Blessings beyond bags...

I love blogging for lots of reasons. I love that I have a record of our lives. I love that I get a creative outlet. I love that sometimes my words (hopefully) bring joy or light or hope or laughter to people's lives. And I really love that this world has brought some amazing women into my life. 

Women that show up. Women that say yes. Women that inspire me.  Women that lead by example. 

Last year Holly and her friend, Michelle, discovered that a program that provides 1500 families with meals at the holidays was no longer being sponsored. So they did what any normal person would do and ordered food for those families on nothing more than faith. Well that faith, this community, the power of prayer and His provision sponsored those families so the did what any normal person would do... and did it again this year. 

For weeks leading up to the big packing day they lead a charge to get families sponsored. Our community showed up... Little by little, donation by donation, sponsor by sponsor - they met their goal of 1500 families. 

Packing day finally arrived and We5Kings showed up to help because here's the thing about service. You are never too young. You are never too old. You are never "too" anything at all. We can each do our part... because no matter how small they all add up to one great impact. Whether you donate $1000 or help breakdown boxes - every single thing done to serve others matters. 

One of my greatest joys is serving with them and one of my greatest prayers is that they feel the same. 

Days like this allow you to get a glimpse into what matters. 3000 empty bags lined up on the walls. Dozens of tables filled with food waiting to be sorted. People from all different backgrounds ready to help. 

Friends to serve along with... 

and offer you hugs and support in between. 

The other amazing thing about these women I've met? Their kiddos are pretty awesome, too. Shelly and Holly have big boys (that are also giants). These "kids" have put in more volunteer hours than most adults. I LOVE that my kids, especially Radley, see these "kids" giving back. I love that they see them making a difference. I really love that they always find time to have a little fun while they're doing it. (So Holly and Shelly, go hug those big kids for me!)

This crew was there from the first bag to the last.... 5 hours, 3000 bags, 1500 families... One incredible day. 

Those bags are surely filled with blessings... but those blessings will be felt far beyond anything those bags hold. 

Proud of you. Thanks for letting me in and giving me one more amazing friend to look up to and admire! 

February Goals + A Giveaway

I'm not really sure how February happened so fast, but it's here and that's just crazy. It's also super fun because my birthday is in February and well, clearly that is awesome news. I'm going to try something new and make monthly goals - nothing crazy or out of this world, because ain't nobody got time for that. BUT, I do think it's important to write things down to hold yourself accountable and I think it's fun to read about what other people are doing/working on. Plus, if you see it, then I feel more obligated to actually follow through.

#peerpressure

I'm also a sucker for alliteration, so here are my February Goals in: Faith, Family, Friends and Fun!

I LOVED working through the Seamless bible study this summer. It enriched my life in so many more ways than I would have imagined. I strengthened friendships, gained new ones and of course felt more connected in His word. I've had a study based on friendship for almost 5 years that I haven't even cracked open. This month, I'm going to set aside time each week to immerse myself in His word and let it lead me where ever I should go.  

I also want to work on my prayer life WITH Ryan. We pray nightly with the kids and have prayer lives as individuals, but we need honestly need to work on praying together. Any tips you have? What do you and your spouse do for your prayer life? 

The spring semester is CER-AA-ZEEE for me. Weekends in March and April are basically booked with programs, so while I have the time, I want to focus on spending time as We5Kings with no agenda. Yeah, weird, right? We seem to have the most fun on unplanned events, weekends working in the yard, exploring the park, riding our bikes and just being together. (I think it has something to do with lowered expectations, go figure). Making the most of the every day, every day. 

 

With the hustle+bustle of this semester added to the weeks of single parenting, this momma gets tired. I really want to work on the guilt factor of leaving the kids at home every now and then to just enjoy a night (or an hour) with friends. Coffee, wine, a late night movie - time to just decompress and fill up with the blessings of friends. I also want to be as available as I can to just listen, pray for, pray with and relish the blessings of friends.

And fun - mostly here in this space. At the end of last year I got so stressed that I didn't post enough, or it isn't meaningful enough or I'm not doing enough for people that stop by. That's just silly. I'm totally outgoing and the worlds biggest extrovert - there isn't a stranger that I haven't become besties with but I get all shy in the blog world. I started this blog to remember moments as our family grew, but through that I've made some great friendships and have loved connecting with other bloggers. I'd love to find that balance of blogging with purpose but making sure it stays fun. So - what do you want to read? What do you want to chat about? What are your favorite posts that I've written? How do I make this space fun for you? 

A good way to start is with a fantastic giveaway with my friends Holly and Shelly! We are giving away a Hug in a Mug that includes a fabulous gift card to Starbucks so you can share some hugs (because let's be honest, coffee is basically a giant hug) with someone you love! 

Enter here!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Meg from the Life of Meg

and the ladies from 100 Happy Days
Kate, Alison, Linzee, Elizabeth, Valerie, and Tiffany

What I DON'T Wear Wednesday...

It never fails...

source

#everysingletime

#likeIamstillin7thgrade

And after you've pulled every single thing out, tried it on, and completely worked up such a sweat that you basically need to shower again...YOU WEAR THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER!

#amIright?

I mean how do we ever stop the madness? Simple. Shelly, Holly, Cindy and I are hosting a little "Swap Till You Drop" shindig tomorrow and I'm pretty darn excited. I just CAN NOT wait! We are asking everyone to bring items that are in good condition but that they no longer wear. And then we are just going to swap away. Friends, food, fun and FREE clothes? #perfection

So, here are the things I don't wear...

