A Year of Reading Challenges {Part One}

Sooooo.....

Let me tell y'all about these reading challenges I've been obsessed with consumed with doing.

I know I mentioned them a few times in past posts. I hinted to them here and there, but I don't think y'all understand how FANTASTIC these reading challenges are. As if you need another reason to read, or another reason to make reading fun, these are THAT reason. I promise.

Honestly, I can't remember who started them or who found them, but my co-worker and I are in the midst of dozens of these challenges. Last spring, we found a few BINGO challenges on the Internet, which were the beginnings of our madness. One was an audio book challenge, the other full of random fun.

Soon the "BINGO!" texts were flying back and forth, and since we share an office, it was quite easy discussing which squares we had yet to mark off, how many BINGOS we had, and what books fit what criteria. For example, I read Labor Day for my "a book that became a movie" square and Seraphina for "a book with non-human characters." A few of my audio books were Doll Bones for "an audio book that scared me" and Hokey Pokey for "listened while cooking." For both of these BINGO challenges, we gave ourselves the full year to complete the card. It was so much fun, and for a few squares, like "a book with a one-word title" (for that I chose Fangirl), I had to dig into my TBR lists to find a book that would fit. It encouraged me to read books I'd been putting off or ones that have been on my list for months.

A BINGO card like this would be great for book clubs, especially when you're not sure what to read next. Once everyone has agreed on a square, for example "a book based on a true story" (for that I read Wild), then the group can vote on a title that fits the criteria. This is something I've been meaning to bring up to my own book club. They are all fully aware of my love for these reading challenges. However, I'm sure they are not aware my love has turned into an addiction. One I'm slightly embarrassed by. But not really.

These cards were quite fun. It was our new thing. And then we found a group on Good Reads which featured their own reading challenges. Ummm, a couple groups, actually. (Not that we were searching for them, ahem.) My co-worker and I were like kids in a candy store. 

One group we found, A Million More Pages, has a monthly "Scavenger Hunt" where you have 20 words you need to find while reading. You can't find them all in one book, the most for one title is five words. Once you find your 20 words, "congrats!" you finished. I've been participating since last August and including this month (May) I have finished a month's entire list TWICE. Any words you can't find rollover to next month's list and so on. Seven months later and I'm still searching for that bloody "hayride."

On the discussion boards, once the group moderator posts the word list (and you can bet we're checking as soon as we get up on the first of the month), members then re-post a copy and cross off the words as they find them. I could glance at what books other participants read for that word, but to me that takes the fun out of stumbling across the needed word while reading and shouting out (to no one in particular) "FOUND ONE!!!" For example, in the book I finished on Monday, Dancing with Fireflies, I found FOUR words from this month's list: lampshade, mother, five, and butterfly. (FYI. I was super stoked to find lampshade. I thought for sure I was going to have to rollover that one.)

This makes reading so much fun.

Other reading challenges I participated in recently consisted of spelling out words using a book's title or author first/last name, a few book cover challenges (like, the number of books you can read in a four-month period with an actual book on the cover), and monthly mini challenges. For instance, the group Wacky Reading Challenges' mini May reading assignment was to read one book that fit each of the four criteria: read a book whose title begins with "M"; read a book that is #2 in a series; read a book in which the main character is a mother; read a book with a red, white, or blue cover. As of today, I have four of the four tasks completed. Yay! Go me! Finished! (It's those Christian romances...I devour those.)

And there are so many more reading challenges!

But, I see this post is a tad long already, so I'll share a few other reading challenges in another post.

I hope this gives you an insight as to what I mean when I mention reading challenges, and if you love to read, or read a lot or read a little, or need a reason to read, definitely check out a few of these fun challenges.

It's perfectly okay to do just one challenge at a time. Or just do the monthly scavenger hunt. You don't have to become obsessed like me. I think I have about 30 different challenges going on right now....

Good thing I'm so organized.

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

What I'm Reading

Yikes! I'm embarrassed about the lack of book posts over here these last few months. And, trust me, I am not short on the currently-read list.

