The first month of 2015 is FINALLY over. I am not sure about you, but it seemed like the longest month of the year. See what I did there? Maybe I just crack myself up.

Starting with the end of this month, I have decided to use the last Friday of the month to recap my month. Both blog wise and personal life wise. It's a great way to be thankful for things and bonus, that 2015 end of year post will go a lot quicker.

1// My 2015 goals went from painting my nails to being a better wife. Just a month into the new year and I have already made some progress with these. You can see most of my "hard work" for these on my Instagram.


2//January always starts off with a little bit of sadness every year. It is not my favorite month but I find that every year it gets a little better. It also helps when you get to write your feelings and see just how you have grown through your posts every year at this time.


3//I worked hard on my editorial calendar and have a plan for this blog. I feel better now that it is all written out and I am working towards an ultimate goal with this. The blog might have had scarce posts this month but I was a busy bee behind the scenes. I even took you behind the scenes of the blog and my day this month. And maybe this month I can do both!


4// A squirrel hit me where it hurts. By chewing apart my car. Literally. I have been without a car for almost a whole month. How I am not going crazy by now I am not too sure. But I tried to look on the bright side of not having a car.


5//My fitness routine has really jumped up. I might even feel a little less jiggle in the booty area. The pounds are quite budging yet but muscle weighs more than fat, right? This month I really want to focus more on my eating. The snacks get me every time and eating healthy can be quite an effort.

See you in February!

 

Blogger Men Tell All

Today, I am showing you the man behind the blogger with and participating in the Blogger Men Tell All link-up. Always love to see Brian's responses to the questions. This time he was quite mild with his answers.

1. What is your favorite memory with your blogger? Too many to choose from.  Our engagement, our wedding, when we brought Lily home and the day she finally said "yes" to go out with me. 

All wonderful moments. Chosen well. Hard to believe we are coming up on 9 years together. Whoa!


2. What is her best quality?  She's the  caring person I know.  She always puts her friends and family first before herself.


3. What is something the two of you enjoy doing together?  Watching super hero movies.  It's amazing how much we have in common.  

A+ for the PG response.

4. What is your favorite post of hers that she has ever written?  Probably the one about how awesome and handsome I am.  Oh wait, the post doesn't exist?  Maybe there should be one ;)

Wait for it......


5. How much time do you think your blogger puts into blogging each week? (And what are you normally up to when she’s blogging?)  All day, everyday.  I keep myself busy doing manly things. 

 All day, everyday is my dream. 

And there you have the man behind the blogger, folks.

My 5 Biggest Bad Habits

Everyone has a few bad habits they might pick up in their lives. Some they might acquire over the years. Mine are a little bit of both.

1. Watching too much Netflix, TV

I'm not talking about lazy days off. We all know its acceptable to have a good Netflix binge those days. I am talking about nights, weekends and filling all our extra time with TV. It leaves rooms unorganized and cleaning pushed back. If I am able to watch less TV nights after work, I wouldn't have to clean on weekends.

2. Not putting things away

I use it. And leave it. I am getting better with this but it's still a bad habit. If I didn't do this, our place would be a lot easier to clean. Everything would already be back in it's spot so it would just be the daily/weekly maintenance. This is a habit I have to kick before kids. How can I tell them to put their toys away when I don't even do it?

3. Thinking about the worst scenario, worrying myself

In every situation, I overthink and find little things that could wrong. I worry myself about the situation before even being in it. It can make for a lot of worry and stress.

4. Oversleeping

That snooze button though. My weekends tend to go too fast when I oversleep. If I was up earlier, I could be more productive and get more down around the hose on weekends.

5.Not listening

I sometimes find myself listening to someone but then realize I didn't hear everything they said. I am not sure when I picked this bad habit up but I have noticed it a lot more recently. Especially in my marriage, I HAVE to work on this one. 

The first step is admitting, right? What are your bad habits?

InstaNatural Argan Oil

Growing up, my mom introduced us to all natural beauty products and hair care. She subscribed to a few all natural product subscriptions. She swore by tea tree oil for its many medical benefits. The smell always deterred me from its benefits.

Since those days, I have always been on the look out for new all natural beauty remedies. If I can get an oil or something from nature to improve my hair, skin, etc. I want to try it. Then I heard about this.

Argan Oil. 

Argan oil is pressed from the nut of the fruit of the Argan Tree, which is only found in Morocco. The argan tree lives to be about 150 to 200 years old and does not start producing the fruit until it is 30 to 50 years old. Because the tree is found only in a limited area, the oil itself is quite rare.
It has many benefits that make it the best thing to have in your medicine cabinet. -Skincare.com

Hair Care

Put a few drops of Argan Oil into the ends of your hair after drying to combat frizz. Or smooth through hair while damp for moisturizing benefits. InstaNatural has taken it the extra step and made their own hair mask made with Argan Oil. It was great to use on my hair and you can use it daily as a conditioner to get the most benefits. And you can't beat how great it will make your hair smell.

Problem Skin

If you suffer from adult acne, this is the product for you. It has great benefits to fix problem skin by reducing inflammation. It's a better option than pricier lotions and using salicylic acid. Argan Oil is also beneficial to combat the winter skin blues by using as a daily body moisturizer. InstaNatural has a convenient bottle of Argan Oil to allow you to use as scrubs, in your hair or skin.

Hands

This is one of my favorite ways to use Argan Oil, as an oil based lotion. I have always suffered from terrible dry, cracked skin on my hands in the winter. Without having to put on lotion many times a day, I just rub Argan Oil once in the morning. I have definitely seen an improvement in the condition of my skin this winter.

InstaNatural carries a whole line of natural skin care products as well as hair & body products. They are all priced just right especially for Organic products. They can be ordered through their website or through Amazon.

Have you tried Argan Oil before? What are your favorite all natural beauty methods?

I was fortunate to receive Argan Oil Hair Mask and Argan Oil from BrandBacker to test. Opinions are all my own.

10 Things Worse Than Not Having a Car

Late in the evening of January 7th, my car admitted its defeat. It was 11 years old and livedba good life. Its ultimate demise was a little squirrel chewing up its insides. In order to recover from this, I would have to put more into than the car is worth. Not happening.

So right now, we are sharing one car. The husband drops me off and picks me up for work everyday. We work out a schedule if I need to use it and we are pretty much attached when it comes to going places. Having had a car since I was 16 kind of puts a damper on my independent self.  But at the end of the day, there are worse things. 

Getting in shape again
My lungs. My legs. My arms. I'm hungry and want to eat everything. When will it be over? Also, why didn't I listen when everyone told me my metabolism would slow down? Because it's a true fact.

Chad Michael Murray being married
And having a kid. WHATTTT?! I can't even wrap my head around this information.

The $2.5 million dollar inheritance emails
Somehow they always sneak pass the spam filter and I end up reading them. I can't even deny I wish it was really true. Old, rich lady from England, if you are out there and want to give me your millions, I'm ready.

No Spend February is coming up fast 
I am having night sweats about this already. And the feeling I need to buy all the things before I can't anymore. Will I even survive this?

Car Shopping
Having to shop for a car is very grown up. It's all about what you don't tell the salesman and see what they can do for you. Problem is, I am a bad liar and tend to just talk and say what I shouldn't. Buying or leasing? AWD or 4WD? Head spinning.

Being out of wine
Just why? Why should this ever happen? There is no way the house is getting cleaned now.

Having to see Jillian's blacked out booty so much on The Bachelor

I would clear a fence for @jimmykimmel any day. #TheBachelor #whywasmybootycensored
— Jillian Anderson (@Jillie_Alexis) January 20, 2015

Someone needs to get that girl some proper pants and tell her it's proper to cover up both front and back lady parts.

KFC for dinner
It was a craving. Probably because I've been eating fairly healthy and my body was like, Hey, what's up? So I ate a piece and immediately felt the grease coat my arteries. Ick.

The bathroom fan
My equivalent of nails on a chalkboard. It's 2015, isn't there a better option to vent out the bathroom yet?

Remembering the last time you didn't drive for this long you were in Hawaii
Then, you miss Hawaii and want all the Mai Tais and warm Pacific sun. Plus, you were skinny then.

What would be worse for you if you were without something you were used to having? Any car buying tips?

Tour Through Blogland

I have shown up today to give you a little tour through my blog land. Thank you to Samantha at The Samantha Life for letting me do this.

What am I working on?

Finishing up the New Year's Resolution Swap Box, my editorial calendar and really locking down some great sponsors and opportunities for this year.Basically, time to kick this blog in gear Hence, the lack of posts on my part. The planning has taken over.

How does my work differ from others in its genre?

What's my genre? I guess, lifestyle. What i hope sets me apart is my own voice. I might tell the same story but in a different way or with a different perspective. I hope that my work touches people.

Why do I write/create what I do?

I write for me, for comfort some days. I also write to touch other people, connect with people in a way that's different for them. I also want to use this blog as a space to document my life to be able to look back on it. I know those are not always the most popular posts but it's something I want to stay true to.

How does my writing/creative process work?

Half the time it's whatever pops in my crazy head. Some other times it's in reference to what's going on in the world or what I think others might benefit from. This is exactly why I am trying my hardest to get my editorial calendar down and plan out my posts. That way they aren't all over the place.

Thanks for coming along on my tour. If you're interested, I will be showing behind the scenes of my day over at BlogLife101 on Instagram.

I would now like to pass it off to these fabulous ladies
Kate at Classy Living
Kara at The Knight's Place

Kindle Fire Giveaway

Today is your lucky day. Why?

We're giving away a Kindle Fire HD 7 along with a $50 Amazon gift card to one lucky winner!

Jae Sarah Christine Alex Kerri Krista Kelly Emelia Kati Lauren Sabra Rebekah Becca Rachael Anne

a Rafflecopter giveaway

It's a Better, Hard Day

Today, I want to tell you about one amazing woman in my life. She was a warrior, sudden single mom that worked harder than she should have. She would sometimes yell, get mad but still always love with all of her heart.

