Go, Go, Go!!!

Go, go, go!! 

I feel like that's all I/we do! Even when I am sitting still, my mind is running a 100 miles a second! There is ALWAYS something to do, someone to call, somewhere to go...

IT. HAS. GOT. TO. STOP! I have got to get my brain on a schedule, something more organized so I am not running around in my head like a crazy person thinking I forgot something & then, not beat myself up if I do... I want to be a MENTALLY HEALTHY PERSON. 

To be "mentally healthy" I believe you need a daily dose of ...

Quiet Time - This can be prayer, sitting on a porch, doing crafts or listening to relaxing music, even though its called "quiet" I feel the thing we need to silence out most is the world. So my music suggestion would be something instrumental. No lyrics or heavy tempo... I personally LOVE the bag pipe, steel guitar, violin & Piano! There are solos using these instruments that have brought me to my knees spiritually. Something about a piano will make my heart hurt, not necessarily in a bad way. Its just a very touching instrument to me...

No electronics - No TV, phones, tablets, laptops, gaming systems

Organized productivity - Paying bills, prepping meals or reviewing the next days events & to-do's or even taking the time to learn something new & exercise our brains or physically exercise! Studies show how great a 30 minute work out can benefit our minds!

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Family time - This one is pretty self explanatory & think the "No Electronics" should be implemented here. Our family time growing up was around the dinner table, no TV, no distractions. Every day dinner was ready at a certain time & we were all expected to be there, & to tell you the truth, I didn't want to be anywhere else but at the dinner table surrounded by great people & great food. It was a release from the day... conversation & laughs with the people that mean the most to me. I loved even more when we invited extended family to eat! Yea, it meant more dishes for me & my sister to wash but I wouldn't have traded it for anything!

 God Time - Most importantly as Christians, we need time everyday to be intimate with God on top of a weekly dose or two of being fed & fellowship with other Christians. I get spiritually hungry & cranky when I have not been fed.

The goals floating around in my head since the beginning of the year, have been to get organized, get enough sleep & get everything done. So I can have "Us Time" & I am not just talking about just Buck & I having time for us but giving God time he deserves for US. I need more than the daily verse or devotional. 

I, as a more advanced & growing Christian, need to be feeding myself like one.

I know that my Nana set herself up for having a better day when she would get up early before us kids, drink her coffee & spend time with The Lord. I get excited just thinking about it! I soooo want to become a morning person like her!! But I have to actually get up earlier & get more rest at night so I am not falling asleep while reading His word or praying. That is my struggle... I know with God all things are possible but there is a lot on my part that needs to be done for this to go smoothly... because God isn't going to come down & make our lunches everyday or wash our laundry & dishes, the things that keep me up later at night. Or to be honest, there are nights He should really strike my phone dead with a lightening bolt! Seriously, why am I so addicted? I find myself constantly checking my phone for a new Snap, Comment on Instagram or Facebook. Or I will sit up looking through all the social media that I have already seen & contaminated my mind with, just waiting for someone to text me back about something... that is an illness. Another area I have put on the list for bettering myself mentally.

In this crazy world of striving to be physically healthy (which is just as important), I think we often forget to take care of our mind & soul. I truly believe mental health must come before we can even begin the daunting task of becoming physically healthy.

Romans 12:2

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

1 YEAR

Well... We've been married a whole year! It flew by but I feel like we have been together forever! 

(This photo - explains us perfectly! I'm always trying to be proper & there he goes with a crazy face... He keeps me young! Lol) 

A lot of people have asked us what we gave each other & what we were going to do today for our anniversary... And we decided a couple weeks ago that we were just going to save money. Yep... We did nothing... Went to church & just hung out! No regrets... It's what ya gotta do sometimes... 

I did however buy Buck a new wedding band but that really wasn't for our 1 year... He's been needing one for awhile considering he lost his a month after our wedding... Lol but you can bet your bottom dollar I didn't spend what I did on his first one! I have a feeling this won't be his last ring.. Oh well! 

Reducing The Spectrum, Increasing The Versatility - A Few Tips On Controlling Your Closet!

I am in no way a fashion expert but I found a way to cut down on buying clothes, shoes, & accessories whilst making my closet extremely more versatile.

I narrowed my colors down. I found ones that complement me & that I love more than others. I picked a handful of colors for Fall/Winter, Spring/Summer & Basic/Standard colors, like black. Now I only buy items in these colors...

Basic/Standard

Black

Brown/Taupe

Ivory

Charcoal Grey

Navy 

Leopard

Fall/Winter

Crimson Red

Ivy Green

Mustard Yellow

Spice Orange

Teal

Spring/Summer

Turquoise (Of course!)

Mint/Spearmint 

Lavender/Orchid Purple

Coral/Peach

Raspberry Red

Sunshine Yellow

Emerald/spring Green

Blueberry Blue

Blush Pink

I know this still seems like a lot of colors but when you think of all the colors in the spectrum, narrowing it down is a must & 19 colors & 1 print is nothing! There's at least 5 different reds but Crayola Red DOES NOT look good on me! Instead, a crimson or patriotic red complements my skin tone. There is plenty of yellows but neon is not for me, same goes for purple, I just don't do the Crayola concept! lol This list knocks out half of Charming Charlies for me lol I already had to limit myself to clearance items in that store!

I really prefer the colors you find in nature... tropical beaches, sunsets, autumn leaves, wildflower fields, mountain ranges, & berry patches. I also allowed myself more Spring/Summer colors because we have way more Spring & Summer months here in Florida!!

