Our first Marriage Retreat and 9 years of Marriage

This past October 23, my husband and I celebrated 9 years of being married. I'll tell you one thing, it certainly doesn't feel like 9 years! I would like to report that we have had a blissful marriage with exchanges of "I love you more, no I love YOU more's" and living the American dream happily ever after, but I would be lying. Just to give you an idea, I was 20 when I married, he was 24 and we fought most of our honeymoon and worked with each other in the same office for the first two years which did more damage to our relationship than I had ever anticipated. We both are born again Christians and don't believe in divorce so I became scared that we had made a mistake and I was doomed to an unhappy marriage for the rest of our waking lives. But thankfully since we have our faith, God has seen us through some tough times in our marriage, including losing our home to the recession, forcing us to short-sale. God has done a work in ME especially, showing me and teaching me so much about the true meaning of love and HOW to love. We have watched many marriages crumble around us, including my own parents. In the midst of it all, we have fought harder to make our marriage work all the more and have kept Christ at the very foundation. Without Him, it could have NEVER survived. We are blessed with our two beautiful children, and I am privileged to be a homemaker, not out of an abundance of financial blessings, but quite the opposite. It required great sacrifice to have me home and we continue to sacrifice every day to make it happen, but I am most certainly where God wants me to be, and that's all it takes for me.

Many people I talk to in the middle of a divorce say things like "we fell out of love," or "it's better for the kids not to see us fighting so much," or "there's nothing I can do because they don't want to work it out" and pick up the phone and hit up the lawyer on speed dial in some cases. It breaks my heart that we as a society have really put marriage down the list of things worth fighting for and replaced it with our careers, children, and happiness. Let me tell you this now, marriage is ALWAYS worth fighting for!! think about it, you CHOSE this person to be yours forever!! When you said your vows, you vowed to love in good times and BAD. Don't sit there and tell me it's not worth it! Every marriage will have trouble, hard times, and dry spells. Love is a CHOICE, and ACTION, not a feeling! Granted, there are different situations in every marriage but my point is that everyone needs to know that marriage is sacred, invented by our loving God and designed to be heaven on earth, please don't be willing to give up so easily! If you must go down, go down swinging!

OK, now that your eyelids have just about glued shut from reading so much, let me get to the fun part of this post. Because of finances, we weren't able to plan anything special for our anniversary, not even going out for dinner. Our church does this retreat every year and starts sign ups in the summer and takes payment plans to pay off this trip, so thankfully with the Lord's provision, we were able to attend our very FIRST marriage retreat this year! The location: The Hyatt Regency Resort Hotel in Newport Beach, California. This just might have been the all around best hotel we have stayed at from the rooms, to the service, to the location, everything was gorgeous!

This was the view outside of our room. We were overlooking a golf course and a volleyball court. We had our own little balcony and the room had a king size bed with modern fixtures, art, everything!

they had this beautiful, textured, taupe colored wallpaper on an accent wall and the side table lamps were big and stunning.

this was just a small part of the lobby (right before the bar area) and just beyond that, the patio lounge area with fire-pits, throws, cage swings and sofas.

they had touches of seaglass and turquoise and aquas throughout the hotel. I had no idea why I was so attracted to any of it (heavy on the sarcasm, hehe).

This was upon our arrival while we were waiting for our room to be ready.

What?! This IS just the essentials for the weekend!!

I was so in love with this wingback chair!

This was my outfit for the next morning, my most favorite dress!!

Ready for our next session and a day of fun!

I have never been to "Fashion Isalnd," and had truthfully, only recently even heard about it. Its like an outdoor shopping mall and has lots of restaurants and cafes. So we had a whole bunch of free time so we went on over and walked around before lunch.

Just a random coi fish pond for shoppers enjoyment and delight.

Ok, I got to tell you about this because we were blown away! Here, you can see that my handsome hubby has a pair of chopsticks in his hands because we decided to eat at P.F. Changs for lunch. Well, we were in a bit of a financial pinch and the only reason we chose to eat here was because we happened to have a gift card for it. I had only eaten there once before and I didn't remember too much about how it all worked so I mentioned to our waitress that it was my husband's first time there (which it was), and that I had only been once so she said that since it was our first time the manager would meet us at the end of our meal with a little something special for us. We were delighted, thinking we were going to get dessert or something. Well, after excellent service and DELICIOUS food, out comes the manager and welcomes us and hands us each an envelope thanking us for coming and in each of our envelope was a $10 gift card! Our meal ended up being completely FREE!! Can you believe that?? What a blessing! Tell me that wasn't the Lord's provision!! God is good people, God is GOOD!

