Simple Living

62. 62 days I have been sleeping on an air mattress. 62 days with no furniture (minus our really sweet Wal-Mart lawn chairs). It has been a long 62 days my friends. I have heard the horror stories of military move, things being broken or misplaced but I wish someone had warned me about the dreadfully long process. We are finally supposed to be receiving our furniture today and let me tell you I have never been so excited about a lamp before in my whole entire life.

I have a tiny confession though, it really hasn't been all that horrible. In fact I am rather used to having nothing and it makes cleaning a place pretty easy and nothing to stub your toe on. Bonus points for klutzy people like my husband and I.

 We had friends come down to visit over Labor Day weekend, plans that were made long before we realized that it takes this long to receive our furniture. Aaron and I were  worried and felt like the worst hosts ever. I mean sure come on down we have no bed for you to sleep on or no table for you to eat off of, no biggie. However my graceful friend assured us that no furniture was no big deal and it really wasn't. Their kids thought we were the coolest people ever. I mean a house with no furniture equals lots of running around and tumbling. We ate off the floor and had puff ball fight in the living room, adults included. It was a pretty phenomenal time all around. Now I will admit that I have a slight attachment to things but living with only half my closet and no couch has me really thinking that when did all this "stuff" become necessity?
By the end of my friends trip she was ready to go home and sell all her furniture herself. Granted when the movers show up today I am by no means turning them away but it makes me really consider downsizing all the "stuff" we think we have to have.

I'm sorry I have been MIA. Moving to Texas is a huge adjustment. Has anyone been to Texas before? It sucks, but we will save that for a different day. ;)

what i wore + ily couture

Guys, this necklace is stunning. The mixture of colors plus the beads and flowers creates a dramatic, girly necklace that will look great on anyone! Everyone was gushing over it and I received so many compliments, rightfully so because it's pretty spectacular.



Though the necklace has a lot going on I still decided to pair it with my Victoria Secret mix print top. I thought the two worked well together and personally I thought this was the best neckline of a shirt to pair with this necklace. It is important to remember when you have such a big statement piece like this that you keep everything else pretty simple. Note my nude peep toe wedges, which by the way have been one of my best purchases this past year. Target clearance and I wear them constantly! A simple tee, jeans and wedges dress it up a little but keep it simple enough  for a day of shopping with the girls or a casual lunch with the other half.


ILY couture is a pretty fantastic site where I also snagged up a couple of tees. They have a wide variety of statement necklaces which are the in thing right now and a super cute "preggers" shirt that I am definitely going to snag up once the time is upon us! Plus when you sign up for their mailing list you receive 15% off your first order! So what are you waiting for! Go scoop up a gorgeous necklace!

2 Corinthians 12:9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

All thoughts are my own, duh. ILY Couture did not ask me to publish this post, I just love their stuff! :)

high five for friday

Thank goodness for 3 day weekends! Seriously, can I get an amen?

 I'm heading to the local fireworks tonight with my parents, nothing too exciting but I like to stick with tradition.

Carlos O Kelly's recently closed in a neighboring town which was by far my favorite place to eat so I'm heading up north Saturday to eat at one with a few friends before I move down to Texas. Carlos O Kelly s is the only Mexican restaurant I enjoy and lets admit it, it's probably nothing close to Mexican food. We hit up a few Mexican restaurants in Texas and I was not very impressed. I have too many people in my life that are Mexican fans, I'd rather stick with my good ol' cheeseburger and fries.

Sunday funday will involve going to see Deliver us from Evil. I'm all for scary movies, though I do prefer to watch them with my husband instead of a bunch of jumpy girls, haha. 

I hope everyone enjoys their holiday weekend, I know I am!

1. I know I already said this but seriously, 3 day weekend. It has to make my number 1 spot.

2. Yea, check out this mess. I finally got off my butt and started tagging things for the garage sale the parents and I are having next weekend. I'm about halfway through and already had a few people rummage through and  buy some things. I have made a little over a $100 so far. 

3. Aaron has been sending me links to websites of apartments in San Angelo. They all pretty much have exercise rooms and swimming pools. Win! I am getting very excited to be moving soon. Though I am not looking forward to packing again, boo!

4. I finally broke down and bought a pair of earrings from Nickel & Suede. If you haven't checked out their earrings you probably should. I know I will be wearing mine a lot. Of course I bought the yellow! They also have free shipping this weekend with code, FREEDOM, so it's perfect to pick up a pair. (Photo borrowed from their site) 

5. I am currently reading the 4th book in the Immortal Instruments series. I'm addicted. I drive down to my little spot in the shade at a nearby park during my lunch hour and have to force myself to remember that I do have to eat besides read the book. If you are into the Harry Potter series or Percy Jackson series I'm sure these books will gladly satisfy your book cravings. Though Harry Potter will always be my fav, don't even joke.

