kim likes to have fun

no new clothes

2012-02-16T10:30:00.000-05:00

In January I started thinking about all of the clothes I have and don't wear. Then I started reading 7 and worrying about all the people without clothes and all the clothes I have and don't wear. I started thinking about the clothes my husband and kids have and don't wear. I'm kind of disgusted.

I did one week of the winter challenge and Kayla encouraged participants to use things from their closet in new or different ways. It makes you think about what you have and how you can pair with other items or wear it a different way to give you another look and another option. It helps me when I'm feeling the need for some retail therapy. I used to be a super consumer and bought insane amounts of clothes and shoes and purses (when's the last time I carried a real purse, anyway?) and most of them were worn a handful of times, some never worn with tags still on, or worse, purchased only to have at least three things in my closet similar or, gulp, the same. Hello, I'm talking to your black shirt collection.

Anyway, I've set up a shopping ban for three months, February through April. I've made a promise to myself to buy no new clothes. And I'm so tempted and may have already cheated...

Over the weekend, Smith and Davis sent out their sale mail and were offering $20 off anything. Whenever there's a little extra money I look at clothes and shoes. Can't help it. Trying to stop. I had been eyeing some Toms for the longest and they'd only be $25-30 with my email and Corey said to do it for Valentine's Day. Ok...twist my arm, I'll go look. I checked their Toms selection and they didn't have the ones I've been looking for, nor did they have any new stock. Before Christmas I had looked at their Minnetonkas, but didn't want to drop the cash then. However with my $20 off they'd be like half off, so I checked out the selection. Tada! Twenty two bucks later I walked out with these.

So that's my cheat...however, I said I wasn't buying clothes...and I have been wanting them since early December, so I waited to see if I still wanted them and I did. As for the temptation, I went in Target today with a friend and their Jason Wu stuff is cute and there are a few other things I really like. Normally I wouldn't even look as to not tempt myself, but I'm going out with Malorie for girls' night and she wants to go to Target because she has gift cards to spend and while I do have a little extra cash for a little job I did, I was trying to save it. So hopefully I can hold out and make good on my promise.

valentine's day

2012-02-15T15:08:00.002-05:00

Valentine's Day is always hit or miss for this household. Corey and I used to buy cards and candy or flowers for each other. We've been out to dinner or I've made a semi-special meal at home. It's never been a huge deal and we're okay with that.

For the kids, I don't usually buy candy or gifts because they'll get it from their Mimi or school. In the past, I've bought Clark's valentines from the store. He picks them out and I sign them all. Last year I made these. We filled them with M&Ms and gave some to his friend, Elliott. This year I scoured Pinterest for a fun non-candy valentine and came up with these. My favorite was this "love bug" card.

from dandee

I thought they were super cute and fun for a boy to hand out. I went to two craft stores looking for bugs and nada. I was near a Target, WalMart, Party City, and Toys R Us and was trying to figure out which one would be my best option. I went out on a limb and went in Party City. I hoped they'd have some kind of bug favor and they did. In a bag of 48. For $10. I only needed 22 and didn't really want to spend that much anyway. Hmmm...searching searching and bam, they had packs of 12 for $3. I grabbed my two packs and was pleased that I found them on my third stop as opposed to sixth.

While I liked the jar card, I really like the picture of the kids holding their hands out and then popping a sucker through the card. I decided to do something similar for this.

I tried letter placement and cropping on both and came up with this final card.

I printed them on our printer and then cut them all out and pasted them to card stock. Then I hot glued a bug onto each and wrapped a silly band around them. (I know silly bands are kind of out, but we have a stock load of them and I kind of was looking for a way to get rid of some...ahem...)

Clark was so excited picking a bug out for each kid in his class. He wanted to help with the hot glue, but I told him no...mainly because I enjoy it so much. He came home with a ton of candy and a stomach ache from all the desserts he ate at the party.

t-shirtin'

2012-02-09T17:21:00.000-05:00

I made that word up.

I love a good t-shirt. I have a full drawer ranging from souvenir, retreat, Rit dyed, and races. And then Corey has quite a few that I like wearing as well, ya know, when you're feeling fatter than you actually are and want a "boyfriend" fit shirt. Luckily he's my forever boyfriend, aka husband.

So I saw this on Pinterest and really really really wanted it...immediately.

Source: aviatornation.com via Kimberly on Pinterest

I mean, it looks like a super soft, perfect length, not too tight t-shirt and even though I have a million already, I don't have one with these colorful stripes in a not typical pattern, i.e. rainbow/ombre. I would so wear an ombre one, though...ooh, next on the list.

Anyway, I came up with this.

Excuse the awesome iPhone picture, but you get the gist. I just grabbed one of my trusty white mens v-necks of the Hanes variety and whipped this baby up using a mixture of media: acrylics and fabric paints. I didn't have all the colors needed in one or the other, so I had to make do with what's on hand. I tried to match the colors exactly and...now that I'm looking those two reds kind of blend into one...hmm. Maybe they'll dry more distinctly. I didn't go side seam to seam because a) no side seams and b) I was really eyeballing the whole thing and see those blurry parts on the left? Yeah that's where I had a little brush slippage and am not super excited about that, but when I wear it under a cardigan, no one will be the wiser. Let's keep it a secret.

I also made a shirt for Clark over the weekend.

I used a light blue tee and true blue paint and this pattern here. Unfortunately Clark wanted it outlined in yellow and it majorly blurred the crisp lines, but I love my son and I can always make another one since the shirt was free and the paint was in my cabinet.

these boots are made for walking

2012-02-08T12:50:00.001-05:00

Kacy and I have been walking Mondays and Fridays for a few months now. We push our kids in strollers and usually do a 4 1/4 mile loop near her house. We go no matter the temperature and have even gone under threat of rain (dark gloomy clouds with maybe a little sprinkle, but never full on rain). When we were at the lake for NYE, we ran one day and I was glad to find out we are comfortable at the same speed. Sometimes we walk a slightly longer route, somewhere between 5 and 6, but last week we did 7 and we're going to try and work our way up to 10 and eventually trying to run the whole 10. Now, we could probably run 6-10 easily...if we weren't pushing kids in strollers.

We've made up some goals, but not so formally as I'm about to list them. Kacy, if you hate these or think I'm crazy, just say so ;).

1. Walk 7 miles, three times a week (we're adding Wednesday to the mix)

2. Try and get it down to 1 1/2 hours total by adding running in (12 or 13 min/miles)

(today it was 1:39:52)

3. Work up to run/walking 10 miles

4. Run the full 10 miles

5. Run/walk 13 miles

6. Run the full 13 miles

7. Race a half marathon sans kids

Since we are pushing strollers, we think we'd be able to do pretty well racing without that extra weight (she's pushing twins and I'm pushing Oliver).

We haven't really set a time we'd like to do this by, but this is the most dedicated I've been to a form of exercise since before Oliver was born (think running/training for 5ks and that one time I did P90X for 30 days). I'm pretty sure the motivation for this comes from the accountability of Kacy and I know she feels the same. So now, internet world, keep us accountable, too.

18

2012-02-04T09:39:00.001-05:00

Oliver turned 18 months old yesterday. What the what?!

A year and a half ago, it was a brutally hot and humid summer and I was past due.

It wasn't terrible, but I was ready to see my new baby.

I kept waiting for my water to break, like it did with Clark.

I had hope for a week early, like I was with Clark.

Oh how funny life and God can be, hmm?

So another day with no action, contr- or otherwise, and Corey and I headed to bed.

Around 3 am I woke up with contractions and they progressed from their on out until I delivered Oliver around 11:47 am. He was healthy and I guess happy, I was feeling that euphoric exhaustion and emoting maybe a little bit in the form of tears, happy, excited, and tired, so I didn't really notice until he was placed in my arms and I got to look at his little face and hold his tiny hand.

Oliver, you drive me insane! I love you and want to eat you up daily. You are so laid back, a 180 from your older brother, and crack us all up with your little antics. I barely remember this time when Clark was your age, so I have a hard time comparing, which I don't really want to do anyway because you are your own person.

Why must you be so independent? I haven't been able to feed you mess-free in months. You practically drown yourself in water or milk whenever you get a chance because you desperately want to drink from a lidless cup. And thank you for not holding my hand when we're walking in public...in front of stores while cars pass by. It doesn't scare me at all. Not even a little. You, freakin' daredevil!

I do love you, though, with a great big portion of my heart. Did you know that? Did you know that my heart is broken up into these huge slices, like a pie, but instead of the slices getting smaller as more love is needed, the whole pie grows larger so that slices grow larger and before you know it, I'm filled to the brim with love.

I love your open mouth kisses, your blowing goodbye/night kisses, your sweet hugs, silly cheese smiles, and the perfect little wavy curls of your hair. I love that you don't mind wearing pajamas, maybe even the same pajamas three days in a row when we don't leave the house. I love love love that you love love love your dad almost more than me and that you follow him around the house crying until he picks you up. Those crocodile tears are the best because you instantly smile that goofy smile and touch his face or lay your head on his shoulder to say that's all you wanted.

So thank you for all the love that you give us, even Clark, and oh, especially Phoenix. She was feeling a little unpetted until you came along to ~~terrorize~~ give her hugs and kisses on her wet doggy nose.

12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0

re-evaluate

2012-02-03T15:30:00.001-05:00

Ok, this may come out like complete nonsense or make total sense...we shall see.

So I got baptized Sunday and I didn't necessarily feel "changed," but I did feel like I've been just living and not really doing anything for Jesus. I can feel this urgent want to change and be doing something and not just living idly while others are being "radical" or "crazy." The baptism happened to line up in the current series at Southside, Andy Stanley's big CHURCH, a lot of it about being bold in our faith.

I. am. not. bold. I'm quiet and introverted and shy unless around close friends, family, or my small groups. A handful of people "know" the real me, and that's not the biblical "know," but the still probably pretty surface level "know." I open up in time, as the relationship is built and trust is formed.

It was a huge deal for me to get baptized. I didn't want to film a video of me talking, which would be played for 1500 people to watch on two huge screens in our church. I didn't want to stand up in the tub of water, which was also shown live on the two huge screens and then trust that Corey would not say anything to embarrassing and not hold me under the water for too long. It was all about me and my feelings.

It was not about an act of obedience to God so that He would do something through me. Not until I realized that I was still trying to control the situation and just released all my fears about it. I'm currently reading Jen Hatmaker's 7 and it is messing me up big time. She says, "Sometimes obedience isn't for us at all, but for another." Yes, I hear you, God. My baptism was for me personally, an act of obedience to share my faith publicly. It turned into a chance to share my life and faith with people who have grown up in church like me, those who had stepped in for the first time last Sunday, and for those questioning is God for them.

I shared that I was adopted as a baby and grew up in a Christian home. I turned out completely normal and although I lived out some pretty amazing asian stereotypes (there is some truth behind them all), I managed to come out unscarred, not resentful, and just like my sister and brother, who were biological. I have never had an urge to run away and find my "real" parents, nor did I throw it in my family's faces that I they weren't my "real" family because I never felt that way.

I associated the feelings of adoption to the message that we are adopted by God. Adoption is a choice: you are chosen by parents who want to love you and provide and support you, even when you're a screaming baby whose needs are just trying to be met, or when you're an exploring toddler who flips out of the baby swing, or maybe even the elementary aged girl getting her hair fixed for church and grabs the dropped curling iron by the hot barrel and ruins all chances of making it to church that morning. Parents still choose love when you're a spoiled 12 year old screaming in Target because you have to choose the shirt OR the vest (yeah...seriously) and when you're 16 and able to drive (the car they provide you) and just want to hang out a little longer, but have to come home so you slam doors and ignore for a few hours.

We scream and cry and slam doors and pitch fits and God just keeps on choosing to love our ungrateful selves. Sick. We ask for more more more and give nothing or next to in return. Gross. But oh thank you, Lord, for that amazing ocean of grace that swallows us up as we float along!

So I'm ready for a change, intentional and extreme and while my blog's content may change, I'm hoping this person typing will change even more.

so much to say

2012-01-31T08:26:00.003-05:00

I think the easiest thing to do will be list events by day.

Friday, Ashley and Ruby, Malorie and Cole, Bridgette, and Haley and Eden came over for lunch. All of these women and their kids are from my last small group at church. Ashley, her husband Cody, and Ruby were in town for the weekend for his work and she wanted to see as many of her GA friends possible. We had a good time just hanging out, watching the kids play, eating apple pie and ice cream, and catching up. That night she and Ruby went to dinner with our family. We ended up at Chili's and had to wait (duh, Friday night) and the kids were stressing Corey out, but we had a good time.

Saturday, Cody had more classes all day, so Ashley and Ruby went with us to eat Thai and then to the zoo. They had a good time and it wore the kids out. They all slept on the way home. When we got home I started making a banner for Bridgette's baby shower we were surprising her with on Sunday. My original plan was to cut the baby's name out of different scrapbook paper that would coordinate with her nursery. They put up birdcage wallpaper in the brown color and made a burlap covered light fixture, amongst other crafty things. So I didn't have any paper I really liked, but I did have some burlap, so maybe I could make something with that. Nope, it was turning out sloppy/messy because it was too loosely woven. I ended up making some birds from this pattern. I was able to use lots of my scraps of yellow and red linen, old khaki pants, and some printed cotton. They turned out pretty cute, but I didn't want to just hang them. I went in the yard at 10:30 at night and broke a branch off of tree to "perch" them on. Then I wanted to hang the baby's name from the branch, so I started looking for a cute font to print and cut. Nothing was screaming to me. I ended up settling for construction paper and my hand drawn letters. Not my favorite, but it worked out. I then hung the whole branch so they would see it when they walked in the next day.

Sunday I got up and ran two miles and it sucked. I've been running five before church, but this week was so hard and I don't know why. So I cut it short and went back to the house to shower. Then we left for church where I was getting baptized during the first service.

January 29, 2012 - 9:30 Service from Southside Church on Vimeo.

Sorry the video is kind of long, but it's some worship music, then my baptism, then my friend, Kacy's, and some announcements and maybe even part of the service.

I said most of it in my baptism video, but I really am thankful for my small groups past and present, my friends from my old churches, my family, and my high school girls.

And I also hate the way I look and sound, but whatever, right?

And I'm so glad I got to do this with Kacy. It took a lot of the nervousness out of it back stage while we waited. We goofed off a little and I know she made me feel at ease and I hope I did some of the same for her.

We got home from church and all of our old small group was coming over so we could have a diaper shower for Bridgette, Alex and baby Emerson.

L to R: Tim, Jack, Malorie and Cole, Clark, Corey, me, Cody, Ashley and Ruby, Kyle, Haley and Eden, Alex, Bridgette (Oliver was napping)

Anyway, I had to take a hiatus from the challenge because I got sick and am still feeling low. Hopefully I can jump back in tomorrow.

you guys

2012-01-28T09:00:00.000-05:00

I was checking my blog stats a) to see who's looking and from where and b) make sure no creepers are creeping on me and the fam.

Dudes, I was like, "Wow...there are people coming here from Pinterest. Wonder what led them here?"

And then I click and find this! And there's another one! Same thing, but seriously?

I feel kind of famous and it's only a picture of food I made. :)

channel and slack

2012-01-26T14:42:00.002-05:00

Trying to catch up is hard. During the summer challenge I dressed every day for that day's prompt. It was no big deal. For some reason, I am having a hard time doing it for this challenge. Next week, I'm going to try and be one day ahead like almost every other person participating.

