Blueberry muffins and the lazy boys of summer

Beautiful Clutter

When I was dusting my house yesterday I realized how many 'things' I have. Call them what you will, but tchotchkes, decorative items, and knick-knacks are in many of our homes. Interior design is probably at an all time high right now. Women are more knowledgeable about how to make their home beautiful due to inspiration from home magazines, blogs, and an abundance of home decor stores.

But is there a fine line between having decorative items and having clutter? Can someone tell me where that line is, cause I sure don't want to cross it! Sometimes it all just becomes another thing to break, another thing to dust, another thing that will end up in your summer garage sale. But sometimes it becomes a treasured family keepsake.

I searched my home and found many things that serve no purpose but to decorate. In fact, we actually bought a sofa table for the only reason of having somewhere to put our frames and floral arrangements. And don't get me started on the beautiful, but non-functional buffet in our dining room. I can only think of one time since we bought the home in 2005 where I actually put food on our buffet. Normally instead of mini quiches or crab dip, you'll find lamps, a floral arrangement and a couple of frames, and while they probably aren't as tasty as my famous crab dip, I think they are just a pretty. :)

But when does that become absurd? Did our grandmothers purchase big pieces of furniture just to place their bird's nest collection and cloches on? Sure they're cute, but would they serve a purpose that benefited their family. Certainly all their money was spent on things her family would truly need and use.

What are your thoughts on this? Check your house today. Do you have a lot of clutter? Do you love each and every single thing you decorated with? Or did you just put it there because you just had no idea where else to put it?

While looking through mine, I saw many, many decor items that I never used or touch- to me their were just pretty things. These few pictures don't even begin to show all my little mini-vignettes. And this is driving me mad. Is it clutter when it makes your home beautiful?

Take this picture for example:

I can definitely see how at a quick glance, you would deem this terribly cluttered room. But when I studied it more all of the 'stuff' in it gave it a sort of charm. I would take a few things off the walls but besides that, I would like to cozy up on that couch and with a good book and a long nap. :)

What's your take on this? Do you have any beautiful clutter in your home?

Happy Birthday to my sweet, sweet mother in law! Have a wonderful day all!

xoxo Y

PS- Forgot to mention that one of my favorite southern gals, Rhoda from Southern Hospitality is hosting a giveaway for my jewelry! Stop by to enter and stay a while for some decorating tips! xx- SH

The Southern's Silhouettes

Any girl from the south has probably seen a vintage silhouette of an ancestor hanging in their grandparents house. If not, she probably had one commissioned especially for her wedding invitations or personal stationary. Since I changed my blog header to show my love of silhouettes, I thought I'd touch on them a bit more and show you ours. :)

Although this fine art started in France back in the late 1750s, it took America by storm, serving as the best way to capture someone's likeness. Before photography was invented, having a person's silhouette was the most affordable way of recording one's features.

After photography, talented silhouette artists were forced to take their trade on the circus and carnival rode. Sadly the art was lost for a very long time. But fortunately a resurgence of traditional silhouette art has been coming back for quite some time. I've always loved the nostalgia and formality of well done silhouettes. To see them hanging, preferably two and facing each other always makes me wonder about the lives of those frozen in time.

In late 2006, I commissioned artist Karl Johnson to make our silhouette. What he sent back was nothing short of perfection. Considered one of America's finest artists in this field, he's had his work featured in Martha Stewart Weddings, In Style, O Magazine, Traditional Home, and list goes on. I went back to check out his web page and saw that even though almost 4 years has passed he has not changed his prices! I was astonished because they are very affordable. As sought after as he is, I was surprised. But very happy because I want to get Matty and Jack's profile made as well. Wouldn't that just be darling to have all 4 of us framed on a wall? Currently ours is on a side table in the downstairs living room.

I also want him to do one of just me, so that I can have it made into personalized stationary. How cute would that be?! I've seen on Etsy that you can get some digitally made and printed. guess I'm a purist- there's something about knowing that a skillful artist made this- without tracing, without lines drawn. Amazing. Do any of you other gals have silhouettes? Any from the 1800's? I'd love to see them!

Oh, and I also wanted to let those girls that were having problems downloading my cleaning schedule that I'll try to work on figuring out a universal way for you all to view it. Mailing it out individually can be very time consuming, and I think the problem lies in the fact that I'm using the most updated Microsoft Office version. I'll see if I can format it back to an older version.

Happy rainy Tuesday y'all!

xoxo Y

Vineyard Vines Giveaway Winner & a Download

Winner, winner is.....

Mrs. Real Life!!!

Head on over to her place to congratulate her. And crack up at her Not Me Monday. Oh, and while you're there, say a prayer for Stellan, who sadly is back in the hospital.

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For all those that were wanting my cleaning schedule, you can download it by clicking here. I spent quite a while trying to figure out a way to show it in a way so you could see the cute as pie fonts I have mine in, but unfortunately not everyone has those fonts, so it wouldn't show the same on everyone's computer. So, it's in the plain Arial font right now. It's okay, cause now you can edit it to look exactly as you'd like it to look. Of course, you'll be changing all the chores as this one applies to my home, but hopefully the format I use will get you started. :)

And lastly, I was convinced by my friend Kelly to blog about a weird, but delicious snack that I love to eat. Yes, you are seeing it correctly- Baked Cheetos and Peanut Butter. I've always been a fan of those "pregnant lady cravings" sort of snacks. It all started with dill pickles and Bluebell Vanilla ice cream. Honest! Something about the sourness of the pickle combined with the sweet ice cream. Serious yum factor. Don't be afraid to try these- I've turned many good friends into Cheeto and PB snackers. It's delish! Do you have any 'preggo lady craving' snacks that you adore? Share with us!

