Currently

Making : Children's book staring a Hammerhead shark

Cooking :  Not a single thing this week 

Drinking : Coffee - I have been up WAY past my bed time 3 out of the past 4 nights

Reading: Ascend the last book in the Trylle series by Amanda Hocking

Wanting: A teaching gig!!

Looking: Forward to seeing my family this weekend and decorating for Easter

Playing: way too many facebook games and Clash of Clans

Deciding: How I can help a new project I joined building an inclusive playground

Wishing: It would stop raining

Enjoying: the weather when it is not raining

Waiting: To have the home loan finished to remodel my house

Liking: the way my garden is turning out

Wondering:How do they really know what dog food tastes like do they have tasters?

Pondering: If I will have time to work on my crafts this weekend

Considering :  Turning off my cable - I mean we have netflix and HIMYM is now over 

Watching: Sourcefed on youtube 
Hoping: My projects come out as planned

Marveling: the amount of love and care in my community 

Needing: sleep!

Smelling: coffee

Loving: my amazing family

Wearing: the most comfortable maxi skirt and tee-shirt combo with a denim button up shirt cover

Following: my dreams

Noticing: how truly blessed I am 

Knowing: Life is amazing

Thinking: I wish I was eating crawfish right now

Feeling: happy

Admiring: the generosity of the community

Giggling: how goofy my husband is

Sorting: a never ending pile of laundry

Buying: iron on transfer for shirt and koozie making

Getting: inspired

Bookmarking: too many movies on netflix and books on Scribd

Disliking: how limited time is

Opening: imagination to this book I am a writing

Snacking: new goldfish flavors - strawberry shortcake and french toast!

Coveting: so many different talented people 

Helping: get the word out about LCI Stay and Play project

Hearing: Avenged Sevenfold in the Bad Assery playlist my buddy made on Spotify 

Book Challenge Update #3

I am two books ahead of schedule so far and I have read some good books this past month.

Switched (Trylle #1) by Amanda Hocking  • GoodReads • Amazon •

I really enjoyed this book. I heard about it from a friend who said it was about trolls and I knew I had to read it, but it is not what you expect when you think trolls. The beauty in this book is not what I expected and the mini-series at the end made we ant to read a whole story from that P.O.V. I just need to get off my hiney and download book 2.

♥♥♥1/2 out of 5

The Hip Girl's Guide to Homemaking by Kate Payne   • GoodReads • Amazon •

I was hoping this could help with decorating, gardening and general homemaking, but it just seemed preachy to me. Now I will say some of the advice was good but it is mainly for people in bigger cities, living in apartments not people like me who are in a small town with lots of yard and space between neighbors living in a house. When I was in college living with my parents I had the cinder block book shelf but living 'on my own' with my husband I do not think that would work too well. I also understand the importance of going green but Kate is  shoving it down your throat in this book. I get that chemicals are bad, and that cooking things from scratch are healthier for you, but not everyone has the time or energy to do so. I work 45 minutes away from my house which I know is not the longest some people have to commute but with a husband who does not eat lunch (unwinnable battle trust me I have tried) by the time we get home at almost 6 he is starving and does not want to wait for me to make everything from scratch. I will on the weekends make homemade lasagna, or other meals that require lots of time to prepare and that is usually the most delicious meal but on weekdays we (HE) wants quick easy meals. The saving grace of this book was the last chapter, she talks about having get-togethers and how we should continue to learn and grow which is something I believe in. 

♥♥ out of 5

  

Stone of Tears By Terry Goodkind   • GoodReads • Amazon •

I am so glad I picked this series up. The new characters introduced in this book were incredible. I felt Richard's hate for some of them. Grach is one of my favorite parts of the whole book, and Scarlet too. I love how he shows his compassion by the way he treats animals and is a protector for them. I thought for sure i was going to be angry at the end of the book but it turned around into a happy ending that makes me want more. 

♥♥♥♥♥ out of 5

Blood of the Fold by Terry Goodkind   • GoodReads • Amazon •

Oh my goodness so many feels! I was on the edge of my seat, I was fearful for the characters, I literally laughed out loud, and just so many feels. The mord-sith and Grach are becoming my favorites. Zed still cracks my up though. Kahlan is such a beast, she is amazing in her talents. I wish I could read the prophesies they talk about, but that may ruin the books for me. I am so ready to jump into the next book. 

