Life as I Know It

Another End and a New Beginning

/ Cami Grace / 1 Comment
www.happynewyear2016wishess.com

(www.happynewyear2016wishess.com)

 

Happy New Year everyone!!

2015 was stocked full of blessings.  God has been so so good to us and has answered so many prayers – sometimes it almost feels too good to be true (I mean, do we really get to go on a cruise next month?!).  Sometimes it’s hard to relax in the goodness, because for so long it was so rough for us without my husband having a job and wonder how we were going to make it.  Being able to work away on our finances and not to have to worry about making ends meat has been a huge, huge blessing.

How We Rang In the New Year

I was able to get off work early, like 11:30 in the morning early, yay!  So I came home, grabbed Mikey and headed to lunch and then to spend some Christmas money.  We wanted somewhere cheap for lunch so we went to McDonald’s.  I don’t know why, but I love their little cheeseburger’s.  I’m guessing it doesn’t even have real meat in them, but whateve’s.

Mikey then wanted to go to the Comic Book shop, so we stopped there first.  I’m not into comic books at all (I don’t have anything against them, just not my thing), but since Mikey was going to the makeup store with me I was more than happy to let him take his time lol.  After browsing around we then headed to Ulta.

I don’t always like to spend my hard earned money on makeup that I’m not sure if I will like or not, so Christmas money is great, because I have absolutely no problem spending that!  Soooo, I got a bottle of dry shampoo that I have never tried before, new mascara, eye liners (buy one, get one free!), Jergen’s Natural Glow daily moisturizer, travel size IT cosmetics CC+ cream and then bonus!  I got a free gift of a travel size It’s a 10 leave-in conditioner, which I’ve used and love.  All in all, I would say it was a successful makeup run.  I’m excited to try it all out, especially the CC cream.

After the shopping we headed back home.  Some friends of ours were coming over so we ordered pizza from Pizza Pipeline- we got a Cheese to the 7th Power pizza and a Hawaiian Luau Extreme pizza.  The Hawaiian Luau was amazing, it has pulled pork, Canadian bacon, pineapple, and bacon pieces on top and extra cheese…YUM.

So our friends came over, we hung out, I played with their baby, we laughed and had a good time.  They ended up leaving early around 9:30 or so Mikey and I put on Arrow, which I ended up falling asleep through.  He woke me up 10 minutes before midnight where I had to fight to stay awake, we watched the ball drop, said Happy New Year, kissed and then I went to bed.

2016

So yes,  that was the end of our 2015.  And now here we are in 2016.  I don’t know exactly what 2016 holds, we never really know what any year holds, but I do know this – I will take God’s “hand” and step into the new year.  I do have goals for the year, but really, I hope and pray that I will live a more meaningful life this year.

This year, I pray for boldness and confidence as I live my life out for Christ.  I pray that those around me will see Jesus.  I pray that all my life’s stresses won’t even be noticeable to me because I am so focused on God.

I pray that I will have fun and take time for friendship.

I pray that I will be a wife that continues to put God and my husband first, and that I will be a blessing and encouragement to him.

I pray that I will stop taking things for granted and count my blessings daily.

I pray that I will use my time wisely.

Goals

Along with those prayers, I am setting a couple goals for myself.  Nothing crazy with 10 things I want to accomplish, just 2 main goals and throwing in a third, just for fun.

1. Be more positive.

I tend to be a realist, but I err on the “glass-half-empty” side of the realism.  There’s more to this story, so it might just receive a post of its own.  But this is something I feel that I need to work on. :)

2.  Eat healthy.

I’m not talking of going on a strict Clean Eating or Paleo diet, I don’t have the time for that right now, but I would like to try incorporating a semi-clean diet, eat out less, eat more salads, plan my meals better.  I’ve been struggling with some health issues, which I’m sure my diet has played at least a small part in, so here’s to making better decisions.

3.  Take more pictures.

I hardly took any pictures at all this year and it bugs me I keep saying this every year!  So maybe, maybe this year will be the year I actually have pictures to show the world lol.  Might have to try one of those photography challenges.  We shall see.

