Hey everybody!! Long time no talk. I took a last minute break from pretty much everything social media, and I feel much better now. I am excited to get back to writing and talking with you all. It was nice taking a break from taking pictures and posting, but I missed it! Now get some coffee and buckle up because this is going to be a long recap post!
Hobby Lobby was having a major sale last weekend so I went Saturday afternoon to get a few new spring pieces and a few things to finish the guest room! Once I put out the rest of my spring stuff next month, I’ll do a house tour post (finally!).
Last weekend was also my weekend to deep clean the whole house, and I am loving this new non toxic cleaner I bought! I am slowly trying to swap out our products for cleaner ones, and I highly suggest this easy swap! I bought the trial bottle, and I am going to invest in the rest of the products this month as well. I love that it’s a small business AND non toxic. If you are interested in learning more, I highly suggest checking out Branch Basics and I Read Labels For You. I have learned so much already. There are SO many products out there that claim to be non toxic, but they’re not. It’s pretty crazy. Branch Basics offers a $5 starter kit if you want to check it out here! (This is NOT an ad. I don’t get any money for sharing this. I just truly love this product!)
I am still working on getting better sleep naturally, and this little tonic has helped me so much! I mix Yogi Kava, Ginger, and Bedtime tea packets with a little bit of honey, and it works like a charm. I don’t feel groggy in the morning like I do if I take benadryl or melatonin, plus it’s yummy!
I’ve been trying something new in the morning, and I am loving it so far. There are so many perks of working out in the morning, but I have been feeling so rushed lately, and I hate that feeling. Especially on days that I’m not working from home. So I have been getting up around the same time as I did when I worked out in the morning, but I have been using that time to do a devotional, read, and walk Chance. I love the calmness that this has brought to my day. I am currently working through these devotionals by Candace Cameron Bure, and I absolutely love them. They’re simple and powerful. This is the bible I use by She Reads Truth, and it is hands down the best bible I have ever used. I just started the book above called She Was The Quiet One, and it pulled me in from the start! I’ll share a more in depth review once I finish it. I picked it up at Kroger, but you can find it on Amazon here!
If you want to hear more about the perks of having a morning like this, listen to this episode of the ILYSM podcast with Kenzie Elizabeth! I know it’s a simple concept, but it’s helped my anxiety a lot by starting my day slow. Since working from home, I’ve realized how hard it can be to split up work life and home life. I start work at 7 which means I should be done around 3, but it can be hard for me to stop at that time sometimes. Working out in the afternoon has really helped with that because I take a break around 2 or so to get dressed for my work out and then I finish up my work. That way I feel like I really need to stop around 3 and head out for a run, walk, or to the gym. Please don’t get me wrong, I TOTALLY understand why some people love working out in the morning- I will probably go back to that one day! This is just what works for me right now. It’s okay to switch up things according to your life at the moment. Do what’s best for YOU.
Those pictures pretty much sum up what I eat throughout the day. I love these glass containers from Amazon. I can pack pretty much everything I eat while at work in two of them, and they fit perfectly in my lunchbox. I love that they’re glass because I am trying to use less plastic. I use them when I’m working from home too so I’m not just eating out of the bag/box. The ones I normally use are out of stock, but these are similar!
My exercises for this week were a few runs and walks. I felt so good after my runs this week. Runners high is for real. I also love my walks, and we had some great weather this week for them!
On one of our walks, Chance and I explored a new area. It was so beautiful, and I am so glad we found it! There are lots of options for walking in our town from country roads to hilly neighborhoods. I love being able to just walk out our front door and go. Once we started exploring this new area, we walked 3.5 miles without realizing we went that far. I love that!
I am trying to learn to love cooking more, but it does not come naturally to me. I’ve started implementing a few things I love into my time when I’m cooking to make it more enjoyable. It’s definitely helping! Wine glasses are so fun to me so I pour myself some flavored Ice water into one to drink while I’m cooking. I would totally drink wine if I could, but it instantly gives me a migraine so I improvise. 🙂 I also play either a podcast or watch one of my shows. And light a candle! I always have a candle lit.
We like going out to our favorite Mexican restaurant for dinner on Thursdays for a little date night. We also watched lots of movies with dinner this week. We watched Easy A with our pizza on Friday night and rewatched Gone Girl with our Bdubs on Saturday night. Gone Girl is one of my favorites and Easy A was so funny and cute! Kyle picked me up a lemonade slush from Sonic on his way home on Friday. They’re the BEST.
More product switches! I ordered some new products to try from Pure Haven and so far, I am loving them. I have found that some non toxic shampoo and conditioners leave my hair feeling dirty and looking greasy, but not with these. The smell is amazing but not too strong, and my hair feels so soft and clean. They have so many great products, and I’ll continue to update you as I use them all. I am super excited for Kyle and I to try the cold relief body wash whenever our allergies flare up or we have a headache. It smells amazing! (Once again, I don’t get any money for this. I just truly am loving them so far and want to share that!)
