I Do Lots of Stuff

It is day 6 of the blog everyday in May challenge and I have successfully blogged the past 5 days (some days twice a day)!  

Today's prompt: if you couldn't answer with your job, how would you answer the question, 'what do you do'?

I had to laugh a little about this one because in my I'm Uncomfortable post I talked about this question (well close to the same question), as it makes me a little uncomfortable. 

So, what do I do?  

I run a household for just hubby and myself but it keeps me busy. I have not worked the past year so I have had my days free to do "household" chores.  When I think back to when I worked full time, I wonder how in the world I kept everything going for our household.  It will definitely be a BIG adjustment to be out of the house 8+hours a day again and keep everything working smoothly.  So you may be wondering what I do to keep a household running that would be that big of a deal once going back to work, especially without kids.  Later this month I'll be sharing "a day in the life" which I will share a little more about my busy days.  Basically, I do most of the household chores (laundry, cleaning, cooking, menu planning, grocery shopping, general household upkeep, paying bills, and more), since B has had an insane schedule with flight school.  I keep telling him, this will be ending soon!  

I exercise.  I am constantly changing up what I am doing. Currently I'm doing my May walking lunge + push up challenge, Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred 3-4 days/week, walking 4 miles a couple times a week (if it isn't rainy), and anything else that happens to come up.  

I scrapbook.  I have been working like crazy to catch up the past 10 years of pictures I have NOT scrap-booked.  My goal was to be finished before moving back to KS, but that is not going to happen. I have also been putting together a book for B's military career. I'm excited to get this one completed in the next week or two so it is finished when we move!  

I read.  For the past 6 months or so I have been involved with a book club with a group here on post.  I have never really enjoyed reading since I read so slow, but I have loved having a "deadline" to get a book done and getting together with others to discuss the book.  I plan to start a book-club when I get settled after our move!  Until then, I have joined an online book club that Melissa from In Her Boots is hosting.

I cook.  I don't just pull out a can of processed junk or frozen meals, I cook old school style like our grandmas used to. I make almost everything we eat from scratch and use very few processed items. I even make my own cream of "whatever" soups instead of using those cream of chemical soups that come in a can!  This is one of the major reasons I wonder how I did it all when working full time.  

I bake.  I shared my 10 basic baking tips last week, so you already know I love to bake.  I am working on some things now that I will be sharing in the next few months that will allow me to do what I love and hopefully make some money while doing it!  

I blog.  Duh, right!?!?! When people ask me what I do I almost always say I blog.  Why wouldn't I?  It takes up a lot of my time and I love it so I like sharing with others.  I like hearing peoples questions after I tell them I blog, especially for those that may have never even read a blog before! Speaking of blogging, my blog is in the process of getting a face lift and I'm looking forward to it being rolled out in the next month or so!  
  So, what do you do???  I would love to know! 

Weekend Wanderings {5.4.13}

Welcome to another addition of Weekend Wanderings!  For all my new readers, Weekend Wanderings is a weekly post that I share articles too good to not share with my lovely readers.  Enjoy! 

Blogging, From a Non-Blogger's Perspective::  Love this post written by a non-blogger. If you are not a blogger, you need to read this! 

Why I Eat White Rice Instead of Brown::  I think I'm switching back to white rice. I keep reading about the higher levels of arsenic in brown rice so I have not been making brown rice very much recently.  

What is the Difference Between Heirloom, Organic, Hybrid, and GMO?:: Simple article discussing the differences, good information. 

How to Can Dry Beans::  I want to try this. I usually process and freeze dry beans but I think canning would be easier.  Do you have a pressure canner? 

3 Simple Stretches for Better Posture: Takes Less Than 5 Minutes::  I have set reminders on my phone 3 times a day to do these stretches. I am also starting yoga again a few times a week to help with my posture and flexibility.  What do you do for your posture? 

Eggs: To Wash Or Not Wash:: Interesting article about washing farms eggs.  Are the eggs you get locally and at the farm washed or not washed? The eggs I purchase locally are washed. 