Song stuck in my head this week:  

Check out Lauren Elizabeth's High five for Friday!

All thoughts are my own, duh.

high five for friday!

It's Friday guys, whoo! We have survived another work week. I know it's a horrible way to look at it, "surviving". Just some weeks though...
My husband and I had a recent conversation about this. We are both really struggling with the day to day activities without each other. It seems to have gotten worse since his graduation we are just so close to being back together that some days I just feel like I'm not fully immersing myself into the day and everything is just automatic. Anyone else ever get like this? I know once we are back together life will feel more back to "normal"... whatever that is. :)

This weekend will be pretty low key and involve lots of packing and pricing items for a garage sale. I have far too much stuff and I am trying readlly hard to downsize.. doesn't really work though when you have more coming in then going out, whoops. Anyone else ready to start a group, Shopaholics Annoymous? Sign me up!

Highlights of my week

1. My husband finally reached phase 2 this week which means that he gets to start the paperwork for me to move down there and he can wear civilian clothes out in public. He was so excited that not even an hour after his briefing about phase 2 I received a photo of him in his civilian clothes. Adorbs.

2. I had an amazing work out Tuesday night but I am really struggling to start round 2 of 21 day fix and stick with it. (which I swear I will do a full post on). So I joined a facebook group that a beachbody coach started and I am very excited to have a small group of people for support and motivation.

3. I was able to stop by and catch up with some friends I haven't talked to in forever. It's always an amazing feeling to catch up and have adult conversations with great minds.

4. My husband gave me a genius idea for a new tattoo and my fingers are itching to start sketching it out. It involves dream catchers and a peace sign and my inner hippie is delighted. My tattoo inspiration board pn pinterest just got bombarded.

5. Tonight I am heading to Ottumwa to the hot air balloon races and I am beyond ecstatic. Expect lots of photos soon.

Scattered Thoughts about Texas and Dress Blues

One day till I get to see my husband. One freaking day and I am grinning ear to ear and the school girl giggles are becoming harder to hold back. I am very much looking forward to seeing my husband. I only just saw him in March but boy does that feel forever ago.

 I know I have already said this probably a million times but I am so proud of my husband. I know he has worked very hard to get to this day and I cannot wait to see him graduate looking all handsome dressed in his blues.

 It has been a very hard and long struggle and a million things has been happening but I know our relationship will become stronger and it blows my mind that after it is all said and done Aaron and I have spent a little over 2 months of our first year of marriage together. I hope the military appreciates that, haha. The way I look at it Aaron and I are lucky because we will actually get 2 first years of marriage together. There is an upside to almost everything, right? (I really can't decide which word should actually be crossed out).

I always swore up and down I would never date a military man. I hated the idea of tearing my family apart and being so far away from home but that's the funny thing about love, it turns you all around. It makes you realize that home is wherever your loved one is. Love means putting someone before yourself and making sacrifices to make sure they are happy. Love means being a stronger person. Love means loving that person with all your heart and knowing it won't fade even when you spend months apart. It means going through the bad to get to the good. But the thing is, you know all this. It's nothing new, sometimes it's just forgotten along the way. Bad days at work, stressful moments crop up in all different relationships, a person might cut you off on your way to work. This is what causes you to forget all the wonderful things of love. So stop, take a breath and remember.

I am  thrilled to be traveling to a state that I have never been to before. It will be very exciting to experience a different view of the world and I am hoping we get the chance to explore it a little. We leave bright and early Wednesday morning and won't be back till the following Monday. Whoohoo, Texas here we come!

I know it's absolutely horrible to be thinking this but I am already dreading the good bye. It's hard to not think about them when there has been so many and it seems each one gets harder instead of easier.

I am fully enjoying my summer and having no classes to be studying for. I have way too much time on my hands but I am trying to fill them with family, friends and catching up on some reading. I have also been enjoying a new workout routine from Beachbody. I'm hoping to get a post up soon. I've been pretty impressed by the results.

Bicycles & a Photo shoot

Aaron's sister, Emily got us bicycles for our wedding gift and I am in love with them. They are so much fun and such an unexpected gift that I am over the moon for them. I instantly knew they would have to be involved in a photo shoot.

