Monthly Archives: November 2013

Fun Things To Read On A Friday

trees

So today is the last Friday before Christmas and the second to last Friday of the year. My brain can’t even comprehend that, but I guess I’m just going to have to get over that and move on. πŸ™‚

We’ve been a den of illness around here this week, so not too much fun to report. But Garrett and I are on the mend, so this weekend will probably just be spent playing a little catch up and preparing for the holidays to come. I anticipate some laundry and some napping. Not a bad situation, really.

I’m off work today (WOOOOOOOO!) and plan to finish up some Christmas stuff and then park my ass on the couch and finish this book. (OMG SO GOOD!!!)

Scintillating, I know. Let’s talk about some fun links:

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*If you are thinking about revamping your personal style in the new year, Alison has some great advice on How To Create Capsule Wardrobes.

*Give the important things a year on their own. I love the idea of Finding Balance Over Your Years, Not Your Days.

*Primal Gingerbread Cake. You know you want to make it.

*This pretty much sums up my eating habits lately.

*Well here’s a lofty promise: 13 Life Changing Books. I added a few to my To-Read List.

*This photo shoot had me crumpled up in a ball of tears.

*I am simultaneously disgusted and fascinated by this West Virginia “Heathers” murder.

*On a happier note, I loved this Birth Announcement! πŸ™‚

*I know it’s the French Alps and all, but I would have to take a Xanax to see this.

*Making Time For What You Want — JUST DO IT.

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That’s all for this week. Hope you all have a great LAST WEEKEND BEFORE CHRISTMAS OMG! I better go finish my shopping! Toodles!


Fun Things To Read On A Friday

G + B
My two favorite dudes.

Is this the last weekend before December Holiday Madness begins? I think I need to drink a lot of water, eat a lot of vegetables and generally lay low because once Thanksgiving hits it is a quick slide right into the new year.

YOU GUYS, HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?

I can’t even think about it today. πŸ™‚ Today all I can think about is how happy I am that it is the weekend, and that I read so many fun things on the internet this week. Check ’em out:

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*10 Common Mistakes That Keep You From Being Healthy And Happy.

*On my crabby day, reading this just turned my entire perspective around. (Ok, all of your funny comments helped too! So thanks.)

*This little trick is something I’ve used for a long time. It works REMARKABLY: You Already Have What You Want

*I love Elizabeth Akinwale AND HER THIGHS. If only someone cool was into Closing the (Thigh) Gap while I was growing up. Sigh!

*I feel like this is Martha Stewart’s karma biting her in the ass for implying that bloggers are untalented and not professional.

*Let’s be real, we all need a good cry once in a while. This Heartbreak Songs Playlist is full of quite a few tear jerkers.

*Resounding Slow Clap: In Defense of the Personal Blog.

*‘Tis The Season To Roast All Your Veggies: I couldn’t agree more.

*I agreed with every single thing in Marie Forleo’s video about 4 Things Really Productive People Do Everyday.

*Wanna come visit? 5 Cool California Places to Stay using AirBnb. Those all look AWESOME!

*I related quite a bit to Allison’s story on Choosing A Positive Life.

*Pinch of Yum’s series on Traffic and Income is always a fascinating read if you are interested in how bloggers make money.

*I’m thinking about mixing up one of these this weekend.

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Whatever you are doing this weekend, I hope it is a good one friends!


Crabby

Crabby

I woke up on the wrong side of the bed today and all I want to write about is a list of things I just really can’t stand:

1. Men with long finger nails
2. Someone letting a door slam in your face
3. Facebook posts about how blessed one is, or similarly their many blessings
4. Wet socks
5. When I get to the end of someone’s really awesome blog post and it’s filed under ‘Uncategorized’ — because WHERE DO I CLICK TO GET MORE OF THAT?
6. Invites to play Farmville
7. Inboxes that take up more than one viewable page
8. How, with the new OS update, I turn off my bluetooth functionality at least 10 times a day scrolling on my iPhone
9. The smell of corn nuts on an airplane
10. How Conditioner ALWAYS runs out before Shampoo
11. Low talkers
12. Being required to take antibiotics for TEN WHOLE DAYS
13. People who don’t use their blinker while driving
14. How every time I order a medium coffee in A LARGE CUP the person asks me if I want room for cream
15. Being woken up by a dog burping in your face

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Have something annoying you that you want to get off your chest? Let ’em rip!