=slacker, slacking, slackety slack slack slack

Anyway, today we were to channel someone. Kayla pulled off a very cute Elvis. I got a little intimidated by that and looked at a few others to see who they were imitating. Ah! Ok, not everyone did a celebrity or even someone well-known. Phew... I made a trip to a new to me thrift store and was intentionally looking for a men's navy and white striped polo to make skirt like this. As I sewed it up, I began thinking why not just channel Merrick?! I love her style and pretty much want to wear everything she does.

Luckily it's pretty warm out today, but this is the only picture that turned out and all pixelated. Unluckily I am squinting so much you'd think my eyes were closed...and not just because I'm Asian. ;)

Bah, whatevs. I'm wearing cardigan: target, tee shirt: old navy, belt: thrifted, skirt: refashioned from polo, thrifted, shoes: old navy flats unseen

So um yeah...like I said, I hope to be ahead next week so that my pictures will look better and I won't feel behind, whether I really am or not.

**I got the whole idea to make the skirt from a mens polo from I thought Kayla, but I have been all over her blog searching for it and nothing...nothing! Maybe I'm crazy?!**
*******found it*******

trendy

2012-01-26T09:28:00.002-05:00

I'm a day late, but I was so busy yesterday and Kayla said it was ok, so there. ;)

We were to embrace a trend and seeing as how I dress for myself or comfortably to chase kids all day, this one was kind of hard for me. What's trendy? I mean I've seen the trends, but how can I translate that into my stay at home momness?

I picked up this cropped rectangle top in Ross in Florida and loved the tribal/Aztec print. It had a leather string with a feather and beads attached and knew that would have to go, and it did...in the wash...oops. I kept seeing tutorials for making one and never found the right fabric, so when I saw this for $6 it was a no brainer.

The photos are from last night. I forgot to try and snap a shot during the day, but like I said: BUSY.

So, some things that happened last night taking these pictures.

1. I had to tell two of my 11th grade small group girls that I blog.

2. I had to tell them about the challenge. (they thought it was fun)

3. I look shorter than normal?

4. Night pictures should've used one of the zillion apps I have with a night function.

5. Oh well.

I am wearing top: Ross (don't know the brand), tank: Wal-Mart, jeans: 7 for all mankind, flipflop in January!: Nollie

got the blues

2012-01-24T12:35:00.000-05:00

Today Kayla wanted us to try one that we did in the summer, too: monochromatic! I went bold-ish wearing red over the summer and had high hopes of wearing some all over purple or mustard today. I realized pretty quickly that I didn't really have what I needed and just as I was about to go with khaki/camel/tan/nude, I got a phone call from my son's school. Apparently if you throw up once you're automatically sent home whether you have a fever or any other symptoms. Dudes, he had oj for breakfast and it probably didn't sit well with the milk from his cereal. Chill...? Nope. I had to throw on a sweatshirt and shoes to go pick him up right away.

When I got home, I was ready to throw in the towel on today because I'm not going anywhere that requires me changing from sweats, but I remembered there's a girls' night at a friend's house after kids are in bed so I decided to put on clothes. I've got hours until then, yes, but why not go ahead and put it on and take pictures in the sun.

I didn't get to wear a fun color all over like I wanted, so I settled for blue...well because I have blue jeans and blue top options. I guess if I want to wear mustard pants in a monochromatic outfit, I need a yellow sweater or blouse...or even a t-shirt. Hmm...adding that to my list of items to buy.

I'm wearing navy cardigan: target, button down: gap, jeans: atl, hat: ae, socks: gap, boots: jc penney, sunglasses: wal to the mart

layers

2012-01-23T14:42:00.000-05:00

It's day 1 of Kayla's Challenge and I'm cheating already. See, I got dressed once and wasn't feeling it and couldn't remember what I had planned. I actually love layers and had been mentally going through my closet thinking of what I wanted to wear. My original outfit was a sweater over a flannel over a tee. Not exciting and a little warm since the high out is 68 today. I made a post and linked up and everything and then got too hot and took the sweater off. The flannel was actually kind of warm to, so I took that off and felt like I was cheating by not wearing what I posted. So I changed into another set of layers and decided to delete and re-post.

So here it is, what I'm actually wearing.

I had a little assistant telling me which way to look.

Anyway, I love tank tops and buy them year round. I picked up two when I was in Florida at Christmas that I will wear under cardigans until summer rolls back around. Every now and then I'll layer them over a long sleeve tee and that's just what I decided to do today.

long sleeve: gap, tank: roxy, jeans: 7 for all mankind, shoes: toms, scarf: from my mom, I'm not sure where she picked it up

5 is kind of a big deal

2012-01-21T09:55:00.004-05:00

And I totally didn't even blog about it.

So Clark turned 5 on the 10th! You saw that he woke up to a room full of balloons, but that was only the beginning. He went to school thinking I was going to bring him cupcakes that afternoon. Instead, Corey took the day off work and we surprised him at lunch! We brought the cupcakes in and sat with him at his table. He wore his birthday crown and his teacher said he's been the only one to wear it all day; usually the kids will wear it and then put in in their cubby.

When Clark got home, Corey's mom stopped by with a cake, card, and new Legos. Then our neighbors came by with a gift for him, MORE Legos! He was so excited. But that wasn't all. After dinner, Corey took him and Riley to TCBY for dessert.

Clark,

What can I say that I don't tell you at least once a day?

I love you. You make me laugh.

You make me mad. You make me cry.

You are so full of energy and wear your dad and me out.

I can't believe how fast five years has flown by us.

You only get better as you grow older. I'm pretty sure everyone loves you. ;)

Thanks for being a great big brother!

Sorry for any quirks you've picked up from us.

Can't wait to celebrate another year.

Maybe less presents, though.

You're the best big boy I know.

And your dance moves are pretty stellar, too.

Love you forever,

Mom

the challenge: winter edition

2012-01-19T09:05:00.000-05:00

I participated in Kayla's 21 Day Challenge over the summer and loved it. I wore things from my closet that I forgot about, didn't think I liked, and in new ways. She's back next week with a winter edition. It's going to be shorter, which is good for me, and right on time. I've been looking into my closet and then leaving to find some sweat pants and a hoodie. I need a little motivation to pull out my jeans and cords other than on Sunday for church. So if you want to mix up your winter wardrobe, join Kayla here!

working on my list

2012-01-12T17:04:00.001-05:00

I made a couple of new recipes this week and even let Clark help.

First I made a BBQ chicken pizza, (inspired by the PW's) crust from scratch. I've made dough before, but it's always been just ok. I know practice makes perfect so I was making the dough and realized I didn't have enough flour. I went ahead and used what I had and set it side to let it rise. It was pretty sticky when I was spreading it on the stone, but went with it. Clark spread the olive oil around and spread the toppings: grilled BBQ chicken, red bell peppers and onion, and then I drizzled on more BBQ sauce. The dough turned out perfectly. I forgot to take a picture until we had already eaten half.

I also made gyros using Mel's recipe. The tzatziki was yum! Both boys loved dipping pita in it. Corey and I both agreed the sandwich was just ok, but worth trying once.

I also started a new knitting project. I jumped on the Aidez train that was so hot last year. I wanted to make one, but felt overwhelmed with everything else (life) going on plus I didn't really have any extra money for yarn. I received a Hobby Lobby gc for Christmas and went shopping today hoping to find some bulky-weight yarn at a decent price. There was some Lion Brand Jiffy and Wool-Ease, but I went with Yarn Bee Andes Alpaca in cinnamon. It's working up quickly and I've spotted some mistakes that I am too lazy to go back and fix, but I will obsess about them as I do with all others.

am I too young to have a 5 year old?

2012-01-10T08:13:00.001-05:00

Five years ago I was holding a twenty minute old baby. He had just been weighed and bathed and placed in my arms. I felt overwhelmed with emotions running from elation to relief to scared out of my mind. I know a lot of first time parents feel this way, but no really, wait! You can't let us have a baby. We have no idea what we are supposed to do.

I'm glad they let me take you, Clark. We have had some ups and downs, but I've loved every minute and look forward to every one to come. Here's to another amazing year!

clark's craft time: painting

2012-01-09T15:20:00.001-05:00

At one of the family Christmas parties we went to, Corey's uncle had made each family a birdhouse. Clark had been dying to paint it since we brought it home. I was saving it for a day we needed an activity. Last week after we got back from the lake and before school started again, an opportunity presented itself.

I set him up and he went to town. He even had a little unwarranted help.

2012 List

2012-01-05T09:55:00.000-05:00

I know plenty of people make resolutions this time of year, but I never to stick to mine. I probably haven't made any in years.

So instead here is a list of goals and just things I want to do (idea from Claire).

1. Keep walking twice a week and run once or twice a week in addition to that.
2. Read my devotional first thing every morning. My day goes better when I do this.
3. Read 35 books.
4. Make Corey go on our summer vacation with us.
5. Take a weekend trip without the kids.
6. Knit at least one project a month.
7. Mail real cards to my family for their birthdays.
8. Eat less sugar (this sounds a lot like a resolution but I'm a sugar addict).
9. Learn to play ukelele.
10. Paint our living room/dining/kitchen area.
11. Fix the guest bathroom.
12. Move Oliver into Clark's room and redecorate.
13. Cook one new recipe a month.
14. Cook with Clark at least once a month.
15. Read the Bible to Clark AND Oliver each night.
16. Reorganize my blog and trim down the labels list.
17. Print more pictures and stop relying on my phone's camera.
18. Grow my hair out. No cuts, only trims.
19. Wear the clothes in my closet to figure out what I need to donate or trash.
20. Be intentional making time for friends. I always say, "Hey we should do something" and never follow through, so I'm going to try and do something once a week or every other week.

home again

2012-01-04T08:31:00.000-05:00

So after a 5 day trip in Florida followed by a weekend trip to South Carolina for New Year's, I am ready to stay home for a while.

Kacy invited us to her in-laws' lake house in SC for the weekend. We left Friday night, unloaded the car, watched the end of Tangled, and hit the hay. Saturday we met her parents, Mikey's parents, and all of their golden retrievers. Later her sister- and brother-in-law showed up with their dog, as well. We spent the day outside because the weather was beautiful and then partook in some festivities that included smores around the fire pit and fireworks around 8:30. There was at least $50 worth of stuff set on fire--some were duds and some were awesome! Clark thoroughly enjoyed his first taste of pyromania ;).

The adults who remained awake, toasted sparkling juice or champagne at 10 pm and I'm pretty sure we were all in bed by 10:30. Yeah, we really lived it up.

The next morning, both sets of parents were packing to leave and the sister and her husband were leaving also. I felt like we had run them off, but Kacy assured us we hadn't. We spent that day doing lots of nothing, which was ok by me. We tried to take the boat out so the guys could jump off some rocks into the cold water, but it started raining so we headed back to get the six kids indoors. The sun promptly showed itself again as the guys were parking the boat and turning it off. Katie and Martin and their girls were heading back that night, so we cleaned some and then went to dinner at a place called Fatz. The food was pretty good and why wouldn't it be with a name like that?

We headed back to the house with Kacy and Mikey, while Katie and Martin headed home. We turned on Sunday Night Football and made it through one quarter before all going to bed. Monday morning we woke up, lazed about playing cards and eating and then started cleaning and packing to come home.

It was a fun weekend. I'm glad Corey was there and it was cool meeting new people. Total, there were 12 adults, 6 kids, and at some point I think 8 dogs. I ~~ate~~ ~~snacked~~ grazed all weekend, but I went on a walk one day and a run the next...so it kind of worked out, right?

Kacy--thanks again for inviting us and hopefully we'll do it again this summer!

christmas in georgia?

2011-12-30T22:30:00.000-05:00

We made it back to Georgia and I wanted to be done with gifts. Unfortunately we weren't. Clark and Oliver got gifts from the party we missed. Santa brought a trampoline to our back yard and Corey's dad still has things for the boys he wants to give them in person. Oy.

We also have been trying to get back into a routine. I had to go grocery shopping...ugh. I had to do laundry...ugh. I had to unpack and repack. What? We are going with some of our small group to Lake Hartwell for New Year's Eve. I'm excited for hanging out with friends, but not so much about the drive.

We also hosted Corey's cousin and his wife Thursday night for dinner. They were here visiting for Christmas from California and while I'm glad we got to spend time with them, I was dreading cooking a real meal and cleaning house.

We've spent some time at the park, eating Chick-Fil-A, coloring, and jumping on the trampoline. And Clark goes back to school next Thursday. I've got a craft scheduled for next week, so check back to see how his art turns out.

christmas in florida: parts 4-6...

2011-12-30T16:29:00.002-05:00

So uh...yeah...I didn't want to write out the details of each day and add pictures. I didn't really take that many pictures and I was starting to wonder if it was boring.

Ok, the day after Christmas we got up and went to my parents' boat club and park or whatever it's called. They joined because some friends at their church are members and were telling them about all the perks. You can rent cheap pontoons for the day or go on boat tours from the first location. They also have two bedroom suites that you can rent for the cheap. At the second location there are cabins you can rent, which were surprisingly nice on the inside. There's a clubhouse with a pool table, foosball, and a big screen tv for movie nights. They have parties/socials throughout the year and lots of walking trails. They have a few ponds where we saw an alligator and you can rent paddle boats or kayaks and canoes. There are areas for picnics, basketball, and large porches for rocking.

When we got back to the house, we ate lunch and then Keri, Steven, and I drove to Orlando to pick my brother up from the airport. He flew in from New Mexico. It took much longer than we thought, but we had lots of fun.

I bought him that AF pullover back in high school one year for Christmas...whoa.

The next day we went on a singing boat river tour. It was veeeerrry interesting. The tour guide was probably in his 40s with a full beard and looked like he wanted to be Jimmy Buffet. We rode down the Withlacoochee and Rainbow Rivers. Where they meet, there is a clear line of distinction, which is really cool. The Rainbow is spring fed and crystal clear and the one my parents' have rights to. The Withlacoochee is tannic and dark, but just as nice. He told us about the animals on the rivers and how they run and how large they are. He then got on a soap box about using fertilizers and drinking from plastic water bottles. He was actually yelling at some points and I was very glad we were sitting in the front away from him. He took us down a part of the W and he parked the boat and sang four songs. They weren't anything you've heard unless you've taken this tour. They were about that part of Florida or black panthers or him (seriously, his mom wrote a song about him). Like I said, very interesting. That was also the first day I regretted wearing shorts. It had rained the night before and morning of and brought a cool front in.

That night we went to dinner at Stumpknockers. We've eaten there before, but this time it wasn't quite the same. First of all, it was packed! The service was sloooow. Oliver was ready for bed and crying. Clark tore his thumbnail and was crying. The food came out and was kind of unappetizing because I was so hungry and tired from trying to console Oliver and Clark. The meal was salvaged, but I don't think we'll be begging my parents to take us back next time.

When we got home we gave Clark some early birthday presents from my siblings since they won't see him on his actual birthday. More Cars stuff and I can't blame them because they were half off at Wal-Mart.

Our last morning there, we had breakfast and then went to visit my grandparents for a little while. They gave Clark and Oliver some happy meal toys they'd saved and some old stuffed bears they didn't want anymore. We said our goodbyes and headed back to eat lunch one more time with my family. I loaded the car, trying not to forget anything, especially since we were leaving with much much more than we came. I started a movie, said some more goodbyes, and pulled out of the driveway.

Our trip home wasn't too bad. Oliver slept the first half and Clark was entertained with a movie.

I even made it into Georgia before stopping. I let Clark use the bathroom and get a vending machine snack again. I had to stop twice more for gas and a drink and fries for the boys, but we made it home in 5 1/2 hours. Not too bad really. Corey was so happy to see us and us him. We let Clark open a few of the gifts from Corey's grandparents' party and he played for an hour before we put him to bed.

