115th Fashionable Fridays - "You are more beautiful than you know"

This has been circulating Facebook for a couple weeks, but had to share in case you haven't watched it.

Wellness Wednesdays #21: Chicken Soup for the Soul Review - Think Positive for Great Health

Chicken Soup for the Soul - Think Positive for Great Health: Use your Mind to Promote your Own Healing and Wellness --- when I first received this book, I wasn't very excited about it. Time kept passing by and I knew I had to read it for a review. I read it at the right time. For the past 6+ months, I've been struggling with depression, triggered by family issues especially with my daughter. Now that we've overcome a lot of those challenges I've been doing a lot better and trying to find ways to get out of this mentality again.

I started to read this book and many of those answers they talked about I already knew, but definitely needed to hear again and in different ways.
One story was about how important it is to take a break. The one girl would always end up getting sick the same time every year because of all her school work and stresses. Made me think how important it is as a mom to get time to myself, away from the kids whether it be doing errands by myself or going to a girls' night. Otherwise I become crazy mommy. =)
Other parts in the book aren't stories, but help ideas from Dr. Brown. One part was about the different stages of change. I found it helpful to figure out what stage I'm in. It's so hard not knowing what changes are needed in your life, at least for me. Wish I had my own shrink or more friends around to bounce ideas off of.

Another great story in the book was about doing the mundane: laundry, dishes, etc. over and over again. I thought this was my problem, but I think more of my problem is learning to deal with or unique schedule to keep up with the mundane since it's not a schedule I chose. My husband won't ask to get it changed yet because he's the only one who does the later shift. I should be used to it though and follow this advice in the story, "You can either be miserable when you do your chores, or you can slap a smile on your face when you do your chores. You decide." These type of stories always remind me of a fireside I went to as a youth in my church about choosing to be happy and grateful. At church on Sunday we sang the hymn, Count your Blessings. Then some ladies were talking about a past talk in church about instead of saying, "I'm fine/good," saying, "I'm great!" I told them it's about faking it until you make it. Choose to smile, to say those things and soon it will become second nature, easy.

This is a book I'm now really glad to have because it will be a book I can turn to when I'm stuck in a rut and can't remember how to get out of. It shares about all aspects of health: nutrition, exercise, attitude, stress, mental health, and more. Overall it's about us taking charge of our health. We can do it =)

Enter the “Billy Graham & You” Sweepstakes on the Chicken Soup for the Soul Facebook Page. The grand prize winner will win a trip for two to The Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, North Carolina from anywhere in the continental U.S.*! ! Upload a photo of yourselves with a copy of Chicken Soup for the Soul: Billy Graham & Me to the sweepstakes on Facebook. Make sure you mention my blog =) Go to: http://on.fb.me/XRtSkg to enter!

Chicken Soup Review - Married Life

When I received this book, I was so excited to read it because I knew I could relate to many of the stories in there.

I quickly found out I was right. Practically 2/3 of the stories I could relate to immediately. I loved reading each story about showing love and affection. I love the stories that showed how the longer you've been married, the little things, little tokens of affection like your spouse doing the laundry, just listening, helping their children, spending alone time together, and more are more important and remembered than all the money spent on frivolous items.

I think it is a must read together as couples to spend time with another, remember special moments, and find ideas for ways to show love more.

Enter the “Billy Graham & You” Sweepstakes on the Chicken Soup for the Soul Facebook Page. The grand prize winner will win a trip for two to The Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, North Carolina from anywhere in the continental U.S.*! ! Upload a photo of yourselves with a copy of Chicken Soup for the Soul: Billy Graham & Me to the sweepstakes on Facebook. Make sure you mention my blog =) Go to: http://on.fb.me/XRtSkg to enter!

85th Mommy Mondays - Real Moms Inspire

Hope all you women had a amazing Mother's Day. I have met the most wonderful women through my businesses, made amazing friendships with some of you even though I haven't even met you in person! You women are outstanding. Yesterday wasn't only for mothers, I say it's for every women who has any part of a child's life in any way! 

Here's a picture of my kids and me on Mother's Day. 

Last month, I was able to do a special photo shoot with Leslie Leavitt Photography. Her theme was Real Moms Inspire and she wanted to mini photo shoots for working moms.

I'm a Mom of 2 kids as you know: 4 year old boy and 2 year old girl. Technically I have 3 businesses - most of you know I do Scrappy Gifts, my own very small business I started because this what I've been doing for years. Just last year I started with dōTERRA essential oils, the first company I have truly believed in (I've been to a lot of different kinds of parties and learned about lots of direct sales businesses, but dōTERRA has been the easiest for me and made a lot of senses, plus most importantly helped my family directly no matter how successful I was). Then just recently I also joined with SimplyFun games because I more wanted the discount and love playing games and teaching my family through play. We play one of their games at least 4 times a week. We use essential oils every day. I hope to turn my Scrappy Gifts back to more of a hobby and sharing for me, then creating things for others and focus on dōTERRA as a business because I can see dōTERRAhelping so many people because it can be used in health, cooking and cleaning - all aspects of health and wellness.

Since I want to promote dōTERRA more, I chose to have my kids and I wear purples and greens to go with dōTERRA's logo plus dōTERRA means gift of the earth.



Here are several of my favorite photos from the shoot by Leslie Leavitt Photography.

Let me know if I can help you with your health and wellness with dōTERRA - I'd be happy to send some free samples, just pay shipping. Here's my dōTERRA website.

Then here's my SimplyFun website. Connect your families through play and learning. Get 15% off your order or FREE Shipping when you place your order in the month of May. Just contact me by e-mail to order:
ScrappyDiva2129 at yahoo dot com

Then most should know my Scrappy Gifts website =) I'm doing a special until the end of the month, any Digital Party Package for $10 (normally $30) - includes invitation and three extra printables of your choice. Again just e-mail me with your colors/theme.  ScrappyDiva2129 at yahoo dot com

Project Organization 2013 - Bathroom Drawers and Kitchen Cabinets

All this took me basically a whole day to clean and organize. First I went and measured my cabinets and headed to the dollar store for containers that would fit. I was lucky to find sizes and colors that would work just at the Dollar Store! No ordering custom or expensive containers.

Before and After Bathroom Drawers
Closed Tupperware Pieces were perfect for the cotton ball and Q-tips plus my 2 year old couldn't get to it. She's been getting to the Q-tips and sticking them in her ears so we worried she'd end up damaging her ear drums....
Bottom Drawer 3 larger containers for my son's pull-ups for night, tampons and pad. Then a smaller container for most used hair accessories.
Top drawer was thinner so several years ago, I bought a desk compartment tray during back to school time to sore my earrings, combs, hair ties, bobby pins and more.

Bathroom Cabinets
My husband's on the right and mine on the left. I have all the medications on my side though we don't have very many anymore know that we use natural solutions. My side still could use some work, but the cabinets are larger in the back and narrow towards the front which makes it difficult to fit many containers in there.

Kitchen Cabinets Before
I always buy food items and just stuff it where there's room which made me forget what I had a lot! Since seeing all these organization posts, I knew I had to try containers but I was really afraid I'd have to spend tons of money, but thankfully I found dollar store containers that fit perfectly! I think I spent $35 on 35 containers for the bathroom drawers & cabinets, kitchen cabinets, and a few for the fridge. Money well spent for my sanity and very affordable.

 Kitchen Cabinets After
I just love opening up my cabinets, brings me so much accomplishment!
Since I don't have a ton of spices and couldn't really afford or have fit a circular spice rack, I just fit all my spice straight across one shelf, after throwing away the really old ones...
Kept the can goods on the bottom shelf.
Then I had containers for cooking items, noodles, cookies, chips, vitamins, cooking spray & small oils, seasoning packets.
Technically I can't fit as much food, but it's so much more organized and I can really see what I need to buy. Prevent over buying so I can better stick to a budget =)
Some things went into our lazy susan which are pretty easy to keep organized - then the popular cereals went in the table top cabinet. No I'm not a big fan of plain Cheerios, but the rest of my family eats it every day. I'm more Honey Nut kind, sometime Multi-grain =)

Before and After of Table Top Cabinet

Before and After of Main Cabinets

Fridge still needs some work and freezer needs a ton, but we'll get there. Any ideas for the freezer? It's tiny! I always overshop for it and ended up moving everything around for it. Wish we had a place for an extra freezer.
On the top shelf of our fridge, it's usually full of milk. My family drinks a lot of it - just need to shop for more this week.

The rest of my living and kitchen area. Some things from the main cabinets were moved to my scrapbook room and others were moved to my bookshelf under the clock. This part took me a couple hours to do without the kids around. It might have taken all day with them home!

Ice Cream Birthday Party - Pink, Lime, Black and White

My daughter's birthday was on April 19th - had to keep her party much simpler than last year because I wasn't planning on doing a party because she doesn't really have any friends her age that are girls and our closest friends had to move away the week before. My husband ended up not being able to get work off so our plans changed, and we did a quick party but having the older kids there was chaos and messy. Luckily I had an idea of what I wanted to do and just used the same colors as last year to reuse her decorations. Will have to repeat this party theme though to do more of my ideas I had in mind for the party =)

See her first birthday here.

Her 1st birthday and her last few hours of being 1.

Couldn’t remember if she wore the green or pink last year – guessed wrong…

Birthday Invite

Made on Shutterfly and then turned it into a digital layout

Decorations and Set Up

Punch Game – this is how I did it using stuff I had, but there’s other tutorials out there

1. Taped 8x8x8 Priority Mail boxes together

2. Put packaging paper across

3. Dress Large circles with ice cream bowl

4. Cut holes out and covered with tissue paper

5. Daughter gets stuck in the box

6. Fill with prizes and candy

7. Tape brown paper to boxes

8. Add ice cream cones to the  bottoms of the circle

Tried to make the cupcakes in a Ice Cream Cone shape

Ice Cream banners and Birthday Shirt with my Silhouette Machine

Ice Cream Subway Art created by me with her name and colors

Write your name by the ice cream flavor you had

Playing the Game – Punch a Hole

Next time hide this game (but I’d need a bigger house) or hang up somehow or put on a table so less kids could reach and punch it before we actually played the game. Half the kids didn’t get to punch a hole because they were punched already. Chaos – not very good listeners maybe because the party was right before bed time???

Family Pictures

Tried to mimic pictures that I did with my son’s 2nd birthday, but she is much more stubborn so I just got these ones…

It’s my party and I’ll cry if I want to!

One year ago and and on her 2nd birthday – these make me laugh!

Some decent pictures of her – couldn’t get any good ones of her happy and showing the whole shirt. I guess I made her shirt too big…

No more pictures!