Taking a chance

5.) Talk about a time you took a chance.

I don't know if I can honestly say I'm a "risk taker" and that I like to take chances on a day to day basis. I would like to describe myself as fearless yet I'm an over thinker and I don't think the two can belong parallel.

Right before Kyle and I got married I had this nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach but I couldn't pin point what it was. As time went on it started to hint at my job. I had gone to college for two years when taking on one of my dads barbecue restaurants fell in my lap. I embraced this opportunity and more often than not I loved my job. As overwhelming as it could sometimes be I found happiness in what I was doing, helping carrying out my dads dream. After several months of that nagging feeling digging deeper in the pit of my stomach I realized just that, it's my dads dream not mine.

I mentioned the idea of changing careers to Kyle in which he responded by telling me that he would support me in whatever decision I made. I just couldn't bring myself to do it though. Leaving the barbecue world didn't just mean I wouldn't be smelling like pork everyday it meant I would be giving up the opportunity to one day own it. The thought of losing that opportunity weighed heavy on me. It could mean a huge sacrifice for my future children, owning a restaurant would have been a nice monetary cushion for them in which I could provide more.

As weeks went by I slowly started realizing that maybe I wasn't so happy with my job. It was the same routines everyday, other than caterings I literally did the same thing every.single.day. Being in charge of a whole crew started to feel like being a babysitter to a bunch of rowdy toddlers, not to say I didn't absolutely love my crew because seriously they were the best of the best, but it started to just become repetitive. The customers started getting on my nerves, believe it or not this didn't happen frequently for me, and somedays I would swear that if one more person complained about our bottled water being $1 I would absolutely lose my cool.

I still couldn't take the chance on throwing my future away.

I started feeling guilty because everyday I would come home in a bad mood which, to say the least, was not fair to Kyle.

Finally after all the signs God threw my way the chance finally came to leave the barbecue world, kind of, behind me. Our lease was coming up and my dad started talking about renewing it. Mind you that my particular store on my side of town was not in the best location which at times was very unfortunate. I had already made my mind up that I was going to be making a career change but I couldn't find the words to tell my dad. I literally would start to sweat bullets even thinking about the conversation.

Finally one morning he brought up renewing the lease and I completely word vomited. I knew this was my chance to tell him and if not now then it would be never. So I told him if he renewed I would no longer be there to run it. He looked at me completely confused and asked why and then that's when I explained it to him. Previously when I imagined this conversation I visualized darts being thrown at me, instead he told me he completely supported my decision and that he understood I had to do what was best for my family. I may have had to pick my jaw up off the floor, just saying.

Needless to say my dad ended up closing that location. After a vigorous job search in the banking world Kyle and I decided it would be best for me to be a SAHW and focus on myself and maintaining our home. I now work two days a week, two hours a day just to help out my dad by pulling the meat and marinating it. Though it's not my top choice waking up at 4:30 AM for two hours of work I'm happy with where I am at and wouldn't take back the decision if I could.

I took a chance and if there was ever a chance worth taking, this was it.

xoxo Haley

Coffee addict

4.) Something you got to do when you were young that you would not let your children do.

As a child, and still to this day, I have always been my mom's sidekick... always. Anything and everything she did I wanted to do as well, which I'm sure always kept her on her toes to do the right thing because she always had me less than one step behind her. 

I remember Saturday mornings always being my favorite. She was off from work and I would get to enjoy her the entire morning before other festivities took place. I remember I would wake up and run down stairs to crawl in bed with her and have our Saturday snuggles, which were the best. Once we were up and moving we would head to the kitchen and I would wait while she fixed the coffee.

Anyone remember Chip from Beauty and The Beast? Yeah, I owned that coffee cup! After Mom finished making the coffee we would go sit on the back porch and chat all morning all while I, an eight-or-so year old, drank coffee. 

Looking back I don't know if it was such a good idea to let a child drink coffee. Still to this day I cringe at the thought of starting my morning without it. I remember in high school I would get up two hours early before school started so I could go to Starbucks beforehand. On the days I don't go into work to help my dad I can drink a whole 12-cup carafe of coffee, no big deal. I'm just saying, I may have a coffee problem.

Though there are plenty of things much worse that a child could do, I'm still not so sure that I would let my child drink coffee with me. As much as I cherish these moments of when I was a child I think I'll let my kid have their own fix, maybe chocolate milk with added syrup...maybe apple juice garnished with an apple wedge...I'm not really sure. 

I would like to say I will never give my child coffee but over the years I have fallen in my mother's footsteps more than a time or two. Since I currently don't have children I can't say what I would and would not let my child do other than the obvious, ya know like roller blade while juggling knives or something. My childless self is screaming "heck no I am not giving my kid coffee, I'm sure they will have more energy than I can handle as is!" Who knows though, maybe my kid will be like me and need a pick-me-up. 

So my question to you is: Would you let your eight year old, give or take, have coffee?

10 Ways to Cool Off

It's that time of the year where we forget how cold the winter was and start heavily complaining about the harsh heat and sunburns. Never fear, I am here to tell you ten ways to cool down during these heated summer months.

Let's start by stating the obvious, shall we?

[one]

stay inside, duh

That's right. Beat the heat and go kick your feet up. Not quite ideal for me because I rather be outdoors during the summer because it's much easier to enjoy the beauty God created in the summer rather than everything that is dead in the winter. 

[two]

invest in this

This little jewel is what gets me through my days of gardening. It's a cooling towel, I purchased the Enduracool from Lowes, and it doesn't matter if you put hot or cold water on it... just give it a few snaps and BAM, it's cold. Kyle obviously has more than one of these for long days of mowing.

[three]

peppermint essential oil

Caution: please do not drink. Grab yourself a spray bottle, add some water, put a couple of drops of oil in it, and spray yourself! My mom and dad swear by this remedy. 

[four]

shower thyself

...with cold water! Kyle likes to take steamy showers regardless of the temperature outside. I, however, am prone to turning it icy cold and enjoying the sting on my skin after a long day of outdoor play.

[five]

spray yo'self before you burn yo'self

It's obviously a given that if you are playing outside one may want to apply sunscreen. However! This Sport CoolZone sunscreen by Banana Boat is quite delightful. It not only smells better than most sunscreens but it also is extremely cooling. Why not kill two birds with one stone? 

[six]

ice ice baby!

Sure, you can suck on an ice cube or two, but why not add a little flavor with some ice pops! Kyle keeps them in stock at home and on the job. 

[seven]

take a dip

 That's right, my friend. Put on your skimpies and take the plunge. A sure way to cool off...and get a little wet.
[eight]

hydration

 Drink yourself some water, friend. I love a nice cold glass of water when I have sweat rolling down my face. If you get a wild hair, cut up some lemon and cucumber and infuse your water. I absolutely love the refreshing taste of cucumber lemon water. Best part ladies: it helps with bloating... you're welcome.
[nine]

i-scream-you-scream

Treat yourself to some ice cream! ...or a fudge pop...or a yogurt pop... or whatever cold guilty pleasure that tickles your fancy!

[ten]

Make yourself a smoothie. Don't know how? No excuse, there's Pinterest for that, or Google.

Don't forget! Please apply deodorant, even if you have to have someone apply it for you. 

(This picture was taken on my wedding day, hence the dress and veil. I couldn't get the deodorant on without getting it on my dress so my sister kindly lend a hand.)

This post was inspired by the one and only Mama Kat and is a part of her Writer's Workshop. 

Fourth of July wreath

Last Friday I wrote a post about my front door refresh. I mentioned that now my Fourth of July wreath actually stands out against the black rather than the hideous orangy-red.



You can see the door really does not do my wreath any justice. However now with a black door my wreath pops!



All hail the Fourth of July wreath. On a side note, the wreath wasn't the only thing effected by the hideous door. Last year we planted a crepe myrtle and as much as I wanted a pink one because the blooms are so gorgeous I ended up planting a white one because of the clash of red and pink. Yes, I may have been the only one to have taken note on such but it mattered to me.

Though this is probably the easiest wreath I've ever made it's one of my favorites possibly due to the simplicity.



Just cut the tulle to the length that you want it. Note that the shorter the length the fluffier it looks. My first attempt to a tulle wreath I wanted to make the tulle huge and fluffy like a tutu but unfortunately the tulle ended up falling over and looking a hot mess. Try to get all of your tulle pieces the same length but if it's a smidge off, it's not that big of a deal.


To attach the tulle simply make it into a U-shape and loop it around your foam wreath base. Normally I just try to get all of my tulle on and then I will position it and fluff it.

I did five pieces of white tulle then five red until the wreath was a full as I wanted it to be. Walmart carries foam sparkly letters for cheap so that's what I used to cut the corner on having to paint a wooden letter or even add sparkles. I just attached it with hot glue once I had all of my tulle situated.

Wah-lah! Now you have a cheap and easy Fourth of July wreath that you can use for Memorial Day, Labor Day, and whenever you feel like letting your USA pride shine on your front door! I recently came up with an idea for a wreath base for multiple holidays so once I buy the stuff for it I will make a more I depth tutorial on how to make it.

