Thursday, June 28, 2012

Goals


{Image Credit: lowbroweye.com}

Happy Thursday all! It's almost the weekend just hang in there. This weekend I hope to get started on some new goals I wrote out for myself. I find that writing out tasks and goals can be much more realistic and motivating than simply imagining them. I recently realized that it has been quite some time since I actually sat down and set some real goals for myself and I finally decided to stop thinking about it and just do it! So today I sat down and put my pen to paper, or my journal and wrote out a few of the things I'd like to do in the coming weeks and months. The list is pretty short now but I'm sure I'll be adding to it as I think of things and as time progresses and other goals are accomplished.

Have Intentional Quiet Time. Mr. W and I used to do this just about every morning before work. It was a great way to sit back and read God's word before starting our day and often it made our days so much  better.

Keep a Prayer Journal. I used to do this in college. Being anxiety prone, I found that it was super helpful to write out my thoughts and prayers at night before going to bed. It was a way of getting the day off my mind before attempting to fall asleep. I'm not sure how or when I stopped doing this but I think it should be a part of my evening routine again.

Create a Weekly Cleaning Schedule. Sundays are currently my designated "cleaning" days. But lately, Sundays have been rolling around and I am simply exhausted. So after reading this blog post, I was inspired to do the same and create a schedule that we can use in our home to keep things in tip top shape. I have a hard time coming home after a long day of work to a messy apartment. To me a home should be a place of rest and solace, and by Tuesday ours is no longer that, instead it looks like a tornado struck, an obstacle course of gym and work bags begins to emerge, paper mountains begin to form on every surface, clothes begin to hang off of furniture, and the dog hair starts to collect just about everywhere including the kitchen (one of my biggest pet peeves, it's gross). Hopefully a new schedule will help us keep things looking clean and a little less chaotic.

Do a 30 in 30 Challenge. I have started seeing this challenge done by a number of bloggers, starting here, but also here, and here. I won't lie I'm pretty intimidated by the thought of this, but the point of the challenge is to pick 30 items in your wardrobe and create 30 days worth of outfits from them. I'd like to try to the challenge in an effort to make myself realize the potential of my wardrobe and think outside the box, or in this case inside the closet, before I think I need to go out and buy a new outfit. This leads me to my next goals.

Save $$ for a New DSLR Camera! I've been trying to save for a new camera for awhile, but it seems that every time I get a little money I end up spending it. So with the 30 in 30 challege, I hope to be able to save some of the money I'd typically spend on wardrobe items and put it towards the purchase of a new camera. And lets face it ya'll, my iPhone and point and shoot camera are not doing this blog any justice.

Sell Old Clothes at a Local Consignment. I've been looking around for a good consignment store to sell my old clothes at and fortunately we have a few great ones in town. Now I just need to find the motivation to dry clean my clothes and take them in to the stores. Again, I hope I can use the money to either purchase a few new items for this coming fall/winter, yes, I'm thinking that far ahead, or to put towards the camera.

Organize Electronics Drawer. We have a buffet or dresser in our dining area that stores a number of things, including one drawer for our electronics, and more specifically the cords. I've been meaning to organize it for awhile but I just don't seem to make the time to do it. But, last week was pretty much my last straw when the night before our vacation I was panicking, yes, freaking out, because I couldn't locate the cord to my Kindle. I was rummaging through the hundreds of chargers we have in the drawer but none of them were the right one. So lets just say I'm now determined to make sure that drawer gets a little attention.

Physical Goals - to come soon. Don't worry I promise I haven't forgotten. There will be a number of physical and health goals. I'll post those soon.

Well folks, that's about all I've got thus far. Updates to follow, wish me luck!



Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Every Girl Should Know...


{Image Credit: via all4woman.co.za on Sarah dB pinterest}

Yesterday was interesting day to say the least. It was one of those days where things just went a little crazier than usual. My first accident of the day happened when I was leaving the gym and heading to work. I went to grab my phone out of my beautiful Michael Kors tote bag only to stick my hand into a massive puddle of water. Needless to say, my water bottle wasn't closed tight and the entire thing leaked out into my work bag soaking my iPhone, magazine, paperwork and my Kindle Fire. Thankfully, my phone survived, my Kindle was not so lucky. Then this afternoon I stop at the grocery store to pick up a few things before heading home and get back in my car only to find that it won't start...then my phone dies, and by the way, my hubby is not in/near the city. Thankfully, I had just enough battery left in my phone before it died to call my husband as well as a few friends, one of which was sweet enough to come rescue me. A few minutes later, my husbands coworkers are showing up to help too...after my phone died they had been asked to come find me and make sure I got home safe.

