The Java Mama | Dallas Fort Worth Lifestyle Blog | Photographer

Finish This Link Up: Week 26 + WINNERS!

First let’s start off with our WINNERS from week 25 of “Finish This”!

STARBUCKS from Becky, #18 – CASSIE (My Blessed Life)
AMAZON from Lisa, #28 – NINA (The Joni Journey)
DOWNEAST BASICS from Jen, #14 – GABI (The Memoir of Gabrielle)
TARGET from Nicole, #5 – KRISTEN (Up North Mama)

Winners have all been emailed! Thank you Nicole 🙂

WELCOME TO WEEK 26 OF FINISH THIS … your co-hosts are LISA (Coastlined), JEN (The Arizona Russums), BECKY (The Java Mama) and NICOLE (Three 31). The link up instructions are simple: answer the prompts in a post on your blog. Then, add the post to the collection list using the link below. Next week’s prompts are located at the bottom of this post.

1. It’s never too late …
To chase your dreams! You are never too old, too poor, or too busy to try and better yourself and do something you REALLY want to do! If you want something bad enough do it and quit making excuses!

2. I compare myself to others …
Too much. It’s hard not to compare yourself to others in this society. Eventually you just have to reach a point in life where you don’t care and live for yourself. Someone will always be smarter, prettier, and more successful. But- nobody is perfect. Do what’s best for you and your family and you can’t imagine how satisfying that is. Once you start living like that you can do anything.

3. My personality is …
I would say bubbly. I’m a pretty happy-go-lucky person in general. Yes, I have days where I’m just tired and depressed and are frankly BLAH. But everyone does….I enjoy each day and try to live it the best I can. I’m definitely a people person and love socializing with others. Although I hate having attention directly on myself, especially in front of others. I know that sounds weird….but it’s true.

4. I can …
Squeak. It’s a family talent. Maybe one day I’ll “vlog” it. I dunno….it’s just a funny little sound you make when you press your lips together. I’m also a very artsy person. I love graphic designing, crafting, and photography among other things.

5. I embrace change …
Oh change is hard for me. I find a sentiment in everything that makes change hard. But I’ve found that as I get older change is easier and is bound to happen at some point. So, there’s not much else you can do besides go with the flow!

Apparently Grumpy cat and KStew don’t embrace change???

Now it’s your turn. Answer these prompts in a post on your own blog and join the link up! Come back next Wednesday for another round of Finish This where we’ll answer the prompts below!

Getting photo bombed at work trying to take a selfie 😛 ha ha! Love these peeps!

Prompts for WEEK 27 (July 9) are:
For July 4, I celebrated by …
My go-to cosmetic product is …
I am inspired by …
The best relationship advice I received was …
When no one is around, I tend to …

An InLinkz Link-up

Twinkie Tuesday ~ The Rose Wedding

Prelude: I know a lot of you used to read my twin sister Bonnie’s blog years ago. She’s not quite ready to start a blog herself, so we are going to start doing “Twinkie Tuesdays” so she can update all our friends on her life. She’s actually the one that got ME blogging! I hope you enjoy the update and feel free to leave a comment and tell her HELLO! 🙂

Wowzers…it’s been a LONG time since I’ve Blogged! I miss it, & then sometimes I feel like I already have so much on my plate, that I can’t muster up the energy to start again. BUT, a lot of exciting things have happened in the past few years!

Let’s try to sum everything up the best I can… I moved back to Arkansas from Las Vegas, Nevada in November of 2012 to be closer to family. Going through a divorce after 7 years of marriage & moving home with an infant was so hard looking back, but God sure has blessed me since. I haven’t heard from Jarrett’s father (& that has been extremely hard, but I know is a blessing in disguise in the long run).

I met an AMAZING man named Vincent, whom I met through a mutual college friend. My friend gave Vincent my phone # & he didn’t text first – NOTHING. Just called! I was at the point in my life where I thought, “I don’t need a maannnnn!!!” But, finally after 2 weeks of talking over the phone & countless times of him saying “We really seem to have a lot in common, we should go out” & I kept turning him down (HA!), we finally went on our first date in July 2012. After that first date, I think the rest is HISTORY!

He is my King & I love him SO SO SO much. He is the best thing that has ever happened to me & Jarrett. He is a WONDERFUL father to Jarrett & we are already in the process of making Vincent, Jarrett’s “Legal” Daddy. J.

Vincent is a HUGE Football fan, so that is definitely something I have had to get used to. Go STEELERS!!! Go HOGS!!! But, I have even decorated our living/dining room in sports theme, so I don’t think I’m doing too bad!!!We just recently got married on June 14, 2014, after almost 2 years of dating. I feel like I had my the “Dream” wedding I have always wanted.

We had it at Pavilion in the Park in Little Rock, Arkansas. It all went by so quickly, but it was a wonderful, joyous time to spend with our friends & family. Hopefully I can post more pics of the wedding maybe next week?

Summer Weekends

I’m trying to soak up the Texas summer weekends before it gets TOO incredibly hot around here. We didn’t do a whole lot, just laundry and cleaned the house….ya know all the fun weekend chores.
I got a picture as a family, which is a rarety these days!

I also took a few pictures of Connor. Four is turning out to be such a fun age. He’s so curious and full of questions right now. Some of the questions he asks just crack me up! I’ll have to start writing them down.

My good friend Sarah and I went to a place I love to shop called The Brownstone Village in Arlington. My friend Amber introduced me to it years ago and it’s just such a cute place to visit. I equate it to being like and Etsy on land…a bunch of little boutiques with tons of homemade goods. Not everything is homemade, but it’s all SO cute!

Me and Sarah getting our Starbucks fix 🙂

This is Sarah and Hyung’s little girl Ellie. She is 9 months and is the cutest little munchkin I ever did see! She is so adorable and I could just love on her rolls all day long….come back and see us soon baby Ellie! (and Sarah + Hyung) ha ha!

Don’t forget to enter this fun summer giveaway below!!!

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Sunshine Glaze: DFW Bloggers Girls Night Out

Last night I got together with some of my favorite local DFW bloggers for an event at Sunshine Glaze Creative Studio in Southlake. This group of girls is so much fun and it’s always great to see familiar faces and meet new ones!

We all got to pick a letter out and then we added glass mosaic on top. Now I have to grout it and I’ve never grouted so I hope it turns out okay! Sunshine Glaze was such a fun place and I’ll definitely be going back to make fun goodies with Connor.

Making my letter “B”. It’s good…because it works for both my first and last name 😉

My mosaic masterpiece! Yay!

Beautiful DFW blogger gals…..so sweet! Can’t wait to see you all again soon!

Tom’s of Maine Whole Foods: Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff

This shop has been compensated by #CollectiveBias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. D7K_0601-2

My life is pretty crazy these days. I know…I know…I just have ONE kid! But I also work full-time and am a wifey and manage a household. That includes laundry (it’s amazing how much laundry 3 people create) & putting meals on the table. Can I just have a drive-thru window at my house please? When it comes to taking care of my family I only want the best. Of course you can’t always have everything you want, but you can do the BEST you can to provide it!

We shop at Whole Foods because they have the freshest produce and also offer personal care items- like anti-perspirant, that we use every day that don’t contain artificial colors, flavors, fragrances, or preservatives.

When I stop to think about the world we are living in right now sometimes it freaks me out. I can count on all my fingers how many people are going through cancer right now or are struggling with a debilitating illness. Of course you can’t ALWAYS prevent these things from happening, but you can help yourself and help our planet. My son’s future is very important to me. I know what I’m doing right now will impact him, as well as everyone else generations down the road.

One product I really LOVE from Whole Foods is Tom’s of Maine deodorant. It’s a long-lasting deodorant that contains all natural ingredients. It’s also aluminum-free, which I prefer.

The Fresh Apricot scent is amazing! It’s so refreshing for summertime…you just HAVE to try it! They also offer a men’s version as well leaving them #FreshNaturally.

It get SO hot here in Texas in the summertime. I need something that is going to fit my busy lifestyle and keep me from getting pit stains girrrrrrl. Tom’s of Main helps me not to sweat my armpits off and stay dry all day long! Because honestly….I have better things to worry about than sweating 🙂

Finish This Link-Up: Week 25 + Giveaway Extravaganza!

WELCOME TO WEEK 25 OF FINISH THIS … your co-osts are LISA (Coastlined), JEN (The Arizona Russums), BECKY (The Java Mama) and NICOLE (Three 31).

The link up instructions are simple: answer the prompts in a post on your blog. Then, add the post to the collection list using the link below. Next week’s prompts are located at the bottom of this post.

As a ‘thank you’ for participating in the Finish This link up, the co-hosts are offering $25 gift cards to their favorite retailers.

To be eligible to win, you must participate in Week 25 link up. Four (4) winners will be selected using a random number generator. Giveaway ends June 30.

LINK UP HERE

I have a quarter to use a pay phone, I call ….

First of all is a pay phone still a quarter to make a phone call? And I haven’t seen a pay phone in FOREVER! But….if I was using a pay phone I’d probably be in some sort of emergency. So I’d be calling Ter-Bear aka by hubby.

I found $25 in my pocket, I buy …

All the coffee and chocolate I could find!!!! Waaaahhaaaaaahhhaa

I have 25 minutes to watch anything on TV, I turn on …

House Hunters International- I live vicariously through all these people who experience fabulous lifestyles in other countries. Love it!

A meal I can prepare, from start to finish. in 25 minutes or less is …

Macaroni and cheese. A staple for a 4-year-old.

At the age of 25, I wish I had known …

Well, you learn from your mistakes and not a lot has changed. But my goal is just to live each day to the fullest because we aren’t promised tomorrow. To not worry about the little things & focus on what matters. I didn’t have a kid yet. I was struggling a LOT with that because I feared I would never have children…I would tell myself to chill out because 3 years from now you’ll have the biggest blessing coming your way and his name is Connor 😉

If I drove 25 miles (direction) from my house, I’d be in …

Dallas? Plano? I love those places too!

Now it’s your turn. Answer these prompts in a post on your own blog and join the link up! Come back next Wednesday for another round of Finish This where we’ll answer the prompts below!

LINK UP HERE

Prompts for WEEK 26 (July 2) are:
It’s never too late …
I compare myself to others …
My personality is …
I can …
I embrace change …

The Side Bun Fake Out

When I went home to AR I bought this $8 fake ponytail thingy….it has hair around it. At first I was like “that’s weird”. But…..I’m actually liking it!

Here is the natural length of my hair….

It’s sort of hard to take pictures using the mirror…but you get the point. It was SO easy and you can’t even tell it’s not my real hair!

It’s so funny looking…but it works for now 🙂 Best $8 I’ve spent this summer!

Also it’s great for those days you just don’t want to fix your hair!

Copywright The Java Mama/Becky Branch 2014