Current Loves: January Favorites

I have been rocking this collared shirt under a sweater look a lot this winter. I love it because it is super comfy yet not to dressed down. I like it with rolled up pants like The Pleated Poppy did here or even with tall boots as well. I think I will be sporting this style on into Spring as well so I definitely need to be on the hunt for bright punchy sweaters like this tangerine one.

 

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I love Flashpoint so you can imagine my disappointment to know that the series has ended. I literally just watched the last episode last night and it was so good. I hate how when stations take shows off the air and just leave them hanging. As sad as I am to see it go at least they finished it out. I won't throw in any spoilers just in case you watch and haven't seen the last episode. I'm not sure that it has actually aired here in the US or not but you can find it on YouTube.

 

 

 

I have been craving organization. I think a New Year always makes me want to get organized and this New Year has been no exception. I have been knocking out all the areas on my 6 weeks to a decluttered home and loving it. I have even gone back to a couple of areas where I said "oh yeah I'll just keep that" and gotten rid of it anyways. If I don't use it then it shouldn't be in my home right? After I get done cleaning out I need to go back and make everything pretty like this organized closet below.

Source: Uploaded by user via The House That Clutter Built on Pinterest

 

 

Taylor Swift : I Knew You Were Trouble

 

OK, I'm not a huge fan of Taylor or even country for that matter but my daughter loves this song. She goes around singing it all the time, especially the trouble trouble trouble part so it has been playing around here A LOT. OK, so it is kind of catchy. ;) Anyone else get the feeling that she jacked the first part from Twilight?

 

 

 

I have been pinning a lot of inspiration for my daughter's room lately. It is the project other than Operation Live Simple that I have been working on currently. I love this colorful gallery wall. I definitely want to do something like this in her room. I just need to go hunt up some funky frames. Pinning has become a nightly ritual for me. haha! If you want to follow me you can find my pinterest here.

 

Source: thecraftingchicks.com via Melissa on Pinterest

 

 

Another one of my nightly rituals is reading. If it is a good book I have been known to stay up till the wee hours of the morning, despite regretting it when the sun comes up. I have probably read 10 books since January started. One of the most recent books I finished was called Chasing Nikki, you can get the kindle edition free if you are interested in reading it. It is a romantic angst type book. It was a pretty good read, especially for free. They have part 2 called Finding Chase but I've yet to pick that one up.

 

 

 

What are some of your current loves?

 

 

 

 

Note: I'm tinkering with my blog layout/design so if you see things changing over the next few days no worries. :)

 

Weekly Wednesday Blog Hop #44

This week's featured blog is Glamburger

• Grab the button below or add a link somewhere on your blog. This lets others know about the hop so they can hop as well. :) The more the merrier!
• Please visit some link ups and follow if you like them.
• Make some new bloggy friends!!! :)
• This is optional but I would love for you to follow TGL. :)

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Tip Tuesday: Weight Loss Tips Part 4: Staying Motivated

This is the 4th and final part to the weight loss tips and it's all about staying motivated to actually make it to your goal.

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• Exercise with a friend or even in a group setting when you can. You are much more likely to stick with it.

• Set small goals and not just one large goal. If you have 20 lbs to lose then set your first goal to lose the first 5. When you reach that goal reward yourself but not with food. Buy yourself a new book you have been eyeing or give yourself a mani/pedi day.

• Music makes working out so much easier in my opinion. I can often power through tough workouts when I have something jamming in the background. It also tends to make your workouts feel much shorter and not long and drawn out.

• Remember that small changes can make a big difference. Reluctant to give up your soda? Give it a go for a few weeks and just see how much better you feel. Yes, that means diet soda too.

• Keep a online journal of your weight loss journey. I would suggest myfitnesspal or blogtolose. Having others support you will also inspire you to keep going and to keep working hard for your end results.

If you want to read the parts 1-3 of Tip Tuesday Weight Loss Tips they can be found here.

 

Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3

 

 

Valentine Round Up: Printables

I know there are plenty of people that aren't big into Valentine's day because they think it's all commercial, etc etc. I agree, it is a commercial holiday. I can and will love my hubby and daughter all 365 days of the year but I must admit I do love a holiday that gives me an excuse to throw pink around everywhere, with some hearts and cheesiness too. :) I've said it before, no holiday goes undecorated up in here. {Big Cheesy Grin}

One of my fave, easiest and cheapest ways to decorate is with free printables. Here is one I used this year in my picture frame. It wasn't printed or free (hmmm, haha) but it was only $1 at Target. It's one of their Valentine cards in the $1 spot. I thought the subway style card would make for super cute and cheap art.

Here is a round up of my favorite free printables via pinterest.

China Glaze Sneek Peek: Spring 2013 Avant Garden Collection

 

Avant Garden will be available March 2013. Available as individual bottles or sold in 2 - 6 piece collections, Blooming Brights and Pastel Petals.

Passion for Petals, Mimosa's before Mani's and Pink-ie Promise are definitely on my list to pick up.

 

Can't wait for Spring!!

 

Operation Live Simple Update #1

I had planned to blog about my update tomorrow but plans have changed for tomorrow so here is a quick update today.

Operation Live Simple has been going great. I am finishing up week 2 today. I will admit that there have been a couple days that I didn't get the area done. I did, however, motivate myself on the other days that had easier and quicker areas to clean to throw in those extra missed areas. I'm still on track to finish in my 6 weeks schedule. :) I have loaded at least 2 trash bags full of donate items so far but plan to leave the picture of how much I accumulated for donation until the end of the 6 weeks. I have been piling it into the back of my dear husband's truck (which happens to have a bed cover and lockable) so I don't have to look at piles of stuff I want to get rid of for weeks and weeks.

