HANGING WITH JILL

Summer Bucket List 2013!

2013-05-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

Guess what I have been doing this week??

Planning our

2013 Summer Bucket List!

Last year I took on this Challenge from the HAPPY FAMILY MOVEMENT crew,
which was to create a
"Summer Bucket List"
of items you want to do during the fun summer months with your family.

And it was a blast! We took some amazing adventures and had some wonderful fun times together
and I truly love this idea.

After all, planning and preparing = success and fun right?!?

Before I jump right to the Bucket List's I thought it would be fun to give a quick introduction, on my favorite four people in the whole world.

First: Cory (my hubbie)

We have been married for almost 14 years and every year is an adventure!

Next up is Asher who is 10.

His name means happy and he is truly is a joy to be around!

Then we have Bensen or "B"

Seriously the funniest, cutest, curly haired guy you'd ever see!

And then we have Miss Lily

She is my best friend and doesn't mind doing a little yoga with me.

And as for me, I am a happy mom and wife who is love with life.

I have a company called Tree Fitness where I Coach, Consult and Personal Train people and families in-home and online, to accomplish their health, fitness, and lifestyle goals.

For more information on my services and if you would like any direction or help regarding your family and health, you can find me here:

jill@treefitness.com

Facebook - Tree Fitness & Jill Bronson Griffiths

Instagram/Twitter - stayfitjill

Take a picture of you or your family doing something healthy and hashtag it with #inspiringdailysweat for your chance to be featured on my @inspiringdailysweat Instagram site.

Here is our last year's

Summer Bucket List:

This year our Summer Bucket List looks like this!

I am so excited for this list, especially number 1 and 7.

What does, "3-Point to map destinations" means?

Well, I will put a map of Utah up on the wall, and allow each kid to have the opportunity of pointing to somewhere on the map, and wherever they point, we will drive to that destination and explore where they pointed.

The other one I am super excited about is the 2013 Summer Video that we will create as we check off each item on the list.

Head over to: http://thehappyfamilymovement.com/summer-fun

to learn more and create your very own Summer Bucket List!

Loves,
Jill

Chicken Pizza Recipe!

2013-02-12T13:37:00.002-08:00

Have you seen my tabs UP at the top? (Healthy Breakfast, Healthy Lunch, Healthy Dinners etc)

I like to put some of my go to dinner recipes up there.
I have some qualifications when it comes to my dinner recipes.

1- Simple, healthy ingredients: I do not have all the time in the world to make dinner. Between Karate, Art class, Piano lessons, Dance lessons, basketball and my own training schedule, 5 course dinners do not happen around here!

2- Must taste good: bottom line. Healthy food must taste good to me. It must be moist, have flavor, and can not feel or taste like cardboard.

3- Quick and easy: Quick to assemble. Easy to throw together! (advanced prep work is always necessary for healthy meals however. Bottom line...you must prepare or shop with a purpose, in advance, or your meals will not be beneficial for your health)

4- Protein packed, and vegetabley filled: (I made up that word if you couldn't tell)
Protein = satiation people! It also equals muscle. So if you are looking to improve your figure, eat your protein! And I hope none of you rolled your eyes when I said vegetabley filled...veggies are an awesome carb source and really who can't find at least one, hopefully two vegetables to like? (And no corn is NOT a vegetable...)

On a side note, I went to a seminar a couple weeks ago and Dr. Tracy Gibb was one of the speakers. He was absolutely hilarious and entertaining, which was great, but he also knew his stuff. He said if every mommy would feed their kids 1 little piece of broccoli at dinner, EVERY DAY, their immune systems would bump up drastically. Broccoli is nutrient packed and is also an immune system defender. He said the broccoli with the biggest bang for your buck, are the florets that still have a blue tint to them.

I just added one of my favorite recipes "Chicken Pizza" to the Healthy Dinner section. It's fast and easy and my kids love it, cause they get to create their own pizza. Go check it out and let me know what you think.

I love this picture.

My bootcamp ladies might not however.

This is is at 6:30am in the morning.

They had just finished doing as many push-ups as they could, in 1 minute.

They are awesome.

Because they are conquering fear.

Because they are forcing themselves to make their health a priority in their life.

That is not easy for us momma's to do.