This woman was the reason I worked so hard when I was just 15, just so she didn't have to. She showed me what it meant to work for what you have and be thankful. She showed me just how much it meant to have family instead of money.She was the reason I finished my college career, knowing she would never want me to give up on what I really wanted.

This is the day I lost this beautiful woman, my mother. Today will always be a hard day but it's a better hard day than years past. I remember her with more smiles than tears. With more hope that I can be that mom someday soon and know she will be there for me the only way she can be.

Love you, Mom.

Winter Nails

One of my 2015 resolutions is to take care of my nails and keep a little polish on them.It may sound superficial, but my nails were kind of my thing way back when. I was the girl getting tips on my nails from 8th grade until middle of college. There was just something that felt so good when my nails were done.

My nails became less of a priority the past 4 years due to my old job. It was always so hard to keep a manicure that it became not worth it. Tips were dangerous. I was afraid they would be ripped off and regular nail polish was donezo by the end of my day.

When gel nail polish arrived, I thought it would be my saving grace. Instead, it just cost me more to last a week at most. Long story short, my nails were a last priority. This year, I am more determined to take care of my nails and help them recover from the past 4 years. I hope they forgive me.

Julep provided me with just the right steps to start my 2015 nails off right and to show you the perfect way to winterize your nails.  Much like you would do a car. If I had one. But that's a story for another day...

You will need to grab your nail clippers, nail file, cuticle cream and moisturizer and get ready to make those nails shine. First step is to clip and shape your nails. I tend to go for the blunt tip but some people enjoy the rounded nail look. Making sure to make them as even as possible.

I know I always hate having my cuticles get in the way of my nail polish. A cuticle cream will soften making it really easy to gently push them back. Once you are finished with the cuticles it's time to do a general clean-up of your nails. Clip any hangnails, buffer the top and finish with an oxygen nail treatment. This helps your nails survive the cold, harsh winter. Even though it might be hard for you to do.

Now, comes the fun part. Picking out your favorite winter polish. Your nails really can't be be ready for winter without the right color. These are some great winter colors that are sure to help with the winter blues 

I can't wait to show off my new winter nails soon. It's so exciting to finally be able to wear color on my nails and get regular manicures.

How do you winterize your nails?

5 Goals for 2015

As we enter the New Year, I am even more excited to make my goals and resolutions for 2015. Ever have one of those years where you just have a feeling it's going to be amazing? That's this year.

There will be a best friend baby, a best friend wedding, a best friend moving back to the East coast and celebrating two years of marriage. Mixed in all of this excitement, I will be working hard to achieve my best self this year.

1. Live a healthier lifestyle

Tone It Up challenges will be completed. Junk food will be kept to a minimum. I have started to have some problems with my sugar levels lately and I think it's because of the lack of movement and poor eating habits the past month. Time to nip it in the bud and get myself back into shape. It's time to stop giving excuses to why I can't and realize why I absolutely need to be my healthiest self this coming year. 

2. Be more intentional with my time

In order to grow myself and hobbies, I need to stop spending so much time drowning in Pinterest and my Twitter feed. And looking at cat videos...There are nights where I realize I spent over an hour just aimlessly clicking around the inter webs. It also means putting down the phone, which is another time stealer. Darn you Crazy Kitchen. It would be more beneficial to work on a blog post or have more conversations with my husband. Or what he likes even better, cleaning. 

3. Grow my hobbies.

via

If I work on being more intentional with my time I know I can grow my blog. My time will be spent on my editorial calendar, social media planning and interacting more with other blogs to make my blog a success.

If I start eating healthier and working out, I know I can start running again without feeling like I'm coughing up a lung and actually enjoy it again. It will help me run a 5k in the very near future.

When someone asks me how I took our Christmas photos, I will be able to tell them the settings without stumbling through aperture, ios, white balance. Those will roll off my tongue and I will be able to switch back and forth with ease. 

4. Cest La Vie

Anxiety is something I deal with quite frequently. It isn't out of control but it can definitely control my actions and attitude. It leads to controlling and obsessing over things that I shouldn't and even tends to give me minor migraines.  This year I want to be able to relax and stress less over things. On our anniversary trip, Brian described me as "vacation Krista." I wasn't stressed and just let things play out as they should. I felt relaxed and it felt great to feel that way. This year, Vacation Krista will be 24/7 Krista.

5. Become a better wife

This will be a continual goal year after year. I never want to stop working on our marriage and becoming a better wife. As our lives change, I have to adjust myself and my time. Really listen to what my husband needs. Marriage is work and I fully expect to give it my all this year. And apparently that means developing a cleaning schedule.

I am very excited to start working on these goals and develop myself over this year. What are your goals/resolutions for this year?

5 Favorite Posts of the Year

It's that time of year where we get to look back at our year through our posts. In case you might have missed them, these are my 5 favorite posts.


I Believe

The Girl with the Yellow Umbrella

Our First Anniversary

What 20 Years of Friends Has Taught Me

Married, Not Pregnant and It's OK

Thank you all for a wonderful 2014 and can't wait to see how this blog grows in 2015!