YAY!! I was nominated for a Liebster award!! It is an award that recognizes up and coming blogs with less than 200 followers. Huge thank you to Liz over at Beyond Blonde Blog for nominating me!!

Here's how it works:

1. List 11 random facts about yourself.

2. Answer the 11 questions given to you.

3. Create 11 new questions for the bloggers you nominate for the award.

4. Choose 11 bloggers with 200 or less followers to nominate.

5. Go to each blogger's page and let them know about the award.

6. Thank the person who nominated you and link back to their blog.

My 11 random facts

1. I eat Chipotle at least 2 to 3 times a week

2. I have to sleep with two blankets on each night, no matter how hot I get

3. I secretly like Taylor Swift and Justin Beiber..yikes!

4. I work, on average, 60 hours a week

5. Reese's Eggs taste better than regular Reese's to me

6.I'm addicted to Instagram (follow me: Morganharts86)

7. When I get home from work, I sit on the couch for 20 min and do not move. No TV, no phone, o computer. My job is censory overload sometimes

8. I ask my husband every week for a Macbook Air..I still haven't received it :(

9. I am the Educator Coach at Aveda Institute by day and housewife by night

10. My hair is naturally curly, but I blow dry it and curl it with a curling iron every single day

11 Questions..Answered

1. What is the one TV show that you cannot miss?

Nashville..I make sure that I do not have plans on Wednesday night

2. What is best vacation that you have ever been on?

My Honeymoon!! It was amazing. We spent 9 days in the mountains

3. What is your dream job?

To become a pure-fessional for Aveda and travel with the company I currently work for

4. What is your favorite movie?

Pretty Woman

5. Do you celebrate Valentine's Day and if so, what are your plans?

I love V-Day..but my hubby works it this year

6. What is the best thing that happened to you in 2012?

I got married!!

7. Where is your favorite place to shop?

LOFT and I'm really liking Old Navy right now..Oh and Marshalls!!

8. What is the best book that you've read recently?

Probably 50 Shades

9. What is the best piece of advice that you can offer to other bloggers?

Have fun :) People read blogs to learn about you..don't be too closed off

10. What is one thing that you hope to accomplish in 2013?

Have a little one

11. What is the reason that you decided to start a blog?

My husband works at night, so I wanted something to do to pass the time

11 Questions for my nominees to answer

1. What is your favorite restaurant?
2. Have you ever used Aveda products before?
3. Do you follow The Small Things Blog?
4. Do you have any vacation plans for this year?
5. Are you happy with your current hairstylist?
6. What have you done for yourself in 2013 so far?
7. When was the last time you went on a shopping spree?
8. What is your favorite food?
9. How many followers do you hope to obtain this year?
10. What is your favortie blog?
11. How often do you check your facebook?

My Nominees
A Wife's Life
A Dash of Southern
Love, Laughter, and Lipstick
4 the Love of Beauty
Back East Blonde she has a little more than 200

Ok, I can't find any more of my blogs that have less than 200 followers!! Yikes!

Have fun ladies!
xoxo,
Morgan


 

High Five for Friday

WOW..it is already Friday?!?! How in the world did that happen??

Top Five this week:

1. My Best Friend is in town..we have already seen each other twice..with much more of that to come!!
2. I went shopping..found a cute dress and skirt for work from Old Navy and only spent $22
3. Slept..A lot..all this working out has me exhausted
4. Had dinner with some really good friends
5. Spent some quality time with my Husband..This doesnt happen very often due to his job



Make sure you link up with Lauren over at From My Grey Desk Blog

you can do that HERE!

xoxo,

Morgan

Trying...

I am trying so hard to be healthy!! I used to be SUPER, SUPER healthy, but I kind of ventured off the path last year. I don't eat HORRIBLE, but I like to squeeze in a Cinnabon here and there. So, I started packing snacks and making that smoothie every morning. I am now on Week 2 of the Live Fit trainer and I am feeling it!! My husband even bought me a super cute lunch box to encourage me to pack my snacks..LOVE HIM! He is already super healthy and super fit and he doesnt even pack snacks. At my job, Aveda, we ALWAYS have some form of yummy, bad for you, food floating around. I'm hoping these snacks steer me AWAYYYYY from the bad stuff.

