Hitting the Pavement

Happy Thursday!! And last day of January!!!

Sooo I haven't been running really since the half marathon I ran in December. I miss it but I knew I needed some time off because I have had a lot of pressure in my knee. I took the time off i thought I needed and tried going for a run. I can get a mile into the run before feeling the pressure.
I started doing other things to work out but they just don't satisfy me like a nice long run. PLUS - and this is a big huge PLUS - I was running with my Dad and I loved the father-daughter time I got out of it.

I took more time off and tried running again. Same issue. So my dad has continued running and I have been pouting. I FINALLY got to see the doctor today.  She pulled and pushed on my knee. I am happy to announce that there isn't anything major happening.  She said what I need to do is get fit for shoes. And that my xrays show that I have been very active for a long time.  The pressure sensation I feel is internal inflammation in my knee - nothing to be overly concerned with, just take an anti-inflammatory before running and make sure to get enough down time in between long runs.

Soooo it isn't surgery or some weird thing where I can't run again ever! Hip hip hurray! I am bummed that I am going to have to for real get shoes.  You see I was one of those people who could just hit up a Kohl's sale and pick my favorite shoe. Those days are finally over and I'm going to be getting fit for my very own 'grownup' running shoe.

That is my satursday morning plan and training resumes Monday!!!!  Yay!!! I'm very excited to get back out on the pavement.

Do you enjoy running?
How do you pick your running shoes?

Two Things

If you love accessories and cutesy little boutique-y type stuff, you MUST check out Groop Dealz.  It is sort of like an auction style sale except the prices are fixed and once the item is sold.out, that's it.  The deals can last any where from 1 day to 7 days. I ordered this necklace last week:

I will definitely be posting pictures when I receive it!

Second item on the docket, I am in love with The Container Store. I just really started browsing it today though I should have known I would love it after a post by a fellow blogger - I'm sorry I don't remember who did it!!! I LOVE this place AND I learned that they are opening one here in April! Eeeee!!! So excited!  I found the first item I will be ordering for an upcoming organization project.

I'm so excited I may ship it faster than ground!!!! Yea, I am THAT excited! I will most certainly be ordering the light blue/aqua hanging folders also.  Can't wait to share!

Well sweets, that's all I have for ya today. Just a wee bit of my excitement on this lovely (read hot - not winter weather at all) Tuesday! Make it a great one y'all!

*The opinions in this post are solely my own; i was not approached by either company for a review

I May or May Not Be a Hot Mess

No - this is serious....OK it isn't serious at all.

I'm such a disaster sometimes! It is frustrating but funny and it makes me ramble to the server who had the unfortunate luck of bringing me my drink at Sonic. 

First, I pushed the button to place my order...this magical button is the link to the people inside the talking box who make your food come out to your car.  So I push the button and then don't know what to order! UM! HELLLOOOO! Silly girl - the ONLY reason this person is speaking to you is because you signaled you were ready...ugh! so I apologize and hastily order my drink. 

'My Jam' comes on the radio, so I turn up the music a little...and out walks the wonderful dude bringing me the aforementioned order. He stops at the window, smiles, and just stands there.  Look I know I am having a good hair day but GEEZ...but hey I still got it ;) HAHA! then I realize dude is NOT standing here to look at my cute self. He needs me to pay. I'm so flustered because I was so not ready to fork over the payment. As I fumble through my wallet I practically start telling this kid my life story - and my life story I mean the events of the afternoon that have me frazzled anyway. As I am getting my cash out, I apologize because why in the world am I rambling?! 

Here's the thing though, I constantly find myself placing orders and then pulling up to the window and not have money ready.  anyone else have this problem?! 

This is only ONE tiny moment that I think 'girl needs to get it together'.  I'm pretty sure I think that to myself on a daily basis - at the VERY least it happens every other day.  Am I the only one? I refuse to believe that out of all the blogs I come across, that I am the only one that is a hot mess on more than one occasion! =) 

OK so ONE more illustration of my hot mess-dom for today...

