Thursday, May 31, 2012

Before Summer Kicks the Bucket



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Friends, summer is already in full swing here in Texas. It's hot and humid, and feels like 120 degrees, even in the shade! But, we Texans secretly love it, otherwise, we'd move away, right? Right.

This is M's first summer that she can actually be outside and really enjoy it. You know, run through the sprinklers, and play in the pool, and eat melting popsicles on a blanket under the shade tree. It makes me giddy just thinking about it! So, to honor this wonderful season, and to make sure we take full advantage of it all, I've spent the last couple of days coming up with a list of To-Dos, a Summer Bucket List, if you will. I had seen this idea floating around the blogosphere last year, so I tucked it away in my head to save for this year. And, I figured I'd share it with y'all!

Our 2012 Summer Bucket List
  1. Make sponge bombs
  2. Go to story/activity time at the library
  3. Walk to our local snow cone stand for an early evening treat
  4. Make homemade bubbles and play with giant bubble wands
  5. Go to the park
  6. Fly a kite
  7. Paint on the sidewalk with chalk paint
  8. Make bathtub puffy paint
  9. Make a tie-dye shirt
  10. Visit the Houston Aquarium
  11. Go to the movies
  12.  Make ribbon wands
  13. Read books outside in the shade
  14. Make bathtub crayons
  15. Do kid friendly yoga (my favorite!)
  16. Play with water beads
  17. Build a fort (complete with hanging stars!)
  18.  Take a "glow in the dark" bath
  19. Make a giant bubble to play in (like this!)
  20. Then fill the bubble with water and make a giant water bed (like this!)
  21. Have a picnic
  22. Run through the sprinklers a few thousand times
  23. Play on a slip 'n' slide
  24. Make homemade glitter play dough
  25. Eat watermelon and watch fireworks in the fourth of July
There is it, in all of it's heat filled glory. It's not a long list, but I wanted to make it manageable, and I didn't want there to be so many activities that M would end up being overwhelmed, so I figured a good, solid 25 should do it.
I'm was so excited to start checking things off the list, that we already started on it yesterday!

Oh, and, I found a clever way to keeping track of your activities! Delia had this same idea last year, and she came up with the idea of writing your activities on clothespins, and clipping them to the side of a bucket. It's literally a bucket list! Once you've checked something off of the list, you toss the clothespin in the bucket. Cute, right?

OK, love bugs, I'm off to get busy checking more things off of our list! Have a fabulous Thursday!

Tell me what's on your Summer Bucket List!

Monday, May 28, 2012

May's Lovely Ladies Part Deux




I hope all of you had sensational weekends and that you all took a minute to remember those who have fought and served for our country.

Today I'm introducing the last batch of my newest sponsors, so once you read a little about them here, be sure and head over to their blogs, facebooks, twitters, etc, and give them a little love. They all have incredibly great blogs, so I know you'll want to follow along!
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Carly from Texas Lovebirds



Hey, y'all! My name is Carly. I'm a 7th grade teacher turned SAHM who is way too sarcastic for my own good. Texas Lovebirds chronicles my life as a wife, a new momma, a follower of Christ, and everything in between. I write for therapy, I write to connect with others, I write for fun, I write for laugs, and I write with the hope to inspire. I hope you'll find one of those things in my little corner of the blogging world.

BLOG / TWITTER / FACEBOOK / BLOGLOVIN'

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Krystal from Krystal's Kitsch


I'm a twenty-something soon to be mama! After documenting my journey through graduate school, my wedding (that may or may not have been filmed for TV), and a new beginning in a new city, it's now time to document our next adventure--becoming parents. We are having a baby boy come December. Our house will officially become a zoo as we already have three male dogs! Before pregnancy I liked to talk about beer and going out. Nowadays my posts are more about me and the online shopping deals I find. 


