Dia & Co. Review!

Ok ya'll.

I don't usually do this stuff, but all the sudden, I've become a direct mail kinda gal.

It started with Young Living Essential Oils.  Got my oils in the mail, 16 months later, I'm still ordering every month.  I do love those oils and they do work!

Then it was Monat hair products.  Um... I do like some of their products. I liked what their shampoo and conditioner did for my hair - wow! But then it was like my scalp hated me and it, so no more of that. I do like their detangler, my  mom loves their hairspray and I like the dry shampoo, but it doesn't go very far.

Then, it was Plexus! I've had it a month and am having to slowly get into it. Detox isn't pretty and it tried to kill me (just kidding, I'm just a whimp) but I'm ok.  I am introducing a little at a time. And a new order ships next week. :)

ALL THIS TO SAY, I ORDERED DIA & CO PLUS SIZED CLOTHING DIRECT MAIL.

Ya'll, for real, I ordered this on FRIDAY and it arrived at work on MONDAY.  Holy smokes, it was on fire getting here so fast! Right from the beginning, I loved the box it came in.  Purple packaging tape and lined in purple inside! I love purple!

But I'm jumping ahead, let me tell you from the beginning.  I chose Dia & Co because I'm a plus sized lady.  I figured if they specialize in my sizes, they would probably have a better chance understanding what would look good on a chunky monkey like me.  So, Dia & Co it is.

Did the survey, answered the question, requested the items I was most interested in. Picked a price range, asked for no yellow clothing, no dresses and no skirts.  What do I like to show off? Ummm.. nothing.  No legs, no belly, no bust, no shoulders - can I have a burlap sack with eye holes please? But, it's all good, I figure they have seen and heard it all before me.

I sent a pic of what I was wearing that day - jeans and a flowy shirt.  Flip flops.  The only measurements they had were my height and bra size (that I can remember). I was determined to be open-minded and try on everything I received.  I figured this was part of the experience, to lean on their expertise and step out of my comfort zone.  I let my coworkers rate my box and gave a show this afternoon in the office. Here is what we thought:

(One day, I'll add pictures.  Not today)

First - I did receive a dress and I was ok with that.  I wasn't surprised, I'd seen too many dresses and skirts in pics advertising Dia & Co.  But it's all good.  I'm glad they included it.

I received:
--a necklace (everyone in the office LOVED it)

--a dress in kelly green and black (they loved the dress. I was OK with the dress, just not a dress person.  But it did make me consider I could wear dresses in the future, should I want to).  It's going back.  April picks this as her TOP PICK.

--A black soft shirt with crochet sleeves.  We all loved this shirt.  I would not have chosen it becasue of the sleeves, but on, I really liked it! It's a keeper!  Sharon and Cyndi pick this as their TOP PICK.

--An interesting blouse with a sheerish looking white back, light blue and white stripes and florals on the front.  Ther eis no way I would have tried that shirt on ever.  April reaaaallllly liked it.  And I did, too, once it was on.  Debating on this one.

--Bright magenta ankle pants - what a FUN color! The fit in the waist, legs all that was really great.  But the crotch wasn't quite right for me.  So I really appreciate they sent them and the color/size but the fit wasn't super right.

Overall - they did a great job picking the right colors fo rme! The right shapes of clothing and they looked good on (according to the work trio).  They said the tops were a different type of fit than what I would normally wear and they were very flattering.  And Dia included tips on what else to wear these pieces with - items most folks would already have in their closet.  So that was helpful, too.

Count me as impressed.  Items were in the price range I chose, which were a little more high end. But this will give me a chance to learn designer names that look good on me, styles and cuts that look good and help me shop for myself later on! :)

Nesting in 2017

Once I was so excited about blogging and obviously that enthusiasm has waned. Makes me sad because I loved having this as a type of journal to see what happened when. Maybe I'll do better this year :)

2016 brought a new school year for the ninth grader and put Macy into full-time school as a 4-K student. She loves it (thank heavens)! We'll overlook that one incident early in the year where she bit a kid for stealing her toy. Bet he didn't make that mistake twice. (I really shouldn't laugh, but I'm the aunt and can get away with it.)  

So thankful for the blessing of my nephews and watching them grow up. Christmas was different - we had two sickies here and after one twin ended up in the hospital after catching a respitory thing, they couldn't risk being around the sickies. But I had a day of keeping them and snuggling them leading up to Christmas. Already took another day off from work in 2017 to do it again. :) Gosh they are sweet boys! 

I'm very excited that 2016 brought me courage to sew, to sell bibs & burb cloths  in a local store and online, make pillows, it's been a great adventure! Now I'm planning a few quilts, and trying larger projects. 

Baby quilt for my friend, Paulene's, baby girl. Such a cutie!!! 

2016 is gone now and 2017 already brought us snow, sleet and freezing rain. That's some fun stuff (please note my sarcasm). While my sister took Macy to our neighbor/cousins' house to sled, I enjoyed a hot bath. That's the way to enjoy snow. 

Sweet niece #2 and her mama (my sister)

Sweet niece #2 

My sister and me this morning. 

One thing I'm trying this year is Nesting with Jesus, a devotional onAnc Instagram with Nick Holden. In addition to his great explainations of the passages, his pictures are amazing. You can join too by searching #nestingwithJesus. Maybe it will touch your heart in a meaningful way. 

Another thing I've dove into is Ancestry.com and a DNA test. It's been interesting finding kin folk and figuring out how we are related. Thankfully my cousin Floyd has a lot of family researched already and that makes it much easier. Met some strange folks, too, that I'll be backing away from shortly (related or not!). It's almost creepy how DNA works and how strangers are walking around with your DNA, too. CrazzzY. And fascinating. :)

One last photo to wrap up 2016 and welcome 2017 - I did this for Mom's birthday on January 3. I'm missing Aliah and Roger but they are part of the love, too. This family has experienced trials, but the Lord is always there with us. I'm not saying we always remember that, but it doesn't change the fact that He is still there. 

Happy 2017, y'all!! 

New Rules.

Since I have to get my food life in order, I thought I should get my financial life in order, too.  I've done the Dave Ramsey class.  It's good - really, it is.  I wish I had applied it to my life much more than I did, because I've lost my envelopes and I'm still not balancing my checkbook.

But here is my new way of thinking - both with foods and money:

Don't Eat It and
You Won't Have to Work It Off. 

Don't Spend It and
You Won't Have To Earn It Again. 

Does that make sense? If I leave the cheese off my sub sandwich, I don't have to work to burn those calories and fats!  I can use those banked baddies somewhere else that's more tasty.  OR I could just be good and I'll know the calories I'm burning are making me healthier! It is helping me say NO NO NO NO NO.  No to fats. No to chips.  No to chocolates... sorta. Can't say I'm doing great with this one.  No to soft drinks.  No to McDonald's tea (and this one is killing me).



Same with money.  If I don't spend it, I don't have to re-earn it.  I'll still have it from the first earning! NO to buying something for Macy that she doesn't really need.  No to random purchases because they are on clearance.  No to ... well, to whatever I was spending my money on.



And that's what I've been doing for the past few weeks, trying to look at something, and put it back. Or not touch it to begin with. Not saying it's fun, but saying it's OK and I'm somewhat managing it.(Until the weekend ... when I bought 1, 2, 3, 4, 5!!!! pairs of shoes!!! Oh holy cow!! But for $240 or so... three pairs of Danskos! WHOA! Who knows when I'll wear all these shoes, but I'm tickled.  Heck, I may resell them if I find I never wear them.

Is this not the CUTEST photo you have ever seen? My dad and my niece at a family reunion. I just love it.  It's my new favorite photo of Mae Monkey. My dad got good news this week, too - he completed his bladder cancer check and it came back good! WHEW! Thank you, Lord, for taking care of my family like You do.  We are so so so thankful. 

