If you follow me on Instagram you probably saw this picture that I posted earlier. My family has been going through a lot of changes these last couple of weeks and forced to make a lot of difficult decisions. Because Ryan and I both work from home now and recently had our sweet baby H, we have really outgrown our little starter home. We are always on top of each other and having H here while we work is a wonderful blessing but it is also very distracting.

We decided that we needed to go ahead and put our house up for sale and start looking for a new home. We have actually been keeping our eyes open for a place but haven’t had any luck in the last year. We have come to the decision to build a home. We already found the builder we want to use and have already discussed the floor plan. The tough part is deciding where to build. We will either build in a neighborhood we found recently that is fairly new, or we may even be moving out of our hometown. We still have a lot of things to figure out and work through. The big thing is selling our home.

We have to sell our house before we can start building. In order to do this quickly, we have been really working on our house to de-clutter it, clean it really good and fix things that we have been needing to do for quite some time. On the list is our bathroom. It is terrible. When we moved in, it had hideous wallpaper and carpet. Carpet, y’all. Ewe. There is nothing like selling your house to make you want to finally redo these things. Anyways…demolition started today and will continue the next couple of days. I can’t wait to see the finished product!

Please pray that our house sells quickly. This will probably be a long process because we will likely move into an apartment while we are building so it will be an interesting year or so. Here’s to taking a leap of faith!

Lately, my mornings have looked very different than they used to. I start off the day changing and feeding Hampton. We play for a little bit then I make the coffee and enjoy every drop because I’m leaning on it pretty heavily these days. I normally start off with a bible study (currently reading Wife After God) while I enjoy my coffee and Hampton is in his swing (best thing I’ve purchased). Ryan is working from home now which means he is normally working during this time. After my study I make a list of everything I need to get done that day. It helps me with scheduling and to keep from getting distracted. I feed and change baby again and then try to put him down for a nap so I can work. It’ s been busier around here, but I wouldn’t change it for anything. Hamp is so alert and happy in the mornings. I enjoy our play time and I love to snuggle him. Every stage he hits I think ” this is my favorite” then he hits one that is even better. I love my little monkey and thoroughly enjoy our mornings together.

What does your morning routine look like? Are you a list-maker?

So, I’m terrible. Hamp was 2 months on Christmas Eve and I’m just now getting around to posing it. This is a year of firsts. We celebrated Christmas with our sweet angel this year and also enjoyed bringing in the new year with him. Here is a look at Hamp’s second month:

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Via

Hello hello my loveys! I’m so excited to start Fitness Fridays again! I’m mostly excited that I can get into a good work out routine! Like so many, one of my 2014 resolutions is to lose weight. Most of you know I had a baby 2 months ago and I gained quite a bit of weight. It shed off of me pretty quickly probably due to breastfeeding, but I am really struggling to lose these last 12 pounds. My goal is not only to lose weight but to also eat healthier this year. I didn’t do so well last year as far as diet goes. If you remember last year when I started this series, I told y’all that I HATE hate hate all these fad diets that so many people get into. I hate to hurt your feelings but they don’t work (I’ll talk more about this next week). They may work temporarily, but they do not help you keep the weight off long term. The only thing that will help you shed weight and keep it off is through regular diet and exercise.

Via

Does that D word scare you? It terrifies me. Confession time: I love junk food. I am a chocoholic and I hate the idea of not being able to eat what I want. That word makes me feel restricted and I don’t like that at all. That’s why I trick myself by eating whatever I want for lunch and keep it healthy for breakfast and dinner. I do some serious portion control however. I’m trying to shrink my stomach back down after eat all those cookies during my pregnancy (terrible craving, I know).

So how am I going to lose this last bit of weight and keep it off?

Plan of attack: Diet

Breakfast: 1 cup of fruit and coffee

Lunch: Whatever I want as long as I keep it within my allotted calorie intake based on my weight and how much I want to lose.

Dinner: 1 cup of Vegetables whether it is Veggie Soup or sauteed or grilled veggies, salad etc.

Drink: Water only

I’m going to limit my sugar intake(with the exception of fruit and creamer in my coffee).

Exercise:

This week I started a pretty good routine.

Sunday: Rest
Monday: C25K and strength exercises
Tuesday: Zumba
Wednesday: Eliptical and walk
Thursday: C25k and strength exercises
Friday: Zumba
Saturday: C25k and strength exercises

I’m using the C25K app and MyFitnessPal app for Iphone.

My routine will change because I like to keep it fresh so that I don’t get bored. For now and the next couple of weeks, this will be my workout schedule.

I knocked it out of the park this week with both my diet and exercise so I’m pretty fired up and really ready to shed these last few pounds so that I can feel better and fit into my skinny jeans again.

I’m hoping my plan of attack works. I am not only trying to lose weight but also to tone up. I am in a wedding in April and want to look my best for my favorite 2014 Bride. I’ll keep you updated with my progress and give you tips on what I’ve learned based on my experiences.

What is your fitness plan for 2014?

*Please note that I am not a professional. I have been trained in several styles of dance and danced most of my life. I was also a dance instructor for several years, but I have not been professionally trained in fitness. I will only give you tips and advice based on my experiences.*

Christmas at the Cupcake Cafe by Jenny Colgan
October, 2012


Synopsis from Goodreads: Issy Randall, proud owner of The Cupcake Cafe, is in love and couldn’t be happier. Her new business is thriving and she is surrounded by close friends, even if her cupcake colleagues Pearl and Caroline don’t seem quite as upbeat about the upcoming season of snow and merriment. But when her boyfriend Austin is scouted for a possible move to New York, Issy is forced to face up to the prospect of a long-distance romance. And when the Christmas rush at the cafe – with its increased demand for her delectable creations – begins to take its toll, Issy has to decide what she holds most dear.

This December, Issy will have to rely on all her reserves of courage, good nature and cinnamon, to make sure everyone has a merry Christmas, one way or another
My Thoughts: This is the sequel to Meet me at the Cupcake Cafe. It was a good read although not as good as the first book. I loved the quirky characters that she brought back from the first book, but it lacked that certain festive flair that most people look for in a Christmas novel. It was too serious and was more like a novel that happened to take place around Christmastime rather than a lighthearted Christmas themed story that I was looking for at the time. It was a touch and go love story that made me a little anxious about what was going to happen. It ended well with a happy ending but I don’t recommend reading this as an feel good Christmas novel. Overall I gave it 4 stars.

Welcome to the Monday Mingling Blog Hop! Please take the time to introduce yourselves to our co-host! If you are new to this blog hop, please leave us a comment letting us know you are following and we would be happy to follow you back.Thank you for joining us this week, and don’t forget to link back to us by grabbing our button. Happy Mingling!

NEXT WEEK: we are doing a one time only Instagram hop! I’m a little obsessed with Instagram and recently created an account for my blog. Come back next week and link up your Instagram accounts! I can’t wait to connect with you all.

Dear Christmas, I can’t believe you are already over. That break was way too quick. Dear Hampton, thank you for sleeping through the night. Life is so much better when mommy gets some sleep. Dear New Year, please be as good to us as you were last year. I can’t wait to see what you have in store for us this year. Dear hubby, thank you so much for buying me a kindle! It will save me lots of money and space.

Happy New Year from our family to yours. I hope God blesses you all in the new year.

This year, my resolutions are simple. I want to be better at everything than I was in 2013. I also of course want to lose weight, I mean come on! I did just have a baby 2 months ago. I’m proud of the weight I’ve lost so far (32 lbs.) but I’ve still got a bit more to lose and it is becoming more difficult at this point. Challenge accepted. With that being said, I’ll be bringing back my fitness Fridays, so get ready!

I hope you have a great new year and I’d love to hear about some of your resolutions!

Happy New Year!! Brianna from Endlessly Beloved  is hosting an amazing January giveaway! Feel free to enter into the rafflecopter below. The giveaway ends on January 7th at 12a.m.Good luck!
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