Karlee Buggs beauty

The older I become, the more wisdom the Lord pours into my heart. The Lord has transformed my mindset & priorities drastically these past 6 years of marriage, and continues to show me what the role of a wife entails, the responsibility behind that role, & how to present myself as a woman being in that role. I’ll be approaching 2 years of motherhood in a couple weeks, and how much my vision & heart have changed since the Lord allowed me to bring life into this world.
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I’m not a perfect mother. I’m not a perfect wife. I’m sooo far from either of those things, but I have become obedient. Obedient in what the Lord wants and obedient in His desires. And with that obedience, the Lord has allowed HIS desires to become MY desires.
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I fail everyday. Sometimes I fail multiple times within the same minute, but we worship a loving & understanding Father who offers us grace upon grace upon grace. And who is always there when we come running to Him in our faults.
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Do I have a tame tongue? Ask my husband and he’ll let you know how easy I allow myself to give into my tantrums and how much more I need to practice self-control. But I try to be mindful & intentional to speaking life out of my mouth as much as possible. When death starts to come out, the lord has grown me to become immediately aware of it & tugs on my heart to repent and ask both my daughters and husband for forgiveness. And after doing so, I continue going on with our day, not allowing my past failures/misshaps to dictate how I show up in that present moment.
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So much has changed for me since I surrendered my fleshly desires to the Lord. Sanctification happens when we start becoming obedient towards convictions & understand that God’s will is far better then any will you could have for yourself. So much has changed for me, sister, & it can for you too 🫶🙏

I thank God daily for allowing my husband to be the Father of our children. All men were naturally designed & created to be leaders, protectors, & providers…but not all men have the inner capacity to fill that role out.
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Who Trevor is as a man was a huge deciding factor on marrying Him. I knew he had the qualities I was seeking when it came to who I’d want to influence/impact my children, & ultimately, he’d be the man that would be raising my children alongside me. “What would he be teaching our children?” “What things would he find appropriate & not appropriate?” “Will he be imitating Christ in our home?” were just a few questions I asked myself before saying “I DO 💍” to him.
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Trevor is not a proud man. He can be corrected & doesn’t push council aside (which is something I was looking for in a husband & potential father). But One of the things I found/find most attractive about Trevor is how rooted he is in his beliefs & morals. He is very seldom swayed from right vs. wrong & stands firm in truth. Knowing I’d be a submissive wife to my husband, I had to make sure that the man I’d end up marrying & submitting to, would be a man that would lead our family down a path full of light, love, & biblical connection. A man who would run to the Scriptures for guidance & discretion as we maneuver through life’s seasons.
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My encouragement to all my single friends out there…. It DOES matter who you marry. It DOES matter who the father of your children is. Fathers make such a HUGE impact in their children’s lives & teach them so much about life through their own characteristics, actions, & speech. (Is the man lazy? Does he have a temper? Does he practice self-control? Does he speak death or life with his tongue? Is lust an issue for him? These are all valid questions to think about as you choose who the leader/authority figure of your home will be). Consider your future children & the next generation before you say “I Do”.
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I pray that we all choose/have chosen men that fill their biblical role out & love in ways more than words could express. Happy Father’s Day to my dear husband. You are so cherished, my love. Thank you for leading your family so well 😌

My Dunkin app informed me on Sat. that it was national bestfriend day. You best believe I collected my 4x reward points by purchasing my weekly iced coffee & had to give my 2 ladies a shoutout since they have yet to make an appearance on my feed 😌
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I met these beautiful & dear sisters of mine in Aug. & Nov. of 2023. Hubby & I were seeking a church body to fulfill membership in, & through our discovery of the current church were embodied in, came these two lovely souls that have imprinted my heart so deeply. The connection between all of us was INSTANT. And let me tell ya, it’s very rare nowadays to meet somebody that you’re instantly drawn to and find immediate connection with. But These 2 ladies have been women I’ve been praying for, for so many years. Nights I spent crying out to God, telling Him that all I crave & desire is loyal & authentic sisterhood. This past year, The Lord fulfilled those prayers & gave me women (more then these 2 who are pictured) that inspire, encourage, edify, convict, & ultimately lead me down the path of sanctification. We all live different lives then one another, but all have the same goal in our hearts…glorifying God and living out our days that impact the eternal. Lauren & Haley, thank you for being a light, I love you soul sisters 👩🏼‍🤝‍👩🏻
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The sappiness aside, Life is so much more clear headed walking through with sisters that worship & truly love the Lord. Who give us wisdom, guidance, encouragement, & inspiration as we go through the struggles & joys of life. I praise God daily for these fruitful sisterhood friendships He has sent me through our new church body. It’s been a complete year since we started attending & we quickly immersed ourselves in the lives & culture of our church. So much sanctification has happened with my husband & I since we were obedient in where God wanted us. Thank you, Lord, for growing Trevor & I with the guidance of these human vessels were continuously being surrounded by! 🙏
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My encouragement to you to surround yourself with fruitful community. It makes the biggest difference when it comes to how you respond & live your life. Truly, life was not meant for us to walk through it alone 😌