And here is my sweet niece and me at her Muffins with Macy event at her preschool.  (It was actually Muffins with Mommy but her Mommy was in the middle of standardized testing in school, so there was no way she could get off from work).  She is such a sweetie, while also being the most stubborn person on the face of the earth.  I'm not sure if it will do her well in the future or get her in a ton of trouble... hahahaha.


I'm reviewing my sermon notes, just a random sermon, and written down the side of my notebook I have "Look at Jesus' Love."  It's bracketing these notes: 

• Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 
• The Lady at the well.
• Let the children come to me for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to them.
• On the cross - Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing.

While we were still sinners, - God's only Son died for us! 
Only when we see how desperately needing we are will we begin to understand God's love!
God's love is a self sacrificing love for people who deserve nothing.


Wow. Just a few notes, obviously random.  He was preaching from Romans 5: 1-11.  Now we are in Genesis, which I've really enjoyed.  It's always nice to start at the beginning and have that opportunity to see those stories you have grown up learning from an adult perspective. 


Ok, I'm thinking I've rambled on about randomness and should shut it down.  Giving thanks for all the blessings this week! :) Have a great one!

Sweating into December

Hello - when did it become normal to have mid-70's weather in December!?! Heaven help it's hot here in SC. No wonder we are all sick. Sheesh.

Are you done Christmas shopping? If you are, please lie to me and tell me you aren't. I have no idea when I'll fit it all in. Tomorrow I'm starting my day at UrgentCare  for the third time, trying to battle this sinus, coughing, ear ache thing. Finished my antibiotics and steroids for the beginnings of pneumonia. But I'm thinking it didn't get the job done. Ugh. With something every night this week, I'm trying to juggle it all and not get sicker :)

I'm very excited for one event this week - the church sew-a-thon to make NICU isolette covers! One lay in the church - very dear family friend- hand sewed a cover and gave it to us on Sunday. It's already at the hospital in use. They were so excited! I have three more that need to get up there, too.  Imagine your baby being in the hospital during the Christmas holidays and someone brings a beautiful cover for your baby for no other reason than your baby is loved. I pray these covers not only help the babies but God uses them to touch the very hearts of their parents.  

See the flap turned over? It covers the ends. The black fabric makes it dark in the isolette and the quilting muffles noise, to help recreate the womb. 

I had to make one funky! 

Wow that is wrinkly!! Flannel doesn't like To stay crisp. 

Anyway, I'm excited to see where it leads. You know I'll keep you posted. 

How are our twins doing? One is home from the hospital and over 6 lbs.!! One is still there and he's over 5 lbs. So thankful for every success. Little miracles. Little fighters!! I can't tell you how excited I am for my brother and sister-in-law. They are going to be such wonderful parents. This is their hopes and dreams coming true. 

One of the floor quilts before I sewed it all together. 

I did gift the floor quilts at the shower on my mom's side. I saw one of them in a picture being used. Hooray! 

Random pics time: Macy and I made cupcakes :) 

And we had a slumber party! 

Me and the boss' dog, Bentley. 

Macy and a swing of cousins at the family Christmas get together this weekend. Crazy hot weather.

My stray kittens that hang out on my porch. And I feed them. Which I'm not sure If that allows them to be called strays anymore?

Macy and me after Thanksgiving. :) I hate the black circles, wow! But I've been sick a while.

We have seen blessings, y'all. The baby boys- what a huge blessing!! Katie has seen some pretty big challenges but she said she feels The Lord carrying her through it. Mom is down with a bad knee but the wheels are moving quicker than anticipated. MRI was Friday and we get results Wednesday. My job has been very understanding of days off for myself and to help the family juggle appointments. My classes (trainings) that I've been teaching are getting great feedback. So thankful! Lots of good. 

Ok I've totally rambled on about nothing and everything. I'm hoping you are doing well, that your heart is in the right place to welcome Christmas (I'm still working in this), and you know the love of God, greater than anything we can comprehend. 

