Renovation Wednesday!!

   Happy Wednesday Guys! Today I wanted to share some cool renovations that I ran across. Architectural Digest is conducting a contest for best home office renovation. Readers have until April 2nd to vote and because I love décor and beautiful spaces I wanted to share two spaces that I thought were great renovations. If you've recently renovated a space or plan to in the near future look into submitting your renovation photos for their next contest! I may have to share my little office renovation next time. :)


Click here to view all the renovations!

                                                                   Before


                                                                               After

                                                                   
                                                                            Before
                                                                                      After

Note to Moms (and expecting mom)!

Moms know the difficulty that comes with the balancing act of life. Whether it's balancing home and kids or home and work (and marriage), we tend to have a problem trying to keep it all together. Although my youngest is now four, I can still remember the anxiety and fear I felt trying to plan out my career in my head while I was pregnant. So today I decided to write a little note to all my moms out there, especially expecting moms. When I became pregnant with my first child, my mind was filled with worry about what would become of my career or lack thereof. While my husband was on a steady path in his career, my career seemed to be coming to an end before it even began. Whenever asked about my plans after baby, I would become frustrated. In my mind, I wanted to get right back to work so I could begin my soon to be "successful career", but I knew that I would want to spend time with my new baby. My constant worrying caused me to forget about the precious gift that I was carrying on the inside of me. Instead of putting myself completely into God’s hands, I was trying to solve a problem that didn’t even exist. I was letting my ego and fear get the best of me. As women we tend to think ahead....way ahead. But sometimes we can overthink things. My overthinking turned into worry which turned into anxiety and I became extremely miserable. During this time I was reminded of Luke 12:24, "Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom or barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds!"  Surely, if He cares about the birds and the lilies he cares about you and your concerns!!! Instead of worrying about a problem that doesn't even exist, focus on today. Focus on having a healthy happy pregnancy. Remind yourself that God knows your concerns and has gone before you. Focus on what the Lord has placed in your life at this very moment. Embrace the promises of God and trust that he has your best interest at heart. Looking back, I wish I spent less time worrying and more time enjoying my pregnancy. Worrying sure didn't get me anywhere (it did get me high blood pressure during my first pregnancy..yikes!!!) and it won't get you anywhere either. Your concern may not be about your career but whatever it is, it's not worth worrying about.Make God the focus of your life so that you can be the best mom to your little one. Everything else will work itself out in due time. So make a note to self: Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Philippians 4:6

 xo,
jessica ann

Weekend Recap {birthday party fun}

Overall, we had a fairly relaxing weekend. The boys had their last basketball game on Saturday followed by a birthday party. Since recruiting has died down a bit, Thomas was home to join in on all the fun. I really believe that my kids love birthday parties more than most, especially Orlando. He is always looking forward to someone's birthday, it doesn't matter whose it is, he just wants to be there. Yes, he's a sweet kid and loves to have fun and celebrate but most of all he wants CAKE! We've been to parties where he would just stare at the cake or try to get the kid to rush through their activities just to get to the cake...LOL  My poor child has his dad's sweet tooth!
Tyson on the other hand just wants to party! He wants to dance and laugh....pretty much be the entertainment. As we all know this winter has restricted us to staying indoors so watching the boys get out and have some fun, especially with dad, was really nice!
How was your weekend?

Dad's idea of fun...

Orlando eying Tyson's cupcake..lol

Try this 5 day cleanse!

I know when you think of a cleanse "starvation" or "lack of food" probably pops into your mind. Well, this cleanse is not like that.  Dr. Junger's 5 day gut flush cleanse is designed for those of you who struggle with bloated mid-sections. For me, if I'm not drinking enough water or have been consuming too much sugar my mid-section can get out of hand.
I'm on day five of this cleanse and I must say, it's been one of the best cleanses I've tried (and I've tried all kinds of cleanses) and of course Dr. Oz approved!:) The recipes were tasty and different from what's usually on my weekly menu. If I had to choose a favorite recipe it would have to be the Thai Chicken Salad and the Vanilla Almond Shake on day three. I plan on incorporating those two recipes in my weekly diet. Overall, the cleanse did exactly what it claimed it would do, reduce mid-section bloat. Click here to get the entire cleanse

What cleanse have you tried that have been successful?

My Almond Vanilla Shake

Tyson and his red balloon!

