Running the Race-My first 5K

Most people who are runners are probably thinking, "No big deal" but let me just tell you, in no particular order, exactly why running a 5K was definitely a BIG deal for me.

1) Ummm... hello, obvious-I've never run 3.1 miles before.
2) I'm totally out of shape.
3) I much prefer lying on the couch watching movies and eating cookies than exercising.
4) The race was in the morning. Check-in at 6:30 am, race at 7:30 am.
5) I am sooooo not a morning person.
6) Read number 5, like, 4 more times. Repeat.

So, I was up at 4:45 am to get ready to go. It was difficult.  We got to the park and I was fortunate enough that Luhvah, daughter, and a friend (who already had many 5K's and a couple of half marathons under her belt) went with us to cheer us on. In a previous post I outlined how my goal for running was 36:00 min.

Here was the map of the path we ran:

When we got there to check in it was still dark. But I had nervous adrenaline running through me so I was wide awake. Here's a pic with me and my friend, Charity, who woke her ass up at 430am to come support me and my first 5K!
 Thank you, Charity!

I want to point out that this was a 5K that ran up and over a bridge in the Tampa Bay area. This bridge was my nemesis. When I explained to Luhvah our path over it he was like, "No, I don't think you're going over it..." and I was like, "ummmm...I'm pretty sure we are and I know it's sooo steep going up those inclines...I'm scared!" But until he actually saw us running it he was like, "no way".

Here is a play-by-play of my run (click on it to see up close):

I don't know if you can tell in the photos above but that is a serious incline. Although it was a beautiful day and a very picturesque route over the water I could hardly concentrate on that when I was too busy reminding myself to breathe.

About a fourth of the way up the incline my friend, Rachael, who was running the race with me, gave me a thumbs up and was like, "Yay! Keep going! We can do it!" and all I could think was I don't have time for your shit I'm running here How are you even able to speak right now, let alone be happy???!

Here we are at the start line waiting for the race to begin:

And doesn't she look so cute and perky? I, on the other hand, look a little scary. She didn't tell me that she was going to wear makeup and (stupid me) I showed up sans makeup barely brushing my hair to throw into a ponytail and there she is looking all adorable. When I noticed it I practically screamed in her face, "ARE YOU WEARING MAKE-UP???" To which she replied, "ummm...duh! we're not running a marathon- it's just a 5K." As if I wouldn't sweat my balls make-up off. 

To keep it real, here we are after the race:

Look how much redder my face is. I woulda been drippin' makeup if I'd worn it, y'all.

The end of the line, here I am crossing the finish line:

Adrenaline kicked in as I rounded the corner and (with the help of the downward slope) I had a burst of energy just being glad I was almost done. I was sooo happy passing the finish line.

See the clock above the word FINISH? Yeah, that's my time. So, my goal was 36:00 min and I totally made it! YAY! I was jazzed (see my jazz hands, y'all?)

Luhvah was the greatest husband on earth and made both me, and my friend Rachael, signs. They were displaying them, cheering, when we crossed the finish line.

Y'all, they were glittered and bedazzled with flashy battery operated stars that blinked. My Luhvah is sooo awesome. Know what makes him even more awesome? He got all the supplies from Michaels---with coupons. God, I love that man. He knows just how to get me hot!

After the 5K, I told Luhvah and Charity my thoughts midway through about how I never wanted to do one ever, ever again. After I cooled down some 20 min later Charity asked me if I still felt the same way. Of course not! And now my goal is a 10K. Which is what I started working on this past week.

The other day I went out to run a mile just to see what time I could run it in.

 9:30 min.

I've never been able to do that. Even when P.E. in school required a mile out of you under 10 minutes. Never.

After I finished my 9:30 mile I was in awe of the fact that I ran a MILE and it didn't feel like I had even exercised. I mean, sure, I felt hot and sweaty and I pushed myself running but it was over so quickly I didn't even feel like I had worked out. And I felt so accomplished because I ran a mile and thought, "gee that was nuthin'".

And even more amazing- I have to run 3 miles now before I feel like "Gosh, that was a killer RUN!" Because I took it slow the week after the race and ran only 2 miles another day and it was like, "wow...so fast." I was done in 20 minutes.

