January

January Recap & 2018 Goals

/ Cami Grace / Leave a comment

Here we are half way through February and, wow, that happened fast!   I meant to post this a couple weeks ago – oops!  I felt like my little family spent almost the whole month of January being sick.  Poor little Gryffin had it the worst.  He had a stomach bug, followed immediately but a horrible cold which included a fever that lasted off and on for two weeks.  Thankfully that bug is behind us but I can’t wait for this cold and flu season to be over with.

In addition to the cold virus going around and dealing with the stress from that, we also found out that the in-home daycare we had been taking Gryffin to since he was 8 weeks old was closing.  I’m not going to lie, I’ve been pretty emotional about it.  For as much as I hate having to work full time, Amber had been his second mom and having to find someone new was rather heart wrenching.  We have completely been blessed having someone we could trust.  After a few weeks of searching we finally found a place that has been a good fit (more on this in the next update).

So now with that recap I will dive into how I did with my goals.

Goals 

In a previous post I had written what I hoped to accomplish for the whole year.  After having a baby I’ve had to intentionally let some things go (such as a clean house at all times) and other things seemed to have fallen by the wayside, but now I’m to the point where I’m ready to start getting a handle on things.  The month of January I wanted to focus on getting back into my Bible, praying, and being rooted in Christ.

Here is what I had planned for the month of January and the details of how I did.

Be – Rooted 

  1. Go through a devotional  
  2. Start a prayer journal 
  3. Go to church/listen to sermons every Sunday 

Book of the month:  Of Mess and Moxie:Wrangling Delight Out of This Wild and Glorious Life by Jen Hatmker

* Here is the breakdown and details on how I did.

1 – Go through a devotional  I’m giving myself a half point here.  I started off reading through The Purpose Driven Life.  It was really good and I enjoyed it.  The downfall is that the chapters were longer than I could handle most nights.  By the time I get my baby to bed I’m exhausted and struggle not to fall asleep on the couch.  This turned into a fail by the second week.

Solution: Getting the audio book from our library.  This isn’t the most ideal solution since I only have the audio book for a certain amount of days, but it’s still better than nothing, especially since I really did want to finish it.

Since my main goal was to try and get into reading my Bible more I started going through reading plans with the You Version Bible app.  These plans tend to be short and I can usually manage to read the day’s section when I crawl into bed.

2 – Start a prayer journal  For the same reason as above, I am just way too tired at the end of the day to keep up with it.  As for the weekends, I still find myself scrambling for time.

Solution: Bag it.  I figured it would be best for baby steps so for now I will stick with Bible reading plans.

3 – Go to church/listen to sermons every Sunday  Guys – this one is so embarrassing for me to admit…we listened to only one sermon the whole month.  I have my excuses, but it just doesn’t cut it.

Solution:  Really make it a priority and schedule it.  My husband works graveyard which is why it’s so difficult to actually go to church.  We don’t have an excuse to not listen to a sermon online.  I plan to actually schedule it like we would a doctor’s appointment and make it happen.

Book of the Month: Of Mess and Moxie by Jen Hatmaker.  Ooooh my gosh you guys!  I loved this book!  I found it by a complete accident while browsing through audio books through our libaray – I saw it and though it looked like it might be good.  I started in on my Monday morning commute and got to work feeling like I just had the best pep talk for my day…no…for my life.  Jen Hatmaker is hilarious and sooo much of what she said was incredibly relate-able.  I felt like every day I was hanging out and listening to a friend.  I plan to buy a hard copy of this book.  I highly recommend everyone listens to the audio book at least once though.  She reads the book herself and makes it that much more enjoyable (this is the one and only book, so far, that I give this recommendation to).

My hope is that everything I work on will carry on into the next month as I add to my goals.  I don’t expect to be successful all the time, but I am hoping that the more I try and the more I work on it that eventually it will stick and become just part of my routine.

Hope you all are having a wonderful February.  Stay tuned for the next update!

 

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Currently – January 2018

/ Cami Grace / Leave a comment

Happy January!  I hope you all are having a wonderful year so far.  We got to ring in the new year with friends and spent the night playing games and eating food!  Since then it’s been a slightly rough month since we have come down the a flu bug.  Thankfully we’re all starting to feel better but it really did a number on us!

Anyway, here’s what we’ve been up to this month.

Currently Watching

Live P.D. – I don’t exactly know how we found this show but it’s pretty cool.  It’s like the show COPS…but live.  Some episodes are pretty eventful and others not so much.

The Office – As we have time.

Currently Reading

The Purpose Driven Life – I was looking for a devotional to start the new year off with and this fell into that category.  So far I’m definitely not disappointed!

I’m also waiting for the audio book of Of Mess and Moxie, by Jen Hatmaker to become available through our library’s online program.  I like to listen to podcasts and audio books on my commute to and from work.