Before Aaron headed back to training this past March we were able to set up last minute plans to have a photo shoot with Amber Keagle, a local photographer.

Amber is pretty spectacular. She did an engagement session with us last January and I instantly loved her style. She has this ease about her that makes you feel comfortable. Which is a major thing for us because Aaron is completely awkward in front of the camera (shock and awe).  She had tons of ideas for us to try and took the time to hear my ideas as well. Her photos basically speak for themselves. I am always happy with each and every photo and highly recommend her for anyone looking. Check out her site here!

All photo credit to Amber Keagle Photography

Friday Favorites

Praise the sweet Lord above because we have all made it to another Friday.

This week has been pretty mellow. It was the last week of the semester, hooray! I believe I pulled off all A's again but final grades aren't in till next week. Aaron went back to training today, which is by far the best news I have had in awhile. This whole limbo thing is exhausting. Now we are just praying that from here on out things go smoothly.

Any who, below are a few things I found this week that I am obsessed over. Check, check, check it out.

1. I'm not for sure why but I am obsessed with tie dye this year. I purchased this shirt from Maurice's and have yet to wear it but I am very much looking forward to it!

2. I ended up purchasing these wedges from Maurice's as well(seeing a trend). I made the mistake of wearing these out dancing my first go around but they are sure are broke in now! I love the green color and the low wedge. I can pair them with a lot of outfits while adding a little height at the same time.

3. Have you had Panera's mac n cheese yet? Well you should. It's by far my favorite and I am dying to try this recipe because if it is anywhere close then I am screwed because I will be eating mac n cheese every single day. Seriously though.

4. I am obsessing over Shakira's new song, Empire. If you haven't listened to it yet check it out and sing your heart out. Maybe even wiggle your tush a little. 

5. Pinterest was blocked at work a few weeks ago (I know, sad story) so I have been resorting to my back up Brit & co. Not exactly Pinterest but it does the job. I am obsessing over this engagement idea. Even if they label it as an engagement photo I see myself finding a photographer that is up for the challenge of replicating this photo for Aaron and I.

6. I found this little treasure on Amazon the other day and I have used it ever single day since I received it in the mail. Its crazy how similar it looks to a real lens and I love how people exclaim over it when they find out it isn't a real lens. 

7. I was introduced to this lovely online boutique through a blogger that I follow and snatched up this dress right away. I can't wait to wear it. All. summer. long.

8. If you haven't heard of Theo & Beau then you should probably check it out. Enough said.

9. One of the floaters at work sat up next to me last Friday and somehow convinced me to buy these sandals. (I forbid her from sitting up front again) The bottom of them are made out of yoga mats. Yup, I said it. Yoga mats. They are so comfy and oh look there's that tie dye again. :)

I hope everyone has a spectacular weekend. Mine will hopefully involve Spider-man 2, new work out clothes, and fresh asparagus out of the garden. 

cancer & cardboard boxes in 500 words or less.

I've been MIA for far too long so my goal is to do an update in 500 words or less... GO!

Aaron came home on Valentine's Day and was home for a whole month. Right now that felt forever ago but it was so nice to have my best friend/husband home. Oh I had missed him. The whole drive to the airport  I kept imagining my reaction to seeing him. Tears, giggles, jumping for joy. Instead I walked up and rubbed his bald head, stunned.

Mom finished her radiation weeks ago. Just this past Monday she went up for a recheck and things are looking good. She started chemo again this week and it's a stronger dose, 1 week on 3 weeks off. Spirits/hope/faith/endless love is high in the Fritz household. I must add though nothing is more surreal then shaving your mom's head.

Unfortunately because of circumstances out of my control I had to move out of our apartment this past week and it was not my most favorite week ever. Between work and school I feel like I haven't slept in weeks. I thought I would be okay living with my parents again. I thought I would be okay moving out of our apartment but now that I'm sitting in my overcrowded old bedroom and I am extremely emotional based on the ridiculous notion that this isn't home. Aaron is nowhere in this place and I dislike it to an unnerving level. I am however so blessed and thankful to have such wonderful friends and family that completely kicked butt and helped me move. No words can describe how appreciative I am.

Aaron will hopefully be back in training in a couple weeks. Fingers crossed.

The semester is over in 2 weeks. Praying that I survive.

Bam, I did it. Hope everyone is having an amazing weekend. 

2 Timothy 1:7

For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

Their Version, My Version

I figured I would put off doing my homework just a little bit longer and bring to you their version, my version! I find that week after week I get into a slump of grabbing the same go to's in my wardrobe and not tapping in to over half of what's in my closet. It's very frustrating but it's hard to take the time out of my schedule to stand in front of my closet figure out a new outfit to wear. That is were Pinterest comes in. I assume that you have all figured out my addiction to Pinterest. (Another great procrastination tool!) I love to hop on the Women's fashion tab and scroll through to find inspiration from my own wardrobe. I love finding photos that can inspire me to take pieces from my wardrobe to create a whole new outfit that I would have never thought to put together. Even though I wish everything I pinned went into my closet, it doesn't and like most people I can't always afford to go out and buy clothes all the time and there is no reason to when I can recreate different outfits from whats already in my wardrobe.

Obviously, Pinterest version on left, mine on right. I have to say that I love the color of her scarf and belt but I just created a brand new outfit to wear and pulled all the pieces from my own closet without having to go out and hunt down this exact outfit. All you need is a little creativity! I added a little quirk to my outfit by adding the pink lace tank and I got tons of compliments on this outfit. I am by no means consider myself a fashionista. I put together outfits that I regret half way through my day or think "maybe I should have worn the purple scarf instead of the gray" but that's the fun of it. My number one rule of fashion is I don't give a f***. Seriously. I wear what I think looks good and I really don't care if it's not in "style" or if I may stick out a little in my small Iowa town. I wear lots of dresses and skirts, I wear way too much black and I refuse to wear khakis (mostly because I can't find a single pair that I look good in). I'm 26 and LOVE to wear flowers in my hair (the inner hippie in me) and wear anything from a "preppy" look to a "boho" and everything in between. Wear what makes you feel confident. I hope to bring you a their version, my version weekly and I hope it inspires someone to be a little bit more adventurous with their wardrobe! 

Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

January Crafts

I spent a lot of time crafting this month. I keep trying to convince Aaron to let me quit my job and craft all the time but he keeps telling me no. My dad is trying to make money off of me. He says if I make the craft, he will sell it for 40/60. I don't believe that is a good enough deal though. :P 

 I love seeing my crafts in our apartment and know that I made them, that I spent the hours making it perfect enough for us and didn't dish out the bucks at Hobby Lobby or wherever for some pre-made craft. When people exclaim how fantastic it looks I can jump for joy knowing I put in the hard work to make it. I thank God that I am crafty and can make amazing things to hang on my wall and also my father cause I'm pretty sure that's who I get it from. 

Aaron and I currently had a "Mr and Mrs" sign hanging above our bed, a craft leftover from our wedding but I've decided I wanted something more romantic. I did check out Hobby Lobby but wasn't finding anything really that impressive so I decided to make my own. My father helped a lot with this craft. He helped me dig out the slates of wood in one of our sheds and screwed them all together and added a wire to the back to hang it up. He is also supposed to come over to my apartment and hang it up because I want him to use a stud-finder so it doesn't come down on me in the middle of the night. (That would be the worst way to be woken up). So technically I just came up with the idea and painted the phrase. I first saw this phrase on Pinterest and instantly became attached. It's basically perfect. 

This jar was a pain in the butt. I found it on pinterest and decided to give it a go. I needed a pin cushion for my fantastic new sewing machine and I figured the bottom would be perfect to keep all those stupid extra buttons that come with everything you buy that were scattered throughout our apartment. Whatever you do, FOLLOW the directions because I didn't and that was not a good idea. I briefly read over the directions and just winged it and I ended up having to redo the top. I used too much fabric and couldn't get the medal lip to screw back on. Click on the link for the directions!

http://shopruche.blogspot.com/2012/03/project-diy-mason-jar-pin-cushion.html

(these aren't the original directions I followed but I thought they were easier!)

My name is Brittany and I am a wreath addict. Seriously. They are beyond easy to make and perfect to hang on your front door to add a personal touch and just plain stinking cute. I not only made one but two wreaths this month and I already have 2 other ideas of ones I want to make. The top one is more time consuming because you wrap yarn all the way around. The flowers on the bottom wreath were easy to make and of course the burlap is left over from our wedding. Here is the link to make the flowers.

http://twoyellowbirdsdecor.blogspot.com/2011/09/felt-flower-tutorials.html

I was seeing this pillows in store and on pinterest and I decided I just HAD to have them. However, I was not going to spend $30 a piece. Seriously?!? What is up with pillows being to expensive. I just don't understand, its just fabric with stuffing inside. So of course I just made my own . I bought the canvas fabric, stuffing and a fabric pen at Hobby Lobby and away I went. Measure out how big you would like them, add a couple inches to make up for sewing around them. Cut them out and I chose to iron the fabric before I wrote on them because it was wrinkled. I wrote on the fabric with a pencil then went back over with the fabric marker then turn the two pieces of fabric with the writing facing the inside then sewed it around and left about half of one side open, flipped it inside out stuffed it, pinned it and sewed it shut. Easy peesy people. However, I did goof on the second one and started sewing it with the writing on the outside and didn't realize it so I had to take the time to rip out the stitches and start all over. Whoops. Also to be brutally honest this is the first time our bed has been made since Aaron left. 

As adorable as this is I have to say I strongly dislike working with chalk paint with glass. This is the second project I have tried it with and it just doesn't work. The first time I tried was on wine bottles and I ended up painting about 4 or 5 layers and then the paint just cracks and looks messy. I'm sure there is a primer out there that you are supposed to use to make it easier but I haven't found it yet. I did the exact same thing here except with a ball jar. I also found that regular ol chalk does not work on this stuff, not for me anyways. I used a chalk pen to do the "xoxo", it seems to go on so much better. I love the look of this though. It's sweet and simple and I can wash off the x's and o's and use it year around. 

I used way too much hot glue sticks to make this baby. The frame I have had forever and I have used for many different things. It just just some old plastic frame that used to hold a poster in my bedroom with a cute fluffy bunny with the phrase, "some bunny loves you".

 I did actually take the time to document with photos though. The hearts are made out of paint chips from Wal-Mart. I literally walked out of that store with a big stack of them. I'm sure they think I'm crazy and want to ban me from the paint section. I hot glued the fishing wire to the frame and then glued the hearts on, burning my fingers numerous times. The result is a lovely and colorful Valentine's day frame to display!

That's it for January. Hope everyone has a fantastic week!

Psalms 130:5- I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,

    and in his word I put my hope.

Obsessions of the week

1. I found this amazing recipe Thursday and made them that night. It was my first experience cooking with quinoa and I have to say I like it and will probably use it for a whole grain substitute in a lot of my recipes. I added onions and mushrooms along with the spinach to use up some of the veggies in my fridge. It was delicious and I will be making this often.
http://www.homesweetfirsthome.com/2014/01/quinoa-spinach-and-kale-stuffed-peppers.html

2. I had my hair highlighted a couple of weeks ago, my first time ever mind you, and I had to change up a lot of my hair products for colored hair products. My hair stylist used this oil on my hair after my haircut and it made my hair so soft and yummy smelling that I had to spend the extra bucks to get it.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CH3WP2E/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

3. I thought this article was pretty amazing and had to share. I am a morning person anyways but found when I traded up to add these new things to my routine it put me in such a better mood for my work day. I had gotten out of habit of starting my day with a short and sweet yoga routine and adding it back in and sticking to it for a few weeks helps me to feel more toned. I'm still on the hunt for the perfect candle to light in the morning. I'm thinking lemon. I love lemon everything. Even though she suggest something calming I think lemon would open up my senses and get more awake in the morning. The biggest thing I changed that really improved my routine is switching to watching an episode of Army Wives to the news. It's easier for me to get up and walk away from the news then Army Wives. I have to peel myself away from the couch and usually end up running late when I watch Army Wives. Knowing a little of what is going on the world makes me feel more knowledgeable.
http://www.homesweetfirsthome.com/2014/01/5-healthy-habits-to-add-to-your-morning.html

4.

I found this lovely hairstyle on Pinterest and gave it a go Friday for work. I cannot however get my hair to twist like that and I am currently on the hunt to found a video that may show me. It was simple to do and was really cute besides the fact I had to used 20-some bobby pins to keep it in but I loved it so much that I think I am going to try it again tonight.

I am also on the hunt for a headband like this so if anyone happens to find one...

Keep on pinteresting on my fellow pinners.

"Ask and it will be given to you, Seek and you will find, Knock and the door will be opened to you." Matthew 7:7

Daily Life

Between staying up late to get homework done and getting up early to get homework done I am averaging about 4.5 to 5 hours of sleep per night so I've been grumpy and over emotional so I've been hiding out so no one has to deal with me. My lack of social life is to protect everyone around me.

My mother started radiation and chemo yesterday. They will be staying up in Iowa City all week at the Hope Lodge, a building for cancer patients that live more than 50 miles away from Iowa City. It is completely run off of donations. So for the next 7 weeks she will continue her therapy down here (speech, occupation and physical) on Monday mornings then head up to Iowa City for the week. She will have radiation Monday through Friday then come back down home to have her therapy again Friday afternoon. Lots of running around. Her speech is getting better by the day. She is getting better at forming complete sentences now. The doctor's are hopeful that she will have little side effects from the chemo and radiation. She will obviously be more tired and will loose her hair. She is taking the chemo through pill form so that will help a lot.