When I order something online, I immediately check my order status and make sure the email confirmation shows up in my inbox.  This is a completely normal habit, right?  

The not so normal piece, is I immediately start looking for tracking numbers.  If that isn't bad enough, as soon as I receive tracking information, I check the tracking multiple times a day.  Somewhere deep down in my subconscious, I must believe that by checking it repeatedly, the package will somehow be moved sooner. But I can't make it stop. I have to keep checking. I need the update.  Maybe I need to have FedEx and UPS text me updates...but I still like seeing that little progress bar fill up when the page loads =) 

It really is the little things, Peeps!

So what are your examples of hot mess-dom??

Friday Happies!

Yay Yay! it's Friday!!!! Wooooo!!!!

I'm so excited to get this weekend going!  The Husband and I are going to be building an end table for our living room and I get to do most of the work! I am really looking forward to figuring out how to make a piece of furniture instead of letting The Husband do it all.  We officially designed the piece last night and figured out what materials we needed to buy. When I get off of work today, we are going to meet at the home improvement store for wood and stain! So excited! AND if time permits, I am going to finish my closet re-organization! So far it is going well, I just need a new nail polish rack...which we will DIY.  It will be very similar to this but will go on the wall...my collection DOUBLED over the holidays!

This morning officially start Operation:Work Out again.  I have taken some time off after my half marathon at the beginning of December because I have been having knee issues.  BOOO!! I go to the doctor on Tuesday and will have it checked out but in the meantime I HAD to start doing something again.  I feel so good after this mornings workout.  Let's keep it up!

I found this really neat website/app for books - it is called goodreads.com.  you can look up authors,books, genres, and create a 'shelf' of books you want to read.  then when the time comes to read them, you can compare prices online and in stores...the site will tell you where the cheapest copy can be found! I have set a goal for 2013 - I want to read at least 30 books this year.  I have book #1 picked out...now I just have to open it haha!

I want to add a custom clock to our gallery wall - I think it would add a lot! These are the two options I am tossing around:

 

For All Time Clocks

Rosy Red Buttons Blog

The second example was the first I fell in love with but the problem is that The Husband and I don't have a picture together off set enough OR far enough from the camera...MAYBE I can talk him into a photo this weekend?! Just one before my seeester's birthday!

Tomorrow is this pretty lady's birthday! LOVE love LOVE my baby seester!! she makes my heart happy and puts a smile on my face..don't mess with her or I'll come for ya! =)

More on that Monday!

Have a wonderful weekend y'all!

Do you have big plans??

Saw It. Pinned It. Did It. {DIY Key Holder}

We've all seen it.  That cute little key rack with the toy cube letters spelling out 'keys'.  Yep - that is what I used as my inspiration. Let's face it; this was so easy especially compared to the other projects we have been tackling! Here is our version:

The best part about it was cost - THe only purchase for this project was the block letters that I got at hobby lobby with a 40% off coupon. soooo total for this one was probably close to $2.50.

Here's the pin-spiration:

Source: glanerie-moderne.tumblr.com via Ashley on Pinterest

I made a sign for the finance department when we shared an office. 

Then the department outgrew said office and we split up so the sign came down.

Step 1: I had to pull off all the bling and sand that puppy down to the point that most of the paint and all the lettering was gone.

Step 2: I sprayed it brown and each of the letter blocks an off white.  This took a lot of coats because the spray paint wasn't real thick.  In hindsight, I probably should have used an acrylic paint and paint brush.

 Step 3: I screwed in the hooks to the bottom of the blocks.

Step 4: Put it together!
The tricky part came when it was time to screw the blocks to the board...I had every intention of doing this myself, but I came home and The Husband had done it for me while I was at work.  Apparently it is a good thing he did! He said the wood was so hard that the drill bit had trouble grabbing on and getting through the wood.  Thankfully The Husband is a big strong man =)

I LOVE it so much and I always know where our keys are!

Except when this photo was taken haha - where are The Husband's truck keys?! =)

Where do you store your keys?
Do you often lose track of them?

Trying to Get More Organized

Soooo we are no longer able to get onto various sites at work which means I can't do anything on my lunch break any more on my computer. This is highly inconvenient!

What this means for me is I have to get a mail station together at the house. I pay bills on my breaks. It is very convenient since I'm at a computer all day anyway.  I need to get a system together at the house.  Google and pinterest to the rescue?? We shall see!

The other major thing this all means is I am going to have to be more diligent in scheduling/planning my posts.  I have been waiting for things to inspire me between one post and another. That can happen I will just have to write down my thought or create a post on the spot.  My problem is that I have to finish when I start because if I don't I lose momentum. Booo!

There are a couple projects I will be sharing coming up soon.  The husband and I are on a DIY kick right now so we spend a good portion of our weekends working on various house projects. This coming weekend won't be any different than the last several. Except this time I will be handling most of the diying! I'm very excited to be at point on the next project :)

Do you and your partner work well together in projects?

P. S. Sorry there aren't any happy pictures and that this is short, sweet, and to the point...you try blogging from your phone haha!!!

Mid-week Happies and Finding the Next Big One

EEEE!!! This girl is SO excited that tomorrow is Friday already! As I mentioned earlier this week, it is my first full week back at work since the holidays and I have been dreading it.  only because I have been worried that the week was going to creepy-crawl by and take FOREVER.  Thankfully that has NOT been the case so far!!

A happy mid-week treat for me was getting my hairs cut! I LOVE that feeling! I always feel so refreshed after getting my hair washed, cut, and styled! I absolutely adore my stylist - I have been going to her for about 5 years.  I send everyone to her because she is awesome and so affordable.  So I went and had my hair done at lunch yesterday...did I mention she is pretty quick too??  Oh and I know it is just a hair cut and trust me I would really like to highlight my hair again but that would require me to go more often AND it would cost more money! So I'll just stick with what I have and since The Husband loves it and I don't dislike it =) picture from RIGHT after the cut yesterday

So I am constantly looking for new books to read.  I get a lot of recommendations from my mom.  We have always always swapped books with one another.  Someone on a blog yesterday was posting about a book - I'm sorry I can't remember who - and it got me thinking about all the reading I have done since elementary.  In Elementary, I read the Babysitters Club and then Goosebumps when I was in 5th grade.  I upgraded in Jr. high to R.L. Stine's Fear Street series.  I  am sure they were pretty corny but I LOVED them.  One of my favorites was probably The Perfect Date, The Fear Street Saga, and The Catalina Chronicles. Did anyone else read these???

I have graduated to other scarier/thrilling books.  I read romances here and there and was sucked into Harry Potter and Twilight. I even read Fifty Shades of Grey but mostly I stick to thrillers. Right now, my imagination is in full force, which means thrillers are kind of out of the lineup for now.  

I'm looking for new reads and something that isn't boring.  I am the type of reader that if I'm not interested in the first 30 pages, I put it down. I read for pure enjoyment so, obviously, if I am not enjoying the book, why use that time on something I'm not enjoying?  My point exactly! soooo this is where you lovelies come into the story! =) 

Where do you find your next book?!

 I know there are websites out there that are suggestion sites; you type in a title or author and the site pulls up similar content.  I don't like doing that.  I want suggestions from real people!! Truth be told, the way I use to pick out new books at the book store was based on the spine or cover catching my eye.  Then I would read the summary on the back or inside the jacket....if I am thinking I'm pretty interested, I will read the first couple pages.  I know I know you are probably shaking my head at this method but books can get expensive! I should probably start going to the library but that place can be SO overwhelming! And in this digital age of E-Readers, I don't know how to find books to read any more, because the old method doesn't really work!! Someone help me =) 

Happy almost Weekend pretty people!!!