We finally figured out the problem, no it didn't need to be jumped, instead it was leaking radiator fluid. But we managed to temporarily fix it and get it home car home and yes, my phone is now charged, and sitting on the charger as we speak, just in case.


{Image Credit: via eHow.com pinned from Becky Lang pinterest}

But, now I have to figure out how to get my car to the shop tomorrow. I could drive C's car, but it's a standard. Thankfully, my very first car was a standard so I know how to drive it but it has been 7+ years since I had that car so I'm a little rusty. But I was determined so I got in the car and drove it around the apartment parking lot only to find that I was much rustier than I thought, so that is no longer an option. Instead, I'll be having someone follow me to the dealership first thing tomorrow morning.

Even after all the craziness, days like this really remind me of God's goodness and grace in my life. I am so blessed to:

- Have a husband who pretty much sends out search and rescue when something happens to me
- To have a great church community who is willing to help me at the drop of a hat
- A nicer car than most, thank goodness this doesn't happen more often
- The ability to look at the situation at the end of the day and laugh rather than stress

In the end, I'd like to let you ladies in on a few secrets I also learned today.

The first - if you get your iPhone, Kindle, etc. wet, put it in a ziploc bag of dry rice over night. This should help draw out any moisture in the device. (This isn't a guaranteed cure all, but give it a try before giving up all hope.)

The second, every girl should know how to drive a standard car. It's a daunting and frustrating skill to learn, but once you do it I promise it'll will be so worth it. My dad always said this about driving a standard "at least if something happens you know you'll be able to get home safely no matter whose car it or what type of car you end up driving." Boy was he ever right! I now plan to ask my hubby to take me out for a refresher on driving a standard. Next time I'll be prepared!


Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Relaxing

I can't believe it's already Wednesday! We've been here three full days already and are absolutely loving our time here. The New England weather has been slightly chilly, a little too cold for swimming, but perfect for lounging around the house, spending much needed time with Lord and catching up on some other great books!

It's also been a dream to sleep in until 9-10 am and not have to rush off somewhere. We've been able to wake up, read, enjoy wonderful breakfasts, workout, go into town to the local country stores, cook some amazing lunches and dinners (in this family we love to eat!) and just spend time with our family.

For more photos/updates be sure to follow me on instagrm, style_strength!

Hope you're having a fabulous week lovelies!

PS-still trying to figure out the blogger app sorry for the weird formatting.

xoxo, Meg

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Tuesday {In the Kitchen}


This week's {In the Kitchen} I decided it would be fun to share with you a few of inspirational coastal/vacation home kitchens and a few of the recipes I am dying to try on vacay!

The image above is from Coastal Living, funny thing is I met this lovely woman and her three adorable children at a friends wedding this past New Year's Eve on Amelia Island in Florida. That town is to die for! If you want a quaint, beachy getaway that is definitely a place worth visiting! It's a quintessential, quiet beach town. Complete with farmer's markets and the neatest antique stores.



 Aside from Amelia Island, this kitchen is the perfect vacation home kitchen. It's clean, simple and lovely! And I heart floating shelves with a beautiful display of white dishes! I die, they are my fav!



These lime squares, from Eat Live Run blog, look fantastic! My goal...see if we can manage to make a very similar recipe, but g-free! 


Nothing says vacation to me like a good mimosa. I can guarantee we will having several of these!


The hubby and I do our best to still eat well on vacation, paleo if we can, but we at the least we try to eat gluten free. We'll see though, it can often be difficult if you don't have family that understands your dietary needs, fortunately, our families try to be as helpful as possible. We'll let you know if we come up with any paleo/g-free family secrets that we can share.

I also always carry a few snacks on the plane and some extra for during the week. I like to bring Justin's almond butter, some kind of protein bar (ours right now are Detour, but Think Thin has some great g-free peanut butter bars), raw almonds and E-mergen C!!! They just a few helpful snacks to keep us going, especially when traveling through an airport full of pricey, packaged foods.

What do you foods do you like to enjoy on vacation?

