friday's INspire

i'm starting a new ritual on fridays.

i'll feature images - based on a theme - that i find pretty, inspiring, cool and just down-right FABULOUS.

this friday...dresses, plus one pair of trousers.
most pics via the bottom of the ironing basket.

lie up

in this month's edition of southern living chef Domenica Catelli is interviewed. something she said caught my eye.

my mom always said, "if you are going to lie about your age, lie up." so, with that i would say "50" and the response is, "wow! you look great for 50!" but in reality - 39.

now seriously, who, at 39, would claim to be 50? how hard-up must you be for a compliment?!? that said, i did find the concept intriguing. having just celebrated a birthday, i thought i would give "lying up" a try.

the perfect opportunity presented itself at work on friday. as i opened my mouth, took a deep breath, prepared myself to say "45"....

i couldn't.

i was physically unable.

i couldn't mouth it.

i couldn't speak it.

why rush it.

right???

though our chef Domenica doesn't hesitate to tack on more than a decade (why?) i find myself unable to add 2 simple years.

so I guess i'm gonna keep it honest (except to my child who thinks i'm 29 and his daddy is 80) say "43" (gads!) and hold my breath hoping that the person receiving the horrifying news is a kind, kind soul, having no conscious (what-so-ever) to openly lie to my face and say, "wow, you look great for 43."

after a SEVEN day visit

my mother-in-law just departed.

pics from a fun weekend

guess who??

the child can't read a lick but he (seriously) loves his sports illustrated!

sweet alex was in from kansas this weekend!

below we're celebrating a win over northwestern!

yea, spartans!

faith, family and fun

i'm so excited to share with you a project i've been working on for the last couple of months! it's a blog we are launching at church called, Faith, Family and Fun.


families are busier than ever. how do we keep faith the foundation - the guiding force - in our family? it can be TOUGH! therefore, we have created a blog as a way to inspire, motivate and equip parents in reaching their kids toward Christ.

each week, we will feature new posts emphasizing faith (monday), family (wednesday) and fun (friday). join us as we share, grow and learn together! please consider bookmarking our blog and checking in often!

notes to self - part II

a quick follow-up to my "personal 10 commandments" from last week --- items 6 - 10.

6.) lay it at the foot of the Throne.
"God says I have victory for you! But, you kept the battle alive and kept it for yourself - you didn't see the battle was Mine."

7.) envision the life I want to live, then go create it. only I can.
finally - at 42 - i am learning and grasping what this really means. i'm no longer giving it lip-service, i'm stepping up and taking responsibility. (btw, my vision includes lots of laughter and love with my amazing husband).

8.) stop fighting my circumstances.
truly, i'm making progress here. no small feat.

9.) spend less time with people who do not bring out the best in me.
i've given myself permission to do this.

10.) if the heart is right, God can change the flesh.
there is nothing God can't do!

from this weekend's message...

the very same circumstance that God wants to use to perfect you
is the same circumstance the enemy is using to try and defeat you.

who is winning?

we brought home the win!

our 2009 wives trip!
i love these ladies.

go green. go white. go state.

chalk talk, girl talk

heading here in about an hour.

memorial stadium, champaign, illinois.

MSU vs. IL

12 noon kickoff

hmmm...will cousins be ready to go? is zook really on the hot seat?

will we be able to establish the run game?

will we see juice? and, just how good is this eddie mcgee?

many questions loom.

for those of you who simply don't care about football (how can that be!?),

here's a little girl talk.

i'll be wearing this new scent (new to me!) chance by chanel. love it.

and, these cute pants from j. crew's fall line.
so cute - though i'm afraid my ankles will get a little chilly.


okay, i think i've covered all basis. off we go!
go SPARTANS! beat the illini!

boo!

girlfriends, i love the little on-line shop whitney caroline designs .
love. love. love.

and, recently i saw this...

with all these yankees around, i immediately decided i MUST have it! :)

it came with a price tag of $39.

hmmmm, i got to thinking...

now, i'm NO martha stewart (excuse me for stating the obvious)

but i did make both of these for $4.39.

yes, sir-ree i sure did!
i made one for home and one for the office.

now don't laugh, y'all!
it was the best i could do and i've still got $34.61 in my pocket!

super cute for fall...

courtesy of boden

notes to self

okay, here are a few "notes to self" to accompany my personal 10 commandments as found below - numbers 1 through 5.

1.) Be PRESENT.
this is a tough one. i've come to realize the VAST majority of my moments are spent one of two ways - either mulling the past or planning the future. i am failing to be present in the present. therefore, i am trying to become more immersed in the moment.

for example, little man's bedtime can be one of my least favorite times. why? i can't say. maybe my patience is gone and my day has been long. bath, brushing teeth, snack, book and bed! during this time, i am usually always thinking about what i need to get done after little man is down sooooo i become impatient and grouchy. BUT when i become PRESENT with him - relax into the moment - my impatience turns to patience and my grouchiness to laughter.

2.) Laugh more.
for heaven's sake, leigh ann, lighten up!

3.) Close thee mouth, open thine ears.
pretty self explanatory.

4.) Go to bed earlier.
i found these interesting facts on the happiness project blog: according to one study, a bad night’s sleep was one of the top two factors that upset people’s daily moods (along with tight work deadlines). another study suggested that getting one extra hour of sleep each night would do more for your daily happiness than getting a $60,000 raise.

5.) Stop being ruled by feelings and emotions.
ahhh...it seems, with me, it always, somehow, manages to circle back to this. see this and this.

my list

I consider this post a work in progress. it is not the final draft but about the third iteration. i've been working on it since august and thought i would go ahead and share.

i really want to become more deliberate in how i'm living this thing. for a multitude of reasons, life has been happening to me. we've move from mississippi to california to ohio to michigan in a very short span of time. we've created and re-created our lives, our homes and our careers. i'm now at a point where i can take the reigns back. in doing so, i started creating this list as inspired by the blog, the happiness project. i envision the list changing over time but, for now, it is helping me discover things core to my being, my happiness, my life.

My personal 10 commandments

1.) Be PRESENT.

2.) Laugh more.

3.) Close thee mouth, open thine ears.

4.) Go to bed earlier.

5.) Stop being ruled by feelings and emotions.

6.) Lay it at the foot of the Throne.

7.) Envision the life I want to live then create it. Only I can.

8.) Stop fighting my circumstances.

9.) Spend less time with people who do not bring out the best in me.

10.)

i know the concept of #10, but have yet been able to verbalize it succinctly. but i will. i think in the future, i may take a few of these "commandments" and expound upon them a bit.

what does your list look like? does it help to have a list? does it help to think about a list? will a list truly help in taking back "the reigns"?

i don't know the answer to these questions but i plan to finish #10 and put the list on my bathroom mirror. what can it hurt?

at worst, i won't read it. at best, i'll live by it.