I love these new covered books from Penguin, the Penguin Drop Caps Series.
Friday Favorites-the list version
I couldn't let another Friday go by without sharing some of the things that are on my awesome list right now.
Well, hello pretty, perfect boots. I love you so. No surprise that these are L.K. Bennett. I have had such GREAT luck with L.K. Bennett shoes. Easily some of the best shoes I've bought. Plus, if you get on the store list, they'll call you when they have insane deals on shoes-ahem...
The HIT of our Christmas, the doll hair salon chairs my friend Amanda bought for our girls. MANY hours have been spent playing with this set. It's from Target's version of American Girl dolls and fits the AG dolls perfectly. Next to the Justice! (emphasis theirs, that place was-well, I'll never get that hour back) and American Girl gift cards Santa brought, these were THE hit. Speaking of American Girl dolls, this story is awesome, found via the Fug Girls.
Monday Musings
SEE LES MISERABLES the movie. That's it.
Just kidding, you should also download the album and listen to it on repeat like I have been doing. Better yet, run with it on your ipod and run while singing and miming the music like I may have (definitely have) been doing. Dude, if Anne and Hugh are gonna sing it, I'm gonna sing it!!
Seriously, see that movie. It is more than a movie, it is an experience. I need you to see it so I can dissect it because it was awesome (except a couple of glaring casting issues).
I've seen more movies and read more books in the past two weeks than in the past year. All thanks to my husband taking the kids for a few days of daddy time. Whoo! (No school combined with no PTO for me = daddy time) I think he's trying to make up for all the millions of weekends he left me with toddlers while he hunted. Ahem...not bitter...
I haven't worked on any big projects lately other than finishing the photo books in time for Christmas. That seemed like a major feat at the time. I also lost and then found (go me!) our honeymoon pictures. I've got mad organizational skills.
Now that I have a few half marathons under my belt, my friends seem to think I'm a "Runner." This past weekend, another friend asked me to join her run all night teams. Why do my friends keep asking me to do that? Why would I want to run 6 miles, then ride in a van for hours on end to do it again and repeat? And you sleep in the van? And eat in the van? No, thanks.
I have a theory on "runners" with a little "r" (that's me), versus "Runners" with a big "R," that's people who like to run all night and drive around in team vans. Runners be crazy and runners usually finish but are always mildly put off by Runners and how Serious they are about everything. Ha. But, yeah, a runner does not equal a Runner.
I have lots of theories, like don't trust people who name their kids all the same letters. Example 1- *&rd-shians. Ugh.
I bought myself this for Christmas, and my husband and parents did NOT get it. Wonder what they'll say when I get these? I'm thinking Orange.
Just kidding, you should also download the album and listen to it on repeat like I have been doing. Better yet, run with it on your ipod and run while singing and miming the music like I may have (definitely have) been doing. Dude, if Anne and Hugh are gonna sing it, I'm gonna sing it!!
Seriously, see that movie. It is more than a movie, it is an experience. I need you to see it so I can dissect it because it was awesome (except a couple of glaring casting issues).
I've seen more movies and read more books in the past two weeks than in the past year. All thanks to my husband taking the kids for a few days of daddy time. Whoo! (No school combined with no PTO for me = daddy time) I think he's trying to make up for all the millions of weekends he left me with toddlers while he hunted. Ahem...not bitter...
I haven't worked on any big projects lately other than finishing the photo books in time for Christmas. That seemed like a major feat at the time. I also lost and then found (go me!) our honeymoon pictures. I've got mad organizational skills.
Now that I have a few half marathons under my belt, my friends seem to think I'm a "Runner." This past weekend, another friend asked me to join her run all night teams. Why do my friends keep asking me to do that? Why would I want to run 6 miles, then ride in a van for hours on end to do it again and repeat? And you sleep in the van? And eat in the van? No, thanks.
I have a theory on "runners" with a little "r" (that's me), versus "Runners" with a big "R," that's people who like to run all night and drive around in team vans. Runners be crazy and runners usually finish but are always mildly put off by Runners and how Serious they are about everything. Ha. But, yeah, a runner does not equal a Runner.
I have lots of theories, like don't trust people who name their kids all the same letters. Example 1- *&rd-shians. Ugh.
I bought myself this for Christmas, and my husband and parents did NOT get it. Wonder what they'll say when I get these? I'm thinking Orange.
Good-Bye December
I usually love December. Christmas is my favorite time of the year, even more so now that we have children. I love all our traditions, the lights, the songs, the anticipation. This year, I felt a bit off. I was just getting in the groove when the terrible tragedy occurred in Newtown. I couldn't think. Not for days. I couldn't process it. I'm not going to write about the tragedy because I still can't form all my thoughts. I don't have words for the pain and anguish those parents and families are going through, the trauma the survivors will face...it's too much. Many others have written more eloquently than I could. I tried keeping things normal for my kids (they still don't know, just that we've been praying for families in Connecticut who need our prayers), but I know they'll never be normal again.
