Friday ~ Happy Birthday Son

Happy 17th birthday to my son Vinny. He is my heart and joy, and I am blessed to be his mother. I was 28 years old when I had Vinny and I vividly remember that day. Here was a long skinny baby with lots of hair, and my prayers had been answered. I have always been a mother hen, especially to Vinny my 1st born. Vinny has been loving and patient with me as I learned "on-the job" as a mother. Vinny will be a Senior in high school this September. He graduates next year and is already looking at different colleges to attend. He has grown into a strong and confident young man. I am so proud of him.

This picture of Mother Mary and baby Jesus have been with me since Vinny was born. I fell in love with the painting immediately. It looks so innocent and comforting. I have always told Vinny that I will always be there for him no matter what happens. I know that when it is time for him to leave for college, Vinny also knows that the Holy Trinity is always there for him too.

Have a good Friday!

Yoli :)

Thursday ~ Wear Your Faith

I'm going to follow Laurie's theme for Thankful Thursday and speak about wearing your faith for everyone to see. Our society celebrates sports teams and elevates fashion brands. Name branding and logos are every and easily recognized. As Christians, we too should wear our faith everyday with pride and love. We can do this by wearing T-shirts, cross pendants, or even a hand-made apron with crosses. Get your Craft On and make yourself something with a Christian theme. Find what works for you and Strut Your Stuff and and start your Transformation Thursday.




In my life I have not seen another person wear their faith and live their faith as much as Mother Teresa. She was blessed with love, kindness, and service; and she blessed others. Her love for our Father God was in her every breath. Pope John Paul II once said, "In Mother Teresa's smile, words, and deeds, Jesus again walked the streets of the world as a Good Samaritan".


Today I vow to walk in kindness and see Jesus in the people I meet. I will wear my Christian faith in how I treat people. My goal is to take it one step at a time, on person at time, one blessing at time.

May God Shine Bright in your Life!
Yoli :)

Wednesday ~ The Frugal Fashionista

Hello sweet friends, it is Wednesday again. I like Wednesday because it sits in middle of the week, quiet and non-pretetcious. Wednesday doesn't make a lot of noise or tries to stand out. Wednesday is just Wednesday; what you see is what you get. Wednesday doesn't need a weekend to lean on, it stands tall on its' own. Which takes me to my topic of the day, "The Frugal Fashionista". It is about making a fashion statement that is non-pretetcious and confident.



Do you think it is possible to look stylish and stunning on a budget? It is all about knowing how penny-pinch to get the best deals and the most of your money. My Wednesday Gratitude goes to my Aunt Connie. She has been taking me around to the best consignment stores in San Antonio. As a single mom, my wardrobe expenses are at the bottom of my list, so I have to get creative. She is helping me learn to be chic fashionista and timeless beauty within a reasonable budget. Here are a few tips that work!

Frugal Fashionista Tips
· Buy versatile pieces.
· Buy basics colors; blacks, white, blue, red, and khaki.
· Mix and match your clothes.
· Buy a few pieces that are quality select.
· Spend majority on pieces you expect to wear a lot.
· Buy inexpensive accessories that are trendy or classy.
· Get fashion ideas online
· Spend cheaply on “new” trends that quickly go out of style.
· Take care of your clothing, hand wash and hang dry.
· Look for coupons.
· Watch for sales.
· Don’t be embarrassed to ask for store discounts.
· Shop consignment and learn their discount system.
· Shop cheaper stores for name brand undergarments.
· Shop discount stores.
· Learn to hand sew a hem to tailor pants or skirts.
· Host a wardrobe exchange party with friends
· Steam clean rather than ironing.
· Don’t buy on impulse
· Use cash rather than credit cards
· Pass the blessings, donate your unused clothes

My next fashion statement is this gorgeous building. This past weekend, my sister Jessica from JOY Marie's Boutique and I had a booth at the Jackson Street Festival in Harlingen, Texas. We spent hours outdoors. I took a picture of the building because I loved the simple statement it made. It is basic, clean lines, simple accessories, and yet it makes a bold fashion statement; impressive!

Another source of gorgeous fashionistas are these beautiful women's blogs. They are a must see, so be sure to drop by for a visit.

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Enjoy your Wednesday!!

Yoli :)

Tuesday ~ Cactus Garden

My Ruby Tuesday is the beautiful flower surrounded by thorns. Life is like that some days, some people are flowers and others are thorny. I am a lot of both. As I've aged, I'm trying to create nicer days and sweeter times. It is no longer important to be "right" and fight the thorny fight. I am finding a balance between being a beautiful hearted woman and strong confident woman. I guess we need a mix of both. Today I embrace my inner beauty and celebrate my outer strength. Thank you Lord Jesus for showing me the way.

My Nifty Trifty has to be cactus gardens because they are inexpensive. I do not have a green-thumb at all, but I can sure sustain a cactus plant, so for that I "Toot my own Horn". I love the southwest colors of red and green and love they cost less than having to replace flowers. I have to be Talented, especially on my budget, so take any Trash to Treasures and make yourself a cactus garden. You can use an old pail, a broken clay pot, or old deep cake pan. My Sew Cute is my life. I am going to finish some aprons tonight. I truly enjoy sewing because it relaxes me and allows me to be creative. God is so wonderful in giving us oasis in our life.

