I don’t have a whole lot of 2015 goals to look over, cause I just didn’t make them. I love choosing a word for the year (didn’t choose one last year), but I have prayed about it for this year and this year my word is WHOLEHEARTED. My prayer is that I may show the love of God wholeheartedly on a daily basis, so that others see the hope and joy of our Lord through me. I also pray that I do ALL things whole heartedly and with great passion, even cleaning the toilets (ok maybe not cleaning the toilets)!
The Hub’s and I on our way home from AZ last week talked about our family goals for 2016 and I didn’t have a huge peace about any of it. I am not someone that worries about the future, I just pray and move forward. But things are moving quickly right now, in a good way and I feel like I can’t even slow down to really set goals. So I prayed and I am still praying..
But I am making my goals …right now…because goals are good and I love looking back on them at the end of the year. Without goals I lose focus, shoot I don’t have my new Erin Condoron Life Planner for next year yet and I am feeling a bit lost (true story).
GOALS FOR 2016:Â
Physical
- Do one half marathon and one triathlon this year! My full marathon days are put on hold right now, I just don’t have the time or energy to train.
- YOGA! You guys I am the worst at stretching, I really need to figure out how to get Yoga back into my life. It just needs to happen. I may just start doing the 21 Day fix yoga DVD once a week.
BusinessÂ
- Only post to Instagram twice a day max. I have slowly been cutting back on my posting, it will get easier
- Get my blog design finished!
- Add at least two more designs to the Refresh Attire shop.
- Blog post three times a week, one workout, one clean eat, and fun.
- Host a Refresh Summit in the South and West this year.
- Grow and maintain Bobbi’s Bootcamp throughout the year.
- Unplug from 10-12pm and 3pm-8pm
- Get REFIT Certified.
Spiritual
- Start attending BSF to dig deeper in God’s word.
- Write to my brother every week.
- Pray with my Husband/RJ every night or morning
Mommy /Wifey GoalsÂ
- Work on my tonality and how I react to the Hub’s and RJ.
- Do one craft/lesson with RJ a week.
- Make our family nutritious meals with lots of variety.
- Encourage my husband daily.
- SAVE SAVE SAVE! Find ways to save in all areas of our budget.
- More shopping on TARGET online with the Red Card so that I don’t buy things I don’t need.
- Every month pick a room to de-clutter, hello KonMari everything!!
- More oils less meds.
Well I have written them out, now I need to make a plan of action for them to come true. I want more than anything for this to be a year that we spend more time with each other at home. We love being out and traveling together and I am sure we still will. But I want our home to be a place where we find rest in the chaos of this beautiful life!
Question: Are you making New Year’s goals this year?Â
]]>
If you don’t know what a Capsule Wardrobe is, here is a great explanation from the creator Caroline herself:
(photo cred: un-fancy.com)
There are some fun rules as well, but I wasn’t doing this to follow rules per-say.I just wanted to have a less cluttered closet, with less stress on finding what to wear, more room to be creative for what I have, and stop spending money on clothes I don’t need. I love Carolines quote:
I remembered why I do it:Â So I can do more meaningful things with my time and energy. So I can avoid emotional purchases, avoid overspending. So I can build an intentional wardrobe that makes me want to do a happy dance.
I decided to go with the number 50 and maybe eventually I will scale down from there. I was very pleased at how my closet turned out. I love patterns and color, so my capsule closet is a bit brighter than most peoples, but hey what can I say I am just not a black and white girl.
So here is my before closet (the bottom is all workout tops, that’s for another day):
And after:Â
Side by Side: (I promise there are about 50 items less)
I am donating a ton to goodwill and friends. The stuff I wasn’t 100% sure about a put in a box and will take out in three months and see if I even missed it. I also stuck with all white hangers and that helps the de-clutter look a lot!
As far as pants and shorts, I narrowed them down to just a few.
I put up four dressed that I know I will wear this summer and about eight pairs of shoes (not including running shoes, those are in the garage).
My goals for myself are to pair down even more as well as not shop for three months for a single item. If I feel like I don’t have anything to wear, then it is time to get creative! The hardest part of this challenge is just finding time to do it. It takes time to sort through everything, but in the end it is quite freeing!
Question: Do you think a capsule wardrobe is something you could do or are doing?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
Honestly I wish our kitchen looked like this….
and Our pantry looked like this…
Panera has some great tips!!