No new news about Aaron. He is still on medical hold. He has a doctor's appt on the 4th and he MAY be able to come home for 30 days to do his physical therapy here then he will be sent back to continue his training. I'm trying to not be too hopeful but it would be fantastic to spend Valentine's day with my hubby.

Did anyone else read this article in the Hawkeye?!?! Colleges have Quidditch teams? Where has this been my whole life. If there was any sport I would play this would be it. This guy is trying to get Southeastern to form a Quidditch team and I would so join if my plate wasn't already full enough.

(I am still seriously considering it)

I also just signed up for Birchbox and just received my first box yesterday. I am so excited for this! For those of you who don't know what Birchbox is click here --> https://www.birchbox.com/

I will do a review later after I have tried out my new goodies!

Currently reading: The Mortal Instruments: City of Ashes.

It's the 2nd book in the series and of course the books are so much better than the movie. In fact if you plan on reading this series, don't watch the movie. The actors/actresses they picked for the movie completely destroyed my image of what they actually look like. Not worth it.

I received several books from my mother for Christmas and it's taking me a little bit to get through them. I have a hard time finding time to read when I have so much to read for school. I just ordered another book yesterday though that I cannot wait to get my hands on, "Me Before You" by Jojo Moyes. I saw that our wedding photographer read it and figured I would give it a go. I just read the sample on Amazon and was hooked. What really sold me to buy it though was this customer's review on it...

"throw away your shades of gray books and read about a real romance- one where individuals ultimately valued each others' wishes and allowed the other party to grow. I began reading with much trepidation, but quickly learned to love the quirky characters of Lou and Will. This is a life affirming book. You will feel better after reading it."

I'm a hopeless romantic and could use an actual romantic book instead of all the trashyallaboutsexIwoulddropkickaguythattalkedtomelikeGreytalkstoAnastasia book. :)

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

"You are my hiding place: You will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance" Psalm 32:7





Daily Life

  I found this little nugget of amazing-ness on pinterest the other day and it's helping me come to terms with everything going on right now. My mother will start radiation and chemo here in the next couple of weeks. We are praying for the best and taking it day by day. It's all I can handle right now. Thinking too far into the future makes my heart ache too much.
  With Aaron states away and everything going on with my mom I feel like my world has been flipped upside down and now I get to waltz my way through this world hanging on tight and relearning to navigate.
  That being said and in light of everything that has happened the past few weeks and spending way too much time in doctors offices I have decided that I am in need of a lifestyle change to be more healthy. I am currently challenging myself to run every single day for 21 days straight. I also wrote down my weight and measurements to keep track and will write them down again after 21 days. I am currently on day number 7 and I am feeling pretty amazing. I already feel SO much better, I have more energy and I have a much better mood than usual. I have also been tinkering with the idea of starting the new trend diet of 2014, the paleo diet. This will definitely be more of a challenge then running because you have to cut out dairy, grain and sugar which is my top 3 food groups. I have always ate pretty healthy anyways, salads and what not but I feel the need to take it a step further. My friend Meg has recently discussed the paleo diet for her and her family and I decided to read up on it. I found this book  on amazon and decided to give it a go.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009GULWLG/ref=col_PCxPlH_4k24urYzJGGwBoqjIw
 I highly suggest this book for anyone considering this diet. It's a great beginner book that will explain the diet and help you in the right direction. I just downloaded it on my Kindle app and had it read in a couple of days. I have gone through our apartment to get rid of a lot of junk food and went grocery shopping to fill it up with fresh veggies and fruit, unfortunately some how ice cream ended up in my cart and I really can't let it go to waste. So far I have not followed the diet to well. I am eating more salads and cut out a lot of things but I am at my parents every night after work and end up eating dinner with them and they would not be okay following the paleo diet. Also if you drink the water amount you are actually supposed to drink you just end up running to the bathroom every 5 minutes because you have to pee. Seriously.

  I figured on top of everything else I would also head back to school this semester after taking last semester off. It's day 1 and I already feel overwhelmed so we will see if I can survive another semester.

