BAPTIZED.

A little over a year ago, I was saved and became a Christian. Tonight—February 28, 2013—amidst a small group of our family and friends, Daniel and I were baptized together by our pastor.

Being baptized was the one fundamental step I had yet to take. Daniel was baptized when he was a child, and it has been something we've wanted to do together. On Sunday, our pastor and his wife found out I hadn't yet done it, and this week when they offered to do it—we jumped at the chance. We gathered at a friend's pool (indoor, of course), and together we were baptized.

What an amazing experience to affirm our faith in front of our brothers and sisters, to repent our past, and to begin anew. I am so thankful, so honored—so blessed.

Full-Body 10-20-30 Workout

Top: Thrifted Victoria's Secret // Shoes: Nike Free Run // Pants: Champion

Hey fit friends! Last week, I showed you how to do a burpee—which is one of my favorite full-body exercises. Today, we're putting it to action in a brand new 10-20-30 workout.

The FULL-BODY 10-20-30 WORKOUT:

1. 10 burpees: Raise your arms above your head, bend over and touch the ground, jump out to a push-up position, do a push-up, jump your feet back toward your hands and then finish by jumping up toward the sky.
• Targets: full body
2. 20 kettlebell swings: Standing with your feet a little wider than shoulder-width and keeping your back straight, lower your body to a squat position (kettlebell hanging down). Squeeze your legs, butt and core when you stand, raising the kettlebell to a 90-degree angle with your momentum. Let the kettlebell's momentum take you back to the squat position, but make sure to always keep your back straight.
• Targets: quads, hamstrings, glutes, core
3. 30 bent-over rows (15 each side): Stand in a lunge position with your front leg bent at a 90-degree angle and back leg straight, keeping your back in a straight line. Lower and raise the kettlebell. 
• Targets: back
4. 1-minute plank: Hold your body stiff and tighten your core while you maintain this position. 
• Targets: core

When you finish with the plank, that's one set. Repeat the set 5-10 times, or until you're totally sweaty and feeling rock-solid! Let's get fit!

/ / If you don't like/can't do one of the exercises, sub in something else. Remember—if you don't like it because it hurts, that's when you should avoid it. BUT—If you don't like it simply because it's hard, that means it's probably good for you (i.e. burpees, or my personal nemesis—pull-ups!). ♥

rosieMADE

Today, I have the pleasure of introducing you to rosieMADE—an Idaho-based online boutique that offers handmade gifts and products that are made in the USA by women-friendly companies. I love helping promote people and businesses I believe in—and trust me, this is one of them.

Ring: c/o rosieMADE

I'm pretty lucky, the founder of rosieMADE—Alicia Vanderschuere—and I recently got to split an order of calamari, sip on some wine, and discuss her growing business. Talk about an innovative woman. She has built rosieMADE from the ground up and really knows her stuff. It was incredibly refreshing to meet someone who was creating some big independent business waves here in Idaho.

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Here's a little more about rosieMADE, straight from Alicia:

rosieMADE LLC is creating a new American dream for women!

We’re USA MADE. ROSIE PROUD.

Visit rosiemade.com to DISCOVER. CONNECT. SHOP.

DISCOVER.  Great resources abound on leadership, small business, and life! Be inspired by women doing amazing things to improve their community, business, or family! Get inspired to reach for your dreams!

CONNECT. Leverage the rosieNetwork to find new products, connections, and service providers. Be proud that you are helping other women achieve their dreams! Participate in giveaways and learn about fabulous made in the USA products.

SHOP.  Be proud of your purchase, knowing where it was made and who made it. Know you supported the US economy, fair wage jobs, and high environmental standards with your purchase. Be satisfied that you spent consciously to create impact. Since a portion of every sale is reinvested in helping women entrepreneurs in the form of resources and grants, feel as fabulous as our vendors and resource recipients know you are!

Connect with rosieMADE here: website // blog // facebook // twitter // pinterest

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Alicia and the ladies behind rosieMADE are giving away a basket full of their favorite goodies—a crochet hat, water bottle, soap, bubble bath, tea, chocolate, and a big tote to carry it all in—all made by women, for women to a lucky U.S. reader.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Pink & Gray

Scarf: c/o Heart of Gold Made // Earrings: c/o Jersey Girl Design (use coupon code SAUCE for 10% off) // Bracelet: c/o Massi // Ring: c/o The Vintage Pearl // Purse: Fossil // Top: Lauren Conrad // Cardigan: F21 Thrifted // Pants: Mossimo // Shoes: Kenneth Cole

Lately, I'm all about pink and gray. I've never been a pink person—purple, I promise, I still love you!—but for some reason pink is really capturing my heart this season. The combination of pink and gray seems really feminine and classic.

