Ten for Tuesday

1. I didn't do a Sunday Seven this week because I was at the tax office all weekend. But you know that means? Tax season is officially OVER. And I can go back to being #1joblady.

2. I still can't believe what happened yesterday at the Boston Marathon. It's heart-breaking and terrifying and  just plain evil. Pray for the victims, their families, the medical personnel, the investigation and most of all- for humanity. We are a people that seriously need saving.

3. I made Nicbars. My version of a Larabar. You're welcome.

4. It's looked like this for days around here.

Where the heck is spring?? It's cold, windy and yucky. 

At least the green popping up gives us hope it will eventually warm up!

4. I tried this as a warm-up before my Spartacus workout yesterday:

Um yeah.

 I only did half and I thought I was going to puke. HA. 

Thanks Julie! It's a goal now to get through this entire thing with no breaks. 

5. Today I had the opportunity to hear the CEO of my company speak to over 2000 of our team members here in Des Moines. It was really cool. Reminds me how lucky I am to work for an ethically sound and caring company. Also, he's from the Twin Cities. Midwest represent!

6. Once, with my friend Jane, I had this cheese called Fromager D'Affnois (super frenchy sounding). 

Anyway, it's a creamy delicious white cheese that has the consistency of butter and I was super stoked to find it at my favorite local grocery store. 

Which means for breakfast on Sunday I made this:

Pretty much the best sandwich ever. 

7. I am finding that I have more free time on my hands now that I'm not doing social media for the next couple weeks. Which means I am 30 pages away from finishing War & Peace. Believe it. I read almost 500 pages this weekend.

8. We are doing a series on marriage, sex and singleness at church right  now. It's super fascinating and timely for me. Tomorrow, T and I start premarital counseling. I'm so thankful for our small group and the open and honest discussions we can have. It really is a blessing. 

9.  In 3 short weeks I'll be running the Flying Pig Half Marathon in Cincinnati with my friend Kim. I'm so excited! I definitely need to start researching the best local coffee and eats in town. :)

10. Coming up with 10 things is harder than I thought. So I'll leave you with this quote from our small group study guide:

“When I have learnt to love God better than my earthly dearest, I shall love my earthly 

dearest better than I do now.” - CS Lewis

Happy Tuesday. 

Favorite Instagrammers & Screen Shots

I realized the other day that I'm addicted to taking pictures of my iPhone screen.
If I see a recipe I like on Instagram or a cool picture, I'll screen shot it to save for later.
Besides Pocket, it's my next favorite invention.

So here is a little bit of what I've been Screen-Shotting (I'm sure that is not grammatically correct) lately:

First of all, if you don't yet, you should follow all these people:

@treehouseohm on Instagram. Zaiden is awesome. She always posts pictures and quotes that challenge my mind and my body. Plus- she's a little sassy and I like that in people. Here are a few awesome things I've found on her instagram:

Workout Part 1

Workout Part 2

Workout Part 3

 I think between these 3 screen shots I have a few things to help keep my fitness mixed up. I'm really interested in trying the 4 minute plank workout.

I love this quote. And someday I'm going to get that bendy. 

These look super delicious. And easy. And nutritious. 

Here are a couple other inspirational fitness people from Instagram:

Elliebean of @Raeble_Raeble: Vegan gal training for a goal weight. She posts a lot of motivational type things and tips. With a little humor mixed in.

I don't know if this burns 1000 calories, but I bet it sure feels like it! 

This makes me laugh. so. hard. 

I love workouts you can do while you are doing other stuff- easy peasy!

I did a little Internet research on this one...and it appears to be true. SUPER interesting. Especially to those that have issues with cholesterol. 

@InstagramFitness: This account has food and fitness. They feature other people who are pushing their fitness levels. It gives me ideas and reminds me that my body is capable of much more than I think it is.

These look awesome

@SimpleGreenSmoothies: I'm pretty sure I've mentioned the 30 day challenge before. I did it for the month of January and pretty much have made this a lifetime commitment- green smoothies often. So good for me! Here are a few recipes that caught my eye:

This protein power drink sounds delicious

I love cranberries and thought this sounded like a great winter recipe.

I love avocado in a smoothie- it's really good. 

I still haven't tried the frozen grapes or goji berries, but I'm adding this one to my list. 

@kmaecags: Krissy is a beast in the best sense of the word. She pushes her body to the limits when working out, has a super interesting story (recovering addict to creator/owner of BAMFit) and some BA tattoos.

This workout scares me. 

Another healthy ball recipe. Try not to laugh when you read that. 

@Mealprepmondays: I'm a huge fan of prepping meals before the week begins. Make lunch and snack packing for work easy. Plus- takes the guess work out of meal planning and grocery shopping. This account always motivates me and gives me ideas on how to mix it up.

African stew? I'll try it. 

I love anything with Dijon and goat cheese. 

