Fakin' It

As a working mama I some times have to "fake" it. By that I mean that I don't always have time to make something fully homemade for a party or get together. I sometimes feel guilty as I went to Culinary School and many times people expect a lot from me. I have learned that using short cuts like using a box cake(gasp) is a huge help. Even just displaying your food in a fancy or clever way really adds to a dish.

I recently had three different groups of people over in one week!!! It was so much fun. I felt like I was an Event Planner again. One night I had my girlfriends over for a craft night. I made Homemade Chicken Tortilla Soup(minus the tortillas, sorry girls totally spaced it). I also made an easy pumpkin dessert. Soups are great because they just require a little bit of chopping and then it all goes in one pot and you are done. I knew that I would be working and they were coming over just an hour after I got off. So to make it a little easier I added a rotisserie chicken that was already cooked for me! I normally cook the chicken myself, but there was just no time. The dessert was super easy too. You make a pumpkin mixture, sprinkle a yellow cake mix on top and then some butter and pecans and you are all set to bake it!

The next night I had some of Scott's friends/clients over for dinner. I had leftover soup so I just added some more chicken stock to it and set out some toppings and in minutes had dinner for them. Then on Thursday I had a group of Realtors and Affiliates over to our house for appetizers and drinks. This was a little tricky as I needed to have a variety of appetizers but, nothing that took a super long time to prepare. I wanted it all to look really nice and wanted them all to enjoy what I prepared for them. I decided on Shrimp & Chesse Wontons from a great site I found through Pinterest called: High Heels to Hot Wheels. These took a little bit to assemble but since they were a little "fancy" I thought that was ok.

Take your wonton wrapper coat three edges with egg whites and put a tsp of the shrimp and cheese mixture in the center

Fold over, making a triangle and then press edges with a fork to seal in the filling. And then they are ready to bake. I forgot to take a picture after they baked but if you go to the like you can see how they look baked:). Yum!

 

 

Next I decided to make a cheese platter. I love cheese platters! I think cheese is beautiful on its own but then when you add salami, crackers and grapes it can look really elegant. It only takes minutes to put together and everyone always enjoys it. I add some rosemary to fancy it up even more!

Next I needed some veggies. Veggie platters can be beautiful too. They don't take a whole lot of time to put together either. I know a lot of people like the pre-made platters but I prefer the real deal.  To make it a little more festive for the fall season, I carved out a hole in a pumpkin and took out all the seeds. I used a sour cream container that I made my dip in and used the lid as my guide to cut the hole. Once I was done carving the hole I dropped in the container and had a cute dip container.

Finally I needed something sweet. I wanted to keep with something fall but didn't have time to bake anything. I decided on caramel and chocolate dipped apples. Instead of dipping a whole apple I dipped slices. It is easier for party guests to enjoy. I dipped some in just caramel and some in just chocolate. Others I dipped in both and some in chocolate and chopped peanuts!

With a little cheats and box help I managed to pull this all off and was able to enjoy my company. It is always a joy to be in the kitchen. Fall usually means a lot more baking which makes this girl happy!

***Note I add 1 red bell pepper chopped and a jalapeno, chopped and de-seeded to the garlic, cilantro and onion mixture. I also add a can of corn and black beans when I add the chicken in. You can crumble some tortilla chips on top or if you have a bit more time I like to julienne corn tortillas and fry them in oil. Sooo goood!

RESPECT- Yo Self

I have a disclaimer before I get started. Disclaimers usually mean to me that I may say some things that not everyone will agree with so, I am diffusing what I am about to write with a disclaimer. This is my last post in my "respect series"(sounds like I am all professional and stuff). I want to talk about people respecting themselves. I will focus mainly on females as that is what burdens me the most and well I am a female! So my disclaimer goes as follows: I too struggle with respecting myself. I hope I do not sound too judgmental as that is not my intention in this post or in any of my posts. I try to have humility when I write. People are more responsive when I write that way, than when I am just ranting and writing out of anger. God has given me the gift of discernment. I have know this for years, but a few years back I realized I was using my gift wrong! I was using it to judge people. I was losing a battle of right and wrong and became angry and had no compassion for people who were living in sin. God gave me a wake up call. I found out I was not perfect! What??? How can this be? Yes, He basically told me to check myself before I wrecked myself. I love when God gets all ghetto with me. So, I hope this post does not sound judgmental.

I tend to look back at generations before us and think about how they acted. I look at what they wore and really just how they reacted to situations. I think there is always room for improvement. You can probably see that in your own family as your parents learned from their parents mistakes and you learned from your parents mistakes and so on. There is still a part of me that wishes I did not live in this "era". Even more so I am afraid of what my child will have to face in his lifetime. Back in my day..lol..I don't remember there being so much pressure for me to dress seductively. I graduated 13 years ago and I really don't remember it being a struggle. I have to say it has become a more recent struggle. I am 31 years old, have been married for 10 years and am a mother. Why is it a struggle now? I have two words: Carl's Jr. Yep, it is all Carl's fault! By Carl's Jr I mean media in general. I mean leave it to a burger chain to make you think eating a cheeseburger needs to or can be sexy! I mean there is nothing sexy about eating a cheeseburger. Especially a Carl's Jr cheeseburger. Their slogan is: "If it doesn't get all over the place, it doesn't belong in your face" ! Yet, somehow by getting a super gorgeous girl taking a bite makes us feel guilty for not being able to stuff our face in a sexy manner. Those commercials are just ridiculous. It shows just how disgusting the media can be. It shows the lack of respect for girls and also the lack of respect for guys.Guys are visually tempted daily. They don't need a burger commercial to add to that temptation. This may seem like a silly illustration about respect, but I wanted to show you that disrespect is everywhere these days. I am disrespected as a woman as other women sell themselves on tv and around town. I am disrespected by other females for trying to push their sexiness on my husband on tv and around town. Have you been to the mall lately? The Hubs and I love to people watch. It is so sad though. Girls, who can't be more than 12-14 years of age have shorts on that show their bootie!!!! Sometimes they are even walking with their parents! Ugghhh, I have been known to be a prude but come on girls, don't disrespect yourself like this.

