The past couple weeks in a few pictures.

Geez Louise, it's been a while, huh?

I think I've lost my blogging mojo. What more do I have to talk about?

I suppose I could show you the cute carrying case I made for my 'teeth' as I like to call them. (I have Invisalign and I have to take the trays out and brush them after I eat- hence me carrying around a toothbrush and toothpaste everywhere. Let me assure you it's a super pain.)

Or I could tell you about the glorious way God told me "good morning!" the other day.

Or maybe you'd like to hear about the freaking delicious shrimp and pasta recipe I made last night? Thank you, Pioneer Woman. Thank you. It was ridiculous. Decadent and not good for my jean size, but ridiculous. :)

Oh! Oh! I forgot I wanted to tell you about the new caffeine free green tea I've been drinking! {{I've been reading Skinny Bitch (and you should, too)  and it mentions how horrible caffeine is, so I'm trying to give up my coffee. So hard.}} But I mix it with a couple drops of stevia and some almond milk and I'm good to go. (Many thanks to Sara for showing me the tea light. hee hee)

And when I show you this beautiful picture, please remember I drank these before I read Skinny Bitch. Yea, sugar is the devil. But these mangoritas are heaven.

I think next time we chat, I'll show you the prayer journal I've been working on. But I'll save that for our next convo. Besos to you all. xo

Confessions of a Straw Addict

Much like my addiction to the color pink, I have been greedily hoarding straws for a while now.

I love straws. The more colorful and funky, the better.

I need one with every single drink. Southern Hubby knows better than to bring me a glass of anything without first putting in one of my beloved straws. :) I even store a couple in my purse and use them when I go out to eat.

My addiction started several years ago. I had been happily buying the disposable plastic kind at the grocery store for a while when I began to start becoming more conscious of my carbon footprint. I searched for ways to recycle them to no avail. Then lo and behold, Sara and her pretty straws blogged their way into my life. The moment I saw hers, I knew I had to have them. They were cute and reusable. How perfect!

I searched high and low for pretty reusable straws and amassed quite the collection. :) The best places to find them are Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel, and Amazon. Here are the newest additions to my little family, my stainless steel bent straws, a la Oprah Winfrey.

They're not expensive. They bring color and fun to my life. They can reduce the chance of teeth staining and/or cavaties. They are more eco-friendly than the disposable kind. And they make me happy. If those aren't good enough reasons for collecting and hoarding straws, then I don't know what is. ;)

Monday Lovelies

How is the weather where you are? Over here, it's pretty close to amazing. I'm dreading the Texas summers, so I'm trying to enjoy this weather while I can.

Last week we had professional landscapers come out and re-design our front yard flower beds. Yesterday we spent many hours outside planting new plants, repotting old shurbs and weeding. It was fun but a lot of hard work. I'll share more pictures soon.

Here are couple of Monday lovlies I've come across while searching the wide web. ;)

• Love, love, love this quote.
• I came across this simplistic and lovely red string, and 100% of the proceeds go to Japan. Love that. Will be ordering one soon.
• Wondering what my life is trying to tell me about seeking personal growth this year. This post hit home on so many levels. Thank you, Tara.
• Adorable.

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

Friday winner!

I was so happy to be able to give my faithful Thankful Thursday a chance to enter a super quick giveaway! And random.org picked a winner! And she is...

EKM!

Congrats girl! I can't believe it picked number 1! How often does that happen?! Email me with the letter or symbol of your choice as well as font. I'll have it right out to ya!

Have a great weekend, ya'll!

Happy Friday!

xoxo Y

This and That

I've got a bit to talk about today but it's all hodgepodge, so I figured I'd do a This and That post. :)

This:
I've started a new blog solely for my photography pictures. If you're a regular reader, you'll see that I love photography and visit Shutter Sisters pretty much every day. If you haven't seen this site, go check it out. These girls have amazing eyes and incredible talent!

This blog won't have too much writing because I just want it to be about the pictures. I named it Bee and Jack after the two men in my life- Southern Hubby, and our Southern Puppy, Jackson Taylor (yes, our dog has a middle name. and yes, I use his full name when he gets into mischief!) There isn't a ton on there just yet, but head on over and take quick look if you're not busy. And, SH's name really isn't Bee. :) It's just my pet name for him.

Bee and Jack Photography

That:
I finally put up a couple of new designs in my shop. I'm so proud of them! I especially love the one with the border!! I just had to make one for myself!

OK folks, this one was pretty short. I have to get back to my housework, and I have a Junior League potential new member meeting to go to tonight. Busy, busy! But I'll be back soon. God has been working in me in such wonderful ways and I can't wait to share them all with you. It's amazing how much your life can turn around and how much a spoiled and stubborn 28 year old can have an attitude adjustment just because God is present her life. :) Oh, and I've got something cooking for you with one of my FAVE homemakers and sweet pie mama, Ruth over at Warm Pie, Happy Home. I can't wait to talk to you about it!

Happy spring day!
xoxo Y

Is this acceptable?!

What is wrong with this world when it is okay, no, acceptable to have a teen's website feature seven nude men and a half naked woman?

