birthday weekend

two celebrations happened this weekend.

1) celebrating 11 years of being baptized in Jesus' name!

all i can say is..."God is Good!"

2) celebrating my 26th birthday!

thank You Jesus! i survived another year! 

here is how we celebrated...

my hubby bought me these beauties. 

sunflowers: my fave  :)

had an amazing breakfast at one of my favorite places (thanks to my mother-in-law).

those pancakes were so good, if you love all things pumpkin then you'll need to try them.

here we are doing what we do best...shopping at target.

this is how we roll. 

can't wait to embarrass genesis when she is older.

and here we are struggling to take a family photo. both genesis and i were done for the day

. 

it was a nice and relaxing weekend making memories and enjoying each others company. 

heres to many more!!!

remembering grandma

we remembered my grandma this month. 

she passed away three years ago but it still feels like yesterday. i know that she is in a better place with her loved ones enjoying the heavenly presence of God and His beauty. i imagine her walking the streets of gold hand in hand with her creator and smiling so greatly taking in all around her.

at times i think she is sitting under a humongous tree having conversations with her juan (my grandpa) telling him about all of us still here and having tea with her family that have passed before her. 

these are things that comfort me reminding me that her passing is not something to be saddened by but to rejoice in knowing that she will no longer suffer here on earth. that she is the blessed one to finally see God face to face. 

i hope she knows how grateful i am for her and how much time i wish i could take back and spend it with her. i hope she knows that i love her and miss her dearly and that i wished she was here to meet genesis. i miss her fragile hands and her faithfulness to our family. she was strong even though she was weak, she saw our beauty even though she could not see and she comforted us even though her memory of who we were faded as time passed. 

she is the women that i get my fighting strength from and i am forever grateful to call her grandma.

grandma comforting me 

the picture on our dinning table is the last picture she took before her passing. richard and i asked if she can be apart of our engagement photos...little did we know it was the last time we saw her at her home. 

We Love You Grandma!

Forever in Our Hearts

Teresa O. Ruiz

rough morning

had a rough morning with anxiety so i decided to share it on our channel...

the most wonderful time of the year...well almost!

fall...only a couple more days until the season changes to my favorite season and time of the year. although, where we live fall does not look as beautiful as this...

one of my many lifetime goals is to visit a place that has these types of leaves all around, smell the cold fresh air and maybe just maybe make a leaf pile just to jump in.

one day i'll get there but for now, i can enjoy the fall with a few of my favorite things.

coats, sweaters, layers anything to make me feel nice and cozy  :)

sipping and/or drinking chocolate. 

if you are a chocolate lover like i am, you need to try this rich deliciousness.

mmmm...

and of course candles!

what better way to smell fall right inside your home.

these are a some scents that really put a smile on my face:

heirloom pear - bath and body works

mulled cider - christmas gift 

sweet cinnamon pumpkin - bath and body works

autumn - bath and body works

better homes: spicy cinnamon stick - wal*mart

cinnamon coffee cake - my sister gave it to me

and of course some wonderful books to read on a cold rainy day. 

i am counting down the days that fall is here and i cant wait!

praying for a wonderful new season full of happiness, peace and health and lets not forget HOPE!

meet my hubby :)

here we go...

my family and i are finally sharing our story on YouTube! 

take a look and subscribe   :)

some brave exciting news

my husband and i are happy/nervous/scared/excited to announce that we will be having our very own youtube channel. 

this is a huge step/commitment for us to do, but i feel that this would be a huge blessing to our family. you see, because of my anxiety we struggle to be outgoing...very outgoing. and i thought that this would help us (specifically me) go outside other than the driveway and work. I also thought that it can be a blessing to others that may deal with anxiety and show them that by faith and a little push you can live life. 

i still have a couple things to work on before we launch our first video but I will definitely keep you posted.

Blessings!

home decor...work with what you have

i love our little home...it has its wear and tear but that's what i love about it. 

i guess that's why i love the rustic style of decor, i love working with what i have. if something is old and falling apart, i like to see what i can turn it into. 

my daughter's bookshelf

its not perfectly painted (we ran out of paint) but i actually like the look of it. 

since space is limited, i placed all her shoes in a laundry basket.

our kitchen cupboard

i love this piece. 

side cart

one word...ikea

our nook

it's this weird space in between our living room and kitchen. we really didn't know what to do with it so i decided to store blankets on top as well as frames in the center with a place to hold our keys.

top part of nook

bottom part of nook

here we store mail and i placed a side dresser to de-clutter our living room. i place books and a puzzle for Genesis to play with.

reading corner

can't wait to read books to Genesis on rainy days in this chair

i feel so inspired to do small projects like these all over the house. stay tuned for more.