Cleverly disguised as a responsible adult

Big news...

2011-05-23T16:41:00.007-05:00

I have stopped blogging here for a while, but it's for a good reason... Hubs and I are expecting a baby! :) Due November 16th!

I decided to create a fresh new blog... for right now it's mostly baby brain stuff but if you want to follow, please go see my new blog at http://kc-shaw.blogspot.com

Creative Dryspell

2011-03-15T16:14:00.003-05:00

I've been attempting to get a decent arrangement of paintings for my Etsy shop, so my plan has been to focus on one peice, duplcate it 5-10 times, and then move on. Right now I'm stuck on my 20 x 20 daisy collection.

So far I've created red/white, white/orange, and grey/yellow. I've just started on two more, beige/white, and minty green/cream. I really want to make more, I have a ton of color combos in mind, but man... I am just not feelng it lately! I'm kind of bored with it actually (BOO!!) I love the way a screenprint-ish painting looks but I'm growing bored with the whole, stay-in-the-lines-make-it-perfect type of painting.

I really want to let loose and play around with a canvas very soon. I spotted a pretty cool book that I believe would be a lot of fun to mess around with. There are SO many ideas in here. It's called Acrylic Revolution!

"new tricks & techniques for working with the world's most versatile medium"

...oh yes I like the sound of that :)

Shameless Plug :)

2011-02-11T15:57:00.004-06:00

So... has anyone on here seen my Etsy page lately? I'm super happy with it! Granted I haven't made as many sales as I want yet BUT my shop finally has more than like 3 items in it so I'm starting to look kinda legit :)

I paint all of this by hand so it takes me a while to get each piece made -- my favorites are the silhouettes. In particular, the daisy. I love them! I have a new white and orange one I'm almost done with. I love the outcome but they are a bitch to paint lol!! I curse them out the entire process but as soon as it's done I'm in love with it!

Anyway, I also created a Facebook page... I know I know... shameless :) But if you would be so kind as to "Like" it, I would be super happy!!

GO PACK GO!! Superbowl Champs baby YEA!!

2011-02-10T21:55:00.003-06:00

GO PACK GO!!!

We decided to wear the belt too! :)
SUPERBOWL CHAMPS BABY!!!!

I am from Packer Country so it feels SOOO GOOD to see my boys win!!

Ken might even have little Aaron Rodgers babies :)

Oh yea feel the love!! I love me some Clay Matthews and Aaron Rodgers!!

SUPERBOWL CHAMPS YEAA!!! GO PACK GO!!!

I got some RED

2011-01-31T16:04:00.001-06:00

Decided to go a bit out of my comfort zone and get some red low lights.

I LOOOOOOVVEEEE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-D

Saving Mischa... a serious note

2011-01-29T23:38:00.002-06:00

This afternoon was just like any other Saturday. The sun was out so we decided to take the dogs out to the park for a walk. Ken went downstairs to look for some warm clothes to put on, and without telling him I decided to just get them put in the truck. I opened the truck door, they like to just jump in because they are so excited to go for their walk!

I opened the house door to get the dogs in the truck. I get our chocolate lab Sam in the truck. I look for our yellow lab Mischa. She's in the front yard eating snow. I call her to me. She BOLTS.

We live in a pretty secluded area. We have maybe 8 neighboring houses. There's a lot of open land, and a lot of woods. She ran into an open field in front of our house, and then spotted a loose dog running by the line of the woods. She chases the dog. I'm calling her like crazy but she isnt paying any attention to me. The stray dog runs into the woods... and Mischa follows.

I run into the woods after her. The woods are tangled with thorny vines and tons of down branches so I can't move very fast. I even got caught up in the vines and fell at one point. Oh and even got myself a nice scrape on my ankle. There was a driveway on the other side so I exited the woods and got on the driveway so I could move faster after her.

She runs down past me... farther down where there is a frozen pond. Near the bank there is a small area that's not frozen and there are some ducks there. Of course she sees them and wants to get them.

She runs on the ice back and forth around them and I am FREAKING OUT screaming at her. A neighbor comes out and see's what's happening and tries to calm me down by saying the ice is solid. But I see Mischa keeps looking at the stupid ducks.

Sure thing, curiosity gets the best of her and she is not listening to me at all (like not even glancing at me for even a second), and she gets closer to the ducks... which are in the thawed part. Before I know it I see her front paws break through the ice and her whole chest and head are underwater. She tried to pull back but she fell right in. I realized Ken had no idea where I was, and I couldn't run to the house to get his help. I didn't know until after but the neighbor called the cops for help.