Here are a few recipes from my favorite people:

Jenna from Eat, Live, Run

Yum. I love Thai.

Kim from This Healthy Endeavor

I love bananas in anything. 

Amber from Girl with the Red Hair

I'm addicted to Brussels sprouts

And a few more things just because:

That one time Josh Wolf responded to my tweet:

When I 'quit' twitter for awhile and then nonstop tweeted for a whole day.

Klout is so crazy.

A little gem I found in my notes on my phone. I really do love my fiance's hometown.

Do you use the screen shot feature on your phone? Do you love instagram as much as I do?

Hope you are having a good weekend!

February Recap & Fashion Fast Update

It's the first day of spring but it sure doesn't feel like it!

We are experiencing some bitterly cold windchills here in the Midwest...nothing like the warm temps we were experiencing last year at this time.

However, we've had our daylight savings time switch and our days are getting longer so warm temperatures can't be far away!

Plus- our little indoor plants are starting to bloom!

Either way, I'm ready for bike rides, sunset dog walks and reading on the patio. 

In the meantime, here's a little update on what I was up to during the month of February.

Just to remind you, I had some general goals for the year:

- Spend time in the word and prayer more
- Stop over committing (rule of 2)
- Get simple (fashion & spending fast)
- Eat (mostly) vegan
- Give priorities priority (more family, regular volunteering, scheduled write sessions)
- Rest in the big picture

I'll be honest, I didn't even plan any specific February projects until about halfway through the month and by then I was overwhelmed, burnt out and ready for some rest.

So...instead I'm just going to focus on the GOOD that happened in February.

I've been really focused in my morning devotions. I changed up my morning routine to do my #shereadstruth before I even get out of bed. I like to read while I'm under the covers and then say my prayers out loud. I started doing that a few weeks ago after our small group started back up. My pastor likes to use this quote when talking about prayer: 

'To clasp hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world.' (Karl Barth). 

Since I gave up coffee for Lent, I think it is the best way to start the morning. Just me, the good word and Jesus. I dig it. 

My last espresso latte on Fat Tuesday

I still miss coffee. HA.

BUT- I think I've finally found a balance with the occasionally soy chai tea latte or steeped green tea when I'm craving something warm and soothing.

And speaking of giving things up...

This book is wrecking my life in a bazillion amazing ways. 

I'm really enjoying walking through the book with my church small group and connecting with other bloggers who have worked through the series. I don't think I'll ever be the same after reading this book.

I sucked at time management in February.

As I mentioned, I ended up overwhelmed, burnt out and ready for some rest in mid-February. 

So I took a couple days off work. I cooked, cleaned, met  my brand new niece and just enjoyed a break from all the craziness of working 7 days a week- sometimes 12 hours in one day. 

4 course Vday dinner created by yours truly

Baby Gwen

Evening sunset in my hood

I still have so much to learn about finding balance in my day-to-day life but lately I feel like I hit a stride. Hoping it sticks around. 

Aaaaaand....month 2 of NO SHOPPING!!!!

I'm not having any issue with this. I have been purposely avoiding catalogs and fashion emails and since we are in perpetual winter maybe that makes it easy. 

Along with stressed out and burned out- my eating habits suffered. 

My favorite local ice cream sandwich- Fat Tuesday indulgence

One of a few cupcakes I ate this month

I still meal-prepped and ate mostly healthy during the day, but at night when I had time to assess all the things I had going on, I'd get stressed. And miss coffee and want snacks. So I may have ate a lot of popcorn and cookies. 

I'm trying to turn that around this month!

I'm avoiding late night eating and keeping a food journal to help me identify those times when I feel snacky. I think staying up late leads to bad eating habits for me so working on more sleep too.

My volunteering gig is going great. I love serving people so much. 

My amazing fiance recommended a writing night and it was so therapeutic. Just what I needed!

 I had a great girls night with my running group friends- love those gals!

I even found an hour to donate blood one lunch break- feels good to give back in such an easy way!

T and I spent a Saturday afternoon with the little of my family- checking out dinosaurs and eating Zombie Burger. The kids loved it.

And of course- date nights with this guy.

Never. gets. old. 

February was a trying month. 

I struggled with my schedule and with emotions. I felt like staying in bed for days at a time. 

But I came out of it. And I'm learning. 

How to listen to my body. 

How to listen to my soul.

How to adapt to challenges.

How to not always fight the flow of life. 

How to try again.

So for March- I'm making goals:

- Run 100 miles this month: I'm already over 60 miles and 2 weeks to go. I hit a BIG goal last week of 30 miles!! If you don't already- find me on dailymile.

- Finish War & Peace: I'm about 500 pages in and it's getting interesting. I'm scheduling reading time and plan to make big dents in it this weekend. 

- Send out wedding save the dates: almost done! Just a few that I had to gather addresses for.

- Make some progress on baby Gwen's blanket: I started it but have a ways to go. I might need a little coffee shop time for reading and crocheting. 

