Go Spurs Go!!!

I grew up in south Texas and I lived in San Antonio for several years, so needless to say I grew up a HUGE San Antonio Spurs fan!!  When I was in college, I would go to practically every home game.  One of the highlights of my life was getting to witness them win the NBA Championship against the Detroit Pistons in the final minutes of game 7!!  For a sports fan, it doesn't get any better!!

Well, it is playoff time again, and my Spurs are going in as the number 1 seed!  They are playing the Utah Jazz (BOO!!).  Yesterday was game 1, and boy was it an exciting one!!!  Most importantly, we got the W!!!

Tim Duncan is a free agent next year, and there are also rumblings that he may just opt to retire...WHAT?!  It can't be!  One, I can't believe I am that old...haha!!  I still remember when we drafted him number one overall, exactly 10 years after we drafted another well known and amazing NBA star, David Robinson, number one overall!!  Two, Even though he is getting "old" by NBA standards, Timmy D is still one of the best and most respectable people playing right now!!  I don't know what I would do if he were to retire!!!

So, here is to a wonderful post season Spurs!!  Get that black and silver out, and...

I need your help...home decor 911!!!

Alright, I am in desperate need of some help!!  I have a blank wall behind my TV in my new apartment, and I don't know what to do!!  I have tons of crosses and photos I can hang, but I don't know where to start!!  Here is the wall that is giving me troubles...

First, one obvious problem is that dinosaur of a TV I have, haha!!  That will be taken care of soon enough, but as far as how to decorate this area, I am at a loss!!  The two items that are there, the large vase with flowers and my great grandmother's antique Singer sewing machine, do not have to stay there, they are just there to fill up space really.  Like I said, I have tons of things I can hang on the wall, I just don't know where to create the center.  Should I just hang things on either side of the TV, or do I hang things above the TV and the sides?  HELP!!!  Please help me!!  I can't stand bland walls and this is driving me nuts!!  Any feedback anyone wants to give will be greatly appreciated!!!

Save Me From My Glue Gun!!!

Happy Friday Everyone!!!  Today I am linking with Kelly at Kelly's Korner for her SUYL series, Things you make or sell!!  I LOVE Kelly's Korner and I am LOVING this link up!!  It's right up my alley!!  I am what you would call a crafting geek!!  haha!!!  Anyway, instead of posting 5,000 pictures of everything I have made, I am just going to refer you to links to my page where I have already posted several of the things I have done in the last year....

Preparing for Mother's Day

Picture Frames and Candles

Glue Gun Fun

DIY Wall Art

I Have a Glue Gun and I'm Not Afraid to Use It

Thanks so much for stopping by and checking out my stuff!!!  I hope you enjoy!!  I can't wait to see what everyone else will be sharing!!  I have a feeling after checking out the other blogs, I will be making a Hobby Lobby run to stock up on things for this weekend!!!  haha!!  Have a great weekend everyone!!

Preparing for Mother's Day

Happy Thursday Everyone!!!

I have been busy again with my buddy the glue gun.  I have been getting ready for Mother's Day, and whipping up some gifts for the women I love!!  Unfortunately, I think I may have a hard time parting with some of my creations!!  haha!!  I am still busy at work, but here is some of what I have done so far:

Picture Frames

This one I didn't do too much to.  I love the look of the frame so much, I didn't want to distract from it.  All I did was add a cute crown ornament to it.  As you can tell, this one I am keeping, hence the handsome pic of my little man in it already!!

I really liked this one too.  It is a dark red wooden frame that I decorated with a zebra print ribbon and a black and crystal cross.  This is another one I will really hate to part with!!

I took this brown wooden frame and added a leopard print bow to and then added a large gold crown.

I have to say that I LOVE this peacock print ribbon I found at Hobby Lobby!!!!  Before I know it, everything in my house may have this hot glued to it!! haha!!  I just made a large peacock print bow and added it to this black frame that has black crystals adorned on it.

I like the colors and prints to this one.  I used gold ribbon and also a zebra and gold ribbon to create a bow and added it to the black and gold frame that has really neat detail to it.

I have to admit, once this frame was done, I decided that it will not be leaving my house!!  haha!!  I love the cheetah print bow on this simple black frame!!  It goes so well in my living room!!

This frame, however, I am most proud of!!  It is a olive green wood frame that I decorated with that amazing peacock ribbon.  Then I found this awesome peacock ornament that went so well and glued it on as well!!!  This will more than likely be a gift, but I may shed a tear when I give it away!!  haha!!!

Candles



This is a large black candle that I added red and leopard print ribbons to.  I then added this gold and red cross to it that I found at Hobby Lobby.

I found this really cool red square candle a while back, but I just didn't know what to do with it.  I then found this neat dragonfly candle ornament at Kirkland's that matched perfectly with the grey and black specs in the candle.

This one clearly didn't photograph too well, but it is a light green candle That I added chocolate brown giraffe print ribbon and lace to.  I then added this gold and brown key ornament that I also found at Kirkland's. 

This candle is simple, but in person looks super cute!!  I took this shiny chocolate brown candle, added the lace to it, then I added this large cross to it that is filled with chocolate, tan, and pearl colored stones.

Thanks for looking at my creations!!  Feel free to leave comments or suggestions!!  Have a great Friday!!!

One day I will look back and laugh...I hope!!

So, needless to say that the last few days have been not so good.  Just when I think there can't be any more speed bumps in this whole divorce/moving on post divorce situation, I am blindsided again!!  In my mind, which I realize may have been a little too unrealistic, my ex-husband and I would be able to have a friendly and respectful relationship.  I figured, the past is the past and no matter what, he is the father of my child, I am the mom to his two children that we raised together, and we were married and had a strong love for each other at one time.  I guess I should have known better, especially considering I know who I am dealing with.  Shame on me!!  Since our separation, I have been continuously lied to and mistreated (just like in my marriage really)!!

In the past I have blogged about the girlfriend and how it was kept a secret from me for months.  He had stated dating her before the divorce was even final.  Well, I took that hard, but I was on my way of getting over it, then my son starts coming home from his dad's house crying that his dad is making him lie to me and that the girlfriend actually lives with him.  Well, instead of jumping to conclusions, I approached the ex and talked to him about it.  He always denied it and just said that Truett was confused because she was there all the time.  Why does it matter if she lives with him you may be asking?  One, it's in our divorce agreement that for the protection of the kids, neither one of us is to live with someone unless we are married.  Two, it's a big deal because if I am not aware of it, I am not able to explain to my son who is young and experienced a lot of change in the last year as to what is going on.  Finally, I did some digging, and low and behold, she does indeed live with him and has since way before I was even aware that she existed!  Not only that, but I then find out that they have been together at least since the day we separated...jury is still out on whether it was previous to the separation.  But the biggest issue of all is the fact that he has had our three kids lying to me about all of this the whole time!!  I could never imagine asking my kids to lie to their father and putting that kind of pressure on them!!  It absolutely repulses me!!  My four year old son would come to me regularly crying because of the guilt he felt that his father was asking him to lie to me!!  For you parents out there, you understand the pain that you feel when your child is going through something like that!!  You can mess with me all you want, but when you bring my child into it, it's war!!

There are so many other things that have been going on with this that I don't even want to start to get into, but I am just so hurt that someone that I was so madly in love with at one point and shared everything with could turn and treat me so poorly!!  Of course, his excuse it that he was doing it to protect me...really?  I am supposed to believe that?!  Not for one second!!  I was married to you remember...I know that you are not capable of thinking about anyone else but yourself!!  All of the stress and pain has just overwhelmed me!  I have actually been vomiting so hard from it all that I burst the blood vessels in my face!!  Let's see how long it takes for that to go away!!  I look down right scary!!!

I know that one day I will look back at this and wonder why I even let it get to me like this.  At this point it is so new and hurts so bad, it's hard to imagine that that time will ever come.  While my son is my whole world and makes all of this worth it, it's so hard to not be overcome with the pain of betrayal and the loneliness I feel!!

"Sometimes you face difficulties not because you’re doing something wrong, but because you’re doing something right. It’s just another step on the way to your divine destiny."---Joel Osteen  I read this the other day on Joel Osteen's Facebook page and it hit home so well!!  Even though I have questioned myself, I know that leaving my marriage was the right decision!  I am just so ready for all of this to be done with and be able to move on in life and find someone who is willing to see what I have to offer and appreciate it!!

For Alexander Cole Masters

I love Kelly's Korner and her Show Us Your Life Link Ups!!  I love how she is able to bring people together through their common interests!!  This week however is one link up that I wish no one had in common....Moms Who Have Lost a Child.  I myself have not lost a child, but I have lost a sibling, and I am doing this for my parents.  I am hoping that I can connect them with others who share similar stories or that can connect and help each other walk this path that no parent should ever have to walk.  Here is their story...

These are my amazing parents, Tim and Lisa Masters. 

These are their four "babies", myself (pictured in back), Neal (on the right), Hillary (the beautiful bride), and Alex (on the Left).

And these are their three wonderful grandbabies, Truett, Cohen, and Clara.

My parents have always been strong Christians who have worked hard and done everything in their power to make sure we had everything we needed.  They have made many sacrifices for us and loved us with all their heart!  On November 3, 2011 they experienced something that no one should ever have to experience...

My youngest brother Alex unexpectedly passed away at the young age of 21.  This was a loss that none of us were prepared for.  I know as a sibling, the pain and the hurt are always there and is unlike anything I could ever imagine, but as badly as I hurt, I can't even begin to fathom the pain that my parents deal with day to day. 

I don't know how they do it! My parents are so strong!  Even after a tragedy like this, they continue to be there for the other three of us and their grandkids.  Anytime we call them crying over things going on in our life or even the pain of losing our brother, they are always there for us, listen to us, and help us through.  They never say they can't deal with it or don't want to hear about it because they have other things that they are dealing with.  On the outside they seem so strong and like they have it so together, but I know on the inside they must be torn to shreds.  I hope through this they are able to connect with others so that they can share stories and share ways to help cope day to day with the pain and loss.  To connect you with my parents you can either leave a message on here for them with your information and I will pass it on to them, or you can email them at lmasters1965@gmail.com.

Putting the Pieces Back Together

So, it has been a looong journey trying to get my life back on track.  Let me also tell you, this day of social media being so big doesn't help either.  Everything is out in the open and you are able to see and hear things that you may not want to that keep you from moving on. 

Alas, I am no where near 100%, but I am leaps and bounds ahead of where I was just a month ago.  I am getting my new place in order and more "homey", I am losing weight (18.5 pounds to be exact), getting back involved in church, and so on.  The only thing I can't seem to get figured out is the whole dating game.  For all of you single moms out there who have gotten this figured out, I could really use your help!!  It has been 7 years since I have been on a date, and that was with my ex-husband!!  I don't even know how to go out and meet someone!!  I haven't even been asked out on a date...which is a bit of an ego popper!!  haha!!  Even if I was asked out, how do you go about dating with a little one at home?  I don't have babysitters accessible really, so I don't even know where to begin!!  I really am so ready to get back out there again, even if it's just for the social interaction outside of my 4 year old son.  While I love him more than anything in the world and love spending time with him, conversation with a 4 year has it's limits!!  haha!!

I am starting to see that time really does help heal wounds.  While I think it will still be a while before I am ever really ok with hearing about or seeing my ex-husband with someone else, I have come to terms with it.  It is what it is, and I have to deal with it!  I don't think I ever really comprehended how hard this would be!!  I know this sounds silly, but I am addicted to The Real Housewives series on Bravo, and it was comforting to see that those women who seem to have the "perfect" lives, they are having the same struggles and feelings as I do with their divorces.  Sometimes it's just nice to realize that you aren't alone, because you spend a lot of time feeling like you are!

Anyway, enough of all of that!!  haha!!  I hope everyone has been having a wonderful weekend!!  Mine has been nice and quiet, but I have been getting a lot done.  Speaking of which, I guess I better wrap this up and stop procrastinating and get back to getting things done!!  Hope everyone has a happy Monday!!

Samples and Freebies...

Even though I haven't been able to stay up to date on my blogging, I have been trying to stay on top of my freebies, samples, and coupons.  With the move and change of address, I had a mix up with the Post Office and missed out on a lot of my samples and such, but I have gotten everything back on track and hope to have even more to show you soon!  In this group I have my free samples of Grime Boss Heavy Duty wipes and coupon.  I got these out of my Sunday paper believe it or not!!  I also got two Ghiradelli Chocolate samples with a coupon from my Sunday paper as well.  Along with those samples, I got a Burt Bee's Sensitive Skin moisturizer sample and coupon and a sample for the new Nine West perfume.

In this group of samples and freebies I was able to score a free $10 Old Navy gift card using my points from www.mypoints.com.  If you haven't ever checked out this sight and you are into taking surveys and such for rewards, check out My Points.  I really enjoy it.  I've gotten many rewards from there!  I also scored a free NY nail color using a buy 1 get 1 free coupon from my All You Magazine, free samples of Enfamil formula and coupons, and a sample of Hydroxatone Wrinkle Reducer.

In my final group of freebies I was able to snag a Lorax coloring book from an energy company, a coupon for a free box of Pop Secret Popcorn using some of my rewards from Disney Movie Rewards, a sample and coupon for Mucinex, 3 coupons for buy 1 get 1 free candles from Yankee Candle, and a sample of the new Tide Pods.

I am so ready to get back to my saving and getting free stuff game again!!  I LOVES saving me some money!!!

Product of The Week---InnoTab

I am so happy to be back to blogging again and linking up with Aly for her Product of the Week link up!!  I always look forward to what everyone else has to share as their product of the week!!

This week my POTW is the Vtech InnoTab!!  I recently got this for my son and he just loves it!!!

Truett's sister has an ipad at his dad's house and he is always talking about it and loves all the games it has.  Well, I am not about to put that kind of money into something for a 4 year old, plus I was wanting to find him something that is educational and he will get something good out of.  So, I was able to find the perfect combination of the two!!  It looks and acts like an ipad, but it is full of educational games for someone his age.  Truett absolutely loves his new "ipad"!!  Check out their website www.vtechkids.com and check it out for yourself!! It's a must buy in my opinion!!

Thanks for stopping by!!  I can't wait to see what everyone else has as their Product Of The Week!!!

Happy Early Birthday to Me!!

Ok, my birthday isn't until June, but I already got my birthday present to myself in!!  haha!!  I had decided a while back that since this birthday I am going to be the big 3-0 I wanted to do something nice for myself.  Since I have a weak spot for Coach, I decided I would splurge on another purse for myself.  I set my budget and saved up the money.  Well, wouldn't you know, last week they were having one of their huge sales!!  So, since I am never one to pay full price for something, I went ahead and purchased the purse I wanted early while it was on sale!!  It was so on sale, that I had more than enough money left over for a wallet as well!!!

Here are my new purse and wallet!! They were both 60% off!!  I love a good deal!  Now, for those of you who may be OCD like I am, you may be wondering, why did I get a brown purse and a black wallet...  Well, my current Coach wallet is brown to match my other brown Coach purse, but I didn't have a black wallet to match my black Coach.  Yes, I am one of "those" people who likes their wallet to match their purse!!  haha!!

A close up of my new purse.  It's a goldish color with dark brown trim.  The original price of the purse was $298.00 and I got it for a delightful $99.00!!  I am soooo excited!!

My new black checkbook wallet.  I love it!!  It was originally $228.00, but I got it for $70.00!!! That's a lot for a wallet, but super cheap considering the original cost!!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful evening!!  Thanks for stopping by!!

I'm baaaack!!

Wow!!  I can't believe it has actually been a MONTH since my last blog!!  I have been so incredibly busy!!  I finally got my house sold on April 3rd and then got all moved into my new apartment.  Downsizing from a house to an apartment is no easy task!! I am still unpacking boxes and trying to find a place for everything.  I have even purged TONS of my stuff too!!  My biggest struggle is finding a place for all my craft and teaching stuff.  At my old house I had an entire room dedicated to storing it.  Now, I have ONE CLOSET to cram it all into!!  I don't even know where to start!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter!!  My Easter Sunday was super quiet since Truett was at his dad's for the day, but we had a blast the Saturday before!  The day all started with a trip to Home Depot for their monthly Kids Workshop:

This month they made bird feeders!!

Truett and his final product! He LOVES getting to go to these workshops!!  If you have little ones, I strongly recommend you look into it at your local Home Depot and get your little one involved!!

Since Truett would be with his dad, I took him out to eat to anywhere of his choice.  Of course that means he chose Olive Garden!!  haha!!  My child LOVES him some salad from the Olive Garden!!  haha!!  Usually we skip on the dessert, but since it was technically our Easter supper, we splurged a little. 

Truett got the donuts with chocolate dipping sauce... he was in heaven!!!!

After lunch, we headed home for a bit to rest before we headed to church for their egg hunt.  One of Truett's good buddies Ryan got to join him.  He was soooo excited!!  It rained on us a bit during the hunt, but the boys had a nice time anyway!

Truett got to meet the Easter Bunny before the egg hunt started at the church.

Truett and Ryan coloring their crosses.

Ready... Set... Go!!!!

The boys hiding from the rain and showing off their eggs!!

After the big egg hunt we headed home and got all dried off and cleaned up so Truett could head off to his dad's for Easter.  I hope everyone had a happy and blessed holiday like we did!!  It's good to be back in the whole blogging scene again...haha!!  Hopefully I can find a few minutes everyday again amongst the unpacking to keep this thing up again for me and the Tru-man!!