Some Nights....

Music Video Monday!!!

This music video took some searching because I just wasn't sure what I wanted to post.

But then it hit me.

Some Nights by Fun! I know it is a bit over played on the radio right now but it is such a good song. I wasn't 100% sure what the song meant so I looked it up on song facts. I like songs that are inspired by real people and it is cool how he gets his inspiration from his family. The song makes me want to have a dance party in my car each time I hear it.

If you have never heard the song, check it out! If you have heard the song you should watch the video because it is a great one.

Hope you like this song as much as I do! :)

I love hearing new music so please comment below if you have any new or old music to share!

As We Grow Up

It is crazy when you find a quote by an unknown author and it can sum up exactly how you feel at a certain time of your life. Even better is when you find one that continues to apply to how you feel about life. The quote below is one of my favorites. 

In this quote you are reminded to appreciate the moments in life, to forgive and love. I love this quote because it is real. The quote does not sugar coat anything. 

The part of the quote that applies to me today is the theme of forgiveness. As I have grown up I have learned how important it is to forgive others. It is easier to forgive if they apologize but even when they don't it is important to forgive and Let It Go. Not everyone is perfect. The one person that wasn't supposed to ever let you down probably will because they are not perfect. And guess what? Neither are you. Holding on to the hurt does not prove to that person anything. All it does is make the hurt last longer.

Although forgiving is somewhat difficult, it really is the easy part. Trusting them in the future, that is where it gets tricky. Do you forgive and forget, with the possibility of getting hurt again? Or do you hold back and keep the relationship at a distance? Either way it will be hard. Then think about how you would want to be treated if you hurt someone else. Would you want them to forgive you but not forget what you did? Would you want them to never trust you again?

As my son Max says, No way! I would want them to forgive me AND trust me again.

I guess it all comes down to the person. If you surround yourself with people who you know are good people then it shouldn't be a problem to forgive and forget. Thankfully, I have some pretty awesome people in my life and I can say I would be able to forgive and forget while not worrying about getting hurt again. If you have to worry about it, then maybe you should rethink the amount of time you are around that person.

As you grow up you become less naive and are able to make decisions on your own. This helps because there is less of a need to talk about things with everyone. When you take the time to reflect on what is best for you, you will not be so concerned with what others think. If you are less concerned about what others think about you or say about you, then it makes it easier to forgive because the hurt is not as deep. You will also find yourself not needing to discuss everything you are going through with people in order to have them validate your feelings, because you start to realize that it doesn't matter if they validate it or not.

Overall it is important to realize that nobody is perfect. Don't expect so much from others and instead focus fully on how to be the best you can be. I hope I can teach this to my son and future kids as they grow up. It stinks being hurt but if we never experienced pain how would we appreciate the great moments in life. Pain is a part of life. 

It would be great if instead of completely forgetting past hurts, we would only remember the part of how it felt. Haha that sounds cotradicting of what I am saying in this post, but what I mean is to remember only enough of how it felt so we would all do our best to not be the cause of the hurt to someone else. 

Everyone's story is different. We have all been through different difficulties. Forgiving and letting it go will make you a much happier person. 

What part of the quote applies to you? Do you struggle with forgiveness or letting past hurts go? Do you blame a new love for what old ones did? Do you forget to relax and enjoy the moment? Please comment, I would love to hear how this applies to others! :)

Who Wants a T-Shirt?

I don't know about you guys but I love t-shirts. Don't get me wrong, getting dressed up is fun, but nothing can beat that comfy t-shirt that you throw on and feel good in.

If you go to a St. Louis Cardinals game, the best baseball team ever, you will see some people who really love t-shirts. I was on Team Fredbird for the Cardinals for a couple of years and would sling t- shirts into the stands. People would go crazy for a t-shirt. I don't blame them, they are pretty awesome shirts. :)

I have always been the girl of the group who suggests having t-shirts made for any event that our friends or family would be organizing. From float trips to vacations to pub crawls, as soon as someone suggests making plans for an event, I am the one who quickly adds "and lets make t shirts!'. Not only do the t shirts make picking out an outfit so much easier but it is fun and a great keepsake after the event! Another bonus is if you are traveling in a largely populated area you can quickly find your group with bright colored shirts.