I really enjoyed our Florida Christmas. It was fun swimming and kayaking. It was fun spending time with my sister, brother, and brother-in-law. I love my parents and all the spoiling they did for my boys and me. I also really love being home. Until next summer...

christmas in florida: part 3 christmas day

2011-12-28T08:38:00.000-05:00

The boys and I slept in my parents' room so they wouldn't get a peek of Santa. My parents slept on the couch bed in the living room and lucky for them because Oliver decided to wake up around 3 am and keep me up screaming and crying until 5 am. Clark stayed asleep and I nudged him awake at 5 til 7 and asked him if he remembered what day it was. "Christmas!" he said in an excited whisper.

We got up and my mom had already made biscuits. Clark looked at his Santa toys sitting out and started going through his stocking. Once Keri and Steven woke up, I passed out the presents and we started tearing things open. Clark got his pjs and robe, along with new Legos, a giant coloring book, a real tool set, and the remote control cars. Oliver got clothes, pjs, a xylophone and the dog guitar, and the ball popping play thing.

We played for a little while and then Keri and I went for a run. When we got back, we went swimming. After that, my grandparents came over for lunch and Oliver got back in the pool with my mom for a little bit. I wanted a nap so desperately, but there was never a chance for that. I settled for laying on the floor in the bedroom watching A Christmas Story.

Leftovers for dinner and then a few rounds of Monopoly Jr with Clark and I was ready for bed...at 8 pm. Clark and I snuck into the room because Oliver was already asleep and we climbed into bed. I'm pretty sure I was out by the time my head hit the pillow.

It was a really great day that ended in an even better way, sleeping.

I got to talk to Corey and he went to his mom's for breakfast and lunch, then to his dad's for their Christmas party. He sent me a picture of all the things they sent for the boys and me. He also got a gift card to The Trading Post near his work. Every time we pass the place, he jokes, "I wonder what they trade there." Well now he can finally find out. ;)

christmas in florida: part 2 water

2011-12-27T10:00:00.000-05:00

Clark and I had a not too restful night's sleep on the sofa bed. Oliver woke up around 6 am, I crept in to give him his pacifier, and woke again around 7. My mom changed his diaper and gave him to me. We ate breakfast, I cut my sister's hair, and Clark and Oliver got to pick the last two tangerines on my parents' tree.

We ate them and they were so juicy and sweet. Oliver devoured his like the orange piggy I know he is, while Clark ate a few slices and I finished the rest.

Keri, Steven, and I loaded the kayaks onto my parents' car and we headed to their park on the river. We usually tube down the river every summer that we come. We usually tube down multiple times that week and sometimes more than once a day. The river is spring fed and crystal clear...and icy cold even in summer. So even though the air temperature our second day was in the 80s, the water is still not something I want to swim in. I wore my bathing suit because I knew I might get wet and I'm so glad I did.

This is at the entrance. I had just got in and before my brother in law put his phone away I asked him to snap a picture. We rowed upstream to the state park and where the spring heads are. On our way we saw a million turtles, Kacy. It would give that turtle pond on our walk a run for its money. We also spotted a gator. Luckily it was sunning on the bank and only about two feet long, but I didn't want to disturb it or any of its friends that might not have been too far off. Eeeek.

We turned around and floated downstream for a bit. Keri and Steven kayaked the day before as well and wanted to take me to the rope tree. Some people have tied a rope to a tall tree over the river and nailed boards for a ladder to its trunk. Steven was going to swing and so I was reaching for the rope and lost balance and went in the water. It took my breath away a) because I wasn't planning on going on and b) it. was. cold. I had my clothes on so I stripped down to my bathing suit and shivered the rest of the way back. Once my suit dried a little and I stayed out of the shade, it wasn't too bad, but I probably won't live all the smack talk down.

When we got back, we ate lunch and got in the very heated pool. It's hotter than a bath tub, but Clark and Oliver are loving it, so being the good mom I am, I get in with them.

christmas in florida: part 1 driving and arriving

2011-12-26T10:00:00.000-05:00

Long road trips and me are long time friends. I love a good drive on miles and miles of interstate, getting to a place I haven't been in a long time. The last time we were in this part of Florida, Clark was a little guy and Oliver wasn't even a blip on the radar. My parents had no plans of moving to this town and my grandpa still had both of his legs. Oh and Corey was with me.

This time around I loaded up the kids and car all by myself. We said goodbye to Corey the night before as he had to get up and leave before any of us even considered opening our eyes. We stopped almost immediately for gas and then another twenty later I stopped for lunch before we got to the interstate. Did I mention we live 45 minutes from the road to Florida? Well we do.

As soon as we got on the road, Clark started asking if we were there yet. No dear, we most certainly aren't and it will be a long time. Watch the movie and eat your food. Mom...I have to pee. We just got on the road, you're a big boy, please hold it for a little bit. Ok.

Around the 2 hour mark, he said he wasn't going to make it and Oliver was asleep and I didn't want to get out of the car yet. I pulled into a gas station and made him pee in a cup. I dumped the cup and we were back on the road. Oliver was awake now.

For as long as I can remember, Unadilla, GA has had roadwork on the interstate. Two cramped lanes moving at 60 mph with cement barriers on either side. I don't mind driving through this, but everyone else seems to freak out and drive much slower. Lowndes County, Valdosta, GA. Another oldie, but goodie. You're almost to Florida and yet this part seems to take forever too. We finally crossed the state line and Clark was saying he was hungry, so we stopped at the welcome center to use the restroom and get something from the vending machine. I got fruit snacks for Oliver and Clark picked candy. It kept them happy in the car for about ten minutes. Luckily I had started a new movie and that got us almost the rest of the way to my parents' house. About thirty minutes from our final destination the movie ended and Clark played with the bonus features, while Oliver whined off and on.

We made it to the neighborhood, pulled into their cul de sac and I saw their house, but the address number was wrong. I called and asked if they were sure that was their address (because of course they would be wrong and I'd be right...). Apparently Google maps had me in the wrong neighborhood so I gave my dad a call and he talked me into the right one. Clark and I unloaded the car and changed into our bathing suits to jump in the pool. The water was really hot, like worse than a bath tub, but Clark had fun.

Oliver didn't want to go to sleep in a strange place and screamed for about 45 minutes off and on. Clark didn't want to go to bed, so he was up and down for an hour. Finally they both went down and I watched the Help with my mom, sister, and brother in law. For bed, Clark and I slept on the sleeper sofa and Clark was all over the place. I forgot how wild he is, and no wonder his blanket is always twisted in the mornings.

christmas eve

2011-12-24T21:09:00.000-05:00

Playing Santa is hard, guys. I had to eat cookies and put toys together. Last year I had Corey put together the one small track we got Clark. This year I put together the ball popping animal music thing for Oliver and when it says some assembly required, it meant all assembly. Then I had to get those remote control cars out of the box, unscrew them from the box, cut copious amounts of tape and plastic and zip ties to get them off the insert, and then still unscrew covers to put batteries in. They were so kind as to include batteries though.

Santa's cookies

putting cookies and carrots on a plate for Santa
plate was made by my brother in '93

removed from plastic, batteries added

"some" assembly required

It will all have been worth it, though, once they get up in the morning and see that Santa found his way to their grandparents' house in Florida. It will also be worth it once we get back home and they see Santa dropped something off their as well. It may or may not be a trampoline that Corey and his dad may or may not have had to assemble today.

circle scarf

2011-12-22T08:14:00.001-05:00

Christmas party, oh Christmas party. I love you and I stress about you. Our high school girls wanted to have a party and it's my last one before I leave for Florida. It was fun, BUT I had to get a $5 gift to exchange. I decided to make a scarf because duh, I like making things. I pinned this crochet pattern months ago and finally sat down to make one. It went so quickly that I made another one in a color people would actually wear.

terrible phone self-portrait

instagram art shot

We played the dirty Santa game and since there were only 6 of us, no one stole anything. The girl who received the scarf was last to go and the girl who hosted the party was so jealous and upset that she didn't get it. I told her I'd make her one if she bought the yarn. Then another girl said she wanted one, too, but longer. Of course, Maddie...of course. One of my co-leaders said she just knew I was going to make a scarf because that's what I love to do. She's so wise. Anyway--we made it to Florida yesterday and swam in my parents' pool. Yep! It's warm outside and the water was almost too hot. Pictures and more to come.

sewing lessons

2011-12-22T08:09:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I did a sewing lesson with a friend's daughter and her friend. Allie and Ansley had been taking sewing lessons with a lady, who moved, and have been wanting to sew since then. Neither of their moms sew, so I offered to sew with them.

I was thinking of simple and quick projects for them and I had no idea what level they were at. Her mom told me they have sewn trim onto shorts, a simple bag, and a few other easy things. I decided to do a circle scarf and luckily someone gave me some brown and blue glittery fabric that would be perfect for girls their age.

What I learned:
1. They can set up their machines and sew.
2. They aren't big on long, straight lines; in fact, their lines weren't straight.
3. They always race.
4. They can pin their own pieces, but didn't want to do it.
5. Thirty minutes was good enough for them.

I had enough fabric and another coordinating print for them to make an elastic waist band skirt, but the scarf was enough for them.

domo arigato

2011-12-20T11:30:00.000-05:00

mr. roboto

twas the week before christmas

2011-12-19T16:50:00.001-05:00

And we like to keep it busy around here.

Friday Corey told me to have the kids fed, but not worry about our dinner because he was taking care of it. When he got home empty handed, my stomach growled and my mouth said, "Where's the food?" He told me to get dressed because a sitter was on the way and we went to Longhorn for dinner. Surprise and not a bad one!

Saturday we had plans with Corey's dad and then his mom and stepdad for Christmas. I'm taking the boys to Florida this weekend, so they wanted to do Christmas before we left...or so we thought. Corey's dad came over around 10 am and folded paper airplanes with Corey and Clark. An hour later, we were wondering if he was doing gifts or what... He went to his car "real quick" and Corey looked at me like, "What's going on?" He returned with a cup of tea and Corey suggested we go to the park. His dad then says he'll be leaving and for us to have a nice rest of the day. Uh...okay... About an hour later we had a girl coming to look at and hopefully buy Corey's old road bike. She showed up and another hour later, left with a new to her bike.

We went to deposit the money and then went in Target for a kite. Who knows why? Well, actually I do know why--Corey said it was windy and that Clark would probably enjoy it. He didn't know kites were sold seasonally. We tried Wal-Mart just in case, but really I just needed to get juice for Clark's class party. Then we went to his mom's.

There we knew we were doing Christmas, so we ate dinner and then opened gifts. The boys had fun playing and eating cookies. After lazing around, Corey and I left to go to another Christmas party. No children, lots of food, and lots of laughing until my face hurt made for a fun time.

Sunday morning, second service, there was an ugly Christmas sweater party for Inside Out. About half the people participated, including Corey.

Maddie, me, Victoria, Hannah

Hannah is the tallest and wanted us to look taller, so I stood on my toes. I also didn't get the dark denim memo and editing made them look even lighter. And Maddie was on the other side of Hannah, but then ran around to get her "good" side...oh jeez.

After church we had one more party to round out the weekend. We drove to Corey's mom's and ate dinner and the kids got presents there, too.

So I'm relieved to have half of Christmas over. Now a class party and Florida with my family and we'll be done till next year.

stuffed shells

2011-12-14T13:55:00.000-05:00

Foodgawker came through again. I was looking for a new recipe to try and came across these for stuffed shells. I can't find the original one that caught my eye, but it had sausage, spinach, and tomatoes. It sounds delightful and I added the ingredients to my grocery list.

When it came time to prepare it for dinner yesterday I realized I forgot to buy sausage. I used chicken instead, which turned out better since I'm not a huge sausage fan. Oliver ate the whole thing for dinner and lunch the next day. Clark picked the chicken out and took a few bites of the pasta. Corey and I really enjoyed them and I will probably make them again.

Stuffed Shells

20 jumbo pasta shells

2 chicken breasts, cut into 1/2" pieces

1 cup chopped spinach, I used fresh, but you can use drained frozen

1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes, I used some with italian seasoning

salt and pepper

1/2 cup ricotta

1 cup shredded mozzarella

Boil some water, add shells, and cook to al dente. Drain and put into cold water until ready to stuff.

Cook chicken (I used butter), season with salt and pepper.

Add tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add spinach and let it wilt down.

Remove from heat and add ricotta. Mix until melted.

Grease your baking dish. Preheat oven to 350.

Stuff shells and line up in dish.

Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake covered with foil for 30 minutes, remove foil and bake for 10 more or until cheese is perfect!

making a blanket

2011-12-13T13:46:00.000-05:00

Remember when I made this scarf for Terri? After that she started asking me if I could make her a blanket/throw for her house. Sure, no problem, I'd love to! I looked for patterns, sent her links, told her to find pictures or patterns, and then we'd convene on it sometime. A few weeks ago, she finally told me her interior design friend found yarn at Sugarfoot and they'd be amazing in her house. Terri asked her how much that would cost her and blah blah blah and then I didn't really hear anything else. Fast forward a week and Terri has a bag of yarn and a crochet magazine with the throw pattern in there.

I apparently cannot hide my true feelings around this lady. She has called me on one other thing that I totally thought I covered up and didn't... So she could sense that I was thinking this wasn't going to work out with the yarn she bought. I didn't even mention that knitting and crocheting are two different things, but lucky for her I know how to crochet, too.

I did the first section and a bobble section, took it to her, and she said she really liked it. She said that she'd get more yarn when I told her how much she'd need. I told her that it may not come out exactly like the picture in the magazine and she said she understood and she trusted my work. Ugh...

So I'm 90% done and actually really like it. At first I thought it was going to be kind of, well, ugly. The colors have grown on me and it's really thick and warm. She wanted something with bobbles and fringe, something to be pet.

I should have it finished this week and in under schedule (we were aiming for Christmas). I hope she likes it and that it gets used!

dare to...deck the halls

2011-12-12T13:47:00.000-05:00

This challenge came along just in time. I've been wanting new stockings since I first bought some the year we moved in to our house. For 5 years we've used some red and green cheap felt ones that I wrote our names on with silver puff paint... I know. I've been looking all over for cheap ones that don't look cheap or sales after Christmas, but they're picked over or they don't match or they clash. I decided this year I wanted to make some.

I went to Hobby Lobby and got muslin and burlap.

I traced around our old stockings and cut out enough pieces to make four.

Next I wasn't sure what I should do... I was just going off of memory of things that are sewn together, then flipped out, so my first stocking there was a little seam ripping and resewing, but it all worked out.

So first I sewed the muslin pieces to the burlap across the top, making sure one was going the other way so that when they're facing each other, they're going the right way. That makes sense, right?

Next I laid the sewn pieces on top of each other, right sides facing.

Then I sewed around the burlap. *I used straight stitches the whole time*

Next I sewed around the muslin, leaving a hole large enough to flip the pieces right sides out.

I ironed them to give them their shape because the burlap was really stiff. I feel like the heat and little bit of steam kind of softened the burlap as well.

Next I wanted to add a cuff. I hadn't bought any material for that because a) I didn't see any I really liked and b) I had scraps at home and figured I'd make something work. The pajama pant infinity scarf that turned out a little too short was cut open and I used the red plaid flannel for the cuffs.

I didn't measure this part, just cut some strips, folded in half, pressed, and then pinned in place.

I sewed around and clipped the extra fabric.

Next I wanted to add a loop for hanging and just made little tubes of fabric, then sewed them in place.