5 Blogs I Can’t Get Enough Of

You know how this goes — you open up your feed reader in the morning and hope that your favorite bloggers have posted? You always look forward to seeing what they are going to share their perspective on next or what awesome tidbit they will discuss.

We all have them, so today I thought I’d share a few of mine. Here are 5 blogs I just can’t get enough of:

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seersucker saddles
1. Seersucker + Saddles

First of all Beth is adorable. Always a plus for a style blog, right? (Best Hair on The Internet! Hands Down.) But I love how well she mixes upscale fashion with Chuck Taylors. It’s a great mix of aspirational and approachable fashion, and her southern backdrops are always so vivid and delightful!

hollywood housewife
2. Hollywood Housewife

Laura is a great writer who has a blog, not a blogger who sometimes likes to write. You know the difference, right? She does a fantastic job mixing up bits of Hollywood life, stories of parenthood, thoughts on faith and also makeup in a way that totally makes sense. What strings them all together as cohesive content is her brilliant voice. A must read.

mimi smartypants

3. Mimi Smartypants

If you are in need of a good, dry sense of humor – please, please read this. Mimi Smartypants is an old school blogger, and that’s exactly what her website reads and feels like — and it is still such a breath of fresh air. Her take on pop culture, family and everyday life is always told in a snort-laughing type way AND I LOVE HER!

empowered sustenance

4. Empowered Sustenance

Lauren sums up what she writes about as: real food, living a chemical free lifestyle and mind-body medicine, and I always find her posts interesting and informative. She is healing her Ulcerative Colitis through food and lifestyle changes and it is inspiring to see. I always know her posts will be thought provoking, make me want to run out and do research or try something new.

The Urban Poser

5. The Urban Poser

Jenni has a gorgeous aesthetic and a knack for putting together amazing looking, paleo-friendly recipes. Her website makes me want to eat delicious, good for me food — and I love that in a food blog. I think the internet is overrun with pin-worthy indulgent food, so it’s such a refreshing treat to see such beautiful photos of nourishing food.

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Ok, now YOU have to drop some knowledge in the comments. Tell me a blog that you can’t get enough of. Need more blog recommendations? Head over here.


Recently // Currently // In The Queue

‘Tis the season — the season for chatting about books, I say! I’ve been a bit lazy about logging my reads over at Goodreads during the last few months but I’m in the process of playing catch up.

I love that site!

I thought I’d share the cliffs notes of what I’ve been reading, what’s on my nightstand, and what’s waiting for me on the shelf.

recently

1. Crossbones Yard by Kate Rhodes

This was a super quick read about a psychologist and a British serial killer. It’s one of those books that – yes, is a bit problematic when you get to the end – but man, WHILE YOU’RE READING IT – is awesome. I don’t know if the font was just large but it only took about a day and a half to get through. Worth it!

2. The Expats by Chris Pavone

Spy novel meets thriller full of suspense – this whole book felt like a movie. Again, the ending was a bit problematic, but I found the pacing and the energy of the book made me overlook it.

3. A Twisted Ladder by Rhodi Hawk

HRMPH. This book did such a GREAT job of creating a gothic, southern New Orleans setting, but the story itself was just a hot mess. I want a good moody book about the south that is AWESOME. Suggestions?

Currently

4. Quiet Mind: A Beginner’s Guide to Meditation by Susan Piver

Because my mind is NEVER quiet. I enjoy Susan Piver and her perspective. I don’t really enjoy meditation (but I think I need to try! ha!) I picked this up at the library because it looks like a good, quick, instructional read. So far, so good.

5. The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer

I am totally reading this book because I love the cover. Also because lots of folks whose book advice I trust have said they think I’ll love it. I’ll keep you posted.

6. Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut

This month’s book club pick. Our book choices have been all over the place this year, but I’m so happy we are still doing it because I’ve read some books this year I’d never pick up. Oh, reading this reminds me of this video. I’ve been really enjoying Ashley’s You Tube Channel Climb the Stacks and her general book talk. Do you know of any other people talking books on You Tube you could recommend?

in the queue

7. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

I asked and YOU answered. A couple of weeks ago when I did a little call out for books as addicted as that damn Twilight series (I know, I know I’M SORRY. IT’S AWFUL) this book was by far the most popular recommendation. Naturally I hit up Amazon immediately. πŸ™‚

8. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

This was another popular recommendation via email and in the comments of that last post. I’ve thought about reading this for years but have heard mixed reviews. I think this is the perfect season to finally dive in and see what I think.

9. A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra

So this book is on just about every Best of 2013 list I’ve read this year. Looks heavy, but like it will probably be great. Have you read it?

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So tell me, what have you been reading?


Fun Things To Read On A Friday

Getting this Friday STARTED! lol

It’s Friday! Hooray! Boy am I ready.

I spent most of my day yesterday in a hospital ER. Not what I planned, to say the least. Please don’t worry, it was something minor, but also something that required medical intervention. For as granola as I can be sometimes, never wanting to take medicine and looking for natural remedies, etc — I am forever grateful that for doctors and nurses who help people with acute problems day in and day out!

Anyway, looking around the ER waiting room just reminded me that the amount of time I spend thinking about and working toward the idea of being the “Healthiest + Best Version of Myself” is really quite a privilege. I probably need to spend more time appreciating what a gift that flexibility is and spend less time feeling frustrated that my pants were ONE SIZE SMALLER last year, or fretting that I can’t quite figure out how many carbohydrates are the “optimal” amount for me to eat. SHEESH.

So — WOW — didn’t mean to be a downer, just wanted to share a little perspective that the Universe smacked me over the head with yesterday. To make up for it though, how about some fun links?

Here we go:

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*Cheap Laugh: Awkward Domain Names.

*And if you want to keep that vibe going: 32 Books Guaranteed to Make You Laugh Out Loud

*You may want to just file this away for later: 17 Lifesaving Thanksgiving Cooking Hacks

*I love this advice forLiving Less Frazzled and More Fulfilled.

*Wow. A story about a waffle house made me a little weepy. Who would have thought…

*Speaking of unbelievable things: 5 Ways to Be Healthy WITHOUT Kale. Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat? πŸ™‚

*You don’t only deserve one hour out of 24, the people in your life deserve it too. Get to the gym.

*Closet FOMO. Did you know? It exists.

*The future belongs to those that care and those that believe.

*Shrinking Women. So, hey, that was powerful.

*When I visit the town I grew up in this is exactly how I feel.

*I see a Paleo version of this in my future.

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This weekend should be full of fun with a side of lounging. What are you guys up to?


The Lost Year

It's been almost a year since my last 5am workout. Hoping to make a habit if it because being done at 6am FEELS GREAT!

I planned to workout at 5am this morning, and when my alarm went off — well, it hurt. But I got up, put on my workout clothes that I set out the night before, made myself a cup of coffee, squeezed in a couple snuggles with the pooch, brushed my teeth and headed out the door. The workout was HARD. I felt slow. I swear I can feel every single stress related pound that I have gained this year and it sucks. (Especially when doing wall balls and box jumps and HEY LOOK AT THAT, both have been programmed in my last two workouts. BOO.)

But when I was done, it felt AMAZING. And it is literally the best decision I’ve made today, and I am so so happy I dragged my ass out of bed. I know it’s cliche to say you never regret a workout, but man — I don’t think I ever have.

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Years ago, when I started blogging about my fitness journey and when I seriously committed to CrossFit — I used to workout in the morning regularly. It is my preference, and it just sort of became a non-negotiable. Getting up and getting it done was just what I did — and I experienced some great results. I can’t remember exactly when I stopped doing that, but I can tell you why. I mean to be honest there are a million reasons — some are flimsy excuses (But it’s so much more fun to workout with Garrett! And he is definitely a night exerciser) but some reasons are legit (when I was CRAZY STRESSED at the beginning of the year with my job, the nicest thing I did for myself was give myself permission to just focus on SLEEEEEP!) But the fact is, the last 6 months have been a roller coaster of commitment when it comes to my fitness. And as you can imagine, that has yielded its own set of results. grumblegrumblegrumble

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I’ve been thinking A LOT about how to right this fitness ship lately. Mentally and Physically.