Today I wanted to share the latest t-shirt I designed and made for one of my best friend's bachelorette party.

The Front

The Back

My friend found the t-shirts for a great price from Bella wholesale. I then designed the text and ring and had transfers printed from Jumbo Sticky Pics. When I got the transfers I just simply ironed the design on and blinged out the ring with Tulip bling fabric paint and was done! It was a cheap and fun and since I am a big DIY fan, I had so much fun making them with the Bride to be.

For the Bride's shirt we did the opposite, white shirt and Teal lettering. The girls all loved the shirts and we all had fun wearing them for the bride!
                      

                                                    

 

So next time you have an occasion, see if you can add shirts to the mix! If you want to design your own and need any help with how to do it or need information about the transfers feel free to email me at abbeycarmen14@yahoo.com.

Music Video Monday 4/16/12

Love this song and this video. The lyrics are beautiful.

Enjoy!

Lead Me On!

Music Video Monday!!

Happy Monday everyone! :D Today's song is by Jamie Grace called You Lead. Love, love, LOVE this song!! So upbeat and a wonderful thing to remember when starting out the week.

No matter what your going through, God's mercy will never fail. Trust in Him and follow Him. Your life opens up and is so much better when you follow Him. Trust me, I know! :) My parents, teachers and mentors always told me I could do/be whatever I wanted to be in life. Just stay focussed and do it. Well, my pride got in the way and I kept trying to figure out what it was that I wanted to do and what would impress others. Then I realized that is not what life is about. Once I put my focus on finding my purpose in life and following God I became a much happier person and so much more at peace. Focussing on my relationship with the Lord, joining a church that has provided such amazing support and guidance and fully putting my trust in God has been the best decision in my life. Now I fully understand that with God I truly can be and do anything. I always had that little voice down deep (you know that voice that tells you what you really want to do?) but pushed it so far away because I had an overwhelming contradicting voice that told me it was just too good to be true...and also that other people would not think it would be good enough. I finally am seeing that little voice is breaking through and I am not only realizing that it can be true in my life, it is better than I imagined! I just needed to trust in Him that it could be possible!

So if you are reading this and you haven't fully trusted in our Father, I encourage you to please make that step. The best part? He already wants you in His!! He is there with open arms waiting for you...you just have to make the decision to accept Him in your life. He loves you and wants you to follow Him. He forgives you for your sins, you just have to let go of any guilt, pride, hurt or whatever it is that is holding you back and fully trust in Him. Don't be hard on yourself, life is a journey and is full of highs and lows, each giving us something in life to allow us to learn and grow with Christ. Your journey will be much easier if you have Him with you and are following His purpose for you. So this week, a week in which we remember how Jesus died for us, let go of what is holding you back and accept Him in your life. If you already have accepted Him in your life, work hard to make each day focussed on following Him. Play this song and feel it in your heart, "You Lead, I follow!!" :)


Revelation 3:20 (NAB)
            "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, (then) I
              will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me."

John 3:16
            "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him
              might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to
              condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him."

My Review of the Hunger Games

I was almost finished with reading the Hunger Games when I heard the book was coming out on movie. I was ecstatic. I went running downstairs to my fiance and told him how much he was going to love the movie and went on and on about how fantastic it was going to be...well much like my other movie reviews I may have overdone it a little. (I will always stand by my review of Elf...one of the best movies ever!)

My fiance (who has not read the book) said he liked it. Not sure if he was just saying that to be nice, or if he really did. :) I was somewhat disappointed. At first I couldn't pinpoint why the movie was not as good as the book. The casting of the movie was amazing. I really don't think they could have casted anyone better for each character. I enjoyed seeing the visuals of the capital and each district. I just cant pinpoint exactly why the movie is not as good as the book, but is the movie ever as good as the book?