Clear the decks. Remove everything from your kitchen counters and give them a good scrub. Then throw away anything that looks suspicious – the spice jars that have gathered dust for years, the old birthday-party invitations, the outdated catalogs.
Assess the appliances. Look at everything that used to live on your countertop and ask yourself this question: Have I used this item in the past month? If not, find a new home for it. Donâ€
t like toast? Put the toaster in the back of the closet. Havenâ€t touched the blender since 2004? Donate it to the neighborhood yard sale. Nothing goes on the kitchen counter that you donâ€t use just about every day.
Purge the paper. Chances are thereâ€s a forest full of paper sitting on your kitchen counter. Keep the clutter at bay by organizing a filing system in one of the cabinets, with a folder for each member of the family. Set aside time each week or month to deal with the contents.
Divide and conquer. Think about what you want to do in your kitchen, and divvy your countertop accordingly. For example, put utensils like spatulas and whisks in a piece of crockery next to your stove. If you enjoy baking, designate one area for storing your mixer, rolling out dough, and stacking your mixing bowls.
Go vertical. Your horizontal kitchen counter space is at a premium, but chances are youâ€ve got plenty of untouched vertical space that would be perfect for organizing your kitchen. Try a Peg-Board and hooks for pots and pans or buy a pull-down under-cabinet organizer for your spices.
Question: How organized is your kitchen?
]]>
So we are almost done with month one of our NO SPEND CHALLENGE!! So howâ€s it going? Well not bad. I have kept to the weekly allowance that I have gotten for gas, food and bills and because I had saved some money from not buying as many groceries (thanks to the Garden) I got to purchase a new pair of running shoes!!! I was starting to get shin splints and I have had my shoes for 9 months!!!! I didnâ€t touch any other money, but the money I saved 
Now we did buy a car, but that was something we have been planning for a while now and we did go to Palm Springs, again another thing that was planned before the challenge. However, we did use a Groupon that saved us over $200!!! LOVE GROUPON!
So what has been helping is the PAYING WITH CASH SYSTEM!! Every time we go back to this, it always helps me save.
Paying with cash forces you to stick to your budget
When I know that all I have to use at checkout is the cash in my grocery budget envelope, you better believe I carefully evaluate every impulse purchase or great deal I come across: “Do I really need this?†“Is this in the budget?â€
Sometimes, it truly is a great deal and I have the money in my cash envelope to pay for it so it goes in the cart. Other times, I decide itâ€s a good enough deal that I skip buying something else on my list that we can do without in order to afford it. Or, many times, I put it back on the shelf.
The Cash-Only Challenge
Maybe youâ€re one of those extremely responsible–and very rare!–people who can stick to your budget while swiping a card. If you are, props to YOU!!!
However, if you find yourself struggling financially and wishing you could figure out why your grocery budget is so high, can I challenge you to take a Cash-Only Challenge for 3 months and see if it impacts your grocery spending over the course of a three-month period? IT CHANGED OUR LIFE!!!
Hereâ€s how the Cash-Only Challenge works:
1) Commit to only spend what is in your grocery envelope for the next 3 months.
2) Go to the bank and withdraw cash in the amount of your pre-determined Grocery Budget.
3) Leave your credit/debit cards/checkbook at home and only bring your cash envelope with you to the grocery store.
4) Calculate your purchases on the calculator as you add them to your cart. This will motivate you to carefully evaluate all purchases, will make you aware of how much items actually cost, encourage you to look for the best deal, and force you to get creative if your list is longer than you have room for in the budget.
5) Pay with cash when you checkout and see significant grocery savings–hopefully!
6) Decide youâ€
Have you tried a cash-only system? If so, what benefits have you found from doing so? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.
Hawaii is in less then 70 days, so we need to stick to our cash only plan. We have already purchased our plane tickets, but still have to pay for the hotel and car rental. Staying on track has not been easy, but the more I avoid the grocery store and TARGET the better off I am. I also have quite a few Starbucks and Jamba Juice gift cards that have help me with some of my addictions.
The next 70 days we will be…
- eating out less
- car pooling more
- making less trips to the market
- do more projects at the house on my days off instead of driving!
- appreciating what I ALREADY have
Speaking of Hawaii, we are still looking for a great place to stay in Maui? Any great recommendations of great condos to stay in?
]]>
) . I needed a couple of personal days to get back on track! I am not gonna lie, sometimes I wish I could be a stay at home WIFE, but I just LOVE my day job too much.
So how did I spend the past two days?