Now my goal is a 10K and I'm hoping to run one soon. Until then, I am looking forward to running another 5K-the color run! It's a 5K where they throw color on you as you run.

This time my daughter is even joining in on the fun! I'm sooo excited and will keep you updated.

Fall Mantle-2012

Well, I barely had enough time to decorate this fall (by barely I mean I had better things to do-like watching t.v. all day in my pjs whilst eating chocolate cookie dough ice cream). But I wanted to be able to link up to CensationalGirl's fall mantles party today. So, I threw something together this weekend.

I have my fall scents in my Scentys and I have my decor up but really, it's not fall here in Florida yet. It's still hovering at 85-90 degrees (which, admittedly, isn't awful) but it's certainly no 70 degrees and blustery.

I want a blustery day.  A day where the windows in the house are all open because it's cooler outside than it is if I turn on the air. A day where, when I do have those windows open, it is just this side of nippy in our house and I can make chili in the evening and not sweat my balls off (figuratively speaking). A day where I can light our fire pit out back because there's a nice brisk breeze and the smell of the burning wood floats into our open windows. A blustery day y'all!

But, alas, I live in Florida. And I won't have those lovely days until February. And of course, by then, everyone else will have blizzards and such and be sooo envious of my location, location, location but until then I have to endure my favorite season without the weather to accompany it. Halloween? Hot as Hades. Thanksgiving? As thermal as the turkey in the oven. Yup, that's how my Autumns go nowadays.

Anyhow. Enough of my bitchin'. You're here to view my pics. I'm posting to tell (and show) all those out there who don't have the money to decorate expensively or the knack to pull off a Pottery Barn look, to keep on truckin'. Cuz it takes practice. And I wanted to show everyone that, even though I love, love, love to decorate, I don't always get it right. Or perfect. But I keep trying. I made a post before about how I decorate with trial and error. It's always a work in progress, my decorating. This time is no different.

Here are my pics for my fall mantle:

I'm still not done with it. I think it needs tweaking. I just worked with what I had and tried to find something I liked.

And, of course, since I have no camera, these were taken with my iphone. So, not the best pics.

And here's another photo of another vignette I have up. Mostly going with orange:

This orange vignette is my pumpkin patch. Cuz there are sooo many pumpkins on display.

I wish I had better pictures. Oh well. Now, let me show you some of my favorite pins from Pinterest:





VIA

VIA

VIA

VIA

I always love the natural, rustic vibe of fall. I just can't seem to replicate it at my house.

Here are the issues I have with my mantle vignette (aside from the truly crappy pics):

1) My biggest problem is that it feels busy. Crammed. I hate crammed decoration. It just makes it feels like a bunch of tchotchkes threw up. But when I look at my inspiration pics they don't look crammed and obnoxious. They flow, ya know? And yet they still have stuff on them, like, stuff stuff. Get me?

This is my problem- too much stuff looks cluttered. Pottery barn-too much stuff= warm and inviting, and not too much. Or, reverse effect: my problem= too little stuff looks barren and cold. Pottery barn-too little stuff= minimalist and casual.

Most people say you shouldn't compare your decor to PB. After all, we don't live in a magazine. But still, others somehow manage to decorate beautifully (I only think one of my inspiration pics are PB).

2) I don't like the color of my candle sticks (no other color to tie into it on the other side) and I don't care for the container they're in (too stark white).

3) I'm undecided on the gold rectangular frame. Is it too much for the shelf? I have my mirror, a gold empty frame, and a white oval frame...too many shapes?

Now on to my orange vignette:

 I really like the clock with fall garland and I want to keep the orange platter and white cermaic pumpkins. But here's my issue with this vignette:

1) you can't even really see the 3 mason jars with votives in front of the orange platter due to the garland.

2) Too much orange? Too bright and cheesy? (i.e. the orange bow on my candle?)

3) Again, cluttered. Not simplistic. Your eye is traveling to see too many things so it can't settle anywhere.

My point in critiquing my decor is to tell you-it's not done. And to show people that you don't have to have a perfect look to link up to a link party. And don't get discouraged. Just keep trying. Eventually I will get that "Pottery Barn" look I want to achieve (might help if I had a better camera). It's all about trial and error. Give and take. Add and delete. I will work on my shelf/vignettes some more in the coming days and hopefully (if I'm not too lazy) post those updates.

