Perspective Photo Challenege : Life

I have some rather serious posts coming up,

I honestly had no idea how to pop some happy up around them.

I was wandering aimlessly around the blogworld 

(you know what I'm talking about!)

&Realized Lena from Mom 2 Memphis and Ruby has her own Photo Link up on her Photography blog!

How Perfect :)

This weeks theme is:

Life

(Seriously, she must be listening in on my thoughts...Love you Lena!)

Here are my 3 photos :)

This is my nephew Caleb. He was born at 27 weeks, this was one of the first times I saw him without CPAP :)

Caleb is turning 5 next month! 

You'll be seeing a little more of him soon!

The littles in my life are what keep me going!

This is probably the worst picture of myself, 

but 2 of my boys are looking mighty good!

There are so many things I love about this picture,

his too short pants,

my love for moccasins no matter what,

crazy hair,

true smiles,

beautiful scenery.

It sucks not being with him,

but so many things in life are better and different because of him.

I think you can tell my life is all about the people in it.

Not myself.

But you. And them.

What can happen in a week?

I can't believe I have been neglecting my lovely little blog for a week!

If you know me, you know I am constantly complaining of my lack of friends and a social life.

Well,

In the past week, there has not been one day when I was alone.

I miss blogging,

I miss seeing my blogger dashboard.

I was so sad reading other people's blogs and knowing you weren't reading mine.

But I didn't sit down and blog.

Why?

Because sometimes, you just have to enjoy life.

I love my blog and every single person who reads it,

every person that I read,

but I was enjoying doing things I loved,

and not stopping.

Just to keep you up to date(a little)

here's some pictures :)

 

xoxo 

Meghan

**GUEST POST** Brooke!

Hi Everyone! I'm Brooke- a writer, mother, student, military wife, photog wannabe, and Jesus Lover. I want to thank Meghan for having me today! I blog over at Covered in Grace and would love it if you stopped by. Be sure to check out some of my features: Photography Challenges, Love...on a Tuesday, and Monday Meet Ups.

Today I want to share with all of you lovely Struggling Cyster readers something that I really love incorporating into my blog posts.

I really love taking photos,always have. And I totally consider myself a wannabe photographer.

So I'm always looking for something new and fun to "push my limits." 

Here in Hawaii, the photo opportunities are abundant.
I am constantly struck with awe at the Beauty in Creation that I am blessed to be witness to.
This passed week my Grandma was in town and we went around to all my fav places.
I took hundreds and hundreds of photos. Here are just a few...

As you can see, I really dig taking pictures of flowers! 

I love looking for opportunities to find photos that I might not usually look for otherwise.
It is amazing what you can find in the most unlikely places.

You don't have to live in Hawaii, though, to find amazing shots.
Just look around you. Go outside and search for an abandoned building, a weedy flower, a rusty fence.
You will be surprised at the gorgeous photos you can get when you squat down low and hold your camera high.

So harness your inner-shutterbug, Struggling Cyster readers, and start snapping away.Be sure to stop by and let me know about any fun new photos you've taken. Don't forget to check out my Photo Challenge Page for ideas.
And thanks again to Meghan for having me today! XXO!

Wordless Wednesday

 The first thing we bought after losing her <3

 Dustin used to call me cupcake and proudly told me that if we had a girl she would be our cupcake :)

 When the feet of sleepers are animals, I snatch them all up!

 Dustin adores kimono onesies and shirts!

 Uhhh How cute is this? 

 The Daddy one was part of Dustin's Valentine's Day Present :)

 Is this not the CUTEST onesie? The little bib detaches!

 <3 Mommy

The first thing I got in the mail after finding out I was pregnant.

xoxo Meghan

3 Truths and a Lie

Do you remember that game?
I remember playing it for the first time in Middle School when Truth or Dare was also a popular game.

Sometimes, I feel that way when I blog.

Not lying, but putting on a act almost.

I watch my language, worry a lot about not offending anyone.

Try to do posts that I think you want to read.
But really?

This is my  little corner of the internet.

If I wanna offend you, I should be allowed.

(Don't worry, I don't! hehe)

But I really shouldn't be blogging for you.

I should be blogging for me.

So I will.

I will admit, I do care about the numbers.
But because I want to inspire people.

Brighten their day.

Make a difference.

But I don't want my posts to become meaningless fluff you pass by.
I want my posts to have meaning to me, and to mean something to you.

And if I want to show you a bunch of pictures of myself from Middle School to get my point across, then so be it!

[Random fact about the picture above, you can see a corner of my "girls" outfit for the night....I still have that same outfit years later. Uhhh time to upgrade?]

