Secret Subject Swap

Welcome to a Secret Subject Swap. Twenty brave bloggers picked a secret subject for someone else
and were assigned a secret subject to interpret in their own style. Today we are all simultaneously
divulging our topics and submitting our posts.

Here are links to all the sites now featuring Secret Subject Swap posts. Sit back, grab a cup, and
check them all out. See you there:

http://BakingInATornado.blogspot.com
http://happy-little-feet.blogspot.ca/
http://sorrykid.blogspot.com/
http://dinoheromommy.com/
http://momofbigalittlea.blogspot.com/
http://www.thatsuburbanmomma.com/
http://DeBieHive.blogspot.com

http://followmehome.shellybean.com
http://stacysewsandschools.wordpress.com/
http://www.peanutlayne.com/
http://mybrainonkids.net/
http://www.momaical.com
http://itsadomelife.com/
http://smn0409.blogspot.com/

http://thishappymom.com/houston-mom-blogger
http://www.justalittlenutty.com/
http://hypnoticbard.blogspot.com/

http://macdonaldsplayland.blogspot.com
http://www.cassandrazcorner.blogspot.com/
http://www.simplychicforyou.com


My subject is “Please tell me about 3 of your attributes you genuinely like – whether your
appearance, personality, character – anything about YOU!
It was submitted by: Simply Chic for You

Ok, so here it goes:

It's funny to think about things that you actually like about yourself. It's not often that you are really put on the spot to think about yourself in a way a positive manner for more than a brief second. For me those type of moments are very quick anyways. For instance, I may look in the mirror and think, huh, those jeans look pretty good on me, or my makeup came out pretty good, or wow, I just received a really nice compliment from my co-worker, so I must be doing something right :) As quick as those positive moments come though they leave. Now trust me, I am a confident person, and I generally like who I am, but to go there, in this spot to really think about great qualities I have, is just a little funny and well, interesting.

After some thought on this subject this is what I have finally concluded:

#1.My appearance: I like that I look like a combination of my mom and my dad pretty equally. I have my dad's dimple and there is only one and it is on the right side. I also like that my eyes are turning to be more green like my mom and every so often when I look in the mirror just right, I can see her pretty face staring back at mine.

#2. My personality: I am a layed back kind of girl. I don't stress to much, and I hardly ever get angry. I really believe that things happen for a reason and I just try to deal with situations in that moment as best as I can. I have noticed that co-workers and friends, and family always open up to me and I think it's because I really don't judge and I try to be a good listener (although with 2 kids now that is a little more difficult these days!)

#3. My gender (for the lack of a better term): I love being a girl or should I say woman now? I love everything that comes along with it from being a mom, to being a wife, to liking girly Pinterest stuff, to being able to dye my hair 10 different colors in one year and regretting half of them and making the same mistake the following year. I love clothes, and shoes and make up and being active. I love connecting with other women in my life whether it be my mom or sister or friends or women who I have met through blogging and being a Beach Body Coach.  I love being able to flirt with my husband and get a way with things that no guy ever could because I AM A WOMAN. I love the whole progression of being a girl from being catty with other girls to learning an appreciation for sisterhood. It's all a learning experience and I think it is 100% fun!




.

My TurboFire Over Hauliday Challenge

As many of you know, around 11 weeks ago, I became a Beach Body Coach and a TurboFire fanatic! I even shared my mighty bicep muscle growing! Pretty much since I have started the program I haven't been able to shut up about it and that is really why I decided to become a Beach Body Coach. Trust me, I am not an expert in fitness or nutrition, but what I am, is a self-described expert in sharing information! I looove to share information with people about my own experiences and of others (this is also another reason why I enjoy blogging so much!)
My point is, is I love being a Beach Body coach. Have I learned about nutrition? Yes! Have I learned about fitness? Yes! Do I have a support group of other coaches (as well as Beach Body Club Members) just like me who have the same fitness goals (as well as struggles) as I do? Yes! Do I have a new attitude toward my health? Yes! Am I motivated? Yes!
Now almost on a daily basis, I get asked about TurboFire and Shakeology.
So, I have decided, that there is no time better than the present than to start a fitness challenge! Why not have a plan of action on how to deal with the upcoming holidays and winter bulge??