Doing push-ups is not easy.

Waking up at 5:30am is not easy.

Being uncomfortable is not easy.

There is no growth, in being comfortable.

Loves,

Jill

Family Room Makeover (Part 8)

2012-12-30T18:25:00.000-08:00

We had such a wonderful Christmas. It FLEW by this year, which every year seems to go by faster and faster, but it was such a fabulous Christmas season for my little family. I enjoyed more then ever, seeing family, spending time together, and really just watching my children enjoy the season.

We got the mantel done just in-time for Christmas!

I was able to clean up the room, roll the carpet back out, clean everything really well, and invite family over to enjoy the new addition to our home.

I want to get right to it so here is the before and after.

If you want to click back to where we started and scroll through the process

click HERE

And here is the same room with the mantel, new window, and opening into the sitting room.

Much brighter and I think the smartest thing we did, was open up the two rooms.

It now seems like a spacious, open room.

And, to be honest...I LOVE IT!

Now obviously, we still have work to do and I have more in-store for this room.

This next weekend we are going to get working on it again.

Planked walls and Coffered ceiling are in the plans.

Until then, here are some more pictures of our work :)

Side view...I looove that I have a place for our favorite books and blankets.

And on the other side of the mantel is our reading and game nook.

I had a great time decorating my new mantel for Christmas. Bensen had to help and insisted that I put the Santa hat on top of the little fake pine tree that I found at IKEA.

If you like the sweater Christmas stockings I made, click HERE for the tutorial on how I made them.

And I don't want to forget my other favorite part.

I bought a fan kit for our fireplace, and Cory installed it.

Installation wasn't as easy as we thought it was going to be. Only because it was hard to get the 4 fans installed into that squishy, dark place.

But never fear, Cory is here!

That really is how I think, cause he figures out everything!

Look close and you can see the first installed fan.

There is a sensor that sticks to the bottom of the fireplace and once it hits a certain temperature the fans automatically turn on. Then the hot air gets blown out by the 4 fans.

it's totally rad.

I really do hope your Holiday season was amazing and you made many lasting memories with those who are special to you.

Happy New Year!

Jill

Family Room Makeover (Part 7)

2012-12-16T18:32:00.004-08:00

Week 7...

and I'm ready for this project to be wrapped up.

Let's be honest.

My front room has been a wreck since before Thanksgiving and I'm kinda ready for our family gathering place to be a place that we can gather again!

We are sooooo close.

We got the mantel on this week.

And it was no easy task.

We had to special order the molding, because Lowe's and Home Depot didn't have the look that I wanted. So we ordered it and when it came we tried it out.

Unfortunetly, it wasn't good. I needed a bigger, thicker molding piece.

It just about took all the talking I had to convince Cory to wait and buy more molding (that would take 3 days to be delivered from Salt Lake) just to try out and see if it was a better fit.

Patience is not Cory's middle name.

But he agree'd and we stopped building and waited hoping it was what I, I mean we wanted.

We got the piece (delivered a day early!) and it ended up working out perfect.

(The brown molding piece is the piece we were waiting on)

Once we installed the mantel and agree'd on the way it looked ;) we leveled her out and installed it.

Next came the part that I definetly had been dreading and the part I know Cory wasn't so excited about.

The Puttying and Sanding part.

Every nail hole, gap, and joint got a whole bunch of the putty on it.

Putty always leads to sanding. Which means very dirty house and very sore arms.

Still Sanding.

Once the sanding part was finally over.

PRIMER!

I knew once we got our first coat of Primer on, I would be able to see the vision come to life.

This vision.

This is after 2 coats of primer, and I couldn't be happier!

What do you think?

Yes I took all these pictures in the dark, so better pictures are to come.

But that will be next week when I do the big reveal.

Two coats of real paint this week and we are done with the mantel.

Can't wait to decorate this sucker.

Loves,

Jill

Family Room Makeover (Part 6)

2012-12-09T16:34:00.000-08:00

We are starting to see the light at the end of the mantel, I mean tunnel around here.

We left off with the fireplace and surround looking like this.

Cory got to work and installed all the major pieces, or the shell, and in no time it was done.

We ended that day with this big, boxy, wooden enclosure.

