Breathe Deeply & Appreciate the moment

I am a huge believer that we all need people. We need those people that will always be in our corner in our lives that will help us through thick and thin that we can talk to and be ourselves with. People need people. Sometimes we may feel we don't but we do we need interaction with others we need to feel loved, feel important and feel like we have a place in the world. These people are family, friends and even our day to day acquaintances. People need people and that is ok. That being said that will never go away, that is a part of the human nature, but I have come to learn as I get older, go through some things and grow that even though we need people in our lives sometimes we need to focus on ourselves too.

Focus on ourselves? How do you do that? I've always thought that was being selfish. It isn't. I am learning it is not selfish to take care of you. You need to take care of you, do what makes you happy and love yourself. I'm not sure if I've ever said that I love myself. That feels weird. But why? How do you expect for others to love you, be there for you and be friends with you if you don't even like you. That is a crazy way to think about it huh? That was asked to me and it really got me thinking. I have to believe in myself, like myself, like who I am and where I am at in order to be happy, in order to be the best person, wife, mother and friend to those around me.

 SHIRT: Lulu Lemon || FLANNEL: H&M || LEGGINGS: Target || JACKET: Bench ||

SHOES: Nike || LOCATION: Trolley Square || PHOTOGRAPHER: Tyler Ulrich 

Focusing on you is not selfish and it never will be it makes you better and happy and in turn that makes you a better mom, a better wife, a better friend, a better neighbor, sister, daughter, it makes you better, stronger and more productive.

Focusing on you even though it is needed and encouraged it is hard. It is hard to just let go, because I am such a perfectionist, but you cannot get all caught up in your head like that. Stretch yourself. Push yourself. Do what makes you happy. Love on your kids. Do something nice for someone. Do something for you. Even if that is making a treat and watching your favorite movie so you can relax and be re-energized to take on the day or your tasks is sometimes the best thing you can do.

I am pretty notorious for being really hard on myself. I know that is somewhat normal at times but I have been told I am unhealthfully hard on myself. I know thats not ok. I kept saying that is just me and I don't know how to change it, but as time goes and the more I live my life and people who care about me tell me it isn't ok I know its time to work on it. I think the first step was figuring out why I am so hard on myself. Well another struggle I have is I care too much what others think of me. I know everyone cares what others think, but I just can't seem to let it go. I want everyone to like me. I take it super personal if someone doesn't and get very heartbroken over others opinions of me. If they don't like me I must be no good, if they don't like me I must not be worth anything, if they don't like me I mean maybe they are right. That isn't ok. Some people just don't click, we just don't get along with everyone. I still would love people to love me for me but if they don't I cannot dwell on it so much that it changed my self worth and the way I think and feel about myself. I know who I am, I know what I stand for and my goals and dreams and that has got to be enough for me.

So what I am I doing to focus on me? That is a great question. I have good days and I have bad days just like anyone else. I do want to focus on me and I am in the process, but I am also trying to enjoy the process. I am trying to breathe and appreciate each moment. Appreciating where you are at is one of the hardest things but something that is very important to be able to continue to grow and move forward.

I am just taking it day by day. I am trying to focus on my relationship with christ and pray more, I am trying to be more patient and spend more time on my kids, I am trying to be more positive and thankful for the blessings that have been given to me, I am trying to take a little time for me each day, I am trying to stress less and smile and laugh more.  I am continuing to work hard and do what makes me happy, share my passions with others and have fun in all the mix.

Life is hard enough, people can be harsh enough. Lets just love a little more, be kind a little more to others and to ourselves. Be nice to that person you see in the mirror each morning. Be kind to that person and just see what happens. I am still working on this it is an ongoing battle of mine but it is worth working on and bettering your relationship with yourself and others.

So go right now and write something or a few things or a lot of things that you love about you! It is love month. Love yourself. Love others! Be kind.

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All you need is LOVE, Love. Love is all you need

Here is another fun Last minute Valentine project that can be used all year round in your home depending on where you put it and what colors you choose to use. If you are wanting it to just be for Valentines day red and black are really cool (I did one for my friend in these colors and it was really pretty), if you are wanting it for Valentines and your home later you can use more neutral colors like I did here with the grey and ivory, and if you are wanting it for your living room or master bedroom you can use the colors that coordinate with that room in your home. I made mine to be able to use with my valentine decor and also to be able to put in my home at different times of the year. This is another really easy project it takes a little time just because of the time it takes for the paint to dry. I was able to complete this project during nap time one day so it still doesn't take too long and while the paint is drying you can work on other things.

