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I'm wrapping up 2018 with a few of my favorite posts from this year! Thank you so much for following along this year, and I hope I have lots more for you in 2019! 

My Favorite Trips
Disney in January, New York in June, and Mexico in November!
 

My Favorite DIYs & Recipes
DIY Veggie Wash, DIY Laundry Detergent, My natural skin care system, and crunchy Asian Slaw!
These are all tried and true recipes that will save you money and keep you healthy! (Well the Asian slaw does have a lot of sugar, but it can be amended!) 

    

     

Favorite Outfits
I loved showing off my Jord wooden watch earlier this year! However white shorts and a tank top are pretty much the outfit you will find me in for most of the year! 

     

Around The House & Lifestyle
I loved sharing what my ideal evening looks like! Just reading that post makes me feel so cozy. Our home office got a little makeover this year, and we are loving it! Blogging about my projects and goals is one of my favorite things to do- and you got to see that in my tips for a social media free weekend post and I also shared my tips on how to save a little money

And of course a huge highlight from 2018 was welcoming my nephew Lennox to the world in April!

     

     


My Favorite Parties
We celebrated my parent's 30th anniversary in August and I absolutely LOVED how my sister's baby shower turned out! February seems so long ago now! 



Most Popular Post to date:


Most Popular Post from this year: 


All in all, 2018 was one for the books! It's amazing how much actually happened this year. Our year was full of new life and some really hard losses too. We both stepped into new roles this year, so there has been so much learning in 2018! We visited new places, met new people and set new goals. 2019 is already shaping up to be incredibly full, but also wide open! Thanks for reading along this year!

My Favorite Posts of 2018

Monday, December 31, 2018

Fitness Inspo // Pugs & Pearls Blog

 After indulging in some pretty delicious and unhealthy foods on our cruise last month, I felt really inspired to clean things up when we got back home! The first morning we were home I laced up my tennis shoes and did a 30 minute workout. And then I did it again the next day, and the next. In fact, in my December goals post earlier this month I deciding I would try to keep my streak going all month long. I'm pretty pleased to say that in the last thirty days I've worked out 24 times! 

While losing some weight is definitely one of my hopes, I have noticed several other benefits from keeping exercise a priority this month. Namely: 

I've been having extremely productive mornings.
 Working out in the morning has always been more successful for me. If I wait until later in the day I find that I don't really feel motivated or something else gets in the way. This month I've developed a pretty reasonable and productive routine! Around 6 am I get out of bed and let the dogs out. They also demand their breakfast right away! While they are chomping away, I spend a quick 5 minutes turning on the lights and opening up the blinds. Then I change into my workout clothes and let them out again. Then I head to the living room and put in a workout dvd. Right now I'm doing my Turbofire videos, but Blake and I want to get Beachbody on Demand in the next few weeks for some more variety. 

 These dvds are between 30-60 minutes, so I pick one based on how much time I have. It's been helpful to plan that out ahead of time. After doing my workout I usually jump right into the shower and get dressed. Then I sit at the dining room table and eat breakfast while doing my Bible reading. Depending on how much time I have left, I can do a little tidy up or I have to get ready to leave for the day. 

 It's also worth mentioning that I still have my Orange Theory membership and I do those classes on days when I go into the office physically. I'm going to downgrade my membership next month because I'm only going into the office once a week. If that doesn't work out, I may have to cancel-even though I really love those classes! (The studio is an hour away next to the office, and since I'm mostly working from home now it's not as easy to get those classes in.) 

 Anyway, my point is that my Bible reading and work out are my main priorities to get done in a day-and it's SO awesome to get it done first thing. I feel like my days are set up for success and I just love how that feels. 

I've experienced more positive self talk.
 As a naturally critical person, I'm sure you can imagine how hard it is to be positive about myself. Obviously, I like myself, but I find it all to easy to find things to pick on. This month I have noticed a huge difference in the negative self talk I usually experience. 

 For example, if a pair of pants didn't fit as I hoped in the past, I would have been quite hard on myself about it. Instead, now if something doesn't fit well I have noticed thoughts more like "this should fit in a month at this rate." I haven't weighed myself in years, and I'm fairly sure no differences are obvious to other people-but for some reason exercise just gives you a little more confidence. 

I have not felt guilty about food.
 I know that I will eventually have to clean up my eating habits if I want to see real results. But, this month I have just not worried about food at all. I've been eating when I'm hungry and enjoying wine and dessert with no guilt. Maybe you don't have an obsessive personality, but when you can stop obsessing about something you usually fret over, it's so freeing. 

I feel like myself again.
 In January of 2013, I started working out for the first time in my life. It took a couple of months for other people to notice, but within a year I was smaller than I was in High School, and I was STRONG. The veins in my arms were sticking out strong. I get so proud thinking about how hard I worked then. Again, I haven't weighed myself since then (when you have an obsessive personality getting stuck on numbers is risky.) but I'd say I'm probably 25 pounds heavier and 1 pant size bigger. The problem is: When I think about what I look like, I picture myself 3 years ago. That's who I want to look like. Even within 10 pounds of that version of myself. 

