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12/07/2016

Mason Jar Latte: The Journey for Pumpkin Spice

12/07/2016 0 Comments


"ERHMAGHERD!!!  PUMPKIN!!!  AHHHHHHHHH!!!" -- People everywhere on September 1st, every year.  Don't get me wrong, I love me some pumpkiny goodness.  But the pumpkin-mania has gotten a little out of control, don't you think?  I just did a quick Google search for "pumpkin spice" and found this as the second link.  Pumpkin spice Cheerios?  Bailey's?  Triscuits?  Wine?!

[Pulls out a bullhorn] Calm down, everyone.  This is not a drill.  Please sit your crazy tails down and breathe.

12/06/2016

Long and Short of the Zombies, Run! Fall Virtual Race

12/06/2016 0 Comments

You guys may remember my review from last spring about the Zombies, Run! virtual race.  Well, I've done it again.  They held another one back in October, and I loved the last one so much I signed up for it as soon as it was announced.

Like the spring virtual race, this last one came with some great swag and a bunch of extra content.

So here's everything all together.  That little brown card in the upper left corner are my mission instructions.  And the envelope in the bottom right are my post-race completion prizes.  And how do you like that stamp on the envelope itself?  I wonder what my mail carrier thinks.

11/14/2016

Pattern Review - Elsewhen Rosabelle Cloche

11/14/2016 0 Comments
Photo Credit: Nancy Milburn Klek
If y'all read the blog post about my gold cup dress then you know that our theme this year was a 20's speakeasy, and the perfect hat for said theme was a cloche!

Luckily, I found a free pattern to make your own cloche. I was able to make this hat with leftover fabric from my dress and then I jazzed it up a bit more.

So the pattern I found for the cloche was from Elsewhen and is the Rosabelle pattern.

I found the pattern through another blog I follow, Sew Momma Sew, and her review of the pattern was spectacular.

The actual pattern is also super easy to follow, with well written directions, and pictures.

I used the satin from the contrast of my dress as a nice compliment to the outfit. I reinforced the satin with cotton muslin as recommended by Elsewhen. I then used the leftover lining fabric I had from the dress to line this hat. You can't get much more coordinated than that.

11/11/2016

Mason Jar Lattes - Honey Almond Time!

11/11/2016 0 Comments

In June, my favorite coffee bar had a Honey Almond Latte as their coffee of the month, and I was addicted to this thing.

So. Dang. Good.

I can't even tell y'all how many times I went and got one, so when I was telling Dana about my new obsession she told me that she had a recipe for it. I was super excited! I asked her for the recipe, and she directed me back to my old blog.

Really? You can't even type out the super easy recipe? You link me back to my own blog? I did not hesitate in telling her lazy that was. She agreed, and we had a laugh about it.

I actually think that her finding, and then copying and pasting the web address would've taken longer than actually telling me how to accomplish such an easily decadent drink.

11/10/2016

Pattern Review - Vogue 1485

11/10/2016 0 Comments

A few weeks ago, we got to spend a lovely day with our friends and neighbors at Gold Cup! This year's theme was a 20's speakeasy.

This may have been my favorite theme so far. It was so fun, and the friends that put it together did such a fabulous job. We won 3rd place in the tailgating competition! Yay!

11/09/2016

What to Eat Wednesday - Mason Jar Latte: Lovely Lavender

11/09/2016 0 Comments

Lavender is my favorite.  Hands down, nine times out of ten, I will choose lavender in whatever I'm buying.  It just smells so fresh and clean and slightly sweet without being cloying.  It's delightful.  I know some people don't like it...

"It smells like old woman."
~A silly friend of mine

But it is the scent of reassurance to me.  But did you know you can drink it too?  Whaaaat?!  Crazy talk.  It's true, and it's delightful.  In Heather's continuing coffee series, I give you lavender lattes.

I tried my first lavender latte over a year ago, and I was dubious at the time too.  Would lavender taste any good?  Yes, because if you do it right, you're getting more of the scent, a whisper, of the lavender rather than the taste of it.  That being the case, you don't want to be heavy handed any time you use it in cooking.  Too much and it'll feel like you're drinking laundry detergent.

10/08/2016

Perfection at Last?

10/08/2016 0 Comments
Anyone want a chance to win a free autographed copy of my upcoming book, Out of the Shadows?  You can enter my Goodreads giveaway here to do just that!  You can also buy the Kindle version here for $0.99 cents (or for free with Kindle Unlimited) here.  Hooray!


And now, food!  I can't remember if I've mentioned it before or not, but I love stuffed pasta.  Ravioli, shells, tortellini, I love it all!  You will not catch me making it, though.  I've tried, and it's such a faff.  So much work!  You know what's a great cheat, though?  Lasagna.  That's right!  I said it!  Lasagna is overgrown stuffed pasta!  And I'm here to review a great recipe for it.  Whoops, I suppose I should have given a spoiler alert before I said it was great.  Sorry to give away the ending like that.

Let's talk chefs for a moment.  If you know me at all, you know I'm a massive Alton Brown fan.  But what about those other Food Network peeps?  Yeah, not so much.  Most of them, in my personal opinion, are a little too fancy.  They're cheffy chefs that want to chef up every dish and make it cheffing cheffy.  You know what I mean.  Ingredients you can only buy at gourmet grocery stores, fussing over every little thing, taking hours to do just one step...guh!  No.  Get outta here with that noise.  There is an exception here, however: Ina Garten.  I have never watched one of her shows, but this lady knows how to keep it simple.  If I'm Googling a recipe, I'll often look for one by her because she's pretty reliable.  In this case, I used her Turkey Lasagna recipe.

The first thing I liked about this recipe (and quite possibly my most favorite part besides how yummy it is) is the fact that you don't have to cook the noodles!  What a faff cooking lasagna noodles is!  You have to get the water boiling and and then cook the noodles and hope you don't over do it and then get them out without tearing them and burning yourself in the process.  That is why I never really made lasagna before.  Those days are over, my friends!  Just plonk your lasagna noodles into some water and leave them be.  I also appreciate that the recipe told us exactly how many layers to do, exactly how to divide up the filling, etc.  I don't want to have to do math while layering pasta.  And then you just bake it.

I did not do this recipe exactly the way it was written (shocker, right).  Instead, I went a more traditional route and just used ground beef and ricotta.  It was so stinkin' tasty!  And it works great with GF pasta noodles - if you've ever had to deal with GF pasta, you know how finicky it can be.  Sadly, I have no pictures because I didn't expect to like it as much as I did.  The hubs told our guests that night they weren't allowed to take any home and that they also shouldn't have any leftovers.  Said guests ignored him and went back for seconds anyway. :-)  Even if you just use this as a method, it's fantastic!  You could use store bought sauces to get really creative.  I best you could do a veggie version with squash and zucchini and alfredo sauce.  Or chicken with vodka sauce.  The possibilities are endless!  Try this recipe.  You will be very happy you did.

Cheers!
Dana

10/06/2016

Pattern Review - McCall's 3830

10/06/2016 0 Comments
Some patterns are just classics, and you don't need a current pattern for them.

This pattern is one of those. I bought this pattern around 2002 and didn't do anything with it, but after I made my boho blouse, and it didn't work with the pencil skirt I had, I needed a new plan.

Luckily, I have a crapton of fabric, and patterns, so after digging into my stash of skirt patterns, I found the answer to my problem. A simple, yet classic pencil skirt pattern in 5 lengths.

The fabric was another easy problem to solve, because I think I bought the twill I ended up using for the skirt as the coordinating fabric with the sheer I used on the blouse. I love it when a plan comes together.

The pattern is as straightforward as straightforward can be. 4 pattern pieces and voila! You have yourself a pencil skirt. There are darts in the front and back, along with a kick pleat on the longer lengths.

