Blogging Goals Redefined, and an Updated Spring Chalkboard

Today, I'm bringing you a quick update of an upcycled craft. Part of my goals from my Blogging Staycation was to update and revive some of my old content along with adding in some new content. What us a Blog Staycation you might ask? Bloggers Jen of JENerally Informed, Trish of The Trish List, and Julie of Girl on the Move brought a group of bloggers together with a common goal of moving their blogs to the next level. They created a Facebook group, hosted chats on Twitter and Facebook using the hashtag #BlogStaycation, and sent out informative newsletters each day of the Staycation.

Because of the Staycation, I was able to connect with new bloggers and moms, and make a few new virtual friendships. With the help of tutorials from Kristie from Blog Ambitions, I was able to set up Google Analytics properly to finally track my numbers correctly.

Here's a few of my blogging goals to accomplish for the remainder of 2015:

• Update and revive old content
• Incorporating more guest posts
• Incorporate more lifestyle posts
• Utilizing my editorial calendar to its fullest and creating content to get ahead.
• Monetizing: signing up for a campaign
• Getting my newsletter set up and gaining subscribers
• Moving from Blogger to a self-hosted site

 

You may remember my Spring Chalkboard that I created last year using some upcycled materials and a bit of chalkboard paint. It happens to be one of my most viewed posts, and I love it. It matches the décor in my kitchen, so I put it up each year. I wanted to freshen it up this year, making it bolder and a few sparkles. Everything is better with sparkles!

To track back, here was the finished project, originally:

It all started with this harmless, old wooden frame with a mirror in the middle. Simple, and functional.

But it had absolutely no way to hang it, so I came up with a solution:

Meal Plan Monday: Wrapping up March and Hello April

I'm a little late getting my weekly meal plan out to you guys, some weekends just get away from you! This past weekend, we celebrated the Teenager's 15th birthday with a night out at the restaurant of his choosing, and ended with ice cream. I've been trying to get some important blogging tasks accomplished (like setting up Google Analytics), and I connected with a great group of bloggers for a Blog Staycation and I'm working on mapping out my blogging goals for the rest of the year. I don't want to divulge any spoilers, but let's just say there will be a few changes coming throughout the rest of the year!

Signs of Spring: Favorites from the Spring Craft Blog Hop III, week 2

Its finally Friday! I'm having a working weekend on a blogging "staycation", I guess you can consider it Spring Cleaning for the blog. I've learned so much about blogging since I first started, and even more so since I returned to blogging in January, that I think it's finally time to clean and update some of my old content, to help streamline everything. But before I dive into that, I couldn't forget to bring you my Friday Favorites from the Spring Craft Blog Hop.



We're into our third edition of the Spring Craft Blog Hop, our biggest and longest hop of the series. Each week, I will highlight five of the crafts linked up from bloggers around the interwebs. Be sure to stop by the party each week to see all the new crafts that have been linked up, and add your own as well!
 

Easter is near, and each of these projects have reflect Easter in them. From bright colored Easter Eggs to bunnies and tulips - these are the signs that Easter is almost here. I hope these crafts inspire your Easter décor, as well as make you smile, like I did.

Double Chocolate Banana Muffins

Who doesn't like a double dose of chocolate in the mornings? These Double Chocolate Banana Muffins are extra chocolate-y with Ghirardelli chocolate chips and unsweetened cocoa powder. And of course, adding bananas to the mix makes these healthy, right? Whether you want to call these banana muffins with chocolate added, or chocolate muffins with banana added is up to you!

 

Yes, I'm that lady that almost always has some kind of home-baked good on her counter. Not only can you control the quality of ingredients, but you can also control the portion size when you bake at home. Have you ever looked at the calorie counts of Costco's muffins? The banana nut muffin alone has 640 calories and over 30 grams of fat, yikes! And sure, you could cut in in half, but who is going to do that? These Double Chocolate Banana Muffins are under 300 calories and 1/3 of the fat of a giant Costco-sized muffin. And they have chocolate!

 

We're Out of Soda... (and the Reasons I'm Not Buying More)

As part of my "Get Healthy 2015" goals, I've decided to stop another bad habit of mine. We've successful cut down eating fast food to 2-3 times a month (if that), and we're back on track with three months under our belt of home-cooked dinners. My house is slowly getting organized as I continue to clear out the clutter. There are major things left on my list of getting healthy, and those are cutting out soda from my diet and working out regularly.

My husband and I are soda addicts. When you say "grab a cold one" in this house, we're not asking for a beer. We want an ice-cold Coke (for me) or Dr. Pepper (for my husband). We've been known to go through entire 6-packs in a day. Our recycling bin is often in a state of overflow, from soda cans.

Putting the above paragraph down in writing is a huge step. It's not like I was ever not educated about how bad soda is. It was a habit, and I ignored the warnings from others. I've struggled with weigh issues most of my adult life, but yet I was constantly in denial that soda could be the root cause.  Reading this, you might ask, "why now? Why all of a sudden are you committed to not buying soda anymore?"

Stitch Fix: March Fix Review and Reveal

Have I mentioned before how much I love my Stitch Fix styling service? Oh I have? Well, you're going to hear it again. I. Love. Stitch Fix! Taking a three-year old to the mall or to the outlets is usually a disaster waiting to happen, and we both end up stressed out and cranky before the outing is over. That's why I'm so happy my sister introduced me to Stitch Fix.

 

**This review is in full 100% my own opinion. I am writing this review out of personal interest only, and I'm in no way being compensated by Stitch Fix, or any other third party. That said, if you choose to sign up for your own Stitch Fix deliveries using the links provided on this site, you will be using my referral code. What does that mean: You will still pay the same price for your fixes, but I will receive a $25 credit when your first fix ships.**

 

Bring on Spring with my March Stitch Fix! For this fix, I specifically asked for tees and tanks that reflect the lightness and warmth of Spring. Living in Northern California, a t-shirt and jeans is what I'm wearing 85% of the time, even in the winter months, so its only fitting to make sure I have plenty warm-weather tops on hand. This Fix did not disappoint, even if I didn't end up keeping all the pieces.

 

Never heard of Stitch Fix? Stitch Fix is an innovative styling service that pairs real stylists with on-line clients, sending you 5 handpicked pieces each Fix that your stylist thinks you will love. You fill out a style profile online, and provide detailed feedback for each piece you are sent, whether you chose to keep it or return it. It also helps to set up your own Pinterest board that your stylist can refer to, for further insights on your style preferences or the current styles you're digging!

Follow Creative Mama Messy House's board Stitch Fix Inspirations- Fashion, what's that? on Pinterest.

 

Meal Plan Monday - March #4

I hope you had a lovely weekend, and you are refreshed for Monday! This past weekend was full of productivity and sunshine, as well as making a plan for the week ahead. We celebrated one kid's birthday last week, and we have another one this week. I have a request for pie as birthday dessert this time, so I'll be fitting in baking into my busy schedule! Tell me, what is your favorite pie?

Here's what we'll be eating this week: