You’ll never guess what I was doing at 5 AM on this lovely Sunday morning. Not sleeping. Not getting an amazing workout in. No, I was making applesauce…
Why? Well, I was already up and figured it wouldn’t be a bad idea to start getting some things knocked off my to-do list. Also on the agenda? Church, a treat from Duchess, an emergency grocery store run, shopping at the mall, and dinner with the family. Maybe even a bike ride through the river valley if I have enough energy left. Not the most relaxing of Sundays, but it’s my last free day before I leave for HLS on Thursday, so I’d like to get as much as I can done so that I’m not running around like a headless chicken by the time Wednesday rolls around. Although honestly… I probably will be anyways. Such is the life of a procrastinator 
And on that note, I’ll leave you with some great links to read in case you find yourself with a few free moments. Hope you guys are haven’t w wonderful Sunday, and I’ll see you tomorrow!
In my head…
Realistic Optimists May Have More Success and Happiness via Huffington Post.
Really interesting read on the benefits (and possibility) of being both optimistic and realistic.
How to Maintain a Blog and Keep it Engaging via BloggingPro.
Great advice on the importance of going out to live your life so you can actually blog about it.
The Benefits of Self-Hosting via Apple of My Eye.
Great info on the pros and cons of switching your site to self-hosted.
A Toast via Snack Therapy.
Raising our glasses to celebrate our fabulous selves, cellulite, stretch marks, and all.
Why Sleep is Important for Health via PopSugar.
You may want to rethink sacrificing sleep to fit in a workout or work time.
How to Make a Media Kit Using PicMonkey via Slapdashmom.
Great tutorial on how to make a media kit that will help if you want to reach out to brands.
5 Time Saving Tips for Food Photography via Pinch of Yum.
Great tips on making the picture taking process a little easier.
4 Big Calorie Myths Busted via Shape.com.
I just love hearing people talk trash about bad diet myths…
7 Quotes to Inspire You to Keep Learning via Huffington Post.
Because there’s no such thing as too much education.
10 Ways to Finding Joy in Life via The SITS Girls.
From buying yourself flowers to DIY projects, simple tips to bring a smile to your face.
How to Make Your Own Business Cards Using PicMonkey via The TipToe Fairy.
Exactly what it says 🙂 Great tutorial.
For my belly…
Sweet Potato and Feta Salad via Slim Sanity.
A delicious combo of simple ingredients that makes for a quick and easy lunch/dinner.
Sun-dried Tomato and Basil Stuffed Chicken Breasts via Iowa Girl Eats.
An easy way to add a lot of flavour to your chicken.
Crockpot Stuffed Pepper Soup via Sweet Tooth, Sweet Life.
This flavourful bowl of comfort looks absolutely perfect for the cooling temperatures.
Fig Pizza via The Little Honey Bee.
Figs and goat cheese on an almond flour crust. What more is there to say?!
Chewy No-Bake Granola Bars via The Big Man’s World.
Quick, customizable, and completely drool-worthy. A great option for a quick snack.
Almond Joy Cookies via Making Thyme for Health.
Gluten free, dairy free, and made with whole ingredients – delicious and nutritious.
. – . – . – .
How’s your weekend been so far?
What’s on the agenda for today?
As always, feel free to link up any good reads!
You always find the best articles!! Thank you SO much for linking the photography one and the media kit! I swear I fall in love with Pic Monkey more and more every day!
I love your link posts mainly because I’ve really enjoy all the different articles, blogs, recipes you’ve linked to. Picture short cuts – yep I could use those. Media kits and business cards – um, I need to get on that. Toasts to just loving yourself for yourself. Cheers to that.
Weekend is over…BUT I ran. And ate {a lot}.
I’ve been wanting to get business cards made forever so thank you for posting that link!
Do eeeeeet! I got mine made a week ago or so and I feel so much more legit now 😉
I’m wishing it was the weekend all over again! Luckily Jesse has the day off tomorrow and we’re heading out to a couple of events so it won’t be a boring work day!
