New Year, Fresh Start

2013 was an amazing year. We had so much fun with Sally, went to the beach and did several projects around the house. I quit my job and have been the happiest I have ever been.

I dont know what it is about the new year. I guess its the feeling of a fresh start. It always makes me want to reevaluate my life and see things that I want to do differently. Call them "goals" if you will. This year I want to make some goals that I can keep. 

{1} Get Healthier and Loose Weight

This is probably the most common goal that people seem to have in the new year. I do not have a set amount that I want to loose. I plan to follow this guide and hopefully "shock" my body a bit. I also want to try to eat "cleaner". I eat a ton of fresh fruits and veggies already, but I really need to cut down on my sweets and snacking.

{2} Drink More Water

I am not a big soda/tea drinker. I drink water and Crystal Light during the day and at meals but I want to try and drink more throughout the day just to keep myself hydrated.

{3} Worry Less and Laugh More

Since quitting my job in the spring, I have been so happy. Being home with Sally has been so fun and I honestly have NO stress in my life..which is super nice. I want to continue to feel like this in 2014 and just live in the moment everyday.

{4} Enjoy Life Everyday

{5} Step Away From Technology A Bit

I have a bad habit of checking my phone or playing on Pinterest in front of Sally. I am going to try and not do it at all when I am around her. I need to try and wait until she goes to bed and then I can crack out the laptop. Time with her is just too precious and I don't want to be caught up playing online when I should be playing with her.

{6} Travel More

Our traveling has slowed down a bit since having Sally...besides the twice yearly trip to Minnesota or the beach. This year I want to try and get out more and try out some new spots.

{7} Exercise at least 4 days a week and push my body

I have been pretty good about going to the gym this year. I have my weeks where I have slacked though. I want to try and get there more and also try some new classes that I have been too scared to try.

What are some of your goals for 2014?

Five on Friday

{one}

I got a few bits of good news this week and while I am not ready to share yet, I am super excited!!

{two}

We are in full Christmas mode over here at the Moske house. I plan on during a full on house tour tomorrow. I will probably be taking a break from blogging between Christmas and New Years to enjoy some family time/traveling. I want to go ahead and wish you a VERY Merry Christmas!

{three}

Sally is loving all the Christmas festivities. We have been unwrapping one book everyday. She brings me the book to tell me that she is ready to unwrap it. It's so cute and a tradition that I hope to continue for years to come.

Here are her favorite Christmas books. She especially loves Frosty The Snowman.

I have also been doing a lot of crafting decorating and crafting. Check out this cute sign I made this week. I literally pulled this old board out of someones trash pile this week. I got some wooden letters from Michaels and traced them on and then painted them in..super easy!

{four}

Our master bath re-do is sooo close to being finished. There are a few more things to do and then I will do a full run down...for now, here are some sneak peeks. 

{five}

We had a cleaning crew of 4 ladies come in and clean our house from top to bottom today. It cost way too much money but my house has never been cleaner. Im serious...these ladies moved all the furniture and rugs, cleaned the windows and baseboards, etc. Now let's see how long I can keep it this way. There are few things better than a freshly cleaned house.

Make a Book Christmas Tree

So I totally saw this somewhere on Pinterest and copied it...here is my green book Christmas tree. Its super easy to make. Just shop your house or Goodwill for green books of different shades and sizes. Stack them with the biggest on the bottom and the smallest on the top and add a star ornament to the top...easy peasy and super cute!

Ready, Set.....Display Those Cards!!

Im not going to lie. One of my favorite things about Christmas are the cards. There is something magical about going to the mailbox each day and getting sweet cards from friends and family. Are they expensive? Do the pictures stress me out every year? Do I get my feelings slightly hurt when I send one to someone and don't get one in return? Yes, yes, and yes. All that said, I would feel funny if I didn't mail them out. It's just one of my traditions. Over the years, I have really enjoyed seeing how other people display their cards. This is how we do it right now. I have a lighted garland that I put around a big doorway and as the cards come in, I poke a small hole in the corner (with a push pin) and then add an ornament hook. I find a special spot on the garland and attach it. I love seeing them displayed like this.

After Christmas, I take the cards down, stack them nicely and hole punch them. I put them on a ring with a cute cover (like a book) and I put them out the next year for everyone to enjoy. I have done this every year and its so fun looking back at Christmas past. I store my "books" in a small basket.

Thanks to Pinterest, I have also found lots of other super cute ways that I wanted to share. 

The Christmas Card {2013 Edition}

We actually had three different Christmas cards this year. I won two contests on other blogs (yay!!) and got promo codes for both Minted and Shutterfly and then I personally teamed up with Tiny Prints this year with my blog so I got some from that as well. I love the way they all turned out. I tried to make them as similar as possible. This was definitely the year of the "chalkboard" simple style of card....which is totally opposite of the brightly colored ones that I usually pick. 

I have a few left so if anyone wants to exchange cards, let me know :)

Kroger Gift Cards Review

I am almost done Christmas shopping but I have a few family members that are always so hard to shop for. As much as I would prefer to get them an actual gift, I think a gift card would be a perfect gift. They can get what they want and I can pick it up and stop stressing about it. Kroger is my go to stop for gift cards. They have a huge selection. Just look at all of the choices you have!

They make it so easy to pick up gift cards at the same time as when you are doing your grocery shopping. That beats going in and out of different stores and restaurants. Bonus? You earn 4X Kroger fuel points. Yay! Yup...you read that right. During the holiday season, Kroger is giving 4X the fuel points on gift card purchases. If you spend $100 in gift cards, you will get 400 fuel points...that adds up to 40 cents off per gallon?

Another thing I like to do is to buy myself gift cards for the stores and restaurants that we go to a lot. I earn a ton of fuel points and cash them in when I need them. What gift cards are you buying this holiday season?

Happy Monday!!

Happy Monday!! I hope everyone had a nice and relaxing weekend full of Christmas activities!! Here are some things making me smile today!

Christmas Pajama Party Link Up

I am linking up my little elf for the pajama party. I decided to try and get shots first thing in the morning before she got milk an breakfast all over herself. 

Funny Friday

Sally 20-21 Months

I have been meaning to do this update for awhile. So...I am joining months 20-21.

My sweet Sally- 

We have been having the most fun. You are really walking fast now and love to explore the world around you. We did a lot of fun fall activities and its so awesome to see the world through your eyes. I know its only going to get better and better.

Month 20

(Sept. 11- Oct. 11)

We attended the Cooper-Young Festival. We ran into the Slaton Family and you and sweet Cole started holding hands and walking off together. It was adorable!

It was pretty much the perfect fall day!

You have been having so much fun at Mothers Day Out. You get so excited when we walk in the door each day and your teachers tell us that you are VERY smart :)

One day at school they brought a whole bunch of real animals. Parents were not invited, but your sweet teacher sent me some pictures. You loved the animals and got to feed and brush them.

You have been trying to talk and seem to have a lot to say...now we just need to start understanding you.

You are very artistic and love painting, coloring, etc. Sometimes you even paint/color on your face at school...silly girl!

Mollie and Scarlett came over for a visit and I had to get a picture of the two of you together.

Bathtime is still your favorite time of the day. You are quite the splasher...always trying to get Mommy and Daddy wet!

You are really into everything. I cannot turn my back for a minute. This was right before you dumped almost a whole container of garlic salt onto the floor...whoops!

You love to "talk" on the phone...and pretty much anything can be a phone. Here, a plastic banana in the bathtub ;) I'm pretty sure you are saying "Hello, this is Sally". You are sooo our child...weird and fun!

We have been going to the zoo, MOPS, and story time a lot. You got to ride the carousel for the first time and you were not sure what to think about it.

You love going to Shelby Farms and playing in the big sand pit.

We went to the beach for a week and you had a blast!

Month 21

(Oct. 11-Nov. 11)

We celebrated the month of October with pumpkins, ghosts, etc. You love to point out all the pumpkins and say "boo" when you see a ghost...its seriously so cute!

You love to swing!

We stopped at the Loveless Cafe and you painted a mason jar. You loved it!

We went to the pumpkin patch and you started saying "jacket". It was pretty cold out!

You dressed up as Minnie Mouse for Halloween and went trick or treating for the first time. You LOVED getting candy in your bucket. You wanted to eat it all. You definitely have Mommy's sweet tooth.

Some more fun facts:

Favorite Foods Right Now: Waffles, Pineapple, Green Beans, Chicken, ice cream, cake, sausage, pretzels, cookies, peanuts, CANDY CORN (Daddy gave you a taste and you threw a tantrum when we wouldn't give you anymore).

Favorite Toys: Shopping cart and play food, watering can (to water plants), play broom (so you can clean), Little People Farm, books, Yo Gabba Gabba Box, Blocks.

Sickness: You had Hand, Foot, Mouth and didnt want to eat or sleep and you had a rash on your bottom. I also took you to the Dr because you weren't sleeping and were waking up a lot in the middle of the night. I thought you may have an ear infection. Nope, the Dr. just said you wanted to be held.