{Image Credit: Coastal Living, lime bars, mimosa}



Monday, June 18, 2012

Travel Attire & Essentials

Happy Monday loves! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. I thought it would be fun to do a post on my travel essentials.

{Image Credit: Lululemon.com}

 Let's start with attire. Finding the perfect travel outfit is often one of my least favorite things to do, you have to strike the perfect balance between comfort and style. Sitting in an airport you see tons of people, some in five inch heels, others in their pajamas. I fit somewhere in between, you certainly won't see me in pajamas, but I'm also not a fan of traveling in heels. I mean seriously, who wants to run from one terminal to another in stilettos, let's get real here ladies. Anywho, back to this dress, is it not perfect for traveling? While I haven't purchased it yet, it is definitely on my wish list and would be dream to travel in. It's a gorgeous soft amd stretchy material that you could easily pair with a pashmina scarf during. It's a bit pricey but you could literally where it anywhere, around the house, in the airport, grocery shopping, etc. This piece is a must!



{Image Credit: aldoshoes.com}

What goes with a perfect maxi? A perfect flat sandal of course. This Aldo sandal is the epitimy of style and comfort and would pair perfect with our comfy maxi! Nothing is more perfect for travel than a stylish pair of flat sandals, easy to walk, run and sit around in.

{Image Credit: Michael Kors}

I also heart my Michael Kors tote! Mine looks almost identical to this one. I got it for Christmas and I kid you not I use every day! It's both stylish, classic and practical and have I told you it fits EVERYTHING you could possibly need?! Again a good/stylish tote is a travel must!



{Image Credit: Amazon.com}

I also wouldn't dare go anywhere without my Kindle Fire. I can quickly download books, magazines, apps, movies, TV shows and music. I have only had my Kindle for a few months but I love it! I always hated traveling because I was carrying two or three books, my laptop, my iphone, etc. Now my Kindle and iPhone hold everything I need and make traveling so much lighter! I know there are a ton of options when it comes to choosing a tablet and while I desperately wanted an iPad, I just didn't have the budget to spend $600+ on it, so I settled for what I find is the next best. Plus, it is so much easier to hold to read books.


{Image Credit: Amazon.com}

And what is a vacation without a good book of course! I know, I know, I'm definitely behind the times. I just started reading this yesterday, even though its been out for a good while, but I must say so far I'm loving it! I'll let you know what I think when I've finished it, but if it's as good as I've heard, then I'm going to love it!

Hope you have a great week loves!

xoxo, Meg

Sunday, June 17, 2012

A Week Away


We are finally on vacation this week! A much needed getaway from the hustle and bustle of our busy lives. While I have a feeling I'll still be in some contact with work, it's comforting to know I have a week to unwind, relax, rest and rejuvenate. Yesterday, we traveled across the United States from the desert in Albuquerque, to the beautiful northeast United States. We are staying in the little quiet lake town of Barnstead, New Hampshire at my in-laws lake house. It is truly gorgeous. The weather is perfect, sunny and cool and the lake is warm. There is just something so incredibly peaceful about spending the week with our family. My brother and sister-in-law will arrive later tonight from NYC and I'm sure we'll have a week of fun and laughter, while sharing some amazing food and wine as we always do.

No worries though, I still have a number of posts to come this week. I'll be doing my best to keep it summer vacation and lake house themed to give you all a little slice of heaven that I'm fortunate to enjoy this week.

Happy Sunday loves!

xoxo, Meg

{Image Credit: My Blue Canoe Tumblr}

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Tuesday {In the Kitchen}

Today is a BIG day, its my first post of for a new series called, In the Kitchen. I will do my best to make Tuesday's about something kitchen related, whether its decor, recipes, tools and essentials or organization, you name it and you'll find it here. After doing some thinking about where I spend the majority of my time at home, I realized my hubby and I spend more time in the kitchen than anywhere else and it has become one of my favorite places. It's where I'm free to relax, experiment and live, and of course bring tons of colors and flavors together and turn them into fantastic meals. Over the past year through my journey of learning to live paleo and g-free, I've learned so much about health and my body that I've come to embrace foods again rather than feel like they are a poison to me.

With that said, here is today's first Tuesday In the Kitchen post! For the first post I decided to start with the basics and share with you some of my absolute, "must have" cookbooks and favorite foodie blogs. These are books and blog that, I kid you not, I use recipes out of on a weekly basis. They are fabulous, healthy, delicious and they often inspire some mine and my hubs own recipes.


