A New Morning Routine + My Reading List

Not too long ago I read this post by Nancy Ray. She talks about how she starts her day by quieting her heart, spending time with the Lord and simply enjoying peace before jumping in head on to her day.

Like Nancy, I too can become easily overwhelmed and stressed, but stress and anxiety are not how I want my life to be defined. In an effort to change this pattern I decided a couple of months ago to give this new morning routine a try. I am so glad I did. It may sound crazy but it is really something I look forward to now every morning. While I still enjoy sleeping in occasionally on the weekends, there is something so peaceful about a quiet home, a warm cup of coffee, a cozy blanket, the Bible and a good book.

I have always loved reading, but was simply never able to make time during the day to sit down and enjoy a good book. However, with this new routine, I've given myself time to first and foremost spend time in the Word, whether it's simply reading a book or passage, or doing work for one of the two Bible studies I'm participating in. After that I get out my journal and write out at least three things I'm thankful for. This really helps bring perspective to my life and reminds me just how blessed I am. I think we often forget that and it's such a great way to look back and really thank God for what he has done and given us.

Lastly, I spend 10-20 minutes reading whatever book I'm in at the time. While I love fiction books, I decided recently to spend more time reading books that will help me grow and learn. So I've been reading more books on business, finance, spiritual and physical growth. I love that I feel like I'm learning so much!

Here are the books I've read over the past 2 months:

EntreLeadership - Dave Ramsey

Women of the Word - Jen Wilkin

The Meaning of Marriage - Tim Keller

Love Does - Bob Goff

Good to Great - Jim Collins

November Goals

Can you believe it is November already?! The holidays are knocking at my door. We have had a pretty busy fall again this year, but as always I'm excited about Thanksgiving and Christmas. In fact, I'm hoping that my goals will help keep me on track so I can not only begin implementing new routines but ultimately so that I can enjoy what matters most during the holidays; family and relationship with others.

I'm sharing my goals with everyone as way to keep myself accountable. I have a lot of big, scary, and crazy exciting things in the works and while I often feel silly sharing them here on my little blog, doubting myself, my creativity and my ability, but I'm learning to be bold again by simply being vulnerable.

Here are my goals for November:

- Revisit my guest room/office decor (I've been saying this for months and finally feel like I've got a more solid direction about where I should go with it as far as organization and decor)
- blog at least 3 times per week (if I'm being totally transparent, I'm obviously not doing well here, but giving myself grace and room to grow)
- organize linen closet
- take family photos for holiday cards
- purchase holiday cards
- create 2 more products for my etsy shop (yup, you ready that right! eeeeekkk! So excited to share more as this evolves!)
- sip on a pumpkin spice latte with my love


What are some of your goals this month?

Photo courtesy of the crazy talented Shay Cochrane

September Goals

Can you believe it is already September? Seriously, where did the summer go? Well I don't know about you but here in Houston, I am welcoming fall with open arms, as long as it brings in some cooler air! While it was a bit late this summer, the heat and humidity finally reared it's head and if you aren't indoors in the blasting arctic AC then you should be in a pool.

August, was busy as usual, but I'm so thrilled that I've started focusing on monthly goals because it's keeping me on track to really focusing on things that matter most to me. While I wasn't able to finish a lot of my August goals, I can say, I am well on my way and I am excited for September. Not only do I love the fall, but this new months gives me a new opportunity to finish up Augusts goals and begin new ones! It's not about perfection people, it's about making strides that will help us focus on working towards a life filled with the things that are important to us.

I also want to start sharing things I'm thankful for from the previous months. So here is what happened in August:

- goal setting with the hubby (we both post our goals on the fridge and intentionally share them with one another to help encourage one another)
- a surprise weekend getaway with the Mr. to Austin
- taking more photos - I LOVE taking photos, I've been hauling my camera everywhere and I've been learning so much
- planning upcoming trips/holidays

Those are just a few of the things standing out to me right now, I know there is so much more I could share.

Now for a recap of last months goals and some revised goals for this month. Last month I realized I needed to break out some of my larger goals, like my guest room/office overhaul, into smaller goals to make them feel a bit more attainable so this month I'll be focusing on working towards each of those smaller goals.



