101 in 1001 ~March Recap

Let me just be honest, I kind of forgot about my 101 Things in 1,001 Days. I’ve had the opportunity to accomplish several things on this list in the last several months but chose not to. However, I was able to mark off 2 things this past month. The first one was to make a new recipe. I’ve actually made several new recipes with my Wildtree products and I’ve loved all but 1 of them. Here’s a few pictures of the recipes I loved.

Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

 

Chicken Taco Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

 

Asian Pork Tenderloin with Spicy Roasted Acorn Squash and Sweet and Spicy Thai Carrot Soup

The second item that I was able to mark off was preparing two weeks worth of freezer meals. I’ve always loved making freezer meals, and they actually came in hand when our house flooded back in January. We stayed in a hotel with a little kitchen so I was able to take all of my freezer meals with us. We ended up with a week’s worth of homemade dinners with no effort. So when I started with Wildtree I was excited to see that we had freezer meal workshops. I have only tried one so far but I’m in love! I got 10 meals from the kit, with plenty of Wildtree products left over to use in other meals.

Comfort Foods Freezer Meal Workshop: Spanish Style Garlic Shrimp, Italian Marinated Flank Steak, Best Burgers, Hearty Meatloaf, Chipotle Lime Fajitas, Italian Medallions, Honey Balsamic Chicken Drumsticks, Chipotle Line Chicken, Adobo Chicken, and Mozzarella & Tomato Chicken Pasta.

 

Cheddar and Tomato Chicken Pasta

1. Pay off all my debt, excluding our mortgage.
2. Build our emergency fund to 3-6 months of expenses.
3. Start a Christmas savings account. Jan 2016
4. Start my kids college funds.
5. Gain 100 followers on my blog.
6. Post 2 videos to my YouTube channel a week for a month.
7. Have 3 blog posts published a week for a month.
8. Start an Etsy shop, or a shop on my blog June 2015
9. Make my daughter a toy box.
10. Grow a herb garden. April 2016
11. Make (and can) my own spaghetti sauce.
12. Read 40 books completely and not half way through. ~Made book list
13. Go 1 entire week (including the weekend) without eating out.
14. Take my husband away without the kids for a weekend.
15. Learn a new craft. July 2015
16. Make at new recipe. March 2017
17. Lose 20 pounds.
18. Take a yoga class a few times.
19. Go a full day with no technology.
20. Take the Canadian road trip I planned.
21. Take the kids on a Disney cruise.
22. Join the local VFW.
23. Attend a photography workshop.
24. Host a cooking class.
25. Make a memory jar on Jan 1 and read everything in it on Dec 31.
26. Learn to quilt.
27. Take a weekend trip to Vegas.
28. Write a cookbook.
29. Go zip lining.
30. Make a jar full of rocks with my favorite Bible verses written on them.
31. Go on a road trip with some of my girlfriends.
32. Host a huge Halloween masquerade party.
33. Rent a beach house for a week.
34. Swim with dolphins.
35. Go camping with my kids.
36. Have a picnic in the park.
37. Make yogurt popsicle with my kids.
38. Pay a strangers restaurant bill.
39. Go on a hot air balloon ride.
40. Learn to ice skate.
41. Attend the Kentucky Derby.
42. Take a pin-up photo shoot.
43. Prepare a care package for a homeless person.
44. Build a blanket fort.  August 2015
45. Go to Country Concert.
46. Make every recipe from 1 of my cookbooks.
47. Take a Segway tour of a city.
48. Go to a monster truck rally.
49. Take a self-defense class.
50. Make pasta from scratch.
51. Go one month without shopping except for necessities.
52. Read 5 biographies. ~Made List
53. Learn how to tie a tie.
54. Start a new blog series. May 2015
55. Give 5 “Just Because Gifts” 1~July 2015; 1~August 2015
56. Visit Chicago.
57. Make sushi with my new kit.
58. Run in a color run.
59. Have a spa day.
60. Host a Vision Board party.
61. Attend a blog conference.
62. Establish a family tradition. May 2015
63. Write a guest post for another blogger.
64. Have a guest post on my blog.
65. Attend an Alabama home football game.
66. Host a blog giveaway.
67. Put $20 in savings for every goal accomplished.
68. Visit 5 new museums. AF Museum~July 2015
69. Go on another marriage retreat.
70. Stop drinking soda for 1 week.
71. Learn to make a burlap wreath.
72. Determine my MBA major. Nov 2015
73. Take a photo booth picture with my hubs.
74. Go snowboarding.
75. Have family photos taken every year.
76. Visit a new state. August 2015
77. Go geocaching.
78. Go to 3 new festivals.
79. Be able to do 10 pullups.
80. Create a business plan.
81. Make an editorial calendar. May 2015
82. Order business cards. July 2015
83. Create a media kit.
84. Have 5 photos accepted to FoodGawker.
85. Attend a women’s bible retreat.
86. Make a list of 101 positive things about myself. ~Started on
87. Make my bed every single day for a month.
88. Put aside $50 a month for 6 months and go on a shopping spree.
89. Write a letter for each of my children and place it with my will.
90. Send a message in a bottle.
91. Host a favorites party.
92. Do a craft show.  August 2015
93. Go golfing with my hubs.
94. Take each kid on a mom date.
95. Plan 12 dates (1 for each month) for the hubs and I.
96. Buy a silhouette cameo.
97. Make 2 weeks worth of freezer meals. March 2017
98. Leave a 100% tip. Feb 2016
99. Have poker night.
100. Journal every night for a month.
101. Write a letter to myself to open in 10 years.

Raspberries and Vinegar

A few nights ago I finished reading Raspberries and Vinegar by Valerie Comer. I’ve had it downloaded to my Kindle for a while now; longer than I care to admit actually, so I decided it was about time to cross it off my To Read list.

For the most part I did enjoy the book. It was a nice change to read a more modest love story and as a health coach, I did enjoy the story line about nutrition and sourcing our food locally. However, my main issue with the book also falls into that story line.

The main character was so strict and uptight about locally grown food and optimal nutrition, that she let it become a barrier in her relationships with people. And this is a common issue today as well. Nutritionists, vegans, and even health coaches get this bad reputation that if we see you eating a bacon cheeseburger that we’re going to come slap it out of your hands. And this example is even used in the book as she literally tries to take a burger from someone while they’re trying to eat. Not only is that bad for our industry, that’s just bad manners.

Once I was able to ignore the common misconception though, I was able to thoroughly enjoy the book. I do like many of the ideas mentioned in the book and could relate to some of the struggles the characters had. All in all, while I know this book isn’t for some people, I would recommend it.

101 in 1,001 ~April Recap

Oh wow! It has been 6 months since I’ve been on here sharing my life with everyone. To be honest, I was considering hanging up my blog for good. These last 6 months have completely turned my life upside down and I’ve been taking time to myself to regain my sense of self, so to speak. Some may already know, but I’ve felt compelled to follow a different path in life. I will share that story in another post. For now, I’m checking in with my 101 things in 1,001 days.

I started our Christmas savings fund and I’m contributing to it twice a month. Next, I started a small inside herb garden. I have a few pots of cilantro, chives, and parsley growing in my kitchen. I’ve marked off my MBA because I’ve decided on a completely different route. And lastly I was able to give 100% tip one night when I took my kids out for dinner.

1. Pay off all my debt, excluding our mortgage.
2. Build our emergency fund to 3-6 months of expenses.
3. Start a Christmas savings account. Jan 2016
4. Start my kids college funds.
5. Gain 100 followers on my blog.
6. Post 2 videos to my YouTube channel a week for a month.
7. Have 3 blog posts published a week for a month. ~Started on
8. Start an Etsy shop, or a shop on my blog June 2015
9. Make my daughter a toy box.
10. Grow a herb garden. April 2016
11. Make (and can) my own spaghetti sauce.
12. Read 40 books completely and not half way through. ~Made book list
13. Go 1 entire week (including the weekend) without eating out.
14. Take my husband away without the kids for a weekend.
15. Learn a new craft. July 2015
16. Make at new recipe.
17. Lose 20 pounds.
18. Take a yoga class a few times.
19. Go a full day with no technology.
20. Take the Canadian road trip I planned.
21. Take the kids on a Disney cruise.
22. Join the local VFW.
23. Attend a photography workshop.
24. Host a cooking class.
25. Make a memory jar on Jan 1 and read everything in it on Dec 31.
26. Learn to quilt.
27. Take a weekend trip to Vegas.
28. Write a cookbook.
29. Go zip lining.
30. Make a jar full of rocks with my favorite Bible verses written on them.
31. Go on a road trip with some of my girlfriends.
32. Host a huge Halloween masquerade party. ~Started planning
33. Rent a beach house for a week.
34. Swim with dolphins.
35. Go camping with my kids.
36. Have a picnic in the park.
37. Make yogurt popsicle with my kids.
38. Pay a strangers restaurant bill.
39. Go on a hot air balloon ride.
40. Learn to ice skate.
41. Attend the Kentucky Derby.
42. Take a pin-up photo shoot.
43. Prepare a care package for a homeless person.
44. Build a blanket fort.  August 2015
45. Go to Country Concert.
46. Make every recipe from 1 of my cookbooks.
47. Take a Segway tour of a city.
48. Go to a monster truck rally.
49. Take a self-defense class.
50. Make pasta from scratch.
51. Go one month without shopping except for necessities.
52. Read 5 biographies. ~Made List
53. Learn how to tie a tie.
54. Start a new blog series. May 2015
55. Give 5 “Just Because Gifts” 1~July 2015; 1~August 2015
56. Visit Chicago.
57. Make sushi with my new kit.
58. Run in a color run.
59. Have a spa day.
60. Host a Vision Board party.
61. Attend a blog conference.
62. Establish a family tradition. May 2015
63. Write a guest post for another blogger.
64. Have a guest post on my blog.
65. Attend an Alabama home football game.
66. Host a blog giveaway.
67. Put $20 in savings for every goal accomplished.
68. Visit 5 new museums. AF Museum~July 2015
69. Go on another marriage retreat.
70. Stop drinking soda for 1 week.
71. Learn to make a burlap wreath.
72. Determine my MBA major. Nov 2015
73. Take a photo booth picture with my hubs.
74. Go snowboarding.
75. Have family photos taken every year.
76. Visit a new state. August 2015
77. Go geocaching.
78. Go to 3 new festivals.
79. Be able to do 10 pullups.
80. Create a business plan.
81. Make an editorial calendar. May 2015
82. Order business cards. July 2015
83. Create a media kit.
84. Have 5 photos accepted to FoodGawker.
85. Attend a women’s bible retreat.
86. Make a list of 101 positive things about myself. ~Started on
87. Make my bed every single day for a month.
88. Put aside $50 a month for 6 months and go on a shopping spree.
89. Write a letter for each of my children and place it with my will.
90. Send a message in a bottle.
91. Host a favorites party.
92. Do a craft show.  August 2015
93. Go golfing with my hubs.
94. Take each kid on a mom date.
95. Plan 12 dates (1 for each month) for the hubs and I.
96. Buy a silhouette cameo.
97. Make 2 weeks worth of freezer meals.
98. Leave a 100% tip. Feb 2016
99. Have poker night.
100. Journal every night for a month.
101. Write a letter to myself to open in 10 years.

101 in 1,001 ~August Recap

I’ve been taking a small break from my blog to constant more of my time and attention on my children lately. However, I wanted to take a few minutes to at least give a quick recap on my 101 in 1,001 progress.

Last month I took the family on a vacation to North Carolina. While I’ve been to North Carolina before, we did take one day to head down to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The kids had a blast playing on the beach and meeting Anna from Frozen. Before we left we took a quick spin on the Skywheel where I captured this beautiful picture of the beach. I know the kids can’t wait to go back again.

For my second Just Because gift, I gave this tiered platter set to one of my good friends. She’s been trying to build up her platter and stand sets, and I found this little gem for just $5! It was such a steal!! And I know she’s getting a ton of use from it.

I participated in my first ever craft show with my chunky necklaces. I shared a booth with my friend and I must say that I loved how everything turned out. I’ll actually be participating in my second craft show in October.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

I’ve started my book list for my 40 books to accomplish. You can check out my post with all of my selections here.

I also made my kids this really simple and fun blanket fort one night. I made them pizza and let them watch a movie in their fort. They had such a blast that night! It literally took me just a few minutes to get everything set up, but it was such a big deal for them. They’ve already been asking to do it again. You can check out my full blog post on that night here.

1. Pay off all my debt, excluding our mortgage.
2. Build our emergency fund to 3-6 months of expenses.
3. Start a Christmas savings account.
4. Start my kids college funds.
5. Gain 100 followers on my blog.
6. Post 2 videos to my YouTube channel a week for a month.
7. Have 3 blog posts published a week for a month. ~Started on
8. Start an Etsy shop, or a shop on my blog June 2015
9. Make my daughter a toy box.
10. Grow a herb garden.
11. Make my own spaghetti sauce.
12. Read 40 books completely and not half way through. ~Made book list
13. Go 1 entire week (including the weekend) without eating out.
14. Take my husband away without the kids for a weekend.
15. Learn a new craft. July 2015
16. Make at new recipe.
17. Lose 20 pounds.
18. Take a yoga class a few times.
19. Go a full day with no technology.
20. Take the Canadian road trip I planned.
21. Take the kids on a Disney cruise.
22. Join the local VFW.
23. Attend a photography workshop.
24. Host a cooking class.
25. Make a memory jar on Jan 1 and read everything in it on Dec 31.
26. Learn to quilt.
27. Take a weekend trip to Vegas.
28. Write a cookbook.
29. Go zip lining.
30. Make a jar full of rocks with my favorite Bible verses written on them.
31. Go on a road trip with some of my girlfriends.
32. Host a huge Halloween masquerade party. ~Started planning
33. Rent a beach house for a week.
34. Swim with dolphins.
35. Go camping with my kids.
36. Have a picnic in the park.
37. Make yogurt popsicle with my kids.
38. Pay a strangers restaurant bill.
39. Go on a hot air balloon ride.
40. Learn to ice skate.
41. Attend the Kentucky Derby.
42. Take a pin-up photo shoot.
43. Prepare a care package for a homeless person.
44. Build a blanket fort.  August 2015
45. Go to Country Concert.
46. Make every recipe from 1 of my cookbooks.
47. Take a Segway tour of a city.
48. Go to a monster truck rally.
49. Take a self-defense class.
50. Make pasta from scratch.
51. Go one month without shopping except for necessities.
52. Read 5 biographies.
53. Learn how to tie a tie.
54. Start a new blog series. May 2015
55. Give 5 “Just Because Gifts” 1~July 2015; 1~August 2015
56. Visit Chicago.
57. Make sushi with my new kit.
58. Run in a color run.
59. Have a spa day.
60. Host a Vision Board party.
61. Attend a blog conference.
62. Establish a family tradition. May 2015
63. Write a guest post for another blogger.
64. Have a guest post on my blog.
65. Attend an Alabama home football game.
66. Host a blog giveaway.
67. Put $20 in savings for every goal accomplished.
68. Visit 5 new museums. AF Museum~July 2015
69. Go on another marriage retreat.
70. Stop drinking soda for 1 week.
71. Learn to make a burlap wreath.
72. Determine my MBA major.
73. Take a photo booth picture with my hubs.
74. Go snowboarding.
75. Have family photos taken every year.
76. Visit a new state. August 2015
77. Go geocaching.
78. Go to 3 new festivals.
79. Be able to do 10 pullups.
80. Create a business plan.
81. Make an editorial calendar. May 2015
82. Order business cards. July 2015
83. Create a media kit.
84. Have 5 photos accepted to FoodGawker.
85. Attend a women’s bible retreat.
86. Make a list of 101 positive things about myself. ~Started on
87. Make my bed for a month.
88. Put aside $50 a month for 6 months and go on a shopping spree.
89. Write a letter for each of my children and place it with my will.
90. Send a message in a bottle.
91. Host a favorites party.
92. Do a craft show.  August 2015
93. Go golfing with my hubs.
94. Take each kid on a mom date.
95. Plan 12 dates (1 for each month) for the hubs and I.
96. Buy a silhouette cameo.
97. Make 2 weeks worth of freezer meals.
98. Leave a 100% tip.
99. Have poker night.
100. Journal every night for a month.
101. Write a letter to myself to open in 10 years.

What’s in my Book Nook?

As part of my 101 Things in 1,001 Days challenge, I stated that I wanted to read 40 books all the way through. I have a terrible habit of starting a book and never finishing it; a good majority of my books have book marks placed half way through them. I don’t know if I have reading ADHD or if I just get bored. So I’ve made it my mission to actually finish what I pick up, especially since I’m actually in several book club groups and have a Goodreads account. Here’s a list of books that I either have on my bookshelf at home, in my Kindle reader, or that are part of my book club that I’m attempting to read. Have you read of these books yet?

A Little Salty to Cut the Sweet

A Place Called Sweet Apple

Becoming the Woman God Wants Me to Be

Being Christian

Blowing on Dandelions

Bod4God

Born to Blog

Bringing Up Girls

Confident Parenting

Creating an Intimate Marriage

Destined to Reign

Further Along the Road Less Traveled

#GirlBoss

God’s Psychiatry

Hopeful Parenting

How Remarkable Women Lead

How to Deal with Difficult Relationships

How to Improve Your Marriage Without Talking About It

I Am That Girl

Lincoln’s Melanchony

Love & Respect

Marriage Fitness

Million Dollar Portfolio

Not That Kind of Girl

Raspberries and Vinegar

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

The 10 Commandments of Marriage

The Fasting Edge

The Power of Letting Go

The Power of Persistent Prayer

The Purpose Drived Life

The Total Money Makover

Total Forgiveness

Tuesdays with Morrie

Why? Making Sense of God’s Will

Fully Alive

The Energy Bus

The Search for Significance