God bless you my friends!

Yoli :)

Monday ~ Signs, Shirts, and Winners

I love Mondays because it is the start of a new week, new possibilities, and new adventures. I pray that this week we get blessed with great weather, good health, and crafty inspiration. For Blue Monday I am showing off my new Apron Senorita sign that I custom ordered at with Mandy at Creekside Creations. It is in a gorgeous blue turquoise, my favorite color!!

Mandy's business blog is Creekside Creations and her other fun blog is A Mayberry State of Mind. You have to visit her blogs. She has so many different designs and sizes to choose from. I ordered a sign for my business and another one for my sister Jessica at JOY Maries Boutique. Mandy captured our logos perfectly and shipped the signs to us quickly. I love them. They are so adorable! Thanks a bunch Mandy!!

I'm also joining in at the exciting and inspirational blogs!!! Be sure to go by for a visit.

Just Something I Whipped up Monday at The Girl Creative

I Made the World Cuter Today at Making the World Cuter
Motivate Me Monday at Keeping it Simple

Marketing Mondays at Trendy Treehouse

These cute tank top shirts were a last-year's designs at a local boutique store. I went looking for them this past weekend and they weren't in stock anymore. I decided to get motivated and make them myself. I already have an assortment of fabrics and beautiful sequence embellishments so all I needed was the shirt. This time of year is the perfect time to find tank tops on sale. These shirts are so easy to whip-up and much less expensive.

Freedom of Speech Apron Giveaway - Winners have been selected.

Have a great week!

Yoli

Apron Giveaway Winners

The Freedom of Speech Apron giveaway has ended and it is time to announce the winners. The entry participation was awesome so I couldn't just choose 1 winner. I chose 7 lucky winners and all will receive an apron. I sincerely thank everyone for participating.

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The 7 Winners of the Freedom of Speech Apron are:

Stacey at Living by Faith Hope & Love.
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Lori at Life as Lori

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Leslie from Night Owl Crafting

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Jessica at A Few of My Favorite Things.

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Birgit at Swapping Howdies.

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Joy from Joy in the Burbs!

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Heidi at Heart and Home.

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Congratulations Ladies and I hope you enjoy your apron! Please email your shipping address to me at: arponsenorita@yahoo.com.

Yoli :)

Sunday ~ Meals & Service

Good Sunday Morning! I'm joining in for Spiritual Sunday with Charlotte and Ginger. Thank you ladies for being such wonderful women of wisdom and leadership!!

I had a long work week, with 2 business trips and a long work hours. I'm glad to be back home. Our plans for the day are to attend church service, do some grocery shopping, cook a good hearty dinner, mom will do a bit of housework, kids will finish school homework, and we will relax together.

I am going to keep our Sunday meal plan as simple as possible. I want to be sure that I don't spend the day in the kitchen, but instead spend time with my kids. The main course is going to be brisket from Rudy's Country BBQ Store. I'm not going to try to make the brisket myself, instead I'm going to let the experts do the work.
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My kids love Red Roasted Potatoes. They are so easy to make. I start with firm petite red potatoes, rinsed and cut in half. I preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a baking sheet I toss the potatoes, add olive oil, sprinkle dried roasted garlic, pepper, rosemary, and sea salt. Put in the oven uncovered and stir once halfway through cooking, until potatoes are golden brown and crisp outside and tender inside. Total cooking time is about 30 minutes. I love the aroma of roasting potatoes and garlic.
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Keeping it simple again. I'm glad that the kids love salads. One of the favorites is Caesar Salad. I buy the Fresh Express prepackaged salad kits because they are quick and easy to make. It comes with romaine lettuce, garlic cheese croutons, grated Parmesan cheese, & classic Caesar dressing.

My family is richly blessed by God. We are far from being wealthy, especially since I'm a single working mom in a single income household. Buying groceries and going out to restaurants hasn't always been this easy for us. I remember when I was first a single mother, over 15 years ago, it was tough to feed my kids. I hadn't finished college yet, I didn't have a good job, and I was so young and scared. As I look back now, I give thanks to God for the struggle because I value the wisdom now. I give God all praise and glory for sustaining us spiritually and physically.

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As our national economy slowly makes a turn towards recovery, I pray for those American families in need of jobs, security, food, medical, and shelter. There are millions of hard-working Americans that just don't earn enough to keep up with rising prices. I pray for the young children that they stay healthy and happy.
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Please look around and see the blessings in your life, and see who God puts in your heart. I kindly urge that you find a family, student, friend, church group, or organization who you can help. Feeding America is made up of individuals, local food banks, national offices, as well as corporate and government partners. Working as a cohesive system to truly solve the hunger crisis by securing food, providing funds, standardizing care, advocating, and food distribution. Feeding America is annually providing food to 37 million Americans, including 14 million children.

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God Bless You!

Yoli :)