Hostess Gifts

I don’t know about you, but I feel it is super important to bring a long a little token of my appreciation to a friend’s get together. They after all, did go through all of the trouble to put together this little party for us to come too. It really is the least I could do!

Hostess gifts aren’t as tricky as some people think, just something small to say thank you is all you need! You don’t need to go out and spend a bunch of money to say thank you either. Something I would recommend though when deciding on what kind of gift you want to bring, choose something that goes with the theme of the party. For example, all the following gifts are more geared toward a Housewarming Party.

ONE | TWO (Wine Stopper & Cork Screw) | THREE | FOUR | FIVE (Lotion & Soap) | SIX

JAM + BREAD

I don’t know anyone who could turn away a great loaf of bread and some delicious jam. You can make it from scratch or head to your local bakery to grab a fresh loaf. I do recommend wrapping your bread in either a dish towel or parchment paper. 

RECIPE + BUNDT PAN + APRON

I love the idea of giving something they can make within their new home. Giving a Bundt pan is a perfect way to do that. I love making Monkey Bread or Pizza Pull Apart in my Bundt pan! So, head to Target and grab yourself a Bundt Pan and an Apron for really cheap. Throw in your favorite recipe and you have a perfect gift!

SPICES

Depending on the current season you are in, you can look up some seasonal spices that are really popular in recipes! For instance, Fall is the perfect time to put some Chili Spice, Pumpkin Pie Spice, and Mulling Spice in a couple of small mason jars. Stack them up and tie them up!

p.s. I am totally in love with these Spice Jars as a gift! I am going to do a full post on them shortly! Recipes and all(:

THANK YOU + CONGRATULATIONS

Depending on the kind of get together that your friend’s are throwing, it is just as equally important to bring a card saying Thank You or Congratulation as it is to bring a  gift. I am going to let you in on a little secret – treat.com is the perfect place to get a personalized card you can throw in with your gift. I can promise you that you’re not going to be disappointed with any of their cards!

What are your favorite gifts to gift to your hostess or get as a hostess?

Five on Friday : Fall Flavors

I am so excited that October is finally here. Yes, I am super excited for fall to come and finally show up. Even though fall here in Utah is over in a blink of an eye. I still love it.. But, I love fall for a couple of reasons. The main ones are:

• LAYERS
• BOOTS
• SWEATERS
• PUMPKIN
• APPLE CIDER
• CINNAMON
• CARAMEL

Yea, I am that girl that gets super excited over outfit options and what kind of seasonal flavors I can get at Starbucks or start baking into recipes. I just love the taste of all the Fall Flavors though. Apples, Cinnamon, Caramel, Pumpkin and Spice! Yep, I love fall. 

These are a couple of recipes that I came across on Pinterest and I can't wait to try them out in the next couple of weeks. I know that I will be trying out one of the breakfast items this weekend - The marathon has me confined to my home till about 2pm on Saturday.

 

What are you favorite fall flavors?
Do you have any favorite fall recipes?

TOUGH TOPICS | Introduction

I have been struggling the last few days to find all the right words and courage to actually write this post. I wrote a while back, in this post, about how I wanted to do a series on personal struggles and how it affects our lives. The reason behind wanting to do this; is to show support to those who are struggling with the same kind of trials. I wanted to remind you that you are not alone and there are people out here that are willing to help you with whatever you need, even if it is just someone to talk too. Every single person is fighting a battle that you may possible be going through, or maybe you don’t even know anything about, but this series to help bring awareness to those struggles that are happening around you. This series is intended provide a community of support and awareness. This series is for you, your family, your friend(s), your neighbors, for anyone and everyone. 

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” - Deuteronomy 31:6

I have struggled with depression for as long as I can remember. There were times though; I couldn’t admit to myself that I struggled with it. I never wanted to talk about the issues at hand and got really upset when people would ask me if I possibly thought it may be depression. Personally, I had always made out depression to be a horrible thing to have. Almost as if I would be looked at differently because I admitted that I suffered from it. I soon realized though, these feelings and thoughts that would come over me, I couldn’t control myself. I knew I needed help, but it took me hitting a breaking point in my life to get to that place and finally have the courage to ask for the help I needed.