10 Uses for Chia Seeds::  I love adding them to my smoothies. I also would love to try them to make pudding. Do you use chia seeds? If so, how do you use them? 

13 Lush Eco Beauty Tips:: I want to try the natural hair lightening idea. I used to get my hair highlighted, but once I started taking chemicals out of our house it also included no more chemical hair treatments.  All those chemicals soaking in to my head is a little scary!  

In case you missed it, here is what was on the blog this week:  

Menu Plan Monday {4.29.13}

Life Lately via Iphone Pics {April 2013}

My Life-The Short Version

10 Basic Baking Tips

I'm Uncomfortable

Be Weird

I posted everyday this week, I think I earned a gold star!!!  

What are you doing this weekend? Don't you just love weekends? As long as the weather is nice we are going to the driving range tomorrow to hit a few golf balls.  Probably the last time at Fort Rucker, as our time is coming to an end here and we are beginning to have our "lasts" before moving. 

Weekend Wanderings 4.21.13

This past week has been crazy busy! I can tell we are winding down our time here in AL and my "move to do list" keeps growing.  

Did you do anything fun this weekend?  I did not do much this weekend, as I went to the beach on Thursday and got a horrible sunburn on my back. For some reason I did not think to put sunscreen on my back, oops!!!  So I have struggled doing things the past few days because my back hurt so bad. 

The Squatty Potty::  This is on my list to get once we are settled into our new home.  I have had these on my wish list for awhile and really want one!!!  

Intro to Alkaline/Acid Balance & Acid/Alkaline-How to Stay In Balance:: I love her videos and this is great info.  The Arbonne 30 day challenge I did last summer had this focus, how to eat foods that help balance your Alkaline/Acid, as our SAD (Standard American Diets) are very high in acid.  Don't stress about this, just eat a healthy whole foods diet and you will get it balanced in my opinion! Although, I think it would be fun to order some test stripes to see where I'm at for a week or two.  Have you tested your Alkaline/Acid balance?

Pampering Ideas that are Eco-Friendly:: Love these ideas.  Stress is high right now for me since I'm doing all things moving prep and more! How do you pamper yourself? Is it eco-friendly? I love getting pedicures, but it isn't very 

eco-friendly! 

How to Get a Flat Stomach:: Thought these were great tips since summer is right around the corner! And did you notice what they recommended...how funny I just shared about getting one. 

Mercury Amalgam Fillings: What Dr. Oz Did NOT Tell You:: A must read if you have had or will have dental work done!

Make sure to check out the giveaway I'm doing with Melissa from In Her Boots! 

Life Lately {Week 3}

I can not believe it is already Monday! The weekends go way to fast.  Did you do anything fun this weekend?  We did not do much, since next weekend we will be celebrating my birthday.  My weekend included cleaning the house and sorting through things for a garage sale. Never fun! Oh,  and I started to catch up on piles of laundry.

Here is what has been going on with us lately. If you follow me on Instagram you have already seen some of these.  If you don't follow me on Instagram you should, it would make my day. If you do not know what Instagram is, well ignore the last few sentences. 

1. Busy week working on taxes, 401k rollovers, and cleaning out file cabinet.  My office was a mess, but working by a sunny window with coffee always helps. 
2. This plant was from a "starter" from a plant that has been in the family a long time.  It was not doing so well so I cut it down and re-potted it. Now it is growing like crazy.  Moving it should be interesting.  
3. Yummy oranges "cuties" for snacks last week
4. Salad and detox tea for lunch
5. Where B spends his early mornings.....he sure loves to fly. 
6. Can you believe the price of gas. I always fill up on post (yah for tax free!) but I forgot and had to stop at a place off post to get gas, it was higher then on post so I put $3 in to get me home..hehehehehe. 
7. I love getting packages and I'm getting more this week!  I order most things on-line these days since we live in the middle of no-where.  This last week I got some books from Amazon and 150 photos from Shutterfly that I need to scrap-book. 
8. How we like to eat leftover Chili
9. Ready to get my P90X on! 
10. Saturday was super cold for this area so I had to pull out my warmer jacket/coat I got from my MIL a few years ago. Love it! 
11. Books I'm reading right now--48 Days to the Work You Love, Blog Inc., Grieving the Child I never Knew, Wild. What books are you reading? 
12. Me again in my warm coat. Luckily we are getting warmer weather this next week, I hope!