Is it sad that finding kabocha squash at the market was the highlight of my weekend??? Only a foodie would understand 😉 Hope you had a wonderful weekend my dear. Back to the grind tomorrow!
Haha I’m glad I’m not the only one who gets busy in the kitchen at ridiculous hours in the morning. I’ve been known to crank out a batch of muffins or two before 6:30 am. 😛
As always, thanks for the links in this post! I love that photography article from Pinch of Yum – I wish I could be that organized (and talented!) when it comes to food photography.
Thanks for all these links! I was trying to go through and pick the ones I found most interesting and I’m pretty sure I have all of them open in different tabs right now. Great minds think alike? 🙂 And I’m seriously laughing about the applesauce thing. 5 a.m. is crazy early but ya gotta do what ya gotta do. Can we please have a few more hours added to today, please? Or at least have another day after Sunday?
I’d be more than willing to sign a petition for a 3 day weekend. Or, you know, a 4 day one 😉
Thanks for the link shout out buddy. Making apple sauce at 5am? I can’t think of a better way to spend my 5am 😉 Once again you find some great links there! Amy’s fig pizza- I made it twice… its so good! (Although I’m moreso referring to everything BUT the figs seeing as they aren’t in season here)
Making apple sauce at 5am? I can’t think of a better way to spend my 5am 😉 Although I’d trade that for the copious hours I spend partay-ing with bluehost….Today, seeing as its Monday, after I get some study and work done, I might try fiddling with the new self hosted blog! Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!
Thanks for the link love again, lady! You’re too good to me.
I can’t believe you were up at 5am this morning! And making apple sauce for that matter.
I was up at 630am but not by choice. #worksucks
I agree, Lindsay’s food photography post was so helpful- I wish my setup was as organized as hers. That link from Blogging Pro also sounds interesting. I’ll be checking that one out; thanks for sharing!
Hope you enjoyed your treat from Duchess. Yum!
Some fab posts shared thanks so much – I’m trying to catch up on reading but will add these to my list too 🙂
x
The Lucky One and Safe Haven are 2 of my absolute favorite books – the movies are so different and kind of a let down 🙁
Oh, I LOVE the Almond Joy Cookie recipe!:) Thanks for sharing! You always share great links and we sure do appreciate it!!!:) Happy Sunday!!:)
They really do look amazing! It’s hard to believe that they’re so healthy. And happy Sunday to you too, Heather 🙂
thanks for the food photography link, i need that one! still learning
Thanks for the great links Amanda! Back when I lived in Jersey, I loved making homemade applesauce in the crock pot in the fall! It was always a highlight of the season. And I loved coming in from the crisp outside air to a warm house wafting with the smells of apples and cinnamon. Oh the memories 🙂
I’ve had a pretty mixed bag of a weekend. We have just got back from the river after Alfie was taking part in a charity rowing event, so much fun!
I love getting things done in the early hours before the rest of the world is up – it is like found time…I made applesauce the other day and OMG so delish (actually it was more like chunky apple pie filling but you know what I mean)…I had extra little apples from Rosh Hashanah baking so I decided to dice em up throw them in a pot with cinnamon and chia seeds and a spoonful of natural applesauce and wow, delish.
That’s actually how my applesauce ends up most of the time – more like apple pie filling. And I still have to give the whole chia seeds thing a try… I imagine that would help thicken things up a little bit.
As if I didn’t already have a million things to line up and make, you throw fig pizza my way. Soon, I’m going to be up at 2 AM just to make all of the recipes I want to make right meow. RIGHT MEOW. Have a great Sunday. I’m trying to find a suitcase big enough for your clothes and my body as we speak for next Thursday… I’ll keep you posted 😉
I just found The Snack Therapy blog, and I loooove her. So hilarious!
Love all the recipes you mentioned too. I’m planning on that stuffed chicken from Iowa Girl Eats for dinner one night this week!
