Running Week #8; Workout #6

Well, I made it through last week and now I am going "full-steam" ahead into the next workouts.

Repeating weeks was getting to be too much, I want this to be done and over so I can move forward and work on other areas of my body.

I will continue to run, but I need to move on to my upper body so that I don't have "muscles that go the wrong way" according to my 9-year old son.

Oh and I don't want to hear, "Mommy, why do you have wings on your arms?" ever again!

Thank god she didn't say that in public.

Happy Memorial Day!



...all gave some, but some gave all...

Thank a Soldier (active, retired, or deceased), they have done so much for us!

Thursday Lovelies

Today I am at a loss...

The weather around our parts has been pretty gloomy the past couple of days.

It has made it very difficult to find anything lovely.

I will just turn to my awful indulgences as my lovelies for today.

For Breakfast/Brunch (depends on the day of the week)...

...an egg (over easy), cheese, and an English muffin. HOLD the bacon!

Except, I make two eggs and put one on each side of the muffin for two "open-faced" sandwiches.

Eggs are good for me right?

I don't use grease or anything to cook them, just my non-stick skillet.

And Lunch (again depending on the day of the week)...

...Buffalo Chicken Quesadilla with Ranch dressing!

Totally yummy and again made at home in my non-stick skillet.

Oh, and I can't forget my beverages...

...Regular, plain-jane, iced tea. No lemon and definitely NO sugar!

I make a huge pitcher about once a week.

I also indulge in one of these every other day now.

So I am getting better about it!

Now for a snack.

Trail mix with a little bit of everything (sometimes even dark-chocolate chips).

Oh so YUMMY!

Dinner can be a multitude of many different things, so I can't exactly pin point one thing.

Since I work the second shift, it is tough to get a good home cooked meal in for dinner, but on occasion, the hubs will make enough supper for him and the kids so that I can bring left-overs to work the next day.

Gotta love that man-o-mine!

I'd have to say that my very favorite dinner would have to be...

Grilled pork chops with grilled asparagus, zucchini, and summer squash.

My hubby is one hell of a grilling machine!

*Sorry, no picture to show you!*

My second most favorite is

Chicken Kabobs

(chicken, green pepper, onion, and lots of mushrooms)

Jason is allergic to tomatoes, so we don't go there.

All of this talk about food is making me so hungry!

I better go before I raid the fridge for many things that I don't need to indulge in at the moment!

Running Week #7 - Workout #5

Today was awesome!

I skipped a day last week and I didn't even feel that it was a bad thing today!

I'm sure by the third workout day this week, I will be struggling, but I feel great after today's workout!

I can't wait until Thursday now!

Waaaah Hooooo.....

I'm Me and Nobody Else...

I'm not beautiful or gorgeous.

I haven't got an amazing figure or flat stomach.

I'm far from being considered model material but I'm me.

I eat junk food.

I love to wear my PJ's, socks, & no makeup around the house.

I'm random & crazy.

I don't pretend to be something I'm not.

I am who I am, love me or not.

Monday Musings - Blog Design

Why can't Blogger have cuter blog designs?

I am not creative enough to design my own backgrounds and fun stuff.

Sure I was able to design a couple of "Blog Love" buttons, but that was only after I googled how to do it.

I would L-O-V-E to have someone do a design for me, but I can't settle on any colors!

UGH...

It is just so frustrating!

I need a "store front" and a blog design that correlate with each other.

Guess I am gonna have to break down and figure out my colors and then have Lindsay at Scenic Glory give me a blog make-over. She is uber talented and her blog designs are totally gorgeous!

Gonna have to do some penny pinching and hire my girly!

You should definitely check out some of her designs.

Ooo la la...

Until next time, have a fabulous week!

P.S. Sorry, I didn't have any photos for your viewing pleasure today! :-(

Silent Sunday - My Family



Pretty Little Clutches

These are not brand new made, but they are a couple of little clutches that I made last summer.
These will be items in my etsy shop whenever I get enough inventory built up to actually open it up!
Right now they are stored away in the closet just waiting to be listed and for someone to give them a home.
I need to start making some more of these!



How about you?
Would this be something you'd carry around?
These particular sizes are relatively small, but would be great for someone that doesn't carry a lot of stuff.

Thursday Lovelies

A friend of my husband's and mine introduced me to Cara Dillon a number of months ago.

Her voice is amazing and I love the Celtic sound and feel to the music.

This particular song is rather sad, but unfortunately is true on many levels in the world today.

She has a number of really good songs.

Try checking her out on You Tube sometime.

My iPod is begging me to download some of her songs.

Guess I need to get on that!

Have a fabulous Thursday!



Craftastic May

Yeah, I know I said just a few short weeks ago that I would make dog leashes and collars, but seriously the cost to make them would have been way more than it would have been to buy something. Right now the "fund-age" is actually being saved for something I really want terrible bad - more on that another time though.

Anyway, I have so much fabric that I have "hoarded" over the past few years, that I decided I needed to... go out and buy just 4 short yards more! Yes, BUT I got it at a super awesome price - 2 yards for $2.00 and 2 yards for $4.00.  You can't beat that! I had to have it! OKAY, FINE! I didn't need to have it, but who can pass up such a great price, really?

