Sunday Sermon

I have to share something. As many know, I have had an abundant amount of stress since last year. It began right in January and kept going, even into this year. Over the winter months, however, I have been making conscious decisions to better myself and avoid another year like the last. I've been working out more often, which not only feels great, but I lost another 3 pounds. I've been eating healthier which has been made SO much easier by menu planning (I might do a post about that next week because I cannot recommend it enough). I've been trying to get in a better sleeping pattern, take vitamins, and generally be a healthier, happier person. I got a little off track leading up to what I was sure was going to be miserable day on Friday. I needed pep talk after pep talk and vent session after vent session in order to "calm" myself down. When really, all I needed to be doing was pray. Which I did. I prayed for the strength I knew I was going to need, I prayed to be the person God would want me to be, I prayed for Him to take over. My mother (being the wise and faithful woman that she is) gave me one of many pep talks days earlier and reminded me that this was all, obviously, a part of God's plan and Friday was a test to see how I would react to various situations I was going to be and will inevitably be put in throughout my career and life.
When I got home from the trip, which ended earlier than planned, I couldn't explain what I felt. In the morning (which started about four hours before I would've liked), I tried to remain calm and speak with God. I listened to music (instead of playing out conversations in my head), I drank coffee and ate breakfast and got my smoothie (premade the night before, thank you very much) and myself ready to go. I was expecting the worst. Do not get me wrong. The day was not all good. But it didn't get to me like it normally would have. I wasn't tired even though I was running on 5 hours of sleep, I didn't feel overwhelmed or on the verge of tears, wondering what I was doing with my life. I was completely at peace. God took over and took away my stress about the whole situation that had been going on since last year. It was gone. When I called my parents, as I do everyday (and can't imagine not doing), I told my mom it was almost as if I was watching myself react to different things. Like not only God was watching me, but I was watching me. It was "bizarre", I kept saying. She said, "That's not bizarre- that's God working on you." And of course, we both cried.
Some might think this is a little dramatic. But through the years, especially last year, I've been aching to be closer to God and feel His goodness and shape me into the better person I know I was raised and meant to be. And as awful as it seems now to say, I just didn't know if I... missed something. I didn't feel it. Until Friday. It was exactly what I had been yearning for and more. I have been blessed.
The least I can do is share my experience and hope that it strengthens your faith. Pray. And believe that He has everything under control.
It's still a bit of an adjustment. I told my boyfriend last night that it felt weird and that I didn't know how not to be angry. Even this morning when I woke up and the tv was a bit loud and a puppy had somehow managed to make his way into our bed and was laying on my feet, I wanted to be mad. Any other day, I would have slammed the door and sulked while trying to go back to sleep. But I cuddled up with Duke for a bit, then went down to enjoy my coffee and breakfast. I got more done this morning than I would've had the energy for had I let myself be stressed.
I strongly believe that this was a major change for the better in my life, that I desperately needed. Will I have temptations to be angry? Will I slip up and yell a little when I don't need to? Yes. I am still human and I still have emotions. But that doesn't mean I can or will allow myself to "relapse" into the same negative habits that led to a not so nice version of myself.
So that's my Sunday Sermon. I'm not sure if these will be a weekly thing. But I certainly had to share this. Thanks for listening.

Backyard Envy

So the other morning I woke up to a giant ice cube that was my car thanks to a night of freezing rain. Getting to it involved skating on ice that was on top of snow. Needless to say, as much as I hate the work hours during the summer, I'm super excited for the weather. Especially since we're really thinking about adding a fence to our growing list of "resale projects". It'll add value to the house, and allow us to enjoy the amazing yard this corner lot gives us. Duke can't wait.
Here are some backyards to drool over and imagine ourselves in.

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Check out my Outdoor Livin Board on Pinterest for more Backyard Envy!

Monday Motivation

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It is important to stand up for yourself.
Continue to work hard and be yourself (and a lady) - do not be intimidated.

Wise Words

I adore Maggie Smith and her character on the award winning series Downton Abbey. We can certainly learn a lot from her.

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Happy Weekend!

Walking Workouts

As cliche as it may be, I've recently gotten back into working out. It may be because I have some free time that I can only dream about during the summer months. It may be because I might be getting a free treadmill (I offered to pay for it). Or maybe because a ton of health and fitness stuff is on sale this time of year. Whatever the reason may be, I like it. I walked one and a half miles at a speed of 3-4 mph the other day and it felt amazing! I wish I could do it everyday, or every other day. I was hoping to be able to run more during this time but the weather hasn't been cooperating - we got another three inches of snow overnight. Hopefully by getting this treadmill, I can stick to more of a workout plan. Here are some walking workout plans that can help you reach various goals (including mood boosting and brain power!) and target different parts of your body. Who knew?

Walking Workouts

Puppy Therapy

My brother shared this video with me the other night and I have to say, I've watched it more than once...okay, more than four times. Sometimes all you need is a cute puppy video to cheer you up.

Monday Motivation

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Whether we have the extra time or not, we should all strive to make some time for these little things. I can't tell you how nice it has been to get things organized around the house. And it's always healthy to regroup. And enjoy a nice cup of coffee. And paint our nails. And smile. And be thankful.

Snow Forts

With this unseasonably warm weather, almost all of our snow is gone. Which is great for walking, not so much for playing. Duke turned into a bunny when he got in a good amount of snow, bouncing through feet of it with a face full of snow. He and best friend Charlie loved it. They ate it, they threw it with their little noses, they ran through it as fast as they could. It was adorable and hilarious. But now it's gone and feels like spring. Which means we can probably go for a jog again finally. But I wanna build forts with Duke and Charlie.