- And of course- #restisbest

How was your February? Do you have any goals for March? Does it feel like spring yet in your city?

January Recap & Fashion Fast Update

Hi Friends.
How's February treating you so far?
I'm loving the longer days, milder temperatures and all things LOVE. <3
I'm also loving the opportunity to check in on where I'm at with sticking with my new mantra:

#restisbest

As I mentioned in my New Year's post, I had some more general guidelines for 2013 versus hard resolutions:

- Spend time in the word and prayer more
- Stop over committing (rule of 2)
- Get simple (fashion & spending fast)
- Eat (mostly) vegan
- Give priorities priority (more family, regular volunteering, scheduled write sessions)
- Rest in the big picture

I also had some specific goals in mind that I jotted down related to these guidelines:

- Finish 2 knitting projects
- Read a couple of books on my '30 before 30' list
- Find a volunteer gig

How did I do?
Let's recap:

I have really loved the #shereadstruth plans for January.

We started with the 'Fresh Start' plan and are now onto 'Soul Detox.' Both have encouraged me so much and as always- were right on time.
I'm trying to spend more time focusing on what I'm actually reading- taking notes and praying for clarity and guidance in understanding. It's been a good month for my soul!

I didn't finish my knitting projects.
Or my books.

BUt you know what? I didn't let those goals consume me...make me feel like I wasn't succeeding. I just read when I had time and it's been a lot more enjoyable. I finished a book I started in December and got a couple hundred pages into War and Peace.

Who cares if I don't finish that list before 30? I got plenty of life left to live and books to read!



And the fashion fast?

Success.

I tried to snap my outfit everyday so if I started feeling uninspired I could look back on how I mixed it up.
Honestly- not buying any clothes was surprisingly easy. I just avoided the fitness gear sale rack at Target- that's my weakness!

I did buy one book:

It's for a good cause though- started the study this week!
I'm excited about how this ties into what my goals are this year and I'm really looking forward to the challenge with my Influence ladies. (Get the details at Adrienne's blog).

I'm not all the way to a 'cash' only budget yet- but getting closer every week!

My eating habits have been pretty good this month. I've had to plan ahead a lot because of my work schedule- so that is making it pretty easy.
Also- I took on this challenge:

                           

It was a free e-book through Instagram and it's been really good for my waist and wallet. I've felt energized and healthy and have managed to avoid most of the stuff going around!
The more I figure out what my body likes best, the more I realize that a plant-based diet is really the best for me. I'll eat eggs and dairy occasionally but if I do- I try to get local and organic.
There is a LOT of information out there, but in my opinion it comes down to this: Know where your food comes from and know your farmer.

Even though my work schedule has been pretty crazy with tax season gearing up and it feels like my life is a repeat of wake/run/work/eat/sleep/repeat, I've made it a priority to use my free time more effectively and for those things I care about.

So....through a series of conversations about a work charitable event, I have found a 2x monthly volunteer gig! I'll be helping serving meals at the homeless youth shelter downtown every other week and I'm really excited about the opportunity. Also, I organized a big volunteer event at my work to help feed the homeless that was so much fun and very rewarding!

This month T and I were also able to have a few date nights:

Man.... I love that guy

I also spent an afternoon at my sister's house hanging with the kids and chatting about whatever- it was really nice! I'm looking forward to doing that again this month when my weekend work schedule slows. 

I even got in a girls dinner night full of rich Russian food and shots to our health!

Nostrovia!

As far as scheduled write sessions...I've had maybe one 'official' session. The funny thing is- I wrote a LOT in January on and off the blog. I guess I've been finding time after work/before bed or in between loads of laundry to jot things down. I'm finding that if I just START, I can always finish later. 

Writers- If you haven't checked out The Write Practice yet, you should

I didn't have a specific fitness goal documented for the year or the month...

...But I have been doing some new things this year:

- Yoga once a week at Iowa Powered Yoga. I'm seriously in love. The class I go to is on Monday nights and it is the BEST end to the beginning of the week.

- Pushup Challenge!

- I actually quit my gym...but I have been being active everyday and working up to running 25 miles/week and lifting weights 2-3 times. My one goal for 2013 is to add in some kind of speed drills and hill work into my runs. So far, so good!

I have a race coming up in 2 weeks and then races in March, April, May, June. Really, really, really considering another marathon this fall...best pre-wedding prep or worst idea ever? You tell me. 

Looking back on January- it was a really full month. Being active in body and mind really soothes my soul and I'm glad I can find balance among the tight schedule I had. 

However, there were some days where I wasn't feeling my best, and I recognized those times and did what I prescribed myself when this year started:

I took a break.

Listened to my body, mind and soul.

Maybe spent a whole afternoon on my couch. 

Because sometimes....

#restisbest

Your turn...How was your January? Did you meet any goals? Please feel free to share in the comments below.