Christmas 2013 Recap:

Christmas 2013 Recap:

Sorry I have been gone a while, I was so busy with the holiday and then we went out of town the day after. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with your loved ones.

Christmas was perfection, we were able to spend time with both sides of our family and extended family. We celebrated Cash's first Christmas starting Christmas Eve by going to a wonderful church service with our families, Cash was an angel and didn't make a peep the entire service, he sat on my lap and watched and listened. We then went to my parents house and celebrated with dinner, opening gifts, and spending time together. Christmas morning I spent with my two boys, cuddling in bed, taking photos to store in our memories, and getting ready to go over to my in laws to spend the morning with them. We went over there around 8:30am after Cash's first nap and had such a wonderful time. We opened gifts while sitting by the fire, drinking coffee, and then headed out for the Armstrong anual Christmas scavenger hunt before brunch. The scavenger hunt is my FAVORITE tradition the Armstrongs do and I cannot wait to carry this on when our children grow older.  My in laws give the "first clue" in our stalkings and from there we hop in the car and drive to where the clue hints us towards.  The next place we end up is usually one of the family friends homes, we get to say merry christmas and say hello and usually it involves us having to sing or dance with a ridiculous hat on or do something hilarious to get the next clue. The next clue tells us where to go next, until four to five clues later we are told to head back home and there they usually have a big family gift waiting.  Its such a fun adventure and great for all of the kids (well, we are all adults now) to spend time together and get a good laugh.  This year we are going to Hawaii, what a wonderful and gracious gift from our parents! We are so thankful for their giving hearts and that they appreciate spending time with us.  Later in the day we went over to my sisters house where all of our family was. We were exhausted from a fun filled day and decided to head home by 4:00pm so we could rest up and pack for our family trip to Big Bear the following morning. We had such a nice Christmas, I think my favorite part was experiencing having  a child and how wonderful it is to give them gifts and create traditions. This year really made me think about how God gave us His only Son so we could have a relationship with Him.. i cant even imagine the pain that He must have gone through to sacrifice His sweet innocent child.. my heart was able ot understand that a little more this year with having my own son. And I am so grateful for that. Im pretty sure Cash's favorite part was opening the presents and playing in the tissue paper ( ;

Happy Birthday Jesus! 

My sweet niece Payten patiently waiting to open her gift.

Cash's favorite part of Christmas... the tissue paper

Thankful for these two beautiful souls

Helping my sweet little boy open his first EVER Christmas gift.

Christmas morning lovin.. i couldnt pick which one i liked best.. theyre all delicious..

 Look at this little model posing .. he's so hilarious.

These two together makes my heart so happy

Oh Cashy, you are just the best thing that has ever happened to us.

Uncle lovin! 

Loving that bubble wrap!

Helping Uncle Hunter open his gifts

The aftermath.. i bet my little boy would love to dive head first into this pile of fun

Beginning the Anual Christmas Scavenger hunt

Aunt Amy flew out from Colorado to spend Christmas with us this year. She is a firecracker and I love love love her! SHe is so fun spirited and absolutely hilarious!

Just one example of the cute little clues to the scavenger hunt

Those little feet, those beautiful blues, that sweet sweet face.. i just cannot get enough!

Christmas morning little photo shoot happening on mamas bed

My sweet parents with little boo at the end of the day on Christmas. 

xo

Christmas Eve: Fixing My Eyes On Christ

Christmas Eve: Fixing My Eyes On Christ

Oh Christmas Eve, you couldn't have come at a better time..or worse time. There are some difficult things going on in my family right now, things that don't have to do with me but effect me and my little family, things that I have to be careful sharing in order to protect people I care about and their feelings. I try my best to be transparent and want so much for you all to know I'm not perfect, my family and extended family and their families are not either, nor are my friends and their families, and so on and so forth, and that's life. It's so easy to look at someone's life via social media and take one look at pictures and judge them or judge yourself. This isn't fair to them or to you. So I'm here today to share a little of my heart, my pain, and ask for prayer. I'm here today to share that I have struggles and heartbreak sometimes. I'm here to share how much you all mean to me and that your prayers are what I need right now because I believe God hears every single one.  And most importantly I'm here to share about my security, my hope, and my faith in Jesus Christ. And that is why today is so special, because although my heart is battling some wounds, it is also preparing itself for what Christmas means to me...so Christmas you have shown up in one of the hardest weeks of this year...and that saddens me for a split moment, I can dwell on how Christmas feels ruined,.. Or I can rise above and focus on what it's really about, Christ, and be thankful God is reminding  me that I'm in his grasp and He sent His son to free me of this burden.