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I'm sure we'll have plenty of snow soon enough. And then I'll be ready for summer.
Happy Weekend!

Monday Motivation

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So get out there & create it!

Office Organization

Our would-be office/guest room that I talked about for ages (here, here, here, aaand here) has become a record size junk drawer. And it makes me nuts. Luckily, it has two doors that I can close and pretend the mess doesn't exist. This has worked since we moved in. But, in the interest of making some resolutions for myself, keeping a more organized home (and life) has become a priority. And what better time to do it than now?
I've collected tons of inspiration of what I'd love it to look like. While I don't intend on spending a whole lot more money on this particular house, that doesn't mean we shouldn't live in it while we're here for who knows how much longer. I need to stop wishing acting like we're moving tomorrow. I think it'll be best for everyone.
My plans include organizing the crap that has made it's way in there and put it away, which includes installing some closet shelving, but that's a selling feature, right? I've also started a home organization binder, full of charts and checklists that make me smile and sane. Here's where I got most of my inspiration.
And here are some more pictures of offices I just adore. Check out my Pinterest board dedicated to offices too! (Ya, it's about time.)

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Monday Motivation

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As the new year approaches, many of us will look to set goals and resolutions to make this year better than the last. While I have a few things I'd like to work on, the one of the biggest is to stop wasting time worrying (and whining) and instead try to use each day to be more productive and with a more positive attitude. It can and will be done!

Hope you all have a safe & happy new year!

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Antlers

Hunting seasons around this time of year make me crave a few things; venison steaks, deer jerkey, and antlers on my walls. Here's some inspiration for the latter.

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Monday Motivation

I have to share this. These are 55 ways to take care of yourself when stressed. Some, well, many are nice reminders of things we already know to do but might forget or not make time for when we're a bit overwhelmed. And some are new things that seem simply enough to try. So please feel free to bookmark this article and remember to take care of yourself next time.

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Words

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I love this! Something to work on.

Vanity

So this winter weather (and my thirty day detox) is wreaking havoc on my skin. I found some tricks to cover up, but in searching for better ways to apply make up, realized I need a vanity. Okay, I don't need one. I'd love, love, love to have one. In natural lighting, which is supposed to be the best lighting to apply makeup in. Makes sense.
I was even considering moving our desk from the office to the bedroom and sticking a mirror on top. But I think I'll hold off until I can build something pretty close to this bad boy.

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Now y'all want one too, don't you?

Monday Motivation

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Glitter dishes

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I need me some of these.

Best Friend Birthday

No Monday Motivation today as todays post is being dedicated to my best friends birthday!
I wish I could be there to celebrate with you - soon! Have an amazing day and don't forget to reflect on another year of your inspiring journey that keeps getting bigger and better every day.

Indecisiveness

So I had a bit of an epitome today while browsing through my first blog posts (which I feel like I should apologize for- they're a bit wordy, not as funny as I thought I was being, and super whiny.)
In reading my younger selfs thoughts and wishes and dreams, it made me a little sad to see that so many things I thought were going happen and get done... didn't.
The more I read, the more I could see why.
Circumstances played a part, sure. But most of the problem is me and my 'tude. And flip flopping. And indecisiveness. In my need for everything to be pefecto, I missed didn't do as much as I could've, wasn't as happy as I could've been.
In my last couple of weeks off from work, I've had a lot (a lot) of time to reflect, relax, cook, clean, organize, visit, chat, cuddle, love, re-think, re-organize, etc. But I've found that I'm most happy and satisfied when I just do it, buy it, toss it, wear it, donate it, clean it, say it, move it. I've spent so much time in the past thinking too much about things. It's one thing to be money and design conscience. It's other to miss out entirely because of over-thinking.

I also feel like I need to print out all of my motivational speeches after these "epitomes" and put them everywhere. I seem to forget that I learned something pretty shortly after learning it.

And that's all I have to say about that.

Back to bed.

There's nothing better than waking up in the morning to go to work and finding the coffee's already made and yes mama, the puppy would really love to go back to bed with you and cuddle for a few minutes before you have to get ready for the day, all while your man is out hunting and will be stocking our freezer with seventy pounds of deer meat.
*Sigh*
Love it.

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Monday Motivation

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And really, what troubles do we have?

Cuddle Bug

After we got home yesterday from a lovely Thanksgiving, a prompt trip to the shower was needed for the pup who wrestled all day with his pal, in the mud. We all got in our jammies and sat on our respective couches but Duke paced around the living room and kept sitting in random places, keeping eye contact with me the whole time. After a few minutes of this, and making this mama very worried (I was waiting for some bodily function to happen), he walked right up to me and let out the most pitiful whine I've heard out of him in a while. So I crawled down to the floor with him. And he sat right in my lap. The boyfriends observation: all Duke wanted was to be held. Once he found someone for the job, he fell sound sleep for the rest of the night.
Even though he's growing every day, he still has puppy tenancies. Which I can't get enough of. I hope he'll always be my cuddle bug.

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Homemade Almond Joys

I could barely contain myself when I found these bad boys in Pinterest (just now).

Recipe

I literally cannot wait to make them!

Monday Motivation

My best friend sent this to me the other day. She's always had pretty good timing with these kinds of things and knows exactly what I need to hear. I plan on framing this one and putting it in my office. Love it. And her.