Friday, it is so good to see you, as always!! Did anyone else this week was extra long!? Nothing too exciting here on the homefront. womp.
one. Earlier this week the blog got a brand spankin' new makeover. (insert: emoji heart eyes) Hope you're in love with it as much as I am!
two. Sunday morning the roomie and I had some extra bonding time We dipped into bath & body works (umm heaven) and snagged some goodies to last us into the spring! woohoo! Included would be this adorable pineapple wallflower (that doubles as a nightlight!)- you better believe I was not leaving the store without it!!
three. QUESTION: I'm looking into purchasing some essential oils! So I need your help/advice!! I have nooo clue about any of it! This whole experience is new to me. I love the natural aspect of it. A friend let me use some of her lavender oil a few nights ago and it resulted in the best sleep I had gotten all week! It must have worked wonders. Which oils are the best? Get the kit? (p.s. I'm a doTERRA gal :))
four. Each week it never fails for one of my professors to remember what week of school we are in. Just in case you were wondering, as of tomorrow we will have finished our SIXTH week! I'm sorry but how is that even possible?!!? The semester is flying by. Probably because it's my last and I want to savor every bit. Always goes the opposite of what you want! haha! Needless to say I was looking at the calendar and (almost) every weekend until graduation is booked. WHAT. again....how is that possible!? Breathe, Kate. I guess it's true they say, time flies when you're having fun!!
this weekend: nothing
February 20-22: THON!
February 27- March 1: State Patty's
March 6-8 + 13-15: Spring Break
....and that's as far as I'm going otherwise I'll be crying writing all the dates ;)
time needs to slow down. please + thank you!
five. Desperately needing some sunshine + warm weather in my life ASAP! Dreaming of white sandy beaches + unlimited fruity drinks...until then I'll just stare at these pictures...ha!
via pinterest
Stay warm this weekend as it's supposed to be 50 mph wind chills here! Yikes!!! Is it too early to buy a place in the carribean? ;)
Linking up with:
Christina, Natasha, Darci, and April for Five on Friday | Karli for Oh Hey Friday | Amanda for Friday Favorites
Hi Friends!! Notice anything different around here?!! I was on the hunt for a total blog makeover, complete with a name change and Erin took my vision and brought it to life!! I was going for a beach, light, airy feel. She nailed it, right?! If you're looking to change up your blog, I highly recommend Erin!! She was super efficient and patient! Thank you so much, Erin!
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One of my 101 in 1001 goals was to subscribe to three magazines I buy too frequently in the food store check out line! Before you know you could be spending $5-15 extra on said magazines! Crazy!! Although I would've love to add a subscription to People, my favorite celebrity gossip read, that price point was not in my budget! So I settled for a few of my other go-to's!
Better Homes & Gardens | $5.99 for 12 issues | $0.50 per issue
I couldn't pass up the offer! Excited to start reading!
Coastal Living | $10 for 10 issues | $1 per issue
one of my absolute favorites!
HGTV | $20 for 10 issues | $2 per issue
What are your favorite magazines to read?
Vulnerable post alert at #3--if you so choose to read!
This week flew by! Love it! I certainly didn't plan on making this post health + fitness related, but since I was highly focused on my health this week, why not?! :) I got involved in a FB accountability group, Faith, Food, and Fitness. Shannon is so positive and really focuses on the right thing- FAITH. Where would we be without our faith?! I can speak for myself, and I know it wouldn't be a good place. She allows everything else to follow!
I am not a health guru by ANY means and know I have soo much farther to go in my weight loss journey. I'm mostly posting for myself to recall. If you don't want to read, I won't be offended! However, if you do have tips for motivation, I'd love to hear :)
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1// Over the weekend I got my Fitbit Flex (February goal- check!) and I have been loving it! It's kept me really accountable and each day I'm trying to beat my record from the day prior! Linking up with friends has been great for a little competition, too!
2// #1800MinuteChallenge : Head over to Erin's blog to read more about the challenge! Basically, move for 30 minutes a day for the next two months & there's a chance to win a prize involved if you complete all 1800 minutes! Fits perfectly with my goals- wahoo! God is so good!
3// If you've been around the blog for the past year, you may remember THIS POST. I had great success and loved my results. However, I fell off the wagon, yet again until just this week. Since joining said FB group, Shannon has been a wonderful motivator. Her focus is to put God at the center of all of this, because after all He is the reason we live. Once I did that, things really started to shift. Her second rule was to move your body (just do it- don't think about it). Simple right?! Monday morning I laced up my sneakers for the first time since March. MARCH. Am I proud of that? You better believe NOT! (judge me, if you will). I didn't even realize how long it had been until I counted back. But, it's part of my journey that I need to come to terms with. Beating myself up over it will do nothing, so might as well move on. And I continued to work out for the remainder of the week....5 DAYS y'all! This is a streak. Happy tears!! I'm continually giving myself grace through this entire process. Excited for next week to start the 21 day fix meal plan more seriously!
4// A little motivation/humor never hurt, right?! {via pinterest}
...but like seriously.
5// Loving my new water bottle + apps... Hey, whatever gets you moving right?! Ha!
