Hello there 2017!

It's hard to believe that it is almost 2017. This year has been a full whirlwind.

A year ago this time we knew we were probably going to be moving but we didn't know when or how or any of that. Now here we are, living in Georgia and just carrying on with life.

My dearest friends are scattered far and wide across the United States. But even though I don't see them every day the way I used to, thanks to social media, phones, and text I still feel connected to them.

Noelle has grown up so much in the past year and we are so proud of the sweet little lady she is becoming. Louie is still the baby of the family but every day he becomes less and less of a baby. He keeps us on our toes and definitely makes this stage of life quite interesting.

Josh's video and animation work is growing, I've started with LimeLight and found a "job" that is just a fun addition to my life. We've gotten to spend more time with family, both our immediate and extended.

I know everyone is in an uproar about the events of 2016 and are labeling it one of the worst years ever. For some people I believe that is actually true. But by and large, I think it just depends on your perspective. And I for one am going to celebrate the changes and challenges of 2016. I think it made me stronger, more courageous, more determined, and most importantly more convinced that God is in control and I put my hope and my trust in Him.

That being said - I'm ready for the new year. It's just another day. It has no magical power. But it does feel nice to "turn a new leaf." So here are my goals for 2017. I don't make resolutions - I set goals. Those are much more motivating to me!!

1. I believe we are ready to pick our new Church and settle in there. I'm excited to see what is in store for our family as we go through that process.

2. I would LOVE to pay off our van loan. It is totally an affordable monthly expense, but I do like to get rid of debt faster than your average bear.

3. I've had a hiatus from gyms since having Louie but I miss my workouts. I think it's time to add that back into my life and I would like someone special to join me (cough)Josh(cough). I am fortunate enough that I don't work out to lose weight, but I do love to exercise and feel healthy.

4. I would love to build a small team with my business - not because I have to, but because it is genuinely enjoyable and I would love to have others to work with. I love the sense of community at LimeLight and if I can help someone start their own business it would be even more rewarding to my heart!

5. I want to have regular set aside hang out times with my mom and sister. We are all such busy people but we need to set aside the window to have focused girl time. If we don't make time for it, it won't happen.

6. I want to go on a getaway with Josh! We haven't had a getaway since just before Noelle turned 2. It is TIME!!! And I can't wait to explore a fun new place with him.

7. I want to get to Wyoming to see my best bud Rachel, and by golly I am going to ride a freaking horse for the first time. I realize how funny it is that I lived in Kentucky for 15 years and never rode a horse, but alas it happened and I am ready to check that off my bucket list.

8. I want to blog a bit more. I've had some lack of blog inspiration, but my friends who have been starting blogs recently have reminded me that I do enjoy it and just need to find the window to be creative with it!!

9. I want to have some type of regular focused girl time with Noelle for me and for Josh. Just one on one time with her is priceless in these days, and she will be so much bigger before we know it.

10. I want to be taking at least one risk a week. This is pretty vague but I am going to try to make a list of them so I can look back over it at the end of the year. I think this one will be a really fun one!!!

There you have it friends. I hope you are ready to start writing 2017 in things and that this little piece was inspiring and uplifting for your new year.  Let's do this!

Original Artwork by the Talented Josh Watkins 

Happy Thanksgiving 2016

There is so very much to be thankful for, but here are just a few I wanted to take note of this year!
In 2016 I am so thankful for...

~ The truth that despite the trying climate of our nation and world, remembering that God is the same always and forever.

~ The unconditional love I receive from both mine and Josh's family.

~ Two healthy children who love to laugh and bring us joy.

~ A faithful and sweet husband who would do anything for my happiness.

~ Friends that may be far away but that I know love me and that I can pick right back up with whenever I see them or talk to them.

~ Technology that allows me to connect with those far away friends and feel like they might just be on the other side of town.

~ The process of making new friends and finding community here in Georgia.

~ Our home and all the help we have had from family, friends, and contractors on making it feel even more and more like our "home".

~ Getting to see my nephew Milo so often.

~ My kids always reminding me to stop and just have fun every now and then (including jumping on the trampoline from time to time with the neighbors' kids too).

~ Beautiful weather that we can play outside well into November.

~ The ability to stay at home with our kids while they are small.

~ The opportunity to take a risk and try something new & fun by selling LimeLight.

~ Free babysitting :)

~ Coffee. LOTS of coffee.

~ The ability to learn new things.

~ The fact that we can avoid most commercials thanks to the services of Netflix and Hulu - Noelle reminds me of this when she has to go through the AGONY of a 30 second commercial while watching something.

~ My kitchen...my beautiful wonderful kitchen!

~ Dance parties with my kids.

~ Good books.

~ My health.

~ The monotony of days at home with small kids. It's really really a challenge lots of days, but I know it is just a season, and a season I will look back on with such fondness. So I will choose to be thankful for the many ups, downs, backwards and forwards of raising two small humans.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Out of My Mind Excited!

I'm SO EXCITED!

