Some Ways I Relieve Stress

Well my friend Amy, had this great idea on sharing tips on relieving stress. So go over to her blog, read her entry on her battle plan for stress, and then read her comments for more ideas.

Now I'll share some of my stress relievers. I am afraid that I am not very good at recognizing the stress. I tend to go and go and go. Then all of the sudden I burst, and don't even know I was stressed until I am bawling on the phone to my mommy about my hard day. LOL!

But there are a few things that I do try to do every day that does help me some. Everyday, my kids have a "quiet time" for about two to two and half hours. Even if they don't sleep, they can play quietly. But they are not allowed to come out of their rooms. Tiny Boy still naps pretty soundly so thats good. ;-)

Sweetie and Bean play in separate rooms this keeps scraps from happening and having to deal with those during my break time.

This *greatly* helps me to take on the day.

Another thing that I enjoy doing is taking a nap. Most days I don't get much of one, because the girls always peek their heads out of their doors to tell me something that *cannot* wait. But any little sleep does help.

Before, when I was consistent in exercise, that helped me out *SO* much. And now that I am trying to get back into regular exercise, I am finding out about that benefit once again.

There is nothing like a hot cup of "caffeinated" coffee thickly flavored with artficial creamers, playing on the Internet, or blogging. ;-)

Reading is also a great way to relax. But I am finding at this season in my life, that I tend to fall asleep when I sit down to read, lol!

When hubby gets home and the kids go to bed, another favorite way to de-stress is to spend time watching a movie with him. And then falling asleep talking to each other about our days. Being married is great!

To be honest with you ladies. Many people say that reading the Bible before the day begins helps them. It doesn't me. For a long time I was struggling in my relationship with the Lord. And I would feel guilty for not getting a "rhema" for the day like it seemed to happen for most people.

So I read the Bible here and there. Or the Lord sends me a verse to comfort me or encourage me in unconventional ways.

In essence, I felt guilty if I didn't cross my bible reading off my "to do" list. Now I read the Bible because I want to, not because I have to. And oddly enough, I have learned SO much these past three years *from* the Bible and so many sciptures are almost memorized. Not completely, but enough, to where I know MUCH of the verse. And I didn't even try. I just let the Lord work.

Now I am not against reading Bibles at the start of the day, but the idea of it stressed me out even more. So I just let the Lord lead me in what he wanted me to learn through his Word. It may change, but that is what's working for me right now.

Playing the piano also helps to distress me. I can play out all of my emotions and make beautiful music in the process, LOL!

So those are a few of my tips. Now head over to Amy's and see what her ideas are! :)

Now I Feel Special ;-)

First off, I want to say "Thank you" for all the encouraging comments that I got. I'll be honest with you. The reason I posted that was this.

Many times, through all the pictures, and my positive writings, it can lead the impression that I am *almost* perfect. ;-) And that I am not! Let me tell you!

I know how I feel when I see others who seem to have "together" their houses always seem clean, their children's clothing is unstained, and they never seem to get irritated. It can be discouraging at times. And you start to compare yourself among yourselves, which the Lord says isn't wise. So I thought. Hmmm....I'll just show everyone that I am not always what I seem to be! Sometimes this Mommy's heart isn't very nice!

Jokingly, but in reality it isn't, I always say I didn't find out what a sinner I was until I got married. And then after the kids came, I am finding out more and more how dirty my "works" are in God's eyes.

Which makes me *very* thankful that Jesus died for me. Because I KNOW I would be in Hell if it weren't for him. :)

Now. Let me tell you why I feel special. I feel special because my blogging buddy Amy, was inspired by my post to start a little meme about how other ladies handle their stress, or at least manage it. ;-)

Starting tomorrow, you can write up a post on your blog and then go to her blog and leave a link in her comments to your post about how you manage your stress. If you don't have a blog you can just share in her comments a tip on managing stress.

I think it is a *wonderful* idea myself. ;-) And I hope this becomes a regular thing we can do. So please join in and lets help one another out in this journey! :)

Wordless Wednesday~Got Caught Playing in the Mud

For more wordless wednesday pictures, visit Five Minutes For Mom. Have a beautiful day!