♥♥♥♥♥ out of 5 

Work Hard. Be Nice. by Jay Mathews    • Good Reads • Amazon •

This book is about the KIPP schools and the two teachers that made it happen. It was an okay book, to me it seemed to jump around a bit. It would talk about what was happening in 2004 and in the next chapter discussing the weeks the guys were signing up for Teach for America in 1992. I was impressed by what the guys were able to accomplish and how well the schools are doing but the book could not hold my interest, I forced myself to finish it. I think I was able to get a few good tips for when I become a teacher but all in all just an EH kind of book about a really impressive set of guys and what they built. 

♥♥ out of 5 

What are you guys reading right now?

Previous challenge update posts: January - February

Book Reviews: Adulting - Something Worth Fighting For - Speaker of The Dead - Ender's Game - Extras - Specials - Pretties - Uglies - The Fault in our Stars

My Motivation - Journal Day

Here's this week's prompt-  

Everyone has different things that keep them going. Sometimes it's the people around us, other times it might be what's waiting for us on the other side of hard work. Whatever it may be, there's usually some sort of motivation to get up every day, get things done, or maybe even go the extra mile. With that said, what would you say is your biggest motivation in life? Has it always been this way? 

I had to really think about this one but it all honestly it is easy, my motivation is my family. I want to be a teacher because of my siblings. I want to have a career for my husband and our future family. I work on our house to have a beautiful, safe house for our future family to live. I think that most of what I do is for my family in some form or fashion. In the past I was not like this I was more concerned about my boyfriend or what I thought people wanted but then I realized that none of them matter as much as my family. The straw that actually broke the camel's back on that was when my boyfriend at the time wanted me to go to Houston for college when my step-mom was pregnant with my sister Blake, he put me in a position that made him more important than my family so we broke up and I stayed local for college to spend time with my family.

March Crushes

Zooey Deschanel and the show New Girl! A girl after my own heart here!

This beautiful Mod Cloth Dress

This image is beautiful and the drink sounds so tasty!

This video from 10secondsongs. I wish I could sing like that!

•These beautiful sea creatures make we want to go on another cruise and go snorkling. I miss swimming in clear ocean. I love Texas but the beach near me is too murky. Here

• This video/article make me have so much faith in humanity. I am so happy I found this 

• Emma made these delicious looking Jalapeno and Cheese Biscuits 

• Bringing back the cute animals with this buzzfeed post. The little babies are so cute!!!

What are some things you are enjoying this week?

Daily Challenges - Journal Day

Here's this week's prompt from Something Sweet-  

We all encounter challenges on a daily basis. You may consider yours something small, like having enough time in the day to accomplish everything you set out to do, or it may be a bit bigger- perhaps something you have to overcome mentally or emotionally, or even a struggle when dealing with a difficult person. Whatever the case, take a look at your daily life- what would you say is the biggest challenge you deal with? Or if you have a past struggle you were able to overcome, how did you do it? This week, write about a challenge you currently deal with on a day to day basis, or discuss one you managed to get past.

 If I were to be 100% honest the biggest challenge I deal with is pure laziness. It is true that I have stomach issues from time to time but I think that has just made me lazier. Anytime my stomach feels different than it should (not hungry, full, have to use the restroom, gassy, or otherwise) I automatically feel the need to sit or lay down until it feels normal. It is an anxiety thing, since I know when I have an anxiety attack I get very nauseous, I automatically assume that if my stomach feels off I need to calm down. In the past I never did this, I just ignored it. I am now hypersensitive to anything dealing with my stomach. All of this has made me stagnate.

When I get home from work I cook dinner, check on the plants outside, check the mail, and then sit on the couch to eat with Da' Hubby and do not move until we go to the bedroom. I shower and he will clean the kitchen and I get out go to bed and he jumps in the shower. We play on our tablets, watch tv, or read a book but that is it, that is our whole Monday-Thursday after work. On the weekends we run errands, shop, do house work, garden, visit family, etc.

I wish I was the type of person to get home eat, go to the gym, go to the bar, or whatever normal people do. I am going to try to be more active. I actually have plans to join a group that is going to work on playground for special needs students in my area. This is going to help me break out of my shell, get my foot in the door for teaching, help students in my area, and get me off my lazy butt.

I love how this is kind of free flow and I am able to just ramble about a topic, it is very cathartic.  

What Would You Fund?

Here's this week's prompt from Sometimes Sweet - 

If you had unlimited resources, what political or social issue, or area of scientific or medical exploration would you fund? Do you have a cause that is dear and near to your heart that you'd put your time, energy, and money into if you had the means? Tell us about it, along with a bit of background explaining where you're coming from.

I have been thinking about this since Monday when it was posted and my first thought was education. As you know I am trying to become a teacher and I see some of the flaws in the system, especially when it comes to special education. But I am not sure what section I would want to put all of my time and money into since all aspects of education are important.