I didn't like it so much because it wasn't doing my vision any justice.

But in no time we started transforming it...

And finally ending up with the personality of the surround installed.

Have I mentioned Cory is AMAZING yet? My friend asked me the other day if he is "for hire". When I brought it up with him, thinking he might want to make a little extra cash, he said... "are you kidding?? no way."

I see lots, and lots, and lots, and lots, of puttying, and sanding and priming and painting, and then more puttying, sanding and priming in our very, near future.

Wish us luck.

Loves,

Jill

Family Room Makeover (Part 5)

2012-12-02T17:58:00.000-08:00

Once again we have been quite busy and trying to get as much done on this makeover!
Here's the update:

We ended off with the window being installed.

Now that the window is installed, we needed to get the stucco repaired.

The stucco guys came over and did a pretty good job.

I have learned that stucco is pretty darn hard to match 100% perfectly.

We don't have a 100% perfect match, but I'll take what I can get and keep it positive ;)
(The gray color is not the final color...it is pre-color)

Asher took all these shots for me. I think he did great job.

Once that part was over we could focus on the part I have been waiting for this whole makeover process.

THE MANTEL AND SURROUND!

When designing the room there were a few things that were really important to me:

1-storage

2-family friendly layout and usage

3- and of course attractability

I wanted lots of storage but didn't really want built-ins along the side of the Mantel for fear that it would look to busy. I figured I would just find furniture that will double as storage for blankets, books, and games and all the other things that we will enjoy doing together as a family in this room.

Then I had a LIGHT BULB moment.

Why not add storage into the mantel surround?

Cory and I discussed the possibilities and if it was feasible and he was on board and we went for it.
On the right and left side of the surround there was plenty of room to build shelves inside the unit from the floor to the ceiling, without interfering with the fireplace and the requirements of spacial safety.

So this is what we did.

When installed they will not stick out.
The shelves are deep enough to hold games, blankets, and books.

Cory decided to construct each box and then glue and nail them all together once we knew they fit.
Here they are with 2 coats of primer and a coat of high gloss paint on them.

This took a ton of work and patience on Cory's part and he did such an awesome job.
I can't say it enough about how lucky I am to have him be as amazing as he is.
He is a man with many talents!

Front view of how they tucked in nicely.

He built shelves that go all the way up on the other side.
Lots of storage and an awesome addition to this space for sure.

We also were able to get the trim up around the windows.
(Yay for Thanksgiving holiday's and days off work!)

I am so happy it is December, aren't you?
I can't wait for my kiddos to be out of school so we can spend time together and play and visit family and friends and enjoy this amazing giving season!
Sending a little Christmas spirit your way :)

Loves,
Jill

Family Room Makeover (Part 4)

2012-11-25T18:08:00.000-08:00

The window is in!

Let's back up...

This is where it all began...Part 1

This is where we left off last week.

Let's start with the window

If you look closely you will see the holes around the framed in window that Cory drilled. That was to give us reference marks so we could go on the outside to draw the lines of where we were going to cut the stucco.

We left a two inch border around the hole, so the stucco guy could come and replace the stucco and put the same trim around the windows that our other windows have. That is why there is two lines drawn.

We got rid of the fireplace piece, and then it was time to saw.

Cory bought a new saw blade to do this but it wasn't enough. We had to call our neighbor to come over with his saws-all to help us get through all the layers of the house.

I left to do carpool and some errands and came home to success! A big hole in my house!

Here you can see Cory installing the fireplace flu thingy.

A couple of screws and some caulking and it was ready for stucco.

I thought this was a fun view of the outside and inside of my house all in one shot.

Here is the view with hole cut. So much light! I love it.

Before the window:

View from the hall by my front door pre-window

View after.

My goal of an open flowing space is coming together.

One step at a time.

Stay tuned for the outside stucco repair and more sheetrock pictures coming soon. (maybe this week if I can get to it)

Loves,

Jill

Family Room Makeover (Part 3)

2012-11-18T17:46:00.000-08:00

Lots of progress this week, which makes me oh so happy!!

This is where we ended up.