I just hope that you know that if I don't post for a day or two, it isn't because I have nothing to say, it's because I have A LOT to say, and I just don't know how to say it.

And I want some fun on here too, not just the serious stuff. But no fluff!

Now that I have showed you all of these embarrassing shots of myself, I am going to end this post!

xoxo Meghan

P.S. I can't wait to show you the big secret in our new room!

Last 13 Things(vacation&soulie edition)

Sooooo, I had a total blogger fail.
I wrote this post in Amish Country which was like 2 weeks ago?
I thought I hit Publish, but alas, I did not.
So here you go, weeks late :P

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If you follow me on twitter, then you would know my soulie(Ashlee) and I went on a mini vacation tonight.
To Amish Country.
Helllll yeahhh!

So tonight we are posting together for our last 13 things.
Enjoy! :)


The Last Thing We......

ATE:

BOUGHT:

READ:
Google, trying to figure out if there is indeed a night club in Amish Country.
There is not.

LAUGHED AT:
A)Getting Made fun of at the restaurant(by Amish children and their parents) because we were laughing.
M)While watching Locked Up, The lady is getting all hot&bothered about holding her boo's hands!

COOKED:

Uhhhh, neither of us remember this.
We're lazy.

BAKED:
Read Above.
haha.

CRAFTED:

Inspiration Jars.
Quotes on cute paper in Mason Jars.
Inspired by Jessica!

DROOLED OVER:

Dinner.
Soooo good.
Gosh, we're fatties.

Amish cooking is too good to pass up.

COVETED:
A mini fridge in our hotel room(lame I know).
So we rented one for the night.
Legit.
Best $10 of the day!

THOUGHT:
A)"Holy Moly, These are soooouuurrr"
M)"Yeah, they remind me of Kyle XY...that's all he ate!"
Both referring to Sour Patch Watermelons.
...
This my friends, is why we don't have real life friends!

WORE:
This(:

CRAVED:
A)Waffles, talking about our waffle maker at the continental breakfast tomorrow :)

(I forgot to post this when in Amish Country...so here ya go!)
M) Jalapeno anything, Which is you read above, I got :)

WAS THANKFUL FOR:
A)Windshield Wipers...it was SUPER rainy.
M)Best friends! (Wait, who am I kidding? She is my only best friend!)

No Heat Curls?

Lately these have seemed to be the go-to curling method.

Well, my hair is so thick that it has never kept a curl.

nevernevernever.

Not even with tons of hairspray, not even for prom.

So I decided I may as well try it...what's the worst that could happen?

I used this video:

I tried much tighter curls for mine.

 

You can see me craftin' away with my headband in.

(Crafts shown above will be their own post! haha)

When I woke up the next morning, I was looking a hot mess!

But then I took it out and played around a little bit and got this:

Not only did it look super cute, but it lasted all day and still looked cute in a ponytail!

I will be doing this again for sure! 

I wanna get some thicker headbands so I can try out some different looks. 

Overall I recommend this to anyone and everyone!

Especially if your hair normally doesn't hold a curl :)

xoxo Meghan

**GUEST POST** Brittany

I am extremely excited to have Brittany share on my blog today. She is so sweet and kind! She does some pretty awesome make up tutorials on her blog, you should check them out :)
She is one of the first people I became friends with in the blog world.
Click on her button over in my sidebar and check her out! --->
xoxo

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Hi Struggling Cyster readers!
My name is Brittany and I blog over at Bee Littlequeen   I write about my single life happenings which covers family, faith, friends, makeup tutorials, craft projects, and any other silly random thoughts that spring up in my head. I was so happy & honored when Meghan asked me if i wanted to do a guest post! I think she is so sincere and cool! Isn't lovely being able to connect with other women through blogging, especially when we may live so far apart? I think so! I love meeting new people, so leave a comment, say hi and if you blog, where you are at & i'll make sure to check it out! :)

Today, I am going to share with you eight random things about me in hopes that you get to know me better, plus I just love being random. It must have to do with my [sometimes] witty, dry sense of humor.

#1
My favorite drink is coffee---hot or cold! I am addicted to starbucks. I go through a rotation of drinks I get there, usually an iced mocha, but if i am being good, i'll get a tall coffee frap light. Besides coffee, i do enjoy  tea, my faves are blueberry or peach iced tea! yummm!

#2
I CANT stand commercials. This means that I'll seriously watch 2-3 shows at one time lol, especially on monday nights right now when gossip girl, hart of dixie and the voice is on at the same time/s!