August Recap/September Goals


- finish reading "Wheat Belly" 
- read "Women of the Word" by Jen Wilkin and "Smart Money Smart Kids" by Dave Ramsey and Rachel Cruze- finish pantry overhaul and reorganization
- do 5 things that create a cleaner more "honest" home (I recently read Jessica Alba's "The Honest Life" and was encouraged to make a few changes in our home, more on that in a post coming soon).
- guest room/office overhaul 
        - create an inspiration board
        - save for and purchase bedding
        - save for an purchase accessories- do at least one photo shoot a week to work on styling and overall skill
- continue working out 5 days per week: including weight lifting, one class, yoga and running
- make 80% of meals at home

A Weekend Getaway - Austin Edition

A few weeks ago my husband surprised me with a weekend getaway to Austin. Our schedules have been almost polar opposite lately so we hadn't seen each other much and date nights were few and far between so he decided to plan a quick overnight trip for the two of us on a weekend that worked for both of our schedules.

While it was just a quick trip, it was exactly what we needed. Time together.

We drove about 2.5 hours to Austin and spent the day at Barton Springs. I'm going to be super honest, it's a little weird to see a spring, enclosed like a pool in the middle of Austin, but was a lot of fun. And for the few dollars it cost us to get it in, it was so worth it!

After spending a few hours out in the sun, we stopped at a favorite spot for many locals, Sno Beach. It's a little snow cone food truck in a random parking lot! I can't tell you how long it had been since I've enjoyed a snow cone but it was the perfect way to cool off in the 100 degree heat.

For dinner that evening we went to another well known Austin destination, Moonshine Patio, known for their classic American comfort food. Let me tell you, if you haven't eaten here, you should! They have the most quaint atmosphere built in an old home, and they have tons of outdoor patio space. You sip on drinks from mason jars, snack on spicy popcorn and savor the jalapeño cheddar cornbread! We ordered the Moonshine "Corndog" Shrimp with honey mustard blueberry swirl as an appetizer and I ordered the Cornflake Fried Chicken Salad and the Mr. ordered the Seared Rainbow Trout. It was all amazing!

On Monday, we woke up early, grabbed a quick breakfast and made a 40 minute drive to Hamilton Pool, not too far from Dripping Springs, Texas. Hamilton Pool was probably my favorite place all weekend. We arrived early enough that we decided to go for a short hike to Padernales River first before the heat set in. We were the first guests to arrive at the river that day so we enjoyed the peaceful sound of the running water. It was perfect! The water at the deepest was only about waist deep so we were able to wade out to the middle of the river and hang out on some large rocks and take in the view. 

We spent the rest of the our time at Hamilton Pool. Again, if you haven't been you should definitely go. The pool is surrounded by a collapsed canyon and has a 50-foot waterfall. The park limits the number of guests allowed in to maintain the natural surroundings, so get there early to avoid the 1.5 hour wait in your car!

Overall the trip was amazing, it was great to get away from the hustle and bustle of life and enjoy nature and catching up with my sweet hubby!

August Goals

As I mentioned in this post a few weeks ago I am trying to be more intentional with my time. I want to live with more joy and more purpose. In order to do so I am going to write out and share my monthly goals here on the blog.

My goals may seem a little strange or scattered to you but each of them reflect things that are important to me. I want to live a fulfilling healthy life, one of simplicity, order, and beauty and most importantly one that glorifies the Lord. By writing my goals out monthly I hope to find myself working towards them more often working less out of habit and more from intention.

August Goals:

- finish reading "Wheat Belly" by
-pantry overhaul and reorganization
-do 5 things that create a cleaner more "honest" home (I recently read Jessica Alba's "The Honest Life" and was encouraged to make a few changes in our home, more on that in a post coming soon).
-guest room/office overhaul
-do at least one photo shoot a week to work on styling and overall skill

A Gift For Baby

Last month I became an Aunt for the first time! My husbands brother and his wife welcomed Baby Clive to the family and we couldn't be more thrilled. Unfortunately, with us living in Texas and them in Brooklyn, NY it can be challenging to share lifes little moments with them so I opted to put together a quick gift box to send them instead. There is just something so sweet about getting an unexpected package in the mail!

I've been reading a lot about the importance of keeping a cleaner, safer home when it comes to kids and I have been doing a lot of reading about Jessica Alba's new brand The Honest Co. I couldn't wait to get my hands on some new cleaners to try out myself and I was over the moon when I found out they carried some of the baby products at Target. I snagged some samples and of course their Organic Healing Balm for my sis-in-law. And I couldn't help but throw in a toy, an adorable onesie and the sweetest pair of baby shoes ever!

I added some shredded colored paper filling and a card and voila! Gift in a box! This will do for now until I can spoil the little man when I meet him in September!

It's Never Too Late...

As you know I've had this blog for a couple of years now and I've never been able to fully commit myself to doing regular posts. Blogging is hard ya'll! It takes a lot of time, patience and persistence!

But as I've reflected over the last few months, I realize it's not just blogging that I find difficult, it's life in general. I have always considered myself a "go-getter," a hard worker, achiever, organized, etc. However, I have felt like a complete mess the last few months. So I recently sat down at a local coffee shop and did some soul searching, I realize that not only do I not set goals, but I also live in a lot of fear.

Let me expand on this a bit. My husband, bless his heart, is the biggest goal-setter, goal-achiever I know. He writes out his goals for the day, week, year, 10 years....and on and on. He knows that sometimes God has different plans for him and he is totally okay with that, He simply revises his goals to align with those the Lord puts on his heart. I, on the other hand, have dreams, big, fluffy, head in the clouds, audacious dreams. But the difference is that I dream these dreams with no sense of how to make them a reality. I find myself floating through life day-to-day with no real plan. Not really working towards any one thing, getting easily distracted and not enjoying life to it's fullest, because I lack intentionality. At the same time, I also live in fear of how people will view me and my life. I know in my heart that I am a daughter of the King, I should not live in fear, but I let the world flood my mind with doubts and anxiety. I let fear put a halt to my dreams and the desires on my heart, before I even attempt to make them a reality. This is the enemies goal, he wants us to fear, to think we are weak and unworthy, but that's a lie. We have all the strength and ability we need through Christ.

All of this being said, July starts a new chapter for me. I am going to stop living in fear and start being intentional with my life, my walk with the Lord, my home, my career and my family. So, moving forward I will be sharing my monthly list of goals on the blog. Many bloggers already do this and I want to do these same, because it creates amazing accountability. Over the past few days I've been working on setting small goals for the remainder of July, and a more solid list for August. I'm so excited to share some of those with you in the next few days. And I'll also be sharing how we as a family, create and help one another work towards our goals.

A Master Bedroom for the Newlyweds

Just a few days ago some dear friends of ours got married in Napa Valley. Oh my goodness how I wish I could have been there. But oh how I look forward to celebrating with them at their reception in May.

Anyway, a few months ago I received a message from this dear friend and bride. She was trying to put together her wedding registry and had a picked out a duvet for her master bedroom, but was a bit unsure when it came to incorporating additional colors, patterns and details so she asked me if I could provide some assistance. I could not have been more excited for the opportunity to get my creative juices flowing again and happily obliged.

Here is what we started with, the Pottery Barn Rouched Voile Duvet in Grey. I then put together two options for the bedding. One added a bit more color with floral accent pillows, while the second look was a bit more sophisticated and the ikat pillow cover kept in line with the rest of the bedding. 

Pottery Barn Rouched Voile Duvet and Euro Shams/ a pair of PB Allegro Palampore Pillow Covers (no longer avail.)/ PB Grand Embroidered Bouidor Pillow with the couples monograms

Pottery Barn Rouched Voile Duvet and Euro Shams/ a pair of PB Phoenix Ikat Pillow Covers (no longer avail.)/

 PB Grand Embroidered Bouidor Pillow with the couples monograms

At the moment, I'm love coloring a bit more "out of the lines" so to speak. In other words, I like to pair differing patterns and colors to bring together a room. So naturally I gravitated toward the first option, but since this was for a wedding registry I wanted it to ultimately be up to the couple to decide what look fit their personalities. Needless to say they chose the first option as well. Wishing them both the best in this new chapter and hope they love their new master bedroom retreat!

Another Healthy Snack Alternative

Hey there, hope everyone is having a great week. It's been another busy one for me, I'm finally getting a bit more settled in to my new schedule and I'm still finding some time to take care of my little family, get some chores done, as well as work on some projects around our new place. More updates on all those exciting things coming soon!

Today, I thought I would share yet another somewhat healthy snack option for those moments in between meals when hunger strikes (it happens to me more often than not). I like this snack because it combines a bit of crunch, sweet and a tad salty. While the rice cake isn't super healthy, the almond butter adds a bit of protein and a healthy fat and the apples give a crisp sweetness.

To make it all you have to do is take a cinnamon apple rice cake, spread almond butter across it and top it with some sliced apples. For a finishing touch I like to sprinkle a bit of cinnamon on top. And there you have it! 

Contentment Challenge - What I Learned

Hi all, it has been a few weeks since my last post, I apologize. As many of you know, I started a new job about a month ago and the last two weeks we have been working hard getting ready for the grand opening of our new store. Good news, the store is now open and it is amazing!

I love it. The team I work with is beyond fantastic and I just love that I literally wake up in the mornings and look forward to going to work! It's really a refreshing feeling.

Anyway, now that the store is open I should be able to settle in to my new routine! So be looking forward to more regular post here in on the blog.

Today, I wanted to start by recapping the end of the Contentment Challenge I did mid-February through March. I finished up my month-long challenge about two weeks ago and I have to say I couldn't feel better about it.

At first I was hesitant about the fast, thinking it would increase my desire to shop more, but God is gracious and loving and I never once felt deprived at all. I will admit there were a few times I browsed through clothing and shoes, but it was freeing to not feel that desire to desperately need something. I felt content with what I already had.

I am happier to report that even now, two weeks after the completion of the Contentment Challenge, I still don't have that desperate need to shop. I love that I can feel free to go walk through Target or window shop at local malls, but not feel that nagging need to make a purchase. I have bought an item or two since the end of the fast but haven't felt the need to do a major shopping spree. 

It is truly amazing what God will do in your life when you give him the reigns, when you give up those desires that seem to drive you and instead let Him drive. I never imagined I'd feel this way and while I was hesitant at the beginning of this experience I am so incredibly thankful I did it.

Image Credit: Nancy Ray

Guest Post: Part 2 - Our Workout Routine + A Printable

Hi all! We are back today with the second part of the guest post with my husband Chris. Yesterday, he shared a little more about both of our fitness backgrounds and how we've moved forward. Today, I'm excited to share our current fitness routine. I apologize, in advance, it is a bit lengthy but Chris will give you an in-depth look at the programming he put together for us. I've tried to include photos and links to help guide you on form. That being said, if you have never done any olympic lifting I would strongly recommend seeking a fitness trainer/professional to assist you before attempting any of these lifts on your own. I was fortunate enough to have my husband teach me technique as well as certified coaches at our last Crossfit gym.

And finally, I'm beyond excited to share my first printable with you. This is a prettier version of the workout spreadsheet Chris created for me. I like to print mine out and put them in a notebook (I love using the Martha Stewart Arc notebooks from Staples). It is a great way to track progress and push yourself to move up in weight each week. I hope you all enjoy!

Hello everyone, welcome back! Today, I will be sharing the workout routine I've programmed for Meghan and I. As I mentioned in yesterday's post our goals are a little different so our programming varies slightly but this programming is a great place to start.

Mondays: Squats, Presses and a 10 minute met con (metabolic conditioning). 

(Source: Bodybuilding.com)

Squats are done with two warmup sets, and three heavy sets of 5 across. The last heavy set of squats is “5+”, meaning done to exhaustion. So, the heavy sets would be 5/5/5+. This method is taken from the GreySkull Linear Progression (GSLP), which I have had a lot of personal success with. The goal is to add 5 lbs. to the heavy sets every time you squat, in a linear progression. Once the lifter is no longer able to maintain sets of 5 across, you reset, lowering the weight by 10% and restart the linear progression. This allows the trainee to smash through previous PR's (personal records) as they continue the linear progression. Check out this post on bodybuilding.com for proper form.

The presses alternate on Monday and Thursday between bench press and strict overhead press.  They are also done in 5/5/5+ fashion. So, one week you bench on Mondays and strict press on Thursdays, and the next week it’s in reverse. The linear progression with presses goes up by 2.5 lbs. weekly until a reset is necessary. On Mondays you finish with a 10 minute metcon. The metcon is programmed on the fly, but we are trying to incorporate pullups or chins into each Monday metcon. For example, a Monday metcon might be 6 rounds: 5 pullups, heavy farmers carry with dumbells, and 10 pushups. This allows Meghan to push herself hard at the end of Monday’s workout.

Strict Press

(Source: Bodybuilding.com)

Check out this video for proper strict press form from Crossfit Endurance.

Bench Press

(Source: Bodybuilding.com)

Tuesdays: Cleans, ring dips, overhead squats, and sprints. 

(Source: Girl Walks in to Bar(bell))

Cleans (full squat cleans) are done for 3 heavy sets of one rep across, progressing up in weight each week. 

Check out this video from Crossfit Endurance on proper form.

(Source: bodybuilding.com)

Ring dips are done with 3 sets of 8-10 reps, once Meghan can do 10 reps across; the weight is increased, utilizing a weighted dip belt when necessary. The reps are higher with this to allow more of a hypertrophy/aesthetic focus. 

Bodybuilding.com has a great video on proper form for Ring Dips as does Crossfit Endurance.

(Source: Bodybuilding.com)

Overhead Squats (OHS) are done in the 5/5/5+ GSLP fashion, adding 5 lbs. every week. The OHS are to build strength for the oly lifts, and to build a strong core. 

You finish the Tuesday workout with sprints, either utilizing straight sprints of 50-100 yards or football style cone drills. Last week I had Meghan doing 5-10-15 style sprints for example, and the sprint style changes weekly to make it fun. 5-10-15 sprints mean you have a starting point and sets cones out at 5 yards, 10 yards, and 15 yards. You sprint from the start to the 5 and back, then to the 10 and back, then to the 15 and back, without rest. I like to do these starting on the minute, and shooting for 6-8 total sets. This allows for power and speed development.

Wednesdays are an active rest day, and Meghan has said she would like to incorporate a yoga sessions on these days or some other type of group-based class.

Thursdays: Presses, Front squats, and a 10 minute metcon. 

Meghan does the opposite press movement from Monday, in 5/5/5+ fashion. See above for proper strict press and bench press form. 

(Source: Bodybuilding.com)

Front squats are also done in 5/5/5+ fashion. 

The metcon on Thursday incorporates at least one core/ab movement, for example I had her recently do: 6 manmakers with 15 lb. dumbbells / 10 sit-ups, 5 manmakers / 10 sit-ups, 4/10, 3/10, 2/10, 1/10.

Fridays: Presses (hypertrophy focus), snatch, heavy deadlift. 

The presses on Friday take the movement you did on Monday, and is done with 3 sets of 8-10 reps. This allows you to focus on hypertrophy/aesthetics for the specific muscle group. 

(Source: The Rockzone)

Snatches are done for heavy sets of 1 rep across, with the goal to focus on form and progress in weight each week. Snatches are one of the hardest olympic style lifts to perform. If you have never done snatches, it would be best to learn from a coach to ensure you have proper form so as not to cause injury.

(Source: Bodybuilding.com)

The deadlifts incorporate 4 warmup sets building up to a single heavy (should be very heavy) set of 3 reps. Meghan is awesome at deadlifting, so this should progress fairly quickly. I personally prefer heavy deadlifts to be done at a rep scheme below 3, which I think (in my experience) allows for maximum power development. 

If you have time, you can incorporate some more sprinting on Friday, but you don’t have to if the deadlift crushed you that week.

Saturday is an active rest day allowing her to do yoga, maybe a jog, or some other fun activity, and finally, Sundays are supposed to be a pure rest day allowing for adequate recovery.

I’m sure there may be questions, so if you ask them in the comments section I can either address them through Meghan, so work on a second guest blog post. 

Click here to download this printable.

This program isn’t for everyone, because quite frankly programming shouldn’t be a one program for all type thing. Programming should be developed with the specific trainee in mind to focus on their specific goals. Meghan created the printable above based on the programming I created. Feel free to download it and modify based on your own fitness goals.

Have fun and lift heavy!

Disclaimer: We are by no means medical professionals or dietitians, therefore; the information on this blog is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional fitness or medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. I do the best I can to present information I find helpful myself, however, you should always review any information from this blog against additional sources and consult your doctor or medical professional before making any decisions in regard to treatment or diagnosis.

Guest Post: Part 1 - A New Routine

Happy Wednesday everyone! Today, I'm super excited to introduce to you our first guest blogger, my sweet husband, Chris. As I have mentioned before he is the person that got me out of my 'health' rut and really educated me on what it looks like to live a balanced life. Because of him we now share a mutual passion for physical health through exercise and a well-balanced diet. Today he'll be sharing a brief overview of what we have been working on the past few years and tomorrow's post he will share a much more in-depth review of our current programming and how it works. Hope you all enjoy!

Hi, I’m Meghan’s husband Chris. When Meghan and I got married she wasn’t super into working out. She would occasionally go to the gym, and ate “healthy” by normal American standards: avoiding high fats, eating whole grains, maintaining portion control, not eating too many sweets, etc. Well, she ended up marrying a gym rat, who by nature takes everything to extremes. On our first solo date I was cutting weight for my fourth professional MMA fight, and she wasn’t quite sure what to think of the guy who was only eating meat and veggies… She described me as “intense”.

Through three years of marriage she has been awesome though, open to trying new workouts, and a new healthier “whole foods” diet (think Paleo-ish), which in conjunction with prayer and the Lord’s grace, has reduced 99% of her previous digestive and health issues.  Since she had no formal weight training experience other than using machines at globo gyms, we spent the first year of marriage doing power routines, incorporating lots of squatting, deadlifting, presses and exercises designed to add muscle onto a tiny little lady. 

We started her on a version of Rippetoe’s Starting Strength program (review of the program via Bodybuilding.com here), progressing through the Madcow 5x5 linear progression, and ending with the Greyskull barbell linear progression. Each has its own merit for the novice trainee, and she gained a ton of relative strength. After about a year she had enough of a solid strength base that I felt comfortable taking her back to Crossfit.  I’d been doing Crossfit since about 07-08, had my Level 1 Crossfit Certification, and had done some coaching in the past, so we were both pretty excited about the opportunity to get out of the local YMCA and back into a “real” gym. 

We spent the next two years at Crossfit Albuquerque. We had great coaches there, made a ton of awesome friends, and Meghan really got to develop her olympic (oly) lifts, as well as a much broader skill set (pull ups, toes to bar, ring dips, handstand pushups) thanks to the Crossfit programming.

When we moved to Houston a month ago I thought it would be fun for me to get back into programming our own strength progressions. I absolutely love programming, and I kind of nerd out about the intricacies of it. We found an amazing gym, Studio Fitness, located in the Heights, which has a ridiculous amount of good equipment (bumper plates, squat racks, pull-up rigs, and even a sprint pad!). Meghan and I sat down and discussed her goals, which are to focus on strength and oly lifts, as well as having an aesthetic element to the programming (check her goals post out here), because who doesn’t want to look good? 

Tomorrow I'll be sharing a document that contains the linear progression I currently have her doing. We’ll stick with it for a 8-10 week cycle before revisiting it for modification. Her program is similar to mine, but has a few small differences as I’m focusing on building a stronger power base after two years of generalized Crossfit style programing. It’s a four day a week program, incorporating heavy movements on Mon/Tue/Thur/Fri, with two days of short metcons (metabolic conditioning), incorporating sprint work for speed and power, basic oly lifts, and a little bit of hypertrophy/aesthetic based movements.  Be sure to check back tomorrow and I’ll go through the specific days and methodologies.

{Image Source: Crossfit Albuquerque}