This pattern would be an ideal first clothing pattern. There's nothing funny or tricky about it's construction. I finished this pattern in about 3 hours, and altering the pattern took the most time, because my hips are two sizes bigger than my waist. Then after I got the side seams sewn up, I needed to alter the curve of the hips, because I gave myself way too much room.

At least there was too much and not enough. After I got the side seams to flatter my form, and not look like some reincarnate version of parachute pants in skirt form, we were good to go.

Of course, being true to me, I forgot to snap a picture of me all dolled up for the wedding in said outfit. I did snap this picture of myself, while talking to my mom on the phone, and texting my sister so they could weigh in on the outfit.

I wish I had snapped a picture of the whole ensemble, because I paired the skirt and blouse with a fun pair of suede strappy, lace up grecian stacked heel sandals, and I looked pretty fabulous. If I do say so myself.

Thanks for reading! Cheers!


10/05/2016

What to Eat Wednesday - Mason Jar Latte

10/05/2016 1 Comments

If you know me, or follow Sew Half Crazy on Facebook or Instagram then you know I have a love affair with coffee. It's not just a drink, it's more of a comforting ritual. Kind of like slipping into your favorite sweats and kicking back with your favorite book or movie. It's calming, which I know is weird, because caffeine and what not, but caffeine doesn't make me antsy the way it does some people. I could fall asleep just as easily with a cup of coffee at 9 pm as I do without. Like I said, coffee is my version of comfy sweats. Not that I'm giving up my comfy sweats. Those yoga pants are the very best thing to lounge in after a tough day. I digress.

So back to my coffee affair. I love coffee, but I get bored with the same old, same old. Upping my visits to starbucks or other local coffee shop is expensive though, and I am not made of money. So what's a chick to do? DIY it! Just like I do most everything else that I don't want to pay retail for.

Now there are a plethora of sites and recipes and how-to's on the web, and this is just what I do. I talked to a lot of friends, and did a lot searches on the best way to accomplish the milk steaming part of the latte process, and I'm going to share what works for me. Dana and I will also be bringing you tried and tested recipes using the basic latte recipe.

9/30/2016

The Long & Short of the Prince William Half Marathon

9/30/2016 1 Comments

I have been looking forward to this race since it was announced earlier this year. I knew it was going to be awesome. How could it not when it's path goes through the paved roads of the battlefield? Ok, so before I get ahead of myself, a little background - this is the inaugural year for the Prince William Half, and I really hope that it comes back next year. It was very well run, and just a terrific race. Some first year races, have hitches and glitches, and if there were any for this race, then I was not aware. The starting time did get pushed back by 15 minutes, but that ended up being beneficial to me. I think it was pushed back though, because so many racers were still arriving, but honestly there wasn't a traffic jam that I could see or heard about. So let's get onto the meat of the review.

9/20/2016

Pattern Review - McCall's 6469

9/20/2016 0 Comments
So if you've been reading this blog lately, then you know that I've been trying to use up my stash of fabric. Apparently, I'm also going through old patterns and finally making them. Nothing like wanting new clothes and not having to go out and find something. It's almost like free clothing. I mean I know I paid for all the stuff at one time, but that time is not right now, so it does feel like I'm able to update my wardrobe for free.

We have a wedding to go to soon, and this is as good a reason as any to whip up a cute new shirt. This shirt is going to be perfect for when I feel like a busted can of biscuits. Ladies, you know those days, and you know which ones I'm talking about. I really do like how feminine this shirt is, and I really like how the model on the pattern is wearing it with a pencil skirt. I have a pencil skirt that I think will work so off to work I go. 

The first problem, came when I didn't have enough of my sheer fabric. Luckily, I did have some leftover lining fabric that matched my main fabric, so rather than self lining this top, I lined it with my new fabric and went along my merry way. I opted to make view "D". I'm over the handkerchief hem. View "D" also allowed me to hide the lining fabric to a degree, because the bottom isn't graduated like it is in some of the other views. Win, win!

