Stupid small town.

You know how some people just love the small town feel?

Well, I don't.

Not anymore.

You know, I made a lot of horrible mistakes growing up. And I regret every single one of them. 

But you know what? I am a DIFFERENT PERSON. I am NOT the same girl in high school. I am a MOTHER and a WIFE. 

But it's a little bit hard to keep my head held high, even though I know who I am, when everyone I run into gives me "looks" or most of the time won't even acknowledge me. I'm not stupid. I know what you think of me.

It's hard to forget about the past when the past is all around you.

I am so ready to move. To where no one knows me and I can start over...again.

I'm thinking Germantown-Memphis, Nashville, Chattanooga, or Knoxville. 

If it were up to the hubby, it would be Orlando, Florida. 

But I prefer not to live near zombies.

I just feel like there HAS to be more out there for me than this.

Oh, How Pinteresting!

 

Linking up with The Vintage Apple to show off some of my awesome Pinterest finds this week!
And I decided to do a "theme" to this one....
You guessed it:
Superheros!!! :D Mostly Marvel. Because they are just more amazingly awesome in my opinion. :)

                                                                                                  Source: kwejk.pl via Lauren on Pinterest

                                                                                 Source: lokilovers.tumblr.com via Lauren on Pinterest

                                                                                         Source: 25.media.tumblr.com via Lauren on Pinterest

                                                                                    Source: Uploaded by user via Lauren on Pinterest

                                                                                                     Source: via Lauren on Pinterest

                                                                                           Source: tifferini-graphics.tumblr.com via Lauren on Pinterest

                                                                                                  Source: epbot.com via Lauren on Pinterest

                      Also, Michelle is giving away a $30 Amazon Gift Card! Go enter to win!!

I'm against the latest hot topics.

I've noticed lately that I'm kind of going against the grain on the latest "trends". And I'm not even doing them on purpose.
I'm rebelling for no reason!!! :P

For example.....

*Fifty Shades of Grey.

Dude. I tried it. I really did. I gave it several chapters. But everything annoyed me. The narrator, the sex. It just seemed to me like the author was trying a liiiiiiitle bit too hard.

Also, the fact that old women talk about this is kind of creepy.

AND, I wish Hollywood would hurry the heck up and pick out who is going to play Christian Freakin' Grey!!!! I DO NOT CARE! Just give me my superheros and all will be good.

But like I said on my Twitter, I guess I know now how Twilight haters feel. :P

*Magic Mike

First of all, the trailer to this pisses me off. "Go ahead and tell your husband you're going to book club..." or something like that. Urrrrm.

I would actually go to book club....

And not lie to my husband. LOL!

And also Matthew McConaughey is like 97 years old and has lost too many brain cells from smoking weed surfing, and Channing Tatum may have a rockin' bod but his acting skills are lamesauce.

*Ombre Hair.

Obvs, someone copied my sometimes-hairstyle. Because I've been rockin' ombre hair since High School. 

                                                                                        Source: serratas.blogspot.de via sally on Pinterest

But I called it "too broke to get my hair colored again so I'll just let it grow out".



I feel like I'm the only one who thinks these trends are cray...
 

I have another blog!

I made a new weight loss blog! Check it out! I'm going to need all the support I can get haha:)

Finding a Purpose

Yesterday I was having a pretty rough day.

Tucker pooped a million times.

At least 3 drinks were spilled.

Kenzie was having typical 3 year old attitude problems.

And I just felt lost. I try so hard every day to be a better mother, wife, and Christian. I pray and thank God for everything. I ask Him to help me each day.

But yesterday, for some reason, I just felt like a huge disappointment to everyone I know. I felt like I should be doing more with my life.

And as I was washing dishes, and crying because I had another spilled drink to clean up, I heard this song on Slacker Radio:

 

It's funny how God can send messages to your heart. I realized that I do have a purpose on this Earth and whether I know what His plan is for me right now or not, I'm going to strive to live a better life for Him, my children, and my husband. 

There's still a lot I need to learn, but I'm ready and willing.

Source: myblessedlife.net via Lauren on Pinterest

Ye-haw for nerdlife!

So, I feel like I've contradicted myself.

In a couple of posts ago, I said I never do "Outfit of the day" pics.

My favorite top. Necklace. Wavy hair-don't care.

Well....I lied. For some reason, (and I'm not complaining!), I've been more self confident lately. I've lost 10 pounds since January and kept it off. I can't really tell a difference but I know that I'm 10 pounds lighter than last year, so that counts for something right? Also, like I said yesterday, I'm beginning to become more "me" and not care what anyone thinks. I've tried being the popular one; that didn't work. I've tried being the snobby one; that wasn't fun. I've tried being the rebel; that got me nowhere. So I'm thinking if I tried being myself, things would work out a little better. And like always I was right.

I know I do a lot of "who I am" posts, but I figure, the more people get to know me, the better to decide if they like me or not. ;)

I've come to realize that I don't fit into any category; more like ALL the categories put in one!

Preppy

• Polos = NoNo's. I would never be caught DEAD wearing a polo shirt/dress/whatevs.
• BUT, I like sparkly things and anything monogrammed. :)
• Acrylic nails are a no-go either.
• Ok, maybe I'm not preppy at all.....

Nerdy

• As much as I tried to avoid it, I think this is the category I fit best in. I love superheros, reading (although this hardly qualifies anyone as a nerd...more like educated), video games, and Harry Potter (you're just not awesome if you don't like Potter).
• As a child I played with Pokemon, watched Pokemon, and played Doom on the computer. Yeah, I was pretty awesome and I didn't even know it LOL!!
• I want my hair to be red. Like fire engine red. And it's gonna happen. And I have no clue why this is under Nerdy. 
• My newest goal, is to go to a Comic Con. #nerdlife

Country

• I hate country music. My only exceptions are Miranda Lambert & Taylor Swift. Or if I'm drinking beer. Weird. 
• I love cowboy boots, living in the country, gardens, barn weddings, camping, drinking out of mason jars, and bonfires.

 Oh, and I've reached 100 Followers! Wow! :D

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for:

*God. I'm not a perfect person. I probably make more mistakes than the average person. And I struggle everyday with myself. But I know that I have a God that loves me no matter what. And I'm thankful that I can pray to Him every night before I close my eyes for bed.

 

*My husband and his understanding in me. I'm thankful that he loves me for who I am and that he will stick up for me in any situation. And he also understands that sometimes, this momma needs a margarita. Or two. On a weeknight....

*The beautiful weather we've been having!

 *My drive-me-crazy-but-I-don't-know-what-I-would-do-without-them kids. And the fact that my daughter just said "britches". LOL!

*The person I'm becoming. I'm beginning to sort of "find" myself. Even though I was always "there". Confused? LOL! I'm gaining my self-confidence back, little by little. I'm realizing that inner beauty is more important than outer. I'm realizing that I shouldn't really care what ANYONE thinks of how I look. And the more I realize all this stuff, the better I feel about myself:)

 

*Anyone who reads my blog. Most of the time I feel like I'm pretty much talking to myself lol. And that's okay! But if you do read this, it does mean a lot to me.

What are you thankful for this week?

Weekend Recap

 

This weekend was pretty laid back. We didn't go anywhere or do anything crazy. Actually, I'm embarrassed to say, I hardly left the couch! Besides the usual house cleaning, I just relaxed. All weekend.

{Saturday}

We did have a few friends over Saturday night to grill some DELICIOUS burgers and hang out by the fire.

Also, I wanted to show my random Outfit of the Day picture I decided to take of myself lol. It shows my normal style, simple and boring.

{Sunday}

Sunday was church & grocery shopping. My sweet mother in law watched both of our kids for us so we could "shop in peace" lol. We got done an hour earlier than we normally take just because we didn't have the kids. Crazy.

That night, we watched The Sitter with Jonah Hill. It was better than I was expecting. (I was expecting it to be reeeeealy dumb). 

And Bailey's coffee creamer if heavenly. Just letting you know. :)

Today, I'm starting to plan for my babies' birthday party! In exactly a month, Tucker will be 2. And in a month and a week, Kenzie will be 4! It feels like yesterday when I was planning their last party :(

So, how was your weekend?! :)

June's Yum-yums. [with free printable!]

I menu plan.

Why?

So I don't have to stand in front of the food cabinets for an hour deciding what's for dinner OR to avoid asking everyone what they want and getting 17 different responses. Which is still puzzling because we only have four people in our house....

Also because I'm a list making, organizing, craycray woman. :)

So I make a monthly menu to keep things a little less hectic. And also, because we like to do all our grocery shopping in one day, for the whole month lol. Well, as much as we can (minus fruits/veggies that won't be used immediately).

This is where Pinterest comes into play. We get tired of the same ole foods all the time. But who doesn't? So we try to incorporate at least 3 new recipes each month.

This month I went a little food crazy and picked 7 new recipes! Along with some lunches for the kids and a movie night snack!

Here's the new recipes we are trying this month:

[Dinners]

*White Chicken Enchiladas*

                                                             Source: joyful-mommas-kitchen.blogspot.com via Lauren on Pinterest

*Italian Meatball Bake*

 

                                                                         Source: pillsbury.com via Lauren on Pinterest

*Crockpot Chicken & Rice Casserole*

                                                                   Source: southernplate.com via Lauren on Pinterest

*Crockpot Beef Stroganoff*

Side Note: I am ONLY making this because it will be Father's Day this month and this is one of Doug's favorite foods....I'm not a huge fan. BARF

                                                               Source: thecrockstar.blogspot.com via Lauren on Pinterest

[Breakfast]

 *Bacon Breakfast Bake* 

                                                      Source: bubblecrumb.com via Lauren on Pinterest

*Cinnamon French Toast Bake* 

                                                                 Source: ohmysugarhigh.com via Lauren on Pinterest

Source: chef-in-training.com via Lauren on Pinterest

[Dessert] 

*Cake Batter Muddy Buddies*

 

                                                                  Source: chef-in-training.com via Lauren on Pinterest

And eventually (hopefully tonight or tomorrow since we will be grocery shopping Sunday) I will get my full menu made for the month. 

And here is my weekly menu planner I made in about 3 seconds. Hence the simpleness ;) Feel free to download and print as many as your heart desires!

Printable Menu Planner