Stressed or Depressed?? {Home Life}

So I'm not sure what it is with me lately, but I sort of feel as though I've been on an emotional roller coaster. 

I'm fine one day, kind of angry another day, and full on sad the next. 

It's been crazy, and I'm not sure what to do about it. 

I could say I'm stressed, because with me not working and the honey's job only BARELY covering the bills, I have SOOO much to worry about. 

There are days when I'm not sure if we will even have anything to eat for dinner. 

[It's a good thing my brother is in school and he receives free breakfast and lunch, because that way I can make sure he is being fed throughout the day. As for me and Tim, well, food is nearly OPTIONAL in our case. I don't even worry about eating during the day and just enjoy whatever there is for dinner. Tim usually eats something at work, due to potlucks, his friends taking him to lunch, or whatever else. It's been pretty rough.]

I've been filling out applications for jobs, but it seems as though NO ONE will hire me. 

I just don't know what else to do, except keep my head up and wade through the muck as best as I can.

Anyway...I need to get out of this emotional rut.

I used to be this SUPER happy, always fun to be around, kind of person.

Now...well, now I don't feel like I'm ANYTHING like that person anymore.

I snap at people for no reason.

I get aggravated and annoyed VERY easily.

I don't communicate with others as much as I would like to.

I just don't like the person I'm becoming.

The saddest part is, I'm VERY good at hiding my emotions from other people.

My friends NEVER know how horrible I feel.

And if they ask, I just say I'm not feeling well that day. Or that everything is fine.

I just don't want them to be burdened with MY emotional roller coaster. 

They have their own lives to deal with.

I know that's what friends are supposed to be for, but I feel like I always ask too much of them.

So I don't ask them to listen to my problems. Anyway, it's not like they can solve them for me!

I just wish I could be normal again. I want to smile and have a good time again.

WITHOUT worrying about if my bills will be paid. Or where our next meal is coming from.

I want to enjoy the precious moments life has to offer and know that I didn't waste ANY of them.

I just want my life back. I want to be ME again.....

What's On My Phone?! {Link Party}

Today I'm participating in Jessica's link party at The Lowe Family News: "What's On My Phone?!" Sounds fun, right? It pretty much IS! All you have to do is post some of your photos from your phone's camera and blog about them...easy peasy! So, here they are...a peek into my daily life!

This week, I've been hanging out with my SUPER ADORABLE nephews! They are some characters, let me tell you! Don't believe me? Take a look at the photos I took with my phone:

My oldest nephew, Darion. Love his glasses? 

They're my 3-D shades from Alice in Wonderland! 

The boyfriend popped out the lenses.

This is what happens when you get a bunch of boys together.

Along with a bunch of those plastic balls (like at Chuck E. Cheese's).

And you tell them to pick up as many as they can. =)

 Darion's cupcake he decorated!

Right before he swallowed it in one gulp!

My little brother, Deonte, and his super cool cupcake design.

I told him when I open my bake shop/cafe, he was getting hired as a decorator!

Darius was VERY excited to eat that cupcake!

This was probably because they decorated about 8 cupcakes each!

(And because their mean TiTi wouldn't let them eat one until all of them were done being decorated!)

My FAMOUS cupcake brownies!

Don't they look SOOO yummy?!

My little sister, Anna turned 16 on Sunday, the 6th. 

We each made a cupcake decorated especially for her.

This was mine...the big 1-6! (boy do I feel old!)

So those are a few photos from this crazy week with my boys!! LOTS of sweets were included in this week...but the boys had a blast, so it was well worth it!

Ready to participate in this awesome party? Go to Jessica's blog and find out the details! Make sure you leave your link and grab a button!! Don't forget to check out other bloggers' posts! Happy Tuesday!

Valentine's Date Night Idea + FREE Printable {DIY}

Image courtesy of Google Image Search.

Valentine's Day.

February 14.

6 days from now.

Still haven't figured out what to do for your loved one?

Check this out!

Amy at Eat, Drink, Chic has come up with the most ADORABLE (and did I mention AFFORDABLE?) Valentine's date night idea! Take a look!