Thanks for listening :)  Off to bed - night! 

Sweet dreams?

Another sleepless night in SC. Blogging helped before so maybe again? (Haha I managed to bore myself I sleep!!) Night before last I messed my schedule all up by falling asleep crazy early by accident. Then I was awake from 11:30 pm - 2 ish am. Ugh.

I haven't been perfect but I have been keeping with the five things I'm thankful for each day. Here are a few:

- the twins are continuing to do good and grow. Liam is over 3 lbs and Kellan is over 2 lbs. so many people are touched by these little fighters. Love them. 

- Mom and I spent time shopping today and she got a great start to Christmas - and a lot of WOW deals. 

- Roger had two follow up appointments and both specialists - cardio and ent - have given him good news! Yay! 

- The family met up at Panera to celebrate Angela's birthday and it was just a great family time. 

- Macy is doing really well about wearing her glasses. Not sure if it's helping but at least she is doing her part. 

- God really worked out some drama at work and I'm so thankful for it! 

- We are getting a cost of living raise backdated to July and I'm very thankful. It will help with Christmas and hopefully help me breathe easier month to month. 

- An old high school friend I haven't seen in 2+ years stopped by on Halloween with her five children! Glad I bought candy this year! 

- Another friend is having a GIRL! :)

I think I may try this as part of Macy's Christmas. I think it's genius. 

Macy and her mommy at our front porch picnic after Katie came home from visiting the hospital. Hope those days are over for a while. 

Angela at the Panera birthday party and Macy. Mae was allll about Aunt LaLa ad Uncle Clay. I thought this was the sweetest picture. 

Her first involvement with Jack-o-lanterns. Lol. Not sure she was digging on it at first but ended up very enthusiastic. 

Here is Milli from Umizoomi. Yes, I know you haven't heard of it. She loves this tv show and thankfully mom can sew. The red ribbons on the hood are ponytails. See? 

Anyway, one last terrible pic of my cat, Smudge, and me on the porch tonight. 

He was wild and I've managed to tame him to the point I can pick him up and pet him. Awwww...

Ok there are your random pics for a while. :) since it's now 4:30 maybe I can roll over a sleep some more! 

A State of Mind

I've written post after post, saved them into drafts to come back and post later, only to never return to them. They didn't feel right. It was a lot of moping and sadness and stress and worry.

This Sunday in Sunday School we looked at Philippians 4:4-8 where Paul shares that we are to set our minds on things that are godly. We are to cultivate a spirit of joy despite our circumstances. And it was hearing this that I realized I've let circumstances shape me instead of finding the joy and blessings in my circumstances. 

It's been a difficult few months, heck - years! - but when I took time each night to be thankful, I was much happier. I also discovered when you get out of the habit of being thankful, it's more difficult to find things to be thankful for ... Like your vision is clouded with negativity and the positive things are overshadowed. 

I'm learning, taking baby steps. Weeding out the things that don't enhance my vision and trying to bring back the peace of God - it's only found in Him. 

Are you ready for some photos? Because I haven't shared any in a while. 

I shared my chocolate and she thoroughly enjoyed it hahaha!! I have been so blessed to have a good bit of time with this sweet niece. 

One of my new favorites of my sweet nieces. This was after AH's first volleyball game of the season. The next game they won! Go girls!!! 

Here she is about to switch places with her teammate so she will be in the middle. I think they are loving her height on the team ;) 

#TargetDog !! #KidsGotStyle - she loved the Target dog - hugged it and talked to it. I'm sparing you from the half dozen photos I took. 

Tomorrow is my 40th birthday and my friend and PenPal, Raynore, understands my love of HK and celebrating alllll month long! :) 

Ready to party at our cousin's one-year get together. Love this pic, it just cracks me up! 

My parents and sweet niece this weekend. It was beautiful weather and Dad fixed the swingset and sliding board. That girl played her heart out!! 

