Thursday Lovelies - Gonna Be Opening Soon!!!

I've done it, I am finally taking the plunge and opening my etsy.com shop.

(click above to be taken there)

It is all set up and I will be opening on July 15th.

The main focus will be the cute hats that I so LOVE to make (and wear) as well as handbags and clutches.

There will also be a section of miscellany which will be where all of the stuff I make on a "whim" will be posted.

Stay tuned for OPENING DAY!

I am soooo excited, I can barely contain myself!

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Totally Awesome Snack Food!

Okay, I seriously must have been in the ice-ages or something...

Why you ask?

When this word came up on my meal plan for this week I was "What is that?"

Edamame

I wasn't going to try it, but one of my besties said I should try it with a bit of salt and make sure I eat them right out of the pod cuz they're fun to eat that way.

The pod just pops open and the bean slides out.

(um...that sounds a little naughty)

I seriously debated on them at the store, but went ahead and bought two bags anyway.

The first night I didn't put salt on them - I just don't typically salt ANYTHING.

They were eh...okay.

Tonight though, I used a little salt packet and shook them around in a little baggie. They were still a bit damp from the thawing process, so the salt stuck nicely to the pod.

It wasn't a lot of salt to suck off the pod, but it was just enough to get off the pod when the bean popped out that it was delectible. Seriously, I have found a new favorite snack.

If you have never tried them, I highly suggest trying them at least once.

You can't dislike something if you've never tried it, right?

Switching Gears

So, the running thing has kinda - I said KINDA - petered out for me. I have moved on to resistance training and a completely new nutritional plan. Amazingly, I love it so far. Okay, maybe not the resistance training, but the nutritional plan is really great and has some awesome foods!

I plan to take photos of some of my favorite meals from the plan as I go along to share with all of you! Maybe for FTLOB Tasty Tuesday posts.

Oooo...you wanna know what is totally awesome! I have finally succeeded at one of my New Year's Resolutions! I have been drinking so much water that I can't even drink a half of a 12 oz soda without getting a belly ache! Yep, I tried it last Friday. I was seriously craving a sugar rush while I was at work and thought I would treat myself to a 12 oz can of Mt. Dew. I barely got half the can down before I had to go dump it out. Now that is what I call a total success!

I will have to be sure and let you all know what my results are from this new nutrition and fitness plan as the time goes by. So far, it is pretty darn good, I have lost 8 lbs total. I still have a long way to go to get to where I want to be, but I am determined to get there.

Sorry I've Been Gone for So Long...

Wow, having both kids home for the summer makes the weeks just fly by!

Prior to summer officially starting, I made up a calendar of the things that I thought would be fun to do with the kids so that we aren't sitting in the house all day every day. So far, it has proven to keep us pretty busy.

The first two weeks, the kids both had swimming lessons.
Last week, my vehicle was broken and I was too bummed to actually do anything, but we did end up walking to the grocery store and then went to the local children's zoo on Friday - Daddy even took the day off from work to spend it with us.
This week, I have my vehicle back! I can get back on my regular schedule of heading to the gym, working on my summer tan, and getting things cleaned up around the house.
Wednesdays we have been going to the library - thank goodness both of the kids enjoy going or it would be torcher! They are each allowed to get a book or books (usually the latter) and a Wii or X-Box 360 game (if there is something available).

This week I tried to get myself sitting in front of my sewing machine. I actually succeeded! I sat down to sew together a strapless shorts jumper for me to wear as a bathing suit cover-up or to do yard work or to wear whenever the hell I feel like it. I AM NOT TOO OLD FOR ONE! Well I only succeeded in sewing one half of each of the pockets into the shorts before I sewed through - YES, I said through - my own finger! Yep, took two stitches before I realized what I had done and then pulled my hand away, breaking the needle still IN my finger. I was able to pull the broken part of the needle out and thank GOD it didn't go through my fingernail! It bled pretty good, but I got it to stop and then finally decided it was okay to cry about it, but only for a little while until I started laughing at myself for making such a dumb mistake! I am a-okay! It is tender, but I can deal with tenderness. Needless to say, I stopped sewing for the day after that.

Well, I thought I was going to be on track for opening my etsy store starting July 1, but I think I am going to have to postpone it a bit longer. With being so busy with the kids over the past three weeks, I haven't made anything new! I have fabric cut out and ready to sew (I'm always cutting things out), but I just haven't done any sewing. Hopefully this week I will find some new motivation to get my butt sitting in front of the machine and put things together.

Okay, maybe next week... I am going to take the kids over to my mom's house while she is gone at a convention and try to get her backyard cleaned up and mowed - HOPEFULLY the rain will stop coming down so I can get that done on Thursday and Friday.

Quite a lot has happened over the past few weeks and I have photos, so I will be sure to fill you all in with pictures and try to get back on track with regular posts. Maybe a few sneak peeks as I get things done for the Warm Bouquet Boutique on etsy. Make sure you check back now and then to see if I have anything new to show you. ;-)

Love you all so much!
XOXO
Beth

What a Find!!!

To start, I am not totally against garage sales, I just don't typically go to them unless I can see from the street that there might be something of interest to me.

That being said...

This last weekend, one of my besties - Jacqui, by name - and her sister were having a garage sale.

Now typically I wouldn't be interested in much, because I just don't do garage sales.

Well, being the fab-tastic friend she is, she called me about something that her sister had that she knew would be of immense interest to me.

