Last semester and year I felt as if I had over committed myself to work, school, relationships and extra curricular type things. And at the end of it all I was completely exhausted and my body was worn out. This whole idea to live simple took root around finals week in December when I was in the process of moving downstairs into a much smaller room and had to really prioritize and purge what I owned. Now that I've been living here for over a month I've fallen in love with the simplicity of my space, which has transferred over into other aspects of life.

Here are my top five ways that I've found myself to simplify my life for 2014 and am continuing to work on daily.

1. // Be Present 
After deciding I could graduate a semester early and newly being admitted into the Honors Program I started feeling like I had missed out on so much of college from transferring schools a few times, and now I'd be leaving in two and a half more semesters. I felt like I was finally settled and connected. Then it clicked, I need to be present in every day I'm on campus or studying or out in the classroom. Staying present has helped me stay in the moment of college life and not regret anything, clique I know, but it honestly is true.

2. // Learn To Say No 
To be honest, this is difficult for me. I am a person pleaser and HATE having to say no to someone because I feel like I'm going to disappoint them or they're going to find me flakey. But, I've started to really work on saying no, for example being asked to babysit on a weekend that I know I have an exam the following week or a huge assignment/project has really helped me stay balanced and refreshed. Not only that but my body has thanked me for not going 100 miles an hour.

3. // Clear the Desk 
I do this daily at work and home. I find it to be one of the easiest ways to start anything with a fresh mind and attitude.

4. // Spend Time Alone
I love this one and would add journaling/devotional time into it as well.

5. // Yoga & Exercise 
Every time I pull out my mat or am finished with a session, I always feel more energized, calm and refreshed. There is something about yoga and focusing on your breathing and the movement of your body that puts life's craziness on the back burner. I find myself less stressed when I'm done and overall in a much happier mood.

The unfolding of Your words gives light; 
It gives understanding to the simple. 
-Psalm 119:130 


*If you would like a fuller list of ways to simple living, check out where I was inspired by here:
 http://zenhabits.net/simple-living-manifesto-72-ideas-to-simplify-your-life/

During my first semester at ISU I had one of my all time favorite professors, Dr. Horn. He was beyond passionate for his job and teaching us how to be passionate about our jobs. He didn't cherry coat the reality of teaching, nor did he say it would be roses and rainbows, but he did encourage us. He encouraged us to be passionate anyways, regardless of the system. To love every student who walks through your classroom door, regardless of the cleanliness they may have. Most importantly, Dr. Horn encouraged us to always work inspired and find inspiration in the smallest of places.

Yet again, another snow day here in central Illinois. I'm not complaining about that, just about the fact that my university decides to never close, therefore I still have class. sigh. So, since I'm just waiting for the roads to deice I decided to hop on and show you guys what we did last week in After Care!

I was inspired by Carly over at The College Prepster to do this fun little post of 20 facts about me that you may not know. So grab a cup of tea and get to know me a little better.

1.. I can not stand chipped nails or naked nails. My finger nails have to be polished at all times.

2.. I love lists. I have them for everything and everywhere.

3.. I love school, hence why I want to be a teacher.

4.. Eyebrows are a huge pet peeve of mine, I can't stand bushy, overgrown brows. And I have to keep mine perfectly groomed.

5.. I'm madly in love with my high school sweetheart.

6.. Pink is my absolute favorite color.

7.. I love and miss Seattle and it's grey, rainy cloudy days.

8.. I'm horrible at saving my money, but it is a new years goal for me.

9.. I've always loved the idea of growing up, until I found out I'm graduating in a year, not a year and a a half and have been having a quarter life crisis (kinda).

10.. I drink a chai tea latte daily.

11.. I color code everything in my planner. It's the type A, beaver in me.

12.. My room has to be clean and my desk organized before I can sit down for homework.

13.. I'm very introverted and love spending time alone.

14.. I journal, a lot. I love these journals and I can usually get through them in two years with journaling regularly, they are an amazing investment!

