Happy, Happy Mother's Day!

Dear Momma's,

Today I wish you nothing but pure love.

All consuming, squeeze your babies tight, greatest adventure: LOVE!

I can't wait for the day that I can share in all that is being a mother.

You are all lovely, and strong, and encouraging!

May you be reminded of that today.

much love.

xoxo

[photos: via]

Lovelies.

[instagram: theplaidsparrow]

Well, this week flew by for me.

I'm so happy it is the weekend & I am off of work!

Though, next week will be a different story, I'm afraid.

Anyhoo, I have plans to run to town this afternoon and get my momma her Mother's Day gift! 

Yay! So fun.

Before I get ready to jet off & do that, I wanted to leave you all with some posts that have inspired, encouraged, and gave me few laughs this past week!

So, without further ado:

When Lauren plays matchmaker to the stars you better believe your in for treat ... & a bunch of laughs!


Haley is so lovely. She is someone I would love to know more. This post brought a sweet smile to my face.


Please do yourself a favor & check out Gentri Lee's trip to the Breathing Blogger Retreat here and here. Plus, more fun with instagram photos here.

Before stopping in Amsterdam, Nicole shares a few snapshots of Seville! So gorgeous!!


Katie never fails at bringing a smile to my face, and this post was no different. :)


Do you remember?


For someone who has struggled on and off her whole life with her weight, this post was most encouraging!!


When the girls shared photos of their Bali trip I just swooned over them all!
(Part 1 & 2 can be found here and here)


Molly & her mom are as cute as buttons, I tell ya! :)


I adore this lady & I love this outfit post! -- I hope she does more of them. ;)


If you haven't heard about The Influence Conference, then please do yourself a favor and read about it on Casey's blog!! 

Happy weekend, friends!! 

& Happy Mother's Day to all the lovely momma's or soon-to-be. 

much love.

xoxo

Spring is just around the corner!

Today was pretty wonderful!
I had the day off work.
Which means I had some time to snap a few photos in the lovely weather we had!

Then, I soaked up the warm sun while I got to journal, read my bible, and walk around downtown with my momma.

I also remembered that my baby brother, his wife, and kiddos are coming up from Texas in just a few days! :) I love when they are home. My nephews are the cutest! *proud auntie*

And last, but certainly not least, I am sponsoring over on Casey Wiegand's blog this month.

Casey and her art.

She is so down to earth and the nicest gal.
It is a blessing to read about her art, her sweet family, her hopes/dreams/struggles, as well as see her faith in the Lord.
She has a new blog design up and it looks fantastic!
Please take a moment and check out her blog.
You will be glad you did!
Happy Thursday, friends. :)

You matter.

Lately, I have been struggling with inadequacy.
Ha. Well, really most of my life.
'Lately' just sounds better. ;)
For such a happy person, I tend to beat myself up more than anyone I know.
I'm not sure why I do that.
We all have our flaws and this is one of mine. :/

I started re-reading 'The five people you meet in Heaven'.
It is such a great novel.
I think many times, our role or purpose seems so small and insignificant.
That is how I feel sometimes.
I want to be doing all these great things to make the world a better place, but I feel like I am just struggling to stay above water with day to day responsibilities.

Life is a beautiful, messy, crazy, lovely thing.
I pray that I can get past the idea of what I feel I "should" be or what I "should" be doing.
God has me exactly where He wants me.
He wants to use me exactly where I am, no matter how small that may seem in my eyes.
The willingness to listen and be obedient is the key!

Allow yourself to be used by God.
Be grateful for where He has you.
Find joy in the things you do have, and not worry about the things you lack.
I wish everyone a wonderful day!
much love.

PS. Please pick up a copy of this novel. It is a wonderful read.
If you ever feel 'unworthy' or 'inadequate' then it is a wonderful story to show just how much your life is in HIS hands. You are important. You are making a difference.

Oh, the choices! :D

When I was in jr high and high school, I would hardly EVER wear a dress.
I did not like them at all.
Life is a funny thing, though.
The older I get, the more I realize this simple fact.
Because now I absolutely LOVE dresses!! :)
I would wear them all the time, during every season, if I could.
Sadly, I can't, but any time I get the chance to try one on, it makes me so happy!
Last weekend I got to go to Target and boy-oh-boy they had some cute dresses.
**seriously, they did. Go see. & then buy one, or maybe two. ;)


Ok, ok ... so I tried on these three:

& to be honest ...

I wanted ALL three of them. 

I really did. 

Cute, right?! -- not necessarily cheap though. 

$25 + tax a pop! Geez.

In the end, the price counts folks.

--> This is why vintage clothing found at consignment shops suit me better. ;)

I saw this dress on the rack and INSTANTLY fell in love. 

I'm serious.

Sparks flew, people.

It is simple and I loved it!!

However, there was only one left and it was a size large.

It didn't fit well, so it was a no-go! :(

So, then I tried on this lovely.

Aw. -- I tell ya, I didn't really think it was all that cute on the rack.

It was kinda like, "Ah. It might work. I'll give it a try."

I tired it on and guess what?

I loved it, of course. ;)

The color is so pretty & the polka dots were actually a lot of fun.

The ONLY reason I didn't choose this one was because I would have to wear a strapless bra with it.

I hate those things. :/

However, I guess I could have bought a cute cardigan to go over it.

A girl can never have too many cardigan's! ;)

Finally, after much debate with myself, I decided on this one:

I absolutely love the colors!

It is so much fun & definitely a dress for Spring time, folks.

**hint, hint ... meaning Spring needs to get here. Fast. -- or NOW! ;)

The best part about this dress was that it was comfortable!!

I didn't feel like I had to fix anything about it.

I wasn't too big or too tight! 

It was just about perfect for me. :)

I hope you all enjoyed my silly adventure in trying to find a dress. 

Now go drink some coffee, snuggle up in a blanket, and read a book before starting your day! I promise it will make you happy. :)

Happy, Happy Friday!

much love.