Today I made my smoothie

3 cups fresh spinach

1 TBSP Peanut Butter

1/4 cup Fat Free Vanilla Yogurt

1 small banana

5 ice cubes

Snacks today include:

Grapes

Cheese with Wheat Thins

2 Clementines

1 Crackerful

Do you pack your snacks?

xoxo,

Morgan

Last Night

What do you do when you get home..and your dog has PEED on the floor? Well, first I cleaned up the pee. Then I did what any good dog owner would do..I wrote a shame note and put Scrappy in his kennel.

The hubs and I normally leave our dogs out of the kennel during the day. They don't potty in the house and they are not destructive. Generally, they sleep all day (I'm assuming), and maybe chew on a bone or two. It must be nice to be a dog. They really live the life, don't they? We don't have kids yet, so our dogs are our babies..we even call them that. They get treats, yummy meals, and they even get to sleep in the bed with us! Spolied little things! So why would he pee on the floor? I had just taken him out right before I left, and I was only gone 2 hours. Only he knows.

On another note...I am on Day 3 of my 12 week trainer!!! The program is 84 days total..so..only 81 days to go..ouch, that stings!!

I do already feel better, although I am very sore. Here is what I look like now :)

Did you know you could take a picture using the volume up button on the side of your iphone?

Great quality, huh?

Not too bad, but I could definitely look better!

xoxo,

Morgan

A Twelve Week Adventure

A few things have inspired me to jump on a 12 week workout! I have read a few blogs and success stories that have really hit home and I can definitely relate to. Do you know who Jamie Eason is?

That's her! Amazing physique, right?!

She is a fitness model, personal trainer, and fitness extraordinaire! She has helped transform lives all over and hopefully I will be the next transformation. I am doing her 12 weeks Live Fit trainer program. It consists of a daily workout schedule and eating plan. I eat pretty healthy, but I will be following the eating plan the way she has it laid out. I recorded all of my stats and took before pictures. I will be posting pictures at the end of each 4 week phase. The best part about it...IT'S FREE!! You can find it HERE!! 140 pounds seems to be my body's stopping point, so I'm eager to see if I can break past it!

Starting stats:
149 lbs...ouch :(
5' 6.5"
BMI 23.5..healthy, but on the high side of healthy..25 is overweight

My goals are:
Lose 20 pounds far reach..I know..but it's worth a shot!
Be able to see muscle definition all over my body
Have visible ab muscles...this goal will not be reached during the 12 week trainer, but after it I hope!
Feel healthier
Sleep better
Feel more confident
Be in a better state to get pregnant

So, here's to a new year and a new me! What are some personal goals you hope to accomplish this year?

xoxo,

Morgan

High Five for Friday

 

This week went by SUPER fast and it was probably because it was my last week of vacation :(
However, I did make sure that my last week off was a GREAT one!! It was really hard to only pick 5.
So here they are, a few of my favorite things from this past week

1. I bought NEW shears!!!! YAY!

2. An awesome NYE with Jamie and a kick ass fire

3. Little egg souffles..easiest and fastest healthy breakfast you can make

4. Spending quality time with my pups..Tinkerbell and Scrappy

5. This has its own picture..take a look at all of the awesomeness going on right there..self explanitory!

Make sure to link up with Lauren over at From My Grey Desk Blog for #H54F

xoxo,

Morgan

Adventures with Dad

OMG..I went fishing with my dad :) He was so excited to have me there with him, and I was very excited to be there! We rarely have time to actually hang out..you know..just the two of us. I have 3 brothers also, so generally we all hang out together. He called me up and asked if I would like to join him for an afternoon on the river!!! Well, YES I WOULD. If you couldn't tell from my other posts, family is very important to me. I love spending time with them and I love living only 5 minutes away from them.

OK, back to the fish. I know how to Bass fish..with a lure (these are fake, but can sometimes look real..ya know..NOT LIVING). Well my dad tells me we are fishing for something called Crappie. What the hell is a Crappie?!?! It definitely doesn't sound like something I would eat. So we are driving towards the river and my dad has to stop for bait..WAIT..so he is telling me that I have to touch LIVE BAIT..I did NOT sign up for that. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm a southern girl. I love the outdoors..A LOT, but those little bait fish are minnows..little tiny baby goldfish..and I had to kill them :(

We arrived to the river with our baby fish, the boat, and a big cup of sweet tea. My dad proceeds to back the boat down in to the water and then tells me I have to finish backing it in all the way. My husband is usually then one who does this..not me. So, after I almost knocked my dad out of the boat, we were off! It was quite chilly outside about 60 degrees, so I am glad I wore leggings under my jeans. The river was quiet, but the birds were so loud!

We met my dads boss down there and he hadn't had any luck..and he had been there since daylight. Not looking good for pops and I. When you fish for Crappie, you just put the minnow on the hook and set the pole in the water..no reeling..no casting..and then you wait. This is my kind of fishing..it seemed pretty effortless :) And then..BOOM, my cork sinks..I HAVE A FISH!! That fish is pulling like crazy..moving the line all over the place. And this is what he looked like..

WOW..that little guy sure did whip me up!

But it didn't stop there.

Down the cork went AGAIN!! This time..I knew the fish was big..it was pulling WAY more than that little thing..I was right..look at that thing!

Do NOT judge..No makeup..and old clothes lol

Pictures are from my phone..not the best quality :(

Meet my dad!!

LOVE HIM!

After I caught the big kahuna, we decided to call it a day. The wind was starting to blow and the sun was starting to set. The sunset leaving the river was so pretty :)

And that was the end of the Father/Daughter fishing adventure! Call your Dad sometime this week and tell him how much you love him. You will never really know how much that means to him :)

xoxo,

Morgan

It's a new year..What!?!?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

You know what that means?! Another amazing year gone, and hopefully an even better year ahead. 

A lot happened last year and I must say, it was a pretty amazing year! 

Two of the biggest things that happened to me last year:

I married my best friend in September :)
Here are a couple of pics!
  Due to the nature of my husbands job, he has requested that his image not be posted :)

And....we decided to remodel our house! We are not living in it while we remodel, so it is a lot easier to work on. It is starting to really look great and I can't wait to be finished! We are hoping to move in within the next 3 months..which means we better get to movin'! Once we move in, I will be flooding the blog with pictures of my Pinterest attempts! I can't wait to decorate..paint..make cute crafts..and cook in my very own kitchen :)

Now, on to last night...

Last night was a great NYE! The hubs was working so I decided to spend some time with a great friend! We attempted to build a fire...EPIC FAIL..until we called the boy. He told us what to do..and
ta-da! A FIRE!

We roasted hotdogs over the fire..YUM! And made some yummy s'mores :)
Jamie had never had a s'more before..SAY WHAT?! Is that even legal? So she made one, and then another..and maybe even another!

All in all, we had an amazing time sitting by the fire and just talking. Every girl needs a night like that. I'm pretty sure that I may have even convinced her to go to hot yoga with me tomorrow!
So, here's to another great year with more adventures, fun trips, and hopefully a baby!
What did you do for NYE?
xoxo,
Morgan 

Weekend Round-Up

I recently starting practicing Bikram Yoga. It is yoga that is practiced in a room that reaches 102 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the duration of the class. Saturday and Sunday I attended classes taught by the same instructor. She is amazing! I have now set my 2013 goals focused around yoga! I am so excited to see where this journey takes me. I'm not in the best shape, but I'm not overweight either. I enjoy going to class and I am already seeing improvements with my flexibility.
Fun fact: 90 minutes of Bikram yoga can burn 660 calories in a 145 pound female...that's me!
I love that I am enjoying my workouts and still burning a shit ton of calories!

I also have a cruise coming up in two months, which means that I better get my little tush in gear! I wanna look smokin' in my bikini, which I feel has never happened in my lifetime. So I have my fitness work cut out for me. My husband is a huge fitness buff and LOVES to workout..why can't I be like that!

Here is what the yoga room looks like...

Cute huh? Looks can be deceiving..it is hot as hell in here! But it feels soooooo good :) 

I decided since I am back on the grind in the gym, that I should start eating a little bit healthier too! I suppose that would help with my smokin hot bikini body wants..right? So, I tried out a little smoothie :) blackberries, blueberries, nonfat vanilla yogurt..side note: I LOVE Publix, and a little bit of ice! Oh. Em. Gee..this thing was delicious!!! Try it..go ahead..make this little smoothie full of yummy fruit and antioxidants! You'll be glad you did :)

The hubby and I also did a little bit of work on the house. I must say that it's coming along fairly well.
I wore my new favorite scarf. Again..I'm telling you..I wear that darn thing almost every day! I paired it with my new sweater and jeans from Old Navy.

We ate out..a lot..for the last time :( I love eating out, but it was getting out of hand. So back to the kitchen I go! I love to cook..so it's definitely not a bad thing :)
And the best thing from this weekend..I am now all caught up on stupid laundry! YAY ME! Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. What was your best thing from the weekend?
Make sure you link up at Lipgloss and Crayons for YOLOmondays..right HERE!

xoxo,

Morgan 

A deer?

My hands were frozen and my nose was like ice! Yep, you guessed it..I was hunting. My father in-law invited me to join him yesterday afternoon, and I love to go. Most people don't see me as a hunter, in fact, most would never guess that I hunt. It is something that I grew up doing with my family, and my husband is an avid hunter too! Being in the stand is so relaxing. It is the only time where I get to experience true silence. The only noises are the little animals that live out there. Well, I didn't have any luck with deer, but I did see some other little animals. For about an hour, I watched 4 baby raccoons eat..and eat..and eat! Those little things were so plump, and now I know why! 

                                                                      See, so peaceful!

On another note..my husband and I are in the process of remodeling our house. We are doing most of the work ourselves, so it is taking a little bit of time. We attempted to hang drywall..just. the. two. of. us. BAD IDEA! It ended with me crying and then breaking my nail :( So, after much convincing, we decided to pay someone to hang it. They finished this week and we wanted to check it out. The walls before hand were OSB board..kinda like plywood..and just plain ugly. 

Check out our new drywall!! I'm so excited and things are really starting to come together. I can't wait to utilize all of those cute ideas I have pinned on Pinterest. 

Have a happy weekend!

xoxo,

Morgan

High Five for Friday

Since I have been on vacation all week, everyday has felt like Friday! Here are a few of my favs from this week :)

1. All of my awesome shirts from Loft

2. My little man..looking suspicious when I came in the door..surprisingly he hadn't done anything wrong (that I've noticed), but he sure fooled me!

3. The Nashville soundtrack..Claire Bowen=amazing

4. My super cute scarf

5. Double date to the movies

Don't forget to link up with Lauren from My Grey Desk Blog

xoxo,

Morgan

The day after

What do you do the day after Christmas? I know one thing...I had a pocket full of money burning a hole in my wallet! I couldn't wait to go shopping! The day after Christmas is the one day that I NEVER feel guilty going shopping. So, off to the mall I went. As I turned into the parking garage, I couldn't help but think, 

"Maybe this isn't such a good idea."

Then reality hit, THIS IS A GREAT IDEA! Sales, sales and more SALES!

The first place I stopped was my go to store for staple items. 

LOFT is one of my favorite stores to visit because they always have phenomenal sales! Today I picked up four neutral color shirts for just under $50. 

I also stopped over at Old Navy and Marshall's.
Old Navy was having a huge sale. I'm sure you watched the commercial 500 times like I did! 
I purchased two pair of jeans and two sweaters, only spending $65!
Next stop MARSHALL'S..one of my favs!
I only left with a cute pair of Steve Madden flats, but that place was CRAZY!

Do you watch the show Nashville? 

Well I do, and I'm completely obsessed! They did one of those mid-season finales..which means NO NEW EPISODE UNTIL FEBRUARY..WTF?!? 

Anyway, I recently purchased the soundtrack for the show..AMAZING!

It is only available at Target and on iTunes. If you like country music, then this is a must for your music collection. 

xoxo,

Morgan 

A Special time of year

I hope that y'all have a very Merry Christmas with your family and friends! I just wanted to share a few pictures of a couple of gifts I received.

This is my favorite gift! My husband surprised me with an Origami Owl necklace. If you haven't heard of this before, it won't be long. These are becoming increasingly popular and I'm sure you can see why. First, you choose the size of the locket and the background. Props to Bill for picking everything out on his own. Then you pick the little charms that go on the inside. The back is magnetic so the charms never fall to the bottom :) These cute necklaces can also be turned into bracelets, key chains, and more! You have to purchase them through a consultant, so email me if you are interested and I can connect you with our consultant, Shellie. I can't wait to wear it tomorrow!!

We also received this super cute ornament from our close friend Jamie. It is from Coton Colors, and I am obsessed. What a cute idea! 

I'm excited to spend some quality time with my family tomorrow, and I'm sure you are too! Have a very Merry Christmas, and always remember the reason we celebrate this special time of year!

xoxo, Morgan 

Family Tradition

Today was a special day for me. For the first time in 5 years, my extended family enjoyed an early Christmas. This is a family gathering that I look forward to each and every year, and this year was no different. The past few years, everyone has been so bust that we haven't been able to work our schedules out, but we made it happen this year! 

It was a day filled with southern food, cheesy jokes, lots and lots of pictures, and quality family time. I'm blessed to have such an amazing family that I actually enjoy hanging out with. ...except when my dad snores on the couch after a big dinner 

We always play a gift exchange game called White Elephant, with no gift exceeding $5. Gifts can get pretty creative and I'm always surprised to see what people can come up with. I brought a really cute collage photo frame, which did exceed the $5 limit. It was too cute to pass up and I knew someone would like it! A few of the gifts included scratch offs, power ball tickets (with a note attached that said "Winnings exceeding $1,000 must be split with family in the room"), a throw blanket, bags of candy, coasters, and candles. I was really surprised to see some gifts that were worth having, with a $5 limit. 
Side note: I am a throw blanket junky and I was soooo excited when I laid eyes on it. It was soft and fairly large. I had to have it! 

I ended up with that soft, fluffy throw blanket in the end! We ended the night with a competitive game of Yahtzee. I hadn't played that game in years, so I was a little rusty. I lost BIG TIME! You really tend to forget how important spending time with family is. Tonight I was reminded that no matter how busy life may be, you should always take time out for day filled with family,food, and Yahtzee! 

Pants- Nine West
Shirt- Forever 21
Jacket- Marshall's 
Boots- Kohls 

Always Reminded

Of the little things!

Yesterday, two of my students gave me flowers to show their appreciation. You see, I teach. Not just regular school, but cosmetology. I know, I know, some of you are thinking "How hard could that be?" Well let me tell you, it isn't a walk in the park. I teach grown adults how to do something that they had no idea about until they started. I teach at a very well known school nation wide, so we are blessed to have students who truly care about being at school. I have the privilege of helping someone find themselves and enjoy what they do for a career. It is the most rewarding feeling in the world, but we all have our days. The students have no idea, but that small gesture really reminded me of how much I LOVE my job! So, thank you ladies, for being my daymaker!

Do you have the honor of having a boss that makes you smile?

If you don't, I suggest finding a new job<--just kidding

But it really makes all the difference! Here she is...the beautiful one in the middle! BEST BOSS EVER!!!!!!!