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Kristy from A Little Something


hi. i'm kristy. i'm in my twenties. mama to one adorable tot. wife to an amazing husband. bookworm. blogger. baker wanna-be. 

we're currently living in south carolina and life is changing SO much for us this year. 

a little something is my blog and i blog about the things and people i love. my amazing husband, our gorgeous daughter and our stinky dachshund. i blog about what goes on in our lives and what makes my heart happy.

stop by sometime and say hi!

BLOG / TWITTER / FACEBOOK

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If you're interested in being a sponsor of An Unstyled Life (it's free!), just click the link at the top of the page that says "Sponsor" and get all of the details!

And, as always, you can find me on twitter and facebook!

In Memorial



Today, and everyday, may we never forget, and always be thankful for those who have served our beautiful country.

Home of the free, because of the brave.


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I thank God for my life,
For the stars and stripes,
May freedom forever fly,
Let it ring.
Salute the ones who died,
The ones who gave their lives,
 so we don't have to sacrifice
all the things we love.

Friday, May 25, 2012

Manifesto Maniac



I love a good manifesto, and when I came across this one (found here and originally here), I couldn't help but share!



Recognize that last quote? It's my blog's tagline and one of my all time favorite quotes!

By the way, did you see my post yesterday on living in the moment? I'm trying hard to practice what I preach today!

Happy Friday, my loves! Now tell me, what's your favorite manifesto?


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Have you liked An Unstyled Life on facebook? You can find me on twitter too!

Thursday, May 24, 2012

On Living in the Moment



The other day my girl, KB, and I were having a discussion about our lives, and she mentioned that lately she'd been trying to live more in the present. This intrigued me, so I asked her to elaborate. She went on to say that, instead of worrying about the future, she's been "showing up" and being fully present in whatever life throws her way.
What she said has stuck with me the last few days, and I can't stop thinking about it.
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Living in the moment, not worrying about the future, that seems like such a beautiful way to live life. I know as a mom, even though I want to, I don't really live in the moment. My mind is constantly skipping ahead to dinner, or bedtime, or what our schedule looks like for the rest of the week. In fact, I already have things on my calendar for June. And I know it's not just moms that do this. I bet most bloggers I know would say they're the same way.

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I mean, I get it, our lives are busy. We have full time jobs (and yes, being a stay at home mom or wife is a full time job!), we have blogs, we have social lives, friends, and families, and it can get a bit hectic at times. If you're anything like me you're a crazy person very organized and like to write everything down. My mind races 90 miles a minute with things to do. Laundry, dishes, work, playdates, grownup dates, my writing, twitter, facebook, meal plans, the list goes on and on, and my mind never shuts off. I hate this, because I'm so pre-occupied in my own head, I miss things that are going on around me. And that's just the small things I think about, don't even get me started on the big things that I worry constantly about. I'm so stressed about the future, I can't enjoy my day to day life.

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But, I've decided this has to stop. I need to be more like KB, I need to live more in the present. More of a day to day kind of living. I need to push aside my worrying, and focus on what is happening right now, right here, right in front of me. Now, I'm not saying I'm going to stop obsessing over things, I'm just saying that for me, there needs to be a designated time for it. Maybe in the evenings when M goes to bed, or even naptime. And, since I only get two nights a week to spend time with The Hubs, I'm going to try to be more present with him those nights. No blogging, no writing, no social media, no texting, and no stressing about the future. Just be with him. I hate to admit it, but lately our relationship has suffered because of our schedules. We're tired and stressed, and we end up arguing and pouting like 4 year olds on his nights off.
I plan on blogging in the eveings and scheduling for the next day. Or, ya know, just blogging at work. I don't really need to be "in the moment" at work, do I?
So, you're probably going to be seeing less of me during the day, unless M's asleep, while I try to live more in the "now".  Because the present?


Is pretty darned sweet.

Do you spend too much time worrying about the future, or do you live in the moment?

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Saturday, May 19, 2012

Saturday Sensationals

Happy Saturday to all of you lovely people! It's gorgeous here in south Texas today, but I'm unfortunately stuck at work, so I need y'all to go out and have a great day for me, m'kay? Now, ready for some Saturday Sensationals?


