On New Year's Day...

January 1. 

I love a fresh start, don't you? I love opening up a fresh planner, turning to a new month, and dreaming of the possibilities. I also love the thought of improving on the month or year past and setting goals for myself, personally and professionally, as we move into a new chapter.

So, let's chat goals. I am what the personality tests like to call a "lion," which basically means I'm really good at the seeing the big picture or the end goal, and I can get focused to a fault when I'm trying to meet a goal or accomplish something. The problem with lions though is that we often lack the discipline and time management to work out the details that will allow us to achieve our goal without leaving the rest of our life in chaos. We're really BAD at working out the little details when we've set our eyes on the prize, so to speak. 

One of my faults? Constantly thinking about the NEXT project or NEXT goal or NEXT big thing I'm going to do, which often makes me miss out on some of the everyday, routine joy of whatever season of life I currently find myself. I'm always pushing for the next best thing without relishing in the here and now. 

The thing is that I really love the adrenaline rush and sense of accomplishment I feel when I've stepped into new territory or done something I never dreamed I could do. There's nothing that sets me more on fire than working toward a goal or dream that I really believe in. And that's not ALL bad.

The catch-22 though? I've been convicted lately that a lot of my drive to constantly improve and grow stems from a lack of contentment. If I'm being totally honest, I think at times, I constantly push myself because I don't feel like I'm enough. And at times, I feel as if I'm too much. 

And, I'm willing to bet that sometimes, you feel that way, too.

But here's the thing, friends: if I never did another thing, and if I never accomplished another goal in my whole life, the Lord says I'm enough. That doesn't mean I can sit on my couch and binge Netflix until He calls me home, but it DOES mean that I can be content with exactly who He created me to be. Because the best news of the entire gospel is this: HE DID IT FOR ME. Jesus did on the cross what I could never do. He died on the cross and what He did, not what I do, makes me a citizen of heaven. I don't have to continue to prove my worth or continue striving to achieve anyone's approval because He did that for me. He says I'm enough.

And SO ARE YOU.

For the last 15 years or so, I've given myself a challenge to start the new year. Three years ago, I started this blog. Two years ago, I finally said yes to becoming an Ambassador with Noonday Collection after sitting on the decision for 9 months. Last year, I set out to qualify for a trip with the company to meet our artisan partners. 

I'm thrilled that all three of those ventures have been successful, but this year? I really feel as if the Lord is asking me to slow it down. Soak it in. Enjoy the ages my kids are and just relish this season of time with them. I've got so much already planned for this year that I truthfully just don't need to add anything more to it. This year, I'm enjoying the fruits of what I've worked for the last three - I'm visiting our artisan partners, we're taking several family vacations, and I'm continuing to write in this little space I've created here. And I'm calling that good enough.  

So, for 2018, my goal is contentment. 

Less looking out at what the world says I need to be doing and more looking in at my family and friends. 

Less looking down at my phone and more looking up at my kids. 

Less focus on the things that are ahead and more focus on the things I have right in front of me.

What's your goal for 2018? Tell me in the comments! Happy New Year, friends! 

My Noondayversary: Reflecting Back and Looking Ahead

One year ago this week, after much prayer and counsel, I fought back huge insecurities and doubts about myself and my abilities and signed up to become an Independent Ambassador for the Noonday Collection.

My thought process was pretty simple: I felt God calling me to do more for the vulnerable around me. There were so many amazing organizations I researched that I could get involved with - groups that helped people rise out of poverty, groups that helped women escape sex trafficking, and groups that were working hard to make a dent in the orphan crisis. I had this incredible drive to connect to the world around me, but with young children at home (and an adoption in process!), I knew this wasn't the time for me to be going on far away mission trips or making big financial commitments. Truthfully, I had a HUGE amount of money due to an adoption agency, and I needed to bring IN an income to help with that.

Enter Noonday.

As a Noonday Collection Ambassador, I am contributing to ALL THOSE AREAS.  

