5th Annual Chili Cook-Off w/ I-nita Chili

For the past three years, Christy’s mom has been participating in the Annual Chili Cookoff.  Each year the weather has been questionable.  The past two years it was pretty windy.  This year it was cold and rainy.  VERY cold and annoyingly rainy. 

This year as a special treat, Christy decided to make shirts for the ‘staff’/volunteers…aka those who have faithfully shown their support and helped give chili away!  I went to a baby shower a couple weeks ago where the mom-to-be cut out some sayings with her cricut in iron-on vinyl and had all her guests put together a onsie with one of the sayings.  I told Christy about it and she decided she wanted to make some shirts.  She bought the materials and I brought over a few of my cartridges.  This process definitely had some trial and error.  We figured it out but not before destroying TWO sheets of the iron-on vinyl – mostly due to not reversing/mirroring the image…that is a VERY important step.

Anyway, after NEARLY giving up because it had been a long day at work and crafting was just not going as planned, we FINALLY got it! Her mom loved them!

We spent the day cooking chili, handing out little cups of chili,  and yelling at the people walking by about chili…this was a chili cook off mind you! We always have such a great time out there no matter the weather. 

      

She didn’t win this year but we didn’t run out for the first time since she started competing.  We are convinced it was because weather kept people away. 

Anita - our Chef - with a local news anchor.

 

Anita with Johnny Magic of 106.7

   

Oh and this is the kind of event that draws vendors who hand out all sorts of goodies.  I left The Husband to wander on his own with Marc…not such a great idea.  This is the pile of ‘loot’ he collected that day! 

I don’t know why anyone would need 50 koozies for one household! We are NOT a fraternity here! Oh and as a side note, the 50 koozies mentioned doesn't even count our already ridiculous collection!

Being the Female Bob Ross

Good morning Lovies!!!!  We are ALREADY half way through the week!! WEEEEEEE!!!!

As an update, last night my parents, The Husband, and I all went to visit our friend who I talked about on Monday.  He is doing surprisingly well and it sounds like he has had incredible support during this tough time.  I was glad to see him smiling and up and about.  =)

Tonight I get a girl’s night! YAY! I’m so excited about it!! I get to see some ladies who I haven’t been able to catch up with in several weeks.  We all used to work together but at least half of us were able to escape.  So dramatic sounding, I know! But seriously that place just sucks the life outta ya.  We are going to Paint Night! Yippee!!

I found out last month that I love painting.  I’m not especially wonderful at it yet as far as styling my own design BUT I think I follow instruction exceptionally well!

My mom, sister, and I bought a Wine & Canvas Groupon WAY back in July that would expire February 19, 2014. That seemed like FOREVER away.  To be honest, I think we all forgot about it until November.  We didn’t like the options in December’s calendar so we decided to wait to see what the January calendar had scheduled.  I had seen a painting that I really wanted to attempt and there it was, scheduled for January 16, the Eiffel Tower at Night! YES! I can’t believe I convinced my mom and sister to sign up for that one but they did! I LOVED the painting. 

I’m not going to lie though; I felt intimidated by it.  I have only ever done abstract type paintings …like ONCE! Oh there was this that I did several years ago…it still hangs in our bathroom and I love it!

The class was at a Mexican restaurant that served THE BEST handmade margaritas.  So delicious – I may or may not have had two.  It was a long day at work and I don’t remember why but I felt tired and a little stressed. 

I think the three of us did a great job on the painting and I am really looking forward to hanging it. 

   

 

I have made it my goal this year to complete at least one painting a month for the rest of the year.  I haven’t gone through all the options for the various companies but I am POSITIVE I can find another 9 paintings to complete.  I just hope I can find girls who want to come play!!

I can’t wait to share what we do tonight and I’m definitely looking forward to catching up with my girls!!

Running the Race (Literally)

It is Tuesday y’all!!   This coming weekend I will be running my third half marathon! THIRD people! I honestly can’t believe I’m willing running this far and PAYING to run this far.  I ran cross country for one year in high school but I don’t remember ever running further than like 8 miles MAX!

This will be the first half I am participating in where I feel uninjured and really good about the run so close to race day. 

I injured my quad like 10 – 14 days before my very first half in 2010.  I trained for that one with a couple girls and I was pretty pleased with the fact that I ran the whole thing…really slow at some points.  I didn’t get enough sleep or food the night before and it was HOT! I crossed the line at a run and was pleased to have completed it in 2:30.  I had high hopes of finishing under 2… I have learned that I may never be sub 2 hours! And I am surprisingly ok with that.

 

Last year (2012) I ran my second half marathon and PR-ed the race. 

Me with my dad before the race (2012)

Even though I ran a lot better, I was in a good amount of pain.  About 10 days before race day my knee really started to hurt.  I changed my eating habits about a week before, and I just didn’t feel great on race day.  I had trained for MONTHS with my dad who was incredibly ready to race.  He probably should have gone without me but honestly had he done that I might have cried and walked. I know I’m pitiful.  I’m so incredibly competitive so dealing with an injury AGAIN during my second half marathon was devastating.  This particular injury felt like it wasn’t going to be good. I was stressed and I was scared to go to the doctor.  I’m a worst case scenario kind of girl – which tends to drive The Husband crazy!

