Christmas Shopping with GrouponCoupons!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. All opinions are 100% mine.

I'll be honest, I really like to spend money. I especially love spending money shopping online because for me it's just so much easier to add to cart. Sure this can get me into trouble at times, but that's why I really try and save money whenever possible. I'm a huge believer in buying high quality products & using promo codes & coupons whenever available. 

I have been a member of Groupon since they first started years ago and have purchased everything from gifts, Starbucks deals to travel! One thing that I really love about Groupon is that they offer Groupon Coupons to help save even more with your in store and online shopping. One of my favorite stores that I like to frequent is Bed, Bath & Beyond and currently they have several Groupon Coupons available. I normally can find gifts for both my Mom and Mother-in-Law here & also snag some Starbucks K-cups for myself while I'm shopping! Right now, they also have a 50% coupon to use on Kitchen savings, so I will be heading over to do some shopping as soon as I finish this post. 

Another favorite store of mine is Banana Republic; mostly because I can buy anything for the hubby here. When I first met my husband, he always shopped at Banana Republic, which is one reason that I really liked him was because he had such great style! So needless to say, I will be heading over to do some shopping there as well for the hubby & I will definitely be using the Groupon Coupons  to save some money on my shopping. 

If you still have some last minute Christmas shopping left to do, now would be the perfect time to head over to Groupon Coupons & see what deals that you can find! I love having my Christmas shopping done early so that I can enjoy sitting by the Christmas tree with my hot cocoa..

Have you tried Groupon Coupons yet?

My Holiday Wish List!

Merry Christmas y'all!! I figured since we only have 12 days until Christmas, that I better go ahead and share my Christmas Wish List!

1. Plaid Blanket Scarf- I couldn't locate this exact one, but they have similar ones at Madewell

2. LL Bean Monogrammed Bag- (image via thecollegeprepster) I love these bags for travel & you can never have too many!

3. Joules Wellies- oh my gosh, how cute are these wellies? Honestly, it rains so much where I live that I would wear these a LOT!

4. Whiskey soy candle- I only use soy candles in my home and this one looks amazing! I love anything from Etsy!

5. Starbucks Gift Card- perfect for stocking stuffers!

6. Ugg oversize knit blanket- I'm always cold + I am currently obsessed with these!

7. Onyx Ring- I am obsessed with the uniqueness of this onyz ring- how gorgeous!!

8. Starbucks Verismo Pods- I am always buying these online for my Espresso machine. My favorites are the espresso pods!

What is on your Christmas Wish List?

Getting my Christmas Shopping done with Groupon!

Okay, so you know how I mentioned that I already started wrapping some Christmas gifts last weekend? Well, I am currently trying to finish up my gift shopping online. I have to be honest with you, I prefer to do all of my Christmas shopping online. Who wants to drive to different stores and fight traffic and lines when you can sit at your computer and get it done so much easier?

My husband is probably the most difficult to buy for, but I decided to check out Groupon to see what they had to offer. I have bought everything from phones to beauty products on Groupon and they never disappoint. I did some searching and found a couple of items that I knew the hubby would like and at a great price to boot!

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are mine. #Groupon #ad

If you would like to get a head start on your Christmas shopping, I would suggest heading over to Groupon Goods and checking out what they have to offer. You can find something for the husband, wife, kids, parents and in-laws- there is something for everyone! You can find Groupon on Facebook or Twitter to stay updated on all of their deals! 

We have less than forty days until Christmas; can you believe it? So don't wait until the last minute; get your shopping out of the way so you can actually enjoy Christmas with your family & friends. Happy Shopping!!

Have you ever used Groupon & if so, what did you purchase?

Fall is my favorite time of the year!

Happy November Y'all!! The last week has been full of fun Fall things- Fall costume parties, baking yummy treats, soups, new Fall boots and lots of raking + landscaping. I love this time of year!

The hubby and I made pumpkin shaped cheese straws together

 My fail at a cute Fall photo

 Turmeric Ginger Latte- my new favorite drink!

Lentil soup with carrots, celery & onions

  I signed up for ShoeDazzle and ordered these boots + another pair!

We also renewed our Costco Membership & picked up some healthy eats

Target run + Starbucks is always necessary!

We also have been working so much on landscaping- planting crepe myrtle trees, fruit trees, blueberry and blackberry bushes. I am so excited to have a fruit orchard! Today I am going to work on raking pine-straw to put in the beds and cleaning up the concrete from pouring our drive + well house. This weekend we are planning to have a huge bonfire + hot cocoa, so I'm really looking forward to that!

Lately, I have  been making lots of things from scratch- coconut milk, almond milk, almond flour, larabars & chocolate chips. There are so many additives in processed foods, that I prefer making my own foods at home, even though it takes more work. I just ordered more cacao along with some other health items, so hopefully it comes in soon so I can make the hubby chocolate chip cookies.

What fun things do you do in the Fall?

Our Weekend Beach Trip!

Saturday morning we finally were on our way to Destin by 7:30! We stopped and picked up Chick Fil A for the hubby for breakfast and I had my banana + organic granola bar.