Feminine Friday~My Favorite Shoes

I am going to try and participate in a new meme, hosted by The Barefoot Mama, called Feminine Friday. This is what Kelly says it is all about:

An outfit that you own (or a photo of a favorite look) that exhibits your femininity (does not have to be a dress...be yourself!)
A hairstyle, accessory or piece of jewelry that is special and makes you feel beautiful
Something in your home - can be non wearable, of course - that represents your femininity (it can be anything!!)
An inspiring or thought-provoking article, book review or quotation on any topic related to femininity
Feminine Friday is not about being a cookie-cutter. Share what femininity means to you and how you define modesty, beauty and being a Daughter of the King. I look forward so much to seeing what everyone shares!



So today, I am going to share with you my favorite pair of shoes


I found these shoes at no other than Payless Shoe Source. I needed some black "dressy" shoes for my husband's work's Christmas party. I had only white dressy sandals. I went to Kohl's, and couldn't find a pair of shoes that I liked for a price that I liked as well. :)




Payless was just a couple of stores down, so I checked in there, and these are what I found for $14. Gotta love Payless!

The reason these are my favorite shoes:

1. They make me feel feminine and pretty

2. They remind me of the Regency Fashion Period, which was known for it's beautiful gowns, and fashion for the ladies

An Antique Edwardian/Regency Era Shoe

A Classic Reproduction of a Edwardian/Regency Era Shoe

3. They don't hurt! LOL!

4. They are versatile. They can be worn for something really fancy, or just to church on Sunday morning.


Since these shoes remind me of the Regency Fashion period, they always turn my thoughts to my favorite all time Movie, The A&E version of Pride and Prejudice, and my favorite one of my favorite Author's Jane Austen.

Miss Austen

I love the British Regency Time period for it's Fashions and the customs of its day. Where ladies were ladies, and men were gentlemen. Here is what Wikipedia Says about the Regency Time Period:

The Regency period in the United Kingdom is the period between 1811 and 1820, when King George III was deemed unfit to rule and his son, later George IV, was instated to be his proxy as Prince Regent. The term is often expanded to apply to the years between 1795 and 1837, a time characterised by distinctive fashions, politics and culture. In this sense, it can be considered to be a transitional period between "Georgian" and "Victorian" eras. The era was distinctive for its architecture, literature, fashions, politics, and snuffboxes. It was a period of excess for the aristocracy: for example, it was during this time that the Prince Regent built the Brighton Pavilion. However, it was also an era of uncertainty caused by, among other things, the Napoleonic wars, periodic riots, and the concern — threat to some, hope to others — that the British people might imitate the upheavals of the French Revolution.
The term is sometimes used in various ways to include years surrounding the decade of the formal regency. If "Regency" is considered to be transitional between "Georgian" and "Victorian" then it would refer to the entire period from approximately 1811 until the accession of Queen Victoria, encompassing the actual period of Regency, along with George IV's reign in his own right and that of his brother William IV. If "Regency" is contrasted with "Eighteenth century", then it could include the whole period of the Napoleonic wars.

Thanks for visiting! Please be sure to visit The Barefoot Mama for more feminine ladies. :)

Random FYI Meme

I was tagged by A Cup Of Joy

Rules Once Tagged:
1) Link to the person who tagged you.

2) Post the rules on your blog (copy and paste 1-6).

3) Write 6 random things about yourself (see below).

4) Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them.

5) Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.

6) Let the tagger (who tagged you) know when your post is up.

Random FYI:

1. I was home schooled and am now going to home school my own children

2. I was a horse crazy girl (still am) and owned four horses (not at one time), and miss riding them. :(

3. I am 4 feet eleven and half inches tall

4. I met my best friend, on the Internet through a Christian homemaker's forum. After emailing each other back and forth for almost five years, she moved to my state, and we have finally met, and now see each other about four times a year. :)

5. I have a sister in law with the same first name and last name as mine

6. I have nightmares about loosing my teeth. Not *very* often, but often enough to freak me out several times a year. ;-)

Those I am Tagging:

1. A Day in the Life of the Brown Family

2. Being Mrs. Momma

3. A Romantic Porch

4. Buffaloes and Butterfly Wings

5. Elephant Dreams

6. The Scroggs Family

Wordless Wednesday~Just Like Daddy

To see more Wordless Wednesday Pictures, visit Five Minutes For Mom. :)

Show And Tell Friday~My Bedroom Got A Face Lift

I am just so tickled and EXCITED about today's Show and Tell!!! For you see, after seven years of marriage, I finally have a beautiful and romantic bedroom!!!

