"....I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." ~James 10:10~

Monday, July 23, 2012

{Tiffany's Simple Weight Loss Tips!}

Please welcome my friend, Tiffany, to the blog!

Over the last year or so, she has gotten into the best shape of her life and is feeling (and looking:) better than ever! She has some great, simple tips for getting in shape and eating right! Proof that it doesn't have to be hard and complicated---just follow some of these suggestions that have worked for her and you will see results!


~for starters, work your abs out once or twice per week.

~give your abs at least a day of rest between workouts so they can repair & build


~eat 4-5 small meals throughout the day to prevent bloating and over expansion of your stomach


~workout &tone your entire body rather just focusing on just your abs


~working with weights for 20 twice a week will help build more lean muscle


~don't skip meals!


~consider fish as a meal option!


~in a restaurant, start your meal with a salad and/or veggies to control hunger


~for snacks eat carrots, celery, broccoli, or cucumber slices


~drink water!!


~eat your favorite foods only in moderation...for example, if you like pizza, eat it only once a week or once every 2 weeks


~keep a food journal



**A Big THANK YOU to Tiffany for sharing!**


Please leave a comment below on some of your favorite tips or those that might have worked well for you!


Love,
Laura

Friday, July 20, 2012

{Thrifted Outfit+Products I'm Loving!}

Today's Thrifted Outfit:

Skinny Jeans-$1 from GW
Top/tunic-$1 from GW
Shoes- 30 cent from last trip to GWCC
Belt- 30 cent from last trip to GWCC
Purse-given to me by my Aunt Fran

Total= $2.60 :)

And since I haven't done it in awhile, here's a few quick product superlatives I'm loving right now!

#1-Lipgloss:

Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush in Dazzling Sangria---smells and tastes fabulous and is a great color! You can find it on clearance for $1.75 right now:)

#2-Dry Shampoo:

Loving the Suave brand--smells so great and just $2.00 and some change.

#3-Coffee Drink:

Still hooked on the Skinny Chai Tea Latte from Starbucks:)

#4-Fragrance:

I've been in an Estee Lauder Pleasures kind of mood lately!

#5-Candy:

That's easy! The clove candy sticks from Cracker Barrel---8 sticks for $1.00!

#6-Hair Accessories:
My new purple clip in piece that I found at Dollar Tree. My pink one broke :(

#7- Hair Accessory 2:
Ali's "bow" is actually a man's neck tie wrapped around her head and secured in a neat little bow. Isn't that a cute idea? :)

#8- Hair 'Do:
The classic and easy ponytail!
#9- Chapstick:

I'm using the new Carmex Orange Cream balm---it works miracles and tastes like a popsicle!

#10- New Restaurant: Tokyo Bay in Anderson
Trying to decide what to order:)

The lunch Hibachi Chicken comes with ALL this + a salad or soup for just $4.95 and it's so yummy! I liked the fact that you get a TON of fresh veggies with it!


HAPPY WEEKEND FRIENDS!

Love,
Laura

Monday, July 16, 2012

{Yard Sale Saturday!}

Our Yard Sale Saturday started of with a bang when we won $7 on a $2 scratch-off:) We'll take it!

At Haven of Rest, I found a brand new O'Neill shirt for $3....it's so cute! Although it's actually a tad too small so if anyone wants it for $3...let me know:) If not, I'm putting in on Ebay:)
For our adventure, I wore a cute thrifted outfit:)
The Loft tee- .30 cent from GWCC
Short printed skirt-$1 from Goodwill
Skinny Belt- .30 cent from GWCC

Total=$1.60

Among BAGS of other things, I found these shoes at a friend's yard sale for $1:)
One yard sale had clothes for 25 cent each so I'll be wearing those this week and showing you what I found!

We stopped by the OG for lunch and Makayla served us all some salad:)
After a fun day with Happy, I joined Trav for dinner downtown. He thought it'd be funny to pose with the heads. Sure--why not? :)
I sported another thrifted outfit--
Skirt-$1 from GW
Shirt-$1 from the morning's yard sale
Skinny Belt- same one from earlier in the day (30 cent from GWCC)

Total=$2.30

Happy Monday FRIENDS!

Love,
Laura

Friday, July 13, 2012

All Day FREEbies!!!

Who says nothing in life is free?!:)

Not me:) Look at this SMILE! It was a day full of blessings, fun, and FREE STUFF!
First of all, thank you to Chick-fil-A for making (mostof) this all possible...hehe!

I'm pretending I won the "free stuff" Oscar and giving my award speech:)

Starting with Breakfast---and I only ate half since I knew I'd be back for round 2 at lunch:)
Told ya so:)
And we're off...
It's a good thing Chick-fil-A only does this once a year or I really would be a cow!
Oh my! Those Cookies!!!
Next on the FREEBIE list....
...small bottles of the "From Paris with Love" lotions from BB&Works (facebook offer:)!

And Nexxxxxt----
A FREE Starbucks refresher drink (another facebook offer:)...

And then back to Chick-fil-A for dinner with Trav---hey, don't judge! Lol!
This good sport wore a full fledged cow-hide spotted vest I found at a thrift store. Gotta love him but I left my camera at work and didn't get a pic:( Trust me, it was funny!






And to end my super day of FREEBIES, I redeemed by Victoria Secret coupon for a free pair of panties!

Now it's time to get some zzzz's because Happy will be here at 7 am for some **yard sales!!!**

((and at 7:15 there's a skinny chai tea latte at Starbucks with my name on it:))

Love and FREEBIES:)

Laura

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

{C squared + 64!}

Coffee + Cat Hair
I speak the truth!
Can I get a witness? LOL!

It's been a week since I last posted and I just needed a break. I love writing my blog but every now and then I need a few (mostly) technology-free days. On those days I like to cook, read, write cards, make things...you know...all the fun, inspiring things people did before computers:)

Like painting nails---another good electricity-free activity:)

But honestly, every now and then I have such a strong urge to throw away my cell phone, turn off my TV, and ditch my cyber space connections (no offense friends!) Does anyone else ever feel this way???

Usually though, within a week, I've gotten over it and I'm ready to "re-connect" ;) For me I think it's more because my blog is a concerted effort to record memories for the future and I don't want too much to pass by without capturing the "happenings":)

For example, Travis had a HUGE accomplishment yesterday! He shot 8 under par (64) at his SC Amateur qualifying event at Willow Creek Golf Club! I'm so proud of him:)

Which leads me to today's lunch---
---leftover from last night's sushi celebration! :)

Anyway, hopefully my effort to write this post will result in something we're gonna smile about when we re-read it years from now ---maybe with little heads peeking over our shoulders:) ~smile~

So...on to my successes for the week (though they pale in comparison:). Finding this new belt for 20 cent at the GWCC
and this new big silver magnetic bracelet at the thrift store ($5 and a treat from Mom:)

Oh, and I almost forgot!---

I finally cleaned out my refrigerator---and for me that's QUITE the accomplishment!

Love,
Laura 

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

{Drink up Tuesday}

Last night's dinner was a summer feast!

I just got home from vacation where I ate everything from oreo's to ice cream to fried everything---so getting some nutritious foods on my plate is in order!

So breakfast today was fat free cottage cheese, half a banana, and a piece of whole wheat toast with some cracker barrel jelly stashed from my last visit:) I couldn't eat the second piece of toast because I got too full.
Probably because I chugged the most delish cup of coffee ever:)
Coffee House Cinnamon K-Cup, hazelnut latte creamer, and a honey stick. Weird combo but it was fabulous!

Another warm drink later---raspberry tea and the rest of my honey stick:)
For lunch, I copied a delicious tomato salad from my MIL, Lynn:) So simple;  tomatoes, onion, FF Zesty Italian dressing and a little feta cheese that I marinated overnight. Poured over a baked potato.
+ an ear of corn:)

And two of these for an afternoon snack. I forgot how good they were:)

The cats even got a treat today, too!
Time for dinner!

Love,
Laura

Monday, July 2, 2012

{Saved by the Ocean}

Or should I say "beside" the ocean because that's exactly what happened. And it was beautiful!

Let me set the scene for you:)

My family camps during the summer at Lakewood Resort in Myrtle Beach, SC. It's a lovely place---full of children riding bikes, families walking their dogs, people eating ice cream cones, and couples frolicking in the waves. But the most special thing about Lakewood is their devotion to provide a Christ-focused campground and a Christ-filled vacation experience for families. It's really obvious in all the activites that they provide throughout the week...from kids daycamp to sunday morning church service.

The service on Sunday morning is held in the ampitheater. It's a big open area right off the beach, where you can see the sea oats waving in the breeze infront of rolling, white waves. Rows of wooden benches provide seating for all the campers and the tide makes a beautiful sound behind the song of worshippers. It really is an awesome experience.

The Sunday I was there, I witnessed two women, around the age of 50, accept Christ as their Savior. One of the women, there with her extended family, had been standing in line with me at the coffee shop just a day earlier. Little did I know then that she needed the love and salvation of Jesus in her heart. Someone RIGHT in front of me, someone who needed to know. And I watched her order her coffee, like she had every day before, a day before her life was changed forever.

My thoughts turn to the opportunity that I missed. I was standing there with someone who did not know Christ and missed the opportunity to share Him. I am often quick to assume that others have a saving relationship with Christ, especially older people, who I also assume have heard the Gospel many times in their lives. Whether or not she had heard it before, I'll never know, but I'm thankful that when she heard it on the ocean's edge at the Lakewood service, she accepted it and was washed by the living water.

I pray that God will open my eyes to the people he places in my path. Whether it be while waiting for a latte, serving clients at work, or even those in my own family; I pray that I will be eagar to share the amazing story of Christ with those around me. And I pray that the Lord continues to bless the staff of Lakewood Ministries as they turn beach vacations into an intimate encounter with God that changes lives forever.

Be Blessed!

Love,
Laura