So there you have it my dears.  I hope you all have a wonderful new year full of many, many blessings!

 

Christmas, Christmas Time is Here…

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ChristmasGiving

Christmas this year has felt a little different.  Usually I can’t wait to put on Christmas music, decorate the tree and buy new decorations, bake Christmas cookies, and buy gifts.  This year though, I can count on one hand how many times I’ve listened to Christmas music (listening to store music does’t count), I just haven’t been in the mood.  We put our tree up and there is even snow on the ground, but for some reason it still just doesn’t “feel” like Christmas.

It was really bothering me that I’m not in the Christmas spirit.  I felt like something must not be right in my heart, but then I realized that’s not true.  Although I haven’t been excited over the usual Christmas stuff, I have been more excited about giving to others.  This year was the first time we bought Toys for Tots, which was a lot of fun.  This year was the first year I got my family’s gifts in time (the package arrived this weekend!), and this year I was able to find really great stocking stuff for my husband.  These are the things I have been excited over, nothing else really, but thankfully these are the things that matter the most at Christmas.  Not the cookies, or the music, or the decorations. This year has been more about others and giving and spending time with the people I love.  Although this Christmas feels different, I’ve had a lot of joy – I’m very thankful for that.

I wish I had more exciting things to share, but this is what has been on my mind and heart this week.  I hope you have been having a wonderful Holiday season.  Much love to you all!

 

Currently – December Edition

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tree

So here we are in December.  Usually things are crazy around the holidays, but thankfully things seem to be slowing down a bit…well, sort of.  We are getting settled into our cozy little house and we have been shopping away for Christmas (although, I’m worried our Christmas presents for extended family are going to be late *cringing face*). We also got our Christmas tree and decorations up, and might I add, we are severely lacking in the decoration department.  Definitely need to work on fixing that. ;)

Friday night was also my company’s Christmas party at Northern Quest Resort & Casino.  Let me tell you, our company knows how to throw a party! (even though I’m the one that does half the planning, they provide the funding for it, so it’s awesome).  It was full of fun door prizes, food, cocktails, and lots and lots of dancing.  Definitely the ingredients for a fun night. :)

Anyway, with December in full swing, here are my currently’s.

Currently Watching

Arrow.  We are taking a small break from Bones and trying to catch up on Arrow.  We dropped off somewhere around Season 2, so it’s been fun catching up.  I’m sure our break from Bones won’t last long though.

Also, I’ve been having fun watching all the random Christmas movies that are popping up all over the place on TV, love it! :)

Currently Reading

“Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” by J.K. Rowling, and  “A Woman’s Walk with God – Growing in the Fruit of the Spirit” by Elizabeth George.  I’ve been able to spend a little more time reading, but I need to wait on reading “Better than Before” by Gretchen Rubin.  It was taking far too long to read 3 books at the same time.  I seem to be handling 2 books okay, but it’s obviously still taking me longer to read than it would if I would just stick with one.

Currently Making/Baking

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread!  I made this on Monday and it’s pretty yummy!  Thankfully we had friends over to help us eat it.  It’s far too dangerous to leave that whole loaf for just 2 people, haha.  You can find the recipe here.

You would think this is common sense, but make sure you have all the ingredients before you start.  I thought for sure I had baking soda, but aparently not.  There’s nothing more frustrating than having to run to the store in the middle of mixing half the ingredients together…seriously.

Current Obsession

Kathryn Morgan’s YouTube channel. :)  I’m enjoying her Vlogmas series.  It’s kinda fun to watch while I’m making dinner or doing the dishes, even if it’s just watching some of her old videos.  She also has some fun makeup tutorials and I love, love, love her ballet barre workouts and exercises.  You can view both of her channels here and here.

Anyway, I hope you all are having a wonderful December!  Be warm and stay safe out there!  :)

Deep Cleaning for the Holidays – And a Free Printable!

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As I mention in a previous post (here), we just recently moved, so between getting our apartment ready for the inspection and with the  holiday season in full swing, there has been A LOT of cleaning going on!  So, in honor of the holidays and because I love lists and can’t live without them, I wanted to share my deep cleaning list with you.  I’m also including a link to a more detailed deep cleaning list that includes just about everything.

First, my Apartment Deep Cleaning List.  This is my go-to list for every time we have moved out of an apartment. This list has not failed me and I’ve been able to get our deposit back every time.

Apt Deep Cleaning List

You can download and print the Apartment Deep Cleaning List here.

**Side note: one thing that is not on the list is the laundry room.  Basically, I sprayed down the washer/dryer with windex wiped it clean, made sure to wipe out the insides as well, then wiped down the walls and shelving, and cleaned the floor.

For the Home

I haven’t made a full deep cleaning list for the home yet, but if you’re looking for something more detailed and includes just about everything, here is a link to a great website that has a list you can download.

The nice thing about these long lists is that you can cross off items that don’t apply to you and it makes you feel like you’r already accomplishing something before you even start.  :)

Cleaning Products

Here is a small list of cleaning products I like to use.  I don’t have links, but if you really want links, just let me know in the comments below.

  1. Clorox or Lysol Wipes – these are antibacterial and can be used on multiple surfaces.  The best part is that you can just throw them away when you’re done.
  2. Dawn Dish Soap – I use Dawn and water for a multi-purpose cleaner as well, especially for wiping down walls, counters, cupboards, you name it.  It goes a long way!
  3. Windex – I also use this to wipe down our washer and dryer, it makes it look squeeky clean!
  4.  Comet – I use this on the sinks and tub.  Soft Scrub also works.
  5. Lysol Toilet Cleaner – works great
  6. Sponge, rags, toothbrush – the toothbrush really helps you get in the crevices and nooks and cranny’s.

Well, my dears, that all I have for now.  I hope someone can find these lists useful.  Happy Cleaning!

Post Thanksgiving Thankfulness

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images

Thanksgiving is the one holiday that seems to change for us.  With family being spread out all over the country and with our schedules being a little tricky to work around, we never seem to know what we’re going to do, but something always works out and we’ve been blessed to be able to spend Thanksgiving with family and/or friends.

This year I slept in, spent some quality time with God reading my Bible and in prayer, talked on the phone with my parents in Chicago, and sister in L.A., then we did some more unpacking and organizing (for those of you who don’t know, we just moved into a new house!), then we headed over to my brother’s house to spend the afternoon/evening with him and his little family.  It was definitely a great way to celebrate the holiday.

With thanksgiving in mind I am grateful to God for so much.  Here is just a list of a few things I’m thankful for.

  1. God and his unconditional love, faithfulness, mercy, grace, and forgiveness
  2. My husband
  3. Fresh beginnings daily
  4. A new home for our little family (huge blessing)
  5. Kahlua, our lab, and the goof ball that she is
  6. A small yard for Kahlua to be able to run around in
  7. Our kitty, even though she has given us a ton of grief, she’s still my little baby
  8. That I was born into a Godly family
  9. For deep, meaningful friendships
  10. God’s constant provision
  11. the blessing of my job
  12. for my husband’s job
  13. Turkey’s being 50% off the day after Thanksgiving (woohoo!!)
  14. Food – I love food
  15. Health
  16. Safety and protection
  17. For our cute little car that has been reliable ever since we bought it about 7 years ago
  18. For the people that inspire me
  19. For awesome technology to be able to stay in touch with long distance family (yay Skype!)
  20. For rest and relaxation
  21. Books and blankets – and how well they go together (along with hot chocolate)
  22. Electricity – being without makes you appreciate it sooo much more
  23. For the things we get to look forward to (Christmas, a new year, vacation…)
  24. Laughter
  25. For this blog – it’s been a fun little journey on here, but I’m also thankful for blogs in general, because it’s fun being able to look into other people’s lives and receive inspiration and encouragement.  So thanks to you guys out there too! :)

I hope and pray you all will continue the rest of the year with many blessings and continue to give thanks through it all.

Much love xoxo