By advocating for our artisan partners and giving them a marketplace here, we are helping a mom feed her children who may not otherwise be able. In Uganda alone, our partner group, African Style, is employing over 400 people who might not otherwise have steady income. Mothers are bringing their children home from orphanages because they now have the means to feed them. One of our partner groups in Ethiopia (run by an incredible woman named Cherry) is helping women escape prostitution and sex trafficking by taking them under wing, counseling them, and giving them a dignified, meaningful way to bring in an income. And in India, one of the most patriarchal cultures on the planet, our partners are teaching women that their worth and value cannot be defined by a man.

Over the past year, I have (clearly) fallen head over heels with this company and the change WE are creating for our partners, but what I didn't anticipate was the change I saw in myself. My job as an Ambassador has never been about ME - it was about THEM, our artisan partners, and it was about a baby boy in China who needed a family to love him. Along the way, though, I started to feel a shift in myself. I felt empowered by my business, and I felt a confidence that I hadn't felt in a very, very long time. Noonday has given me a purpose in this season where I'm mostly just known as somebody's mom. When I go to a trunk show and help a customer pick out just the right gift for her mom or I get to see the excitement in somebody's eyes who hears our story for the first time, there's fulfillment there. For those few hours, I'm not just somebody's mom...I'm making an impact and part of something that's so much bigger than me.

  And the Ambassador community...I mean, don't even get me started. I could write a novel about the incredible community I've found in my team and Ambassador sisters. These women are some of the most life-giving, encouraging, and loyal people on this planet, and I'm so blessed to be among them.

So, now that I've looked back...I want to look forward. And it's with shaking hands and an anxious heart, I want to share with you my 2017 goal for my Noonday Collection business...

I WANT TO QUALIFY FOR AN ARTISAN TRIP.

There, I said it out loud. (I'm now wiping sweat off my forehead.) They say that goals that aren't shared are rarely met, so I'm putting this one out there for accountability. I want to meet our artisan partners next year. I want to look them in the eyes and hug them and thank them for all they've done to change my life. I want to thank them for playing a role in bringing Brooks home. I want to tell them how much their work matters to our family. 

But I'm not going to get there alone...because here's the really scary part...

I have to have $30,000 in sales this year to qualify. 

Eeeeeek! I know, that sounds like a crazy big amount...and it is...last year, I had just shy of $16,000 in sales and held 16 trunk shows. So, obviously, if you do the math, I need to almost double that and hold at least 25-30 trunk shows this year if I'm going to get there. That's a big jump from 16...

   

THAT'S WHERE YOU COME IN.

I need your help! So many of you guys have hosted and purchased from me, and for that, I am SO very grateful. Now, I need you to share the Noonday love with your friends! Here's how you can participate with the incredible work Noonday is doing...

1) Shop with me! When a birthday rolls around or you need a great necklace for that special night out or it's time for teacher gifts, think Noonday first! You can shop 24/7 at my site HERE. (Also, the sale section right now is INSANE...worth a look!) 

2) Host a show! It's so amazingly easy to gather your friends for a play date or girls' night. Grab some coffee or a bottle of wine, invite your friends over, and let's hang out while changing the world together! The rewards are amazing, the fellowship is just fun, and it's a purchase you can feel 100% good about making. The spring line debuts in just over three weeks, and it's truly breathtaking, y'all. To entice you even further, Home Office has added some amazing benefits for anyone hosting during the the first two weeks of the spring season. For more information on hosting a show, click HERE. Know an adopting family? Let's bless them with a fundraiser! Not local? I'm happy to take a road trip or hop on Facebook Live with you! Shoot me an email and let's figure something out! 

(ALSO: Past hostesses...sign up to host another show with me this year, and I'll tack on an additional $25 in product credit to your rewards as a THANK YOU for partnering with me again!)

3) Share the Noonday love on social media! When you order a piece that you just love, tell your friends! Share my site with them and tell them how your purchase is making a huge dent in some big global issues. Just like you'd share a great new movie you'd seen or restaurant you'd tried, share your world-changing purchases online! People LOVE a good recommendation! 

So, that's my heart today. I'm looking back at the year behind me in my business with gratitude and looking at the year ahead of me with hope and big dreams. I would love for you to join me on this journey and continue to be thankful for my amazing customers every day! XO! 