Running! Staying fit for Zombie apocalypse...

This year I decided to attempt to stay healthy (hasn't really worked yet). Of course, my motivation was mostly my vanity (shed those pesky 10...um...20... ahem ::: mumble, mumble::: pounds) but  I knew since I was nearing my mid-30's it would benefit my health to get into shape. So, with the help of a friend (always makes it easier), I decided to start a Couch to 5K program (freebie app on my phone-C25K) to help me run regularly.

Let me just say, I am NOT a runner. Nor am I a healthy person. If you need any evidence of this fact just take a look at my statistics--I've been running for 2 months now 3-4 times per week (no lie!) at least 1.5-2miles at a time (most recently 2.5-3miles) and I've not lost one.single.pound. Luhvah says it's cuz I'm mostly likely gaining in muscle but I know it's cuz I just haven't changed my eating habits (80% of weight loss is made in the kitchen-not the gym). But what a bummer that I haven't even lost 5lbs. :(

Anyhow. As I said, I'm not a runner. I'm not here to tell you how completely freeing and rejuvenating it is and how I feel one with the universe (Oooommmmmmmmmmm) or any of that mularkey. Sure, there are moments when I run and I'm like, "Yes, I can do this. I feel good!" But most often than not my initial reaction is ::::whine:::: "No, I don't wanna run! Do I have to? Yes, you.must.run.Why? Why must I run? I can skip it. It won't kill me to skip it. OMG, it will kill me if I skip it. No! No. I should run. I can't skip it. Then again, how much could it hurt? Really, it's no big deal. I'm fine...Oh crap, I have to run. I will be a horrible person if I don't run.Get your arse up and RUN!!!!" That's pretty much my inner dialog each day I run (3-4 times a week. Rinse and Repeat). So, no I'm no runner. I feel glad that I finished after I'm done (like, OH-THANK-JESUS-I-DIDN'T-DIE-I'm finished).

My friend and I signed up for a 5K (a motivational goal) so we had something to look forward to. We decided on Miles for Hope which is in Clearwater, FL because of the time frame (fell perfectly for when our C25K program ended).

Here is the link to my page if ya want the details (or to donate to the cause which I'm running for-Brain Tumor awareness):

http://www.braintumorevents.org

And last night I finally graduated my C25K program:

I can run the 5K (3.1 miles) in 37 minutes. Not great (not even average I believe). But I'm dying trying to run it in 36 minutes. Anyway, so far my time is 37 minutes. I'm really hoping all this running will help prepare me for the Zombie Apocalypse which, let's be honest, we all know will happen. Even the CDC has a page for it.

I will be back to post pics after the race. Wish me luck!

FACE CAKE

My daughter has been wanting a face cake since seeing this commercial about a year ago:

Every time we saw that commercial she would say, "I want a face cake. They look cool."

Unfortunately for my daugther she's got a really cheap mom (I'm hoping one day she'll appreciate that fact). But that means that I would never spend 20+ dollars on a store cake. For every birthday (except 1) I've always made her a cake myself (I'm no Bakerella  so it's always box cakes) but I could never understand the idea of spending 15.00-20.00 for a grocery store cake over making my own with some Betty Crocker and icing that costs all of 4.00? Kids never care. Sugar is sugar is sugar (in my household anyway). So, I always make her cake myself. One year I made a Spongebob cake, another rainbow cupcakes , another year she just had to have those pull apart cupcakes (you know, the ones that look like a full cake on top but are a bunch of cupcakes pushed together that you pull apart?). So, I've always tried new and different things for her.

Granted, my cakes have never come out looking professional (see here and here). But again, I don't know how much my daughter cares because SUUUGGARRRRRRR  she loves me and the effort I put into it (most of the time I let her help).

Anyway. Back to the point. This year she wanted a face cake. So when I stumbled upon this picture on Pinterest I just knew I had to make her a face cake:

I started by buying a box pound cake mix, disposable sheet cake pans (12x8 I believe was the size, came in set of 3), fresh strawberries, and 2 containers of cool whip. The total for this cake did come out higher than I normally spend at 13.00 I believe (mostly because of the strawberries-I'm sure you could substitue frozen and it'd be cheaper).