Sheetrock off, 2x4's exposed. Those white pipes to the left are the hot and cold pipes from the bathroom directly upstairs. We didn't open the wall any further so we wouldn't have to pay or mess with those white pipes. If you see to the left of the white pipes a dark black pipe. That was actually the pipe we thought we were going to find in the middle of the wall, so when we got the sheetrock off and there was no black pipe we were SOOOOO HAPPPPPPPY! It all worked our perfect because our barn doors are each going to be 3 ft wide (= 6ft wide opening) and so we didn't need to move those white pipes. PHEW (move any pipes = $$$$)

This is the other wall where the fireplace is going to go.

We ripped off the sheetrock, and right away I got to taping what my mantel would look like on the wall. To my hubbie's dismay, I am ALL Visual. If I can't see it, I can't give it the final approval. It's really hard to look at a blank wall and visualize 3-D objects that aren't really there. With me?

So this is what I did.

Doesn't that help?

Here's another.

Can't you just visualize where the other window on the left is going to be? Good it was already framed in so I could visualize it ;)

Before the framer could come we had to move the gas line. I hired out someone to do the actual cutting and moving of the pipe, but Cory and I decided to cut the subfloor and get it ready to reroute to save $$.

This picture still freaks me out.

I think I was slightly freaked out because I could see the beams, insulation from the floor and the whole idea of compromising the sub-floor made me have to leave the room for a sec. But like always it didn't stop us from DIourselves and we moved on!

The framer came and framed in the fireplace and installed the beam in about 5 hours. He was fast and did a great job. If you need a framer lmk and I'll give you his info.

And here is the room from the soon to be living room.

There is the framed in fireplace!

Can't wait for the window to be in, that's coming next week!

Have an amazing Thanksgiving and hug and kiss all those you care about.

That's my plan.

So look out to all my family that I love!

Loves,

Jill

Family Room Makeover (Part 2)

2012-11-11T17:38:00.002-08:00

This week we decided to open up the wall from family room to living room...if you remember this is what it looked like.

The blue line is where the wall will be open and eventual barn doors will reside. We took the fireplace out last week and now we are ready to open up the wall.

This is the wall view from the other room, and from the hall looking in the living room.

It looked kinda freaky when Cory started sawing from the other room. A saw moving all by itself was enough to keep Bensen entertained.

Yes at this moment I did start to think we are crazy and slightly over ambitious...

That slight weak moment didn't stop us of course.

And here is the wall, fully exposed, and open!

Now for this wall...

The blue line is where the fireplace and new mantel and surround will be.

Remember this?

The road is looking long until we get this beauty built. One step at a time, I keep reminding myself.

Next time we will be:

Installing a beam between the two rooms and cutting down the 2x4's the are supporting the ceiling.

Framing in the mantel and surround.

And wiring, wiring, wiring for the ceiling speakers, the tv, and moving all the outlets that need to be moved.

Stay Tuned!!

Loves,

Jill

Family Room Makeover (Part1) Fireplace removal

2012-11-04T18:11:00.001-08:00

In my last post found here it was all about my Halloween burlap banner that I made for my fireplace mantel. Well things have slightly changed for that fireplace since then. I have been planning this Family Room Makeover for about 5 years now, and the time has come to get movin!

I am so excited to have started this big' ol project. It's messy, its big and it is going to take us awhile...but it is going to be sooooo worth it. This is just a little glimpse into what I have in store for our family room....

This is where we started.

The line is the opening we are going to cut in the wall to create a bigger space from family to living room (also where the barn doors will be)

Corner fireplace is leaving (thank goodness, it wasn't ever supposed to be there anyway. Love builders)

Demo begins.

btw I have the best husband. Takes my crazy, wakko ideas and gets just as excited about them as I do. I love him.

Asher getting in on the action. It wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be to get the stone off. It actually all came off together in a big piece that we cut up into smaller pieces.

Exposed Fireplace.

Bensen wanted to get in on the fun too.

And if he wasn't helping demo he was patiently waiting to help anyway he could.

After all the framing was taken down, the fireplace was ready to be taken out. Cory had already turned off the gas, unscrewed the gas line from the unit, and pulled out the vents from the wall that led to the outside. It was all pretty easy, and something we were fine doing ourselves.

With the fireplace out and moved to the garage, it was time to start on the wall.