The pattern is not simple, and I'd really only recommend it to confident, intermediate skilled sewers. Some of the directions are wonky and take experience to know how to accomplish what they want you to do. The elastic below the shoulders is one such example. How they tell you do the elastic, and the way you end up having to do it are two different things.

I maybe should've lengthened the top, but I didn't think about it and I don't think it's too short looking on me. I paired it with my skinny jeans for the photo, because the skirt I was going to pair it with - well I didn't like how it looked with the top, so I've already gotten another pattern in the works. A simple pencil skirt from a pattern that I may have bought in 2002......

Until next time, cheers!

9/13/2016

Pattern Review - Simplicity 1538

9/13/2016 0 Comments
It may have taken a month, but I got this button down done - finally. I couldn't find buttons for it, so that put the brakes on this top. I finally ended up just going with simple black buttons. I did have grander notions of jet black snaps, but when I finally found some I did like, I didn't like their price tag. The snaps would've cost three times what the shirt cost me!

This is another stash busting project, but I do remember purchasing this fabric at Walmart. It was on clearance, and a great chambray. I paired it with a fun cotton geometric print, and had plans to make the hubs a new shirt. The hubs will not get his shirt though. When I told him of my plans, after finding the fabric again, he told me that he didn't really want another bowling shirt. That's fine with me, just means I get another new shirt. Who doesn't need another button down?

9/12/2016

The Monday Report - 2 Weeks Away

9/12/2016 0 Comments

I love that school is back in. I hate that summer-like weather is still here. Doesn't Mother Nature know that it's September!? Cool down already. I am looking forward to winter training. In other news, my running is getting much more consistent, and I even joined an ab challenge. Abs after running might be the worst thing ever. Running is easier than working on your abs.

I will also say that I am forever grateful to the amazing women I've met through MRTT, because without them, I don't know that I'd be as dedicated with my running, now that I'm having to do a lot of it with Baby Girl in tow. Stroller running is not nearly as fun as regular running, but it is a better workout, right? There's always a silver lining.

Anyways, back to the post at hand - the review of the week. Let's get to it!

9/06/2016

Pattern Review - Simplicity 1372

9/06/2016 2 Comments
So I've totally had this post written for over a month, and forgot to publish it. Whoops! Well here is the next installment of the stash-busting clothing sewing.

Here's the third top I knocked out last week. The top is basically a version of a pillowcase dress. I opted for the variation with ruffles, because ruffles. I had this gauze lying around for ages. I got it several years ago from mom, and it's just been sitting. So as a part of the great fabric purge I decided that the gauze would be perfect for this pretty, feminine shift.

I did cheat a bit. I didn't feel like hemming the ruffle so I just ran the edge through the serger with a slightly darker shade of olive green thread. 

The biggest conundrum with this fairly straightforward pattern was when it came  to stitching down the back to the sash. It doesn't tell you exactly where to stitch so you kind of have to play around with the fit and drape of the top on the sash to get it right. The sash also seems especially bulky, but it does flatten out a bit. I may have stabbed myself several times while trying to get the tie just right. I call it sewing acupuncture. 


The top is very comfortable and sews up very quickly. The ruffle version is a bit more difficult than the other variations of the top, but it's not overly difficult. The simpler version of this top would absolutely be a great top to start your sewing skills, but the ruffled variation should be done by someone who's maybe still beginning, but has gained some confidence.

Cheers! 

9/05/2016

The Monday Report - The Home Stretch

9/05/2016 0 Comments

Welcome to another Monday Report. I've been terrible about posting, and my training has been going about as well as my posting. At least until school started. The start of school, began a magical week where I had time to get massive amounts of things done. It's been glorious. I even got 4 runs in. What?!!  I know. It's crazy talk.

So let's go back a few weeks. Three weeks to be exact. 

8/24/2016

The Most Perfect Food?

