Holidays // 2017 New Year's Resolutions

Happy 2017, friends! 2016 taught us a ton - we both grew a lot, especially related to honing what we want out of life and defining our goals for our family. I can't wait to continue working toward those goals in 2017.

New years have always been considered a time to refresh and hit the restart button. 365 more days, 365 more chances. While I'm of the belief that you can start over at any time in the year, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day provide a conscious reminder to hunker down and really define who you are now, who you want to be, where you see your dreams taking you, and what steps you can take to get there.

I think it's common knowledge that you're more likely to stick to your goals or resolutions if you share them, so here goes nothing! Here are my resolutions for 2017 and beyond:

1. Marriage. Tim and I fall more in love with each other with each passing day. We're always having fun together. For us, it matters that we're best friends and that we wouldn't want to confide in anyone else. That doesn't mean we don't have hard days (for whatever reason - external or internal). What it does mean is that we support each other through those hard times and come out even closer. My 2017 resolution for our marriage is to continue putting each other first and to make even more time to adventure and experience new things together.
2. Personal Development - Work. I love to learn and grow. At our yearly reviews at work, we're asked to rate how satisfied we are with our jobs on a scale of 1-10. I've never put a 10 and I don't think I could ever put a 10. Don't get me wrong, I love what I do and I'm blessed with some of the best coworkers. But I could never put a 10 because I'm constantly thinking, "What's next? Where can I expand my knowledge and expertise and help my team do the same? How can I improve upon services?" My resolution for 2017 is to continue developing my knowledge in my field and continue growing my leadership skills.
3. Personal Development - School. The other part of personal development I want to commit to is going back to school for my master's degree. I did some major research in 2016 about programs and universities in our area and still have more research to do. I don't know when I'll be able to go back to school, but I do know going back to school is in my future. I want to do everything I can to advance our family and continue building our network. I truly believe that if I've stopped learning, I need to move on and find another path to continue expanding my knowledge.
4. This Dainty Life. My life has been a whirlwind of ventures. I'm always looking to try new things - some work, some don't. But what has always been a theme in my life is writing, blogging in particular. I've always had a blog in some form - whether or not it was consistently updated is another thing. But there's something different about this blog; I can feel it in my bones. I'm at a point in my life where, although there's still a lot going on, things finally feel settled enough that I can focus on what I'm passionate about in my down time. For me, that's growing this blog. I want to be an educational resource about essential oils and holistic health, provide the cutest DIY projects for you to try at home, and keep friends and family updated about our lives. My resolution for This Dainty Life is to post at least 2 blog posts a week to start and continue growing from there. It won't be easy, but I do know it will be worth it. (Was that too cheesy? I don't think so... I mean, I am writing about my resolutions for goodness sake ;))
5. Buying a Home. Okay, so this one may not fully happen in 2017, although we sure hope it does! We're saving, saving, saving and can't wait to call a house our home. We don't know where it will be or what it will look like yet, but I want to put it out into the universe that this is a major goal for us in the next year or so. We're so excited!
6. Health - barre3. I'm obsessed with barre3. I first tried an unlimited month of classes over summer and truly felt like it changed my life. Unfortunately, it wasn't in our budget at the time to keep attending classes, but I was just able to add it back into our budget and I'm feeling great! The whole body workout it provides leaves me feeling strong and amazing after every single class. And, if I'm being honest, it's nice to get a workout in without having to think about what I'm doing ;) Having a trained instructor tell me what to do is just what I need after a long workday or week. My resolution is to attend classes at least 3x per week.
7. Health - Food. Tim and I do a pretty good job about eating healthy, but also balancing in some sweets and cheat days every now and then. My resolution for 2017 is to continue moving in a direction of 80-90% whole foods and sharing some of my favorite of those recipes on the blog. I'm super excited to use our new Vitamix my mom got us to assist us in this effort!
8. Decrease Screen Time. 2017 is going to be an interesting year balancing all of these resolutions ;) Growing my blog will definitely require screen time, but I also want to decrease screen time in our down time. Less scrolling through social media and watching TV until we fall asleep and more reading, crafting, and adventuring.
9. Grow in Our Faith. Tim and I hold our Catholic faith near and dear to our heart. I want to continue growing in our faith and become more involved with our church in 2017. Tim's mom gave us a book for Christmas called Head & Heart: Becoming Spiritual Leaders for Your Family and I can't wait to dive in!

That's all I have for now! Are you thinking about your resolutions today? I'd love to hear them! Share in the comments below.

In case you were wondering, the amazing planner in the photo above is from InkWell Press. I'm so excited to use it to make 2017 our best year yet!

Holidays // A Very Merry Christmas

I hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend last weekend! We sure did. With our typically crazy schedules, it was nice getting to spend some quality time together. I had Friday through Monday off (much needed!), so it was great to be able to catch up on things and prep for Christmas Sunday.

Our weekend is captured in a nutshell with the above collage of photos, but they definitely don't tell the whole story. I kicked off my long weekend at (where else?) barre3, did some last-minute shopping, and then came home and watched a Christmas movie marathon until going to get my nails done. I asked for sparkly red polish, because it just truly makes the holiday season complete ;)

On Christmas Eve, Tim and I decided to attend the 4 p.m. family mass and, after seeing the most adorable live nativity scene with the cutest kids around, we've decided that it needs to be the one we go to every year from here on out. The angels did us in. Just picture little white dresses with fluffy, sparkly wings and halos. I didn't even know such cuteness could exist.

We usually try to get over to Peacock Lane for its Christmas light extravaganza after Christmas Eve mass, but this year we were both a little sleepy so we decided to stop by Starbucks for a warm drink and head home. We opened a bottle of wine, got in our Christmas PJs, had some cheese, crackers and leftover crockpot soup, and put on a movie. It was perfect.

Christmas morning came around and we woke up early, had a chocolate chip and blueberry pancake breakfast, and opened presents. We chatted with family and then got ready to pick up Tim's aunt from the airport and drive over to his cousin's house for Christmas dinner. This was the first Christmas in 4 years that we've been able to spend with family, so it was wonderful!

This past weekend Tim and I realized this was our 9th (yes, NINTH!) Christmas together. I don't even know how we're old enough for that to be a thing, but we are and it's pretty dang special <3 We'll have to plan something unique for our 10th Christmas together next year (that's a DECADE, people! wow!). I'm so grateful that I get to spend every holiday with this man of mine. He forever has my whole heart.

If you don't follow me on Instagram, I wanted to share my #12BlendsOfChristmas with you. These are a few of my favorite winter essential oil diffuser blends! The one in the bottom right corner is doTERRA's Holiday Joy blend.

About This Dainty Life

I'm excited to announce that thisdaintylife.com is live!

Why "This Dainty Life"? Most of you started following my blog or social media accounts when I was "Essentially Bre". While I loved that name for awhile, I didn't feel it captured everything I want to represent in my blog. Essential oils are a large part of how Tim and I live a holistic, healthy life, but it's not the only topic I write about. I wanted a name that fit the breadth of topics I love, from DIY to life in general to food to essential oils. I needed something that's more all-encompassing. So I did some brainstorming and "Dainty" came to mind.

Dainty, adjective: delicate, small, graceful

Enter "This Dainty Life." Here's what this blog name means to me:

1. Minimal. I want this blog to capture mine and my husband's journey to build a simple and minimalistic life. One of our goals is to continue getting rid of things we don't need. There are so many of these things. It's going to be an interesting journey, but I think one that will ultimately make us happier and freer.
2. Handmade. Those who know me know I LOVE to craft. It brings me joy and I can't get enough of it. I make everything from home decor to handmade candles, soaps, lotions, and other health products that contribute to our holistic health lifestyle. My goal is to document as much of this as possible on This Dainty Life and share it with you all so you might be able to bring some of these wonderful projects into your own home.
3. Health. I look at the word "dainty" and think "simple." I want the way my husband and I eat to reflect this idea of going back to our roots - buy organic where we can afford to and cook with lots of fruits, veggies, and meat. While I'm inspired by those who eat a Paleo diet, I think we'll probably not be quite that strict with ourselves. I am an avid baker, after all ;) But this category isn't just limited to how we eat; it also encompasses what we put on our bodies (like the lotions and soaps mentioned above) and how we treat our bodies (getting into a consistent workout routine). I'll provide updates along the way.
4. Growth. My husband and I are building the foundation for the rest of our lives right now (what a crazy but exciting thought!). I want this blog to grow with me, with us, and with our eventually growing family (not pregnant yet, mom! ;)). In all seriousness, though, this blog is going to hold some precious memories for us and I can't wait to capture all of those sweet little moments with our future kiddos.
5. Whole. Life is delicate. I want this blog to represent living our lives together to their fullest potential. From adventuring more to connecting even more with our faith to truly living in the present, we don't want to miss a thing this great life has to offer. And we'll, of course, document it along the way.

Thank you so much for tagging along with us through this journey. It's going to be a great ride!