This story was just shown on my local news and I'm appalled that we are letting corporations get away with this. Gilly Hicks is a company of Abercrombie & Fitch, which doesn't surprise me, as A&F has become known for their risque photo shoots.

Now, before I sound like an old dinosaur, this Southern Housewife once had a closet full of Abercrombie. During my junior and senior years of high school (1998 (my gosh, I'm old!)) and through a lot of my sorority days, that is all that kids wore. Since my taste in clothing has progressed, I've noticed a drastic decline in A&F's marketing campaign. They did not used to be like this back when I shopped there. Not that I would have cared, being the stubborn, know-it-all 19 year old that I was. But now I can recognize that this borders on pornography.

No. I take that back. This is pornography.

My niece is 7 years old and is very proficient with the computer. Of course the only places she goes to online is Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel. But what if a pop up of these naked men suddenly appeared? Would I want my precious niece thinking that this is what our world is like?

And even though I blurred the top picture, I can tell you that this lovely, half-naked young lady is playfully touching the men on either side of her.

Playfully. Touching.

As in, "It's OK to be a teen and touch a grown man's behind. No one objects, so it must be fine."

Children and teens who frequent websites like these begin to think that this is the norm. They become desensitized to images of nudity and promiscuity. Pretty soon, sex is no big deal. It's something they show on TV, and in movies, and at the place where we buy our clothes.

I don't have children, and I don't mean to come off as an uptight fuddy-duddy, but I am an observer of this world, and I just don't like what I see sometimes. I'm beginning to think the world has gone mad, and that Americans are right behind it. I guess that's what happens when you cross over that magical age of 25 and every other sentence out of your mouth is, "Why are those boy's jeans so darn tight?!" or "Do they have to play their awful music so loudly?" You become more aware of what is right and what is painfully wrong. (And I think you get just a smidge more cranky!)

If you feel compelled to write this company, as I have, and plead with them to get this trash off the Internet, or in the very least, make sure their is some parental warning that pops up before they can view, click here and go to "contact us":

I would hope and pray that they listen to concerned parents. (After all, it is with the parent's money that these children are buying these clothes.) But I won't hold my breath. After all, this is the same company that peddles this...

in their children's clothing line.

Better late than never... and this and that

THIS:

Well, I'm late for Homemaker Haven/Happy Home Mondays but I really love this carnival and I love supporting it, so I'm going to post it mid week.

The Southern Housewife's Goals for February 9th-13th:

1. I am still trying to get into the groove of my morning routine. This is what I'm doing so far and I'm really enjoying it:

Bible Reading- I am trying to read the Bible every day but as I said before, I won't be held to the year deadline. After I read my assigned passages, I try to just sit still and think about it for 15 minutes so I can absorb what I have just read and apply the readings to my life.

I did a bit of research, and from what I read, it is better not to go through the Bible from page 1 until the end. (Can anyone confirm this?) Since it is not in chronological order, I found a very easy Bible Reading Plan for Beginners online and this is what I'm choosing to do. (Has anyone completed this plan? I'd love to hear thoughts.) I still support City on a Hill's Bible Reading Challenge, so I'll keep the button up.

Homemakers By Choice- Each morning I listen to Donna and friends talk about things that apply to homemakers like me. I'm loving it! I enjoy listening to her and her daughter Annisa. I always have my journal and pen in hand to write down anything I find important. They recently went over the discipline of fasting, and it got me thinking about working on this.

If you haven't heard one of her podcasts yet, I highly encourage you to check it out. They aren't long- anywhere from 20-30 minutes so it goes hand in hand with a nice cup of coffee or tea. :) Please check their website out as well.

2. I want to clean out my refrigerator. It needs it. It stinks. It's gross. That's all I'm gonna say about that one. Look for before and after pictures.....well, maybe.

THAT:

When I first started my adventures in homemaking, I was really hoping for a magazine that was uplifting as well as offered some great tips on recipes, meal planning, decor, time management, and all the other things that we homemakers struggle with.

I don't know how it happened, but I came across Homemakers magazine a couple months ago. I don't have to tell you how excited I was! I immediately looked for a way to subscribe to the magazine, but saw that this was a Canadian magazine. :( Back then, I couldn't find a way for them to send their mags to the US. Fortunately, I kept checking back every so often and today was my lucky day! They finally started spreading some Homemakers love to us. :)

If you want to subscribe, sign up via this link. For some reason, when I tried signing up using the one on their front page, it lead me to a total of $30. But when I tried the other way, by going into their 'store', it gave me the advertised price of 9 issues for $9.95- a steal! I'll let you know if I encounter any problems with doing it this way.

And lastly, I was hoping we could all pray for those families who lost their homes and loved ones yesterday in Oklahoma. A lot of Texas got the ugly leftovers from the weather but thankfully, no tornadoes. Unfortunately, it was reported as of last night, that there are already 3 confirmed deaths and 20+ injuries. Please pray that God is watching out for them. Pray that they are finding comfort in Him right now and listening for any messages or lessons he may be teaching them using this situation. Thanks guys.

Happy fridge cleaning and magazine reading!!

xoxo Y