or spent time together or if he is asleep or watching something on his phone.  

What would you do with an extra $100 that you can only spend on YOU?
Buy Starbucks and hit up Groovy's. (Which I just did...ha) I was going to somehow say pay it forward but it said only ME so I am going with that. But who are we kidding that is what I usually do?

 Favorite meal you make? Bonus points for the recipe.
We love breakfast food. The thing that everyone loves in this house is breakfast food. Each week I make egg white muffins and sausage balls.

Egg White Muffins

-egg whites (I buy the carton)

-1 lb ground turkey

-Nature's seasoning

-shredded mozzarella cheese

-add in's (bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, sauteed spinach)

Brown ground turkey and season. Put one heaping tablespoon of ground turkey in each muffin tin (greased). Put one tablespoon of mozzarella cheese over the ground turkey. Add any vegetables or extras. Pour egg whites in each tin and fill it about 3/4 of the way. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes. 

3 things you typically do on Sundays? 
1. Go to church or do a lesson at home if we miss. (I will post about great resources to use all week with your family on my personal blog soon).
2. Hang out with family (we usually go to my parents' or Joey's and hang out). This is one of our favorite parts of the week and we are blessed that our parents and siblings are all local. We also love squeezing in time to play with our nieces and nephews.
3. Prep for the week. I try to make sure things are signed, organized, Joey and I have our schedules laid out for the week, the kids' stuff is all clean and ready, and as much food is prepped as possible, and laundry has to be away!!!

What is something you do often to make yourself a healthier person?
I try to de-stress and for the most part eat healthy. I drink lots of green tea and eat all of my veggies...lol. I do need to work out but I haven't fully adjusted to my new position. Basically, I try to make sure I have quiet time whether it's listening to music in the bath when the kids are asleep or reading my bible...I make sure I do something to try to keep my mind from going and going which in turn makes me a healthier person.

What is something you want to be sure your kids learn from you?
To not live by the expectations of the world but by the expectations of God. To live with joy and compassion and to have servant's hearts. I have always tried to live up to expectations my whole life whether it's my parents, friends, teachers, peers, bosses, spouse, kids, and even complete strangers' expectations. I want Grayson and Ella to know the Lord and have a heart for Him. I want them to learn to put God first and follow priorities that He lays out and everything else will come together.  Expectations aren't bad but they shouldn't be our driving force....God should be. And of course....I want them to love others and always think about where another person is coming from. There is always so much to a person far more than what we can see. Sometimes it just takes a little time and care.




So.....now I would like to nominate the following bloggers for the Liebster Award and to join in on the fun! Simply link back to this post, answer the below questions, and nominate some of your fav bloggers!! 


Melissa over at The Lone Star Ginger Boutique
She is adorable and so are her products. She also features Wonder Woman Wednesdays on her blog which are also so fun to read. Don't forget to check out her Etsy shop.

Amy over at When Life Gives You...The Lemons & Step Into Second Grade With Mrs. Lemons
I love reading her blogs on her adorable family and their adoption journey but also all of the amazing things she does in her classroom!

Lauren over at Williams Party of Four
I love her blog about the life of a mommy, teacher, wife, and shopper!!! Plus she is my sister in law who I just love!

Crissy over at Your Friend on Trend
I love her blog about fashion and upcoming trends!!! She has a good eye for being trendy and it being mom friendly.

Andrea over at JyJoyner Counselor Blog
I absolutely love Andrea's style and counseling blog. She shares great ideas on work outfits and activities for those in the counseling world!

Shay over at Mix and Match Family
I love this blog. Her family is absolutely adorable and I love reading about their adoption journey. She also shares great traveling and fashion tips and has some amazing recipes.

Andrea over at Momfessionals
She is a super cute teacher, mommy, and creator! She shares amazing mommy tips, fashion tips, and home decorating ideas that are super creative.


Below are your 10 questions to answer.


1. What are your top 3 favorite life moments to date?

2. What are some stores that are your go to places to shop for you (and your kids if you have them)?

3. How would you describe your style? (Bonus: share some pictures)

4. What is your occupation? If you didn't do that, what would you do?

5.  What is your favorite room in your home and why?

6. What are 3 things on your wish list right now?

7. What has been your favorite vacation to date?

8. If you could share one of your best organization tips (whether at home or at school) what would it be?

Can't wait to read the link ups and posts!!!

Sum It Up Sunday

I have a bit of catching up to do since my last Sum It Up! So, let's begin!

The weekend after Christmas, Vann (my nephew) came to spend the night! He had been hoping to come over and with being so busy with the holidays, it was finally time. All I know is little boys sure can eat. I swear they ate about 6 eggs, half a pack of bacon, and about 6 cinnamon rolls for breakfast.

That Sunday, we headed out to West Village in Uptown, which I love, to head to Kendra Scott so that I could use my birthday discount before the month was over. The kids had fun just walking around. I told them it reminds me of New York City. Grayson said he hopes to visit there one day. It's right there on his list with going back to Disney World.

Monday, the kids and I met Nana, Lala, and my niece and nephew at Northpark for a little shopping. The mommies didn't do as much shopping as the kids! Ella and Sawyer are two girls who heart shopping like their mommies but they were exhausted. I love this picture that Lauren caught of them! Tough Life.

Grayson loved playing with the littles in the Nordstrom shoe department. I swear that's where I usually get the kids's shoes. #1 Because they have great sales and return policies and #2 They give your kids balloons to distract them.

While I was in the Lego store with Grayson, Joey's mom took pictures of the girls heading to the Disney store. They may have been a little excited!

