Thursday's Words of Wisdom

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Gift Giving- kids or adults

I was perusing blogs, looking for a gift to give a girlfriend whose birthday we are celebrating this weekend.  After Etsy left me feeling confused, I went to Tracie's blog.  Between her and Heather and Bridget, they are the queens of giving creative, cool gifts that thought was put into.  Oh, and Tracie and Heather know how to throw a kids' party.  Check it out, yo.

I couldn't choose a single gift to feature so I'll just direct you to the gift section of Tracie's blog. Its blissfully beautiful.

{what little girl would not want to receive this??}

 

 

{all i can say is, "ahhhh."  and how grateful would you be if someone put that time into this?}

Now I need to get off my duff and go put together a cute gift for my friend!

Wordless Wednesday

Ten on Tuesday

I am 37.  

And 1/4. 

gulp.

Lately, I've been thinking about where I thought I'd be at this point in my life vs. where I am.  

Totally different. 

Is that common? I'd like to think its common.  

For instance, I never, in a million years, thought I'd leave my career to be a stay-at-home-mama and, eek, housewife (that's what they classified me as the last time I went through customs.) But you know what? I wouldn't change it. Nope.

But I do have a list of things I'd like to do by the time I am fourty.

40.

Shut the door, man.

That number gives me heartburn!

Anyway, this is my list:

10 Things To Do Before Age 40

Scuba Dive

Learn how to tango

Go on a roadtrip with girlfriends

Mardi Gras, baby. Mardi Gras! {but only if the Rigsbys join us}

At least start the serious planning of a vacation abroad with the kids.

Skydive!

Participate in something like the Dance Experiment, Improv Experiment, or Fear Experiment.  Or heck, just take a ComedySportz imrprov class!

Buy a pair of Lululemon yoga pants. {seriously. i've tried them on. my booty looks fab in them. as it should for that price. gag}

Learn how to use power tools (not a drill. I know how to use that. I mean like saws and stuff)

Compete in some kind of urban adventure race {ahem. AJR, are you reading this? There's a reason I linked to MSP :)  }

{repost}That's just the way it works, don't you know?

{more words of wisdom from Aidan, orignially posted on 9/06. he cracked me up. old soul.}

According to Aidan:

"Sometimes kids lose their manners and they get hyper. That's just what happens. Then you say nicely, calm down. And you don't yell. That's the way you do it."

"We're just little kids. We can't listen all the time. We're trying."

{repost} Ohhhh. That explains it all.

{my life 4 years ago.  he was a wise one}

Aidan: "Mommy. When I turn 8, I will be patient. Because when you are 4 and 5, kids are just not patient. We're just kids."

Let's Do This Thang!!

What's that? Make pie? Pumpkin bread, perhaps? All while doing some yoga? Nope.  I started this...

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Today I started Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred. 
I vow to do this every day, for the next 30 days.  I officially start my half-marathon training program on Monday, April 18th. Oh Hal Higdon, how I fear you.  I failed you last time and I will not fail you again.

So my training for that will overlap with finishing the Shred.  But that's ok. And I will continue going to yoga classes, too. Let's hope all this gets me into prime shape, baby!

So why the pumpkin?
I couldn't find my hand weights. Whoops. So for today, I had 1lb weights. By tomorrow I will find my cute pink 2lb hand weights and will use those, instead.

Day 1.
She breaks it into 3 levels, allowing you to take it to the next level when you're ready. So I started with level 1.
I won't lie. It was hard. Mainly because I am out of shape. But I powered through.  Actually, the hardest part was the damn pushups. I loathe pushups. They are my enemy.  I hate how they hide out in yoga, disguising themselves with a fancy name {Chaturanga}. Grrr.
But the best part about her workout? No pausing. Just power through for 20 intense minutes.
Me - the lack-of-attention-span-queen.  I can do anything for 20 minutes.  I love that I did not look at the clock, thinking, "crap. 45 more minutes left."
And it made me sweat. Quickly.

So let's see how effective this workout is, shall we?
Here are official stats, taken today w/ my trusty 10 year old bathroom scale and my sewing measuring tape.

Height:  5' 5""
Weight:  115lb
BMI:  19.13
Waist:  27"
Hips:  34.5"
Thighs:  21"
Chest:  33"
Bicep:  10"

I am laughing my booty off right now.  I used this body fat calculator.  It tells me that I have 33% body fat, which is obese (where's that 'hysterically laughing' emoticon?)

Yes, I know that my body fat is higher than it should be and I need more lean muscle mass. But OBESE? Come on. I wear a size 0 or 2. Do they need to use *that* word?  I think I'll stay away from that calculator.