Currently Making/Baking

Apple Crescent Dumplings (recipe here).  I made these for Thanksgiving and have the ingredients to make them again.  They are pretty darn yummy!

Current Obsession

Kind Breakfast Bars.  I found out early on that Gryffin was senstive to dairy and since I’m still nursing dairy is out for me too.  These make a great dairy-free, on the go breakfast!  I have one every single morning with my one little cup of coffee. :)

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I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and are having a great January!

A Quizy Thing

/ Cami Grace / Leave a comment

Wow, is it just me or does it seems like it’s been a long month?  This year has already had its ups and downs, but to be fair mostly ups.  I have to admit though, last week was a rough one, hence the lack of a post.  I just had to deal with a negative person and some hurtful words completely derailed me.  I got over it though, so here I am moving on :)

Nothing too exciting has gone on this past week, however, the company I work for wanted to start doing some volunteer work, so I got to spend part of my Friday morning volunteering at a homeless shelter serving food.  It was a really good experience and so awesome how appreciative people were.  My goodness, it also makes me realize how much I take for granted in my life.  So thankful for the blessings of having a warm bed and a roof over my head.  My heart hurts for those who don’t have that.

I also came down with a nasty cold this week so I unfortunately don’t have much to share, however, I saw one of these quizy things on Facebook and since I think they’re fun I thought I would just post mine here.  Sooo…here you go!

A- Age: 29, Ah! I can’t say I’m in my 20’s anymore once August hits.  I’m continuing to make my last year in my 20’s great!
B- Biggest fear: something horrible happening to my husband or anyone in my family
C- Current time: 12:50 p.m.
D- Drink you last had: Coffee :)
E- Every day starts with: me crying for more sleep, even on weekends lol
F- Favorite song: Hmmm, favorite Christian song: “In Christ Alone”.  Favorite none-Christian song: currently, probably “Stressed Out” by Twenty One Pilots.  I don’t think I have an all-time favorite.
H- Hometown: Sunnyside, WA but currently in Spokane
I- In love with: Jesus and my husband Mikey
J- Jealous of: People who have it all together
K- Killed someone?: No…wait!…no.
L- last time you cried? Oh geez…last Monday I think.
M- Middle name: Grace
N- Number of siblings: 2.  I have an older sister and brother.
O- One wish:  That everything will just fall into place
P- Person you last called: I called my brother last night
Q- Question you’re always asked: When are you guys going to have kids?
R- Reason to smile: It’s a new day!
S- Song last sang: Ummm…I honestly don’t remember
T- Time you woke up: 9:30 a.m.  Yeah, I was tired.
U- Underwear color: Privileged information my dears ;)
V- Vacation destination: Cozumel, Mexico (3 weeks, aaahh!)
W- Worst habit: Worrying!!
Y- Your favorite food: Mexican.  Probably enchiladas.  :)
X- X-Rays you’ve had: Oh geez, too many!  Neck, back, mouth, ankle…
Z- Zodiac sign: Leo

So that’s all I have for now.  I will hopefully have something more exciting to share next week.

I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday!

Currently – January Edition

/ Cami Grace / Leave a comment

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We are halfway through January and I am having a very lazy weekend!  We have watched far too much Netflix and have done a whole lot of nothing else.  Well…actually, that’s not entirely true. I have managed sneak in Pilates workout and I started a little sewing project.  I am not the most crafty person ever, but every once in a while I catch the crafting bug.  If it all goes well I will have a cute little DIY kindle case.  We also went to church.  Sooo I guess I haven’t been completely lazy. ;)

Anyway, enough of my weekend.  Here are my January Currently’s.

Currently Watching

We just finished catching up on Arrow at the beginning of the month and glad there is a new episode next week!  But we also just finished the last season and episode of Bones yesterday on Netflix – Nnooooo!!  So now we have to figure out what to watch next.  Decisions, decisions…

Also, my husband accidentally signed us up for Amazon Prime so I can tell you right now I will soon be binge watching Downton Abbey.  I just have to find time to watch it on my own since my husband isn’t exactly crazy about it. :)

Currently Reading

“Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” by J.K. Rowling.  I am really, really hoping to finish this book this weekend.  Mikey bought me the next book for Christmas so I’m looking forward to that.  With our trip coming up so soon I might wait to read it until then, that way I can guarantee I’ll have something good to read, but we’ll see if I can hold out that long.  :)

Also, I kinda, sorta finished “A Woman’s Walk with God – Growing in the Fruit of the Spirit” by Elizabeth George.  I hate to admit this – but I skimmed the last part of the book.  When it came time to check the book out again for what would be the 3rd time, I knew that it just wasn’t going to happen.  So, yes, I skimmed.  But all in all, it was a good read.

