Oh, no, honey I'm good. Really.

(First off: I'm just going to skip the long drawn out paragraph describing why I haven't written in weeks and just move on....cool? Cool.)

Anyone else out there a fan of Andy Grammer's music? How can you not be? He is a funny guy, (saw him in concert and he made funny jokes and danced in the crowd, singing, WHILE his arm was around me...) and his music is upbeat, clean and just good happy music. Anyway, he has a song called "Honey I'm Good" about saying no to other women because he's got a hot date at home. Or something like that. While listening to the song this morning, I couldn't help but switch up the words a bit to make it more relatable to me... "Oh no honey I'm good, I could have another (Milky Way) but I probably should not. I've had enough for the season and if I have another I'll probably get....fat." (And this is why I didn't pursue writing music for a living.)

I don't know about the rest of you, but the treats we received over the holiday season are still lingering around our place. My husband and I received cookies, sweet treats and candy and even have some soda lying around, and it is not good. I mean it WAS good. What's Christmas without the sweets?! But though we have finished some and thrown out others, there are still milky ways that find their way into my mouth at least once a night. Chocolate, Dr Pepper and peppermint chocolate Hershey kisses are my absolute weakness. But today I finally woke up with the desire to stop eating the junk and get back into a healthy eating and workout routine.

Last year before my wedding, I ate well and was staying active with work but worked out in between. But from the honeymoon on, the hubs and I have spent our time more enjoying the guilty pleasures of life including eating chocolate and lounging on the couch watching The Office and Game of Thrones. But like everyone else in America, in January, we desire to get back into shape.

So today, I got on the elliptical and only 20mins in, I thought I was going to die. I absolutely hate that feeling of trying to work out after I haven't in a while. It's like my body is saying "what the crap are you doing to me?!" But all I have to do is look at my middle section, daydream of our beach trip this coming summer, think about my cute bikinis and I push on. Sweat drenched, muscles aching, and Bruno Mars cheering me on, it is TIME to feel good about my health again! (Wow, this could not be a more cliché January blog post, could it?! Eh, whatever.)

So today, my inspiration piece to share is this:

I found these on Pinterest and just loved both! (Pinned on my Savor & Swoon board) One is good for me in the sense I am one of those people that has cravings for a little chocolate (or a lot) or love the taste of a refreshing (terribly bad for you) drink. So this will be a good reminder when I have those moments.

The second one is great because how many times do we wake up ready to do something, yet we go to bed kicking ourselves because we "never got around to it?" If I think about how I'll feel crawling into bed at night feeling defeated, it'll push me to want to do more in the day. I think it can also apply to other areas, not just working out. Work, responsibilities, even house chores, and goals in life, are all something we want to feel like we're making progress with. Even if it is little by little, if we go to bed each night feeling satisfied with what we did get done that day, it will get better and better every single day.

Here's to healthy living, physical and emotional!

t.

h a p p y | Christmas | s t u f f

Lights, garland, music!

I love Christmas time SO MUCH. But I already shared a bit about why I love it in my last post, so now I want to share some things I think are great for Christmas time.

A little of this, a little of that...
Boxwood greenery. I bought two small boxwood wreaths for my front french doors, and I love them. I love pine and other greenery, but the boxwood is just so fresh looking, I couldn't resist. To make them a little more festive, but without covering them up to much, I added a few little ornament balls to them.

First Christmas tree.

Since my hubby and I have years to collect special, kid-krafted, and other unique ornaments, we stuck with the basics this first year together. We bought an assortment of colored balls, mixed white and colored lights, and then added one picture frame ornament, from a wedding gift, with our wedding picture inside.

Throwback to 2011.
I made this Christmas 2011. It was amazing. No, I have not made it again, but I do recommend something making it! And maybe I will again one day. Peppermint, cheesecake, cake, icing, more peppermint… it's all there and it's all perfect.

Ok, now onto things on my WISHLIST.
A sparkly sequined skirt. I've been searching the city for the perfect one, and though I haven't found it yet, I still believe in the magic of Christmas and I'll find one soon enough. But if not, I'll totally take a pair of these pants instead! I'd love to rock those for a Christmas or New Years party.

THIS.
I LOVE mojitos. And I still swear, the Sandal's resort we went to on our honeymoon had the MOST amazing mojitos ever. But I found this one and I love the look of it for Christmas time. I haven't tried it yet, planning on this week or next actually. And I'll try to remember to share how it tastes. Basically, it's just a regular mojito with melon and pomegranate seeds. Sounds delish, I know.

And that.
Found this adorable thing in Target yesterday. It went immediately on my Christmas list my family is begging for. I'm not much for making a list of items. I never know what I want until I'm out shopping and randomly find something. This is one of those somethings.

And now the kicker :: my December inspiration collage

{these pins can be found on my Pinterest boards, 'Christmas, my favorite' & 'for Savor & Swoon'}

Merry Christmas, y'all!
t.
..::p.s.tell me what some of your favorite treats are for the season!::..

Baby, it's cold outside. And I'm sick.

Comfort food at it's best.

Ok, I know I've been absent for a while. I got caught up in life, football, and the fast approaching holidays. Since I wrote last, my parents made plans to come down for Thanksgiving and the hubs and I got tickets to go back to Idahome for New Years. SO EXCITED!!

Anyway, the past few days I've been fighting a sinus cold, and as the temperature drops outside, it's the perfect time to cook the comfort food. With Thanksgiving next week, I should be be watching the carbs, however I have to let myself indulge when most needed. Like a couple days ago, I took a 3 hour nap, (unplanned!) and though I felt super guilty about it, truth is, I needed it! Being sick drains your energy and the nap was good for my body. So here is a very yummy casserole that's perfect for a cold winter evening, and you don't have to feel guilty about it.

:: French Onion Chicken Noodle Casserole ::

I found this recipe on Pinterest (here) back in Sept. and loved it! So this is only the second time I've made it but I highly recommend it.

It's super easy, (I feel like I say that too much..) only consists of a few ingredients and doesn't take more than an hour to make, half an hour depending on the chicken.

The ingredients below are all you need, plus 3cups of cooked chopped chicken. You can buy onion dip or make your own with Lipton dip mix + sour cream, as I did below.

Also, for the chicken, last time I made it I just bought a cooked rotisserie chicken and pulled it apart. This time, I bought boneless skinless breasts, cooked them in the oven and then shredded them using my mixer.

Ingredients:

4 cups cooked chopped chicken

2 cans cream of chicken soup

16oz. container of French onion dip

1 cup cheddar cheese

12oz. egg noodles

1 cup crushed French fried onions

Directions:

Cook the noodles, drain.

Preheat oven to 350' and spray a 9x13in pan with cooking spray.

Add all ingredients, except the French fried onions, to a large bowl and mix together.

Add the cooked noodles to the bowl and mix in.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan.

Top with the French fried onions.

Cook in oven for 25-30mins, until heated through.

Serves 8-10

Enjoy!

t.

http://www.pinterest.com/tayliz19/for-savor-swoon/

It's not just about pumpkins.

It's that time of year again.. when people are filling Facebook, Pinterest and every other part of their lives with PUMPKIN something! Don't get me wrong, I love fall just as much as the next girl in line at Starbucks, however, I won't be ordering the pumpkin latte. *gasp*

I just have never been a huge pumpkin fan, ok? Get over it. But I have always been a fan of the beauty of fall. The colors, the smells, the crisp air, which also means turning in your flip flops for BOOTS. And scarves. And big warm comfy sweaters! (the crisp air + warm clothing I'm currently missing, due to my move to the south… people here say it eventually gets cold enough… hmmmm) I do love me some hot cider, chili, and most importantly: FOOTBALL! {War Eagle!}

And now here is a verse that I think fits autumn like a coffee mug fits in my hand: cozy.

Psalm 111:3 "Splendid and majestic is His work, and His righteousness endures forever."

Now I know that's a simple and sweet verse. But I love it. Think about it, majestic is a strong and beautiful word, and how majestic are the colors of autumn? His creation is His artwork, and it's to reflect His image. It's stunning, grand, serene, royal and emotional. It really is, in my mind, powerful.

And with that, I leave you with sharing my own fall inspiration collage that I collected from Pinterest. Because, ya know, where else do you look for pictures of stuff?
Enjoy!

t.

{here is the link to my Pinterest board to click on any of these images.}