 

During our early morning visit to the grocery store, the nice lady at the flower shop gave Tyson a red balloon. Although I was very much grateful, all I could think about was Tyson dragging this balloon through the store followed by him accidently letting it go and begging for  another one. Well, neither happened. The lady provided a little clip for Tyson to clip onto his jacket and that surprisingly worked. When we got in the car Tyson introduced me to his new friend Ballooney.Yes, he named the balloon. Not only did he name the balloon, but apparently the balloon talks, gets hungry and has feelings too! He told me that Ballooney would like Cheez-its for snack which really meant that Tyson wanted Cheez-its for snack. Ballooney's request didn't sit well with me since Tyson is clearly a Cheez-it addict and is supposedly going through Cheez-it rehab! Ballooney also told me that he needed a nap after lunch and would read a book tomorrow. As much as I would like to tell Ballooney off and inform him that I run this ship, I couldn't help but indulge in this whole imaginary friend obsession. I love Tyson and Orlando's imaginations. It reminds me of when I was a kid and would put on little skits for my grandfather. I too made up little imaginary friends as a kid. It was the best thing ever!

Not only are the boys inviting imaginary friends into our home but by the looks of things they are absolutely sick of this cold winter. I walked into their room the other day and they were laying out on the rug. Orlando with his sunglasses on told me that they were at the beach enjoying the sun! I told them I didn't want to disturb their Zen so I quietly turned around and escorted myself out of their little paradise. Kids and their little imaginations. Maybe us adults could learn a thing or two from them.

Just go for it {Break the Shell}!

I love this song by India Arie- Break The Shell. It always inspires thought in me and prompted me to write today's Words of Wisdom post.

Lyrics
Child it's time to break the shell,
life's gonna hurt but it's meant to be felt,
you cannot touch the sky from inside yourself,
you cannot fly until you break the shell.




Early on in life we begin forming defense mechanisms and building walls. As children, we hold on to hurtful comments from parents, being rejected and hurt by friends, being left out, not feeling like you're good enough, smart enough and these thoughts grow into actions. They grow into our reactions to life situations as adults. It affects our parenting style, the way we view friendships, and the way we aim for and view success in life. Personally, I built so many walls to prevent myself from being hurt by people. This greatly affected my friendships. I became such a nonchalant person and it always came off as if I didn't care, which was only partially true. I eventually trained myself to not care at all and that was not a good friendship trait to have. Thankfully, somewhere along the way I realized that I was only hurting myself.
So many of us are so afraid to really live, meaning we are not being our best selves or experiencing life at its best. We are trapped behind walls of fear, anger, and resentment. We're living in the past but suffering in the present.  Not only have we built walls, we have been trained as a society to follow the crowd and do things that look good on the outside but might not feel good or feel right on the inside.  How are you going to have a successful relationship if you are holding on to disappointments from your old relationships? How are you going to really give something your best if you are already doubting yourself before you even start? I completely understand bracing yourself for life disappointments because life isn't all sunshine and roses but why not live as if it is? It doesn't hurt to expect the best!

 To be honest, I have come a mighty long way, but learning to be fearless, to expect the best and to" just go for it" is definitely on my daily to-do list. What do I mean by "go for it"? I mean to really live fearlessly. To not worry about what other have to say. To really go after that dream or goal. To not think about why something won't work but think about all the reasons why it will. To live without talking myself out of what I really want. In order to live a fulfilling life, we have to break out of the shell of insecurities and defense mechanisms and just go for it- Break the shell!!!

xo,
jessica ann

Weekend Recap { fun in the sun}

After weeks of extreme cold weather, the heavens opened up and we received a sunny Saturday with the high reaching 61 degrees!!! It was simply lovely. After the boy's basketball game (Orlando hurt his knee but scored 2 pts. - that's a lot in itty bitty basketball league) Thomas took them with him to work (yes, football coaches work on Saturdays during off-season) and I was able to make my weekly trip to the grocery store alone (woohoo)!! After making my way through a busy grocery store filled with crazed football fans (including myself) preparing to wow their guest with dips and booze I made it home to a quiet kitchen where I was able to put away the groceries without the boys pulling on me for a snack. After a few hours of relief, I swung by to get the boys and we headed to the park. The weather was perfection. The boys  and I enjoyed getting out in the sun and it gave us a sneak peak of what we have to look forward to - SPRING!





Orlando endorsing Neosporin

How was your weekend?