New Year, Better Me.

Happy New Year's Eve!!

Here is the beginning to my bullet journal, read below for
more details. Not only is it the beginning to my journal,
it's a great visual beginning to my year. 

     I'm so so so very excited for 2017, I cannot wait to see what's in store for the next year. Is it just me, or does anyone else forget about the week between Christmas and New Year's? I do every time. Christmas comes and goes, and then I'm on pins and needles for the new year. I get myself so hyped up, that I just get disappointed to find that I've got to wait one more week. AHH, practicing patience over here... Anyway, as you can prolly tell, I'm stoked for 2017 for a couple reasons. One being that 2016 has been a year full of many changes and realizations for me. Secondly, I've marked out my goals for 2017 and could not be more thrilled. I love setting goals because I look at the progress I've made and see what my next steps are. One way I've chosen to set goals for myself is through a bullet journal. All it is, is a personalized journal logging your own specific goals and really organizing your year to come. At the end of this post is a set-up of mine and some tips to tag along. I loved making this journal because I got to make it my own, and it's a great way to visualize my goals and my entire year. I sat down at a lovely coffee shop in Flagstaff with my family and took a deep look at what my next steps are, and made some very real and reachable goals for myself. But more about that in a sec. Let's stop to look at some of 2016's defining moments. Shall we?
     One of my biggest accomplishments of this entire year has been my reading plan, call The Bible in ONE Year generated by my church. One of my goals for last year was to be more intentional with my reading and to grow my relationship with God through my reading. Oh boy, did I. It has affected every aspect of my life. This reading plan was the first time ever in really any area that I've intentionally stuck with something. I sucked at staying consistent, and I was going to see something through this year. I finished today. I read the last sentence of Revelation and did a little happy dance. I felt so good to say I had seen something all the way through and grew from the experience. I'll be honest there were plenty of days where my reading plan was something I checked of my to-do list, but the majority of my days involved thoughtful conversations, plenty of convictions, and even a heart change in certain areas of my life. I finished my reading today and stopped to process the thought. I had read God's word in an entire year. I never felt so fulfilled. By doing this reading plan it opened my eyes to two things, how undeserving I am and how thankful I am that my God never changes. Throughout the entire story His people waver back and forth from Him, and He still reaches out to them, answers them, and even redeems them. He disciplines His people, but it's because He jealously cares for us. His love is unconditional, His grace undeserving, and His name is eternal. How comforting the thought. That even though I mess up plenty daily, I'm still His chosen people. My stern discipline from Him was this reading plan. I needed something to stick with and something that was spiritually challenging, and by the end of it I'm running to Him. By reading His word, I see that His story isn't over and I'm playing an active role. I am beyond grateful for His word and appreciate it in a whole new way. I encourage you to include God's word in some way this upcoming year, whether it be a verse a day or a reading plan, but make God apart of your daily life. It will truly make such a difference. You don't have to commit yourself to an extensive reading plan like the Bible in a year, but do commit yourself to God with the choices you make, keeping Him the center of them all.
     Okay, Okay... 2017 goals. Yeah I have the fun goals to read at least fifty books, try new recipes, and write fun letters to my pals, but then there are the necessary sometimes uncomfortable goals that require a change in lifestyle. After an extensive recollection of 2016, I feel so confident in my goals and how I'm walking into 2017. The way I set goals is by looking at specific areas in my life (physical, spiritual, professional, academic, etc.) and break it down from there. I'm not going to go into every goal, because this would quickly become a long and deep blog post that none of us need to delve into. Instead I'll explain a few that stand out.
      A lot of my goals have to do with my character and maintaining one that is Christ centered. From doing my reading plan, I realized that now I've read the word, I want to live it out. I want to actively make a game plan to enhance every aspect of my life in everything I do. I want to see the best in everyone, I want to practice generosity, and exercise leadership. My character is a reflection of who I am on the inside, and as much as that's defined by my passions it's equally defined by my personality. So, this year is gonna be my year. It's my goal to thrive in who I know I'm capable of being.
      Another area is my future... like college... yikes. Man, is it stressful. This is going to be my senior year, so I have to get serious about where I want to go and what I ultimately want to do. I'm very excited about college, but honestly it's nerve racking. Well duh, Emma, it's this major switch in your life coming up. But sometimes it feels better just to state the obvious. So, in response to the inevitable, my goal for 2017 is to be more intentional in all I do. I really want to soak up this last year and a half and get everything out of it that I can. I'm going to be better about investing more time into my relationships, encouraging my friends, and being super intentional with my fifth (soon to be sixth) graders. God has purposely placed all these lovely people in my life, and I'd be stupid not to be an active part of their lives in the best way I can.
      The most expected goal for every new year is improving one's health. Last year I got a really good idea of what a healthy lifestyle looks like. As a family, we're taking our health seriously so we can have a lasting energy throughout the day and better mentality about ourselves in the long run. A healthy lifestyle can become addicting and consuming, I've figured that out by becoming kinda consumed myself over this last year. So, my family is coming together and we are going to all support and hold each other accountable when it comes to a healthier lifestyle. I love leading a healthy life, because not only are the physical effects a bonus but more importantly the mental effects are the strongest. When you think about yourself in a healthy and positive way, exerting confidence, then you're bound be happier. I know I have been these most recent months and I'm stoked for building that even more in 2017. A healthy lifestyle requires a good amount of activity balanced by foods that are nourishing to us.  I love the eating healthy and learning to cook in a nutritious way part of shaping up, but the other side, the working out side, requires a little love. I like working out, but do I love waking up early and getting all sweaty (especially when I wake up and I know it would've been a good hair day)? I'm not sure. Let's get honest for a sec. Who seriously loves the part of getting in shape that gets you all sweaty, gross, and beyond sore. Like so sore you can barely move the next day, and why can't we just get the cute workout clothes and skip the skip the "workout" part?  Oh, well then, with 2017 I'm going to learn to love the active side of my health as much as I do the yoga pants. So, to all those out there who's goal is similar to mine, let's agree to throw our hair up and muscle through because we're going to be so much happier by taking care of ourselves. My mom, sister and I have become big fans of Tone it Up. It's super fun, offers great workout schedules for any level of fitness, and a great planned out nutrition plan. I highly recommend taking a look at it and giving it a try.
     I find it so important to make sure I know my priorities and to turn them into a lifestyle. By setting goals, it helps me see where I want to end up and where my priorities need to be. I'm really looking forward to 2017, and making the most of this year. It's going to be spectacular; I know it. How I know it- because with my goals I've prepped myself and now I'm eagerly ready to get started with being the best version of me in every way.
 
