I was introduced to Minted recently, and I started looking around their site. Minted features individual designers and prints their products on fine card stock with rich ink and crisp printing methods. I couldn’t believe all the wonderful products they offer in a wide variety of styles that would suit any needs.

I wanted to specifically talk about their wedding invitations. There are so many beautiful options out there, and I really love to see unique invitations that show a couples personality. Minted offers some wonderful selections, and I wanted to share a few of my favorite styles with you. (If you click on the pictures, it will take you to the link for the invite to see details.)

Neither is best. However, sometimes you just need one! I have read a ridiculous amount of studies on the subject over the years. I have drank only regular, only diet, a combination of the two, sworn them off at times…everything you can think of. I love Wild Cherry Pepsi and Diet Dr Pepper. And I mean, I am pretty sure it is illegal to consume Mexican food without a Diet Coke. Like, it is a law or something.

Regular Soda is full of sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and other crap that isn’t great for you. The sugar alone not only adds weight, but is bad for your teeth. Not to mention the amount of calories in a can! It also contains phosphates, which is shown to be bad for your bones.

Diet Soda, while calorie free, comes at a price as well. Studies are showing more and more that artificial sweeteners are not good for you. There are all kinds of reports on the adverse effects that it has to your health. While diet soda is easier on your teeth, what else is it doing? There have been many studies that show while diet soda has zero calories, it may have you craving sweets or think that it is OK to have sweets or a cookie since you are saving calories on your drink. There were also studies done that link diet soft drinks to cancer, coronary heart issues and more.

Which do you prefer if you are going to have one?

At the end of the day, it is always best to drink water. Everything is OK in moderation, so if you have a soda or diet soda every once in awhile and not daily or several a day…then you should be OK. I try to look at them as a treat, and only indulge at certain times. There have been times in my life where I have gone months without consuming them, and I would like to get back there again. 

Green teas and black teas are a great alternative, as long as you leave out the sweeteners. Teas have antioxidants which is great for your body. The antioxidants in tea have been know to fight off certain types of cancers, protect against degenerative and cardiovascular diseases, fight free radicals, lowers the risk of metabolic syndrome and much more!  Green tea has been known to help you burn fat in your body and improve bone mineral density and strength as well as help brain health. I used to have a goal to drink at least 3 cups of tea a day, and I need to work that back in to my diet. Why wouldn’t you drink something that is so good for your body?

Joy over at The Sowell Life tagged me in a post yesterday with some questions. What a great way to get to know the person behind the blog a little better! 

Below are Joy’s questions for me. 

1. Out of the 24 hours in a day, what is your favorite time on the clock and why?

2. What is your favorite magazine to get in the mail or buy in the store?

3. Twitter or Facebook?

4. What’s your best memory of high school?

5. What’s your go to website for shopping?

     I have been looking at Kiki La Rue forever. I have not bought anything yet, I have never bought any clothing pieces that I haven’t tried on in person…so it makes me nervous but I really want to order something from there soon. I also constantly check out Loft, White House Black Market and Kohls to see their new stuff and if I want to make a trip to the store!

6. A blogger who inspires you?

     I don’t really have just one blogger who “inspires me.” I do have several that are an inspiration. I can tell you that Mama Laughlin is the first blog that I started reading. I stumbled across her on Pinterest when I was pinning weight loss stuff. Her story was very inspiring, and then I started reading her daily posts about other stuff than weight. I saw all the people on her side bar and sort of discovered blog land. I decided immediately I wanted to be a part of it!

7. Who is your celebrity crush?

     I am pretty sure we all know it is Justin Timberlake. Duh! Though, he needs to go back to his old look. I am not a huge fan of his new hair do.

8. What’s a book you’d recommend to read?

     One of my all time favorite books is Tuesdays with Morrie. So many life lessons in that book. Another one I think everyone should read is The Five Love Languages. It is so important to understand that there are different ways that people like to show love and receive love. It may help you understand your partner better. Currently, I am reading the Harry Potter books. This is my first time reading the books, I have never seen the movies either. I understand what all the hype was about now, they are pretty awesome! I just finished the first book over the weekend and can’t wait to dive into the second one!

9. A favorite recipe you love to make?

     One of my favorite recipes to make is Pork Medallions. They are AMAZING! They take a lot of work, but it is totally worth it. Next time I make them, I will take pictures of the process so I can post the recipe on the bloggy. I am sure my husband wouldn’t object to me making them!

10. Your favorite app on your phone?

     My favorite or the most used? The most used app is probably Twitter. I check it multiple times a day. One of my favorite apps is CocoPPa. You can download super fun backgrounds, lock screens, and pretty app images to your phone for free! I never get bored with my phone when I can change so many things about it. 

11. You’ve got an afternoon kid free and job free, what would you do?

     I would probably go shopping! I love to take a few hours and wonder around aimlessly through some stores with no real purpose. Retail therapy…gotta love it. Just yesterday my co-worker and I played at Nordstrom Rack on our lunch break. I may or may not have come home with a pair of shoes…the picture below isn’t them but aren’t those cute?!

12. The restaurant you always crave?

     When I am at work, I love Ashley Mac’s for lunch. They have the best chicken salad and baby blue salad…and a to die for sour cream biscuit! In general, I usually crave Mexican or a great hamburger! My favorite burger places in Birmingham are: 26, Five, Tavern on the Summit, and Mudtown. 

I had a lot of fun with this post, and I hope that you got to learn something new about me. I am going to tag some bloggers to answer my questions! Don’t feel obligated to participate, there are no rules! If I didn’t tag you and you still want to answer some questions let me know you did it, I want to see what you say!

Tag your it: Joanna, Robin and Meighan. 

My questions:
1. What is your favorite recipe?
2. What is/are your favorite TV show(s)?
3. What is your idea of the perfect vacation?
4. What is your favorite place to shop?
5. If you take out experience and salary, what is your dream job?
6. What is your favorite restaurant?
7. If you could live anywhere in the United States, where would you pick?
8. What is your “saying.”  (We all have a phrase!)
9. What got you started in blogging?
10. Other than blogging, what is your hobby?
11. Favorite board game?
12. Green olives, black olives, both or neither?