Actually, since the date of my last post, I have read over 20 titles. Call me what you want... reading machine, book nerd, book lover, crazy... I love books. I'm a librarian. It's my favorite pastime. And thank goodness for my hour commute because, contrary to what most believe, I don't get to read on work time. Umm, what? I know. I'm busy doing other things. Anyhoo, let's get right down to my latest good reads.


Two of my favorite reads included Cheryl Strayed's Wild, and Carlos Ruiz Zafon's The Shadow of the Wind. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Wild, which hit theaters recently starring Reese Witherspoon. I added the book to my to-read list after discovering early last year the movie would be released. I never thought I would be intrigued with a book on solo hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. From the beginning I was engrossed in Strayed's experience and writing style. I can't imagine the courage it would take to complete this feat. But when you're broken, I guess you do what you need to do to find yourself again. An excellent read, perfect for book clubs. 

The Shadow of the Wind was a gem. I read this book as part of an online book club through Good Reads. This is definitely one of the best novels I've accidentally stumbled upon. The mystery of it kept me turning the pages well into the night, and the plot twists kept me coming back for more. The intricate details and descriptions are many, but the wonderful writing style allows them to be a great part of the story (almost a character itself) without becoming an annoying part of the book one must skip over in order to actually finish. This was excellent! I plan on reading the next books in the series eventually. But in short, this historical fiction book takes place in Barcelona where "Daniel, an antiquarian book dealer’s son who mourns the loss of his mother, finds solace in a mysterious book entitled The Shadow of the Wind, by one Julián Carax. But when he sets out to find the author’s other works, he makes a shocking discovery: someone has been systematically destroying every copy of every book Carax has written. In fact, Daniel may have the last of Carax’s books in existence. Soon Daniel’s seemingly innocent quest opens a door into one of Barcelona’s darkest secrets--an epic story of murder, madness, and doomed love" (Good Reads synopsis). It's fantastic.

However, there were a few anticipated reads I was disappointed in, primarily Emily Giffin's The One and Only. I was a huge fan of her Something Borrowed series, but her last few were turn offs. I heard good things about this one, and once I realized the story line was centered around football (squeal!) I was eager to get my hands on it. When I won a copy of the book through another library, I was excited. Can we say total let down? While a few reviews complained about the over-usage of football terms, which I didn't mind by the way, I had issues with the story line. I'm sorry, I just don't think my best friend since birth would be okay with me dating her father (who practically raised the main character also) ever, let alone right after her mother's passing. I don't care how great our friendship is. No way. Didn't anybody else find this weird? Disturbing? Awkward? And it was poorly written. Big disappointment. Pass on this one. Sadly, I don't think I'm a Giffin fan anymore.

Also, I wasn't a fan of one of our recent book club reads, The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet. It's based off the popular web series, "The Lizzie Bennet Diaries," (I have yet to view an episode) and as a lover of Pride and Prejudice I really wanted to be one of those fans. But I just couldn't. Meh. 2 1/2 stars at best if you catch me on a good day. Not only did the little inconsistencies of this bother me (like trying to find a college football game on TV in the middle of July?), but it's sad and embarrassing to think this is what the youth (and only a few years younger than me, mind you,) and social media are like today. Not everybody has careless sex and makes sex tapes. I understand this is a modernization of Jane Austen's beloved classic, but I kind of think she's turning over in her grave. The two are so contrasted, when this one tries to incorporate a few original lines it's just downright awkward. And Jane Bennett would never have done what she did, no matter how modern the times. I was bummed. I think I need to pick up the original for the second time this year just to rid my brain of "hipster" Darcy. Ugh.

Some YA reads included Scowler (this book is a tad horrifying and disturbing, a perfect read for the month of October), Nation (an award winner by Terry Pratchett), and The Maze Runner Series. It was on my to-read list for a while now, and after Mr. B and I saw the movie in theaters, we were both interested enough to read the books, me more so than him. Not a shocker. However, I wasn't content with just picking up with the first one, I had to start with The Kill Order, which is considered a prequel and was published last in the series. It's a very quick series to get through due to short chapters, and I thoroughly enjoyed James Dashner's writing style. It sort of read like the TV series, Revolution, (which I was fond of and sad when it canceled) because it started from the present moment yet provided flashbacks as the story continued. The characters were introduced at the beginning, but not with an over-load of everything about them. You gradually learned more about them throughout, which I really liked. I wasn't bored, but found some scenes and technology descriptions hard to picture in my mind. The movie adaptation isn't too far off the book, surprisingly. Apparently there is another one set to publish...