50 years ago, the world in 1962.


Old photographs make me cry.

My girl, English, wrote this amazing post on learning to be herself in the blog world.

I want a sawhorse desk!

Behind the scenes of Back to the Future!

15 totally logical reasons why Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes should break up.

Mmmmm, cake.

Why not make your own nail polish?

One of my newest favorite bloggers, Jaqueline, wrote an amazing post about her balancing act.

New York, New York

Homemade animal crackers, FTW!

Greatest Dance Dare, EVAR!!

OK, m'dears, I must get back to work, the quicker I finish here, the quicker I can get out in this beautiful weather we're having! Hope y'all have sensational weekends! XOXO

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Friday, May 18, 2012

Fill In The Blank Friday


I'm swamped at work today, but I wanted to pop in a do a quick post, so I figured I'd join in on the Fill In The Blank fun over at Lauren's. So, here we go!


1.  Something that is very near and dear to my heart is, without a doubt, my loved ones. I have the most amazing friends and family, not to mention that adorable little girl of mine, and they make my life complete.

2.   Any day is good cause to celebrate . I have a bad habit of always taking things for granted, and forgetting to count my blessings, but I'm trying to remember that every day I'm here, and happy, and healthy, is a day worth celebrating. No matter how bad my problems are, someone has problems that are far worse.

3.  The most fun I ever had was the times I've "road tripped" to Alabama with The Hubs. Nothing but the two of us, good music, and the open road. I loved those trips.

4.  True friends are always there for you, whether it's in person, over the phone, through texting or gchat, if you need them, they're there. And I'm happy to have a few like that.

5. Something that makes me terribly happy is my future. It's a bit terrifying to think of everything I'll face in my life, but I can't wait to make more memories with M and The Hubs.

6. A good way to spend a sunny day is floating the river with good friends and a good beer!

7.  My favorite celebratory food is a cupcake! M calls them cuppie cakes, and then I die from cuteness overload. They're just too adorable and sweet looking! I'll take a single cupcake over a huge slice of cake, any day!


Ok, my loves, I hope you all have fantastic weekends, be sure to come back tomorrow, I've actually got a Saturday Sensationals post for y'all!
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Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Life Lately



For the record, I was so terrified after I hit "publish" on yesterday's post. But, y'all were amazing, as usual! Thank you all so much for the sweet comments, tweets, and emails. Once again, my readers have rocked my face off!

I figured I'd lighten it up a bit today and share what our life has been like lately.

  • M is suddenly afraid of everything. I normally wash my car at home, by hand, but last week I ran it through the car wash in town with her in the backseat. She was terrified by the time we came out, and ever since then, everything scares her. And I don't know how to fix it.
  • On a related note, she now has trouble going to sleep. Once we lay her down, she immediately starts crying and saying she's scared. Every night for the past week, B or I have had to sit in her rocking chair until she drifted off. Any advice on how to help this would be greatly appreciated!
  • I finally caved and read the first two books in the 50 Shades series. I read them in 24 hours. And I kinda liked them. That's all I have to say about that.
  • Things have been a bit hectic lately, with B's work schedule, my work schedule, and then cleaning up from the tornado, so my crock pot has become my new BFF. We're thinking of getting matching tattoos. Or, a tattoo for me, and a vinyl decal for her. We've made my mixer very jealous. Anywhoodles, I've been scouring Pinterest for slow cooker recipes, and I may even get around to blogging about my favorites!! (Here's a preview, this one and this one are the best!)
  • I have watched Doc McStuffins approximately 257 times in the last week. M is obsessed, and now I can't get that stupid song out of my head. "I feel better, so much better, thank you Doc, for taking all my ouchies away!" I need some trashy reality tv in my life, pronto!
  • I'm severely depressed that ABC has cancelled GCB. I would protest, or riot, or something, but it would interfere with my tv watching. Clearly I have a problem.
Alright my darlings, M is ready for a nap, and I hear my mountain of laundry calling my name. Hope you all have spectacular Wednesdays!! X's and O's
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Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Things I'm Afraid To Tell You