This cutie came home and just wanted to cuddle

Tuesday, we headed to see Night at the Museum with sweet friends. It may have been the highlight of Grayson's week. I swear we are blessed that he has such sweet friends with amazing mommies!!!

That night, Ella and Sawyer tried out a ballet and tap class. They loved it!!! It was pretty cute watching them on the screen. Ella wants to wear her tap shoes ALL of the time. Ella loved the fact that you get candy after class!

Wednesday, my sweet cousin's wife, Tina, and my Shelby who was like my first baby came out. Ella and I showed them around and we headed to Crumbzz (which is amazing) and then Groovy's. It was so nice spending time with them!!!

That night, we were going to go to a party but we were worried we might be sick and weren't feeling up to it, so we spent our New Year's Eve staying in and resting which ended up being perfect. The kids filled out resolutions and a year in review. 2014 was a great year!

Thursday, we headed to my parents for a yummy New Year's lunch. Liv came home with us to play and then we were able to spend time with my sweet sister and her husband when they came to pick her up. It was a lot of fun until Ella started to feel sick. Broke.my.heart. Luckily, it was just a little 48 hour virus.

Friday, we stayed in and I went to get my "hair did." It was a rainy, cold day so it was nice to just lounge around the house. Saturday and Sunday, we stayed in and I cooked, cleaned, and we played and played which was absolutely perfect! The kids were able to play with their stuff from Christmas since we had been on the go.

Battleship is intense

First attempt at Kale chips

Battleship again...of course Grayson won!

We learned about choosing a good attitude!

I got in my car and saw this...haha! Love.

Who needs to be fashionable. I use my blanket scarf as a wrap with my Kermit tee and pj pants.

I love my little scientist.

Monday morning was tough for all of us. I may have set my alarm 3 times and way later than usual.

Luckily, part of our staff development was team building fun. It was a perfect way to start the 2nd semester.

The kids did great and went to bed earlier than usual Monday night. After school one day, Grayson was caught organizing his thoughts. #justlikemommy

This weekend, we noticed a common theme of cleaning, cooking, and cuddling. I used to never slow down on the weekends but I am learning how valuable it is. It almost gives me a better sense of clarity as I start the week. It has been a true blessing. Basketball started back up and Grayson had his first game. He was so happy Aunt Cindy and Nana came!! We ended today with a Starbucks trip and a homemade pizza. It was kind of just amazing.

Melts.my.heart.

Aunt Cindy and Nana

She took this serious

Someone wanted to make a birthday list. So proud of her sound spelling

How big does she look?

I am off to jot down my to do list and get on Pinterest! Valentine's is about a month away and so is my sister's baby shower!! Yikes! I hope you all have a week full of blessings, prayer, and sweet family time.

Friday Favorites

Hey y'all, I am linking up with Andrea, Narci, and Erika for Friday Favorites and it is a hot mess of randomness! I mean...it may also be Saturday so that is just adding to the craziness..haha!

It has been a fast and furious week and even though my heart was a little broken going back to work and not being with Joey, Grayson, and Ella I must say I was so happy to see my work family and students. The morning may have been a little rough....just a little.

So, now on to Friday Favorites!!!

#1 Proverbs 31 Ministries

I absolutely love this ministry. I swear, I feel like every post is speaking straight to my heart. I follow it on facebook and often share a lot of their posts because they are so amazing, uplifting, and convicting. You can find it HERE. Below are some of their graphics they post that are just...wow! Many times it is a bible verse that I just needed to see that day!

#2 Kendra Scott
I feel like everyone is loving some Kendra Scott right now and I am definitely not an exception because I am, too. I used my half off (bring your license on your birthday month) on a necklace and then got earrings. Most people like the big earrings and they are pretty cute but just way too heavy for me.
I got the Elisa necklace in clear iridescent. You can find it HERE

I got the Dee earrings in ivory pearl. You can find them HERE.

Here are some pieces I am crushin' on. I love this color (it's called chalcedony) and this is the only style of earrings I can wear from them but I think they are dainty and pretty! These would be great all year but especially in the Spring!

I also love this ring. It's fun and would be great on my index finger!

#3 Matilda Jane
After about a year of hearing Lauren rave over how much she loves Matilda Jane's clothes, I finally ordered Ella some dresses from them. I had always been a bit hesitant because they are a bit pricey for kids' clothes and I wasn't a big fan of all of the multi-pattern prints. Ella is also at the age where if she didn't pick it out, she won't wear it and it will just sit in her closet. I have about 4 outfits she won't wear with tags. Sheesh. Lauren had just told me about a week ago how they are made for kids to grow into and how they can wear them for a long time. She was also telling me how well they wash. Luckily, they were having a sale so I thought this would be a great time to buy some things and see how we like them!! They also had a lot of things that were more Ella's style and not as busy so that was exciting.

I tend to lean towards the simpler pieces but I do love how modest and innocent their clothing is which "Daddy" much approves of.

#4 Buckner Today

I love getting this in the mail. I am not even sure why or how we get it but the stories that fill it are absolutely touching. I don't cry a lot. Years of counseling can do that to you...because you learn to just control it but I swear every time I read this, I cry like a baby. Tonight, I read some of it with Grayson and Ella and talked with them about orphans, missions, and what life is like for others in countries around the world. They both ended their evenings full of prayers! Grayson told me, "Mom, we just have to adopt some of those kids." They both got a bit emotional but I think that compassion is so important to teach! You can find out more information about Buckner HERE. They are an absolutely amazing organizations that focuses on ministry in so many areas.

Now I am cozied up with a cup of hot tea and can't wait to read all of the other Friday Favorites, y'all have a great night!!!