8/24/2016 0 Comments
Today's blog entry has been brought to you by...my latest book!


A thief hiding in plain sight, an oath and a debt with severe consequences, a family with secrets, and one very troublesome procyonid. And that’s just in the first chapter!  Steampunk meets fantasy in this exciting novel of deception and discovery.

Pre-order Out of the Shadows now for $0.99 on Kindle here.  You can also buy the print version for $10.99 here.  Special pre-order pricing ends October 28th.  We now return you to your regularly scheduled blog entry.

8/15/2016

The Monday Report - Three More Weeks Done

8/15/2016 0 Comments

I know it's been awhile since I've posted, but summer is really gotten its claws into every aspect of my schedule, or lack thereof.

It also doesn't help that my sinuses have gone haywire. Fall is coming y'all. The nose knows, and I'm so over it. I'm so over the pressure and the general feeling of lethargy. 

It's also been a bit hot. I imagine that the surface of the sun is cooler. The heat wouldn't be so bad if it weren't as humid as it is, but hey, let's hang out at 90% humidity, that's cool. Not. 

I'm super awesome at excuses. Maybe if I were a bit more dedicated then I would've gotten in more than one long run, or written more than one blog post in 3 weeks, but I'm not. It's just on of those moments in time where eating breakfast is an accomplishment, because I'm so tired of being a snotty mess that it's drained everything from me. 

Enough of my whining and bitching and moaning. Let's discuss what did get done.

7/29/2016

Pattern Review - McCall's 7127

7/29/2016 0 Comments
I'm back with another stash-busting project. I had no idea I had any of this blue knit left over after I made myself a night shirt. I'm glad that I found it though, because seem to be in dire need of new shirts. Apparently my tastes are turning away from your basic t-shirts and tanks. Go figure.

So this is a pattern that I've made before, but I didn't use a stable enough knit and I don't like how it fits. I also didn't realize just how short the body of the pattern was. That was a rookie mistake on my part, I should've read the back of the pattern envelope and seen that it was short.

So this time around, I lengthened the shirt by 3" and used a more stable knit and love this shirt now! The construction of this shirt is pretty straightforward. This shirt was another shirt that was able to whip up during nap time.

7/28/2016

Using My Noodle

7/28/2016 0 Comments
Hello folks!  Have you ever had ramen.  I mean proper ramen, not the $.25 a pack stuff that the hubs practically lived on in college (we had really great chefs at my school).  I'm talking about deep, flavorful broths and interesting ingredients.  Well, I have been on a ramen kick lately.  Noodle bowl places are a little hard to come by in Nashville, though they're not non-existent.  There's a place called Two-Ten-Jack in East Nasty that is as awesome as their hours are limited.  You can't start getting food until 5pm, and by then there's a massive line.  There's also Peace, Love, and Pho, which is good but serves pho and not ramen, as you might have guessed from the name.  Despite how yummy their pho is, parking is a bit of a pain...which does seem to be an issue with most of the hip places around town.  I guess that's a consequence of living in a proper city.  And then there's another ramen place I haven't tried, but I can tell from the address that it too will have parking issues.  Seriously, people, crappy parking does not make you cool.

7/26/2016

Pattern Review - McCall's 6359

7/26/2016 0 Comments
So while moving small mountains of fabric up to my new (old?) sewing room, I realized that I really don't need to buy anymore fabric. I have a stockpile of fabric that I've bought for specific patterns and projects, and then never got to. I, of course, don't remember all of the projects that I had intended the fabric to be used for, but that doesn't negate the fact that I have it, and now need to use it up. This project was solely because I need to reduce the amount of fabric I'm hoarding. 

7/25/2016

The Monday Report - 4 Weeks In

7/25/2016 0 Comments

Well last week didn't go as well as it could've done. I didn't get my long run. It was selfish. I wanted to spend time with my boy before he left for camp. It was also hot. Brain melting hot. So here's the recap.

