I know it’s been a while, life has been full, hard and lovely. If you haven’t seen any life updates on my Instagram feed or story, let’s just say our family has entered into a new season of major change. I mean yes, we did move to Arizona a year ago and that was a huge shift, but here we are with another wonderful new adventure!
Our first summer here in Arizona was amazing. We did a lot on our summer bucket list: pool days, California visits, baseball games, movie dates, camping, water parks, vacation bible school and bbqs. We truly soaked up our time together, but NOW it’s August and still 111 almost everyday and I am ready for fall to come soon. I know I still have another month of this heat and I will thrive in it, because we are taking two unplanned weekend trips to CA in September as well as a week long trip to Chicago (give me all the green).
I am glad we did so much this summer, because little did I know God would open up a door for me to start teaching again!! Crazy right? I took a full time job as a Primary Guide (4-6 year olds) at a local Montessori Hybrid here in Phoenix. If you have been following me since the beginning of this blog like 10 million years ago you may remember that I used to work at a Montessori school as a teachers aid. The best part of this job is that RJ get’s to be in my class! I get to be her teacher. The first week was rocky, but each week has gotten so much better. This whole experience has been  a journey for all of us, but we are starting to get into a really good rhythm and I actually have enjoyed my morning commute! I have become addicted to Podcasts and some of my favorites are Revelation Wellness, Mom Struggling Well, Risen Motherhood and Cultivating the Lovely.  What are some of your favorites?!
We have instituted Friday Family Fun nights! One thing that we have made a priority this year is our family time. We have always did a pretty good job at making date nights a priority, but have not spent too much time making family time a priority. We are a work in progress, but we are making FFF nights a MUST! It’s been so great to look forward to after a long week for us all and a great way to kick off the weekend. Plus there is so many places to eat and do here in Phoenix that we always have a new adventure every Friday. I am going to be writing a weekly FFF on the blog soon!
As far as my fitness I have been taking a lot of Cyclebar classes and hitting up the local box gym for HIIT workouts of my own. I also started running again early on Friday mornings with a new friend and even going on hikes! I can’t wait for fall to come so I can get outside more for workouts. It’s been a bit of a struggle to run here in the summer, it’s just so HOT! But I know fall is just around the corner! I work out a lot less these days, which I am so ok with!!
Ever since I went through Revelation Wellness training back in April, my whole mindset has shifted about my entire health and fitness! I have found so much freedom in how I workout and what I fuel my body with. I pretty much stick to a plant strong/ whole food diet, but I enjoy a beer/glass of wine on occasion as well as a good scoop of nitro ice-cream. Just last night at a baseball game I had street tacos, chips, a bite of hubby’s hot dog (cause I had to have a hot dog bite at a ball game) and a margarita or two 
But that’s not what I eat on a daily basis. I used to shame myself after I would eat like that and as well as kill myself in the gym because of it. Now I am learning to let that go and just LIVE…get back on track! To see food as fuel and for enjoyment. But it’s a learning process friends and I am by no means perfect and have to put myself in check often!
We also lost a dear friend this summer and I am not gonna lie it’s been hard, real hard. But we know that God works out everything for his glory and we are thankful that this place is not our home and that one day we will get to see him again in heaven. But is honestly still sucks!
So there you have it, I started a new job, survived (almost) my first summer in AZ, moved into a new house, completed Revelation Wellness training, shifted my whole health mindset, didn’t run once this summer, and started FFF nights!
Just wanted to pop in and say hi, catch up and don’t worry I will be back soon! I hope you all had an amazing summer!