About a week ago, I decided that I had had enough of just a "functional" room, and decided enough was enough, and painted the bedroom.

But before we get into the "telling" part, I want to show you a couple of "before" pictures of my bedroom.

As you can see, my bedroom needed *ALOT* of help! :) Sadly, I have to say that we sort of lived this way for a couple of months. It has been cleaner at times, but still not beautiful and Romantic, LOL!

Before I go on to show you the after pictures, I must say that a very sweet friend from church came over one day and helped me to paint the room. It was a good time of fellowship, and we got to know one another better. (And ate too many brownies in the process) And It just so happens that she also has a blog, so go check it out when you get a chance. :)

I also want to say that I believe the Lord gave me this opportunity to re-decorate. Because I had *not* planned on doing this at all! I was "just going to run a few errands" that needed some running for! After I was finished getting ready to go, I turned around to shut the light off, looked at my sad bedroom and said, "Maybe One Day my bedroom will be pretty"

So while at T*rget, I was" just browsing" the comforters. All of the sudden I saw a WHOLE Bed set in a bag for only $42, and it was *exactly* what I had in mind for several months. Maybe even since last year. I have had my eyes peeled for something like it, but never could find what I liked.

It had a bed skirt, shames, pillow cases, sheets, and comforter in the exact colors I wanted for only $42!!! What a deal!! And there was only one size left that would fit my bed. The other size was a twin.

So after I bought that, I headed over to our local home improvement store, and picked out the paint.

OK, now, I will show you the After pictures. Drum roll please!

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So there you have it! I hope you like it as much as I do. I can't help sounding braggy! I am *not* very talented in this area, of home interior design, but I think it is Gorgeous, If I do say so myself!!!

Be sure to visit other blogs and see what others are showing and telling by visiting There's No Place Like Home. Just click on the Show and Tell Button on the top of this Post. Thanks for visiting! :)

Wordless Wednesday~Camouflaged Explorer

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Wordless Wednesday~Popcorn and "Toy Story" with Cousins

For More Wordless Wednesday Posts Please Visit Five Minutes For Mom

Show and Tell Friday~A New Endeavor

Hello Everyone! It's been a while I know. I have been trying to weed through my options of homeschooling Circulium. Let me say, it is very tiring on one's mind!

My husband and I went to our Statewide Homeschooling Convention A few weeks ago. It was LOTS of fun! I was in heaven. With *that* many books, and educational products under one roof, it was hard to just only browse.

In fact, we did get sucked into something. Take a Look:






Yup. That's right! We bought Violins for the girls! This is what you get when you take a music fanatic trombone playing husband, and a piano playing wife to a homeschooling convention with a really good sales lady who is *VERY* proud of her product.

We actually bought a Violin curriculum. The WHOLE thing, about five years worth, plus the Violins. It wasn't a bad price at all considering how much we got. Usually only *one* violin would cost as much as we payed for two violins and the curriculum.

The Lady who wrote it is an accomplished concert violinist, who has played in the New York Opera, as well as performed with Pavarotti, and loves to teach the Violin.

So far we have learned how to take the Violin in and out of it's case properly and carefully. We Have Learned a few parts of the Violin; as well as the parts of the bow.

I feel confident knowing that my husband is very smart, and loves music; he will be a BIG help to me as I teach the girls the violin. :)

Which, by the way, Sweetie has expressed she has wanted to play since she was three years old. Little Tiny Boy, looked *very* interested in it also, but still is a little to small to handle it without smashing it to smithereens, lol!

And here is a little Video Production that the Lady who designed the curriculum put together with her husband. It is Hilarious!

To see what others are showing and telling about, Please Visit Kelli's at There's No Place Like Home. Have a great day!