The topic has been going around the blogosphere for a little while now, but yesterday, when I read Mackenzie's and Meg's lists about what they're afraid to tell their readers, I knew I wanted to join in! The point of this is to make our readers see that we aren't perfect, not that I assumed y'all think I am! There are so many bloggers who seem to have the perfect life where nothing ever goes wrong or falls out of place. My life is nothing like that. Hence, the name of my blog. I've written a little before about the reality that is my life, but I've never gone into detail, because I've been too scared to write about it. So, today I'm biting the bit, and going for it. Here's what I'm afraid to tell you.


I struggle with just how much information I should share with my readers.
I'm terrified of someone coming across my blog, and for one reason or another, decide to track my family and I down. I mean, let's be honest, it's not that hard in today's world. But, I like sharing my life with y'all. My blog gives me a place where I can open up and express my feelings, and you guys are there to offer great advice, or just listen. But, there's always that voice in the back of my mind that keeps nagging about a crazy stalker finding my home. So, I find myself debating on what I should and shouldn't write about.

I constantly worry about never achieving anything great in my life.
This is something I've struggled with my entire life. For as long as I can remember, I have worked my tail off to make others proud of me. And even though I know I have made wonderful achievements in my life, it's still not enough, and I'm not sure it will ever be. This is why I push so hard when it comes to my event planning company. I want it to be a huge success. Not for monetary reasons, but simply for the knowledge that it is an achievement. 

I think my child is the cutest child ever. Yes, that means I think she's cuter than yours.
I'm not saying I don't think other children are adorable, but, in my opinion, mine is much more adorable. There will never be another child as beautiful as mine. Although, I would never say that aloud to anyone.

Speaking of children, I don't want anymore. I'm done, finished, stick a fork in me.
I don't think I've talked about this before, but the reason that I only want one child is because I know, without a doubt in my mind, that I will never love another child as much as I love M. Now, when I've told people this, they've rolled their eyes and said that I think that now, but once a second one came along, it wouldn't be true. But I know it would be. See, I wanted three kids, but the minute they laid M in my arms, I knew that was it. My love for her filled my heart, and there was no more room for any other children. I would never want a child of mine to feel like I loved their sibling more than I loved them, so I'm sticking with one.

My marriage has almost fallen apart.
B and I are not perfect. We fight like cats and dogs, and we always have. I love him more than I've ever loved anyone else (aside from M, that's a different type of love), but at the same time, there have been times when I have hated him with the strength of a thousand horses. Whatever that means. There have been a few times when I have walked out. There have been a few times when he has done the same. It has gotten so bad, there have been a couple of times where I actually thought about divorcing him. But I've always come back. The good times always outweigh the bad. He is the love of my life, and always will be. Even during the times that I absolutely hate him, I still love him.

I have suffered from depression.
This is a big one for me. Obviously it's nothing to be ashamed of, because it's quite common, but I can't help but be embarrassed. I like to be in control of things, my life included, and when I'm depressed, I have no control over myself. I get lazy, exhausted, emotional, and temperamental. Thankfully I have never been in a severe depression, but I know that based on my family's history with it, there's always a chance.

I am a Republican, and didn't vote for our current president.
I have never been one to bash someone else for their beliefs, I'm a firm believer that everyone is entitled to their own opinions. You love our current president? That's fine with me, however, I don't. I don't feel that he's made any big changes like he promised, and I feel like it's time to stop blaming the previous president. With that being said, I wasn't too crazy about our previous president, and I'm not too crazy about the Republican nominee for this year. Bottom line, I really don't care what political party you belong to, and it shouldn't be a big difference what political party I belong to. What matters is what type of person you are. And, even though I'm a Republican, I still support same sex marriage and Planned Parenthood.