15.. I went a little piercing crazy my freshman year of college and had a grand total of 9! But thanks to my sensitive skin, I've taken two out. So, 7 total in my ears, and no they're classy not trashy :)

16.. I played softball for 12 years but stopped after my freshman year of college due to an injury.

17.. I love sports; football, basketball, baseball and softball.

18.. My dad calls me his little green daughter, aka his little earth saver. I love using reusable bags, recycling, glass containers instead of plastic, you name it!

19.. I love washing dishes and folding laundry, it is so soothing to me.

20.. I'm obsessed with stripes. I have more striped shirts in my closet then any other print, pattern, color. It is a weakness.

So, do we have anything in common? Leave them in the comments bellow and I'd love to check out 20 little facts about you!

Can I get a praise God it's the weekend?! Holy moly, this has been a LONG week, but I have a four day weekend thanks to no class today and MLK day Monday! Like usual I'm linking up with Lauren again for another installment of High Five For Friday. So, let's get started!

1. One of my Christmas gifts from Jonny this year included a Starbucks gift card and this adorable
travel tumblr. It is pearl white and glamorous! Plus, it keeps my chai tea hot for hours at a time! Seriously, my mom has the same mug but in blue and let me tell you, I can make my drink at 7am before work and it will still be hot at 10 when I get to class. Yes. That is straight truth. Y'all need one in your life if you drink and travel regularly!

How in the world is it already the first weekend of January, well posting weekly activities... This month's theme is winter and snow. Even though I'm sick of this weather, I can't wait to do the rest of the January crafts with my littles! 

We survived the cold-pocalyps and the first week back at school for the littles!

1. The beginning of the week was what we call cold-pocalyps, like it with the wind chill it was -45 degrees! Is this real life?! We also got snow, lots of snow. So all in all I was snowed in and even if I wasn't, I would for sure as heck not go outside. This did allow me to get lots of little things done, like read, organize my desk, laundry, and most importantly laying snuggled in bed all day.

2. If you recall from my last post, I was slightly  complaining about having a long ways left until graduation... well, I looked at my schedule and decided to drop my science endorsement because honestly, I don't want that/what was I thinking?! So with that, I'M GRADUATING NEXT SPRING! IN ONE YEAR! I WILL BE DONE! *insert happy dance here*

Look at this cute cap I found on Pinterest!

3. Work started back up on Wednesday and I didn't realize how much I missed my littles! After Christmas break, it has been great to get back into the swing of life and gear up for the coming semester. I can't wait to post this weeks ADORABLE crafts we've been doing. 

Happy hump day friends! We had an institute day/snow day Monday and snow day yesterday so we finally were back to school today! Which makes for a nice short week to bring us back into school mode. The littles were VERY excited to be in after care (like screeching) - I can't wait to share with y'all what we'll be working on this week, now that it's a new semester I'm able to work all afternoons! Yippee!

Here

Pinterest

Here

I need THIS in my life

One of my many goals for 2014 is to read more for pleasure. As a college student once the semester is in full swing I find myself wanting to do anything but read another book.

After picking up a few new titles and dusting off the covers of some old ones, I decided to make reading for myself a priority. And we've had no school for the littles since we're in extreme cold, feels like -34, I've had a few extra days to settle in with a good book!






















[Wheat Belly]
No, I'm not trying to lose the weight, but I am trying to gain my health back. After battling for years with acne and bad stomach aches after eating gluten, I finally decided I needed to be gluten free. Let me tell you, it has been a rewarding and challenging last month as I have been strictly GF (and yes even over the holidays!) But, I have never felt better and my acne troubles are beginning to clear up slightly. My mom got this book for Christmas and I've been dying to dive into it.

So far - the first 20 pages are spot on.

[A Heart Like His]
One of my dear friends told me about a e-book sale of Beth Moore where some of her books were FREE, so you know I had to jump on that. Beth Moore is one of my favorite Christian authors and I was so excited to pick up a few of her titles, even if it meant reading from iBooks. I started this one last night - a reflection on the life of David - oh my, it's powerful and I'm only a chapter in!

What are your current reads for January?

Happy New Year from my little piece of paradise to you! Jonny has been in town for the past few days so we're having a relaxing night in.