spa day!

One of Julianna's favorite Christmas gifts was this Spa Day kit. We were all sick over Christmas break but once Jules got to feeling better it was a great activity for us to do together that didn't require a ton of energy.

Most of the items we made required ingredients we already had around the house like flour, salt, food coloring, aloe vera, etc.

She had so much fun making lip gloss, glitter body shine, and bath bombs.

We could have gotten a bunch of recipes for these things off of Pinterest but it was nice to have the kit because it came with the little pots to put our finished products in.

A lovely gift for an even lovelier girl!

Don't forget to check out Monday's post if you missed it.

What's been a hit at your house since Christmas?

if you have a tween girl you'll want to read this

As always, the views expressed in this post are entirely my own. I was not compensated for this post; I was provided a copy of the book to review.

For the last three weeks Julianna and I have been reading Truth, Dare or Double Dare: Another Year of Dynamic Devotions for Girls every night before bed.  The book is recommended for girls ages 8 - 12 and I think it's perfect for Julianna. She'll be 9 in March and she has no trouble with this level of reading and questioning.

I've started devotionals with her a couple of times in the past that we haven't stuck with and I figured that might be the case with this one as well, but I've given her the option of reading this together some nights or not and she always says, "It doesn't matter, Mom. Whatever." The thing is, when I respond, "Well, what does that mean? Do you want to read it or not?" she always actually comes back and says "Yes." I think she appreciates the brief discussion that the book prompts and I do think she enjoys it.

For three weeks we've done the Monday through Friday reading which includes a Biblical Truth, a Dare, and a Double Dare. The Truth is a a simple statement or Bible truth. The Dare is usually a story, anecdote, or lesson followed by a challenge that's appropriate for tweens. Finally, the Double Dare is one or two challenging questions and something to think about. This part is the hardest for my daughter to do. The Double Dare really makes her think of how she can apply the truth of the lesson to her life. For example, the one we read last night was "What do you use as an excuse to not follow God?" This was after we read a couple of paragraphs about Helen Keller and her relentless faith.

On the weekends the entry in the devotional is a bit longer than the weeknight entries but there is only one for the whole weekend. This works great for us because honestly, sometimes we just get behind and need that extra day to catch up. There's also a spot for journaling if that's something you want to use. Apparently there's a version of this book for boys that I'd like to check out so that Josh and I can read it together in a couple of years.

Ann-Margret Hovsepian's Truth, Dare or Double Dare devotional is a good one. It would make a great gift for the tween girl in your life. In fact, I'm going to make it a goal to continue reading the devotions with Julianna for the rest of 2015 since there's enough devotions for the whole year.

If you've made it all the way to the end of this post, I've got a goodie for one of you to win! Family Christian would like to send one lucky reader a $10 gift certificate in case you'd like your own copy of this book. Use the rafflecopter below for several easy ways to enter. I'll choose a winner on Friday.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

my {running} year in review and 2015 preview

Accomplishments in 2014:
I ran 1200 miles!!!
I ran for 255 hours and 18 minutes.
I burned 138,829 calories on my runs.
I ran one 5k.
I ran one 25k.
I ran one 30k.
I ran two half marathons.
I ran two full marathons.
I set three new PRs this year.

 

Goals for 2015:
Run local!
In 2015 I hope to finally beat a 30 minute 5k.
I want to better my marathon time by about 15 minutes.
I want to better my half marathon time by about 10 minutes.
I want to run 2015 miles with my running partner (1007.5 each).
I'd like to run a 5k with Julianna and Joshua if possible.

Races on my calendar:
January 3 - Frosty 25k
March 29 - City of the Arts Half
May 2 - Carolina Brewsfest Half
October 10 - Cannonball Half
November 14 - Richmond Marathon
December 5 - Mistletoe Half

I'd say it's been a pretty phenomenal year, but something tells me it was just the warm up!

Thanks for your support, friends!