“A mother’s relationship with her child is one that will encompass a lifetime. How blessed is a child who has that anchor of strength and support.”
-Sally Clarkson
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When I went antiquing last week, I came across this candle and couldn’t help but gravitate towards this litte “definition” of mother. How true these words are, & how much stability, security, & love we give our children through our influence & presence, mammas. The impact we bring to our child’s life is something nobody else could fill & our role has the utmost value.
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I love being a mother & it’s a beautiful thought to know that God placed us here on earth & allows us to act as a guardian angel to our little children (His little children). We are so undeserving of the sacred role of motherhood. I cherish these blessings with my lil ones.

Thank you, Jesus, for opening my womb and allowing me to carry, grow, & birth life! I love being a woman! Your ways are miraculous 🙏🏻
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P.S. enjoy these other photos of antiqued goods I wanted to purchase but had to practice self control 🥲 mamma walked out spending $62. Silly me to give myself a $20 budget & think I could stick with it 🤣 I passed the $20 mark within minutes of walking into this lil fav vendor store of mine HA. I love building my home collection of antique finds 🫶

Just 4 more weeks until we meet baby GIRL & my arms will be now holding 2 little blessings as opposed to just one 👨‍👩‍👧‍👧
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A big lack of community pictures, but today I was showered with the most beautiful sweetheart themed shower by the woman in my church 🩷 I have been beyond blessed by God with the sisters in Christ He has provided me throughout life. He knows exactly what we need in the seasons we’re living, & He sure knew the type of woman I needed to be surrounded by during this new embarking of motherhood & continuous journey of wifehood 😌
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This pregnancy has been very hard on me- both physically & mentally. It’s been a completely different experience then my first pregnancy & has left me feeling so anxious towards this next season of life & fear thoughts towards “how will I manage being a nurturer & caretaker to 2 if I’m using all my energy & mental space to raise a trying toddler?”. I’ve been very encouraged by the other mothers in my life, but these thoughts have truly been taking control of my mindset & mood throughout the day & I have been, let’s just say…not the greatest joy to be around (hubs, you’ve had to deal with so so much these past 9 months 😭 thank you, God, for giving me a husband that’s filled with grace & forgive me, Jesus, for the way I’ve been presenting myself as a wife, mother, & friend).
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It’s been a hard season, but this past week & today, my heart has been filled with so much hope & strength towards our next DAUGHTER entering into the world. Being a homemaker & stay at home mother comes with so many emotions, but God consistently reminds me that He is stronger then all of the negative emotions that can can come up in that role & He WILL give me the strength, energy, heart desires, & patience to be able to raise 2 serving, respectful, loving, & sympathetic daughters as well as helping me continue being a generous & serving wife to my husband. 🙏🏻
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Baby girl, it was such a lovely day today celebrating your life & you are already so adored by so many people!! 😌🤰 your big sister talks about you everyday & I’ve been preparing her for your arrival & teaching her what her role is towards you 🩷 we are SO ready to meet you!

Thanksgiving pie craft for your toddler 🎃🍎🥜🥧

(My daughter was a little over 15 months when we attempted this craft, but it was definitely not in her developmental range and she had more fun with the glue stick then the actual craft. So this may be recommended for 18 month +)
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🧵Supplies needed 📝
~ Brown, orange, & red construction paper
~ Paper plate, cut in 3 triangles
~ Twine
~ Orange & green ribbon
~ Glue stick
~ Cotton swabs
~ Red, gold, & white glitter (optional)

We will be making pumpkin 🎃 , apple 🍎 , & pecan 🥜 pie for this craft! 🥧

⬇️ Directions
~ cut construction paper in squares.

Pumpkin pie 🎃- start by having your toddler add glue all over their triangle shaped plate. Stick on orange squares to the bottom portion plate & brown squares for the crust at the top. Add more glue on top of orange squares. Cut ribbon & layer it to make a diagonal lattice style crust. Add more glue & sprinkle white glitter on top of pie. Rip tips of cotton swabs off and glue in the center of the pie to resemble “whipped cream”.

Apple pie 🍎- repeat the same process but with the brown & red construction paper and red glitter. For the stem, glue an inch wide section of twine to the underside of the plate. To make leaves, cut green ribbon & glue the two tips together to create a bow loop. Glue each “leaf” to the underside of plate.

Pecan pie 🥜- repeat the same process but with the brown construction paper, gold glitter, & twine. I did a classic horizontal/vertical style for this lattice crust.
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I hope you & your lil human enjoy this thanksgiving inspired craft this autumn season 🍂🍁 it’s the perfect craft to end this November with, all while having them enjoy just a little bit more of these peaceful festivities that this season brings us!

I understand that most people are already doing Christmas activities this time of year, but truly, let’s savor these last moments we have left of this fall season & teach our children to slow down & enjoy/savor each season as they come. There’s no need to rush time. After all, thanksgiving is in 24 hours, which means that “ho ho ho 🎄” isn’t quite here yet 😉

Part 2 of our little California getaway ❤️ being a one car family (yessss, fun fact! Mamma DOESN’T have a car 😅 I live out quite literally ha). It sure is nice to get out of the house and see things other then just desert. I’m thankful for our little life we’re continuing to build in AZ, but I’d be lying if I said I did not want to escape the green we were surrounded by! Beyond thankful to have a husband who treats his 2 girls to spontaneous trips/activities that result in the sweetest memories within our family & marriage 🫶

Part 1 of 2 of our little California getaway we took 2 months ago. Since I didn’t yet announce my pregnancy at the time, i didn’t want to post any photos because the baby bump would have risen some questions 🙈
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We had so much fun exploring around LA, malibu, Venice, & Beverly Hills with our sweet daughter 🫶 vacations are much different now then they were with just hubby & I. This may have been our last little trip before baby #2 arrives. Laughing at the thought that this will be the easiest our lives will ever be, but yet we’re still struggling with juggling life outside of the home with ONE child.. let alone more. Haha 35 yr old self will be laughing at the things I once thought were “hard” 🤣 regardless, California was beautiful & it was such a nice treat to show Carolina more of what Gods creation looks like 😌

WE’RE PREGNANT!!! 🤰👶🏽
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We found out we were pregnant 5 weeks into starting the certification process towards adopting a child. There were so many emotions when we got our positive test: excitement, immense joy, contentment, eagerness..as well as fear considering our hope & prayer into bringing an unbiological child inside our home as well. We weren’t surprised by this plan that God had for us. Although we aren’t sure of the timeline of when the Lord will bring us our adopted baby, we know for sure that God made Trevor & I to be nurturers and is calling us to raise up many children who genuinely love Him & who make an impact in this dark world through their influences.
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So here’s to being almost 21 weeks pregnant 😌 I’m unsure how I was able to successfully keep (& hide 🙈) this secret from y’all for so long. Hubby & I are so immensely joyous towards growing our little family & parenthood has completely changed us from the inside out…we can only imagine how much more changing this next lil blessing will give our hearts ❤️ cheers to having 2 under 2!!! be on the lookout this next week for our gender reveal video! 🫶 💭

P.S. it only took 6 minutes of taking photos of Carolina in her crib for her to finally get frustrated & let out a cry for this first photo 😅 this is the exact face I was wanting for the announcement. I’m so glad I was able to capture it! All of our other photos were silly & smiley (which I love because it shows the excitement that Cara has towards finally becoming a BIG SISTER!!! ☺️)

The older I get, the more I desire to soak & treasure the seasons that approach us, as well as enjoy all the festivities that bring us comfort, joy, & warmth in our hearts during that time of year 😌 These were my 16 fall “to-dos” before this crisp season is over 🍁🍂🎃🍎🥧
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Do you have any must have festivities that you like to do every season? Fall is such a hopeful time of year!! 🙏🏻☺️