I think it is really important to have a support network and I believe that is why these challenge groups are so successful. I am currently doing TurboFire alongside my co-worker and between talking to her and other Beach Body Members it has made a huge difference with me in sticking to the program, to keep pushing myself, and achieving my goals!

 If you are interested in joining the challenge or if you have any questions let me know. By the way, I know many of you all ready have TurboFire, you can still join the challenge group, you just need to order Shakeology! Also if you want to know about other programs like Insanity or P90x, Turbo Jam, etc. we can create a challenge group for that too!  You can either post a comment below or feel free to email me at tinybutterfly22@gmail.com

***The Deadline to sign up for the TurboFire Over Hauliday Challenge is November 5th. ***

The Sisterhood of The World Bloggers Award

I never expected to find such a community among bloggers!

I am so lucky to have received another blog award. This one in particular, I find myself humbled to  receive because of the blogger that I received it from. You see, Jenn from My Daily Jenn-ism, gave me this award, and that means a lot because she was one of the first people that I connected with on the Cassandra's Corner facebook page. Jenn has amazing support for other bloggers and their pages and she does this Pay it Forward where she picks pages that she likes and tells her followers to go check it out. Well, I was one of her pay-it-forward recipients and from that I was able to first see how supportive and out-reaching this blogging community really is. So the fact that Jenn picked my blog to receive this award, is super special, because not only has she been with me from the very beginning but her blog, is absolutely wonderful as well. She can be funny and serious, and you can really relate. So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you Jenn! Please allow me to Pay it Forward to her now and go check her blog out! My Daily Jenn-ism
Now the name of this blog award is called, The Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award. How fitting is that??

The Sisterhood of World Bloggers:

1.  Thank the blogger who gave you the award.

Consider that done! Jenn, thank you, thank you! insert HUGE hug! 

2.  Post 7 things about yourself. 

Ok, here we go:

#1. I always, always have my toe nails painted. I don't believe I have ever gone 2 days in a row without toe nail polish on since I was like 10 years old.

#2. I have eczema and it sucks. Because of it, I HATE showing my hands!

#3. I have a sister, Stephanie who is 10 years older than me and a brother Izik, who is 6 years older than me. I love them both more than they probably even know. I forgive them for covering my eyes when I was little and telling me Santa was on t.v. I'm over it...really..

#4 My husband Josh and I have never been on a real vacation together. I can't wait for that to happen one day!

#5. My car is filthy. Like really disgusting on the inside. I don't know what is wrong with me, but I just can't keep it clean. I blame it on the kids, but truth be told, I think it would be a disaster without them...just less Cheeze-its and fruit snack wrappers.

#6. I hate cooking! I hate meal planning even more!

#7. Dear God, I once had to wear an eye patch for a summer when I was younger. Can you imagine..an eye patch and eczema (plus asthma)?? Luckily I grew up in a small town, and kids had no choice but to be friends with me. I no longer have to wear glasses though and my vision is great, thank you very much!

3.  Pass this award on to 7 other deserving bloggers, letting them know that they have been chosen.  

4.   Include a logo of this award in your post.

Here are the deserving 7 that I am passing this blog award onto:
Baking in a Tornado
Crazy Mama
The Empowered Mama
Callia's Corner
Cup of Tea and a Blog
From Thick to Thin
Life of Bon

Enjoy! xx

Guilt-Free Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

First of all, let me be perfectly clear that this is not a blog that will be posting many recipes, because one, I really don't care for cooking. I pin more recipes than I will ever make in my life and I do that for my family, definetly not myself. If I were single I would probably be living off of cereal, salads, and veggie burgers. I have a house of 3 boys though and even though 2 of them are under the age of 5, they all ready have appetites of teenagers! So, to keep them full and happy, I found a recipe on Pinterest for Pumpkin Oatmeal cookies, and I thought they sounded pretty delicious! Plus the recipe said high in fiber and protein and since I'm working out and trying to get in shape, I thought this could be a cookie that I could have one or two of without feeling too guilty!
The recipe I found is actually from the blog, Handmade by Hilani
I stepped out of my baking box on this one because it calls for wheat flour. Any other time, I would have been like, "Oh, puh-lease! Can't we just use regular flour??" "What do I need to go and by some Birkenstocks too to bake these and burn my bra??"
I know, silly to have such an attitude about wheat flour. I am a girl who is usually open to new options though, so I went ahead and bought some, with feet in heels and bra still on!
Here is the recipe as posted by Handmade by Hilani

Guilt Free Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies - High Fiber & Protein

 Guilt-Free Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies {High Fiber & Protein}

Preheat Oven to: 

350 degrees

Ingredients:

1 Stick of Butter (1/2 cup)

1 cup of Brown Sugar

1/2 cup of White Sugar

1 cup of Pureed Pumpkin

2 eggs, room temp

1 teaspoon of Vanilla (I pour heavy)

2 cups of Whole Wheat Flour

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon of Nutmeg

2-3 cups of Quick Oats (Bob's Red Mill)

Preparation:

Mix together dry ingredients (minus oats)

Beat Butter, sugars until creamy

Add Pumpkin, eggs and vanilla (scrap sides)

Add dry mixture to wet

Add Oats 1 cup at a time, should appear very sticky

Bake for 10-14 minutes. Top of cookies should be hard to the touch but soft when pressed.

Close all the windows before baking these because you want to 

preserve the wonderful smell!

Nutritional Facts:  When Whole Wheat Flour and Oats are used, you gain extra Protein and Fiber that's not found in white flour alone.  Consider also adding Flaxseed and you'll gain much, much more. :D

***********************

After I had the first batch baking in the oven, my husband thought it would be a great idea to add some M&M's to them (we didn't have any chocolate chips in the house) and some raisins. Jacoby of course who was my little helper in the whole process thought this was a great idea obviously!

The cookies really did come out delicious and they are super soft, almost a quick-bread like quality to them and it was a wonderful Fall treat! 

Try it out! 

Enjoy!

Oh, How Pinteresting!

I love, love, love Pinterest! So I'm happy to be linking up with The Vintage Apple this Wednesday with the "Oh How Pinteresting" theme!
Here are some of the things I'm in love with this Fall that I found to be so Pinteresting!

I love everything about this Fall outfit!  The plaid, the boots, the colors! I wish I had it in my
closet!

These boots??? Yes please!

Adorable boot socks!

Snuggly Slippers!

Perhaps a lovely new Fall hair color for me!!

Going for a run in the fall. The weather is cooler and the scene is beautiful!

 I haven't tried this yet, but I plan on it. I can just imagine how cozy and wonderful it would make your home smell!  Plus it is so simple! Boil orange peels with a 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon on Medium heat to make your house smell fabulous.

I always say, Who Wouldn't Love a Pumkin Family??

A Spiderman Pumpkin because I know my Jacoby would think this would be the most awesome pumpkin ever!

          

Fall in the Country is the best. So beautiful and simple!

Finally, Fall is always a time to remind us all that we have so much to be Thankful for...our family , friends, health, our jobs, etc. I am thankful for it all!

These are just some of the things that I have been pinning over the past month or so! Please feel free to follow me on Pinterest at Cassandra's Corner and leave your Pinterest info and I will follow you!!

I am...

There is a writing prompt going around the blogging world tonight from You Know it Happens at Your House Too. This is actually the first writing challenge I've ever participated in and let me tell you, I am happy to have stumbled across it so that I can ignore the debate that has taken over the tv right now (my Political Science professors would cringe if they heard me say such a thing!)
So here we go, challenge accepted!
Here are the rules:

"Set a timer for five minutes and write.  Write using the prompt I AM ______________________. Don't edit, don't proofread, don't change it.  You are not required to share it with anyone, even though I hope you do, but keep it close by so that on those days when you are feeling really horrible about yourself (we all know that we have those days), you can look back and remember all the things that make you wonderful." 

I am Jenny, not Jennifer (well, I guess technically Jennifer) or Jen.  I'm not even Cassandra...lol
I am a mom and a loving mom. I am a mom that worries if my kid knows how much I love them and that I give them enough of my attention.
I am a wife to Josh, my husband of 5 years but we have actually been together since October of 2001.
I am obsessed with Pinterest, facebook, google + this whole social media world. I can't get enough of it!
I am happy with a cup of coffee with skim milk and 2 sugars.
I am happy that I have now put fitness into my life and becoming a Beach Body Coach.
I am happy if I can actually motivate people to be more positive!
I am happy if I can help people be healthier.
I am wanting to get more out of life, to matter, and to make a difference somehow.
I am a girl, independent, strong willed, slightly funny. 
I am a girl who doesn't want to allow barriers to get in my way of achieving what I want and am just figuring out how to do that.
I am looking for more.
I am so happy to

My husband said time was up so I had to cross out last 2! 
This challenge was actually harder than I expected. I have always felt confident that I know who I am, but what is funny to me is the things that I missed that are important to me, like the fact that I am a sister, and I am happiest with my family, I am happy to be with my friends, etc. Funny where your mind goes!

A Lovely Fall Liebster Blog Award

Oh, what a happy, morning! It's pretty peaceful in my house right now, albeit around 5:45 in the morning, but all three boys of the house are sleeping and I'm enjoying some quiet time, sipping on some Pumpkin Spice coffee (just one more reason to love fall) before my work day starts. Usually my mornings start out working out but this morning is a little different because I spent most of the night in the ER with Josh (he has some swollen lymph nodes that are wreaking havoc on his body, so the doctor thinks..us...we are not so sure about that explanation). Anywho, all the jumping and thumping around from TurboFire is going to have to wait until later tonight as I don't want to wake him.

It's all good, because now I get to share that I have received my 4th, 5th blog award. I have yet again received the coveted Liebster Award. The Liebster Award was the first blogger award I had ever received and I was sooo excited  as you can look back here: I'm Blushing: My First Blog Award!
Then I received the Liebster Award for a second time, but felt as though since I was just awarded it, there was someone else more deserving than I. But wouldn't you know it, this lovely award has plopped right back in my hands again from my good blogger friend at All For My Boy.
I love getting awards because it reminds me that one, I really need to put effort into posting more often. I mean, it really is what I love doing buy finding the time is so hard to do sometimes! Second, it also reminds me, how great and supportive the whole blogging community is. When I got started I just wanted to share what I thought was cool on Pinterest, but then I saw what other people were writing about and I was like, holy crap, these people are really good and they are really putting themselves out there! They are funny, creative, smart, and over all amazing! I thought to myself, I want to do that too! So my blog is really still a work in progress and I imagine that's what blogs always are. So, I'm continuing to find my own voice and to work on putting myself out there, but not to get too serious about things at the same time.  All that being said, thank you so much All For My Boy, for your continued support of my blog, my facebook page and for joining me on our journey to living a healthier lifestyle. I have truly enjoyed getting to know you!
So getting down to business:
How the Liebster Blog Award Works:

1.  Thank the Liebster Award presenter in your blog.
2.  Link back to the blogger who presented it to you.
3.  Copy and paste the award on your blog.
4.  Present the award to 5 blogs that deserve to be noticed.
5.  Let them know they have been presented with the Liebster Award by commenting on their blog/FB page.
6. Grab your pencil, and pave your own way in the blogging world.
7. Eat a big ole helping of something healthy, cause let’s face it – our health is more important than we give it credit for.

Here are the recipients I am passing this blog award onto. I hope you will pay these blogs a visit and enjoy them as much as I do!
1.)Savvy Suburban2.)Mad Mummas Sweet Randoms
3.) Martinis and Minivans
4.)Because Everything Counts
5). Mom 2 Memphis and Ruby

Enjoy! xoxoxo