Tackle it Tuesday~The Laundry Room

My tackle for today is the laundry room. And I am on a *very* important mission. I *need* to find our tax documents. See, our "office" is also in our laundry room. Today, as my sweet, wonderful, kind, loving, and the guy who let me get the puppy, left for work, he said, "Oh, can you do me a favor?" "What?" I asked trying to sound cheerful, because I knew he was going to ask me to do the next to impossible.

"Can you look for the tax documents? I tried looking last night, but I couldn't find them." So that is what I am doing today. Hopefully, I can post a before and after picture later. Ta Ta for now! :)

My Wedding Dress

I am having a hard time with my show and tell today. :( I wanted to show you the cakes that I decorated. However, we switched computers and I think that many of our old pictures are still on the old hard drive and I don't know how to get to them.

So, change of Plans. Today I will be showing my wedding dress. :)

My anniversary is in 3 months. Hopefully, I will have actual wedding pictures scanned in. We don't have a scanner, so I can't show them yet. Daddy has a scanner at work, that we can use, but we need to find a slot of time when he isn't working to go and do that. Which isn't the most exciting and fun thing to do. ;-)

Well, my wedding dress is very special to me. I am sure most brides think their wedding dress is special. :)



I had *very* specific things I wanted in my wedding dress. I wanted a tulle poufy skirt, I wanted it to be simple, yet elegant. I wanted the back to be high, and the neck line to be modest.



Very hard to find a dress with all of the specifications. I found one on the Internet that I loved, but my mom didn't trust ordering things over the Internet at that time.

My husband's good friend had gotten married the previous summer. His bride's wedding dress was very beautiful, and modest. She had told me that she found a bridal salon that had altered her dress to be modest. She said that it was a dipping sweetheart neckline, and they were able to take it up to her collar bone.



My mom and I then went to look at this bridal salon two hours away. We had little success in our town's bridal salon. In fact, my mom and I visited it one time. When I asked the owner if she had more modest gowns, she sort snorted, and laughed saying I wouldn't find one. That the style was strapless, and gaping necklines. She was no help at all, and very rude to say the least.



We walked into this other bridal salon, and the owner was *so* nice and helpful! You could tell she loved to dress brides, and made us feel so comfortable and at ease.



I will start showing pictures now. My Sister-in-law is modeling the dress. There is a reason as to why, which I will share in a moment. :)

But for now here are pictures.



I am not sure if my sister in law would like to be on the world wide web, so I blocked out her face. I can assure you she is very pretty. :)

But as you can see this dress had everything I wanted. A big poufy tulle skirt, simple, yet elegant, and a nice high neckline. Thing was, this dress had a terrible plunging neckline to begin with. I mean horrible! I think it went down to the middle of my stomach!

But I *loved* the skirt, and I couldn't find another one like it. So the sweet lady of the bridal salon said she had the best ever seamstress working for her doing alterations.

She brought out the seamstress to see what she could do with the gown. She was German, or Swiss or somewhere from that part of Europe. She told me she could remake the entire boddest for me. She also said, with my body shape, and face, a square neck line would be the most flattering. So this is the work of the seamstress.

The gown also did not come with a train. I wanted at least a *little* one. No problem, the seamstress could help with that too! She would design the train with elements in the gown. She took her inspiration from the gowns hem...

And this is what she came up with this... The seamstress also told me if I added a cathedral length veil on top of the train, it would give more dimension and depth. As you can see, I took her advice. I found the *most* beautiful veil there at the salon too. It went *perfectly* with the dress.

Now my sister in law is modeling it because, she was trying it on to see if it fit her for her own wedding. She was looking and looking and trying to find a gown within her budget. If she did find one, she still would have to pay to have it altered.

I then got the idea to let her use my wedding gown. I didn't know if she would like that idea, because many brides want their *own* gown. But she seemed liked she wanted to use it. She looked *beautiful* in it too. In fact, it seemed that it was an entirely different dress on *her* wedding day. She wore her hair differently. She had a different tiara, and I honestly forgot she was wearing my dress. It was her dress that day. :)

Plus I was tickled that it got more use out of it than just one time. :)

To see what other's are showing and telling, please visit Kelli's by clicking on the show and tell button above. Have a wonderful day!

I *Finally* Got Brave!

For More Wordless Wednesday Pictures please visit Five Minutes For Mom. :)