On Marraige // Being Content in all Seasons

Sometimes marriage isn't awesome. Sometimes it's just OK.

Sometimes it's just there. Day in, day out. There when you go to bed, and wake up. There when there's a budget to keep to and a cute dress on sale. There when you're doing Whole 30 and just want to curl up on the couch. I've discovered there are seasons in marriage, just like in every other part of our lives.

For a while seasons where we fell into routine bothered me. I was convinced that if we loved each other, it would always be exciting! Marriage is fun, but it's also work. 

These seasons of routine aren't bad, things can't always be exciting. {Though the seasons of excitement definitely make it worth it!} It's not my goal to have a routine marriage. I want to strive to have an exciting, vivacious marriage. But I've learned: It's more important to learn how to be content in all seasons than to try make all seasons perfect.

So during times of routine, where it's not super exciting, I think of memories, plan ahead for something exciting, and think up how to show my husband how much he really, truly means to me. I use it as a "rest and regroup" time. It's a productive time for me. And an inspiring one. It forces me to evaluate and plan and change.

It challenges me to be a better wife. ♥

Shone / #HeatThing

Update: Buy the album now.

***

Viral marketing may be my favorite thing in the world because there are no rules.

heatthing.com

I've been following a viral marketing campaign for about a month or so now for a new band Shone. The campaign has been using the Twitter hashtag #heatthing during the ongoing campaign, and had many of my favorite artists tweeting "Be Patient #heatthing" long before any information came out.

I was a little late to the campaign - and not geographically located to really take part in some of the more involved tasks - but I'm still super stoked for the album and have been progressively geeking out more and more as the campaign continues.

Last week, an "announcement" was made in Philadelphia that the album would come out February 5. So soon the wait will be over. Good for my iTunes, though I'm sort of sad the hunt will be over. Part of that announcement included an exclusive listening party to the album in its entirety (of which is all posted online, naturally).

{album cover pieced together - 
it was mailed out on 9 different canvases to 9 different people over the period of ~2 weeks}

There's a long forum on Absolute Punk, a great Tumblr keeping up with everything, and a Google Doc with all the evidence being put together.

Invisible ink letters, 9 canvases, birdhouses, flash drives, riddles, scavenger hunt clues and a few other items have been randomly (or strategically?) mailed out to people in the Northeast. And videos with hidden messages in them have been periodically released on the band's website (of which screen captures have been taken to reveal words that are flashing on the screen).

"Levi  Gudmundson" is the culprit behind the campaign. (Though, he was discovered a dead man, so obviously it's a fake name.)

one of the clues mailed out, and a jump drive with "Piano Wire Number 12" - the first released song

This may be the coolest and most exciting viral campaign I've ever witnessed.

It's intuitive. It used all different forms of media - and non-media. It's perfect for its audience. And even for the more casual enthusiast such as myself, it's easy enough to follow, so the hunt is still exciting and not frustrating.

Here's the first two songs released. I think they're both fantastic.





Heat Thing came right as I was getting frustrated with music. I kept falling more in love with my usual albums, but nothing new has come up that really sparked my interest. I felt like it was just time to give up "searching" and just be satisfied with what I had already acquired.

Heat Thing changed that.

It's inspired me to keep reading, keep searching, keep pursuing and keep loving music. It's pushed me out of my comfort zone - past the shallow pop - and back into the alternative/indie world that once upon a time held my soul in its hands.

I'm excited ♥

All images can be found on the previously mentioned Google Doc & Forum

Whole 30 / 15 Days Down

This month I decided to try out Whole 30, a whole-food eating plan. For 30 days you cut out grains, legumes (includes soy), sugar (artificial + natural), MSG + sulphides + other chemicals, dairy, alcohol and a few other things. It may sound intense, but I actually quite enjoy it... mostly.

I'm officially half-way through my 30 days.



What I Like (so far)
I'm aware of every single thing that I put in my body. Because I have to be careful about everything, I pay attention more and am learning. (You can't even imagine how much sugar is in everything!)

I'm in tune with my body. I can tell why I am getting that headache, or what that craving is for. I'm not the most intuitive person, so this is a nice opportunity to learn the skill of listening to my body.

Meal planning, grocery shopping and eating out are all purposeful. And it is incredible how relaxing it is to just have everything planned out ahead of time.

What I Do NOT Like (so far)
I've basically given up most of my social life. I'm not very good at being "the person left out," so I've just taken myself out of those situations so far. (this has helped the bank account!)

My mental skills are taking a toll. I guess because my body is re-learning how to make energy without sugar/carbs it takes away from my ability to think? But whatever the reason, the fact is I made (and am making) stupid mistakes, have incredibly cloudy thinking and find it really difficult to focus, especially in the afternoon.

Lower energy. I am just tired. Even after working out (which usually gives me a good rush of energy), I just want to sleep. The fatigue is inconsistent. I'm not always tired, but when I am it is a point of exhaustion I'm not used to. Supposedly this is normal through day 7, but I'm past that. Hoping it'll change soon.



I'm finding that organization is the most important thing to be successful. You can't half-ass an eating plan that is this intensive. I have to think about every scenario I'm going to be in, and make sure my meals will fit in.

To simplify matters, I made a list of 3 ideas for breakfast, 3 for lunch and 5 for dinner. I am only allowing myself to choose what to eat off of those lists. And it's worked great so far! I'll share actual recipes later, but for now I'll just say: apples, chicken and almond butter for breakfast is amazing.

One of the Whole 30 rules is that I'm not allowed on the scale for the entire month. So I can't report just yet if it's helped me lose some weight. But I can report that I feel clean. I can tell my body is being restored to a state of normal. And that, above all, is totally making it worth it.



My year of purpose is still going strong ♥

10 Things, Volume 28

{Weekend Update Link up with Join the Gossip & Sami's Shenanigans}

1. So I had an awesome week at work last week - until my computer erased everything I had worked on for 2 days. So I was super stoked when Friday came around....

2. I snuck home a little early to get some quality time in with C before our friend Brazos showed up to hang out with us for the weekend.

3. Being on Whole 30 and trying to not starve your guest (and husband, honestly) is proving to be a little tough... but the boys made substitutes all weekend. Potatoes for sweet potatoes. Fries for roasted cauliflower. Beer for water. You know....



4. We spend a lot of time outside enjoying the absolutely perfect weather we had all weekend. Grilling twice during a weekend in January is such a blessing. Plus, now I have grilled chicken for the week! SO much better than baked chicken.

5. Hooray for Jennifer Lawrence for winning a SAG last night. Love that girl ♥



6. So we played possibly the nerdiest board game ever this weekend: Eclipse. We watched a 1-hour YouTube instructional video, each read through the instructions ~2 times, played 3 games (2+ hours per game) and are still learning the intricacies of the game.

BUT ---- it was AMAZING AWESOME.



7. And I totally dominate the last round. Take that boys!

8. Whole 30 mayonnaise. That happened. We'll see how it holds up in the chicken salad I used it for. I'd never even made real mayonnaise before.

9. And I joined everybody else and made a Vine profile this weekend. It's super fun! Really excited to see if anything comes of it. {click on images to see the 6-second videos ♥}




10. On a sad note, my family had a tiny emergency this weekend, so I'm headed home today to be with them in the hospital. Please keep my family in your prayers. We're staying positive and strong, but it's still scary when a loved one isn't home safe & sound where the should be.

Happy Monday ♥

Recipe / Breakfast Hash

When I make brunch at home, my goal is to make a one plate meal that's tasty, slightly above my daily breakfast meal, and that C will love just as much as me. Enter: breakfast hash. Crispy potatoes topped with eggs and cheese. Can't really go wrong there!

This is super easy to throw together. I used one pot to poach the eggs in, one pan to cook the vegetables, and one cutting board. That's it. Just pour yourself a mimosa & you've got a filling, satisfying and super colorful breakfast!



Ingredients (for 2 people)
Olive oil
1 Russet potato
1 white onion
1 red bell pepper
3 cloves garlic
1 c cheese
4 eggs
salt + pepper
other seasonings as desired

Directions
Cut up potatoes really small, and cook in hot oil until they start to get brown (~20 minutes), season to taste as you go along. Add bell peppers, onions, garlic. Cook for about 10 minutes until it's to desired crunchiness. Again, season to taste.

Poach eggs. {how to}

Put potato mixture on two plates, sprinkle with cheese, and top with poached eggs.



Now go have a great weekend! ♥

Meet Holly + {Giveaway Winner}

Meet Holly of Charm & Gumption...



I found Holly over on Kaehla's blog and immediately fell in love with everything she had to offer. I ordered a return address stamp, followed her blog & twitter handle, and went on my merry way. But I kept going back to her... there's just something about Holly & her online store that I love. And I can't get away from it.

So I decided to reach out and talk to her, so that I could get to know a little more about her, and so that I could introduce you to her as well!



Who are you? What is your (brief) life story?

I'm a designer and blogger living in Nashville. I was born and raised in rural Ohio, where I also went to college. While there, I tried to put away my creative interests and focus on a "real" career in marketing, but after college I realized that my heart wasn't in it, and I wasn't happy. I spent 2 years teaching myself the Adobe design software, and started selling my stationery designs in 2011.

When did you start your shop, and why?

I opened my first shop with a friend of mine in 2011, focusing on wedding stationery, then branched off on my own last year. On the first day of the new year, I opened my new shop, Charm & Gumption with a focused style and products for the young career woman. I felt like there was really a void in the market for very modern, stylish office supplies. I know that when I was working at boring office jobs after college, a cute notepad or print in my little cubicle really did change my mood and make the day a little better.

What does your shop offer?

I offer office supplies, stationery, and home wares . My whole idea in creating the shop, and in the name "Charm & Gumption" was that the products would be stylish and fun, but also functional. Most of my products are also customizable with personalization and color choices.

Where does your inspiration come from?

I'm often inspired by other forms of art, like fashion and interior design. I always design with my customer in mind, and I always think "what would I want to buy?", "what would I want to see on my desk?".

Holly was nice enough to offer her fitness notepad to one of my readers last week.

And the winner is: Jessica of Wonder What's Next

Be sure to check out Charm & Gumption: Facebook | Twitter | Etsy

Get 10% off with the code "iaym10" for the next month.

(Valentine's Day cards?)

Thank you to all who entered! And thank you Holly ♥

On Being a Historian

I'm the historian in the family. The one who makes sure pictures are taken, journals are written, memories are remembered. I'm sentimental, slightly a pack rat, and as the oldest kid of 4, feel it's my duty to make sure our kids have something to remember us and our parents by.



So this year for Christmas, I did something a little different. Instead of buying everyone a gift, I called upon my friend Valorie of Valorie Clark Photography, had her fly down to Texas from Washington, D.C., and take pictures of my family.




My mom and dad.
My sister Jessica, with her fiancee' Denver, and kids Danzig and Pepper.
My sister Dana and brother Clark.
Me and Christian.




Ten of us in all. It took a bit of doing to find a time to make it work, but once it did it was magical. I love how these pictures came out. They're taken at Landa Park in  New Braunfels, TX -- a place we all love.





There were of course a few problems during the day, including a flat tire and a completely unruly 3 year old. But it all came together beautifully in the end.



Valorie was patient and encouraging. And she had such a perfect eye for just what needed to be done. She "bribed" Danzig with things, and focused her attention elsewhere when it was clear he wasn't about to listen to anyone. And after the wait for edits, I took one look through of her work & a sigh of relief and rush of excitement came over me. I loved them.



She did a lovely job of capturing the chaos and love that is my family ♥ Check out Valorie's work at her Facebook page and website.




[PS: another photo shoot Valorie did for Christian & I last Christmas]

My next task is to digitize all my grandma's old family pictures. Any tips?

One thing I cut way back on?

As part of my year of purpose, I decided to cut back on some things, and way back on others.

One thing I cut way back on? Social Media. I combed through who I follow on Twitter and Instagram and the blogs that I follow. On all three platforms, I slashed my "following" list by HALF.

It wasn't easy to do and it didn't feel very good during the process, but after two weeks, I can already see a difference in how I interact online. I interact more. Because I have time to. By weeding out those who I didn't enjoy interacting with, I freed up so much time to focus on those who I do enjoy.

Also, since I'm only following half as many people, I've freed up half of my time I usually spent socializing online. And you know what I've done instead?  

Wrote. 
Actually paid attention to C.
Watched documentaries. 
Found new places of inspiration online.
Stayed ahead of schedule on blog posts!

The downside?

This is awkward as a blogger to write about! Because I want more of you to spend more time paying attention to me. Not less. So it's weird saying "hey guys, you should stop following everyone.... except for me".... but, just as not sharing how much I've benefited from this, that'd be wrong.

So I will say this: I encourage you to evaluate how you are spending your time interacting online.

Because once I did, I was able to find little jewels in my collection that I hadn't previously noticed before. And they've become a real blessing for me and a source of great inspiration.

PS: Elle answered one of my questions! 
Go see how to get Tina Fey's Golden Globes hair ♥

Party in a Bag

C & I quickly became known as the friends that always had emergency Crown Royal, no matter if we were at home or away. It started as a complete coincidence, then became a thing after it happened "coincidentally" one too many times. (In our defense, it really wasn't planned.)

Eventually, we began to purposefully pack/buy/bring a bottle of Crown everywhere we went, to remain in the box unless it needed to be opened.



Over the holiday, I threw together a newer version of our "emergency Crown"... I decided to make it a little more high-brow and packed a "Manhattan in a bag." Bourbon. Sweet Vermouth. Bitters. Cherries. And a shaker, just in case.



Luckily, I never had to pull this out over the holidays (our desires were satisfied wherever we went), but I'm thinking it may become my new emergency bag when we head out of town.

{It'd make a pretty good gift too!}



Do you have any traditions when visiting family & friends?

On Marriage & Politeness

Being polite is something we all learn from a really early age. Please. Thank you. You're welcome. Don't ask, wait to be offered. Let others make the choice. You get the picture.

And these aren't bad things to learn. They're good and necessary. These rules keep us all in check so we're not complete jerks to each other.

But this isn't a post about my new-found desire to be more polite. Actually, it's quite the opposite.... I'm beginning to realize there's a point in a relationship where "being polite" does more harm than good.

Sometimes, I don't get what I want because I've told C over & over again that he can have what he wants. Half the time it's genuine, and builds up our relationship. But other times, it's just me being too polite, and that builds up tension and eventually resentment.

Being polite can be a shield. A way to avoid getting your feelings hurt or being turned down. But I'm realizing I should trust C enough to know that if he does say "no" or has a differing opinion/desire than me, it's not to harm me.

This year, 2013, my year of purpose, I want to be careful to not be overly polite. I want to be purposeful with the words I say, especially in my marriage. I want to love and respect C. And I want to trust him enough to be honest with him. ♥

January Wish List

I don't really need a lot this month. Christmas always spoils me. But there's always a few things on my wish list, just waiting to one day be picked up. This January list is simple and motivational. Just like the month should be ♥



A comfy chair to curl up in.
Gloves to keep my hands warm.
A journal that makes me smile.
Motivational book.
A fancy kettle for my tea.

What's on your wish list this month?


PS -- come win a little something cute ♥

{Giveaway} Charm & Gumption

We're halfway through January... how are your new years resolutions going? I've seen a lot of success from people on Twitter. But just as I'm sure there's a few people out there who haven't been perfect, those who have been may need a little extra help.

I'm right there with you. Which is why I was so stoked when I found this amazing notepad:

I though the notepad was so adorable, I emailed Holly, the owner of Charm & Gumption, and asked if she'd be willing to give one away to one of my followers? And she said yes ♥



All you have to do is pin/tweet/share your favorite object from Charm & Gumption. But, of course, there's other ways to enter to win as well.

Just follow the Rafflecopter instructions...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Winner will be announced on Thurs, 1/24.

Good luck ♥

Weekend Update

{Weekend Update Link up with Join the Gossip & Sami's Shenanigans}

We hung low this weekend.... caught up on Oscar movies, played late-night Yahtzee, had a small dinner party with C's grandparents... It was nice, really.

And Sunday night, of course, we watched the Golden Globes. I love awards shows. So the Golden Globes, Emmy's and Oscars are 3 of the biggest nights in our house. Luckily, C not only puts up with it all, but actually plays along with me and fills out a ballot, and goes and sees all the movies with me.

He's a keeper ♥

So congratulations to all the winners. Some were a surprise, others weren't. But I will say: that was one of the best Golden Globes I've ever watched. Well done, Tina and Amy.

via

And now it's back to work. I'm starting Whole 30 today. I'm really excited/nervous... Hope you have a lovely week ♥

Recipe \ Chicken & Dumplings. Healthified.

My favorite winter comfort food has always been Chicken & Dumplings. Since I can remember, that was what my mom would make me during the one cold week of the year. One sibling liked only the dumplings, the other just the chicken, and I loved it all.

I previously posted a Weight Watchers version on Chicken & Dumplings way back when, but decided to take a new spin on it this year. I needed it freshened up. I wanted to make a dish for me. Start fresh!

So I added some of my new favorite seasoning, Herbs de Provence (so not the same as thyme, rosemary, basil & oregano, as I usually just used in substitution -- seriously, just spend the $5 and buy it, stop trying to recreate it).



I loved making this dish, because it was so easy to customize to my personal preference of the day. I wasn't feeling great, so I under-seasoned it just a bit. C wanted the flavor a little more BOLD, so he added some hot sauce and extra seasoning in his bowl.

But it got the job done: it warmed me up. ♥



Ingredients:
Olive Oil
1 onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 medium carrots, chopped
1 lb. chicken breast, cubed
4 cups chicken stock
biscuit dough*
2 cups frozen peas (thawed)
To taste: salt, pepper, Herbs de Provence

Directions:
Heat oil in a stock pot. Saute onion, celery and carrots. Season with Herbs de Provence, salt & pepper to taste. At the same time, heat oil in a pan and cook chicken until almost done. These should take about 10-15 minutes to cook. Add chicken and broth to vegetable mixture. Season to taste.

Bring to a boil.

Once boiling, add biscuit dough. Boil for about 5 minutes (longer if you like it thicker), then simmer for at least 15 minutes, until biscuits are cooked through.

Add the peas, and simmer for 5 more minutes. Season a bit more, if you like. Then serve!

*Biscuit Dough:Any simple biscuit dough will work. If you want it even easier, just buy pre-made Pilsbury dough. And as for the amount... add as few or as many biscuits as you'd like. I prefer about a 2:1 biscuit:chicken ratio.



Stay warm!