When the Game Stands Tall: a good fix for your post holiday blues

As always, the views expressed in this post are entirely my own. I was not compensated for this post; I was provided a copy of the movie to keep.

"What is it about a sports movie that can always bring a man to tears?" my husband said quietly as we finished watching When the Game Stands Tall.

We came down with some nasty virus on Christmas Day and the whole family spent the next three days doing nothing but laying around the house in PJs. Fortunately, Family Christian sent me a copy of the movie and we didn't have to go anywhere for some good family entertainment.

When the Game Stands Tall is a movie based on the true story of De La Salle's High School Football coach who led the team on a 151 game winning streak in the '90s. Of course, it's the feel-good sports movie you'd expect but it's also full of inspiring lessons that I'll remember on my runs for a while to come.

Coach Bob Ladouceur preached to his team (and I'm paraphrasing here), "I don't expect perfect plays 100% of the time. What I expect is 100% effort."

Whether you're a football fan or not, whether you can appreciate a feel-good sports movie or not, whether you're giving 100% effort or not, I recommend that you watch When the Game Stands Tall. This true story will help cure your post holiday blues and inspire you. I promise.

"Don't let a game define who you are. Let the way you live your lives do that."

stories

Julianna was reading something about aliens one day and found that people actually buy alien insurance. Josh asked what insurance was and as I tried my best to explain he said, "Is that like no money down no interest layaway?"

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Josh was watching roadrunner cartoons one morning and he declared, "I love that guy! He always does tricks when he's trying to get that flamingo!"


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"That's half a snapping plant. It's made in new York and that red bit on it is its mouth."

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 (Watching TV)
"Jules, that guy looked like Austin!"

"Which one?"

"That one in the gray and black like four pages back."

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goals version twenty fifteen

Last year I set some goals to meet/finish this year.  They included:

• drink less coffee
• run a marathon
• read 40 books
• spend less money on crap I already have
• wear my hair in a ponytail less
• finally get rid of the Appletini mix that's been in my fridge since something like 2007
• lose 15 more pounds (unfortunately, I think this one holds a permanent spot on my resolution list)

I think I've actually made it a habit to drink MORE coffee so that one's a big FAIL!

I ran two marathons, read 40 books, wore my hair in a ponytail less (except while running), lost 15 pounds and gained most of it back, and I promise I'll look for the Appletini mix to throw out tonight.


For 2015 I'd like to

• organize all of our closets
• increase my running pace by an average of 1 minute/mile (not a specific pace but I'd like to get faster by about a minute a mile for each type of run)
• read 40 books
• save a couple of thousand dollars for another vacation
• run another marathon and at least one other half marathon
• volunteer somewhere

Seems ambitious, but I know I can do it.

"I'd rather be partly great than entirely useless." Unwind by Neal Shusterman 

What are your goals for 2015? Inspire me.

links i love

Santa 'N' Winston is a Secret Santa that buys gift certificates to local stores and hides them around town for people in the Dash to find. Local peeps, you can follow him on his Facebook page and join in the fun. Thanks for spreading Christmas cheer, Santa!

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Things are Looking Up
I recently shared with my coworkers that I struggle with a bit of on and off again depression and anxiety and ever since then five other people have approached me sharing their similar personal stories. It's such a taboo topic and people don't really talk about it publicly. Even I regretted saying it once it came out of my mouth, but I'm starting to think a little differently now. I want to share this link of the current sermon series at my church. These have been some of the best messages I've heard in a while and I encourage you to check them out. Really good stuff, folks!

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Candy Cane Oreo Pie?
Yes, please.

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I'm not a DIYer but I have dreams of becoming one. (Standard response to myself: After the marathon.) At any rate, Beckie created the cutest hallway cart and you can find out how here. Seriously, very cute.

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Thuy's Berry Basket series is one of the most creative gift wrapping ideas I've seen this year. Get five gift ideas wrapped in a simple and adorable berry basket here.

What are you loving lately?

Also, I still need book recommendations and giveaway entries here.