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The #1800MinuteChallenge starts today!! I’ve signed up with over 950+ other people!!

These lovely ladies Erin from Living in Yellow, Alissa from Alissa Circle, Emily from The Freckled Fox, and Alycia from Crowley Party are hosting this awesome challenge in hopes that we can all become a more health version of ourselves and support each other while doing it!

Starting April 1st (today) through May 31st, I have signed up to commit myself to being physically active for 1800 minutes total, each day. If you do the math that rounds out to nearly 30 minutes a day. This idea is awesome because it allows you the freedom to do whatever you want, whenever you want. It doesn’t mean you have to do 30 minutes everyday, but instead you could do 45 minutes one day, zero the next, maybe 20 the next, and so on. Also, being physically active doesn’t mean you have to kill yourself! Go on a walk with you little one or your dog, throw the Frisbee with your boyfriend/girlfriend, get a quick workout DVD in, lift weights, or run on the treadmill. You could do like Caveman & I do and complete 3 rounds of pushups, situps, squats & chin-ups – our sets vary depending on our fitness level. As long as you reach 1800 minutes by May 31st, what does it matter how it happens?

Here’s what you need to know:

1. You will want to sign up to be a part of the challenge just so Erin will know who is joining in on the fun (and so that you have a chance to win the amazing grand prize at the end of the sixty days). You can register here.

2. Starting April 1st, you will be responsible for tracking your own progress. Don’t worry, Erin’s gotcha covered. After signing up for the challenge, you will receive a spreadsheet via email from Erin which will allow you to quickly track and total your minutes! I got mine earlier today!

3. Throughout the challenge use #1800MinuteChallenge on Instagram or Twitter so that those of us also participating can follow along and cheer you on. Make sure to follow @livinginyellow, @alissamcircle, @thefreckledfox and @alyciagrayce for occasional workout ideas, our favorite playlists, and extra tips + tricks on how to get your 1800 minutes in! I’ll be following along too so be sure to follow me too, @cavegurl!!

4. At the end of the challenge (May 31st) those of you who have completed all 1800 minutes, you will need to email Erin your spreadsheet [livinginyellow@gmail.com]. On Monday, June 9th one winner will be drawn to receive the #1800MinuteChallenge grand prize. It’s still a secret on what you will be receiving but don’t worry, Erin & the girls will fill you in on the details as time goes on. Keep in mind that the best prize of all will be how great you feel and look at the end of the challenge. The prizes will just be the cherry on top 😉

Are you ready for a great body in just a few minutes each day???? Do I sound like an infomercial or what!! LOL

Added Bonus!! Melissa Rose, web designer of Erin’s blog, Living in Yellow designed a free workout printable just for the #1800MinuteChallenge!! Head on over and check it out!

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I saved the best find from my thrifting trip the other day for one last post in March! WooHoo for me!

I have always loved architecture and interior design. In fact I went to college for a while to be an architect, decided that although I really enjoyed it, architecture just wasn’t for me. Then I almost went into Interior Design but chickened out by telling myself I couldn’t do it. Oh how I have regretted that decision, especially when only 5 short years later HGTV exploded! ALWAYS just go for it!! But I digress…

Now I read a ton of DIY/Home Design blogs instead and love a variety of styles, just check out my Pinterest boards to prove it! Our current home’s style is more on the traditional side with a bit of a cabin vibe going on too. Oh who am I kidding? Despite my interest in home design it’s actually its a mix of everything hand-me-down, but I really want to change that.

I’ve always been a fan of the mid-century modern designs, but lately I’m leaning even more towards them. I like the clean lines and minimalist styling, so when I spotted a pair of these at the Thrift Store the other day they were hard to pass up!

These were really dirty and definitely needed refinishing, but they would have looked so great with our sectional! Only I have zero room in our house for any more furniture so they stayed put. 😦 Maybe someday!

