April: Month @ a Glance

Happy April Friends!

I am having the hardest time wrapping my head around the fact that we are already about to start April.  It feels like we were just starting the year last week and here we are, Easter has come and gone and we are quickly moving into Spring. 

As of right now, I do not have too many things planned for April because we are going to be focusing heavily on packing for our big move in May/June.  I am getting more and more excited to get out of our apartment and into a house.  I will be sure to share more with you all once the inside of the house really gets worked on - right now it's just a big shell with brick.

Things Happening This Month

1. Celebrate Janelle's birthday 
2. Yoga and lunch date with my girlfriends 
3. Froyo play date with my girlfriend and her son
4. Little Beans Jeans craft show with Infantly Cute
5. April Refuge Run
6. LuLaRoe Party with Christina (p.s. If you want to be a part of the party, let me know and I will happily add you to the virtual party)

Goals for April

1. Read {at least} One Book.  I am planning to read Cinder by Marissa Meyer and The Selection by Kiera Cass.  

2. Daily Scripture Writing.  The goal is to write the verses from each day.  I am hoping I will do better this month than I did last month.

3. Pack Up the Guest Bedroom.  As the time quickly approaches, I'm realizing how important it is that we start packing now.  We we've decided that we will pack up the guest bedroom first then once that space is all set, we will start packing up other areas of the apartment and putting the boxes in that room.  My goal is to go out this weekend and get some boxes.

4. Be More Positive.  This may seem silly, but I have been surrounded by so much negativity lately that I think it's time I start surrounding myself with more positiveness.  I'm planning to put a few inspirational things in my cube, in my bathroom and any other place where I would see it often.

Recap from March

One thing I need to start doing is going through and recapping whether or not I completed my goals for the month.  I mean, what is the point of having goals if I am not checking in on them? 

1. Read {at least} One Book. In March, I managed to buy a bunch of books, but only finish one.  A few weekends ago, Justin and I randomly went to Barnes and Noble and I ended up buying 

The Eye of Minds and two other books.  I tore through The Eye of Minds in a few days and cannot wait to read the rest of the books in the series.

2. Mail Letters of Encouragement.  I totally failed on this one.  March got the better of me.  

3. Daily Scripture Writing.  I think I managed to get about five days in total completed.  Not exactly how I wanted March to go.

4. Track My Food Intake.  I started the month off strong until I came down with strep throat and could barely manage to eat anything.  Once that happened, the gloves were off.  

5. Start Packing Up the Apartment.  I started packing a little bit, but did not get nearly as much done as I would have liked to.


So March was a semi-unsuccessful month (to say the least), but thankfully April is a new month and I can start fresh!

Question of the Day: What fun things do you have planned in April?

I'd love to hear from you!

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What's Up Wednesday #8

Happy Wednesday Friends! Today I am linking up with Mix and Match Family, Pinterest Told Me To and The Larson Lingo for the What's Up Wednesday Post.  What's Up Wednesday occurs on the last Wednesday of every month and it is a fun list of questions getting ready for the upcoming month!

What We're Eating this Week: 

I went to the store and bought the stuff to make these freezer meals.  So far we have tried the Taco Pasta Bake and the Tortilla Casserole.  Both of them are very delicious!

What I'm Reminiscing About

My little sister is turning 15 next week and it is hard for me to believe! I feel like she was just born and I was super excited to finally have a sister.  It also feel like she is still the same little girl as she was in our wedding almost five years ago.  Man how time flies.  

What I'm Loving

One of the things that we have been doing in the new house is having our friends and family sign some of the boards before they put up the drywall.  It may seem silly, but it will always be comforting to know that behind the drywall are little sayings, scriptures and signatures from people that we love very much.  Unfortunately we won't be able to get everyone to sign the board, but it still is pretty neat to know that some of them got to sign. 

What We've Been Up To

Honestly, we have not been doing a whole bunch other than taking care of stuff for the new house.  The next few months will be filled with all things moving related.  I am super excited and super overwhelmed by it all.  

What I'm Dreading

Not much to dread here.  We've been catching up on all of our chores and I finally got my act together in the food department.  Its nice to know that I don't have to worry about ordering food because we have stuff in the house.  

What I'm Working On

Meal planning.  I have been struggling really badly with cooking and I finally decided to just bite the bullet and go grocery shopping on Monday.  Thankfully I came across these freezer recipes and Justin was interested in all of them, so I made two of them and they were both delicious!

What I'm Looking Forward To

Tiger's have their home opener in a few weeks and I always love Opening Day! The city is always bustling with excited people and is filled with excitement.  You can almost feel the energy coming from everyone.