So that's it.  I will do the same measurements again in 30 days :)

Baby Boy

Um, ok. So maybe he's not a baby anymore? But he's still sweet and snuggly as one.  Yeah, he's got a streak to him...he can be the littlest {pardon the french} sh*tbird.  But his ploy on cuteness and innocence gets him out of hairy situations.  

We'll keep him.

 {working on piano flashcards. intervals can be tricky!}

{how do you resist when they say, "mama. can i sleep wif you?" and look at how he sleeps like he's all chillaxed.}

quick {inexpensive} closet DIY!

My closet

The bane of my existence at times.

Our first house, I had a nice big closet that was built into a dormer. For the most part, a walk-in closet, but you had to hunch over as you went in.

Our second house, I had a wonderful, heavenly walk-in, complete with built-ins.  I even banished my husband's stuff to the guest room.

This house? Not loving the closet sitch.  Apparently, they didn't think highly of storage in the 1920's?

This was my closet {judgment passing not allowed}.  Louvered doors from hell aside, I had a bad relationship with this closet.  Thankfully, I no longer had a 'business professional' wardrobe to stuff into my closet, but I do have to share with the family coats.

Say what?

Yeah. See that brown in the back? That's the door that is in the foyer/sunroom.  Good times. 

 

One morning, it was the final straw - the doors fell off the track for their last time and hubs ripped them off and said, "I think you need a closet organizer."

I said, "you think? gee. I've been saying for years."

So I cleaned out the closet...

 

{looking left. see the door?}

{standing in the closet. looking right. not very big, huh?}

This wasn't a planned project, so we didn't want to spend a lot of money on it. Hubs went to Lowe's and the guy working happened to be a contractor and helped him. Easy peasy and cheap.

Well, in all reality, it would have been easy peasy lemon squeezy if it were not for that darn door and the thick 1920's trim surrounding it. So boards had to be screwed into the plaster, first, to make things flush.

2 days later, I had a closet, sans doors (if history repeats itself, that will take a good year or so).  Its not perfect, but its 

oh

so

much

better!

{afterall, I do share a closet with the coats}

 

i got these white fabric bins at walmart. shudder. but they were the only ones i found in that size. i have things like my bathing suits in one, workout shorts in another, and sports bras & tanks in a third. i need to label them all cute and stuff. and oh, the nice thing about 1920's houses? tall ceilings. i have that extra row up there for stuff i don't need often

I emptied my dresser because we're painting the bureau and putting it in the boys' room. I actually like having my stuff on the shelves better. I can see my tank and tee colors. And I put my jeans w/ the waistbands out, even though its not as neat, because I saw on Jill GG's Good Life blog that she did it and I wanted to be a copycat liked the idea of being able to tell which jeans are which (not that I have tons of jeans).

 

{that backwards bin on the left houses the kids mittens and hats. the bin atop that has my leggings. crap - i have a whole bin-o-leggings at age 37.  what has this world come to?  the one on the right has my unmentionables and socks}

My sandals are shoved into this handing organizer, but not all my shoes fit in there. The rest are stuffed in a crate. So I think I need another solution.

So, until the doors are on, there ya have it!  Under $200.  And I managed to empty a bureau and a night stand! Go me! So for our new dressers, all I will need drawers for are my PJs and yoga pants! Woot!

 

Thrift Find

Squee!  Recently, I've taken to hitting up Goodwill on a weekly basis to scope out dressers and tables and desks.  Last week, I found the perfect dresser, but alas, but was from a smoking home and when I opened the drawers, it reeked. I found a desk at Goodwill. I was bummed. So when I was there this week, after dropping off 3 bags o' clothes, I saw this desk for $19 and squealed with delight!

 

With a little TSP, paint, and new hardware, I think she'll look perfect somewhere in my house.  I am thinking sewing desk. We'll see.

What kind of finish would you do on it???

Sweet Memories

Is there anything specific that evokes a wonderful memory or memories for you?

For me, its a cheap flour sifter.

When I was a little girl, for the first 4.5 glorious years of my life, I was the only child, the only niece, and the only grandchild. On all sides of the family. Holla!

My parents worked, so I spent a lot of time being cared for by my gramma (my mom's mama) and my auntie (my mom's sista), who still lived at home at the time.

I have such wonderful memories of the time I spent at my gramma's house and it makes me sad to think that perhaps, now that my papa is gone, she may move out of the house.

But I digress.

I spent a lot of time baking with her. One of my jobs was to sift the flour.  A very important job, you know.

Another important task that she taught me early on was how to iron. She had me ironing tablecloths, napkins, handkerchiefs (her pretty embroidered flowery ones and my papa's plain white ones), and sheets. Come to think of it, I am not sure if my gramma was anal retentive or trying to keep me busy.

