Us

This year I declared on New Years that this would be the year of US.  A year about our marriage and working at being a better us.  Working on the many aspects that would make us what God intended for marriage to be.  I wanted to open the doors of communication even wider and make Darren my sound board even though I still have to pull information from him.  I wanted to be the best wife and know that our lives were always going to centered around God and his guidance as we seek him in our lives/marriage and growing closer together through him.

We were going to lessen my volunteer load in order for me to be at home to do other things and spend more time together even if it was about our trips.  We were going to stress less and not have to lose that extra time we could spend together.  And then as I was ending my term with my volunteer position that took most of my time we realized that a second job would help us out on our journey and with tax season done there was quite a bit of slow/beautiful time for me that it would work out well.  With added time at another job plus travel it hurt and helped all at the same time, it was even trying at times.  But we made it through the rough and exhausted days.

We did find ourselves not only joining small groups but also additional ways to volunteer at our church as we also joined separate men's and women's groups.  This, to me, has been very fulfilling and great for our marriage and for both of us to grow individually and together.  We continue to find more ways to be grateful because of the learning tools that are in front of us as well as how to overcome the tough times.

As the year winds down I realize more and more that we did it, we made the year about us.  We slowly turned corners, we made mistakes and continued to learn about each other.  We had some great adventures this year from each of our trips to our neighborhood adventures- yes we always look for the elephant ear stand in our neighborhood and the fair.  Year 2 of marriage came and is almost half way to year 3, I can only imagine what God has in front of us and what he will see us through.  It will be great to know that we had our year and we will continue look forward to making our marriage first before all else while putting God in the center.

For the biggest blessing is to come.  As we see our little one grow in my belly and all the little changes that show us just how great God is, I am certain there will be so much more.

16 weeks December 25th 2013

Things my Mom taught me

Randomly I started thinking about all the different things that my mom has instilled in me, there are moments when I think that my mom does it just that same way and now I am doing it as well.  It is a great feeling, just knowing that some great habits and some funny ones are the things that make me the person I am because my mother was always herself in front of me and her love shines just as much as her personality.

In no particular order:

·         How to make food, my dad also helped in this journey but it is so much better to make it with her now in our home.  I like being the sous chef.

·         How to speak loudly/yell when you need someone and what it is that you need.  Darren does not like this and so I try to only call out for him then wait for his arrival to give directions/update or whatever it might be.

·         How to pray, while I learned this from my Apa (grandfather) she is the one I noticed the most and can recollect her cries as I stood outside her door and kneeling by my parents bed to pray as a family.  I will so do this and not just for awhile for as long as I am gifted with a family of my own.

·         Patience, most of the time she is not in a rush (does not like to be rushed) and likes to peruse through stores or visiting with family or friends and wherever she might be.

·         Hosting, there are still times when my mom throws an impromptu gathering at her house, while I plan events she always has an open door to feed and socialize with loved ones.  The summers I was home from college I was never discouraged from hosting bonfires with friends.  Although my favorite part might be the house being filled as growing up with 4 siblings there were rarely quite times.

·         The ability to speak to anyone, and I mean anyone.  I have not always been this way and slowly other people and life experiences have also helped me in this journey but it is nice to have a conversation without fear.

·         Caring for others, my mother with her siblings helped with my grandparents and with their church family.  I never really thought of it as serving one another, as God intended for us to but it sure is nice to give without receiving.

·         My love language, I had to read a book to figure this one out.  My mom shows love by giving, finding item(s) you may like or she may even have a stash just in case, but this too is how I show my love by gifting.  Although we might receive love differently, still trying to figure out how she receives.

·         The importance of birthdays, we are always celebrated, there was usually a party.  Although now we are much older and things have changed slightly.  I can say that I know each of my immediate family members birthdays and anniversaries by heart- still working on learning Darren’s side.

·         How to read, in Spanish nonetheless.  I cannot recall just sitting and reading but my love of it has not died.  She still answers my questions when I have them regarding the meaning of some words that I cross or at my last job, the best translation.