And here it is all cleaned up and ready to live in, since its back to life for the next couple of days. Demo gets put on hold for real life.

Next Saturday we'll get to do more! That's the life of DIY'ers.

Good thing I started an "Avoid the Holiday 5 (or 10)" Bootcamp that wakes me up early and gets me to bed early. Otherwise my excitedness to finish this project just might keep me up at night. I am loving this bootcamp session so far. 8 fabulous ladies all in my basement at 6:00am MWF morning. I feel so lucky to be able to do what I do. These 8 ladies are inspiring me more right now then I'm helping them I'm sure of it.

Loves,

Jill

Burlap Halloween Banner

2012-10-05T19:19:00.001-07:00

I got the Crafting Bug this week, and decided to make a Halloween Banner for my mantel.

The only thing I bought for this project was a vintage cardstock pack at Hobby Lobby.
I had everything else at home.

I wanted my Banner to say "HALLOWEEN", but I think a banner that says "SPOOKY" would of been super cute too.

Step One:
Pick out the cardstock you want to use, and cut out the flags.
*Tip I penciled in my banners all at the same time and cut them all at the same time...my opinion is that it makes more sense to do it that way...but I've learned my opinion is sometimes a little bit ummm...my opinion :)
My flags were 8 inches on the sides and 6.5 inches across the top.

2. Lay out the flags out in the order that you want them.

3. Use Pre-Cut Letters, or if your like me and your don't own one of those fancy schmancy silouette's, cut them out your self. I had to redo a couple but all in all it was no biggy.

4. Apply glue to the letters like so, and then add the glitter. Do this to all the letters so the glue can be drying while you do the next step.

5. Step four: Cut out enough pieces of burlap, to go under each letter.
*Tip: I did not worry about perfectly cutting my burlap or making sure it was positioned beautifully onto my flag. I like things perfectly imperfect...(I learned to accept perfectly imperfect from my primary calling)

6. Sew Glittered letter and burlap onto Flag. I used black thread. See how I sewed all the way across on this letter?? Don't do that! Just sew where the black letter is then you do not see the thread.
*Tip...my glitter and glue did get a little messed up when I sewed, on some letters because the glue was not fully dry. I fixed it easily by dipping it back into the glitter. You could however save the glitter until after you have sew the letter and burlap onto the banner if you think that works best. Like I said my opinion is really just my opinion :)

7. Sew the Top part of the banner onto the flags. (Make sure all the letters are in order as you do this)
Cut a piece of burlap and fold it over and sew with the flags on the inside of the burlap. For this picture I used the end of the burlap sac that I had that had a cool folded over ending. The next picture shows the fold and sew technique.

And here is the end result!! Super easy and fun to make!

I decided to add some of those plastic ring spiders to give it just the right amount of creepy to make it Halloween worthy.

And here is a cute little ghost that my son made for me, last year I think? I just love it.

Happy Crafting all!
Loves,
Jill

Reds and Yellows

2012-09-23T22:26:00.000-07:00

We made our way up the canyon today. And the colors are absolutely breath taking.

Lily has already convinced me to decorate for Halloween, and the boys are talking Christmas already.

I even did my first bit of Christmas shopping (which is very unlike me).

It is for sure not their favorite thing to do, take pictures that is,

but if I promise them an awesome hike they usually will give me some perfect shots.

I wasn't kidding about the amazing color huh??

I didn't do any editing to these photos (if you can't tell from the little black image to the right).

There honestly is no need when the colors and shadows are this perfect out.

If you could of only seen how many cars I had to dodge to get this picture, you would of been impressed!

The tripod is in the middle of the road right now ;)

I snuck a kiss at the last second, and got a real smile out of Cory.

I have a ton more, that I'd love to share, but I should got to bed.

Tomorrow is Monday and it's coming whether I go to bed on time or not.

Loves,

Jill

My 4 year old's art

2012-09-20T12:56:00.001-07:00

Lily is really into drawing stick figures lately...

Her latest creation makes me happy.

Love her.

Randomness...

2012-08-30T16:45:00.000-07:00

Well I have good news! You all must of ready my last post because I was invited to teach a song at the Zumba event that my last post was all about! It is this Saturday (Sept. 1st) at UVU and I really would love to see my family and friends in the audience, smiling and dancing and cheering me on!
Here's the info on what you need to do to come!
http://youshouldbedancingutah.com/

Other randomness...

