Daily Life

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I DON’T make New Year’s resolutions. They are just silly to me.

However, I’m a HUGE advocate for setting goals — and I honestly DO set goals for almost every area of my life {business, home, personal, finances, etc. etc.}

Goals are so much different than resolutions because goals are thought-out, achievable, planned, and organized… not just something you casually make up at the stroke of midnight on Dec. 31.

I’m also a stickler for writing my goals down — either on paper, or on my website. I find that if my goals are written, I’m so much more likely to achieve them — or at least get really close

So as another New Year is just around the corner, now is a great time to start thinking about specific and achievable goals you want to set for yourself in the coming months.

Head on over to the About One blog to see some of the categories you might want to think about as you set YOUR goals for the coming year!

What is one of your goals for next year?

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Take some time this week to really stop and think about what goals you want to set for yourself in the coming months and then write them down! You might be surprised at how many of them you actually achieve!

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Happy Thanksgiving Day! {and happy birthday to my sister!}

Thanksgiving is FOR SURE my favorite holiday of the year. I simply LOVE the Fall, fall decorations, the anticipation of Christmas festivities, the huge Thanksgiving meal {and all the leftovers}, the long weekend off from school, spending time with family, putting up our Christmas decorations, and even the crazy Black Friday shopping — although I won’t be participating in that this year!

And as we load up the car to bring our baby girl home from the hospital, I have yet another reason to love the Thanksgiving holiday and a HUGE reason to be thankful this year.

So as we enjoy a day off from our regular routine, good food, and great company; I want to leave you with a post I wrote last year… just because I think it is SO fitting for this time of year.

It’s Thanksgiving Day, and I assume we’ve all been quietly reminiscing on all the blessings in our lives, right?

Not you?

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Oh, you’ve been too busy thinking about the HUGE list of things you have to do… don’t worry, I’m guilty too!

However, I’d like to challenge us all to GIVE THANKS today, tomorrow, and always. Not only for the good things in our lives, but for everything.

Give Thanks…

…for dirty dishes. They’re proof of a home-cooked meal.

…for dirty piles laundry. They’re proof of a family you love and care for.

…for dirty diapers. They’re proof a precious little baby

Give Thanks…

…for the clutter in your home. It means your home is lived-in, used, loved, and comfortable.

…for sticky fingerprints on your windows and doors. It means you have children playing {or a messy husband!}

…for dust, dirt, and grime. It probably means you’ve been enjoying your life instead of cleaning, right?!

Give Thanks…

…for utility bills and mortgage payments. At least you’ll have a warm, cozy home all year long.

…for the mountain of gifts you have to buy. At least you have loved-ones to buy for.

…for any debt you have. At the very least, you’ll learn from your choices, and hopefully grow in the process.

Give Thanks…

…for the long lines at the store. They signify great deals!

…for blustery winter days. They signify Spring is coming.

…for the busyness of this holiday season. It signifies family, friends, food, faith, fellowship, and more!

In all life there is evidence of living.

Sometimes that evidence looks like clutter {OK, a lot of times}, but sometimes it looks like a reason to be thankful for the abundance in our lives. So before you start attacking every mess, grouching at your kids or spouse, and forgetting the reason behind the holiday season, look around and consider…

Is all that surrounds you clutter—or abundance?

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I really like the idea of a Bucket List — or a list of things, events, activities, experiences, goals, etc. that you would like to accomplish by a certain point in your life. I also loved the movie!

A Bucket List is much different than a to-do list; partially because it’s more long-term, but also because it’s more focused on accomplishing “life goals” and “experiences” versus just miscellaneous chores.

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I’m sure many of you have a bucket list of things you want to accomplish; either before you graduate from college, before you turn XX, before you retire, after you retire, before you buy a house, before you get “too old”, once the kids move out, etc. etc.

Dave and I have a few different Bucket Lists; but even before we got married, we had the “how many kids do you want” conversation as well as the “when do you want kids” conversation — and we made a Before Baby Bucket List.

Some of the items on our Before Baby Bucket List were financial goals, some were personal goals, some were business goals, and others were just totally for fun — but everything on the list was something we wanted to do or accomplish before we had kids.

And it’s interesting that even though we weren’t technically planning to have a baby right now, we’ve almost crossed everything off our Before Baby Bucket List!

Our Before Baby Bucket List:

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1. Be married for at least 5 years — DONE {just squeaked this one in over the summer}

 2. NO other debt besides what’s left on our mortgage – DONE

3. Go on a nice vacation together {a.k.a not camping or visiting family members} — DONE

4. Finish renovating and sell our first house — DONE

5. Buy an old farmhouse — DONE

6. Finish the first round of renovations on our farmhouse — DONE

7. Grow my business to the point where I can make an income working from home — DONE

8. Dave finish his master’s degree — DONE {just finished this summer!}

9. Certain amount of money in savings, in retirement accounts, and in different investments — DONE

10. Host International students — DONE {although we weren’t necessarily planning to do this at the same time as having a baby!}

11. Organize and digitize all our photos from birth until now — DONE {I just finished and ordered the last book so, now we’re all ready to take lots of new baby pictures!}

12. Go on a cruise — we haven’t done this yet, but we’ll definitely keep it on our list!

13. Pay off our mortgage — OK so this was a lofty goal, especially since we recently bought a bigger house, but I dream big! Unfortunately, we haven’t crossed this one off… yet

Since our baby girl is expected to arrive any time, I’m simply thrilled to be able to look back on our Before Baby Bucket List and see that nearly everything is crossed off!

And before you go chalking this off to “good luck” or a “nice break”, I just want to reiterate how important I think WRITTEN lists are. The fact that we’ve had our Before Baby Bucket List written down for the past several years {and have looked at it often} is probably one of the reasons we were able to accomplish everything.

Even if it wasn’t totally conscious, I’m sure we’ve always had those goals in the back of our minds and sub- consciously made decisions each day, each week, each month, and each year, that helped us move just a little closer to those goals.

Now that we’re nearing the end of our “before baby” period in our lives, we’re finally taking some time to relax and live in the moment… it feels great!

Do you have a Bucket List? What’s on it?

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Have you ever noticed that we spend SO much of our lives “planning ahead”?

Yes, I DO realize that a large portion of my income is a direct result of helping others get more organize, better manage their time… and PLAN AHEAD! And I also realize that if we never planned ahead, our lives would be crazy, chaotic, stressful, unorganized, and ultimately not very enjoyable.

However, sometimes I feel like all I do is plan ahead.

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Plan our weekly meals, plan my blog post, plan my grocery shopping trips, plan our daily, weekly, and monthly schedules, plan what I’m going to wear, plan our budget, plan for upcoming events, plan… plan… plan!

Plus, over the last year, we have had some significant events in our lives that required even more long-term planning like…

• selling our first house
• buying our dream house
• gutting and renovating our “new” farmhouse {on a budget!}
• Dave finishing his Master’s degree
• the arrival of our two international students
• Dave’s new classes and commitments at school
• my new website re-launch
• the rapidly approaching arrival of our baby! 
• and now the upcoming holiday season

 Whew… and those are just a few of the bigger ones! 

Of course many of those events would not have been possible without lots of planning ahead — and now that almost all of them are completed, I CAN say it was worth all the planning!

But right now, I feel like I’ve planned everything I can plan.

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…and now I’m just waiting. Waiting for the baby to arrive! Kind-of like when you invite people over for dinner and the food is ready, the house is clean, the table is set, the drinks are chilled, the candles are lit, and you’re just waiting for them to arrive so you can carry on with the evening.

That’s how I feel right now… except I don’t know when this baby is going to arrive!

I’ve passed my first due date {yes I have more than one!}, I’m just days away from starting my self-imposed maternity leave, the nursery is pretty much ready, our home renovations are complete {for now}, my hospital bags are somewhat packed, we’ve picked out our name, I’ve scheduled a bunch of blog posts, I had my baby showers, we’ve made arrangements for our international students to stay with Dave’s parents, and now — we’re just waiting for another week or so {hopefully not too much longer than that}!

my sister and me at my baby shower last week {37 weeks}

Living in the Moment:

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As you can probably imagine, I’ve gotten TONS of advice as to what I should and should not do while pregnant, at the hospital, after the baby is born, etc. etc. Some of it is great advice from trusted friends; other times, I know it’s just someone wanting to rain on my parade and try to be a know-it-all.

However, a few pieces of advice I’ve gotten OVER and OVER and OVER again are:

• Enjoy every moment
• This time goes SO fast — cherish it
• Make sure you take time to just sit and do nothing but bond with your baby
• Focus on you, the baby, and Dave… nothing else matters for a few days
• Allow others to help you so you can simply “live in the moment” and soak everything up
• Don’t worry, everything will be fine… you’re ready!
• Live in the moment

So I figured if person after person, parent after parent, and grandparent after grandparent are all giving me this advice… I should probably take it!

No, I won’t ever fully stop planning… that’s just how I operate! But I am going to try really, REALLY hard to “live in the moment” for the next several weeks and soak everything in.

Are you too busy planning ahead?

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Maybe you’re not planning ahead for a baby, but what about some of these other “planning traps”.

• Planning ahead for the holidays
• Planning ahead for college
• Planning ahead for retirement
• Planning ahead to buy a house
• Planning ahead for a huge vacation
• Planning ahead for a big event
• Planning ahead for an adoption
• Planning ahead for a wedding
• Planning ahead for a big business opportunity

These are all EXCELLENT things to plan ahead for, and I would never tell you to stop planning all together {seriously, don’t stop planning!!} but I also want to encourage you to realize when you’ve completed one of your planning goals and then take the time to enjoy it before rushing to start planning for your next goal.

There is no question that Dave and I have been working long, hard hours to finish everything we wanted to finish before the baby comes {I’ll be talking more about this next week}. But we are also thrilled to have crossed almost every single item off our list… and we’ve been thoroughly enjoying our less busy schedule, inviting people over to our newly renovated home, and having a few extra free moments.

We are as ready as we can be for this baby to come and now it’s time to just sit back, relax, wait, and live in the moment!!

How are you “Living in the Moment”?

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As crazy as it sounds, I get at least one email a week asking about my short hair cut… or something to do with my hair. And while I’ve only had short hair for a couple of years, I can honestly say that I LOVE the simplicity of it and I don’t see myself going back to long hair any time soon.

For those of you who know me, you are probably laughing out loud right now because you know how little time I spend on my hair… and how little I actually care about my hair!

However, I thought it was about time to address all these hair questions… and to start out, I’ll take you on a little stroll down memory lane and share just a few of the many different hair styles I’ve tried over the past 26 years. Some are REALLY bad, some are super cute, some will make you laugh, and some will make you wonder what on earth I was thinking!

The Cutest Little Kid Hair Picture:

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My mom made all our bows and took TONS of time to poof out our bangs like that! 

The “Who Knew I was Starting a Fashion Trend” Picture:

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Yup, I’m rocking the side ponytail way back when I was 5! 

The Most Coordinated Family Picture:

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This picture still cracks me up because somehow my mom got my dad to wear pink… and notice the poofy bangs and crimpy/frizzy hair?

The WORST Hair in a School Picture:

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YIKES! This was in 7th grade when I THOUGHT I knew how to do my hair! 

Favorite Triplet Hair Look x2: {I couldn’t pick just one}

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Growing up, my sister’s and I often had matching outfits and matching hair styles… thanks to my mom! This photo was for my cousin’s wedding and I’m on the left.

And this photo is in highschool when we went on a cruise and I braided all our hair {including my own} in tiny braids with beads {I’m in the center}. 

Favorite Senior Pictures:

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Yes, I had very curly hair, and I let it grow out pretty long in high school. 

Favorite College Hair-Do:

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I think I wore my hair in a ponytail every single day of my entire college career!

Favorite Curly Hair Picture:

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Dave loved my curly hair, so I’d often wear it curly just for him — even though it took longer to do.

My First Short Hair Cut:

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This style was longer in the front with more of a stacked look in the back. 

My First “Short All Over” Hair Cut:

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This was a big step for me because it meant that I would either have to keep it short for a really long time or go through an extended awkward period!  It also meant no more ponytails…

My SHORTEST Short Hair Cut:

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This picture was actually taken a few weeks after my hair cut… maybe a little too short!

Favorite “Every Day” Short Hair Look:

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Most days, this is what my hair looks like… simply swooped over to the side with a tiny little bobby pin. It really is SO easy to style! 

What My Hair Looks Like Right Now;

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This picture was taken yesterday afternoon — after a long day of cleaning, laundry, and freezer cooking. Not sure if horizontal stripes are the best choice when you’re 36 weeks pregnant! 

Pros and Cons to Short Hair:

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PROS:

• It dries in about 15 minutes — and I never use a blow drier
• I use way less shampoo, hair rinse, and products
• I’m forced to actually “do” my hair instead of just throwing it in a ponytail every single day
• I look much older {which is still a good thing for me right now!}
• I get compliments on my hair style all the time
• It only takes me about 5-7 minutes to do my hair every morning {yes, I’ve timed myself!}

CONS:

• No more ponytails
• Limited variety of hair styles — mine pretty much looks the same every day now
• No up-dos — I’ll have to figure something cute out before my sister’s wedding in July

My Styling Products:

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I can’t tell you how many people have asked me what products I use in my hair. And even though I am SO incredibly far from being any type of hair expert… here they are!

