guest post for Southern Grade

Sharing a little bit about marriage, faith and being a new mom over here today. Stop by and enjoy!

it's been a while...

I decided to fall off the face of the blog earth for a while friends. I was spending too much time in my day on the computer and worrying too much about my internet life and not enough about my real life. I was measuring my outfits, photography, thoughts, weekends and outings based on what would look best in a blog. Trying to keep up and make it better all of the time wasn't for me.

Also, I've been doing this...

...growing a sweet girl inside of me. My daughter. These last 27 weeks have been an incredible journey. God is teaching me so much about His control on our lives from before we were born and how He desires the reigns for the rest of it. I'm merely the vessel that He is using to form my sweet Reese Katherine inside of me. He is making her perfect, not her, not me, not Brian, He is.

Here's to letting Him have that kind of control forever  on her life and mine as He is better at it than I ever could be.

Sometimes I miss blogging so maybe I'll be back every once in a while to share about how an ordinary person can be organized or with thoughts on what I'm learning in this life.

xoxo

a different christmas

Source: spreadhisword.tumblr.com via Olivia on Pinterest

Our family has decided to do Christmas a little different this year. The burden has been on my heart for the last few years but I haven't quite had the courage to stand up and say it. The stress of buying presents for so many family members around the holidays has me feeling a little bit insane. The need to find just the perfect gift, make sure I'm spending the same amount on them that they are on me, spending money that I don't have  to spend all takes away from the real reason Christmas is celebrated.

God gave us a gift, a sacrifice of himself, when we are rushing around we miss the biggest detail of it all. This year we've decided with some of our family members to not purchase gifts for each other but to just be together. Christmas is a time to celebrate what God has done for us by sending His one and only Son to be humbly born into this dark world to pay a price for us so that we could live. He wants us to live our life as a blessing to others and slowing down to spend quality time with those around us is just that.

How do you keep yourself focused on the Creator?

why my blog is for me

I started this blog almost 3 years ago out of a need to create and to have a voice. I titled it 'For Me' as a constant reminder that I shouldn't blog just for others. I blog stalked for a few months before I started mine and it made me sad to see people write things like "I'm sorry for not posting lately..." as if they were not enjoying it and being forced to post. I also wanted to always remind myself to stay true to who I was.

For blog success, I've been told to do many things, but I don't necessarily want blog success, I want to be me, isn't that why most of us start blogs? So that we can share a bit of ourselves with the world? Learn from each other? Grow together? I never wanted to do otherwise. I'm writing this post for myself right now as another reminder.

Lately I have been bored with my blog, over it, not feeling it. I don't really know if anyone is still reading, I don't get a lot of comments, I haven't had new followers in months, my photos aren't done very well because I don't have photoshop, I don't take pictures all of the time because my life is really busy and hectic. I realized that this list of things was the reason that I wasn't "feeling it" when really all of those things shouldn't matter if I'm blogging just for me.

I have an audience of One that I'm trying to please, Galatians 1:10 and I shouldn't let those things make me not want to blog.

Part of the beauty of this world of blogging is the community made within it. I delight so much in comments on my posts and interacting with readers as well as being inspired by content on the blogs of others. However, if I don't get comments or new readers, I don't want to think that I am failing. Or if one blog has grown a lot in the last year and mine hasn't, I don't want to feel any ounce of jealousy in it. I am not going to stop blogging, I just want to remind myself the reason I started in the first place. Thank you to all who have been following along in my journey, I hope we continue to inspire one another.

Do any of you struggle with comparison, jealousy, blogging for others and not yourself? I hope this is an encouragement to keep blogging things you love, share your heart and personality and if people enjoy it and find value in it, that is just a bonus!

changes

Our house is on the market!!! This has been a bitter, sweet time for me. As much as I complain here and there about this house, it was our first home together, as the Carter family. Our first 3 years of marriage, the joys and the hurts were experienced in these walls and we learned A LOT. It doesn't feel like we are just closing the chapter on this house but on a season of our life. I am going to miss it, the comfort and the memories but I am also ready and excited for Chapter Two in the Life of the Carter Family, whatever that will bring us!

I am praying that God leads us exactly where He wants us. This next home is the one we will hopefully begin to raise a family in so  I want this decision not to be ours but His. We trust Him because He is the only one who knows what will be right for our family, I want to place this in His hands.

you can find a link to the listing here

my favorite places

Pacific City, OR

Source: Uploaded by user via Sharon Spencer on Pinterest

Bend, OR

Source: google.com via Kelli on Pinterest

Washington Family Ranch- Antelope, OR

Source: google.com via Laura on Pinterest

Santa Barbara, CA

Source: Uploaded by user via Otto on Pinterest

David Hill Winery- Forest Grove, OR

Malibu Club- BC Canada

Source: Uploaded by user via Taryn on Pinterest

Where are some of our favorite places?? 

skirts vs leggings

I've always thought of skirts & dresses to be worn on special occasions and not for the every day. Maybe it's the climate we live in, how it's 40 degrees most of the year, maybe I'm scared wind will come and my underwear will show, maybe I'm not that in love with my legs, maybe I never don't like to shave my legs,  whatever the reason I've always been more inclined to put on leggings or jeans than a skirt or a dress and I feel like I'm missing out.