 So, even though I know that 30 days of working out isn't going to get me close to that (reasonably neither will 6 months.) I feel like that person again! The clarity that comes with exercising and a clear vision is what makes me feel like me. Having sore muscles and lots of dirty workout clothes feels so familiar! 

TLDR: I love how I feel after making exercise a priority again.

 I'm really looking forward to carrying this routine into 2019, and I love to hear what you do for exercise! Leave a comment below if you have found a good program, or if you are looking for one. Have you been in shape in the past, but let yourself slip like I have? What is your favorite part about working out?! I have several favorite things, but one thing I love this time of year is to work up a sweat and then go outside into the cold air afterward. It's so invigorating! 

P.S. I am so proud of the deals I got on my new tennis shoes and the Fitbit pictured above! Nike rarely goes on a good sale, but I was able to find an older style on sale at JCPenney for $39! I got $4 cash back on that with Ebates. The Fitbit was actually from Ebay! A woman listed the exact color I wanted almost new. She said she had worn it for a few days and decided it wasn't for her. That day Ebay had a coupon code for sporting goods, so I saved $20 on top of her huge discount for being a used item. Plus 2% back with Ebates! Have I not convinced you to sign up for Ebates yet? Anyway, thanks for letting me brag on my good deals! I always get so excited when I need something and I can get a good deal with a little effort. 
This post does contain affiliate links.

How I Feel After Exercising 24 Times in the Last 30 Days

Thursday, December 27, 2018

how to have a social media free weekend! Pugs & Pearls Blog

I feel like this is going to make me sound really old, but here goes! The other day I was driving and I passed a bus stop with about 8 kids standing at it. Now, I remember not being very talkative when I was waiting for the bus in middle school, but every single one of those kids had their chins down looking at their phones. I shook my head a kept going. Then, I was in a waiting room not long after that and noticed all of the waiting patients had their phones out. Could they have been reading a book? Maybe...but I have a feeling that they were all mindlessly scrolling through Instagram. 

It's really been bothering me that we have become so attached to our phones! They are such great tools for so many things-but I have found that I spend a lot of mindless time on my phone throughout the day. And because I love a challenge, doing a social media free weekend sparked my interest! 

My first social media free weekend was in September, and now my goal is to do a weekend each month. I found that the first time I went social media free it was pretty challenging, because I felt like I was going to miss out on something. But, it got much easier the next time. I've got a few tips for you, if you'd like to give it a shot! 

My Tips:
Do some research. 
It may be helpful for you to know exactly what you are spending your time on when you are using your phone. My phone has a 'digital wellbeing' feature that lets me know exactly how much time I am spending within apps. (There is an app called Moment that will do the same thing) Knowing this information is not only eye opening, but very inspirational! 

Pick a good weekend.
You want to set yourself up for success. Don't pick a weekend to try your digital detox for the first time when you know you will regret it. For example, if you are going to be going to a wedding - a place where you know you are going to have the perfect photo to post, you may want to pick a different weekend. If you are going to be cleaning out your garage and will need to post a bunch of things on Facebook marketplace, you might want to pick a different weekend. 

Delete the Apps! 
This is my number one tip. You have got to delete the apps off your phone the night before. The very first time I did a social media free weekend I could not believe how many times my fingers mindlessly went to click on the icons and they weren't there. I would have certainly failed had the app been there to click on. After the weekend was over, I actually didn't redownload a couple of social media apps I had previously used. 

Be prepared to entertain yourself. 
Standing in a line or waiting in a doctor's office are usually times when I would pull out my phone, so if you aren't using social media you might have a moment of boredom. Embrace it! Look around, enjoy the quiet. While it's jarring at first, there are so many benefits to just being present. It's okay to be bored. Honestly though, boredom has been rare for me. I've always found someone to talk to or a book to read if I absolutely needed entertainment. (You may have noticed a lot more book reviews here because of that!)

Fill your time with something else! 
If you are going to give up something, you want to make sure you feel like it's worth it. Replace the time you would be spending on social media with something else. The possibilities are basically endless here. I have found more time to read, and study. If I need something to do, I can text that friend I've been meaning to say hey to. And those are things you can still do on your phone! If you put the phone away all together, there are even more options to add to your productivity! 

The Benefits I've Noticed: 
The main positive benefit I've experienced with these social media detoxes is the fact that I feel less dependent on something. I hate that I've been come so attached to my phone, so these weekends make me feel like I'm in control of who I am-which feels downright good. (And that's how it should be anyway!)

Another thing I really like is that when I log back in on Monday, there is actually stuff to see! When you scroll through Instagram throughout the day, you rarely see more than one new post. Instagram is exciting again when you have lots to catch up on! 

Leave a comment below if you feel like you need to detox from social media! How many social media apps do you use? Do you think you can log out for a few days? Are you the kind of person who needs something to do while you wait? Let me know if you've done a social media free weekend before!

