Chalk Paint Pie safe/ China cabinet makeover

Some people would rip me a new one for painting over this old girl but the color wasn't my favorite and my husband despised it even more! It was my great grandmother's and was originally just the marigold color but my dad added the red accents. It always reminded me of ketchup and mustard (which is great for corn dogs and hotdogs, but not my kitchen/dining room).

I don't do anything quickly... I usually browse Pinterest for weeks before I do anything (I love to see options)!!! Choosing a color was hard! I ultimately fell in love with a minty china cabinet I saw on Pinterest but didn't want to use milk paint (chippy= ketchup and mustard exposed). I browsed chalk paint brands for a color and came up with Vintage by DecoArt. They sell it at Walmart, Michael's, and Hobby Lobby I believe which was perfect! Chalk paint dries fast so I could work on it during nap time and after bedtime! 

And I absolutely LOVE the finished product! Thanks to my husband's gentle encouragement I painted the inside white with bullseye primer and then white trim/cabinet paint!

Its not perfect but its mine and done!!! 

I love how it looks with the reclaimed floors and the gray walls!

Simple LDS Temple canvas art

So this picture has been pinned quite a few times on Pinterest so I decided to give it a source. :)

Crappy picture... I know! 

Anyway I made these way before I had my cricut explore (would have made it way easier) so I'm gonna tell you a little about how I made them.

I first printed out a silhouette of the Salt Lake City Temple. Then I got an X-Acto knife and a clear plastic sleeve (the kind you use to protect an important report or document)(but the sturdy kind). Then on a cutting mat I cut out the image so I had a clear homemade stencil on the cheap. Then simply painted over the stencil. They aren't perfect but they made great parting gifts for these two girls moving out of my ward and I made one for my little sister! A cute way to incorporate the Temple in a child's/teen's room. Possibly would be a good YW's activity!

Happy Pinning! -Cassie 

I'm starting to believe my husband..

God has blessed me with a loving and patient husband! The poor thing has had to deal with my depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem. He has been working on helping me undo year upon years of negative self talk and some nasty remarks from other people. My favorite being "you'd be a 10 if your thighs didn't jiggle". That has been burned into my brain since I was 17... You want to see what I looked like when that was said???

Yep that's me! Probably the smallest I've ever been! I was running cross country and played softball. I had thighs of steel. It's called relaxed muscle, doofus! 

I had a low self-esteem already so I believed him. Back then I was a doofus too. 

Fast forward. I started dating my primary sweetheart and he was so kind. I didn't know what hit me! I gained weight and he loved me... I lost weight and he loved me. He thinks I'm beautiful ALL the time!

Every woman deserves a man like that! (Sorry they're so few and far between it seems) The world is full of shallow people obsessed with Hollywood's idea of beauty. Everyone has beauty!

I am truly blessed to have my dad and my husband who always call me beautiful. It's funny after all these years I think I'm finally starting to believe it...

Have a beautiful day!

Xoxo Cassie 

P.S.

How working out is helping my marriage!

 So recently I've been trying to be healthier. I mean before I would workout maybe once a week but these days it's at least three... But last week it was SIX days! (Crazy! I know) Anywho... I wanted to share some of my findings that's aren't in my appearance (which needs A LOT of work... Post baby and Oreo struggles)... Sigh.

Well first a little background. I have suffered from low self-esteem since I don't know the beginning of time!!??? Which puts quite a damper on my life. As does my depression. I think the two correlate but it's hard to say (you understand if you have depression sometimes you just don't know what's wrong). 

The point is my husband has been worried because I'm moody, I don't laugh, I don't feel like doing anything, I cry a lot (mostly about how I look), I live in yoga pants and T-shirts, and I'm just all around acting like a hot mess! 

After we've had many conversations about my low self-esteem, moodiness, etc. He told me I need to DO something about it! Plus I read an LDS conference talk and it inspired me so much! (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/10/approaching-the-throne-of-god-with-confidence?lang=eng) 

So I started working out... Slowly but at least I was making the effort! And I'm telling you! Working out makes me feel like a million bucks!

I feel sexy (excuse my French), happy, beautiful, and UNSTOPPABLE! I notice a difference and so does my family. I speak kindly, I laugh when things don't got perfect (gasp!), and I have way more energy! (Thanks also to my essential oils and vitamins)

So if you've been on the fence about starting and exercise routine I encourage you to take the first step to a happier, healthier YOU!

And let's see where my fitness and weightloss journey takes me!

Xoxoxo Cassie

Just another childbirth story...

I'm The Most women love a good birth story. I read many while trying to "prepare" myself for Alyssa's big debut. God laughed. He sent me a curve ball. I'm like "if you want me to have more chillens, why did I have a miserable first birth?". There is NO preparing! Every story is different... Too many factors. The unknown just about killed me.

Now if you don't want to read a birth story ***STOP READING***

The point of this post is to tell my story and let you know that you WILL want kids again! My baby is 6 months and I'd have another right now if I could!

First things first, my due date was August 25th, 2014. 

6 A.M. August 10th- I felt a trickle. I couldn't sleep after that because I was so dagum uncomfortable... And a little worried that my water was leaking. Now call me crazy but I went to work! Now now I know I shouldn't have carried the food trays and glass racks but it's was my JOB and I do my job! Plus we were man down so I was opening the resturant by myself. I was not going to leave my manager with no opener. Plus I wasn't sure it was even time (first child). So I wait a couple tables and call my doctor and he said I'm crazy and to go to the hospital.

Around noon I get to my house and I'm waiting for my husband. He was picking up a group of youth from a church function like an hour away so I packed my bags... Kinda.

