[Currently].

Sorry y'all. I have had no desire to blog or interact lately.

I can't really put my finger on why, but that's just how I've been feeling. 

I think it's the weather. Plus I've been feeling a little sick, so I've not wanted to leave my couch.

HOWEVER.

I'm going to come out of my shell a little bit today and procrastinate writing my research paper.

I stole this blog idea from Nikki over at The Pink Growl (she's the sweetest and a fellow UT girl!) since I have been in such a blogging rut lately.

I thought it might help to catch up on some of the things I have *currently* been loving during this month of January. 

Listening.

Beyonce's new album. I'm obsessed. I listen to it when I'm getting ready, when I'm at the gym, when I'm cleaning the house. Whew. I love Beyonce, but this album is way different than anything she's ever put out. And I LOVE it. Plus, I just watched her performance from the Grammy's last night and can I just say that her and Jay-Z are one of the cutest couples ever? 

Eating.

I am addicted to Trader Joe's Chocolate Almond Granola Cereal. It's good, it's filling, and it's quick for me to eat in the mornings when I'm in rush. It's not very WW friendly (7pp for 2/3 cup), but I love it and I just balance out my lunch with something a little lighter if I eat it for breakfast. 

Drinking.

I haven't had a Diet Coke in 3(!!!) months. I'm not going to lie, I've craved one every once in awhile, but I just chug a lot of water and the craving goes away. So I've just been sticking to water, coffee, and the *occasional* glass of wine. I feel a lot better and don't feel as bloated!

Reading.

I am currently reading The Edge of Normal by Carla Norton. I started it on Saturday but I'm already over halfway done. It was suggested to me after I finished Gillian Flynn's books and I have really enjoyed it so far. It hooks you in from the very first page, which is a positive for me!

Feeling.

I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed about my Praxis exams. I have 1 left to take and have to wait to get my scores back on 2 more. So I'm a little stressed to say the least. I've also been feeling a bit under the weather and Mucinex is NOT doing the job. 

Weather.

It has been absolutely freezing here in Tennessee the last few weeks. I am officially over it. I hate having to walk outside with a million layers just to walk my dog. I also prefer running outside as opposed to the dreadmill. So if spring could hurry up, that would be great. 

Wanting.

I really can't say that there's anything I've been wanting lately except for maybe a vacation. One can only dream... right? 

Watching.

Jesse and I have been binge-watching Breaking Bad. It's bad. I can't believe it took us this long to watch it though because we can't get enough of it. Also, Jesse Pinkman is the cutest nugget and he balances out Walt's weirdness.

That's it for me! Now I definitely have to go write this paper and study for my last Praxis exam. Oh and tackle this awful to-do list... Happy Monday!

I'm here, I'm here!

I love being busy.

Which is a good thing since I haven't stopped at all in the past 2 weeks.

School has started off full force and it is EXHAUSTING. I already have a million assignments, not to mention I still have 2 more Praxis exams to take. 

Stressed is an understatement. 

I've also been nannying 2-3 days a week, which I love. 

Thankfully I have a husband who is super helpful and does whatever he needs to do to help me out around the house. He cleans the apartment while I'm in class, runs whatever errands need to be done (including going to the grocery store... swoon!).

One thing I do to help me out is to meal plan a month in advance. That way I know what we are doing and we don't have to worry about it. This is also easier for me to eat healthier. I've been doing Weight Watchers since November and I've lost 10 pounds so far. I also surprisingly didn't gain any weight over the holidays, which I was really happy about! Yesterday was the first time I've been to the gym since December (I know, I knooooow). I only stayed for 30 minutes but I still felt SO much better. I can't wait for it to get warmer so I can run outside. I still have about 20 lbs to go before I'm at my goal weight, so I'm telling you all this so I can stay accountable! 

Whew! So now that I've brought you a little update about where I'm at, what's going on with y'all? How has your 2014 been so far? 

xoxo.

(Lazy) Weekend Recap.

My weekend consisted of a lot of coffee, couch time, and football.

I loved every minute of it.

Since Christmas break is officially over, I wanted to stay at home and enjoy my last couple of days of freedom. 

Saturday was so nice. I love days where Jesse and I can just stay at home and do absolutely nothing.

We started our 2014 Memory Jar and we can't wait to fill it up!

We did this last year and loved looking through all of the great memories and special things that happened to us in 2013.

I also spent most of Saturday morning studying the Bible. I'm really enjoying the plan that I'm working on now. Also, getting the colorful tabs for my Bible was one of the best decisions I've made. It makes studying so much easier!

I also made some Crock Pot Potato Soup. It was perfect for the arctic temperatures we've been having.

Jesse loves this soup. It's one of his favorites! I found the recipe on Pinterest and it's become a staple in our home this winter. It's so easy! The recipe I use can be found here.

On Sunday we pretty much did exactly what we did on Saturday, except Jesse volunteered to go to the grocery store and drugstore for me. He's such a life saver. I didn't even want to think about getting out and going to the grocery store with the people who have to go buy milk and bread just because it's supposed to snow outside. Even though we did need milk... and bread. Ha! 

This up and down weather has really messed up my throat, so I basically lived off of tea this weekend. 

I also enjoy taking pictures of cups apparently.

Class starts back tomorrow, so today I am going to enjoy my last day off while catching up on some of my favorite shows. Downton Abbey came back on last night, so that is first on the list! 

Sorry I've been so boring! I promise I'll try to spice things up a little bit in the near future.

How did you spend your weekend? Did you have a lazy weekend like me or were you actually be a productive member of society? :)

xoxo.

Five on Friday!

Happy Friday y'all! I hope this week has been treating you well! I've been enjoying my last few days off before the spring semester kicks off. I will not have a break until DECEMBER, when I graduate from grad school. I can't believe I will be done at the end of this year. So exciting!

One. I have started a new Bible study plan on the YouVersion Bible app. The plan that I am following is called "Maximizing Your Daily Life". I love studying God's word. It brings me such peace and clarity. I am also following the Jesus Calling devotional in addition to the YouVersion plan.

Two. Someone posted a really cool knitting/crochet project on Instagram the other day and I decided that I had to join in! It's a "mood blanket"project... the whole idea is to knit or crochet one square a day or week using colors of yarn that you have picked to describe your mood for that day. At the end of the year you join the squares together to make a beautiful blanket! Since I've been studying for my Praxis exam that I had today, I haven't had a chance to get started! I have picked out all of my yarn and assigned moods to certain colors. I plan on getting caught up this weekend! Since I'm a beginner, I'm going to have to watch some tutorials and research what type of squares I want to make. 

Three. My reading goal this year is 75 books. I would really like to do more, but with my class load + work I wanted to make a somewhat realistic goal. I've been really into Gillian Flynn's stuff lately (Gone Girl, Sharp Objects, Dark Places) so I downloaded a book that I've heard was similar, Reconstructing Amelia. I'm ready to dive into it this weekend! 

Four. Since I've been on Christmas break, I have been binge watching Sex and the City. I forgot how much I LOVE that show. I beg Jesse at random times to get me the complete series box set, but he never gives in (rude). Also, SATC ended TEN YEARS ago. Do you feel old yet? I do.

Five. Charlie got a little deep into the peanut butter jar tonight so I'll leave you with this funny little picture of him. ;) 

Hope you all have a great weekend! Stay warm! 

xoxo.

Happy New Year!

I love New Year's Day. I love the feeling of a fresh start, new beginnings. 

I love making resolutions that I will probably never keep, but they are still fun to make. :)

So hello 2014!

We spent New Year's Eve with at my Mamaw's house. My uncle cooked some yummy chili and we watched the Chick-Fil-A Bowl Game with Texas A&M and Duke. It was a pretty exciting game and there is nothing else I would have rather been doing. Family + Food + Football = Happiness. Oh, and I can't forget... pajamas! 

I've been thinking about some goals I would like to set for myself this year and I think this list I found on Pinterest pretty much sums it up. I definitely want to start eating better food, which we have been doing really well the past couple of months by eating out less and eating in more. I've found that I really love cooking and trying out new recipes. I also enjoy finding healthier substitutes for my favorite dishes. I've also cut out soft drinks completely and have been drinking only water. It's been 2 months since I've had a Diet Coke and I can't even explain how much better I feel! I also started exercising a lot more before I had my wisdom teeth out but since I've had such a tough recovery with those + the holidays + trying to study for my Praxis exams, I haven't had a good block of time to go.

We also are starting the Dave Ramsey Financial Plan to get our student loans paid off, and I am strangely excited about this. At first the thought of it scared the hell out of me, but I know that this is better for us in the long run. We aren't even going to think about starting a family until we get these whittled down, so this is motivation for us to get these paid off. Doing this plan has caused us to sit back and think about what we really do and do not need. I really don't NEED to buy that magazine or buy that extra thing of lipstick that will probably just sit in my drawer for years until I finally throw it away. 

I am also going to focus on being more positive. I let stress consume me, and worrying (I talked about this in my previous post), and I'm done. I can't do it anymore. God is in control.

ALSO. Less TV, more reading. We canceled our cable because we never ever watch it (this will save us about $80 a month... INSANE!) so this will give me more time to read, craft, crochet/knit. I got to where I couldn't even handle to watch the petty problems of the Real Housewives and the Kardashians, so I just stopped watching television completely. 

So there it is. I'm going to read in my Bible daily, pray more, worry less, be more kind. I want to renew myself spiritual and mentally. I want to read more, exercise more, and focus more on building relationships and repairing those that have gone awry. 

I can't wait to see what 2014 brings!

What about you all? How did you spend NYE? What are some of your resolutions?

xox.