Jesus, I praise you for all you have given me, all the love you pour into my heart and my life, all the hope you grace me with, the strength of your hands holding me up, the path you have led me to, the light you shine on my family, and the prayers you listen to over and over always hearing my cry. I pray today that my focus would be on you. Thank you for this community i get to be a part of, thank you for my family and my extended family, my friends and all of my loved ones. I thank you Lord, I thank you!

Pray for me in this season. If you need prayer I would love to know so I can keep you in mine.

xo

Our Baby Boy Is 5 Months Old!

Our Baby Boy Is 5 Months Old!

My happy, sweet, adorable, lovely, darling baby boy is 5 months old! Im going to freak out next month when hes halfway to being 1 year old! I am SO not ready for that. He still seems so tiny and like such a baby to me, Im going to have such a hard time one day when I realize how big hes gotten. For now Im in denial. I am enjoying my "infant" (supposedly they are "infants" until they are 6 months old) cuddling him closely, and soaking up all the love and attention he gives me. I know one day not too far away he will be crawling away and then running! I want to remember all of him, every inch of adorable baby fat, every deliciously chubby wrinkle on his legs, neck, and tummy, the way he smiles at me right after he eats, his soft silky hand brushing against my arm or my chest as he nurses, the energetic happy kicks he does all day long, his squeals, squeaks, yelps, and giggles. The way he looks at me when faced with a big group of people, as though he wants me to rescue him and hold him close. The smell of his hair, his cheeks, and his breath. The softness of his tummy, his buns, and his feet.  The splashes he has started to make in the bath. The way he is ticklish now. The flirty faces hes made since he was born, his adorable tummy and hands trying to prop him up as he now SITS, yes, he sits! Ahh! His side profile is just the dreamiest little thing i have ever seen, his hair is a couple inches now on the top and spikes up if we put water in it.. otherwise it lays flat and does a little swoop at the end on his forehead to the side, his tiny little neck and his pointy chin, his delicious lips that are always rosey and so lucious and filled with drool, the way he puckers and sticks out his tongue. The way he wraps his arms around me and holds me in his tiny hands. The sweet sounds he makes to let me know hes awake from his nap or from his long night of sleep. His eyebrows always have such a concerned look on them when hes curious, which is another thing i love.. he is so so observant and curious. He is calm in a crowd and crazy at home. He is so playful, so cuddly, so loving, so gentle, so excited, so so sweet and also lets you know exactly what he wants.  I want to remember all of it. I wish I could. I already have forgotten so much, I know its not possible to remember every single detail,.. but i want to so I will journal and remember as much as my mind will allow. 

My sweet baby boy, Happy 5 months... now lets freeze time and stay here for a longer moment. . . because im pretty sure this is my favorite stage. Although i've said that every month of your life. [hehe]

This past month (things to save for my memory):

He moved from his bassinet at night into his crib. No complications, he did fine because he was use to it from naps. 

He rolls around everywhere, sometimes i find him sideways in his crib or facing the opposite direction

He can sit!

He is going through the 4 months sleep regression (still, going on week 3 now with only some improvement), struggling mostly with naps but a few nights have been rough too. 

He can sometimes put his pacifier back into his mouth if its in his hand.. he's working on it. 

He finally switched from the baby soothie paci's to a big boy 0-6 month Avent pacifier

Hes wearing 3-6 month clothes or 4-6 month.. His 0-3 months dont fit, most 3 months dont fit anymore. 

He has started kicking his legs and splashing around in the bath, he loves it!

He seems to be interested in big people food, but still havent introduced solids (dr makes us wait until 6 months).

I've started to allow him to watch Baby Einstein and age appropriate videos for 20 minutes a day to get him to do more tummy time (he still hates tummy time after 5 or so minutes unless hes distracted. But he holds himself up great and his head doesnt bobble anymore.. hes a big boy!)

His current favorite toy is STILL the piano where he plays it with his feet. 

He started using the bouncer last month (with a blanket behind his back since hes still pretty tiny width wise).

xo

For Our Home: EelemenOPillows

 For Our Home: EelemenOPillows

Decorative Pillow Covers [Modern.Fresh.Bold]

So here I am giving you last minute Christmas items to add to your list of things to get! I love switching up our couch pillows with different pops of color and mix matched prints! It gives the whole house a whole new look and a fresh vibe! ElemenOPillows has thousands of options, literally 1730 items to choose from to be exact.  And they are giving my readers 15% off!!!  I love mustard yellow and any shade of gray mixed together so I went with those two colors and did some fun patterns.  