I'M FREAKING OUT at this point but realize I need to make a move FAST. Fight or flight moment. I thought about walking on the ice to get her... but then I thought that wont work b/c I'll fall in too. Then I thought about trying to lasso her with her leash... but she was too far away. Thank GOD there was a small tree growing in the middle of the water she was in, so I went into the water and stood on the branches. She was on the other side of a bunch of tangled branches but I got a good grip of her scruff.

Somehow I had one hand holding myself up on the tree, and the other hand I had her. I managed to help push her up onto the ice, and then climb back onto the bank.

Holy shit.

I thanked the neighbor and walked back to the house. Ken was out looking for us and met me at the house a few seconds later. I told him what happened and he apologized profusely for not being there. He had no idea where we went. We are both pretty shaken up about this. All I could think about is, "this is what I watch on those reality TV shows and on the news". Never thought that would happen to us. I still get sad when I picture that moment when she fell into the ice. Wow.

I guess, lesson learned. She's being kept leashed, no matter how well she's listened loose in the past. I'm just so glad we are all ok.

Coming soon on Etsy...

2011-01-24T21:51:00.003-06:00

Not a great photo but these should be finished soon! Debating on if I should sell them seperately or together though. I like them! Just in time for Mardi Gras :)

Never too late for resolutions!

2011-01-20T14:14:00.011-06:00

Eh so what, it's January 20th and I'm writing my yearly resolutions. :)

Most of my resolutions are typical... lose weight, get organized, save money, blah blah... but besides the regular things everyone wants... I want to make a few more detailed resolutions!

1. I want a drum pendent lamp. One just like this actually. At $150 a pop this isn't too bad of a splurge. I would love to see this in my dining room!

2. I know I said organization is a typical resolution, but for real.. I need it! My worst organization item is PAPER. Our kitchen counter has become the dumping ground and looks something like this on any given day. Yuck.

My plan of action is to start trying to utilize some of the organization tips I found from the blog I Heart Organizing. She is a smidgen OCD but I think I need to pay attention to her tips... because when it comes to my organization I am very ADD... I can't even imagine having my papers being organized this awesomely. Seriously, I would die from excitement.

3. Get the damn basement decorated. We're SO close. It's a Cardinals/Blues/Packers/UFC/Budweiser room, lol.. yes a man cave. All we need are a few big frames for some sweet posters we have, and I want a bunch of those cool tin signs you see in bars.. stuff like this.

There are more that I will blog about but for now I'm just posting this so it's not another month before I write something :-)

New Art : Bold Red Daisy

2011-01-17T09:48:00.003-06:00

This painting was a request from a coworker. It's a present to her daughter! This painting was a huge labor of love... it took me about 16 hours and several back aches to finish... but I am in love with the results! I'm hoping to make more of these... I just love it! And for the first time.... I feel like I had to raise the price I'm charging because I feel it's worth every penny! Normally I low ball myself but on this... ugh I just feel it's worth it! I'm so in love with it! Yay!

New Art : GoldenDoodle

2011-01-17T09:41:00.003-06:00

This is one of my newest paintings, a portrait of one of my mom's dogs (a goldendoodle). In the past, my portraits always turn out looking like cartoons... this one I was determined to give it a nice messy look. I really like the results!!

Christmas Tree, version 2010

2010-12-19T12:52:00.002-06:00

so pretty :)

also spotted the below ornament at a children's ice rink... ron burgundy, lol awesome.

a weekend in chicago

2010-12-14T19:16:00.010-06:00

Ok, I am slacking at blogging. Better late than never I suppose.

Just wanted to share some photos from our recent weekend mini-vacation to Chicago. They don't call it the "windy city" for nothing :)

A few weeks ago hubs and I took a mini vacation to Chicago. It was pretty awesome. Above pic is from when we were first driving into the city :)

It's so pretty there!
Our amazing amazing room!!
View from our hotel room, it was so cool!
Another view from our room!
View from our room at night!
This chaise was in our room, I WANT IT!
Hotel Cass, yea I'm kind of a big deal around here...
Yummmmy pizza!
Trump Tower
Oh yea, look closely :) hahahha
In front of the Art Museum
On our way to the Aquarium
Outside of Shedd Aquarium, the skyline is so nice!
Pretty skyline!
WHOA the line to Shedd, whoaaa....
Saw a bunch of cool things at Shedd...

Then we headed to the Sears Tower... err I mean "Willis Tower"
View from Skydeck!
Super cool views from here...

Me at Skydeck!
Looking down from the platform... creepy!!

MIA

2010-11-28T20:10:00.009-06:00

So yea it's been a while since I've been on here -- I've been a bad blogger! I'm way behind on reading my regular blogs too... oops! I brushed up on a few people and I think everyone else took a similar hiatus.

Since my last posting, quite a bit has happened!

Puppy Sam had his first birthday

I became a 2nd time great auntie to a little girl

Went to a Godsmack and Five Finger Death Punch concert

Transformed into Ke$ha for Halloween

Got promoted to a technical lead over a team of 5 people and also became supervisor to 2 people at work

Went to see my family in Michigan

Drove a 2010 Camaro

Sold a few paintings

Been lazy and havent been running, oops

Got to go on a mini vacation to Chicago

Laughed till my abs hurt thanks to my crazy ass husband!

Overal had a pretty amazing fall :-)

Lewis and Clark Half Marathon!

2010-10-03T19:40:00.007-05:00

Well, I did it! I finished my first half marathon! My time was 2 hours and 13 minutes! YAY!! I'm stoked! Theres me peeking up!
Coming up to the finish line! (in purple camo)
In purple!
Me and Shelly after finishing!
My only battle wound, the hugest blisters ive ever had in my entire life!! (warning, gross!!)
OUCH! Other than that I have some knee pain BUT I did not have any shin pain (thank you zensah compression sleeves!)

The race was awesome and I am looking forward to the next one!!

Adorable :)

2010-09-21T19:40:00.001-05:00

You've gotta be shitting me

2010-09-16T10:52:00.005-05:00

I've got shin splints again.

AGAIN!!!! >:-(

This is such bull!! Last weekend I had my long run (11 miles) and then I took 2 days off to recover. I tried running yesterday and yea... that did not go well. Basically I ran 10 minutes then hobbled the rest of the way back to my car. I even yelped out in pain when I tried to shuffle-jog back. Yea. Awesome. Oh did I mention I have a 5k this weekend and my half marathon is in like 2 weeks? Super awesome.

I am trying to troubleshoot this so I can recover and prevent this shit from happening in the future. A few observations:

I tried correcting my form because I thought maybe I was a heel striker. I think I over-corrected my form and started running on my toes. Hello shin splints.
I looked up some strengthening and warm up exercises for my shin area that I am going to try out, including wall shin raises, heel step downs, walking on toes, walking on heels, skipping, rhythm bounding, and jumping.
I also got a suggestion from Jen to try out Zensah leg compression sleeves. I thought about it but have been somewhat skeptical. I went to my local running store and I tried one on and it felt good, but just worried that it's too "gimmicky" if that makes sense... but I looked up more reviews on them and I'm pretty sure I'm going to get them. I keep seeing people say over and over that they were skeptical at first and surprised with the results... They are supposed to help with blood flow and keeping the muscles/tissue fibers warm to prevent the pain.

I think between all these things I should HOPEFULLY be better. I'll post progress as I go along... all I know for sure is this weekend will probably not be my best time, and I am more worried about the half marathon with this stupid f-ing injury. Not cool body, not cool. You better heal... and fast damn it!

A World Market Lunch

2010-09-09T22:07:00.006-05:00

Today for my lunch break, I decided to go wander around World Market. Lucky for me there is one 10 minutes from my work. :) Here are some of my favorite things right now...

First, this painting. This sounds crazy but I had a dream last night that I was painting these intricate circles (but it's the first time I've ever seen this before...) So I'm very interested in this, it's so pretty!
I also really like this one, it is HUGE and I think is a possible candidate for the dining room art.
Here is another one I saw online a while ago, I still like it but not totally crazy for it.
I LOVE this one... I mean, LOVE it. I am a sucker for fonts. :)
Here's another possible dining room contender. I do like the big huge one mentioned above better though... still very pretty!
I have been seeing these posters for like a year and I still just love them. Again... a font lover! The color is pretty awesome, a possibility for the living room... (gotta get the thumbs up from hubs though he might not really like it!)
My original plan for the dining room was to get vintage posters but Im still not totally decided yet. I was thinking what if I got a calendar like this and just kind of clustered a bunch of smaller framed pictures together...?
I REALLY like these but I'm not sure if they look too country.... but they are still in the running. I like the messages in them!
And yes of course I am a dog freak, I love fonts, and I love vintage ads, so this one is another FAVORITE. However, I'm a little afraid of my house becoming a little overwhelmed with dogs and dog things, so Im not totally sure on this either...
A very pretty welcome sign... I dont think I have a spot for it but I still thought it was adorable!
I just might go back and buy this. I keep staring at the picture. It is sooo freaking pretty!! I'm thinking it might find a home in the bathroom... I have to think about this one.... but I do love it!
I thought the white flower was very cute, could be a place to put my jewelry when I shower but not so sure about the $10 price tag. Hmm..
A very pretty curtain that I can imagine in my art room. The color didnt pick up well in the picture but it's a very pretty light yellow, and the stripes almost look like twine. It's so cool!
They also had a lot of decently priced light breesy curtains like this one. I don't really know where this particular one would go but I still really like it!
Another pretty thing I found... but not sure where the colors would fit in my house... :(
And another thing I have no idea where something like this would go but they are just so pretty to look at...
This rug was really cool...
And I can see one of these trivets in my kitchen pretty soon... they beat towels and potholders!
Ahh.. I think that was a nice lunch break. :)

A big countdown...

2010-09-09T16:04:00.001-05:00

24 DAYS UNTIL THE HALF MARATHON!

Painting Progress

2010-09-07T15:11:00.002-05:00

Dining room, finished painting!
Kitchen, half finished painting!

We have a lot of wall to cover so we're painting it in small sections, a day at a time. Apologize for the slightly grainy cellphone pics, I'll take some better ones when we have everything finished!

Like the "no doggie zone" gate? (aka, the tipped chairs? LOL)

I'm a heel striker

2010-08-26T11:52:00.004-05:00

Mentally, I feel ready to run. I am pumped, I am motivated, I'm racking up some good miles! Physically, I am in pain! :(
In the past my solution to any ankle/shin/knee pain when running has been to get a better pair of shoes. Well I do have a great pair of Mizuno running shoes that weren't cheap (and they only have about 160 miles on them) so I'm not ready to give them up yet. But this pain, especially the shin pain, has got to stop. I ice after my runs to help with the inflammation but the bottom line is, I shouldn't be running with any pain at all.

I started looking at other options for what can be done to prevent this stupid annoying injury. Maybe I'm racking on too many miles too fast? Wait that can't be it because I only increased my mileage by 1.5 miles this week. What else... maybe I need some kind of shoe insert? Maybe I need more warmup time? Maybe I just am not a runner? No... that can't be it...

And then it hit me.

My running form sucks. I am a heel striker. Someone at work this morning was talking about Vibram Five Fingers and right away I thought about my form and how my heels would be killing me if I used them. Gigantic lightbulb went off and I decided to do some research online about my form. I am definitely the prime example of how you should NOT run. At least that's what it feels like to me. I feel like this is my exact form. Although the video below is a little dry it's exactly what I needed to see to really convince myself to fix this.

While doing my research I found some cool youtube videos from a thing called Chi Running. I really like their videos. In the below video he explains another reason why it's bad to run in a heel-striker form:

"When you're running, every time you put your foot in front of your center mass, it means you're putting the brakes on with every step. So it's like pushing with one leg and stopping with the other."

See how this is counterproductive?

I am excited for my stupid shin splints to go away so I can try out these techniques. I am willing to bet I will be faster and will hopefully be running injury free.

golf!

2010-08-25T21:19:00.003-05:00

I went golfing today, and it was SO MUCH FUN!

Actually it was a work charity event so I even got paid to golf, score! I reluctantly agreed to play since I've only played once other time in my life (like 6 years ago!) but after my supervisor twisted my arm and asked me over and over again I agreed. And man I am sooo glad I did!! :)

It was awesome. :) I had a lot of bad balls but a lot of surprisingly good hits! It was a "best ball" game and I actually had the best ball 7 times during the game!! Yes!!

We didn't do so well overall though, we were a "double bogey" which I found out is really bad lol, we were +10 over par. At the end of the game my company gave us free lunch and gave away prizes for the best teams and best hits. And they also had a very special prize for the worst team.... which was us! Haha! And our gift... Golfing For Dummies! HAHA
As goofy as it is I will actually be watching this and taking notes :) I want to go golfing again!

Running and Challenges

2010-08-24T10:27:00.006-05:00

No matter how short or long my run is, usually this is my thought process in any run...

Mile 1: Wow. I feel amazing. I can’t believe I feel this good. I’ve got this thing. In the bag. I can keep this pace up for __ miles, no prob.

Halfway point: Really, only halfway? Not sure I have another half of a race in these legs. Why do they hurt so much? And why am I breathing so hard? And why has my pace crept up by 35 seconds?

One mile from finish: Racing sucks. Running sucks. Nike+ sucks. Especially mine, which is clearly not synchronized correctly. Because my pace is a minute slower than it was at mile 1.

Thankfully after each run I usually am feeling really good and thankful and proud that I was able to finish it. I figure if I can run 5 miles, 13.1 will be doable.

Although I slacked a little in beginning my training program, this is what it looks like. During the week, I run 30-40 minutes 2-4 times a week. On the weekends, I have my long run. I just finished my week 3, 8 mile run.

My 8 mile run this week was extremley challenging. I only increased my run by 1.5 miles so you'd think it wouldn't be THAT hard but I tell you what... running 6.5 miles in 79 degree weather in the shade is a lot different than running 8 miles in 89 degree weather in the direct sunlight and after a workday. Makes a huge difference!!

My run was so difficult, it was like with every step I took the breath was being knocked out from my lungs. I had to walk a LOT which was dissapointing. Even though I did go 8 miles I didn't feel like I was at my max potential. It took me 1 hour 33 minutes and I was hoping for 1 hour 20 minutes (11:23 pace v.s. 10:00 pace). A little frustrating but also motivational to keep training myself for the even longer run coming up.

If you didn't already gather, I am officially registered for the Lewis and Clark Half Marathon! It is October 3rd at 7:15am. Ken and I are considering getting a hotel in the area the night before so we can be at the race early enough (for parking we need to be there at like 6am!!) and it's a 40 minute drive from our house so it might be worth it to get a cheap hotel for the night (as long as they aren't all already booked up!!)

I have a lot of emotions floating around about this run... a lot of confidence but also a lot of pride, I want a decent time where I'm not embarrased to say it. Anything near 3 hours would be really dissapointing for me. I would really love to be between 2-2:30... So I need to keep running! (INJURY FREE RUNNING IS KEY!!) I'm sure I'll be blogging more about this rollercoaster to my first half marathon...

I am very excited to be able to slap one of THESE on my car :-)

AND... hopefully I dont finish like this... OMG!

Running motivation...

2010-08-23T13:52:00.005-05:00

Following my half marathon training plan, today I am running 8 miles. It's the longest I've ran in a few years. I am excited and a little freaked out at the same time. So to get myself motivated, I started looking up more running motivation videos on youtube. I just HAD to share this one... even if you're not into running it is still funny :)

And of course, one of my all time favorite motivational videos :)

Let there be PAINT

2010-08-22T21:10:00.001-05:00

I am so excited.... we finally decided on a wall color for our kitchen/dining/living room, and I can't WAIT!! It's Valspar Notre Dame.
Haha... um no that is not my living room. Unfortunately the below picture is as far as I got on our place, but the biggest step has been taken. A final decision on the color. AMEN!! This weekend Ken and I are both taking a long weekend so hopefully we can get it done. :) I am so excited to get this grey/beige paint up!!!

Oooh... he got ICED!

2010-08-17T16:32:00.003-05:00

Do any of your friends play this stupid ass game? Where you get ICED?

If you have no idea what I'm talking about basically it's when... you know what I can't even describe it because it's so stupid. Anyway, here are their rules:

You cannot refuse an Ice. If you refuse to drink the Ice, you are instantly excommunicated and shunned, and thus can never Ice another bro or be Iced. If you are Iced by another bro, you can Ice block. When presented w/ an Ice, you can pull out an Ice of your own and reverse the Ice on your bro. The ultimate Ice insult.

Seriously how dumb is this? A group of my friends constantly play this and are constantly (and I mean CONSTANTLY) posting pics of each other getting iced. Click HERE for another article about it's stupidity.

Anyways, we all love and adore Daniel Tosh and he's done it again with a hilarious stab to the Icing game. This is so awesome. :)

Fleur De Lis No. 4

2010-08-15T15:19:00.003-05:00

This fleur de lis was painted by request from my friend Danielle! Her parents are in love with fleur de lis and she wanted to give them something that would match a specific room. She requested navy and other neutral colors.
After many trial and errors (and many layers of paint haha) I finally came up with a lovely finished product! I just need to let it dry and then I need to varnish it and then it'll be good for gifting! I just need to get the thumbs up from my friend! :) I hope she and her family likes it!

a little robin

2010-08-15T13:43:00.001-05:00

Just a little robin painting for my 3 year old niece Robin! Actually have had this one for a while just haven't taken pics until today, hoping to have it in the mail tomorrow!

retro decor heaven

2010-08-13T12:21:00.008-05:00

I was just browsing some ads on Craigslist and got linked to what may be the coolest store in St. Louis! This gem actually is in St. Louis! I can't believe it!! It's like a gigantic Craigslist ad in here!! OMGosh!!

It is called TFA and located near Tower Grove Park. Click HERE for store's site! Has anyone been here before???

Retro decor lovers, be warned, you may squeal when you go thru these photos... It's kinda like a retro furniture lover's porn up in here...

How amazing is this light!!!!
All this glassware and all these trinkets... ah!
danish danish everywhere!
so many pretty things i dont even know where to start!
how do you pick just one?!!
what a lovely china cabinet!!
hummana hummana hummana....
awwdi aawdi awwdi
the lines, the design, i can't take it!
MORE trinkets and glassware!
vintage games and toys!! aah!
who needs a footstool! meeeee!!
hello you lovely little shelf you... girl you lookin good tonight! ow ow!
danishapalooza
these could make for some seriously cute curtains!
colored glass, helloooo
DRUM LAMPSHADES ARE YOU SERIOUS
starburst.... yowoooooga!
green couch i will gladly sit on you
hey who took my living room??!!!
must.... stop... drooling... on... keyboard.....
hello pretty little things
does the cool furniture ever end???
NOOO IT DOESNT!!
purple chairs for real!!
Omgosh. Ugh. Somebody get me a cigarette.