Mornings were spent digging into Beth Mooreâ€s study of David. Her studies are so good!
‘
Running AGAIN! Back at long distances!!!
Been getting all prepped for my No Spending Challenge that starts tomorrow! Whoâ€s in?
I busted out my envelope system again!
I got this from Staples, itâ€s the Martha Stewart Line.
My lunches have been everything but the KITCHEN sink! I love these kinds of salads.
And the big project was painting one of our guest rooms! It was DARK DARK blue and we decided to go with a neutral and lighter color. I was inspired by Young House Love and went with Moonshine by Benjamin Moore. I love the color, I am just not sure about it with this $20 comforter I got from Target a couple months back. I plan on adding some solid pillows, drapes and pictures on the wall. Just not sure what color drapes, HELP?!!!
After paining for two days and running 8 miles I have been eating like crazy, but pure clean eats! Tonight’s dinner was an amazing red curry veggie dish, drool worthy for sure!
Curried Chicken with Zucchini & Cashews
adapted from Clean Eating magazine June 2012
Ingredients
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed (or a block of tofu like I used)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can chickpeas, drained
1/4 cup black beans (optional)
2 zucchini, chopped
1 cup low sodium vegetable broth
3 tbsp mild or hot red curry paste
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (or more if you love cilantro like us!)
2 tbsp roasted unsalted peanuts chopped
Directions
Add oil and heat pan to medium-high heat. Add chicken and garlic, cook until golden brown. Add chickpeas to pan, stir to combine. In a small bowl, whisk the chicken broth, curry paste, salt and pepper. Add to skillet and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through and sauce starts to thicken up. Remove from heat and add cilantro. Spoon on to cook rice, bulgur or grain of your choice. Top with cashews and more cilantro, if desired.
I have also been enjoying summer night walks with these two, man I am gonna miss summer!
As well as a little vino and the Olympics.
Time to go get the Zucchini bread out of the oven, GO USA!!!!!
]]>This morning I woke up and set my week off right by reading Godâ€s word and my devotional called Jesus Calling. This is just what I needed to read right now. I thought I would share it with you all as I know that it will speak to so many of you.
Waiting, trusting, and hoping are intricately connected, like golden strands interwoven to form a strong chain. Trusting is the central strand, because it is the response from My children that I desire the most. Waiting and hoping embellish the central strand and strengthen the chain that connects you to Me. Waiting for Me to work, with your eyes on Me, is evidence that you really do trust Me. If …you mouth the words “I trust You†while anxiously trying to make things go your way, your words ring hollow. Hoping is future-directed, connecting you to your inheritance in heaven. However, the benefits of hope fall fully on you in the present.
Because you are Mine, you donâ€
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.â€
—John 14:1Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
—Psalm 27:14God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek. – http://bit.ly/eF5kSq
This could not have come at a much better time in my life 
Love it when that happens!! God is teaching me a lot about waiting for things on his timing and waiting expectantly and with HOPE!
MASTER BEDROOM MAKEOVER UPDATE
A little update on our master bedroom makeover, we got it all painted just need to work on the trim. I also got this bed spread that I wanted from West Elm at Target for almost $50 cheaper and it came with pillow cases!
We love it, it really brightens up the whole room and gives it that classic feel we are going for. I am still debating on the little yellow pillow, suggestions?
We are also selling all of our bedroom furniture and are going to purchase this bed in black and this dresser, we are trying to simplify! I am going to be adding black and yellow accents to show off the gray a little more, I am loving the progress so far, but we have a ways to go.
You canâ€t tell that much from this pic, but the wall on the right is a lot darker then three of the other walls. We chose Sharkey Gray and Flagstone by Martha Stewart.
Monday Meal Plan
- Monday: Chobani Curry Tofu With veggies (recipe a friend sent me)
- Tuesday: Crockpot Garlic Chicken + Veggies
- Wednesday: Shakeology+ Leftovers
- Thursday: Crockpot Salsa Chicken
- Friday: Work
- Saturday: Hubby’s BIRTHDAY!
- Sunday: TBD
If you have any questions, please let me know. Hope you guys have a wonderful Monday!
P.S. Today starts the first day of my March Beachbody Challenge!!! If you missed out on the March challenge, no worries send me an email as I will be doing a March one as well.