My 2017 Word

This week at church, one of our pastors challenged us to choose a word as your goal/motto for the year ahead in lieu of making resolutions. Since I really didn't have many resolutions in mind other than continuing in my quest to get up before the kids each day (we are 1 for 3 so far in 2017 for those wondering...mornings are hard...), I loved this idea!

So, my word for 2017 is INTENTION. 

Much of 2016 was about surrendering and allowing God to lead our path as we faced a lot of uncertainty with our adoption process. We didn't know when we'd be matched, when we'd travel, or how our new son would transition into our family. It was basically a year of being in limbo. It was a sweet year in a lot of ways because I learned to trust in the Lord's timing and provision, and I had to let go of my white-knuckled grip on control. That was SO good for a control freak like me, and I'm very grateful that I was able to grow in that way last year. But if I'm being honest, it was also a little bit like being a fish out of water. I felt like I was flailing a lot in 2016, and I was swimming upstream most days. I didn't wake up with a lot of purpose, I was not intentional about my relationships, and that part of 2016 didn't always feel good.  

If I'm going to be truly transparent here, there are still days where we are floundering. Just last week, Brooks was diagnosed with bronchiolitis, and I am now the proud owner of a nebulizer that gets used multiple times a day on a screaming/wheezing baby. (Jealous, yet?) We are still finding our footing as a family of five, and setting a goal isn't going to change that.

With that said, I want 2017 to be a year where I approach my days with INTENTION rather than merely REACTING to what I'm thrown. Confession? There are a lot of days where I like to play the victim card. Occasionally (or not occasionally), I like to complain about all the things that "happened to me" during a day over my glass of wine or six and talk about how hard things are to whatever available ear is around. Don't get me wrong - there's a place for healthy venting - but approaching my life as if it's happening TO ME, rather than FOR ME, isn't healthy. So this year, I'm going to consider what I want to accomplish in various areas of my life, and then I'm going to DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. Maybe not every day, but MOST DAYS, I want to wake up and approach my day knowing that my life isn't happening by accident - it has purpose and meaning, and even if I'm just cleaning up Cheerios for the 852nd time that day, it matters. It all matters because of the intention behind it. 

So, that's my word for 2017 - intention. If you could choose one word for your upcoming year, what would it be??? I'd love to hear! 

Revisiting My 2016 Goals...

So, just for kicks, I thought it'd be fun on this last day of 2016 to revisit the goals I set for myself this year. 

1) Intentional 1-on-1 Time with Each Kid

I actually think I did really well with this one. We did all sorts of "dates" with the kids this year -  movies, ice cream, shopping, Ikea, Sonic, etc. The kids get SO excited to go on a date with one of us, and even though we sometimes have to explain to them why a "date" doesn't mean we go buy them a toy, we've really loved it. It's definitely something we'll keep up in 2017.

2) Wake Up Before Kids

Yeah, so, this one was REALLY hard to keep up. Especially once summer hit. I was really good about it until about April and then fell off the wagon. I could feel a HUGE difference in my attitude toward the day when I did it, but it was a struggle the second half of the year. And once we got home from China, it didn't happen at all. I'm getting back on the saddle in 2017 for this goal...it's so hard, but so worth it!

3) Grace for the Whole Family as We Adapt to Becoming a Family of FIVE!

I actually think we've done well with this. Everyone has transitioned pretty easily. I actually think I am the one most struggling with it, simply because there is SO MUCH demand for my attention, and I (selfishly) get so burned out. When Brooks takes a nap, for example, I really just want to veg out and scroll Instagram or enjoy a cup of coffee, but there is housework to be done, and the bigs see it as an opportunity to get my undivided attention since the baby is asleep. When I'm exhausted and somewhat sleep-deprived most of the time, this is HARD. There are just not enough hours in the day for me to fill MY tank when I have three little people depleting it all day...which is all the more reason to really hone in goal #2 in 2017!

4) Go Get Our China Boy! 

And that we did! And it was definitely the highlight of 2016 for all of us! 

To read more about our trip to China, click HERE.