(joking :)

eye candy: art room edition

2010-08-05T15:35:00.010-05:00

Well, I thought it out, and have decided on the layout that I want for my work-in-progress art room. I could call it a studio but that sounds a little more uppity than me so I'm gonna go with "art room" :)

As for the colors, I want to stay kind of neutral but have some really fun pops of color. I need to keep a white wall for photographs but would really like a "greige" color. Was considering a fun blue wall but the room is already small and I don't want to cast any specific color all over the room. Would look weird in my painting photos :)

Here's an inspiration photo I found, I love the grey and white with pops of turquoise and yellow.And how pretty is this... I would just look around all day and not get anything done b/c it's so pretty hahaha...
I also like this picture because it shows a lot of the functional stuff that could be used for a crafty art room!

Anywho, here is what I am thinking... I need:

Storage for all my paints and other crafty things
Storage and a small working area for things I frequently use, right next to easel
A table for a flat working area, where I can lay down my canvases or do any packaging work

For the larger storage, I am thinking of a bookshelf. Something I can slide baskets into. This Ikea Expedit shelf would actually be perfect... and it only runs at $70 which isn't bad for such a stylish shelf.And imagine that shelf with casters on the bottom! Love!

I have some cheapo turquoise baskets I snagged at Target for $1 each that I think would be super cute in there.
Ideally, I would like a small rolling cart for my smaller storage next to my easel. Something similar to this would be perfect! This particular one is $130 at CB2. But I'm cheap. :)
Another ideal item would be a chair like this, I especially love the middle one with the grey and white stripes. But again I'm cheap and won't pay $100 for one chair. I found some similar ones at Target but you can only buy them in sets of 2 and I only want 1.
I also like the idea of a clean simple chair like this - one that is super easy for cleanup if I do have a paint spill. Yet again, I'm cheap... just want to show a little comparison and how easy it is to save $180 on a very similar styled chair! I do really like this Ikea one...
I also like these from Ikea, they'd offer a nice little pop of color which I suppose is good for a room that needs to spew creativity and art!
I have everything mapped out in my head of what I want and about how much I would need to spend. Only problem is I am the queen of unfinished projects so I can only really start this after I finish some things that have been lingering all year. :) But hopefully before the end of the year I can have some pretty before and after pictures of my art room!! :)

Hope you enjoyed the eye candy!

Hot Hot Day in STL

2010-08-03T16:15:00.001-05:00

Per weather.com... right now the heat index is 119 degrees!!!! AAAAHHHH!!!!!

from my recipe box: Cassi's Comfort Chicken 'N Gravy Casserole

2010-08-02T20:49:00.007-05:00

Cassi's Comfort Chicken 'N Gravy Casserole

This is something I randomly whipped together recently and it turned out to be a new comfort food fave in the Shaw Casa. A lot of these ingredients can be tweaked to suit your tastes but this is what I use and it turns out delicious every time! :) It is a little time consuming but is super easy for your average Jane. Definitely not organic or natural, and... definitely not healthiest... but it's sooo yummy :) (oh and I thought I had a picture but I can't find it, so here's a google'd pic of what it looks like, minus the veggies!)
INGREDIENTS:

Vegetable oil (or EVOO whichever you prefer)
1/2 tbs minced garlic
1/4 tsp cumin
Sprinkle of chilli powder
Jumbo butter flavor biscuits (buttermilk would be fine too)
Southeastern Mills Country Gravy Mix (2 bags)
Potato Buds Instant Potatoes (or if you're really ambitious homemade will be even better)
Chicken Tenderloins (I use enough to cover a 9 x 9 inch baking pan, eyeball it!)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees (or whatever the biscuit recipe you are using calls for)
Cook potatoes as directed on the box. Use 3-4 serving size.
Lightly grease 9 x 9 glass baking dish. Spread potatoes evenly on the bottom of the dish.
Cook gravy mix as directed on package.
Cut chicken into very small pieces. Heat up oil (enough to coat the bottom of the pan), garlic, cumin, and chilli powder. Cook chicken in this mixture until done.
Mix the chicken and gravy together. Spread this mixture over the potatoes in your baking dish. Don't mix with the potatoes, simply layer over them.
Place the biscuits on top of the chicken & gravy mix.
Cook for 15 minutes or until golden brown and biscuits are cooked.
Let cool and ENJOY!!

