never send a pregnant woman to the store by herself.

this is my life. 3rd load of the day. 

totally & completely unprepared for the light outside & the day that awaits me. more sleep, please!

here’s my day 1-15 (i’ll try to post the rest daily…try being the key word here):

if you have instagram or twitter you can follow me on there, too: alysiajuanita

if you still want to join in there’s still half the month left, play catch up! and it turns out she’s going to post a different monthly challenge so you can start in february, too.

until next time…

it’s not really that i don’t want to blog. it’s not really that i don’t know what to blog. it’s not really that i don’t have time to blog. or maybe it is…just a little bit of everything.

when i started blogging i had high hopes for what i wanted it to be, but realistically, my high hopes don’t really fit into my lifestyle at this point. as much as i’ve wanted to blog this or that over the last 6 months or so, i really had to weigh if it was a wise use of my time. with an almost 3 year old, 1 year old & one more due in 6 months I really need to be wise with my time (disclaimer: this is not to say that you moms who do everything i do & blog aren’t using their time wisely-i just was not). blogging isn’t the only thing that’s taken a backseat; my sewing machine is collecting dust, my crochet needles don’t get as much use as they used to, my recipes have been super simplified & my pinterest board of things i’d like to make just keeps getting bigger & bigger.

i’m going to try to blog more because i really just enjoy doing it. i used to feel like i had something to prove, like i should only post things that everyone would find interesting, or like i had to live up to some blogger standard that i’ll never meet.

really…this is just a place for me & you…if you want to follow along. i can’t promise i’m going to post a ton more or that you’re going to love everything i have to say, so if you’re looking for that…sorry…there are a lot of other really amazing blogs out there that i can recommend you read.

till next time…

So I’m not going to lie…I’m already behind & it’s just the first week. Ooops!

Day 1: I took some time to sit down & really think about why I want to make my home a haven. All of my reasons were good, honorable reasons, but I realized that they were not all completely God centered. In the simple task of keeping my home clean I was worshiping multiple idols; approval of others, pride, and control. I took some time to journal, pray & talk to my husband about them. He was super encouraging & pointed me back to God & His reasons for wanting to make my home a haven. When it came time to work on a “Mission Statement” I looked up some verses to help inspire me. I was instantly pulled to Proverbs 31 & Colossians 3:23-24. Instead of writing a “Mission Statement” I’m going to hang the following verses from Colossians in my kitchen; “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” I thought it was an awesome reminder of who I am serving as I work. Ultimately my house is not clean for myself, my husband, my kids, or my friends, but for God in whom I seek to please.

Day 2: I love the idea that I am a life-giver! “Who is woman? She is the redeemed Life-giver, enlivened by the love of Christ and continuously renewed by Him as she nurtures others”-Barbara Mouser, Five Aspects of Woman. I was really encouraged by Day 2 & am excited to learn new ways that I can bring life to my home, my children, my husband & to those around me. A few of the things that I wrote down to bring life to my family were; speak lovingly, encourage them, & pray with them. Everyday I ask God for patience; that I would act lovingly as He would with my family. I know that I can always improve more (!), but I love learning to love my children & husband well by not yelling at them, being patient with them, and praying for them when then need gospeling. I have already begun to see such a change in my toddlers heart as we constantly pray together & work on serving Jesus in our home.

Day 3: I LOVE the list of 10 Ways to Give Life to Your Home. I really think that I’m going to print it out & hang it in my bathroom so while I’m getting ready in the morning I can be reminded of these goals when I start my day. My favorite was #3: Make our homes a place of grace where mistakes and sins are not met with anger but with love and hope. I really long to raise my boys in a home where they are constantly being shown grace, as Jesus was our ultimate example of grace. I know that I am not always the most graceful, but through Christ I know that I can improve this. My other favorite was #10: Ask the Lord: What areas of my home are causing stress or bringing spiritual/emotional/mental ‘deadness’? What can I do to bring life to those places instead to make them a place of refuge?” I have not taken the time to sit & journal about this question yet (I told you I was behind!), but I have been thinking a lot about it & God has revealed multiple areas in my home that are definitely not a refuge.

Day 4: I love a “comfortable” house. A house that you can walk into and just feel like you want to hang out in…That is the kind of house I want & I’d like to think that’s an environment I’ve been able to create. Our “Mary challenge” for this day was to invite a friend over to just “put their feet up” & hang out. I didn’t get to do that yet (though I have had friends over earlier this week…does that count? haha) so I’m going to do it next week for sure.

Day 5: Priorities, priorities. I only skimmed over this day & haven’t had a chance to really sit down to journal & pray about my priorities, if they’re in the right place & what I need to change about them. I’m super excited to just spend some time figuring them out & how I can improve for my benefit & for the benefit of my family.

So the week is done & I got more of the “Mary challenges” done than the “Martha Challenges.” I started to clean out my fridge (with the help of an awesome friend), but I’m not quite done yet. Hopefully next week I’ll be able to report different. All in all I’d say this was a pretty good first week & I’m stoked on the way that God has been speaking to me through this so far. Here’s to hoping for a better next week!

It’s been awhile since A) I posted & B) did a Flashback Friday. I’ve missed blogging, but with my 2 boys, it’s really last on my list of priorities. But I thought that I would come out of my blogging hibernation & do a post in honor of my baby big boy Benjamin.

Today he turns 2. Wow! Really?? When did this happen?

It really doesn’t seem like long ago when we took this picture. I was totally exhausted but so in love with my sweet boy.

It’s been 2 years full of  constant surprises, fun, love, laughing, & lots of learning (on both our parts). I am continuously amazed with the gift that God has given me.

Happy Birthday love.

After eating we drove up to Mount Soledad and went for a little walk & enjoyed the beautiful views. Gosh, I love where we live!

So far so good at keeping up on our monthly dates! Can’t wait to see where we’re headed to this month.

I joined a Handmade Gift Exchange on Craftaholics Anonymous & I made this scarf for my partner. To be honest, when it was done I almost kept it for myself I liked it so much. I think I’m going to have to make one for myself in the near future.  I’m thinking with a lime green instead of the red, though…what do you think?

I also finally finished this super cute & soft blanket for a good friend of mine. She is pregnant & having a girl in January & I am so excited for her! I couldn’t resist these soft colors & the soft yarn [I really wish you could feel it, it's amazing].

So there you have it…for now…

this month has been ridiculously busy & i’m just now getting time [since both my boys are asleep] to sit down and reflect on what i’ve been up to & do some much needed photo editing.

i’m really trying to follow #9 of my “28 to-do-list”, which is to finish every project that i start. i’ve actually been able to follow through on a few things [i'm still working on a ton of stuff] so here’s what i’ve been up to.

i recovered some 2 of our throw pillows in our living room to add some much needed color. our couches are beige, our walls are beige, our furniture is light wood…the blandness was driving me crazy. hoping to incorporate some more red into the room, i think it’ll make it really fun.

my niece is addicted to a crocheted blanket that was given to her as a gift when she was born. unfortunately, it’s a little large for her to tote around everywhere so i made her a small blanket to carry around. it’s still not the same as her favorite, but it’s growing on her.

one of  hubby’s cousins just had a super cute baby girl & i really wanted to take her something when we first met her. i hadn’t sewed a blanket in awhile so it’s really not the best i’ve ever sewed, but i think the super cute fabric makes up for my lack of perfection.

i still have LOTS that i’m working on & trying to get finished before malachi gets here [only 6 weeks left!] so i hope to update you all soon!