This was our last evening there and we were blessed with a Christian comedian who had us in stitches and rolling in the isles by the name of Carlos Oscar. He has his own show in Las Vegas and is insanely funny!

Their bathrooms were immaculate and had huge full-length mirrors in each of them to help you making sure you always look good from head to toe ;)

We were so incredibly refreshed and blessed by this that we decided that we had to do this every year, God willing! If that means it would be the single and only trip we take each year, its worth every penny! It gave us the chance to re-kindle the flame and enjoy and invest valuable time into our marriage relationship away from the chaos of everyday demands. INVEST in your marriage!! It's always worth it and never returns void! Keep your spouse FIRST, and their needs above your own, and you will see miracles happen!

"The man said, 'This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flash; she shall be called 'woman,' for she was taken out of man.' For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." -Gen. 2:22-24

A day of rest..and lovely things

"On the seventh day God had finished His work of creation, so He rested." -Genesis 2:2 (NLT)

We live in a society that thrives on the hustle and bustle of everyday work, there always seems to be something to be worked on, and no time to "stop and smell the roses." As a stay at home mom myself, I am busier with my two children than I had ever been at any previous employment I ever had. Between my daughter's school, taking care of my son and his extra learning, the never ending loads of laundry, cooking, cleaning, homework, prepping, devotions, the Titus ministry (a ministry through my church that I lead to teach young girls/ladies how to read their bibles among many other things), being a Scentsy consultant, blogging, etc., there just seems to be no time for idleness. God created us, and in doing so He knew we would be like this. After creating the universe and all that entails, He set aside a day to rest and enjoy His work. Did He tire and need to rest? He is God, He could never rest and still go on and function for the rest of eternity but He set an example for us by resting on the seventh day. So often we get so caught up in everything that we forget to take that precious day off, and the effects could be disastrous to ourselves and loved ones. We can be crankier, short-tempered, irritable, and we take it out on the ones we love most and they also are hungry for that time to just be with us. It is also hard to hear God's still, small voice when all we keep is noise around us constantly. "Be still, and know that I am God."- Psalm 46:10

Our day of rest is a time to renew, reflect, and relax. It is such a precious gift to have and so rewarding its no wonder God commanded it of us, its a great blessing!
So here's a little bit of my most recent day of rest. Of course, it started with going to church in the morning in which I had some fun getting dressed and loved my outfit that day.

Church (as always) was awesome and after, we spent some time at the in-laws and my moms and came home. I love to craft and create whenever I have the opportunity and as you saw from my previous post about the Glitter and Spice Workshop I attended, you saw the fall succulent arrangement I made. Of course, since I have a brown thumb and can't keep plants alive to save my life, the arrangement had died and molded and the only survivor was my lone succulent. So I transferred it into my Glitter and Spice coffee mug and was quite happy with it! So I found a new home for it where it can get plenty of sunlight and grace me with its beauty on my makeup vanity.

 One of my favorite ways to relax and unwind is to read. Recently I started to re-read my most FAVORITE book ever!! Its a Christian fiction by Francine Rivers called "Redeeming Love," and it is a book I could never tire of. I sincerely enjoy having a real book to read, I'm not a fan of the e-readers. There is just something about turning the pages, the smell of the book, in some instances the history and age of the book itself and who it has passed from. This particular copy was gifted to me from my dearest friend before she moved to Texas, she knew how much I loved it, and it is and always will be precious to me!

Since the weather has cooled, I absolutely love being able to snuggle under a throw and be in comfy PJ's and a favorite chair or reading spot. Enter my two favorite spots in the house!! The Lazy boy chair was inherited from my late grandparents and its beyond heaven to sit in. The other is the rocker I have rocked both my babies in and I just can't bear to part with it yet.

 Please excuse my faded makeup it was the end of the day and it was all about to go down the drain anyway lol.

I was so refreshed and blessed by my day of rest and I would really encourage you to remember to take that time off. It's ok to say "No" to an event or invitation if you haven't had that time to rest yet. You WILL be blessed by it! Take the day to remember all that wonderful things God has done, His creation all around you, the blessings you have received, and just enjoy life and your loved ones! I would love to hear your favorite ways to relax or what you like to do on your days of rest in the comments. :) 

                                                                  Happy Resting!

Glitter, Spice, and everything pretty!