Happy crazy snackin'!

xoxo Y

* Just updated my blog header. I don't know what's gotten into me- I'm so fickle! But I do like this one. What do y'all think? Better now or before?

Did he REALLY just say that?

I'm so irked. (And sadly, I'm probably going to show my age in this one.)

Just not 5 minutes ago I was listening to my iPod in the kitchen, sweeping and blaring old MJ songs. I've always, always been one of his fans. I never camped out for tickets or bought everything his face graced. I wasn't one of those type fans. I just always respected him as a musical genius. (A little odd, but aren't all geniuses?) With the iPod being on shuffle, next up was, You Were Meant for Me, by Gene Kelley. If you haven't seen Singing in the Rain, then you're missing out on a romance classic. After that song, it was some George Strait. After that, Billie Holiday, some 80's, some more from the 40's, Jason Mraz, and Carly Simon. After that Carly, Britney kicked on.

{ Before I go on further I have to say that I like Britney. I really do. Her songs are great to work out to and sing on dance floor with your girls. But she's lost. She grew up in a malicious, tough, critical industry. }

When the lines, "Oh, it's so hot, and I need some air. And boy, don't stop 'cause I'm halfway there, It's not complicated, we're just syncopated,We can read each other's minds" came on, I literally stopped in my tracks. What the heck?! I don't want to hear her sing about having you know what when I'm in my house in a great mood sweeping my kitchen floor! I skipped to the next, and got some Justin. Now, I looove me some Justin. He is great to dance to. But this whole FutureSex/Love Whatever just didn't feel right at that moment. For the first time ever, I told myself that this was it. No more uploading songs that just talk about raunchy and inappropriate stuff.

What is wrong with us that we push a 16 year old girl to sing a song about hitting her one more time, baby? No wonder the girl is cuckoo! She didn't have a chance.

Now, I must confess- my days of listening to the Top 100 hits are long gone. I still have that station on in my truck, but only for the morning show. That's it. I don't know the newest songs at all. I don't know who T Pain, TI, Mr. T or whoever are. But from hearing friends and watching E!, I do know that some of their lyrics are wildly vulgar.

I know there are parental warnings (like most parents really care), but what ever happened to the glorious days of subtlety? What ever happened to,

"You were meant for me. And I was meant for you. Nature patterned you and when she was done, you were all the sweet things, rolled up in one. You're like a plaintive melody, that never sets free. But I confess, the angels must have sent you. And they meant you just for me." (Gene Kelly, "You Were Meant for Me"

or

The first time ever I saw your face I thought the sun rose in your eyes And the moon and stars were the gifts you gave To the dark and the empty skies, my love, To the dark and the empty skies. (Roberta Flack, "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face")

What ever happened to expressing your love like that?
Not
,

"Shawty you the hottest, love the way you drop it. Brain so good could've swore you went to college. 100K deposit, vacations hit the tropics'. Cause everybody know it ain't trickin' if you got it."

Did he really just say it's okay to be a prostitute if you're pretty? Isn't there a better way to tell a girl that you think she's pretty? If someone said that to me, I'd slap them! Not be flattered.

I don't get. Guess I'm officially old. Guess I'm not hip or with it since I don't know/like those songs. Guess I was born in the wrong era. I want to go back in time. Back when a boy would tell me I was pretty by singing, "She wore blue velvet. Bluer than velvet were her eyes. Warmer than May her tender sighs. Love was ours.." not by calling me a hooker, thankyouverymuch.

Happy old fashioned romantic song dancing with your guys,

xoxo Y

Preppy Button Love

Have you noticed my new button on the sidebar? I finally got around to designing one and that inspired me to start a new feature on my blog. I'll be joined in hosting with one of my favorite preps, Hopsy!

Each week, we'll both feature a fab preppy blogger. It will sort of be like we're introducing you to a friend that you might not have known about otherwise. :) Social networking for the preppy blog crowd, lol. And we'll give that girl her very own button to show she was featured. That's about all we've figured out so far. We still need to decide on a name. Any suggestions? We'll be starting in late August (busy summer schedules, you know?)

I'm really excited about this, y'all! Don't forget to snag a member button. By doing so, you'll put yourself in group to get chosen from. It's our way of seeing who we can choose from and your way of giving us permission to feature your blog and use your pictures and/or quotes.

And thanks to those who entered the Vineyard Vines giveaway yesterday. If you haven't, head on over there and enter. It ends on the 29th.

Happy "My very first Kindle arrives today!" Day to me!
xoxo Y

UPDATE: Click here to get simple instructions on how to add a button to your blog.

Giveaway!! Oh, Vineyard Vines, how I love thee!

Can I just tell you how awesome the guys at Vineyard Vines are?!

They sent me a super cute koozie (in the patch design that I love) and a pink whale sticker. :) Haven't decided where I'm going to put it...on my clipboard that I put my daily to do list every morning so I can see it daily, on the back of the Land Rover *it's dark navy blue so it totally matches!*, or on the ceiling above my bed so that it can grant me a preppy dream each night. ;) Hmmmm....decisions, decisions.

