It’s been a while since i have blogged because well, “Real Life HAPPENS”! This past weekend though I had a bit of a breakdown/through. How many times have you as a person when something is not going right to think only of the negative? If you do you are not alone I am here with you! I think a big part of that is ones anxiety but that is not always the case, it can be many factors. But this past weekend i had an experience that I hope helps me continue to think differently and confirms my before belief that everything happens for a reason.

So…. my life has been unpredictable and in what felt like a complete and permanent state of crazy lately. Long story short the hubs became unemployed right before Thanksgiving of 2018 (it is now the end of June 2019), tried to be self employed and then finally got a job opportunity that has so far been one of the best moves he has made so far. He became unemployed after trying to better his career and switch companies only for him to be declined from the new company but not before he quit the old. Some may be thinking then why quit the first job before you knew?! Well thats because he worked doing a job that kept him gone a month and home a month. He was told he had the new job if all came back good and he was supposed to leave for the old job before he was able to start the new which is why he quit. He didnt see why the background check and tests wouldnt come back good. Well come to find out the background check came back and not in his favor but only because we have bad credit. That is sometimes a factor in getting a job these days. So thats why he didn’t get the new job. We took it as a sign though that he just wasnt ment to be at a job like that. His dad, before he was supposed to go back to work, broke his ankle. If the hubs would’ve went back to work he wouldn’t have been able to help as much as he did. So we decided that his career choice in that field was not ment to be because in the long run he/we will be the ones to care for his father as he gets on in his years. Which is fine because since the passing of my mother in law my father in law has not been in high spirits as much. Its been 3 years now but when the hubs was home he would keep his dad busy but when he wasn’t my father in law would just do the bare minimum kind of. Just do his normal stuff and then take care of his mother who lives next door. He wouldnt go fishing which he loved or work on things like his cabin.

Since the hubs was unemployed we took it to think that maybe we were ready to be self employed. I have wanted so bad to open a greenhouse/farm here at our house. He tried to go into business with a “friend” of his but turns out he wasnt a true friend. So we have struggled through the winter because the greenhouse couldnt really start until the spring pretty much. Well to say things have been hard would be an understatement. I started to doubt the everything happens for a reason. We got a very late start on our plants in my little greenhouse, then a later start than normal putting everything into the ground because of so much rain. I was really starting to get discouraged then we finally got the stuff in. I was still not hopeful for a while because so many people had stuff already blooming and big and harvesting produce. Then I realized something, usually about this time each year the garden has become over grown with grass and making for more work but it hadn’t been that way yet this year. The reason is that we had to wait until after all of the rain. When before we would plant, then the rains would come and then the grass would grow because we couldnt get in the garden to clear it out. This year however we had to wait for the rains then plant but since it hasnt been too much rain we have been able to keep grass out much easier. So there was a little bit of hope in the what is ment to be will be. 🤗🤗

Next the hubs just happens upon a job. His oldest brother had, had to get a new job and had been there about 2 weeks when the hubs just happened to talk to him. His brother said he would help get him a job. So he did!! I was nervous for the 2, to work with each other because sometimes family just do not work well together. So far though it has worked out really great. The hubs is on his 5th week with this company, has worked a lot of long days through the week but has also had weekends off. He has loved it and seems to be very excited about this work. I have never seen him this excited about a job and it makes my heart happy. 💜😍💜 Although the weekends havent been the best yet. He has been busy trying to catch up on some things that need his attention. So here comes the past weekend discovery!

This past weekend I was hoping for a laid back weekend finally to maybe take our 2 boys to the creek and go swimming and just have a good family weekend. Well that changed when we got up Saturday morning. Its the end of June and thankfully not as hot as it could be but still not the coolest. Our air unit started making noises and not working properly. So he works on it Saturday thinking maybe it just needs a good cleaning then it will be fixed and not take very long. Well it took a while for him to get it cleaned and back together. Luckily our house is insulated fairly good so it kept what cool air we had in the house there. Then when he put it back together it still didnt work right. We could get it to work but it wasnt to where we trusted it if we werent paying close enough attention to it. So there went another day with no family fun and only to have it still not fixed. Now mind you the weather had said it’d be very hot this weekend and no chance of rain until monday and that was only supposed to be a 50% chance. The unit ended up needing a new motor. So we open the windows Saturday night and have fans going to help keep it cool, which it did.

So yesterday/Sunday he goes in serch of a motor. Luckily his dad had one for us to use. He tried to get to it early so that it wouldn’t get too hot before he could get it fixed. It of course took him way longer than he had hoped it would. Lots of set backs and it ended up taking him all day. So another family day not happening. The boys were restless also because they just want to do something and spend time with him but he was having to make sure we were taken care of. Im not going to lie, the kids and I were disappointed that is was another weekend without him. I was starting to think why is this happening? Why cant we catch a break? Why? Why?! WHY?!?!?! I can see it in the boys that they want to spend time with him and us as a family do stuff but it wasnt in the cards for this past weekend. Then I start to realize things.