And, of course, my beloved audio books. At one point I was flying through these puppies left and right, but now I'm all caught up in the All Souls Trilogy, by Deborah Harkness. The audio books are each 20 discs or more, and while they're not of the amazing-and-you-MUST-listen-to-these-instead-of-reading-the-books, the story has me quite involved, intrigued, of the can't- put-down -stop-listening sort. I was first introduced to this trilogy by one of my book club friends who mentioned she thought I would enjoy it. Of, course, I whipped out my phone and immediately added it to my to-read list using my Good Reads app. A few days later, someone on Good Reads, as part of a reading challenge (oh, and I'll be posting on these challenges soon), went through my to-read list and recommended the same book. So I bit. I needed an audio book, saw my library had it, and I've been listening non-stop since. (Of course, I was a little delayed due to Christmas where I had to get in my Christmas music.) As of now, I'm half way through the last of the books, and though I've been told "it should be titled The Book of Tears!", I'm not there yet. My thoughts on the first book, A Discovery of Witches... I wanted to give this four stars because I really, really did enjoy it; however some parts were a bit too corny, so I really am giving it 3 1/2 stars. Definitely a book for adult fans of the Twilight Series, yet it's much, much better (especially the writing). The time spent on historical facts and the details are what I liked most about this novel; I'm sure most readers might find it boring but I'm a history nerd so it was my cup of tea. Yes, I really like Matthew.

As for juvenile lit, the Mother-Daughter Book Club series is wonderful. I just finished book two in the series, where they read Anne of Green Gables, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited to grab the next one. In the first book the moms introduced the girls to The March sisters, and it's fun watching the girls relate Little Women to their own lives, work out their struggles, and communicate (or not communicate) with their mothers. These books give me future dreams of having a mother-daughter book club of my own some day. I can't think of anything better.

Oh, and GO BUCKEYES!!!!!! It's a BIG DAY.

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

Latest Snacking Obsession {Review}

I've been MIA this past week. I apologize. But it was my birthday. I celebrate all week long. ( <--- read all month long, actually.) I'm a huge fan of birthdays, and everybody's birthday should be a special day spent doing your favorite things with the people you love. Last year my bestie treated me to a picnic lunch at the Cleveland Museum with a side tour of the Botanical Gardens (where, at the time, she worked). Oh, and THE Starbucks stop must. It was a beautiful and hot day, of course. I melted. This year was quite different and it was absolutely wonderful. I've never celebrated my birthday week in jeans and long sleeves. What glorious chilly weather! Perfection.

This week Mr. B surprised me with a half dozen balloons to celebrate (and, yes, those will be tied there until they're dragging on the floor and Mr. Darcy tries to take off with them). I adore balloons; nothing shouts "SPECIAL OCCASION" like balloons. And candles. Balloons and candles are a must.

Allow me to quickly throw out a few other words regarding my week/weekend birthday celebrations in order to avoid an overly-long detailed celebration post, and to quickly get to the actual point of today's review obsession.

Multiple Starbucks trips.
Ice.cream.every.day.
A Mexican dinner outing where I ended up with a big sombrero on my head and a chorus of loud off-key singing.
FAMILY.
Daddy's ribs.
My favorite food dish of all time.
Birthday Sundae Bar.
Lots of puppy time.
Oak Ridge Festival.
More coffee.
Birthday wishes.
Sleeping in past 6 A.M.

And these tasty power snack balls. <---point of this post (See? I'd get to it eventually....)