To read more about our adoption process, click HERE.

Happy New Year, friends! Hoping 2017 is your best year yet! 

August 1st Dreaming...

Well, hey, August, hey! So glad to finally see you!

I've been waiting for August 1st for quite some time. I'll keep it real, y'all - July was NOT my jam. It was long, slow, hot, and full of boredom, truthfully. I'm sure I'll be wishing for a July day come October or so, but right now, I'm okay moving on.

August is going to be a really big month for us around here for a few reasons.

1) I turn 32 tomorrow. On a Tuesday. Sigh.

2) The Noonday Collection fall line launches on the 4th, and I have FIVE trunk shows scheduled so far this month! Amazing! I am SO grateful that so many incredible women have stepped up to host and create a marketplace for our artisan partners in their home. I cannot wait to see how these shows will make an impact both globally and on our family's adoption expenses. Check back here on Thursday for some preview pictures, the link to shop, and to hear a little more of my heart for this amazing company. I've set some lofty goals for myself this fall, and I cannot wait to partner with my amazing hostesses and customers to make it happen. 

(Psssst - local ladies, if you'd like to come see the new line in person and hang out with me, I'm hosting a Mystery Hostess Open House with TWO attendance options: Thursday evening from 6:30-8:00 AND Saturday from 11-2pm! I'd love to have you!)

3) We celebrate Kate turning 3 on Sunday! I cannot believe my baby girl is turning 3. She has really turned into such a little girl this summer. She's becoming very independent, smart, and caring, and even though she still has some seriously sassy moments, we love seeing her little personality blossom.

  4) We head to Colorado on vacation in ONE WEEK! ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLL the praise hands! I seriously just cannot wait to be in beautiful country with my little family. I'll recap the trip once we return!

5) We are asking God to move some pretty big mountains in our adoption this month. We had some exciting news come our way last month that we absolutely cannot wait to share, but until we cross the hurdles we are currently facing and get some approvals we need from China, we cannot share any details publicly. We would covet your prayers for quick movement on that end. Once we have that approval, we are planning to relaunch our wildly successful "No Place Like Home" t-shirt fundraiser with a little bit of a twist. We cannot wait to share all of these details with you...stay tuned! 

(Also, I'd love to hear in the comments what color shirt you'd like to to see us offer! We are considering mint, navy, berry pink, red, or a deep heather gray...let me know what you think!)

So that's what we have coming up! Well, all of that, AND I return to work for some training starting the 23rd. :( It's going to be a whirlwind month, but so many good things happening! Have a great week, friends! XO!

Goals for May

Well, hey there new month! I am SO ready for you. Y'all, April was hard, and I am SO excited to have it behind me so we can move on to better, less sad things.

Let's look back first...

March 30th, we got our first referral call.

March 31st, we learned this little boy's file had errors in it resulting in us not being qualified to adopt him, so the file was moved to another family.

April 1st, our precious dog, Emma, jumped up on to my bed in the morning and let out a huge squeal in pain. This injury would ultimately lead to her loss.

April 13th, We had to let Emma go. She was just in too much pain, so she peacefully left this world late that afternoon. 

The remainder of the month, I was just not really fun to be around. The kids were difficult, I was missing Emma and mad about our lost referral, work was hard, and I got really out of the habit of taking care of myself. Everyone suffered, so I am THRILLED to have a fresh start in May, and I am determined to do better.

So, here are my goals for May: 

1) Get back into the habit of waking up BEFORE the kids.

This was one of my New Year's Resolutions, and I was SO GOOD about it until about March. We went through a rough patch, and I just didn't make my morning quiet time a priority. This will be difficult in May because Carter is now getting up with the early sunrise between 6 and 6:30 (thanks daylight savings time...except NOT...). We are going to get him blackout curtains to see if it helps, but he's coming downstairs by 6:30 which means I need to back myself up to about 6am. Ouch. 

2) Run twice a week.

I've been running every weekend for the last month or so, but I really want to find at least one week night to do it, too. I walk and do some yoga throughout the week, but I need that one good cardio session mid-week to clear my head. It just makes me a better mom and wife to get a good 30-minute run in when I can. 

