girly

sometimes when im really being honest with myself, i can admit that i am a TOTAL girly girl, i know right, big surprise i love arts and crafts and vintage housewares, but don't forget, i live with a house FULL of boys. sometimes i feel so out of place with them. they want to watch star wars and i want to watch tangled, i love to go shopping and they want to play video games on their ipods....

i feel like the odd girl out.

so what does the odd girl out do? well if she is me, she starts doing boy things so everyone else is happy. i put on a happy face and fall in line with everyone else, but to be honest im not being true to myself and what i want. i need more of a balance.
balance is on my heart.
i need to put my makeup on, straighten my hair and feel good about myself, even if the kids are bugging me to hurry up. ha!
i need to be me.
i need to be patient.
i need to have fun.
but its really my choice, and i have no one to blame but myself.
happiness is a choice i can make every day.
and that's what i want.
are you with me?
shall we all put on dresses and dance in the field? bahahaha, im just kidding, but really, the girly girl i am, would totally REALLY do that!

april
xoxo
*linking up here*

awww.

you know what? i realized this morning that i hardly ever include aaron in very many of  my pictures. so neglected right? ha! well i am embracing this picture because i think it's so darn cute! this was taken when we were camping last weekend, we went off-roading {don't worry friend, it was a G version, we had the kids in the car} and we stopped to take a pic. i learned how to use the timer on my camera and i just set it on the car, simple as that.
we had so much fun that weekend, not just as a family with the kids but also as husband and wife. vacations force you to work together in a new place where you don't know anyone, so its sink or swim. you need each other. we set up camp, cooked, hiked, went fishing and just generally bonded over smores at the campfire. just another reminder that those moments are so necessary when the hustle and bustle of my "normal" routine seems to drive me stinkin crazy! crazy i tell you! ha!
you know what i mean?
sometimes i feel like we never have complete conversations or even get complete sentences out, they are always interrupted by crying kids or a question that needs to be answered. to be honest, sometimes i don't even realize its happening, i end the night thinking, "did i even get 5 sentences out"? its our inside joke ya know...the 5 sentences. the day is filled with so many {things} that those vacations and pauses in the routine are sooooo important!
thats why i love this picture, it's my reminder that they DO exist!

april
xoxo

colors

my mission was to find awesome and inspirational bathrooms. what? no no, really, i love decorating, and the bathroom is no exception. when i am looking for inspiration im not looking for a entirely vintage room, i am looking for vintage inspired items or incorporating vintage things into the decor. these photos from pinterest are colorful, bright and have an element of whimsy and magic that i love.

Source: flickr.com via April on Pinterest

Source: contented-sparrow.blogspot.com via April on Pinterest

Source: inspirationsdeco.blogspot.com via April on Pinterest

Source: ohjoy.blogs.com via April on Pinterest

i am inspired by the:
* bunting
* bright colors
* use of plants
* tile patterns
* bright textiles
* unusual mirrors
i would love to have any of these bathrooms, they would put a big smile on my face every morning!
blessings.

april
xoxo

yellow flowers

when we were camping i went wandering around our campsite and found a grassy area with a water spicket where people could rinse off their dishes. all around this area were the most beautiful yellow flowers, that i totally fell in love with. i smelled them, picked a few and found myself walking by them all weekend. i fell in love, they were the most beautiful wildflowers i have ever seen, sigh. ha!
I'm sitting here with my coffee thinking about what i love this wednesday, and all i can think about are these yellow flowers. i usually pick a collection of pinterest goodness but today i am posting from my "real life", and i think you are gonna love these pictures.....

aren't they amazing? a big bushel of sunshine i tell ya!
hope you have a wonderful wednesday....
hooray!!!

april
xoxo

crock pot recipe : beef tortilla casserole

you will need:

* 1 1/2 {pounds} ground beef

* 1 {cup} sour cream

*  2 1/2 {cups} crushed tortilla chips {divided in half}

* 16 {oz} jar salsa

*  1 1/2 {cups} shredded cheese

1.  brown beef in pan, drain and mix in sour cream

2.  spray slow cooker with non-stick spray and sprinkle layer of half the tortilla chips. top with beef mixture, salsa and then cheese

3. cover and cook on low for 3 hours.

4. sprinkle with the rest of tortilla chips and ENJOY!

april

xoxo

unsure

if we were having coffee today i would tell you i have been feeling a little unsure lately. unsure about where exactly my life is going and where i should focus my energy. next year the little frat boy will be in preschool and my unemployment will run out. that leaves me with many very tough decisions.
what will i do?
where will the money come from?
will i go to work?
where will dylan go to preschool?
do i have to put him in childcare?
will my health be able to take all of this stress?


i have kind of been putting if off, but as the summer progresses i can feel this burden of decision wearing heavier on my heart. what am i going to do?
i am scared beyond belief.
i would ask you for advice and possibly a shoulder to cry on. this girl doesn't like change, and i keep telling myself that working at starbucks wouldn't be that bad right?
i feel my life as a teacher may be over, and that's ok. i just don't know where it goes from here?
do i put more energy into my blog?
my etsy shop?
starbucks?
i dunno.



