January 2019 Daily #CHALLENGE

Day #1 & Day #2 -Combo pack

Day #1 S.M.A.R.T. Goals for January 

 I kinda hijacked this really nice typed version of a good way to set some S.M.A.R.T. Goals for the new year. (Thx Linda Witte – www.wittesworld.com ) I resigned from setting “resolutions” a couple of years ago, because well let’s be honest, we usually just set ourselves up to fail at keeping them. I do much better with monthly goals & a dream board. When I feel something might be resolution worthy, chances are it should really be a life change. Mine are, for the most part, choices that would better my life in many areas. Last year I started the year doing yoga daily and injured my hamstring. It has been angry for 12 months, so I only did light yoga for about 3-4 months, then totally stopped since it wasn’t healing. I am leaving it up to God, a masseuse & maybe the Dr., but I WILL be doing yoga everyday, even if it is a foot or couch potato video(I have a fav YouTube yogi). :

1. 31 Day Challenge – COMPLETE IT
2. Do yoga “every damn day”
3. Increase all social media by 1000 more followers
4. Increase blog subscribers by 150 minimum
5. Eat clean
6. Post at least 2 post per week
7. COMPLETE travel blog class
8. Do homework ahead of time for Bible college.
9. Get monetized……..
10. Get a few of the trips for the year in the calendar.

May everything you work toward in 2019 become closer to being achieved! May blessings, goodness, peace & joy chase you down and run you over!

Day #2  Accomplishment List for 2019 & After

Here are a few already on the calendar:

Disney Cruise with daughter, grand & aunts
Group trip to Israel (few seats still open)
Florida time: several times
Achieve 10K plus monthly views for blog & income
Screen in back porch (important in AR)
Go to at least 1 or more new states I’ve never visited
Pay off all debt
Post 2-4 times a week EVERY week
Reno the camper
Get a Jeep
Get back to daily yoga!!!!
Hit 117 lbs. for keeps!
Become stronger physically
Mardi Gras with friends

Visit more museums
Go to 1+ blog conventions
Go Gold in TN
Retire the hubs
Love/Hate for Poshmark = Sell some crap!!!!

 

Day #3 – What was my biggest…. blogging/writing/personal challenge 2018?

I’m not even sure that I know what ranks as the one thing that could “take the cake” on this deal. SO, I birthed a blog, traveled solo international for the very first time, graduated my son and sent him off to college, buried my mom and those are just the highlights.

Jumping in, to launch a blog was definitely a huge moment. Being disciplined to actually deliver words that aren’t as confused and jumbled in my brain onto the world wide web, IG, FB, Twitter, Pinerest, YouTube, and oh yeah Google +, Linkedin, Snapchat, and Whatsapp (the last four don’t really get much attention – cause I am struggling just to keep up with the first 5). I do believe that one of the biggest issues with each individual post is the picking and editing the right pictures. Does anyone have this issue? Or is it just part of the flaw of being very ADD, that lends to some real issues with OCD in certain areas that make me a control freak perfectionist, but only about a few things. The whole picture deal would be one of them!

Learning how to post faster and better is what I want, but that means I should do more to achieve this. I find myself posting less because of not knowing everything that i should to make it viable, to even put it out there. I need to figure out how to do the SEO thing adequately. All that I have ever posted so far has essentially been seen by a whopping…well, I can count on my fingers & toes how many folks have seen it.

Megaphone 2018 Winter Mix and Mingle

Preparing a few really great pins is totally necessary – I am getting that one, finally! Building authentic traffic, no matter what or how is a slow go for me. IG stories, haha… Trying to learn subscription / newsletters / opt-ins: fiddle dee, fiddle dumb, mirror, mirror on the wall “what kind a blogger is she gonna be”? A Freakin, Fabulous one – one day. I have learned so much, yet not near enough. I will probably drive you all nuts before “I get this”. But if, if you do decide to thumb a ride, jump aboard and travel this so called “blogging boss babe” life with me you will enjoy the journey!

