{a day in the life} My Life as a Mrs.

Today’s “a day in the life” is Tina of My Life as a Mrs. I just love Tina. She’s so sweet, her blog is awesome and her food always makes me want to get right in the kitchen and cook.

And then I read this.

And now I like Tina even more. How sweet is that story?!?

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Tell me about yourself and how you started food blogging.

I’m a South Florida girl… born & raised. Being that South Florida is nicknamed “Northern Cuba”, I’ve grown up with an affinity for citrus and spice!  I started blogging shortly after getting married to sort of document our married life (hence the title), but it quickly became mostly a place where I catalogued all of our favorite recipes and the day to day stories that go along with them! I’m fairly certain my mom was the only one who read my blog for a long time! Then one day a stranger commented on one of my posts and my jaw DROPPED, I did a serious happy dance around my living room, and it pushed me to keep at it! This little old blog has come a long way since then and has turned into something that I am so very proud of!

Take me through your day.

I recently went part time with my day job (I work only 3 days a week now). It’s been WONDERFUL. For the first 4 years of blogging, I worked a Monday-Friday, 8:30-5:00 job and let me tell you it was TOUGH finding the time for blogging… it involved a LOT of late nights, getting up early to photo my food, running home on my lunch breaks to edit photos and write posts etc… CRAZINESS. Here’s what my schedule today looks like:

On Work Days:

• 7:00 am: Alarm goes off (HIT SNOOZE)
• 7:10 am: Alarm goes off again… get up & read my Bible/have Quiet Time.
• 7:40 am- 8:10 am: Get ready for work
• 8:10 am: Pour coffee into travel mug & grab something to eat on the way out the door…
• 8:20 am: Head to work
• 8:30-12: WORK
• 12-1: Lunch Break (usually editing photos – or sometimes taking photos – while catching up on DVR’d TV)
• 1-5: WORK
• 5:30-6:30: Gym (or grocery store if I skip the gym)
• 6:30-8: Cook dinner/photograph dinner (if lighting is still there)/ eat dinner
• 8-10: editing photos while watching DVR’d tv with hubs
• 10-10:30: Head to bed to do it all over again

On Days Off:

I still get up around the same time, but in the morning I drink my coffee & watch the Today Show while catching up in the social media world & commenting on other blogs.

I try to make multiple recipes and photograph them on my days off to make up for weekdays that I can’t muster up the energy!

What is your one must-have kitchen tool or gadget?

A sharp knife… nothing drives me more crazy than trying to cook in a kitchen with dull knives!!

What is the most important part of your day? Why?

Hands Down – my quiet time. It sets the tone for my day! The days that I make it a priority to get up and read my Bible are the days that I have the best attitude! And the days I don’t… oh man… those days are usually the most stressful & I have the WORST attitude! Just keeping it real… ;)

If you could choose one room in your house to remodel (on an unlimited budget!) which room would it be and why? 

Well, we live in a 3 story town home and are currently in the process of remodeling our 1^st floor (bonus room) into my home office / family room!! We’ve been doing it little by little since we are on a budget… It’d be SOOO nice to have an unlimited budget… it’d be done by now!! ;) Here’s where we are at so far:

If you could travel anywhere in the world for free, where would you go and how long would you stay?

I’ve never been to Europe and it’s always been a dream of mine to go there for a few weeks, spending a 3-4 days each in England, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy! I would LOVE. IT.

Or I’d like to go to Fiji or Bora Bora with hubs and stay in one of those over the water huts and just relax and enjoy the sunshine.

What is your favorite quote?

“Biblically, waiting is not just something we have to do until we get what we want. Waiting is part of the process of becoming what God wants us to be.” – John Ortborg

What recipe on your blog are you most proud of?

Buttermilk Fried Chicken Tenders with Cilantro Slaw & Jalapeno Cheddar Waffles! It’s my re-creation of my favorite dish at a local restaurant & it turned out AMAZING. Best thing I’ve made to date!

What recipe on your blog do your readers seem to love most?

Creamy Balsamic Salad Dressing… that recipe took OFF on Pinterest and readers visit that recipe on a daily basis!

Do you have any advice for someone who is interested in cooking or food blogging?

My friend Jess wrote an awesome post about blogging (and I FULLY agree with everything she said!).

Who would you like to see featured here in the future?

Ali (Gimme Some Oven)

Lauren (Lauren’s Latest)

Carrian (Oh Sweet Basil)

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Thanks Tina! I do think an iMac will look very nice on that desk! 

You can also find Tina on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

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