blog revampanation + a giveaway

yes i made up revampanation. it just felt appropriate.  now that i'm back to blogging full time (well minus this last week, my computer was giving me fits), i felt it was only appropriate to give it a little facelift along with updating the sidebar with bringing back the sponsor opportunity.

i lost alot of readers when i went on my pregnancy hiatus. and for that i apologize. i really want my blog to get back to where it was, but to grow bigger than it was before. so for that reason, this blog revamapantion comes along with a giveaway!!

also included:
a set of envelope seals i truly love
a large ad space on my blog

just follow the rafflecopter to get enterted! giveaway ends next friday, may 10th at 12:00 am.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

also currently during my blog revamapanation, i'm offering free medium ad spaces using promo code: startup     - please note this is for the first 10 people to swipe them up. i would love to have you as a sponsor of cheers, bethani

i hope everyone is doing well - and more posts are coming!

hump day happiness #1

i used to do a weekly post of things i'm happy for. well back then it lasted 3 weeks. this new chapter in my life gives me reason to start it up again, because now that i'm a stay at home mommy who works part time, i've got lots of things to be happy for.

date nights with my boys is one of my favorites! we try to go out and enjoy some yummy food and a drink or two once a week whenever we are both home.  this week though, i've been trying recipes from pinterest. so far so good.  speaking of good - i've got a yummy pasta dish i'll be sharing tomorrow.

all the blooms! since the weather has been nice on the weekends, we've been tidying up flower beds with new pretty flowers, bringing all kinds of color to our landscape.  i'm hoping to find a good patch of bluebonnets around thats not right off a highway so we can take some good pictures of benjamin before he gets his own opinions of flowers and picture taking.

pastries for breakfast..  i decided to whip up the blueberry muffin mix i had stashed away for breakfast this morning. its always nice and refreshing to have a different breakfast awaiting you in the morning than your standard bowl of cereal or cup of yogurt. i need to start doing this more for husband and i.

life made simple: get those nasty yard shoes off the garage floor

between my husband's slight OCD and my new mommy given OCD, we are pretty good at find quick fix it solutions to make our lives & home more manageable. our garage is no different - given the fact that we park both my civic and his truck in it, we need all the extra space we can get

one problem spot: our yard shoes. we do alot of yard work so we each have a pair that always stay out there, and we were constantly tripping up on them or piling them up on a shelf. 

solution: hang them! it was totally easy and simple and everyone has the materials required, making it a budget friendly solution. this may be a total no-brainer for some of you, but for me its ingenious! 

tools: hammer, 2 nails per pair of shoes & a wall space

hammer nails decent width apart to ensure shoes wont bump.

and hang. seriously.
viola! shoes are off the floor & you have a little more space for better things like potting soil & paint.

got any life made simple tips you would like to share?

oh how pinteresting #3

hope everyone is having an awesome week!
stay tuned because an awesome giveaway & tutorial coming up either tomorrow or friday! so tell your friends because they will want to be apart of this one too!

mommyhood: the good, the bad, and the ones that have me scratching my head

when i first found out that i was going to have a baby i had to get the popular "what to expect when you're expecting" book, because they have all the answers right. haha yeah, that was a good one. i've learned so many things since having him that make me thinking, "wheres that book?!"

the good:

-easily putting back that super awesome shirt you found to buy him another rattle toy, because he smiles when you shake it.

-the smiles over the simplest things

-the smiles because they recognize you or your voice.

-the coos.

-bathtime and watching him kicks his legs in excitement when he first hits the water.

-snuggling, snuggling, snuggling.

-that moment when you realize hes finally asleep.

the bad:

-how they easily figure out to pinch that thin layer of fat on your neck or arms and hold on like the world is ending. 

-hair pulling

-spit up. oh how it smells.

-the screams because they are hungry. you try to get food as quickly as possible but it never seems fast enough.

-hitting every red light on the way somewhere with a screaming child

-leaky diapers

the head scratchers:

-one second no paci, next second, paci saves the day.

-how quickly diapers and formula disappear. "seriously, didnt i just buy that?"

-how a small little being needs so much luggage. seriously its like moving anytime we go anywhere.

-must get up at 6 to be out of the house by 10 if i'm wanting to look halfway decent.

-how such big boogers come of that little bitty nose.

-how quickly they grow. he's going to be driving any day now.