]]>I wanted to talk about a project I have been working on this week. As you all know the theme for this year is organization for our household. Our first project is the laundry room. It’s the room we walk into when we come home and it’s always a disaster. It’s a really nice size laundry room and it’s got a ton of storage that is highly underutilized. So this past week I started on the fun project.
The first thing I did was buy an organization unit to help de-clutter a lot of things that normally just sat on top of the washer and dryer.
I got it at Ikea for only $49.99.
I also purchased the green boxes at Ikea as well as two green baskets from Target. I had the two other striped boxes from a while back.
While I was at it I went ahead and cleared out the built in storage unit we have in the laundry room as well. It’s not exactly how I want it, but it looks a whole lot better. I put a lot of our large kitchen appliances on the top shelf, that way they are easy to get to and are not taking up any space in the kitchen.
I still would like to label each shelf and figure out what the bottom shelves could be better used for.
I also hung up some hooks that I also purchased from Ikea so we walk in and hang up purses, jackets, grocery bags, Bosco’s collar, etc. Less things on the floor the better.
My next project is to figure out what to do with this desk area. We never use it and it’s kind of a waist of space. We have contemplated tearing it down, but what if we want to use it int the future. I think I want to change this section as a wrapping station?
Kinda of like this one:
For now I just need to go through all the drawers and get them organized and figure out what to do with this desk? Maybe I could just use it as a place to fold clothes???
I also have this empty spot of the washer and dryer that we have shelf that we need to install still. The old one needed some help.
So as you can see it is a huge work in process and I am still trying to figure out what works best for us. My goal is to have a laundry room that looks organized and doesn’t stress me out when I walk in the house everyday!!!
Question: What is the first room you see when you walk into your house? Is it organized?
]]>
I started my day at 5:30am teaching bootcamp and then came home and took a nap with Bosco… before I got my hands dirty, it felt amazing!!!
When I woke up I cleaned house and reorganized the living room because we got a new TV stand finally for our TV that we have had for months!!
We got it off Craigslist for $100. It’s in great condition and is just what we were looking for!
Now I just need to save up for the Crate and Barrel book shelves I want to put on each side of it. One day.
After getting most of the cleaning done I headed down the hill to get a wonderful hot power yoga hour in. I so needed it!!!
Then while running errands somehow I wondered into Tuesday Morning’s but I found this ceramic plate for $6 and knew Hubby would love it! Superbowl Party plate
I also had to take my car in for an oil change and while I waited I had lunch (Subway turkey + avocado sammie) and enjoyed the view…
I also went into the antique shop and browsed around a bit. I must bring hubby back here because he would love it!!!
Lots of old comic books and fun toys
Then it was off to get groceries and finish packing! Oh and in between all of that we made Kale + Bean Soup and Rice Krispy Treats for the trip.
Basically I just made the TJ’s 17 bean soup and added fresh tomatoes and Kale to the mix… hubby made the Rice Krispies
I taste tested the soup for dinner and it was excellent!!! Hubby had spaghetti and he was happy
He was… promise, he said my spaghetti is always made with love
After dinner, we packed up the car and enjoyed some wine. We deserved it!!!
Our packing list was intense!!!
Just about ready to call it a night!!! We are meeting the caravan at 8am to head out for a seven hour road trip I am stoked!!!!
I need a break from everything!!!
I shall keep calm and gobble on
Love this skirt. It is super comfy!!!
I always lay out my clothes the night before. It’s a routine that saves me so much time!!!
Some of you asked me how I have so much energy to do all that I do in a day?
So today I’ll try to start to answer this… tryÂ
Well first off when I teach bootcamp I don’t actually do the workouts. I train them (just like a PT session). Either way, it still is a mental workout for sure, but it gives me great joy to be helping others. I never find it exhausting.
For my HIM training, my two-a-days have been tough, but because I have a goal in mind it has pushed me through every workout. Honestly the key to me staying motivated is my mental state. I start the day in prayer and reading God’s word. It helps me focus on what the important things are in life!!! Getting wrapped up in the busyness of life is where one can get burnt out. Instead I’d really enjoying every moment.
Don’t get me wrong. I do get tired and at those moments I let my mind and body rest. Balance is key and I know some people think that my life is so busy, but honestly I do listen to my body and when I lose focus I stop reflect and get right back up!
We all have 24 hours in a day and we all have different priority lists. I choose to always put God, people, then myself on that list and from there life unfolds!
Keeping motivated will get easier if you stay consistent and have a goal in mind!
Today I challenge you to reflect on your priorities and maybe do some rearrangingÂ