I am part of a group who are going to build a playground for special needs children, and I am so happy to be apart of it but there are more things in that school that need help besides the playground (which I find to be incredible and a great addition to the school). It is hard for me to choose just one area. I want the schools to have better textbooks, teachers who are dedicated and not just there for the paycheck and the summer break, I want the students to be excited to be at school and enjoy learning, I want the special needs students to be able to graduate and have a plan in mind for their life and not just live at home or in an assisted living environment (due to specific needs), I want to keep the arts in the schools, I want students to learn foreign languages and for it to be sustainable,  I want the lunches to be healthy, I want classes to teach students about life in the real world (taxes, checking, bill pay, loans, etc), I want teachers to teach more than just the tests,  and so much more.

With so many issues in the world of education I do not know where to begin. Many of my teachers in high school who I still have contact with have told me not to teach because of the politics of it. I have heard that I cannot get a teaching job at some schools unless I know someone because of the politics in those schools and I think that is crazy! I feel that if you are qualified and have a desire to educate, then not growing up in that district should have no barring on your interview. Some problems cannot be fixed with money or time.

With all of that being said I  would still try to work on the education system since it is what will make our country a better place and with the right teachers we can fix many more problems. Science teachers with a love of the planet can help in many ways, math teachers can teach students how to handle money to avoid debt, history teachers with a passion for learning from the past, reading teachers to help us become more intellectual and enjoy education, foreign language teachers teach love of travel and importance of language. All areas of education can teach you more about the world than the students give them credit for but with the right motivation and teachers we can turn our nation into a great intellectual powerhouse.

Sorry for the ramble but that is how I journal.

Oh and also shark preservation! But education helps with this - teach understanding not fear!

What would you like to fix in the world?

Week 3 - Hindsight
Week 2 - Song Feelings
Week 1 - Crossroads

Beard Lovin'

This weekend Da'Hubby and I went to Larry's Old Time Trade Days, which is like a giant garage sale or something like that. I have mentioned it before and I love going! This time we were hunting for a glider swing  for our front porch but we found something much cooler! We met this guy!

Picture kidnapped from Texas Beard Company Facebook Page

This is me, Da'hubby, and on the end  Ryan one of the owners Texas Beard Company. If you you are a beard-lover or know a beard-lover you need to go to his site and check out the great stuff that he makes.

This is what we got Da'Hubby.  Mint Eucalyptus Beard Balm (this stuff smells amazing) and thrown into the amazing printed bag was the printed oil rag, a sticker and business card. All of the stuff minus the business cards were all made by the 4 guys running the company. I stalked Ryan a bit on instagram and facebook to show my love to the company and they did the shirts and rags in their garage with a silk screen. I am talking hardcore DIY guys here and I love it!  At this point I think I should mention that this is not a sponsored post, we paid for the balm out of our pocket (Okay, Da' Hubby's wallet but still) and we will buy more in the future. This is just a honest review of an indie Texas born company that I am genuinely impressed with. 

They have 3 scents (on their site): 

•Mint Eucalyptus - Smells incredible, it has just the right amount of mint to wake you up in the morning or if put in at night will keep your sinuses clear. (good for snorers - from me not the company)
•Tumbleweed - non-scented if you are worried about not liking the smells, or unsure of what scent your beard-lover would like.
•Clove Citrus - This one was not my cup of tea since I am not a HUGE clove fan, the citrus hints were nice but I do not think I would enjoy snuggling up to my man's beard with the clove in it. (personal preference but if you like cloves and citrus you will love this smell)

Da'Hubby prefers balm over the oils just because he is not a fan of the way the oil it feels in his beard but the balm is amazing. His beard is already feeling softer, and he says it is easier to tame too. We have tried leave-in conditioner (MY Sleek and Smooth Garnier Leave in conditioner) and it works good but it smells girly, and we have not been able to find anything designated for beards without looking online. I have seen Blue Beards on Amazon and the countless ones on Etsy but being able to actually smell it before I bought it was a big plus for me. And not only that, we were able to see the beards of the guys who make the stuff and were able to see first hand what it can do for Da'Hubby's beard.  Basically I am so happy with this brand and their product and I cannot wait to buy more and support their growth. 

Oh and to switch topics real quick - here is the swing Da' Hubby got me!

It is a double glider from M&D Supply and I love it!!! I like to try things out before I buy and sadly the ones at Larry's Trade Days were either not comfortable, unable to try out, or WAY out of our price range.

Do you have any indie brands that you love? I would gladly go check them out!