"you will never have this day again"

   How is this even possible? I am a stay at home mommy & I spend day in & day out with these handsome little nuggets who I am so blessed to call my own. They push me to my absolute limit. As much as I love them, they're downright exhausting. And here I am, laying in bed, sick as a dog, missing them while they are right downstairs. While in the moment of chaos with two little ones, the constant thought in your head is, "I just need a break!". One night in a hotel with room service, someone to clean up your mess, & precious silence. I am so positively sure that the entire time I spent in that said hotel room, I'd be missing my boys, turning the television on to mask the sound of quiet.  Not only that, I'd be cleaning my own mess (I can thank the OCD for that).

Jude keeps popping in my room to say, "Mommy, I'm sorry you're sick & I love you. Here's batman to make you feel better." {little does he know, a little batman would make me feel MUCH better} But my little Declan has stayed downstairs with daddy most of the day so I just want to hold him & kiss those chubby cheeks!

 --via pinterest --

I'm aware that I can't be with my babies every second & sometimes, I do need a day or even a half a day to recover but thinking that I will never get this day back makes my heart a little sad. I'm missing bath time as we speak & seeing the boys interact with each other is what I live for! Tonight, I will enjoy hearing their little voices and the pitter patter of feet around the house from this bed & I will start tomorrow loving all over my baby boys.

StayLovely.

"you still believe it to be a beautiful place."

"Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place.”

-Kurt Vonnegut

  

    So, I know this is a repeat from my Facebook but let's be honest here, it's true. In our house we don't watch "adult tv" while the kids are awake. Heck, we barely watch any television really which is nice, although by no means does it make my house quiet. Both of my boys could take it or leave it. Any who, while at the gym last night I was able to watch the footage from the Terror Attack at the Boston Marathon. Naturally, It made me very emotional & my heart poured out with sadness for everyone involved. As a mother, your whole body clenches in rage when you hear about a child being killed. You think the normal thoughts like, "Who would do this?" "Why would someone want to hurt innocent people?" but I find myself getting so angry when people say things like, "What is this world coming to?". 

   This is not "the worlds" fault. This is ONE (or more) person. You watch the footage and you see THOUSANDS of people helping. Putting themselves at risk and running to lend a hand anyway they can. There were soldiers, police officers, firemen, & bystanders actually running toward the explosion while it was still happening.  For every one horribly sick person there are tens of thousands of good souls on this earth. Why can't we focus on that? If we would put our energy into the good, maybe less bad would happen. 

   Of course I fear for my kids. I'm scared of what might happen to them but I also am afraid for them to ride their bike into the street and get hit by a car. The world is not a bad place. I do not feel like I should live in fear because of something that could happen to us. I haven't lost faith that the love in the world over powers the hate. You know why? Because we have God & because of that I feel as though my children are protected. They have someone to look over them, guard them from harm, and to show them more love than they could ever comprehend. I see the beauty in this place that God has created for us in so many ways. I see the love every day and I will continue to "Believe there is good in the world" & try my absolute hardest to "Be the good". 

StayLovely&KeepPraying.

no one is lovelier than you.

       Oh, Zooey. You make me feel so good for being an emotional over lover. My favorite line of this inspirational is, "Don't allow the coldness and fear of others to tarnish your perfectly vulnerable beating heart". Yes, I cry at everything & tell way too many people I love them ( I think it freaks some people out) but I can't deny the truth. I love so many people & all very differently. I love the ones closest to me with all of my heart. I love them so ardently I feel like I could burst sometimes but you know what I also love? I love the cashier at target who's line I always go to because she is so kind to my boys. I love Jude's preschool teacher because she gives me a feeling of comfort whenever I have to leave him. I love fresh flowers in my house no matter how much money it wastes. I love ribbon, & pretty pens,  & the smell of a library book. I love watching people's mouths when they talk. I love a hug from someone you haven't seen in awhile and how your stomach tingles when they hug you back as tightly as you're hugging them. I love hairlines, that one curl that couldn't quite straighten, the direction of the hairs going every which way, a widows peak, or ducktail (good thing I'm a hairstylist, although temporarily retired). I love people's eyes, the colors can tell a story - green are my favorite, there's always so much detail. Speaking of that, I love detail, I love thinking out & planning every little spec of something. I love the sound of a vacuum picking up crumbs or my Dad turning the page of the newspaper he reads every morning. 