Oh, and they also gave me another set so I can giveaway to one of my lucky preppy readers! Yay!! Here's the 411 on the giveaway:



To enter: Leave a comment telling us what your favorite VV piece of clothing- it can either be something you own or something you are drooling over. My current covets are that super cute white polo dress, the whale bermudas and the patchwork shorts. I mean, come on- so precious!

Contest Ends: July 27th at 11:59pm Central Time

And I'll be having another awesome preppy giveaway in the upcoming weeks. That is how much I Y my readers! And for those that were asking, I'm working on getting up my daily schedule for y'all to download. Oh, and you'll get a chance to download my actual handwriting and doodle fonts. It's so weird seeing being typed on the computer but it's really fun. :)

Just think of how cute and chic you're going to look at all the summer BBQs with your VV koozie and hand! Good luck y'all!

Happy Giveaway Day!

xoxo Y

Update: So I just finished ordering too much stuff from VV- they are having a 40% off sale, so you can't beat it. Especially when you find a coupon code for an extra 20% off! Yikes- coupon overload! INSTYLE09. Have fun shopping!

Kitchen Paint Colors and Cute Shoes!

I completely forgot to let y'all know what my kitchen paint color is. Sorry about that. I included a few more rooms just in case. And for some reason I cannot find a better kitchen picture! So, let's cross our fingers that my sweet friend, Kelly, forgives me for posting this one.

And lastly, if you're like any regular woman on the face of the earth, you probably have a shoe obsession. And if you're living in America, you realize we're going through an economic slump, so you're trying to save money. Obviously those two don't fit. Until now...

I came across Studio 32 a while back while doing what I do best- online window/computer screen shopping. All of their shoes are under $32! How cute are these wedges? And they have children's shoes, purses, and wallets. I just love finding steals and deals on my favorite things. AND, they have graciously offered my readers an extra 20% off their entire purchase until August 15th. That's a lot of shoe shopping time. :) Just use the code HSCHARM when checking out. Yay for saving money!

Oh, and stay tuned for a Vineyard Vines giveaway tomorrow! Yipeeeee!

Happy shoe shopping!

xoxo Y

Q & A Part 2: Tassels, Moms and Paint Colors

Thanks for coming back! Here are the last few questions. I left out those that had already been answered previously, so check back in the archives if your question wasn't answered. :)

Did you relationship with your mom change after you got married?

The majority of my relationship changes occurred when I went off to college. Before I did, my mother and I butted heads all the time. Our relationship was very tumultuous. We were the same, her and I- stubborn, spoiled, opinionated, did I mention stubborn?

Since I left the house, I think we've both mellowed out. Meeting Southern Hubby has had such an amazing impact on my personality. Marrying him made me put someone else first for once. When I became a wife, I got involved in my Catholic church and once again became interested in my faith and strengthening my relationship with God. My mother has used this time to age wisely- realizing that the little things that tended mess up her day weren't that big of a deal. We both used to be pretty high strung (okay, I still struggle with this) but my mother has really become a more calm and relaxed person.

That being said, we don't fight as much anymore. I see all the stuff she did for me and see that it was for my own good, not because she wanted to ruin my life. I guess you could say I grew up a bit. I definitely wish she we were closer, wish she cried when she saw me in my wedding dress for the first time, wish she came over more often, wish she wanted to go shopping, or to lunch. But I don't think that's the type of relationship we have, for whatever reason. All I can do is pray about it- leave it in God's hands. It is this way for a reason and I don't know what that reason is yet.

I could go into it further, but I'd have to make an emergency appointment with my shrink for Monday. ;)

You poor dear, another household management question! ;) I was wondering what program you used to create your daily schedule- Excel, Word, or something else?

Oh, Lulu! I used Microsoft Word to create my schedule. You can find a picture of it here. But for some reason I wasn't able to get it onto Adobe so that other people can download it. Does anyone have an idea on how to do this? I'd send you a thousand air kisses! I probably should put out another one, as I've changed it up a bit here and there.

I want the sweater you have in the picture with your friends! It's absolutely darling! And your headband matches so well! Where did you get it?

Thanks so much! I love that sweater, too. Both are actually from J.Crew. But they were purchased a couple of years ago. :( I love fashion, but don't like to buy things that are trendy. My style is more preppy classic so that I am able to wear them season after season. And I don't mind spending a little bit more if it's made well because I know it will last a lot longer.

I don't have a blog account but I wanted to know where you get your tassels from. Did you ever get that one you showed us a couple months ago? I really like the way they look.

I make no attempt at hiding my tassel obsession. To date, I have one on every lamp on my downstairs floor. Yes, this is a bit much but I did use the word obsession, didn't I?

My latest tassel gems came from this wonderful Etsy shop! Her name is Megan and her shop is Megitys. I love love love her tassels. You can tell they are made with the best materials and her talent is plainly obvious in the craftsmanship. We did a little trade, some necklaces for some tassels and it was the best decision. And I just headed over there the other day for little looksie and she's having a sale! :) Shop away!

Happy Saturday, y'all! Go pick some flowers and put them in your hair. :)

xoxo Y

My Questions to Your Answers

So, I wasn't expecting questions that required so much soul searching and thought! Y'all know this Southern girl likes to save her brain cells for crunching the budget numbers so she can figure out how to get a Kindle 2! ;) I'm just teasing, but I was really impressed with the questions via comments and email.

