Cleaning/Purging + eBay = Making $$$

This is a happy equation. 

Back in January I wrote a post about my 2014 Goals (click to read more and to print the free printable). I decided to work on a different category of my life every couple months. I began by cleaning out my dresser and closet. Then I set up an ebay account because I just couldn't believe that Goodwill was going to get my Coach wallet and J-Crew pants, again. 

I can hardly believe it but after just 3 months I have over $200 in my paypal account! Wow. I'm not sure why it took me so long to jump on the ebay train. But I'm loving it. 

The set-up process took me a little while (1/2 day, including pictures of my things and uploading the initial 10 posts). And ever since I have been selling and shipping like it's my job. Because it kind of is. 

My advice to you is this...

1. Everyone needs to partake in "spring cleaning"…it's a liberating and free experience

2. Create an eBay account, now

3. Sell what you can

4. Donate the rest

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And because you are probably wondering how my March/April goal is going I will fill you in on that as well. 

I've shifted goals and am focusing on the "physical" category. Who better to do this with than my momma?! She and I are training for our first half marathon. We are by no means "runners" and have a goal to simply finish the race. We even looked into how much time they allow for us to get across the finish line lol

We should (<---with prayer, advil, self rewards, and lots of training) be fine. Please join us as we pray for our ligaments and heart as they adjust to us using them in this way on a regular basis. 

March (Almost April. Yikes!) Update

After my last birthday I decided to challenge myself to a list of things that a) I hadn't done before, and b) would make for an interesting and entertaining year. For the full copy of the list, CLICK HERE!

For all of the people who have joined me, thank you! It's been fun and there are plenty more activities to come. Again, see the list for complete details.

Below are two of the things that I've done. Some I have loved and others have just been okay. All have been rewarding and out of the norm, which is just what they should be.

Visit Sprinkles Ice Cream

After recommending it to friends, and they saying that they've always wanted to go (because there is always a line), we ventured over after dinner one night a couple months ago.

There was no line and once inside, I found myself looking at the prices in awe. I thought to myself, "People must LOVE the ice cream." Anyways, I tried approx 5 flavors (I'm super indecisive) and settled on Caption Crunch. Not a bad option. It was sweet and out of the ordinary, which is what I was going for.

They have everything on the menu from kids cup/cone to cupcake sundae or cupcake ice cream sandwich. Honestly, I would probably go to McConnel's Ice Cream (that happens to be a local Santa Barbara Ice Cream) than go to and spend mucho dinero on Sprinkles Ice Cream.

But hey, that's just me.

Movie Marathon

To start out, I didn't actually sit down and watch all of these movies in a day. I realized that I would fall asleep and spend the whole day "taking a nap" if I did that. So, I rented these movies and watched them when I had time over a span of a couple days.

TRANSAMERICA
Reminded me of a Lifetime movie. The plot was simple, the acting was decent, and the costumes were good. What surprised me the most was the ending..it wasn't exactly predictable. This was a library find and a good one at that.

STEP MOM
Such a great movie. It wasn't new to me, but I rented it because I couldn't resist. My heart breaks for the kids, but in the end, you see a family come together and make it work. I love this movie and can't figure out why I don't personally own a copy.

TORTILLA SOUP
This movie was just, alright. I tried and tried to get into the movie, but just couldn't. There are a lot of characters and the plot seemed a bit choppy to me. I must admit…I fell asleep twice while watching this and wouldn't rent it again.

SLEEPOVER
What a great, fun teenager movie. I love this movie because you watch it and just feel excited. Some of the actresses have since starred in larger films :) This movie reminds me of a Lifetime movie and one that anyone can enjoy. After starting the movie, I realized that I had already seen it but kept watching because it is such a good, lighthearted movie.

Everyone should spend some time indulging in guilty pleasures. I am not normally a movie person but found that I enjoyed letting my mind wonder and body relax. 

MmmMmm Good!

Lately I have been working (not to be confused with working out- whoops), traveling (nothing big, just a couple small trips for work and to see friends near and far), and relaxing (everyone needs to take a day off just to play golf and watch daytime tv, ya know?). 

But, I digress..

Here are two things that I made this week. Let's just say that I felt like my mom when I planned out my meals for the week. However, it saves me money and a potential heart attack. I really do love cooking and, more importantly baking, so all is well.

Recipe #1

Mini Chicken Pot Pie Cups

These are fun... and great for portion control. I used a half of biscuit for each cupcake tin and whatever veggies were in my fridge/freezer (aka green beans, green onions, corn, and cilantro). 

