5 on Friday: Healthy Habits

Between my recent fascination with the Food Babe and the motivation to be one fit matron of honor (15 days away!!!), I've developed some fabulous healthy habits along the way. I love them so much that each has become less of a habit and more part of my everyday lifestyle. I couldn't help but want to share them with all of you!

ONE | DAILY DETOX ROUTINE

I've started a new morning routine. BEFORE the coffee, I drink this. Who taught me about it? The Food Babe, of course. What's the benefit? Kickstarting your liver each morning to get rid of any toxins up in there! There are more benefits too. Check out her article here for a more in-depth explanation regarding why you should adopt this habit too.

TWO | PURE BARRE

You might remember reading about when I started PB earlier this year. It is now one of my most favorite parts of the day. Pure Barre has really made me believe that endorphins are an addiction. I crave this time of day now and have become the annoying person who feels gross and disgusting if I go a few days without it.

Via Pure Barre Wilmington's Facebook Page

I may or may not be in this picture. ;)

THREE | INFUSED WATER

My water drinking habits aren't new. I don't drink soda, and juice just isn't my thing. (I do salty over sweet and juice tends to be sweet. I'm the oddball that genuinely prefers water to juice.) Nonetheless, what IS a new habit of mine is infused water. 

Epic Food Co. (so stinkin' good) in Wilmington sells water bottles and lets you come refill them with their infused water anytime. Hello, deal of all deals! So after I workout at the barre, I cruise across the parking lot and stock up on some (wait for it) jalapeno infused water. YUM!

Epic Food Co. | Wilmington, NC

Orange + Mint, Pineapple + Lime, and (my fave) Jalapeno

FOUR | GMO FREE + ORGANIC

It's becoming such a priority for me to buy GMO free and organic foods for our home. I'm slowly trying to make sure everything passes this test! Again, the Food Babe is teaching me lots about reading food labels and finding out what some of the ingredients really mean and/or contain. (Eeeek!)

Via

 

FIVE | VITAMIN D

This is an easy one. Especially since I live so close to this beautiful sight. But seriously, at my last doctor's checkup, Vitamin D was my only vitamin deficiency. More reason to get outside and soak up the sun...but wearing sunscreen, of course!

Via Instagram

Wrightsville Beach was looking extra gorgeous to me this week!

Cheers to the lovely linkup creators: Darci, April, Christina, and Natasha!

Cheers to prioritizing health!

  

Frankly, my dear...you should pop over here to visit my sweet sponsor, Jenni!

May Sponsor Spotlight

 Here's this month's Sponsor Spotlight! I love getting to know a little bit more about these bloggin' loves. You can learn more about sponsorship opportunities here. Cheers, my dears!

Name: Elizabeth Burns

Blog: That's Mrs. Burns To You 

Hot or Cold: Hot (usually I would say cold but winter has been so. crazy. long.)

Early Bird or Night Owl: I want to be an early bird (hate early mornings!) but I am a night owl.

Salty or Sweet: Salty 

Stay In or Go Out: Stay in

Cats or Dogs: Dogs! See my blog to see pics of my puppy child

Flowers or Candles: Flowers 

Have the ability to fly or read minds:  Fly! Can you imagine being somewhere you didn't want to be and with a single leap (whoosh) you are out of there!?
 

Connect with Elizabeth

Twitter // Bloglovin' // Pinterest // Email
 

Name: Lessy (short for Celeste)

Blog: Lessy's World

Hot or Cold: Hot days and cold drinks!

Early Bird or Night Owl: I always get tired really early sooooo, since Afternoon is not an option (lol), I'd say early bird

Salty or Sweet: As of late, my sweet tooth has been running my life, so I'd have to say sweet (yum!)Stay In or Go Out: Stay in! I'm a lover of movie nights with my hubby right in the comfort of our own home - there's nothing like it =)

Cats or Dogs: Definitely dogs

Flowers or Candles: Candles - I love fruity scents that leave a yummy aroma throughout my house.

Have the ability to fly or read minds: Hmm...I would say fly. Reading minds would require too much emotional effort if I read something that I didn't want to know :( BUT flying would leave me free (and I'm sure it would be super fun too! lol)

 

Connect with Lessy

YouTube // Instagram // Twitter // Facebook

 

Name: Lauren

Blog: Talk of the Trains

Hot or Cold: Cold
Early Bird or Night Owl: Night Owl
Salty or Sweet: SweetStay In or Go Out: Stay In!
Cats or Dogs: Doggies
Flowers or Candles: Flowers
Have the ability to fly or read minds: Read minds...I think?

   

 

 

Connect with Lauren

 Facebook // Twitter // Bloglovin' // Instagram // Shop

 

Name: Nicole

Blog: Twenty Five Dreams

Hot or Cold: Ummm... depends on what we're talking about. I prefer summer over winter but I'd rather be cold than hot...I don't even know if that makes sense!! :)
Early Bird or Night Owl: neither... if I have to choose, I'd say night owl but I try really hard to be a morning person!!!
Salty or Sweet: Sweet for sure! I LOOOOVE chocolate cake and ice cream!!Stay In or Go Out: depends but mostly stay in!!
Cats or Dogs: doggies
Flowers or Candles: hmm.. flowers probably
Have the ability to fly or read minds: read minds for sure!!

Connect With Nicole

Bloglovin' // Instagram // Pinterest

 

 

Name: Paige

Blog: Reasons to Come Home

Hot or Cold: Hot! My body doesn't function if I'm cold.
Early Bird or Night Owl: 100% night owl. I've never been a morning person and I always  catch my second wind around 9:30 pm. Talk about getting some serious cleaning done!
Salty or Sweet: Mostly sweet but sometimes I like to mix them.Stay In or Go Out: Stay in as long as I can grab take out on my way home and snuggle up with the hubs on the couch!
Cats or Dogs: Dogs, all the way. I'm highly allergic to cats which is probably why I'm not a cat person.
Flowers or Candles: Candles. I can't keep flowers alive.
Have the ability to fly or read minds: Fly! I could get to the beach in like 20 minutes!

Connect with Paige

Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // Bloglovin' // Pinterest

 

Name: Kate

Blog: Anchors, Pearls, and Curls

Hot or Cold: Hot! I'm a summer gal! However, Sunny and mid 60's is idea of perfect weather!
Early Bird or Night Owl: Night Owl...although I do love the beauty in quiet mornings to reflect and pray before I start anything else
Salty or Sweet: Sweet!Stay In or Go Out: Depends on the night, but I'm the most content at home with a glass of wine and catching up with girlfriends :)
Cats or Dogs: Dogs! Such a soft spot for Labs and German Shorthaired Pointers :)
Flowers or Candles: Flowers!!
Have the ability to fly or read minds: Read minds!

 

Connect with Kate

Twitter // Pinterest // Instagram // Bloglovin'

Name: Megan
Blog: Simply Meg
Hot or Cold: Ohhh, depends! In between?
Early Bird or Night Owl: Early Bird, but love me some naps.
Salty or Sweet: Sweets, especially donuts.Stay In or Go Out: Stay in! #anxietyprobs
Cats or Dogs: Dogs, all the way.
Flowers or Candles: Candles, love me some B&BW!
Have the ability to fly or read minds: I'd love to read minds! But then I'd love to fly...can I have both?

Connect with Megan

Twitter // Instagram

 

Name: Morgan Teichert

Blog: Pampers & Pearls (http://pampers-pearls.blogspot.com)  

Hot or Cold:  Hot! I grew up in Michigan and although I love the seasons, there is nothing worse than being cold! 

Early Bird or Night Owl:  Early Bird. Even though I'm usually exhausted, I really enjoy the mornings with my son, The Today Show & my coffee.  

Salty or Sweet: BOTH! Bring on the chocolate covered pretzels!  

Stay In or Go Out:  When I first got married I was such home body! But now that I am a SAHM (who "stays in" all the time) I can't wait for the weekends when I can sneak out for a drink with the girls or a date night with my hubby.  

Cats or Dogs: Dog.  

Flowers or Candles: Flowers.  

Have the ability to fly or read minds? Fly! No question about this!

Connect with Morgan

 Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // Bloglovin' // Pinterest

Cheers to all of these ladies!

Frankly, my dear...you should pop over here to visit my sweet sponsor, Jenni!

Scripture Dear to My Heart

Last week a friend of mine (Hi, sweet Abby!) tagged me in a little something on Facebook about sharing a few favorite pieces of Scripture. I thought I'd turn it into a blog post! Enjoy learning a bit more about some of my favorite verses. Glory to God!!

 

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Ephesians 5:19

I remember buying a print of this Scripture form a Christian bookstore when I was in middle or high school. It was said to be my "life verse," as the bookstore paired one verse with a every possible birthday (e.g. this is Ephesians 5:19 and I was born on 5-19). When I saw that my "life verse" involved singing and music, it was a done deal. Purchased!

Via

 

Romans 8:28

This is a family favorite as it is my Mimimama's all time favorite verse. She passed a love for it on to all of her grandbabies! (Thanks Mimi! We love you so much!!!!)

Via

 

Philippians 4:8

This print is framed in our house. I think it's the loveliest verse ever. :) It reminds me to keep my thoughts positive and pure...and even to protect my eyes and ears from seeing/hearing anything that does not encourage living this out.

Via

 

Titus 2:3-5

Proberbs 31 gets most of the popularity, but ever since unpacking these Titus 2 verses though a book study (Feminine Appeal by Carolyn Mahaney), I cherish these words [that I previously never knew exsisted]. I am so thankful for the women who have poured their lives and the blessings of these virtues into me!

 

 

Genesis 2:24

This is another verse that is framed in our home. Mark and I did a Bible study together with several other couples as newlyweds, and unpacking this verse meant a lot to my adult-child-of-recently-divorced-parents heart. Leave and cleave. That's God's way.

Via

1 Peter 3:3

And I have to include this one (though 1 Peter 3 has SO MUCH good stuff) as my favorite verse to call myself out on. When my patience is running low, I must remember that God calls me to have a gentle and quiet spirit. (And that doesn't mean being a doormat, either!) :) 

Via

Ephesians 3:20

Quite possible my #1 favorite. I love the version that says "exceedingly abunantly." God has revealed this to me over and over again (just like I wrote about here!), and I know He will continue to reveal this Truth thoughout my life (and yours too!).

Via "The Story of our First Home"

Thank you, Lord, for Your Word!

 

Frankly, my dear...you should pop over here to visit my sweet sponsor, Jenni!

 

Why We Skip the Gifts...

Via

Is it normal that Mark and I skip the gifts for our birthdays/holidays more often than not? 

Scratch that. It doesn't matter that it's normal. It matters that it works for us. And it does, indeed, work for us.

I've mentioned before that Mark and I are both rather frugal. We're both savers and beyond the basics like groceries and toiletries, we don't feel tempted to shop a lot. But it's more than that. I think the reason this non-gift-giving-thing works for us is because of our similar love languages. (Do you know about those? Totally browse the site if you don't -- so fascinating and so true. Better yet, take the quiz to find out about yours ranked from 1-5!)

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Mark and I have the same #1 ranked love language (touch) and #5 ranked love language (gifts). [How cool is that?! I love it so much.] Our #2-#4s differ a little bit, but all in all, it's pretty dang cool that we feel most loved the same way, and we're both fairly impartial to gifts. Does that mean we don't like giving or receiving gifts? No! But in our relationship with each other, this is something it's okay for us to skip over. Without anyone's feelings getting hurt. (Seriously.) And without anyone saying "don't-get-me-a-gift-but-really-if-you-don't-get-me-one-I'm-gonna-be-upset." :)

So this birthday--since our birthdays are 4 days apart--we'll exchange cards. Just as we have for most other birthdays and holidays in the past. Truth be told, I just always request for my card to be filled with an extra long note. (Can you guess what my #2 love language is?) ;)

What about you? Do you and your love speak the same love languages, or do they totally differ? I'd love to hear more!