We had a typical crazy, fun, busy Christmas season. We had another American Girl explosion and are capping off December with a short trip to our Property. I've already had to clean up squirrel poop from a squirrel who was apparently pooping his little pea brain out as he tried getting out of the cabin. I hate squirrels. On the upside, no mice. hooray. Sigh.
So, Good-bye December and take your pooping squirrels with you.
We had a typical crazy, fun, busy Christmas season. We had another American Girl explosion and are capping off December with a short trip to our Property. I've already had to clean up squirrel poop from a squirrel who was apparently pooping his little pea brain out as he tried getting out of the cabin. I hate squirrels. On the upside, no mice. hooray. Sigh.
So, Good-bye December and take your pooping squirrels with you.
Monday Musings
As with most of our free weekends in the fall, my husband took our oldest daughter Em hunting this weekend. They've spent several weeks trying to get her first deer. They even went hunting on our Thanksgiving vacation to the Carolinas. They went out to our Property where she fittingly shot her first deer (strange that there is not a place in her baby book for first deer).
I now have a deer head in a cooler in my garage. Let me repeat that, I have a deer head in a cooler in my garage. I've come to terms that hunting is part of our family life, but let me state for the record that I am not OK with deer heads.
Apparently there will now be antlers in the decor of the girls' room.
We decorated for Christmas this weekend-which means I handle the inside and my husband handles the outside. I think he got the better end of the deal. We have A LOT of Christmas decorations. Which, as he puts it, may be sort of silly since "nobody sees the inside except us." LOTS of decorations. Getting them all out of storage (and a tree) totally counted for my weekend work-out. This is another reason to leave my Christmas decor up until Epiphany. It takes too long to put up, I don't want to take it down!
I am really proud that I've bought almost all our Christmas gifts this season. With one small caveat, I bought a couple of toys online on super duper sale and failed to note the dimensions. Those boxes are ginormous. Whoops. Shipping is going to be a pain. Our friends may just have to wait to get those gifts until we see them!
You know what is almost impossible to find? Cute, age appropriate holiday dresses for 8 year old girls. Holy shopping, batman. I have been to the ends of the Internet and back. Thankfully, my mom offered to buy the girls' dresses, so I leave it entirely up to her. (I wanted blue plaid dresses, which you can find very easily-for 5T and under!- Pffft).
I visited Emily in her newly done house this weekend. She joins the ranks of those friends I have whose houses should be in a magazine. Emily has serious decorating skills. Even her shelves are perfectly done. I noticed she missed one trend- no antlers or deer heads in her house! Or, maybe that's just my house...
I now have a deer head in a cooler in my garage. Let me repeat that, I have a deer head in a cooler in my garage. I've come to terms that hunting is part of our family life, but let me state for the record that I am not OK with deer heads.
Apparently there will now be antlers in the decor of the girls' room.
We decorated for Christmas this weekend-which means I handle the inside and my husband handles the outside. I think he got the better end of the deal. We have A LOT of Christmas decorations. Which, as he puts it, may be sort of silly since "nobody sees the inside except us." LOTS of decorations. Getting them all out of storage (and a tree) totally counted for my weekend work-out. This is another reason to leave my Christmas decor up until Epiphany. It takes too long to put up, I don't want to take it down!
I am really proud that I've bought almost all our Christmas gifts this season. With one small caveat, I bought a couple of toys online on super duper sale and failed to note the dimensions. Those boxes are ginormous. Whoops. Shipping is going to be a pain. Our friends may just have to wait to get those gifts until we see them!
You know what is almost impossible to find? Cute, age appropriate holiday dresses for 8 year old girls. Holy shopping, batman. I have been to the ends of the Internet and back. Thankfully, my mom offered to buy the girls' dresses, so I leave it entirely up to her. (I wanted blue plaid dresses, which you can find very easily-for 5T and under!- Pffft).
I visited Emily in her newly done house this weekend. She joins the ranks of those friends I have whose houses should be in a magazine. Emily has serious decorating skills. Even her shelves are perfectly done. I noticed she missed one trend- no antlers or deer heads in her house! Or, maybe that's just my house...
Friday Favorite-Custom Made Dresses
San Antonio wasn't all bad. It was a great reason to get a fabulous dress. I took my husband's 20th college reunion as an opportunity to get a really special dress. I wanted something to fit my aesthetic (classic, tailored) with his request (sexy). I found an etsy seller, heartmycloset, who makes gorgeous custom ordered dresses. I ordered this dress in a beautiful purple color because what fun is another black dress?
