There’s nothing about me that’s subtle. Not my opinions, not my style and definitely not my Christmas decorations!

I have five trees in my house, y’all! Now, I come by this honestly because my mom always had several trees in our house when I was growing up. Each tree had a theme. So, it’s a family tradition to do it up and do it up big. And, yes, each of my trees has a theme. And, in case you’re wondering, it does take hours to decorate each tree.

The thing is, I’m a collector ~ although some of my friends whom shall remain nameless feel I am actually a hoarder!  I collect ideas, ideals, décor, bright, shiny objects, whatever makes my heart go pitter-patter, I pick it up like a precious seashell and I make it mine. Throughout the last decade, I’ve had the opportunity to travel, for business and pleasure, to Mexico a lot. I mean A LOT. As a free spirit and an artist and designer, Mexico is like a feast for my creative side. The country has such an amazing feel, so authentic and filled with naturally talented artisans—you see it in the rock work on old structures, the brightly painted homes and businesses, the colorful talavera pottery, their beaded art—I love it!

When it comes to color, the brighter the better. One of the things I began collecting during my travels across Mexico, whether I was there for business or pleasure, was Huichol art. People, this is my Soule art. I LOVE it. My husband, Chad, is worried he’s going to come home and find me under a pile of this stuff because I CAN’T STOP COLLECTING IT!

So, what is it? Huichol art is hand-painted and hand-beaded craftwork. It’s always colorful and comes in basically two varieties: yarn or bead. The yarn work is almost always what are called yarn paintings, where they use wax-coated yarn to create pictures and representations. The beadwork consists of tiny, tiny beads strung on colorful yarn and stitched to items like fabric, wood, shells, skulls and Christmas ornaments. All of the Huichol art depicts symbols that date back centuries, so every symbol has a meaning. This art is made by people indigenous to Mexico and has been created for hundreds of years. I have a collection of Huichol Christmas ornaments that adorn my awesome aqua Christmas tree! I love this tree…it is my spirit tree, ha ha!

In my house you’ll also see: a super-cool reindeer I purchased on a trip to Guadalajara, Mexico; a nod to my love of the ocean with seashells and sand dollars I have gathered over the years and some Christmas-y stuff tucked in and around those collections; a sweet angel that was my grandmother’s…and Matilda! I’ve had that girl since I worked for Miller in the early 2000s. Right now she’s decked out in holiday attire, complete with a frilly petticoat! She’s very fashionable and changes clothes every season and each holiday.

Whatever your holiday decorating style, I hope you own (or begin searching for) pieces that link you to the past and also find pieces that fit your style and make your inner elf happy. Having a house full of treasures makes the season that much more meaningful!

This is happening, this is working, this is a dream come true!

I’m on a jet plane headed back from Vegas (NFR) and I feel so energized. Wow! This has been an amazing trip, both personally and professionally! Hard work and believing in yourself does pay off. This is the first time in a long time that I feel like everything is coming together.

You know how you run around, trying to make all the ends come together? Whether it’s your business or your life in general! You’re networking, talking, working, praying and double-double checking everything, and you feel like you’re not getting anywhere, BUT you keep going and going? For years, that’s what I’ve felt like. This week I can say OMG things are coming together. Those amazing ideas, the ones that you wished would snap perfectly into place? Well, they’re snapping!

Amy and I flew into Vegas for NFR a day early to attend one of the sweetest weddings we’ve ever attended. That’s where the fun started!

I do have to say, playing blackjack with George Strait was the highlight of the whole trip! The high five and the kiss on the cheek just about did this Soule Sister in! Talk about a dream come true!

I loved seeing all my long-time friends from Cali, and my hubby brought so many smiles to my face. This last week really made me remember why I’m doing this: because it’s FUN. It reminded me, why work so hard on a dream if you’re not having fun?

Even if something glitters, if it doesn’t bring you happiness, why should you hold onto it? Life is too short! Life is once! I have to remind myself every day to take a deep breath and enjoy this ride God has given me! Even in my darkest times, I’ve always known he would bring me through it, and this week was a huge payoff for me emotionally. Almost 13 years later, I’m still so in love with the person to whom I said “I do.” We have two amazing strong-willed girls. I get to spend time with family and people who love me, with a company Amy and I have fought for every day for the past 10 years…I have to say thank you Lord!

I know tomorrow brings new struggles and challenges, but this last week was badass! Yesss! I hung out with George and Norma Strait!

Find your Soule and go for it!

Love, Lolo

The moment you realize your daughter is hanging on every word you speak is so powerful. She’s 10 and she’s listening to everything Joel and I say, everything my friends and I say—but the moment I have the power to really make her feel great or bad…it can be overwhelming.

Last night we were waiting in the truck, just the two of us, and she was sitting next to me up on the console of the truck, in the middle of the front seat. We were face-to-face, and I just looked at her and said, “Charley, you are so beautiful. I am so lucky to be your Mommy!”

The softness that came over her eyes, the delight in her huge smile that followed me saying that brings me to tears as I write this blog. I know I’m the most powerful, influential person in my daughter’s life, but in that moment, I really got what that meant!

It’s my job every day to tell her and Jaylee how amazing they are. My last words to them every night are, “Who always loves you no matter what? MOMMY…”

I love the song from Bruno Mars, “You Are Amazing Just The Way You Are.” That song is about loving who you are, accepting yourself even though you’re imperfect—and doing the same for others. We all have things we don’t like about ourselves: our nose, our butt, our curly hair, our straight hair or how fat we are. Blah, blah, blah!

Soule Sisters, take that power back! Look at the things you do love and move on from the things you don’t. Life is too short to focus what’s not great! I know it’s a cliché—the thing about clichés is that they’re usually true—so here’s the cliché: NOBODY IS PERFECT. God gave each of us so many gifts, and to waste those gifts on wishing away our perceived imperfections is a colossal waste of life and goodness and happiness.

This week I’m putting all my outfits together for Vegas and, yes, NOTHING is fitting. I am 10 pounds heaver than ever! So WHAT?! A few new pairs of jeans, more crystal, fantastic makeup and some jewels, and this Gyspy Sister is going to rock 40 with a few extra pounds.

I can choose to be mad and make it all about me and my weight, or I can show off my qualities and have a blast with my friends and hubby in Vegas! Wherever you are in life or whatever size you are, you’re amazing just the way you are. And if I don’t live my life by those words, what I am teaching my daughters?

XOXO-Love Lo

So, every year, once Halloween has been tucked away in the history books, and November rolls in, there’s the huge debate: Decorate early for Christmas, or not? Do you roll through November with pumpkins and fall décor in your home, sipping pumpkin pie lattes, or do you get your elf hat and break out the candy canes at midnight Oct. 31? Normally, I try to stay pretty neutral on what I write about, but on this, I just can’t maintain neutrality! I really dislike the “hates” of Christmas—bah-humbug to the haters of early-Christmas revelers! I just read something on Pinterest the other day that said: For every Christmas tree that is lit before Thanksgiving, an elf kills a baby reindeer. WHATEVER! That makes me want to poke someone with a sharp candy cane! I am “that person!” As soon as Halloween is over, Christmas is on! My decorations go up. It’s the only holiday where I really “deck the halls!” I am so thankful for Thanksgiving, but I love the Christmas spirit, especially since I have kids. I feel, as a mom, it’s my job to bring that magic to life. The real world will set in for my girls soon enough, it’s my job to make the most out of this time.

It’s about magic, anticipation and joy for my sweet girls! My Mom always made it such an event for all of us girls. She made it so extraordinary, and I want my girls to feel the same way. It’s the best time of year, all about love, family and festiveness! I know not everyone feels that way, but I just can’t stand the negative posts about Christmas. For goodness sake, it’s Jesus’s birthday! What’s wrong with making that a marathon celebration? If you don’t want to decorate, GIVE and GIVE more. There are so many who go without all year, this is a time to GIVE! It’s a season for kids; it’s a time of enchantment, an opportunity to give yourself over to the childlike wonder of the season. I think I act as much like a kid as my girls, and it’s wonderful for me and for them!

So, this holiday season, put kindness in your heart. Forgive the ones who’ve done you wrong. I am not telling you to embrace those who’ve forsaken you, just forgive and let the anger and resentment blow away in the frosty winter air. Take stock of the amazing gifts you have, both material and immaterial. We live in one of the most prosperous societies in history. It’s a truly amazing time, don’t waste it on bitterness. Grab some marshmallows and hot cocoa, pop some popcorn, grab your copy of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” and enjoy this delightful time! It’s a gift waiting to be opened.