Halloween is coming up soon. Yay! National time for girls to dress like a prostitute day! I wonder how girls choose their costumes. I imagine it going a bit like this: "let me see....I really want to be a bumble bee...but bumble bees are not sexy...so let me get some knee high yellow and black striped socks and a little tutu and a leotard. Oh, and of course bumble bees don't have boobs but let me show all of mine. Yes, perfect! I will be a sexy bumble bee!" The costumes that bother me the most are the ones that are manly costumes that a girl turns sexy. Like a sailor or a soldier. I was looking at Pinterest and there was a picture of a "sexy jungle soldier". Hahaha...who comes up with this? A jungle soldier? I am sure they thought they were being very creative...bless their heart. Now, before I start to slam all these young girls I really do feel sorry for them. They have been blasted with images of sexy women all over the tv and in magazines. As a woman, I feel the pressure too. The world is saying you need to be a piece of meat and lure your prey. Instead of being a prize to be won and cherished. When we dress immodestly we are "luring" in our "prey". Guys are visual. You are sending out a message of come get me and then you wonder why you are surrounded by a bunch of sharks! Dressing modestly is a sign of self-respect. I am guilty of trying to dress up in order to lure my husband but guess what married girls this also lures the eyes of other men. I need to be respectful not just of myself and husband but other men, married or not. I get attention but at the end of the day I may have caused others to stumble and as a sister in Christ I have failed.


Bottom line is this: If you don't respect yourself, do not expect anyone else to respect you. There are still plenty of ways to look beautiful with out showing your lady parts and making guys stumble. You may think, yeah, but you are married, you don't have to "lure" anyone anymore. Although, I am not in the dating scene any longer(thank you Lord) I still need to look good for my man, right? But, just my man..no one else. Put on some red lipstick and high heels. Take your hair out of that pony tail and curl it. Put on a cute dress. You can still be fashionable without being trashy. And you can be beautiful without looking like you are working on the corner...mmmkay. I am being super sarcastic but this is something very heavy on my heart. I pray for my husband daily and for my other brothers in Christ. I also pray for young girls and women. It is hard times to live a life pleasing to God, we do not need any more distractions. So, girls don't lure, be pure.

RESPECT: In Marriage

“I, Summer, take you Scott, to be my husband, to have and behold from this day on, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; until death do us part.”
Scott and I said our traditional vows and also vows we wrote on our own. I have to be honest I rarely think about what I promised to my husband ten years ago. The Hubs would tell me "words have meaning" and he would be correct. I was only 21 when we got married, but I did know that I wanted a marriage that was built on trust and would last a life time. I still had a lot of growing up to do. It was a hard adjustment. I needed to be a grown-up. I needed to be trust worthy and I needed to respect this new man in my life. I have to say not until recently have I taken my marriage seriously. Yep, it is true. I have a very laid back personality. I am pretty sure I should have been Hawaiian. I have a very passive thought process. I don't think much about what I do. In some areas of my life that works, but with relationships that does not work...at all.

I began to not talk about my feelings..because it would just cause trouble and who wants to cause any conflict. I held everything in. This caused me to lie about my feelings and compromise or let certain things go that in reality bothered me. Compromise is good in a relationship, but not sharing your feelings for a long period of time causes some resentment. I have a husband who is always open with me and wants me to be open. He encourages me to talk to him. There was nothing he was doing that was making me hold back. It was my own insecurities and fears.

So, what does this have to do about respect? I was not being truthful about who I was. I became a very fearful person. I honestly didn't even know myself. This caused me to not want to be involved in anything outside of our home. I became depressed and lonely. The Hubs would go and do things on his own. We were living our lives as two and not one. It hurt, but it was also hurting The Hubs and that was the worst! I decided that I needed to wake up! Ten years had passed me and although I would say we had a wonderful marriage it really was mediocre. Not engaging in activities with The Hubs and living in this fear was disrespectful to my husband.

"To have and behold". Ok first of all I always thought it was "to have and to hold"??? Maybe that is another version or maybe I really do not pay attention. Words have meaning Summer! I do like the word behold though. It means to "see with attention". I think of "Behold Christ". It is not just.."hey look when you get a chance there is that Christ guy". No, it is" LOOK...right now, it is JESUS CHRIST...the SON of GOD!" I needed to "see with attention" in my marriage and I thank God for grabbing my attention. I am battling through some growing pains, but I see that The Hubs is so proud of me. He even said "It seems as though the longer we are married, the more you love me". It is true. I told him truthfully...that I am learning to love and respect myself and it is allowing me to love him and others more.

I feel all grown up now. It is so weird!!!! I still have a ways to go, but I find so much joy in respecting and loving my husband. I thank God everyday for putting The Hubs in my life. He has been patient and he loves when I open up to him. I only hope that I am what he needs as well. Marriage is such a beautiful thing when God is involved. There are ups and downs...but thanks be to God, my marriage has been filled with mostly ups:). Every husband and wife needs to be respected and loved in different ways. I challenge you to think of ways you can love on your wife today and wives think of something you can do to show respect to your husband. It could be something as saying thank you for all you do or husbands taking on a chore your wife does everyday. I am sure it will be greatly appreciated!

***As promised next up I want to write about respecting yourself. This is a hard one for me!!!

RESPECT...find out what it means to me

You know you are singing Aretha Franklin's R-E-S-P-E-C-T now, aren't you? She meant business in that song! Have you ever read the lyrics? I just did and first off I was totally wrong on a few lyrics. This is no longer a shock to me as I have absolutely annihilated many a song in my day. One line that was funny to me was the one that goes like this: "Your kiss is sweeter than honey.
Guess what? So is my money". You tell em girl! You can tell that she was disrespected and unfortunately for her Boo she was a famous singer and put this guy on blast! When I am disrespected sometimes I wish I had a bullhorn.  I would make everyone aware of the disrespect that occurred. But I am assuming that is not the way I should react.

I took a little look in my ever so handy B-I-B-L-E. There are actually quite a few scriptures that talk about respect. Respect towards your parents is one and respect towards the elderly is another. I really wanted to find a verse that spoke about a more general respect. I believe this is something that is lacking in our culture. More on that later, but for now this is the verse that I really enjoyed:

"Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free man, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. Show proper respect to everyone:Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king".
1 Peter 2:13-17

The word submit ruffles many feathers. We live in a world that has very little respect for authority. You see that with our President, past and present. You see that with children and their parents. You see the lack of respect for Police Officers. And you even see it among believers. Not just towards non-believers, but even among their fellow brother and sisters in Christ. I love Matthew Henry's commentary on 1 Peter. I have to say many times I get even more confused as to what a certain verse means after I read his commentary, but this one I got!

"As the traveller, the racer, the warrior, and the labourer, gathered in their long and loose garments, that they might be ready in their business, so let Christians do by their minds and affections. Be sober, be watchful against all spiritual dangers and enemies, and be temperate in all behaviour. Be sober-minded in opinion, as well as in practice, and humble in your judgment of yourselves. A strong and perfect trust in the grace of God, is agreeable with best endeavours in our duty. Holiness is the desire and duty of every Christian. It must be in all affairs, in every condition, and towards all people. We must especially watch and pray against the sins to which we are inclined. The written word of God is the surest rule of a Christian's life, and by this rule we are commanded to be holy every way. God makes those holy whom he saves".

This was actually the commentary for the verse that preceded 1 Peter 2:13-17. I wanted to dive in a little deeper than finding one verse with the word respect in it. I wanted to know how to show respect to everyone. "Holiness is the desire and duty of every Christian. It must be in all affairs, in every condition, and towards all people". Man, that is a tough one to swallow. I kind of want to stomp my feet like a little girl and say, "I don't wanna". I don't want to show respect to our current President. I don't want to show respect to my husband when he is not showing it to me. I don't want to show respect to that lady who cut me off or that guy who didn't open the door for me. Respect is about humility. There is nothing more refreshing than someone who is humble. Forgiveness is also a big factor in respect. My Mother in Law always says " Maybe they were just having a bad day". We make fun of her but it is a great attitude to have towards those who wronged you. This is not to say we need to let people walk all over us., but we need to show mercy and not be so quick to anger.

I write mainly about things that I am convicted about. Respect is something that is very hard for me. When you have a kid there are little ears listening at all times! You become very aware of the nasty words that come out of your mouth or if you have a little more control you are aware of them before they fall out. I was driving the other day and someone was driving super slow. I was saying something like: "Hurry up dude! Are you kidding me"?  Pull over"!!!! Then honked at him. Shane, who was in the backseat, says "Mama, maybe that is as fast as their car goes". Oh my! Talk about feeling like a big meanie head. Although, I know this guy could have gone faster, I also know that I did not need to be quick to anger and that I just need to show him some grace.

I was in an accident when I was younger. It was my fault. I was driving my sister to school. I looked over for a second to see if I could park somewhere and bam, I hit the car in front of me. I was barely moving so it wasn't a huge accident, but being that it was my first accident I was so embarrassed and scared. I got out and the lady was so nice to me. She reassured me that it was just an accident and that it was ok. Nobody was hurt and that everything would be taken care of. She displayed so much respect. What could have been a moment for her to be super angry, turned into a moment of grace and mercy.

Now fast forward to a time I felt the most disrespect. I lived in Orange County. I could probably stop my story right there as many Orange Countiers(??) are not known for thinking about anyone but themselves. I was at Mervyns(oh how I miss that store). I was going into the dressing room. I had one of those small carts and my purse was stuffed on the very bottom. I walked through the doors and at the same time I am trying to grab my purse from the bottom. It is stuck and these doors had one of those bells that dings to alert some one to come help in the dressing room. It probably dinged ten times. I was so concentrated on getting my purse out that I wasn't  aware of anyone near by. A fellow customer looked at me with the most annoyed look. She didn't have to say a word. If looks could kill! I said sorry and quickly moved away from the sensor. I still got a eye roll and a head shake.  To this day I still get so upset about it. I thought about pretending I was deaf to make her feel really bad.....but....remember that part Matthew Henry writes about: "We must especially watch and pray against the sins to which we are inclined". Yeah, that part. In order to get respect, you need to give it. I may have not received any respect from that annoyed lady but my inclination towards shaming her was not the correct response. I have been shown respect though many times over. It is so refreshing. Try it. It usually throws people off who are usually prepared for disrespect.

There is so much more I can talk about on respect. I plan on breaking this up into a marriage post, a parenting post and a respecting yourself post. Thanks for reading! If you have any suggestions on upcoming posts let me know. I haven't done a whole lot of cooking/baking posts. With Fall here I am hoping to have more posts on my favorite recipes. So, what you want? You know I got it. Oh man, that was all kinds of cheesy:).

Balancing Act

Step right up, folks and be prepared to watch the most spectacular balancing act of all time! A balancing act that is like no other! In one hand she juggles the schedules of all her children and husband and in the other hand whips up breakfast, lunch and dinner. And in the other...yes folks she has more than two hands...she cleans...she dusts and she vacuums like no other. Who is she: your mother!!!! (The crowd erupts in grand applause).

 Daily life as a mother can seem like an amazing balancing act. If only we did get that grand applause everyday. But sometimes it goes without notice. That is ok. We don't need constant praise, but a little appreciation bouquet of flowers would be nice, right? When we leave the hospital we are taught a few things like: how to feed your child and how to change them. But, beyond that we are on our own. There are many resources like books and other mama's advice but every ones schedule, personality, beliefs and children are different. It can seem so overwhelming. There are many decisions you have to make and you want to do what is best. At times we may fail and other times we succeed. Right off the bat we need to make decisions like Natural birth or Epidural, cloth or regular diapers, breast milk or formula, shots or no shots and on and on.


I remember going to register for my baby shower at Babies R Us. Holy moly! That was the most overwhelming and stressful event I have ever experienced. I felt my mommy hood was on the line. What if I chose the wrong bottles? What if I chose something that was not organic? What if the stroller I picked out was not safe and would eventually be recalled? I can't help but think of way back when before internet and before Babies R US. What did those mamas worry about? Probably Rubella or Scarlett fever! Or not having an Epidural. Oh the horror!!! But, hey they had no idea what they were missing. It just seems like we are so over inundated by the mass amount of stuff and ways to parent. While scrolling through Pinterest I see all these great sources for making my own play dough, making homemade fruit snacks without all that yucky stuff in them, learning activities to help with your child's motor skills...and on and on and on. This pretty much sums up my feeling as I see this:

It is easy to try to measure up to other "Mums". You have the "Healthy Mama". You know that one that shops at Whole Foods and makes her own baby food from organic vegetables and uses only organic baby products that have a magical fruit found only in the Artic where they are harvested by hand and whose company also gives back to help fight against GMOs. Or the Active/Activity Mama..the one who is constantly on the go to Disneyland, schedules regular play dates, has all 4 children in different sports/music lessons and so on. Oh and we can't forget the "Holy Mama". The mama who has her 2 year old reciting all ten commandments, involved in AWANAS, MOPS and VBS. And finally, the "Educational Mama" who has her child reading by age three, writing their name and making all the other Preschoolers look like failures:). I am saying this all facetiously but in reality all these mama's are doing what is best for their children They are sacrificing there time chopping up all those fruits and vegetables. Sacrificing their time to take little Jimmy to Soccer practice and then running over to drop of the next child at guitar lessons...all the while not having time for their own activities and wouldn't change a thing.

As mothers we are all unique in our own ways. I do not have it all together. Neither do any of us. But what I have learned and keeps me motivated is that I need to be present in my child's life. I need to be engaged. Continually comparing myself to other moms who appear to have it together will get me nowhere because chances are they are doing the same thing. We are a nation of busy people. Just this week I had to work my normal 40 hours and week and then on top of that I had to put in 16 hours of OT!!!! I begin to feel overwhelmed just thinking about it. Then Shane got the flu...dundundaaaa. I had to miss work on Monday not making the boss very happy. I was up every hour from 4:30am until 5:30 PM cleaning up puke and doing 5 loads of laundry. He puked on every surface of our home. It was lovely! Luckily, he had puked up so much that it was just water after awhile. He even said to me at one point, "Don't worry Mama that one was just water". Poor kid. I think he could see I was tired. But, guess what I would do it everyday. Which made me thankful for a normally healthy child. Some parents have to take care of a sick child daily. They are the ones that have a true balancing act! No matter what challenges we face they are all worth it. Seeing our children grow into their own. Seeing them learn new things and accomplishing a new task is what it is all about. So be present. Be engaged. If you are a working mom I want to encourage you. It is so hard! Trying to balance work and home life. Something has to fail. Unfortunately at my house it is house cleaning...which may not be that bad of a thing...just kidding. I would tell friends who came over, "Don't look down" referring to my dirty floors. As a working mom there is a lot of guilt that we feel. We miss things like first milestones or events at school. It is hard to be present when you have to work long hours or maybe need to bring work home. I am in a bit of a different situation as I work from home. I am blessed to be here with Shane. I do have to miss somethings at school. The biggest struggle I have is time. Time spent teaching him how to write or reading to him. Taking him to play dates during the day can't happen. I find myself telling him quite often to "hold on" or "wait a sec". Usually I completely have to ignore his requests because I have an obligation to my work. I feel guilty even doing things I love like writing this blog or reading a magazine. I feel like any free time I have belongs to him. No matter if you are a working mom or a stay at home mom two things for sure are that we all need more time and we all fall short.

Don't be discouraged you are doing a great job. Your child may not be able to read, write or tie their shoe but they enjoy random dance sessions with you or a tent set up in the living room. Or maybe they have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches far too often but they get to enjoy music lesson or horseback riding lessons. I love watching all my friends parent. I learn so much from them. Children are a blessing and so are Mamas:).

For a little laugh today:

Fear, step aside!

I can not tell you how many times I have tried to sit down and write this blog post. I began questioning if that was a sign that I should not even write it. I truly believe that this might be helpful to someone out there. It will even be helpful to understand me more:). I feel blessed to be able to share with the few who read this blog. My blog is a mis-mash of all sorts of subjects. Whenever I post something a bit more personal I get the most views..so I hope you enjoy reading this one.

This year I turned 31. Blah! I have mentioned before growing older does not excite me. This year though I really felt the need for some changes. Getting older never excited me as far as getting older physically. I mean what is good about getting fine lines and grey hairs??? Nothing! But, emotionally and spiritually getting older is actually really super! It is painful at times but the end reward is awesome.

We usually start off any new year by making resolutions. Hoping to start fresh and accomplish some goals. I personally love the new year. Being able to start over is a wonderful thing. One of my favorite things about being a Christian is receiving God's Mercy....they are new every morning! Boy, do I need mercy. I heard this song that described exactly what I felt when I was in a "woe is me-nobody likes me-I guess i'll go eat worms" moment: 

This must be it
Welcome to the new year
The drinks were consumed
The plants were destroyed and the hors d'oeuvres dismantled
I'm not smiling behind this fake veneer
I am often interrupted or completely ignored
But most of all i'm bored
I'm trying to find out if my words have any meaning
Lackluster and full of contempt and it always ends the same
Why won't she listen to me
Why did i come
Oh why did i come here
These humans all suck
I'd rather be home feeling violent and lonely
I'm not trying to sound so insincere
But the postcard that's taped to the freezer reads "wish you were here"
How i wish i could disappear
I'm trying to find out if my words have any meaning
Lackluster and full of contempt and it always ends the same

This song is so depressing and I wanted to hug whoever wrote this. This how you can feel when you are shy and don't deal with it. When you don't pick yourself up and ask God for help.

This year The Hubs and I celebrated our 10 Year Wedding Anniversary! There is nothing I love to do more than to make my husband happy and proud. Most of you know The Hubs. Many of you have probably read a few of my posts about how different we are. Personality-wise...like completely opposite. He can talk to anyone. In fact, he enjoys it...weird!!! It is an act of God for me to engage anyone in a conversation. I about have a heart attack every time I have to. God is funny...isn't He? Making me fall in love with a guy who would love nothing more than to just talk all day with people and get to know them. Hang out every night with someone new or old friends. Be in an industry where you are constantly meeting new people and going to events. But, you see this is what I need. I need to be exposed to new people and settings. It is not what I enjoy..in fact it is my biggest fear. God knows what He is doing and I am enjoying growing a tad more wise and seeing Him work in my life.

Fear is not from God. It is something I have had to get on my knees and ask God to take away from me. He did...but I found it again and again and again. I am pretty worn out over this whole ordeal. I have lived 31 years as a shy person. When you are younger it is a bit more acceptable to be shy. By now though people expect you to have it all together. I mean I have been married for 10 years. I am a mother. It is not that simple though...at least not for a shy person. I thought one day when I hit my mid twenties that I would just wake up and the fear would disappear. I would magically become the person I wanted to be. The fear would be gone and poof I would be changed. Haha...so naive. It is the hardest process I have to go through, each and everyday. I remember in 11th grade a girl who I thought I was pretty friendly with asked me out of the blue " Summer, why do you hate me"? She laughed but she said I never talk to her. Those words hit my heart like a ton of bricks. I told her I am shy and I do not hate her. I apologized and she said she was just kidding, but there was some truth there. She was feeling unloved by me. The very thing I was afraid of people doing to me I was doing to others. That statement changed me.

Do you struggle with fear? It can be crippling at times, I know. It makes you question your worthiness. I have cried out to God..."why did you even make me..I am worthless?". It causes depression and even illness. Fear is powerful...but...my God is more powerful. He has shown me His love and mercy over and over again. My husband is such a gift from God. Although we are so different in personality and times it is hard for us to understand each other...we are what each other need. The Hubs helps me to break free from this fear...on a more regular basis than I am comfortable with:). And being friendly is a great thing. On the other hand...I am able to help my husband take a step back and relax. Sometimes he has meeting after meeting. He is such a helper. Always volunteering for things. Again this is all good, but I am there to let him know that sometimes he needs to rest:)

I have found so much comfort in God's Word. I always do. My "life verse" is Philippians 4:6-7(I added verse 8 too...because it is another favorite)

⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

⁸ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

I have had the privilege of meeting some great people in my life. Unfortunately, I don't get to really "know" anyone that I meet. The Hubs and Shane are the only people I really know and even then I put my guard up at times. Being shy, for me, is two parts.

Part 1: Rejection!!!
I think it is safe to say that no one enjoys rejection. How I handle it is the real issue here though. Or how I don't handle it I should say. I am in constant conversation with myself...yes I talk to myself a lot! The conversation usually goes as follows: "Do they really care what I have to say"? "Am I right" "Will they think I am stupid" "Is that going to be funny" "Should I say something now...or maybe now...ok...I should probably say something now...opps they have moved on to the next topic". It can be quite exhausting. So, what is the big deal if someone does reject me? As I sit here, thinking, there have been very few times where someone has been cold to me or unfriendly when I try to reach out. Guess what? That is ok! There are plenty of other times when I have met wonderful people who are genuinely interested in me. Who want to know about me. This can't be one sided though. It isn't fair if they are the ones interested in me and I do not return that same grace.

Which brings me to Part 2: Perfection
Perfection or the illusion that you are perfect is my family curse. I feel like we put on the "nothing to see here...everything is wonderful" face when we have struggles. That is a whole other blog post so I will spare you all that business. But, when you feel like you need to present yourself as perfect you will always fall short...because well...no one is perfect. God is the only one who gets that title. Physically..I like to wear makeup and nice clothes. I am fat....lets just put that out there. So, I never physically feel perfect. Emotionally...oh Lord...very far from perfect in that area. So, why do I feel the need to make it look like I have it all together..when I am falling apart? Again, fear is the answer. Fear that I will have to open up about a struggle. Fear that I will look like a hot mess of a person. Fear that people will judge me. Fear that no one would want to be friends with me. Judgment is never good. God has given me the gift of discernment but at times I have messed that up by turning it into what my flesh thinks is discernment..but in reality is judgment. I believe when you see things you don't like in people many times it is things you don't like about yourself.

I don't want this to be a depressing post. This year I have made it a goal of mine to reach out and make new friends.Also, to work on the friendships I do have. To go to events that I would have earlier stayed away from. Just last night we had an event at our home. I knew maybe 3 people there besides The Hubs. I thought of ways to make myself look like I was busy or to attach myself to Scott's side. Then I had a moment of...this is my home and I need to make these guests feel welcome. So, I put my big girl pants on and went outside and talked to not one but almost everyone at the party. It may have just been a "hi, thank you for coming" or a long conversation, but man did it feel good. The best part was knowing that I made The Hubs happy and myself. Also, everyone was so nice and no one punched me in the face or threw anything at me! It is still a really long road. It is a daily battle. People are all not mean and scary. I have some wonderful people in my life as I mentioned before. God is so good. I love when he reveals these things to me. I love when I can feel His presence in my life. So many times I wanted a guarantee that what I was doing was going to be ok. For instance, talking to someone and knowing that they were going to accept me. That is not how faith works though. That is how fear works. I recently read this from Brennan Manning "Insisting on some divine guarantee before yielding to God's word. That is NOT faith".  So, have faith that whatever you struggle with God is right there. It make take you 31 years to get yourself together or maybe 70 years!!! No matter what the time is I love that I have peace knowing God will be there for me. Patiently seeing me through it.

And because the lyrics of music are so important to me. This is the song I love when I am needing some encouragement:
By Jonny Lang
http://youtu.be/XaO_uPyMICo

Summer Lovin

I have to say I am hating summer right now. So it will not be on my list of favorites. It has just been too hot for too long! We also have air conditioner issues so this summer has not been fun! But, enough with the negatives. I wanted to share a few items I have been lovin!

First off I started a new workout program called 10 minute Trainer. It is a DVD series. My friend's trainer has Challenge groups on FB and I joined one. I was doing so good and lost 6 inches and then labor Day hit and I fell off the wagon. I am getting back on though! I love this because if you are a busy woman you know how hard it is to fit in a workout at the gym. With this I do it on my break and am done in about 15 mins(including warm-up and cool-down). Weight loss is such a daily struggle for me and I am so glad I found this. I do have to say the guy who does the videos is super cheesy but he makes me laugh and I get a kick out of it.