I will make you laugh, maybe cry, take you places you never even knew you wanted to go, share food you thought you’d hate, and hopefully you’ll understand that even somewhat bad behavior can’t make the Father stop loving and using you for His purpose. I won’t lie, if anything I’m way to… well my friends and family use the term brutally honest.

I am truly my own worse enemy….

I try not to type EVERYTHING that comes to my mind and way to often out of my mouth. Age is refining me a little, nope that’s a lie, my sweet mom’s words and the love of the Savior is what is making me a better me. Let me just tell y’all, I am such a lucky little girl to have Ms. Jettie’s words echoing in my mind and an empty tomb to remind me how much was covered by grace. One of the challenges that I have had to face head on this year was forgiveness. Forgiving was for me not them! There is SO MUCH joy & freedom when you do it for you, or ask for it, even when it wasn’t given.

I’m not sure this covered what I really even wanted to say. Not sure if it’s brave or stupid to publish this total cluster of sentences that barely make sense. I skate on such a thin, fine line of having no “real” English education in proper grammar after 9th grade…but my crazy train brain tells me you will never decipher if I don’t explain why my writing is such a cluster. Yep, that’s kinda how I roll, but it’s my life dammit and I don’t apologize for my “little diva” with a side of country crazy. I am moving, and it is forward…

I truly hope that this helped someone. It took me a while to like me; 2018 drew a line that I decided I would stand with a foot on each side of the line. Just keep on keepin on. I am getting back to yoga this year (working on it every damn day), watch more sunsets, see more sunrises, spend more time with the Lord – reading , studying & praying, breath deeper, exhale more slowly, buy myself flowers when I want them, get my nails done, have a massage when I want it and hit the road! I want 2019 to be filled with lots of trips.

 

Day #4 – Healthy Fav Recipe

My favorite “healthy” recipe right now would be one I’ve been working on and continue to adjust is for hummus. Why hummus – Israel twice within 6 months can truly make lifelong lasting change. Packaged product can’t hold a candle to making it, in my opinion. Yes, I do use canned chick pea or garbanzo beans. I am looking to branch out on flavors and types, but for now it’s pretty basic. I make a pretty good amount, so we have it for several meals. If your fixing for one or just trying I suggest that you cut the amounts in half. You’ll need a food processor, blender or hand blender.

Hummus

2 cans chick peas / garbanzo beans (drain)
2 T EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Lemon (juice it)
2 T Minced garlic
1 t Cumin
1/2 t Ground Red Pepper
1 t Salt
1/4 c (more or less) Water – add a little at a time.

I put oil lemon juice and beans in then add spices and a little water. I pulse to begin and add water as needed to keep it emulsifying. This is where you may have to add water. Just don’t add too much – can’t take it out, then it’s runny & yucky. (Just add more beans and spices to adjust.) You want mixture to get to a creamy, dip consistency. The spices are total call up to your taste buds, or that of your family. Just remember, as in most things in life, less is best. Add a little at a time. This is where you can play, to! Balsamic vinegar, red bell pepper, beets, spices (paprika/turmeric) ect….you get the point. I then put mine in a sauce pan and heat up for 5-10 minutes, low/med heat. This too is up to each his own. Usually people cook the beans then make the hummus. This way just works better for me, since I do it sorta cheating, from cans😉.

Hummus is amazing when served with fresh pitas! I have yet to make this happen in my kitchen, but it will happen in 2019! I currently serve with carrots, tomato wedges, pickled jalapeños, avocado, and Fritos scoops. Well, not always all of those at the same time. Many serve with bell peppers, sweet red, orange or yellow, too. They are NOT a friend to my system, so you may catch a hint of bell to flavor things sometimes, BUT you will NEVER find me adding sweet red peppers to ANYTHING. You can make it look fancy by putting in a serving dish add a little drizzle of EVOO and sprinkle of chili powder or whichever spice you favor. Makes my mouth water just typing about it! Let me know it you try this, how it goes and was it great?

 

Day #5 – Where will I be a year from now….

“Somewhere on a beach, sippin somethin strong…”. I know this I will be further down the road building a blog, watching my family grow, have a better relationship with the Lord ~ it is ever developing, and I will choose to be happy. Details elude me still, but I am piecing items together to ensure that it will be my best year yet! Trips are on the book already and I can’t wait to find my blog groove.

 

Day #6 – 2018 Favorite Film (List)

I’ve made a list of my fav’s to least – but there were some that were too close to count.  If I didn’t like, they didn’t make the list at all. We are a movie family… Just a little background on me, I’m pretty much a Sci-Fi nerd. Those are ALL-ways going to have a place at the top of my list and big spot in my heart. My top 4 are pretty much a tie for 1st place. Top 10 are all rewatch…several times!

2018 Films that I watched: Favorite to Least

Aquaman

Black Panther

Avengers: Infinity War

Bumblebee

Ant-Man and the Wasp

Life Of The Party

Ready Player One

Solo: A Star Wars Story

Crazy Rich Asians

Book Club

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again

Incredibles 2

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

Mission: Impossible – Fallout

Ocean’s 8

God’s Not Dead: A Light Into the Darkness (I might have been in this one!?!)

Venom (One of Noah’s fav’s, me take it or leave it)

A Star is Born (2018) – Yet to see this one, but hear that it is really good.

 

Day #7 – Biggest Thing Learned 2018: Courses, Book, Social Media, Articles, or Website

OMGoodness – SO MANY. I invested in several courses this year, more than I can probably even recall (I must start looking them up for taxes). I learned a lot from VIP Blogging. I took an IG course that taught me a lot – Insta Success, and watched A LOT on YouTube that were free. I joined several blogging groups that have probably taught me more about specifics of blogging than any other form of education.

 

Day #8 – 5 ways that I take care of myself:

1. Listen to music
2. Read the Bible
3. Get a massage
4. Yoga
5. Hot baths w/ a glass of wine

 

Day #9 – A letter to parent, spouse or children: Which will I choose?

Parents are gone, Husband could truly care less…means he’d have to read, one of his least favorite things on earth to do!!! He knows that I’m still his best friend & everything we’ve done and built is amazing, guess we’ll just keep doing it! I’m gonna go with the kids. Doubt anyone wants to read that. To sum it up they are loved; not just by me , but by Jesus. I want them to know that He is the answer to everything in life. I can’t wait to see how well they do “their” future. I’ll jot down a few of my thoughts, proud moments, and best strategies for dealing with this thing called life, and send it to them.

 

Day # 10 – Winter Soup Recipe

Okay, here’s the deal…I’m not a recipe blogger. I may do recipes every now and then, but i’m not sure that I’ll ever get good at it. I am a country cook, by nature. I cook by what feels good & taste good. I came from a LONG line of great cooks. Not, saying that I’m great, but I can just about cook anything. I choose NOT to cook many things, because they are more work than I want to put forth the effort. When I do decide to cook, I usually just start throwing stuff together – NEVER measure ANYTHING – that’s why this is almost impossible to start putting recipes out there. KNOW that most ANY recipe I post you can always adjust the recipe up or down on the spice levels. More or less – salt, pepper, garlic, ect…..

 

Southwest Chicken Soup (Fast)

2 cans of Chicken Breast

1 can Black Beans(drained)

1 can Red Kidney Beans(drained)

1 can or bag(frozen) of corn(drained)

1 can Rotel

½ medium Onion or 2 T of Dehydrated Onions

3 T Flour

2-3 T Chili Powder

1 tsp Garlic Salt

1 tsp Cumin

2 c.(more or less based on how thick of a soup you want) HOT (works best) water / chicken broth

I use a big soup pot, put the chicken with its broth, onion and heat. Medium heat. Bring to a simmer then add flour, spices, and rotel – stir as you add these ingredients, will become rue like. Have water or broth on stand by to add quickly as rue thickens. Add all the veggies, let simmer for approx. 15 minutes. Serve with corn chips or cornbread.

Congratulations! You have just received 10 days of post ALL in 1 mega post!!!

What goals have you set for yourself in 2019? Do you have a favorite new healthy recipe? Where will your travels take you? What is you biggest #challenge this year?

Stay tuned for the next 21 days….

Happy New & Blessed Year,

Trina