And to answer your next question, yes this is perfectly acceptable to eat for your beach body. Or my Vegas poolside body in a month. Trust me. :) lol

giddy

2010-07-29T12:47:00.003-05:00

I am so giddy...
Oh so soon...

Hubs and I will be here...

For our first anniversary gift to eachother...

We love Vegas!

Hello pool... soon we will be together... :)

Craigslist Freaks

2010-07-29T10:54:00.003-05:00

A local radio morning show started a weekly bit that I always catch on my drive into work. It's the Craigslist Freak of the Week. They go out to the St. Louis Craigslist ads and find the weirdest most freakish people and read their ads on the radio.

This week seemed to be one of the freakiest week of freaks so far.

It's a long bit but it's freakin funny. Warning warning warning... it is vulgar so if you are easily offended or are around other people who may be offended, either don't listen or put on headphones. Just a warning! *You should actually be good to start listening around 3:30 and stop around like 12:30 or so

eye candy

2010-07-27T12:28:00.009-05:00

Sooo yea. I am kind of obsessed with Danish/Scandinavian furniture. The clean lines, the shapes, I don't know where this obsession came from but I just love this type of furniture. I type "Eames" in Ebay and just drool browsing the eye candy. Main problem is even though the stuff is from the 50's-70's it's still kind of pricey for me. I guess I'll have to keep an eye on Craigslist and Ikea for some cheaper alternatives!

So for now, I'm just going to keep staring at the furniture... ah... so pretty!

So. Pretty. Via

This would look so awesome in my soon to be "studio" - Via

Via

This is like an hour south of me... swoon...Via

Loving this purple - Via

Via

I can just picture this with a white fluffy pillow - Via

Via

Just needs a little TLC - Via

Via

1956 Credenza Via

swoon.
(wiping drool off keyboard)

It's on like donkey kong.

2010-07-25T21:42:00.004-05:00

The first painting is shipped! SCORE! Now that I did some shipping research (with the help of my amazing husband!) I feel more prepared for next time. I'm still getting the supplies but I'll be able to box and pack them for next to nothing, then I want to be able to buy the shipping labels and print them from home so I don't get any more unexpected pricey visits to the post office! HOLLA! :)

Today I took a bunch of new pictures of the paintings I want to sell and finally posted them on my Etsy store. (yes, expect lots of shameless plugs here lol) I think they turned out AWESOME and I am excited with the way the store looks with more than 2 items in it. Right now I've got 7 paintings for sale! SA-WEET! Check em out! Oh AND Ken is helping me tremendously by designing a website that's currently "under construction", as soon as it's all prettied up I'll soon be linking you all there AND to my etsy site. Lucky you lol!! :)

I also took a mini sneak peek picture of a piece I'm working on for a friend. Eventually this will also have a fleur de lis on it, just still debating on colors and the whole "vibe" of it all.

Adventures in Etsyland

2010-07-23T09:21:00.006-05:00

Creating a painting… fun!
Posting up a painting to sell… exciting!
Selling first painting on Etsy… UBER exciting!

Shipping first painting ever… the suck!!!

So, I just sold my first painting on Etsy, and I knew that shipping might be a little steep due to the canvas size BUT, I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into yesterday afternoon. A lot of lessons learned the hard way!

First, I work on this cute way to package the painting, so I get some brown paper and wrap it up. I also tie some cute rope around it with an envelope attached that says “thank you!” and it has the receipts inside. This thing is adorable.

I go to a shipping store that will pack my painting up for me. I find out there is a special wax paper they offer that will protect the paint. I decide that might be better than my cute wrapping job so I tear off my wrapping. The guy working there then gives me a quote for packing and shipping…

$45 effing dollars.

So let me explain why this is way to freaking much….

I charged $50 for the painting. I collected about $48.00 after fees. Minus $45 in shipping, that gives me a whopping $3 in profit.

Um… yea… NO!I went ahead and bought the box for $8 and then got the rest of the packing materials (bubble wrap & peanuts) from the in-laws. I still need to ship it BUT here’s another oopsie. In my posting I said I would ship via Fed Ex. Well yea that’s not going to happen. It’s going USPS because this beast costs waaaay too much to go the Fed Ex route. Hopefully the customer won't really notice that one.

I am actually going to USPS during my lunch to ship this beast, but I’m thinking it will cost right around $15-$20. Tack on the box and my total shipping cost is $23-28. Hrm. Not how much I want to be spending every time but I suppose it beats the original $45 quote.

So, a few lessons learned here. As much as I want to be very affordable on the paintings I also need to look out for #1… so I am either going to increase the price of the paintings to help cover shipping, or I’ll keep the price of the paintings the same but ask for like $15 towards shipping. AND I’m not going to specify which mail carrier I’m going to use… I’ll use whatever will get it there to you the fastest for the cheapest rate.