I can't believe summer has come and gone. And like I really can't believe it. Sometimes I feel like I blink and days have passed. Here is a small sampling of what our summer and past couple months have been like...

We had an amazing Disneyland, Sea World, and beach trip!

Family

Lots of beach fun

We celebrated Lily's birthday the day we went to Disneyland!

We ran the Bone Race up in Idaho

We had a family outing with Cory's family up to a Campground by Mt Nebo (that little guy is Asher)

I had my first experience paddleboarding and I LOVED it!

The mountain by our house went up in flames.

Asher turned 10 (which I still can't believe he is 10 already!)

We started taking the kids golfing once or twice a week

We hiked Timp Cave for the first time, and they were superstars!

We looooved our tour guide!

Asher made swim team again this year, so we spent everyday at AF pool

What our beautiful mountain looks like now...:(

We learned that "Hammy" loves baby carrots

Bathtime at our house is crazy!

Dress up days

I left my family, and went to Florida to the National Zumba Convention (rough huh?)

Me and the creator of Zumba, Mr. 6 pack, I mean Beto Perez :)

Some of my favorite ladies!

We went to Panguitch, Utah

I love the weird things that you can find in small towns

Ash

Lily

Bens

We met my roomate from college and her family and had a blast!

This is Lily and her daughter Skylar

I'm sensing a motorcycle of my own in the very near future

Riding together

Again, I love what you can find at small towns

And here we are to the first day of school.

Asher is in 4th grade

Bensen is in 1st grade

And Miss Lily is in her 2nd year of Preschool

I absolutely loved this summer...many more adventures were had.

We spent as much time together as we could and played and played some more.

Another absolute?

I love being a mommy to these 3 crazies!

I wouldn't give it up for all the money in the world :)

Loves,

Jill

I need your help!!

2012-07-11T14:28:00.001-07:00

On September 1st...

there is going to be a

BIG,

HUGE,

ZUMBA PARTY

UVU!

And all's that I need is YOU to come and support me and the event!

If I get 10 people who register and put my name as the instructor they would like to see there, then

I get to be up on stage performing!!

Please, oh PLEASE help me out!

Here is the link and where you go to sign up:

http://youshouldbedancingutah.eventbrite.com/

This is an example of what options you have in coming to this awesome event (click on the link above for more info):

Registration Information

Registration Type	Sales End	Price	Fee	Quantity
Spectator more info This ticket provides unlimited daytime access to vendor and activity booths and access to spectator seating to observe Zumba® specialty classes (until 6:00pm only).	Aug 30, 2012	$5.00	$1.27
Full Day Event Package - Discount Jun 1 - Aug 15 more info	Aug 15, 2012	$20.00	$2.09
Fitness Concert Only (ages 14+) - Discount Jun 1 - Aug 15 more info	Aug 15, 2012	$15.00	$1.82
BONUS! Zumba Instructor Business Photo Package! - Discount Jun 1 - Aug 15 more info	Aug 15, 2012	$17.50	$1.95

One more beg...PLEASE!

O K, that's it :)

Loves,

Jill

I read this today...

2012-07-09T06:19:00.001-07:00

Split Milk - Panic over pretty

Thoughts?

Summer Bucket List 2012

2012-06-21T21:54:00.003-07:00

I have jumped on the @HappyFamMvmt train, and created my own

"Summer Bucket List"!

We have already begun, and have checked a couple of things off, but if I post it, then I will do it so here it is!

To learn more about this fun idea, click here: Happy Family Movement

Have a great weekend!

Loves,

Jill

Recipe Share! My Breakfast Omelet

2012-06-20T07:52:00.000-07:00

Jill's Breakfast Omelet:

Omelets are not an uncommon thing around my house.

I'm always switching ingredients to make it interesting to my palate and to keep it healthy!