So, there you have it. There are the main things I'm afraid to tell y'all. To some they may not seem that major, but they are to me. Hopefully y'all still love me! If you do a post like this, please let me know, I'd love to read it!


What are you afraid to tell us?

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Monday, May 14, 2012

Surviving the Storm


I'm a little late in writing this, but I've been so swamped, I haven't had a chance to sit down and sort my thoughts.

Last Thursday, a tornado ripped through my tiny town. There was no warning, no tornado watch, the fire department didn't even have time to sound the emergency siren. We had been having bad weather all day, but there was no indication that a tornado was going to hit. It derailed a train, and destroyed our town's baseball and football fields. There are trees uprooted and huge branches scattered everywhere. I've seen much worse damage, but it's still devastating.

I wasn't scared at the time, simply because I wasn't 100% sure what was happening, but afterward, once it was confirmed, and we saw the destruction, I lost it. M's daycare was hit pretty hard, and I'm still having a hard time with the fact that she could have been there if I would have had to work that day. Her teacher, and a couple of other kids were there, though thankfully they are alright. No one was seriously injured, so we are all very, very blessed.

What amazes me the most, is the way our town has come together, and how everyone is refusing to let this affect them. Everyone is helping each other clean up debris, and pretty much the whole town came out Saturday night to our annual German festival, despite the fact that our streets are still lined with huge branches.

I've never had much pride in where I live, but I have to say, that's changing. I'm proud of the way we've all come together, and how we're all helping each other out. I hope we never have to go through that again, but I know that if we do, our town will come together, once again, and be there for each other. And if the tornado has taught me anything, it's that I'm very blessed. I held M way too much yesterday, but I couldn't help it, I was celebrating my third Mother's Day, and I realized that could be taken away from me at any moment. So, I'm begging y'all, hug your loved ones extra tight, and be thankful for your blessings, because you never know how long you'll have them for.

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Thursday, May 10, 2012

Goal Setting and Goal Getting With Sarah


I am so very happy to have one of my sponsor swappers guest posting today! I introduced Sarah on Monday, and she's taking over my little space today to share some of her tips on setting and achieving your goals. Her blog is fabulous, and if you aren't following already, you definitely should be!

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Hey there people – I hope today is treating you as well as can be expected. My name is Sarah and I blog over at A Cat-Like Curiosity. Feel free to head on over and check it out!!

J has been kind enough to give me a guest post slot on her lovely blog and I thought it might be good to talk about goals. They can be tricky things – often alternating between the best kind of motivators and the ultimate stick to beat ourselves with. It can be difficult to narrow down your goals and figure out what is important to you. It can then be extremely hard to keep working towards those goals – especially alongside a full time job/ a family. It’s easy to become discouraged.

There are ways to make this process easier and more accessible and ultimately successful. I hope I can share some of my tips and ideas with you today so that you can perhaps use them to work towards your own goals and ideals.

On finding your ultimate goals.

How do you know what to aim for? How can you tell from where you are right now what would suit you better in the future? Time for some visualisation.

I picked up this tip via the lovely Sarah Von at Yes and Yes. Imagine your perfect day. What would that look like? What things would remain in it that you have now? What things would no longer be there? If it helps, write out a “Day in Your Ideal Life” hour by hour.

Once you have stripped away the things you don’t want it can make it easier to fill those gaps with things that will make you truly happy. It gets your mind pointed in the right direction.

On setting your goals.

Now, you may find that you have many more things in mind than you can realistically tackle all at once. That’s OK. Prioritising might need to be done. Chunk things into different categories if that helps – money, work, hobbies, lifestyle would be good headings to start with.

Then decide what you can start working towards now. What things from that list can you start doing something about right. this. minute. They will be your major goals and priorities. The others may need to wait in line.

On planning to achieve your goals.