Their house was always a place that brought me instant comfort.  I loved spending the night there.  I loved all the attention that was bestowed on me. Me me me (that's right, baby).  I am so appreciative of that time I got to spend.  And I am so grateful that my kids got to meet their great-grandparents (Aidan, especially, establishing a  special bond with my papa) and that both my grandmas are around for them to this day.

I hope that someday, my kids look back and have some fond memories, too. Not just memories of electronic crap. You know?

DIY Curtains

I was so excited to make curtains for my kitchen. It took me forever and a day to pick out the "perfect" fabric, and I finally found it...Blossom, by Vicki Payne for Free Spirit. I got it from my local fabric shop that sells fun and funky stuff, Drawstring Studio. 

I love laying the fabric out and the sound of cutting it, as scared as I am of effing up.

I chose to sew it because there's just something about a perfect seam versus using hem tape.  It just looks professional and real.

I love the smell of my sewing machine when its loudly humming away.  I love when I get something right.

I do not, however, love when I screw up.  That hem tape would have come in handy.  Despite using a worksheet from a book on how to measure for curtains, they were the wrong length.  Crap crap crap.  Thankfully, we can fix the issue by moving down the rod.  And at the end, I can always yank out the bottom 4" hem and make it a bit smaller.

Mindless Musings

I am thinking of buying a pair of TOMS.  My frugal side won't buy them because they are over $15 and I don't know what the quality of them is like, I don't know how they fit, and I don't know how comfy they are.

Insight?

I found these at Target today. They were comfy! What? Come again?!! Of course, they were not in my size. Sigh. I need to find $50 worth of crap to buy online because I refuse to pay shipping. Hrm.

My 7 year old daughter has an obsession with lifting up the skirts and peeking down/into the shirts of mannequins, checking to see if they are wearing panties or bras. They never are. She wonders why.

Speaking of mannequins...what's up with Forever 21? Is there a method to their orgazational madness? Because, crud, I just want to go in and find a small, white button down shirt. Why can't they all be in one place? WHY? Why must they have 5 different locations? Perhaps, if it was better organized, then they could afford to have more sales associates at the register, instead of 1 and a long line. Because that's annoying. Or is that only my F21? 

And did you know that F21 has a 90210 tank top?!! Fo reals.

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I love me some old skool 90210.

While I am on the subject of TV, tell me I am not the only Teen Mom 2 addict? Why am I drawn in to that garbage? That's the only 'reality' show I watch.  And man...  its trash.  Like, when will Jenelle "get" it? And why do Jo's parents allow him to talk to Kailyn like he does? Make that boy have some respect for the human kind! For women! Shiz...for his baby mama! Step up!

Peace.

Can I get a heck yeah?

I won! I am a winner! Winner winner, chicken dinner, baby!!!!
Recently, April at Funky Vintage Lovely was giving away a $25 giftcard for Bonhomie Jewelry. And you're looking at the winner! I am pretty sure I want the 'sweetheart charm', but I need to look at all her stuff again.  Because I like a lot of the custom charm necklaces.  Decisions, decisions!!!!  I am also pretty certain I want a necklace from Funky Vintage Lovely.  I just need to decide -- a flower (grey mum? turquoise peony?) or a LaLaLovely necklace. Hrm.....




Today I had my style consult with, ahem, my stylist. Ok. So she's not mine. But she was mine for 90 minutes.  And I will certainly use her again!  She was won-der-ful. And very, very insightful.  With my permission, she purged the pieces that needed to go. And then she put together some outfits for me, honing in on spring/summer tops and how to layer them for this weather and also pieces I wasn't sure what to do with.  I now feel more confident about my wardrobe and I also feel like its much more versatile. I am so happy I did this!!!  Now I just need to replace a few things...nothing too pricey, thankfully.  Just some capris mostly and a pair of khakis.  And of course, there's the yearly replacement of the white tees and some of the ribbed tanks. Its all good.

Five Senses Monday

Sadie at {simply delicious} did a Five Senses post today and I decided that I am copying her using her as inspiration for today's post.

SMELLING

Hot, yummy, warm, hazelnut coffee. And pumpkin spice scented candle. Both an attempt to make me feel warm.

SEEING

A messy, messy house. The kids are on Spring Break and the house looks like a disaster lived in. Plus there is displaced stuff all over the foyer and our room while hubs finishes the closet.

HEARING

My kids playing. Getting along? Say it is not so. Happy noises.  My dog, pacing, because its the dinner hour.

TASTING

Coffee (decaf). A dark, french roast. Yum. With a nice blend of half and half and some chemically enhanced hazelnut creamer.

