Recent Reads

I love reading. It has been a favorite of mine ever since I was little. Reading labels, boxes, books, magazines, articles, textbooks....if it has words, I'll read it. One of my goals this year is to read 30 books and I really want to accomplish this goal. I figured I'll share what I have been reading lately.

(Hint: it's not only books!)

Books:

Homefront by Chuck Logan. 

 This is my 'home' book. I read a few chapters, when I get a free few minutes. Its an interesting book so far and not like the books I normally read.

Love in Maine by Connie Falconeri

 This is my 'work' book. I usually try to read for a half hour on my lunch breaks. This is a sweet love story that I cannot get enough of!

Often, I find myself reading different articles during my free time during the day; These articles have stuck in my mind and I wanted to share:

Family adopts seven siblings

Family traditions--- Birthday on New Year's Day

Britt.Raz Interview

Kate Middleton Style

How 2016 will be the year of the cleanse

I have been reading a few children's books for research too:

Sylvie by Jennifer Sattler

Flora and the Flamingo by Molly Idle

The Adventures of Marco Flamingo in the Jungle by Shelia Jarkins

What have you been reading lately?

No Spend January

It is no secret that I went crazy for Christmas this year. I wanted to make up for lost time since last year I was in no mood for Christmas or shopping being so sick. I started my lists in late October and somehow I was still making a last minute run to the mall two days before Christmas.  I  felt as if I was wrapping gifts for months, I used over 20 yards of tulle and I have no idea how many rolls of tape I used. I had a ton of fun and excite out of it but I ended up spending a lot of money. I figured would be a great month to do a "No Spend" Month.  I will only spend money on necessities not clothes, craft supplies or books. (These are the things I always buy when I don't actually need them)

I am usually good with saving money. I have my paycheck direct deposited and I make it a point to save most of my paycheck and then whatever is left over, I pay my credit cards. Now that I have paid off my credit cards, this extra money I have I will make it a point to put more into my savings accounts.


***HOW I FEEL TO SAVE, HOW ITS A LITTLE HARDER TO SAVE, WHAT ITS LIKE TO SEE THE MONEY ACCURING IN THE BANK ACCOUNT, HOW DOES IT FEEL WHEN I SEE SOMETHING I WANT BUT I NEED TO SAVE UP FOR IT.*****

I am setting a goal this year to save as much money as I can.  I am not putting an actual dollar amount on it, because I don't want to limit what I can do.

I hope this month I can start a year long savings plan that only will multiply as the year goes on.

How do you save money?

Show and Tell

Hi everyone! I am linking up with Andrea over at Momfessionals for Show and Tell Tuesday...

I think this is great way to re-introduce myself to all my new blogging friends--- Here I go!

I'm Gabrielle, almost 28 living in New Jersey and absolutely loving life. The past two years have been bonkers and I am happy to be in a better place this year. I am excited to start the year off with a bang and I am curious to see what this year holds for me.

Here's what I'm currently LOVING right now:

My Parents/// I love my family more than anything. We always have such a great time together and we are always laughing. They are always there for me and I appreciate that so so much. From our nightly family dinners to having game nights, whatever we do is we do it together. 

Penelope/// I have an overactive imagination and I tend to bring my stuffed flamingo, Penelope, along with me when  I go on fun adventures. She loves car rides and new places. She is very excited to see what adventures she will go on this year.

Eric/// He makes me laugh every day and our inside jokes are the best. He has been such a big part in my life lately, whether its our daily phone calls and all of our text messages to the adventures and good luck we find- he definitely makes life fun.

Yoga/// This has been an unexpected joy in my life lately. It has given me strength, confidence and flexibility that I was missing. I write about it here.

Friends, landscapes, quotes and selfies/// This is what you would see if you looked at my camera roll. I live life (as Eric would say) with a sense of whimsy and wonder.

I love taking photos, going on adventures, organizing, bright colors, adulting, cooking and reading. I have also in the past year falling in love with blogging. Everyday Jersey Girl has been my baby and I have really taken it more seriously the last few months. Blogging has let me experience such an awesome community of strong, uplifting women. I have also even agreed to be a contributor for another blog totally different topic- Sneakers at SnkrPost. Blogging has opened up a whole new world for me and I am very thankful for that!

On to my goals for 2016---

 I wrote about my goals in depth here and here but I would also like to add to that list one of my goals (that I've kept a secret for the past few years!!!) is to write a book. Probably since 2012, I've had this (crazy) idea to write a book. I think this year will finally be the year to set this plan into action. I'm really excited about this and a little scared too! I've read somewhere if your dreams scare you, then you are doing it right!

I am very excited for 2016--- sunshine, adventures and wonderful memories ahead!

I hope you all stick around my little piece of Internet, I have exciting things coming up!

Social Media Detox

It's no secret that we rely on social media ALOT. Gen Xers are on multiple social media sites and we are constantly setting up the perfect photo to post on instagram and facebook, complete with the perfect filter added;  we try to catch the funniest video to post on Snapchat; and we are constantly trying to write the best statement for Facebook. When did our lives on social media become better than our actual physical lives? I wanted to do something to change how I view social media. I did some research and I found out that a Social media Detox is on a lot of peoples minds. Check out Huffington Post to see what they have to say about this Social Media Detox.I decided I wanted to try this.

This past week, I was off from work and I knew this would be the perfect week to do a Social Media Detox. I wanted to get a lot accomplished and I wanted to get rid of some distractions so the first thing I did was to delete my most used social media apps- Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat. I don't spend a lot of time on social media, but I figured this would be a good way to get a lot accomplished. I had a list of things I wanted to get organized for the New Year and I knew I tend to get 'lost' on social media. I find myself when I am bored, I will peruse these and constantly try and refresh them. After a while, I would see the same posts and I would think to myself- "What the heck am I doing?!" I realized that I could have been doing something else in those 20 minutes I spent on social media.

After I deleted the apps, I had the freedom and time to complete my lengthy to do list. When I wanted to take a break from organizing, I didn't immediately go to my old fallback- social media. I checked the news or I simply didn't even pick up the phone. I realized that after a few days I was able to stay motivated for longer. Being productive is one of my new years goals. I try very hard to be productive and organized but sometimes social media creeps in gets in the way.

This was a refreshing way to end the year. I hope to continue this throughout the year. Social media is a great way for me to stay connected with friends, reach out to other bloggers (on Instagram) for SnkrPost and just to stay up to date with my favorite celebrities. I will be more mindful every time I think to click on any social media and I hope you all too!

Starting the year off strong

Happy January! Not only is January a great month to start setting goals but its also my BIRTHDAY month!Thanks to Canva I was able to illustrate my goals for the month and create this image to print out and frame. I put the frame on my desk because I know I will see it each day.

Did you set goals for this month?

** this is not a sponsored post, I really do love Canva and how easy they make it to create fun little images. **

New Year, New Goals, Same Gabrielle

Yikes! Can you believe that it is 2016 already?! I swear It was just 1999  a couple of years ago. HA!

This year I am setting some bigger year long goals that I would like to accomplish.

1. Last year  I read 38 books;  I hope to find some really good and interesting reads.
2, This is the paralegal core competency exam and I have been trying to take this for the past year and half. This is the year I will take and PASS this exam
3. I haven't taken a vacation in 5 years. I think its time for one. 
4. My family and I do this all year- I want to continue this tradition
5. If I really stick with my saving goals, I will be able to save a lot of money. Also no spend January will really be helpful 
6. I did this project a few years ago. I started it again in September and I forgot how much I've loved this. I am excited to see what I photograph this year!

These are some big goals (especially number 5) but I think If I stay focused and look at these goals daily, I can complete them all. For me to stay on track, I am going to print both this goal and my monthly goals out and frame them; I will place them where I will see them each day- my desk.

What are your goals for 2016?

Goodbye 2015, Hello 2016

 Sparkle and shine

 As we countdown until midnight and  we grab our glasses of champagne; we pull our significant other closer, the excitement grows for 2016;  we make our peace with 2015, remembering the memories, the loved ones we lost, the families we grew with and the friends we shared new adventures with. 2016 reminds us that at midnight,each and every person gets a fresh start for a new year- new opportunities, new adventures, new challenges and new places. So as midnight draws near, make sure your resolutions are set and get ready to close the book on 2015. 2016 is filled with unlimited possibilities... Are you excited? I know I am!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!