Our other problem is the lack of storage/closet space! This has frustrated me since we moved in and one of the spare rooms always ended up housing the junk. We have condensed it over the years but still there are some major problem areas & I may or may not be a pack-rat of sorts. One specific problem areas is our shoe situation! Caveman & I personally have 2 (ok 1.5) shoe racks each, and little Caveboy is coming very close to own 1 by himself (yet we always say he doesn’t have enough shoes!).

I looked into getting this beauty!

Actually I wanted two and had a couple of different spots in our home as to where I would like it installed BUT… there are no Ikea’s near us! The closest one is in Atlanta, next Charlotte or Cincinnati, each being a 3/4/5 hour drive away. If I wanted it shipped here then that’s another $129, so it’d be like basically buying 3 cabinets and only getting 2.

After a little Googling I found these plans on Ana-White.com! Caveman said we could attempt or else have one built!!!! This one from Ana’s Brag Posts is my absolute favorite! I mean it’s gorgeous, as are most any pottery barn inspired knockoffs.

You can read all about how she built it right here! I really like the feet on this one, makes it look more like a piece of furniture but I think I would add simplier/sleeker pulls and maybe go with a walnut stain instead of black paint.

After we get the shoe problem addressed I’d like to find a great rug for Caveboy’s room. We are in there playing almost every night. We love having hardwood floors throughout our home but in there I’d really like to find a great rug. I have considered a Southwestern style, a plain colored shag or something vintage. I got an email earlier today from West Elm showcasing their new designs for Spring. I immediately fell in love with this rug!

I think it would go perfectly but we’ll see what my Cavemen think about it first! 🙂

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It seems all I’m able to come up with lately is one, maybe two posts a month! Thank you for you comments on my last post. I’m looking into web-hosting, new designs, etc. I really appreciate all the advice.

So life lately has been…busy! When is it ever not though really. Last week was Spring Break for Caveboy and I, so I was able to take off Friday and have a date with my little guy! We had some maintence done on my Kia, visited Daddy at work, went to a few Thrift Stores and finally made it to our local library for the first time! Whew, what a day!

Here are a few finds from our thrifting adventures!

Golfbag for Caveman!

Always looking for anything nautical! These nautical prints were beautiful!

No, I didn’t purchase either of these, just some spring/summer clothes for Caveboy!

Actually I’ve been on a purge of our house lately. It seems that we are bursting at the seams in our little 1300 sq ft rancher. I’ve been waiting to have a yard sale for a few years. I even attempted it a few times last year only to have something come up each time. Well this is my yard-sale year, no matter what! I will be off school (between semesters) during the month of May so I’m hoping to pick a weekend and clear the place out! Either that or it’s all getting hauled off to a Thrift Store near you for someone else’s enjoyment!

In addition to housewares, I have a ton of Caveboy’s clothes waiting for me to sell in the yard-sale, although…

Grace over at CampPatton.com recently posted about a new company called Kidizen that I would love to try out but alas I haven’t made the jump to an iPhone yet. *sigh* (Although they are working on an Android app to be released soon!) But here’s what Grace said about the new company!

“Their inventory truly runs the gamut of legitimate vintage and brands I would never dream of buying firsthand and one of my favorite things about Kidizen is that the prices INCLUDE SHIPPING. Genius. So genius.

It’s super easy to snap photos on your phone, upload them on the app, and list them to sell as well. I have a really hard time getting rid of the kids clothing but the nesting bug is getting antsy and I’ll be all over this one of these pre due date weeks.”

I’ve already used Once Upon a Child a few times too. They are usually pretty great to buy back clothes from me and a great resource to find clothes for Caveboy.

I’ll be back again soon with a few more posts about our Springtime adventures and more thoughts on redesigning our home to better work for us.

 

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Another month has begun and despite my best intentions February slipped by without a blog post. I might blame it on February being the shortest month of the year, or the big day of LOVE earlier this month or celebrating Caveman’s birthday or the crazy weather (snow one day, 70 degrees the next!) or even my first of two mid-terms but really I just haven’t made the time to sit down and compose anything. I think I’m enjoying our relaxed schedules this winter, soon to be spring.

Here’s a few of February’s Instagram photos for your viewing pleasure!

I have been thinking about blog posts though. Namely holding myself accountable to my goal/word of being more AVAILABLE  this year, so I’ll address that item first. The very next day after my last post I failed miserably and felt even worse. Achieving this goal has been more of a roller coaster than anything else. Some days (more like moments throughout the day) I’m on top of my game and other days I’m completely and utterly failing again. Only when I completely submit to God and allow Him to work through me do I actually succeed. As we all know this is easier said than done.

Earlier this week Ann Voskamp wrote, “A lack of doxology leads to depravity.” and “Our fall is always first a failure to give thanks.” I could go on and on quoting from her post, but please take the time to go examine it for yourself. In the times I’ve just gone through the motions or I’m completely gone a full day without giving thanks to God, I have fallen the hardest. Ann writes, “But refuse to give God thanks? God lets our very lives become refuse. Our thinking becomes futile and God on High lets us live low.” That is what Buchanan discovers in Scripture, right there in Romans:

“The heart of wickedness and godlessness is that: a refusal to glorify God. It’s the refusal to thank Him.“

I usually come to my senses down in the pit, looking up and wondering how I ever got back here and I hear the whisper, “Have you acknowledged Me today? Have you thanked Me today?“, and down on my knees I fall because the honest answer is “No! No I have not and I’m so ashamed“. I typically don’t even know I’m not surrendering my all until I realize I’m trying to hold it all together and God is patiently waiting until I wear myself out. I am not the only one who suffers though, my wonderful family are the real sufferers. There is a song by Jamie Grace called, “Beautiful Day!” Every one of the words in this song, resonates with me. Caveboy and I listen to it every morning as we start our day! I encourage you to check out the lyrics here. As long as I wake up with thanksgiving on my lips and keep it there throughout the day I am a happier person, better wife, more loving Mother and overall live a joyous life.

I have been tossing around the idea for a few years of changing my blog name/address, going .com and everything.  But honestly I am afraid to do it. I have no idea why because the new name is more in line with who/what I am and want to move towards. I think I would like to add sponsors too but I have no idea how to go about this, which is sad because I’ve been blogging for a number of years! I was talking it over with Caveman the other day and he says go for it if that’s what I want. I love my man! So if anyone out there has any advice or can point me to a highly recommended web designer and/or hosting services I would really appreciate the help. Of course this would mean more posting on my part but I’ve really been wanting to post more anyway. Opinions, let me know what you think in the comments!

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So last week I declared my word of the year would be JOY and I would be taking the #JoyDare and actively following along with the #JesusProject. Then I was over at The Nesters and saw she was declaring an UN-WORD for the year as well! I love this idea and there are too many to count that I could declare but I believe I’ve narrowed down the root of the problem.

UN-AVAILABLE: That’s my UN-WORD for 2014.

If I’m unavailable I can become easily annoyed when someone or something needs my time. When I’m unavailable my guys aren’t enjoying me and I’m completely missing out. If I’m unavailble my time, time with my little guy (who will only be little once!) and my big guy (who gives so much to keep our home running smoothly) is slipping away. I certainly don’t want to look back on this time from some distant point in the future and realize too late that I was unavailable and missed out.

Accountability – I want to come back to this space each month (this is subject to change) and give an update on how I’m doing with this. I’ve already implemented a NO-phone/internet/social media at night when I’m with my family, multi-task as much as possible (you’d be surprised in how many areas you aren’t really implementing this…), play and engage my guys more and finally, just plain leaving the chores until after Caveboy’s bed-time. As I learn new ways to better utilize my time or any tips/tricks I’ll be sure to share.

My UN-WORD reiterates my goals for 2014 to become a better person/wife/mother. So far…I’ve gotten a little better and claimed small victories, but I’ve also fallen flat on my face. This post right here…it will grab you by the throat and shove the mirror of truth right up in your face, then explain how to find restoration for you and your child. Love this lady’s insights and I’m her newest follower. Be sure to check her out!!