• This didnt happen during the week when he definitely wouldn’t be able to work on it (we couldn’t afford to pay someone to do it either).
• It happened on a Saturday morning and he ended up having the whole weekend to fix it.
• The weather lied (thankfully mother nature was helping care for us) and instead of it being as unbearable as it could be it was nice.
• Saturday night or maybe early Sunday morning it started rainig. That helped cool things off.
• It rained most of the day Sunday and there was a very nice breeze that helped keep things cool.
• The rain that came helped water our garden and give it a very good drink.
• Had this happen at a different time it may not have worked out as well.
• Had he been working the job he had before he may not have even been home to fix it.

I finally started feeling better about everything happens for a reason again. My hope came back and instead of just dwelling on not having a good weekend i started thinking about how lucky we are and were. I have a husband that will “work” on the weekend to make sure we are taken care of. Im thankful we have an air unit that we can fix. Im extremely greatful I have a handy hubs that can fix things. I also have a family that if i choose to be more positive instead of negative i can have more fun. Its all in the eyes of the beholder. (Did I say that right🤣)

Things may not always go as you planned or hoped but i truly feel things happen for a reason. Sometimes it takes time to figure that out though. So be patient, even though that is very hard. Oh he fixed the air!! 🤗🤗

Stay great you wonderful people! Do something good today that your future self will be proud of! 😍🤩

So does your child, like mine have to wear WHITE baseball pants?! We are going on what was supposed to be year 2 of white pants but lucked out and it’s our 1st! At my child’s school they wear gray ball pants until they hit the Jr. High team. Last year though we had to get white for spring ball but they never came in so he had gray for summer ball and he got to use those instead. Well this year he has the good ole dreaded white pants!

Don’t get me wrong they look great with their cute little blue shirts. Let’s not forget about the fact that they are white and not black for those hot games! But washing them!! Its kind of like torture. But I think I have found a pretty good way to do it.

I’ve seen the videos of people pressure washing them and I most likely will try that next time my son gets them extra dirty. Now this may not work for everyone though but so far it has worked for me.

You just need oxy clean and a naptha soap bar. It’s like $1 in the laundry detergent isle.

So I have even done this after my son forgot to give them to me and they sat a couple of days. I would recommend to start them as soon as you can though. Start by filling a spare sink, tub, or even a bucket with cold water and oxy clean. Try to rinse the pants as much as you can. Soak the pants in the oxy clean, and every once in a while go in and scrub them against each other. How long just depends really on how dirty the pants are. For the most part they should come clean and you can just rinse, then dry. If you have some stubborn spots though, that is where the soap bar comes in. Just take the pants and start rubbing the stained spots. Then I just put them in the washer on a small load and let them go. It worked great. I’ll try to remember to take pictures next time so I can update this post with them.

I hope it works just as well for you as it did for me! Stay wonderful my lovelies. ✌🏻💜😁

So as of right now I am a stay at home mom. I say for now because who knows where my journey will take me, and I know all too well how quickly it can change. In all of the crazy that is my life (and believe me I’m not underselling the crazy) sometimes my soul just needs a break. Do you know what I mean? Does your soul ever just need a break from all of the crazy? If it does then what makes your soul shine? What gives you that inner peace? For me its gardening, all kinds of it and anything related to it.

I have struggled for years trying to find a “hobby” trying to figure out what I’m passionate about and enjoy doing. I never use to understand how people can get so involved in a craft or hobby and even in collectable stuff. How can people feel so strongly about something they are doing or a craft they are working on. I tried over and over again to find myself hobbies. I’ve done sewing, I’ve made blankets and a few other things. I have tried jewelry making, wood burning, cross stitching and other little crafts. I was never able to just really get obsessed about any of that. I liked doing it all but not like I thought I would. I do however like that I can make a baby blanket for a gift if I want to, or make some pieces of jewelry or make things a little different by wood burning on them. I’m just not passionate about those things.

I was starting to give up thinking I wasnt meant to have something that I love to do so much (a side from being a mom of course). I have been gardening for quite a few years now but it finally kicked in that gardening is what i am passionate about. I have a little greenhouse about the size of a car this year. It’s nothing fancy, it belonged to my husbands grandma. She decided she didnt want to use it this year so she gave it to us. I was working in it the other day, and it was very nice inside my greenhouse bc it was a little breezy outside and it made it perfect. That’s when I figured out what really makes my soul shine!