Tuesday - Spin was awesome! I had goals, and I beat them to death with my awesome determination. Beast mode came out, because I was going to beat last week's distance, and then opportunity knocked by way of maintaining 90 rpm for 3 minutes, to get a good watt average, I decided that gear 18 was my bitch. I may have actually growled and and kicked it up. I didn't dip below 85 and even then it wasn't for long and not until the last 40 seconds. So that put my average watts at 148, so I doubled that per the exercise on the next round, then I wanted to see if I could do more. I hit 400+ again. There was a bit of growling, but man did it feel invigorating. I ended the class with 23.5 miles. A tenth of a mile further than last week. BAM!

Wednesday - I got out somewhat early and beat the heat, but the humidity is not relenting. The sun also feels like it was a hitching a ride on my shoulders. In the shade, the breeze was magnificent even if I was running into it. I walked when I needed water, but mainly because I'm not coordinated. I did feel better during this run than I have. My pace was still slow, but I was intentionally keeping it slow. Trying to rebuild my fitness is proving a bit more difficult and slow-going than I anticipated, but it's my own fault. 3.5 miles with an average pace of 12:35. Not too shabby. 

Friday - So hot. I picked the shadiest  route I could think of and it didn't make a lick of difference. It was 3.5 miles of slow and not so steady running. My pace varied a lot, but it got done. It wasn't pretty.

The heat also contributed to me not running on Sunday, as I mentioned above, but I did entertain the idea of an evening run. In the end, I walked around with my boy while he caught pokemon. It was a lovely bit of time with him before he left for a week with his pack. I'm not sorry for it.

 Have I mentioned how much I miss winter? I really miss winter. I'm trying to think cool thoughts, but it doesn't seem to be helping.

Next week is a new week! Let's hope I'm more motivated! 

7/18/2016

New Book, New Blog, New Recipe!

7/18/2016 0 Comments
Hello, dear readers!  Dana here with some exciting news!  Do you like books and reading and going on adventures without leaving the comfort of your favorite chair?  Well, that's great because I have started an author blog that appeals to all those things.  You can find my website {HERE} or just plug www.wordsbydana.com into your address bar.  My blog is there, in which I discuss life as an independent author and review books I'm currently reading.  The site also shares news about upcoming books, like this one:
^^^ Shameless plug ^^^
Coming in October 2016!
Not to worry, though.  I'll still be guest blogging here about food...delicious, magical, awesome food.  Speaking of, time for a recipe review!

So here's the scenario: a friend of mine is having a birthday this week.  Said friend loves madeleines.  Like, not just enjoys them, loves them and cannot control herself around them.  I was going to make her a butter cake for her birthday, but then I stumbled across a recipe for madeleines in the process and decided that would be better.

For those of you not up on your ultra-specific French food studies, madeleines are little, spongy, shell shaped butter cookies.
Traditional madeleines.  Cute, aren't they?
I have a fantastic idea for all of you.  Next time you have to bring something for a cookie swap, bring these babies.  If you go the extra mile and spring for a proper madeleine pan, everyone will be super impressed!  They are so classy and lovely.

Now, going against what I just said, despite my best efforts, I was not able to find a madeleine pan on short notice, so I had to improvise.  I used a mini-muffin pan and then 13 slots in my mini-scone pan.  I am a little disappointed by this because the little shells do make such a lovely presentation.  Well, you do you best with what you have.  And now the part you've all been waiting for, the recipe!

I used one from Martha Stewart's website here.  Say what you will about her ethics, the woman has some good recipes.  Some of the other recipes I saw were more fussy, which is why I eschewed them for Martha's in the end.  This one is pretty hands off.  Those of you who know mine is a celiac household might be wondering how I dealt with the whole gluten in traditional flour issue.  Thankfully, there are numerous brands of cup-for-cup, all-purpose, gluten-free flours available.  I happened to have used Cup4Cup, but only because I happen to have it on hand.  Honestly, (and I've said this before in a previous post about Victoria sponge) I find that Cup4Cup performs as well as other brands like Domata and King Arthur, but it's much more expensive, so I will likely not buy it again.  Nevertheless, it performed beautifully in this application.  And here's the great thing about GF baking: because there's no gluten, you don't have to worry about over developing it while mixing.  Which is why when my folding technique was failing to do the job, I was able to whack my bowl back under the stand mixer and let it do the work for me.  Then it was just a matter of scooping it into the little pans and baking it.