Well, let's get started answering them, shall we?

If you could change one thing about your hubby, what would it be?

Hmmm...that is a tough one. I love the man. Love the man, I really do. But sometimes I wish he drove a little faster. He's used to Midwestern driving. Down here in Texas, it's move or get out of the way! In all seriousness I do wish he was born south of the Mason Dixon line. I don't think Yankees really get the passion for traditions that us Southerners have. He doesn't really understand it, so I have to explain things to him that come normal to me. For example, when he first moved here from up north, he was a little weirded out by the amount of "Texas" stores that were in the malls. Yes, we Texans love our state so much that we create stores that have nothing but Texas stuff in them- flags, frames with flags on them, framed Texas flags, flag magnets, flag t-shirts, Texas shaped ice cube trays, flag wrapping paper, well, you get the idea. :)

taken on the shores of Mexico

If you could establish a residence anywhere in the world, where would you go?

This one was a little confusing. I didn't know if she meant to live there permanently or to just have a residence there, like a vacation house.

For a permanent residence and inside the U.S, I'd love to live somewhere up in New England. Love the fall weather there (fall is my fave season!), love the cool temps, love the accents, love the scenery, love the ocean, love it all! :) Of course, I'd have to keep a residence here in Texas. And since we're dreaming, it would be a ranch with a couple of golf holes and putting greens for SH and a tennis court for me. Oh, and a full time baseboard cleaner and mac n' cheese maker.

For a permanent residence outside of the U.S, I think it would have to Turks and Caicos. SH and I had a blast there when we went to celebrate our 1 year wedding anniversary. We dream of owning a few villas and renting them out to tourists. A year round tan...ahh, that would be the life.

I was wondering if you experience much criticism from relatives, acquaintances or from the blog world for the way you lead your life? I too am similar to you in the ways that I am a housewife with fur children and a baby on the way and I was curious if you did get this kind of criticism, is it often and why do you think you get that kind of treatment, if you do at all? I read some of your past posts and noticed a little bit of an attack coming from some readers who seemed to be bothered by your personal choices.

Well, in a nutshell, yes I did. I have a degree in Education my parents think I'm wasting my degree. A lot of my friends are stay at home mommies themselves, so criticism from friends is not a problem. Outside of my parents, no one really says much. My grandmother loves it, but then again, she literally was a 50's housewife.

Now, the blog world is a whole different beast. I put my own opinions out here cause the majority of the girls/women I reach are housewives/stay at home moms themselves, or they plan on being one after they get married or after they have children. Every so often, I do get a super outspoken gal who wants me to know I'm setting women back to the dark ages and ruining what feminists fought so hard for and yada yada. Unless it is a vicious or mean spirited personal attack, I don't even respond. It doesn't faze me. But when they start getting nasty, that's when I just can't keep my big mouth shut. I tend to let me anger get the best of me. But I'm really working on this and working on a spirit of meekness.

I don't know why all people feel so strongly one way or another. Personally, for me, it's a religious thing. I feel this is where God wants me to be at this point in my life. Do I feel all women should be homemakers? Yes and no. I think God wants us to be a part of a realize the joys of homemaking but there are some women in the world that are meant to have certain careers, just as there are some women for who aren't meant to have/need children. Let's take a nurse in war. Wounded and often spiritually beaten soldiers need the comfort at gentle care that only women can bring to bring them to health. Our soft qualities and traits are often a blessing to the careers women tend to seek- teacher, nurse, hospitality, beauty, etc. (And I'm not saying that men cannot be teachers, nurses, whatever. It's just that we *can* be better at some trades. I know I couldn't be a construction worker!) Does this sound a bit sexist. Yeah, probably. But I'm working hard on not pushing my ideals on others because I don't appreciate when they do it to me. Oh, I can feel the fans of flames coming on! ;)

The Southern Housewife with two of her mama friends

What's the best advice for keeping up with friends who are in different stages of life?

Whew, this one is a toughie. I'm actually going through this issue right now with my friends. At the age we're getting, the majority of SH and my friends are starting to have babies. Like I said prior, we're not quite sure if this whole baby thing is for us. So what does this mean? It means, we don't get invited to kid's birthday parties, which is totally fine with us! lol It means not being in on play dates, park dates, etc. And it doesn't hurt our feelings at all. We understand and those type of events are just not for us. But it does hurt because I miss my pals when I don't see them a lot.

So, we try to make more of an effort to plan adult only events with them. This requires:

• more heads up that what we used to give back when there were no kids. Back then, we could just call each other up and be ready to hang out in 30 mins flat. Now, they need a lot more time to plan because of babysitters and such.


• more of an effort on our part (or those without the kids) to make the actual plans. My friends with kids have a lot going on in their lives with the children. This is not to say we have no lives, but it's a lot easier for us to squeeze in a 30 minute calling/email session setting things up and getting the plans rolling. Is this fair? Nah, not really. But it's what you have to do when you want to see you besties. :)

That's all I have in me right now for answers. I'll get to the others this weekend or Monday. Stay tuned, cause the next ones have a couple of decor info in them. How fun!

I've decided that I'm not going to do another post on meekness. After reviewing my last ones, I think I sort of said it all. Anything else would be a bit redundant.