I finally convinced myself to go to the doctor to have her check me out.  Turns out I needed to start buying real running shoes.  By that I mean I was the kind of girl who would check out the latest sale at Kohl’s and get the lightest shoes that were the prettiest.  Well now I need to go to a running store, get fit for specific shoes based on my gait and probably get inserts.  I did that at the beginning of February 2013 and since then I haven’t had ANY issues.  NONE! I can’t believe what a difference the right shoes make. 

My dad and I started training again in September 2013 for our next half marathon.  I was stressing because I had such a bad race the year before that I didn’t want to run the SAME race again.  So I told him and training kind of fell apart.  We would still run together occasionally but not like we were the year prior when we had a goal. 

There is race we found in Daytona where you run the Daytona Raceway as part of the course.  VERY COOL!

 

So 42 days ago we started training for our second half marathon together.  I think my dad has run a couple half races in the past – I know of at least one.  Then last year we ran one together.  It is excellent Father/Daughter time.  

 

Here we are 6 days before the race and I feel great! Last night was our last long run before the race – only 8 miles.  A few weeks back we went a solid 10 and felt fantastic, I knew I would have been able to push out another 3 miles.  I am very excited because this is the best I have felt in the days leading up to the race!  I’m so amped I want to go running again tonight but I know that is a baaaaaddddd idea! Thankfully I have all sorts of crazy things to do this week and don’t have time for any kind of distance run until Sunday!

Some Days Are Darker Than Others

I can’t believe how many days have passed since my last post.  Life has been crazy busy and exciting; business is fantastic and I’m so proud of The Husband.  I sat down this morning to start posting again.  I thought about it last night as I drifted off into Never, Neverland.  What would I post?! Life has been IN.SANE!  Non-stop and so much fun! We have tackled a couple projects that I want to share; gone to parties; and just had an all-around great time.

But then I think about the posts/e-cards/memes that talk about being real.  Being true and showing both sides of the coin.  Let’s be honest, we all know things aren’t glitter and rainbows 100% of the time.  Don’t get me wrong, things with The Husband couldn’t be better.  Yesterday was the first day since before Thanksgiving that we spent time alone with one another.  We put down our phones/social media for the most part and eliminated as many distractions as we could. 

I’m always so torn when less than perfect things happen – I don’t want to the Debbie-downer blog on a Monday but this is kind of my safe haven, where I can get my thoughts out. 

You see, The Husband has a friend who he has known since little league t-ball.  This friend has such a big heart and would do anything for anyone.  Last week, he did just that.  His mentor needed a kidney and this friend happened to be a match. He went through all the testing, the paperwork, psych evals, all of it.  He was donating his kidney to this woman, his mentor, who needed more time.  He made it through the surgery flawlessly; we couldn’t believe his selfless act to give this woman more for her family, friends, and community.  I woke up this morning and read a post from our friend - his mentor passed away last night.

I didn’t know her but I am devastated for our friend.  I sit here heartbroken wondering how to comfort him.  I don’t know what to say or how to reach out to him.  I ended up texting him this morning; I know he received 80+ comments on his FB post letting everyone know what has happened.  I wanted to know I had physically reached him on some level, any level.

I scrolled through my blogger dashboard this morning wondering whether to post this, on a Monday no less.  I saw January Baby posted about life being too short and the very next post was How to Make Strawberry Roses.  It was a tough decision - the sugar coated, sparkly, upbeat posts are way easier to digest.

My friend’s news has been weighing on my heart since I found out.  I am thankful for lots of work to keep me focused and a long run with my dad this afternoon.   I keep checking my social media feed to see if maybe I misunderstood, maybe we were all wrong about who and what was lost last night.

‘the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it (John 1:5)’
‘Recovery begins from the darkest moment’
‘I find hope in the darkest of days and focus in the brightest’ – Dalai Lama

These things keep running through my mind as I work, as I drove to work, as I sit here praying for my friend and the families mourning their loss today.  I pray for our friend to find the Light and find healing and peace. 

I don't mean to be a downer here kids - I'm just heartbroken for my friend. I wish there was more that we could do or say to help his healing process but I know it is up to him and all we can do is sit in the wings waiting for him to call us to the stage.

80's Themed Birthday Shenanigans

We're going back a few weeks - about four...yes FOUR weeks.  We have just been a whirlwind of activity in our house.  The big event after Thanksgiving was our friend Christy's surprise birthday party.  This was a TOUGH surprise to plan.  AND it was even harder keeping her hot OFF the trail!

I even created a FAKE Christmas party invitation.  You see the only way to get her to our house and keep her from thinking it had anything to do with her birthday, we told her we were having a Christmas party.  What she didn't know is that we (her mom, our friends (Christina & Meghan), and I) planned an 80's themed surprise party. 