I will never be able to forget the way the depression took over my life when I moved to North Dakota. I kept blaming all of these mood swings and roller coaster of emotions on being away from home and the weather there. When  I started working more hours than normal and my shifts were all over the place, I would fall asleep at the drop of a dime; of course I blamed that on my screwed up sleeping schedule. But, then when I slept till 2 in the afternoon and could easily take a nap a couple hours later and fall back to sleep at 10pm; that was completely out of the norm for me. I remember my friend Ashton asking if I was sad or something was going on in my life, how it was affecting my emotions. I then started to wonder if something was really wrong. I honestly blew it off though after a day or two. I didn’t want to admit I had a problem. In my head, I still never wanted to be ‘that’ person who suffered from such an ‘ugly’ disease. But truthfully, I did and I still do.

This is my story.

I decided to write this as a series and in doing so; I am going to break this up into parts. That way you are not sitting here with a novel in front of you. 

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I do encourage anyone, to reach out and email me, if you would like to join. I would love to be able to share your voice. This series is about anything that you find as a Tough Topic to talk about. It could be something you deal with daily (mental, physical, or emotional), something that happened to you and you no longer deal with, a relationship (family, friend, or partner), a story about your child, children and/or pregnancy, this series is really meant for anything that you find hardships with. 

Please withhold and refrain from writing/commenting any harsh or unkind words. Any comments that I feel are unwelcoming and not supportive, will be deleted from the post and series. Thank you in advance.

Getting Healthy!

I started going to the gym 4-5 times a week and changed my diet because I felt like the gym would just make me more tired than it should. I didn’t feel like I had the appropriate amount of energy I should of the gym. I started adding Protein to my lunch shakes and then would eat a healthy protein filled dinner right after my workout. I started really seeing progress on where I wanted to be size wise.

I made myself a promise when I moved from North Dakota to Utah back in 2012. I started working out and eating a lot better. I fixed a lot of home cooked meals and I also started using Herbalife products. I started using their products because of the experiences of those who were around me; they were losing weight and getting healthy. I really wanted to lose the weight that I had gain over the last couple of years and also get help with all my tummy troubles I have had since my 2009 surgery. 

At the beginning of my Herbalife journey, my coach started me with 2 shakes a day, all the vitamins and one healthy meal. I noticed that not only was I losing the weight that I wanted too, but I also had more energy. I continued taking all of my vitamins and having 2 shakes a day for a little over a month before I joined the gym. I really wanted to ease myself into it, because I knew that if I changed everything at once, it wouldn’t last. 

I will admit it though, when I mentally pictured myself being healthy and fit; I imagined myself with really toned and defined arms and legs, as well as a killer stomach. So, after spending day after day in the gym, I met someone who really helped me with my workouts. Shay was amazing when it came to teaching me to lift weights. I really started seeing the body that I wanted in the mirror. I changed my diet once again, so that it would help me with my progress in the gym. 

For months I ate the same way :

Herbalife Formula 1 Shake in the morning and a protein filled lunch. After my workout, I always made sure that I had protein, to help with the nourishment of my muscles. I would either have a shake with protein powder or some kind protein filled meal. When it came time to eat dinner, I always choose it depending on what I had after my work out. If I had a meal, then I usually would just eat a small something or have a shake. If I only had a shake, then I made sure to fix myself a hearty and healthy meal. 

I will admit, I never went hungry when I ate like this. I felt amazing and noticed a huge difference in my body! I loved where I was going.

Then, I got thrown off the track and things went south. I started skipping the gym and didn’t plan my meals like I used too. I would drink a shake here and there, but wasn’t ever consistent to keeping a routine with anything fitness related. Now, here I am 4 months later and I need a kick in the butt. 

Starting today, October 1 – I am kicking myself in the butt and getting things back into gear. Especially with winter coming, I need to start a routine! I can’t wait to get back onto the fitness track I was at. I am starting with my shakes and going to the gym at least 3 days a week. I feel that if I post it here, keep track every couple of weeks, then I will keep myself accountable for it! 

So, does anyone else out there want to jump on the bandwagon of getting healthy or are you currently a health/fitness nut? I would love to hear from you.! I would love to hear some awesome workouts, delicious recipes for meal planning or just easy and quick recipes, really whatever you’re willing to share with me.