This is what I did this morning:
2 egg whites
1 egg
1 Tbl milk
Ham (preferably not lunch meat) chopped up into small pieces
Mini peppers chopped up into small pieces.
1 slice of laughing cow cheese (cut into small pieces)

Mix the eggs really well, then add the milk, and mix again.
Lightly spray your pan with cooking spray if needed. (I suggest using your smallest frying pan)
Pour the egg mixture onto the pan and let cook until completely done on one side. (Mine looks perfectly browned, then I flip it over.)
With the browned side on top, and the other side cooking, add the chopped ham, mini peppers and laughing cow cheese onto the top of the browned side.
Once the bottom side is browned, fold it over (in half) and then put it on a plate and enjoy!

I eat this as is, no salt, pepper, or ketchup needed ;)

*I buy the mini peppers at Costco in the vegetable section...they are sooo good, even to eat alone! Or my favorite is to dip them in roasted red pepper humus. (I saw the mini peppers at Wal-Mart the other day too)

I would love to know what you eat for breakfast...would you mind sharing? Leave it in the comment section!

Loves,
Jill

Bliss

2012-06-10T13:49:00.001-07:00

Oceanside, CA

best.vacation.ever

Instagram...I'm on it

2012-05-21T13:42:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile...but I'm back and posting with one of my favorite things right now.

I'm sure you have all heard of...

...and maybe you haven't yet. Just in case you haven't, here's the scoop. This is an IPHONE app that is now also a ANDROID app, (which is why I can use it now...I'm all ANDROID) and it allows you to turn your phone pictures into little pieces of art. And then you get to share them with whoever you allow to follow your pictures. Isn't that great?? I'm hoping that all my family (Bree, Shamae, Amber, Kym, Angie, Megan, Jennifer, Hillary, Bethany, Nicole, Mom, Dad, Uncle's, Aunt's, Cousins...get what I'm saying here?) jumps on this with me. We don't always have our big ole perfect camera's with us, but we always have our cell with us! Am I right?
I love the connection that you feel with pictures and I love that you get to choose who can see your pictures! It's like a family and friends up to date photo album!

If you want to read more about it you can check it out here...http://instagr.am/

Here are some of my pictures from the past two weeks...

Join me on Instagram! stayfitjill is how you find me :)

Loves,
Jill

And the winners are!

2012-04-12T14:46:00.000-07:00

The Giveaway has ended!!

If your name is listed below, please email me your address and @thinkproducts will mail you the goods directly!
My email is jill@treefitness.com

Jordan
Kelli
Paula
Johanna
Alexis
Alicia

Thanks for participating!

Loves,
Jill

thinkThin, thinkWellness Bar Giveaway!!

2012-03-26T11:02:00.004-07:00

It's Monday and I am SO excited to have a AWESOME "weightWellness" giveaway to start the week off with!

You know how much I LOVE thinkThin Protein bars right?

Well, thinkproducts and I have teamed up to give you a pretty awesome giveaway, all in the name of "thinkWellness"! I love this product.
And even more, I love the message they are sharing about weight wellness.
Read this:

thinkThin® promotes weight wellness. What we feel this means is that this is the optimal weight range at which our bodies feel happy and healthy. This is not dictated by aesthetic, shape, weight or tape measure - it is the physical outcome of feeling energized, confident, and living a life that is vibrant, varied and fulfilling. thinkThin® products contain uncompromised quality ingredients that provide an excellent source of energy without the punishing side effects of gluten and refined sugar.

Love? Then you'll LOVE these bars!

What will you win by entering?

1) Weight Wellness Sampler

2) thinkThin Protein Bars

2) thinkThin Crunch Bars

Here are the details of the giveaway:

1- There will be 10 winners! (no I'm not kidding)

2- You must like Think Products on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/thinkproducts

(1 entry)

3- You must follow @thinkproducts on Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/thinkproducts and you must follow ME on TWITTER https://twitter.com/#!/StayfitJILL

(Scared of Twitter? Don't be it is SO easy to sign up and you will LOVE it!)

(1 Entry)
4- Answer my question (below)
(1 Entry)
5- Retweet this or post it on your Facebook for another entry
(1 Entry)

6- This giveaway is open to US residents only

Do you know how important weight wellness is in your life?

Well here is your chance to tell me:

(4 possible entries for all of you! Remember to have each be a separate comment)
How does eating healthy and exercising make you feel?

Ready? Set? Go!!

*This giveaway will end on APRIL 9th 2012 and the winners will be announced on Tuesday April 10th!