Happy fun and sun filled Friday! Blessings to you all :)

xoxo Y

UPDATE: I just read the last comment on my previous post from anonymous. That post is really making me think! And don't worry anonymous, in no way did I take it as rude or critical. It really is eye opening and is making me think positive things! Before I answer, I'm going to pray and think some more about it cause I can see how it will be self-improving to do so. Thank you very much for your thoughtfully laid out comments. :) They are very much appreciated!! And please know that those messy rooms did get cleaned up- I should have showed the after pictures. But the gym..yeah, I didn't make it to the gym. ;p -SH

Thoughts on Smooth Running Homes

Weekly I get emails asking what drug I'm on that let's me get up at 6am daily for bible study and quiet time with God, follow my daily routine, have a clean house, meet with friends for lunch, deal with two crazy dogs, and still run my small home based business.

Well, there is no magic pill, sadly. And reading someone's blog does not allow you to often see what's behind the scenes. Thankfully my sweet readers are sheltered from my powder bathroom toilet that needs to be cleaned and my sweater/cardigan pile that has yet to be folded in my OCD Type-A meticulous way. And I try to spare your sheltered eyes from the horror that is my veggie crisper. But sometimes I do get crazy on you and show you the un-perfectness that can be my house. Remember these?? You may want to cover the kid's eyes...

Like the the time I needed to bring in a bio hazard team to help clean up my small, cramped laundry room?

Or the time my craft room made the October cover of the Unorganized Housewife Gazette?

I always try my best to show that Casa Southern is definitely not Monica Gellar clean. We're real people who live in a real home. We forget to sweep. We forget the upstairs trash can needs to be emptied. And sometimes we even put just-out-of-the-dryer 1000 count bedsheets on top of wet bathing suits and leave them there for a day. Or two. (Oy, that was a rough night.)

And even though I sometimes channel my inner Monica, there is always something else that needs to be done. So, please please do not think that my house is perfect. It's not. Or that my husbands shirts are always flawlessly pressed for him each morning. Well, they are, but that was the dry cleaner's doing, not mine. OK, bad example. The point is, I do what I can. My top priority as a homemaker is to make sure that I am creating a happy, organized, and peaceful home that is conducive to laughs, smiles and memory/tradition making. That is my ultimate goal. Notice that I didn't say it was perfectly pressed linens, or dust free baseboards. Are those nice? Absolutely! (Is it bad that I'm thinking about those baseboards as we speak!) But if we ever have a child, I want to make sure that they see a mommy who wants to read that book to them now, not after she does the dishes. And right now, I was SH to see a wife that can relax and have fun when he returns home from work, because she's on top of the chores in her house.

For the most part, I do have a couple of rules that go a long way to ensuring that my goals are met. In no particular order, they are as follows.

A Smooth Running Home:

1. is a Godly home- I rise early in the morning, before Southern Hubby gets up, to make coffee and read the Word, do Bible study and sometimes write in my journal. This without a doubt sets the tone of the day. I have found that when I am too tired to do my bible study or I'd rather browse blogs instead, the rest of my day suffers. And I do things that I know aren't what I should be saying or doing, like losing my temper with my husband, or getting crazy road rage when someone cuts me off in traffic. For me, this is a direct result of not talking and praying with the Lord earlier in that day.

Spending time at night doing devotionals with the Southern Hubby also contributes to the heart of our home. Like I mentioned before, we're reading one of Barbara and Dennis Rainey's couple devotional books and we enjoy it very much. It gives us many things to talk about and share and it leads to a closer relationship with each other and God.

2. communicates- You're not going to be efficient when you are planning to do x for a day and your hubby plans on doing y but the kiddos seem heck-bent on doing z. It just doesn't work without communication. If that means setting aside 10 minutes each Sunday to synchronize calendars and talk about the week's planned events, then so be it. It's worth those extra few minutes. Southern Hubby and I let today's technology take care of this for us. When I put something in my calendar on my blackberry, I always send him an 'invite' to attend. That doesn't mean he actually comes to anything- it just means that he has the important info of where I'll be right in his blackberry. Quick and efficient!

3. maintains a morning and evening routine- I am such a big fan of these! When you have your morning routine down, you're hit the ground running. Everything begins to fall in place and you're already getting things done because you prepared and have a routine. You know what you're going to do and when. You're able to get everyone out the door in one piece and mama/wife is no worse for the wear. Very important! We women set the tone of the day, you know? If that day is started off rushed and harried, what kind of mood does that set you in? You can read a little more about the top things I like to do in the mornings here.

And if you make setting everything out for the morning part of your night routine, then you're a seasoned housewife pro who deserves to win the second showcase in the Price is Right Showcase Showdown. (It's pretty much common knowledge that the second one is way better!) know that it takes 21 days to make something a habit. Stick with it- it will work! You can read more about my nightly routine here.

4. has goals for the day- When I use my daily schedule, I know the things that I should be getting done that day. I've already taken time to divide up my weekly chores, designate each chore on a specific day and printed that list up. Each morning, I pull that day's sheet out, put it on my clipboard, and get to work. :)

5. does not have clutter- I'm beginning to see how my sweet grandmother has a lot of clutter around her house. It's not that it's not clean, there is just stuff everywhere. Things she can't throw away, picture frames from the 80's, and her collection of elephants. She says they bring good luck. (who knew?!) It's easy to fall into this trap. Don't let yourself become Queen of the Paper Piles of the Grand Duchess of Chotskys. It's easier to not get the clutter started in the first place than it is to remove it later on down the road.