Sunday we made Hers & His pizza with Udi's Gluten Free Pizza Crust.  
Super yummy.

What have you been up to the past few weeks?  Do you have any fun plans for this week? 

I'm so excited to be co-hosting with Life on LeRoy for today's Life Lately link up. We would love for you to join us and link up your life lately post.  Here are the rules, because you can not go through life without rules! 

1.) Follow your hosts via GFC.

2.) Follow your co-hosts via GFC. 

3.) Link up your life lately posts or any post about your life. 

Til' next time,

Fitness & Health Bucket List {Fitness Friday 1.4.13}

If you read many blogs you have probably noticed many posts about new years resolutions, goals, etc.  Of course, it is already January 4th and I have yet to publish my 2013 goals.  But I do not always like to follow the crowd or be forced into a "mold".....so I'm doing mine a little different this year.  I'm borrowing Musings of a Housewife's idea and doing a bucket list for 2013.  So today I am sharing my Fitness & Health Bucket List for 2013.  Next week I will share my general bucket list.  

1.  Learn to run ALONE.  I started running about 3 years ago (I think) and have always run with a buddy. If I do not have someone to run with I just don't run. Yeah, I suck!  I hate this and want to change it in 2013.  B is working with me on a running plan to improve my running time and distance. Next week will be my first week on the plan and I will be running it alone.  I hope I learn to like running by myself, so I do not always have to depend on having someone to run along side me! Although, I do love running with my buddies so I can chat and catch up. 

2.  Start AGAIN & Consistently Attend Spin Class, Yoga, and Strong Bodies. I did a great job this last summer attending these classes several times a week and LOVED going.  Then I flew to KS a couple times towards the end of the summer and never got back into the classes when I came back home.  I became busy with other commitments and working out took a back seat to everything else in my life.  I do not want this to happen again and I will strive to remain active in classes all year!  I have a fun incentive we are doing this year to keep us on track for our workouts that I will share with you next Friday. 

3.  Read Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook That Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and The Diet Dictocrats by Sally Fallon. I have owned this book for over a year and haven not read any of it yet. Shame on me!!!  It has 688 pages, so if I read a couple pages a day I will have it read by the end of the year.  I will read more then a couple of pages a day, so it wont take me all year to finish it-I hope!  

4. Stay away from Gluten, Dairy, and Coffee.  I am not perfect, so I know I cant avoid these foods everyday for the next year, but I am starting on the Arbonne Get Fit plan again which includes not eating these items and more. These are the foods I have found that do not like me and in order for me to get to my goal weight and be healthy I need to cut these out of my diet.  I will discuss more of my eating plan on Monday, so check back for further details.  

5. Run a 10K.  This was on my list last year and I never accomplished running a 10K in 2012.  So 2013 is my year to run a 10K.  I hope to be up to a 10K within 6 months, which should not be a problem if I stick to the plan B has set up. 

The thing about making a list of goals is to actually be consistent and work on that list throughout the year.  So I will be posting my Fitness & Health Bucket List around the house and will include little baby steps on how to achieve each item on the list! 

I am also starting a health & fitness journal that I will record my meals and workouts everyday.  I'll also record my starting weight & measurements and continue to record these every 30 days.  It will be a great record of what I achieve when I stay committed and intentional.  

Here is a video I have been wanting to share that is VERY motivational.  You might have seen it already, but it is worth another watch.  



Do you set goals or have a bucket list?  Do you keep a fitness or health journal?  How do you achieve your goals and keep them in front of you so you are consistently working on them? 

I would love to know what your fitness and health goals are for the year, so let me know in the comments!  

Linking up with Jill Conyers Fitness Friday

Til' next time,

5K Recap {Fitness Friday 12.21.12}

It is so nice to be starting my weekly posts again that I was doing up until a few months ago.  I have done several 5k runs in the last few months, so I figured I should catch everyone up with a 5k recap.  I wasn't worried about times on these, even though I should be, so I'm not sharing with you my finish times.  This is one of my fitness goals in 2013, but more on that next week.

My running the last few months has not been consistent and I did not get to run the 10k in November like I wanted.  I ended up having plans the weekend of the run, which is fine because there was no way I was prepared for a 10k.  I am excited to start January off with getting healthy and getting back to my workout schedule!

In September, I signed up for the Hispanic Heritage Gate to Gate run which is about 4 miles.  For those that are not familiar with military bases, we refer to the entrances of the post as gates. So the run was from one of the gates to another.  Within the first two miles there is a REALLY LONG and BIG hill.  This was the only thing I was NOT looking forward to.  I successfully made it almost the entire way up the hill.  I didn't make it to the top, but I sure made it further up the hill then I thought I would, so I was satisfied!  B rides his bike on that route and always struggles getting to the top also, which makes me feel a little better about not getting to the top.  

A group of us decided to have a team for the run. Our team name was Fit Mother Ruckers. One of the girls made us really fun shirts for the run.  We each picked something we wanted on the front of the shirt. I picked a coffee cup since coffee is my kryptonite. I have a love/hate relationship with that wonderful brown stuff!

 Bad picture, but it is the only one I got of the front of the shirt

  Back of the shirt

 Before the run

 Fit Mother Rucker Team

In October, a friend and I ran the Spooky 5k. I have run a couple of Halloween 5ks but have never dressed up in anything other then my running gear.  So this year I decided it was time for me to run in a costume.  It was decided we wanted to be super heroes.  I did not want to be a famous super hero, so I decided to make up my own.  After much thought, I finally figured out what my super hero name should be while chatting with B one night before bed.
I was........

Speedy Stevie!

Are you wondering why I decided to be Speedy Stevie?  Well it is kind of an inside joke from college.  My roommate in college started calling me Stevie and the name stuck.  I thought it would die out after college, but I'm still called Stevie by multiple people!  If you want to know the whole story, shoot me an email or leave a comment. If I get enough interest I might think about sharing it with my lovely readers!

I had fun designing & making my outfit, but I spent way to much time on it. So I know what I'm wearing for the Halloween run next year. Although I bet I wont be wearing shorts in KS for the Halloween run!  I am REALLY going to miss the AL winters.

Here are some shots of the outfit up close.

 Speedy Stevie arm band--made out of felt.  

Shout out to my mom....LOVE my watch. Thank you so much! 

 Speedy Stevie Cape--made with a fun shiny material and black duct tape. 

The letters are black felt. 

My t-shirt. Again, logo is made out of felt

 This is a really cheesy shot of me, but I had to show you the side view with my cape

I definitely (wink, wink) did not run up and down our hallway the night before the run testing out my cape flying abilities!

My running buddies for Spooky 5K

The next 5K I ran was the Chili 5K. It included a chili cook-off  After the run you could buy tickets and can go around and taste chili.  It smelled SOOOO good.  We didn't stay to taste chili though, B struggles eating things like that since he is allergic to onions.  

Running buddies at Chili 5K

A couple weeks ago I ran the Jingle Bell 5k.  I was not motivated or wanting to run this one, so did not feel like taking any pictures. I'm sure I'll regret that when it comes time to scrapbook. 

This is the only shot I have, thanks to someone else getting a group shot! 

And that catches you up on my running activities the past few months.  I plan to do several more 5k runs in January & February, as it motivates me to keep running.  Next week I will share with you my goals for 2013.  

I'm linking up with Jill for Fitness Friday.  

Til' next time,