Question: What was the highlight of your summer?Â
]]>
Ok, so if you haven’t seen this word minimalism going around it’s out there…WATCH OUT! You want to hear something funny? I had never heard of documentary, “Minimalism”, until several weeks after God had given me the word LESS for 2017. Honestly I had no idea why this word “less” was pressing on my heart. My first thoughts were less busyness and more white space in my day/planner. But after watching the movie (which ya’ll should watch) I also knew that I need to declutter the physical things in my life as well. Less clothes. Less furniture. Less appliances. Less stuff all together. However, I didn’t want to go “cray-cray” and have a home that looked like this:
Don’t get me wrong I love the white clean look, but I love a home that feels lived in and cozy. I love how in the movie, Minimalism they said that it’s not about less stuff…”Minimalism is a tool to rid yourself of lifeâ€
s excess in favor of focusing on whatâ€s important—so you can find happiness, fulfillment, and freedom.” How biblical is this definition? Getting rid of the things of the world that so easily entangle you is very very biblical (Hebrew 12:1). When things start to steal your JOY you just have to throw them out (ok not everything, but you get the point). But that sounds way easier than it actually is.
Moving has been so great for us to see what we truly need and what we could live without. We got rid of so much when we moved, but not enough. I feel like there are still so many things to get rid of, but we do actually use them on occasion. I also really want our home to be warm and inviting… Oh the balance of it all. For sure I still need to toss out a ton more toys, clothes, and books that we really don’t need. However I get so overwhelmed sometimes, I even tell Matt to just start chucking things and not to tell me. I have actually been tempted to throw out unopened boxes, because obviously if I haven’t open them in over 6 months than I don’t need it.  I am always afraid there may be something sentimental in there that I would be sad to have lost it.
Speaking of sentimental, my wedding ring got stolen this summer… sad sad day! It was in my gym bag and my gym bag had gotten stolen out of my car. Serves me right for having a cute purse like gym bag. I cried for a bit, but was thankful that it was insured. Â We haven’t replaced it and I am ok with that. I know when the timing is right I will get a new one. It was the one thing I never wanted to lose, but I am realizing now that things are just things. We can’t take them when we die. The most important things are relationships and people!
Alright, so how do we do this whole minimalism thing and still have a welcoming home with children’s things? I don’t know the answer to that. I wish I did! However, I do know this, I am looking at things in a whole new light. I am thinking more about QUALITY vs. QUANTITY and evaluating the joy that certain things bring me/us. I believe fasting from TARGET for a year truly helped me start this way of thinking. Yep, you read that right, I didn’t go to Target once in 2016 and honestly, I have only gone twice this year. But if it’s not Target, it’s something else.
I will wrap this post up with this wonderful quote from the movie, “By incorporating minimalism into our lives, weâ€ve finally been able to find lasting happiness—and thatâ€s what weâ€re all looking for, isnâ€t it? We all want to be happy. Minimalists search for happiness not through things, but through life itself; thus, itâ€s up to you to determine what is necessary and what is superfluous in your life.” Â
Question: Have you seen the movie? What are your thoughts?
]]>The area in our house that I have been putting a lot of effort into is our dining room (still). It’s where we spend a ton of our time, gathering for meals, reading, enjoying coffee/a glass of wine, and these days with my brother staying with us for a bit it’s where I tend to work. I have always loved the homeyness of a farm house kitchen and since our home is older and charming it does fit the style of our home perfectly! You can see my July post for my inspiration.
Here is what we started with:Â
A little more modern and a bit too cluttered, still loved it all for a season.Â
Then we started the makeover to more “Vintage Farm House” last summer:Â
We switched my parents for a more “Farm House” table that we still have big plans for.Â
Since then we have done quite a bit:Â
1. New to us wine rack (Ikea) from our parents that we will paint and re-do.
2. Are rug from Marshall’s.
3. White old chairs that I spray painted white.
4. A coffee rack that I recently got from Hobby Lobby.
5. Fun new picture wall gallery that I am about to change.
6. New white shear curtains from Walmart that were a whole $6 a panal. Love the way the light shines in more now!
7. New light fixture.
8. Adding planks to the table top for a more rustic flavor and painting the legs of the table to match the chairs.
I just love this new coffee corner, it turned out just the way we wanted!
Here is what our chairs that I bought from a friend for a whole $25 for 5, looked like before. I didn’t even sand the chairs, just spray painted about two coats with white indoor spray paint.
