Here We Go!

So, tomorrow is the first day of the 7-Day Pregame Challenge from Emily Schromm! Are you guys ready?!

If you haven’t signed up but still want to sign up you can still do so here!

I did her 21-Day challenge last January and loved it. I am super pumped to get this one started. I am ready for the kick start!

I have a favorite Paleo recipe book that is just unreal! I highly recommend getting it!
The Frugal Paleo by Ciarra Hannah, it has some of the most delicious recipes in there! The recipes in there are challenge approved and aren’t some of the more fancy Paleo recipes you typically find out there!

Here is the layout for me for a typical challenge through her:

~ 80 oz of water (Half your body weight in ounces of water.)
~ No eating after 9pm (I’ll be honest, I’m not great at this, eek!)
~ No sugar (also super terrible at this!)
~ No grains (thank goodness this is only 7 days this time!)
~ No alcohol (living in Colorado, this is not easy)
~ Fish Oil (I’m not sure if she will do this one during the 7-Day or not.
* If she does, this one is my favorite by far! Burp-less!
~ Move 10 minutes or more (with how busy I have been, this will be a challenge)

I think that is it. I could be missing something but making sure to get all of those squared away everyday on top of everything else that is going on in life is enough!

Let me know if you join tomorrow!

Should be fun!

See ya!

NaBloPoMo!

November is almost here! Can you believe it?! Where has October gone?! I’m really excited for the weather to really start cooling off! It has still been in the 70s and 80s here. So crazy! Bring on the snow!

Anyway, since November is almost here that means NaBloPoMo! That means National Blog Posting Month! So excited! I am committing to blogging everyday for the month of November! I know I know, I have struggled to keep up with monthly challenges before. But I have since organized things a little better for me and I think this one will work out well! My theme for the month is going to be lists! I am going to post a list a day. Whatever comes to mind, nothing special lol. I love lists and thought this one would be super fun!

Communal blogging challenges are so much fun! They really help with community and they help all of us to branch out of our comfort zones. That being said, I would love to see some of you guys taking the challenge too! I would love to blog along with you! Let me know if you are going to participate so I know to keep an extra eye out for your posts!

Happy blogging guys!

See ya!

March 2: What I Wore Today

Today was a bit busy so the post is earlier than last night but still rather late. Lol!

On a side note, I used my sewing machine all day! I made two headbands, one of which you will see in the picture below! And a foot/ lower back warmer (aka a pouch full of rice that you put in the microwave.) I had so much fun! Still learning about my sewing machine and how different things work on it, but progress is being made!

Here is what I wore today:

 

That is a headband I made today! Yay!

For dinner I made a Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Pasta dish. Oh man, super delicious!

 

You can check out the recipe here! So yummy!

Are you following along with the March photo Challenge?!

See ya!

Book Review: The Ultimate Checklist for Life

So, I just finished this devotional yesterday and since I am so far behind on my reading challenge I figured I might as well add this book to the list. It is called The Ultimate Checklist for Life. If you have been in the Christian circle for any length of time then you know about the Checklist for Life books. This one is a compilation of those books. It was on my bookshelf and I needed a new devotional to start so I went for it. 

This one has 8 sections that it is compiled of:

1. Checklist for Life
2. Checklist for Life for Women
3. Checklist for Life for Men
4. Checklist for Life for Teens
5. Checklist for Life for Moms
6. Checklist for Life for Leaders
7. Checklist for Life for Graduates
8. Checklist for Life for Teachers

There were some sections that I did not particularly fall under but I read them anyway because we can all learn from different areas and experiences. I did however skip the men section. I did not really relate to some of those examples and whatnot. 

Pros: It was a great day at a time devotional. It gave me something to think about each day. It was fairly relevant to my life in some ways. It was an easy read. It was not difficult to understand. 

Cons: It was an easy read. It was kind of fluffy. It was super just surface Christianity without getting into the depth of Christianity. At times, it was kind of boring. 

Overall, if you are just looking for something to add to your daily time with God, then this is a good option. However, if you are looking for something to take you deeper into your faith, this is not a good option for you. It is a topical book and not an in depth book. Good read but not for everyone’s current walk. 

Stayed tuned for my March 1st post!

The Desire to Write More Consistently this Year

I am always looking for ways to blog more consistently. Especially during the winter time when I don’t feel like I am doing as much in life. Spring, Summer and Fall always bring more outings and get togethers, where as winter means cold, snow, and ice here in the lovely Denver area. With so many transplants who have not figured out how to drive in the snow, there is no desire to be out on the roads unless absolutely necessary. Thankfully the snow has been half way decent this year so it has been good to stay active in these cold cold months. But this girl is ready for the warmth and sunshine to get out and play in the mountains!