How To Do A Social Media Free Weekend!

Monday, December 17, 2018

I think I was 13 when we went on our first family cruise. Somewhere is a photograph of me with cornrow braids (with pink and purple beads), braces, and ill fitting clothes from Charlotte Russe staged behind a fake ship's wheel from that cruise. We loved every second of that trip! I can still remember my little brother going down the slide no less than 75 times, trying to set a record. 

We cruised at least once a year until I was probably 18 or 19. When Blake came into the picture we took a cruise hiatus, probably because my parents were paying for a wedding. Once we all settled into our lives for a few years we started cruising again! Here is our 2015 trip, and 2016. I can't remember why we didn't go last year.

It's just such a fun way to travel! You can relax all day and wake up in a new country. Up until this year, we've been pretty loyal Carnival cruisers. For this year's cruise, we all were itching to try something different. So we booked a Royal Caribbean cruise! We sailed on the Brilliance of the Seas, which is an older ship but we were very impressed. 

Of course, the main point of these trips is to be together-and that was the best part! Here are a few photos from our trip, but I will say I didn't take many. We were very much in the moment on this vacation! However, we did put together a short vlog style video, which is below! (This is our 2nd vlog!)














Make sure you adjust the quality! For some reason it's automatically on a lower setting.

Ten out of ten recommend skipping the cruise excursions in Cozumel, and grabbing a taxi to Paradise Beach! It had a pool, plenty of lounge chairs, yummy salsa and did you see those inflatables in the video!? Playing on all of those slides might have been my favorite part of the whole trip. I was so sore the next day from hoisting myself and my nephew up all of those things. 

Top Ten (in no particular order):
- The spa treatment I got! 75 minutes of pure heavenly massage and a facial.
- The fried goat cheese on the salad the first night.
- Watching my mom kill it on 'finish that lyric'.
- Rockwall climbing, which is 100% harder than it looks.
- The inflatables at Paradise Beach.
- The salsa at Paradise Beach.
- Watching the entire crew fall in love with my 7 month old nephew Lennox. He was seriously famous by the end. 
- Trivia! Our family loves trivia, but I definately shined when it was Disney song trivia...
- Watching my brother in law kill it in karaoke and a few other contests...he is fearless!
- Making up a new secret handshake with my nephew Carter. We already had one, but now he wants to invent a new one everytime. They are ridiculous and embarrassing so I hope he goes back to the original one soon. But just having a close relationship with him is definitely a top ten moment! 

Leave a comment below if you like cruises! What cruise line do you have a good experience with? Anybody ever do a Disney cruise?! I'm dying to do one but they are like triple the price! 

Our First Royal Caribbean Cruise & a Vlog!

Monday, December 10, 2018


November Report
Finish Office Refresh. Done! See below!


Post Office Refresh to the Blog. Done! I shared the photos of our little home office makeover on the 12th! We really love how it turned out, and it's been super functional for us. 

Share Formulate Results. Did it! Formulate is such a cool concept, and I'm really happy to have partnered with them this year. I hope you all entered the giveaway for your own custom set of shampoo and conditioner! The giveaway ends tomorrow, so you still have a chance to enter! 


Switch Closet for Next Season. Yes, and just by the skin of my teeth. Florida has made it really hard to get dressed recently. I wore my coat one day last week, and then by the weekend I was back in short sleeves. Either way it was safe to tuck away my tank tops and bathing suits after our vacation. We were both able to purge a few items too. 

Successfully Film Cruise. Did it and finished the video! I'm so happy we did this. It's made it so fun to show people what we did on vacation without flipping through a ton of pictures. Stay tuned, because on Monday I'm sharing a few pictures from our trip and the video!

December Goals
Just three goals this month!

Continue my exercise streak. As of when I'm writing this, I've exercised 8 days in a row. I'm talking good workouts too, the kind where you are sore the next day. I'd like to continue my streak for the month. Ideally I'd like to go for 6 days a week, with one rest day. You gotta ride the wave of motivation when it hits! 

Do another social media free weekend. When I did a social free weekend a few months ago I really enjoyed it. It was challenging though, which is probably the reason I haven't done it again. I'm hoping to do a social media free weekend the weekend of the 15th. 

Get the yard winter ready. Kinda boring, but our yard needs one more mowing and some things need trimming one last time. It seems like every time I get a chance to do this it's raining though! 

I usually try to pick 5 goals each month, but because goal number 1 is so important to me, I'm giving myself a little slack in the other departments. Plus the year is winding down and we are going to have a busy 2019! Leave a comment below with what you are working on in the month of December! Do you make monthly goals? I think it's a great time to get a head start on new year goals! 

December Goals

Wednesday, December 5, 2018


Hello!

Hi friends! I'm Kristen, and this is the Life and Style of an early 30's Floridian living the Best Life Ever, with her husband and three pugs. Runner | Avid Reader | Small Shop Owner

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