Ahndea May

Throw That Tantrum Girl! Posted by Unknown | Tuesday, February 21

There are just days when I would love to throw myself on the floor kicking and screaming... and to be honest, I have! When my son, Anden was around 2, he was really good at creating huge scene, I mean the more dramatic the better. So one day, I really just could not think of what to do with him so i decided to show him what it would look like if mommy threw a temper tantrum. There I was in all my glory, rolling around, whining and crying like a maniac. To my surprise, Anden had stopped throwing his fit and was completely fixated on me! I then quickly turned it into a "teaching moment" and said. "Doesn't mommy look silly throwing a fit? You can't hear what I'm trying to say with all that yelling and crying ugh? He began to laugh and actually understood me. Needless to say we have had many tantrums since then, but I now have the freedom to throw myself around if necessary! And truthfully, it felt really good! Good in a sense of releasing energy and anger and all the pent up emotions inside. Since I am a 33 year old grown woman, it is probably not a good practice to do regularly, so I guess that means I need another "outlet."

I am one of those who loves to exercise. Killing myself at the gym has helped me overcome many stresses in my life along the way. Since the twins, this is the longest stint I have ever gone without hitting the gym! I am beginning to have a bipolar relationship with this situation. One minute I love just doing some dvd's at home and embracing the 20 pounds I still need to loose. The next minute I am feeling frustrated that I can't control it and kick it into high gear. One minute, I love nursing the girls and overlooking the layer of fat i have over my entire body as i am producing over 50 oz of milk per day! And the next minute, I am crying and shoving chocolate in my mouth surrendering my body over for the next 6 months!

In all reality, it is ridiculous to even be concerned about such a short season of my life where I am giving what is "best" for the babes, but I have to admit my shortcomings and confess I would love to throw tantrums every now and again too! Not to mention I think I am still on a hormone overload, which his not helping here!

What do you do to release your stress? Any good advice or tips for "healthy stress relievers?" Ok, lets avoid the elephant in the room, if your married SEX, yes I said SEX, is definitely a great option. But when you have 5 children around indefinitely that is not the easiest one to accomplish on demand! I love to DANCE DANCE DANCE until my legs are like jell-o! Some like to journal or read, listen to teachers or inspiring music. I would also love to become more disciplined with reading positive and influential books and focusing on a little food for the soul.

I will be sharing some ways to "Refresh" your mind as I am blessed to have some wonderful people in my world who have written books, are leaders in their churches or communities, or are just wise and can offer some "What I've Learned" advice.

So although we cannot "literally" throw tantrums, unless we are in our closet, we certainly should find a "healthy outlet" to relieve our stresses.

President's Day Sales! Posted by Unknown | Monday, February 20

Here are a few really great President's Day Sales!

Nine West

Anthro Sale

Shop Children's Place

Pretty Socks Posted by Unknown | Thursday, February 16

I am determined to put some outfits together this spring with SOCKS! I love a cute feminine dress with little socks and sandals, which is so against the trend 10 years ago, right? Remember when people would wear sock with their addidas slide on sandals or Birkenstocks with socks... we said "No Way." And I would still say that now by the way... it is truly all about styling!

This is the closest I have gotten to the socks... wearing mustard tights! This was my valentines dress! $15 from Old Navy

Adorbs / Imgfav / Oscarprgirl

Dreamer - Lis Dunn + Giveaway Posted by Unknown | Wednesday, February 15

As I shared with you in the "Dream" segment, I will be featuring some amazing and talented women who are mothers, wives, career women, stay at home moms, writers, and most importantly creatives. This week I am featuring my new friend Lis Dunn. She has been crafting for years and makes beautiful things like this...

Lis Dunn Designs

And she also is the creator of this...

Papermellie

And if that's not enough, she is a blogger too! I asked her to write a few words about herself and her passion for creativity...

Hi, my name is Lis and I am SO honored to be a guest blogger today!

I am the wife to my best friend and prince charming, Dennis and the lucky momma of 4 super cool kiddos, Mel, Mikah, Mason and Maximus, that constantly keep me on my toes!

I knew at a very young age that I wanted, no NEEDED, to express myself creatively. My grandmother was a seamstress and dress shop owner, so time at her house always included sewing. I remember her letting me go through all of her scraps and having the freedom to do whatever I wanted with them. I also loved drawing at that age, so I would sketch out new looks for my Barbie’s and create clothing from those scraps. Those were the beginning moments that instilled in me a love for creating something out of nothing.

Fast forward several years and I have dabbled in just about anything that I could get my hands on… painting, jewelry making, sewing, crocheting, woodworking, scrapbooking and card making. Trying different mediums and allowing myself that time are like water for my soul. I feel alive when I am working with my hands and creating something beautiful!

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve really begun to recognize {and embrace} the me that I was created to be. I’ve learned that I am a much better version of me when I give myself that permission and allow my heart to dream and create. Not only am I a better wife and mommy, but I am showing my children what it means to follow your heart and that you are never too old to dream;) I pray that in this journey, I would inspire another woman to be honest about who she is and what her hearts real passion is and not be afraid to take a leap of faith and explore what that dream has in store for her life!