I'm just not a dress pants and blouse kind of girl. I try to be but I never feel really comfortable. I feel like my boobs are too big, my legs are too short and I just end up changing clothes before walking out of the house. So, I'm getting rid of some darling blouses and that flannel shirt. That is darling. And also maternity. And I may end up keeping it because #comfort. (And no, I don't plan on having more babies but my Grandmother always bought maternity clothes for length and room. And she was awesome. So there.)

Now, let's not get pants confused with leggings because as most people believe leggings are not pants. Therefore I have about 1 million combinations of things to wear with leggings. The above items are "dressy".

I am also a dress girl - I think dresses just seem to flatter my figure more than pants plus, you only have to pick one thing instead of putting stuff together. Here are three items I'm thinking for the swap...

I bought the navy dress for family pics 3 years ago and didn't wear it. I'm not sure I remember where the floral dress came from. And I actually wore the maxi for L's one year family pics but I've never liked the way the fabric hung on me. Plus I'm a munchkin and it's way too long.

Now here's the deal... I haven't fully committed to getting rid of three items...

I'm leaning heavily on the swap pile for floral. Less for the polka dots but only because they are so cute - I haven't worn this top in almost 2 years. Y'all. Tell me to just let it go. 

But that navy dress... Big love/hate relationship with this one. I love how light it is, I love that I can wear with boots or wedges. I love that big giant bow. I'm just not sure about the fit... I took pics from lots of angles on this one...

Help! Which one(s) should I keep? What do you keep/toss and why? 

I am so excited about tomorrow evening - can't wait to share all the fun things I snagged! Until I do, I'll leave you with some woe-is-me Rory and her inability to find something to wear... 

I mean don't we all feel like that sometimes? Just gross and with nothing to wear? #gilmoregirls

Also, pop on over to Holly to read more fun posts about what people are waiting on!

Links and lists...

It's Monday. And I slept a lot this weekend which has made me strangely lazy and tired. I have about a million things on my current list: update family photo albums, print Landry's book, update our 50 states journal... those are a few of the undone things. I do have some things finished like mow the yard and work out. Super fun, I know. So, today I'm just sharing some links and lists with you.

One.

Have you been keeping up with Christmas in July from The Dish and Your Merry Mailbox? We are talking lists today and have an awesome giveaway from a local boutique AND a local spa. Head over there to enter!

Two.

I am chatting it up with my new friend, Elizabeth, over at More Than a Mom today about my DIY Valence project I did a couple of years ago. If you are looking for a quick, cheap and adorable way to dress up your windows, then check it out.

Three. 

I am always trying to change up my work outs. You know my love affair with my ShakeO and I've mentioned how much I love the 21 Day Fix, and both of those things are still true. BUT every once in a while, I need a shift. I pinned this over the weekend and I'm going to try out these work outs all week. We leave for Baton Rouge on Wednesday, so hopefully I can get a good, quick work out in while traveling. Today's was quick, challenging and had me drenched in sweat.

Four.

I love a good sneak peek, don't you? I feel like I get to be in on a fantastic secret. And since we are friends, and friends share secrets... I'm gonna share a little secret with you... 

More on this secret later. 

Five. 

I have still yet to make these popsicles. Don't they look divine? And these breakfast pops sound delicious and sound fun! We talked about these and a few more fun things over at the Dish for their #BCSSummerBucketList challenge!

Six.

Holly is at it again with her Summer of Service challenge. Last week was all about Random Acts of Kindness and this week she is working on gathering school supplies. I love this. I love her heart for serving others and I love that she gets her kids (mostly) excited about it, too. Make sure to bookmark this one because if you don't have time now then you can plan to make this part of your summer of fun in the future!

What's on your list? Love to hear!

Red, White and BLUE {Baker}...

A few weeks ago, my friend Stephanie and I exchanged a series of texts.... 

We threw the idea around to some friends and then decided to go forth with the greatness of this plan to paint our kids, our husbands and ourselves blue... all in the name of free food. And we invited our whole community to join us. 

I was honestly a little nervous about how my kids would react, but... 

everyone actually loved it!

Ryan clearly won the award for taking this seriously.

We5Kings were ready for some food...

And we were so happy that some of our friends came too!

It was a great night with some sweet friends and we didn't pay a dime! Next time make plans to join us!

Red, White and BLUE...

Radley had a sleep over at a friends house on Monday night so it was going to be just me and the girls. After I got a coupon for a FREE pizza from Blue Baker emailed to me I decided that it was a sign for a lady date night! (If you want in on the free fun, join their email list here).

Blue Baker is one of our favorite places to eat in town. Great menu for breakfast, lunch or dinner and something we can all enjoy at a great price! They have two locations and are adding a third in South College Station to which the angels exclaimed HALLELUJAH! (And by angels, I mean my 3 kiddos).

Pro tip: Order your food to go about 15 minutes before you plan to arrive that way it's ready when you get there (and has cooled a bit so kiddos can dig in!)

They thought this was the best night ever and I kind of did, too. I can plan and plan and plan but I'm always reminded that it's these spontaneous moments in life that make a difference.

King Kid Pro tip: Cheetos always go with pizza. 

Besides their great food, we love that Blue Baker began in our community and they support so many others in our area, too. Schools, philanthropies, students - you name it and Blue Baker is right there lending a hand or passing out a delicious cookie.

And if that wasn't enough - they give out FREE FOOD! Yep. Like all the time. The only thing required of you? Be blue. It's that simple! The more blue you are, the more free food you earn. We LOVE this idea and are joining forces with our fellow BCS Bloggers for a patriotic spin on their Blue People. We are challenging YOU to go {Red, White &} BLUE with us!

Color your hair, paint your face, grab a wig - you name it! But remember to  read this before heading up there! We can't wait to see you!!