Looks even cuter with RJ sitting in it
This month on the DIY docket:Â
1. Paint walls grey. I love this color from @alongthedirtroad.
2. Making a gallery wall with much bigger frames and pieces.
3. Painting our buffet, not sure what color yet.
4. Painting and hacking our wine bar.
5. Updating the fireplace cover.
YAY for summer projects!
Question: What is one thing in your house that you are dying to makeover?Â
]]>
The last time I did one of these post’s was back in August, right before RJ turned one. GOODNESS have things changed around here! I’m learning daily how to juggle being a wife, a mom, a business woman and a friend. Let me just be the first to tell you, that there are days that I go without a shower, never finish my first cup of coffee, have mismatch socks on (this happened today), forget to get milk at the store when that is the only thing I went in for… the list goes on… I AM SO FAR FROM BEING PERFECT!
5:00am // RISE AND SHINE//
I look at the clock, the monitor screen and baby girl is still out! That means I get a little quiet time in the morning or I head out to teach TRX. I love getting up slowly, making some coffee and reading a book, recently The Best Yes, which has been rockin my world! I also answer emails and catch up on my social media.
6:30 – 8:00am // RJ IS UP & BREAKFAST//
I love our mornings together most days, very slow and in our jammies. Â RJ has about an 8 ounce bottle of milk (she’s off formula). Now I would like to tell you that were doing something super fun and educational, but nope in all reality we might be watching Disney Jr. or The Today Show while we enjoy breakfast. RJ eats anything I eat, she just takes a lot longer. She doesn’t want me to feed her, so it’s me putting a scoop of oatmeal on a spoon and letting her feed herself. Repeat.
8:00Â – 9:00am // MORNING WALK WITH BOSCO //
RJ still takes her morning nap most mornings. She will definitely go down when we go on our walk with Bosco. We walk about 3 easy miles and then head back home to get ready for the gym. I catch up on more comments, emails, phone calls, texts and IG while we walk.
9:00 – 10:30am // GYM //
I love that we go to a gym where RJ loves the childcare. She always gets excited to play with friends and has such a great time. I, too, have a great time getting my bootie kicked in SPIN class or doing some weights. After class, I take a shower and then we head out.
10:30 – 11:30am // PARK //
We get out to the park everyday! I love watching RJ learn and explore on all the play equipment and I am also blessed to have a lot of friends that are stay-at-home moms and they bring their kiddos and we catch up on life.
12:00 – 12:30pm // LUNCH //Â
If it’s not at the park, we enjoy something thrown together at home. Right now, it has been peanut butter sandwiches, string cheese chicken sausage and peas. I am having a hard time making sure that RJ eats a lot of greens, unless she has a smoothie. It’s more me needing to prep than anything else. I am just lucky if I get her to have 10 peas!
12:30 – 2:30pm // NAP TIME //
I would love to say that RJ takes a two hour nap (rarely), we have a great night time sleeper, but afternoon naps are anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour if we are lucky! I know I could try and cut out her morning nap, we tried that and it didn’t work. So whatever time I do get alone I usually pick up the house, blog (like I am doing now), or catch up on Shred stuff.
2:30 – 4:30pm // PLAY TIME + AFTERNOON WALK //
I am trying to find more hands-on fun things that RJ can do, like finger painting, motor skills, signing, scenery stuff… but man, I need to get with it! I pin like a million things on Pinterest, but I have yet to really do too many of them. We also take Bosco for an afternoon walk, a lot shorter than our morning walk, but it’s always nice to get out one more time.
In there we have a snack, which right now happens on the kitchen floor. We enjoy apple slices, meat and cheese 
(with our tiaras on of course).
4:30 – 5:30pm // DAD’S HOME //
Most days Hubby is home by 5pm and I am trying to figure out what’s for dinner, but lately I have been using the crockpot so I don’t even have to think about anything, except what’s on the side. We eat a lot earlier these days and I kind of like it. While Dad plays with RJ, I try and freshin’ up… take my nail polish off… breathe for just two seconds…
5:30 – 6:30pm // DINNER //
Would love to say that we all sit around the dinner table and have a wonderful peaceful meal together, but I would be lying! RJ hates her high chair. She sits in it for like 3-4 minutes throws her food on the floor and most of the time ends up on one of our laps while we try and make sure she gets some kind of dinner in her. She then scoots all over the house while we try and eat. This is a process.
6:30 – 7:30pm // BED TIME ROUTINE //
If we are not at Tuesday night community group or Thursday night friends dinner, we are giving RJ a bath (while the other does the dishes), reading her a story or two, brushing teeth, feeding RJ her last milk bottle of the day (8 more ounces), and singing her a song. Then, off to bed she goes. Sometimes she cries for about 2 minutes and then she passes out. Other times longer and we have to be patient and then she conks out!
7:30 – 9:00pm // WORK //
We both sit our booties on the couch and exhale… The Hubby and I catch up on our days and then normally we both have to get work done. He has side business and I have my Shreds, Refresh Summit, Refresh Attire and Bloggy stuff to work on. By 9:00pm we are both spent (in a good way). If we don’ t have energy to work, we play a game, watch a movie or just relax. Once a week we do get away and have a fun date night (but those will be few and far these next two months).
9:00pm // BED TIME //
Yep, were that old couple… lol… we get into bed by 9:00pm and probably fall asleep by 9:30pm at the latest (it’s the secret to being a morning person). Wouldn’t it be nice to say I read, rarely happens.
As you can see it’s quite the fun juggling act, but I love it! When the weekends roll around and Hubby is home, he is such a huge help! I don’t ever want him to go back to work on Monday’s. It’s not a perfect schedule and it won’t ever be, but it works for us..for this season.
Question: What is your bed time?
]]>
Is it perfect? Does it always go like planned? NO! However, it has been a life saver for me to be able to lay things out so I can have a little bit of an idea of what the day will hold. I know I love reading these posts about other bloggers… it’s always fun to see what the day looks like (snoop).
6:30 – 7:30am // RJ WAKES UP //
She is our alarm clock! She recently has been waking up between 7 and 7:30am (no more 5:45am!). I still get up early, pour my cup of Joe and do my morning Bible reading and prayer. If RJ wakes up before me, she joins me while enjoying her first bottle.
7:30 – 8:00am // BREAKFAST //
It always changes… some mornings I make a Green Monster, other days Love Grown Oats, maybe Eggs and Cereal, or Chobani yogurt with granola. It all depends on what mood I am in. RJ always eats a little bit of everything I enjoy as well as her banana.
8:30 – 10:30am // GYM //
Pack up and head to the GYM! I have found that the 9:15am Spin and Body Pump classes work best for us.
RJ is in a great mood during this time. She loves the childcare at the Y and I get in a great hour sweat then it’s out the door before her morning nap. I also have been riding my bike twice a week and doing a kickboxing / TRX class on Saturdays.
10:30am – 12:00pm // RJ NAPS or ERRANDS //
I either get some work done on the computer or around the house if RJ takes a nap. This week and next I’ll be working on stuff for RJ’s first birthday party!
If RJ doesn’t take a nap, we get to run errands like grocery shopping, post office trips and other random adventures.
…or she plays in the play room while I work.
12:00 – 1:00pm // LUNCH TIME //
I have been enjoying every bit of kale that I can get fresh from our garden. We normally eat some kind of protein, a whole grain, veggies and an avocado.
RJ pretty much eats what I eat at almost every meal. I do have to give her more green veggies in puree form because she has a hard time chewing kale. She does love peas, green beans and snap peas!
1:30 – 2:30pm // WALK and PARK //
We walk to the park (about two miles from our house) and chill for a while and then head home. This is also where I can catch up with clients, my Shred groups, emails and phone calls.
RJ loves to just sit and chill in the shade and watch the other kiddos play. I can’t wait till she can slide on her own!
2:30 – 4:00pm // SECOND NAP //
On a good day, RJ naps and sometimes for a lot longer. This is where I do my daily chores… dishes, bathrooms, vacuum, mop, sweep, dust, or sometimes I just blog (which is what I am doing now)… but if no nap, then we play
4:00 – 5:00pm // REST, BREATHE & SHOWER //
5:00 – 6:00pm // DINNER //
Hubby comes home and I start dinner while they play. These days I try and keep dinner as simple as possible. Lots of chicken tacos, turkey spaghetti, chicken and sweet potatoes, homemade pizza and other simple, but filling, meals. I also do try and make one new recipe a week… to mix it up
6:00 – 7:00pm // BED TIME ROUTINE //
Bath time while one of us cleans up dinner, read a book, sing a song, pray a prayer and then down to bed (some nights later than others).
7:00 – 9:00pm // MAMA & DADA WORKS //
Now that I have my ‘home office,’ no more coffee shop trips for me. I just turn on the music and light a candle and work away. Some nights we have small group and dinner plans so this doesn’t always happen, but some nights.
Once a week, I put on my REALÂ clothes and Hubby and I get go out for date night!
9:00pm til…Â // THE 9:00PM RULE //
We also have a 9:00RM RULE! What’s that? All phones OFF… electronics OFF… and just “us” time.
We haven’t been so great at this lately, but we’re bringing it back!
We normally hit the hay between 10:00-11:00pm and the weekends are a whole different ball game!
Question: Do you thrive on routine or do you love just living day-by-day?Â
]]>I told the Hubby that I wanted to start fresh with the dining room and guest room. I wanted to sell everything and start new, so he gave me the challenge to use all the money I made from selling things to purchase everything new I wanted or to get creative! Well I shifted into major resource mode and I have been selling a lot of my clothes on IG and a lot of our furniture on Facebook.
Here is a shot of our dining room before. I really did like it , but it was just too crowded and with a 10 month year old who is about to get MOBILE, it was time to make this a more family friendly (or should I say toddler friendly) space.
Here is what we are going towards…(from Our Vintage Home Love). I love everything about this space! I want to paint the wall that the fireplace is on with chalkboard paint and add this cute saying as well as make that adorable wine display!
So first I cleared out the room. I am not gonna lie; I danced in my socks for a while and even thought of just making it a yoga space!
I really love the look of Farm House tables. They are very family oriented and as much as we host we just need a big table! Our other one was big when you added in the leaf, but when it was open completely it took up most of the room. Since I am on a tight budget, I started looking for some DIY tables on Pinterest (everyone makes it look so easy) and I found a few.
But then I remembered that my parents have a table that is a lot like the one we like, so I gave them a call and they were all for switching tables as long as I agreed to host Thanksgiving every year! So we said farewell to our pub table of 6 years (great memories)….
and said HELLO to our new-to-us dining room table! Well, that was easy! We still want to add some wood to the top and make it a bit more rustic, but this table will so do for now. I also want to paint the chairs. I’m just not sure yet. I also want to make a bench for it as well. I moved our two comfy brown chairs to the side of the fireplace and I like the look a lot better. My goal is to score two smaller chairs to replace them. I also would love to find or make a single chandelier and get rid of the two fans.
This weekend RJ and I did a bit of yard sale shopping, thrift shopping, and went to some of our favorite bargain stores (aka: Marshall’s and Ross). I scored this wonderful rug with just the texture and look I was going for!
I pulled out my Owl Shakers and it kind of got me excited about the FALL!
I really have just been going through the house and switching things up a bit, the cheapest kind of redecorating there is! We have a long way to go, but I am really loving the open space so much more. We also took a trip to IKEA because I did make some money selling some clothes and furniture and I have a guest room/playroom/office to decorate!
RJ loved looking at everything with us! Ok, maybe not but it was a fun family outing!
P.S. I have a lot more changes to show you. I can’t wait!
Question: Nesting: love or hate?Â