My goals (as I mentioned in my introductory post) are as follows:
  • Keep training and get to my goal weight.
  • Continue to work on and make a success of my blog and Etsy store.
  • Make a success of my Debt-Free ASAP plan.
  • Complete my novel “Snapshots of  Sophie” and submit it to agents.
  • Crochet blankets for my house.
  • Learn to produce better digital art work on my new android tablet.
I could have many more goals in here I suppose, but these are my main ones for now. These are the ones I focus on.

In order to achieve goal number one I have planned a training schedule. I look for fitness inspiration via Pinterest  and anywhere else I can find it. I blog about my fitness monthly. I have lost over 2 stone so far.
I work on my blog every day. I reach out to other bloggers offering guest posts/giveaways, I comment on other people’s blogs, I use the communities at BlogFrog. I put in the hours. Of course, on top of that I spend time writing good, interesting posts. My blog has gone from having only 5 followers and maybe 15 reads per day to having 31 followers (and counting) and over 100 reads per day.

I try to add at least one new item to my Etsy store each month. Sometimes I manage more. I also make time to plan for new items. Time to brainstorm and bounce ideas around in my brain. That is an essential part of the creative process but one which can suffer if we just get too busy.

For my Debt-Free ASAP plan I take so much inspiration from Anna at And Then She Saved. If you haven’t ever heard of her getting out of debt story you should head over there. It is truly inspirational. I have taken the debt free pledge there and have already paid back more than £3000 worth of debt. I find the accountability of posting about my journey out of debt keeps me going and focuses me.

For my novel I fit in writing at least three days per week. Often more than that. Some days I write 1000 words. Some days I can only manage 200 (I do have a full time job after all). But I make the time. Even if it is only in small chunks and a little bit at a time. As the advert slogan says, “Every Little Helps.” I have written over 28,000 words so far.

The crocheting is easy to fit in – I do it whilst watching TV at home. Even my downtime is productive it seems. And that is such a good feeling I can tell you.

Ditto the digital sketching.

On keeping Inspired and on track.

Here are some of my favourite goal setting and getting sources of inspiration:

And Then She Saved – for all things money and saving related.
Stratejoy – for a wonderful guide to success.
A Beautiful Ripple Effect – for inspiration and tips and links to the best of the best.
The When I Grow Up Coach – for her Effective Escape Plan alone. Amazing.
Ted Talks – inspirational people speaking of true inspiration.
The Cat’s Eye Writer – blogging tips and inspiration.

On relaxation after a busy day of goal chasing.

You might be forgiven for thinking that I would be totally stressed with all of these goals and projects knocking about and wouldn’t be able to switch off at all. That when it comes to bedtime my brain is all whirry and I can’t possibly sleep. Here are my top tips for making the transition from work to relaxation (and of how to make your out of work activities into your relaxation):

  1. Buy two different perfumes. I got mine from Next – lovely but not too expensive. Use one for work, and one for at home. When you first get them only spray your home perfume on when you are just about to get into bed. Do this for about a week. Then, when you have associated that smell in your brain with relaxation, spray some of your home perfume on as soon as you get in from work. You’ll be amazed at the feeling of relaxation this creates. After this point, everything I do seems relaxing. My brain is in relaxed mode.
  1. Pick activities you love. I really wouldn’t do all of this if I didn’t enjoy it – if it was a chore. Look forward to doing them. See them as your reward. I also find having a nice cup of Earl Grey Tea on the go whilst I work on my blog/writing/crafting works wonders for my relaxation.
  1. If you are having trouble sleeping at all – try these tips:
Many thanks again to J for letting me guest post here – it has been an honour and a pleasure. If you liked what you read then please let me know in the comments section here or over at my blog.
Have a great day people!!

 xo

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Monday, May 7, 2012

May's Lovely Ladies: Part Un


Happy Monday, y'all! I hope your weekend was fabulous! Did you do anything fun? Did you celebrate Cinco de Mayo? Unfortunately we missed our March for Babies walk on Saturday, because I overslept, so I spent the weekend lounging around and doing laundry.

