No one said it would be easy....

No one said it would be easy. They said it would be hard, really hard. I'm talking about just life in general; everything that comes along with life. Jobs, marriage, children, education, etc. I mean, I knew it wasn't all going to be on a silver platter, but I didn't know it would stress me out this much. Maybe I just let everything in life stress me out, when really, I just need to sit back and appreciate what I have. 

I have my health. Health is one thing that I think we all take for granted. I've watched people I love crumble because of their health issues and I've watched people I love die because they've lost the health they once had. That is one of the hardest things to do; watch someone you love lose the life they once knew because their body won't let them live it. I take for granted the fact that I can jump, run, lift, swim, bike whenever I want. I take for granted that I can see the sun rise and set, the flowers bloom in the spring, see the leaves change in the fall, and watch the snow fall from the sky. I forget that not everyone can smell homemade cookies baking or smell a dozen roses. Even on the days that I feel horrible, I forget it could be so much worse.

I have my family. I have two amazing parents that have taught me to never, ever give up. They taught me to fight for what I love and to always be strong. I grew up with a brother unlike any other. He taught me that hard work does pay off and if you do something you love with your life, you will be happy. I have the best uncle in the world and so many childhood memories have him in them. He is one of the strongest people I know and I look up to him, admire him, and am so proud of him. I love him more than he will ever know. I don't think any of them know how much they have impacted my life. They are all some of the most beautiful people that God put on this Earth. 

I have my husband and my marriage. He lifts me up. He is my strength when I am not sure which way to go. When I first met him, I knew that somehow he would change my life forever and he has and he will continue to do that as long as I live. He forgives me, loves me, and supports me. What more could I ask for? I think the thing I admire the most is the fact that he forgives me. When I mess up or drive him nuts or say things that I probably shouldn't, he forgives me and moves on. He is one of the strongest and most dedicated people I know. He puts his whole heart into what he loves and his passion drives him every single day. I am so proud of him and what he does for our family. I do not tell him that enough. When you get married you marry someone for better AND for worse. You commit to this person and promise to stand by them on their best days AND on their worst days. Marriage is a lifetime commitment and you should do everything in your power to keep your marriage together and keep it alive. You both have to make an effort to make sure your marriage, your love (and yes, your sex life stay alive). Marriage takes work. You have to make sure that flame is still burning. The more you get to know your spouse, the better your marriage will be. There will never, EVER be a day that you stop learning things about the person you married. You will learn something new about them every day that you are together. Of course, you are going to fight. Everyone fights. That's okay. That means you believe in something. That means you believe in each other. You should be worried when you aren't fighting. That means that there is nothing left for you fight for. You should both fight for each other. That's the beauty in fighting. 

I have my son. Every single time I feel lost, I look at him, and everything is as it should be. He lights up my life and makes me feel like I have purpose in this world. It's amazing how a child can make you feel. This little person relies on me to survive. He is always excited to see me and never wants me to go. I know that it will change but I'm going to take what I can get for right now. He makes me feel so complete and every single day I try harder just for him. He makes it easier to wake up in the morning. He came into my life exactly when I needed him to. He teaches me to focus on today and to hope for tomorrow. 

I think that life is unpredictable. No one is ever going to know what will happen or where you will be 5 years from now. The most important thing to remember is that life goes on. No matter how hard it seems right now or how scared you are about the future, life is not going to sit back and wait for you to get it together. Life is going to just keep going and it isn't going to stop. Days will turn into months, months into years, and you will wonder how you got where you are. Take the bad days and turn them into good. You might have no idea what you are doing or where you going or what exactly your purpose is, but remember, this life is a blessing. This life was given to you. So mess up, do something you never thought you would do, love more than you could ever love, and never forget that you will never get today back. Am I perfect? Far from it. Do I hurt people I love? You better believe I do and I hate that. But you know what? I learn from my mistakes, I learn from the pain I cause others, and I learn from the love that people give me. So all I can do from this day forward is enjoy the NOW, appreciate every kiss I get from my baby, and cherish every moment I have with the people I love. Because tomorrow might never come. Tomorrow might be too late. Don't wait around for someone to save you. You just need to save yourself. Happiness comes from within. If you are happy, people in your life will be happy too. There is no better time to change than right now. Live. Laugh. Love. Your future is now. 