Have a safe and happy Fourth of July!

This post was inspired by Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop.
xoxo Haley

Summer playlist

There's something about summer time that makes me want to roll my windows down and my music up. So one writing prompt from Mama Kat came as an easy pick. Create a summer playlist. Um hello? It's like the Writing Prompt Gods leaned down in Mama Kat's ear and told her exactly what to put on her list for me.





Beachin by Jake Owen
Tennis Court by Lorde
Fancy by Iggy Azalea
Pontoon by Little Big Town
Happy by Pharell Williams
Come and Get It by Selena Gomez
Who You Are by Jessie J
Somewhere With You by Kenny Chesney
Summer of 69 by Bryan Adams
Schools Out by Alice Cooper
Beautiful Day by Jamie Grace
The Lazy Song by Bruno Mars
Pour Some Sugar on Me by Def Leppard
Thunderstruck by ACDC
Cruise by Florida Georgia Line
Bottoms Up by Brantley Gilbert
Take Me Home by Cash Cash
Cry by Bingo Players
Summer by Calvin Harris

Though I could add a thousand more to this list, which I'm probably forgetting some favorites, these are definitely great songs to get you through the summer. What's on your iPod?



xoxo Haley

Handing out free smiles

It's that time again for Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop! After arguing with myself on which prompt I really wanted to take on this week I finally slimmed it down to:
List 7 things you'd rather be doing this summer.

Though I could go on and on about how I really rather be spending more time with my husband and doing all sorts of random vacations which I kind of um...have... my number one thing I wanted to do this summer isn't going to make it on this summers playlist. Really my whole list of seven stems from this one.



one
I have always wanted to take a missions trip since I was much younger and I opened my church's weekly bulletin and saw a list of all the mission trips that were available for sign up that summer. It ranged from South America locations to Central America locations and even locations in the States. The only opportunites I was apart of was church camp and vacation bible school, which I'm still grateful for. I thought my opportunity to help save the world was long lost for me being that I moved away and I didn't find any more opportunites.


Then I met my small group from church which has a wonderful couple who have visited Honduras several times. Hope restored. After long talks within the group we decided we would be taking a trip however it fell short this summer and won't be happening until later this year or next.


two
Instead of sitting here drinking my coffee on my new outdoor couch with my feet propped up on an ottoman and writing this blog post I rather be spreading hope.


three
I rather be learning and leading. Learning about lives that are much less fortunate than mine. Leading these lives to Christ and to know there will always be someone there for them.


four
I rather be sharing the love of my Heavenly Father. Sharing the good news of His son that was sent here to die for our sins so that we could have an everlasting life.


five
I rather be helping orphanages with everyday chores to help take the load off. I rather be cooking and cleaning for someone else that needs the help.


six
I rather be handing out free smiles to those who have not genuinely smiled in days, weeks, and even months.


seven
I rather be taking all that I have experienced on my missions trip to be more grateful for everything I have been blessed with.

What would you rather be doing this summer?

xoxo Haley

*all images provided via google images

Cut along the line

It's time for my absolute favorite link up!

Each week Mama Kat posts different writing prompts to inspire a blog post. Head over on Thursday and link up to share what her prompts has inspired you to blog about.

This week I chose:
something that made you smile
When it comes to mine and Kyle's relationship there are tons of ironic things that surround us from how we met to his fingers and toes. Yes, his fingers and toes.

Our last name is Webb. Kyle has webbed fingers and toes. Yes, I give you permission to laugh hysterically because I still do to this day. Luckily he finds humor in this as well:



cut along the line
Yes. This is a picture of him getting that tattoo on his toes. He actually went to get a tattoo on his elbow of a spider web (insert Webb pun again) and happened to mention to the artist our joke about getting the scissor tattoo. After a round of laughter she told him she would not even charge him if he would let her do it. Being that Kyle is down for anything he gave her the go. Five minutes later every artist in the shop was surrounding his feet and exclaiming how awesome he is...duh why do you think he's mine! Every time I look at his toes I smile. However the webbing doesn't stop there...

When Kyle and I first got together, as if he were trying to scare me away, he told me his ring finger and middle finger on his left hand were webbed together and that he saw it as a sign from God that he wasn't suppose to get married. I, on the other hand, saw it as a sign to start getting creative. Further into our relationship Kyle saw this as well. From the day I met him I knew we were suppose to be together forever and I was not going to let a little webbing get in my way, regardless if he could never wear a ring. Luckily, he really likes tattoos.



Knowing he loves me enough to get my first initial permanently inked on him makes me smile.
xoxo Haley