Productivity...

2012-03-09T10:57:00.001-08:00

So I need to share something with you.

I absolutely love social media.

I pick everything out of social media that uplifts me, drives me, inspires me, and gives me a more meaningful purpose, which I believe is the true power of social media.

This is a perfect example: (of which I have many to share...some other post though k?)
I found this certain photographer's blog somewhere between 3-4 years ago (and I don't exactly remember how I came across her blog). BUT, I immediately knew I had a "viral" connection (for lack of better words) with this photographer! She was living in Hawaii at the time and I loved her work, and her posts were inspiring to me. I have always LOVED photography so I found a lot of interest checking her blog and her work as often as I could find time. This viral "friend's" name is Natalie Norton.

I was especially interested in her morals and values and how she wasn't afraid to share them in her own way with the world. She was open and REAL, and it was very refreshing to me.
So you will imagine my SHOCK when I opened up her blog one morning and it said...
"I will be in SALT LAKE CITY, UT to do some mini shoots. If you are interested contact me ASAP"
So I immediately contacted her and set up a family session photoshoot.

Here are some pictures from that shoot (taken in 2008):

These pictures are some of my most prized possessions and looking back I am so grateful that on a whim I contacted her.

I continued to follow her and the next year or so she had her 4th child, a baby boy. She named him Gavin after her brother who she lost a few years back. Come to find out she has some family who lives in the next city over from me and she was coming over Christmas to spend time here in Utah. At the complete dismay and disbelief of her and her family, while she was here, her little baby contracted Pertussis and passed away all within a week. She was incredibly open about this experience and it truly was her faith that got her through that hard time. And she continued to be open and very poetic through her following posts. Absolutely amazing strength I tell ya.

Anywho, she came back to Utah 2 summers ago and I had her do our family shoot again.
(I do not have digital files of those however, but they were awesome as well!)

She also (in her spare time right??) does business mentoring and holds workshops on improving your own business and personal life and balancing family at the same time (which I know I could use some mentoring on!) And the whole purpose of this post is to share this video post that she posted a few days ago.
It's Real. And I love the message.

Watch the video here:
http://natalienortonblog.com/2012/03/06/thoughts-on-proactivity/

P.S @thinkproducts just sent me some thinkThin Protein bars to giveaway...so watch for that next week!!

Loves,
Jill

Can I hear you say...Smoooooothie!

2012-02-25T08:25:00.001-08:00

Hello!

I have been slightly obsessed with my latest green smoothie creation, and the energy that I feel from drinking this every morning!

So I had to share and pass along the recipe. This is the BEST way to get your greens and some fruit in one easy, delicious, quick, way!

Jill's Green Smoothie Recipe:

1 1/2 or 2 handfuls of spinach
4 or 5 frozen strawberries
1/2 of a banana
1 tsp of Chia Seeds
1 scoop of Vanilla Protein Powder
7 ice cubes
1/4 cup (or as needed) of water

Turn your blender on and get rid of all the chunks!

Here are some pictures of the products I use.

Spinach that I bought from Wal-mart:

Strawberries

(again purchased at Wal-mart, but I looove the Costco strawberries cause they are bigger and I only need 4)

Protein powder (again purchased at Wal-mart)

Chia Seeds

(Click on the link to learn more about them. Great source of protein etc)

1/2 of banana (you all know what that looks like)

Ice, and water!

Put it in the Blender: and blend!

Give this a try, you will love it!

Oh and have you ever heard of Kid History?

This goes right along with this post and you will laugh your pants off!

(click on the link below!)

Kid History 6

Loves,

Jill

BOOTCAMP!

2012-02-05T14:37:00.000-08:00

If you missed out on the January session of Bootcamp, its OK!

The next session starts on

February 13th

and its just in time for you to reclaim your 2012 fitness goals!

Details on the next session:

Monday/Wednesday nights

8:00pm-9:00pm

1 month long

BMI/Body Fat testing included

Nutrition plan included

Caloric plan per meal included (based off fitness goals)

Co-Ed

All Levels Welcome

Fun atmosphere and motivating environment

New and unique workouts

Contact me to reserve your spot. Only 4 spots left!

Loves,

Jill