Yesterday, I had the privilege of attending a workshop for "creatives" put on by Brier Rose Design, called "Glitter&Spice." This was the first of its kind and I was so excited to be around other creative and godly ladies. I have known Collette, head of Brier Rose Design, for a few years now and am in LOVE with her work and aesthetic, so I signed up right away when she announced this workshop! The women I had the privilege of meeting were all so talented, many of whom had their own businesses or shops. I have to admit I was a bit intimidated when we went around and introduced ourselves and what we do..being that I am only a craft-a-holic and felt for a moment that I was the party crasher. But these ladies are all so sweet and welcoming that I quickly got over that. The event was held at the talented Sara Lucero's beautiful home.

This was the sign in table when you first walked in (above).

Everything was styled by Brier Rose Design. This was the decor at the entry outside of the front door.  (pictured above)

 Our place settings were gorgeous and we got to take home our personalized mugs along with some other great goodies and our creations.

 These were the "swag bags" full of handmade goodies from some of the vendors that we got to take home with us (below).

This piece was created by Kristina Carter (above).

There were of course crafts we got to make and of course I was excited to add even more fall decor to my already bursting home. When I call myself a craft-a-holic, I'm really not exaggerating..I may have a problem lol!

This was our first creation, a fall succulent arrangement in a hallowed white pumpkin. This was probably my favorite thing we did! It was so fun and really neat to see the other creations and how no two were alike, as individual as each lady.

This was our next project, a fall fabric scrap wreath. Very easy to do, the grapevine wreathes were already pre-made by Collette, all we had to do was tear strips of fabric of our choice and tie them all over the wreath until we were happy with it. The sign in the middle was also another project, we stained the wood and hand lettered whatever we wanted on it afterword. I decided to use it with my wreath and think they look good together.

 It now graces the top of my fireplace mantle.

This was one of the items that came in our swag bags, a crochet little pumpkin by Laila's Charming Pieces. Isn't it seriously the cutest thing?!

My collection of pumpkins is as eclectic as I am.

Ok, ok...Confession: I was so excited about my swag bag that I totally opened everything like a kid at Christmas and didn't even stop to think to take pictures of them in their adorable packaging before I opened them. (Hangs head in shame) I'm sorry! In it was a very cute pumpkin cookie by Twins, Trinkets & Treasures, a really cute feather necklace by Love Sparkle Pretty, a hair bow by Brier Rose Design, and I'm sure I am having a brain fart and forgetting something. :( This workshop also featured a guest speaker, Christa Mortimore, who is a professional photographer and fashion blogger. She inspired and challenged us to pursue and use our gifts and talents that God has blessed us with and really encouraged us. We also made a faux caramel apple, but mine didnt dry enough in time and kinda fell apart so I wasn't able to take a picture of it before it came undone :/ This was such a fun and refreshing workshop I would TOTALLY do this again and again! What girl doesn't love her some glitter and spice? ;)

Links:
Brierrosedesign.net
publish-style.com
christamortimore.com
saralucero.com
lailascharmingpieces.blogspot.com
lovesparklepretty.blogspot.com
acozycupoftea.blogspot.com

*If I have forgotten anyone from this workshop, please let me know and throw in your link in the comments!

Faux heirloom pumpkins, anyone??

Have you ever gone to a pumpkin patch where they have specialty pumpkins like heirlooms, fairytale, or Casper/ghost pumpkins? If you haven't, they are really neat to see! I fell in love the first time I saw them a couple years ago and they happen to be a little more expensive than your typical orange variety. They have different textures and some tend to be a little more "flattened" looking and they usually have a waxy or milky film over them. Here is an example of some:

See how some have a warty texture or more lumpy texture? My FAVORITES are the blueish-green ones like these

So, problem: real ones are expensive and like any other pumpkin, can't last forever..sad face. Solution: buy a faux heirloom pumpkin, right? Well I searched craft stores and the internet and found ONE source of faux heirlooms that come in a pack of 5 and are over $100..YIKES! Solution number two: create one. I figured it couldn't be too hard to re-create as long as you find a faux pumpkin in the shape close or similar to a real heirloom. I went to Hobby Lobby and found one on sale for $7 that was perfect for this project.

 Its cute the way it is, but not perfect for my decor. I LOVE the stem on this one too!


Ok so SUPPLIES NEEDED:
1 faux pumpkin
1 sponge brush
2 acrylic paints in similar shades-I used Annita's in seafoam green and basil.
optional: small paintbrush

 Start by applying the base shade (I used the seafoam) with the sponge brush all over the pumpkin in downward strokes. Here was the progress of my first coat. Don't worry about getting it completely covered the first time because we are doing a second coat after the first is mostly dry.