{Check out the site and buy the book here}

We absolutely use this cook the most in our kitchen! It is always open on our counter ready to go. We have made a ton of the recipes and have yet to find any that we don't enjoy. I never imagined in a thousand years I'd be eating cauliflower 'mashed potatoes' or a delicious squash casserole. The recipes are amazing! This book is a must! And I love that it even has a dessert section too!!!


{Buy book here}

This was our first paleo cookbook and it is a great basics book! Every paleo kitchen should have this.


{Visit Sarah's page here}

Sarah Fragoso is an exceptional woman, mom and paleo enthusiast. When I was first learning how to eat paleo and couldn't find any recipes I turned to her website for enjoyable, family friendly meals!

{Buy the book here}

If you are a displaced Texas belle, like myself, this book is a MUST!

{Be sure to check out Katie's site here}

I stumbled upon Dashing Dish accidentally, but I am so thankful I did! Katie is a beautiful woman inside and out and her story is incredible, and I love her love and passion for being a woman of God who wants nothing more than to serve the Lord. She has inspired my heart behind my blog and sharing my story with others. If I were to meet Katie, I have this strange feeling we'd be great friends! P.S. if you need a good tasty protein boost after workouts, try her protein shakes! Ah-mazing!


{Visit Lisa's site here}

Lisa Thiele is such a fabulous, beautiful, trendy woman and she eats g-free, and she throws in some paleo recipes too!!! Her blog is beautiful! It is a daily read for me. I love her recipes and her personal stories. Please please please go visit her blog! You will love her, I promise!


{Check out Nom Nom Paleo}

Need more paleo recipes, check out Nom Nom Paleo. This site has some tasty paleo meals and treats! And be sure to try the roasted brussel sprouts and bacon, to die for!


So there you have it! The first official In the Kitchen post! What do you think?

Monday, June 11, 2012

Hello Monday


Hello lovlies! Does anyone know where the weekend went? I felt like there was very little time to relax this weekend. We've been on the go since we got off work on Friday and I've only just now had a chance to sit, write and think. Oh well...guess that's just how life goes sometimes. Here's to a great week though! Don't forget to take a little time for yourself. Sit down, grab a journal and a glass of wine and jot down some things you are thankful for.

Happy Monday loves!

{Image Credit: Wit + Delight}

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Estee Lauder Skincare Review

I am absolutely a creature of habit. I am often too afraid to try new things and new products, especially when it comes to my skin care regimen. I mean, hello, a good skincare line is not cheap! But last week, I ran out of moisturizer and decided to take a risk and try something new.



I've recently been reading about a number of bloggers and others using Estee Lauder's lines of products. So I decided to take a trip to a nearby makeup counter and give it a try. Rather than dropping $150 up front on full size products I was able to find this, a travel size Even Skintone set perfect for testing before splurging.


{Photo Credit: Estee Lauder, Limited Edition Even Skintone Solutions}

I must say, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was thrilled at the thought of trying something new. I've been using the products for roughly a week now and I have to say I have been pleasantly surprised! My face appears to be a little brighter and clearer and I love the clean scent of the products! They make my face feel fresh both at night and in the morning when I'm getting ready for the day. And they are the perfect size for all the traveling we'll be doing in the coming weeks!

I plan to continue using the products for the next few weeks, but so far though I'm pretty impressed.
Looks like I may have a new favorite line of skincare!

Monday, June 4, 2012

Weekend Recap

Hello lovlies! Hope you all had an awesome weekend. I'm not gonna lie ours was awesome. We literally had no plans and no schedule all weekend which meant lounge clothes, no makeup (gasp! I know!), checking off little projects on my to do list for our home (things that didn't require us to leave), experimenting with some new recipes and even a little time for watching TV.



While our weekend was pretty low-key and relaxing, we couldn't help but dream about an upcoming beach vacation for our 2-year anniversary next year. Bora Bora anyone?! What? A girl can dream, right? Summer vacay can't get here soon enough, less than two weeks, but whose counting? It certainly won't be Bora Bora, but we are blessed to have the opportunity to take off a week of work to visit the in-laws at their new lake house in New Hampshire!

What are your summer plans?

{Image Credit: Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, Bora Bora}
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