I am thankful for all the people in my life that have stood by me, support me every single day, listen to me complain, and deal with all my fears, dreams, and failures. I am thankful for the people in my life that have given up on me, left me, and pushed me to the ground. Without those people I would not be who I am today. Without them, I would not have gotten back up and pushed ahead. Without them, I would not have realized how strong I am. Without them, I would not have realized what I deserve. I am blessed to be here and to live each beautiful day exactly how God wants me to live it. He is writing my story. I am just along for the ride. Make tomorrow better than today. Have no regrets. And love with every breath you take. 

Homemade Finger Paint

We have a snow day here in central Nebraska today! And tomorrow is another one too! Today we did a lot of painting! We made homemade finger paint. My one year old loved it and I think it will be a regular thing. It was kind of clumpy so maybe the next batch will turn out a little better. I'm not sure how the pictures will dry. He only painted one page and he wanted to throw it away. He just realized how neat it is to throw things in the trash, so we are just going with that right now! :)

Recipe for homemade finger paints: 

3 Tbs Sugar 

1/2 tsp Salt 

1/2 cup Corn Starch 

 2 cups Water 

 Combine ingredients in a small pan. Warm until the mixture thickens. Cool and pour into containers. Add food coloring!! 

 Easy, fun, and I promise it will fill your house with giggles!
recipe from theBerry!

There is no doubt about it. This little boy lights up my life. Isn't it amazing how much they can change your life? I was one lost soul before he came into my life. I am so blessed to be his mommy. 

DIY Lost Socks Board

I did a ridiculous amount of laundry today. That's how I always do laundry. I end up doing so many loads that usually not all the pairs of socks get washed in the same load. I didn't notice how many socks I had that didn't have a mate until after I would do another load...SOOOO....I decided it was time for a Lost Socks board. I've seen these on Pinterest and figured I'd give it a try!

I had a lot of fun with this one. My one year old son had a great time helping me out too! He loved putting his feet in paint! After I made this and hung it up, I ended up matching 3 pairs of socks. All in all, I'd say that it is already coming in handy!

I bought the board at Hobby Lobby. I painted it white. I then put the footprints on. Next, I traced the letters and painted them with a paint marker. I put scrapbook paper on the paperclips with Mod Podge and glued those on. Then, I decided to put some ribbon on the back to hang it up. This was super easy and I did it in one evening. I didn't measure anything so not everything is even, but that isn't a big deal to me! I'm not too picky when it is only going to be in my laundry room. I think the cute little footprints catch most of the attention anyway! :) 

Baked Southwestern Chicken Mini Egg Rolls with Avocado Ranch Dipping Sauce

I bought some frozen Southwestern Egg Rolls a few months ago and loved them. I thought to myself, "Hey, I could probably make these." Well, that thought ended there. Then, the other day my husband told me we would be going to a friend's house for a Super Bowl party and of course I knew I needed to bring something. These egg rolls popped back into my head and I searched for a recipe that I liked! I found this from This Mommy Cooks! Check out her blog! I love love love it!

Ingredients:
For the egg rolls
3 chicken breasts (I shredded these in my food processor!)
2 cups frozen corn, thawed
1 15oz can of black beans (rinse and drain)
1 9oz package frozen chopped spinach (thawed and drained)
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese (I used Mexican)
1 7oz can of diced green chiles (drained)
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 package of wonton wrappers

For avocado ranch
1/2 cup of mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons buttermilk
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 avocado, peeled and pitted

Directions
For egg rolls:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Prepare baking sheets with cooking spray.
2. Mix together chicken, corn, beans, spinach, cheese, chiles, cumin, chili powder, salt, and cayenne pepper.
3. Scoop a small amount of the filling onto a wrapper.
4. Start at the corner and roll up the wrapper.
5. Once it's almost rolled, fold in both sides and finish rolling.
6. Wet your finger and dab a bit on the corner to seal it shut.
7. Bake for 7 minutes. Turn egg rolls over and bake an additional 7 minutes.

For avocado ranch:
Place all the ingredients in a blender and pulse until smooth. Eat immediately!




***I also added some olives to the mixture! Not sure how many. I just kind of added some until I thought it looked good! :)
***Also, I only used one package of wonton wrappers, but I had SOOOO much mixture leftover that I probably could have filled two more packages of wrappers. We are using the extra in tortillas though, and it's great!