Ingredients:

- 1 can of reduced fat biscuits (

- 1 cup cooked chicken breast, diced (I used 1 large chicken breast)
- 1 (10 1/2 ounce) can reduced-fat cream of chicken soup
- 1 cup of frozen mixed veggies (anything works)
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

- 1 teaspoon of onion powder

- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

- 2/3 cup cheddar cheese (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, combine chicken, chicken soup, veggies, onion powder, garlic powder, parsley flakes, and black pepper. Mix well to combine.3. *Separate biscuits, roll them out, and place each biscuit in a cup of a lightly greased 12-hole muffin pan, pressing dough up sides to edge of cup.
4. Evenly spoon chicken mixture into prepared biscuit cups.
5. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.
6. Remove from oven. Place muffin pan on a wire rack and let set for 2-3 minutes. Serve at once.

*I do this one at a time -- flatten out the biscuit, press it into a baking tin, and then fill it with the mixture. 

Bam! There you go…an easy dinner that's yummy and filling! Andddd this one that helps you clean out the fridge. Wahoo!

But…It doesn't refrigerate well for more than 2 days. My rating: 7/10 

Recipe #2

Banana-Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Bananas are tricky for me. I usually can eat two in a week without getting tired of them…but this week I was only able to eat one. Enter: "healthy" cookie recipe using 1 ripe banana. 

Ingredients:

- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

- 1/2 cup sugar

- 1/2 cup brown sugar

- 1 banana, very ripe

- 1 egg

- 1 teaspoon vanilla

- 1 cup flour, fluffed to aerate before measuring

- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (I use a bit more because I love cinnamon)

- 1/4 teaspoon salt

- 1 1/2 cups oats (old-fashioned or quick)

- 1 cup coconut, preferably unsweetened (optional)

- 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. Melt butter in a small dish in microwave, 10 seconds at a time.
3. Transfer to mixing bown.
4. With an electric mixer, thoroughly mix in sugars, banana, egg and vanilla.
5. Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt.
6. Mix in to the banana mixture.
7. Mix in oatmeal (and chocolate chips or coconut).
8. Drop dough by tablespoons onto a baking sheet lined with parchment.
9. Bake for 11-14 minutes until set and golden.
10. Cool 5 minutes and remove from tray right away to a cooling rack.

Alright, friends…no excuses. Make these and you will not be disappointed. *These do have a banana flavor so they are not exactly regular cookies. I enjoyed them…every. single. one. of. them. My Rating: 9/10 (I'm going to try to make these with splenda and if that works/tastes good, then these will become a 9.5/10).

PS- I'm in the beginning stages of making a recipe book so if you have any go-to recipes or ideas (cooking, baking, snacks, etc)…send them my way.

Be merry, and eat well!

Reflections

A Simple Life. 

That's what I like. 

To wake up in the morning with a purpose. 

To conquer "something."

To smile.

I choose to praise Him.

All day long.

While thankful for family.

And the friendliest of friends.

I choose to love.

A Simple Life.

My life.

While I have the mic (ehmm I just gave it to myself) I have a couple things to say. At times I find myself reflecting on life and most times I end up thinking about my family and friends one by one. After hearing from my grandpa this evening, who called for my address so that he can send me Valentine's Day chocolates, he wrapped up the call by saying, "I'm going to go fix myself a sandwich and something to drink (most likely a beer and then scotch) but I wanted to say that I love you." 

I love that sentence. Because it is so him! He eats dinner pretty late and on Sundays my grandma doesn't cook. So he's on his own. He loves his dranks, and that is not a typo. Beer in the evening and scotch for his HBO movies. And the love…well of course I love him too. xoxo

I don't want to forget the "little" things. That's why I'm writing them down. Because they mean a lot to me. I want to remember that at 8:25pm on a Sunday in January 2014 my dear Papa hadn't eaten dinner but didn't hesitate to write down my address, even after I offered to email it to him. 

And I cannot forget that just the other day my grandma called and left a message that was very similar. She was just calling to check up on me and to say that she was thinking about me. How sweet is she? I really do love her. I don't want to forget that she picked up the phone and gave me a call- because I was on her mind. 

And while I'm at it, just last week my other grandma called to thank me for a gift she received from my sister and I a couple weeks earlier. She had opened it and loved it! #winning! And somewhere in that voicemail she said, like she always does, "and that's it…I didn't want anything." Man oh man I wish I would have been able to answer that call to hear her excitement for myself. <--she had a stroke two days later and her speech just isn't the same…yet! Prayers, please xx

I am blessed. 