What are some tips you have for keeping your home running smoothly? Share them with me! And come back tomorrow for the last post on my meekness series. Keep the questions coming for Southern Housewife Q&A and I'll get those answered on Friday.

Happy mid week, y'all!
xoxo Y

Ask the Southern Housewife

I am super busy today. I have to bring the breakfast goodies for my women's bible study meeting and I also am going to attend a Junior League information meeting tonight at 7pm. I've got some errands to run and customer orders to fill in between those two.

So I've decided it's another good time to open up the floor for questions in another edition of Ask the Southern Housewife. Ask me anything! I've got several home decor questions that need to be answered (don't worry, I didn't forget about your, dear reader!) but I'm open to pretty much anything- homemaking, fashion, Southern Hubby, the babies, my life pre-housewife, crafts, the birds, the bees, anything! :)

Just put the questions in the comments or shoot me an email and I'll answer them tomorrow.

Still have the last meekness post, so stay tuned for that before the week is over.

Happy 103 degree day in Texas!

xoxo Y

Giveaway winners! And a Sweet Gesture.

I was so overwhelmed by all of the entries and ideas to fall asleep. Please know that this sleep-deprived girl will be trying each and every one of them!

I do know that when I pray while laying down, I drift off to sleep quickly. So, it was funny to see that so many others have that same little trick! But once I get that "why can't I fall asleep!?" thought in my head, it becomes twice as hard. All that pressure plus quick glances at the clock makes it almost impossible.

And here are the winners! :)

Commenters number 15 and 9...

Sara Beth from Southern Sister in a Western World

The Wife from The Wife: What Do I Do All Day?

Congrats gals! The only fair way I can think of this is the first to email me with their first choice gets it. :) Hopefully you each like different ones, lol! :) Please send me your address and I can get these out tomorrow!

And speaking of winners, guess who won the super awesome giveaway over at Molly Lou Gifts... ME! How shocked was I? I never win these things!

I got a ton of goodies, including this super cute note set. Y'all know I love me some stationary! And Molly Lou Gifts has a ton of it! I can't wait to get my swag!

Included will be my swap goodies cause the angels shined on me a little more and gave me Molly Lou as my swap partner for the Christmas in July swap! Eeek! I couldn't be happier!

Now all I need to do is figure out what to get the girl who has everything! lol! She's a preppy gals, just like myself. Any suggestions are more than welcome.

And I'll leave you with reason number 4,334,482 why I love my sweet Southern Hubby...

I just ordered a ton of these tiny muslin bags for my jewelry. If you haven't ordered from me before, this cute bag is what your necklace will come in. I had a custom stamp made so that I could put my logo on each bag. I got through about 50 of them one night. When I went upstairs the next morning to my craft room to start working, I saw that he had finished stamping the rest. And there were a couple hundred more. Is he a sweetie poo or what?! This one totally makes up for all the times he throws his socks on the floor when the hamper is 2 feet away. ;) Love you, SH! Girls, go do a sweet gesture for your hubbies today- he'll appreciate it more than you'll ever know!

Happy fresh start Mondays!

xoxo Y

Weekend Coin Purse Giveaway!

Being an insomniac, well, bites.

Last night I worked on a new business card design for 5 hours. Around 1am, I called it quits. I turned out the light and started to snuggle in with my boys. I snuggled. And snuggled. And snuggled some more. I squeezed my eyes shut tightly. I stared out the window at the moon that was beautiful but very bright. I flipped the pillow every 13 minutes. I scratched Matty's head. I scratched Jackson's stomach. I even Twittered. And I had about 503,355 million thoughts.

One of them being that I had several brand new coin purses in my craft room upstairs. Let me back up. Before there was a Her Southern Charm, there was Pink Ric Rac. I used to make custom totes and coin purses but realized that it wasn't quite my niche. So I closed shop at the antique mall I sold at stashed away my goods. I had forgotten all about them (probably cause I was sleeping) until last night.

I only have use for one, which I use to store my business cards. I carry it in my purse so I can drop one in every single restaurant bowl that offers a free lunch for my office. What office? I don't know. If I ever win one of those things, I'll probably just end up taking Matty and Jacks. They help package the necklaces sometimes. They used to write out the invoices, but their handwriting was too messy and I could never read it.

Anyway, here's the low down. I'm offering to giveaway two of my Pink Ric Rac coin purses. These were pretty successful sellers. But I never priced them high enough to make a real profit. (Hang on while I go dust off my Harvard Business School diploma.) All you have to do is leave a comment telling me your best falling asleep technique by midnight Sunday. That's it. I'll pick two winners on Monday morning. It's not a free trip to Paris, but they're cute and practical. :) Be back next week with the last installment on my series on meekness.

Happy weekend but grumpy, sleepy Southern Housewife

xoxo Y

Yay for..

Yay for beautiful flowers, just because.

And yay for a husband so wonderful, I wish I could bottle him up and save him for forever.

