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pinterest love.

Published by Aubrey

Here are some things on the great and fabulous pinterest that caught my eye this week.

Source: whiskandaprayer.blogspot.com via Aubrey on Pinterest

I made this for dinner this week and it was a-maz-ing! I’m a big mac n cheese fan so that helps but seriously very easy and very delicious!

Source: mandjsherry.blogspot.com via Aubrey on Pinterest

Thinking about doing this for the girls birthday in 2 weeks…yeah gotta get on the ball…


 

Possible birthday gift for the girls??? Looks pretty simple but very cute!

Source: polyvore.com via Aubrey on Pinterest

I would wear this every day if I had it… love it. Especially the TOMS.

Source: polyvore.com via Aubrey on Pinterest

 

Ok maybe I would alternate between this outfit as well. Love it too.

Another idea for girls, probably not for birthday. Limited on time but maybe Christmas?
Super cute!

What are you finding that inspires you lately on pinterest? Would love to share ideas!

toothless.

Published by Aubrey

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Look what happened while I was gone! He lost a tooth! Could he possibly be any cuter?

The funny thing was that he lost his “lost” tooth. From the moment I walked in the door after returning from my California trip (which was awesome by the way!) we were looking for Mason’s tooth. Sadly, we didn’t find it that night. But we assured him the tooth fairy would still come because the tooth fairy is very smart and knows these things. With tears and much uncertainty in his eyes he went to bed. Low and behold the tooth fairy did show up and left a little something for our little man. Told you he (in this case, she) was smart.

So we have a toothless little man that is as cute as can be and already working on his next loose tooth. He needs some more money he said.

Oh and the lost tooth was found, recovered from the Dust Buster and is now safe and sound on my dresser. What does one do with lost teeth? Just wondering.

feeling fall.

Published by Aubrey

Fall leaves in Vancouver
Today I was really feeling Fall and thoroughly enjoying it. Cool air, sweatshirts and jeans. Leaves, leaves and more leaves on the ground and many more to come down! But I love the smell and the colors of the Fall outside. I made a delicious (if I do say so myself) Fall meal to go along with my Fall mood.

Minestrone, pepperoni rolls and apple crisp. Ohhhh! So good.

This soup was a new recipe that you have to try. Very easy and very good.

  1. 3 cans of minestrone soup. I used Campbells.
  2. 1 can of Rotel tomatoes
  3. 1 can of navy beans or whatever bean you want really.
  4. 1 lb of ground beef browned.

Combine all the ingredients and simmer for 20-25 min. I decided to kick it up a notch and added a pound of sausage, 1 can of corn drained and 3 cloves of garlic while the meat was browning.

It’s a must try in my book. Happy Fall friends!

Are there certain foods you love to have in the Fall?

 

Mom on the loose.

Published by Aubrey

I’m on a plane right now and when I get off I will be in Sacramento, Ca. And then making a car drive to my former town that I called home for 5 years, Chico. It’s been almost a year and a half since we watched the big moving truck drive away with all of the contents of our home and one of our cars. Then the husband drove away in the other car and the kids and I boarded a plane to the next stop on this crazy ride God has us on. Eventually we landed in what we now call home Carmel, IN. So I’m going back to visit what I affectionately call my “past life”. And did I mention I’m making this trip alone? Yep. It was my husbands wonderful idea: I go visit friends and he does full time Dad duty for 5 days. Isn’t he amazing? Hold your horses girls, he’s all mine.

I’m mostly excited for my visit to see some dear friends, visit our old neighborhood, see our old house (sniff sniff) and make a trip to some of my local favorites: Tin Roof, farmers market, Bidwell and Upper Crust to name a few. But there’s also a little nervousness to along with the excitement. A lot has changed, I’ve changed. Time just keeps matching on and holding on to the past just doesn’t work. I learned the hard way. When I finally “let go” in a sense of my Chico life and fully embraced our new life it was scary but good. He met me right there. I love what has come out of this whole process. I can sit here now and say I’m thankful for where He has taken us, where we are now and confident in His faithfulness for future twists and turns. Because there will always be those twists and turns to keep me on my knees. With all that said…I’m
a tad bit nervous.

But the closer I get the more the excitement and thankfulness takes over! Here’s to a great weekend that I am so blessed to have!

preparing for fall.

Published by Aubrey

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Fall is my favorite time of the year for lots of reasons. One reason is because I like the way my house looks when it’s decorated for fall. It’s extra cozy and comfy with the warm colors of orange, mustard and deep reds and browns. I like to change the look for the season mostly using what I already have and regrouping items. No need to buy new. I do have some fall decorations they are minimal so it was a real bummer when I couldn’t find half of them today when I was decorating. They’ve been in a box somewhere for 2 years so your guess is as good as mine. I did find some and managed a few changes here and there. Then I decided to get resourceful and send my worker bees aka Theia and Kaia out into the yard to gather some supplies. I did some work using a couple of the branches in our yard and the bountiful harvest of acorns that are scattered everywhere. The squirrels are probably not too happy with us stealing their winter food but I am pretty satisfied with the results. Glass jars, acorns and sticks…pretty easy and cheap. So like I said for now this will do. It’s a work in progress until Thanksgiving…then Christmas decorations will make their entry!

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livin’ life.

Published by Aubrey

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I just love this photo of Mase riding in the rain.

It reminds me to have fun, relax, forget the rules, “the shoulds”, the “have to’s”.

It say go! It says JOY! Freedom!

It says let go. Forget what others may say or think. Live for the audience of the One who called me.

I love it. And I love that little big guy riding super fast on his awesome bike.

Road Trippin’ Barela Style

Published by Aubrey

A weekend to Ohio is where we are going. We’ve got this down to a science. We know the stops to make where everyone will be happy. And we know how to keep everyone semi-content while driving. Right now Mase is watching Netflix on the ipdad, Kaia and Theia are watching their own shows on an iTouch and old iPod while Brian and I are listening to rdio through his iPhone. And I’m blogging on my iPhone to you all. Excessive technology? Maybe. But it works for the next 5 hours:)
Happy weekend to you!

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Savoring the Livng Water release!

Published by Aubrey

Have you ever wanted to know how to have a better quiet time? How to go deeper? Apply your time with the Lord to your everyday life. Maybe you’ve been a Christian for a long time and your quiet times are getting a little stale and you need a little refresher. Maybe you have no idea what I mean by “quiet time” but you are curious? Well if any of these questions fit you than I know of something that can help. Lara and Katie have gotten together to write an ebook called Savoring the Living Water. I just bought it today and can’t wait to dive in. Even though I’ve been spending regular time with God for years now I am still looking forward to learning new things, digging deeper in my times with the Lord and being refreshed. Both Lara and Katie are having huge giveaways on their blogs to celebrate the launch of their book. If you want the chance to win some great loot check them out! Also, they have a crazy big goal to help the ministry OneVerse that you have to read about. I’m excited to be a part of it!

you gotta roll with it.

Published by Aubrey

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“Hey Kaia can you go pick some basil for me?”

This is what she came back with. Yes, I think that will be enough.

You just never know.

Daily I pray, “Lord help me to have open hands. Help me to just roll with it. Give me grace and wisdom along the way.”

And then all I could do was smile at my sweet girl and give her a big hug with a simple thanks.