I used my DD free drink credit to get a iced coffee + shot of caramel

At the Destin Harbor

I had purchased a Groupon for the Destin Love Shack so we decided to give a try!

The Destin Love Shack reminded me of those cute local eateries in the Bahamas and Caribbean.

I forgot to take photos of our food but it was amazing!! I had the Caribbean Chicken and the hubby had the grass fed steak kabobs- both were amazing! We had a mango tango smoothie to go which was really yummy.

   We hadn't been to the Surf Hut since last year, so we figured it was due time for a visit.

 We went to Surf Hut for Dinner and made it just in time for Happy Hour! We immediately ordered two of the $3 Margaritas.

 The margaritas were pretty strong, so we only had one each.

  We ordered the most expensive (& the largest) Captains Platter that came with a cup of Gumbo- we couldn't finish it all so we packed it up for the hotel for some late night snacking :)

 Sunday, for lunch we decided to go to our favorite spot- Osaka Japanese Steakhouse!

 We both had the Bay Crab Roll, tempura style with eel sauce and fish eggs on top- so good!!

 We picked up some oysters on the half shell & shrimp for the hubby to grill later this week.

We had the best time on our weekend beach trip! We went shopping at Destin Commons, Silver Sands Premium Outlets and I was even able to return a swimsuit top from Old Navy and redeem my $30 Gap coupon. I also redeemed a $20 voucher from Charming Charlie's that I purchased online and bought two gorgeous handbags.

I picked up a cute basket for our coffee kcups + two more boxes of the Seattle's Best kcups from Home goods with my $20 voucher that I earned. We also went to Ross and found an audio cable for the hubby's phone so that he could play music from Sound cloud.

We visited both Miramar beach on Saturday and then Grayton beach on Sunday. It was an awesome weekend filled with lots of good food, shopping, catching up on some reading and enjoying the beach- the perfect beach trip in my book! I'm thinking maybe another beach trip in the next 4-6 weeks sounds good!

What is your favorite thing to do on beach trips?

Getting Ready for Restoration!!

Wow, where do I start?! So much has been going on and the hubby and I have been working insanely crazy to the point of exhaustion. We are both in need of a much needed break; but before we get to that, let's talk about what we were able to accomplish the past week!

Past Week Accomplishments: 
>> I have been picking up limbs and sticks for an entire week from Hurricane Hermine
>> Ordered 18 tons of dirt and helped hubby with filling dirt for our concrete drive for the garage
>> Hubby framed out and dug for the well house and the garage drive
>> Cleaned Roof
>> Cleaned Deck
>> Ordered Propane
>> Ordered Tub Tool
>> Ordered Lawn Mower Blades
>> Ordered some healthy food items, drinks on Amazon and Jet
>> Ordered a Kate Spade iPhone charger (when our electricity was out, I really relied on my back up chargers! Plus, they are great to have while on vacation & there is no access to an outlet)
>> Hubby cut wooded area
>> Purchased a new Ryobi weed trimmer- amazing!
>> Ordered a replacement Keurig + some kcups
>> Picked out our new Kitchen Backsplash- Natural Color Hexagon
>> Booked Hotel for Beach Stay! ( I'm so excited for some R&R, including some delicious seafood, beach, reading books & shopping!)

I have to tell you, something is going on behind the scenes and God is working!! This scripture keeps showing up on my Pinterest, Facebook, etc and I wanted to share. I read it aloud to the hubby and felt God's presence around me. God has seen the struggle that my husband and I have gone through for over 5 years now. There were several things that Satan stole from us but I have been diligently praying for restoration and for God to bless us with seven-fold what Satan has stolen from us.

I really don't discuss our problems or things that we go through with anyone or share via social media- that's why I have my blog so that I can safely write here. I hope that writing about the things that I go through, will somehow help someone else and at the same time, allow them to see how prayer works and how good God is!!

We have been through so much throughout these past 5 years when all we had to depend on was God, when everyone else walked out. We went through losing our dog of 15 years, losing half the money on selling our home, losing half of a salary that we were accustomed to, my husband losing his Father, his job. We had to work a hard job on the road for almost 8 months and it was not easy, but we worked hard and trusted in God for our future. We went through struggling with almost 8 months of unemployment- literally, no one would hire us. It got to the point that we didn't know how we were going to make it but God got us through until the last few dollars and he performed a miracle and I got a great job and soon after the hubby did as well!

God has been beyond good to the husband and I throughout the years. It has been a struggle for us, but it has made us depend even more on God to get through things. I have watched him heal our dog when he was completely paralyzed, I have witnessed being on our last few dollars and he deliver us with jobs and money, I have watched God help us financially when things have gotten rough. But I don't complain that we have gone through any of these things. Yes, we lost money on our home, yes, we don't have the same financial lifestyle that we had before and we have had to make sacrifices but God has taken care of us every time!