     Now, because I love all of these things, does this make the word love mean less? Sometimes I think I should change how much I use the word but no, that would be a mistake. I wholeheartedly love all of those things I listed & I suppose that just makes me passionate. Who could ever complain about someone being too passionate? Not me. So the answer to my question is NO. Love is love & although you may love something on different scales, it's still all the same.

      I need a daily reminder. Although I am very sure of what I love, I need to open my eyes to these beauties & embrace them more. I tend to notice the tender feeling I have for these things that are dear to me when they are not around (ain't that always the truth?). If I were to consistently think about how blessed I am to have so many joyful things to surround myself with, I would for sure be a happier person. 

Lastly, I love ME. I love that I'm sappy (hey look kate, i'm sappy too) I love that I'm a little bit spastic, and OCD, and a control freak. I do have normal qualities too. I have a big heart, I want to help people, organized, over caring, down to earth, funny (at least I think I am), compassionate, sensitive yet tough, opinionated, happy, smiley, and lastly, I am a damn good mom. 

"Whatever you love is beautiful; love comes first, beauty follows. The greater your capacity for love, the more beauty you find in the world."

— Jane Smiley

StayLovely.

lovely weather.

   HIYA LOVELIES, guess what!! guess...guess. ok, you're done guessing.. all of my excitement is over the fact that it is finally starting to get warm. This is what I have been waiting & waiting & waiting for! I feel like all winter I would have been classified as a recluse. 6 inches of snow a day sure is pretty from the safety of your warm house but the second I was forced to step foot in it, I became a whiney little princess. Believe me, I'm a tough girl & I love snow but at some point, enough is enough.

   With this warmth, there are many more opportunities for us to develop our relationships with our Michigan friends! We've been enjoying play dates almost everyday & I am so grateful for some social interaction. Jude & Declan are making friends with all the neighbor kids so this will make for an amazing summer!

   We're preparing our house for our first visitors of the season. yay! Our best friends, The Kleeman's & Greg Anderson are making the trek up (again). After that, the visitors will just keep coming. I'm so excited to be able to spend time with all my favs. We'll be able to have drink fests on the beach with all the local craft breweries around & grill out on our amazing deck! Let the partying commence.

Stay Lovely.

crazy lovely weekend.

Hi, Lovelies.

  I hope your weekend was as crazy with fun & excitement as mine was! I'm not even sure I'm ready to blog about it because I feel like it will exhaust me all over again. The Kipp's started this weekend by driving to Cincinnati late wednesday night (luckily the nuggets slept the whole drive). Then the wedding festivities for my brother in law & now sister in law began!

Thursday- rehearsal & dinner, 

Friday- prep (nails & girly errands), 

Saturday- rise & shine at 5:15am for this anxious chick! -Anything that I know will make someone else nervous or anxious automatically makes me feel the same. I am the definition of "sympathy pains"- 

  Anyway, that's the beside the point. 8am Saturday, the real work began! Not only was I Matron of Honor, I was the on location hair stylist, which in turn made me a chicken with it's head cut off. I felt so jittery all day which made getting my make up done very entertaining. My eyeliner had to be applied then wiped off and reapplied at least 3 times. (sorry ash!) Luckily, we got everything done with time to spare! I was totally shocked at how smooth everything went & how relaxed we all felt after we had ourselves put together! We had a perfect day with 60 degree sunshine which could not have been planned any better. We had a blast taking photos outside The Madison with our amazing photographers from Innovatory Photography. & then the nerves really set in as the time to walk down the aisle came closer! but as expected, all went well. Lots of tears, lots of laughter, lots of love! The reception feels like it flashed before my eyes. We had so much fun dancing & chatting. My speech went so well it even surprised me. I was very confident in my words because I wrote them all from the heart. I was less confident in my deliverance of those words. Public speaking has always been a strong point for me but when there is so much emotion involved it makes it far worse! I'm sure you could hear the nervousness in my voice but overall, I was quite impressed with myself. 

