Winter Beach Days!

Just thought I would share some pictures from recent beach days around here….

It's awful chilly around here…but we still make time for walks on the beach! =)

FitBit One

For Christmas I received tons of amazing gifts from my family and friends, I am truly a lucky, lucky girl. I have one present that I have been consistently using day after day since I received it….my FitBit One.

If you've never heard of a FitBit before, here's the basic concept. There are several models of FitBits, they keep track of how many steps you take a day, how many miles you move, etc. They are basically an extremely fancy pedometer that you can link with an app on your phone as well as the FitBit website.

I chose the FitBit One based on several recommendations, however I have only head wonderful things about all the models.

Here are the things that my FitBit tracks: steps taken, miles moved, staircases taken, calories burned, active minutes, how I sleep each night.

I love the size of it! I didn't want something I would have to wear on my wrist at all times, so that left me with the option of either the One or the Zip. I knew that I wanted to be able to track my sleep as well so that made the decision super easy! 

I keep my One clipped onto my bra all day long- I find that it keeps great track of my activity that way- better than if I wore it elsewhere on my clothes. I found that when I was on vacation I didn't take as many steps as I thought I would, however since being back at work and starting my workout routine, I have taken more then I thought I would! I have been enjoying being able to track my steps, miles, staircases, etc all day long. I think that having the FitBit attached to me all day has made me want to move more. I am more likely to workout and move throughout the day, rather then do stationary activities and take naps when I know I haven't yet reached my goals for the day. 

I also love the sleep tracking aspect of The One. Every night I remove my FitBit from my bra and stick it inside the wristband that came with it. In order to track my sleep I just hold down the button until the timer starts. In the morning when I wake up I press the button again to stop the timer. The information about my sleeping is all on my FitBit app, it tells me how many times I was restless and if I woke up at all during the night. I have found out that I am certainly very restless at night..probably the reason I'm always tired!

Not only am I enjoying this gift greatly, I am learning so much more about myself and daily activity level. It is also making me want to set goals and move more throughout the day. I really love the FitBit One and would recommend it to anyone looking to purchase one! 

Less Stuff, Less Stress: Kitchen Edition

Less Stuff, Less Stress took over our kitchen! 

There were a few areas that desperately needed to be organized and thinned out!

The first area was our cupboard where all our tupperware containers are kept. There are a few other items in here such as kitchen appliances we don't use every day. 

This is what it looked like before the clean out...

Now, my first rule of organization, empty everything out! Once you get everything out of a cupboard or drawer you can see what you have and figure out what you don't need!

Then it's time to sort out what you no longer need and then organize the things that you want to keep.

We kept a limited number of tupperware because we really don't use a ton of it. The ice cube trays were tossed, as well as a few bottles of flat soda and paper ware we were never going to use. Any items that could be donated were brought to the salvation army, but a few items needed to be recycled since they were in such poo condition.

Everything fits in so much nicer now!

 We also found some things in other cupboards that had been hanging around for years and were ready to be tossed.

I also spent quite a bit of time organizing our pantry. There were a ton of items that had expired and need to be tossed, as well as a few things to donate to our local food bank.

Here are what the shelves looked like after I finished…no before pictures for this project but I think the after ones turned out well!

I think the cupboards look so much better and are fully stocked for some snacks and meals! Yum =)

Have you completed any Less Stuff, Less Stress projects lately?

Candle Re-Organization!

It's a snowy morning here! We had a blizzard last night- I even got last night and this morning off of work! When the weather gets this gross, I always think I would like to move somewhere without snow….Florida…Southern California…they sound pretty nice right about now!

I have been organizing and cleaning out everything like crazy as you probably already know. One of the quick little projects I recently worked on was changing some organization in my bedroom. I wanted to change my candle organization and use the drawer my candles were previously in for hair tools!

First thing was to clear out a space for my candles...

I chose a spot in my desk cabinet for my candles. This was pretty much wasted space before, and I knew it would fit way more candles then the drawer I had them shoved inside!

Here is a before.

I cleared out the drawer and got it ready for new contents!

Then I sorted my candles and organized them.

These hair tools were in a bin on top of my jewelry armoire and I HATED how it looked. So messy.

Everything is nice and tucked away now!

When I did this project it was before Christmas, some of these candles were Christmas presents that I used as place holders to show how much will fit in this cupboard. I did receive quite a few candles for Christmas…so this collection is pretty accurate!

Here is my cupboard, complete with filler candles! If you are curious about the candles that I do have, I will have them listed at the bottom of this post.

I love to burn candles, and if I'm hanging around the house you can guarantee that I have something burning in my room. During the spring and summer I love any coconut scent, fall is all about my Leaves candles from Bath and Body Works, and winter is for Christmas cookie scents and cinnamon.

What are your favorite candle scents?