The pillows instantly brightened our home.  Im in the process of decorating (we moved here mid September and had a 6 week old baby so I am a little behind).  But these pillows did just the trick to make me feel at ease in the mean time. I still need to get a rug, curtains, and have been eyeing some reclaimed wood mason jar wall candle holders to go on both sides of our wood clock.

ElemenOPillows is owned by the sweet Karin Larkin, who has shipped to all 50 states and over 80 different countires. Her pillow covers "were featured on the Nate Berkus Show, have been on HGTV's DIY Network and also in Good Housekeeping magazine. They have even been enjoyed by the president during his family's Christmas vacation in Hawaii!".

She is  so sweet and kind to work with. The quality of the pillows speak for themselves. She offers all sorts of sizes so you can choose what will look best in your home. I highly recommend checking out her shop. 

She has so many OPTIONS! Its hard to choose what to go with but I think any of these would look great.

Id love to mix in some spa blue!

I just love this burnt orange & would adore it on my sons rocking chair in his nursery!

Use this Coupon Code for 15% off: HOLIDAY15

Visit her Shop Here: ElemenOPillows

And don't forget to tell me what your favorite pillows are that you've found in her shop or what you'd decorate your house with.

Get the Look:

Pillows c/o ElemenOPillows

Couches Z Gallery Stella Sofa

Fur Throw (ours is called Chinchilla) On Sale Now Restoration Hardware Luxe Faux Fur Throw

Wood Clock Pottery Barn Grand Hotel Clock

White Lantern Pottery Barn Bristol Lantern

Coffee Table Tray Pottery Barn Tava Tray Expresso Stain

Lamp Shade Drum Lamp Shade

Lamp Base Antique Mercury Teardrop Glass Base

xo

What We Wear: EcoShag + A Discount

What We Wear: EcoShag

Hi lovelies, I don't usually do two wear posts back to back but I know Christmas is next week and I wanted to share one of my favorite scarves with you I've been wearing this Fall/Winter and the wonderful maker of this beautiful piece (Slate Grey & Cocoa Brown Chunky Infinity Scarf). If you're anything like me then you probably have a couple more last minute gifts to buy for people for Christmas!  EcoShag sells handmade eco chic fashion accessories for women. EcoShag carries infinity scarves, chunky scarves, vintage inspired head wraps/scarves, and vintage clutches that are just TO DIE FOR!

The material of this scarf is BABY SOFT! It has all the texture you could ever imagine but is still so so comfortable around your neck and face.  Its double layered so their are no seems or raw edges. Her work is absolutely outstanding. I feel so chic & comfortable in this piece. 

Tania, the owner is such a beautiful soul, if you read about her in her shop bio she talks about being a stay a home mama and being able to do so through owning her own shop, she also said something that I just loved:

"The betterment of humanity has always been an integral part of my life, and I truly believe that a humble spirit and a giving heart are key in changing the world as we know it."

Go check out her shop here: EcoShag

Her facebook HERE

Her Instagram HERE

Her Pinterest HERE

And Don't forget to get 15% off your order by using COUPON CODE: TESSA15

A couple of my other favorites you should definitely check out are:

 Mulberry Chunky Infinity Scarf

Scarlet Red Vintage Geometric Polkadot Foldover Clutch

Victorian Heart Head Scarf Vintage Inspired

Photos c/o KelseySteindler

Chiffon Maxi Skirt, Forever 21 (sold out)

BP Black Scoop Back Tank, Nordstroms (link below)

Infinity knit Scarf, EcoShag

Get the look:  (similar here)

Lush Teen Girls' Dresses · BP Teen Girls' Tops · Forever 21 Long Skirts

ENJOY!

What We Wear: Bohemian Fringe + A Discount & A GIVEAWAY!

What We Wear: Bohemian Fringe 

I cannot believe we are approaching Christmas SO soon! I think the count down is now 11 days away!! So I figured I'd give you ladies some great shopping sources over the next week. Today I wanted to share this adorable jewelry shop with you all.  Bohemian Fringe specializes in making modern tribal, rustic glamour and tom-boy chic pieces. My favorite thing about this shop is they offer SO many great options to layer necklaces! They are all about the layered/stacked looks giving you the perfect boho vibe.  The owner Christine hand makes all of her necklaces. I don't know how she does it but they are gorgeous and you can tell she has a gift for what she does.  I love how you can choose your own style of chain, the material (brass, silver, etc), as well as the length! All of her pieces look great together so its a great shop to get all of your layered pieces all in one haul..i know sometimes it takes a while to find pieces that are a good match and you spend all this time shopping for lengths that will look good stacked..so Bohemian Fringe makes it easy.

