One Year

A year ago today, my life changed forever.

But that's okay because I have this, 

forever.

Everyone kept telling me, 'It happens so fast,'

and of course I thought they were being ridiculous.

But they weren't.

In no time, she went from a tiny baby that depended on me for everything to a toddler that wants to do everything herself.

She went from being a little bundle of joy to being a spitfire.

I love looking at what she used to be like, and what she's like now.

 She's my pride & joy.

I couldn't have asked for any better gift in life.

The Toxic Truth

Last night, I was feeling a little sad. I was missing my friends and family, and started looking at old pictures to  flood myself with happy memories.

I saw a picture of myself, and I was shocked!

I don't remember being that thin.

I was sure that it was just a good angle or good lighting.

Me & my nephew, Jax.

But then I saw another, and another.

And then I asked myself, 'Why did I think I was fat?'

Me & my sweet sister, Cas.

So I sat, scrolling through pictures, and wondering why I had such low confidence.

And then it came to me.

I was in a toxic relationship.

A very, very toxic relationship.

The guy constantly brought me down.

He broke up with me once because I cut my hair without asking his permission.

He told me not to come see him unless I put on makeup. If I got a cut or burn on my arm [hello! I was an art major!] he told me I was too manly for him.

The weekend of my sister's wedding, he told me that he usually dated girls that were in shape, but he'd stay with me if I promised to work on it.

Heaven forbid I wear my glasses instead of my contacts, and if I didn't have my nails perfectly manicured? I could definitely expect to get chewed out.

Oh how I wish I wouldn't have been so blind!

But I am so, so glad that [even though I'm pleasantly plump, now] I woke up from that nightmare & moved on to someone who could care less of my appearance. 

He loves me for me! 

He wants me to be happy.

Happy Hump Day

Just a week before moving to Oklahoma, I went one last time to my favorite hairdresser ever, had her chop my hair of as much as I could stand, and then hugged her & thanked her for always doing such a good job on my hair. Fast forward to now. My hair is in that awkward stage where it sometimes looks good, but usually doesn't. I've been having an internal battle of whether I should suck it up and trust someone to shape it up, or just let it grow out again. I know this seems so silly, but I have some serious trust issues with hairdressers.
So what do you think?

Let it grow or cut it?

On a completely unrelated note, I'm blogging today over at A Boy, A Girl, and The Marine Corps.

Also, have you entered the giveaway?
If not, you should. And while you're at it...get ready to sign up for the

Old Habits Die Hard

I've fallen into a bad habit.

Since Adelei has started sleeping through the night again, and Aaron is going to bed early because he has to be up so early...I'm getting my 'me' time by staying up late at night.

It's not that I'm not tired, because I am...the time just sneaks up on me!

I've just been enjoying the quiet, stress free hours where I can catch up on blogs, catch up on t.v. shows, read, make meal plans, and most of the time? spend WAY too much time on pinterest.

It's a good thing baby girl likes to sleep past 9 am!

Randomosity Take 2

The Oklahoma heat is threatening to make me a recluse for the rest of the summer...

It's just so hard to feel okay about getting the baby out & about in this heat.

I thought Alabama summers were bad, but geez.

Lately, I've gotten quite a few new followers. Hi friends! Although you guys aren't saying much, I see that you're there. I've also noticed that a few of the blogs I follow do a little Q&A when they get several new followers, so I thought I'd try it out, too. So, what would you like to know? Send me an email with your question, and in about a week or so I'll compile them into a post.

Also, I'm sponsoring a give away for Linny @ Linny's Vault for her big Blog-o-versary.

Check out her blog & enter the fun!

Kitchen Decor DIY

I've been scouring pinterest for cheap & easy decorating ideas for my kitchen.

I fell in love with this:

[source]

Except I don't have enough room for that.

And then I saw this:

[source]

Cute & Simple.

So here's what I did...

Bought the letters from Hobby Lobby [less than $3 each] 

 Painted them black, waited 30 minutes for them to dry....

 Added Mod Podge & began w. the glitter..

 

 A little goes a long way! I used my finger to spread out the glitter.

Once I finished all three letters, I let them dry on a flat surface overnight.

The next day I tapped off the extra glitter & then hung them on the wall!

Ta-Da!

Two on Tuesday

When my sweet blogger friend Erika contacted me about doing a giveaway, I couldn't refuse.

Her blog is so sincere and beautifully written, if you're not following her, you're missing out.

So, while I'm out & about today getting to know some of the Army Wives at our new duty station, take a few minutes to stop by Chambanachik's blog & enter the giveaway. 

Happy Tuesday ;)