What I'm Watching/Reading

Right now I am obsessed with The Amazing Race and Love, Lust or Run.  These two shows make me so happy and this season of The Amazing Race has been such a great one so far! Less than a month until Game of Thrones too!

What I'm Listening To

After last week's Show and Tell Tuesday, I've been listening to all of the music from my younger years.  I have been getting such a kick listening to Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys.

What I'm Wearing

I have been struggling to find pants for work and these pants from Old Navy ended up fitting me perfectly! They are supposed to be crop pants, but because I am short these fit me as pants.  They are super comfortable, have a good amount of stretch and they look super cute on.  

What I'm Doing this Weekend

This weekend I have a brunch date at The Mad Hatter Bistro! I love this restaurant so much and look forward to the food every time I go.  If you are local and have not been here before, I would highly recommend checking them out!

Bonus: Favorite Spring Cleaning Tip

I will be doing a post on Spring Cleaning really soon so be looking for my tips then! 

Previous What's Up Wednesday Posts:

What's Up Wednesday #1

What's Up Wednesday #2

What's Up Wednesday #3

What's Up Wednesday #4

What's Up Wednesday #5
What's Up Wednesday #6

I'd love to hear from you!

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 This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy here.

March Book Review

Happy Tuesday Friends! I hope your week got off to a great start and you have exciting things planned for this week.  

For 2016, I have decided that it is important for me to take the time to read books... I know, I know, I say this every year, but this year I promise will be different! 

The goal is to each month, read a random assortment of books and share a few thoughts about the book (but not too much as I don't want to spoil the fun for anyone).  I love reading and I love sharing books with you guys.

Plus, this is a great opportunity for you all to share some of your awesome reads with me! 

If you want to follow/friend me on Goodreads, click here.

And you can keep track all year long by clicking 2016 Books at the top of my blog.  I will keep a running list of books right there for you.

Okay, time for the books I've read // currently reading in March!

The Eye of Minds (The Mortality Doctrine, Book One)

If you have read The Maze Runner series, then I would highly recommend checking out James Dashner's other series called "The Mortality Doctrine".  A few weeks ago when Justin and I were at Barnes and Noble, I picked up this book on a whim and was immediately drawn into the book.  The book takes place in a virtual reality world where there is an evil person trying to take control of the "VirtNet".  Michael and his friends have to work together to figure out how this person is and stop them before anyone gets hurt.  

If you like sci-fi/action/adventure books I would highly recommend reading this one.  Plus, like all of Dashner's books, it is a quick and thrilling read.

All the Light We Cannot See

This is my "in process" book for the month of March.  I started it a few weeks back and just have not been able to get to into the book.  I honestly think I just have not really given the book a chance.  My goal is to finish this one in April as well as a the two other books I bought at Barnes and Noble.  

Well that is all for my books for March! Make sure to stop by tomorrow when I am link up with some awesome ladies for....

Question of the Day: What good books are you currently reading? 

I'd love to hear from you!

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Disclosure: Some of the links in the post above are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. Read my full disclosure policy here.

Weekend Highs & Lows #26

Hello everyone!I hope you had a wonderful weekend filled with fun and exciting adventures  If you want more information about the party, please check out this post.

Highs:

Getting to meet and hold my cousin's newborn baby.  There is just something so special about getting to hold a newborn baby and I am just so excited for my cousin and her husband as they begin this exciting journey as mom and dad.  Welcome to the world Clara Mae! We are all so excited you are here!

On Saturday, we took Justin's sister and her family over to the house to give them a grand tour (because, you know, there is so much to see) and it was so much fun! After we were done, we had them all sign the board that everyone has signed.  After the left, we took Sarah through the house to show her everything and she too was able to sign the board.  What a great way to spend the day.

Easter Sunday was spent with my family and we had a great time catching up with everyone and enjoying a delicious meal. 

Lows:

Our dryer is not working so great, so we had to bring our laundry to my parents house yesterday.  I have to say I felt much like a poor college kid.  But we desperately needed to get some laundry done and my mom offered.... so....

Previous Weekend Highs & Lows

Weekend Highs & Lows #15

Weekend Highs & Lows #16

Weekend Highs & Lows #17
Weekend Highs & Lows #18
Weekend Highs & Lows #19
Weekend Highs & Lows #20
Weekend Highs & Lows #21
Weekend Highs & Lows #22
Weekend Highs & Lows #23 
Weekend Highs & Lows #24
Weekend Highs & Lows #25

Question of the Day: How was your weekend?

I'd love to hear from you!