3) Turn my phone off at 9:15pm.

A couple of months ago, I set an alarm on my phone for 9:15 to remind me to give Blake some of my attention at night because I was finding myself totally absorbed in work/social media/the DVR/anything BUT HIM in the evenings. This alarm has helped tremendously, even if just means we sit together on the couch. He feels like a priority, and I know that's important to him. BUT, I am SO guilty of getting back on my phone after an hour or so and staying up until 10:30/11 on it. I can't get to sleep or sleep soundly when I finally turn it off...so, if goal #1 is going to happen, this needs to happen, too. 

4) FINISH one book. 

Who else is in the I-start-all-the-books-but-never-finish-one camp? I have about eight on my bedside table that I've started and not finished. I WILL finish one this month!

5) Change my outlook.

This is the biggest one that (I hope!) makes all the others fall back into place. I think the second half of April was rough at our house because of ME, not our circumstances. Was it really hard to lose both a referral AND my precious sidekick in two weeks time? Of course. But should I have let those circumstances totally dictate my attitude toward everything else? NO! That was totally on me. I am in control of how I look at my days, so I can't blame our circumstances for that one.

I'll recap at the end of the month and let you know how I did. 

And check back tomorrow...my big boy is turning FIVE, so I'll be taking a trip down memory lane. (Hold me.)

Monday Pinspirations

Ah, Monday...we meet again.

So, today, I'm sharing a few of my favorite Pins from the week for a little Monday Pinspiration! Let's go!

ONE.

I love this challenge from "The Abundant Mama" blog. One of my goals for 2016 was to get up BEFORE my kids in order to start my day in the right frame of mind and get a little "me" time and quite time in before the hustle of the day begins. So far, I've done it almost every weekday (although I'll admit my time was only 10 minutes one morning...it was still before the kids!), and it has made a HUGE difference for me. If you need inspiration and help in this area like I did, check out this challenge!

TWO.

This was such a great reminder for me. We are one, yes ONE, document away from being DTC (dossier to China), and it is SO hard for me to stay present right now. My excitement and anxiety is just so big right now as we approach a major milestonein our adoption process, and it is taking every ounce of self-control for me to be present with my kids, with my husband, with my job. I pretty much need this one tattooed to my forehead.

THREE.

I mean...this could not be more ME if it wanted to be. I'm HANGRY more than I'd like to admit. ;)  Sadly, it's no longer available on Zulily...but if anyone knows where I can find it, shoot me a comment! I. NEED. THIS.

FOUR.

How cute and EASY is this kids' craft?!! I am totally planning on using it for my classroom, but it could be SO cute as a gift for daddy or grandparents from the kiddos, too! You could totally do flower petals using the same tools later on in the spring. I just love this craft!

FIVE.

 I made these Funfetti Cake Batter Cookies the other day just for fun, and they were TO. DIE. FOR. The kids and adults both adored these fun and colorful treats. Super easy (you could even skip the sprinkles if you don't have any on hand) and a serious crowd-pleaser. For those of you that love the flavor of yellow cake batter like me, you will love these! 

SIX.

I'm not afraid to admit that I'm already dreaming of warmer weather...this Texas mama doesn't do cold. I LOVED this basic long-sleeve strip top paired with Converse and pops of color in the jewelry. So easy, comfortable, and cute! Sigh...come on, April!

SEVEN.

Had to end the post on a funny. This cracked me up! We hear you...we always hear you. Sometimes, we just don't like what you said. :) 

Make it a great day friends!!!

September Goals

September.

Ahhhh, one of my absolute favorite months of the year.

School is starting again, college football is coming back (WHOOP!), life goes back to a somewhat predictable routine, bed times get earlier (ALL the praise hands), pumpkin everything comes out on the shelves, and the heat at least minimally decreases...some days. ;) 

With all the positives that happen in September, I'll be honest. September can be incredibly overwhelming as a parent. There are new teachers and new routines to get used to, and that is typically met (at least from my kids) with some resistance. We are trading lazy days at home with no schedule and too many popsicles for an early bedtime and learning the alphabet...it's hard to blame them for protesting!