We all panicked a little that maybe she was putting the pieces together, so I asked her to bring brownies... the idea being that no gets asked to bring something to their own party right? RIGHT!

when she walked in the house, we all yelled 'SURPRISE' and sang happy birthday.  She was VERY surprised thank goodness!  We had an outfit waiting for her to change in to once she arrived and got over the initial shock.  I could have easily posted all 200 photos that were taken but to save you from being bored, I selected only a handful of fun!

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

There were parents and friends, family, some people who were expected, some people who weren't.  It was so much fun and the birthday girl was definitely surprised! Meghan took a video of Christy coming in and being surprised.  She posted it to Instagram but her page is private and I can't figure out a way to download it to share here.  I will spend the rest of the day trying to figure it out - if someone knows how please help! Otherwise I hope you enjoyed the crazy bright party pictures =)

The Craft Room Reveal

 AHHHH!!!! Can you believe it?! We FINALLY finished the craft room.  It has only been a year and a half coming but hey, sometimes you have to just take your time and wait.  I waited VERY patiently.  I rearranged the room so many times to make it functional and love it.  I finally decided in September to paint the room.  I went with a really bold coral that I wasn’t sure about at first but I am so happy I did.

 

The Husband did so much work for me in this room.  Everything in the closet area is custom, as well as the shelving in the main room and the desk area.  I decided to create various stations for working and so far it has been amazing.  I haven’t gotten to play in it too much but it stays clean and I actually know what I have and it is ORGANIZED!!!

 

Over the past two years I have gotten so much use out of the room for crafting but now it will be so much easier! I am so glad The Husband can help see and create my visions!  

 

      

• Sew Cute – sign from Jo-ann’s ; spray painted gold
• Chevron Canvas – DIY
• Pink Lace Heel – Wine bottle holder, gift from a friend
• ‘Ashley’ pennant banner – made for my birthday this past year by a sweet friend
• Baskets – Michael’s
• Framed Cork Board – DIY
• Cutting Mat on island - Tuesday Mornings (birthday gift from my parents)

It has been 2 months since finishing this room, and even though I have crafted in it, the room is still this tidy and organized!!! I can’t wait to get started on Christmas crafts and gifts!

Wet Paint

Back on my Halloween-happy-two-years-at-our-house post, I mentioned that we had our house repainted.   We knew we wanted to get it painted but were very aware of the cost.  We went shopping and compared prices.   It turns out, a guy living in our neighborhood has his own painting company and was doing work in the neighborhood.  We checked out those houses and decided to go with him.  His work was really good and his price was even better!

Our house the day we made an offer - July 2011

Approximately 29 weeks ago, or April 15, thereabouts, we agreed to have this guy paint our house.  We compared colors to the house down the street because we LOVED the color.  We even met the neighbor because of it haha! We had paint cards and went with the closest we found in the cards.  It was hard for The Husband and I to compromise on a color.  I wanted gray or brown, he didn't want either.  That's when we decided to get in the truck and drive around looking for colors we liked.  That's how we ended up on the doorstep of the people 5 houses down. 

The following week, April 22 (I know this based on an IG post from then!) we had them start painting.  It took about 5 days; they painted the entire house, garage door, trim, porch (front and back), and front door.  We went with a black front door. 

The very first picture The Husband sent me made me nervous about the color.  We went with a green color and honestly I HATED it the first day.  But I knew it was probably because the trim hadn't been done and the front door was still red. This was the first picture sent to me by The Husband and the first one I posted on IG:

 

I actually had a very bad feeling in my tummy when I received this picture.  I just KNEW I was going to hate it.  I didn't know what to do so I just didn't tell The Husband.  The front of the house was the first thing they painted.  The next day, he sent a picture from the side of the house.  I was still feeling pretty upset so when I got home I talked with The Husband more.  I told him how I was feeling and that I wasn't sure about the color.  He assured me the negative feeling towards the color was because it looked pretty sloppy still and I needed to wait to see the whole picture.  HE was positive that he loved the new color. 

 

Thankfully the following day all the trim on the front of the house was completed.  I was so relieved I seriously could have cried!! I loved it! I was so pleased with the color.  PLUS any stucco/paint cracks were filled prior to painting so we wouldn't have to worry about leaks or any water getting into the house that wasn't invited! 

   

 

I really love the color The Husband and I picked together!! I love how much we have turned this house into our home.  It is that much better since we are making all these changes and decisions together, as a team! Many women would disagree, but I love that The Husband has had an opinion and input in every decision and detail in our lives - and seriously, his opinions are anything from color of the house to wedding colors to centerpieces to sheets and comforters.  I love that it is an "us" decision!  Plus it takes the pressure off of me to pick something out.  I am pretty indecisive when it comes to stuff like this!

What upgrades are you hoping to complete at your home?
Do you make most of the decorating decisions?