And this photo sums up my Dad. No one makes him laugh as much as Little Miss here. 

These are such awesome blessings. And just a few I managed to snap a picture of - so many more are stored away in my heart. 

Friday's Letters.

Oh my gracious, I just read Renee's blog over at Southern Gal Thoughts and just sniffed my way through the video at the end.  Sniff Sniff - go check it out.

Today is F.R.I.D.A.Y. and that means it's time for LETTERS!   :)   :)    :)

Dear Pumpkin,
You are the greatest excitement in the office these days.  Watching you grow bigger each day just amazes me! See how little you were... and then you started turning orange... and look at you today! Wow, so cool! So, anyone know when the appropriate time is to pick a pumpkin?

 This was YESTERDAY!!! 

 And here is today! :) 

Dear Kohls, 

I adore you right now.  Finding a $139 purse for $27.00 and a few shirts for me and Sweet Niece #1, being able to use Kohl's Cash AND a coupon on my phone - OH YEAH! I'm so very very happy with you right now.  (Can I insert a plug for Retail Me Not here because I always try to hit their website on my phone before I check out anywhere... great coupon website!)

Dear Readers, (aka, my purple reading glasses), 

I'm trying to get used to you.  I feel like a dork taking you off and putting you back on a dozen times a day. But you do seem to be helping me see which is a good thing. :)

Dear House, 

You are being cleaned today. No, I'm serious this time. Big Brother is over for the week so no more excuses about TV.  You. Are. Being. Cleaned. TONIGHT. (at the very least by tomorrow.) 

Ok weekend, I'm ready to play! :)  I'm off to say bye to my pumpkin and I'll see ya'll next week! :)

A Little More Kitten

Look what Katie found!
I want one with my name!!

Welcome Back! Hope your weekend was fabulous. I've been burning up my comp time and taking days off from work, so I'm all confused as to what day it is... today is my Monday.

So what happened over the weekend? Well, a lot of shopping. Mom is finally feeling a bit better (she's battling the shingles) so we went shopping after work on Friday. And again on Saturday. I'm so glad she's feeling better. She said this is the worst pain she's felt in her life. 60+ folks, get your shingles shot! :)

Sunday, we missed church AGAIN. I'm really missing church, the learning and the people. We have all been so sick and haven't made it in a while, but next week I'M GOING. Anyway, we missed this week for a family reunion.

I totally ripped this pic off from All Recipes,
but click here for the yummiest recipe.

I made squash casserole and hummingbird cake. I have the BEST recipe for squash casserole - everyone L.O.V.E.S. it. I do add garlic and Perfect Pinch to mine. And the hummingbird cake was very moist and tasty, too! Here is the recipe for it - the only change I make is to sub half the oil for applesauce.  While I'm on the subject of food, let me recommend the All Recipes app for your phone. I'll whip out my phone in the grocery store and make sure I'm getting all the ingredients I need while I'm there.  Love it.

Being cute and adorable is a tough job, so Macy was knocked out on the way home from the family reunion.  She wanted to play with the big kids so bad but they weren't interested.  But she really did have fun and ate so good! I told AH (Sweet Niece #1) we had a family reunion on Sunday and she really perked up.  "Food!" she said! Ha!!! Definitely plenty of food at a Southern Family Reunion.

Have I mentioned here that I have FIVE (1,2,3,4,5!!!) cousins who are expecting right now? I'm spending my nights sewing felt friends as part of my gift.  I'm searching for books to match the animals. Won't that be cute? I found a farm book this weekend to go with all the farm animals.

The last thing I'll bore you with - one of our election workers and I ran into each other at Walgreens (when I was buying my purple reading glasses <3!!) and I wanted this kitty cat Post-It note dispenser.  However, I would not pay $10 for it.  She's one of these guru couponers and she got it for me for $2.50!! SERIOUSLY?! YAYAYAYAY! So happy! I'm gluing a little pink bow to one ear so she'll be a cousin to Hello Kitty (which I adore, yeah, I know I'm old but I still love HK). This cat makes me so very very happy. How could you not just feel warm and fuzzy with this kitten sitting on your desk?

