Please let me take your picture

I haven't been feeling good the past few days so I've been staying at home, and watching lots of TV. I've been watching Long Island Medium on DVR and I swear I cry at every persons story. Every single one! The older I get, the more I realize that our days are numbered. I think about my mom and my in laws getting older and it's very difficult to imagine what life will be like when they aren't here. I also started to think about my Granny. Her birthday is today, so that's what prompted me to write.

Josie Bell Mitchell passed in 2006, right before Jesse and I celebrated our one year wedding anniversary. Her death took us all by surprise because it was so sudden. She wasn't sick and she wasn't in an accident; she simply went to bed that night and didn't wake up. For a long time I held on to a lot of guilt for not calling her more often to tell her I loved her and for not visiting more often. We had just moved back to Jacksonville earlier that year and her house was literally 10 minutes away. Why didn't I come by more? Why didn't I make more time for her?  I guess I figured she would be around longer than she was and I took that for granted.

Our church is doing a series on the next generation, so we have been having deeper talks with the kids about God at supper time. One of those conversations rolled into a discussion about families. The kids are intrigued by who is who's mommy and who is who's brother and Auntie M and Auntie Tracie.

"How many cousins do I have again, Mommy?"

"So Grandma is Daddy's mommy and G-Ma is your mommy?"

"Is Uncle Greg your uncle too, or just my uncle?"

The kids are so proud to have so many people in their family and they have so many questions.

"Who is your grandma, Mommy?" I got quiet for a split second, and said, "Let me show you".
I thought it would be cool to find a few pictures of her so I could share them with the kids. I looked through album after album and I only found two pictures. Only TWO! I didn't even take a picture with her at my wedding, and damnit do I regret that every day. I cherish the photos I have, but man! If I could go back and do it over again, I would have taken more pictures with her so my kids could have seen what a beautiful relationship I had with her.

Mother's Day around 1998. JB is the Silver Fox in the middle

My college graduation 2000

Since we've had kids, I take way more pictures than before. My husband thinks I'm crazy and he cringes every time I bring the camera out. I have told him and my kids, that one day, I feel like it will be harder for me to remember things, and I'm documenting moments now so I have something to hold on to later. However, there are people in my family (primarily women) who dodge my camera. My mom doesn't think she's photogenic. My mother in law doesn't like how her skin looks in pictures. My aunt thinks she's too heavy. [Now that I think about it, my Granny didn't like pictures either.] In a way, these pictures become our history. They can and should be passed down to our kids, grandkids and great grandkids.

As our pastor says, none of us will make it out of here alive. Do I think pictures are the most important thing in life? Of course not. I encourage you to spend as much time as you can with the ones you love! Cherish it! Enjoy it! Soak up those moments! But in the event someone asks you to take a picture with them; your child, your mother, or your husband, give it some thought before you say "no". Most people don't realize how important pictures are until they are all we have left.

Love you, JB and I miss you every day. Happy Birthday

always,
astreia

Fashion Friday 09.25.15 - Curvy is the new Skinny

Hey, hey, hey! I don't have a cool look to post today... I have something better! Inspiration!!

A lot of women have said to me, "It's hard for me to find clothes because of (insert your reason here)." One of the most common reasons I hear is "They don't make cute clothes for full figured girls". I hate to say it, but I agree. I went into a few stores this week, and there aren't as many options for plus size ladies. However, there is hope! I did some digging online and found a few bloggers that can help.

Curvy Girl Chic- If Allison looks familiar to you, it's probably because you have seen her featured in People Style Watch, Marie Claire, Glamour, and Seventeen Magazine. She's a California girl with a great eye for color and trends.

Musings - Thamarr (pronounced tag-marr) always looks fantastic and her style is budget friendly. I subscribed to her blog a couple of months ago, and I am digging her style. Fun fact: she lives in Jacksonville!! Love a local girl who can rock it!

Plus Size Princess - I just found Cece's blog and I love her motto, "don't wait on your weight". She offers fashion advice, health and fitness tips, and her stories on dating in NYC are hilarious!

These women are fierce!! Once you learn how to dress our bodies, we can make clothes work for us. That's just what they have done.

No matter what our size, we all have insecurities and we all have things about our body that we wish were different. I realized a long time ago that this body isn't gonna change. I will never be a size 2 and I will never weigh 110lbs like I did when I was 12, but that's okay! I'm older, wiser, and though my bottom may be big, it's mine, and I love it. It's time we embraced our curves!!

My hope is this will help someone today! Get out there and get shopping!

always, 
astreia

Recycle cart, smecycle cart

Hello everyone! Happy Thursday!

If you are a St. Johns County resident like us, you should have received a new recycle cart a few months ago. Super exciting, I know! Although the 2 black bins we had when we moved in was sufficient, it was nice to see this bright blue receptacle being dropped off on our driveway. Plus, the new trucks would pick up the cart and dump it all by itself. My truck-loving younger son thought it was the coolest thing ever!

However... the thing is HUGE! In the months we've had it, we have never filled it up, not even after 2 weeks of missing recycle day. It's bulky, cumbersome, and the kids had a hard time maneuvering it.

One day while we were on a bike ride, my husband noticed a house with a smaller cart on their driveway. I asked one of my neighbor mommy friends about it and she said, "Just call this number and request a smaller one".

Easy peasy lemon squeezey! In less than a week, we received our pint sized cart, and I gotta say, it's pretty freakin' awesome. It's just the right size for the amount of things we recycle each week, but the best part is....

It's kid-sized! My kids love doing chores (at least for right now) and the smaller cart makes life easier. I'm all about raising responsible kids, so doing chores at our house is a daily activity. Whether it's helping collect the trash cans in the house on garbage day, putting away their own clothes on laundry day, or sweeping up after a meal, teamwork makes the dream work in our home.

If you want to switch yours out, call Republic Services at 904-825-0991. They will pick up your big one and swap it out for a smaller one!

always,
astreia

the size difference is significant!

Perfectly kid-sized!

** Yep... this was pretty random information. 

But if you didn't know, now you know!**

Also, I have joined some other bloggers at TOP MOMMY BLOGS, so click their icon to find other blogs that may be helpful to you!

Have a fantastic day!

Fashion Friday 09.18.15

It's Fri-YAY! My favorite day of the week because I get to share my passion for fashion :)

This week's look is a lot like the last: simple and chic. V-neck tee and white jeans. Done! What makes the outfit super chic, is the accessories and of course, the confidence you have when strutting through town.

The tee shirt is from JCPenney and is on sale right now. ONLY SIX BUCKS! It's awesome because it doesn't have too much stretch, so it won't hug you in the wrong places. The white jeans are the  Straight and Narrow Jean from JCrew Factory outlet and probably the only style of jeans I will ever buy from JCrew. Truth be told, shopping for jeans is not my favorite. It can be challenging to find jeans that are my style and fit comfortably. I'm not a fan of low rise jeans or super skinny jeans. Hello! I'm in my 30s and have 3 kids! The super low, super skinny trend is not for me! These are more of a straight cut, and are not super tight on the leg. Another great thing is they have the perfect amount of stretch and don't stretch way out like jeggings. The rise is a tad lower than I would like, but not terrible. Better stock up on these before they sell out!

To complete the outfit, throw on a simple black heel, bangles,  a cute ring and sunnies. Boom!

easy, breezy Sunday brunch outfit

vibrant clutch paired with simple heels

The clutch is from Nine West, but it was from three seasons ago. Any colorful clutch would work, as long as it coordinates with the top you choose.

a few accessories to polish the look

The ring is from Express and the bangles are from Forever 21. Most shops have inexpensive jewelry, and gold is timeless. However, if you like silver or rose gold, rock it! You can even mix metallics!

Let me know what you think! Please leave a comment or question below and don't forget to sign up to receive blogs in your email! Have a great weekend!

always,
astreia

What do you think?

I spent the morning at home today trying to come up with a few topics to blog about and I was a bit stumped. My mind kept wandering.... to clothes. Trying to figure out what would be the next outfit for Fashion Friday. Trying to get ideas to help moms be more fabulous!

When I started this blog, it served as a creative outlet to write about my crazy life as a stay at home mom, hoping to connect and help other moms. That's still my goal, but I am more excited to write about the fashion part over anything else. So I wonder....

Would you guys like more fashion tips? Would you benefit from this being a fashion blog rather than an "everything" blog?

I would love to have more followers and more contributors and it would be a dream to create a community of women who want to share, learn and grow together. Motherhood, whether you stay at home or work, can be pretty challenging. Having help, encouragement and support is a must. I'm not exactly sure where I fit in in the blogging world, but I'm praying for guidance that I can find my niche and help others.

It would make my heart so happy if you could share this blog with friends and family.... other moms who would want to share and learn or just be entertained. Feedback of what you would like to see more or less of on this blog would be helpful too. You can sign up to get updates sent to your email. It's especially good for folks who are not on Facebook and don't see the new blog posts.

Thank you guys so much and I'll keep you posted!

always,

astreia

Fashion Friday 9.11.2015

Hey y'all!

It's been a while since I've posted, but better late than never right? Hope all of you are doing well and enjoying your summer! Since most of the country is about to change seasons (except us Floridians!), a lot of stores are having big sales to make room for fall and winter apparel. This is a great time to stock up on bathing suits and all the cute kids' summery stuff for next year. But don't forget to grab some cute things for yourself!

This week's look is pretty simple, but I think it makes a big impact. The look is only 2 pieces, but the right accessories can make an outfit stand out from the rest.

Layered white tanks from Target on the top and a skirt from the Papaya clearance rack on the bottom. Simple, right? The skirt was only $11 and tanks are on sale at Target right now!  The skirt stood out to me because it's a great pop of color and I love the texture of the lace overlay. I paired it with a wide belt that I already had (purchased at Body Central), heels from a previous girls night, a cute clutch and jewelry.

Honestly, the shoes are strictly for looks. I would not recommend going out dancing or for a night on the town, because your feet will be screaming! These are shoes perfect for date night dinner, a sit down concert, or church (which is where I wore them). The shoes are no longer available, but Charlotte has A TON of shoes on sale right now for 50% off. The clutch was from DSW and you can click here to see what's available now.

simple and chic

shoes, clutch and jewels will complete your look

Even though these exact pieces aren't available, my goal is to give you hard working moms a basic outfit outline in order to create your look. Tank, belt and skirt. Done! Add cute shoes, a bag, and a bracelet, and you're golden! Whether or not you stay at home with the kids, or work double duty outside the home and in, it doesn't mean we can't look fabulous while we do it. I want to empower moms! It is possible to look fierce on a budget!

Enjoy your weekend ladies!

always,

astreia