My Minimalism Journey...

A concept that I have tossed around in my mind for awhile now, but I've finally decided to take the plunge...MINIMALISM!! May sound a little crazy but I'm excited to see how it simplifies my life! The most important things in life are not material things. I'm looking to increase my time spent with family, friends, and most importantly The Lord and decrease my time spent cleaning, organizing and laundry! With a world FILLED with distractions my goal is to streamline and focus my time and energy on the important things in life!

DISCLAIMER: Please excuse my no make-up, messy haired, self! It was a long day of cleaning.

Not sure why this video cuts off at the end, probably YouTube's way of telling me I was rambling. HA! 

This Season of Life...

Just as we have different seasons in the natural, I believe we also have different seasons of life. We may go through droughts but then finally the rain comes and we are refreshed and renewed again. Lately I have been walking through a season of life that, to my knowledge, I have never walked through before. I know that I am walking through this for a reason and that my heavenly father is teaching me as he walks with me through this season. This season is 'learning to stand still'.

Standing still is something that is hard for many of us to do in today's society. There are so many distractions that try and take our focus off of what it's suppose to be on. We can stand still in many different ways. Whether it's a decision that needs to be made, or just taking time to stop, breathe, and enjoy the present moment. I am learning how to stand still in every area of my life this season.

I am learning how to stand still in the spiritual. I often find myself getting so worked up and overwhelmed by the struggles of life. I guess you could say I am a 'worry wart' ha! I always stress about the smallest things. But lately the Lord keeps reminding me to stop, breathe and stand still. Whether it's through reading his word or through prayer he keeps reminding me that 'he's got this'. He knows exactly what I am going through and struggling with and even though sometimes I feel like he's a thousand miles away, he reminds me that he's been right by my side the whole time. I can just feel his freedom just from typing this blog post! So in my current battle, I am standing still and letting HIM fight for me.

I'm also learning to stand still in the natural. The other day I was sitting on the couch replying to emails while my 3 year old daughter played with my 6 month old son. She looked at me and said 'Mommy come play with us', my response was 'hold on a second I'm busy right now'. Well that second turned into 15 or 20 minutes. She then came over, put her tiny little hand in front of my phone screen and said 'Mommy, put your phone up and come play with us!' First of all I was shocked my three year old just correct me, then I was so disappointed in myself for ignoring them. That's exactly what I was doing...ignoring them! So needless to say I put my phone away and played with my babies!

We can get so sidetracked and distracted sometimes that we don't even realize we're distracted! With smart phones, technology, television, work, hobbies, other obligations, it's easy to get distracted from the things that really matter. Jesus teaches us not to lay up worldly treasures but to lay up our treasures in heaven and that where our treasure is, our heart will be there also. That day my heart was in my cell phone. I quickly learned that day that I am only given a short amount of time on this earth. It's my job and calling to make the most of it. Which is not Facebooking, Tweeting, Instagramming, Pinteresting or YouTubing. It's playing with my kids, spending quality time with my husband, and serving Jesus to the absolute best of my ability. THAT makes a life of fulfillment.

I am still walking through this season and still being taught many things. Some things I have always known but needed to be reminded of. We all need reminding sometimes. So today just remember and be mindful that at the end of the road, when we stand before Jesus, it's not going to matter how many followers you had, how many friends you had, how many likes you had on a post but how you lived your life and how many souls you led to Christ will be where your reward lies.

Keep the main thing, the main thing.

Stop. Breathe. Stand still.

Small entryway for a small house...

I have been longing for an entryway for awhile but couldn't figure out how it could work in my small home. The living space in our home is 1200 sq ft and I can't imagine having anything bigger. I can barley keep my 1200 sq ft clean as it is! Plus we always enter through the french doors that lead into our kitchen, which I don't really like but it works. So my dilemma was, how do I make an entryway in a kitchen, a small kitchen at that. 

The search was on to find functional furniture that wasn't too bulky or big. I finally came across this perfect little gem of a table. It's distressed pale yellow color had me from hello! The table is the perfect size to fit a small wooden bowl, to hold "pocket junk" and a small vintage vase with silk hydrangeas. Oh and can't forget my ceramic bird on the bottom shelf! I found this table at a local store called Arrow Vintage which I am kind of obsessed with at the moment. Find their Facebook page here! Find their Instagram here! 