It's amazing how much stuff one can collect in just a few short years. We just moved here to Kansas barely under 2 years ago and had a HUGE moving sale beforehand. I love to decorate so that is my biggest rotation of stuff. I'm always wanting to change something around and I just don't have the extra room to store extra pieces. While going through these areas I realized how much clutter drives me crazy and it feels good knowing every little item I own has a home. I also realized that I need a label maker. Pronto!!

I'm kind of dreading the next few weeks because my biggest nemesis are the office closet and the hallway closets. I need to go research better and prettier organization ideas.

Have you been doing a version of the live simple?

If you have I would love to hear how it's going. :)

If you haven't and want to or don't even know what I'm talking about here is my original post.

 

The US Army sponsored the Harlem Globetrotters here in our area last night. I thought I would share a picture of the 3 of us with Flight Time. He was one of the 2 globetrotters that participated in the Amazing Race a couple of times. :) It was a fun night and our daughter had a blast getting to meet some members of the team and get some autographs.

Rag Tie Valentine Wreath

What You'll Need:

 

 

Fabric Pieces

Wreath Form

Scissors

This wreath is made pretty much the same way as the rag garland. Cut all your fabric pieces, you will have to adjust the tie lengths depending on your wreath form. If you have a thicker wreath form make longer pieces. I would test fit one to make sure you get the perfect tie length. My heart form, which I bought at Dollar Tree, was small in diameter so I just used 1 inch x 8 inch strips. Once you get your strips cut just start tying on the pieces.

This is the way it will look when you are finished tying on all the pieces.

I thought it was cute but I wanted to see the heart shape more so I trimmed out the pieces on the inside of the wreath. I didn't add any embellishments (yet) but I think a cute wood x and o attached to it would look super cute.

I hung my wreath with an extra piece of fabric but you can of course always find some cute ribbon to hang it with.

 

If you haven't entered the 1 year bloggiversary giveaway and would like to click here. :)

1 Year Bloggiversary Giveway!! {CLOSED}

Exactly one year and 321 posts ago I began my own blog. I had only planned to post some reviews of my favorite beauty products and blog about my next woodworking project but a year later it has become a huge part of my life. I have met so many lovely bloggers and have made some great friends through the world of blogging. If it wasn't for my readers I would just be chatting away to myself so thank you all so much for helping me make it to my one year mark. I can't wait to see how much This Girl's Life will grow in 2013. :)

I wished I could say thank you and give you all something in person. Since I definitely can't do that I just wanted to host a little giveaway to at least say thank you to one lucky winner. 

 

I thought I would pick some prises that relate to what my blog has always been about beauty and DIY. The winner will receive the Urban Decay Midnight Emergency set, a pink glittery cosmetic bag, The Handbuilt Home by Ana White, and a $50 USD gift card to Etsy.

 

I will be contacting the winner via email.

You must contact me within 48 hours or a new winner will be chosen.

To win just follow the Rafflecopter giveaway below!

The giveaway ends Feburary 13th @ 12am (CST)

Good luck & Thank you again!

International Readers Please read before entering!!
(anything outside Continental United States)

The $50 Etsy Gift Card is the only item available to win for International readers! If an international winner is chosen an extra Continental US only winner will be chosen for the makeup set, bag, and book. The only winner eligible to win all prises is someone within the continental US only. I wished I could offer all prises to my international readers but unfortunately I can't do that at this time. Thanks for understanding! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

**Disclaimer: All giveaway items were purchased with my own money. This giveaway is not affliated with Etsy, Ana White or Urban Decay.**

Weekly Wednesday Blog Hop #43

This week's featured blogger is Jess @ The Lily White English Rose

• Grab the button below or add a link somewhere on your blog. This lets others know about the hop so they can hop as well. :) The more the merrier!
• Please visit some link ups and follow if you like them.
• Make some new bloggy friends!!! :)
• This is optional but I would love for you to follow TGL. :)

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Tip Tuesday: Weight Loss Tips Part 3: Tricks & Tactics

You have the golden rules down and are finally making the smart decisions when it comes to losing weight but now you need a few tricks and tactics to keep trucking along.

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• Shop the perimeter of your grocery store. The fresh fruits, veggies, meat, eggs, and dairy are located there. If you need something in the center of the store go in with a list only.

• Plan out your meals. If you don't have healthy options planned out it's too easy to make that fast food run.

• Chew sugarless gum while cooking to prevent you from nibbling.

• Before heading out to a restaurant check out their menu online for the healthiest options. You can find lots of restaurant calorie counts online and it's great to look that up ahead of time. If you have never looked at what some of the popular restaurants meals calorie counts are you might be in for a surprise. It's not pretty!

• Planning on going to a party and wondering how you will get by without blowing your calories for the day? Eat a snack beforehand. If you go on a empty stomach is definitely a disaster waiting to happen.

• If you are a muncher while watching TV, take up something to keep your hands busy like knitting or painting your nails.

• If you are having a craving for something you know isn't healthy try to distract yourself with reading or anything really for 20 solid minutes. Cravings usually take 20 minutes to go away.

• Eat what your craving in its healthiest form. If you are craving french fries, eat a baked potato.

Continue to Part 4