Three Things Thursday

I thought instead of a typical post, I would talk about three blogs I am loving these days. When I find myself at the computer or on my i pad, I visit the same places almost every time. This morning, I am sitting with my second iced coffee, my son is enjoying some Mickey Mouse and toast and the hubs is off to work. These days my sons nap time has turned in to school time for me as I mentioned previously I am taking two online classes. So early morning or late night will be the only times I have to sit and write about things that interest me. So lets just get into it shall we?

 First blog: Natalie Creates. I cannot express how glad I am to have stumbled upon her site. Everything about her style is exactly what I love. From her adorable little farm house, to her actual farm "Freckled Hen Farm" it is so comforting to sit and scroll through her daily posts, look at her bright and colorful photos, and then wish I had her here to completely re do the inside of my house hahah. She is extremely organized and one thing I think is wonderful (though my hubs would never be into anything like this) is that she and her husband have weekly and monthly meeting together to discuss finances and plans etc. If you check out her pinterest board she has one dedicated to organization, which is something I could really get better at. She does a lot of decorating with simple items she gets at thrift stores. I never seem to find anything when I go to one! Maybe its just that I am not as creative. She owns her own Etsy shop and makes adorable home made items. Coffee cup cozys, head bands, decorative things, etc...On top of that she runs her farm with her hubs and its complete with animals and an amazing garden. The photos she shares of what they harvest are amazing. I would give anything to have land like that and to have a garden and place for all those animals. Right now our chickens will have to do. Trust me, if you are into the same things I talk about...you will love her just as much. She is on instagram and Pinterest. The farm is on facebook. Links are at the bottom. Seriously, take a peek!!

ETSY SHOP

INSTA

PINTEREST

FRECKLED HEN FARM

Second blog: The Chicken Chick  For anyone else who owns and loves their chickens, this is a new blog I came across that is super informative and all around fun to browse. If you want to know anything about the health of your chickens, to why they do certain things they do, how to keep the coop clean easily, fun healthy snack ideas, etc...this blog has all that and more. Take a few minutes and navigate around her site. One of my favorite things she does is Flock Focus Friday where she puts up photos of different chicken breeds. She has a lot of giveaways also. Her DIY projects are amazing. There is just so much going on on her website and if you love chickens like we do then you will find it nothing but interesting. I also follow her on pinterest. She has a lot of social media pages which I will list a few. Grab a big cup of joe and head over for a visit.

FACEBOOK

PINTEREST

TWITTER

INSTA

Third blog: For The Love Of Cooking This is not an actual blog, but she is a "food blogger" and this website is where she posts delicious recipes for those of us that like to cook. I have made a few things from her site. Her recipes are simple and she lists the steps easy to follow. Her photos are bright and close up so you can see how to make the dish. She tends to use a lot of organic ingredients which of course, I love. She has an amazing amount of recipes to choose from and they are organized into categories. So if you need something quick, just jump on and find what you're in the mood for. I hit the Italian link often. It can be overwhelming searching online for a recipe because there are so many wonderful sites out there. But if I can suggest one to make it a little easier...try here first. 

FACEBOOK

TWITTER


There you have it. Three places I enjoy spending my online time. Feel free to check them out and let me know what you think!!

Take care for now!

xo

Happy New Year! I'm back...I think!

The hub bub of 2014 has come to an end, and things are settling down around here. For a few months I just needed a break from writing. To be honest, there wasn't too much going on in that time that I felt was worth a blog post. I have a almost 1.5yr old that takes up the majority of my time and whenever I even thought about sitting down I couldn't. He is everywhere, climbing, "loving" our pets a little too much, getting in to ANYTHING his little hands could pry open, etc. If you have kids, you know exactly what I'm talking about. I felt bad about slipping with my writing, but I'm no fool, I know my blog is not famous and there aren't people waiting for posts. Which then, makes me feel not so bad. But I do appreciate those that take a moment and read once a post is up. So....back to 2015!

This year our family is growing by one! We just found out that its another boy! He will be here around mid May. I cannot believe that it is only 4 months away. I feel like we just found out we were expecting. So now it is time to work on another room and get it baby ready. I wont lie, a huge part of me was hoping for a girl. I would love to have one of each. I think my husband is all set with two kids and I am on the fence because of that little girl I want. But we will see what happens down the road. We also want to buy a house in the next couple years and that is really most important. We love our little home now, but we rent it from my in laws and it is small. Too small for our growing family. Two kids are fine for now! 

Another change this year (which I am probably nuts for attempting right now) is that I am going back to school this semester. I have been in college for more years than I care to admit, but money or work or lack of motivation always stood in my way. I finally decided that I need to make moves in terms of a career. I will be 31 in 2 days and I don't even have my associates. I never qualified for aid so I never could afford school. I finally sat down with someone at the college and was approved for full financial aid....most likely because I am not working and have a child/one on the way. I kinda think that's lame however. It shouldn't be just because I have dependents. That is a whole other discussion, I am grateful to finally be covered and afford to take some classes. I am hopefully working towards the major "Pathways to Teaching" with the goal in mind of teaching reading and writing at a middle school level. That could change, but Id like to stay in the teaching field. I will be taking 2 classes online this semester which starts Jan. 20 and goes right until May. So I have to squeeze out finals right around the time we are having a baby!! I'm determined though...we'll see how it goes.

I am not one for making resolutions for the new year...I feel like a lot of the time its pressure to stick to something and you quit. Many people don't, but its not my thing. It does however get me to reflect on the year prior and think about how I can change certain things or do things differently this year. I wont promise my self anything, but I do think more. I love this quote, its pretty much the way I'm thinking about 2015...Now, it is not meant to be literal, the chances of me swimming in the rain are slim haha, but I want to keep things simple. I love the idea of simple living. Buy a plant and water it...I can do that!!! Invite a friend over for coffee or tea and have a meaningful conversation...I need to do this more often. Come winter I tend to stay cooped up at home because I do not like the cold. Id rather stay in my sweats near the wood stoves. I need to venture out more, see friends and have them here. Adult time is a must. Id like to be more creative. I found this WONDERFUL blog and her style is everything I love. I have used some of her ideas as inspiration in my home, and I would like to do more. I just need to get motivated and do it. Her blog is here : http://natalienoack.blogspot.com/
It is my most favorite spot to visit these days.

 Lastly, LET GO OF WHAT DOESNT MAKE YOU HAPPY. I am not typically an unhappy person. I love to laugh and have fun, but there are a few people in our lives that are more negative than positive. Any time we have conversations with them they always have something or someone to complain about or talk about etc and it is tiring. In my home I put inspirational sayings in frames in each of our rooms, so that we can take a moment and think about the good in our lives. Also should these people ever stop over, they can see that we choose joy...not negativity. I know you cant always be happy, and things occur in life that are not always good...but I try to remember that it could be worse. I've tried to remind my husband of this when he gets stressed about money. We have a home, a healthy child, we have money though it may not be a lot, he has a good job, and family that we can count on. For that we are truly blessed. 

I hope to have a chance to sit and write more. With the nursery project coming I will try and share as it moves a long. I hope everyone had a wonderful end to 2014 and that 2015 brings new and exciting things, positivity, and laughter. 

Happy New Year to you!! 

xo