For the past few weeks, while stuck inside with sick babies, I’ve been spending a lot of time on Pinterest.  While it can sometimes be overwhelming, I really do enjoy the visual inspiration.  At the same time, I tend to be a “pin it and forget it” pinner…on to the next pretty picture while forgetting the rest.

Last week, I found myself browsing through my boards and thinking, “Wow! I would love to make that!” or “That looks easy enough…I should try that.”  I started jotting down a few of the ideas and then..lightning bolt!  If you’ve been reading for awhile, you’ll remember my list of 100 little things I did in 2014.  I loved working on that list, so I decided to revamp my life list to include a little of both: big and little and everything in between.  

Living a full, intentional life doesn’t have to just be about traveling to new countries or attending Olympic games.  Sometimes it’s just trying a new recipe or camping in the backyard with your kids.  You know the quote, “Enjoy the little things in life because one day you’ll look back and realize they were the big things”?  I really want to live that way.  I hope you will too.    

I’ve included a bit of my new life list below.  I’ll be periodically adding to it and checking them off as I go.  I have a direct link on my sidebar if you’d like to follow along!

P.S. I’m also using these journals to hold my notes and ideas from my pins on Pinterest.  The paper quality is fantastic!

Food
Make homemade icecream completed 7/2013 
Make pasta from scratch
Make a layered birthday cake
Make my own vanilla extract
Perfect a delicious iced coffee recipe
Bake homemade pretzels
Make strawberry jam with Mom
Bake pita bread

Creativity
Make 100 beautiful things with my hands

• #1. Princess and the Pea Cross Stitch
• #2&3. Instagram Yearbooks
• #4. Arm-Knit Scarf

Make a pennant using vintage sheets for Sophie’s room
Learn how to use my camera in manual mode
Make a piece of clothing using a pattern
Learn how to knit
Learn floral arranging
Finish the cross-stitch superhero pillows for the boys
Learn how to make candles
Learn calligraphy
Write a children’s book
Create a journal with prompts and publish
Make my handwriting a font
Make silhouettes of the kids

Home Decor and Improvement
Purchase an old home and completely renovate it
Complete a total gut renovation project (bathroom or kitchen?)
Build a tree house in the backyard
Buy a new welcome mat
Hang Sophie’s gallery wall
Purchase a bench for the dining room table
Paint a piece of furniture with milk paint
Find a white pitcher for the mantel
Splurge and buy fresh flowers

Health & Fitness
Run 100 races: 5K, 10K, half marathon and anything with my dad

My First Race! May 2013: Semper Fred 5K, 33:08 // #2. September 2013: Crossroads 4 Miler, 39:53

Go horseback riding
Run a relay race
Complete a weight lifting program
Learn to paddleboard

Books to Read
Read every book on my “College Bound Booklist”
Read The Temperament God Gave Your Kids 
Start a book club

Wardrobe & Self Care
Donate my hair to Locks for Love completed 01/2013 

Buy a dress over $100 and not feel guilty about it

We’re nine days into March and guys, I am rocking my goals for more water and a salad everyday!  I’ve been having my salad at lunch and it actually has been really filling.  And the water?  I think my success is all due to this new mason jar tumbler I bought from Hustle Mama Handmade.


I don’t really know what it is…maybe the straw?  Maybe the fact that it’s huge (but also thin-it can fit in a cup holder), so I can carry it around the house without constantly having to fill it up?  It may be that’s it’s just pretty to look at!  Whatever the reason, I am in love.    

Some of my long-time readers will remember when I started working on my life list goal of supporting 100 small business mammas and I’m excited to resurrect that again this year!  As a reminder: these posts are not sponsored, I’ve purchased everything with my own money and the mamas don’t even know I’m writing about them.  My hope is that I can introduce you to some great businesses and bring these mamas a bit of traffic and sales.  


Okay, onto the fun part!  Half of the fun of finding new small businesses is picking a product to give away to one of you!  I am giving away a tumbler just like mine, only with a polka dot fabric sleeve.  You’ll also get two BPA free straws in coordinating blue and orange.  The giveaway will be open until Friday, March 13 at 12:00 AM, so enter through the Rafflecopter below!  Good luck!

Gratitude is something that I think I’m good at, until things get hard.  My boys wake up too early, Sophie is my shadow and I can’t get anything accomplished, I burn dinner…I’m tired and grouchy and gratitude gets thrown out the window.  Do you feel the same?

November seems like the perfect time to be intentional with gratitude, so I purchased this little journal to start recording a little bit everyday.  I found it over at Rori’s shop, MadeByRori.

