Friday's in the Fall...

Like most of us I'm a big fan of Friday. It's the last work day before the weekend, I can start to turn my brain down a little, I treat myself to coffee and a goodie, and there is quality time ahead for my family. My favorite Friday's though are Friday's in the fall. It's cold and dark outside early in the evening, perfect for curling up, eating soup and watching a movie. It also gets me in the mood for planning (but what doesn't!). I start planning all the holiday events that will soon be upon us and begin working on my Christmas gift list. I'm an early starter for Christmas, how 'bout you? Honestly, if it were up to me my house would be decorated for it already, but the hubby says no to the early start every year. I've been getting super excited about Christmas lately. It's my favorite holiday and combines my favorite things: friends, family, food, and giving. Speaking of giving...I have it on my heart to start a little series on being a blessing. I'm a little excited about it...I will be sharing ideas on how to bless others as well as some things that I've learned about giving, blessing others, and being blessed. Come back next week to check out part 1!

So happy Friday everyone! I will leave you with the few (very few) pics from the week.

This tired boy fell asleep mid-cheeseburger. Look at those long legs!

Some cute new shoesies thanks to a friend! They didn't fit her so I got them...woohoo!

Some chalkboard projects in process with some pumpkin cookies:)

With Love, Angela

InstaFriday...



Happy Friday everyone! Linking up today with Jeanette from Life Rearranged to share instagram pics from the week. I love this link up, kinda fun to get a little glimpse into daily lives of us bloggers! Here we go...

Had a long time friends wedding to attend last night. My goal was to get a photo of me and the hubby... but you get a cell phone pic of me instead, ha!



My latest addition to my big ring collection, thanks mom!



Wedding table decoration, the colors were yellow and they served this yummy sparkling lemonade, cute!



*Plankster*

Be grateful always....love this spot above my couch:)

This boy gets crazy hair at bath time!

Luke found this sweater at Target and insisted on putting it on. I have decided it's the ugliest thing I've ever seen, could pass for an ugly Christmas sweater? It was a pretty good laugh though, my boy is always entertaining!



Projects are awaiting...
A friend rescued these bottles cause' he thought I could do something crafty with them. And be crafty with them I shall! I will share when they are done!

     

So that about sums up our week. I've been trying to get in the mood for Autumn. It's been too warm around here to feel like fall, today has been the first day that I've felt like curling up with a movie and soup! There are lots of things I want to share with all of you, lots happened on my little "break" from the blog. It was a crazy kind of summer and still lots of things are going on, can't wait to share some exciting things that are happening!

With Love, Angela

Returning...

So I'm returning. Returning to some things that I have let float away a little bit. Maybe from being afraid, maybe from negative thinking, maybe just because of life. I'm returning to my dreams, to what my heart longs for, to what I really feel God created me for. See, I've always been a dreamer, someone who believes that God has BIG things for every life. I used to have this saying plastered on the back of my bedroom door when I was young, "dreams are goals on wings". This always reminded me that dreams were obtainable, just large goals waiting to be tackled. When I was young I would dream of all the things I could do, all the things I wanted to do, and I beleived in those dreams with all my heart. Somehow life, or maybe the world, begins to convince us that those are just dreams...wishes...things that could never really come true in real life. I lost sight a little bit of God's bigger plan for my life. It was God who planted those dreams in my heart and He put them there not just for daydreaming but for actually living them.

So, I'm back

Back to my dreams

Back to striving for more

Back to believing what God says about me

Back to this blog even

Any of you ever have dreams you've given up on? I'm sure you have just like me. Just remember that those dreams are God given plans for your life. Be brave enough to believe they will come true!

With Love, Angela

Speed Date...

Okay, not what you're thinking. This is actually a speed date with ME! I'm linking up with Nicole at This Little Momma for a speed date to give you a little more detail on myself, you know the kind of things you would learn if we were real life best friends!

Also, please check out my new blog friend Erin at Sweetness Itself for her speed date! This girl is oh so cute, and her passion for God is contagious!

So here are some facts about me that you would probably learn over coffee or a late night couch gab session!

Pismo Beach Sunset...My favorite place

I am an only child. However, God has given me some extremely wonderful friends that have become my brothers and sisters.

My wonderful girlfriends!

I am a Pastor's daughter. Was throughout my childhood and still am! I count it a great priviledge, while it certainly had it's challenges, I know God put me there for a reason.

I don't like odd numbers

I'm scared easily by bees and the dark (like girly little screams and shrieks!)

My nickname is the "Starbucks Queen". I literally couldn't live without the stuff!

My favorite animals are pigs. No, I do not live on a farm. No, I would not consider myself a country girl. Yes, I did raise a pig for the fair one year. Yes, people are usually quite surprised by this fact about me!

My day job is managing an insurance office. I've worked there since I was 15! I think that's why I have started this blog. I'm a very creative person and I don't get to use that side of me very often at work. This is my little creative outlet, it certainly helps get some of it out of my system.

My husband and I have been together since we were 13. Someday I will tell our love story...

Our Wedding Day

I love usig my giftings for the Lord. Leading worship, teaching childrens church, crafting and helping organize ladies conferences and other church events are my favorite ways to use what God gave me.

Oh and I LOVE to plan parties...wait...you probably already know that because I do talk about it A LOT around here. I have been working on that party planning series....it's coming soon!

Thanks for reading and getting to know me a little better! Share some fun facts about yourself in the comments, I'd love to hear em'!

With Love, Angela

InstaFriday...

Work.Work.Work. and then some more work....is about all I've been doing lately. I have quite a few big events coming up, like BIG, like a best friends bridal shower and wedding, and a fantastic women's conference put on by my mom. So my to-do list is about all I have been focusing on, throw in some things like speaking at our ladies group night at church, moving our office location, and oh ya being a mom to a busy toddler, and I've barely had time to breath! So here are some snapshots from the past week. This is about all the blogging I have time for at the moment. I'm linking up with Jeannett at life rearranged for instafriday today!

This has been my usual morning on my days off. Coffee, a bagel, and a notebook full of to do's!



Fell asleep on the way home while eating his cheeseburger.




Muscle man - just like daddy. We were on a walk on the Sundial Bridge and he was doing pull ups on the metal ropes. He has such incredible strength for such a little guy.




Just doin a little dancin on our walk




Our Saturday night treat at Toppings. (It's a frozen yogurt shop in town that you can serve yorself and add your own toppings. They have like a zillion choices!)




Was such a good boy that day so he got a treat!



Carefully choosing his bites...had to make sure he got chocolate in each bite!





No nap = falling asleep at like 5pm
I love this though, reminds me that he is still my baby boy no matter how grown up he seems to be getting





Finally got this hung up in my house!
My friend made this for me for Christmas out of railroad spikes, I just love it!
Hung next to it is a carefully chosen print from Jesse at Naptime Diaries. She has such cute prints it took me a month to decide which one to buy to hang with this. 

I hope you are all getting ready for a great holiday weekend. We are planning on getting some more to do's done and then relaxing on Monday with a BBQ and friends!

Happy Weekend!
With Love, Angela



Homemade Laundry Soap...

This is another thing I have been seeing floating around pinterest. I'm so proud of myself for actually doing a few projects that I have pinned! Before I embarked on this adventure of homemade laundry detergent I had to do my homework. I'm a coupon girl, so I generally get my laundry detergent for pretty cheap anyway. When I did the math on this stuff I believe it will save me about half, that's pretty good! This "recipe" is the non-cook approach and only requires three ingredients.

First you need your ingredients: You will need 1 bar of Fels -Naptha Soap, 1 box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda, and 1 box of 20 Mule Team Borax. I found all these items in the laundry detergent aisle at Wal Mart. I checked Target first and the only thing they carried in my store was the borax. Am I the only person that gets totally bummed when Target doesn't carry something? Anyway...

Unwrap your Fels-Naptha bar and grate it on the finest option on your cheese grater. You can do this over a plate or right into the container you will use to hold your new soap. It will end up looking like a big pile of cheddar cheese.

Add 1 cup of the washing soda and 1 cup of the borax. Stir so that it is all combined. I have read where a few people toss all this into a food processor but that's just an extra step that's not completely necessary.

I purchase this glass jar to keep my soap in and I made a delightful label to put on the front using my silhouette.

Use 1 Tablespoon per load.

Yes you can use it with cold water wash

Yes those little yellow shreds will dissolve in the wash

I have done about 10 loads of laundry with my new soap and so far I am satisfied:)

Have you ever made homemade laundry soap? I would love to hear any tips or tricks you have!

Have a wonderful day!

With Love, Angela

I linked up with A Bowl Full of Lemons "One Project at a Time" linky party!

For Mom...

For my mom...my best friend. I'm sharing this here because these things should be shouted from a rooftop and not just read in a card.....all the great things you are:)

Have you ever known a woman, a Godly woman, an inspring woman that makes you think "if I could only be a little bit of her how awesome would I be?" Well, that woman is my mom. For those of you who know her you'll be nodding your head in agreement while you read this. For those of you who don't you'll be wanting to meet her. My mom is an incredible woman full of wisdom, strength, Godly character, and love. She's not only full of these things but she displays them with her actions. She actually walks these things out, truly being Jesus in skin to a world in need. As my mom she's always been there, through every hard and happy time. She's helped guide me through life's growing pains, and through wisdom and prayer helped shape me into the woman that God created me to be. Now that I am a parent it's even more clear all that she did for me growing up. I'm learning that teaching and guiding your children is difficult. I see how many parents try to just be a "friend" to their children, its certainly the easier route. My mom, however, took the responsibility seriously. I'm so thankful, now, for all the tough decisions she made and disciplining she had to do.
I could go on and on about how great of a mom she was and is to me. The truth is, although I'm an only child, my mom has been a great mother to many other "kids". She has such a mothers heart that she opens her arms, her heart, and her home to anyone who is in need of a mama. I know there are countless people out there who were tremendously helped and encouraged by my mom over the years. Her true hearts desire is to bring people into their destiny in Christ. She pours herself out and helps all she can through wisdom and prayers to push people upward into their true calling. She is honestly the most unselfish, giving person I have ever met. Always going above and beyond to help others and do things for the Lord in excellence.

I'm so blessed to have her for a mom. I often wonder why I got to be her only daughter? All I know is that I'm blessed and very. very. loved by God. I love you mom! Thanks for being the best mom and the best Noni in the whole world!

Oh & P.S. - All this talk about how great of a mom she is, she's also the best grandma ever! We are so blessed to be able to see and spend time with her just about everyday. This little guy looooves his Noni to the moon and back!

We love you Noni!

Happy Mothers Day!

With Love, Angela