When you read a book you understand the characters much more. You know more of their past and why their story. For now on I think I will watch the movie and then read the book. It will be like getting to know the character more! I cannot wait to do this with Catching Fire because I couldn't wait to read the next one. I am going to do this with Twilight for sure though!

Through this entire experience it really made me appreciate reading a book more. I have always been a TV and movie watcher. Never really could get into reading. I have been enjoying books more lately, but now that I know how much more you get from reading a book than watching a movie, I get why my Mom gets into reading so much.

So if you haven't read the Hunger Games, I recommend watching the movie first. Then you have to read the book! If you have read the book I still recommend the movie. After you see it you should back here and let me know what you thought! I would love to know if you had the same experience as I did.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Thanks for reading!

XX

Abbey

Music Video Monday!!!! :)

Hello all!!

I wanted to find a music video for today that was motivating and positive to start out the week. I then remembered a song my sister Kristy put on a CD for me one time. It is Mary J Blige's song Just Fine. AWESOME song and the video is great too. I love the first part where she says "You know I love music." and then goes on to say..."This song right here makes me wanna....WOOOOOH!!!" Haha it really does!! :)

Anytime you are in a funk or can't get out of a cruddy mood, play this song!! Really though, you can play any song of hers and you will be in a better mood. I just love Mary J. :)

Although I do believe to fully grow in life you must make changes, I also believe that life is about accepting what you DO have. Remembering that your life is just fine and keep focussed on the blessings in your life. Just as Mary says, there is no time for negative vibes...so turn your head and stay focussed on what is good. The more you have a positive attitude and see the good, the more the good will come to you. It is hard sometimes, but the more you practice staying positive and seeing the good side of what comes your way, the better you will be at it.

I recently had to overcome worrying about what others say. I realized in my life I was not able to do anything unless I first knew what others thought about it. If they thought it was a good idea I would move on it, but the minute someone said something negative I would immediately change my mind. It overcame my life!! I was so worried about pleasing everyone and what everyone else thought. Then one day I realized I had completely lost myself. Let me tell you, loosing yourself is one of the worst things. I didn't even know what it was I wanted anymore!

After coming to this realization I now am taking life day by day. Focussing on the good and listening to my inner voice. Not worrying so much about what others are doing and what they think, but rather what I want to do and what I think. I appreciate everyone's wisdom, but sometimes you have to learn from your own mistakes. That is life. Plus, everyone's journey is different. What didn't work for them may have not been God's plan for them. How do you know if it isn't in His plan for your life if you don't try it yourself?

On the same note, you can't worry about what everyone else is doing and try and push your advice on them. Falling down is hard, but seeing people you care about falling down is just as hard...if not harder. Sometimes you have to allow them to fall though. If you don't then they wont ever learn their life lessons and you are also taking away their confidence if you are constantly trying to tell them what to do and not to do. If they think you don't think they can do it or if you are constantly pointing out the negatives to them, then they will do the same not only to situations...but to themselves. Worrying will really will get you nowhere. Most of the time the things you worry about never happen...or they do happen because you in some weird way made it happen from thinking about it so much. So just as Mary says, don't worry about what others are going to do, stay classy and stay focussed on being the best you can be. Send out positive vibes, smile and just breath. Appreciate what you do have and stop thinking, I will be happy when _____ . Remember, life on this earth will never be perfect, so choose to be happy right now. My life is Just Fine!!! :)

I hope you all enjoy the video and have a great week!! Oh and I have a question, does anyone know how to allow comments on a blog? For some reason mine does not work. If you do know how, please email me at abbeycarmen14@yahoo.com. I would really appreciate the help because I want to hear what people have to say and I have not been able to figure out how to fix this.

Thanks for reading my blog!!

XX

Abbey