I had this sense of peace planting my seeds and figuring out what I wanted to do next or what I wanted to plant where. I admit I am still a beginner but I have come a very long way. That little greenhouse helped me realize how much joy I get out of growing things. I love it all, even the hard unpleasant parts. I want to have our own little family farm greenhouse and I feel like it’s a great possibility. I am passionate about growing. I love to walk past things I’m growing and see how it’s changed from the week or even a day before. I learn something new about plants and what to do with them each year. I’ll admit that I am very glad I hadn’t given up on gardening because it actually took some time to realize how much it means to me.

If you would have asked me probably 15 to 20 years ago if I thought I would enjoy planting things so much I dont think I would’ve believed it. As time has went on though it has become clear that it is my calling. My grandmother passed almost a year ago now and she loved growing things and canning what she grew. I think deep down she is the reason I love it so much. I think this past year with out her has helped me realize my passion for it though.

So that is what makes my soul shine. What gives me inner peace. So dont give up if you havent found what makes your soul shine because it may be right in front of you but you just dont know it yet.

Shine BRIGHT my lovelies!!

Like I have said before I am very random and this blog will be as well. I’m not sure what my intentions for this post will be just yet but hopefully it’ll make sense towards the end. As I’m laying here getting ready to start my day (yes it’s about 9 am on a Monday but my kids are on spring break 🤗) I start feeling the aches and pains from my actions yesterday. It was a beautiful day, a bit windy but the sun was shining and it felt pretty great. My 2 boys, my husband and I stayed outside most of the day. I live in what is considered “the Hills” in my area and we have 1 neighbor that’s kind of close and a big yard and we share a pond with our neighbors. I worked in my flower beds, my hubs was working on his barn project and my 2 boys spent the majority of the day at the pond! It was very nice, I got my flower beds cleaned out and ready to go. The boys got along great while fishing and made some wonderful memories and the hubs was productive as well.

My muscles are sore from all the bending over and squatting I did yesterday but it feels oddly refreshing. Now I didnt accomplish EVERYTHING I wanted to yesterday but I did accomplish some things. I am in desperate need to lose weight though as I can only fit into a few things anymore. It’s been hard getting motivated this time but these aches and pains may have been just the motivation I needed bc I think I’m finally ready to get started. Although that may be for me to write about on a different day. Right now I think I’m headed in the direction of, things dont always go to plan.

I am a list maker!!! I love to sit down and make my list, organize it then rewrite it sometimes. I love to mark things off my list to feel like I have accomplished so much. I will even write something down that I did extra just so I can mark it out. I usually however end up losing said lists or not going by what’s on them. I am a visual person though so lists do help me when I remember them. I’m starting to learn that it’s not all about the lists. It’s not all about getting the things done. It’s about the memories and being in the moment. For someone like me that’s very hard but I’m starting to get better at it.

Yesterday I had a huge list of what I wanted to do, which included in the house chores and outside chores. I ALMOST made a list of all I wanted to accomplish but then I didn’t!! I decided I wanted to be a rebel and just fly by the seat of my pants. I’m so scattered that I did chores inside and outside. I would start in one place and if it took me somewhere else to which I got distracted and started on another chore then I just went with it. It was hard and I had to keep reminding myself to just BE in the moment. It worked to my surprise. Even though I didn’t get as much done as I had wanted to I didn’t over do it and i enjoyed what i did do.

So as I’m laying here now 30 min later reflecting on what i did or didnt accomplish yesterday and what i need to work on today, I feel good! I feel some what accomplished bc I did something hard for me yesterday and just went with the flow and ENJOYED myself even though I was working on chores. I hope to continue to have days like that. Yes I know they wont always be great and I wont always be able to remember to just go with it. Baby steps right? I will not give up though and I will continue to try to enjoy every day I can and be in the moment. Have a wonderful day, and try yourself to just BE in the moment and ENJOY! Until next time 😘

I apologize if this was confusing or just too random, but that is my Real Life! 😉

To start off this adventure, I will start by just telling what and why I’m doing a blog. This is very new to me and I am terrible at proper English, so this is a warning to anyone who cringes at bad spelling and grammar, I apologize in advance.

Let’s get started then. My blog will be about many different things as I tend to ramble and sometimes it’s hard for me to focus on just 1 thing. So I will talk about many things to do with life, hence the name Real Life Happens! It will range from things I have experienced to things I may just want to get off my chest. I might even throw in some recipes or tips and tricks I have either figured out or found and want to share. I hope to keep things light on here but let’s be real, real life isnt always light and breezy.

Life is full of ups and downs and sideways things but I hope this blog will be a positive towards some of that. I also hope to get better at this. I’ll share more about myself as time goes on. My goal is to make a positive impact in a world that isnt always so positive. I want to help others but I’m not very outspoken and confident, maybe this help with that as well! I also use exclamation points quite a bit!!!!!!!

So here’s to my new adventure!!

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton