My Vintage Cake Platter Makeover

Every now and then you just need to take some pretty pictures. There is really no need to explain yourself and they never need to be printed or framed, just appreciated by you. And after I fixed up this beautiful little cake platter I thought to myself, this babe deserves a photo shoot. So I gave it the glam it deserved and put a cake on it. Some milk with tea cups and saucers too??? You bet.

Here is what Ms. Cake Platter looked like when I picked her up from the flea market:

Can I just say, I love a piece with potential. More so than something that has reached it's full potential. I love the vase that is improved upon with fresh flowers or the old chair that needs a new coat of paint. The transformation seems so brilliant to me. That something may appear old or used and ordinary, but with the right perspective and some hard work a flea market find can become a treasure for a lifetime.
I think this is the same with people for me. I am drawn to individuals whose potential and talent appeal to me, but they haven't reached that pinnacle yet. These kinds of people only get better with time. They are always moving forward. That's one of the things I love most about Clint. The longer we are married the more interesting I find him.
When we got married I was 20. I was a baby. Let's just say he definitely married me for my potential and I will keep praying that 20 was not the pinnacle of Alix. In fact I vividly remember talking about our futures on our third date. I was only 18 (even a littler baby!). I asked, like a silly girl, if he thought I was a success as a person. Clint looked over at me and smiled and said, "you have so much potential". I beamed. This seemed like a real complement to me back then (now it kinda sounds like an insult upon reflection :) ) but I couldn't imagine a more promising quality to possess than potential. It means you are going to get better, move forward, your greatest work of art is yet to come.
Potential is how I feel about my blog, my photography, even my parties. I have so much creating left in me and I am always wrestles to make something new happen. Today I want to buy the orchard across the street and do horse-drawn slay rides. Tomorrow I want to start a wedding planning company. Perhaps this little beauty of a cake dish, with it's fresh coat of white paint, will make an appearance in a future craft party I host. Or maybe it will pop up at a baby shower for a little girl. Some day. But make no mistake, this little cake platter has potential.

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Work hard. Be fierce. Take naps.

I became consciously aware that I was taking a week off from blogging last Thursday. The fact that I didn't notice on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday really solidified that I was probably too busy and unfocused to blog anyways. Yes last Thursday I sat in my craft room, looked at my camera and then my laptop and exhaled "We need a break. We'll start fresh next week." I mean, of course I had 1,782 other projects simultaneously in the works. As always. But having one less thing-1,782 instead of 1,783-made the difference. Left just enough space in my mind to ponder where I want to be and what I want to be. In the back of my mind I probed: What do I love about me? What changes do I want to make?

Work hard.
I am a hard worker. If nothing else, at the end of any given day I can hold my chin up high and say I worked hard and played hard and squeezed every last bit of juice out of my day. This trait and habit seems so foundational to the person I am and want to be. Every grade, photo, story are all bits of my work, and where talent fails, hard work steps in. You say, "I can do hard things" and I say, "If you work hard". And I kind of love this aspect of life. I feel like working hard is the little miracle given to us to help us make up the difference. Olympian's have natural talent for sure, but hard work fills the gap between great and best in the world. Hard work is my security blanket. I know I can count on hard work to see me through.

Be fierce.
I want to attack life. You know?...really jump into it with both feet. I want to take risks, and not just the small ones, but the big ones. I want to embrace my heartfelt and intense passion for life like it's my everything and I don't want feel complacent. Being fierce is about being aggressive. Not letting life just happen to you, but molding life into the adventure you want is to be. I think it takes a great deal of bravery and fierceness to actually live the life you dream of living. Last week I decided I can't just talk about my passionate life. I am going to go ahead and live it.

Take naps. 
Literally, it's okay to skip a few things you "have to do" and just sleep instead. Skip a week of blogging. Don't do laundry. I desire more metaphorical naps as well. More vacations and long walks. Taking naps from crossing things off lists and use that time to develop talents and indulge in a good book. Taking naps is also about taking breaks. Breaks from working and being fierce and breaks from people, especially the people who drain you. My single favorite part of graduating from high school was that I no longer was forced be around toxic people. Being a kind a cordial person is at the center of my personal goals, but I think there is something self-healing about distancing yourself from people who make you feel drained. There are plenty of people who suck the life out of life and I don't really need to spend my naps with them.

So after a good long week away from this blog of mine, I came to the conclusion that if I really wanted this to last and I really wanted to find joy in life I needed to keep working hard (I mean really really hard), live the hell out of life, and throw in a few breaks. Nothing revolutionary but insightful nonetheless. 

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4 on Friday: Plants!

I'm not much of a green thumb you see, but there's this eclectic pile of pots in my garage that have been flirting with me since the first day of Spring, and I should be a little more polite and explain to them my intentions. I intend to wipe them down with a rag, fill them with fresh cool soil, plant some delicious succulents and flowers and bushy-type plants in them, water them, and make a peace offering to the gardening gods. You see, I have good intentions, but I just need a little more inspiration help I think.

All images via Pinterest.

And some link love for ya!...

A fabulous fireplace roundup.

Love me some globe lights galore!

I need to follow this insightful and courageous advice.

Splatter paint cupcake toppers. Duh.

The cutest flower gift I seen.

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Why I have gone missing...and a little thank you

Hello all readers! Well this is kind of embarrassing, but I have been missing for about a week now, and I kind of feel bad about it! I mean, you come around and read about my life and leave heartfelt comments, so I just wanted to say thank you! Thank you for being such great readers and friends!

Also, I thought I ought to update you on what I am working on behind the scenes here at A Ruffled Life.

First...We are redesigning! Wa-who! I am soooo excited for the new look! So keep an eye out for our relaunch in a bit. Some stuff may look funny here and there so I appreciate your patience dear friends! And we'll do our best to give you a bigger and better A Ruffled Life.

Second...We've been feeling a little under the weather, but I think it may be allergies so I am currently testing that hypothesis with allergy meds so...pending diagnosis.

Third...This little Nugget has needed LOTS AND LOTS of extra loving this week. I mean, he has been a limb on my body. So we have cuddled and played and giggled and cried a lot together this week.

And I think he may be a red head... :)

Fourth...I added some stuff to my life list at Go Mighty!

and I have been loving these reads lately! Check out my link love:

This is what my motherhood has looked like lately...

Splatter paint on balloons! What the cute?!

This post about blogging has really hit home for me...time to slow down and step up the quality!

 I really want to make these at the moment...because they look soooo good.

And I want to buy this and frame it something fierce!

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Mine: Favorites

Yesterday I posted your top post choices...and now you must indulge me...it's my turn...thanks for your patience ;)

1| Sir Liam Nugget is 6 months...Can you even believe it!?





















2| Chalk this one up as a win!















3| WitchFest Pre-Party





















4| My fall mantel + garland DIY















5| mommy lunch, it's a doozy















6| merry mantel

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Yours: Favorites

This here blog has been in the works for one year...can you believe it!?! I feel like it has grown so much! (and so have I)... But I also feel like I have so many ideas and so much more I would love to accomplish. 2013...bring it!
And I'm starting this year with a bang at Alt Summit blog conference (I'm not sure if you noticed, but I have mentioned Alt about a thousand times in the last couple weeks).
So sadly I may be MIA a bit this week, but I will come back next week loaded with inspiration (I bet you are already anticipating it ;) ).
And now I will awkwardly transition to a stroll down memory lane (of the last year)...Here are your favorite posts (some surprising to me [I thought no one cared about my messy house woes] and some not so much [I knew "Breast Friends" was a hit from the moment I typed "breast"]).

Your Top Choices:

1| Men in Skirts with a Twist

2| paper haunted village DIY

3| Breast Friends

 

4| it's the final countdown (do do do doooo...)

5| Welcome Fall

6| Liam's Birth Story (secretly my favorite post)

7| my house is a mess

Honorable Mentions: 

it's coming!...
Liam's Nursery
brown paper packages tied up with string...
fall love and reflections
on a rainy day

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They call it attachment parenting...

They call it attachment parenting... or so I hear. I think it has to do with skin-to-skin contact after birth and breastfeeding and sleeping patterns and bonding...and I'm pretty sure I am doing it. Attachment parenting, that is. Because my little Nugget it very attached, bonded, breastfed, and (ahem) sleeps while literally attached.

Mid-night feeding sessions are kind of like sleepwalking...your not sure how you got in the kitchen with a mayonnaise and hamburger sandwich in your hand, but your pretty sure it's your own doing. That's kind of what I feel like at 4:00am when I wake up to Nugget sucking on my elbow and my boob is just hanging out there. And I'm like, What the freaking heck is going on here?

I can't be alone in this. There has to be other "sleepwalking" moms out there. Parents who say to themselves, "Cribs...what a waste of money." And if you are not out there...I will make you up in my mind for self-reassurance purposes.

Either way, Nugget crawling around and on me in the mornings is seriously the most wonderful part of my day. Wouldn't trade it. Not even for a good nights rest. Well, maybe just one good nights rest would be okay.

I'm going to go nap now :)

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Getting away from me and 100 rejections

Man today was a day from hell (I may be over-exaggerating a tiny bit). Overall, I am blessed beyond measure...but we all have days where they just get away from you. I swam through molasses today trying to make a list and even start that list, all the while with Nugget attached at my hip. Even now he is staring at me through the door window...

Today I found myself starting to compare myself to other bloggers...If she had a baby would she get all that done? How does she find time with 3 kids? My work isn't good enough to submit it to her blog...
What a silly waste of time to compare like that! I think we most certainly can learn from others...but whenever I sense I'm dabbling in self-pity I try and nip that shiz in the bud asap! (hows that for a sentence full of idioms and abbreviations)...So while today is getting away from me...I'm going to put on my fabulous sparkly teal metaphorical work boots and get to work. Let others inspire me. Be a better person.

I recently read this little blog post by a great life coach and it has been a piece of advice I hope will characterize my 2013, and my life in general. The idea is to set the goal of receiving 100 rejections. 100 nos! That's a courageous goal! And what a wonderful perspective to take when trying to start a business or project or anything. I am going to say to myself, "Why not try, why not send the letter or submission when you have to get 100 rejections anyways?!"
Now I am setting the goal of 50 because I have a pretty demanding little Nugget that is by far the most important thing ever to grace this life of mine...but if I get 50 rejections, someone is bound to say yes!

So do it with me! Set the goal to get 100 (or 50) rejections and see who just might say yes.

Well Nugget is staring at me with this face:

So its time to go! See you all tomorrow. It will be better, I promise!

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2013!...I welcome you with open arms and optimism.

All is calm and quiet around here this morning, which is exactly what this girl needs. Yesterday was the first day of a new year...new goals and resolutions. New commitment to eat better and be better. But yesterday I may have been holding on to 2012 a bit longer. As I anxiously stuffed my face with more popcorn and Junior Mints than any human should consume I began to realize 2012 drawing to an end was a bit of a bitter-sweet moment for me. 2012 was the best year of my life. Love multiplied beyond calculation when Liam came into our life and I proved stronger than even I knew was possible on the day of his birth. Liam brought a deeper love to my marriage too. I also birthed this blog and have to admit, it is one of my favorite parts of me. It has really become a part of who I am. And with a new house on top of this 2012 banana split, it is just a little teary to say goodbye.

But every year since high school graduation has been better than the last. So I must say with authority: welcome 2013!...I welcome you with open arms and optimism.

And it wouldn't be a proper new beginning without some goals and resolutions and such.

2013 GOALS:

1| Make a ton more online friends

2| Start an online store

3| Redesign blog

4| Make at least $1 from my blog :)

2013 Resolutions:

1| Become a more spiritual person (more prayer, more serving, more scripture study)

2| Become a healthier person (cut back on the sugar intact asap)

3| Become a more frugal person

What are your goals and resolutions?

Now the Christmas decorations are protesting their hibernation, but they most definitely have been decking the halls for 48 hours too long according to my calculations.

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Remember that time I was Prego?

9 months ago...I was 9 months pregnant. Remember?
Okay guys...you know when that adorable skinny lady is like, "I was soooo big when I was pregnant" and then you see pictures of them and their whole body looks perfectly thin and fit except for a beautiful perfectly round belly? And they could have totally pulled off the underwear pregnancy photoshoot? Well this is not like that. No this is a memoir of my puffy-faced, fat thigh, double-chinned pregnancy.

I was so poofy. 
I retained, like, 50 lbs in water weight. 
My face and nose were so wide, I was unrecognizable. 
My voice lowered by 2 octaves at least.

It was kind of a horror movie, with the most joyous and wonderful ending possible.

To celebrate hitting my pre-prego weight I decided to look back on pregnancy photos. I thought I would look at them and think, you didn't look that bad! You were so hard on yourself!
Well, I did look that bad.
Probably worse than that bad.

Here is the beginning of it all...

And then this happened...

And then Clint took this picture the day before I delivered...

This picture kind of makes me want to cry. Like at what point did I think it appropriate to eat a giant shake at a movie theater wearing black spandex pants? Oh yes...at the point of 9 months pregnant!

So this night, to celebrate not being poofy as poof I am going to eat some ice cream and cuddle with the most adorable and sweet and loveable little Nugget who really was worth all of it after all! And of course I will thank the Heavens above every day that I was able to get all fat and zit-backed and double-chinned because I know so many women would take it in a heartbeat. 

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