I am a hoarder!

Yes, a hoarder! I can't pass up cheap (by cost only) fabric!

Jacqui's sister had a whole tote (I'm talking an 18-20 gallon tote) FULL of different fabrics!

I haven't even had a chance to look through my treasure, but I know there are some awesome fabrics for hats and totes and whatever the heck else I wanna make.

I can't wait until swimming lessons are over this Thursday, because I am gonna be a sewing fiend for the next two weeks (until swimming lessons start up again).

The best part of this find, was that it only cost me $25.00 for the whole "kit-n-kaboodle"!

Seriously, some of the fabric in there was probably about that much for a yard or two alone, so I made out awesome on that deal.

Okay, her sister made some cash to send her girls on an FBLA trip too.

So not only was it worth it for the fabric, but I was helping fund something important to them!

Now I need to find a dresser for the guest bedroom/craft room to store all of the hoards of fabric I have.

Maybe I should rethink my attitude about going to garage sales a little bit!



Happiness is...

source

Until I became a mommy, I assumed that being happy meant that life was perfect.

Now I know for a fact, that that's not even close...

Happiness to me, is all the imperfections that fill our days.

Happiness is waking up to my daughter climbing into our bed 2-3 times a night.

Happiness is watching my son try his hardest to hit that fast-ball, but striking out in the process.

Happiness is watching my husband play Polly Pockets on our floor that needs to be vacuumed.

Happiness is giggling when our boxer, Max, rips a nasty toot that will clear the room.

Happiness is having a child vomit down the front of you, because it is your child and you are caring for him/her.

Happiness, as much as I hate to admit it, is cleaning up the kitchen from dinner the night before, knowing that my husband and the kids ate a bountiful meal which keeps them healthy.

Happiness is arguing with my son to do his chores, because he is MY son after all and I am teaching him to grow into a responsible adult.

Happiness is NOT having a spotless house!

Happiness is having a mess here and a mess there to show that a FAMILY lives in this home and has fun together.

Running Week #9

Man-O-Man...

Running for 25 minutes straight kicked my butt on Saturday.

Actually, I couldn't hack it. I had to break it up and walk some of it.

This week I am going to repeat the program from last week.

I feel like I have to.

If I am going to fall in love with running, I have to take it slow and steady.

That means repeating workouts as needed to get to where I wanna be.

I do have to say this though...

I LOVE what it is doing to my body!

I can totally tell my rear-end is getting tighter. I can look in the mirror and not cringe at my back-side!

Oh, and I was NOT self-concious about being in a bikini,

yep a bikini, at the public swimming pool on Sunday!

I am so stoked!!!

That alone is a total motivation booster.

I wish I had taken before photos!

Oh well, I know and my husband knows how far I've come in the 8 weeks!

That is what truely matters to me.

YAY!!!

Life on a Train

Life is like a train ride.

We get on.

We get off.

We get back on and ride some more.

There are accidents and there are delays.

At certain stops there are surprises.

Some of these will translate into great moments of joy; some will result in profound sorrow.

When we are born and we first board the train, we meet people whom we think will be with us for the entire journey.

Those people are our parents!

Sadly, this is far from the truth.

Our parents are with us for as long as we need them.

They too have journeys they must complete.

We live on with the memories of their love, affection, friendship, guidance, and their ever presence.

There are others who board the train and who eventually become very important to us, in turn.

These people are our brothers, sisters, friends, and acquaintances.

Whom we will learn to love and cherish.

Some people consider their journey like a jaunty tour.

They will just go merrily along.

Others will encounter many upsets, tears, and losses on their journey.

Others still will linger on to offer a helping hand to anyone in need.

Some people on the train will leave an everlasting impression when they get off…….

Some will get on and off the train so quickly, they will scarcely leave a sign that they ever traveled along with you or ever crossed your path…..

We will sometimes be upset that some passengers whom we love will choose to sit in another compartment and leave us to travel on our own.

Then again, there’s nothing that says we can’t seek them out anyway.

Nevertheless, once sought out and found we may not even be able to sit next to them because that seat will already be taken.

That’s okay….

Everyone’s journey will be filled with hopes, dreams, challenges, setbacks, and good-byes.

We must strive to make the best of it….

No matter what………

We must constantly strive to understand our travel companions and look for the best in everyone.

Remember that at any moment during our journey, anyone of our travel companions can have a weak moment and be in need of our help.

We too may vacillate or hesitate, even trip.

Hopefully we can count on someone being there to be supportive and understanding……..

The bigger mystery of our journey is that we don’t know when our last stop will come.

Neither do we know when our travel companions will make their last stop.

Not even those sitting in the seat next to us.

Personally, I know I’ll be sad to come to my final stop…..

I am sure of it!

My separation from all those friends and acquaintances I made during the train ride will be painful. Leaving all those I’m close to will be a sad thing.

But then again, I’m certain that one day I’ll get to the main station only to meet up with everyone else. They’ll all be carrying their baggage…

most of which they didn’t have when they first got on this train.

I’ll be glad to see them again. I’ll be glad to have contributed to their baggage….

And to have enriched their lives, just as much as they will have contributed to my baggage and enriched my life.

We’re all on this train ride together.

Above all, we should try to strive to make the ride as pleasant and memorable as we can, right up until we each make the final stop and leave the train for the last time.

All aboard. Safe journey!!

~Author Unknown