-you somehow figure out how to one hand everything. eating your own food, getting yourself ready, cooking & my personal favorite driving with one hand and reaching in the backseat to put a paci in his mouth.

and most of all, the best thing ever

-how i could love something so much that i dont know how life existed before him.

what are some of your most favorite, ugliest or head scratching moments of parenthood?

oh how pinteresting #2

its wednesday & only 2 days left until i am no longer a full time corporate employee. woot. so let's celebrate with a little pinterest today.

letting my artistic side soar

my brain is something vicious. not in a bad way. in a creative way. i'm the type of person who can envision a million little artsy things but then i have a hard time committing myself to making them. when we moved into our home, i was pretty much already pregnant, so doing anything wasn't on my list of fun things for the first ten months of home ownership. so now that i'm not pregnant & more energized, i'm changing my ways. i'm crafting. like crazy.

and my crafting will follow along the lines of my budgeting series (that i have started, yet not posted on yet), using lots of recycling, upcycling & using whats lying around the house. well except for the house painting. gotta get new paint for that. i've got quite the list of things to do with even a few quick tips and tricks for your household. things that are coming up:

• a magnetic chalkboard for benjamin 
• a foyer photo wall
• storing those nasty yard shoes so they aren't in your way
• an Eiffel tower for your garden
• pallet garden
• painting our house (the before and after) 

*image above is something i created myself.  please do not take without proper permissions or approval.*

we all left with our pants fitting a little tighter..

this past weekend was one of the most action packed weekends we've had in awhile. mostly because its baseball season again. please pause for a moment of extreme celebration on my part.

the boys went to the game while my sister in law and i played domestic mommies and took the kids to the bounce house place. best fourteen dollars a mother could spend. if you can tolerate a jillion kids running around screaming.

after everyone worked up an appetite, my awesome self requested babes, the most ridiculously, scrumptious home-cooking place on the planet. husband and myself opted for the hugest chicken fried steaks a person has ever seen, while amanda got chicken tenders & my brother went with fried catfish. sides are just there, in huge bowls, all you can eat, with the fluffiest, warmest biscuits this side of the mississippi river. add some honey & the sweetest tea that even mosquitoes would love and you have pure sin.

we all left with our pants fitting a little tighter, our blood sugar a little higher, but our hearts and stomachs full of yumminess and content. oh and my brother only wore the most fitting shirt for the occasion; well except they dont serve any bacon.

do anything exciting this past weekend?

a dressing i could eat for the rest of my days



my aunt hosts an annual egg hunt / easter lunch every year. i've been going for as long as i can remember minus a few years. food is potluck but we can always count on the typical ham, turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans and a wealth of desserts that any fat camp or nutritionist would shake their head at.

but this year there was a nice surprise.  she made a simple salad consisting of just fresh cut strawberries and spinach. thats it. and i'm always down for strawberries and spinach in a salad. but this was too simple. the best part.... the dressing! she got the recipe from her son's nutritionist & it is beyond delectable.

simple honey vinegarette dressing:
1/3 cup vinegar - you can use regular or apple cider
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp dry mustard

mix all ingredients! then pour over salad.
its suggested to make just before serving as the ingredients will seperate if its left sitting.

hope everyone is having a fantastic friday! and continues on to have an awesome weekend. i start training tomorrow for my new parttime gig. i can't wait. eek!

and go rangers!

have you seen these apps?

basically, i'm addicted to my smart phone. its attached to my hip all the time & i go into sheer panic mode when i cant find it. first world problem i know. since having benjamin i have found & been introduced to several apps that i absolutely love and think you would too.

oh how pinteresting #1

michelle over at the vintage apple has a weekly pinterest link up. and since life is ever changing and a new chapter is starting and maybe the fact that i love pinterest, i decided it was time to participate.

you can follow my pinterest here.

Source: adventuresinbabywearing.com via Bethani on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Bethani on Pinterest

Source: rstyle.me via Bethani on Pinterest

Source: projectinspired.com via Bethani on Pinterest

Source: Uploaded by user via Bethani on Pinterest

               

the next chapter of my novel..

over the past several months, husband and i have been keeping a semi-secret. and i have been over the moon about it since we finally made a decision, but just started speaking of it recently on instagram, once the parties affected found out.

i'm gonna be a stay at home mom!  well for the most part. with the ridiculous costs of daycare against my income plus gas, it was not worth it. i have taken a part-time job to help keep me from going totally bonkers plus bring a little extra money so we can still afford life without relying on ramen noodles and hot dogs as food.

it was a very hard decision to make. working eight years in one place gets engrained into you. you have a schedule. you make friendships. but it is bittersweet. getting to spend the majority of moments watching benjamin grow is something i feel extremely blessed to be able to do. it will be a change. but it will be a good change from what i've been accustomed to for so long.

as a mom now, i finally found my reason. its for him.
so a new chapter begins.