Everyday, sometime during the day I go on a walk up and down our drive and I talk to God about what is going on in our lives and I pray over our future. I pray mostly about God restoring what Satan has stolen from us. I watch my husband every day, diligently work even though he deserves more and is meant for greater things, but he never complains. My heart hurts for him and I pray over him daily for God to bless his future and for him to be successful and be in the favor of God. One thing that I really love about my husband is that he is extremely intelligent but he is never boastful or proud about it.  In this day and age, that is extremely rare. I have been watching God bless us in the past few weeks about some things that I have been praying over and I know that he is working on our future. The hubby and I talk about things that happen and we both know that it is God working! Right now, I couldn't be more excited for our future and the blessings that are on the way!

What are you praying/trusting in God for today?

Working towards my Goals!!

Life has been crazy lately, but in a good way. We have been working hard this year so that we can leave 2016 with a bang! 123 days left to work on those goals!

So my main goals to finish by the end of this year are:

1.) Reach my happy size- I don't care what the scale number or clothing size is, I just want to look and feel amazing! Muscle ways more than fat- seriously, just look at the photo below to see my point! Seeing this has seriously changed my mindset from focusing on numbers to focusing instead of being healthy and toned!

I recently switched from the Ketogenic diet back to the Whole 30, only because I just can't keep up with eating so much fat each meal. Also, because I was really missing eating my fruit and the Keto diet discourages eating too many fruits.

via mysweatlife

2.) Finish the house construction! The only thing remaining is the interior trim, kitchen backsplash, well house and the concrete pour for the drive for the garage. We do want to also work on landscaping later and another project that we want to work on is to do pallet walls for our garage + some organization.

3.) Clean some more in the Garage- I have really focused on decluttering this year and have gotten rid of SO much! But I do still have a few things that I would like to go through and sell on swap and shop. I'm a little OCD when it comes to being organized, so I'm not your typical person. I just want everything to have a place.

4.) Possibly trade in owning a business for a 9-5 I have to be honest, I miss having paid vacations, sick leave, etc. When you're the boss, you don't get paid for the hours you work or the time off that you take which can be a huge downside.I never thought I would want to go back to a 9-5, but after running my own business for almost a year, I really don't think it's for me. And that's okay, I'm very glad that I followed my dreams and honestly I have learned so many new things that I can apply to my new job! (I will talk more about my decision/reasons in a future blog post).

5.) Fit in 1-2 more weekend vacays and relax some. We do have a December week long trip planned, but we have been working so hard that we need some mini-breaks.

6.) Girls Shopping Trip!  Once we reach our fitness goals, my sister and I are planning a shopping trip for possibly this November. I'm so ready to go shopping for some cute clothes! Honestly, I haven't bought much all year because I have not been happy with my weight.It's the one thing that really motivates me to get up early and work out every day!

Here are some things that I have been working on the last couple of weeks to work towards our goals!

>> Successfully completed HIIT workouts every day of the week! On my 4th week of working out without missing a day!
>> Eliminated dairy products starting last Wednesday- I want to see if it helps me in my weight loss, allergies + toning
>> Added social media share icons to my Blog (feel free to share via social media, email!)
>> Hubby fixed the 2 deck caps
>> I painted behind the deck columns and touched up the base trim + touched up 2 last areas
>> Finished painting all of the house + windows!!! If we ever build again- it definitely needs to be a single story or have someone else paint it- I'm so over painting!
>> Listened to some amazing sermons last week & had a clarity moment which helped me so much!
>> Have been working the past 2 Saturdays & made some extra money working with the hubby to put in ceiling & wall project for my brother

I also may have some very good news on one of our huge goals that may be coming to pass soon!! I have been doing so much praying over our future this year and leaving everything in God's hands. I know that God is working on things, even when we can't see it! I honestly am beyond excited to finish 2016 off strong and start the new year with an amazing start!

A Peek Inside my Healthy Fridge!

I don't know about you, but I love peeking inside of healthy fridges!! Since I have a lot going on this week, I thought I would do a short & sweet post showing you what's inside my fridge. Are you ready?!

 I'm trying to drink less dairy so I stocked up on coconut creamer. Target had it on sale for $1.90 plus I had a $1 off coupon when you buy three. I'm not that great with coupons but I try!

 This cauliflower "rice" has been so amazing to help kick my rice addiction!!

 Publix had the Udis pizza on sale for 2 for $10 this week!

 Grass fed Butter for Bulletproof coffee!

 Pete and Gerry's Organic Eggs are on sale at Publix this week for $3.99- I bought 3 cartons!

 Organic fruit

All of the grains pictured are for the hubby since he is still eating grains. Sadly, I can't have any of those but honestly, I don't miss them quite as much as I did in the beginning. I also picked up some organic chicken, ground sausage, grass-fed steaks and beef.

Like I mentioned in my last post, I am back on the Ketogenic Diet which makes me feel amazing! What I love about eating this way is that I have tons of energy and also that I don't have to limit what I eat. I'm also seeing results from my HIIT daily workouts. I am on week two and this week, my sister, Becky is now joining me in getting healthy and toned! Right now we are doing mostly burpees, jump squats, planks, high knees, etc. and we are definitely feeling the burn!

We are planning on doing a girl's shopping + Starbucks day once we both get to our goal weight. Shopping is definitely the best way to get me motivated! 

What type of eating plan do you prefer?