Thursday night my best bud Rachel is flying in from Wyoming. As if that wasn't enough, on Friday night and Saturday during the day we are going to a women's conference in Atlanta with some more friends.

It's like early Christmas here for me...BUT BETTER!

I have been looking forward to this for over a month and it is just what the doctor ordered. I have caught a debbie-downer cold from my kids this past week. I wanted to have a wonderful and laid back weekend, but mostly I have used it to just try and get some extra rest. It is very hard for me to rest with my small kids. All my moms with young kids or who have had young kids know what I mean.

Truth be told we are still figuring out how to have fun on the weekends with two small kids. What Josh and I love to do together (go out, have a relaxing meal, maybe explore any events/interesting shops, etc) we cannot really do with our kids. Noelle is fine and quite enjoyable actually at this age, as long as you make it fun for her and engage her in what you are doing. Louie however is impossible. He wants to touch everything and usually break something, and if he doesn't get his way he just screams. He is also a snotty teething mess, so that doesn't help. But he's super cute. I mean ridiculously cute. He just danced and clapped this morning over and over again and we were all about to lose our minds from the cuteness (Noelle included). I wish he could act that way in a restaurant, lol. You can't have it all my friends.

Enough with the challenge of trying to relax with young children - I get to have fun with my friends next weekend!! The angels are rejoicing in heaven with me...and my kids will survive (and hopefully have fun) thanks to Mala and Josh caring for them and entertaining them.

I'm gonna do my hair, wear all the fun makeup I have, and wear clothes that I am not concerned will get a permanent cheeto stain on them. FUN TIMES!

I'm really glad that Thanksgiving happens right after that because I will need something to look forward to after all the fun we'll have! Side note: how is it already almost Thanksgiving?!?!?!

Maybe I'll get a post in about all our fun adventures - let's hope so!!

Almost One Month with LimeLight by Alcone

I just wanted to give a quick LimeLight update...

I'm about a week away from my first full month as a LimeLight Beauty Guide. Mostly I have had lots and lots of fun! I'll be honest - I really just wanted to try lots of the products and maybe start a hobby. Instead I have had more fun than I thought starting my little business and helping friends and family I love find products that they are enjoying as much as I have!

I have made connections with lots of really nice people that are inspiring, funny, and just great to know. I have been pushed out of my comfort zone to connect with acquaintances around me and initiate conversations with them - and not even about LimeLight. It's just like having this little hobby has given me the confidence to talk to people that I didn't know I needed. I've been spending so many of these last 5 months waiting for people to talk to the "new girl" - because shouldn't they? Isn't it the established people's job to draw in the new person? I think that way...but not everybody else does. So instead I've decided I want to connect with people and take the risks myself. I don't have much to lose but I have a lot to gain.

Starting this has also helped me re-connect with friends that are far away. It starts a conversation because they have a question about a product, but more heart warming to me is that we can more easily share our day to day lives in the process. Sometimes you just need a reason to start having a conversation!

I've found products I love to use, seen improvements with my skin, gotten to work with a legitimately really nice company, and gotten a boost of energy with a new hobby to pursue!

I don't know how far my business will go - but what I do know is that it is entirely up to me. No one is pushing me to do anything I don't want to do, but I have all the support that I could ever need from the LimeLight community. I can be a hard boss on myself or I can enjoy the ride and just have fun with it. And I'm telling you, I am picking FUN.

Best of all I got my first pay check today. It wasn't a huge amount since I'm just starting out, but it's nice to bring in a little bit after an 18 month hiatus of bringing in zero income!

If any random soul out on the interwebs is reading this and is thinking about joining LimeLight - just go for it. I really don't think you have much to lose. And if you have any questions feel free to contact me or any Beauty Guide in your area. There are lots of people who would love to talk to you.

Click here if you want to become a Beauty Guide or just read a little more about it.

Trying Something New!

Hey buddies...

You may have seen that I decided to join LimeLight by Alcone as an Independent Beauty Guide (in training). So, I wanted to take a minute and use my lovely blog forum to explain a little about that.

I've always thought that direct sales seemed fun but terribly intimidating. It has crossed my mind several times (especially since I have been out of the normal 9-5 job world since kiddos) whenever I have come across products I have enjoyed. Since we moved to Georgia and the little nuggets are getting older (ever so quickly and yet slowly) I decided to give it a shot.

That led to LOTS of research to figure out what I might want to do. I am a researcher by nature. It can be a wonderful blessing and a terrible curse. My research led me down a path where I discovered this company called LimeLight by Alcone that I had never heard of! I don't know, I just feel like in this day and age it seems difficult to come across a company you have never ever heard of.

So to make a very long story short, I love make up and skin care and all things girly. I truly embraced this 'love' of my life after Noelle was born. I don't know, something about becoming a mom helps you find little joys in your life and embrace them like you didn't know how to before. Learning and researching about makeup as I did during that season had me trying so many different things and I started learning what I liked and what I didn't. Also since having Noelle, I learned alot about trying to use safe and natural products on ourselves and I try as much as I can to make smart decisions in that regard.