Onward...

Since I didn't do the stuff for the pups, I decided to use up some scraps of fabric that I had left over from other projects and do a little bit of recycling. Both of our kids just got new bedding, so I kept (shoved under our bed) the thick plastic bags that the bedding came in. I had seen a great idea for luggage tags on-line somewhere (doggone, I can't remember where) and thought "What a fabulous idea! Makes a black suitcase unique and less likely to be grabbed by 'dip-stick' who's in a hurry to get out of the airport."

So, here you have them, luggage tags - lots and lots and lots of luggage tags.
Seriously, they only take 10 minutes from the first cut to the final stitch to finish.

Okay, not lots and lots and lots in these photos, but believe me, I have made more than I know what to do with.



Guess what? You probably won't miss your bag as it comes off of the airplane ever again...
...Unless you take the tag off that is.

Oh, I almost forgot...
Since the tags were such an easy craft for the month, I also made sugar scrub! I never said that the "craft a month" resolution would be specific to sewing. This stuff is so wonderful! It is scented with lemon essential oil and makes your hands absolutely soft and supple and smell fab-tas-tic! Perfect for the kitchen and getting pesky 'smells' off your hands from cooking (i.e. fish, garlic, onion - just to name a few)!

Check back, there may be a tutorial in the near future on this absolutely fabulous stuff!

Running Week #6; Workout #4

Okay, it is really week #5, but who's counting?

I will call this workout #4 instead. Is that better?

I just can't go in and change the title of my photo...

Darn it!

Who knew jogging for 5 minutes straight would be H-E-L-L?!?!?!

I seriously need to work on my resolution to give up soda (ya know - pop? yeah, I call it soda).

Pretty sure, I wouldn't consider jogging for 5 minutes at a time hell!

Oh well, it is what it is.

I'll eventually get there and be soda free...

...until then I'll just struggle through my work outs.

Monday Musings

This week may be all about sewing...

Hope y'all don't mind too much!

I've been sewing up a storm and looking for fun fabric combinations online and in stores.

Here are some musings over fabric...

I bought some of this in BRIGHT pink this weekend.

It may make a few very fabulous hats! Can't wait to put them together.

What beautiful linings for purses these would make!

"Fat Quarters" are my friend for small "fat quarter" projects!

A few of these would be great for making teacher gifts.

OMG! So many prints and textures! Love me the red, white, and blacks in this first row.

I am in L-O-V-E with pink and chocolate brown!

Oh, and I just made a little something out of two of the fabrics in this photo...

The brown with pink polka dots and the pink and brown print!

I would love to show you all what it is, but it is a gift for some friends that are expecting their first baby and I don't want to give away the surprise if Alicia would happen to read this. 

*wink* *wink*



You understand right?!?!

I thought so...

I will be sure to take pictures of the completed gift to post after the gift giving is done!

See this color combination? Well, I love this too!

(the teal with polka dots is a terrible photo of the actual color - it's not that dark)

I love it so much that I made my dress for this little lady's wedding in June 2010.

(check out their Wedding Story and you'll see the dress)

I'm sure you recognize her, you probably even read her blog!

If you don't, you better get over there and start, she's uber talented!

Happy Monday all!

XOXO,

Beth

Silent Sunday - We ♥ Sidewalk Chalk

Just a Quick Update...

Sorry all!

This week I have been in creation mode and have neglected all of you, my fan-tab-u-lous readers.

Honestly, I have not done so on purpose...well, okay I have purposefully been in creation mode, but I don't like to neglect all of you!

Next week I will be back in "full swing" and hopefully have some great new "sneak peaks" to share!

Now isn't that worth waiting for? I think it is.

Running Week #5; Workout #3 Repeated

I skipped a day again!

Kinda liking to repeat weeks though.

It doesn't make my knee and hips hurt if I am able to rest for 4 days.

I hate going to the doctor (yes, and I am a nurse), so I will gladly rest my legs instead of making an appointment with my doctor to discuss my discomfort.

Monday Musings

As much as I try, I cannot shake my addiction to this:

I have however moved from drinking a 20 oz. bottle to drinking one of these:



I am trying, but it is so terribly difficult!

Ideally, I would give it up "cold turkey", but I am a wimp when it comes to the headaches from withdrawal!

Now that I am down to one can a day, I will slowly try to move to one can every other day.

That way it is a slow transition.

I bet I lose 10 lbs when I finally get myself off of it, cuz I drink the "leaded" (regular) stuff, not the "unleaded" (diet).

Silent Sunday - Happy Mother's Day



Thursday Lovelies

I have always, ALWAYS loved art!

Personally, I am not an artist, per se.

I love to create, but I usually get my ideas from others and run with them, making them my own.

Art cannot be defined as a particular form.

That is what is so amazing about the "concept" of art.

It's what YOU want it to be!

Ice Sculpture is absolutely amazing and sad at the same time!

Look at all of the detail that went into this.

Eventually it will melt away and the artist will create something magnificent all over again.

Lord of the Rings

This is not the photo I wanted, but I'll explain...

Movies - this one in particular.

Peter Jackson was so detail oriented with this Trilogy.

Pretty much everything used in these films were hand-crafted expecially for these movies.

In the documentary that came with my DVD's, he states that he didn't want the audience to say "I have that glass/plate/etc..."  I will admit to loving these movies, not only for the story, but also the artistic detail in everything.

Architecture is so unique, because there are so many different things that can be done with a building.

Personally, I love old architecture - domes, columns, etc.

We have a large canvas of this in our dining room.

L-O-V-E Da Vinci!

To me, books are also a "work of art".

Take a minute to think about your favorite book or the last book you read...

Typically an author puts so much detail into a scene that you can literally visualize it in your head.

That's what happens to me anyway.

A good author keeps me focused on the book by detail.

I love reading, but if the author doesn't take the time to be detailed, it is very tough for me to focus and read the story through to the end.

Well, I am having a tough time focusing on this post.

My mind is wandering to other things that it feels are being neglected...

For instance, the items for my future shop and Christmas (yes, Christmas) gifts that I need to make for a customer.

Guess I need to show my sewing machine some love today!

XOXO,

Beth

Terrible Daughter and Daughter-In-Law

Mother's Day is only a few days away and I can't think of anything to get for the Mothers in our family!

I wanted to do something handmade, but in all honesty, I don't think I could get anything made that quickly. When the hubs and I went to Charleston, SC last year, we discovered something that we both thought was fabulous - Lemon oil salt scrub.

OMG! the best thing since sliced bread!!!

Made our hands feel so soft and the scent was WONDERFUL!

Anyway, I thought about making some of that for all of the Mom's in the family, but I can't find a "high-quality" essential oil that would work for the scrub. I also don't know that any of them would use the stuff. Obviously, I would, but that's me!

Then I thought I could make some scented sachels for the unmentionables drawer, but again I don't know that they would get used. Also, everyone has such differing taste in scents, I wouldn't want to "stink out" somebody's nose.

Guess I will just have to resort to a good ole gift card or something.

Not even sure about a gift card either.

Ahhhhhh!!!!!

Mothers, what would you like for Mother's Day?

Handmade, store bought, or flowers?

You know what sucks even more? 

I didn't know May 8, was Mother's Day and I signed up to work over time.

Hello? I am such an idiot!

At least I will be off by 1500 (3:00 pm).

That is my dilema this week! Sheesh, why do I do this to myself!

Ugh...

Today...

Loving ~

~the beautiful weather
~the birds chirping
~being the one that takes our son to school even though mornings are a little rough in our house
~holding my daughter's hand to cross the parking lot
~sunflower seeds
~AMP Energy Traction (Charge of Grape)
~how energetic I feel after my workout this morning
~that my husband finally caved after 4 years and is letting me plant a strawberry patch
     - he even bought the plants for me
~my NOOK eReader and the current book "Syndrome"
~that I remembered to vote
~that it is about time to plant the garden (I seriously can't wait to make homemade Salsa)
~the fact that I am a woman and enjoy "primping" to leave the house

Running Week #4; Workout #3

It is just crazy how quickly time passes when you really think about it!

Here is program week #3

(even though it is my 4th week, remember I repeated week #2 last week).

This was tough!

I will totally admit to it and I may just be taking another two weeks to complete this portion of the program.  Baby steps, right?

Who'd have thought that 3 minutes of jogging would be so difficult!

Well, I will not take it for granted ever again!

Thank the Lord for BABY STEPS!!!

Monday Musings

God Bless our Military!

Do you remember what you were doing on September 11, 2001?

I remember vividly where I was, what I was doing, and how I felt!

Our son was only 3 months old. I was at work in the drive thru at the bank where I worked.

I had been there for about 30 minutes when the news broke in on the radio stating that the first plane had flown into one of the "Twin" Towers.

Immediately I felt sick to my stomach and nearly passed out, because I just knew it couldn't have been an accident.

My husband (well, not at the time), was in the NE Army National Guard and I was so scared he was going to have to leave us to go to New York or worse, to Afghanistan.

That was the absolute worst day of my life, just waiting...

Do you remember what you were doing May 1, 2011?

I remember quite clearly!

The joy and excitement could not be contained by my husband nor myself.

Our son is now almost 10 and our daughter is 4.

I was sitting on the love seat putting the finishing touches on a hat for my future shop.

We had finished cleaning up the dinner dishes and were sitting in the livingroom watching CSI Miami when the notification flashed across the bottom of the screen...

"President Obama will make a statement at 10:30 p.m..."

My husband proceeded to flip through channels to find something that had information.

Fox News with Geraldo Rivera was on and telling the US what was happening.

I have never seen a news reporter clap from excitement like he did.

Facebook was flooded with posts about how excited people were.

Some friends that are still in the military hoping he died slowly, but most people just happy that he had been caught and killed.

A small price for him to pay for the thousands of people that have been killed or have given their lives for our country (and others) over the last 10 years.

I know that this will not put an end to terrorism, and it isn't going to bring our military men and women home any more quickly, but at least it is a step, a step in the right direction.

Silent Sunday - Restoration

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