Then I found this cute coat/hat hanger at Burke's Outlet for $12! A steal I know. The wood tone reminds me of drift wood so it looks great against my pale blue/gray wall color. 

Viola! That's it! I am so pleased with the way my small entryway turned out. It's small but functional and was done on a budget (story of my life). 

 

Bargain of the day/shop small

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love a good bargain! I gravitate towards the sale rack in almost every store that I go in to. GoodWill makes me giddy and consignment stores make me salivate (no literally people,gross). So naturally I was pretty excited about my recent find. 

I have a deep love for the department store Roses. I'm not sure how many Roses are left in the world, but I thank God that there's still one in Somerset, KY. Roses is a lot like a Kmart or Big Lots but I think they have a lot more variety and are cheaper. 

Which brings me to my bargain find! I found this faux leather bag at Roses for a whopping $11!!! I know, I know...just breathe (insert high pitched squeal)! Then I got the idea, why not monogram it!? I mean, I'm a girl, I'm southern and every southern girl HAS to have SOMETHING monogrammed. It's in the southern belle handbook! So I took it to a local shop in Russell Springs, KY called Bows & Bling. They have everything from clothes to jewelry to hair bows and their prices are phenomenal! Find their Facebook page here. I highly recommend their shop! Sherry & Melissa (owners) probably see me more than they do some of their own family members, sorry not sorry. 

So here is the break down of my bargain of the day:

Roses bag: $11

Bows & Bling Monogram: $5.30

Total cost: $16.30!!!!!

Yet again I have proven that style and fashion doesn't have to be expensive! Shop smart, shop local, shop small! 

Shop local tribute...

Today I am highlighting a small boutique in Russell Springs, KY called Main Street Liquidators. Located in the heart of Main Street, this small shop is a hot spot for fashionistas! From their trendy costume jewlrey to their overstock QVC clothes, this shop is defenitley one of my favs! I always seem to find something unique and trendy at Main Street Liquidators. The prices are also super reasonable and the quality is great! I also love shooting the breeze with the owner, Debbie. She's a sweet soul. Check out this necklace I picked up from there last week. A great pop of color to any nuetral outfit.

Turqouise gem necklace $10

Sometimes the smallest shops have the best treasures 

Check out the new Rachel Zoe floppy hat: bottom left 

Do these beauties even need a caption!?

I will always be a lover of mom & pop shops. Small business's are what our great country was founded on, so it's our job to keep them alive! As a tribute to small business's, I will be highlighting different merchandise/product that I have gotten from small, home town, business's! I will pick an item and do a feature blog post about the item and the store! Be watching to see which store/product makes it on the blog next! 

What diaper bag(s) I'm using...

Wanted to do a short vid to show the different diaper bags I am currently using for Elijah. Let me know what kind of diaper bag(s) you are using for your little ones!

Check out my friend Amy Lawless's Thirty-One page here! 


Disclaimer: Please overlook Eli's crying in the background of this video, he was being tended to and was not being harmed! HA!

Be Still My Heart...

I have missed you wonderful blog you!! I have had a wonderful "break" from blogging and I'm now happy to say I am back in full force. As you know my life has most definitely changed the past couple of months with the arrival of my son, Elijah Matthew Franklin, who was born April 15th. Yes that's right...a tax day baby. Note: my daughter Emery was born on election day, November 2012 and my son was born on tax day...I'm not sure what that means but it's bound to mean something HA!

Anyways, both babies are doing tremendous! Even though we are still trying to adjust with our new addition, it has been nothing short of a blessing. Elijah has been the most easy-going baby and is so laid back. I have always heard that boys are easier than girls which I was very unsure of, but it seems to be the case with my children. In the beginning he had a small issue with gas so before it got worse I went ahead and took him to the chiropractor which, again, has worked wonders. I will talk about that in a later post. But as far as his nightly routine, he is a great sleeper and only wakes up once a night to eat. 

Emery is doing so well being a big sis! She wants to be by his side at all times and wants to "help" as much as possible...maybe sometimes a little too much but I have no complaints! I was so worried about her being jealous of Eli but so far that has not been the case, thank God! I'm sure that may change as they get older but for right now I'll take what I can get HA! 

The only thing that I have really had to get use to is time management. Obviously I have to prepare more now if we have to be somewhere at a certain time but I feel that we've transitioned very well from 3 to 4! A lot of that has to do with my husband, Matt. I can not begin to explain how great he has been with helping out. He's a keeper! <3