These are fabulous. My pastor's daughter, Stephanie, and daughter-in-law, Amber, came together to create a wonderful web site called, Wild Saints. {Please head on over and check it out!} It's a new project, and on here these talented and gorgeous ladies provide DIY tips, fashion, kid-friendly recipes, videos, and more on their blog. In one of their YouTube videos, they shared this lovely snack recipe. Y'all, I was all over it. When I finished watching, I went straight to my pantry, brought out all the ingredients, and quickly mixed up a batch (fitting the recipe to my own tastes, of course). Because of the size I made my balls, I was able to get two dozen out of one batch. This will vary depending on the size of your balls. I cannot stop eating these. A huge fan of them, I decided to bring the ingredients to work and let the tweens in my yoga program make these as their healthy snack. They loved them. So did the parents. My co-workers devoured the leftovers. I came in the next day bombarded with multiple "When are you making these again?" demands.

The only thing I did differently than the original recipe is omit the vanilla and replace it with water. The snack balls are sweet enough with the honey, you won't even know you're missing it. If extra liquid is needed, just add a few tablespoons of water. (And, you know, I like the darkest chocolate you can find.) Definitely cannot get enough of these. Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner. Mid-day snack. Late-night snack. Crumbled on yogurt. Fan-freaking-tastic. I think it tastes like cookie dough. I keep mine chilled, and eat them straight from the freezer.

However, I'd like to get the sugar content a tad lower since I'm liking these for an everyday breakfast snack ball. (They go perfectly with my morning cup o' Joseph.) Otherwise they're perfect for a "dessert" when eating clean, and as the ladies suggested, or as travel treats.

A few days later I brought another batch into work to share because it was the day-before-my-birthday treat.

'Cookie Dough' Power Snack Balls
*recipe slightly adapted from Wild Saints

Makes 20-24 snack balls

2 c dry quick oats
1 c chopped 85% dark chocolate (or your favorite dark chocolate chips)
1 c ground flax seed
1 c raw almond butter
2 T chia seeds
scant 2/3 c honey

Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. (If too dry, add in 1-2 T water.) Roll mix into balls and set on platters to chill in the fridge for 5-10 minutes. Keep stored and covered with wax paper in an air tight container in the fridge or freezer.

Nutritional information per snack ball (varies depending on size of ball; I got 24 balls): 145 Calories, 8 Fat, 5 Protein, 4 Fiber, 8 Sugar

*I know, you're asking where's my birthday cheesecake? It's coming. I'm still celebrating. Hello 28!

**Oh, and don't forget to check out my 30 Before 30 List. I'm working my way through it...slowly.

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

The Marketplace + a Kale "Chipotle" Bowl

Mr. B and I spent the morning of July 4th walking around the Hartville Marketplace and Flea Market. It's a huge deal around these parts, and I love going and finding great deals on produce, gifts, and little knick-knacks you didn't know you needed. Hartville Marketplace is open on a daily basis (except Sundays), but the outdoor farmer's market has shorter hours, and the mass flea market is featured on special holiday weekends, like 4th of July, Labor Day, and their biggest event, Memorial Day Weekend. People come from all over during these weekends, and it can get quite crowded and fast. Fortunately, we live less than 10 minutes away and can get there nice and early. Besides the fantastic Marketplace, a restaurant, collectibles shops, and gigantic hardware store are also in the area. (And that hardware store is insane!)

Anyhoo, it was definitely less crowded on The Fourth than when we went with my in-laws during the Memorial Day Weekend event. Holy frijoles. (Oh, but it was so much fun, and I found the cutest birthday/Christmas gifts. <--- Hey, it's never too early to shop.) This time I stumbled upon a quaint little coffee shop, and purchased these fabulous coasters, perfect for my coffee bar.

Along with the coasters, Mr. B and I scored on a plethora of produce, including blackberries, cherries(!), leeks, baby potatoes, tomatoes, and kale. A ton of kale.

However, by mid-week I realized I'd forgotten completely about most of the kale now dying in my fridge. So the other night I was determined to not let any of it go to waste; I was salvaging every last leaf. Kale salad. Sauteed kale. Kale chips. A list was running through my head of all the different ways I could quickly use up my leafy greens. But then on my drive home I really craved Mexican. Chipotle to be exact. But, as most of you know, Mr. B and I hardly eat out, and very rarely do we ever during the week. While it would have been much easier on my tired self to drive us to Chipotle, yet by the time we would have arrived (almost a half hour away), waited in the looonnnggg line, and then paid, I could have made a simple dinner using up the already bought ingredients at home. And that's just what I did.

With a couple (wilted) bunches of kale on the counter, and Chipotle on the brain, I did my best to use up my produce to create a quick and delicious meal of my own. Voila! My Chipotle inspired Kale Bowl. Mr. B thoroughly enjoyed this.

Kale "Chipotle" Bowl

Serves 4

1-2 huge bunches of kale, chopped (once sauteed, about a cup and a half)
1-2 T olive oil
1 1/2 c brown rice, cooked (I like mine with a decent amount of lime juice, and cilantro if I have it on hand.)
1 lb. lean ground turkey
homemade taco seasoning
3/4 c water
1 c zucchini, chopped
1 c leeks, chopped
1 c corn
1 c black beans
salt and pepper, to taste
toppings: tomatoes, avocado, plain Greek yogurt, salsa (cheese and tortillas, optional)

In a large pan, over med-high heat, saute kale in olive oil. Set aside. In same pan, cook ground turkey, chopped zucchini and leeks (use onions here if you don't have leeks). Once almost cooked, drain grease if needed, add corn, black beans, taco seasoning, and water. Simmer until thickened and water is absorbed, stirring often. Taste and, if needed, add salt and pepper. Assemble bowl: start with a layer of kale, a big spoonful of rice (I always keep a container of cooked rice in the fridge; it makes for a fast dinner ingredient), and a helping of the turkey mixture. Next top with chopped tomatoes, sliced avocado, yogurt, and a small dab of salsa. Or you can take Mr. B's route and enjoy it all on a flour tortilla or two.

Nutritional Information per serving (w/o tortilla and cheese, or topping options): 
510 Calories, 14 Fat, 38 Protein, 9 Fiber, 3 Sugar

And if you're ever in the Northeast Ohio Akron/Canton area, visit the Hartville Marketplace. It's a great day trip! Can't wait to run up there and do a produce re-stock this Monday.

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

Choice Beverages Lately

My beverage consumption of late has been quite frequent and very, very cold. This humidity never agrees with me. My hair is in a constant state of a frizzy mess atop my head.

Making huge batches of ice tea (unsweetened only, please!), and black coffee to have on hand in the fridge for immediate consumption is a must during these hot, irritable, and muggy months. And I cannot seem to get enough water! Good thing I'm in the midst of a water wellness program at work. I'm drinking it on the rocks infused with whatever fruit I have on hand that day...lemons, berries, cucumbers, mint, limes, peaches, Granny Smith apples...

It's National Iced Tea Month

Among these must-have beverages, I'm also enjoying my morning smoothies. These are a great perk to my early (and hot) mornings. My latest obsession includes peaches and cottage cheese. When I was little I loved to eat sliced tomatoes or peaches in a bowl of cottage cheese as an after-school snack. But not together. Hmmm, I do enjoy Peach Caprese, though. I'm going to have to think about this one....

Side note: Mama preferred her cottage cheese with pickles.

I got the cottage-cheese-in-your-smoothie-idea from Katie over at Dashing Dish. (You have to visit her site and try out her tasty protein shakes.)

I like to use frozen fruit because then I don't have to add ice, which gives me a richer flavor. The addition of cottage cheese gives it the perfect milkshake consistency. Indulgent, for sure.

Peachy Keen Protein Shake

Serves 1 generously, or perfect for sharing with a friend as an afternoon snack

1 c unsweetened almond milk (or unsweetened refrigerated coconut milk would work well, too)
1/4 c cottage cheese
1/4 c plain Greek yogurt
1/2 frozen banana
1 c frozen sliced peaches
1 Tbsp ground flaxseed
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
(Optional: add honey to taste if you like it a little sweeter. For me, the fruit sweetens it enough.)

Place all ingredients in a blender; combine until desired consistency. Enjoy in a chilled glass!

