Out of the burbs

Recently, I've had the chance to get out of the 'burbs' and it has done me a world of good.  Most days I'm irritated at my hubby's shift work schedule, but with it comes date days that I wouldn't trade for the world.  No babysitter, no crowds, and I'm not tired like I would be at the end of the day.  Date days are the best.  We celebrated our 13th anniversary at a nice restaurant in a beautifully eclectic old neighborhood near downtown.  After lunch we were stuffed so we took a quick walk around and looked at houses.  

 {Every house is different!}

A few weeks before this outing we ventured out to a very affluent area.  The houses were amazing but I didn't take pictures because there were people everywhere and I was sure they would turn us in to the cops for snooping.  The restaurant wasn't much to write about but the art shops were!  I'm still figuring out this whole take pictures for your blog or just for me thing.  I don't normally carry around a camera and I was afraid to take pictures with my phone in these art places for fear of them thinking that I was stealing their ideas.

It has occured to me that, thanks to Pinterest and Blogland,  I've only been seeing beautiful things in one dimension on a screen.  Or mass produced in the same stores that have the same things all over the country.  It was really eye opening yesterday when I took a trip to another  Hobby Lobby in the big city and the store looked different but had the same stuff stuffed inside.  I'm looking forward to more days where we venture out and learn more about the city {and each other} to get my creative juices flowing.

I'm finally experiencing one of the joys of living in/near a big city.  There is inspiration everywhere. It just takes a little time and bravery to find it.  And maybe a GPS.

Word Dumping

I've lost sight of this little blog of mine.  As soon as a blog post idea makes its way into this maze of a brain of mine, I quickly convince myself that no one would want to read about it.  We can be mean to ourselves, huh?  It's funny how quickly revelations can delete those thoughts and give me a jumpstart.

"Hey, it's your blog.  Your life.  Go and write about it and hope that it blesses someone!"

So here is where my word dumping begins and I'm praying that it makes some sort of sense and I can get back to normal.  Whatever that is.

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I finished my second round of Insanity last week.  It was the hardest workout program I have ever done.  I definitely feel different and proud.  Not of my body but of my heart.  Roo rode her bike for the first time to school the other morning.  I ran behind her and didn't even get winded.  I hate running and I usually feel like I'm gonna die but I didn't and that is more valuable to me than any award or medal.  I bought hubby (and me!) Les Mills Pump for his birthday so we will start that soon.  

* * * * * 

We ventured out to a local farm to pick strawberries the other weekend. 

After the picking, we bought a ton of other veggies at their produce store.  Most of the items were brought in from close by farms.  We bought this massive amount of kale for a buck.  

We made kale chips out of it.  

They were good but beware because they don't keep and get chewy by the next day. 

Will I make them again?  Maybe.  

I've been meaning to share our healthier recipes on the blog.  I can't believe my first one is about kale!  Just google kale chips and stand by and watch so they don't burn.  I'll give better recipes instructions on other dishes in the future but these were just so darn easy.  

* * * * *

Don't laugh but I've been watching videos on how to put on makeup.  Eyeshadow to be specific.  It's like art in a way and I haven't gotten the hang of it yet.  I'll let you know how it's going and which ones I've watched.  I've learned alot about brushes and types of cosmetics from these pro ladies and it's fun to learn something new that makes me feel more confident during the day.  

* * * * * 

I can't wait to show you my painted armoire.  I'll take pictures soon.  That darn thing was almost the death of me but I'm done!  I just need hardware for the bottom of the drawers and something cool done to the inside.  

* * * * * 

And finally, I finished The Hunger Games!  It was a good read and I'm very satisfied.  I'm itching to find something new to read.  This reading thing is exciting.  (-:  Any suggestions?

So, if you're still here.  Thanks for letting me word dump!  

I'm still here.

   How did I let two weeks go by?!  Three words:  The Hunger Games.  

And I've been working on a large piece of furniture that is taking way too long to finish because of ugly weather.  What was I thinking starting a painting project in the winter?  I wish I had a basement to work in but I'm stuck with the garage and I'm too much of a wimp to paint in the cold.  Excuses, Excuses.

Here's a few pics of the week from my phone.

I spent the morning with Instagram and PicFrame. 

(I still have more to learn!) 

1.  I love this moment with hubby and Roo making necklaces at her cousin's party. Don't they have a beautiful side yard?  2.  You can't start them too early.  She did a great job painting and it was better than trying to get along with every kid on the street right now.  3.  I'm eyeing these glasses from the eye doc visit the other day.  4.  And I'm pretty impressed with J-man's carving of the Alamo out of soap.

I hope to be back on track next week!

Things I'm trying to focus on this Valentine's Day

My kids are older and it's got me thinking.  What do I want to concentrate on Valentine's Day?  I don't hate Valentine's in the least, I just want to concentrate on the good of this day that we have been given.

• I'm SO thankful for a husband that loves me and treats with me respect.  Something some days that I don't feel like I deserve.  Something that when dating I never actively looked for or even knew that I wanted/needed.  In the beginning of our friendship, I didn't know what to do with such a genuinely sweet guy.  God blessed me through time and patience (mostly on his part!).  But for Roo, it can't come soon enough to start teaching her to actively look for this kind of treatment.  She is too precious not to.  And the same for J-man.  Like his Daddy, I already see such a sweet heart in him.  I pray that he finds and actively searches for a woman that will honor that, take care of, and appreciate his sweet heart.
• I want to be there for my kids when Valentine's Day comes around and they are heartbroken that they don't have the 'coveted relationship'.  I want to encourage them and support them with the love of Christ.  The one who gave the ultimate sacrifice to show his immense love for us.  And that as long as they know this, and they truly know this, that they won't ever be alone on any day.  And I'm so thankful and honored to tell you that he loves you so much too.  
• I want to remember that I have only one heart in my one body.  I should honor it and take care of it even if it means working it out really hard.  This brings a whole new meaning to my Insanity workout today!

So just some thoughts.  And so it doesn't seem like we're anti-Valentine's,  Hubby did get me flowers and took Roo shoe shopping for me.  Now that's awesome.  And I'm making Tony Horton's granola for him.  Not much on my part, huh?  I'll do better next year.  (-:
Happy Valentine's Day and I hope this finds you happy and healthy!

DIY boxwood wreath tutorial

One of my favorite things about my home gym spruce up has to be the boxwood wreath that I created.  Since I'm not a huge wreath person, I wanted a small, inexpensive and naturally relaxed one.  It was hard to find one (I'm too picky) so I made my own.  And since it was so easy, I thought I would share how I made mine.  Here's what you need:

{It was $12.99 for that sprig of boxwood so use that Hobby Lobby coupon!}

Pull off the leaves instead of cutting them with wire cutters.  I'm all about not cramping up my hand with those blasted wire cutters.  Maybe if I bought some better ones? One more thing to add to the list.    

Place individual leaves on and inside the vines of the wreath.  Then wrap the thin wire around and around.  Take care to arrange the leaves in a circular pattern and not straight up and down.  

Keep going until you either run out (like I did) or the wreath is as full as you like it.  

Don't look too closely because you will see the wires.  But that's ok with me because I follow 

Nester's rules of It Doesn't Have to be Perfect to be Beautiful.  

This exact same scenario happened with the topiary in the the first picture.  I saw, I hunted, I got discouraged, I thought, and then I just made one myself.  Except I didn't take any pictures when I was creating it.  I'm itching to make another one so I just might be doing a tutorial on a topiary soon.

Linked up to:
Nutmeg Place
Funky Junk Interiors

My home gym spruce up

I've been sprucing up my home gym for months now.  I stand in front of the this TV and setup everyday working out and I wanted it to be more motivating.  It was around Christmastime when I got the urge to paint the backs of my bookshelves black.  You know, with all of the extra time that I had.  I'm pretty sure I was painting the day before my in-laws arrived.  

 

I got the idea from Edie's place to paint the back black to sort of hide the TV.  I've always thought mine stuck out like a sore thumb.  

I used some leftover chalkboard paint so I could add and change out quotes easily.

It makes me happy that the TV isn't the first thing seen anymore.

For me, the things that should stick out the most are the inspirational ones.  Like Tony Horton's motto:  "Do your best, and forget the rest" and a Spartan helmet.  Yes, a Spartan helmet.  This became a must because hubby and I just signed up to run a Spartan race in the Spring.  I need some serious motivation staring me in the face while I work out to get myself ready for it!

And my favorite pictures of my family are definitely not up to date but I chose them because they make me smile.  It motivates me to work hard and stay healthy for them.

Here is the saying in the frame:

{I found it on Pinterest but unfortunately it's not a direct link}

It's a great quote for all areas of my life right now.  Blogging, volunteering, mothering, etc.....

Since I'm such a visual person all of these things help me to stay on track.  What about you?  Do you have things around your house to hold you accountable and motivate you?  

I would love to hear about them. 

My funkness

I've been in a funk.  I want this blog to be positive and uplifting but let's face it-some days I'm not.  I have a hundred ideas floating around in my head and I have no idea where to begin.   So I made myself sit down to write in hopes that some clarity will come to me!
Funk reason #1:
I was playing around with my banner one day and completely deleted the one that Cindy made for me so I needed something fast.  I quickly created one in Picasa and, even though I really didn't like it, I had to have something.

{too plain!}

It didn't really inspire me to write any new posts.  Hence the quietness on the blog. 

I like my new one better.  It's more me and I was ready for a change anyway.  

Funk reason #2: 

I've been slightly injured.  My legs, feet, and knees were aching so much.  Not fun when you are trying to finish up Insanity.  I attribute it to bad form during lunges and trying too hard to keep up with the superheroes on the screen.  Thank goodness last week was my recovery week.  I took full advantage and allowed myself to do lower impact workouts and walks.  I stretched a lot with bands and the roller and now I'm feeling tons better.  I'm on to the Max workouts in Insanity and I'm paying special attention to my form and modifying when I need to.  Seriously important so I don't take myself out of commission in these next few weeks. 

Funk reason #3: 

(I'm going to sound very pathetic over this one) 

Our favorite show, Chuck, is over!   Needless to say, there were tons of tears shed on my end.   We really loved that show.  It was the only show for four years that we really loved watching together.  And it didn't end perfect.  I wanted it all neatly wrapped up and tied with a bow.  Even though I didn't get that, I appreciated the ending.   It just has really messed with me.  It's like a book that gets under your skin and then you think about it for days.  I think I'll be ok though.  I'm anxiously awaiting So You Think You Can Dance to start up again.  That will help.  

Funk reason #4:

Comparison.  I have let it creep into all areas of my life.  It's stealing my joy and I want it back.  Putting my focus back to Jesus is the only way I know how to combat this.  (and limit my time looking at other blogs!)

Galatians 6:4

The Message (MSG)

 ^4-5Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don't be impressed with yourself. Don't compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.

Thanks.  I'm glad I got all that written out.  I've made a to do list and am ready to tackle it.  Number one on my list was to write a blog post.  Done.