*For 15% off coupon code see the bottom of this post

The beaded chains are my FAVORITE. Theres no clasp so you wont have to deal with spinning it around constantly like i find myself doing with all of my weighted necklaces. 

I wore two of the necklaces layered when I went to the Long Beach Christian Womens Fellowship Christmas Dinner this past week. 

Pyrite Tusk Necklace with a personalized "T" for my hubby's name.  This piece goes with just about everything. I love the layered look but I could just as easily wear this by itself and love how simple yet edgy and different it is. 

Bohemian Fringe can personalize your jewelry. Such an adorable touch! I will wear this piece all the time and love that it has an "A" for Armstrong. I also chose an arrow because i think it gives it a nice touch with the antique vintage look the locket naturally has. 

Bohemian Fringe is GIVING AWAY 1 Personalized Locket just for YOU!

 (so many adorable options and different textures/lengths to play with). It makes layering necklace SO much easier.

First Look:
Top: H&M jean button up top (similar style below)
Tank: H&M (similar style below)
Necklace c/o Bohemian Fringe Turquoise Stone Pendant
Bracelet: Vintage (similar style below)

American Apparel Tanks · Forever 21 Button Front Tops · Lucky Brand Bracelets

Second Look:
Cardigan: Forever 21 Black Sheer Maxi Cardigan (also posted 2 options below)
Tank: Nordstroms Brass Plum Black Tank (link below)
Necklace: c/o Bohemian Fringe Antique Long Locket
Necklace: c/o  Bohemian Fringe Pyrite Tusk Necklace
Skirt: Floral Pleated Maxi Skirt (a few years old..3 options below)

Forever 21 Long Skirts · Victoria's Secret Long Skirts · Free People Long Skirts

Bohemian Fringe has a wide selection of necklaces to choose from! 

Check them out here: Bohemian Fringe


My readers get 15% off by entering Coupon Code: TRFANS


Instructions To Enter The Bohemian Fringe Giveaway (winner will receive 1 personalized locket like the one seen above..you can choose your metal, chain, and what you want inscribed):

• You must be a follower of this blog (to follow: Click "Join This Site" on the right side of this blog and enter in your email to become a follower)
• You must leave a comment below stating what your favorite necklace is from the Bohemian Fringe Shop 

[You may also enter on Instagram for an additional chance to win. Instructions will be on IG]

Giveaway ends this Friday Dec. 20th 2013. 

Happy Shopping ladies! 

4 Months Postpartum, Body Talk: Healthy Eyes To See

4 Months Postpartum, Body Talk: Healthy Eyes To See

*These photos were taken several years ago by the fabulous photographer Whitney Schey *

(I love her creativity & this was a few years after coming out of that place I was in so I thought these were fitting)

Im writing this midway through my 4th month, closer to 5 months postpartum actually, because I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to write. I knew I wanted to use this time as a platform to speak truth and positivity into you ladies. I knew I wanted to lift you up, lift myself up, and lift women up in general when it comes to the hardships we face about our bodies.  I knew I wanted to post more about my own journey, my story, not just postpartum but in life when it comes to how I have valued, viewed, and nourished my body in both healthy and unhealthy ways. I guess there was just so much I wanted to say that I didn't know where to start. Maybe each month I can choose a different topic instead of overwhelming you with all of my thoughts now on the subject.. we shall see. But one thing I do want to say is I hope you come here to this place, this space & feel lifted up today, not torn down. I pray that you feel empowered and that you are not alone, that we are all in this journey of life together, through the happy times and the more challenging times.  I want my little blog to be a place where you can feel refreshed, connected, and understood and a little lighter when you leave here.

With that said, I've decided to start with sharing more of myself. Going a bit deeper into my own story. All of my childhood I was petite, I was told I was "little, tiny, petite, thin, and always chosen to do gymnastic demonstrations with our instructor (which I hated and it gave me performance anxiety), I could run fast because of being light, I had friends tell me they wished they could be smaller like me, my mom had to sew all of my pants because I couldn't fit into teenager clothes and refused to continue wearing kids clothes in jr high.. Being "small" became something people labeled me with so much at such a young age that it became part of my identity.  I never knew this was happening, it just happened. As a therapist who works with young adults and teen girls, i see it happen with girl after girl after girl. Not just the girls that are "petite", but also to girls that are labeled "chubby, too tall, too boy-ish" you name it.  You tell someone something enough times and it leaves a mark.. they start to allow it to penetrate them.. to become a part of how they see themselves and identify with themselves. "If people are telling me this over and over, well then it must be true, and therefore it must be important for me to accept".  Which results in little kids believing they are fat, ugly, stupid, gay, a giant, etc etc etc. In my case, it made me believe that being thin was part of how people saw me, so if that ever changed then who would i be? would people still like me? would i become unloveable? If they made my appearance such a big deal, then it must be important for me to always be that..