1.  Skinny Straightener: My hair is still curly so I use this 1″ straightener to tame the front of my hair and around my ears.

2. Comb: Once it’s straight, I use a comb to kind of “tease” the top of my hair to add a little volume.

3. Short and Sexy Paste: I put a little of this paste in my hands and then rub it through my hair to give it a messy look. And I’ll be honest, the only reason I’m using this is because I got it free after rebate. When it’s gone, I’ll move onto something else that I find for free!

4. Tiny Bobby Pins: I got these pins years ago for Christmas but I still use them almost every day to swoop back my bangs.

5. Maximum Hold Aerosol Hair Spray: I have really thick, heavy hair so I need the maximum hold for my hair sprays. Once I have my hair styled, I spray it down… well!

6. MadeOn Hair Butter: My hair is also really dry, so since I almost always wash my hair at night, I’ll put a little of this hair butter in my wet hair so it’s not so dry and frizzy in the morning.

Oh, and in case you didn’t know, I make my own Hair Wash and Hair Rinse so I don’t use shampoo or conditioner.

That’s it! Everything you could EVER want to know about my hair… and probably a lot that you didn’t really want to know!

Do you have short hair?

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What is your favorite or least favorite thing about keeping it short? And do you have any secret hair products you use?

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It’s officially Fall  – and here is West Michigan, it is absolutely gorgeous!

The trees are changing colors, the grass is bright green, the air is cool and crisp, and the sun has actually been shinning for the past several days – glorious!

For me, the Fall months are a breath of fresh air between the hot sticky Summer months and the freezing cold Winter months — so Dave and I will often try to spend as much time as possible outside during the Fall.

Here are some of MY favorite Fall activities:

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Picking apples {my mom recently told me that apples grow in EVERY US state!}

Raking leaves — it’s kind of therapeutic, especially on a gorgeous day. And if you have kids, let them jump in your piles!

Any other type of yard work — I haven’t been doing nearly as much yard work this Fall due to my large belly, but Dave is frequently outside cutting back plants, spraying for weeds, mowing the lawn, etc.

Decorating our house for Fall – here are some of my favorite Fall decorations

Going for a walk

Sitting on our porch swing — yes, I’m simply ecstatic that we have a porch swing!

Carving Pumpkins — I can’t wait to do this with our international students!

Canning applesauce, peaches, pears, and jam — OK, so I don’t actually LOVE the canning process, but I love the end results. Plus, I usually can with my mom and/or grandma so the process really isn’t that bad!

Baking… anything!

Drinking apple cider

Bonfires – and smores {of course}

Planning for the holiday season — I’ve got to kick it in gear if I’m going to finish my shopping before this baby arrives!

Most of these activities are relatively simple; but for some reason, I’m able to slow down just a little bit more during the Fall months — which is probably a good thing

What are YOUR favorite Fall activities?

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Do you have any special trips or vacations planned?

Do you have any yearly traditions with family and friends?

Or do you focus on the simple pleasures of this beautiful time of year?

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Yesterday was the first day of Fall – which means it was the first day of my FAVORITE season!

I suppose if you don’t live in a state with cool weather and as much beautiful Fall color as Michigan, you might not understand my obsession… but, as I have mentioned before, I love everything about fall. 

And even though Fall has only officially been here for 24 hours, I’ve already been doing a lot to get ready…

The most exciting thing I’ve done was to start decorating our front porch. It’s always been a dream of mine to have a farmhouse with a huge front porch… and now we do.

I’m not finished yet, but I have a good start already!

I also put up a bunch of Fall decorations around our house.

These are the new barnwood shelves we just put up in our office. I’ll definitely be blogging more about these later!

I realized that I have a mini obsession with pumpkins because our international students came home from school and started walking around counting and saying “pumpkin, pumpkin, more pumpkin, more pumpkin!”

I’ve been making lots of bread, soups, peach crisp, apple butter, and more of our favorite cool-weather foods that I missed during the hot summer months.

I made a beef roast for our international students and we explained that it was the traditional “Sunday Dinner” for both Dave and I. They definitely seemed to like it, and after taking the summer off, Dave and I remembered just how delicious a good roasts tastes {I’ll be sharing my super simple recipe later this week}

I also broke out the Fall coasters that I received as a gift from one of my organizing clients a few years ago. She made them — aren’t they just lovely!

And Fall would not be complete unless we had our cuter-than-cute pumpkin butter dish sitting out on the counter {for all that fresh bread I’ve been making!!}

So that is how we’ve been welcoming my most favorite time of year…

Have you done anything to welcome Fall?

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