Materials needed 

-Wood pallet {I got mine at the wood connection but you can also make your own- tutorial coming soon)
-Heart and love vinyl (wood connection or you can cut your own if you have a machine)
-Craft paint
-paint brushes
-sand  block
-squeegy
-ribbon (optional)

***All of these items can be found and were purchased at the WOOD CONNECTION
This is not a sponsored post I just freaking love that place and I know you will too

How I made it 

I started out by painting the pallet the charcoal grey color. This is going to be the color you want your heart and love to be. I painted two coats letting it dry between each coat.

Once the paint is fully dry you are going to apply the vinyl to the pallet where ever you want it to go.

Next I painted the ivory right over the top of the vinyl. This is going to be the main color of your project. I painted three coats {since it was a light color covering over a dark color) letting it dry between each coat.

Once the paint was all dry I simple removed all the vinyl and then you will have the heart and love as the grey color from underneath.

Once everything was dry I sanded down all the edges and the surfaces to make it look a little worn and antique. When it comes to painting projects I love to distress them up a little bit.

I love the colors and how I can use this all year round. I think it is important to celebrate love all year round, every day to our husbands, kids, family and friends. I just love the word LOVE that has so much meaning behind it.

I hope you all have a fun Valentines day tomorrow and make sure to tell all those loved ones how much they mean to you. All you need is LOVE,  LOVE is all you need.

You can also find some of my other past Valentine project links below

Heart Plaque 

 Cheveron Backdrop 

Love letters 

 Paper Straw Wreath

Chalkboard banner 

 Washi tape bunting 

Feather Wreath

Hubby Gift Idea 

I would love to have you follow me on Instagram

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Melting Pot at home Valentine Dinner {Date Night in Idea}

I am really excited to share with you a fun Valentines Night in Dinner idea today. With kids, let's be real here, it is just plan hard to get in some one on one date night, and Valentine's day is probably the hardest day to get babysitters. So.... last year with our two kids at home with us I decided to surprise Ty with a Melting Pot homemade fondue at home Valentine's dinner that our whole family would enjoy together. It was really fun to put together, fun to surprise him and the food was so yummy. It was a bit of work, but so worth it. Also I am going to apologize for the picture not being the best, they are from last year and I just decided to post from what I had.

First up I whipped up a little menu to place on the table settings. And yes we totally used paper products. With all the dishes of cooking that is what happened but they were festive and that is the beauty of doing it at home with just your little family, they don't care about the plates. 

I simply just wrote out what we were having in Word added some cute clip art, personalized it to our family and printed them out on card stock. I thought it was a really fun little touch and made it feel more like a date and not just a normal dinner at home.

No lets get to the recipes!!! 

First up on the list was the Appetizer, which was a delicious Spinach dip. This was hubby's favorite of the whole meal. I think it was my favorite too. It was served with bread and pears for dipping.

Spinach Dip

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup grated Gruyere cheese

1/2 cup fresh mozzarella

1 pound cream cheese, cubed

2 cups heavy cream or whipping cream

1 cup frozen spinach, thawed, chopped

1 cup artichokes, frozen, chopped (canned is ok)

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

French bread, cubed, for serving

Tortilla chips, for serving

Mix together cream cream and heavy cream in a large bowl. Add all of the remaining ingredients into large bowl; mix well. Transfer mixture to a pot over medium-high heat. Bring cheese to boil, reduce heat and serve warm. Then transfer to a warmed fondue pot. Serve with cubed french bread and pears.

Next was a Caesar salad. Which was just a basic Caesar salad with yummy Caesar dressing, cheese and croutons. 

 

Then it was the entire and the side dish. The entire was pork medallions just BBQed in Teriyaki gourmet sauce with a side of the sauce for more dipping. With a side of cheddar cheese fondue and broccoli for dipping.

Cheddar Cheese fondue

4 ounces broth
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
cheddar cheese
pepper
mustard powder
Worcestershire sauce

 

Start with 4 oz of broth in a pot on medium heat on the stove. Add garlic, 3 shakes of mustard powder and then stir. Add small amount of cheddar cheese and mix thoroughly (using whipping motion until cheese is melted). Then add five turns of pepper grinder and three to four shakes of worcestershire sauce. Fold in pepper & worcestershire. Remove from stove into warmed fondue pot.

Dessert if you have room is chocolate fondue with bananas, strawberries, marshmallows and cheesecake bites for dipping. 

Chocolate fondue
6 tablespoons of whipping cream
400 gram Toblerone chocolate bar {14.1 oz)
1 tablespoon milk 

It was such a fun little meal filled with yummy food, fun conversation, laughs, smiles and the boys just loved dipping everything so they probably ate dinner better than they ever have before. If you will be doing a Valentines date in this year give this one a try, or try it out for another day. I promise you will love it.

Happy Valentine's Week!

Spread the Love

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