Home Exterior Updates

Wow I haven't blogged since last year. Almost a complete year! My last post was a day after my birthday which is in September. Well life has been busy. I took a break from blogging to focus on work and school. I'm not completely back but I do plan to post updates here and there hence my post today. If you follow me on instagram then you're pretty much caught up.

We've been working on our home exterior this year. It's not 100% done but our home looks so much better. Here is what we started with in case you forgot...

We love our fixer upper but the exterior needed some help. It all started with the windows...

 

Last October (2016) we replaced 10 out of 17 windows in our home. We plan to replace the rest but went with all of the front and four of the back ones first. As you can see from those pictures the siding was pretty bad! So we knew that we would need to replace it in order to paint. So we began the process of removing the siding and the old rotted wood beams...

Omar did all of this work himself! I am so proud of him as he had never done this before. We did end up hiring the rest of the siding out because he didn't have the time but he did all of the front and installed all of the beams.

As you can see he did an amazing job! After the siding was finished we decided to move on to the roof before painting. It's crazy how one project just leads to another! We weren't planning on a new roof but our insurance came through and approved a new one and we debated whether to go with a traditional roof vs a metal one for a bit and finally decided on the metal and we are SO glad we did! The metal roof made a HUGE difference!

Next up was paint...

We tested different shades of gray and decided on Urbane Bronze by Sherwin Williams. We wanted something dark that would make our stone and beams pop.

Remember how I mentioned one project leading to another? Well now that we had a new roof, new siding, and a couple new windows, the garage door was looking a little rough...

We knew it needed to be replaced! So we decided to go with something a little more modern...

 We finished painting the font and still have some details left on the back so I'll leave that for another post but here are the most recent pictures of our home. Please excuse our super dry grass! This Texas heat is no joke! Can't wait for rainy days and green grass.

We do have landscaping plans but we are taking a break for now. Our fixer upper is looking so much better now though compared to this...

We still have LOTS of work left to do but I think we have come such a long way in just the two year we have lived here. Can't wait to keep sharing our adventures with you! If you don't already make sure to follow on instagram using #cinsarahhome where you can see all of our progress. I REALLY want to tackle one of our restrooms sometime next year but we will see.

My Birthday Weekend

 This post is sponsored by JORD wood watches. 

I received a JORD wood watch for review purposes but my LOVE for this watch is 100% my own!

I turned 29 yesterday and since my birthday almost always falls on Labor Day weekend, we decided to celebrate all weekend long! We took off to Dallas/Ft.Worth/Arlington. We went to visit good friends, got to see a Rangers game, and ate at my favorite Arlington restaurant: Babes!

We had a blast! It was our first family baseball game and the kids loved it! We all got to run the bases after the game. The Rangers lost by one run but it was still a fun game. On our way back home, I fell asleep and woke up to Omar saying: "Cindy, wake up! We are here! The Silos!" 

I've been wanting to go to Magnolia for the longest time and to get to go on my 29th Birthday was just the best thing ever! The perfect ending to a perfect weekend for sure!

It was an awesome weekend, I definitely got spoiled! 

One of my "birthday gifts" was my new watch! I wore it all weekend long...

Let me tell you: I'm not a watch kinda person. I don't usually wear a lot of bling but when JORD contacted me to try out one of their unique wood watches I couldn't pass it up. It is a wood watch and I love wood so of course this would be my kind of watch!

I chose the Zebrawood watch and I was so excited to try it out. I seriously didn't expect to LOVE it as much as I do! This watch is super light compared to others its size. The color is just perfect because it goes with everything. I wore it all weekend long! I've been wearing it almost every single day since I got it. I LOVE this thing! The craftsmanship is just amazing. Every single detail is just perfect. They even size it, so it fits just right. The watch even comes in a cute wood box.

Guess what? Even though it is my Birthday (or was), you get a gift too! You can ENTER to win $75 in credit towards a watch of your own and every single person who enters gets $20 in credit. 

ENTER TO WIN HERE

 

JORD watches make the perfect gift!

 

DETAILS: Giveaway ends 9/11 at 11:59pm. 

Contest winner gets a $75 e-gift code to the shop. 

All other entrants receive a $20 e-gift code.

Meet The Teacher Turtle Playdoh Gift

So yesterday I shared with you all how I am going to be teaching preschool at a local church. Well I've been busy crafting up and getting all prepped with lesson plans and such. I knew being a teacher was a lot of work but just prepping for the school year is exhausting and it truly makes me appreciate teachers oh so much! 

Here is something I came up with for my students. Our class theme is turtles so I thought it would be cute to do a little gift involving turtles. I bought a huge pack of mini playdohs at Costco recently and decided to use the brown ones as turtle shells. They came out better than I expected!

I decided to list this in my Etsy Shop for any other teachers out there who want to use these. I do plan on  listing these on Teachers Pay Teachers as well but I haven't had a chance to figure all of that out yet so for now any other cute printables I come up with will be listed in my Etsy Shop.

Life Lately - Changes

Life has been busy. It seems I always say that but it's been especially true this Summer. A couple things happened that are both exciting and a bit stressful but overall VERY good. 
First off, the picture above is from our most recent trip to THE VALLEY which is basically the little border towns down in South Texas. We went to South Padre Island and visited family and friends. It was a good little trip but as always trips come to and end and leave you with piles and piles of laundry (and a few pounds heavier as well). Which is what I've been up to these past two days.
I've also been busy planning for and decorating my classroom. Yup I'm gonna be a teacher! I am so excited for this opportunity! I will be teaching preschool at a local church and Levi will be my student. This is something I prayed about. I wasn't planning on working/going to school until Levi turned FOUR and went off to public school but I prayed and the Lord answered. So in the next two weeks I will be a part time student at our local community college and a teacher at a church preschool. 
I am excited and thankful for the opportunity! I have always wanted to go back to school but didn't want to do it until all three of my kids were in school. I want to be an example for my children so although it might take me a while I want to graduate from college someday. 
So with school and work that means you won't see many posts from me around here. As if they weren't few already! I am kind of taking a break from the blog but of course I will still be on social media so you can keep up with me there. We have a couple home updates planned so when we begin on those I will be blogging about them. I will also be cutting down on design orders on Blessed Design Studio and only accepting orders from previous customers. I don't want to completely shut down because my previous customers have been SO GOOD to me and I am available if they need me. I might not be as available as I've been before but I will do my best. 
It's gonna be a challenge juggling home, work, and school but I am certainly not the first to do it and I'm sure I won't be the last so although I anticipate some stressful days I'm committed and putting my trust in God that he will help me along the way!

Disney's First Latina Princess - Elena of Avalor

This is a sponsored campaign in collaboration with Disney Channel and Latina Bloggers Connect, however our love and excitement for #ElenaOfAvalor is completely ours!

Sarah and I are super excited for Disney's very first Latina princess: Elena of Avalor! Have you heard? The new series begins this FRIDAY July 22 at 7pm 6pm CT on Disney Channel and Disney Junior. Sarah and I have been watching all of the trailers and videos on the Elena of Avalor YouTube Channel. Princess Elena along with her sister Princess Isabel and her grandparents Francisco and Luisa learn to boldly lead the kingdom of Avalor with bravery, courage, and compassion.

Growing up I always loved watching Disney Channel and loved playing and pretending to be a Disney princess, but I noticed none of them actually looked like me. Except maybe Pocahontas, but she isn't Latina, so I am SUPER excited to have a princess my daughter can identify with! Sarah is not very fluent in Spanish, which is partly my fault, but that doesn't mean I don't encourage her to learn more about our culture. She might not properly enunciate her R's like a Latina, but she's definitely got the Latina spunk in her! She's a mix of sassy and sweet, which I can tell Elena is as well just by watching the trailer.

Sarah loves dressing up and just last week I found this adorable Mexican outfit that my grandmother gave her a couple years ago. It fit her big at the time but it definitely fits now. Our church had a Mexican fiesta picnic this past Sunday and she dressed up in this. I want Sarah to grow up being proud of her heritage, of who she is. Series like Elena of Avalor make it easier. To see diversity in the shows they watch makes them see that there are many different cultures and that although we are different in many ways, we all are human and experience the same emotions.

I can't wait for Friday! Will you be watching? Don't forget to tune into Disney Channel or Disney Junior at 7pm / 6pmCT this FRIDAY July 22. Also, if you haven't already, you can view all of the Elena of Avalor videos and to follow Elena on Facebook before the premier this Friday, so you are all updated and ready to go.

Be sure to also join the “Elena of Avalor” Twitter Party, hosted by Latina Bloggers Connect, on Thursday, July 21, 2016, 5pm PST / 8pm EST with the hashtag #ElenaofAvalorTwitterParty.

My Globe Obsession - Full Quiver Designs

    If you've been following me for a while then you know I'm obsessed with globes. Why? Idk but I love them and I started collecting them a couple years ago. I've got NINE so far. Most of them live in my bedroom on the shelves my husband built and then I also have a globe in each of the kids' rooms. 

A while back I found Full Quiver Designs. Becky is AMAZING at hand lettering and she hand letters globes! How perfect is that? A couple months ago Becky posted on IG that she was looking for a rep for her business and of course being the globe lover that I am, I entered and I WON! I sent Becky a globe to hand letter for me.

It took a while to decide which globe I wanted lettered and what I wanted. I ended up choosing the globe in Sarah's room. I wanted something meaningful on it so I chose:

 "For God so loved the world." I absolutely LOVE the globe and how it turned out. 

 If you are a globe lover like myself then I highly recommend FULL QUIVER DESIGNS and guess what you can use code: CINSARAH to receive 10% off your order! Lettered globes are not only great for home decor but they are perfect as gifts or weddings too!

The As Is Home Tour - Features

Thank you all again so much for joining us for The As Is Home Tour on Instagram and a BIG thank you to my awesome Co-Hosts! It was a lot of fun and I loved going through your posts/homes. Today I am featuring a couple of you. I wish I could feature you all! I will be featuring some of you on Instagram as well. If you haven't had a chance please go through #TheAsIsHomeTour and spread some love. You will find a lot of awesome accounts to follow. I sure did! Alright let's begin witht he features. I won't go into details of each one because there is a ton but these are some of my favorites from each category. I took a screenshot so you can find the account on instagram easier this way.

E X T E R I O R

 

B E D R O O M S

 

B A T H R O O M S

 

L I V I N G

 

D I N I N G

 

K I T C H E N S

 

O T H E R 

 

Thank you all again for participating! I am planning to do this again next year and keep it a yearly series so make sure to follow me and I will keep you updated of when we will host our next As Is Home Tour.