 Here was after doing 2 coats and as you can see there is still some spots that are kind of streaky but I went with it and dabbed with the sponge brush to give some of the "texture" and also cover up some of the streaks. I also got the darker shade (the basil) and with my paintbrush, I dabbed into the base of the stem and also into the creases to give it some contrast. OPTIONAL: play around and experiment with it! I dabbed some more spots all over with the basil color to give some contrast and texture.

 Here is my finished result!!! I was so happy with it, I decided to give 2 more of my faux pumpkins makeovers!

 The little one was a cream colored one but the shape was spot on for this project and I had fun doing this one too!

 In one of my previous posts, I showed a picture of my then pumpkin collection and there was a small white one with black sequined polka-dots on it... what I DIDN'T show was the back of that had sequined letters that was SUPPOSED to spell out "thankful." When I made it, I somehow forgot the "k" leaving me with a pumpkin that made me look illiterate. I meticulously took off all the sequins and some spots took off a little of the pumpkin, but I didn't mind because it added to the authentic look and overall texture. After I finished it, the stem was previously painted black and I sadly attempted to over it with this paint but epically failed. All the sudden, "LIIIIIGGGHT BUUULLLB!" I happen to have some left over jute string and I just hot glued the string all around the stem!

                                                                      Not bad, Huh?

             (I apologize for the bright green look in the photos the very last photo is a more accurate color)

                                               So here is my NEW faux pumpkin collection!

Have fun experimenting with this and I would LOVE to see your photos of your finished products! :)

Pumpkins and Owls

It's no secret that I love owls. They have become increasingly popular over recent years and can be easily found in all kinds of stores and decor. Owls used to be used as scary Halloween decor once upon a sad time, but now have a nice place among fall decor without being ghoulish or creepy. I have included some of my owls in my fall decorating and they fit right in! So in my last blog post you saw a peek at some of my decor, some of them being pumpkins. Pumpkins are my most favorite thing about fall!! The options with them are endless when it comes to decorating them and I had a large blank white one that I couldn't decide what to do with at the time. Enter good ol' trusty Pinterest. After lots of great ideas, this was my favorite!

Cute isn't it?? Owl pumpkins made with a large white pumpkin (real or craft), and some sunflower seeds!! Supplies needed: a large white pumpkin, sunflower seeds, a hot glue gun, and a craft/utility/pumpkin-carving knife.
There are a couple ways to carve into these bad boys, my pumpkin was a craft one, and therefore already hallow and made of foam. If you have a real one, you have to do the drill of opening a gutting out the pumpkin, same way you would be prepping for any jack-o-lantern. I assume the easiest way to do this would be using the drill gun with a large drill bit to make the holes for the eyes, but our drill gun hates me and decided to kill over as soon as I touched it. So I used a serrated steak knife (not the most appropriate or sophisticated tool for the occasion but it gets the job done and it's all I had on hand).

Since my drill committed suicide, I carved out the holes by hand, once I had the general hole I twisted the knife around to scrape it evenly. Next step is carving the "beak" by carving out a simple upside-down triangle.

Now the fun part, start hot-gluing the seeds with the fatter sides around the outside of the eye holes. The original Pinterest picture showed two rows of the seeds, to which I tried just two but ended up fulling in the gaps probably more than I should have.

When you are satisfied with how it looks, do the same for the next eye and try to make it as even looking as possible.

Last step is the ear tufts on top of the pumpkin on the upper outer corners of the eyes. I failed to take photos of this step because I got side-tracked with my kids begging for me to feed them, I'm sorry :( But its pretty simple, use two seeds as the base placing them in a "V" shape and put a huge glop of hot glue directly onto the pumpkin and stick the seeds on and hold for a few seconds until the glue is hard enough to hold the seeds without assistance. Repeat the step with two more seeds on top of the first row, then top it off with a single seed placed in the middle of the "V" on top.
For the "claws," just hot glue a group of 3 seeds (2 pointing outward in an upside down "v" and a single seed in the middle of the "v" also pointing down).

Here is my finished product! Since this is a craft pumpkin, I'm pretty sure I can't use a real flame candle on the inside to light it up, so I used a cheapie LED tea-light candle that sadly is supposed to be lighting it up in the photo, but that's as bright as it could get. So I would recommend a better, stronger LED tea-light to illuminate this guy. Do you have any creative ideas for decorating pumpkins in unusual ways? I would love to hear some of your ideas in the comments below!