Can you tell I'm loving it? Not only am I wearing it, but it's also the color combo that I picked for my recent blog re-design. It's not everyday that your outfit matches your website. Did I achieve nerd-status just now? I think so. And it feels awesome.

/ / What's your fave color combo of the moment?

The Break Down

Source.

Sometimes you don't realize how thin your rope has worn until it breaks.
Yesterday, my rope broke—and I fell hard.

We were at church.
I had been having a hard time lately (depression—I have a history of it, bad and destructive thoughts, nightmares) and one of my friends suggested the previous week that I tried opening up more, really getting into worship and just letting go.
So yesterday—I let go.
I raised my hands to worship.
As I did, one of the wise women in church went on stage to say a little of what was on her heart.
She spoke about feeling hopeless, being in a situation you can't control, feeling like your prayers aren't being answered, and that if this is you—remember, you're not in charge. God is. And he's there with you no matter what, even when times are hard. She reminded us not to doubt him, that this was part of the plan—a beautiful plan—that God has laid out for our life.

Those simple words—words that I desperately needed—hit me like a ton of bricks... and I lost it. Just like that.
Sobbing, shaking, hyperventilating, totally breaking down—I let it all out.
And it didn't stop.
I cried through the rest of worship, through service, and even for about an hour after service.
I had broken.

It's amazing how we don't realize how deep we've fallen until we hit the ground and realize what we're doing to ourselves.
I was being bitter, fearful, suspicious, and holding offenses that were like chains binding my soul,
bringing negativity with me everywhere I went.
All for nothing. I had nothing to be bitter about, fearful of... I'd been having the craziest, unwarranted nightmares.
It was all a bad, bad spirit that had infiltrated me and wasn't going away.

Yesterday, I let it go.
I gave God those chains that had bound me,
and let him be in charge once more.

Though I broke down in front of everyone,
I wasn't embarrassed. It was cleansing.
I broke the hard shell of myself that had developed on the outside—like a mask—that I was cowering behind.
That mask had been my safety net. My hiding place. The place where I was destroying myself.
I needed to break down. I needed to let it out. To free myself of those burdens.

And let me tell you, today I am refreshed.
I am happy.
I am new.

I feel like I'm seeing the world through open eyes again.
And it's clearer and more beautiful than ever before.

PS / / Thank you to all the friends who have prayed for me lately, and a big thank you to those of you who gave me a little back rub, prayer, or comforting touch yesterday while I was breaking down. You really helped soothe the pain and your prayers truly helped. Thank you.

Yes To Staying Motivated

A couple months ago when the calendar switched over to 2013, I shared some personal resolutions as well as some hair and skincare resolutions. Guess what... two months have now passed (as well as the hard-to-avoid-overeating time of Valentine's Day), so I'm looking back on those resolutions and asking you—have you been sticking to yours?

I have a new post up on the Yes To blog—it focuses on motivation to keep on top of those resolutions, staying healthy, and being your best you! To read the post, click here!

/ / Visit the Yes To Carrots Facebook page to enter into their Girlfriends Getaway to win a trip for you & a friend to Miami! You can enter every day until March 24. Click here to like their page & enter!

On Comparison.

Purse: Fossil

Do you ever get that, "Man, I'm just not good/pretty/talented/smart/amazing enough" feeling?

Lately, it seems like it's creeping up on me more often than I'd like.
Usually right after I finish perusing through my Google Reader... which is embarrassing, because that means that feeling is being caused by me comparing myself to other bloggers.
It's not something I want to admit to, but if I'm being honest, it's true.

Why do we compare ourselves to others?
Seriously, why? All it does is bring us down.

Sure, I'm never going to be the most-pinned,
the best writer,
the skinniest,
the most stylish,
or any of those materialistic, frivolous, comparable things... and that's OK, because you know what I am?

I am me. 
And that's just the way I like it.

Comparing myself to someone else is literally like comparing apples to oranges.
No one else will ever be just like me.

No one else can make Daniel smile like I can.
No one else laughs just the way I do,
or dresses exactly the same as me,
or knows how I think.

Part of what makes us special is that we are all individuals.
Sure, I fit into that category of a "lifestyle" blogger... but no one else has exactly my same tags, my same voice, or the same feeling that my blog has.
I choose the blogs I read on a daily basis because each brings me something special that is so different than what I have to offer... it is refreshing to see the different styles, habits, writing, and photos.
But I need to stop comparing.

Because the thing is—I am good.
I am smart.
And I am pretty darn amazing.
I don't have to be the best to be just the way I am—just me.

So today, as you read this or the other blogs you read... throw any negative thoughts out the window.
Thanks for being you.