A little bit of her story: “My love of Etsy and notebooks have been particularly healing for me in the last couple years.  Let’s rip off the sadface Bandaid: Zach and I lost our beautiful twins Liam and Sebastian in August 2011.  They were born 9 days too early to survive.  It’s a sad story, but I’m not a gloomy person.  I feel it is important for me to live a life that honors them.  Now for the happy part of my story: In early 2012, we found out I was pregnant again.  Miles is (as of this writing) nearly 8 months old.  And he’s pretty much the best thing ever.”

I am so happy to have found Rori’s shop, not only because of her beautiful notebooks, but also for her example in gratitude.  

Now for the fun part!  Half of the fun in supporting small business mammas is sharing with you!  This week, I am giving away another gratitude journal just like mine.  And you know me, I’ll probably tuck in a few little extras along with it 🙂

Enter through the Rafflecopter widget below.  The giveaway runs until November 9, 2013 at 12AM.  Good luck!    

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy: This was an interesting look at what makes people happy.  Biggest lesson from the movie: Happiness is a choice.  I loved the personal stories throughout.  Thought provoking.  


Beware of Christians: While I didn’t agree with their theological opinions 100%, I did think that this movie was a good look at religion from the perspective of today’s generation.  Lots to think about and it challenged me to learn my faith more as a response.  


Lost Angels: This movie takes a look at life for the homeless on Skid Row.  I found it fascinating and heartbreaking.  Even within the homeless population, people crave community and a place where they feel they belong.  I do believe there was a slight political spin at the end, but other than that, I felt it was well done.


Catching Hell: If you are a Boston or a Chicago baseball fan, this ESPN documentary is a must-see.  It explores the idea that fans use a single incident as a scapegoat to explain decades of losing.  I know I have uttered the name Buckner with gritted teeth, but not after watching this movie!  


The Business of Being Born: A look at modern obstetrics and midwifery.  I have only had positive experiences with hospital births, but I do think home births are beautiful too.  While I do think there was an obvious slant toward midwifery and a few scare tactic scenes, I found the movie interesting and pretty informative.  

Hungry for Change: I’m always looking to learn more about health and nutrition.  This documentary was quite informational and had lots of good points.  My husband and I liked it very much.

30 for 30: Broke: This was a very interesting look at the reality behind professional athletes’ seemingly perfect, flashy lifestyles.  The majority fall into bankruptcy shortly after retirement because of poor financial decision making.  Sad.   

Craigslist Joe: In this movie, a man spends an entire month depending on the kindness of Craigslist users for his survival.  Definitely a “hope for humanity” type movie.  I liked it.

First Position: This documentary followed young people following their dreams to becoming professional ballet dancers.  I found this one fascinating on so many levels.  

SEC Storied: Lolo Jones: I love movies that are inspirational and this one on Lolo Jones was no exception. She overcame homelessness and poverty to become an amazingly talented Olympic hurdler.  After watching, I was itching to go out and run! 

It’s September and our busy season has just begun.  All of my kids have birthdays soon and the holidays are right around the corner!  Needless to say, gifts are on the brain these days.  I’m continuing to embrace the idea of buying less, but more meaningful gifts.  These sometimes take a little more time to find, but are so worth it in the end.

Let me introduce you to Jessica.  She is the mamma to two sweet boys and I have had the opportunity to get to know her briefly through the Penpal Project.  So when she contacted me to let me know she was also an educational consultant with Usborne Books, I was so excited!  Books are one of my favorite things to gift!  I quickly purchased a book to celebrate our first week of school.    

I chose 1001 Pirate Things to Spot and it was a huge hit!  I loved having the boys huddle around me, searching for the items on the list.

The quality of Usborne books is amazing.  The covers are durable, the pages are made of good quality paper, and the illustrations are colorful and so detailed.

The Usborne website is extensive and has so much to choose from.  Here are a few of our favorites as well as a few on our wish list:

• On the Moon (a favorite space themed book around here!)
• That’s Not my Teddy (we’ve read this one to each of our babies)
• Birds to Color
• Picture Word Lotto
• Hey Jack!  The Bumpy Ride (and the rest of the series)

Now to the fun part: I want to give away a $15 credit toward a book or two to one of you!  The giveaway will be open until Friday, September 13 at 12AM EST.  You can enter through the Rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


To further support Jessica, I’m also hosting an online show that will be open until September 20.  Think Christmas presents!  For every $25 you spend, you are automatically entered into a drawing for $20 of free books!  You can find the link here. 

I purchased two pouches in a blue and green ikat print.  One for me and one for one of you!  The pouch measures about 5″x8″ and is the perfect size for so many things: holding make-up on the go, jewelry when you travel, small toiletries…the possibilities are endless!  I plan on corralling some of the small items in my mess of a diaper bag.

The giveaway will be open until Friday, August 23 at 12AM EST.  Enter through Rafflecopter below!  Good luck!


a Rafflecopter giveaway