For the record, I think it is worth mentioning that I am not spending any time beating myself up over it. Life is long, and seasons change, and this has been a big year for me professionally and something had to give. This year it was fitness. I am a firm believer in the idea that we can have it all but we can’t have it all AT ONCE, and honestly, if I could go back and change the way this year has played out, I wouldn’t, so I’m not really coming from the perspective of “Where did I go wrong?” This has been a learning year and I am so 100% happy with the investments that I’ve made in my job and in my life, and the struggles I’ve had this year have honestly taught me so much. And one of those things I see so clearly now is I am SO MUCH HAPPIER in my life when I ensure that fitness plays a major role in my life. So I am coming from a place of prioritizing happines.

self care

I’ve realized this year that my fitness routine goes beyond getting to the gym because I should. It goes beyond wanting to “look good naked.” It even goes beyond what the scale says or how my pants fit or how much weight I’ve lost or gained and how much I have left to lose. For me, the act of having fitness goals, pursuing them, trying hard, doing it with a community, giving and getting support, seeing my friends succeed, experimenting with results, tracking my progress, celebrating that progress — all of those things are things that I truly ENJOY! Things I NEED, even. That hour every day is this little gift that I give myself above and beyond all the stuff that I am REQUIRED to do in life. Sure sometimes it feels hard, or there are things I’d rather be doing — but more often than not it’s my sanity saver. My happy place.

Also I realized last Friday — after a workout that felt especially BRUTAL, mostly because my last two weeks of gym attendance had been spotty — that it is SO. SO. MUCH. EASIER. to just show and up and do this regularly even when it is hard, than it is to find the time and energy to make a “come back.” When I am committed to what I am doing in the gym, it helps me focus better on my commitments OUTSIDE the gym. And without that over the last year I have truly felt a little bit lost. I was missing this essential piece of self-care.

I’ve been rolling it over in my mind comparing what I *was* doing when my workouts were just going off without a hitch and what I’ve been doing. And there were two main observations that kept popping up.

1. I used to be COMMITTED to working out mostly in the mornings.

AND

2. I shared a lot more about my workouts.

crossfit-ecard

The morning workouts are an easy fix. I’m going to set my alarm early a couple days a week and just GET IT DONE. The second one, well – I haven’t quite found that solution yet. Somewhere over the last year I started feeling a little self conscious about talking about workouts. I mean, I’m the first one to roll my eyes about That Guy’s Instagram and Facebook feed with 500 hashtags talking about his squat PR. Enough already! But there is also something so motivating about sharing and connecting with like minded folks who are trying to take care of themselves in that same way that you are. There is a fine line in overshaing and while I’m not sure I always stay on the right side of it, I have to say: blogging, tweeting, instagramming, facebooking about fitness goals and successes have kept me super motivated in the past. It may seem like a cheesy little thing, but I am going to commit to doing a little bit more of that in the coming days too.

I’m determined to get my groove back, friends. And I hope you don’t mind if I talk a little incessantly about it for a minute. πŸ™‚

I don’t know that it will be easy, but I definitely learned this past year that the alternative sure isn’t a cake walk either.

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The Perfect Day Off

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Garrett has the day off today because it’s Veteran’s Day (speaking of, I loved this post) and I took the day off to get caught up after a busy weekend. I am SO GLAD I did because it is basically going to be the perfect day.

Here’s the plan:

*Sleep in.
*Drink a little bit too much coffee.
*Make our way through episodes 99 and 100 of Dawson’s Creek
*Have some poached eggs over spicy sweet potato hash.
*Marvel that we are still in our PJs.
*Pop a pot roast in the crock pot (we’re making a sped up version of this.)
*Clean up the house.
*Hop in the bubble bath with a good book.
*Take the pooch for a long walk in the park.
*Watch a movie, mid afternoon, that we’ve been trying to make time to watch for a while.
*Hero WOD!
*Do some more relaxing just because we can.

We’re about halfway through and we are right on target. If you are off today, I hope you are having a good day too!


Fun Things To Read On A Friday

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Snip Snip! There it goes!