Apps: my fitness pal + fitbit {soon to also be 21 day fix} Social media has played a huge role in my motivation too. pinterest + instagram, you rock!
If you read to the end, you're a Saint! That has to be the longest Five on Friday post I've ever written! I find motivation + inspiration in others- you never know when you will be an inspiration to someone else! Have a great weekend! xo
Linking up with: Darci, Natasha, Christina, April- Five on Friday | Karli- Oh Hey Friday! | Amanda- Friday Favorites
Today I'm linking up with Mia and Kelli to share my favorites from January!
Long sleeve t's || Wearing long sleeve t's in the winter is probably one of my favorite things! They're sooo snuggly + comfortable, especially the life is good t's! Coming home from class/work/casually wearing them on the weekend is the best!!
Tory Burch perfume || I asked for this for Christmas + I love the scent so much it's become my everyday perfume. whoops ;)
PB Sticky Socks || Obsessed over these socks. I can't even tell you how much I love them! Not only are they great for PB, but I often find myself wearing them casually around the house--which is probably a big "no no"! These socks are honestly the comfiest (is that even a word??) I've ever worn. If I was a serious PB'er would own them in every color. Note to State College: OPEN A PURE BARRE STUDIO!!!! Is it obvious how much I love these socks?! I digress haha!
Candles || Need I say more?! Mistletoe was my go-to scent this holiday season
North Face Gloves + Ear Warmer || With this -2* weather & piles of snow we've had in the past week, I am so thankful for this set! They were Christmas presents and they have been a lifesaver + saves me from getting frostbite! Oh, and the gloves are the best texting gloves I've ever owned! Thanks, Momma!
PowerSheets + Simplified Planner || How did I ever live without these tools?!?! Emily + Lara poured their hearts into these products and they are awesome! They have helped me more in a month than I knew was possible!
VS sleepshirt || Talk about soft?! Heavenly!
I'm a little late to sharing my 2015 goals, but luckily this time I've actually worked on them during the month of January :) I'm not one for New Years resolutions because by the time the third week of January rolls around, I've more than likely forgotten what I even wanted to work on. So, this year with the help of my Simplified Planner and PowerSheets, I am dreaming big and living with intention. I spent my first few weeks of January diving into my PowerSheets while still home on Christmas break and was amazed in the structure + intention that Lara poured into those pages. If you've never heard about Lara Casey's PowerSheets, I highly recommend doing so! The Simplified Planner + PowerSheets are probably two of my favorite tools I have ever used!!
2015 Goals:
Focus on becoming my best self- [Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law] 2014 was a hard year and I looking back I felt I wasn't really able to be myself. It was a year of struggle between a past roommate + the stresses of school. I was focusing on the wrong things and it truly got the best of me. I don't want a relapse in 2015, hence the subsequent goals :) I want to reflect the fruit of the Spirit in everything I do.
Be intentional + do what matters most- [Hebrews 13:5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, never will I leave you; never will I forsake you] I want to focus on the right things- loved ones, time, gifts, writing, etc. If it doesn't honor Jesus or bring pure happiness to myself, I don't want to partake. I don't want to focus on the materialistic things. I want to be fully present in each circumstance.
Focus on a healthy lifestyle [1 Cor 10:31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God] He is the reason I live + without Him I am nothing. I want to focus this year on fueling my body with the proper food. And after too many family health scares in 2014, it's defintely time to take charge!
Pray More + Open My Bible [1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus] I'm really horrible at not opening my Bible, I'll be the first to admit. I really hate that fault about myself and I'm really focusing to change that this year. I want to read the Word and soak it in, and do my best to live it out. I want to be in constant conversation with Jesus throughout the day- in little things, as well as the big things.
Word for 2015:
In the last few months, I've begun to learn so much about The Lord's graces. No, I'm not an expert by any means, there's still so much to learn. This year I'm working on giving myself grace. God's grace for us is immeasurable and unfailing . Which is something I can't begin to wrap my brain around. For me, it's so healing to know even when I fail, God's love is gracefully poured upon me. During this year, instead of being hard on myself, I will give myself grace. I am a constant work in progress and He is constantly pruning me to become my best self. What an amazing thought.
I found this quote last night and it spoke to me in spades:
Grace is a love that has nothing to do with us but everything to do with the one from whom it derived: God. It is a powerful, divine, and vital piece of our existence, and it is the only reason we are able to open our eyes each morning. God's grace is more than a second chance; it's a third, fourth, and fifth. It's love that keeps on giving, regardless of our past.
So much comfort in those words. It's His power to intervene for us, protect us, heal us, restore us, bless us, and comfort us. "for it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God" - Ephesians 2:8
Now on to February's goals:
- Add fitness to my routine: move your body! My goal is to work out 3-5x a week!
- Health: Purchase a FitBit + new sneakers, focus on meal planning
- Continue to work on Lara Casey's PowerSheets
- More Jesus time
- Launch the new blog
- Stick to my editorial calendar: publish every post planned
- Finish The Best Yes
- Limit spending
February! Let's do this!! 25 more days to make it happen! xo