BULLET JOURNAL
For 2017, I made me a bullet journal. Besides turning super pretty, I think it's a lovely way to tangibly interact with your goals and keep track of where you're at. You can get so creative with your layouts and what it is you want to track, the options are endless. Below is a layout of my journal and how I set mine up. Hope you can find some inspiration down below.

First of all, you're going to need a journal (mine is a 250 pages) that is unlined so you can get creative in there. You'll also need pens for writing that won't bleed through and a color scheme (only if you want, I'm a tad bit OCD, so I opted for a theme.) On your first page make an index logging where your contents can be found.
Then move on to a yearly spread. to the left is my set up. Um, yes I did write 365 numbers in one sitting, I don't recommend doing so. I do recommend using a ruler to make sure you get even lines, and outline everything in pencil first. With my record of misspelling and and uneven lining, the ruler will become your best friend. the two pages after the yearly over view, I made a list of all your typical holidays plus birthdays for 2017. You can set that up any way you'd like. I set mine up similar to the picture above with twelve boxes lined up, and filled them up with respective holidays rather than numbers. Now we get to the fun part. The goal setting part!

This is my fitness page, logging where I want to be within a year, within each
month and within each week. It includes 60 minutes of activity everyday, and
hiking more regularly! If you choose to include this as one of your pages, make
goals that are fitting to your lifestyle, and ones you know you can reach.

    

I gave each goal page two pages so would have plenty of room to fill them up. My first pages following are my general goals for 2017, then the following pages hold more specific areas concerning my general goals. I have four areas filled with what is important to me for the upcoming year, and have set it up in such a way that's easy to keep track and to log progress. These are the fun pages. I have one for my health, recipe exploring, reading, and spiritual. You can choose these topics or come up with your very own. The next few pages are just what's a priority to you and how you're going to keep track throughout the year. My tip to you is split it up into categories. As you can see with my spiritual page, I have one page devoted to general goals, the the next page is a place to keep track of my progress. I did this set up for most of my layouts, and I'm very excited to see it all come together and be filed out with the year to come.

This section gets my very excited. Here, as you can prolly tell is my place for recording
my reading progress. I've got a cute little set up to keep track of what I've read, and right
next to my bookshelf, is a place to keep track of genres I've read. I'm super excited to fill
this one out!

Now we have reached the set up for each month and week. I loved setting this up because I have a weird love for planners. I love seeing my whole week written and planned out, and love it even more when it's set up in such a beautiful creative way. On one page, following your goal pages, label which month we're dealing with. As you can see I've set up January. Then I made a list of all my monthly specific goals, things that I want done by the end of January. Following that was the weekly set up. You can get super creative with this part. Set up your week in such a way that will fir your lifestyle. For me, setting up boxes would give me enough room to fill it with school assignments, friend dates, church events, and workout schedules. Phew, that's quite the week. I also made a place for important dates, and an area to write any blog or recipe ideas I thought up through out the week.

Bullet journals are such a fun way to stay consistent and on track with your goals. I want to make the most of 2017 and by setting up my journal, I can see all my goals laid out, and eagerly waiting to be reached. I can stay organized and on top of my schedule with such a pretty journal. I hope you find this inspiring and give it try yourself. It's worth it, even though the set up requires time, it's definitely worth it. Because not only are intentional with coming up with goals for yourself, you're becoming intentional on how you're going to meet those goals. This year is going to be our year, so let's own it and soak it all up. Happy New Year everyone!!

XOXO- Em

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A Simplified Christmas

Happy Holidays Everyone!!
     Christmas is just one day away... oh my! I just managed to get everyone's gift decently wrapped under the tree. This Christmas season has just flown by, but it was definitely one for the books. The last month of 2016 has been jam packed, but spectacular. I adore Christmas as you well know, and this last month has definitely given me my fill of Christmas.
      Currently writing to you in my bed, because on this final week of the year, I am sick. Whoopie!! And of course I get sick right when my church is in full swing of Christmas Eve services. It's a lot, but honestly it's my favorite time of the year for my church. We get so many new people visiting us and it's our job to show them Jesus in such a way that is life changing. Christmas, I feel, is the perfect opportunity to show someone Jesus. Within the message shown, we're explaining why Jesus came, who He is, why His life was so significant, and the role He still actively plays today. And I love being a part of it all!!
     This Christmas season has felt different from all the rest, I've had a different mindset about everything this year that's left me overly satisfied, and I'm gonna share with you a few things I did that got me through the holiday season less stressed and more positive about what's ahead. They are simple ways to lead a more simplified focused life that can be applied to anything, not solely Christmas.
      This Holiday season I simply did more of what I love. As I've expressed before, I'm silly about baking. Nothing really gets me more excited (except maybe some new books ) than baking. It's something I've come to find I really love and something I want to pursue. So that's what I did! I recently attended a baking class at Sur La Table in Scottsdale, Arizona and learned the fine art that is chocolate, and oh boy... it's quite extensive, yet absolutely fascinating. I learned how to make peppermint bark and hand rolled truffles, sounds fancy eh? Well, the process is actually really easy once you get the hang of it. And chocolate being the beautiful thing that it is, pairs well with any flavor. After the class and taking home the goodies I managed not to eat, I realized I wanted more. Yes more chocolate, but specifically more experience in a culinary environment. While that requires a step out of my comfy zone and into the unknown, I walk in confidence for I know I'm walking into to something exciting; something that is shaping the person I'm becoming. So by simply doing more of what I love this holiday season (and all the days to come) I'm becoming this person I've been searching for. I'm becoming someone who's confident in her abilities and who's fear of the unknown is ever present but no longer controlling her decisions. By doing more of what I love I am leading a life of simplicity, because I'm finally focused on the passions in my life that make me happy.
      Also, throughout the holidays, I've kept my gaze upon Christ, and oh the difference it makes. This season especially, it's easy to lose sight of our Lord and Savior and get focused on those around us, the mounting to-do lists, and even the festivities. None of those things are bad, but none of those things should capture our full attention. This entire season is about the birth of our Savior, our Redeemer. With our eyes upon Him, our hearts will be satisfied our mind will experience peace. I cannot imagine going throughout this season without Jesus, I mean not only because it's His birthday, but also because He is the one who restores peace and security within me. Christmas is such an easy time to get wrapped up (get the pun) in all that's going on and watch it slip from your over filled hands. What I've had to do is to let it all slip, take a deep breath, then pick up some different things. I fill my hands and heart with Him. I've made an effort this Christmas to stay focused on the reason for this season and it's paid off. When I choose to keep my eyes on Him I see Him in every situation. When I fill my heart with Him, His love is revealed within me. When I fill my mind with Him, I see others the way He would see them. This Christmas has been simpler and more memorable because I've let go of control and became centered on Christ who has complete control of it all.
Here are a couple of verses I go to during this season, and they are such great reminders of what God is capable of and where He stands in my life.
-"For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on His shoulders and he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6
-"I meditate on your majestic, glorious splendor and your wonderful miracles. Your awe-inspiring deeds will be on every tongue; I will proclaim your greatness." Psalm 145:5-6
-"The Savior - yes, the Messiah, the Lord - has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!" Luke 2:11
     Another way to achieve simplicity in the craziest time of the year is to make an experience out of it. Yes Christmas can be stressing, but only stressing because if make it so. If we choose to have a stressful, get-me-through-this mentality, then Christmas honestly won't be all that enjoyable. Trust me, I've had Christmases like that. But if we instead see Christmas as a wonderful time to recognize our Lord, surround ourselves with spectacular people, and fill it to the max with experiences... well you're bound to have a happy Christmas. As a family we made it a priority to focus on experiences instead of expenses this year. By making that simple perspective switch, our Christmas has become more enhanced and intentional. We have found ourselves choosing to stay in a do movie days and abundant amounts of baking for the sake of tradition. We'd rather spend time looking at Christmas lights and walking around downtown without feeling the need to spend money in order to make it special. This year, my sister and I tackled a gingerbread village rather than the traditional house. We had to hot glue the houses together and watch the frosting drip comically from the rooftops, but honestly it was really fun. What made it so enjoyable was the fact I was doing it with Jill right next to me laughing the entire time, and watching a cheesy Christmas movie. Now, it's something I want to do every year. From experiences such as those, we, as a family, find our Christmas most fulfilled and every memory treasured.
     Our Christmas has become simplified because our perspective and mindset has become more simplified. This year, by keeping Christ centered in our lives, we experience the result that is an everlasting genuine happiness that will make our holidays and everyday that follows more memorable. Merry Christmas everyone and I hope your Christmas is stress free and filled with experiences that enhance your holiday and even your new year.

XOXO - Em

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A Few of My Favorite Things

Happy Holidays!!
      Can you guys believe it?! We're less than two weeks away from Christmas and I still have Christmas shopping to do. Oh boy, this is stressing. Thank goodness I've got good gift ideas, I just have to find some time to get out of the house and be away from the fam. Honestly, the struggle is real. Every day this week has been filled with something festive and as busy as it's been, it's been a blast. I love it so very much. We've made a bucket list of all the things we want to get out of December and I'm so proud of us! We are checking off so many boxes and fully embracing this last month of 2016.
   Today was my favorite day of the holidays: holiday baking!! Oh how I love me some festive treats and sugar cookie dough. Today was a blast and I couldn't have asked for some better pals to spend it with. My mama, Jill, and I baked all day and if I do say so myself came up with some pretty tasty treats for our upcoming Christmas party this Friday.
      Okay, so I love baking but I always seem to do a crap ton of it all on one day. Why is that? I always end up stuck in the kitchen for six hours straight making so many goodies. Alright, I love it, but man am I drained. The funny thing: I'd do it all again tomorrow.
      For this post I'm  going to share with you three of my favorite holiday treats that are bound to be a favorite at your next party or perfect for a day in! Also I've got some easy creative ways to dress up your gift wrapping this season. With new holiday treats under your belt and your wrapping to the next level, you're gonna be acing this season.

CLASSIC SUGAR COOKIES
Okay, I do Christmas for the sugar cookies. No lie; their seriously my all time favorites and an all time classic. You simply can't do the holidays without a sugar cookie topped with shiny royal icing. Lucky for you, I've got the PERFECT and only recipe you'll need this season. With this recipe there is no need to chill the dough and you won't get over sized fluffy cookies. Because who wants a Christmas tree that looks like and oval, and a snowman that looks like an oval, and an angel that looks like oval. See what I mean? Well with this recipe you are guaranteed true to shape cookies that are quite tasty too!!
Yeilds: 3 dozen
INGREDIENTS:
* 1 Cup unsalted butter
* 1 Cup granulated white sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
* 1 egg
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 3 cups all purpose flour

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. In the bowl of your mixer cream butter and sugar until smooth, at least 3 minutes
3. Beat in extracts and egg.
4. In a separate bowl combine baking powder with flour and add a little at a time to the wet ingredients. The dough will be very stiff. If it becomes too stiff for your mixer turn out the dough onto a countertop surface. Wet your hands and finish off kneading the dough by hand.
5. DO NOT CHILL THE DOUGH. Divide into workable batches, roll out onto a floured surface and cut. You want these cookies to be on the thicker side (closer to 1/4 inch rather than 1/8).
6. Bake at 350 for 6-8 minutes. Let cool on the cookie sheet until firm enough to transfer to a cooling rack

ROYAL ICING
INGREDIENTS:
* 6 cups powered sugar
* 1 tsp vanilla
* 1 tsp cream of tartar
* 4 large egg whites
* any food coloring desired

1. Combine all ingredients to a stand mixer and mix on medium speed until icing becomes smooth. About 5-6  minutes. Then divide up icing and add in your desired colors. Then get creative with your sugar cookies!
     Sugar cookie decorating is one of my favorite traditions and memories. My favorite part is when I'm nearing the end of icing and there are about seven or eight cookies left. The icing is starting to dry up and sprinkles are littered on my plate. So in record decorating speed I iced all the remaining cookies dumping the assortment of sprinkles on top and called it festive instead of what it really was: tired. I did that when I was eight, I did that once again today and have every year in between. I absolutely love it. Oh they all taste the same no matter the amount of sprinkles or icing, they are the perfect bite of a soft cookie with the smoothness of icing, soooo good!

MINT OREO TRUFFLES
Um, you can't do winter without some mint and chocolate. At least I can't. That quickly becomes a staple in the Surrett household. I don't know who said mint and chocolate had to get together, but whoever did, I thank them a thousand times. I don't know what I'd do without the lovely combination this time of year?? So I've whipped up a recipe that's bound to meet your mint chocolate cravings and be hit on any movie night or at any holiday get together. Okay let me spell it out. Cream cheese, mint Oreos, and chocolate all rolled into a chewy truffle. Sign me up for some! ( or three or four.)
Yields: 24

*1 (15.25 oz) package Mint Creme Oreos
* 8 ounces (224g)  cream cheese, softened to room temperature
* 12 ounces high quality semi-sweet chocolate1
* Optional: sprinkles and green candy melt

* Process the Oreos (the entire cookies, filling and cookie) in a food processor or blender. Pulse until crumbs are formed.
* break apart softened cream cheese and add to food processor with crushed Oreos. Mix until a thick sticky dough is formed. This might take a little bit, so make sure the cream cheese is room temperature.
* Using your hands, roll into 30-35 balls. Place balls on two large plates, a parchment paper lined baking sheet, or a silicone mat-lined baking sheet. Freeze the truffles for about 30 minutes. (Freezing the balls is the most important step of this recipe. If they are not cold and solid, the melted chocolate will not coat the balls properly.)
* Coarsely chop the chocolate and melt according to package directions. Working with 1 truffle at a time, coat in chocolate. Here's how I coat truffles: drop the truffle in the middle of the melted chocolate. Swirl the chocolate all around it with a fork. Pick up the truffle with a fork - do not pierce it, simply pick it up on top of the fork's prongs. Tap the fork on the edge of the bowl to allow the excess chocolate to drip off. Place on a lined baking sheet. Top with sprinkles while the chocolate is still wet or drizzle with the melted green candy melts, if using.
* Refrigerate truffles for at least 10 minutes so the chocolate sets. Truffles must always be chilled and will stay fresh for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. ENJOY!!

S'MORES CRISPIES
To be honest, this recipe was a what-have-I-got-left-in-my-pantry sort of recipe. I found me some marshmallows (in two different places), half a box of gluten free plain Chex cereal ( consisting of crumbs mostly), and half a bag of dark chocolate chips. That to me sounded like the making of a s'more...and a rice crispie treat....then the two became one. Oh happy day. These took no time at all to make (or eat) and your always bound to have these ingredients or some very similar to it on hand for a quick tasty goodie to throw together. Here's how it goes.
Yields: 16
INGREDIENTS:

4 cups rice Chex cereal
1 bag of mini marshmallows
2 tbsp butter
1/2 dark chocolate chips

Spray an 8x8 baking dish with non stick spray and set aside
In a medium sauce pan melt marshmallows and butter over medium heat
Once combined add cereal and mix together until cereal is coated with marshmallows
Place Chex Crispie treats in baking dish and press down until bottom of dish is evenly covered and place in refrigerator to chill.
Pour half a bag of chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and heat in 30 sec increments (stirring every 30) until totally melted.
Grab Crispies and pour the chocolate over the bars with a rubber spatula until top is totally covered.
OPTIONAL: sprinkle crushed graham crackers on top. Replace in refrigerator until chocolate has set then cut into 16 bars.

     I adore this holiday season because of all the goodies I get out of it. Baking all the time is fun, but it just seems like the proper thing to do during the holidays. Not gonna lie, the only reason I'm still working out in the winter is because my passion for baking has increased. Balance right? These three recipes are bound to be hit no matter where they end up. Hope you enjoy the recipes throughout this entire season.

BROWN PAPER WRAPPING
Brown paper packages tied up with string are seriously some of my favorites things. I can't help myself. Pretty paper with pretty decor...makes me heart go pitter patter. I met my love of adorned packaging by deciding to take a stab at some elevated Christmas wrapping.
Materials I used:
Brown wrapping - found in the packaging aisle, I had to ask. I found it at Wal-mart for about $5.00
Card stock paper - I used pink, mint, and white
A decorative piece of paper - I used black and white polka dots
Twine
Gold glitter
Liquid glue
Greenery - alive or fake, I used some generously provided by my front yard
5 boxes varying in size
Scissors
These are all the materials I used and here are the steps to a couple of boxes I did. This is super easy to change up and get creative with and use as a guideline. Wrapping is something you can easily make your own, and I don't see why you shouldn't. Have fun with it.
Okay here's what I did for a couple of mine.

I wrapped the box all nice and snug with brown paper, which can be a little difficult to use. I took the twine and wrapped it twice around the width, then twice around the length of the box. I then cut a square of my decorative paper fitting it smack dab in middle over the twine, gluing it down in the
corners. I then took a fuller piece of greenery and taped it in the middle of my square. And there you go. Give it a To and From and you have some simple and beautiful wrapping.

For this one, it required a lot of patience and light bulbs. You'll see. With my three card stock solids, drew out a twinkling light bulb and outlined them in black. I ended up with 24, eight of each color. I
then punched a whole in the end of them all, I long process, but the result is so pretty and unique, I just love it. From there tape the end of a piece of twine to back of your wrapped box, then string on four lights (any pattern of your choice), then wrap twine around with the lights on the front and an empty strip in the back. Repeat this process two more times until you have twelve twinkling lights hanging from you package.

Hope you enjoy this post and elevating your holiday season in such a simple, creative, and festive way. I know these are going to become some annual staples for me, hope they do for you too.
Happy Christmas!!

XOXO - Em