Anyway, it's the first Monday of the month, which means it's time to meet more of my lovely sponsor swappers!! I'm so excited that my two newest swap buddies are from across the pond! An Unstyled Life has gone international, y'all!

First up we have English, who writes one of my new favorite blogs, Be Freckled. You need to check her out. Ya know, after you're finished reading this post! You can also find her on twitter and google+!

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Hello J readers!  I’m English, and I blog over on Be Freckled.  I’m so honored to be a part of J’s awesome site!

To kick it off, I thought I would tell you all a tad bit about myself, and give you an idea of what kind of blog I host.  It’s so difficult to tell you everything, so I’ve made a list.  Lists are good, right?  Here are ten fun facts about me. 


1.  My name is English.  This is the truth.

2.  I am married to the kindest, funniest, most sarcastic man I’ve ever met in my life.  He’s pretty awesome.

3.  I have two boxers.  Their names are Ninja & Sass.  They’re my substitute children since I don’t have kids.

4.  My husband is in the Air Force, so we currently live in Germany.  [<- a.k.a. Best Place on Earth]


5.  I have tons and tons and tons o’ freckles, which is how I came up with the blog’s name.  Have you ever heard of Bedazzled?  Well, I think people should Befreckled instead.

6.  I hate being barefoot.  This includes inside, outside, or standing on my hands.  If I don’t have socks or shoes on, I walk around like I might step on glass.  It’s just gross to me.

7.  I love carrying my handy little camera around with me, and take at least a hundred photos a day.  Not that they all turn out right.  But, along with travel posts, my pictures are the main content of my blog.

8.  I’m a Goldfish fiend.  Give me a box of Goldfish, and it’ll be empty in 5 minutes.  No lie.

9.  My favorite movie is Lucky Number Slevin with Josh Hartnett and Lucy Liu.  If you haven’t seen it, you should.  Talk about amazing!

10. I get made fun of my accent a lot.  I was raised in Tennessee/Kentucky, but went to high school in Minnesota.  It makes for a slightly weird conglomeration of sounds.



That’s about it for me!  Thanks for making me feel so welcome, and hope I get to see you all again soon!


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And then there's Sarah, who writes over at A Cat-Like Curiosity, and she's also quickly become one of my new favorite people! You should check her out too! Find her on twitter, pinterest, facebook, and etsy!



 
Hey there people - my name is Sarah and I blog over at A Cat-Like Curiosity. I blog about all kinds of things really – DIY projects, Monday Mantras, Etsy Lustings, and many many more things. Basically whatever pops into my head.

I am so pleased to be able to do a guest post for An Unstyled Life. I must say she has the most stylish of unstyled lives I have ever seen. Yay to that!!

The main focus of my blog is one of curiosity (hence the title). I am always looking for new things to try, new ways to look at life, and new goals to achieve. My blog began when I stumbled across the book The Secret. I started to write as a way to document my experiences of trying to live with the techniques of this way of life. It really was a turning point for me. Up until then I had been feeling really quite stuck. I felt that I had messed up my career, my finances were a nightmare and I just wasn’t really sure what to do about it all. I didn’t really think there was anything I could do. I had succumbed to a deep depression and was really very ill.

Then I read The Secret. It really opened my eyes. I must preface this with the fact that before this I had NEVER EVER read any kind of self-help book at all. I had some pretty negative views on them actually, and to be honest thought that only weirdo’s would read such a thing. How wrong was I? 

I started to try and use the techniques in the book to overhaul my outlook on life, and the results were just what I needed. I have been on a journey from being seriously depressed to being full of energy, ideas and inspiration in a very short space of time.

Since then, I have read and gotten involved in lots of inspirational Life Changing ideas – some I have blogged about, others are more private. But the journey itself has been pretty cool.

So – what are my main goals at the moment? Here they are in a nutshell:

  • Keep training and get to my goal weight.
  • Continue to work on and make a success of my blog and Etsy store.
  • Make a success of my Debt-Free ASAP plan.
  • Complete my novel “Snapshots of  Sophie” and submit it to agents.
  • Crochet blankets for my house.
  • Learn to produce better digital art work on my new android tablet.