·         How to greet, our family has its own way but it is always full of love and acceptance.

·         Keeping a secret, honestly I did not know that we had this in common until Darren and I got engaged and I called to her know and that I wanted to tell some of my close family before the rest found out.  She stayed close mouthed until I gave her the go ahead on spreading the news.

·         Desire for fashion at a great price, my parents gave us many opportunities and shopping was one thing I was able to do frequently.  And we still do, its just out of my own pocket except for my birthday or special items she finds.

·         With fashion my mom also taught me the importance of modesty.  Of course she never encouraged swimsuits or shorts/pants but she did teach me not to wear clothing that is too tight, low cut/revealing or too short.  She also drew on my legs with black marker on my swimming photos that were taken each year I swam, if that tells you anything, she covered me up.

·         Great memory, sometimes I think my mom is remembering something/someone else but in fact it is something I cannot recall for whatever reason.  But I am great at remembering the things in my youth and adult life.

·         The importance of hard work.  I have always known that my mother worked hard at what she has been doing for over 30 years now.  Although not in the same career line she did teach me how to give all I have in what I do and not cut corners.  Giving me the opportunity to further my education as much as she and my dad could help me along my way.  

·       Keeping extra napkins from meals out, it has been a life saver as I can be prone to making a mess without warning.

As different as we both are she is my mother and she is pretty amazing.

Yes!!!

This is my last week of clothing documentary, I think it went very well and just showed me how much I could make my existing wardrobe work for me.  Still in need of mending a couple of different items, my favorite red pair of slacks and something else buried underneath it that never saw this challenge.  

Day 50

A lavender blouse that I bought awhile back and had to mend after washing.

Black straight leg pants helped with my purple peep toes make their own statement.

Day 51

I absolutely LOVE this sweater, so comfy and such a great statement piece that I never feel can be worn incorrectly.  With a long sleeve tee, leggings, tall boots and a belt to cinch it all together.

This belt actually came with a blouse but thought it was very fitting with this outfit, not too large but just right when trying to create a figure with larger sweaters.

Day 52

This is one of my favorite skirts, just want to say I bought a couple years ago before ombre hair and clothing came into the mix.  Simple black tee, patterned tights and purple flats make for a fun outfit.

Day 53

This purple and white blouse is a great combination of ruffles a cinched waist.  The sleeves are so nice, too bad it is too cold at the office to walk around in this great everyday item.

That made my challenge up.  I believe it went really well, I put different things together and recreated old outfits but mostly I had more fun within my closet and figuring out what would make for not only a comfortable option but a photographable one and also digging for items that often get lost in the closet.

The next challenge, to start maybe at the beginning of the year, cleaning out my closet and donating that which is no longer being worn or just outdated for my grown up stage.

Almost accomplished

It is getting easier, still some temptation but mostly very nice to look and know that my will power is much stronger than it used to be.  I had purchased a couple things, only about 6 bucks worth of what I can no longer remember as I have also been cleaning out my wallet, so it definitely was not clothing as I would surely remember that.  I had a few more items to purchase for my table but nothing pricey, today I picked up some no show sock hose things for my moccasins as the ones I currently own are loose and keep sliding off- also very annoying. 

Day 42

Sleeveless blouse and black pants.  Now looking at this picture it makes me realize that my green pants would look great with this top.

I added a jeweled cardigan to stay warm.

Day 43

I have had this since last fall and this was the first time I wore it.  Initially buying it for my sister and then another dress more her style was found and I kept this one.  It does have to be ironed but other than that it was very comfy and easy to wear.

Day 44 

I was lazy in the morning and since I had the last 2 days off from my second job I decided that I would just wear my required khaki's with a cotton blouse.  If you did not notice I also own this in teal, they were just a couple bucks so I picked up the two as they were in my size.

Day 45

Another pair of khaki's and a comfy purple blouse, felt like the flash made it semi see through.  No worries I wore a couple sweaters over it all day then my different cover up for the second job.

Day 46

Even though I had to work at my second job I decided it was time to wear a fun blouse to make my shift easier.  A nice loose top that my mom bought me last year on my birthday shopping trip.

Day 47

 A big busy day, errands and cleaning in the morning meant jeans and a t-shirt (t-shirts are rare in my wardrobe outside of the house, just a preference).

Then a bridal shower, great teal dress but it does not agree with wind as it flow tends to take my dress upwards, learned this at our last cruise as we walked the deck at night with the wind blowing around us.

My last change of the day, my vintage flower dress.  This dress just makes me happy, it's one hidden pocket is great.  I added a white scarf to keep warm at our church event.

* My changing multiple times like this is not normal.

Day 49

Dressed it up once again, a vintage Dior skirt, a dress tank- another gift from my mom with this being the first time I wore it.  I wore the straw gray heels instead of the white sandals as it was raining outside.

A cover up sweater to stay warm.

Into Overtime

I have officially made it past my month of shopping less.  I realized a few days after I posted my last update that I had in fact purchased a few items.  In my emotional shopping trip, yes I had a bad day and  needed to get out, which led me to a couple great purchases while passing up on a few that did not make the cut.  I found a sheer button up blouse and some moccasin looking flats, these flats have replaced some that I got last winter when shopping with my mom as a Christmas gift and they started to stink that week and were dumped.

Friday I went grocery shopping and saved over $100.00 with my savings card and coupons although I did purchase over 150.00 dollars of groceries with very few extras.  But our deep freezer is stocked, fridge and pantry are in great shape.  I was really proud of this as I was shopping alone and its easy to throw extras in the cart and I can peruse more alone than when Darren helps as he wants to get in and out and I want to find the best deals to grab up while I can.  So far this week I purchased a couple towel clips for our vacation.

Day 35

Boot weather is coming and so I thought some tights, tall boots, skirt and long sleeves would keep me warm.  I did add a short sleeve blazer for polished look at the office.

Day 36

A sweater dress and gray footless tights made for a comfy day. 

Day 37

 My maroon pants changed up with a cowl neck wool sweater also made for keeping warm.  But still can sneak in same sandals.

Day 38

 Last day for the week at the office and it was cool outside that I thought layering would be great.  But glad I could go straight home afterwards as it warmed up quite a bit.

These great pants make it all better, also happy I can roll them up and take off those high stacked heels.

Day 39

 Spent the morning cleaning and shopping, so it was jeans and a hoodie then into my work clothes for my second job.

Day 40

Big day for us, lots to do and being out of the house meant we had to plan our outfit for the changing  weather we were going to be seeing throughout our day trip.

This blouse is my emotional shopping steal, only paid about 3.00 after clearance, extra email discount and my 5.00 rewards.  Sweet deal!  I added a pair of blue shorts and then the...

coated gold sweater.

 Love this sweater!  Believe it or not I also own a pair of gold coated jeans.  

Got to have my ND Colors on hand.

Day 41

I started off in a basic black tee, scarf and ruffled cardigan in my signature color.

Started off this week great, still very little to buy before our trip so maybe that makes for extra cash to shop while away.  But keeping an eye out for inexpensive sun/maxi dresses to go with the tons of swimsuits I will be wearing.

Keeping it going

The week went pretty well, not anything out of the ordinary that tried to tempt me and distract me as I move forward on my journey.  I did purchase a tablecloth and placemats for an upcoming church event and Darren picked me up some glass mason jars last week for my event as well. 

Day 29

Started the week off with a comfy sweater, leggings and a fun printed tee.

Day 30

Black and tan get pumped up with the bold patterned blazer.  Love this blazer and the coral color.

This blouse is even better as it has the sleeves to button up and the v-neck cut.  

So comfy and easy to wear.

I have really liked the layers to be longer underneath blazers and sweaters.

Day 31

I purchased this caftan the week before I started my challenge and finally wore it.  It is very comfortable and great for the warmer days that have snuck in.

Day 32

 I purchased this dress last year while vintage shopping, a nice sleek girly dress, perfect length for  professional wear but also for going out.  I paired my Lilly Pulitzer Phi Mu scarf for a punch of color and pattern.

A wide belt for this dress helps create a midsection, also the gathered bodice and cap sleeves add to details.

Day 33

 Sweatpants as I started decorating for fall and then Khaki's for work.

Day 34

A bright double V-neck tee and comfy striped sweater to starts my day that turned into work clothes and pj's.

No real big purchases in sight but some small things may come up as we prepare for vacation.  I am sure I will find something I can need for the sun and hopefully, heat.

And I caved

Sorry for being late but as always it has been a little crazy around here for us.  I finally caved but in that moment of caving, (which took over 6 hours before I did) for an amazing deal I knew that I had to continue my self challenge into next month with the exception of getting back on track with Christmas gifts, and vacation shopping.  Here is what last week's fashion parade looked like:

Day 22

Fun blouse and the texture makes it even better, it is waffle like squares that are part of the material.

I bought the pants off the clearance rack last fall and they fit differently now but still nice to wear on these cooler days.  I also love the deep burgundy color that is mixed with black.  My KC color block shoes should probably be retired but they are a great statement piece when it comes to certain outfits.

Day 23

I bought this at a vintage shop although it is most likely from the last five years, maybe, I need to research the designer.  Easy shift dress with neck embellishment but I like to add a belt so I do not feel lost in the dress as it gives me a waistline.

I paired up the navy blue bow kitten heels as the pattern has blue throughout the dress.

Day 24 

 This is one amazing outfit, easy tee under my fleece lined military style sweater.  The skirt is ruffle layers, super chic and girly.

Different ways to wear the sweater, dress up or dress down kind of accessory.

Day 25

I wore a patchwork skirt during the day and forgot to take a photo, it is not the bubble skirt, with it being a straight skirt that hits right above my knees and the patchwork pattern differs slightly but enough to notice a difference.

In the evening we had an event to go to, with it being indoors I wanted to stay warm.  So I paired my tee that I wore throughout the day with jeans and a blazer.

Check out the detail, again another great texture.

Day 26

I worked out and had to work my second job, decided it was time to pull out one of my favorite tee's.  It reminds me of childhood, I can recall my cousins wearing shirts just like this one.

Day 27

Cold morning to start our day with an early breakfast and volunteering at our church so I decided it was time to break out the Toronto Grand Prix hoodie Darren bought me.  Pairing it up with a recent favorite, plaid snap up and cozy broken in jeans.

Day 28

Always thinking about how cold it might be at church I put on a 3/4 sleeve cowl neck kangaroo pocket comfy shirt and my striped cotton zip up plus dark faded out jeans.

 

On Wednesday of last week I finally caved, for swimsuit bottoms.  It did take me over 5 hours before I actually went ahead and purchased the bottoms I found online, on clearance and being able to take an additional 50% off for that day only made the deal so hard to pass up in thinking about our upcoming vacation.  I have been in need of upgrading my bottoms as some are too small and needed replaced plus I already have tops that I can mix and match with them.  After putting things in my online basket and letting them sit I still removed some tops I liked to bring it down to 8 bottoms.  (I honestly thought they would run out and then I would be out of luck altogether, this has happened before and I thought it would again.)  After the different prices on each one and shipping, some as low as 2 dollars from this popular women's brand, I paid about 5 dollars each.  Then on Saturday I saw some gift cards were on sale plus I could use my discounts that added up to 15% off which meant I would save almost $15.00 and make for great gifts to stash for future use. I went ahead on that as this deal rarely comes up to not go ahead before I lost the opportunity to save.  Not bad, sure I caved, but it only makes me want to hold my challenge into October.  Of course I have some major catching up to do with Christmas around the corner but easy does it.  I also know that I have accomplished a lot and do not feel the high desire to shop for my favorite brands even when there has been a great sale.

My awesome bottoms.