That's what really caught my attention with LimeLight. They have a natural and safe skin care line (that is actually awesome and I have found it to be VERY gentle on my sensitive skin). They also started out as a makeup company that sold makeup to only professionals. For over 60 years they have been a company that aimed to sell the best products to professionals to get the job done. Their whole company only started because they wanted to give commissions to makeup artists who were asking to sell the products to their clients (who liked them and wanted them for personal use). They have special relationships with the makers of their makeup (many of whom are small family businesses) and so have been able to tweak formulas to make them safer when able. For a video of the co-founder giving a history and details of the company go here!

I decided to take the leap and buy a beauty guide kit even though I had NEVER TRIED ANY OF IT. That's risky. But I guess I was in a risky mood. I've been reminding myself that sometimes I just need to put on my big girl pants and be a grown up.

For context I will tell you that moving to Georgia has been wonderful and challenging. We have grown and strengthened as a family, and we don't have a huge circle of community yet (aside from our amazing family). We are still searching for a church and know that at the right time we will know where to settle...but in the mean time I wanted a hobby that would get me out talking to people face to face. So that's another reason I decided to go for it. It's a random way to meet some nice ladies and I am willing to give it a try!

Anyway, back to the LimeLight info...I got the products and I really really like them. I am picky and I have sensitive skin and I am just thrilled with the results I have seen. I have such a long list of more things I want to try!

If you know me you will know that if I really love something I want people to know about it, I want them to try it, and I want them to love it. It's weird. It's just something that makes me happy. So I'm not here to sell you skin care and makeup. I'm here to tell you I found something I love and that works for me, and maybe you will give it a shot too!

If you are interested in learning more about the products, the company or want to purchase something feel free to check it out here: https://www.limelightbyalcone.com/abbywatkins

I could post their points here, but if you really want to know you should do your own research. So that's why I'll just point you there!

Thanks for reading and not just passing this off as another sales pitch ;-)

The Next Generation

We have been attempting to get some new photos of Milo but also of Louie and Noelle so that my parents can have "matching/coordinating" photos of all three grand kids.

My cousin Michele's birthday party became a great opportunity to try and get those shots, as well as all of the "great grand-kids" of Lou and Flo D'Ambrosio. Flo (Grammy) was the only one who got to meet a great grandchild, which was Will back in 2008.

Getting all of the kids to be happy and looking in relatively the same direction was pretty much impossible, but we are really pleased with the results! Enjoy some Fall cuteness!!

Louie thought Francis of Assisi needed a hug. 

This took so much effort and was the best we could do. Someone wouldn't stay put...

We gave up on Louie and took a few with the cooperative ones.

We tried again and gave Louie the prop. Worked for him, but then the other two were distracted!

Happy Mr. Milo!! Too easy :)

The photo veteran of the crowd.

I had to hold him still but we'll crop me out later.

Milo and Mariano, the 2016 crew representing well!

This is where we tried to get all of them, you can see how poorly we started...

We resorted to singing to get them all to look and be happy. Will was mortified, Milo was beginning to dislike it, Louie thought it was the greatest concert of all time, Noelle was slightly amused, and Mariano was horrified.

We tried re-adjusting the positions and hoped that everyone would be happy. Louie was wondering what on earth was wrong with Milo.

The best we could do!
Milo Tripp ~ Noelle Watkins ~ Louie Watkins ~ Will Perrino ~ Mariano Perrino
Lou and Flo would have been immensely proud and entirely smitten with all of them!

October in Georgia

It's been hot. Once we moved to Georgia I don't think I was cold from May until recently. If you know me, you will know that's a long time for me to be hot. I am pretty much always cold, except for summer in Georgia.

But good news everyone - the heat is retreating. And October in Georgia is gorgeous!! I haven't been in Georgia for an october since 2000. And even then I was in high school which means the only days you are outside for the entire day is pretty much weekends. But let's face it, how many high schoolers truly truly appreciate beautiful days?? Well I can tell you that I didn't!

The mornings are a little chilly but the afternoons are awesome. Nice and warm but with a cool breeze. I am not sure how many clouds I have even seen this month, it's just been perfection. Louie and Noelle just LOVE to be outside. So I am out there all. the. time.  A beautiful day outside with the kids is just a mood booster for the average mom.

It's not exactly what I would call traditional "fall" that I am used to (think light weight scarves, breaking out the boots...) but I am thoroughly enjoying the slightly cooled temperatures and the sunny skies. I'm not even dreading it becoming winter as I have in previous years...I know there will be days ahead that I don't want to venture outside with the kids - but they will start later and end sooner.

I'm excited that I'm not drenched after 5 minutes outside and that my makeup isn't melting off my face (which let's face it, most days I didn't even bother because it was so hot). Hopefully by next summer I can manage regular pool trips with both kids so that we can survive the scorching heat a little better - maybe Louie will be more cooperative in the pool in 2017!! A mom can dream, right?

I will always miss fall in Kentucky, but I am enjoying the beauty of fall in Georgia.