I started by making the pound cake as per the directions. I only used 1 box but poured half into 2 separate sheet cake pans for 2 separate thin layers. After baking I took out of their pans to cool on the counter:

(that lone strawberry is there cuz I forgot to take a pic until I was starting the next step).

Then, after they both had cooled I spread cool whip on 1 side and pressed slice strawberries into it:

Yum, looks great already. I carefully placed the other thin layer of pound cake on top of the strawberries and pressed gently:

After which I began to frost the whole darn thing. I needed a smooth surface for make face:

I used both cool whip containers.

Then, per the instructions from the blog, I found a pic of daughter and contrasted it in severe black and white:

and cut out the stencil with a razor blade:

So far so good. This is where it went downhill. I froze the cake to get a solid surface to work with and I made the cocoa sifted stencil on top:

I messed up. My problem was the paper. It was basic computer paper and not stiff enough. So, when I sifted powder on it and tried to lift it straight up it bent and bowed in the middle under the weight of the cocoa causing some of the powder to fall on the cake. Le sigh.

 

I was quite disappointed in my finished product. This looks like the Asian version of my daughter. And she's not Asian, she's Mexican (well, a quarter Mexican). So, I was rather disappointed. I know the reason it failed and if I ever did it again I would use a heavy duty card stock type of paper. That way it can take the weight of the cocoa when I dust it on.

 

I don't think my daughter was all that pleased but she knew I tried and was upset with the outcome and, bless her heart, she tried to make me feel better on her birthday about her cake! She's a really good 13 year old.

 

Anyway. There was my Pinterest try and FAIL but not cuz it didn't work but because it's got some kinks in it. So, all those out there reading-- learn from my mistakes!!!! This was a really neat idea and I wanna try again cuz it could absolutely turn out neat-o.

 

 

 

Hunger Games Shoes

As you noticed in the previous post- my daughter had her 13th birthday. *sniff, sniff* They grow so fast.

Aside from getting her a cell phone for her birthday (she's probably the only tween in the U.S. who was forced to wait until she was 13 to actually get a phone of her own-most of her friends have had phones since they were 8 years old). I know, aren't we awful parents? :::insert evil laugh here::::

Anyway...We saw these cute shoes on Pinterest some months ago and my daughter loved them:

They are Custom Converse (an etsy store that specializes in customizing converse shoes, duh). I think these ran about $100.00. Too steep for my blood. But, of course, I looked at them and thought, I could do that.

So,when I was at Payless and saw these knock-off chucks for only 12.00 I thought-YES! A perfectly cheap pair of shoes to try it on and if it doesn't work I'm only out 12 bucks.

First, I started by finding the perfect size logo that I could cut out (using an Xacto knife) and use as a stencil for the shoes (unfortunately, my talents don't extend to freehand drawing).

Then, since I was doing this at work and I didn't have a white fabric pencil to use, I used my cheapy white eyeliner to lightly trace the stencil:

After tracing on both shoes, I had 2 methods to try and fill it in-

I started with a gold marker:

Which didn't look bad but didn't pop as much as I would have liked. I wanted it to look more golden.

So then I tried gold metallic acrylic paint:

Much better. I liked the results after painting over it with a small brush in gold paint. I contemplated adding a little gold glitter to the wings to give it the illusion of movement but decided to leave well enough alone. I was very happy with the results and didn't want to mess it up by doing something I couldn't take back.

I was so excited for these shoes and I thought they were so cool. I was hoping my daughter would love them (of course, since *I* thought they were cool my 13 year old probably wouldn't). She seemed only so-so interested in them when she unwrapped them. Aside from the fact that she was too involved with loving and playing with her new cell phone, my 13 year old can't be bothered with showing emotion. If it doesn't involved a heartfelt UGH! or ::::eye roll:::: my 13 year old just doesn't do it (I've been told this is normal LOL). I always find it hilariously ironic that deep inside a teen has all these boiling, confusing emotions of heartache, rollcoaster love/hate and "do I fit it? Why don't I fit in? Does he like me? Do I like him?? Why does this happen??" and yet outside the only expressions we see as parents is, "I'm sorry, were you talking to me?" expressions of indifference:

Anyway...I digress. She likes the shoes, I imagine, because she wears them almost everyday to school:

The pics (iphone) don't really do it justice either. I think it looks really cool in person.

And the total cost for my project? Just the $12.00 for the shoes. Everything else I already had in my craft supplies.

Browsing with Craig...

It's been a while since I've posted about Craigslist browsing but I do it almost daily. Craigslist is the ultimate thrift store and, just like thrifting, you have to check more than once a month if you're gonna find any treasures. It requires constant watch and attention to find that perfect piece at the perfect price. Just a week ago I found this chair and ottoman that started out at 65.00 -which I snagged for 40.00:

 It was a quality chair/ottoman though stained (no problem since I planned on cleaning and slipcovering anyway). Some people are concerned for cleanliness (bed bugs and others habits) when shopping craigslist and I completely understand that but I'm careful when I look at anything with fabric. I was only looking for an ottoman so the chair was an added bonus. A new ottoman would cost 100.00+ but I got a chair and ottoman for 40.00. Good deal. Of course after slipcovering and cleaning maybe it will be at 100.00 anyway but like I said- I got a chair out of the deal and this is better quality than the ottoman I was looking at for 100.00 (Ikea).

Anyhow.

To give you an idea of how long it's taken me to find such a deal I have been looking for an ottoman for about a year. Luhvah has been complaining that the chair I bought last year (identical to the one above) doesn't have an ottoman to prop his feet up to really relax. I just had to be patient (and listen to his nagging for awhile) in order to find the exact type of ottoman I wanted for the price I wanted (otherwise I might as well have bought the Ikea one a year ago).

So, back to my original point (I know, I'm long-winded an amazing storyteller), you really must be patient and browse craigslist every day to find the spectacular deals. Here are just a few items I've gotten from craigslist:

This dresser-20.00

 This table/chairs-25.00

And this dresser-60.00

Yes, I realize I have an addiction to white. It's just sooo pretty and clean.

If you click into the links you can see that the before pics from those craigslist pieces weren't so purdy. They just needed a little TLC.

And these are no different:

This sideboard/buffet is only 50.00. That's a steal for such a vintage piece.

Incidentally, with CL you really must watch out for people's claims of "BEAUTIFUL headboard" (read: "bought in the 80's which, at one time, was the height of trendy-if you're really into black lacquer and gold brass") or "VINTAGE chest" (read: "this 1970's particle board dresser is totally out of this world man") or "SHABBY CHIC end table" (read: "hasn't been cleaned or repainted since Jesus resurrected and it's chipping pretty badly so take it AS-IS")- there really is a wide variety of what some catagorize as "vintage/shabby/beautiful/antique", etc.

And just to show the disparity between pricing on CL here's another sideboard that's listed at 1000.00:

So, you really must browse intensely for that perfect gem.

I saw this pretty dresser which reminded me of my mom (her guest bedroom is an americana theme):

The price on this is pretty steep (850.00), but there are a few people who use CL to sell repainted pieces- someone who takes a piece and turns it into something special with the intent to resell. I admit this is definitely a pretty piece. I think this would be easy to copy though if you found your own CL dresser for 50.00.

Here's another I think would be nice to copy:

It's from the same seller and it's going for 195.00. Again, I would find a dresser in the same style from CL and then try and redo it myself. But for those who want to buy a piece with no DIY these are nice ones.

Here's another cute dresser for 99.00 with a really pretty trim:

Luhvah says I have a really bad obsession with dressers. I'm always bringing home dressers to DIY. It's true. They are just so versatile. Dressers-not just for clothing anymore. I use one as a tv stand, as a catch all for decor items, as a side table, etc.

But some non-dresser CL finds:

This cute wicker chair-only 50.00.

This queen headboard and footboard would be nice if painted white or black or a pretty pop of color for a bright bedroom- it's 25.00!

The thing with CL is ya gotta look past all the gunk. To see an item for what it can be instead of what it is. Which is really difficult for some people. (Amazing considering how many woman do it with worthless men ("But inside he's just a gooey center... he's just a little boy deep down...I know he can be better...I know there is more to him than meets the eye...") Gah. I mean, really, if you can do it with those losers surely you can open your mind up to the beauties on CL! LOL.

Until next time with Craig...