On Turning Twenty... Something

{photo via}

Every one likes their day of birth. No matter how much some people don't like to admit it, or don't like to hear that they're ANOTHER year older, there is always some part of you that likes that ONE DAY A YEAR that's yours. Ever since about my eighteenth birthday I've tried to block out in my mind that I'm getting older by the minute. There's just that point in your life when getting older is no longer as fun as it used to be. But no matter how hard you try or how much you avoid the subject, you can just keep telling yourself that you're the same age you were a few years ago, it just doesn't change the facts. So, recently I've been trying to grasp the unlikable facts and take back actually celebrating being another year older. I mean hey, you only have one life to live and if you live it loving who you are and loving yourself, even though you might not love the age you are, you will probably live a much more fulfilled life. Turning another year means you have another year of experiences and things you've never been able to see or do before in your your life. Just think about all the wonderful fun things you would have missed out on if you could actually "skip" another year of getting older. When you think about it that way, getting older isn't so bad! So, instead of pushing aside the things we don't like, let's celebrate that we were able to live one year more and hope for a whole other year full of amazing adventures ahead! Let's actually LIKE getting older!

Passion.

The other day I read an article on having a passion. It really got me thinking. The article read how a friend's parents had just recently retired. She had asked her parents why they did the same things every day. They answered that they just didn't really know what they like to do anymore. They had spent so much time focusing on making money and working forty hours a week that they had forgotten what their passion was. She later asked a friend what his passion was and he had no answer. It freaked him out a little and made him contemplate. He listed everyday things that he liked(music, computers) but couldn't list anything that he was passionate about. After a long discussion he decided that he was going move to Austin to try and discover his passion.
I'm a person that can't name just one distinct passion. I don't have any over the top amazing talents or gifts that I also love doing. But the few of my passions are writing, fashion, vintage... I can't even go on (I feel like I'll dig a deep hole of lists for you). You might have heard about our little vintage shop endeavors. It's gonna be hard and scary, but if we actually get to that place where we love what we're doing I think I can be satisfied. I feel like I have to remind myself every day and look at why I'm doing what I'm doing. Not just doing things to get by, but to really live out your passion, love what you do, and concentrate on what you know you really love.
So now I want to ask you, what is your passion?

Perfection.

I'm a HUGE perfectionist though and though (God bless my husband). If something's not just right I get pretty upset with myself and feel like a failure. Whenever I make a mistake it takes DAYS for me to get over it! It's of course not with everything(thank God), but still quite a few things. I'm not a clean freak or OCD although I do feel 10x better when things are clean. I mostly am a people pleaser. If I work hard to please someone and they point out things after that I didn't do right I start balling inside, especially if I don't get a second chance to redeem myself. (although I do appreciate comments to help me improve on something!)
My husband has learned over the years to be a little more expressive about my meals, because if he's silent, or says, "it was good" in a neutral voice it make me think there was something wrong with it. (I'm also very expressive when it comes to good food!)
I've been a HUGE perfectionist with Everett. To the point where my life was 100% mom 100% of the time. I made it a goal a while back to just quit trying to make everything perfect for him and slack off every once in a while. I feel like I've become a lot better at this over time and still continue to. It's hard to have to relearn to live life.
With all of that said I just want you to know that my life's not perfect... in any way. I've seen so many bloggers frustrated with themselves and feeling like their not good enough, because they get sucked up in this fantasy lifestyle where everything looks, tastes, fits, and goes perfect. Behind those twenty-some perfect pictures that someone posted, there were probably a good eighty that weren't. My point is, that any kind of social networking is just like a magazine. You can't take anything for what it looks like. I try to be genuine on this blog as much as I can, but yes, I do post more about my good days then my bad. I like to look at the positive side of life and I hope you usually leave this blog feeling a little more positive about life. We have way too little life left to focus on the negative.
Enjoy life. Enjoy the little things. Don't pull your hair out, because you can't get something to look the way it does on Pintrest!