Ok, I'm off to concentrate and be focused.  My lunch break is over for the day.  Have a great week!

Photo Challenge Wednesday: 6

This is another week of sickies, but thankfully I'm feeling better.  Especially as I sit here and watch tons of snow coming down with the expectation of up to 5 or more inches over the next few days. Heaven help - I'm Southern, I don't like cold weather!

Anyway... moving on to this week's photos, starting with Wednesday, February 5...

Ready for bed... ZZzzzzz....

Wednesday, February 5: My first mostly full day back at work! Woo hoo! So happy to be feeling better and getting life back to normal. I've been sleeping for up to 10 hours at a time, so it's about time for me to get back to the ho-hum regular life.

Macy concentrating on the Ipad 

Driving to work with a pretty sunrise

Thursday, February 6: I worked ALL DAY! And saw Macy for the first time in ages (or so it feels...) She plopped herself in my lap for me to read to her. Melts my heart.

As soon as Dad laid down in the floor (with a leg cramp!) Macy hopped right on top of him,
like he was her personal jungle gym! hahaha

Driving home - isn't this tree so pretty?

Friday, February 7:  The opening ceremonies for the Olympics! I love the Olympics and thought it was a beautiful start to the games. Yes, I know the stupid snowflake didn't open, but seriously - there was SO MUCH MORE TO IT than just that! Dang... let it go already.  Best wishes for ALL athletes to be safe and compete fairly and ethically.

Susan Branch calendar!! My first, I'm so excited! 

Found this in Books a Million.  Really? Cats love it? Really?!

Saturday, February 8: Mom has been so sick and really wanted to get out of the house but hasn't felt up to it.  So we did a quick run out to pick up some felt and this WONDERFUL calendar by Susan Branch.  Don't know who she is? Oh, please visit her site and check her out. I really enjoyed the outing with Mom... glad she's doing a bit better and back to keeping Sweet Niece #2 again.

Sweet Niece #1's feet sticking out of the Princess Tent.

So good to see her this weekend! She cracks me up!

Sunday, February 9: We all skipped church with the coughs and aches. Lost power briefly, but it allowed Dad to test out the generator for the coming snow this week.  I gave Sweet Niece #1 another Valentine - MadLibs Valentines and she had a BLAST with it! We all laughed ourselves silly over her crazy valentines! She is such a joy and a lifesaver to Katie since she basically kept the baby this past weekend.  Everyone else in the house was sick!  Of course, Sunday night = DOWNTON ABBEY!!!! A.D.O.R.E. that show. 

Will you be my valentine?

Monday, February 10:  I finished up sewing these felt hearts and delivered the last batches this morning.  I counted it up and realized I made more than 50 felt hearts, which were sent all over the country.  I can't explain to you how much joy I received by sharing a little bit of handmade love with friends.  This bowl held the reminder, but now I'm down to just four. :) *love*

Cold feet? My coworkers sock-covered piggies hugging the heater.

Bye Sweet Niece! Aunt Beth has to go to work!

Tuesday, February 11:  The minute I walked out of the house, I was hit with SNOW. Fat wet flakes making the morning a little chilly.  Sweet Niece #1 wished me well on my way to work, blowing me kisses.  Once again, I'm at my desk, watching the snow pour down.  Sounds like we are in for a serious storm here in South Carolina, so I hope all you Southerners stay safe and warm.  I don't plan on leaving my house once I get in it! More Olympics tonight - Eeiikk! Ice skating, which is my favorite in the winter games.  And I so hope we won't be expected to drive in this mess tomorrow... ya'll, say a prayer because I despise driving in snow and ice.

And so, I'm scheduling this to post Wednesday morning in hopes I'll still be home in my warm bed, WITH POWER!  :)  Hope you are enjoying the photo challenge as much as I am. :)