(This made me LOL.)

This September is different for me. In addition to all the change for my kids, I'm starting a part-time job teaching at my children's preschool AND we are in the thick of a home study for our adoption. So, last night I made a list of my goals for the month...and I thought I'd share them here more for accountability than anything. (Oh, and don't mind the coffee stain. It's fine. It may have been my fifth cup of the day, but it's fine.)

We have only TWO...TWO, y'all...outstanding pieces of paperwork left before we can submit our packet to our social worker and schedule a home visit to wrap up the home study process. WA-FREAKING-HOO! It has been absolutely insane few weeks of gathering the list of 25+ documents we needed for this. This is big, y'all...big step here. 

We are planning a t-shirt fundraiser through Booster for October, and we need to finalize the design. We plan to launch October 1, so stay tuned for details! I am THRILLED at the idea we came up with for this!

As I mentioned in my last post, we are still working on the medical needs checklist...continued prayers for us there as we seek out my cousin (a pediatrician) for wisdom and guidance here.

Pray...every day, every hour, nearly every minute, I fight the urge to feel overwhelmed and give up in all of this. It's just sometimes too much for me. The money, the time, the paperwork, the thought of parenting THREE KIDS...but I know that we are being guided, prayed for, and led here, so I continually pray for God to be in total control here as we move forward. It is a daily, hourly prayer of mine...that HE be in the driver's seat and not me. I have to remind myself all the time that we wouldn't be here without his leading and that I need to trust in that. And, more importantly, trust in HIM. 

And lastly, we are somehow going to pull off a garage sale fundraiser the last weekend of the month. Several of our friends and family members have donated items to this for us, so it will be quite large...and full of "treasures" as my dad calls them. :) If you're local and have items you'd like to contribute, shoot me an email and I'm happy to come pick them up! 

Thank you all for continuing to journey this with us...

Summer Goals

Preschool is officially over for both kids, the splash pads are open, and we have very little on the calendar (during the week at least) for the foreseeable future. That must mean one thing...summer is here! :) 

This year absolutely FLEW by, and the kids have grown SO much I can hardly believe it. Although Kate physically grew the most, Carter's social development has been IN-SANE this year, as he really made his first true friends in school this year, and for that, I'm SO thankful.

If you know me in real life or have read more than one or two of my blog posts, you know that the days with no agenda are the ones that stress me out the most...so, summer is usually pretty hard for me because there are a LOT of those days. I have gotten much better than I used to be...in college, I had a minute-by-minute schedule in my planner each day that included travel time between classes and snack breaks...no, really. I was so tightly wound and thought that going to two classes a day was SO BUSY that it's amazing to me I had any friends back then. (And if I could go back and shake that girl silly, I'd do it in a minute. You have no idea how easy you have it, college girl!) Nowadays, I generally tend to live somewhere east of Dictator Diana and west of Free Spirit Francis. As the kids get older and I'm realizing how fast this whole preschool age goes by, I'm learning the happy medium.

This summer, I want to be more intentional about spending quality time with my kids. Don't get me wrong...there is a LOT of togetherness around here since I stay home and there are no longer any school days. But, if I'm being honest, I think I am very guilty of thinking that since there is such a large QUANTITY of time together, that it's quality. And that's definitely not the case. I have been very convicted lately that I spend most of the day trying to get the kids involved in doing things without me - I put on a show, set them up with coloring books, dump out the Legos...but then I walk away. I get on my phone, do chores, or try to read while they play. I'm not involved. And I'm missing such good stuff!

So, that's my goal for this summer. Since the fall promises to be absolutely NUTS with starting a new job, MOPS commitments, and just ALL THE REST OF IT, I want to let go some days of the schedules and my incessant need to be on a timetable and just BE PRESENT WITH THEM.  

I want to blow up the inflatable kiddie pool, run through the sprinklers, eat popsicles, picnic at the park, just WHATEVER.

I want to move slower, accomplish less, and ENJOY more.

So, those are my goals for summer. We'll see how long it lasts. ;)