"How I Shine" Fridays {Link Party}

Heyyyyy everyone! Welcome to the link party hosted by Ashley at The Shine Project! 

Today I'm posting my experience with this week's challenge to pay a compliment to someone! 

[the original challenge was to do this EVERY DAY this week, but since I just learned about this on Wednesday, I'm making the most of it!]

[image source]

This challenge is not something that was necessarily DIFFICULT for me, seeing as how I'm usually told that I compliment people TOO much! However, that's usually on a shallow level of "Oh, I love your shoes....your necklace is so nice...LOVE your new hairstyle!"

So I decided to pick something I don't usually do, but that I KNEW would have some sort of positive impact on the person receiving the compliment, as well as making MYSELF feel good!

The result? My PADRE!

[Isn't he just GORGEOUS?? ;-) I think I might be a little biased!]

I decided I would send my daddy a text message in the middle of his work day and let him know how much I love him! 

See, the thing is that my dad has 6 children...I'm the 2nd oldest. It's a LONG story, but I'm kind of the only one who cares for him. I'm sure my siblings care for my dad and love him, but I'm honestly the ONLY one who forgives him for anything and doesn't hold a grudge toward him or IGNORE him!

I'm also the ONLY one who NEVER asks my dad for ANYTHING...just for his LOVE!

My dad and I have a VERY strong connection...we are 2 of the same kind!

So to text him in the middle of the day and tell him how much he means to me...well that's something that brightens his day! He LOVES his children! 

And to know for a FACT that I have made my dad's day just a LITTLE bit better...well that just makes me SMILE! 

[PLUS I get the added benefit of him writing back to tell me he loves me too!]

So...what compliment did you give to someone who deserved it?

Did you tell your loved ones how much they mean to you today?

**I'm linking up to Ashley's "How I Shine" Fridays! Go there and check out the other posts that are linked up to read about someone else's experience with this week's challenge! Don't forget to check Ashley's blog on Monday to see what next week's challenge is!**

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.....

Me+Granny+Ocala=SUCCESS!! {Thrifting}

Wanna see some really cool stuff? (well...cool to me anyway!) Let me tell you, if you are ever in Ocala, you HAVE to visit their thrift stores! My grandparents have a house up there and this past week, my granny and I decided to go up there for a couple of days. First off, let me tell you how much I just LOVE Ocala! The horse farms...rolling hills...and not to mention it's always a few degrees cooler up there compared to Polk County!

Any time my granny and I decide to go to Ocala together...well, let's just say the banks better not close. =) We LOVE to shop (I still say she's the reason I'm such a shopaholic & home-decorating-aholic!!) and thrifting is our SPECIALTY! (I've been going to yard sales with this lady since I can remember!) With that being said...we basically dropped off our bags, packed up all her Christmas decorations, and headed out!

**You will all have to forgive me...I was so excited about hitting up some of my favorite stores up there, I managed to leave my camera in my overnight bag. So there are NO photos of the stores themselves...next time I visit, I'll make sure to stop back by & take some photos of them for you guys! Sorry =(

Our first stop was this furniture store called Blocker's. My granny has been dying to show me this store for ages. (It's where she bought her new sofa in her house in Ocala.) 

Let me tell you. That place was AWESOME. They had the LARGEST showroom I think I've ever seen! And their furniture is all REALLY nice...they honestly have something for everyone! The only thing is the prices....EX-PEN-SIVE! There was a bed I saw that my aunt would have loved...yeah, $3,000 ON CLEARANCE! Anyway...moving on!

Our next stop was one my FAVORITE places to be...Hobby Lobby!! I couldn't get enough of that store! I found just about EVERYTHING I need to decorate my house in that place!! My granny and I found these cute little containers:

I had been looking for something to use as a centerpiece for my dining table, now that Christmas is over. I figured the containers would be cute on a little tray, so I grabbed them! They were regularly priced at $6.99...but we only paid $2.38 a piece for them! Gotta love the clearance aisle!

After being in Hobby Lobby for at least an hour and a half, I'm sure, we headed out to one of my granny's favorite thrift stores. The Ocala Interfaith Thrift Store. It isn't a very big place, but they have really great sales on their stuff! We both walked out with an armful of things! Here's what I ended up with:

Metal wheelbarrow, 4.50; Christmas basket, regularly $3, on clearance at 90% off; snowman candle holder, regularly $4, on clearance at 90% off; star-shaped candlestick holders, $4 for the pair, on clearance at 90% off; metal banana hammock (it's hard to see, but it's holding the star-shaped candle holders), $3. Total spent: $9 even! And we also walked out with about 6 packages of Christmas present tags (about 50-125 in each package) for only 5 cents a piece! Yeah...I would say that was definitely a successful trip!

Next stop: GOODWILL! This is usually the FIRST place we stop at when we get to Ocala! This place is HUGE and they always have soooo much stuff on sale! I found a few things to bring home with me:

I found this awesome "family" mirror in a bin off to the side, hiding under some outdoor decor! It was priced at $4, so I HAD to have it! I'm most likely going to paint it white though, to match my living room, where it will be hanging. I also grabbed a belt for myself and my brother (his belt was brand-new, still with tags on it), priced at $1.97 each; a pack of brand-new socks for $2.99; and this cool stackable organizer for my craft supplies (buttons, small brads, beads, etc.) for only $1.59 (brand-new). I tried to only grab things I really needed...I can't tell you how much I WANTED out of that store! =)

The next day we were there, we stopped at Wal-Mart first because my granny wanted to grab this book she knew was coming out that day. While we were there, we happened to stop by the clearance aisle on our way to grab some office supplies. There was SOOO much stuff on that aisle, let me tell you! I knew I couldn't afford wanted to buy EVERYTHING! They had cartridges for the Cricut on sale that I wanted terribly, and I don't even OWN a Cricut! =) That's how serious it was!

However, I did manage to dig under a huge pile of junk discover a cute little message board for our kitchen for only $4 (it was regularly priced at $7). I also found a nice shirt ($6) and some cool-colored hangers ($2) on our way to the checkout. (By the way, I think I should mention that I LOVE that shirt! I've worn it twice since I got it, and it's only been 3 days! It's very comfy & goes with a lot of the things I already own.)

After Wal-Mart, we headed out to another awesome consignment shop my granny frequents. This place was really cool, because they had LOTS of furniture pieces as well as decor. It's called The Renaissance Room. We browsed the entire store TWICE just to make sure we hadn't missed anything! =) This is what I eventually decided to buy:

An adorable wall plaque for my kitchen (which is themed around little chefs) for only $6, a wooden letter-holder (which I'll actually be using my beach-themed main bathroom to hold rags) for only $4.80 (it was regularly priced at $6...I'll explain the discount in a minute), and a set of 4 JCPenney BRAND-NEW table napkins (CHA-CHING!) for only...hold onto your seat...$1.80!! YES! Now, let me explain something about The Renaissance Room. When you walk in, you'll see this HUGE sign above the checkout counter that says:

WE DISCOUNT EVERYTHING 10% EVERY 30 DAYS

UP TO 20% OFF

Yeah...I'll give you a second to comprehend that. Got it? So, the price tags have a date on them that basically states what day it was priced and how much it was priced for. So say something was priced 11/3/2010, and it's $8. Well, you walk in there today, it's been 60 days since it was priced, so that's automatically 20% off! NICE! Now, remember those napkins I was talking about a second ago...wondering how they were only $1.80? Well...they were priced at 70% off! Yes...all their linens (except the bed-in-a-bags) were on sale! I was super excited, because I like to have different linens to use on my table, but I only have 1 set of napkins so far. AND these were JCPenney brand, WITH the tags still on them...never been used. I HAD to grab those up! =)

So anyway....after a day of shopping and hanging out with my granny, we went back to her house and started packing up. Oh, did I mention that my granny LOVES to give away her stuff? Yeah...I think she does it because it gives her a reason to go out and buy something else to replace it. ;-) (shopaholic, remember??) Well, I always tease my granny and tell her that I'm going to set a big bin next to each one of her front doors, so when she starts giving things away, I can be the first to grab them! So how about she actually already had a TON of stuff to give me when we were in Ocala?! 

 So, not only did she give me this adorable angel, a beautiful lead crystal bud vase, a basket (which I needed one that was rectangle like this, minus the fabric), a tissue box cover (which I have a really great idea for), this cute little heart-shaped frame (I'll be using this in my girly guest bedroom) and these sweet gloves (which are my favorite color: purple!)...ANDDDDD....

ALL of this awesome china she bought! She found this set at The Renaissance Room and grabbed it, but when I told her I wished I had some nice china, she told me I could have it! (She already has my great grandmother's china, plus her own china she's had forever!) Isn't the pattern just adorable! I LOVE it! Now I REALLY have to get a china cabinet! =)

Needless to say, my trip to Ocala with my granny was well worth it! I grabbed up some AWESOME stuff for my house, I took a little mini-vacation, AND I was able to spend quality time with my granny...just the two of us (which we never get to do anymore). It was PERFECT! 

*And Granny...if you're reading this, please don't go getting sappy on me! =) I love you and thanks for everything you do for me!!

**And Papa, if Granny showed you this post...please don't hate me for enabling your wife! ;-) Love you both!!