I painted initials with white acrylic free hand and let them dry.

my husband said, "What's the D for?" when I told him "dad" he said he's too young to have dad on his stocking. *eyeroll*

Not a single one came out perfect, nor do any of them match completely, but I really enjoyed making them and I can easily make more as our family grows. And if I grow tired of these, I can make different ones.

This project did not come in under $free. I had to buy the burlap and muslin, which was $13 for 2 yards of each. I have about 1/2 yard of burlap left over and if I had been smarter with my cutting, I'd have more muslin. So far though, these materials are the only thing I've had to purchase for this diy party. Yay!

christmas gifting

2011-12-10T13:49:00.000-05:00

Is so hard. Especially for my boys.

I guess I kind of make it hard on myself. For Clark I set up all the rules and stipulations. First I have two grandmothers and a grandfather buying gifts for my kids. There are other grampas too, but the grandmas do the shopping. Anyway, three different people I have to come up with a list for them to buy from. Clark has a ton of toys and junk. He has clothes and shoes. Our house is full of stuff. My mom got him pajamas and a robe and a couple of shirts. I think she got him one toy, I do not remember, but I'm sure I okayed it. Corey's mom took me shopping as well to pick things out for the boys. I think she got Clark a couple of Cars items and maybe some clothes...? Again, don't really remember, but everything she picked out I saw. Corey's dad always goes above and beyond and a little too far, but Corey thinks it's to make up for missing so much of Corey's childhood. We won't get into that, but he's getting Clark (and Corey) a trampoline. He also asked me to email him a list of other smaller things...ugh. AND my sister and brother want to get the boys something, too.

Oh and the boy's birthday is in January...yeah, so no real break there.

So what do we get him for Christmas? I didn't want to buy him more Cars stuff. I didn't want to get him the junk we put on his list. It was either too expensive, something we've had before, or JUNK. I didn't really think we needed to get him anything, but Santa should...right? I went to Toys R Us looking for something to scream, "Buy me!" I walked all over that dumb store and could not find a thing that I hadn't already asked someone else to buy. I ended up getting a kitchen. It would be a joint gift to him and Oliver. It wasn't what he'd asked for, but I know he'd enjoy playing with it.

I called Corey to rant about my shopping trip and tell him what I settled on. Crickets chirped and then a long uhhhhhh. Long story shortish, he said that it was cool, but then went with me to return it and look for something else.

Longer story shorter, I ended up buying CARS stuff!!! It's two remote control cars, one for Clark, one for Corey (notice a theme?) and whatever. I'm done!

I also bought a strip of cotton with a vinyl back to paint him a car playmat thing. You know those rugs with streets and buildings? Yeah, one of those, but painted by me and yeah...

My post is losing steam. Or maybe I'm losing the direction and feel like this is really dumb.

So all that to say, I have a hard time with the materialism at Christmas. We don't want our family to forget about why we celebrate it--Jesus.

open to interpretation

2011-12-08T14:40:00.001-05:00

I did the 21 day challenge during the summer with Kayla. She does an Open to Interpretation with two other ladies and this one was open to the public. It came just in time as I have a Christmas party tonight and was trying to figure out what to wear.

So here's the inspiration picture:

from Pinterest, but...where else?

And here's what I threw together:

jingle bells

2011-12-08T13:39:00.001-05:00

Clark's class performed a few Christmas songs last weekend at the performing arts center. Actually, the whole school did, but his class sang three songs and one was Jingle Bells. It amazes me how kids can learn lyrics to songs so easily. I have a hard time as an adult, but maybe it's just the way my brain is wired.

Anyway, for the past few weeks he's been singing it, asking us to sing it, listening for it on the radio, and just singing silly words to the tune or humming it. I guess Oliver has picked up on this song because yesterday we were at a friend's house and she had the Hallmark singing snowmen. Oliver was obsessed with this one.

He's so cute.

apples, ginger, and pumpkin

2011-12-07T12:00:00.000-05:00

More food.

I can't stop baking.

I'm a machine.

Last week on a whim, I made the rustic apple tart.

I was reading Oiyi's blog and saw this recipe and bookmarked it. Then I went in the kitchen and realized I had all of the ingredients and decided to go ahead and do it then. It was nice and fluffy, not too sweet, and I ate it with vanilla ice cream a few times.

Next I made the pumpkin chocolate chip cookies again. Well, take that back, only the dough for now. I was in the kitchen making other stuff and decided to go ahead since I'd opened the can of pumpkin and didn't want to have to store the rest.

I've also made gingersnaps and pumpkin dip. It is so good that one of my small group girls remembers when I made it last year and has asked me at least five times to make them again. I decided now's as good a time as any.

clark's craft time: gingerbread

2011-12-06T10:30:00.000-05:00

Since Clark goes to school, I don't do nearly as many crafts with him as I'd like. I don't think he gets as much art time at school either. So once a month I'm going to try and do a multi-day craft with him. Last month we did the window gels. This month I decided to do a big one: gingerbread houses. Aagh!

I was flipping channels and came across The Chew. Carla was giving tips on how to make a great gingerbread house. I bookmarked it in my head and looked up the recipe and instructions a few days later. This has turned into quite a project, but that's fine with me as I think Clark really enjoyed it every step of the way.

Saturday afternoon I made the dough. While it chilled in the fridge I made up templates for house pieces. I really didn't measure, I just traced around a smallish rectangle (notepad), then made up a front and roof. I rolled the dough out and let Clark cut around the templates with a pizza cutter or use cookie cutters for trees, snowmen, and candy canes. As they baked then came out of the oven, we let them cool and I told Clark we would decorate them the next day. After he went to bed I enlisted Corey's help in assembling the houses.

remnant dough...don't worry, they didn't make the cut

I made four total, so that way I could decorate at least one all by myself. Clark likes to "help" even if it's unwarranted. We let them set up over night before adding the roofs on Sunday afternoon. Sunday was busy with a birthday party, so we didn't get to decorate like we'd planned. I send Clark off to school Monday morning with the promise of decorating when he got home.

I laid out all of our supplies: icing, M&Ms regular and mini, Skittles, wafer cookies, Christmas sprinkles, chocolate chips, and Starbursts. I'm not a fan of gum drops, so we skipped those nasty things.

He thoroughly enjoyed it and sampling the building materials as well. Next time I will make sure my pieces perfect so the roof sits flush on the house, too. ;)

dare to...give homemade gifts

2011-12-05T16:53:00.001-05:00

Dare to ... give homemade gifts!
Nothing is more special than a gift made by you. Try out something new to give this year - ideas include bath and body items, kitchen gifts, hand-sewn clothing or home decor.

This week was easy for me. The hard part was narrowing it down. Kim challenged us to make something to give away. I've knit one or more things the past couple of years for gifts, but I'm working on a crochet throw for a lady at church, so I haven't picked up the needles lately. The sewing machine is always good for a quick finished product and so I've got a couple of things to share.

First off Clark picked out that dinosaur flannel and I made him a long neck. Our neighbor and Clark's best friend is obsessed with dinos, so I made him one with the rest. Unlike Clark's I zig zagged the two pieces together on the outside, so it has a rippled edge, which looks good on the dinosaur. I sewed on two button eyes and stuffed him. I don't have a picture, but I'll get one soon with the bday boy.

Secondly I made another infinity scarf. I have plans to give it to a friend and hopefully she'll be surprised and isn't reading this now.

I know this is the BEST picture you've ever seen... I. did. not. care. but needed a picture. :) I found some...well, I'm not sure what kind of fabric it is, maybe a crepe, sheer, poly? Either way, I loved that it was plaid and thin (and only $1.50/yd), so sewn up into a tube like the flannel one I made and then connected to make a circle. I'm pretty sure she'll love it!

Need some more ideas? Go see what everyone else made.

flannel for your neck and a long neck

2011-11-30T10:52:00.001-05:00

How come I don't listen to that old adage, "What goes around, comes around"? In this case, fashion that comes and goes and comes back. I've been on the hunt for the perfect plaid flannel button down for a couple of years. I used to own and wear a ton, but that was middle school and I probably couldn't fit into them anymore anyway.

In my quest to find said flannel, I happened upon this awesome DIY from Brittany Makes on Pinterest. I loved the comfy look and I'm all about a scarf that won't slip off. I read her post to find out she made it from some old pajama pants. I had some old pj pants that were flannel and plaid and probably the print of shirt I've been looking for. I bought them on super clearance years ago from AE for like $6. I've worn them every fall/winter since and they're thin and pilling and the most comfortable pair I own. I hated to think about cutting them up to wear around my neck, but I really really wanted one of these scarves. My want outweighed my need of pjs...especially since I have a plenty more.

So I gathered my supplies: sewing machine, thread, scissors, and pants.

Next I laid my pants out and cut right up to the (I hate this word) crotch.

Then I cut up one of the seams on each leg and laid them right sides together.

I stopped taking photos, but you sew up one of the short ends, then fold it right sides together long ways and sew up the open end to make a tube. Turn the tube inside out, stick one open end into the other, fold down a half inch or so for a neat edge, and close your tube with a line of stitches. Easy! Quick! A little shorts because my pajama pants were my size. I reread the blog post and found out she used mens pjs...

Well, no fear, Joann's Black Friday sales were here. I ventured out with both boys around 10 a.m. and found some nice tartan plaid flannel, some dinosaur print flannel that Clark "just had to have," and some cherry blossom print cotton.

Here's my flannel scarf:

And here's a flannel long neck dinosaur. Rawr...

I have enough to make another dinosaur, which I will probably do for Clark's friend's birthday this weekend.

dare to...eat cookies

2011-11-28T12:22:00.000-05:00

I love cookies.

I want them slightly under done.

I want them warm with a cold glass of milk.

I like sugar, pumpkin, gingersnaps, chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin...not picky.

For the dare this week I made these chocolate chip pumpkin cookies courtesy of a foodgawker search, which ps--the app and actual site give different results and I could not for the life of me find the original post until I went back to my phone--frustrating!

I didn't have all spice so I put in nutmeg, ground cloves, and ginger to "spice" them up.

They turn out cakey and sooooo goooood. The extra Os are no exaggeration of the goodness either.

packed up to take to small group

The iced ones are drizzled with cream cheese frosting that I added extra milk to for drizzling purposes. My boys and I may or may not have sampled them (6 total maybe) before wrapping them up.

bad cell phone pic, but really delicious all the same

Now go look at what everyone else made and see if there are any new cookies you want to try.

Ingredients

1 cup butter at room temperature
7 ounces (1 cup) sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
10 ounces (2 cups) unbleached all purpose white flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 - 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (depending on how much you like your chocolate chips)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar (3-5 minutes). Add the pumpkin, egg, and vanilla and mix until well blended. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, and salt, and add to the mixing bowl. Stir well to form a soft batter. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Drop rounded teaspoonfuls onto a large, ungreased baking sheet allowing a little space for the cookies to spread as they bake. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the cookies just begin to brown slightly on the bottom. Transfer to a cooling rack.

boots refashion or more bravery

2011-11-25T14:00:00.000-05:00

I want a new pair of boots bad. We can be anywhere and if I see boots I go look and fawn and try on only to walk away empty handed because once again, we can't afford new boots. I've got three pair (I know), but they're not the ones I want.

So one of the pairs is grey slouchy Steve Madden's from two or three years ago. I wore them a couple of times and then I got tired of the slouchy look. I'm not a pirate and these scream "Aaaargh matey!"

See that flap? Ugh. I decided to take the flap off first.

Then I pulled the lining back and found that the only thing making them slouch was some tape. Yes. Easy.

See? Much better, right?

So now the top has an unfinished edge. I was too lazy to sew it, so I folded the top down over the lining like so.

For a temporary fix, I duck taped it. Ghetto yes, but quick fix, yes.

Tada! Still a little slouchy, but no more piratey!

clark's craft time: window gels

2011-11-23T12:32:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago I went to dinner with my MIL and then to KMart so we could pick out stuff for the boys' Christmas. Clark and Oliver have a ton of toys/junk and we got some clothes and nonjunk toys. Anyway on the way to the register they had some cheap crafts for kids. One box had these window gel sticky things so we grabbed a couple. Clark and I worked on them the next day and he loved it. I think they turned out okay, although we probably needed more of the colors to do all of the designs.

He wanted to pose like Batman... They're kind of hard to see, but we made two Santas, a candy cane, a stocking, two gingerbread men, a snowman, and a gift. Some of the crazier color combos were from running out of paint.

No matter! He had fun and they're cute.

wreath...fail

2011-11-22T10:30:00.000-05:00

I'm not the greatest at decorating my house. Ah...that felt good to admit. Really it's due to lack of funds and Corey being crazy and not wanting to put any holes in the wall "since we're only going to be here 5 or 10 years." Like I said, crazy.

So last year I laughed at him and said, "Dude, we've been here 4 years and we're not going anywhere, let's hang some stuff on the walls, hmm?" Actually I didn't say that at all. I just did it one day while he was at work. :)

Slowly this year I've been hanging things here or there and repainting items we were given that don't really go with our style. Until I can afford to buy pieces I actually like, I've changed things for now.

I guess it's been a couple of years now, but I saw this acorn wreath DIY on made and really wanted to do it. However, we don't have those kinds of acorns around here (if we do, I've never seen them) so another lady did one with beans. I bought a couple of bags of limas and kept them in my pantry for a long time now. I've been looking for a wreath form (they are expensive, what's up with that?) and saw that some people made their own using pool noodles or insulation thingamabobbers from Home Depot. I found a foam thingamabobber at HD the other day and it was a $1 so I got it to finally try my hand at the bean wreath.

folded and taped into circle

working working working. the magazine was my table protector...

So the beans are heavy. The foam is flimsy. I still need another bag of beans to complete it, but I have a feeling it's not going to work out. First off, it's pretty thin, which is okay if I had bows or leaves or something to fluff it up and fill it. I'm thinking I'm going to have to start over with a real wreath or a pool noodle... To be continued.

dare to...entertain

2011-11-21T12:02:00.001-05:00

It's week two at Dare to DIY.

This week we are to set our tables with intent to use for hosting a party or dinner or just because you want to. We will be traveling the 12 miles away to eat lunch at my in-laws house on Thursday, but I have been wanting turkey and dressing for weeks now. I decided I'd do a mini Thanksgiving layout for dinner tonight with a turkey breast, green bean casserole, and Stove Top stuffing. Where shall we eat this mini meal?

We inherited this lovely dark brown table when Corey's brother passed back in February. I didn't want to cover it all the way up, but I also don't have a table runner. I just folded a table cloth a few times to get this strip of color that is in dire need of an ironing...

The green leaf print plates and I have a love-hate relationship. I used to love them...and now I kind of hate them. :) Really they're pretty, but when you try to cut or put any pressure around the edges, they tip easily which frustrates Corey and me. The napkins are cocktail ones my mom bought on clearance years ago...and I can't find the sixth one anywhere, but they have a reindeer or snowman or wreath with lyrics to Jingle Bells on them. I tied my flatware with some yellow linen and topped each with a mini pinecone that I collected on a walk with the boys a year ago with hopes of adding them to my fall decor. My name is Kim and I have a problem--I break glasses. Notice how I have two different styles and also mason jars? Yeah, we've had two WHOLE sets at one point and I've managed to break them somehow to where we have a nice little collection of non matching ones.

Clark made this turkey at school and I added the left over pinecones to another little jar. It was fun getting all of this stuff out. We never eat on the leaf plates anymore. I've got some plain white plates that we use for every day. And I didn't put out any salad plates/bowls because my kids were running circles around me and I didn't want to break anything...else. So there you have it. Now go take a look at some of the others.

broccoli cheese soup

2011-11-15T17:02:00.001-05:00

Does your husband or spouse ever complain that it's not a real meal unless there's meat? I've had this discussion with a couple of wives and we just can't figure out why the guys can't figure out it's still a meal whether something on your plate previously walked.

I made this broccoli cheese soup a month or so ago and Corey loved it. I told him there's no meat, unless you count the chicken stock and he doesn't, but he said it was filling and delicious anyway. I'm serving it again tonight and he'll say the same...but around the 8 or 9 o'clock hour he'll be rummaging through the pantry and fridge looking for something to hold him over until breakfast. Oh well.

It's a simple recipe and of course, from Mel. I've used frozen broccoli both times, but only because I feel like you get more for your money than buying stalks.

I'll also be watching the Biggest Loser. Did I mention I'll probably be doing crunches and jumping jacks to get this cheesy soup out of my arteries?

dare to...be thankful

2011-11-14T15:36:00.001-05:00

I finally have time to sit and write this and for that, I am thankful.

Dare to... be thankful!

Take some time making your own DIY Thanksgiving project. It could be a fun Thanksgiving advent calendar, homemade thank-you cards, a banner or something completely unique to share what you are thankful for.

So my first week's submission isn't that great. I feel like it looks unfinished, so over the next couple of weeks I'm going to add a border or something to complete it. In the meantime, here's what I did.

I spray painted a canvas "caramel latte" though it looks a little more "light bronze" to me. I hand stitched some letters on to different "leaves" I cut from scrap fabric, including linen, felt, and leather. I kept the wording simple, "Give Thanks" and I glued them to the canvas to sit atop our mantle along with our non-holiday decor.

So what exactly am I thankful for? Fall and the leaves changing colors and the boys playing in the leaves, while they "help" their dad rake the yard.

and then there were none

2011-11-12T07:59:00.001-05:00

I went to the library yesterday to pick up a book I had on hold and looked for another book from my ongoing list of to-read. Normally I can't find what I'm looking for because it's newly released and popular, but Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None" was right there on the shelf and I grabbed that one, too.

Ten guests arrive on Indian Island for a stay at a newly built house. They all come from different backgrounds, careers, and ages. On the first night, they have dinner and then drinks are to be served. While they are loosening up and relaxing around one another a voice comes from seemingly nowhere accusing each of them of being involved in a murder from their past. From that point on they begin to die one by one in accordance with a line from the nursery rhyme about indians. Scotland Yard is called in and they can't figure it out because no one came or left the island during the week long stay and everyone is dead.

It was a quick read, all in one day, and I guess pretty entrancing since I had to finish. I had my guesses throughout, but I think in the end I was surprised. I did guess the how correctly, but the who was up in the air the entire time. It also reminded me of M. Night Shyamalan's movie Devil.

This is my first Christie novel and I would probably read another.

Up next is Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin.

christmas time is almost here

2011-11-09T21:00:00.002-05:00

Tonight we listened to Christmas music on the way home from dinner at the Elrods' house. We ate tacos and the kids played and it was good to have adult conversation.

I also downloaded A Very She and Him Christmas for $5 on amazon. Good stuff!

Tomorrow I'm going to eat lunch with Clark at school. They're serving "Thanksgiving Dinner" and I'm excited to have my first turkey and dressing of the season. :)

really stupid or really brave?

2011-11-07T09:26:00.000-05:00

I did something crazy on Saturday! Corey thought it was a bad idea from the first time I mentioned it and so by the end of this post, please weigh in.

Remember this beauty?

Well remember how Corey wanted me to sell it? It never sold. No interest on eBay and I mean no one is going to pay as much as we were asking. So it sat in the closet for almost a year (whoa) untouched with the tags still on.

For a couple of weeks now I've been trying it on with different outfits trying to figure out how to wear it. It's a little long on me proportionately, so I had been thinking I wanted to shorten it. Corey and his mom said don't do it myself and to take it to a leather alteration place. Uh...do you know who I am? Do you know how cheap I like to do things? Do you know how I like to do it myself every single chance I get? I decided to try and take matters into my own hands.

Here was my plan. Google the mess out of altering leather jackets, watch as many youTube videos necessary, pray and then cut, AND then before I got too far into it, if I felt like I couldn't, then stop and take to an alteration place.

Google and youtube were meh. The only things I could find on Google were how to alter sleeves: take to your alteration place/professional leather worker/seamstress. Youtube brought out some videos on how to sew leather on a machine (semi-helpful), but not really what to do about altering the whole thing.

Saturday I finally got up some nerve and here are the results.

Step 1: Remove belt loops and pockets. My youtubing told me that once you have a hole in leather, it doesn't heal and there will always be a hole. I knew that the pockets and belt loops needed to be removed and that the holes would remain. I folded the jacket so that I could see where it would hit me if I had to shorten it above the pockets: above the hips--ok, I can handle that.

belt loops gone, flaps of pockets gone

both front patch pockets gone...too late to turn back

Corey walked in about this time and gave me a "wth are you doing look?" I replied, "If I really didn't think I could do this I wouldn't be doing it."

Step 2: My next course of action (and where I stopped taking pictures) was to cut. Not gonna lie, this part made me nervous because of how permanent it was. I could sew the pockets back on. It wouldn't be perfect, but no one would be able to tell. I opened up the jacket and cut the lining near the bottom hem. I cut up the sides to where I was going to cut across + 2 inches for hemming. Once the lining was gone I closed my eyes tight, said a little ohmygoshwhatamiabouttodo? and cut the leather. Whew! Done...

Now you can't really iron a hem into the leather and you can't pin because the holes will stay forever. Being the resourceful diyer I used bobby pins to hold the hem in place. It worked out fine. Youtube said to use upholstery thread when sewing leather, so I loaded my machine and practiced sewing on the scraps. First I sewed directly on the leather. Ok, but stitches weren't even. Next I tried sandwiching with tissue paper. It was much better. So I practiced that on the scraps a few more times until I felt like I could do it. I started on the machine and it jammed up really quickly. I picked it all out and tried again which led to another jam. Ugh. Not working out as well as I had hoped. My next option was to hand sew the hem. Fine fine fine, I'll just do that. A couple of hours later and very stiff and achy fingers and thumbs resulted in a not too shabby shortened leather jacket.

The stitches aren't perfect and the zipper no longer works, but the snaps do and I don't think anyone is going to be looking too closely at the hem. This will get much more wear and looks much better on...at least I think so.

stupid or brave?

dare, but not against drugs...though you should probably stay away from those

2011-11-05T12:25:00.000-04:00

Ok, that's a lame title...but when I read dare I always think of D.A.R.E. and I'm not the only one because it's the first hit on Google. But what does this have to do with anything? Moving on now.

So I have a newish friend named Claire from our newish small group. She participated in this last year and I think I want to do it this year.

It's a blog party called Dare to DIY hosted by Kim of NewlyWoodwards.

Over the next few weeks she'll post a different prompt to do some DIY through Thanksgiving and Christmas. I read them and some ideas popped into my head immediately while others left me stumped for now. My goal is to do them all for as cheap/free as possible. We won't be hosting any dinners and we won't even be home for Christmas (going to my parents in Florida), but I would like the house to look inviting and like I care because sometimes...I don't. ;) So if I can pretend my way into it, then maybe I'll actually love it and not just stress my way through.

Malorie--calling you out again. You'd be stellar at this! Join!

bandana cowl

2011-11-04T12:18:00.001-04:00

Yesterday I didn't have to go anywhere or do anything, so after I walked Clark to the bus stop, I came inside and put my pajamas back on. Oliver and I watched a little of the Today show and caught up on Project Runway finally.

side note: I found out Anya won thanks to stupid US magazine's headline, so when I watched the finale, I wasn't surprised by the win. I was, however, surprised that she won based on her line. I thought Joshua and Kimberly had more wearable items, although Joshua's were pretty colorful. Oh well, I think the show was rigged so the "underdog" would win. The whole season I really liked Viktor's clothes and until the finale I was pulling for him to win...and then BOOM his clothes were hideous.

So I got bored and decided to knit up this bandana cowl from the Purl Bee, while watching Marie Antoinette. It was soooo quick and I quite like the finished look of a triangle scarf, but I'm not constantly rewrapping it or worrying it's slipping off. I didn't read the directions very clearly and the top and bottom borders are purled while the rest is all stockinette. Oops!

And while I'm being critical of myself, I hate when you can tell my left eye is smaller than the right...

not a lot to say

2011-11-02T15:29:00.000-04:00

My parents have been here since Monday evening, so I've been spending time with them during the days.

For Halloween, Clark dressed as Dash from the Incredibles again and went out with Corey, my in-laws, and Jackie. They got candy and rode around the neighborhood on a golf cart. Probably the best part for Clark.

I stayed home so Oliver could go to bed at a decent time. He's cutting some major teeth and has been such a baby these past few days.

My mom wanted to do some Christmas shopping while they're here, so yesterday we went to Old Navy and Target. I picked out pajamas for both boys and a Cars Monopoly game for Clark. Last night my mom took me to JC Penney and I tried on a ton of stuff, but wasn't thrilled with 99% of it. I found some red jeans, though, the fit wasn't stellar so I put them back with intentions of getting them if I couldn't find anything else. My mom got Clark a robe and two more shirts while we were there, too. All I settled on was a knit army green military style jacket.

This morning they came over and we drove to the outlets. Corey likes Gap jeans fit the best, so I picked a pair out for him and a button down. I also picked out some pinstripe chinos that kind of remind me of railroad stripe, but not too much...if that makes sense and a super comfy cardigan. There were a few other tops I liked, but they were simple knits that weren't worth the $30 price tag. I got to walk around the J.Crew store as well, but nothing screamed "buy me" luckily for our bank account.

Tonight they are watching the boys while we go to our adult small group and here about Claire and Tony.

vr 2011 after show

2011-10-31T08:57:00.000-04:00

OH man, the weekend was long and fun filled and I'm glad it's over.

Friday we got to the church, loaded the buses and finally pulled out of the parking lot around 6:30. The bus ride was long and I started getting a headache from trying to read the screen on my phone. Then people started complaining their eyes were burning, including me, and the driver said that the toilet was cleaned with bleach and it must not have been flushed so the bleach is irritating everyone's eyes. So he opens the hatch. Yeah...it's freezing and raining outside, so then your eyes aren't burning, but you're freezing and getting wet. Nice.

We got there late because of the rain and session started an hour and a half later than planned. It was good, though, and when we got back to the room, I got into some sweats and poured myself into bed. I laid there for an hour, drifting in and out of sleep because I was anticipating waking up to meet the girls from the late bus. They got there a little after 1 am, so I climbed out of bed to help them with their bags. When I finally did sleep, it was glorious.

Saturday morning we went to breakfast, session, small group time, and then lunch. My co-leader arrived as session was starting, so she didn't miss too much that day. For lunch, we were served salad, hot dog with chili, homemade chips, and cookie cake. Yum, right? Well after lunch we had scheduled activities--zip line, rock climbing, team building elements like log balancing, and board crossing, archery, and alpine tower climbing. While no one threw up, luckily, it probably wasn't the best food choice before running around outside for 4 hours.

We ate dinner and had another session that evening, then a bonfire before lights out. It was so cold this weekend and I really wussed out, layering on the clothes and sleeping with socks on--yuck!

Sunday morning was our last session and then we took communion together in small groups. Our girls really have grown so much since I first started volunteering 4 years ago. I'm so proud of their maturity and the growth in their faith.

Katie and I skipped the bus ride home. It was packed out and one of the guys in our adult small group offered us a ride in his truck. Much less noise and no carsickness.

Here are some pictures:

lunchtime!

Maddie cheesing before her turn on the zip line

me and Katie running off the platform
ps--she's pregnant and reminds me of the time I went on the kiddie coaster pregnant on a retreat two years ago

no pictures, please

we went first and hit the target every time, except for Hannah--she missed the first

last session

vr 2011 pre-game

2011-10-28T08:52:00.002-04:00

This weekend is our annual VR trip and I'm so excited because last year I missed it since Oliver was only 3 months old.

My mother-in-law is coming over this afternoon to stay with the boys and haul them around to two soccer games this weekend. Seriously, the one time we have to go on a trip there are TWO games?! Anyway, I am so thankful she is doing this and giving Corey and I time away, although not together. Ha! We will be with our high school small groups, so 11th graders, get ready.

I'm excited about a few things and I'll list them for you in no particular order:

1. I'm getting away from the boys. Don't get me wrong, I love them to death, but this week has been very challenging with the pb incident and Oliver's weird napping/no napping. Time away will surely make this heart grow fonder.

2. I only have 3 girls going. In the past Sallie and I would take at least 5, but usually more. I think this will be the smallest group we've ever had. There's one maybe who I hope shows her face, but 3 definites and I love them because they are awesome and not trouble makers. It'll be cool to spend some quality time with them.

3. No driving and no cooking. We ride a bus to the site and back. Now buses aren't usually fun rides especially with a ton of teenagers, but I will enjoy not driving, not buckling in two kids, and not getting angry at other poor drivers. AND no cooking! I am grocery shopping today so that my MIL has something to feed the boys, but she'll be preparing it all. I will be eating pretty decent food all weekend starting with Chick-Fil-A tonight and the leaders' lounge will have lots of snacks that the students won't have access to, cha ching.

4. Amazing worship and speaking. Going to Southside you get spoiled very easily by the singers and Andy's speaking. This year's VR will have our favorite worship leaders, Reuben and Joy, Greg hosting, and our own Heath speaking.

5. I have a new co-leader this year and she'll be coming up on Saturday morning. At first I was...I don't know what I was, maybe indifferent? But I found out I was the only leader of three able to go on this trip. I've always had someone with me and was anxious about being alone, but then found out only a few girls would be there, so I was ok. Then Katie's volleyball team lost and she's able to go, but only one night. It's been last minute up and down deciding, but in the end I'm glad she'll be there. It will be a chance for her to bond with the girls as well.

So I'm sure I could make up some more, but you're getting bored with my silly excitement.

Pray for my weekend and for the students going if you feel so inclined.

See you on Halloween!

yummy naan

2011-10-27T07:58:00.002-04:00

Yesterday around 4 pm I was trying to decide what to make for dinner. Sometimes I'm really good about planning meals for a week and others I'm looking in my fridge and pantry and waiting for Chick-Fil-A to pop out at me. So I knew I really wanted some fresh baked bread to go with the chicken and mashed potatoes I was going to throw together. I've made this naan once before and suddenly needed to have some.

I made the dough and then realized it would need to rise for a couple of hours, which would severely push back dinnertime and that was not going to work with my kids. Oh well, I just made the naan around 9 pm last night instead and Corey and I had a snack. The rest we ate this morning for breakfast. It's not the same reheated, but still quite yummy.

It's not really this yellow in life...more of a tortilla color. Anyway, laugh if you will, but I grilled these on a George Foreman and they turned out perfect. I've done them in a pan on the stove before, but this was easier and less clean up.

what i wore wednesday (but really i wore it on sunday)

2011-10-26T11:00:00.000-04:00


NY&Co jean jacket, Target striped shirt, J.Crew pink matchstick cords from last year

To keep things simple and drama free unlike yesterday, I'll just show you an outfit and beautiful weather. I wore this on Sunday and the only reason I post it really is because I love fall weather and colored cords from J.Crew. And the sun in my eyes. The more I look at the picture, the more matchsticky I wish they were...maybe I'll be taking in the legs soon.

I have mustard wide-leg, burgundy bootcut, and persimmon straight leg cords as well. LOL

I really really want these blue ones

but would rather not spend the moolah.

healthcare

2011-10-25T14:16:00.001-04:00

Not a rant about government, healthcare, or our President...so don't worry.

Just a quick note on a certain 4 year old boy and our day at the doctor. I'd say morning, but it really was day.

We arrived at the allergist office this morning at 8:25 am for our 8:30 appointment. We sat down and waited not too long at all, got in a room and proceeded with Clark's food challenge. Sounds exciting like he could win money for eating so much in a certain amount of time, right? WRONG! It was...pretty much hell. There's no other way to describe the 5 hours we were there, in a small room, burning up (why the thermostat was set at 72, who knows?!), watching the oldest VHS on the oldest VCR ever and playing with blocks and MagnaDoodles for an eternity. All the while Clark is supposed to be eating tiny increments of peanut butter and then waiting to see if there is a reaction.

I'd like to say he loved the pb and that there was no crying, spitting, sobbing, spitting, yelling, spitting or any other stuff like that, but then I'd by lying. Clark took it like a baby. A BABY! His first little taste is down the hatch and he starts saying his throat itches and I have to call the nurse back in right away. The doctor comes in to check him and he says he looks fine, but keep watching for symptoms. None come so ten minutes later, they offer him more and we are to wait twenty minutes. To spare you the details because it's more of the same, we have to double the amount and add ten more minutes each time until he's eaten a teaspoon full and waited 1 hour.

So any symptoms other than crying like a baby? Yes. The area around his lips broke out a little and he rubbed his eyes raw and then a little rash cropped up there, too. The doctor checked his breathing and looked in his throat, both were ok. We decided it was drama and kept an eye on him for "real" symptoms. We walked the halls, we went to the bathroom numerous times, we played, we tore up magazines, Oliver snacked on the pb. Did I mention I had Oliver with me? For 5 hours? In a ~~cell~~ room the size of a closet? Crying for a nap, not once but twice...or maybe even the whole time, I can't remember now.

Anyway, glad to say that Clark is not allergic to peanut butter, but also not a fan. At least I don't have to worry that he'll go in the anaphylaxis.

Reminiscing on brighter days...

date night

2011-10-22T13:20:00.000-04:00

Last night Clark and I went on a date. We got frozen yogurt and went shopping, perfect, right? After dinner we drove to Loco Froyo because I had a coupon and pigged out on our dessert. He likes to try a little of everything basically, so he got strawberry lemonade, watermelon, and orange sorbets with sour worms, strawberries, candy corn, and strawberry poppers. I'm not really sure what they're called, but they're like boba but not tapioca--so gelatin outside, strawberry juice inside. Fun to eat! I just went with strawberry lemonade sorbet and the poppers and blueberries on top.

The next stop was Target. The weather dropped twenty degrees from one day to the next and Clark doesn't like wearing jackets or long sleeves. He says he doesn't get cold... So we're standing at the bus stop with him shoving his hands in his pockets and shivering. I have to convince him to wear long sleeved shirts and try to tell him he should wear his jacket. "But I don't like it!" Wah... I thought if he picked out a hoodie himself, maybe he'd wear it, so we looked at Target. Of course he wanted the Lightning McQueen one that was $18 (no way, Jose!), but I talked him into this cute red one that said Action Hero across the front. BUT then he saw a blue one and he definitely wanted blue. Except it has different colored stripes all over it. Ok fine, you win this one as long as you'll wear it when it's cold.

When we got home, Clark went to bed and Corey and I watched Bridesmaids. Still. So. Funny.

On another note, Tuesday would have been Dustin's birthday. Tonight some of his friends invited Corey's mom and stepdad and us to go to dinner to remember him. Mixed feelings about it, but we're going nonetheless.

dried paint

2011-10-18T17:08:00.000-04:00

While Oliver napped today, I was able to paint the alphabet canvas. I think it turned out pretty cute and it looks smashing hanging on his blue wall.

Can you tell what each letter is? I was grasping for ideas on D, G, and T. Corey gave me ideas for most of them and in the end I'm satisfied with the result.

I also have been wanting to paint my navy Toms for awhile, but couldn't decide on what to do. (And I want a tattoo, so not being able to decide what to paint on shoes makes me wonder if I could really decide on a tatt...I could.) Anyway, I went with a herringbone in acrylic. It's ok. I wish I had a white out pen or much thinner brush, but my impatience/eagerness to finish gave me this. The toe on the right shoe is a little sloppy, but no one will see that when I'm wearing them.

I would love to get these, but do not have the funds currently.

via

So I still have one more canvas that I'm trying to decide what to put on it (have an idea) and where to put it (no idea).

stuff

2011-10-17T23:14:00.003-04:00

I've been doing stuff lately. Arsty craftsy stuff.

Let's start with the sweater dying project.

I forgot to take a before picture, but I bought this cashmere sweater from J.Crew a couple of years ago and loved it in the catalog.


from here

Mine wasn't pink, it was mint green. Anyway, I ordered a small which from J.Crew means a medium/large and I was scared to order an x-small and have to pay for shipping/returning/whatever! So I wore this medium mint green sweater a few times and would get compliments but I couldn't love it in real life. I've held onto it thinking I could rework it somehow, maybe I should just dye it and try to shrink it? The dye didn't scare me nearly as much as the shrinking part. I googled dying cashmere and got lots of results that involved soda ash (wtw?) and Rit (not as successful as with cotton). I remembered on Ravelry talk of dying with Kool-Aid and went and read up on that.

I knew I wanted a warmer color like red, rust, purple, maroon, brown and I wasn't completely sure of what would happen on top of the mint. I went to Publix and they had Cherry, Grape, and Lemon. Very ~~nice~~ limited selection... I bought 5 packs of Cherry naively thinking that would be enough to dye a whole sweater. I didn't really read the directions again and just sort of winged it. I soaked the sweater for about 30 minutes in warm water and boiled the Kool-Aid in a pot of water. Turned off the heat and added the sweater. The sleeves immediately turned a dark red and I freaked out a little, but shoved the sweater in the rest of the way. I got on the computer to find out how long I should leave it in and lots of responses said the water will be clear once the wool had soaked all the color. Ok, good to know. TEN minutes later the water was clear and I had a splotchy sweater. An unsuccessful trip to Kroger and a successful trip to Wal-Mart landed me back at home with 10 more packs of Cherry. I boiled the powder and this time poured it on the sweater in the sink already in some water. I thought that it would dye more evenly if it had room to move around. I let it soak for 45 minutes until the water was pale pink. I rinsed and threw it in the dryer and prayed it wouldn't shrink up to Clark-sized. It came out a little splotchy still, but the fit was perfect (what I wanted originally). I got 10 more Cherry packs and re-dyed today with much better results.

after first two dye baths and one dry; see the splotchiness on the arms and rib area?

third dye bath

all done, still not even, but looks sort of intentional hopefully

If you're still here and want to see what else I've done, keep reading.

I made a blouse. That sounds granny and well to be honest it is a little, but just see.

I found this polka dot fabric at the thrift store: 2 yards for $2, score.

I found this cute refashion and used a top I liked the fit of to make a pattern for this.

I know it looks so good on the hangar. But seriously, I need to fix the sleeves, but I'll take a picture of it in an outfit soon. It looks a little granny hanging like that, but on it's cute with the tie-front detail.

I also finally got the canvases out that Malorie gave me. I painted one green and put "You are my sunshine" lyrics on it. I sing it to both boys pretty often and decided to hang it in their bathroom. I can't wait until we can afford to redo the rooms in our house with paint and decor and furniture, but in the meantime, I'll just stick little things up.

I also have been wanting to do an alphabet for Clark's room. Malorie did a cute simple one for Jack and I thought about copying her, but then my inner artist said to just go for something more. It turned out to be more difficult than I thought trying to make letters out of items that start with the letter.

I hope to paint this tomorrow while Clark is at school and Oliver is napping.

And that's it for now. And I know that is a lot for now, but that's how I roll. Saving up all the good stuff for one long post...

pumpkin cake fail

2011-10-12T17:49:00.004-04:00

Tonight we're going to dinner at Tim and Malorie's and Corey asked me to make a dessert. He wanted brownies, but I didn't have any eggs and didn't want to run to the store. I chose to make a cake instead...oh wait, still no eggs. Oh well, I improvised and used applesauce. The flavor wouldn't change and it smelled delicious while baking. Clark kept asking if he could have a piece of cake when it was done.

Lovely, isn't she? Yeah...not really. See I got the pan out of the oven. Got my cake stand ready and instead of letting the cake cool for a few minutes, my impatience urged me into turning the pan and getting a crumbled middle instead of a perfect bundt shape. I mean, who cares as long as it tastes good, right?

So hopefully those Elrods aren't too big on looks equating taste because it tastes yummy.

Modifications to cake recipe: no eggs, sub with 3/4 c applesauce

also added a tablespoon of melted chocolate chips to the glaze, for that's all I had on hand

recipe found on foodgawker, obvi

clark, books, food

2011-10-11T18:22:00.002-04:00

Let's sum it all up in the title, why don't we?

Clark has been out of school the last two days. First for Columbus Day, second for who knows why those teachers probably need a break... Well now I kind of would like a break. ;) It probably wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't rainy. We could go outside or go to a park or go on a walk, but with the ground wet and the drizzle, it's miserable looking and the last thing I want to do is leave the house. Luckily there's tv, books, coloring, and cleaning to do to keep us busy.

I went by the library last week after a stop in the thrift store. I picked up World Without End by Ken Follett. I was introduced to him by Jenny, my old boss, when she gave me Pillars of the Earth to read. I read it before Oliver was born and it was huge and thick and took me a month probably because I would pick it up here and there when I had time. I may have mentioned this before, but adult books have shocked me with all the sex that is written. It doesn't usually add to the story and I could do without the gross details, especially when it's rape. Pillars had lots of sex and rape. The story was good, though, so I kept reading and would skim through the graphic parts. When I found out he wrote a sequel of sorts, I was excited, but wary because of the sex that I knew would be prevalent. Anyway, I can't get through the end of Atlas Shrugged. I will finish, but right now I needed something new. I finished World in a week and the story was better than the first and with less sex and rape. There was plenty of it, but much less and not as graphic.

So the story takes place in Kingsbridge where Pillars kind of leaves off. It's hundreds of years later and you're following descendents of major characters from the first book. I liked the characters more and even the ones you hate were "better." I pulled for Caris and Merthin, was annoyed by them some of the time, but knew that their fate was to be together. Major bad guys I hoped would die, did...or at least got what they deserved. And everyone in between were quite entertaining.

I also was looking for The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. The library didn't have it, so I picked up Half Broke Horses. I know nothing about these books or the author. I've seen The Glass Castle recommended and on top sellers lists so I just thought I'd read it. A few chapters into Horses and I'm intrigued by the main character and her life so far. It's very different from World, but hopefully this will be less intense and an easy read. It's going to be at least quicker with about 500 fewer pages.

For food, I've been cooking a lot of our meals because we don't want to eat out and we're trying to save money...ha. So we've eaten out quite a bit but we are going to have to reign that back in and eat in more. Last week I made that potato soup, a BBQ chicken pizza, the southwestern eggrolls, enchiladas, and basil thai chicken stir fry. Tonight I crock-potted my way to dinner with black eyed peas and roast beef.

So that's that. Hopefully I'll get around to sewing or knitting or crocheting something and have a project to share. I've got two sewing items in mind.

cool

2011-10-03T22:01:00.001-04:00

The weather this weekend was ah-mazing. It was actually pretty cold in the mornings and I was totally ok with it.

Saturday Clark had soccer. He woke up in a foul mood, though, and I had to drag him to the fields. We were on snack duty and had to show up and he kept complaining that he didn't feel well. Baloney! We got in the car: "I don't feel well. I want to throw up. Do I have to play? I don't like soccer." At the field, circling the parking lot for 10 minutes (ridiculous by the way, because of how many games the schedule and nowhere near enough parking) before finally pulling into the treed area: "I don't feel well. Can I not play? Can we leave the snack? I want to go home." Oh my gosh! We walk to the field and I throw our stuff on the ground and make Clark get his ball out and warm up: "I don't want to warm up. Where's my water? I don't want my water." Seriously???! Some other teammates show up and are on the field warming up and that's when he runs out there and all-stars it up like it's any other game day. I was a little frustrated, but was so relieved that we weren't going to have a tantrum in front of everyone.

The rest of the day was spent at home waiting on Corey to get off work. We went to dinner that night and ate wings, which I have not had in so long and they were so good. We also bought Clark a new bike helmet because he needed one that fit and didn't have silly looking dinosaurs on it. Regular ones are fine, but these are silly. We ended the day by eating ice cream and watching reruns of America's Funniest Home Videos.

Sunday was typical with church, coming home for lunch, Corey going to play frisbee, Clark wanting to ride his bike, and then putting the kids to bed and watching football. Living hardcore...

Anyway, today wasn't quite as cool, but enough for me to try a new soup recipe. I love baked potato soup. O'Charleys is delicious and I never order it, but always sneak a few bites from Corey's bowl. Drag some of their rolls through it and eat up all the deliciousness...mmm... I had planned on making something with chicken because that's pretty much the only meat I buy (not really, but...really), but wanted some soup. I ran out of milk sometime earlier in the day and didn't want to go buy any, but gosh 7 cups is a lot and we have these frozen cartons from my mom when she taught kindergarten and she'd bring home and this sentence is becoming entirely too long. SO...I defrosted 4 in the microwave and frozen milk turning back to regular milk is not a pretty sight. I'd never drink it, but it worked just fine in the recipe. And it wasn't quite 7 cups, more like 4 1/2 after all was said and done, but I like thick soup. I also cut the sour cream in half to keep it heart healthy (jk). Oliver and Corey approved, Clark said he didn't want it, but then ate most of it because it tasted like mashed potatoes and I will definitely make it again.

clever title here

2011-10-02T13:31:00.003-04:00

So I tried coming up with some clever title without being obvious about what this post is about. Clearly it was a success.

Our friends Ashley and Tad welcomed Mark Henry into the world two weeks ago. He was a week late, but Ashley had it set in her mind to do it all natural from the get go. I haven't heard the birth story yet, but I'm excited to hear if all went as she planned. I made that tiny acorn hat and here he is wearing it. *Swoon*

I wanted to make this blanket for forever. I started working on it months ago and got bored with it. I wanted to finish it for Baby Busby, but they weren't finding out the sex, so I didn't know if the heather purple would be too girly. When I found it was a boy, I thought about adding some gold/yellow to it because they are LSU fans. It looked tacky. Didn't even take a picture. So we'll leave it purple and they can use it or not or save it for the next baby if it's a girl.

I do like the final product, but I wish it had blocked better. Oh well, it's a sweet little baby blanket.

I started crocheting this scarf, too.

It's a half-double crochet stitch lengthwise and has a knitted rib look. It's a little slow going right now, but much quick than knitting a scarf.

Yesterday I also made granola. Someone I follow on instagram posted a picture of some they made and I decided to try my hand at that. I went to foodgawker and found a few recipes, but in the end winged it.

Granola Recipe:

5 c rolled oats

1/2 c honey (I wanted to use maple syrup, but ran out and didn't want to go to the store)

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cloves

2 Tbsp pumpkin puree

1 c raisins

Preheat oven to 350. Pour oats into a bowl. Add spices. Mix pumpkin with honey then pour over oats mixture and try to coat in honey. Fold in raisins. Spread onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes.

I stored mine in some tupperware and this morning for breakfast had a bowl with milk. It's not as sweet as store bought granola, so I added a little brown sugar, maybe 1/2 a tsp.

uh

2011-10-01T09:32:00.001-04:00

I've been avoiding because I know my posts will be just womp womp. And it's funny, but Clark has started saying that. He is my child...

So a few random tidbits for you:

1. Clark saw a commercial for those dumb happy napper/pillow pet things and said we needed three. One for him, one for Oliver, and one for the baby girl we will be having and her name should be Emily.

2. I ran 5 miles last Sunday morning, walked 3 1/2 Monday morning, and ran 3 1/2 Thursday morning. I will probably be running 5 tomorrow as well.

3. I keep looking at yarn, needles, and patterns and coming up overwhelmed and not starting anything. I just have no idea what I want to knit right now.

4. Clark has decided he doesn't want to go to school or play soccer anymore. Too bad, so sad.

5. Oliver is really funny.

6. I bought groceries yesterday after planning 6 or 7 meals. I then brought the food in the house and proceeded to prep it for said meals. I cut up and portioned meat and vegetables, prepared a casserole, and made pizza dough to start.

7. Corey took Clark to a high school football game last night to watch some of his students play. Clark enjoyed the snacking more than anything else.

8. The weather today is lovely, it will be 64 degrees at our soccer game.

9. Can I make it to 10?

10. I cheated.

The casserole from 6 is actually not a casserole. It is a baked pasta and it was delicious. I didn't cook the pasta and it turned out fine, though the ones around the edge needed a little more liquid around them. Maybe add more sauce.

weekly rundown

2011-09-27T07:53:00.003-04:00

Since I have nothing fun to post about, I'll give you a quick weekend update and a weekly rundown.

Our weekend went like this:

Friday--Clark went to school, Corey to work, Oliver and I stayed home, Clark came home and went with our neighbors to Ninja Night (at their karate studio, kids watch a movie, eat pizza, and play games). Corey came home and we went to buy new running shoes for me before meeting Clark and the neighbors at TCBY for yogurt.

Saturday--Corey ran to work, Clark had soccer, we came home and ate lunch before picking Corey up from work. We came home and took naps and then ate a picnic at the park for dinner. Made two types of cookies, both were fails!

Sunday--I ran before church, we went to church, ate Wendy's for lunch, then I cleaned the house while Corey mowed the lawn (hopefully for the last time this year). We watched some football and I fell asleep around 8:30. :)

Our week has gone/will go like this:

Monday--school, work, walk around the lake with Katie, small group

Tuesday--school, work, Corey has a double header softball games

Wednesday--school, work, dinner with Corey's dad and grandparents

Thursday--school, work, MarriedLife Live in Buckhead

Friday--school, work, high school football game

Saturday--work and soccer

Sunday--church

Corey and I always always say that we like making plans, but I really hate when our week is so full that we have something everyday. Sometimes two things! It stresses me out and I suddenly don't look forward to our week at all. Luckily tonight is kind of my night off since I don't have to go to softball, although I should be going to watch one of my girls play volleyball...

So it's not all business, here are some soccer pics:

Just chillin out, maxin out, relaxin all cool.

Go 22!

Here's to less busy!

skew again

2011-09-22T08:35:00.001-04:00

I finished my Skew socks. I've been working on them for about a week or so and since this was my second time, it went a little easier. I didn't have to reference the pattern every few rows because it just came to me I guess.

I haven't done one of these in a while:

Pattern: Skew

Yarn: Deborah Norville Serenity in Amethyst

Needle size: US 1

Mods: Only did 4 rows of ribbing

Likes: love the color of the yarn, just wish the stripes were smaller; pattern is a lot of fun to knit

I have a couple of hats I need to make...well, more than a couple:

1 bear

2 ladybugs

2 more acorns

2 monkeys

What have I agreed to??

randomonium

2011-09-16T17:20:00.001-04:00

Today's totally random post is brought to you by the letter K because that is the first letter in my name.

It's also the first letter in knitting, which I've done some lately. I'm knitting another pair of Skew socks because I like them, genius and fun knitting, and they are fun to wear.

These are with some Deborah Norville Serenity and the colors are gray, purple, and lilac. I bought this yarn sometime last winter and it's sat waiting to be turned into socks since.

I also made some brownies from scratch, but no K...unless you like skratch. I like to do that once in awhile because I like to bake. And I've tried lots of from scratch brownies and haven't found any I love. At a Christmas party last year these were out and I found the lady who made them and told her they were delicious and I'd like the recipe. I finally remembered to ask her again and made them today.

Good grief, Paula Deen would be proud of the butter content.

Brownies

ingredients:

3 sticks butter, melted

6 T cocoa

3 cups sugar

3 eggs, beaten

dash of salt

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour

1 1/2 t vanilla

Add the cocoa to the butter and combine. Add in the sugar and combine. Add in the eggs and combine. Add salt and flour and well...combine. Add vanilla. Butter a pan, pour in the batter, bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.

Mmm, gooey and cracked on top.

Tonight we will eat pasta, brownies, and watch Thor after the kids are in bed.

Well that's it for random Friday. See you tomorrow for soccer Saturday.

jinx, you owe me a coke

2011-09-13T10:09:00.001-04:00

It seems that every time I decide to blog about my exercise life I stop exercising in life, thus the jinx. Ah, the joys of fake accountability. Anyway, let's see if I charge through and keep it up.

Last Wednesday I got this crazy hair to workout. Clark was at school, Oliver down for a nap, and nothing on TV. I did a Jillian Michaels workout on demand and whoa, I was hurting. I stretched what I could, but like I said, I wanted to cry. I walked that next day, pushing Oliver in the stroller up hills, both ways...haha, but no seriously I did. Friday I got up and did the same because I was still in pain.

Saturday morning Corey got up and ran and told me I should do the same when he returned. I made pancakes for the boys, laced up my shoes, and took off. It was a nice ~~leisurely~~ tiring and confusing run. Corey wanted me to try the route he just did, but carrying my phone to map the route. I made a wrong straight instead of turn and wound up in a neighborhood. It's all good though because it was just one big loop...with little loops inside that I took and got lost...in a loop. I know. I finally found my way back to the beginning and trudged home because I was not planning on running a long route and well, it ended up being longer than I had planned. No worries, I felt fine after a couple of pancakes.

Sunday I got up and ran before church like the old days, but not at my old days pace. I slogged out the same route as the day before, but making the full loop in the neighborhood because I didn't make any silly turns within the loop.

Yesterday I took Oliver on a two mile stroller ride, scared another woman pushing a stroller, and burned in the sun because fall is playing a not too nice joke and let summer back in for a couple of days.

This morning Oliver and I decided to switch things up because we're adventurous and rode over to the library in Peachtree City to do a lap around the lake. It's a little under 4 miles, but it's all good because it's mostly shaded. And hilly. But mostly shaded. I warmed up with some brisk walking, but then caught up to a strange gaggle of ladies that I wanted to pass, so I started running and then didn't stop until I was back to the car. What made the ladies so strange is that there were three of them together, but all doing different things to keep at the same pace. Lady A was walking, not even briskly either. Lady B was jogging, like if I saw her by herself I would think she was putting some effort into picking up those knees and swinging those arms. Lady C was doing something in between walking and jogging...and waddling? Who knows? I didn't judge, they're out there moving!

I passed lots of nice people who waved or smiled or acknowledged. But then there were some people who ignore, which is fine, but some who seem to be snubbing me because I'm running and pushing a toddler in a stroller. Maybe it's all in my head...

ANYwayyyyy back to my point. I plan to at least walk/jog with Oliver in the stroller everyday our usual two mile route and on the weekends or when Corey is home hit up some longer runs. Keep my accountable, kthanksbye.

eagles

2011-09-11T20:03:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was opening day for Fall Soccer. Our boys have moved up to U5 and it's amazing how much they've grown and understand after one season. We've also changed names. No longer the Piranhas, say hello to the Eagles. I don't think it's as fierce, but one of the teams we play is called the Sea Wolves and I'm glad we're not..because what the heck is that?

I got some video of the game, but no pictures, so we're left with these.

Here's one of the entire Dale family, including Miss Evie! They brought her home two weeks ago and everyday she gets a little more comfortable and loving and trusting. God is awesome!

And their expressions crack me up in this picture. Elliott sitting there drinking water, Evie snacking from the giant bag of Cheerios, Melanie yelling even though her son isn't out there, and Alex clapping oh so enthusiastically.

After the game, time for snacks: Gatorade and Chex Mix. Share, please.

And that's Corey with his back to us making the coach laugh because he's so funny...or that's what he tells me was going on. ;)

This season looks like it will be another good one. Clark scored 4 times and had 1 assist. Last season we couldn't get them to pass the ball, mainly because they didn't understand passing the ball. Another little guy, Banks, the coach's son, scored two goals, which is awesome because last season I don't think he scored until the last game. He was determined this time to do as well as his older brother. Elliott scored twice, also. Corey and I were super proud of Clark and his sportsmanship. A kid from the other team would not keep his hands off of Clark, pushing, shoving, taking him to the ground a couple of times, it was getting ridic. Clark never pushed back and didn't cry or tattle, just kept moving and showing the kid up anyway.

Can't wait 'til next weekend! I know Clark is pumped.

the biggest loser is no joke

2011-09-08T15:52:00.002-04:00

I go through workout phases. Every other week I will run a few times that week or do some exercise video or something. This week I decided to get back into it...again, and yesterday I did a Jillian Michaels routine on demand. Holy guac my legs hurt, Batman! I don't think I've ever been this sore and my hamstrings are so tight I almost want to cry. I thought to help work it out that I'd push Oliver in the stroller and go for a jog this morning, but it didn't seem to help. My heart thanked me though.

Also, have you seen that Wendy's now serves sweet potato fries? Oh man, they are so good. I get sweet potato fries when I can at any restaurant that serves them and I've tried making them at home, but I am stoked that I can get them at a fast food place now. They come with a vanilla brown sugar sauce which is ok, but Oliver and I tore those things up without it.

Yesterday I made the Pioneer Woman's cinnamon rolls. They were delicious! I cut the recipe in half...twice and came out with two pans of amazingness. I took one pan to my small group girls hangout thing where we drank Starbucks and discussed how much they aren't liking school and the drama of dating and friends. By the way, they go well with a pumpkin spice latte. I left the other pan at home and Corey and the boys saved one for me. He didn't realize that I had a whole other pan and when I got home with two left over he shoveled the one here down fast.

These really helped encourage the working out again thing because the amount of butter in here is shocking--ly good.

(real) first day

2011-09-06T20:12:00.000-04:00

While Clark started school last week, today felt like the real first day.

He rode the bus!

We got up and ate breakfast, got dressed, and brushed his teeth. We walked up the street with our neighbors and stood there waiting for a few minutes.

When the bus pulled up, he climbed on first (of course) and then we waved sayonara.

Corey left for work and Oliver and I came in and played.

He went down for a nap and I took a shower.

We met Melanie and Evie at Chick-Fil-A and played for less than an hour, but that's what happens when you no longer have your 4 years old boys running amuck in the play area.

We came home and played, watched tv, and ate lunch.

Around 3 we saw our neighbors walking up to the bus stop and we headed out to meet Clark too.

He had a great day and I am so happy that he's loving it.

It's also feeling like fall here. Rainy, gloomy weather and cool, crisp 75 degrees air. Loving it and hoping it stays this way...although the weather forecast says it's going back up to the 80s later this week.

And one more thing. Do I need these? I kind of feel like I do.

day 19: put something on your head

2011-09-02T15:28:00.001-04:00

Today was easy for me. I was going to wear a hat, but then I actually had time to wash my hair, but then I didn't have time to blow dry it like I wanted and it's hot. I decided to pull it back and put on a head band that my friend, Ashley made.

Tada!

top: American Eagle (years and years old)

shorts: J.Crew

baby

headband: by Ashley

This morning I dropped Clark at school. Oliver and I went to the grocery store by ourselves and it was quite nice not having Clark begging for something every aisle. We picked him up this afternoon and he talked all about his new friend Dylan and "that other boy" whose name he can't remember.

Tonight we'll watch Rio with Clark and Limitless once he's in bed.

school...finally

2011-09-01T20:10:00.001-04:00

At the end of last school year I had no idea what was going on because Clark wasn't in school. I had no idea that you could sign your kid up for a lottery to get into the state-funded pre-k program at your elementary school. I didn't even know which elementary school we were zoned for. Luckily my neighbor is awesome and has a daughter that was in school in March. She also has a son, who is Clark's age, and was signing up to get into the pre-k program. She knocked on my door one day and gave me the information and when sign ups were.

Honestly, I wasn't too concerned. I mean, I definitely wouldn't have minded some time to myself and with just Oliver, but Clark is starting kindergarten next year and he'll be in school for the next 13 years of his life plus college. I decided on the next to last day of sign ups to go for it. What could I lose? Nothing. The next day they were drawing the 19 names who would be the lucky winners of the lottery and how lucky are we that Clark AND our neighbor got in! Out of 77 kids!

All summer we've been talking about school is starting soon. Only so many more weeks. Only so many more days. Then I got this letter in the mail that looked all official from the BOE (board of ed for you laymen) and it gave me this terrible news that the pre-k program's budget had been cut and that the pre-k program would not start until September 1. That was a WHOLE month after regular school started, o.m.g.... Again, I told myself it's ok because he'll be going to school a whole year early, who cares if it starts a month after everyone else and all of his friends are in pre-k and there's been nothing to do at home all summer, what's one more month with nothing to do...

Yesterday we went to meet the teacher. She is quite nice and young. She and her assistant have their hands full. I could never teach any children, let alone preschoolers. Clark is a handful one on one, I can't imagine 21 (yeah, that number went up...) others vying for her attention. Today we all got up and I tried to get Clark to eat something, but his tummy was "feeling funny." We drove to his school and walked to his classroom where Corey snapped this little gem.

When Clark saw himself he said, "I look good." We walked inside and he found his cubby, hung up his backpack and was offered two choices: blocks or coloring. Duh, blocks. He sat on the floor with three other little guys and they went right to building. Corey and I handed the teacher his mat for nap and I asked her what to do with his milk money. Then we tried to get his attention and tell him we were leaving, only to be snubbed with a little wave of the hand and "See ya!"

Oliver and I came home and we. did. nothing. :) Actually Oliver took a nice long nap and I got to read and watch what I wanted. When it was time to go pick up Clark, we rode back to the school and sat in the long car line--ugh. Then we waited until it was his turn, except that he kept getting passed over to be walked to the car and he started getting nervous and was crying, so I jumped out and ran to get him while getting yelled at by the guy directing the cars saying they would bring him. Right, it's ok, I know, but he's standing there crying and all the helpers have just walked 10 other kids to their cars, skipping Clark while I'm second from the front, but it's cool, ya know. The trauma was short-lived and he said he's excited to go back tomorrow. Starting next week he'll ride the bus with our neighbors and I think he's pretty excited about that, too.

day 17: it's about time I fixed this thing

2011-08-31T14:02:00.000-04:00

Oh Kayla, thank you for this prompt! I made this top back in July...which doesn't seem that long ago when I read it, but moving on. I liked it and put it on to where one day, but realized the hem was doing something crazy. Eeeeee, took it off and hung it back up. I told myself I'd fix it one of these days and then went to put it on again and remembered that blast hem! So last night I was going through my closet looking at what needed to be fixed and this screamed out, "Pleeeease, me, my turn, please!" Ok ok ok, I will finally fix and wear you.

I think the thing I didn't want to do most is rip the hem off. I hate seam ripping because it undoes all that hard work I just did and I'm usually frustrated for making dumb mistakes in the first place. I got it off, ironed and folded a new piece for the hem, pinned and sewed, tried on--gross. Looks worse than before if that's poss. It totally is by the way. So I decided to forgo adding a piece and just fold and hem it like anything else. Bah, not the look I was going for, but not too bad now that I've got it on. It's still a little ill-fitting, but nothing a short sleeved cardi can't fix.

The first picture is blurry and the second picture shows the true color of the top. Ugh.

top: by me

cardi: Target

jeans: William Rast

black flip flops: Nollie

This morning I took Clark to meet his teacher. He's going to pre-k in a public school and their budget was cut, so they didn't start with all the other grades back at the beginning of the month. Nope, I've had to entertain him for a whole extra month :). Tomorrow I will take and pick him up, but on Friday he said he's ready to ride the bus. Oh my gosh!

On top of that, soccer is starting back up and I got an email last night saying their first practice is when? Tomorrow night, of course. Busy busy busy day and hopefully he will be worn out and go to bed earlier tomorrow night.

day 16: men swear

2011-08-30T15:33:00.002-04:00

Just kidding, it's menswear. I am just so hilarious, I could not contain it. But I'm done now, promise. So back story, as usual: I used to wear guys shirts in middle and high school. I think it was cool back then to buy polos from Structure (remember before Express for Men?), Tommy Hilfiger, or Ralph Lauren. Then I realized how stupid it looked at my height to wear a mens polo that came down to my knees. Then there was this time where Avril Lavigne was popular and made wearing ties for girls kind of in and my friend and I tried that trend one Sunday for church. She pulled it off much better than I did. Since then I haven't ventured much into menswear past Corey's t-shirts when I was preg. I've been dying to get a pair of brogues like these, but I will have to same some money and wait until I can stand covering my feet.

So a couple of years ago my brother was into thrifting anything and everything. I mean, he still is super frugal (single, 2nd Lt in AF and chooses to live with a roommate so that he can make money), but he used to buy suits, shirts, shoes, anything from the thrift store. He bought a brown pinstripe 3-piece suit and wore it once before offering it to Corey. We have no real good reasons to get dressed up like that, but Corey said it couldn't hurt to have it. A few months ago we donated the jacket and pants, but kept the vest. I told Corey he should wear it, but he never has, so today I took matters into my own hands, took in the sides, and voila, new vest for me. Have you ever seen so many commas in one sentence?!

vest: thrift store

t-shirt: J.Crew outlet

skirt: American Eagle

shoes: same Old Navy gold flats

mustache: paper!

I'm not super crazy about this look, but I do like that vest and I will be wearing it again, you can bet on it!

day 15: hair!

2011-08-29T14:01:00.000-04:00

Today's prompt was to try something new with your hair. In high school I grew my hair out super long, like past middle of my back. I washed and blow dried it every. single. day. Everyone loved it: my parents, my friends, my friends' parents... Me... I was kind of vain about it. And I never did anything with it. No pony tails unless I was going to work and no style, layers, or bangs. I had just grown it out from the worst cut of my life. The lady said she wanted to give me layers and I said ok and she cut three distinct levels of hair. I dealt with it until it all grew out and yeah.

Since high school it has been all over, short, long, blue, pink, bangs, no bangs. I haven't cared as much as I did then and now I usually only fix it if I'm going to church. I got it cut right after Mother's Day to chin length and have now decided to grow it out. No more cuts until it long enough to donate AND keep some length.

This morning I showered and towel dried my hair. I knew I wanted some braids, so I kind used Lauren Condrad's 'do for inspiration.

Mine is obviously not as long as hers, so the bun is nowhere near as full, but whatevs, I like how it turned out.

T-shirt: Roxy

Maxi dress as skirt: Target

We were supposed to go to dinner tonight with our new small group, but some couples wanted out and others are still trying to figure out if they're staying. So I will be hanging at the house playing with the boys, squeezing in a few pages here and there, and figuring out what to make for dinner.

weekend update and days 13 and 14

2011-08-29T08:37:00.000-04:00

OH man, why do weekends have to be sooo short and filled with so much to do? Gosh I need an extra day just to do nothing. Since I didn't feel too hot Friday night we just stayed in and watched the Braves and read.

Saturday Corey got up before 8 which he doesn't usually do if he can help it. On his days off he lays in bed until at least 8, but he knew I still felt sick. We ate breakfast and then Corey wanted to take a walk to the park with Clark, but somehow I decided/was wrangled into going as well. So I strapped Oliver in the sling, Corey put Phoenix on the leash, and all five of us headed in to town. It was about 2 1/2 miles round trip and it felt good outside and only warmed up at the end. We had a couple of hours rest time and ate lunch before heading to the airport to meet Melanie, Alex, and Evie. It was so amazing to finally see this little girl they have been in the process of adopting over the last two years. She is gorgeous, precocious, and her eyes look so serious. I'm so happy and excited for their family and Elliott is finally a big brother.

That night we had GroupLink. We have been 4 times and each time I really still don't like going. It is awkward and you're forced to talk to ~~people~~ strangers and then pick a group of them you want to be with for the next two years. It was also a little weird seeing all the couples we had just been in group with looking for new groups as well. We ended up in a group with Katie and Martin; I'm currently leading the high school small group with Katie. There are a few couples they already had in their group and then another new couple joined with us on Saturday. Tonight we'll be going to eat dinner and hopefully get to meet everyone else.

I wore my "pop of color" outfit that night. It wasn't my first choice, I really wanted to do khaki with coral or turquoise, but I don't really have many tan/beige/camel colored tops. So I went all black and a green belt.

black top: Gap

shorts: Target

belt: Old Navy

shoes: Old Navy

When we got home that night, we watched Unstoppable with Denzel and Chris. It was a little intense, but had a good ending. It's hard to believe that it's based on a true story. I was making my third batch of chocolate chip cookies for the week, too. I had planned to take some to my small group and for Malorie's mom.

Yesterday we got up and dressed and went to church. Although getting dressed for me was a little difficult because I hadn't thought about finding a picture to copy. With about half an hour to get ready I tried on a few different outfits before settling on a maxi and jean jacket.

jacket: NY&Co from Ross $13!!

dress: Target

shoes: none for picture, but Old Navy flats from top pic

hair: bah, end of day and ready to change

face: dumb

I know it's not super original, but I was running out of time and I love Nicole Richie. I really wanted to do this:

I have a printed tank and colored shorts, but I didn't have a cardigan to go with the tank. Whatever...I was pleased with my outfit and we had to GO.

After church we went to eat at Waffle House with Bridgette and Alex and then we came home and all took naps. I went walking with Mallory K around Lake Peachtree and then when I got home Corey and I watched TV and then headed to bed.

So another full fun packed weekend and today starts a new week. Aaaaahhh....never ending.

day 12: jazz up jeans

2011-08-27T10:04:00.000-04:00

Boo, I hate summer colds. I started feeling run down yesterday morning and by the time Corey got home I was done. My sinuses hurt, my throat hurts, my head hurts...it kind of feels like the flu. Oh and I had a slight temperature. So what's the best thing for it? Drink coffee...at 8 pm...and then try to go to sleep...only you can't. Dumb. So what's the best thing after a fitful night of sleep? Get up and go on a 2 1/2 mile walk with your family. The walk was nice because the weather is finally cooling down in the mornings, but by the end everyone is ready to be home. I felt okay while we were out, but now I'm feeling tired again. Hoping to get a little nap in while Oliver is down and Corey and Clark are reading.

So on to day 12's outfit.

Jeans are still kind of out of the question here, but since I didn't feel well and wasn't going anywhere I wore them around the house. And in the first picture I was pointing at Oliver to sit back down in his high chair while I finished taking these silly self portraits.

pink tank: Hang Ten from Kohl's (does anyone else remember how cool Hang Ten was and seeing their ads in Seventeen?)

white tank: Wal-Mart

jeans: 7FAM A pocket

sandals: Target

baby: Oliver

I wish I could just stay in pjs all day and lay in bed, but we have other commitments this afternoon and tonight, so I will have another post later with today's prompt.

day 11: wear a dress

2011-08-25T10:47:00.000-04:00

Or a skirt, but I chose dress. I haven't always liked wearing dresses. Probably because that's all we could wear to the church I went to growing up on Sundays. I mean, I could wear pants, but we mostly wore dresses. My sister and I usually matched or coordinated and they were always fancy, ruffly, or floral (but not cute floral). I know that was just the style back then, but when I started going to a church where they wore jeans even on stage I kind of stopped buying dresses and skirts. Now when I buy a dress or skirt I look for things that I can wear up or down and comfort 90% of the time.

I first had on a maxi dress with a t-shirt over that, BUT my legs were so hot and I'm still indoors with air, so that was no bueno. I changed into this jersey knit sundress and tank, threw on sandals and now I'm ready to go...wherever we may go. It's hard to tell (ok more like impossible) but the bodice is beaded, which totally fancies this dress up.

dress: Kimchi and Blue from Urban Outfitters

tank: J.Crew

sandals: Target

And who else thought today was Friday? I mean, it totally feels like it should be Friday. Boo, it's only Thursday.

day 10: i have a closet full of orphans

2011-08-24T13:59:00.001-04:00

Today was rescue an orphan in the challenge. There were so many options, and I tried way too many on before settling for these clothes. Last summer I was pregnant pregnant. It was the end of July and I had missed my due date and when Oliver finally showed up August 3, I looked forward to cooler weather so that I could wear things that I hadn't worn since before I was pregnant. As soon as I peed on that stick I instantly had a harder time fitting in my button down shirts and some of my favorite pants, so they sat in my closet that whole winter. Last winter I was taking my time shedding that baby weight (hello, I wanted to stay warm in the winter...right?) and breastfeeding inhibited buttoning those button down shirts still. Ugh.

So this morning I got up and pulled these pants on. I haven't worn them comfortably in at least two years and since it's still kind of warm out I rolled them up to the perfect "make my legs look shorter than they are" length. So it's not the most flattering, but whatevs, I don't care. The shoes are fun yellow cut-out flats that are a tidge too small and I almost never wear them unless I know it'll be a) an hour or less b) mostly sitting or c) I can take them off and no one will see the line they've cut into my feet. The shirt is one of my beloved button downs and it's lightweight. Check check check, outfit done.

green shirt: AE
khakis: J.Crew
flats: J.Crew
Uganda beads

We got up and I took Clark to his last dentist appointment (3 in two weeks for fillings--no judgment, he got his mom's super deep ridged soft teeth) and then to Wally World for a few groceries. The end.

day 9: monochromatic

2011-08-23T10:38:00.000-04:00

I think this challenge ranks up there with the color blocking day. One of my favorite lessons in art was the monochromatic painting. At the time I took the easy way out and picked an item that was already sort of orangey and used orange in my piece...but whatever, this isn't high school we're talking about; it's my outfit for today.

First off, I hate taking these self-portraits. I don't know what to do with my hands most of the time. And do I smile? Do I not? Should I stand straight or "pose?" This is all unnatural to me and makes me a little uncomfortable. But whatever. Want to know what I have one?

cardigan: Target

tank: Gap

skirt: made by me

beads: from Uganda

I don't have any red shoes. I'll throw on black flip flops probably. I think the only place we're going is maybe Target.

eat this and that

2011-08-22T11:07:00.000-04:00

I've been cooking a lot lately in an effort to save money on eating out so. dang. much. I like to mix it up and not eat the same 5 meals all month long. My favorite sites to search are foodgawker and lately, mel's kitchen cafe. I need pictures! I can read a recipe and think it sounds good, but I prefer seeing a picture of something delicious and then making it. Plus I like seeing the finished product so I can compare and make sure I did it right.

First up, I made this slow cooker Italian beef. It was delicious and made a ton. We ate at least 3 meals total from it: dinner, lunch, lunch. I think it was Corey's favorite beef recipe I've ever done.

My friend, Katie, posted on facebook a picture of some southwest egg rolls she made. She and her husband were raving about them all over the internet and many people asked for the recipe. I was very pleasantly surprised that it was another of Mel's recipes. I bought all of the ingredients and made them for dinner. There was a ton of the filling and I didn't have enough tortillas to make them all, so the next day I got more and served them at Oliver's birthday party. All the grandparents loved them.

I love baking bread from scratch. It is so worth it and I like knowing that all it includes are the ingredients I put in. My favorite are yeast doughs. They smell so good and don't take much time, other than the rising. Mel has a whole section of yeast breads in her recipe index. I've made these dinner rolls twice, once with white flour and once with whole wheat, and like the name states, they are perfect.

Over the weekend, I used two more of her recipes. I know, addicted.

The first was for honey lime enchiladas. These were so good, guys. I know I say that about a lot of the stuff I make, but seriously, they were the best. Corey and I had them for lunch the next day, and then there were just enough for one person's lunch on Sunday, too. I was the lucky one.

Saturday night I made pizza using one of her dough recipes. This is her slow-rise dough:

2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
1 1/3 cup water
3 1/2 to 4 cups flour
2 teaspoons salt

I made it with half white and whole wheat flours. As for the pizza, I made one potato and one cheese with a stuffed crust. We were able to make that into two meals, also.

I wanted a dessert Saturday so I made strawberry lemon bars...sort of.

I know, delicious looking, right? Riiiiight...

So it doesn't look that great, but it tastes quite nice.

I based if off of this recipe, but tweaked it to this:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup cold butter

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup pureed strawberries
1 teaspoon baking powder

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 9 x 13 x 2 inch pan with foil or parchment paper and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a bowl, combine flour and first amount of sugar; cut in the butter until crumbly.
3. Press into the bottom of a lightly greased baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, lemon and strawberry juice and baking powder until well mixed. Pour over crust.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

And last but not least, I made some chocolate chip cookies using whole wheat flour.

Recipe:

2 cups flour

1 1/2 sticks butter

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg and 1 yolk

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

bag of chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Melt butter, let cool.

2. Mix butter and sugars together until well combined.

3. Add egg(s) and vanilla, mix to combine.

4. In separate bowl, mix flour, salt, and baking powder.

5. Add sugar mixture to flour and combine.

6. Let chill for 30 minutes.

7. Preheat oven to 350 and place dough balls on pan spaced evenly apart. I can fit 12 2" balls on 9x13" pan.

8. Let cool and eat them all in one sitting with milk.

Makes about 48 4" finished size cookies.

Now I'm hungry.

day 8: mix casual and dressy

2011-08-22T10:12:00.000-04:00

Today for the challenge we are to mix casual and dressy. That doesn't really fit with my stay at home mom gig, but I pulled this little outfit together for a trip to the dentist for Clark.

Such a cute pose, I know. I don't really wear any shoes but flip flops or Toms. So instead of going with one of those, I threw on these strappy sandals. And the tunic is silk, not really an everyday fabric...so am I totally reaching with this one? I hope not.

From the top--

headband: Goody

white tee: Old Navy

tunic: Lizard Thicket (remix item)

jeans: 7FAM Roxy

sandals: um...

locket: etsy

watch: Fossil

day 7: layer accessories

2011-08-21T16:25:00.000-04:00

Easy prompt for today. Throw on some necklaces, maybe a few bracelets, and we'll call it. Actually I decided I didn't want to do too much. So I'm only wearing two necklaces, but one is a "statement" piece, if you will, and normally I'd let it make its own statement, but I have a brass locket I got from the dainty ampersand on etsy and decided to put the two together.

Ignore that last dumb pose. I had tried taking...way too many at this point and said whatever. If you want to know about my clothes then you'll notice I'm wearing a white scoop neck from Old Navy, a grey tank from J.Crew, shorts from J.Crew, and my Rainbow flip flops and Fossil watch.