Tony Horton's 10 Minute Trainer

The rest of what what I am lovin' right now are beauty products. Surprise, surprise. I have ventured out and have tried quite a few new products. The first new items that I am loving are Maybelliene's Color Tattoo 24hr Cream Gel Shadow. My favorite shade is Bad to the Bronze. If you have never tried cream shadows...you should! Sometimes all I wear is just one shade all over my lid and it is super pigmented. They go on creamy and dry to a beautiful finish. They last all day too! Especially with the addition of my new favorite below!

 

 

 

 

I was pretty skeptical of lid primers. I really thought they were just an extra product that was really not needed. Boy, was I wrong. I got a sample of the "Eden" primer and it kept my shadow on all day. It looked the same at 10am as it did at 10pm. It would be great too if your eyeshadow tends to crease. This is something I will definitely buy a full size of soon!

 





 This little beauty is a gorgeous highlighter by The Balm. Their packaging is super cute and the names of each product are so clever. You can click on the pic above to check out their site. This doesn't look like much in the pan but when you add it to your face it is a gorgeous champagne color. I add it at my temples and make a "C' shape down to cheek bone. I also swipe it down my nose.It adds just a bit of sparkle and who doesn't love a little sparkle:)


YouTube Lovin':
http://www.youtube.com/user/MakeupByAlli
http://www.youtube.com/user/itsbl0ndie?feature=g-subs-u
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6jgzx2g3nlbaYkd8EMweKA She is who started my makeup obsession:)
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Q2g3Vn6uZSW56yHqlrJDg
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeZn7qRN3JKVcEYK_dDg7JQ
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdEmlJsbUUjuh6gXaqNapgA
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsvZXNPsVzqNSBX0dj6kXYA She is sooo funny!
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLFW3EKD2My9swWH4eTLaYw This girl is just too gorgeous!!!!!
I have many many more that I love but this is just a few! I hope you are all enjoying the last bit of your summer. Back to school is upon us. I am hoping to blog more frequently. I have so many posts that need to be finished up. Many are more personal and it seems like those people like to read the most. Have a great day!!!!

House Love: Part 2

I have not posted in so long I decided to do two in one day:) This will be a short one. I just put the lil man down as tomorrow is his first day of Preschool. This is his second year and I am so not nervous but stressed. Summer is so care free and I don't have to worry about dropping off and picking him up. It will get better once he is in school all day but right now it seems like I drop him off and then turn right around and pick him up! He is super excited and I can't wait for him to grow and learn new things.

I wanted to get in one last post before the busyness begins(does it ever really stop??).

We purchased this dining room table from a dealer. I just loved the lines! She is in great shape for being over 50 years old!



We picked these chairs up at the Rose Bowl Flea Market. Again..love the lines and the white leather is just perfect for the room. The small table was bought from the same people at the Flea Market and the ash tray is from a great Mid-Century Dealer...also from the Flea Market:)

These creepy..yet amazing little kitties caught my eye at the Flea Market. I could not pass them up! They reminded me of the Siamese Cats on Lady and the Tramp. "We are Siamese if you please(meow)".  They actually are a light. No light does not come from their eyes...that would be totally awesome though!!!

 

And this is the living room all put together. Our couches we had custom made by U Design it Sofa. It was so much fun to go in and pick my fabric and custom do custom dimensions. They had never used that fabric on this sofa design. As they were making it so many people liked it a few ordered sofas just like ours! The owner had to order more fabric.  

Of course I had to do a retro vibe pic! We are really trying to keep it period correct. As you can see, if I just took all my Coastal stuff and put it in here, I am pretty sure a mob of angry Mid-Century Crazies would come and take my house away!

Our next project is the back yard. I can't wait to get started. We have a Koi pond that is so peaceful to look at...but it needs some love. Oh the joys of home ownership. The work is never ending but so rewarding. So thankful to be able to own a home again. Thank you LORD!

House Love

****This post is dedicated to my dear friend Elise who has patiently awaited for me to do a post on our new house:)*****

We moved in about 2 months ago into our new(to us) house. It was actually built in 1959 and has such unique character. The Hubs and I are all about character. We lived in a brand new home and we loved it as far as knowing no one else had lived in it...everything was shiny and new and everything was updated and worked! However, if you went down just a few houses on our same street, you would find our same house, In fact, it belonged to our friends. It was beautiful but The Hubs and I longed for a house with character.

Our area is know for the tree lined streets. Which is why it is called The Wood Streets. We live a little outside that area but still get to enjoy all the character. Our home is a Mid-Century Modern home. If you do not know what that is you can read this blog post. It is actually all electric..which is so weird and cool at the same time. I will never have a gas bill...but I will have a larger electric bill:(.

Where do I begin??? How about the front? When I first saw it I was like...uhhhhh where is the grass and when can we start re-painting. But.....I love not having grass and grass loves not being at my house. I killed my backyard at my last house. Like literally every blade.. dead. We did not have automatic sprinklers and ain't nobody got time for that! The plants I do have out front of our new house are desert plants and require very little water! It is wonderful. As far as the house colors. I actually really like them now. We are debating painting it a darker grey and some other accents..but these colors really do add a lot of Mid-Century Modern flair.

Isn't it groovy?!? Totally Mad Men style:)

 

This is the view from the street. I love this view. The wood beam carries through the living room and kitchen and then into the garage. The windows are amazing too!

 

 

 

If you follow me on Pinterest you know my obsession for front doors:) Hard to tell but the handles are square!
I will post again soon with pictures of the inside.

Come by and see us!