Quick question: Does anyone know how to keep a sponge from deflating?  Because I've never been able to get that.  I've read that some people drop their pan onto the floor, but that seems a little extreme.  Ideas?  Anyone?

Here they are!  Not the prettiest, little maddies, but lovely and soft!
Of course the big question is whether or not the birthday girl liked her gift.  After all, some people claim that GF baked goods are not as good as the "real thing", can never be as good.  Well, let me put it this way.  Of the twenty-one madeleines I made, she ate twelve.  Twelve!  She could not stop herself from going back for more.  That's what I call a roaring success.

Thank you all for reading, and I do hope you'll pop by and visit my author blog as well.  Until then, cheers!

The Monday Report - Training Week 3

7/18/2016 0 Comments

Week 3 of training is in the books, and I may have taken my break from fitness a bit too seriously. I ache. It's also been stupid hot out. I am not a good runner in oppressive heat, but I try. I really need to start following my training plan. I haven't done a lick of the T25 part of my plan, but I've been good with the running. I have been walking more, so there's that, and when we're at the pool I do try to do some arm work. Mostly arm work = catching Baby Girl and then sending her back to the ladder so she can jump in again. It might not be much of a workout, but after 30 minutes of that my arms are feeling tired. So without further ado here's the recap.

7/11/2016

The Monday Report - Summer Training Begins

7/11/2016 0 Comments


Hey all! 

Man, summer is really messing with all aspects of life, but I'm determined to get back to some sort of schedule. I'm 2 weeks into summer training and it started off rough, but week 2 was better. I am dealing with some foot issues, but nothing so bad that it's going to stop me. Dealing with plantar fasciitis for the first time has been eye-opening, not going to be outdone, the right bunion is chiming in. No more flip-flops for this girl.

7/05/2016

Faux Reclaimed Wood Cornices

7/05/2016 0 Comments

I love when a project is done, and looks as good in real life as when you first thought up the idea.

I especially love when a project goes easily, then gets a bit annoying, and then ends up finishing on a high note. Ok, I don't actually love that. I wish this project had just gone the way it was supposed to. Easily.

No such luck.

The first cornice went up like a dream. The second cornice......

I digress.

6/09/2016

Fit 4 Thursday - Fabletics

6/09/2016 0 Comments

I've known that I need to add to my wardrobe for a while, because my pieces are starting to wear, and they need to be replaced. I had bought a new sports bra from Target the other week, but I didn't like how it fit once I got home, so it went back. They're having a sale right now, so I will try out a couple other bras, because that is definitely the most important clothing item I need to replace right now. 

A few months ago, I wrote a post about exercise clothes, and how hard it was to find decent clothing. You can find it {HERE}, and I'd like to announce that I'm in love Fabletics. Well at least my first order.

I finally took the plunge and signed up for a VIP membership with Fabletics over Memorial Day. They had some really awesome sales, and I really couldn't pass it up. An entire workout outfit for $15-$17.49 was just too good to pass up. I opted for a 3-piece outfit, which included a bra, top and capris. 

I expected to receive my order on Tuesday, about 10 days after I ordered the outfit,  but I got it on Monday! I wasn't surprised by the shipping time, because I ordered it Memorial Day weekend, and 6 business days is not terrible. 5 business days was a nice surprise.

6/07/2016

Vintage Crochet Toddler Tunic

6/07/2016 0 Comments
Facebook is amazing. It provides a plethora of entertainment and ideas.

