Potential for May...

Holy CRAP!

May is only 1 1/2 days away!

I love our pups, but their collars and leashes are so masculine and dull. 

So, I thought this month would be a great opportunity to "Spice Up" the dogs' necks and leashes.

Yeah, my husband will probably just think I am insane!

Seriously , male dogs can have "cool" looking collars and leashes, they are NOT just for the ladies!

To go along with the pet theme, I am also going to try my hand at the poo-bag holders.

You know, a small inconspicuous little bag that you can put whatever it is that you pick up your pet's poo with when you go for a walk (we use plastic shopping bags - cuz we never remember our reusable sacks when we go to the store, so we have like a million and one plastic bags shoved under the kitchen sink).

How about something totally off the wall?

Key-fob keychains.

I know, I know...WTH!

Doesn't even correspond with anything that has to do with animals. 

Oh well, it's what makes me happy! 

Disclaimer: this is NOT our dog - pic

See, I'm smiling (oops, that's not me)!

My Bucket List

I've been thinking lately about all of the things I'd like to do and see over the course of what is left of my lifetime.

Without further Adu...

My "Bucket List"

1. Open A Web-based Shop (Etsy or We Heart Shops)
2. Visit Las Vegas, NV
3. Sail on a Catamaran in the British Virgin Islands
4. Learn to Play the Guitar
5. Take a Road Trip on Route 66
6. Meet Some of My Bloggy Friends in Person (not my family bloggy friends though, I already know you)
7. Read "The Lord of the Rings" Trilogy
8. Vacation to Hershey, Pennsylvania
9. Take an Adults Only Vacation with another couple we know (any couple)
10. Travel to New York City
11. See a Broadway Musical on Broadway
12. Purchase a Pair of Christian Louboutin Pumps (love these)
13. Be a Featured Blogger
14. Visit Rome to See the Sistine Chapel
15. Take Our Kids to Disney World, Florida
16. Design a New Dress for Myself
17. Have Lasik Surgery to Correct My Vision
18. Renew Our Wedding Vows in Jamaica
19. Throw/Catch a Fish at Pike Place fish Market in Seattle
20. Eat a Deep Fried Carne Asada Taco @ California Tacos & More in Omaha, Nebraska
21. Get 2 more tattoos
22. Run/Walk a Half Marathon
23. Write a Poem
24. Take a Cake Decorating Class
25. Learn How to Make Hand Stamped Jewelry
26. Travel to Paris to Visit the Louvre Museum
27. Make Something that Someone Stops Me to Ask "Where did you get that?"
28. Purchase a Serger (specialty type of sewing machine)
29. Have a Stand/Booth at the Farmer's Market (maybe share one)
30. Teach My Daughter How to Sew
31. Take a Girl's Night Out Trip (weekend trip) to Anywhere
32. Read 100 Novels in 365 Days
33. Learn to Shoot a Long Bow
34. Visit the Land of 10,000 Lakes & Catch My Limit of Fish (Minnesota)
35. Meet A Famous Actor/Actress
36. Learn to Use a Pottery Wheele
37. Spend a Day with the Kids at Paint Yourself Silly
38. Shoot My Very First Deer with My Hubby

(okay, I will not shoot the deer with my hubby, I will hopefully shoot one with a rifle while OUT with him!)

This is kind of an on-going list at this point.

I have been trying to come up with things that I/We have not yet done.

Yes, there are a few things that have been completed that would fall under some of these, but this is from this day forward.

Stuff that has been done in the past doesn't count toward completion of the list.

So...

What's on your "Bucket List"?

Seriously, I would LOVE to know... Maybe I'll even get a few more ideas for mine!  ;-)

Running Week #3; Workout #2 Repeated...

I was all psyched to start week three of the Couch to 5K, but I skipped the 3rd workout day last week.

So, the wonderful thing about this program is that you can repeat weeks if needed.

And I NEED to repeat week #2. 

So I started it all over again today. It felt GREAT!

No more "skip" days for me, I'm gonna get my rear in gear!

April Creativity...

These are such pretty fabrics, I wonder what they will be?

The lavender, yellow and black are lining fabrics.

The red is velvet, the gray is a suiting, and the kakhi is sort of a linen.

What do you think?

I made this on Friday as a b-day gift to myself.

I am going to making a number of them, so I have inventory for my future Etsy store!

The red velvet one with black lining is going to be so gorgeous!

The only thing I'm gonna have to do is figure out how to make the back part elastic.

That way they are "one size" and you all wouldn't have to worry about it not fitting your noggins!

I made mine to fit my head, but that's only because I had access to my head to measure it!

Never in a million years did I think I would be able to pull off wearing this baby.

I think it actually looks pretty doggone good!

Now I have a reason to grow out my hair instead of cutting it all off again.

On me, this will definitely look better with longer hair!

Silent Sunday - Happy Easter!



Thursday Lovelies

Happy Birthday to ME!

So, I thought it would be lovely to post birthday themed photos today!

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Running Week #2

Oh My Gosh!

I thought I was doing really great last week!

I know what you are thinking, the workout didn't change THAT much.

Crazily enough, it was enough of a change that I was completely and utterly exhausted after.

Of course it probably didn't help that I had been woken twice during the night.

Once for no particular reason and the second time it was due to a very loud hail storm.

It did feel pretty good to get on the tredmill yesterday though.

Thank goodness I have some pretty up-beat tunes to keep me moving!

However, now that I have day #1 out of the way, I know what to expect tomorrow, so I am ready!

I am soooo ready!

Bring It On Baby!!!

Tutu a tutu...

What the heck am I doing?

Putting together a tutu for my baby-girl, that's what!

To make it easier to put it together, you are supposed to put it around something.

Well, I was at work and didn't have anything that the elastic would fit around.

So...what you are seeing here is my thigh! Yep, my thigh is as big around (maybe bigger)

than my daughter's waist.

How freaking SAD is that!!!

These are the finished product.

I have yet to actually take a picture of her in it though!

She is always too busy to stop and let me snap one.

Well, that is my creation for March.

Sadly, I only made the one!

I wasn't very motivated last month and I am finding that this month is much the same.

I have my idea, so hopefully I will be able to create it on Friday.

Oh yeah, I took the day off Friday, but I will have both kids at home,

so no guarantee I will get anything done!

In A Rut...

There is just something about this week that has me in a rut.  I haven't been posting like I would normally post, because I haven't found any inspiration or had any thoughts that I wanted to share.

I am attempting to get myself motivated, but oh well...

Maybe I will have something fun to post later today. 

Hope you are all having a lovely Wednesday!

Silent Sunday - Awe Inspiring

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What Ya Got In That Bag?

Since I am kind of at a loss for a post, I thought I'd try something different.

I have seen a couple of bloggers do this...

Melissa over at Write It In Lipstick is one that comes to mind first.

However, I've seen it a couple of other places too (just don't remember the blog names).

Everyone carries either a little bit or a "lot bit" in their purse, handbag, whatever.

*Yes, I know "lot bit" doesn't make sense.  Just go with it!  K?  Thanks!*

The following is what I carry in my purse.

*Stay tuned, I may do a post with what I carry in my "activity" bag to work later!*

Clockwise:

Coach Purse - score off of eBay

Makeup bag from Africa a gift from the hubs Aunt and Uncle whom live there currently

*it is chock-full of lipstick, lip gloss, and wipes for my glasses*

Mark by Avon compact

Wallet - which is 1000 years old (okay, I may be exaggerating a little on the age)

Keys (house & truck) - I have so many of those "rewards" cards on there it isn't funny!

wow, the lighting in here sucks!

Clockwise (from 12:00 position):

Emery Board - My nails are finally grown out from being destroyed by artificial tips! YAY!!!

Gum - For those days that I absentmindedly forget to brush my teeth before venturing out and about.

Pen (One of the "gifts" from my prior J-O-B)

Fire Balls! (What you don't carry a load of candy in your purse that your kids won't touch?)