In the meantime, and throughout the rest of the year I have a couple ideas to keep this blog hopping! lol. For the past couple years in April I have taken part in the April A-to-Z Challenge. While that is a fun challenge to partake in, I wanted something different this year. I wanted something soon too! Did not really come up with anything but I had several things I wanted to try in my To-Do list on pinterest. So, I thought I would tackle them throughout the year. So, each month will bring a new 30 Day Challenge! Why not right?! I am finishing out February as is. I am currently working my way through 10 Ways to Pray for Your Husband. ( Sorry, my mouse pad on my mac is glitchy and I was having trouble highlighting the whole thing.) But once March starts, I am diving head first into the categories below. It is part of my new year’s resolutions to get things off of my to-do list so that is killing two birds with one stone.
Should be fun! If you want to take part in any of them alongside me, let me know! I would love to read along with you!

30 Day Challenges:

March: 30 Day Photo Challenge 

April: 30 Day Song Challenge

May: 30 Days to a Better Wife 

June: Blog Every Day in June

July: July Photo Challenge

August: 30 Day Relationship Challenge 

September: 30 Day Book Challenge

October: Florabella Photo Challenge 

November: Novel in a Month

December: Capturing December / Spouse Christmas Countdown

So, I realize the last two months are a little ridiculous but I love those months and I couldn’t help myself lol. Maybe they will be adjusted but for right now I’m feeling ambitious!

See ya!

Book Review: The Happiness Project

I just read The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. Usually, I take some time to process the book before posting but honestly, I have been processing as I have been reading the book. This book was a really good read! She takes 12 majors areas in her life that she wants to improve her happiness through everyday changes. She makes resolutions for each month and keeps track on how she does everyday. And then when she goes on to the next month, she still attempts to keep up with the previous month but shifts her focus to the resolutions of the current month.

Pros: She made very practical resolutions. They were things that every person could do. She was down to earth and very inspiring. I loved how she took her resolutions seriously but also didn’t and just tried to enjoy life also. She was funny and enjoyable. She had such a great sense of humor. I loved how brutally honest she was about her failures and her victories. It was wonderful! (I also realized I am using the word wonderful a lot!)

Cons: There were aspects of her life that I could not quite relate to. She had young kids and lived in an apartment in NYC. I have pups (which I guess are like kids) and own a house in the suburbs of Denver. Super different. She also made some references I had no idea about but did end up doing a good job of explaining them.

Overall: What a great read! I really do recommend reading the book. It is such a great book to start the year off with. Reading it in January gets you so excited to be a better person and change some things in the upcoming year. I had some vague resolutions for 2014 but while I was reading this book I made them a little more concrete. I started focusing on things weekly. I want to make some changes (moderate) so that I can increase my happiness and well being this year.  I would like to say, so far so good! W00t!

I have knocked a couple things off of my To-Do list. Read a couple books and made a few things. Pictures to come soon!

See ya!

Book Review: The $100 Startup

Just finished reading The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau. I really need to stop reading all of these start up books. They say alot of the same stuffs. If I am really going to start something, I should just do it and stop reading and procrastinating. Right? Right. Anyway, Chris is super engaging and it was a great read!

Likes: It was a quick read. (When I found time to actually read it.) It was a very engaging read. He had some great tips and advice. He shared stories from real people. Real failures and successes. It was encouraging without being too peppy or anything. Haha. It was very practical. Loved it.

Dislikes: It was a lot of what I had read before. If you are just now going into reading about starting your own business, then start with this one. If not, he says a lot of the same things I have been reading already.

Overall, it was a really great read. He was super practical and super knowledgeable. Start at this book before you read others. There you go!

Sorry, I’m feeling short and to the point right now. My mind is in a billion different places.
July of 2013 is coming to an end. That means this challenge is coming to an end and I have failed miserably. Life just sometimes gets the best of you. I will hopefully have one more book to add before the end of the challenge but obviously not finishing the whole thing. I will read all of the books and keep you updated on when this challenge is actually complete. I still have yet to even finish the list. How terrible am I at keep this challenge?!

I have some short challenges on my to do list on pinterest and so I think I will try a few short ones and then maybe try a 52 weeks challenge again. If I can’t finish something the first time, I tend to be restless until I actually do finish it so it will happen at some point.  But anyway, I got a new camera and so it is only fitting that for the month of August, I am going to do a picture challenge that I found on pinterest. Stay tuned for more challenge awesomeness!

See ya!

Ashley