Image courtesy of Amy at Eat, Drink, Chic.

Amy has designed an awesome night in with your favorite person...complete with LOVE LETTERS! How romantic is that? She is also offering some super cute FREE printables to use in creating your awesome night!

I don't know about you, but a quiet night in with my honey, complete with a romantic movie and love letters, is EXACTLY what we need right now! 

So hop on over to her BEAUTIFUL blog and check out her idea for a VERY romantic Valentine's Day idea!

PS: You'll also find some AMAZING photos to go along with the tutorial! All the pink makes me *SMILE*!!!

Image courtesy of Amy at Eat, Drink, Chic.

Image courtesy of Amy at Eat, Drink, Chic.

See? Even those people who claim to hate Valentine's Day would be smiling about all this PINK! So go NOW to Amy's blog and check out her super cool idea! And make sure you leave a comment and tell her THANKS!

What do YOU have planned for Valentine's Day with your lover/friends/family?? Only 6 DAYS LEFT!

A Birthday Peek {Home Life}

Hey guys! Where have you been? haha...just kidding! Sorry I've been absent...back to school time after the holidays is kinda hectic! Anywho, I decided to drop in with a little peek into my birthday party! Enjoy!

The awesome spread....haha

Yummy sweets! Cupcakes with pink & purple icing [made by me, not bought that way!] & brownies with chocolate frosting...ohhhh so good!!

Pretty presents wrapped in PINK...just the way I like it!

 Me opening one of my gifts (which that one was an awesome massaging bath pillow...yessss!)

Me & my 2 girlies...Jessica & Jessica (we call them JLG squared because both of them have the same initials! And this picture has been so names "EJ2" (the 2 is "squared")!!! Anyway, they made my party completely awesome! They both were SUCH a huge help in getting everything done & ready! Thanks girls...I know you'll both be reading this! =)

Well, that's the gist of the party fun! Sorry there aren't more pictures...I thought my camera had more battery power than it actually did. Stupid misleading icon!! I've definitely learned my lesson on that one...at least my girls made sure to capture a couple of shots!! Thanks again ladies!!

Anywho...I'll be back later this week with another post. I have accumulated a couple of cool things from some VERY special people! Can't wait to show them to you! Check back later!

It's My Birthday! {Home Life}

The date: 22 years ago, at 10:32AM in Winter Haven Hospital on December 29, 1988. A young girl (age 16, only a couple of weeks away from being 17) is giving birth to a beautiful baby girl...her first child. That baby girl soon turned out to be the first of 4 beautiful children within the next 10 years...but that baby girl was special. She changed her mommy's life forever....

That baby girl was ME. My birthday was this past Wednesday, and it was HARD. My mom wasn't here to celebrate with me for the FIRST TIME in my LIFE. [wow.] Can you say depressing? BUT...I kept my head held high and did my best not to think about it. The best things in life are always taken for granted, but I'm grateful for every DAY I was able to spend with my mama. She taught me so much in my short life...I HONESTLY believe she KNEW I wouldn't always have her to show me the way. Out of ALL my siblings, our mama prepared ME the MOST for real life. And I cherish everything she ever told me. So anyway....

It was my birthday. My sister attempted to make me breakfast. Which is not a good idea for someone who is VERY picky about her breakfast food! =) She didn't do a bad job, but I like my eggs a certain way with a certain amount of cheese and I like it all laid out a certain way on my bread. [Picky much??] But I still thanked her for trying! Then, I went shopping at one of my FAVORITE stores with my granny and she bought me a few things from their AWESOME semi-annual sale!

She also bought me a VERY pretty new hat from Dillard's: 

It was fun! BUT...I had even MORE of a good time when we returned back home! Tim (my honey) said "Don't take off your shoes...we're going out to dinner!" YESSSS!! I don't know what it is about going OUT for dinner...but I'm ADDICTED to eating a sit-down restaurant! Well, unfortunately we were SUPER broke due to Christmas and my little brother's birthday going in the past couple of weeks. BUT, lucky for us, Tim had received 2 Chili's gift cards for Christmas! NICE! This made me VERY happy, because when Tim and I first started dating, we didn't eat anywhere EXCEPT Chili's! So it's kind of "our spot." =)

We now have a Chili's right up the road from us (thank goodness), so it wasn't a very long ride at all! I had my FAVORITE salad: the Quesadilla Explosion Salad. YUMMMM!! I had a sore throat so my appetite wasn't very big unfortunately; yet I still had a hard time finishing that HUGE salad!

The only thing about that specific location, though, is that a TON of our friends work there! And I knew for a FACT that one of our friends was serving in the same area near our table! AND I knew the waitress we had is friends with her too...oh boy. I was hoping Candy (our friend) had forgotten that today was my birthday, because she definitely stopped by our table to say hi! [uh ohhhh]

Welllll....as Tim and I were waiting for the check, he says "Oh, I forgot to get you a birthday dessert." And I VERY CLEARLY stated, "Oh, that's ok...I'm not all that hungry anyway. Let's just go." So, I thought the subject was done and over with, right? NOPE! 

Cue loud clapping of about 5-6 people, even LOUDER singing, and something being carried into the dining area from around the corner. Oh dear Lord....I said to Tim, who is CHEESING EXTREMELY RIDICULOUSLY, "I REALLY hope that's not for me." And as soon as I say that, these obnoxious people turn the corner and come around to our table. The ring leader, you ask? CANDY. All I'm thinking is these guys are SOOOO dead!! ;-) So, commence the Chili's birthday song while 40 other people watch and feel embarrassed for me as my cheeks are BEET RED! I was soooo embarrassed! Simply because I do this for other people ALL the time, but NO ONE has ever done it for me! Ughhhh...be careful what you do to others, because karma will come back to bite you in the butt!

Well...anyway, the singers FINALLY went away after they gave me a VERY yummy dessert: Molten Chocolate Lava Cake! YUMMMMMYYYYY!!!! Wanna see what something that sounds so delicious looks like? Take a peek at this photo below:

Doesn't it just look SINFUL?! Well, it was...sinfully YUMMY! =) I had a VERY good time enjoying it too!

Photo by my honey, Tim

Then, when we came back from dinner, Tim decided he would be EVEN sweeter to me. He ran me a very relaxing bubble bath and had the whole shabang!! 

Candles, quiet jazzy music, fluffy robe...etc, etc, etc. [I know you don't wanna know the details!] Although, while I was enjoying a nice massage, we had a couple of guests! =) This was kind of embarrassing, but I was glad to see one of them was Jessica. She came by to bring me a yummy little turtle chocolate cake (which of course I was too full to eat!).

So, all in all, it was a pretty decent birthday. I was sad we were so broke and I couldn't do everything I had planned, but I was happy to be able to do SOMETHING! And in the words of my best friend, Jessica, "There are those of us who love you who won't let your birthday be limited to one measly day." Gosh...how I do LOVE my best friend. Where she gets that AWESOME head on her shoulders, I have no clue. But she ALWAYS knows what to say when I need advice/cheering up. Which, she was totally right, because TODAY we're having a "Birthday Bonfire Bash" for my birthday at our house, and tomorrow [eeeekkkk!!!] Jessica and I are GOING TO DISNEY!! Woooohoooo!! [ok...anybody who knows me better not be laughing! My family members work at Disney and we've always gone to Disney on school breaks and whatnot. I even worked there for about a year and a half. BUT....I haven't been since I worked there, which was in 2008! Soooo...I SUPER excited to go AND someone gave me a $25 Disney gift card to spend while I'm there! -Thanks Aunt T!-] Anywho...I'm excited to ride my favorite rides, stop into my favorite shops, take PhotoPass photos (which is what I used to do when I worked there, so I know all the cool locations & tricks!), and BUY something! Yessss...I LOVE shopping at Disney. When I worked there, my nephews and my cousin's baby ALWAYS got something from Disney!! =) Sad huh?? Oh well...I may be 22 now, but I'm not letting that stop me from being a kid in a candy store when I get to WDW!! =)