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 This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy here.

Happy Easter Everybody

Happy Easter Everybody!

I just wanted to drop by to say Happy Easter to everyone and to wish you the best day as you celebrate this truly blessed holiday.

I'd love to hear from you!

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Show and Tell Tuesday: Life's Mixtape

Happy Tuesday Friends! I hope all is well and you are having a great day so far! Today I am teaming up with Andrea for another fun round of Show and Tell Tuesdays.  

My Mix Tape for Life

This one is going to be a bit fun! Music has always been a huge part of my life, so of course I can easily identify music from any and all stages.

Childhood (Ages 5-12)

I lived for Nsync, Backstreet Boys and Spice Girls.  Every where I went, I was listening to their music on repeat.  I have very distinct memories of playing their must super loud in my friends basement and rollerblading around to the music.  And, you know, Spice World was my favorite move of all time.  I actually watched that movie last August, and I have to say, I laughed more than once.  Isn't amazing how far video production has come over the last twenty or so years?  

Another big one from my childhood was Shania Twain.

I loved her music and loved to sing to her music.  Honestly, I think she is the reason that I started to really enjoy singing music.  If I am correct, my grandma had a copy of my cousin and I singing "You're Still the One" - her the girl part and me the boy part.  Man what I wouldn't give to listen to that now.

Teen Years

This part of my life was the part where you shared mixed CD's with everyone and it was also the part of my life where my music was alllllllll over the place. It was during this time that I realized how important music really is and how much it can affect your mood.  And so I used music to get through the rough days and to lift up the good days.  

Ironically, The All American Rejects have made a revival on my playlist lately.  It would appear that they still have the ability to get my head straight when I am getting in my own way.  Specifically "Move Along" has been helping me a lot lately.  

Linkin Park was a favorite of my step-dad's, so I ended up stealing almost all of his CD's and listening to them on repeat.  I had never really enjoyed screaming in my music until I listened to them.  I have to say, when I was having a really bad day, they were my go to band.

Panic! At the Disco was a bit more of an eclectic one for me.  Their music is all over the place, but I loved listening to it and loved talking about them with my friends.  They were a big hit in the group.

Ironically, it was also during this time that I realized how much I looooveee Jazz Music.  I quickly became obsessed with Louis Armstrong, The Rat Pack, Frank Sinatra and Michael Buble.  If I could find their music, I was trying to listen to it.  There is something so reassuring to know that everything you hear from them is their actual voice and it is not altered.   These men (and women) had such talent and I was drawn to that.   

It was also during this time that I really got into rock from the 70's and 80's and listened to a ton of it.  I am a bit sad that I no longer have copies of these CD's - I think I will have to take some time to get them back onto my iTunes.  

  

College Years

College brought with it some very interesting music.  

The most surprising part of college was the introduction and immediate love for KPop music.  After being introduced to Girls' Generation, I started downloading as much Korean Pop music as I could.  Their songs are all so upbeat and so fun to listen to.  If you have not had a chance to listen to any KPop music, make sure to check out (at the very least) Girls' Generation.  

Another big group I was into during college was Cage the Elephant.  I was actually exposed to their music through a video game Justin was playing (Borderlands) and fell in love.  They are actually working on releasing another CD and I am excited to see what they produce. 

If you have never listened to Sara Bareilles, I would highly recommend her music.  She definitely says it how it is and all of her songs are super catchy.  I honestly think that I spent an entire summer listening to her on repeat.  I love listening to and singing her songs.

I loved Britney Spears as a kid, but I did not really appreciate her until I was a junior/senior in college.  Her music was some of the first to get my into more of the fast paced and up beat music.

It was during college that I really got into Folk/Folk Rock music for the first time.  Thank you to Wendy for giving me the wonderful music of Mumford & Sons.  I love them so much.

These are only a few of the people I listened to in college.  College brought with it a vast array of music with meeting new people and learning about their music styles.  I have to say I experience a lot of growth and experimenting with music in college and I am so glad I did.

Adulthood

For about two years after we got married, I only listened to Electronic/Trance music.  I love the beat and I love the repetitiveness.  I explored all types of electronic and landed with a few groups that I loved the most - Skrillex being one of them.

Unfortunately life has been so crazy the last few years that I have not been able to really sit down and update my music collection.  Right now my music has consisted of me listening to whatever is on the radio.  I really should work on updating my music since I am not a huge fan of what is out there right now.

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Well that is all for today's post!

Next up on Show and Tell Tuesdays.....

Fantasy Talk Show 

Question of the Day: What is your favorite pin on pinterest?

I'd love to hear from you!

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