Office Chair Redo

If you were not aware we purchased our new home recently and it is a Mid Century Modern home (MCM). Some of you might be thinking... what is that? I have to be honest with you..I wasn't really sure either. I watch HGTV like a mad woman. I read design blogs, magazines and follow many designers. I was semi-familiar with MCM design but I always thought it was something super kitschy and super retro. I am still learning, but Wikipedia describes it as so:

"Mid-Century modern is an architectural, interior, product and graphic design that generally describes mid-20th century developments in modern design, architecture and urban development from roughly 1933 to 1965. "

Most of the furniture I would say is more 50s-70s. The furniture I am really drawn to is from the 60s. A few pieces you may have seen that are popular MCM pieces are:

 

Since our home is MCM architecturally we had to fill it with MCM pieces. Especially in the main living room. My coastal Pottery Barn inspired pieces would just clash. So...that meant I had to sell everything and start new! That was both exciting and overwhelming. I am a more traditional girl, but because I love design this was really a fun new experience. There is a whole world of crazy MCM people out there. Scott and I have joined in on it! I enjoy MCM because I get to go thrifting, to flea markets and garage sales. It is a great adventure trying to score some great MCM pieces. It also has allowed Scott and I to share in something we both love! 

I have been stalking Craigslist for MCM furniture. MCM has become so popular that many pieces are just outrageously expensive! My best bet was to find pieces that someone didn't know what it was. If you follow me on Facebook you will know that I scored a Lane coffee table for 50.00! The same one was one Craigslist for 395.00(that person knew what they had).

I saw this on CL and thought it would add much needed warmth and color in my living room. It was also not outrageously priced. I then saw the same seller had an office chair. We met up and entered her house. Oh my goodness...her house was amazing! She had beautiful pieces all over her home. We talked for awhile and had so much in common.She has an awesome MCM blog if you want to check it out http://midcenturyobsession.com/.  I ended up not buying the office chair I saw on CL...but lucky me she had another one that was perfect! It even matches the art.

 The leather on top was in great condition but the seat needed to be recovered. That was kind of exciting because I would love to get really good at reupholstering. This is a great start. I went to Joann's and purchased this fabric:

I love this fabric. It had that same mustard/gold that was on the top leather piece. I have to say I have never purchased upholstery fabric from Joann's before and I was so excited. I have always browsed the aisles and dreamed of the day I could purchase some. They have such a beautiful selection. I LOVE fabric! I unscrewed the seat from the chair and then ripped off the old fabric. The foam was disintegrated from being so old. I added new batting and foam. Being that I have never attempted reupholstering I went to my trusty YouTube for a tutorial(which I can't find the one I watched..but there are tons on there).

The rest of the steps are pretty easy. Take up one side...pull taught and start stapling..beginning in the middle..leaving the corners unstapled. Then once you have the sides all stapled up you can begin to bring up the corners and staple those. Then repeat the same steps when you add your fabric. I am a visual learner so here are some pics:

It is not perfect..but not too bad for my first attempt. I can't wait to redo my vanity chair in my master bath! If you have been wanting to try your hand at reupholstering I highly recommend starting with a chair seat first.

Summer Lovin'

Since I changed the name of my blog...I decided to also do a new series called "Summer Lovin' ". I believe I may have done something like this in the past..but I want to make it a more regular post. Similar to my "Girl Talk" posts...I will talk about what I am loving each month or if I can keep up each week! If you watch YouTube videos they do their monthly favorites and it is so much fun to watch. So, enough talkin' let me show you some pictures!!!!

 

Ok, this cute business is something I picked up from HomeGoods last night. I have not been to HomeGoods in forever. I was reunited with the beautifulness that is HomeGoods and I apologized for my long absence. It will never happen again. You should have seen my cart!!! (Baby, I hope you are not reading this...if you are just close this out right now!!!) Seriously, my cart was so full I couldn't see anything in front of me. But, this is actually how I normally shop. I gather all the goods and then I edit. I prioritize by needs and wants. So, I actually only ended up with a few things. This notebook was one of them. It was only 5.99..so being that I am also cheap..it made the cut. I am starting a new book and will be reading it along with some other girls, so I wanted a journal to write down notes in. Which brings me to my next favorite thing this month.

Have you read this yet? Wife after God, by Jennifer Smith. It just came out a few months ago...I believe. I actually have not started to read it yet as our study has not started. But, I read the intro and a few things online and I am going to love it. I was praying about ways I could encourage The Hubs more and just really how to be an awesome wife. I mean don't get me wrong...I am pretty awesome already...right husband??...oh wait I banished you from my page...come back and sing my praises:). Anyways, if you want to join us in the study let me know! We are just doing it all online so it is perfect for me. 

Yes, those are Sharpies and yes I love them!!! I write with them all the time. I can not use a normal pen! Weird I know but they are just great. I think it is because of their size and thickness. Yeah this is a little awkward now so I will just end with Yay for Sharpies!!!!

I am so excited about this candle. I had been eying these MELT  candles at Target for awhile now...solely for the design. But, again being the cheapskate that I am, I just stared lovingly at them and never bought one....until I smelt this pillar o'goodness. It is in the scent White Peach Mango. Yeah...unbelievable. Peach is my all time favorite sent. I seriously probably looked like a crazy woman standing in the candle aisle. I had this candle all up in my face. I wanted to eat it...yummmm. They have other scents...but those do not matter. They also had bigger pillars and diffusers. They did not have a diffuser in this scent at my Target... but I am hoping to find it at another location. I believe this was 9.99. I am going back for more...for sure!

Since I could not eat my candle...I am happy the folks at Bigelow made this deliciousness in a cup. Have you tried it??????? My mom and sister made lunch for me for my bday. I was minding my own business...when all of the sudden I took a sip of the tea my mom brought,. Ohhh LAWD! There should have been a sign or warning stating that I was about to drink the most fabulous cup of iced tea that I have ever tasted in my life. My sister and I both agreed it was so good. We actually finished off the whole jug my mom brought and we were not ashamed!  My mom actually got the Lipton version of the Green Tea with Peach. I went to my Target and Vons but they did not carry it. Vons did carry this brand and it is very similar. I also served this at my friends bday and she almost drank the whole pitcher...it was her bday that was ok...plus I had more:). 

What have you been enjoying this month? Or this summer?

A year without you

On August 6th of 2012 I lost my Father in law. The whole day was just weird. This whole year has been weird. That is the only word I can use to describe how I have felt. It is weird going to my in-laws home and not seeing him sitting in "his spot". It is weird not having him stop by unexpectedly(which he loved to do). It is weird not listening to his rants on something political. It is weird to not have him be there for Shane and being the awesome Grandpa he was. It is weird not hearing my husband call him everyday.

When I think of something that is weird...I think of it being a little off. That is exactly what this past year has been without Gary...off. I have never lost anyone that close. I still have my Grandparents and even my Great-Grandmother. I have to admit death is very hard for me. Maybe because I have not had to deal with it. But, God gave me so much peace this year. He reminded me that Gary is still alive and well. Gary was such a trooper here on earth. He had so many health issues. I know when I just have the flu...I call in sick...lay in bed and am miserable. Now, this is not to say he was not grumpy:). But, it was all justified. He was not well..but he pushed through it. He loved nothing more than to have his family over. His eyes lit up every time we came over...more so for the Grand kids:).

I was able to have a few conversations and special times with him before he passed away. I treasure those and am so thankful God gave those to me. One night I was over their house and we started talking about when The Hubs and I were dating. He asked me what I thought of him...not what I thought about The Hubs..but himself. I quietly said I was a little afraid. I then quickly followed that up with an explanation. You see, he had this rough exterior but a heart of gold. I told him about a few times I had gone over to their house and every time I did he was on the phone with his sister! I was so impressed. He had such a great relationship with her. I was able to tell him how much I respected that as I did not see this in my own family...even with myself. I had a moment where I thought to myself.."I want to be a part of this family". When choosing a spouse you have to look at their parents. Scott has the most amazing parents. They loved each other and God..something that is hard to find. I see so many of Gary's great qualities in Scott(and some of his not so desirable ones, but they made him who he was and I loved it).

Another special time we had was when Jan and Gary enlisted my help to clean out their closets. Oh my...this was so fun. Well, for me at least. Gary was not really into it...at first. He was holding on to everything. I started to turn into one of those tv hosts that helps people organize their home. Gary had his ah-ha moment and just started getting rid of everything. I can't help but think God had us do this to make it a little easier on us and not have to get rid of so many of his items. Not to say he still does not have a lot of other stuff:). He loved his stuff. We had so much fun that night. We started to get on Jan as she was holding onto pant jumpsuits from her younger years (which were totally fabulous..so I can't blame her).. God allowed these times and I am so grateful.

The day before he died was so wonderful. Just another moment I am thankful for. We spent time in the kitchen together that day. That was always our common ground. He loved talking about cooking with me. We went out to the locker where he kept all his canned goods and we gathered all the ingredients for dinner. What a great night. Although, it is weird to not have him here I am thankful he is in perfect condition...free from pain and suffering. If he can't be here with us...how marvelous it is to be with God who can take care of him far better than we or any doctor could ever do here on earth. No doctor could completely heal him or give him a new body...but The Great Physician did and I am sure Gary is singing His praises at this moment. It has been a hard year without Gary, but I am thankful for the man he was and for that legacy that is carried over in my own husband. And now I will stop writing because I am getting my computer all wet from my tears!!!

One of my favorite pics from our wedding. Gary was a great teacher and Scott was listening:).

Ohhhh...so precious. They loved eachother so much. I really wish he could have been around longer strictly for Shane. They had great adventures and he had so many future plans he wanted to do with his Grandson.

Grand Re-Opening:The Days of Summer

Hello there my faithful followers:). I blog because I love to write. It is definitely a creative outlet for me. When I first decided to start my blog I thought, "who is going to want to read anything I have to write about"? I am not an English major. My grammar and use of punctuation marks are atrocious.
I said to heck with it...I want to write!!!! I am very thankful for all my sweet friends who have encouraged me to continue to post and that actually read my posts. I appreciate it. I have thought many times about doing this more often and getting sponsors and making it more of a job rather than for fun. I remember doing that with my passion for baking and cooking. That did not end well. I got burnt out and I no longer enjoyed it. So, for now I just write for the few that read and I love it!

My blogger name is Flour Power. I went with that as I always wanted to open up a bakery with that name. I started this blog with intentions to post strictly about baking. It bloomed into much more as I got interested in interior design and makeup. Then of course I had a baby and I am married, so I like to share things about parental life and married life. I realized that I needed to change my blog name. Luckily, my sister is a Graphic Artist and I enlisted her help. It took me forever to choose a new name. Having the name Summer I knew I wanted to come up with something clever. The Days of Summer ended up being the winner. Unfortunately, The Days of Summer is already taken as far as the URL, but I did change my header. I may eventually change my link but for now it will remain the same. Soooooo, with all that said I thought I would do a Grand Re-opening post:). To celebrate I am going to do a "get to know me" post. Everything you ever wanted to know about me or maybe way more than you ever wanted to know:).

I was born in the summer..but I was named Summer because of a girl my mom knew in High School. I grew up in Riverside until the age of 7. We then moved to Moreno Valley and lived there until I got married. I met my husband(of 10 years in September) through a family friend and through cooking. I often questioned why I went to Culinary School. Like I said before it was a hobby but once I started doing it for a living I did not enjoy it anymore. I realized God knew what He was doing. I started working as a Personal Chef for a family, who my family knew for years. The older son's best friend was my now husband. It is a long story(I will post that story soon) but we ended up meeting and falling in love and got hitched!

I am shy. Like, puke on my shoes if I am the center of attention, kind of shy. I have always been. I actually was a lot more shy when I was younger if you can believe it! God is working on me though. I am a very fearful person and I don't have time for that anymore! I want to be me and be comfortable with who God wants me to be. It has been a long process but I give all the glory to God for any progress I have made.

Speaking of God....I am a C-H-R-I-S-T-I-A-N. I have been for years. I am learning more and more of what it means to live a Godly life and not just a Good life(that will be a post soon too). Being shy I lived many years not branching out and living a life that was pleasing to God. Thankfully, God is very forgiving...I need that. His mercies are new every morning...can I get an AMEN?!

Most of you already know all of this so I will try not to bore you with any more random facts about me. I hope you enjoy my posts and will continue to read them. I have so many posts that are still in the draft folder and I need to finish those up. Writing has always been apart of my life. It is a creative release, but also very therapeutic. I am not quick with my words when I speak. Writing allows me to free the thoughts in my head and share my feelings about life. I hope you enjoy The Days of Summer.