Happy to stop and smell the roses.

xoxo Y

Morning update: Since we've been on the Dave Ramsey envelope system, my shopping has plummeted. :( Seeing the cash literally leave your hand really does make it 'hurt' so trust me gals, this works. Anyway, I was looking for a swap to join so I could do some 'guilt free' shopping and found one! It's for Christmas in July and it's hosted by Molly Lou Gifts. Head on over there and sign up- maybe we'll get paired together?! xo- Jennifer

MckLinky Lovin'

I *think* I'm doing this right...not sure, but I'm always up for posting pictures of my babies! If you're a regular reader, I'm sure you've seen this picture of my babycakes, Jackson. He's such a love. Spoiled rotten, but mommy's Jack Jacks. :)

******

Meekness in Everyday Life

Meekness in your heart says,

" I accept the circumstances in my life. I don't resent them. I don't escape them or try to resist them. I don't complain and whine. If it is something that cannot be changed then I trust that God has put it in my life for a reason."

Who among us has not wished we had a different position in life? Who among us wished we were married when we were not, or richer when we were just scraping by, or thinner when we struggled with weight? Have you looked at someone's situation and compared yours to it? The grass is always greener...

When we have meekness in our heart, we understand and accept that God has given us this life for a reason. (It serves us no good to only outwardly portray the spirit of meekness. It must start in our hearts first, in order to be pleasing to God and affect our lives positively.) Our circumstances, however hard or blessed they may be, ultimately are given to serve some purpose for the life He has planned for us. Wishing or crying about change does nothing to help us. Debating with God is self-defeating. The things we do to achieve that change may be the trials He wants us to experience and to learn from.

Your spirit of meekness, or lack thereof, also greatly affects the way you will respond the people around you. Take the conversation I just had with a grouchy woman at my bank:

Me: Hi, I'm calling to activate my replacement debit card.

Bank Representative: Can I get the card number?

*Jacks and Matty begin to yip at who knows what outside, and Southern Hubby is trying to tell me something above their barking before he walks out the door*

Me: I'm sorry, can you repeat that please?

BR: I said, 'Your CARD NUMBER! *with a very not happy to be here and talking to this dip attitude*

Now, before I started studying meekness, I would have yelled the number right back to her and the rest of the conversation would consist of both of us being in sour attitudes and giving it to each other. Once off the phone, that spirit would probably be reflected in my send-off of Southern Hubby. Depending on his mood at the time, that sourness could have stayed with him for the rest of his day. So, instead of ignoring her foulness, now three people potentially could be in a funk, instead of one. And all because I was too proud and strong to take her rudeness towards me and just let it roll off my back.

Thankfully, God sort of waved His hand in front of my face and was like, "Tada! Here's your chance to shine!" So, I didn't tell her what I really wanted to tell her. I didn't say it in the tone I really wanted to say it in. And I didn't make her feel insignificant or dumb, like I really wanted to.

Practicing meekness meant enduring her condescending attitude patiently, calmly and without any spirit of retaliation. Was that in me 100%? Absolutely not. The first few seconds I did speak with that same rudeness right back. But I stepped back and realized that that was not how I wanted my spirit to be. In the end, she got over it. Maybe it was because I continued to talk to her like a human being and with no animosity. We ended the phone cheerfully, very different than how we could have ended it had I not been meek in response to her unkindness.

"Be angry and sin not."

- Ephesians 4:26

The function of meekness in most purposes is to direct and control any anger or ill will we may harbour so that we do not sin. We can be angry. It is a natural human response. It is what we do with that anger that can lead us to sin. And, between you and me, I did not want to start my day off already on the naughty list. Do not let other's behavior control your spirit. and feelings. Let those only be governed by the Holy Spirit.

Easier said than done, I know. Believe me, I know. I'm the hot-headed firecracker, remember? But I'm beginning to use the tools given to me to fight off other's slights and am becoming a better woman because of it.

Next time, we'll talk about the things we can do to handle provokation and steps we can take to ensure that we do no sin when we are sinned against.

Happy "cool" 90's weather, all you Texans out there!

xoxo Y

Want to see my messy writing?

Today, I woke up to an email from Miss Amanda over at Kevin and Amanda. Now, if you haven't heard of her, where have you been?! Sashay your behind over there, you just must! She is a super talented, super cool gal. And she's pretty much my new photography BFF.

Have you noticed all the adorable fonts that I'm decorating with? Well, they're from Amanda. And she did them. And she's offering them over at her place. And they're free. Free. We don't hear that word too often nowadays, so I had to say it again. Oh, and her photography is uh-may-zing.

AND, she made my handwriting into a font! Ack!!! I'm pretty much obsessed with my handwriting now, even though it's not nearly as cute as the others. She must have had pity on this poor southern soul.

This morning, I typed up a love note in my new handwriting font on Word and showed it to Southern Hubby.

Me: Hey, look at this! *beaming at my "I love you, Southern Hubby!" message written on the screen*

SH: Huh? *shaving* What is it? I can't read it.

Me: Come look. It's a message for you.

SH: *Squinting at the screen with his face half fuzzy, reading the note* Oh. Yeah. Love you, too.

Me: Nooo, look at it! Don't you notice anything different?!! *slowly realizing I married a normal guy and he's probably N.I.D, not into details. (10 points if you can name that movie)*

SH: *looks at me like I have hideous morning crusties in my eye*

Me: *with hideous morning crusties in my eye* It's my handwriting! It looks just like my handwriting! See!

SH: *stealing all my morning glory* Well, not really. But sort of. I guess. *heads back into the bathroom to finish shaving*


Well, at least I have y'all to share this momentous occasion with! Am I being crowned Queen of Texas? No. But this is just about as cool. And I don't have to cut any ribbons at the grand opening of Diary Queens. So there.