My new glasses came! I used to get my glasses from whatever eye doctor I was going to, but they are insanely over priced- even with insurance! Zenni has so many options, and they’re a fraction of the price of what I would get at the eye doctor’s. I still go to the doctor for my yearly eye exam, but I just ask for a copy of my prescription and upload it to Zenni. You can also do a virtual try on and look at glasses specific to your head shape. I always get the Blokz lenses to protect from all the screens I use.
I finally got a new dresser for our bedroom! We have a decent sized closet, but it was filled to the brim and not very organized because we didn’t have enough room. I ordered this dresser from Amazon. I really like the final product! It took me about 4 hours to put it totally together. The instructions were super helpful though which isn’t always the case. It also shipped really fast. I am going to get a round mirror to place on it when I find one that I like that doesn’t cost a fortune.
Chance’s new bowl came this weekend as well. We had one of these when he was a puppy because he ate too fast and would get sick. He grew out of it for a while, but he started eating too fast again so I ordered a new one. It’s pretty common for rescues to inhale their food because they are used to not knowing when their next meal is coming (so sad). This helps us a lot!
I went grocery shopping on Saturday afternoon and dropped off some packages at USPS for my mother in law and brother in law’s birthdays. I LOVE these grocery bags that I got from Amazon. They cut down on plastic AND trips from the car to the house. 🙂
I always pick out an outfit for Kyle’s mom for her birthday every year, and I found such cute stuff at Chic Artique, a small boutique in our town. I should have taken photos because I can’t find them on the site! I bought a black, long sleeved dress and a sweater poncho/wrap that’s black, grey, and cream. It’s super soft and pretty! I also picked up a stack of bracelets in neutral colors to go with it. With her other son getting married this year, she’ll have plenty of events to go to so I hope she likes it!
Kyle’s brother loves cats so I found the cutest cat coasters at Chic Artique. Aren’t they hilarious? I’ve linked them here! They also have dog ones!
My brother in law’s fiance’s birthday is coming up in the Spring so I picked up a super cute canvas bag while I was there as well. They have something for everyone! I LOVE picking out gifts for people, and I like to buy things in advance when I find them.
On Sunday afternoon, I went to Massage Envy for a facial and it was incredible. Facials have become one of my favorite things!
I went to my brother and sister in law’s house to eat all the food and watch the super bowl. Okay, for me it was all about the food, family, and half time show. Kyle stayed at home to study and go to bed early because he has clinicals at 5AM and a big test afterwards. His discipline is incredible. I thought the half time show was great!
And, of course, a cup of coffee to keep me awake for the drive home!
Questions for YOU! Please comment below so we can chat.
- What do you do when you need to relax/ decrease anxiety?
- Did you do anything for the super bowl?
- Have you watched any good movies lately?
- Update me what’s been going on in your life!
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Questions for YOU! Please comment below so we can chat.
I recently watched I Still Believe, the Jeremy Camp movie. I also watched the two movies on Netflix based on the After book series by Anna Todd. I just got my first facial Saturday. I didn’t know what to expect but I enjoyed it and the girl that did mine was so sweet and nice to chat with. I think anxiety is something we have to constantly work at. I take walks, read, do devotions and focus on specific Bible verse that apply to my current situation, pray, and I also just constantly work at retraining my brain, but it’s hard!! When I am anxious, I kind of move into OCD like behaviors where I seek out reassurance and I find myself constantly “checking” to reassure myself of something. I always go to the worst case scenario and then I’m stuck in a thought loop and it can be hard to get out of. But I have learned to avoid things that trigger anxious feelings or those behaviors and I lean hard into my faith. God has never let me down and I have to remind myself of that. I try to just make peace with the uncertainty I’m feeling and rest in knowing that I’m going to be okay!
Happy to see your new post today!!
Wow so much good stuff in your comment!! I 100% understand what you’re saying- especially about the thought loop. It’s SO hard to break through.
I have to remind myself of the same thing- no matter how out of control I feel, God is in control 100%.
Welcome back Miriam!
So glad you took a much needed break! I haven’t watched many good movies lately so I’ve been sticking to the TV shows … but I definitely need some recommendations there too. I didn’t celebrate the super bowl but instead I cleaned out the fridge which was a major win!!
Any big plans for valentines/galentines day?
Thanks girl!
Most of the movies we’ve been watching aren’t new- I feel like there aren’t many coming out lately! Which makes sense cause of COVID, but I am ready for some new good movies 🙂
Cleaning out the fridge is such an accomplishment in my book! Way more exciting to me than football 😀
Kyle and I are going to a restaurant we’ve been wanting to try in Nashville this weekend to celebrate Valentine’s Day. What about you??