  After helping Megan plan for months & months, I honestly can't believe it's all over! All that hard work has paid off. Now, I have a beautiful sister inside & out. I am so happy for the amazing couple. They could not be more perfect for each other! 

  

   I wish i could say that was the end of my weekend but the madness continues. Sunday was Easter so we weren't able to just relax. Luckily, my family is so laid back we were able to just hang around & watching basketball & play outside for a bit. Monday was Cincinnati Reds opening day so the fun continues!  My beautiful Jade had an extra ticket and was able to take me with her to join in on the fun! It was a bit chilly but the sun was shining & the beer was flowing so my girls & I spent the day in huge crowds enjoying each other! 

How blessed I am to have so many people in my life to enjoy so many joyous occasions with! I love the crazy chaos & the smiles that come with it. I am one lucky girl ;) 

StayLovely.

my lovely happiness project.

Hello lovelies,
  I am in desperate need of a pick me up & as of now, this book is my only savior! The winter blues have set up camp and I just can't seem to shake them. I need some spring in my life but since moving to the great COLD north I've realized it's going to take much longer for me to get to my happy place! The sun is finally shining which gives me some happy tingles but when you have to lay on the floor next to your sliding door to absorb the rays because outside is just to frigid, it doesn't exactly make you jump for joy!  

  So, I was introduced to this book by a random encounter on Instagram & I decided I'd give it a shot. I'm really not much for "self-improvement" books (they just can't keep my attention) but a close friend had read & said it was helpful so I thought, Hey, why not? so here goes nothing...

  I've read chapter one & my blood is pumping. My decluttering brain is in full force. I am set on getting my house exactly how I want it with no if's, ands, or, buts. "Do what ought to be done" is a quote from the book & it just keeps ringing in my ears every time I want to take a break. It's great to have the motivation just in time for Spring to be Sprung & all the visiting starts up again. 

  Other motivation is to exercise better which is something I have mastered so I just took that section as mentally used it as a confidence boost. I also learned tricks to get a better nights sleep which were very helpful. You don't even realize you're losing sleep when you are! 

  I am excited to continue this read and get myself back to my uppity, energetic, self! The winter blues is for the birds. Bring on the sunshine & blooms! keep in touch for more happiness updates.


Twelve Commandments that I must remind myself daily! 

 1. Be Carly.

 2. Let it go.

 3. Act the way I want to feel.

 4. Do it now.

 5. Be polite & be fair.

 6. Enjoy the process.

 7. Spend out. 

 8. Identify the problem. 

 9. Lighten up. 

 10. Do what ought to be done.

 11. No calculation. 

 12. There is only love. 

StayLovely.

greek yogurt dipped strawberries.

Do you need an easy, sweet snack to get you through your sugar cravings?  Believe me, I sure do! & I have the perfect solution. These are so simple to make, I even let my 3 year old lend a helping hand! All you need are 3 ingredients & your freezer. My husband was on grocery duty when I made this snacks so naturally he came home with one wrong ingredient but it turned out just as well. I suggest using greek yogurt instead of organic because of the thicker consistency. Although, adding a little vanilla or honey to the yogurt will give a better taste!

Michigan has some of the biggest, sweetest strawberries I've ever had & my, am I happy about that because I am known to devour an entire pack at a time.

Puncture the little strawberry with a toothpick & spin it around in the yogurt. Do a double dip to get a even layer around the strawberry.

aren't they pretty?

Place them on wax paper before freezing.

I put them in the freezer overnight. Although, I'm sure an hour or 2 will do the trick! 

These are best served after sitting out for a few minutes to thaw. 

Enjoy your healthy & delicious sweet snack! 

StayLovely.