To quote my Grandma Bays, "It's so humidity outside!" God bless her.

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

Seriously?! and a List {Blog Series}

Y'all will never believe what happened! Don't worry. I took plenty of pictures.

Around 1 a.m. this past Wednesday, Mr. B and I were alarmingly awoken by a drunk driver running into our deck. Praise the Lord no one was injured and the house (other than siding, gutters, and minor window scrapes) wasn't damaged. All of the neighbors were out conversing with the police and firefighters, while a paramedic warned us to not come out our front door. After heading out the back door and assessing the damage, we are very thankful we had a deck in the first place. If not, I'm sure the car would have landed in our living room and halfway up the stairs.

Apparently, the drunk driver came flying out of the park entrance across the street and forgot the road ended. Instead of turning, he came straight into our neighbor's yard, crashed into our deck, restarted his car, took off through the rest of our yard, and into the other neighbor's yard before making it back onto the street and fleeing the scene. (Be thankful for your neighbors.) Not only did this kid take off, he then walked back up to the scene and tried to give the police false information. The police followed him back to his house, which is caddy-corner to our own house(!), and discovered the damaged car hiding in his garage. Yes, he was heavily intoxicated, refuse to take a breathalyzer, and has four other accidents on his record, along with prior arrests for drug possession.

To top it all off, he is driving with stolen plates and NO CAR INSURANCE. Y'all, these winners are hard to find.

How is he still allowed to drive?!

FAN-freaking-TASTIC.

Needless to say, we are not happy campers over here. After multiple conversations with our insurance, we're in the process of making a claim, waiting for the insurance people to come out and take pictures, and finding a contractor to rebuild our deck. Oh, and the deck is beyond repair and needs to come down completely. We were informed this cannot be done without cutting into the siding of our house. There is a very high possibility that are particular color of siding is no longer available. Therefore, we may have to get new siding for the ENTIRE house.

It's very hard to observe this pleasant young man and his mother across the street every day, and neither has had the decency to even contact us to apologize or anything. Mr. B's desperate self-control is admirable.

But what's most important here is no one was hurt. The house is fine. The deck and grill can be replaced. Thank you, Jesus!

Ai. Yi. Yi. The joys of home-ownership.

On a lighter note, I stumbled across another list gem while catching up on Jessica's blog. You know me and my lists, especially lists about what's going through my head as of late. After this week's events, I'm not sure y'all may want to know. But, alas, I need focus elsewhere. [It's more of an extension to my "Currently" posts.]

Eating / Corn on the cob and a lot of it. Ice cream. Ice cream. Ice cream. And juicy peaches perfect for cobbler.
Drinking / Two things. Homemade Strawberry Lemonade. Cashing in my free drink reward and splurging on a Venti Caramel Frappy with 5 shots of espresso and praying the barista is kind and gives me my extra cup of overflowing goodness because.I.desperately.need.it (see above scenario).
Practicing / yoga yoga yoga. one of the only thing that makes me feel sane. <--- borrowing Jessica's exact words. You would not believe how little I'm able to fit in my mat time between the new puppy, Summer Reading craziness, and the unfortunate demolition of our deck. Mr. B has, on more than one occasion, found me in tears. When asked what's wrong I admit my stress is quite high and I haven't been able to practice for more than 5 minutes. I'm really needing to just head out and hit up a yoga class ASAP. However, these less than 10-minute pilates videos are great for my business.
Mastering / a handstand. I'm participating in the #summersplits2014 yoga challenge and while the whole point is to master the splits, I'm realizing mastering the handstand first would be quite helpful.
Learning / to LET go. and to LET GOD. Seriously need to work on this (which is usually what I'm doing when I'm practicing my asanas).
Trying / to choose easier and faster weeknight meals. It's summer and I should be happy just throwing together BLTs and salads. But my inner cook wants to always try something new...ugh.
Playing / volleyball in our backyard. Mr. B, I think it's time the net goes up!!
Finishing / my intention was my summer bucket list, now it's a new deck before summer ends. Reading / Written in My Own Heart's Blood. Drop everything. Put every other book aside. The newest Outlander installment has been released and found it's way onto my desk yesterday morning. Now, to find the time...I'm sure sleep may be sacrificed!
Remembering / life is short. Things could be worse. Material things don't matter. GOD IS GOOD.
Wearing / SUN DRESSES!!!! Sun dresses GALORE!
Cooking / grilling up some pizzas. It's too dang hot to cook. Oh wait, we are currently without a grill :(
Working / Summer Reading programs. This may be the only time I will actually get my yoga in! I'm excited.
Traveling / to Maine this October. Mr. B and I really need to sit down and decide where exactly we'd like to go. Any suggestions?
Wanting / more hours in the day. But realistically, more coffee and ice cream would suffice.