FEELING

Happy. We had a good day. First day of Spring Break - we hit the public museum. 

And then Whole Foods for lunch and some grocery shopping. We all had fun. 

Yet...

Overwhelmed. Yesterday's discovery of mold and some underlying water issue is stressing me out.

And...

Excited. Tomorrow we're taking the kids to an indoor waterpark for the day. AND I am escaping for a few hours by myself in the afternoon because I have my wardrobe consultation!

By the way...check out Sadie's Blog. She's creative, inspiring, and girl can get it done! She did an awesome Anthro inspired bedroom on her own! And her babygirl is super adorable. 

Thoughts?

I am a natural blonde. Natural in the sense that when I was younger, my hair was a gorgeous shade of blonde. 

 {don't be jealous. you know you lurve the prairie style outfit, the orange shag... all of it.  70's man. 70's.}

And then somewhere, around age 18-20, it started turning an ugly dishwater color and I had to chemically enhance it to keep it looking its natural blonde.

I've swayed off course a few times.

I've been a light-auburnish

I've been caramel-y

A deeper shade of brown

and even darker...

And now I am blonde. And I've been blonde for awhile.

{i miss my long hair}

{my friends are fabulous}

I am thinking of going dark again. A bit of a change before my hair grows a tad longer. 

Thoughts?  Opinions?

The one where things don't go as planned

I have a closet that I have hated for years. And years. And well, since we moved into this house.  Its a closet that is in my bedroom, but that also shares a door on the backside with the foyer, which makes it the coat closet (wth?).  I will post before and after pics on when its done. Because the hubs is currently making it fabulous.

But in the meantime, earlier today as I was removing everything from said closet, he commented on a suspicious crack in it and I commented on the bubbled paint that was opposite it, in our room, that's been that way for about a year now.  He handed me a crowbar and away I went.  The paint came off -several colors of it - in big sheets.  Exposing this.

That's actually black.  Nice, huh?
Now, I am pretty sure that the walls were not that peachy-beige color when we moved in. So I can't be certain how long its been like that. But I would think we would have noticed it when we painted the room, right?
The good thing is that the wall was not wet. The mold was not wet.  But it smelled.  And dang, I have a headache.
The bad thing? We have no idea where the water is coming from. An ice dam last year? Soffits? Do we need to tear off the plaster and lathe? I hope not. If its fixable from the outside, can I just bleach what's been exposed and then can we seal the wall?  I have no idea, but right now, I am cursing my 1920's house.

Say what?

Date Night. 

Use your imagination for a caption on this one.

Flirting.

My son is 9. NINE.  And I witnessed him flirting. FLIRTING! This morning, my daughter's 6 year old friend came down to breakfast and as she sat down, Aidan said, "hey there, shorty.", complete with a Joey {friends} chin lift and how YOU doin' eye squint.

Pity.

Rolling in some self-pity here. And I need to get my ass up out of it and do something about it. Yeah - I got some nice comments about me not needing spanx and being able to wear leggings and whatnot. But here's the thing: I am skinny fat. And I seriously do not feel good about myself right now and need to stop feeling bad and start feeling good. I came across these photos last week while looking for a specific photo:

 

 San Antonio '05

Austin '05

 {i look kinda weird b/c i am leaning back}

Austin '07

Those capris don't fit right now. Sigh.

That was fall 2005, people. 2005. That was 2 years after having TWINS and 3.5 years after having my first baby.  I thought that perhaps I was blessed with good genes. I was on the move all the time, but not exercising excessively and just eating normally.  And crap, when I started running, I had to eat more because I was losing too much weight.

And now? I wallow in self pity. Because now I am skinny fat.  I would not expose my tummy. My tummy dun-lop over my jeans without those spanx (is that called muffin top?)  No abs. Sigh.

What happened? I got sick last winter/spring. Bronchitis. Then pneumonia. Then epstein-barr.  I stopped working out with that string of illness. And then I don't know. I just don't know.  Did the Lexapro make me gain? Was the Wellbutrin helping keeping it off? What I do know is that I know I have to be healthy and do something about it. Because if I allow myself to wallow in pity, I will do something stupid and fall back into former bad habits. Because if you've ever had a bad habit, you know that bad habits die hard.

For over 10 years I had an eating disorder. And the diaticians, the psycologists...they all told me what I needed to hear. That I would slowly kill myself if I didn't knock it off. But did that stop me? Nope. Because it took me, making up my mind, that enough was enough and I would do it.

And you know what? Those desires to just fall back into those habits. To have control over that part of my life again? Its so easy just to do it. But I won't. I won't take the easy way out.  I am getting my ass up and am going to get that body back, hot damn!