Thanks for all of your advice guys! I kicked Jessica Biel to the curb and cut off a bunch of hair and I’m hoping this is sufficient training wheels to rockstar pixie-ville. πŸ™‚ We’ll see. Can I just say, I’m so glad we made it to the weekend. This one is a busy one for us, so while I won’t be doing too much relaxing, I will be having a good time. Hope you all are doing the same. Shall we get to the best and the brightest of the internet this week?

Let’s do it.

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*Top 15 Foodie Weekends? Oh Sunset Magazine, how I’d like to live in your pages.

*When a post is titled These 20 Photos Are Going to Make You Cry (in a good way!), don’t click through if you are feeling hormonal. (Um, except do. Because it is worth it.)

*Are you ready to meet the chili of your dreams? You’ll find it right here.

*Do you know how to find the best deals at Target? There’s a science to it.

*I’m in love with this video. It’s about 10 minutes, but it’s worth it.

*3 Popular Health Lies That Will Make You Sick.

*And while we’re listing: 10 Life Lessons You Should Unlearn (I love you Martha Beck!)

*If you suffer from Technology Guilt, my friend A’Dell wrote a great rant In Defense of Devices.

*Have you been to the website What Should I Read Next? You type in your favorite book and it makes suggestions. Fun!

*Let me introduce you to your new best friend.

*Speaking of best friends: 41 Ways Your Dog Makes Your Life 100% Better Sooooooo True!

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Enjoy your weekend, folks!


It’s That Time Again

Internet, I’d say twice a year I make you pick out a haircut for me. Man, I’m just a TYRANT aren’t I?

So hey, guess what I’ll be doing tomorrow? Snip snip!

So, do you have your voting fingers ready, because here’s the deal. My hair right now is kind of Ugs-ville. I got it cut 6 months ago, and what do you know, if you don’t keep it up or something, it just turns into a shaggy mess that doesn’t cooperate:
Blazer weather is back! YESSSSS! #ootd

I’m not saying I look like Medusa or anything, but it takes a long time and a lot of product to work with it in the morning to make it look decent, and by the middle of the afternoon it looks crap-tastic no matter what I do, so therefore I can never leave the house without a ponytail holder for fear of an EMERGENCY. It’s time to let my favorite hair salon services work their magic, is what I’m saying, but I need to bring some inspiration.

Here are the random picture options from Pinterest (what did we do without Pinterest?):

Option A – Super short with bangs

short hair

Pros: Hello, how cute is this hair? It’s short. It’s sassy. It has bangs! But not COMMITMENT bangs, you know. And she looks like she has a rounder face so maybe if I do something similar I won’t look like a weeble wobble. Thumbs up.

Cons: There are two. One is that short hair gives me workout rage. I LOVE LOVE LOVE short hair in real life but I have yet to find an acceptable system in my workout life to really enjoy working out with short hair. The second is that I anytime I have hormonal breakouts (chin/neck) there just won’t be ANY hair safety net. All my business will just be OUT ON THE STREET. Nervous about that.

Option B – Leave the Length, Change the Part, Get Some Layers

Jessica Biel

Pros: I kind of love a middle part and I have been wanting to change it for a while. It would be nice to actually cut my hair with the part in mind. Other pro – it’s taken 6 months for me to get any length going, and it is a GREAT length for workouts. I can put it up, get it out of my face – YAY! Also this cut is versatile style wise. Maybe I just need some layers and shape to my current hair length, I just need to find someone who uses Hair Cutting Scissors Australia to obtain a perfect cut.

Cons: Let’s be real, I am not Jessica Biel. I am also not doing any color and part of why this style looks so great is because she has some fun ombre action going for her. Also, this overall look requires curling, which I don’t usually do on the daily, but could. But then again, my hair is very fine/thin and I imagine from this picture hers is not.

Option C – Side Part, Layers, Bangs

side part short with layers and bangs
Pros: This is cute, same side part. More layers. Bangs. The haircut definitely has SHAPE. Clearly I’m potentially feeling out bangs again (as I always do.) Scarves look cute with shorter hair!

Cons: It’s getting to be winter and hats look stupid on me when I have short hair. Let’s revisit Workout Rage.

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So — let’s discuss!

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