2 pocket hand sanitizers - Remember my "dirty little secrets"? I told you I carried 2 of them!

Batteries - Um, not quite sure what these were doing in there...hmmm....

So there you have it!

That's what's in "that bag"!

Thursday Lovelies

What could be better than decorating your house for Spring?

Check out some of these lovelies!

I absolutely love this blue and brown together

I wish our house had a more neutral decor so I could do this kind of stuff!

What a wonderful idea for the front door.

Very simple, yet effective as a centerpiece!

Absolutely gorgeous to put on a side table...

...or above our cabinets in our kitchen...

hmmm...

So refreshing...ahhhhh

Too bad it would be stained within minutes in our house.

Slobbery boxer dog - likes to sleep with "mom" when "dad" is gone.  ;-)

The only season that I ever really seem to decorate for is Winter.

I HATE (with a passion) Winter, so why am I not decorating for Spring?

The answer to that is this...

I can't ever seem to find Spring decorations that fit into our current decor!

We have more of a vintner or wine theme going on in our house right now.

It is becoming more and more rustic vintner, but still more Tuscany vintner at the current time.

Once we have everything done around our wood burning stove, then I will probably be more likely to go with seasonal decorations that fit the more rustic theme.

Until then, I will just stick with not decorating for the seasons, except for the front door.

How about you? Do you decorate for the seasons?

Stupid Hair!

I am seriously about ready to take a scissors to my own hair!

Do you ever have those days when you are doing your hair and nothing goes right?

That is what happened to me today!

I have styled my hair like this before, but today it took me over an hour - a freaking hour!

It looks like crap, but I don't care, I put a flower in it to cover up the really bad spots and came to work anyway. I was so frustrated!

Just look at that mess!

Ugh...

    

YES, I am almost 33 and have gray hair! A LOT of it!

Thank goodness I have an appointment with my stylist next week.

He is absolutely magical!!!  ;-)

I liked having my short hair, I never had issues like this! With short hair, the style was meant to be messy and so I didn't care. On me, longer hair cannot be messy looking, otherwise it makes it look like I got out of bed and didn't bother combing my hair.

I love French braids though, but you can't French braid short hair.

I love pony tails too, but you can't pull short hair back into a pony tail!

Messy buns! Oh my goodness, I miss being able to pull my hair up into a messy bun.

Absolutely frustrated!

grrrrrr.....

p.s. yes the photos suck! i took them with my BlackBerry.

It's Official...



Today was the beginning of hopefully a long-term, new lifestyle for me.

I am sure you have all heard of the running program called Couch to 5K, right?

If not, you can check it out here.

I have never been really big into running. As a matter of fact I have always hated it.

My knees would ache, I had terrible shin-splints in high school, and I have always been "too busy".

My sister, you can check her out here, has always seemed to be a runner.

She is in fabulous condition and I must admit, I am a little bit jealous of her physique!

I know she doesn't look like she does without working hard for it either.

So I decided today was the day (okay actually I decided last night at work) that I start a running program. To make it easy on myself, I spent some time last night at work typing out each of the workouts for each week. I figured out what times I would have to walk and jog during the workout so that I don't have to think too hard about when I have to change from jogging to walking and vice versa.

Now if that was too tough to understand, cuz it was kinda tough for me to understand and I wrote it, here is what I mean...

I have to have things visual in order to do things properly!

The above is this week's training schedule.

I thought posting each week (maybe twice a week) would give me some accountability.

My sister will probably be keeping tabs on me this way too! 

hehehe

Love you Kirsty!

This also falls under my resolutions for 2011! I can honestly say I haven't failed, but I haven't been "on top" of it like I had wanted to be.

I have to say, I felt great after I was done with the workout today.

During the workout I struggled a little bit, but seriously, this was not that tough!

I am ready and rarin' to go on Thursday!

If you are interested, I will be posting my workout breakdowns each week.

I would love it if some of you would take on this challenge with me.

Monday Musings - Bubbles!!!!



Silent Sunday - Oh Happy Day!



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Silly Saturday - The ABC's of Elizabeth

I couldn't resist!

These two lovelies (Victoria and Lindsay) had posts like this and I thought it would be a great idea since it has been a while since I posted an "About Me" type of post.

Besides, I didn't have a silly Saturday photo to share, so some of the facts, although true, are kinda silly for someone my age!



Don't laugh, we were doing Bailey's shots in chocolate shot glasses!

Age: 32 (33 in two weeks, YIKES)...OMG, I had to get out the calculator to double check!

Bed Size: Queen

Chore you hate: Bathrooms

Dogs:  The Great Gladiator Maximus - our 8-yr old Boxer and Nickel - our 3-yr old hyper-beyond-belief Wiemaraner

Essential start of your day:  Leave me alone and let me drink at least 2 cups of coffee

Favorite Color:  Blue - always has and always will be my fave

Gold or silver:  Depends on what I am wearing for the day

Height: 5' 6" - I have shrunk an inch since high school! Got calcium?

Instruments I play (or have played): Piano and my voice - I love to sing

Job Title: Licensed Practical Nurse and Mom or Mommy

Kids: 2 - Logan (9-yrs) and Jillianne (pronounced Jilly Anne {4-yrs})

Live: Lincoln, Nebraska (NE)

Mom's Name: Constance (Connie)

Nickname: Beth, Bethy, Liz, Mom, Mommy

Overnight hospital stays: Um...Let me think...4 - twice giving birth, once for surgery, and once for Pyronephritis (severe kidney infection)

Pet Peeve: I am not really too sure about this one. Oh...wait...my husbands answer to the quetion "Where are you going?" His response, "Crazy!" That just errks me!

Quote from a movie: "Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming..." Dori in finding Nemo

Right or left handed: Right

Siblings: 2 - A fab baby sister (check her out here) and a great big brother

Time you wake up: Kinda sorta varies from day to day - typically around 7:20 a.m.

Underwear: Victoria's Secret ALL the way!

Vegetables you dislike: Peas - they are the devil unless you eat them straight from the pod while you are still sitting in the garden!

What makes you run late: Well...I am always late...You can ask anyone and they will tell you!

X-rays you've had done: My shoulder after a bicycle accident and my hips due to some unexplained shooting pains in 2009

Yummy food you make: Country fried pork chops with home made mashed potatoes and white pork gravy...Making my mouth water as I think about it!

Zoo animal: Tigers and Lions - Always have and always will be one of my fave animals!

What Are Your Fears?

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Okay, I want to get serious on you all today...

Have you ever really sat down and thought about what you fear the most?

This post was brought on by a dream that has been recurring over and over while I slumber.

Please bare with me as I describe this dream...actually NIGHTMARE!

My family and I are living in a lovely neighborhood with fabulous neighbors.

We have many close friends and as a family, we are very close.

One day, while I am out and about with my children, we come home.

We come home to nothing!

There is no house!

I call my husband. There is no answer!

Actually, there is a recording that the phone number doesn't exist!

I call my mom, my dad, my brother, everyone I can think of.

The same thing - the phone numbers DO NOT exist!

I begin to panic and frantically try to find pieces of our life as we knew it.

No birth certificates. No photographs. No marriage certificate.

There is nothing to prove that we have ever had a family!

At some point, I meet a person (man/woman - I have never seen a face or known a name).

Somehow this person believes me and the 4 of us go to the place that I remember growing up.

The house is there, but looks as though no one has lived in it for 20+ years.

We enter the home to look for clues to my life and my children's lives, but there is nothing!

Suddenly, the entire home is engulfed in flames like there is something there that we aren't supposed to find. We all get out, but it is cold and I run back into the house to get the coats.

As I come out of the house, I wake up. Never knowing why all of this has happened.

In 8 years, I have not been able to remember a dream after I wake from sleeping. All of a sudden I begin having this frightening dream night after night. I don't like to think about it, because it makes me sad.

What could it mean?

Maybe by writing out my fears it will help me release the fear caused by this dream and make it stop.

Here they are...

1. Being forgotten
2. Not being loved
3. Failure
4. Being hurt - physically or emotionally by anyone
5. Diseases that have no cure
6. Electrical and Thunder storms
7. Stupid Careless Drivers
8. Bed-bugs (there is a story behind this)
9. Locking the keys in my car in the middle of no-where!

I Just Don't Know What To Do? Can You Help?



For a few months last year (2010) I had a small Etsy store.  I never sold anything, but I still opened it with the hope that some of the things that I created would be of interest to others.  Now that I seem to have more time to be creative, I would really like to open up a new Etsy shop. Seriously though, what could I possibly make that others would want?  I just don't know that I have the courage to do it. My biggest fear is failure!

I think of all of the possibilities and just get frustrated. Purses? No - I am not that good at them yet. Hair clips I tried that and apparently mine weren't cute enough. Little tutu's with matching bows for little girls? I don't know that I can invest the money in the fabric. Purse accessories? It's a thought, but seriously, how many people would actually want everything in the purse to be matchy-matchy? I certainly don't match everything in my purse!

It would be fantastic if I could come up with something that would portray me. Encompass my love of all things that bring warmth to a person from the inside out. I just don't think I have that creativeness in me.

Okay, I have a favour to ask of all of you out there reading this... You may have seen the posts I have done in the past with the items I have made, if not, that is a-okay! Here is my request... I am very serious about opening an Etsy shop (if I can get up the courage)! I have been working on my "craft-a-month" resolution for 2011, and have posted a few things and will continue to post the "craft of the month" - I know I didn't get around to it last month. Here is my request - okay it's more like a question. Should I focus on one particular type of item for an Etsy shop, or should I maybe attempt to do a "monthly" item? I would make them throughout the year, but post them under monthly sections in my Etsy shop.

There is no guarantee that I will open up a new shop, but your ideas are more than welcome! I wouldn't be here without all of you. Your insights and opinions (good or bad) are definitely something that I am interested in. I suppose with encouragement, I can do anything I set my mind to, but right now, I am very timid and don't want to fail!



Thursday Lovelies - Beautiful Winged Things

Wouldn't it be wonderful to have wings?
We could take flight whenever we wanted.



Do YOU Love to Shop? How About if You AREN'T Spending Your Own Money?...

I'm not usually one to do this kind of thing, but I will totally do anything to better my chances of winning!

What a Fan-tab-u-lous birthday gift this would be for myself - if I won it that is!  :-)

My girl Lindsay over and Scenic Glory is having a give-a-way for a $75 gift certificate to Modcloth.

Yes you read that right...

$75.00

If you have never been to the site, you totally have to check it out!

While you are over at Scenic Glory, check it out and stay a while.

That girl is totally talented!

Monday Musings - Pretty Little Homes

Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted a doll house.

Well, my sister and I did get one when we were younger, but we never "completed" it.

Actually, it is still out at the farm in my dad's basement (some day I will get it and finish decorating it).

Since my maternal grandfather passed away, my mom's family that lives in Missouri have been going through everything that was Grandm's and Grandpa's.

They found a doll house that Grandpa had purchased and started putting together for Grandma.

They texted me (yes, texted) asking if I would like to have it for our daughter.

There was absolutely NO hesitation...I said "We would love to have it!"

See, when our son was younger he received a very special bear named Hodges from Great-Grandpa.

Hodges sat on their bed for more than 20 years with his buddy Calhoun (who was given to our nephew).

Since Logan had that treasure, I wanted Jillianne to also have a treasure from Great-Grandpa and Grandma.

I don't have any pictures of the unfinished doll house, but will take some at a later date.

The doll houses below were just a few that I found beautiful!

I am excited and nervous to take on the task of completing something that I will hold dear to my heart and hope that someday Jillianne will also appreciate the time and beauty of the intricate details of such a fine little home and show piece. I hope to do my Grandpa proud while I am putting it together.