I think I'll be taking these thoughts to paper (or keyboard) more often. 

Love to all,

2014, I'm ready for you :)

Every year, millions and millions of people make New Year's Resolutions to:

Go to the Gym

Get Healthier

Lose Weight

Take time for themselves

Go on Vacation

Try a new food

Keep their home cleaner

Be nicer to others

Get back into going to church

Etc. 

Instead of creating a list of resolutions, another bucket list, or a "things to do" list, I have decided work on a different category of my life every couple months. This is in an effort to become more well-rounded. It's self explanatory and with 2 months per category, I should at least be able to attempt each. 

Isn't this awesome?! 

You can download a copy for yourself by clicking HERE!

Below are some things you can do for each category. Remember: Goals are supposed to stretccchhh you as a person. They shouldn't be comfortable and will take practice/some getting used to. But that's why they are great! We get to experience a sense of accomplishment after completing them. 

Now go ahead and make goals for yourself. State what your goal is going to be. Then how you are going to accomplish it. And finally, chart your progress or check-in with yourself every once in a while. It will be fun and we can hold each other accountable! 

Also, I am a big fan of rewards after accomplishments. Maybe you deserve that massage you've been thinking about…but only after deep cleaning your entire home and cleaning out your dresser/closet?!

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Organization/Cleaning- Clear out your closets, bring clothes you don't wear to Goodwill, make a weekly chore list, give everything in your house a "home" or a special place so you're not scrambling to find things, deep clean your floors, fans and baseboards, etc, clean out your garage, organize your time (less time texting, playing phone games, facebooking, etc), file birth certificates, tax info, bills, etc.

Spiritual- Read your Bible daily, listen to sermons by your pastor (or go online, there are plenty available), be kinder to yourself, make a better effort at sincere prayer, stop gossiping, practice faith, keep a spiritual journal, meditate, look for the good in life, listen to uplifting music and watch uplifting movies

Physical- Workout X amount of minutes X many days a week, eat lots of greens, drink at least 8 glasses of water per day, go to bed on time, cut out desserts/sodas/junk, eat correct portions

Financial- Make a budget and stick to it, make a bin for all your bills, receipts, etc, cut extra costs, pay off any debt you may have, pay with cash, build up your savings account, get smart about where money goes

Selfless- Call up an old roommate, commit to talk to parents or siblings more, bring dinner to someone who is sick, just had surgery (or a baby!), was in the hospital, etc, reach out to someone who needs a friend, reach out to someone who has hurt your feelings, find a place in your community to volunteer

Your pick- could be an educational goal, career goal, family goal, a goal to use time more wisely, a repeat of one above, or maybe just a goal to survive.

Kudos to Danielle from La La La Love You for the great printable and category suggestions. 

Happy New Year, everyone! 

Cheers xoxo

A Year in Review

This is one of my favorite parts about January…when I think back about the past year and how good it was to me and for me. 

I am blessed beyond measure and I am thankful each and every day that I have a loving family, supportive friends, and live in a free country with the ability to travel the world. 

So with that, I will leave you with my favorite picture from each month in 2013. 

{January- Hit the course (mainly, the driving range) and started golfing}

{February- Checked an item off of my "things to do in 2013" list and became a Be The Match donor!}

{March- Spring Break Road Trip with Katie from SAS. Below: Grand Canyon}

{April- I studied a lot and entered the 21st century. Bye-bye Blackberry, hello iPhone}

{May- Studied, wrote, and passed my comprehensive exam for grad school}

{June- Gevirtz Graduate School of Education Graduate -- Woohoo Commencement!}

{July- Spent the last couple weeks living with this one. There really is something special about being roommates}

{August- Reunion in Florida with SAS friends. A day at Walt Disney World :) }

 {September- Jean visited me in SB and we made my headboard. Two minds are better than one}

{October- Gave the gift of life! Donated Blood and it felt oh-so good}

 {November- Cross-Country Road Trip with Kelly. Below: Cadillac Ranch in Texas}

{December- SAS Reunion in Nashville for NYE! We shared 5 days/4 nights of relaxed fun and ongoing excitement}

My prayer is that in January of 2015 I will look back on this year and know that I accomplished new things, explored the world a little bit more, was loving and caring to all I encountered, and grew spiritually, personally, and professionally, but not physically (wider, that is).

Thank you, 2013, for being so good!