Here is a list of my current candle collection:

Bath and Body Works Coco Lobo
Yankee Candle Tranquil Beach
Bath and Body Works Palm Beach Cooler
Winter Berries
Winter Wonderland
Winter Wonderland
Yankee Candle Turquoise Sky
Bath and Body Works Tiki Beach
Kitchen Krumblers
Kitchen Krumblers
Kitchen Krumblers
Yankee Candle Amber Sunset Tealights (23)
Jolly Rancher Berry Blue
Bath and Body Works Tiki Beach
Bath and Body Works Caribbean Escape
Bath and Body Works Palm Beach Cooler
Bath and Body Works Leaves
Yankee Candle Golden Sands
Bath and Body Works Leaves
Candles by Victoria Edward Cullen
Bath and Body Works Vanilla Bean Noel
Bath and Body Works Leaves
Bath and Body Works Leaves
Bath and Body Works Leaves
Bath and Body Works Leaves
Bath and Body Works Merry Cookie
Bath and Body Works Merry Cookie
Bath and Body Works Merry Cookie
Yankee Candle Christmas Cookie
Bath and Body Works Lavender Vanilla
Diamond Candles Watermelon Wedge
Diamond Candles Island Getaway

((yes, I know I'm a little bit obsessed with candles! And you will probably see them again in an empties post sometime in the future!))

2014 Resolutions

Today we're talking about New Year's Resolutions!

I am one of those people who makes a ton of resolutions and can usually only handle one. I have done pretty well over the last two years. Two years ago I quit biting my nails- something I'd been doing since  birth. Last year I quit drinking soda regularly- something I'd been doing since childhood. I am quite proud of myself for completing these goals, but it's a new year and time for new challenges!

I decided to pick five things to focus on this year. 

Finally get my second tattoo.
I have been talking about getting a second tattoo forever. I know exactly what I want and where I want it, but I need to make it happen! So don't be surprised if you find me a little more tatted up in 2014!

Take a ton of pictures.

I am planning on doing Project365 on Instagram this year. Project 365 is where you take a picture every day for the entire year. I want to post a picture a day on Instagram, which shouldn't be too difficult since I take a ton of pictures anyways, but I want this to be something I stick with all year long! I will make sure I share this on the blog, but you can also join me over on Instagram by clicking the link in the sidebar -------->

Less stuff = Less stress

This mantra refers to my new donation plan for the year which you can read all about in yesterday's post.

Get into a regular exercising schedule.

I am hoping that my new Fitbit will inspire me to move more every day. For the last week, I have been taking part in the 30 day squat challenge, as well as making myself complete some sort of work out every day. I know that it will be more difficult being back at work and exercising regularly, but I am willing to try! I want to get back to the shape I was in when I danced every day.

Write every day.

Not just here on the blog, but other places as well. I want to keep a journal and write in it regularly. I also hope to write out some of the stories that are bopping around in my head. I always have dreamed about writing a book, maybe this will be the year? No pressure =)

What are your resolutions this year?!

Less Stuff= Less Stress

Happy New Year everybody!

I like to start the new year off with a clean slate and this year I decided to adopt a new motto. Less stuff=Less stress. I am trying to get rid of the clutter in my life. It is so easy for things to get completely out of control, to have insane amounts of stuff and I don't want to live a life like that. I want to only keep what I need and what I love, there is no reason to have tons of excess. 

Last January I showed you how I tagged all the hangers in my closet and in November I gave you an update on how it was going.  

I donated quite a few pieces of clothing throughout the year, but now there were items that had tags and I knew I wouldn't be wearing them again since I hadn't worn them through the entire year. 

So I dumped them!

and counted them! 21 items (just hanging clothes) that I hadn't worn all year long. It's amazing that there were so many items hanging in my closet all year long that I never wanted to wear. I never thought about these articles of clothing, but now that I seem them in front of me I can't believe I continually held on to things that I never wore.

I also found a few t-shirts that I decided to part with. Now my t-shirt bins are no longer overflowing!

Much nicer!

Next it was time to tackle my scarves...

I found two scarves to donate!

I also found a TON of other items to toss into the pile of donations. Towels, hats, bags, purses, wallets, swimsuits, etc…

I put together a couple bags for the Salavation Army, and put aside a few items that I wanted to sell on E-bay.

I also found a few old jewelry items that I never wear. Mostly diamond candle rings that aren't worth anything, jewelry I made with the kids at work, some old charm bracelets, and a Wet Seal watch I've never even worn.

Everything is all ready for donations! My dad and I have already been to the Salvation Army to share this with people that may use these items. I love knowing that these things are going to people who will actually wear them/use them every day.

So throughout the year, I plan on continuing my donation plan. I donate items regularly, but throughout this year I plan on going through all my things often and getting rid of the clutter! Anyone out there with me? Less stuff = Less stress!!