"There's no fun in a perfect life. so make a risk. take a chance. go where the wind takes you. have fun." --Jenny C.

xo -Liz

A Better You V.3 Loving YOU

Self Image & Personal Style

#1 Self Image
Cellulite, thick calves, wide hips, we've always struggled with some part of ourselves that we just don't love. I've struggled with myself for a long time. Before I was pregnant I had the BIGGEST calves. I was an avid bike rider and worked out a lot. I could do things you could never imagine a 5' 4" girl could do. I was always self conscious about them though, but now after I lost all my muscle mass I miss my thick calves! I wish I had them back so I can do some of the same things that I used to. If you have wide hips, some women with a different body type are probably wishing they have what you do! I've heard the the most beautiful people I know complain about how much cellulite they have! Every single body type is different. Isn't that refreshing? Not a single person is absolutely perfect. The media has totally distorted what a woman should look like. You don't have to have a stick thin body in order to love yourself. It's all about attitude! Instead of looking at what others have, we need be proud of what we have! We need to stand up for ourselves and say NO! Today I'm going to love my hips, curves an jiggly bits! You need to make the decision to start loving your body.

I love this quote from the poem Desiderata by Max Ehrmann, 

"If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; 
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself."

(I highly recommend reading the entire poem. It's SO inspirational.)

With my post pregnancy body I have had a lot of "I wish"'s about my body's changes. It gets hard at times, but I try ever day to only look at the positives and really love who I am and what I look like. 

#2 Personal Style

I'm really passionate about this subject and I hope you can leave this post with a renewed sense of self and style. Here are a few pointers:

1. Dressing up always makes me feel good! Even though I work at home, when I take time to look my best I always feel better about myself and in the end am more productive! You don't need an occasion, dress up just because! You're worth it!
2. I know some of you have probably gone through your closet as a new year resolution, but I want to ask you to take another look. If it doesn't make you feel like a Super Star throw it out! You don't need to wear things that make you feel any less!
3. Don't buy things just because they're "in". Doing this you will a)end up wearing things that don't flatter you. b) end up spending more money on some things you'll hardly end up wearing.
4. Find your style. Buying things that are the current style means the clothing you buy will only be in for short amount of time(as mentioned above). If you can find your own personal style that you love and feel good in, why would you ever want to keep up with what everyone else is wearing?! Remember to keep it unique, because guess what? It's YOUR style, make it what you want!
5. You don't have to spend a lot. I've found so many irreplaceable pieces at thrift stores, estate sales and so on. I can't imagine my wardrobe without some of these many unique pieces and it saves so much. If there is something you have to have that's regular price, don't feel bad! If it's something you're in love with and is going to last you a long time it's probably worth it!
6. Make sure you mix it up. I'm always finding completely new outfits just by layering or finding a new way to wear something. It's fun and a free way to find a new outfit!

I feel like I'll write a novel if I keep going so I'll stop at that, I'm really passionate on this subject as you can tell! I hope you take my advice on replacing negative thoughts about your body with positive. I need to be reminded of this every day! If you have anything to say about anything, I'd love to hear from you! xo -Liz

A Better You V.2 (playing nice)

#2: Playing Nice

#1 Being Unselfish
I'm going to start off by telling you a sad fact; it's really hard most days for me to be in a great mood. I feel like I never get enough sleep and never have enough time to myself, so I usually, sadly let it bubble up inside me and have a pretty stinky attitude the rest of the day and feel like everything and everyone is working against me. I'm so blessed to have so many loving friends and family that still except me and want me around even if I am having a bad day.

Yesterday I heard a sermon on being nice to people(not being selfish) and making friends. The day before that I watched a movie about a girl who was truly genuinely wanting to live her life to help others. It made me think a lot about how selfish I really am. Am I living my life just for myself?  Why am I always so concerned with my little problems and no one else's? Do I live my life and do everything for my benefit alone? Do I do everything with the intention of reaping a benefit?

Luke 14:12-14

¹² Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. ¹³ But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, ¹⁴ and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

My husband heard a statistic the other day that people who volunteer their time are said to live a happier life. So doing something without expecting to get paid back with a favor or money ends up making you happier in the long run. It's something that no one can put a price on!

#2 Making New Friends
Continuing on from the speech I heard the other day about being generous and making friends, most of my life I've always selfishly (yes, that word again) told myself, "I don't need new friends, I love the ones I've got and am just gonna stick with them." Don't get me wrong, I love my friends more than anything and I'd never want to do anything to change our relationship with each other. But yes, I do need to step outside of my Close Friends Only Zone at times and make some new ones. Hey! Maybe even make a new bestie kinda friend if I'm lucky!
A few pointers for me (or you)on making a new bestie:

• Say Yes more often. My whole life I've been a pretty big home-body which is fine. Cuddling up with my sweeties and taking it easy is so nice, but when someone asks me to hang out with new people or do something kinda out of the ordinary, I'm pretty reluctant most of the time and usually make excuses. I don't want the evening to end up turning out lame and so I stay home knowing it's a safe choice.
• Being authentic. I'm actually pretty good at this one. Although I'm not a loud person I really do know what I do like and don't like-- believe and don't believe. I have a pretty unique sense of things and stand pretty strong in it. I never try to fake my self into a friendship. Having said all of that leads me to my next pointer...
• Speaking up. It's pretty hard to strike up an interesting conversation with a stranger, but the worst that can happen after some small talk is that you leave without them. 

Blogging...

No matter how silly people may take blogging as, we are all involved in it. Even you are involved for simply clicking on whatever it was to be reading this post right now. We all somehow partake in the blogosphere. A blog is a sort of online journal to share things. I'm sure we all have taken part in some sort of journaling too wether it be documenting our meals, our loves, our wants, our inspirations, or our to-do's.

I have piles of composition books from all my years of journaling. The note books filled with so much of my life's ups, downs, heart breaks, break downs, goals, and victories have been pushed aside for newer different way of doing things. The difference I think now is more positive, more beauty, more love and more documenting. And the best part of this blogosphere is finding like-minded people. People who share their dreams, loves, creativity, art, recipes, writing, crafts, photography and so on. People that continue to inspire each other every day.

Having this little corner of the internet has helped my in so many areas. It's a release of creativity. It gives me a creative avenue in which I wouldn't otherwise have as a stay-at-home-mom. To have things pop inside my mind and then be able to share them is such an awesome thing. it gives me a sense of contributing, a sense of purpose outside of my day to day work, as a mom, and it gives me a reason to keep wheels turning inside my head.  It keeps me sharp, it's made me a better communicator. With all the design/fashion blogs I read it's even made my world a little bit prettier. Its given me a place for all of the weird, obsessively documenting parts of myself a home, its given me a place to share the never ending line of thoughts twirling in my head. Most of all though, this space has eternally let me keep some of the happiest moments of my life. I can always come back here when life seems to be a little down and remember so many good things. 
What about you? What is blogging to you? What do you journal or document? I'd really love to hear from you, as always! xo 
-Liz

GOOD-BYE

My sister Brenna and her Husby left for Texas yesterday. It's so sad, but I hope they have a great time. I'm sure they made the right decision and I wish the best for them. I'm going to miss all the pizza and movie nights and always having my best friend around. The little bear is going to miss his second(nicer) mama and his funny uncle Chase. I hope he remembers them like it was yesterday when he finally gets to see them again.
I wish for you guys to continue to follow your hearts and dreams. I hope marriage continues to encourage your hearts to grow in every which way possible. Remember to love, have fun and never forget the feeling you have right now, so young in love, and ready for life. As your life turns to this next journey of your life I wish for happiness and for your future. I love you.