#3
I LOVE sending or getting old fashioned regular snail mail. I know the postal system may be cutting back on service days :(, but I think I am definitely helping in keeping them busy! I will turn into Kevin Costner of The Postman if the postal system ever becomes extinct! It might sound nerdy of me (but idc), but i get so excited when i get new notecards or postage stamps!

#4
I can wiggle my ears WITHOUT touching them! hahaha. I have to concentrate and try not to laugh when showcasing this odd talent to others.

#5
I am a book worm! I love reading: books,magazines and blogs! :) I've read the entire Hunger Games series and can't wait to see the movie which comes out march 23!! Have any of you read them, what did you think? I thought the books were well written, enticing but really bizarre! For mags: i read People, Family Circle, Allure, O Oprah's magazine the most.

#6
I love color! Colorful would be a great word to describe my personality, my bedroom, my makeup bag and my closet! I usually like wearing bright colored nailpolish on my toes! Two of the walls in my room are a creamy yellow, which remind me of sunny days. Plus, my aunt just sent me a lovely reddish-orange lipstick by M.A.C in lady danger and i love it!

#7
i am an animal lover, especially dogs & horses. Someday I will have a baby dog or two or three. We are not allowed to have pets where I live, so someday soon. I definitely think i got my love for animals for my nana L and my mom.

#8
On pinterest, I pin ideas & things for my 'dream wedding' even though i don't have a boyfriend and am not engaged. Do you think that's silly?

There you have it ladies! A big thank you to Meghan for hosting me! xo

We're Moving!

I have been waiting to post this until I had a day where I had no time to write, and no posts scheduled.
So here ya go!

About a year ago, we lost our house. I lived out of state at the time, and I was visiting home when we found out.

Before I continue any further, I want you to know we wrongfully lost our house, they did not give us fair time to get out, and our whole life was flipped upside for a while. If you wanna know the nitty-gritty or this happened to you, feel free to email me!

I was furious. That may even be an understatement. My mom had not even told me she was having problems with bills or anything.
I heard a knock.
Peeked out my window(Oh yes I am one of those people!).
There was a normal looking guy with a package.
I answered the door, he said hello,
and he pulled out his badge.
He asked if we had started packing yet...
what does that even mean!?

I grabbed the package and took it into my mom and asked.
She denied knowing anything.
She read it, found out our house was being repossessed.
My house!
My mom bought this house before I was born,
and I loved it with everything in me.

...

They got an apartment(where I live now).
[I hate it here]

So we have known once our lease was up we were moving anyways.
My mom has a bunch of health problems and didn't wanna buy a house again.
So we decided on a mobile home.

...

How cute is our little matching shed?
...
It needs some updating. But for the price and the fact nothing needs fixed.
It is near perfect for us.
We get the keys on Thursday.
I promise I will document everything from painting, to re-doing the bathroom, to decorating.
So expect some DIY/Decorating posts over the next few months.
I am SO excited to be moving!

The funny part?
My aunt is our neighbor!
How neat :)


xoxo Meghan

Things I love...

Today I had the opportunity to watch baby X again :)

Honestly, nothing makes me  happier than watching him!

We decided to have an impromptu photo sesh with James.

James likes to pretend he is a big brother for a few hours.

Since I used to work in a photo studio James thinks I am some photography genius(I am no where near, especially with NOTHING to work with!)

He wanted to help with this "huge awesome" photo shoot,

here are the results(beware, this is extremely photo heavy!).

 

This is Baby X, taken by my lovely boyfriend.

 

We imagine at this point is when he started getting frustrated, hence the fists!

 

Half smile? Must be doing something right :)

 

Just kidding. Wrong. Completely Wrong!

 

Behind the scenes, ignore the baby puke, greasy hair, and odd stash of food in the background!

 

Here is James, looking MUCH older than 5. 

 

He has green hair gel in, and he is not very happy that you can't tell!

 

He has a new name for my blog every day, today he said that for his birthday when he turns 6(which is Jan. 3 btw) That my header needs to say "Happy Birthday James!". Silly kid, I may just have to listen..

 

He is soooo going to be a heart breaker when he grows up!

[I did not edit these one bit, he is simply sitting on a laundry basket covered in a blanket...it was the best I could do!]

 

What in the world do you call this face?!

 

This is now the background on my Computer :) Other than Baby X looking "milk drunk" I just can't get enough of James playing Big Brother!

 

Just one more :)

[After this picture, James got bored and went to get up, not knowing Baby X can't hold himself up and I was sure he was going to drop him!]

Even though I went to the Doctor today, and had an overall horrible day, once I got baby X things started looking up. I would say my little impromptu photo shoot was not an overall fail :D

xoxo Meghan

Also, I am linking up with sweet Lindsay :)