Hope this inspires you today as you keep pressing after your "Dreams!" Lis was kind enough to make us a Giveaway.. This beauty could be worn in your hair for a fun night on the town, on a jacket or sweater, it could even be added to a peacock blue pillow as an accent piece... kind of like this one!

Here is how you can win this!

1. "Share" This blog post by clicking on right side and putting it on your Facebook Wall

2. Go to either one of Lis's Etsy shops and tell us your favs by commenting on this post

Extra Entries

1. Tweet this post

2. Subscribe to both of our blogs

*** Make sure to tell me what you did in your comments***

The winner will be announced next Friday February 24th

What's For Dinner - Southwest Stuffed Peppers Posted by Unknown | Tuesday, February 14

These look fantastic and can be made vegetarian or with ground beef or ground turkey with fennel!

Southwest Stuffed Peppers - Deena Driskel

Southwest Stuffed Peppers

1 cup cooked quinoa
1 Tbsp. olive oil
6 scallions, thinly sliced, white & green parts separated
1 can seasoned black beans, drained mostly
1 cup frozen corn
1 4.5oz. Can chopped green chilies
1 tsp. ground cumin
Salt & Pepper
Salsa of choice
4oz. Monterey Jack , grated cheese (1 cup)
4 large bell peppers, halved lengthwise, ribs & seeds removed
1/2 cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt salsa, for serving

Heat oven 375
Heat oil in large skillet over med.-high heat. Add the scallion whites & saute for 3-5 min. Add can of blk. beans, corn, chilies, cumin, cooked quinoa, 1/2 cup cheese, 1/2 tsp. salt & 1/4 tsp. pepper
Arrange bell peppers, cut side up, in 9x13 Pyrex. Divide mixture among the 8 pepper halves, add 1/4-1/2 cup water to the dish, tightly cover the dish with foil & bake until peppers are soft,
30-40 min. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining cheese & bake til browned, 5-7 min.
In small bowl, mix yogurt & salsa together & Drizzle over peppers. Top with green scallions.

Soooo yummy!

Tribute To My First Music Icon Posted by Unknown | Monday, February 13

Whitney Houston

Every channel on tv this morning is talking about the sudden death of Whitney Houston. The Barbra Walters interview from 1993 brought me to tears as she Whitney sang for the first time publicly at 11 years old in church "Guide Me Oh Thou Great Jehovah." Her roots began in church and her songs were sung out of her love for Jesus. In the interview, Whitney talked about the point when she realized that God had given her such a "gift." Even her long time producer, Percy Bady, said "It was as though God just placed his hand a little longer on her shoulder." He went on to talk about the importance of having "humility with the gift" and "grace with the success," "this gift is like dust on a wing of a month and when the dust comes off it can no longer fly." When you begin to focus on the why you loose the whimsy of the flight.

I cannot imagine how difficult it would be to balance the fame with a normal life and staying centered in the process. Her intention was to use the gift God had blessed her with to reach others and it did! My dad passed away in 1993 and her music became a huge part of my healing as a young adolescent dealing with immense pain and grieving, I have clear memories of belting out her songs from Bodyguard with tear filled eyes. Singing Joy To The World on her Christmas cd and dancing for hours to Dace With Somebody.

There are so many life lessons in the loss of Whitney Houston. One, is the importance of who you choose to live your life with. It is no secret that Bobby and Whitney had a volatile relationship. Years of unhealthy disfunction. It became clear to the world that Bobby was not the sail under her wings but the very thing that would suffocate it. History would prove that being in a toxic relationship can become addicting and the codependence feels like a drug, an addiction. We saw this with Tina Turner and Ike. It seems so easy to say just leave, but after you have ignored the red flags and gut promptings so many times, it becomes your new reality. This breaks my heart and challenges me as a mother of 4 girls to instill the importance of positive relationships.

Drugs are really so common these days and especially in the celebrity world. We have seen many talented actors and musicians succumb to overdose in the last 5 years. I'm not sure if it is the drugs they are addicted to or the emotions, pain, and unhappiness they are trying to numb. Sometimes rather than dealing with our lives we avoid it by dulling our conscience. If you don't have to deal with reality it won't be so hard to live. But the point is... there are consequences and they will catch up to you. Eventually your life will be shortened or the person you intended to be for your family disappears and that can be just as damaging as dying.

I was refreshed last night watching the Grammys. LL did such a great job of opening in prayer and paying tribute to Whitney. But the best part for me was the achievement of Adele. She was just stunning. A raw talent a REAL PERSON! She is normal. She is a breath of fresh air when what we consider talent is performing "The Exorcist." It is just sobering and to focus on the true meaning of the Grammys... music, songs written from life and experiences. Emotion and heart. Real People like us, who can use their music and God given talent to relate, inspire and heal.

We Heart It

On a lighter note, here are some "looks I Love" from the Grammys.

The Band Perry! Love this skirt

Carrie Underwood

Gweneth

Taylor so adorable

Creative Style - Kids Edition Posted by Unknown | Friday, February 10

Samuel Photography

Now that I have 4 girls I am certainly going to love dressing them and creating fun stylish outfits! And because I have 4 girls I will need to learn to do this on a dime! I am a believer that it is "all in how you put it together." You can collect pieces from Walmart, TJ Maxx, Target, and now Forever 21 Kids. And come up with the looks you see in Crew Cuts and Nordstrom. Check out all these adorable styles.