I still wasn't convinced this baby was coming. ( I was only 37 weeks)

I kick myself for not packing my Dōterra Essential Oils! Next time I'm bringing them no matter what!

Shawn gets home and we head to Winnie Palmer (awesome hospital). Sure enough im leaking amniotic fluid! 

Around 9 or 10 P.M. They put a pill by my cervix to try to get my body to start dialating. I was only 1-2 centimeters and 50% effaced. (Aka nothing)

Around 11pm I started having hard contractions about 4 minutes apart. They kept me up crying ALL night! I was mostly crying due to lack of sleep. Remember I hadn't slept since 6 A.M..

8 A.M. (August 11th)- They started me on Pitocin and I met the most amazing nurse at Winnie Palmer! Her name was Janell (can't remember the spelling I was a little busy) I had made NO progress over night! I cried and contracted for nothing!

Pitocin kicked my butt! The contractions were so bad! The Lightning crotch was even worse! I walked and walked around that floor, bounced on the dagum ball, and couldn't sleep at all!

Sittin in that hospital bed with Jen qui qui, mom, and my loving husband with me was my only comfort. I was grouchy because I couldn't sleep and so I watched Shark Week with them and said "owie" often. Then I felt two distinct popping feelings in my belly! I immediately crossed my legs and said I needed to go to the bathroom! Lol! No way I was going to the bathroom! My water had broken completely!

At about 4 cm dilated they gave me something that was supposed to make me feel better. Not sure what being drunk feels like but it's what I imagined it would feel like. It was to help me sleep (and I did for an hour). It made me so sick!!! 

At 5 cm I got an epidural. This was supposed to be so I could rest. It didn't work. My back labor could kill someone! You know how in Beauty and the Beast the villagers were trying to knock down the door with a tree trunk? Yeah. That in my lower back. 

Now the epidural helped me later though.

 My nurse (not janell. Her shift ended. So sad.) had to move me often because the baby kept losing oxygen. So scary and frustrating! Moving a beached whale is hard! And they are so rough and yank me! 

At 8 cm my body wanted to push and I told them so. You know what they said!? "Don't push, but don't hold it either". What in the heck does that mean!?

Thank goodness I went from 8-10 cm pretty quickly because I was ready to kill someone!

It was now time to bring my little angel into the world! I had to wear an oxygen mask the whole 30 minutes of pushing= dry throat and me crying "I can't push I need water". Lmbo!

So everything seems to be going fine. I'm pushing and Shawn was offered to cut the umbilical cord (if everything goes well). My little sister and mom are seeing more of me than they care to and I'm trying to forget that the Sahara is in my mouth and push.

Dr. Pushy (he's extremely pushy. Hence the nickname) is telling me good job and such and how to push. My mom is giving me a play by play and I tell her to shut up. (Forgive me for what I said while pushing out an 8+ pound baby)

The head was out when all heck broke loose! My husband was shoved out of the way, and the mean head nurse (Carmen) jumped in my bed and shoved on my belly so hard while Dr. Pushy snipped me (yuck). I was completely confused! All I heard was "she's stuck! She's stuck!".

They checked her for broken bones (since they had to shove her out) and the usual stuff. She was a whopping 8lbs 2oz and 20 & 1/2 inches. She was born at 11:09 P.M. After 24+ hours of hard contractions I couldn't believe she was finally here!

They let me hold her for a minute but because of the complications they took her away for 4 hours. It was so sad. I cried. 

Let me just say she was worth the 3rd degree episiodomy and the pain that lasted 4+ months later. I could hardly sit for weeks! She was worth my I.V. That didn't get clamped right and it looked like someone was murdered in my hospital room.

The pain becomes a distant memory. All you know is that seeing that baby makes you the happiest person in the world. 

When they wheeled her in and I actually got to really hold her at 3 A.M. I was on cloud nine.

She is so precious and is turning out to be a lot like her wonderful aunt she's named after!

Fingers crossed my next childbirth experience isn't as traumatizing as this one was for me!

What a blessing it is to be trusted enough to care for these spirits on earth :)

Love, laughter, and happily ever after

My husband and I have been married for almost a year and a half now (Yes I can't believe it's already been that long). Although we sometimes get into little disagreements, I believe us to be one of the happiest couples I know. I think I've figured out one key part of a happy marriage. I know. I know. What does a "newlywed" know about marriage anyway!? Well let me tell you.

Like I've mentioned in other posts, Callie has taught me to be more selfless. Boy, do I apply that to my marriage.

Everyday, (usually in the morning) I think to myself "what can I do to make Shawn's day easier or more pleasant?". Sometimes I even ask him (usually he says "come home and let me see your beautiful face" or something cheesy like that). I try to do AT LEAST one thing a day for him. It can range from making his lunch to mowing the lawn for him (or taking care of a phone call that he doesn't want to make). Anything that lightens his burden and makes him feel loved.

I know I still have a TON to learn about being married but I've found a gem that I won't let go. I know that having a happy marriage is when both people try to keep the other happy. Just look at us ;)

Our Angel Mother

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful mothers out there!

I am grateful for the wonderful mother that was chosen to care for our Calligator! Not just any woman could have been given such a heavy load and bore it so gracefully.

Having a child with Cerebral Palsy as severe as Callie's is challenging. For over 22 years my mother has been on call 24/7. Callie is completely dependent on my mother for everything. I have so much respect for my mother who feeds, changes, and cares for her every need. My mother never complains about the daily repeated tasks, only shows love towards Callie.

It is a honor to have such an inspiring mother in my life. I am grateful to all the other mothers who care for one of these amazing children.

I am grateful to my Heavenly Father who has blessed me with this amazing family. My mother has taught me so much about selfless service and what it really means to be a great mom. I can only hope to be half that mom she is.

Xoxoxo