I feel as though I am on track to achieve these goals. The top four are my core goals I think. The others are more projects/hobbies to keep my creative juices flowing!

I really can’t explain enough the difference in my outlook and my life since starting this blog and connecting with like-minded people who want to achieve more, do more and live a more fulfilled life. I am entirely a different person to be honest. Sorry if I sound all evangelical or something – but I just wish I had known how much happier and fulfilled I could be a long long time ago!

When I’ not working towards my goals I enjoy cuddling with MHI (My Handsome Irishman), watching Game of Thrones or any kind of CSI style show. I also enjoy crocheting and am currently making a gigantic throw for our sofa.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little peek into my blog and my world. Feel free to head on over and say hello.

Many Thanks to J for letting me introduce myself to you guys.

xo


Now, go say hey to these lovely ladies!! And, if you're interested in being a sponsor swapper, let me know! Oh, and don't forget to check out Sprocket Ink today, I've got a post going up at three! (Although, you should be reading everyday!)

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Saturday, May 5, 2012

Saturday Sensationals

Happy Saturday, and happy Cinco De Mayo, I hope you all have something very special planned for the weekend! As for M and I, we have the March of Dimes March for Babies walk this morning and then an afternoon of babe and mommy shopping in Austin. If you haven't donated, and wanted to, you still have time

Now, are you ready for some Saturday Sensationals?


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Humans are really tiny in perspective.

Holy crap, there are pizza cupcakes!

Everyday I'm shufflin'.

How to dress joyously.

It's 112 degrees here in Texas already, but maybe someone up north can enjoy this: Polar Express Hot Chocolate.

Five things to try this weekend.

'Merica, y'all.

This is an amazingly awkward YouTube channel.

I so pale

Someone make these cookies for me, please?

What an amazing ping pong ball pendant light!

This post is about blogging... sort of.

Here in Texas we love our county fairs and our weiner dog races.

Ok my loves, I hope your weekends are simply spectacular! See y'all Monday!

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Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Cruising


I've probably made it clear before that I don't care too much for my tiny town. But, I will say that we have some adorable neighborhoods, and a few nice people. Plus, the gorgeous weather we're having right now is pretty much rocking my face off. 

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So, when I saw an adorable bike at our local Walmart (classy, huh!?), I started thinking how fun it would be to start riding a bike around our town. With M in tow in a bike stroller, obviously.

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Now I can't stop drooling over adorable bikes and daydreaming about all of the fun we would have riding the streets of our sleepy little town.

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Seriously, who could have a bad day while cycling around on these beauties?








Do you have a bicycle? What's the best type to get? Any advice on bike strollers?

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Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Wanderlustful

For as long as I can remember, I've suffered from a severe case of wanderlust. I daydream daily about beautiful places to visit. My tumblr is full of gorgeous locations that I yearn to visit.

One of the places that I plan on visiting one day is London, so, obviously I took note when I came across this list of rules for life in London that Rudyard Kipling wrote for his 12 year old daughter.


Source: bit.ly via Adalberto on Pinterest


Rules for Life in London

  1. Wash early and often with soap and hot water.
  2. Do not roll on the grass of the parks. It will come off black on your dress.
  3. Never eat penny buns, oysters, periwinkles or peppermints on the top of a bus. It annoys the passengers.
  4. Be kind to policemen. You never know when you may be taken up.
  5. Never stop a motor bus with your foot. It is not a croquet ball.
  6. Do not attempt to take pictures off the wall of the National Gallery or to remove cases of butterflies from the National History Museum. You will be noticed if you do.
  7. Avoid late hours, pickled salmon, public meetings, crowded crossings, gutters, water-carts and over-eating.
I love this list! Now, tell me, where would you love to go? Would you like to visit London? What would you add to the list of Rules for Life in London?

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