We just cant buy heels & jewelry in every color... it really isn't sensible... I tried... I bout lost my mind & my great credit score! lol

Dresses can be a bit of a different story. The dress may have colors that arent on my "list" but there is always one color that is... So I can pair shoes & accessories...

On the topic of dresses...

I made another new rule for myself. I will now only buy dresses that are church/work appropriate & dresses I would wear out to dinner or to an event. It also needs to be comfortable, the days of itching & not being able to breath are over for me! Not that I am letting myself go, but there are comfortable & pretty dresses & to me they are worth way more than any D&G dress ever!! Honestly, any dress that looks good with my cowgirl boots is a winner in my book!! No more buying for "In the event" we go on a fancy date (Or a cruise). Most of the time when we do go on a date its to a wing or BBQ joint so I am wearing jeans & a cardigan anyways... We are just too laid back (& Cheap) to go to a fancy restaurant all the time lol Its just the kind of people we are.

Also regarding dresses, I try to follow the modesty rule... If it shows cleavage than it needs to be longer on the legs, if it shows a lot of leg then cleavage needs to be covered, & when going to church, BOTH need to be covered. This "rule" is kinda hard for me considering I have mile long legs... what looks short on me would still be a moo-moo on some of my shorter friends. Its not that I am showing more leg, the dress still covers the same on me, I just have more leg left over... if that makes sense? lol

Jeans

Yes, I admit I have a few jeans with holes & distressing BUT I haven't bought a pair in a loooong time! They just aren't versatile. I like a good dark (Non-holey) jean to wear when we go out. It would have to be a sharp looking pair of jeans with a cheap price tag for me to buy them these days...

Shorts

Its Florida... we buy all the shorts we can get our hands on!!!!

I hope maybe this helps someone like it did me. I was getting so frustrated with my need to match everything to the T & I was getting defeated & overwhelmed. (Because I am crazy & have OCD, so it has to match EXACTLY) Well matching is easier & more attainable now that I narrowed my spectrum & set a few guidelines!

Awesome Article

10 Ways To Respect Your Husband!

Click Here To Read

Water

So we all need to drink water... And we know we should be drinking our body weight in ounces. 

100 pounds = 100 ounces.

123 ounces = 1 Gallon 

But when to drink it? How to spread it out? 

Here is what I do... 

I drink a bottle between 

9AM-noon, noon-3PM, 3PM-6PM, & 6PM-9PM

I know I need more than that & my other bottle should be when I first wake up between 6-9 but drinking anything other than coffee between those hours is just not going to happen these days! 

But if you can drink a bottle when you first wake up, you should, because it kick starts your body, wakes it up & gets it going! It's like getting the oil moving in your motor except we constantly have to "oil" ourselves unlike our cars! 

On top of drinking the ounces I need just for my weight, I try to drink an equivelant amount of water to the amount of coffee & sodas I consume... 1 can/cup = another bottle.  Soda & coffee are diuretics & will strip you of everything that is trying to hydrate your body so you have to replace what diuretics are getting rid of.

This flexible schedule/guideline helps me keep my goal & to not drink all of my water at one time! It also helps me cut back on drinks like Coke & Pepsi! 

Happy hydrating! 

Crockpot Prep!

I am not a big morning person... I would love to be... But I'm not. It's way easier for me to stay up a bit later than get up earlier in the morning! But... Even if one day I do miraculously become a morning person, I will always prep my crockpot meals this way! 

First off, if you don't have a crockpot, get one! ASAP! 

Ok so I'm not going to share a recipe because I have quite a few & will eventually post them... 

Here is my advice! 

Thaw meat out (I prefer the natural way, not the microwave defrost) so depending on the size of the meat I place it in the fridge 2-3 days prior. Note - place meat in a bowl while defrosting! Too many times have I had blood leak all over my fride shelf & on other foods/packages!! Gross!!

The night before you plan to cook the crockpot meal...

Rinse meat & place in a large Tupperware container.

Pour marinade or rub dry seasonings over all of your meat & close the container for now.

Cut up veggies or rinse beans etc...

Place veggies in the container, all around the meat... Season/marinade a bit more to cover veggies. 

Close container & place in fridge.

Go ahead & set up your crock pot! (PLUG it in!! Too many times I've come home to uncooked food!) 

In the morning ..

Pour all of the contents of the container into the crockpot (make sure meat is sitting on the bottom).

Turn on the Crockpot & Ta Daa!! Dinner is ready for when you get home! 

Here is the pot I have & absolutely LOVE!! 

It has a timer so when time is up it switches over to "keep warm"!! No worries about your veggies being over cooked! 

Meal Prep..

Here is a picture of meat (1 pound portions) prepared for 17 meals & it only cost $44! It's not junk meat either!! 90/10 ground beef & all natural chicken tenderloins! 

I also prep pork chops, country style ribs, & stew meat. I refrain from frying so I buy country fried steak only on occasion! 

Weighing all of this & packaging only took 30 minutes ... The worst part is standing at my super low counter! But I was able to cook dinner at the same time! 😌

Here is a picture after I organized my freezer! (Note - wear gloves when cleaning out a frozen freezer! Ice cuts are no fun!)

You can buy all of your meat in bulk at Sams Club & a food scale at Bed Bath & Beyond for $30ish! 

Happy prepping!! 😊