"Be strong and of good courage; Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord you God is with you whenever you go." – Joshua 1:9

My December Crafts

My Christmas Wreath:

  Ever since Aaron and I moved in together I have been ecstatic to have a front door to decorate. Even tho no one ever sees it unless they come visit us it's still fun to make the wreaths and display them on our front door.
  This wreath cost me a whole maybe $15 to make. It helped that I already had some of the materials needed to make it. I bought the wreath itself at Hobby Lobby for half price and the little jingle bells in the center as well. The pine cones I actually found at Dollar General! They were only $4! They however must have been soaked in a cinnamon oil because boy did they stink! Halfway through making it I had to seal it in a trash bag and open our whole 1 window in our apartment cause I had such a bad headache from the smell. The ornaments I also purchased at Dollar General. It's my new favorite place to shop currently. They have a lot of decent stuff for super cheap. All the pine cones and ornaments are attached on the wreath with fishing line along with the wooden letter B that I also found at Hobby Lobby. I just painted over the fishing line so you don't really notice it unless you get close and I sprinkled the gold glitter on right after I painted. It took me a whole 2 days to make this wreath and I'm pretty impressed with how it looks considering how much it cost me.

  My next project were the Christmas ornaments I made for the girls in my wedding. They ALL left their flowers at the reception so I decided to dry out all the flowers to give to them later. Well I figured I would get a little crafty with the flowers cause I figured none of the girls would really want a bunch of dead dried flowers around their place and bought clear ornaments at Hobby Lobby and used some left over stickers from the Bridesmaids gift and put their initials on the ornaments and grabbed some of the leftover ribbon from the wedding as well and ta da! A special ornament for them to hang on their tree to remind them of that special day.

  My next project in December I actually found on Pinterest. I absolutely adore this site and all her DIY projects. Even though she is an event planner (I wish she was located closer, I would have used her for my wedding!) I loved looking through her whole site cause it is so girly and pretty and pink! Haha!  Here's the link for the project: http://www.heygorg.com/2011/10/diy-tissue-covered-luminaries.html

Her's look a lot better than mine. The only color I could find was white. I really wanted the grey tissue paper though and might make this again down the road with grey for spring. I made this to have some decorations to help with the transition from Christmas to spring. I decided to add gold glitter to mine to add a little something to it. The containers I found at Hobby Lobby. They did have silver lids that screwed on but I figured I would hang out to the lids and come up with a different project for them later. The containers were only $6 and were half off as well. The paper cutter that I bought was the most expensive part. I believe it was over $10 but I of course used the 40% off coupon on their site for it. My goal is to NEVER pay full price for anything at Hobby Lobby and it usually isn't too hard to do. These were pretty simple to make and the only difficult part was cutting the tissue paper. I had one heck of a time. I don't know if I didn't fold it correctly for the right layering or my cutter was dull but hopefully the next time I try this it goes a little smoother. Also be careful on how thick you put on the glue/water mix on the container. I was using a little too much and it doesn't take much for the tissue to tear. I also mixed the gold glitter right in with the water/glue mixture. I figured this would be a less messy way to add the glitter.

  The little house in this picture was a Christmas gift from my Mother-In-Law that I absolutely adore! It has a switch on the bottom that lights it up and the roof of the house has stars cut into it so it makes a fantastic night light and adds stars to your ceiling!

  This craft was not done in December but I wanted to share it. I have seen this type of jewelry holder all over Pinterst and I had to give it a go! It was ridiculously easy to make. I needed to make something bigger to hang all my necklaces on cause I was outgrowing my old one. I found the old frame out at Aaron's parents shed. It was just laying around collecting dirt and dust. I scrubbed it clean and got lucky cause it was already this gorgeous green color so I didn't have to paint it which saved a lot of time. The hooks I bought in various sizes at Wal Mart for a couple dollars and the wood was soft enough that all I had to do was screw in the hooks and add some hanging hooks on the back and it was ready to go. I did end up with some sore knuckles with this project. My knuckles would scrap against the screen while I was screwing in the hooks and made them raw for a few days. Nothing I couldn't live with though. The screen is very handy to hang earrings on to display my more prettier ones. (P.S. I have too many necklaces)

  My last project of December were this lovely glittery clothes pins. I told you I have been obsessed with pink and gold glitter lately so this was a perfect way to end my December crafts. I saw a picture on Pinterest and knew i just had to make them. I had purchased clothes pins when Aaron and I moved in to our apartment and they are always handy to have around the house and I use them for everything but what they are intentionally for. I use them instead of potato chip clips and to seal various other foods in our kitchen and of course plenty of craft projects. I mixed red and white to get the perfect pink I wanted and just shook on all the gold glitter I could! I then sprayed on a sealant so the glitter wouldn't fall off too horribly. I was using it to display how many days I had left before Aaron came home but that kind of went out the window. (Sorry for the blurry photo, I am still currently using my iPhone because my lens crapped out on my camera and I need to buy a new one)