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

Eight Things I'm Loving Right Now

1. Dark Chocolate Almond Milk

During my whole can I have dairy, can I not have dairy, should I just forget it and eat dairy anyway because I want to, by golly(!) fiasco, I discovered one small glass of this satisfied my ice cream craving perfectly. And that's all I want. One glass. Every night. This, too, could turn into an issue....


2. My new Lipstick necklace.

From Premier Designs jewelry. I am completely giddy about this chunky, very pink necklace. I have so many summer dresses I see matching perfectly with this piece, I can't wait for the sunshine! A beautiful pop of color.


3. Upwave.com <---UPDATE: this site decided to close down May 2016 :(

Thanks to Jen over at Peanut Butter Runner, I have found my latest web site addiction. And I am addicted. Above is a screen shot of my home page, which---once you answer a few questions---caters to your personal interests. It provides healthy challenges of all sorts. "A daily opportunity to kick butt." You know I love mini challenges. The challenges I have going right now include Stop Skipping Breakfast, A**hole-Proof Your Week, Eat One Vegan Meal Every Day, and Declutter Your Workspace. Plus, the short articles, quick tips, and healthy living facts feed my addiction.  Also, it can sync to your other accounts (like My Fitness Pal or a Fit Bit) which is excellent for keeping track of all your different entries in one place. I am telling y'all, check this out. (Yes, it's FREE.)


4. Grilled Cheeses!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I haven't had a grilled cheese since November. Honestly. Don't worry I have rescued myself from this no dairy devastation. But I must keep my dairy intake in moderation. So, grilled cheeses every day for a week! I must make up for these past months of deprivation.


5. Unglued Bible Study.

My particular Good Morning Girls' group leader of our Facebook chapter, suggested a book study to the members, and asked if anyone was interested. Am I interested?! Let me tell you what I do for a living. Let me tell you about my other book group. Let me tell you all about the books on my mile-long to-read list. Yes, please, sign me up. (Let me not tell you I was the first person to scream, Interested!) We're half way through the book and I'm finding it very encouraging, inspiring, and most importantly, relatable. Lysa TerKeurst has a humorous and effective way of getting her point across while illustrating very familiar unglued situations. Yes, like the nerd I am, I went out and picked up the book's devotional as well. I highly recommend picking up both books. What an important and encouraging study.


6. Dishing out my own fresh nut butter at the new Market District.

I make it right there. It's still so, so warm. And then I get a free sample to enjoy as I walk around the store purely astonished at the price of healthy, "good for you" food. If this food was much cheaper, I'm sure the obesity epidemic would plummet. I'd love to buy these organic apples, but when three of them cost as much as a whole bushel of the non-organic ones...I'm just saying. Thank goodness my almond nut butter is reasonably priced. And thank goodness for local produce which keeps my grocery budget on the cheap[er] side.

Oh, and I enjoy their Oil and Vinegar Bar, too!


7. My new Vera Bradley haul. Patterns galore.

This year's trip was fan-freaking-tastic. I wish I grabbed more headbands, flip-flops, and slippers. Love these items...soooo comfy!


8. Warmer weather.

Hello, Spring! And by that I mean spring cleaning. Mr. B wiped down all the windows, while I tackled the closets, switched out the clothes, and cleaned off the outside furniture.

We are grilling out tonight, yes sir!

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi