Happy Labor Day Weekend!

It's a long weekend!... Well, for some. Our weekend is going to be filled with refinishing furniture (I will take pictures) and having fun with family. By the time I get back to y'all, I should have my desk

This girl is so silly!

and computer set up. Or I'll be taking care of Zoey all weekend, because she is starting to act sick.. Poor girl gets horrible hay fever, just like her mommy.

Be careful this weekend! Don't drink and drive!

I look forward to posting again on Monday! Until then, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to stay updated with my weekend! Also, follow me on Pinterest to see ideas for updating the house and more!

(wow, that sounded commercialized)...

Disney Princess Lettering

Elsa and a snowflake, Aurora and a rose
Tiana and the "Wishing Star", Belle and books.

(Oh my gosh, I just watched a commercial for CarMax! I couldn't not stop laughing, "...because people don't like that")

Zoey's bedroom is themed around princesses and Disney princesses. I want to get her all the stuffs!!...but obviously, that costs money. What could I do to make her room the way I want it?! You make it of course! I got the letters before Zoey was even born, I painted them pink and brown (nursery colors), but it looked like

I had a lot of fun with this project. Between painting, drawing, and a couple comical moments. In the end, it looks super cute.

So, that being said; let me tell you my process.

I got the lettering at Hobby Lobby. They are wooden and have a hole in the back to hang on nails.

Original look

They start out as white, so it is easy to get the perfect color shade you want.

1. Painting Letters

• I used some acrylic paint that I already had laying around. 
• I did have to mix colors, but mixing colors isn't that hard. Just mix a little at a time until you get the color you want. 
• I chose blue, pink, green, and yellow/gold
• I didn't even bother painting the back. No one is going to see the back, so why waste the paint

Painting it gold

2. Drawing the Princesses

• I drew them on a separate piece of paper. I didn't want to take the risk of messing up and ruining the whole letter. 
• I stayed with the traditional colors, but you can venture outside the box and make it your own.
• Not only did I draw the princesses, but I also drew an item that is associated with them.
• Once I drew and colored everything, I glued them onto the lettering. I kind of regret using super glue, because it discolored the pictures, but that was really the only thing that I had to use. I could have used a glue stick, but that never sticks for long. 

3. Shaping

• I tried two ways of doing this.
• I lined up where I wanted the princess to be, carefully turned it over (you could tape it down as well) and outlined where I was going to cut the excess paper.
• Then I glued the paper on first where I wanted it then cut it along the edge of the letter.
• Both were about the same difficulty. Even though I outlined it, I still had to trim in when i glued it on.
• MAKE SURE YOU GLUE THE PAPER IN THE RIGHT SPOT!

Bahaha! Did that really
happen?!

NO! I glued the paper upside
down!

I did something a little extra and stamped the first letter of every princess at the top just for poops and giggles.   

It is so cute! Zoey loves them so much! 

Have fun making them everyone! Bring out your inner child!

For more DIY, click here.

Yes, Aurora is upside down. 

Facebook! Quick Post!

Oh Facebook.... Why do you make it so complicated?

I decided to make a Facebook page specifically for My Beautiful Life. Within an hour of making it, I got a restriction. That was a couple days ago. It now says that it is permanently unpublished. WTF? Why? I didn't even get to post anything on it. I'm not giving up, though! I'm appealing it.. again.. until they get back to me... we wait.

I don't know much about Twitter, but I'm going to set up an account there as well. How is everyone today? I wanted to post something so much this morning, but I had to get up and do adult things. That

is why I had my big mug of coffee!

Yes, it does say "Who's your Caddy?". I got it at a thrift store and I love it very much. I don't use it very much, because that's A LOT of coffee. Thankfully, it didn't take too long to get everything done.

Well I just wanted give you a little update about the social media problem. I'll talk to y'all tomorrow!

Beyond Scared!

" Ice Ice ____"

I know I scheduled Wednesdays as a "no post day", but tomorrow is going to be a busy day for me! I'd rather post one today, than not post another one till Friday.

I've been practicing my "art skills" the last couple days... I.. just understand why my hand won't do what my brain wants it to do. Last night I was working on head shapes and they kept coming out crooked. Either the jaws weren't aligned or one side of the face was flatter than the other. I can't seem to get it parallel.

Oh well, "practice practice practice". I know my next theme and I'm super excited for this one and I'll probably do it more. "Draw a Song". Close your eyes, put headphones on and just listen to music. What story do you play in your head?  What colors do you see? Who do you think of when the song is playing?

Okay, so to the the post, haha.

I love Zoey to death and she is my special little girl. She really gets to be a handful, though. If she can get me all worked up... what is it going to be like when Connor gets here? She is so intrigued by Connor now, but he is just kind of a concept to her. She doesn't know what's coming. She might think, "Connor is going to come stay with us and leave the next day". She isn't great dealing with change. She tends to act up, gets an attitude and she gets clingy.

I have been trying to teach her how to help me. Either, doing it herself or having her fetch me something. If you read the post about my concerns about her, you know she doesn't do well with instructions. If not, go check it out.

She is surprisingly gentle with fragile things. So maybe she will be gentle with Connor... but what if she isn't... My brain!! My anxiety!! Why do you make everything so complicated?! Thankfully, I will have the time with Connor in the hospital and then Josh will be home for about a week when we come home... That's making me think of babysitters for Zoey. Ah! It doesn't end.

Josh wants to get a SECOND job! Don't expect the house to be very clean. It won't be. I'll be busy with Connor's clustering feeding or dealing with one of Zoey's "I want" fits... But, I know in the end, I won't want it any other way.

I have 9-12 weeks left to figure everything out. By the way!! I am 28 weeks today. If you want to see my baby bumps, check out the "Pregnancy Updates" page.

How I Deal With My Depression and Anxiety!

Today, I am going to give you a little back story of yours truly. I know there are a lot of people out there in the same boat as me.

I was bullied all through school. Elementary to High School. I was classified as the weird one in my grade. I was the typical "picked last" child. Thankfully, I had a small group of friends.

At the age of 14, I was diagnosed with depression. I always felt alone; even though I had loved ones who cared, smothering me. I ran away and was put in a Juvenile Detention Center. I spent a year on probation.
 I snuck out of the house one night to hang out with friends. My parents figured it out real quick. That night, I had unwanted sex.

I started burning myself, talking to guys that were too old for me. When my parents found out, I felt so isolated. I had a severe panic attack and I ended up cutting almost all my hair off and tried to kill myself. They put me in the hospital for a couple of weeks and put me through therapy.

When I got back to school, everyone noticed my obvious change in appearance. The snickering and loud whispers began. The friends I told you about before... turned on me and all of a sudden I was eating lunch a lone. No one to see between classes.

 I was pulled out of school until "further notice". A few weeks went by and they decided to move us to a different town. It was nice not knowing anyone and not being known as the suicidal weirdo.
But my mistake... was not changing who I was. No one wanted to get to know me. The one friend I did have was more of an acquaintance than a friend. Why did no one like me?

I started talking to a guy in one of my classes, we hit it off really well. Then everything went down hill again. His crazy ex girlfriend...friend? I'm not sure what she was to him... She was crazy. Telling me to stop staring at her (I didn't even know who she was, or what she looked like), to stop talking to him, she'll kill me if I continue to talk to him. /

So, I backed off. He texts me telling me everything was okay now; she won't be a problem and we are no longer talking. Alright then, awesome! We talk; I kid you not, two days! Guess who I get a text from.. You got it! This chick is ruthless!

While all of this was going on, my parents decided to look through my phone, and found some things they didn't like. I had no phone, my parents weren't talking to me, I had no friends at school, and my brother was a normal teenager, he was never home. I had yet another panic attack. They were getting worse and worse, but I always had someone to talk me through it. I didn't know how to calm myself down and I was supposed to be getting ready for school... what is the point of going back there when I was going to get beat up and still have no one behind me, helping me.

I couldn't calm down, so I decided to take pills. The only thing I could find was benadryl. I took almost the whole bottle (about 50) and got in the tub. My mom came barging in telling me I was late. This is were everything got fuzzy. I somehow got to the hospital and was put in impatient again. I couldn't stand up or walk straight for a few days.

They sent me straight back to school after I got out. They weren't having it anymore. I couldn't blame them, I was hurting them. There is so much you can do, before you start to give up. We moved again.
I started at another school. A week after that, my grandma passed away. It was the worst feeling. Combining all of my panic attacks together, it still wouldn't have been as bad as how I felt then. Instead of taking the pain and projecting it on myself, I told myself I wasn't going to hurt myself ever again. My grandma was the only one that never saw me any differently. I'm going to prove to everyone and myself that I am strong.

I moved out of my parents at 18 years old to be with my now fiance. I was put on antidepressants again a little over a year ago (I'm now 23) due to my physical depression.

For you who don't know, or skeptical of depression. Depression is a chemical imbalance in the brain and can effect you in all kinds of ways. Lucky for me, my emotional health and anxiety was much better. I was gaining more and more weight. I never wanted to get up and do anything, I had no motivation what so ever. I loved playing with Zoey, but I never wanted to get up and play.
When I started taking my medication, I got up, worked out, cleaned, I was starting to keep up with everybody. It was so nice having a clear mind for once.

Fast forward to present day. I'm 27 weeks pregnant and an emotional wreck. My depression and anxiety are going crazy. I had my first suicidal thought since I was 16 years old. I felt horrible! I knew I would never go through with it, but I felt guilty and ashamed because I had one tiny thought about leaving Zoey and Josh. Hurting the precious baby I'm growing. I immediately called my doctor and together we are working together to help me get better. My doctor and Josh.

So, how do I overcome my depression? I focus on the important things in life. It took me a long time to figure it out. I had to lose my grandma to figure it out. I found a reason to not hurt myself (grandma) and I found my rock that reminds me everyday that I have a reason to keep going (Zoey, Josh, Connor).
It might take awhile to find those reasons, but you will. Don't be afraid to ask for help. When you are having a panic attack.

• Breath
• Move
• Call/Text someone and tell them what is going on.
• Go online, look at things you like 
• Write it down

Focus on the positive. Keep your mind busy and flowing.

I am not alone and neither are you.

A Short Remembrance To Gene Wilder

I am so saddened by the news today. I didn't hop onto Facebook until about 6pm this evening. I went the whole day not knowing about the tragic news. It is hard to decide between, "The Sound of Music" and this wonderfully, joyous masterpiece, "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" which one is my all time favorite.

"As they say in Corsica... Goodbye"
-Gene Wilder 

Gene Wilder's nephew, Jordan Walker-Pearlman, confirmed his death as complications of Alzheimer disease. Early morning of August 29th 2016 at his house in Stamford, Conn. At the age of 83.

He was the face of an imaginative childhood. A childhood filled with chocolate rivers and soda that made you float. "In a world of, pure imagination". Yes, it was cheesy, but very true!

You were our Willy, our Frankenstein, our Skip... Those blue eyes that could make knees go weak.

You will forever be a big part of my life. My memory.

Another Coffee Upgrade!

Upcycled Spaghetti Sauce Jars

This is a huge space saver! I started saving the jars to use for left overs, but I wasn't really a fan of using glass. So, they were just sitting around and being useless. When I was looking organizing ideas, I came across a lot of upcycled jars. BRILLIANT! (The jars below are holding coffee grounds and sugar)

Before

After

All I had needed was:

• Paint- I used acrylic, but that is because it was laying around. You could probably use better paint or even spray paint.
• Paint brush- I just used a medium sized paint brush.
• Time- It took a couple coats to get it all evenly painted

I have seen knobs glued to the top of the lids, but I don't need it to look that fancy. Simple can look good too.

I am only showing you a couple, but I have more that are holding flour, breadcrumbs, powdered sugar, and one that is holding some of my art supplies.

Busy Sunday Rants

Happy Sunday!

That is a bowl.. on her head..
I don't know either...

Morning:

It has gotten to the point in my pregnancy, where I have to get up in the middle of the night and move to the couch. The pain in my hips and pelvis are almost unbearable. Not being able to sleep on my stomach, because there is obviously a baby in there. I can't lay on my back too long, because my back starts to hurt and I start to lose my breath (even sleeping with two pillows). My only option are my sides. Back and forth, back and forth. It is a lot of work moving from one side to the other, while pregnant a lone. Then you put pain in the mix...

Men or women who have not been pregnant... Imagine if you over worked yourself and your core muscles are weak and sore. Now lay in bed switches sides every 30 minutes.

In the end, it is all worth it, because here in about 10 weeks (I'm sure I'll deliver at 37-38 weeks), we get to meet Connor, our sweet baby boy.

Right now, I'm sitting on the couch, looking up at the TV and back down at the computer screen. Zoey is on the arm of the couch playing with my special Minecraft figurines, that Josh got me for Christmas and my birthday. I can hear her pretending the "baby" fell and got hurt, then the "mom" asking, "are you okay?", then the baby answering, "Yeah". It's the same thing every time she plays like this. I move my focus back to the TV, where Dexter is yet again trying to cover up his secret life.

Back to the computer, I start clicking at the keyboard again.

Afternoon:

You know.. I love making breakfast for my family, but it takes freaking forever!

My anger level is through the roof! We have been trying to get furniture over here for a few months now. We are so unorganized without that furniture! Well it is because Josh's dad has back problems, knee problems, and not to mention smokes 2 packs of cigarettes a day. He can't help carry everything up from a basement... and his brother? Well he had a heart attack and never wants to do any hard work now. BUT!! He can call up Josh, asking him to help build a shed... A SHED!

1. He is only concerned about his own stuff 
2. He asked at the last minute 
3. I had things to do today! I needed Josh here to help
4. Every time Josh goes over there, he doesn't return for hours.  

Ugh! Rants!

Evening:

Well, everyone is asleep now. Zoey played and played until she laid down for bed. Josh didn't get home until 10. I had a hard time staying on the computer today, everyone wanted me to do something and this post probably won't be up until Monday morning. Even though this was supposed to go up yesterday. OH! Which reminds me! I had my glucose test yesterday to see if I had gestational diabetes (standard test), thankfully it came back normal. I did notice that my white blood cell count was still high. It's been high for awhile! As in a year. We on earth could it be... It is a lot higher when I am having one of my infamous stomach "attacks".

So.. So gross!

Josh told me that he is going back to his brother's after his physical therapy appointment. He probably won't be home until 10 again... Oh well.. He's going to do what he wants to do, I don't control him. 

Bedtime for this lady. I want to be up on time to get back on a normal post schedule. Just a disclaimer though, this blog is still new and I'm still trying to find a rhythm. Bare with me until then. The schedule is not set in stone yet.

Editing will be tomorrow morning.