The seller was so easy to work with, and literally walked me through the measurements. I ended up making a slight measurement mistake-all my fault which resulted in a scandalously low front slit. Much to my husband's chagrin, the slit issue was easily remedied. The dress obviously got his two thumbs up. I felt like a million bucks. It was lovely to put something on and know that it was literally made for me. I am now a firm believer in custom dressing and would highly recommend. If you have any holiday parties or special events coming up, you can't go wrong with a custom dress. In fact, if you invite me to a party anytime soon, you should expect me to wear this dress!
My Friday Favorite- custom dresses by heartmycloset
My Friday Favorite- custom dresses by heartmycloset
The Worst Run Ever
On Mondays, I usually muse. Nothing to muse about today. Only definites. I definitely need to write this down so I never make the same mistake again. I definitely had the worst run ever Sunday. I definitely will never run another race sick. I definitely will not run another race unprepared (even if I have stupidly done that in the past). I definitely will only run races with lots of port o potty options- seriously, San Antonio, we waited for at least 4 minutes to pee. Unacceptable. Sunday I "ran" the Rock n Roll Half Marathon in San Antonio. It was my worst race ever. I ran the 1/2 slower than I've ever run; closer to 3 hours than to the 2:30 I thought I'd run. Blech.
I was sick, ill prepared, and not nearly determined enough to make it to the finish line. I have lots of reasons things went downhill. It boils down to- I wasn't trained or ready. I ran a race sick and that was a stupid idea. I barely made it to the finish line and only because our friend was there to hold me up throughout the entire race. I wish you could see the race pictures, there is one shot where I look like I am either about to cry or murder someone. I thought about both, but didn't have the energy to do either.
I'm hoping that since I've now reached the bottom (I really couldn't run much slower), I'll turn over some fabulously fast leaf and run like the wind from now on. Ha ha ha. Nope, really I just want it in writing so I remember how terrible Sunday was so I never run sick or unprepared again. As God as my witness, I will never be so stupid (about running) again.
I was sick, ill prepared, and not nearly determined enough to make it to the finish line. I have lots of reasons things went downhill. It boils down to- I wasn't trained or ready. I ran a race sick and that was a stupid idea. I barely made it to the finish line and only because our friend was there to hold me up throughout the entire race. I wish you could see the race pictures, there is one shot where I look like I am either about to cry or murder someone. I thought about both, but didn't have the energy to do either.
I'm hoping that since I've now reached the bottom (I really couldn't run much slower), I'll turn over some fabulously fast leaf and run like the wind from now on. Ha ha ha. Nope, really I just want it in writing so I remember how terrible Sunday was so I never run sick or unprepared again. As God as my witness, I will never be so stupid (about running) again.
Monday Musings
My husband went on yet another hunting trip this week.
Apparently there are more animals that need to be hunted; I doubt this claim.
On Saturday, he texted me a picture of the 245 pound buck he shot. The girls and I were on
the way to American Girl Café…story of my life.
Upon seeing the picture of the great hunter and his prey, Em
started dancing around singing “Daddy got a deer. Daddy got a big deer.” M
looked at the picture and said “Ewww, gross.”
Last season must have been a big pheasant season for my husband. I decorated for fall with pheasant feathers in everything-urns, vases and wreaths, and I still have handfuls left over.
Last season must have been a big pheasant season for my husband. I decorated for fall with pheasant feathers in everything-urns, vases and wreaths, and I still have handfuls left over.
The American Girl Café was just as fun as last time. The
girls enjoyed themselves immensely. Totally worth calling 3 months ago for a reservation.
Yes, 3 months!
Both girls bought their American Girl items out of their own allowances. The salesclerk was so nice to sit and wait through all the pennies.
My husband's 20th college reunion is this weekend. Since he works out of the house, he doesn't have many suits, slacks, etc. We went shopping last week and it was so much fun! Like Pretty Woman in reverse. I got to pull whatever shirts, pants, jeans I liked and he tried them on. I told him, "We should have done this years ago." I don't think he had as much fun as I did.
One of the things he bought is a BOSS suit jacket. He doesn't think it is quite as funny as I do when I tell him "Like a BOSS" every time he wears it ala Joseph Gordon Levitt on Jimmy Fallon. But, it really is funny. Really.
My husband's 20th college reunion is this weekend. Since he works out of the house, he doesn't have many suits, slacks, etc. We went shopping last week and it was so much fun! Like Pretty Woman in reverse. I got to pull whatever shirts, pants, jeans I liked and he tried them on. I told him, "We should have done this years ago." I don't think he had as much fun as I did.
One of the things he bought is a BOSS suit jacket. He doesn't think it is quite as funny as I do when I tell him "Like a BOSS" every time he wears it ala Joseph Gordon Levitt on Jimmy Fallon. But, it really is funny. Really.
My big big life of leisure plans took an unexpected turn
Friday when M had to stay home sick from school. Oh well, at least I didn’t
have to freak out about arranging childcare. The other unexpected turn happened
when I got sick Saturday. Really sick. Super fun. Oh well, at least I didn’t
have to take the day off.
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