How To Do a Burpee

The Burpee. It's an exercise with a funny name, but it works the whole body and can really get your heart rate going! Since I use burpees in my workouts all the time, I thought I'd give you a little breakdown of what it is and how to do it, so that I can use this as a reference without having to break out the steps each time.

The term "burpee" was coined in the 1930's when Dr. Royal H. Burpee developed the exercise as part of a fitness test. Since then, tons of different variations have been developed and it's become one of the most-used exercises in cross-fit and high-intensity exercise routines.

Normally, a burpee consists of 4-steps, but today I'm going to show you the way I do it, which adds two small steps and makes not only more difficult, but helps engage more muscle groups.

Here we go—how to do a burpee:

Top: Thrifted Victoria's Secret // Shoes: Nike Free Run // Pants: Champion

BURPEE STEPS:

1. Reach up: Reach toward the sky, extending your body. If you add the jump in Step 6, you will only do this the first time.
• Targets: calves
2. Bend to the ground: Bend down and place your hands on the ground.
• Targets: hamstrings
3. Jump out to a plank (push-up) position.
• Targets: core
4. Do a push-up.
• Targets: chest, shoulders, triceps
5. Jump feet back toward hands.
• Targets: core
6. Jump up: Jump up as high as you can. When your feet touch the ground, begin your next burpee (start at Step 2).
• Targets: quads, calves

A traditional 4-count burpee consists of Steps 1, 2, 3 and 5 (stand, bend down, jump out to a plank, jump your feet back in, stand & repeat). I add the push-up and jump to make it harder, which makes it a "burpee push-up with a jump."

Other burpee variations that I like to do include:

• Long-jump burpees (jump forward like a leap frog instead of up in Step 6, this one is really intense)
• One-legged burpees
• Dumbbell burpees (hold dumbbells in each hand while you do the exercise)
• Pull-up burpees (jump up to a pull-up in Step 6, this one is also difficult and usually turns a couple heads at the gym, so I only do it if the gym isn't too crowded)
• 8-count burpees (kick your feet out to a Y and bring them back together between Steps 3 and 4).

If you're a burpee pro, try some of the other variations! More burpee styles can be found here. If you're a beginner, try the simple 4-count burpee.

I have an awesome 10-20-30 workout that includes burpees coming soon, so keep an eye out. What's the verdict? Are you going to give burpees a shot? Let's get fit!

And Hearts

Scarf: c/o Heart of Gold Made // Nails: Here

Shades of pink.
Small painted hearts.
Hand-knit scarf.
Sun-warmed alley.
L♥ve.

Boise View

Bow: c/o Aidie's Hideaway // Sweater: Thrifted // Top: F21 // Boots: Runway Fashion Exchange // Leggings: Steve Madden

Remember the pretty hills in the background of these photos? This view can be found standing atop those same foothills. They overlook the Treasure Valley and the city of Boise. Boise is surrounded by these beautiful, scenic foothills—and they're filled with paths for horseback riding, biking, running and hiking. It's the best feeling to get to the top, look over the entire valley, and take it all in. ♥

The Friar Tuck: Curl Your Hair Without Heat

About a year ago, I made a post called Curl Your Hair Without Heat about how to curl your hair with a headband after watching a video on YouTube. It has since turned into my most-viewed post and has generated a ton of emails from readers who want to know exactly how to do it.

Today, I bring you my very own video tutorial for what I like to call the "Friar Tuck."

More details:

• I have fine hair—and a lot of it. It holds curl well.
• This curling method does not work if your hair is wet. It must be completely dry.
• If your hair falls out of this easily, try wrapping your hair in a silk scarf before going to sleep.
• If you have long hair, try using two headbands to reduce tangles & make it easier to tuck!
• Dry shampoo used for 2nd day oil absorption & extra volume: Suave
• Sea salt spray used: Not Your Mother's Beach Babe Texturizing Spray
• Songs in the video: (1) 1234 by Feist (2) New Soul by Yael Naim
• The photos below show my hair after an entire day. Some days the curls don't last quite as long.

/ / Like this video? Subscribe to my channel on YouTube! If you try the Friar Tuck, tweet or instagram me a photo with the hashtag #auniefriartuck. Love love love ♥

Be Our Valentine

Happy Valentine's Day, friends! I hope your holiday is off to a great start... and if it's not, well then just check out what me and these 30 other beautiful ladies are offering you... a $1,500 Visa gift card! Yes. It's true. $1,500 bones to one very lucky winner.

Spend it on yourself, spend it on your sweetheart, spend it on your sweet old grandma... but whatever you do—check out each of the ladies below, enter via Rafflecopter, and check back here on February 21, because we'll be announcing the winner on the widget. Enter big—win big. Enjoy & Happy V-day!

/ / If you're visiting from the giveaway—HELLO! You can find out more about me here, read my most popular posts here, and even read my FAQ here! I blog about life, style and sauce—sauce being the little things in life that make us smile. Say hello in the comments below... I'd love to find out something new about you and/or visit your blog!

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Gussy Sews | Living in Yellow

The Shine Project | The Wiegands | JustLove.ly

Saturated Canary | Sugar & Dots | La Vie Petite 

Running on Happiness | Cupcake Mag | Oh Sweet Joy

House of Rose | Because Shanna Said So | The Pleated Poppy

Don't Quote the Raven | Wonder Forest | KV's Confessions 

Across the Pond | Tales of Me & the Husband | Crowley Party 

Julie Ann Art | Take Heart | Sparkling Footsteps

Aunie Sauce | My Keep Calm & Carry On | Rags to Stitches

The Chiffon Diary | The Daily Tay | Life of Bon

Eat Yourself Skinny | I Wore Yoga Pants to Work

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You're probably thinking, WAIT—WHAT'S THE CATCH? Here's the deal—no catch. The $1,500 gift card will be mailed to one winner, and it's open internationally. Currency will be in U.S. dollars. What would you do with the big $$ prize?? Good luck! ♥♥

PS / / comments didn't work for the first couple hours, so if you tweeted me your comment entry, you're still entered!

Sapphire and Faded Jeans

Top: c/o Kintage // Jeans: Express // Boots: Runway Fashion Exchange // Bracelet: Gift

It's amazing how sometimes in the hardest of moments, a simple lyric, quote or thought can get you through it. Summer might not be here quite yet, but these lyrics are so sweet. You go ahead and let your hair down, relax, and give a hug to the loved ones around you. Life is good—even on the hard days.

"Three little birds, sat on my window.
And they told me I don't need to worry.
Summer came like cinnamon
So sweet,
Little girls double-dutch on the concrete.

Maybe sometimes, we've got it wrong, but it's alright.
The more things seem to change, the more they stay the same.

Oh, don't you hesitate.

Girl, put your records on, tell me your favorite song,
You go ahead, let your hair down.
Sapphire and faded jeans, I hope you get your dreams,
Just go ahead, let your hair down.

You're gonna find yourself somewhere, somehow."

-"Put Your Records On" by Corinne Bailey Rae

Saying Goodbye

The past three days have been difficult. Sometimes finding the words to say is harder than it seems... so here we go.

First—I'm not going to go into details—but for reasons that I won't explain, we don't have Twiggy anymore. It's heartbreaking. I hesitated even putting it out there at all, but I just wanted to let you know that you won't be seeing her big blue eyes around this space anymore. I hope you can understand that I don't want to go into it, out of respect for our family and for the breed. We miss her so much.

Second, this morning I held our family beagle, Tally Ho, as she passed away. My mom and I stroked her fuzzy head through our tears while she took her last breath. She was 16 years old and she was a faithful and loving family dog to us. The bottom right photo of her is sitting in a frame on my desk—a gift I received this morning from my mom—and I smile each time I look at it.

Tally Ho was "that doggy" in the window of the pet shop that we pleaded for day after day. Tally Ho was the dog who sprinted out the door any chance she could just to go smell the neighborhood and live it up. Tally Ho was the dog who escaped into the fields behind our house in Oklahoma and came home covered in ticks, happy as can be. Tally Ho was the dog who curled up in the bend of my legs each night to sleep. Tally Ho was our dog, our little beagle, our furry friend.

This week I said "goodbye" to Tally Ho and Twiggy, both members of our family. Saying goodbye to Tally, though, was also knowing that her suffering was over. I said goodbye to her frail body, but in exchange now have 16-years of wonderful, cuddly, warm memories to hold tight to when I miss her.

Tally Ho, rest in peace little lady. Now you get to be with your buddy Scooter (brown schnauzer in the top left photo), and play and wrestle forever. We love you & miss you.

Yellow

Sweater: Thrifted // Pants: Target // Bracelets: c/o Payton Woodcraft // Glasses: c/o Firmoo // Hairstyle: click here

"Look at the stars.

Look how they shine for you,

And everything you do.

Yeah, they were all yellow."

/ / from Coldplay's "Yellow"

I want the world.

Scarf: c/o Quotation Marks (blog / FB) // Top: Romy // Jeans: Express // Shoes: Vans

"I want the world. I want the whole world.

I want to lock it all up in my pocket,

it's my bar of chocolate,

give it to me now."

That quote is one of my favorites, sung by the infamous Veruca Salt in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. If that song wasn't in your head this morning (highly unlikely), then I apologize if it is now... and for the rest of the day.

That quote is also what is printed on my scarf from Quotation Marks in the photo above. Just putting that scarf on gives me feel-good vibes. And with that, I bid my adieu to you... I'm off to enjoy the weekend... give it to me NOW.