Like when one of the blogs I follow (One Dog Woof) made a post about another blog she follows (The Lavender Chair) posted up an adorable vintage-inspired crochet dress pattern. 

So after clicking through One Dog Woof's post, and then being led over to The Lavender Chair's original blog post with the pattern, I knew I had to make this dress. 

I had leftover yarn from my Key West Top {HERE} and figured I'd follow the pattern until I ran out of yarn, and if I ended up with a dress or a tunic - it'd all be good. 

As it turns out, I had enough yarn for a tunic and Baby Girl looks adorable in it! 


I opted not to add the ribbon belt, because I haven't' found a ribbon I like enough to put with it. I did find some great buttons at Walmart though. I truly love these adorable buttons. Since the picture isn't as fabulous as I thought it was, I'll tell you that they're little wooden flower buttons. 


Now if only Baby Girl would model properly for me. 

Cheers!

6/06/2016

The Monday Report - Late and Half-Arsed Edition

6/06/2016 0 Comments

Hey everyone! I know it's late, but I do have a super short and sweet report for you.


 I really threw in the towel last week. I got two workouts in, but finished a lot of projects.

Not that any of those projects have posts written, but they got done.  So here's my super quick and dirty recap! 

Tuesday was spin, of course, and I pushed it because I knew what kind of week it was going to be. I was trying for a distance PR, but missed it by a smudge. Oh well. I know the effort I put in, so that's all there really is to it. 
 I made an effort to get out on June 1, aka Global Running Day, and run. I headed out to the Greenway and fully enjoyed it's flat and shaded path for the first mile. Then my dinner choice, Jamaican Jerk Chicken, and the heat caught up with me, and I went between berating myself for not running, and praying that I didn't see my dinner again. I've definitely forgotten how miserable hot runs are. I need to acclimate myself to them again. Summer training starts in a few weeks, and unless I want to wake up before the sun rises, then I'm going to be running in the heat. I will say that this run was marvelous though. The entire length of the run smelled like honeysuckle and that is one of my all-time favorite scents. 
Thursday brought the kids and I to the pool, where I managed to get in maybe 7 minutes of laps during break time, but the rest of the hour we were at the pool was spent catching Baby Girl, and then pushing her back towards the wall/stair/brother. I forgot what a workout just doing laps was. I concentrated on using my arms and shoulders during the laps, they needed some focus time. I am also super proud of my Big Guy. He passed the swimming test so he can now swim in the deep end with his friends. I just need to get Small Fry squared away with swimming lessons and hopefully I'll stop hearing the litany of complaints from him about how it's not fair that he can't be in the deep end. 
Well that's my week. This week is probably not going to be much better, but I'm owning it. Not every week is going to be stellar and that's ok. 

Cheers! 

6/01/2016

What to Eat Wednesday - A Berry-liscious Salsa

6/01/2016 0 Comments

You know how you pin a bunch of stuff on Pinterest and then you never seem to get around to making or copying what you've pinned? 

That is not the case here. I pinned this fruit salsa {click HERE for the original recipe} a while ago, and then made it for our monthly girl's night. It was a hit! 

Some background, I'm not really one for fresh fruit. I don't like a lot of fruit either. I'm weird. My kids love fruit. The hubs loves fruit. I'm the odd one out, but I saw this fresh fruit salad, and I knew that it could be something even I liked. 

5/31/2016

The Monday Report - A Day Late and a Little Short

5/31/2016 0 Comments

I hate when I find a groove, and start to get into the new routine and then BAM! 

No more routine. That happened last Sunday when I decided that I would stall on running my long run, and put a coat of stain on a project before heading out into the rain. 

I should've just run. 

I ended up putting one of those 7-1 tools into my index finger. 2 stitches later, I was not running, and planning on how my workouts would go. 

I couldn't put any weight on my left hand, because then the stitches would be pulled on, not mention that it hurt. 

So I didn't do a lick of PiYo last week.