Here's to dressing more like a woman with a skirt or dress in the every day:

Source: seejaneworkplaylive.blogspot.com via Olivia on Pinterest

Source: thedaybookblog.com via Olivia on Pinterest

Source: Uploaded by user via Olivia on Pinterest

Source: pygmystylegeek.blogspot.com via Olivia on Pinterest

Source: galmeetsglam.blogspot.com via Olivia on Pinterest

Source: thedaybookblog.com via Olivia on Pinterest

What about your? Do you wear skirts or dresses other than to weddings? Do you have a go-to skirt look? 

confession: I am addicted to FRIENDS

I own all 10 seasons..
I've watched through them at least 5 times each
I watch at least 2 episodes per day
If I watch Friends before bed it takes me less than 20 minutes to fall asleep.
If I don't.. it can take up to an hour.
I think that means I have an addiction problem?
If so.. I don't want help.

do you watch FRIENDS?
What is your FAV show?

my style

Personal style? We all should have one. I hope to dress how I want to dress, not how others want me to. As I thought about it I realized that I didn't just have one. I have a few different styles that I combine together on a daily basis (or that I wish I was bold enough to do). Here is what I came up with:

What about you? What do you think your personal style is?
How would you describe it?

questions, questions, questions

dear friends,

 I would love to know more about what you would like to see on my blog and I thought formspring would be a great way! Pop on over to my accout and ask me anything you'd like...  organizing, my faith, my home or just me!

love, o

Source: gthegentleman.tumblr.com via Olivia on Pinterest

road trip day 3: Grass Valley and a best friend's wedding

birthday in review

{disclaimer: not a very pretty post with lots of crappy phone pictures}

friday brian surprised me by taking the day off work, made me some breakfast, caught up on the Bachelorette with me for a few hours, then we took of to the Gorge to do some hiking.

1st stop was Bridal Veil Falls for a warm up

then Angel's Rest

came home to this sweet thing on my porch :)

showered and got dressed up in my new shoes, nail polish and earrings

and ate some dinner at 23 Hoyt. 

Brian had a burger of course - but the fries were the BEST fries I've ever had, hands down. 

going back there soon just for those puppies

saturday we did some yard work

and went to my parents for a little bbq and to play games!

i was enjoying myself and not taking many pictures but here is a few:

baby j and a beer? not sure his parents are going to approve of this :)

sister and husband with my moms cat...

my family: sister, brians sister, her hubs, my hubs and me

2 of my best friends and my 8 year old brother in law having fun

sunday was my grandmas birthday as well so we had the fam over to my parents again. 

this is my sweet cousins baby girl :)

and just loving what these peonies have turned into this week

YAHOO. thanks everyone for who celebrated with my last weekend. it was a blast :)

wcg for dayssss

out doing this for the weekend. Heading up 100+ volunteers... wish me luck!!!


2010 WCG Experience from Wild Canyon Games on Vimeo.

filling in blanks on friday (well thursday night..)

playing along with the wonderful Lauren

1.   I am currently obsessed with   my new camera and my pretty feather hair extension

2.  Today I am    happy and feeling less stressed    because,    the snow we got today was sooo beautiful, I stayed away from facebook so I would stop hearing everyone complain about too much or too little or that it wasn't snow or that they were off work ETC. my husband stayed home until lunch just for fun and worked from home and then the sun was shining all afternoon while I ran errands and got LOTS done . AND i booked our hotel for when we're in new york .... next weekend... I'm working on being more laid back & care free but I almost had a heart attack last night thinking of not having a place booked yet..

3.  The age I am is    23 1/2 :)    and the age I feel is    28? I've always felt much older than I actually have been, most of my life.

4.  My favorite place is     ohhh so hard. LOTS. Portland, Cedar Mill, Hartung Lake, Pacific City, Wildhorse Canyon.... 

5.  Something I have been procrastinating is     fixing my car :( My driver side door won't open... so I've been having to get in the passenger side door and climb over (so embarrassing...) and it's been a few days, weeks now... I need to call... like tomorrow...

6.  The last thing I purchased was       business cards offline!!!! :) 

7.  The thing I love most about my home is       just having one. I feel so blessed to have a roof over my head and get to share it with my best friend. I love my couch and being cozy on it. 

snapshots from the last week

babysitting my brother in law

valentines day

working on a wedding

birthday boy

bridgeport brewpub

snow on the ground?

freemont bridge

go blazers

helping my friend set up the baby shower she's throwing

me being a florist- pre-wedding prep

first event coordinating on my own :) (the set up)

new kitchen table!

(and left over centerpieces from the event)