Enjoy your Sunday!
Lurrve the link-ups…specially enjoyed the SITS girls article on Finding Joy in Life and Pinch of Yums tips on photography, I came across this other post on photo tips that I found extremely useful…thought I’d pass it on – http://www.prettyhandygirl.com/2013/01/diy-photography-light-studio-set-up.html
I have nothing planned for today other than church…oh and chores….and baking 🙂
So looking forward to reading about your blog conference at the end of the week! Hope you get to do all on your list today!
Ohhh that’s such a great tutorial – especially with the looming dark winter days ahead of us. Thanks for sharing, Shashi! I may end up having to put that in next week’s link love!
Great picks! You obviously had me at sleep [still working on that one] and there’s never too much inspiration for joy, either.
Church, sweet treats and time with your family – sounds like an awesome plan for Sunday to me. It still takes me by surprise every time I hear somebody planning some Sunday shopping, though. That’s just not common around here where malls/stores aren’t even opened on that day. Which might not be the worst for me as else I’d have one more day to spend money in a not-so-responsible way ;).
Another early riser on a Sunday! I love waking up between 5-5:30 everyday. You have more time to get stuff done! The marginal error bit on the food myths was interesting-I knew it wasn’t exact, but a 20% marginal error-wow. All the more reason to make meals and goodies at home.
Please come and make me apple sauce 🙂 thanks for sharing the fig pizza girly, have a wonderful Sunday! xo
Trade you some applesauce for a fig pizza 😀
Some interesting link ups, thanks lovely! I cannot wait to read through the How Tos – getting more serious with blogging those can be quite helpful.
Also getting up early morning on Sunday to get stuff done is what I do nearly every week 🙂 I love to do some food prep and be productive before the rest of the world wakes up and being lazy feels so much more fulfilling after such a morning.
Enjoy the rest of your Sunday! I’m up early in the kitchen as well, baking mini loaves 🙂
Love reading your links 🙂 Have a great day today getting everything done! I am actually heading to the first NFL game for the Steelers today! I cannot wait. However, I am freaking out a bit because I didn’t have time yesterday to go grocery shopping, and not sure I will make it there today! Oops!
I wish I was currently makin’ applesauce with you! I’ve been up since 3am (urgh) and I could use a tasty breakfast. Thanks for all of the links to keep me occupied :).
3?! Holy.wow girl… you beat me by an hour. It better because you’re packing for Italy or something 😛
It definitely wasn’t voluntary. At 3am, I woke up to this super loud sound. Turns out, my bed frame completely broke. I was so startled I couldn’t freaking fall asleep again.
Trying very hard to resist the urge to make a comment about a rowdy night. Failing… failing…
Love busy Sundays filled with fun stuff 🙂 I also love getting (mindless) things done in the early morning, it opens up so much more time during the rest of the day and I find I’m less distracted during this time, hence more productive.
Have fun today, I’m secretly hoping for weather like yesterday but will wish for enough sunshine so you can ride around river valley 🙂
It’s not looking too good for sunshine so far! Which is just more reason to spend time in the mall 😉
I made homemade applesauce for the first time yesterday (in my slow cooker) and I am officially in love!
Ahhh last weekend before HLS! I’m just trying to get stuff done too…although I think a trip to the dog park is going to happen later today. Other than that, just trying to get some relaxing in.
4 DAYS until we’re in Minneapolis!!! 😀
These are some fantastic links as usual! I really love the one about how to find joy in everyday life 🙂
Today I’m off to teach the first day of Sunday school for the year! I teach third graders so it’s always a little rowdy but definitely still a wonderful experience.
I saw this heart-melting link on The Fitnessista’s FB. It’s a tear jerker: http://www.buzzfeed.com/daves4/28-moments-that-prove-that-dreams-do-come-true
Omigosh that link totally made me all misty eyed. Thanks for sharing, Alison! And good luck on your first day of teaching 😀