As a child, our brains are not capable of cognitively understanding whats slowly occurring. My weight became something I valued, something I began to identify my worth by. It was more on the surface for me then, but as I got older it slowly went deeper and deeper into the core of who I was.  I remember the first year I started to really become a woman and saw my body change was around Junior year of high school. Up until then I looked like a little boy, no boobs, no hips.. you get the picture.  So this transformation was hard for me to accept. Thats when I started to struggle with loving my body,  finding my worth in my appearance, not in who I really am as a human being.  I would say my first couple years of college were the most difficult, not only had my body completely changed since childhood (in a woman) but I was now supposed to be a responsible adult and discover who I am and who I want to be ...for the rest of my life! Well, so I thought at the time.  Oh little girl, if I could have just had an hour with my old self, the things I would say to help her through those hard times!! I would just hold her, tell her shes loved, not because of her appearance, but because of her soul, her heart, her personality, her God given characteristics and soley because she is HIS CHILD and HIS CREATION.

I later began a journey of healing, a journey of allowing the Lord to show me through His eyes just who He made me to be. God was able to heal my woundeness, the places in my heart that had been damaged from the world and its views it imposed on me as a young child. We all have brokeness, sometimes it takes some exploring, sometimes it takes time to figure out, sometimes we try to deny our hurts and pain and push it deep down (i did this for many years) but when I finally worked on accepting and embracing myself, my body included, I found freedom. I was able to love myself, although imperfect according the worlds standards, I knew I was perfectly loved unconditionally by my Heavently Father, and His opinion of me was all that I needed to focus on.  Its so easy for us to try to be who the world tells us we "should" be, its much more difficult to be who God calls us to be & go against the current.  Loving myself as I am has allowed me to experience joy and peace in ways I could have never  experienced before because i was striving for something that wasn't attainable, to be perfect and the way other's told me I should be.. especially the media.  I feel terrible for the girls growing up in this world today, for those that are in jr high and high school right now, I pray for you, its even harder today than it was when I was there.  I commend you for your efforts to stay true to who you are.  I am honored to sit with these girls and counsel them because at their age, I dont know that I would have been brave enough to really look within or smart enough to know my heart needed some desparate healing.

Lastly, because im reading Bread & Wine by Shauna Niequist, as I previously posted here My People, The Gift of Friendship, & A Vow Renewal , I wanted to end with some of her beautiful words that again, touched my spirit in a kind and gentle way:

 "..I'm learning to practive gratitude for a healthy body, even if it's rounder than i'd like it to be. I'm learning to take up all the space i need, literally and figuratively, even though we live in a world that wants women to be tiny and quiet.  To feed one's body, to admit one's hunger, to loook one's appetite straight in the eye without fear or shame-this is controversail work in our culture.

Part of being a Christian means practicing grace in all sorts of big and small and daily ways, and my body gives me the opportunity to demonstrate grace, to make peace with imperfection every time I see myself in the mirror".  

Her words are so refreshing, so true, and bring me peace.

"demonstrate grace, to make peace with imperfection every time I see myself in the mirror".. We can use these honest words not just for our bodies but in all areas of ourselves that we tend to be critical of.

So my update about being 4 months postpartum is short and sweet because it doesnt really matter does it? I have now lost all of the weight that I gained during pregnancy to house my little guy. I feel strong, I feel different, I feel like I have an even greater sense of respect for my body after having Cash. I am grateful for pregnacny and how its changed me for the better.  I don't look exactly the same and probably never will, but I don't mind in the least and that is the honest truth. I just want to be a healthy role model to my sons and daughters and love myself enough to experience the freedom He offers. I don't know that this would have been my view on this had I not gone through the difficult struggle with my body image in my teens.  I can now appreciate and be grateful for my health and all that my body is capable of.. espceially creating a life.

I'd love to hear from you.. i get several emails from you guys about weight, body struggles, etc and always welcome conversation. I love each of you and if you ever need prayer or someone to talk to you know where to find me! I only hope and pray that we can be a community that lifts one another up, prays for each other, and is supportive and transparent.

I hope you enjoyed reading a little part of my story and what has brought me to be the woman of faith I am today.  If you enjoyed reading please let me know by commenting, sharing, liking, or emailing me. I love to know your thoughts, and I appreciate knowing you guys are taking away something positive from my little world over here.. i want to hear about you & want this blog to be about your lives & your thoughts as well (;

xo