You are loved!

Frankly, my dear...you should pop over here to visit my sweet sponsor, Jenni!

Let Your Speech Be Gracious

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YES! And AMEN! Right?! I pray this over my mouth today. Let my words be slow and full of grace. Let me reflect the light of Christ and the Truth that He is Lord!

 

I pray this over you today too! When complaints, gossip, negativity, slander, thoughtlessness come out of our mouths, I pray for Christ to convict us. Let us repent and be filled with His Spirit. For His glory, not our own. Amen!

 

Happy Monday! Let your speech be gracious.

Frankly, my dear...you should pop over here to visit my sweet sponsor, Jenni!

5 on Friday: New Home Sneak Peeks

Note: This post does not include the dust on the floor, boxes on boxes, clothes overflowing out of suitcases, things where they don't belong etc. These are little snippets of some of the only things that are currently together in our new home. All that to say: don't think it's perfect because it's not. Life is about being a work in progress. :) You can read the story of our first home here! Glory to God!

ONE | MIRRORED TRAY 

This in the middle of our double vanity makes everything look lovelier!

TWO | MY CORNER

I love this girly corner of the bathroom. It's a print of my wedding dress (given to all brides by the designer!) and our ring bearer plate that I adore. 

Purchased from Paloma's Nest on Etsy

THREE | MASTER BEDROOM NOOK

A lovely corner nook (and obsessed with all of the green out the window!).

FOUR | LAUNDRY ROOM WALLS 

The only room where things are hung right now. The dry erase board from our wedding weekend kickoff on Lake Wylie (that I will never erase!) and bulletin board full of happy things.

 

FIVE | COFFEE + TEA STATION

Obviously we cannot go a day without coffee/tea in our home. So when the granite install finished Wednesday night, this was the first set up on the new counter top.

I keep a picture of our English family here as a prayer trigger to pray for them each time I make coffee or tea. :)

That's all for now. My talented mama is coming in town this weekend, so she is sure to get things looking spiffier in no time. That woman can get everything hung in a house in under 2 hours. She's got skillz. Can't wait to show y'all more!

Cheers to the lovely linkup creators: Darci, April, Christina, and Natasha!

Happy Mother's Day weekend to all you mamas! Cheers to y'all!

Life in Emoji

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This is how I feel in Emoji: cray cray. And happy and bonkers at once.

 

This is THE HAPPIEST MONTH EVER. Seriously, it's full of THE BEST STUFF:

Moving into our new home (and finishing moving out of our rental...)

Having exciting things done to our home (there is an electric saw sound in the background cutting granite as I type)

My birthday AND Marky's birthday

My in-laws coming into town from England!!!!!!!! (No, seriously. I CAN'T WAIT!)

Oh...and obviously...HOPEY'S WEDDING! (And family BBQ, and bridal luncheon, and rehearsal dinner!)

 

And my family is coming into town this weekend! I'm trying to embrace that the house is not going to look as lovely as I want it to look when they arrive. It's okay. Sigh. This is a process!! And one I'm so grateful to be in right now!

So thanks for yall's continued patience on my email replying and promptness. This is a crazy fun time. Things are a bit of a mess all around me, but I choose joy amidst the mess and the dust. Fullness of joy. Thank you, Jesus!

 

I seriously do have some fun giveaways around the corner to celebrate my birthday...because it's more fun celebrating with all of y'all. So get ready to join in the fun. Here is a preview:

 

Get pumped, y'all. I know I am!

 

Cheers to this crazy, happy season of life!

 

Frankly, my dear...you should pop over here to visit my sweet sponsor, Jenni!