Currently Making/Baking

Don’t judge me…I bought Wal-Mart brand pre-made cookie dough, less than $2.00.  I was thinking since it wasn’t Pillsbury or Toll House that the cookies would be subpar, but I was wrong and they were delicious!  Definitely not in the healthy category.  I caved in a moment of weakness – delicious, delicious weakness and worth every penny. :)

Current Obsession

Getting ready for our CRUISE!!  We made the final payment for our cruise last month, booked our flights, and booked our hotel.  We are just getting all the little details in place and making sure we have all the Caribbean clothes and items we need.  The waiting part is the worst!  I found a really awesome website which gives you all sort of insider information and tips at CruiseCritic.com.  I can’t stop reading the forums!  Any question you can thinking of and someone has the answer to it, it’s really great.

But also while I’m waiting I’m determined to get into even better shape.  I’m proud of myself for being consistent with my workouts, but since I’m going on a trip where I will be wearing my swimsuit half the time, I need to step up my game a bit.  After looking up different Pilates workouts, I found Blogilates Youtube channel.  She is amazing and I’m already feeling pretty sore, so that’s great!

Well, my dears, that’s all for now.  I hope you all have a wonderful and relaxing Sunday!

 

New Years “Resolution” Follow up – Week 1

/ Cami Grace / Leave a comment

As I stated in my last post here, I am really only working on 3 goals this year: positivity, eating healthier, and taking more photos.

SOOoooo here’s how it’s going so far

1.  Positivity  

OOooh my goodness, talk about setting myself up for failure.  First of all, I did not get enough sleep New Years eve, SO I woke up very grumpy.  It’s really, really hard to be positive when I am completely grumpy.  The more I tried to be positive, the more grumpy I got.  So yeah, day 1 and I was ready to completely bag it.  After the first day I realized it was a lot easier for me to be positive when I’m not trying so hard, so I kinda let it go.

As my week went on and I let up a little on the “I must be positive” thing, I started noticing 2 different things that really that helped me have the ability to think more positively.  The first being the small amount of time I spent before bed reading my bible and in prayer.  I’m still working on consistency in this area, but even when I’m not able to read a whole chapter, I at least make the effort to read a verse.  I noticed when I at least make a heartfelt effort to meet with God, he meets me halfway.  It’s nice to be able to come to God with complete honesty about how I feel and just lay my heart out to Him and just put everything in His hands and kind of say “here, you handle it.”.  And what’s even better is that God can be 100% completely trusted with everything you give to Him.

The second thing that helped me be more positive was a little unexpected.  Yoga.  I discovered “Yoga with Adrien” on Youtube and even after just 1 day I felt a difference, mainly because of the breathing techniques.  It’s funny, because especially at work I notice I tend to hold my breath when I get stressed or I take really short breaths, which doesn’t help anxiety.  But since I’ve been more mindful of my stress these days, being able to take note and then take a deep breath in and let out my breath slowly and just let go of the stress, even for a second, really helps.

2.  Healthy Eating

I am actually doing really good in this department!  Like I said in my last post, I don’t want to go too crazy with a healthy diet, because I know myself and I will burn out quickly from even trying.  So I’m only incorporating a new recipe once a week.  I have a couple healthy recipes that I cook with already, so I’m just trying to find more recipes to include in my arsenal.  Here are links to my favorite healthy (or at least not completely unhealthy) go-to recipes.

~ Doritos Taco Salad from Emily Bites

She has quite a few yummy recipes, but this one I think is my favorite so far :)  (Side note: I use my own no sodium taco seasoning: 1 Tb chili powder, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp oregano, 1/8 tsp ceyenne pepper)

~ Tomato Basil Pasta found on Pinterest

Not a healthy additive, but I also brown ground sausage to include in this recipe, and sometimes I add spinach too.

~ Cauliflower Chowder from Damn Delicious

This is especially nice in winter. This is another site that has lots of really yummy recipes.

~ Paleo Nachos from Paleo Grubs

Very yummy!

And here are the new recipes I’m trying out.  The first one I’m making tonight. :)

~ Greek Marinated Chicken from Budget Bytes

I am using chicken breasts instead of thighs though, and will make a small side salad and steamed broccoli to go with it.  I’m getting hungry already!

~ Sweet Potato Sloppy Joes from Paleo Newbie

Looks delicious!

So there’s my healthy food follow-up.  You can also follow my “Health Recipes” board on Pinterest here.

3.  Photos

Ummm…..yeah…..about that.  Guess I should go charge my camera.  :)

So there it is, my January so far!  The rest of the day will involve cleaning our house, taking Kahlua (our dog) out to play and pick up the back yard (yuck!).  Then my hubby and I will go see Star Wars (it’s pretty amazing we haven’t seen it yet!), and then of course we will come back and I will make the Greek Marinated Chicken.  You know, since you all were just dying to know what I’ll be doing the rest of the day, haha ;)

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!