Novelty the Blog

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Thursday Inspiration

I've been feeling super inspired lately and just had to share some of that here. Enjoy this Thursday, we've almost made it to the weekend!!

All images sourced from Pinterest-not owned by me.

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Wednesday Words

Everyday I realize just a bit more that if you want something, you have to go out and work for it (or take it in some cases).

Happy dream hunting, friends.

xx
C

Monday, January 5, 2015

I've been lethargic, eaten too much candy, shirked most of my responsibilities, had my car rear-ended, purchased gifts for myself alongside nearly every gift that I bought for others, and generally have had enough with my self.

Friends, it's time for some change in my life.

I'm the type of person that runs at full speed with arms wide open into routine and then routinely complains about how bored I am with it. I cannot sustain this life. So, I've turned over a new forest (forget that old adage about a leaf and tree-I'm getting really serious now).

I've taken some time from blogging to focus on work craziness, family obligations, holiday nonsense, and my husband and pups. I've also taken some time away from yoga and healthy eating habits, I've also been tardy to every occasion that I have attended in the past 6 months to a year (this is not a new realization).

I didn't intend for this to be a confession, but here we are.

I feel that if I admit all of my nasty little habits and thoughts that I can exorcise them like demons and move on with my life.

The short version of this post is that I don't feel that I've been living up to my potential in any area of my life and I want to make changes, move forward, and grow. The new year has presented itself as the perfect starting point for me. If you follow me on Instagram, then you may have noticed my use of the following hashtag: #Balancing2015 . Balance has presented itself to me as the number one quality I need to cultivate and strengthen in my life and I've already begun my work.

In addition to that, I was reading an article about how terrible multi tasking is (in Darling magazine), where I felt really struck by an idea presented by Pauline Brown (North American Chairman of LVMH) regarding life quadrants. The gist is that she categorizes her life into 4 quadrants and strives to work on each one throughout the day. Hers were family, friends, self, and work. I loved that idea and have decided to jump onboard with this thought process. My quadrant is below, and you can bet that I'll continue to reference it here as I navigate my way through the rest of the year.

Stay tuned, this could be a train wreck or the year that I finally get my life (in order).

Happy New Year!
xx
C

balance image

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Out with the Old

I've been pretty quiet over here due to the craziest, most stressful holiday season of my life (to be fair, I'm 25). The events and errands have really wound down, thankfully, and I'm ready to look forward to the new year. I've been spending any free time that I've had thinking about the type of person I want to be in the future and the habits that I want to grow. For me, the theme of the new year seems to be "balance". My husband was the one that brought it to my attention, but I am definitely a person that lives in extremes. I can spend a month eating super clean, attending 3 yoga classes per week, and nailing it at work. The next month, I'm waking up late on a daily basis and calling chocolate a "meal".

That being said, I want to find more balance in all areas of my life. Honestly, I just want to feel good about myself and all that I'm doing (not that I feel that badly now).

What I'm leaving behind in 2014:

Tardiness
Unpreparedness
Laziness
Judgement
Comparison
Addiction to my phone
Fear of flying (aka, I will conquer a headstand this year)

What I'm cultivating in 2015:

Integrity
Gratitude
Curiosity
Kindness
Focus
Balance
Punctuality
Love (lots of it)

Here's to another great year, one where I learn and grow and find more happiness than ever.

Thanks for reading and sticking with me as I find my groove!

xx
Christa

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Friday, December 19, 2014

Last Minute Christa-mas Gift Ideas

My lovely (procrastinator) husband is still on the hunt for a surprise gift idea for me. Since I have scouted and purchased all of my gifts thus far, he seems to think (at the prodding of his best friend) that he must locate and purchase a gift for me that I know nothing about. As the kind-hearted, and prepared wife that I claim to be, I have gathered this collection of items that could possibly serve as "surprise" gifts at a wide range of price points.

If all else fails, I'd love a few new diamonds! ;)

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Novelty Holiday Gift Guide-My Furry Best Friend

Just in case you were wondering (and I know you were), I buy Christmas gifts for our dogs, they have stockings hung next to ours, and they even wear Christmas pjs long enough for me to secure an Instagram-worthy pic. My husband and I both grew up with dogs, and I can tell you that our parents did not take it to the level of crazy that we have regarding the puppies, but we both grew up with paw shaped stockings alongside the rest of the family, and our furry siblings always had a few gifts to open as well.

I sat down and struggled with putting together gift guides for this year and in the end I decided to let it go-I hate to force posts on the blog. That being said, I had zero problem assembling a gift guide for the furry friends in my life. Just to up the ante a bit, in addition to shopping for our dogs, I shop for the dogs of family and friends as well, I really feel like they are members of the family and they should be shown some extra love during the holiday season!