its a crazy time for me.
i will continue to pray that God will provide for me in all the ways HE always has, and that i will be ok.

thank you for the sweet ear to listen, err i mean read friend.
lots of love,
april
xoxo

home tour : kitchen

i have been asked a few times to do a home tour, so i thought i would start in my favorite room, the kitchen. it was in a sad state when we moved in 2 years ago, but with a lot of work, it is looking a lot better. lets just say i removed ALL the paint on the cabinets with a heat gun. it took months and many blisters, but it gave me the opportunity to choose the paint color and i was able to remove 6 of the cabinet doors. i have tried to fill it with a mix of sweet vintage things that i love.

things i love:
* vintage aprons
* pyrex
* owls
* pepsi
* cook books
* milk glass
when i go to garage sales, i am always lookings for those items, and its where most of what i have has come from.
hope you enjoyed a peek into my space friend.
now i have to make these kids some dinner! ha!

april
xoxo

recipe : bbq bananas

what couldn't be great about a recipe with bananas, chocolate chips, peanut better and marshmallows? ha! making these were super easy and soooo yummy! they may be perfect for the fourth of july as well....
just sayin'
* cut banana open and add fixins', then wrap in foil and put on BBQ for about 10 minutes. ENJOY!

april
xoxo

music monday : camp orozco

how was your weekend friend? we had a great time camping and i got some amazing pictures, but today its all about the music.
this music monday has been hijacked by my husband, which is totally ok because he has great taste in music. aaron had control of the ipod for much of our camping trip, so today's music monday is from his playlist. aaron likes all genres of music from rap to country, so this playlist is kind of all over the place. ha! here are a few pics of a hike we took after we set up camp:

beautiful isn't it? we love camping, and blaring some great music only makes it better! 

i have been thinking about providing a link so we could share our playlists....would you link up? i love hearing new music, and i would love to see what you're into! some of my favorite indie music i found on other peoples blogs. 

let me know in the comments sections.

happy monday friend!

xoxo

april

*linking up here today because camping is lovely!

madness

this is the madness that is my dining room right now...you know the crazy {we, i mean i, have to pack food, clothes and supplies} and not forget anything. we are going camping today and this is what im up against at the moment. i have marinated steaks, wrapped potatoes in foil, cut up a watermelon, and that's just my last hour of activities. oh ya, and thanks babe for your last minute request for some weird bbq banana thing where you cut it open and put peanut butter and chocolate chips inside....grrr!




i am leaving all remnants of my blogging self at home so i can focus on the family. no checking my FB, emails or blog. i will be back sunday night, try not to have to much fun without me ok? ha!

BYE friends!!!
april
xoxo
*linking up here today....because vacation is on my heart!

photobooth + me = happy

embracing the photobooth at knotts berry farm:


april
xoxo

play

 i am linking up at gussy sews today and the inspirational prompt was {play}.
do you play? let go of your inhibitions? forget that others might be looking? 

i find the older i get the more excuses i have to not play. things like grocery shopping and cleaning seem to consume my day and sometimes my thoughts. i really need to put more effort into playing with the kids and enjoying the moment. those things don't really matter though, and its a choice you make to be happy and play, and i need to make that choice more, because i wanna have more moments like this: 

Source: vkontakte.ru via April on Pinterest

Source: lesliemiles.com via April on Pinterest

Source: eyesmiles.typepad.com via April on Pinterest

Source: polyvore.com via April on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via April on Pinterest

Source: kathrynbarnardphoto.tumblr.com via April on Pinterest


how do you play?
april
xoxo

lampshade bulletin board

thank you BH&G {july 2011} for this wonderful idea. i have been thinking about what i could do to spruce up my lampshades in my living room. 

simple and sweet.

april

xoxo

hot air balloon

this was my favorite ride at knotts berry farm. it was in camp snoopy and we were all able to ride it together {because dylan is 3}, and have fun. we rode it twice and right before we left i begged my sister and kaleb if we could ride it again, this was when i grabbed my camera and snapped these sweet pictures.

that's my sister sarah, isn't she beautiful? she is 12 years younger than i am, and i love when she comes to stay with us. she is funny and sweet and a really picky eater. ha!
we had such a fantastic time together yesterday, but this momma is tired, and my house is seriously neglected. i will post more pictures soon, and oh ya pink's hot dogs?
FANTASTIC!!!!
{i have pictures of a certain chili dog i will share}
{ahem}

april
xoxo

what i love : paper crafts

i'm really loving all things origami right now. can you blame me? look at all this colorful sweet goodness! i made origami hearts a few weeks ago and i still love them. these bows are next though, im in love!

Source: s3.amazonaws.com via April on Pinterest

Source: outsidetheworkroom.blogspot.com via April on Pinterest

Source: whipup.net via April on Pinterest

Source: stylemepretty.com via April on Pinterest

Source: re-nest.com via April on Pinterest

Source: ffffound.com via April on Pinterest

what are you loving right now?

april
xoxo

*linking up here today.