Grown Up Me

It's sometimes shocking to me when I think of where I am now. How did I get here and when did I grow up? Even though I still feel like a kid, I have to stop and remind myself at times that, no I'm not fifteen any more, I'm a twenty three year old adult, and mom. If you haven't had kids yet, and you think your childhood is flashing before your eyes, just wait! I was asked countless times, when I was younger, what I wanted to be when I grew up. My answeres usually varried with age, but I always had BIG dreams in mind: Doctor, Flight Attendant, Dancer, Artist, Writer. If you would have told my five year old self what my future would be like, I don't know if I would have believed it. As I got older my goals changed. I wanted to go to school for welding and machinery right out of high school. And ended up working as a machinist full time for a few years until my goals shifted once again and I had the yearning to go back to school. So, I started working part time at a bakery, was a part time collage student, met my husband, quit my job, and became a stay-at-home mama. I couldn't tell you exactly what my five year old self would say, if you told her, but this is where my life ended up and I don't think I would have it any other way. Now I wonder what's in store for my son. What will he become? Who will he strive to be? This quote is so crazy to think about.


"For children, childhood is timeless. It is always the present. Everything is in the present tense. Of course, they have memories. Of course, time shifts a little for them and Christmas comes 'round in the end. But they don’t feel it. Today is what they feel, and when they say ‘When I grow up,’ there is always an edge of disbelief - how could they ever be other than what they are?"

 -IAN MCEWAN

When I was little it was always fun to play around and dream about what I could be, but the thought of actually growing up and doing it seemed unreal. The time flew by with a blink of an eye and my childhood seems like a quick murmur. Thinking back on how many childhood memories I have helps it seem not so short. As I get older I find myself saying how much quicker time seems to fly. I don't know why that happens when you age. Maybe because it becomes harder to enjoy the simple things and details in a rushed life. Or because we actually begin to care about time slipping away. Either way the last twenty three years are interesting to look back on. And I wonder what my five year old self would think if I never became all those things I once imagined. Would she still be happy with what I've accomplished? Would she be proud of where I am? 

I would have to say Yes. Even if I didn't do the things I once dreamed I think that all those hopes and dreams have made me what I am today and it's something better than anything I could have hoped for. 

Birth Story

 

I've decided that it's about time I write out Everett's birth story. Quite a few months late, but better late than Never! My birth experience was SO BLESSED! I had an amazing mid-wife who helped me through every step, but I think I've based most of my concerning over labor from reading this book. I was five days past my due date, so the mid-wife was suggesting to induce, but I totally wasn't down with that, I wanted a completely natural birth. So I told her to sweep the membranes instead at my check up, and she did. I was having slight cramps the rest of the day and was really uncomfortable. I went on a short walk, but didn't make it very far. By 1:30 a.m. my contractions were two to three minutes apart. We called the hospital, and headed over about 3:00 a.m. I was at 5cm. and they decided to admit me. Thank goodness, I was so ready to have this baby! I got in the hospital's awesome, giant, warm tub, but didn't stay in for long, because I was SO uncomfortable. I felt like I needed to move around or something. So, I dried off and sat on the giant exercise ball and moved around on it like all the labor videos suggest. That didn't last too long either though. I now felt like I should just lay down to rest. The nurse came in and gave me washcloths to squeeze for my contractions. Those helped A TON! My sweet husband played some of my favorite relaxing music and gave me a hard-core foot massage while I just laid on my side in the bed getting over the contractions one by one. Before I knew it, it was 6:30 a.m and my mid-wife had come. She is so amazing, she just sat there so calm and cool, knitting, and asking me questions on how I was doing. Eventually though I stopped answering anyone's questions and the contractions became stronger. All I wanted to do was concentrate and get it over with. A little later my mid-wife asked if I felt like I was ready to push. I just shrugged, I didn't think I was ready, because I heard that you get the urge to push before it's even time. She said that I should try to start pushing, so I did. Push, after push, after push his large head finally came out. It was a little easier after that. Before I knew it, this wet, warm tiny baby was whisked onto my chest. I was in such shock, it had never seemed real until that moment, all I could do was cry. The nurse was even so emotional that she wrote the wrong numbers on our wrist bands. He was here though! Everett Franklin McManus, 8lbs 11oz almost two pounds bigger than the mid-wife guessed he would be! His head was also unordinarily large, 14 3/4 inches round! No wounder the pushing was so hard at the beginning!
I was so in love, all I wanted to do was hold his warm little body in my arms all day, but eventually I had to give him up for his first bath and everyone else to have a turn...