Happy starting the week over day!
xoxo Y

This and That 7.5.09

This:

* Does anyone know of where I can find a good swap? I've sort of been looking around and haven't really found much of anything. I'm in the mood to shop for someone and I'm always in the mood to get some presents! ;)

* While I was spending a lazy day reading blogs, I stumbled upon this unique young lady. Mia, a young Georgia peach, is very different than any 18 year old I've ever come across. She lives with her family, learning from her mother how to be a homemaker. Often dressing in period inspired clothing and holding values of lost era, she doesn't quiet seem to belong to the 21st century. She writes about her simply, yet very interesting life. Quite a rare jewel in this sometimes morally perverse society.

That:

* I'm looking for a good pair of casual earrings. I switch between the beautiful pearls Southern Hubby gave me, the diamond studs my parents gave me for Christmas two years ago and these silver Tiffany studs.

And as much as I love how classic and casual looking they are, I'm getting a bit tired of them. Since I can't really wear my pearls every day (although I would love to- just scared of losing them or scratching the pearls), I'm only left with my diamonds. Yes, they are a girl's best friend, but I need variety sometimes!

These are in the running for now since they are pretty economical. :) But I'd love suggestions from you fashionistas out there.

Next week, I'll continue my series on meekness. See you there!

Hope everyone had a wonderful and safe 4th!

Happy Sunday!

xoxo Y

Winners, Meekness & Firecrackers

Sorry for the delay! We've been running around trying to get things ready for my family who are coming over tonight to celebrate. I got a few minutes to pick a winner via Random.org. And the lucky winner is...

Comment #5: MISTY from Pierce Babies!

Congrats, Misty! Email me with your address and I'll get it over to Lauren. Many thanks goes to Cotton Candy Shop for sponsoring this giveaway. Love, love their clothes! Makes me wish Lauren had a department for my furry babies! Wouldn't they look fabulous in that whale jonjon? :)

I also wanted to catch some of y'all up as I royally messed up my feeder when I tried to be blogger-tastic and set up a Feedburner account (even though I had no idea what the heck a feeder is or what I was doing.) So, if you had me on your blogroll, it's looked like I haven't updated in forever. Anyway, I've been doing a little series on the virtue of meekness and my struggle with incorporating it into my life. Catch up on the posts here:

A Spirit of Meekness

Are You Meek?

I also wanted to wish everyone a safe and very happy 4th of July. :) Here's to many sparklers, cupcakes, burgers, and stars and stripes!

Happy Independence Day!

xoxo Y

Are You Meek?

"The man that is truly meek is the one who is amazed that God and man can think of him as well as they do. And treat him as well as they do." *

- M. Lloyd-Jones

Since I've been studying and praying about the spirit of meekness, I've come across so many valuable information. So much so, that I've decided to make this a sort of mini-series, as I cannot possibly fit it all in one blog post. And hopefully the time in between will give you a chance to think and pray about how you view yourself in accordance with being meek.

As I was reading and studying, I began to feel the inner struggle with the ingrained sense of loathing and pity for the meek. Never in my life have I wanted to outward and inwardly have the qualities of a meek person. Those who are meek get run over by the world. They get unapologetically stepped on. They receive no fame or accolade. They don't concern themselves with how others view them and therefore are often outcasts. No one cares what they have to say. Since they aren't the loudest and since they don't step out forcefully to be heard, their opinion must not matter anyway.

After taking a step back, I realized that I was describing qualities of Christ. He wasn't boastful or prideful. He didn't care what others thought about him when they saw Him with the rejects of society- prostitutes, tax collectors, beggars, and the maimed. He let Himself to be crucified without a fight. He let the world run right over Him, never once pitying Himself.

Wow.

How small do I feel now, knowing that I had such a detestable view on the meek- on all the qualities that Christ, himself had. And even now that I know that to be meek is to be in the image of Christ, I still struggle with it. I know it is going to be a difficult and even life-long challenge. This is not a character trait that is easily changed. It is deeply ingrained in us by society. In our self-centered world, being meek gets you nothing. Be the best. Be the first. Laugh the hardest. Talk the loudest. Scream the longest. Me. Me. Me.

And what is harder still is to have meekness in my heart. I can aim to be less impulsive, to slow down my busy life, and stop trying to seek revenge. But can I do it on the inside? Can I endure injury and injustice with patience and without resentment? Can I be serene and quiet in my heart, where no one can see but God?

Do you see how this is becoming so much more than being mousy and shy? I can see now that being meek takes incredible strength and diligence. It takes much more bravery than shouting above the crowd or getting into a heated debate. To have biblical meekness takes a tremendous amount of courage and grace. It flows out of the confidence that you know that God is in control of your life. You can let things be. You can let yourself be injured without revenge, knowing that He will right all wrongs.

After going a bit deeper into what I means to be a meek woman, how are you now seeing yourself ? What are your feelings now towards those you once thought of as 'doormats?' If you're anything like me, you stand in awe of them. And you are recognizing the enormous battle you face with society and within yourself.

In my next post, I'll hit on some more unknown character traits of the unmeek and the meek. And I'll talk about how we can begin our journey on finding our quiet spirit.

Happy peaceful Wednesday!
xo Y