Isaiah 41:10: So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Ringing In The New Year

  All my posts have been about my personal life lately and I promise I will give you an update on my crafts very soon. My whole entire apartment is covered in a fine layer of gold glitter currently. I told Aaron he better feel lucky that he isn't here cause otherwise he might be covered in glitter as well. I have a slight obsession with gold glitter and pink as of late and I'm not for sure where it came from but this post isn't supposed to be about glitter it's supposed to be an update about Aaron and my mom.

An update from warmer weather Texas:

  Even though Aaron swears it's pretty cool down there I remind him that 30 is better than 1 whole degree here in Iowa. I don't know about anyone else but I'm sick of all this snow. The week of Christmas Aaron had to run a mile or two and noticed his leg was sore and he was limping slightly well then a few days later he was made to run a 3k which ended up with him on crutches. The doctor has looked at his leg and they found several stress fractures around the metal so they decided to put him on medical hold which means he is no longer with his fleet and will not graduate on time anymore. He is stuck in a building with other soldiers that are on medical hold and is being forced to stay off his leg.
  The only plus side to this situation is that I have been able to have numerous 40min phone conversations with him that we have both been enjoying immensely and it helps to keep us updated on the situation.
  So everything is basically up in the air right now for him. They basically have to decide if he will be able to continue or if he will be honorably discharged because of his leg. Aaron's "case manager", not for sure on the correct term but that is what we have been calling him is leaning toward Aaron being honorably discharged because they have found older stress fractures that have healed which shows that this is a problem that will more than likely keep reoccurring. He is seeing the doctor in another 3 weeks that will be making the decision. As sucky as the situation is Aaron and I have been staying in high spirits about it and already have a game plan for if he does come home. Aaron has already talked to the Air Force about coming home to find a doctor to remove the metal and then he will try joining the Air Force again but it will have to be all done before July when he turns 27 because 26 is the cut off date. I also suggested to Aaron that if he does come home we can just go ahead and start making babies (joking, we still want to wait a couple years).
  We are not giving up just yet thought because this whole entire Air Force experience has just been a miracle. It just seems if Aaron has a slim to none chance it works out in our favor so who knows, maybe the doctor will just let him continue.

Meanwhile back at home:

This past Saturday my parents invited me out for lunch and a walk around East Lake since the weather was so nice. We were all very happy and having a lot of fun, throwing snow balls and enjoying the sunshine. After my parents dropped me off and headed home they stopped to get the mail out of the mail box and things went down hill from there. When my mother reached in to grab the mail she couldn't get her hand to grasp the mail and she noticed her fingers were tingly, not saying anything to my dad they headed into the house and dad noticed my mom was be very, very quite. At that point her right hand was tingly, her whole right arm felt heavy and the right side of her lip was tingly. She stated that she thought she was having a light stroke and asked my dad to take her to the ER. In Mount Pleasant they did a cat scan and saw something on the left side of her brain and decided to send her up to Iowa City. Once we got to Iowa City we did a whole lot of hurry up and wait. She had a MRI done around 8:30 Saturday night then was admitted to the hospital at around 2 am then at around 5 am we found out the results. She has a mass about the size of a golf ball on the top of her brain on the left frontal lobe which is causing her brain to be inflamed which caused the effects of what she thought was a light stroke. After a string of different nurses and doctors and more scans, including a body to make sure there were no other masses inside her body she was sent home Monday afternoon and will be returning tomorrow bright and early to have surgery. The game plan is for them to go in and try to remove all of the mass and then they will test it to see if it is cancerous which will take us about 2 weeks to find out the results.
  I never in my wildest dreams would have thought this was how I would be ringing in the new year. It's surreal and very, very scary. We are all staying positive and hoping for the best. A lot of friends and family have been asking how they can help and the only thing we are asking for right now is prayers and positive thinking. I'm feeling very selfish right now and wish I could beg Aaron to come home. I would feel a whole lot better with him by my side.
   No matter what I know God wouldn't give me more than I can handle and with Aaron I know I can take on anything.

  With everything going on I haven't given much thought to my new years resolution until PostSecret posted one the other day on Facebook that really stuck with me so I'm stealing it and sharing it with you- Consume Less; Savor more.




"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" Philippians 4:6-7