Ugh… big lessons learned in my life in etsyland!

OMGosh I just sold my first painting on Etsy!!

2010-07-21T10:31:00.003-05:00

Holy crap, I just sold my first painting on Etsy!!!!

Here is what I sold:I AM SO FREAKIN STOKED!!! YAAAAY!!!!!

Now I gotta figure out my packaging! I need to come up with a cute little business card or a thank you tag to go with it! As soon as my PayPal account verifies I'll be sending it off!!!

OMGOSH!!! A complete stranger bought one of MY paintings!!! AAAH!!! Incredible, incredible, I am doing the happy dance like crazy!!!

OVER THE MOON!!! :-D

Celebrating our first Anniversary!

2010-07-19T10:56:00.007-05:00

Our anniversary was so much fun! The in-laws got us Cardinals tickets to the Champions Club, it was really nice!

We got this cute pic taken by the people at the stadium but it costs $10 just for one picture! Screw that lol... so don't mind the "PROOF" on my head! :)
View from our seats...

CHAMPIONS!!

This game was a winner!! :)
After the game we met up with some of our friends at Paddy-O's which is always a good time on game days!

Had an awesome anniversary!! :)

Our gift to eachother is somewhat traditional in that it is paper...

We are going to Vegas!!!! YAY!!! We're going in a few weeks and I am so excited! The objective of the trip is to RELAX so we'll be laying poolside pretty much the entire time. Aaahhh... gonna be so perfect! Just what we need!!

Happy First Wedding Anniversary Babe!

2010-07-18T11:00:00.003-05:00

Things we've done in our first year of marriage...

Honeymooned in Las Vegas

Slowly worked on turning our house into a home

Celebrated Mischa's first birthday with mud

Laughed A LOT!

Went to Cardinals games including opening day 2010

Went on the Budweiser brewery tour

Went to our first Packers game together

Played in a softball league together

Put up Christmas lights on the outside of our house for the first time

Started your TekDoctor business and my Canvas by Cassi store

Learned how to sleep in bed with an 80 pound Labrador

Played a little beer pong and had a lot of outdoor parties

Sat around the bonfire singing 15 seconds to humdinger

Started our family by raising our first puppy and brought home our second

Had the best year of our lives thus far! I can't wait to see what happens next year, and the next, and the next, and the next, and the next....

Happy first wedding anniversary baby I love you more than anything!

painters quote

2010-07-16T09:38:00.001-05:00

Cutsom paintings and playing with colors

2010-07-15T10:20:00.006-05:00

In case you don't already know, I love art. I absolutely love a thick canvas with layers and layers of paint filled with texture and beautiful colors... the types of paintings you just need to touch... yea, art is awesome! Hope you're prepared for a long read :)

Earlier this year I picked up the paintbrush after a pretty long hiatus and started painting with the idea of selling the pieces on Etsy. I never go into a painting with a real plan other than what subject I have in mind like a fleur de lis, an abstract composition, a bird, a flower, whatever... All of my paintings are totally random and sporadic... even if I tried to make two identical paintings it would never work... every little brush stroke is completely random!

This is all good and dandy until I get a request for a specific painting. I.E. A dog, a magnolia, or a navy fleur de lis. Each of these examples are some of my... well, not my proudest paintings. I painted two dog portraits for my mom which I tried to make look very loose but they both look very cartoonish. I've had the third dog painting stuck "in progress" for like a year now. It's a golden doodle and I'm still trying to figure that one out. The magnolia I had to try twice, even then I like my finished product but I'm not in love with it.

The navy fleur de lis painting is my newest victim. A friend of mine noticed I have a small collection of fleur de lis paintings and she told me that her parents are huge New Orleans people and have their house decorated with fleur de lis all over. She asked if I could make a fleur de lis painting for her parent's as a gift! Of course I said YES! I am totally flattered that someone likes my stuff enough to ask me for something custom! Her only request was that it have navy in it to match the room it would hang in.

I have a fairly large canvas (20x20") which has tons of textured layered navy paint for the background and a somewhat attractively shaped fleur de lis in a cream color.

Just one problem. It's fugly.

Now, if this was in a eye popping red, or even a soothing green, I'd probably be in love with it. But there's just something about navy that is not appealing to me on canvas... I just can't seem to tweak it right to make it attractive...

I did a little digging on Etsy and did find a few cool navy paintings that I might use as inspiration... this first one is my favorite I adore this...

Looking back over these I think I need to try mixing two different shades of blue in the painting, and then add in a little pop of color. Now for the fleur de lis I am thinking of keeping it very light but again... sporadic me... I have no idea how it will turn out lol...

Wish me luck with my fugly to giftable painting!

from my recipe box : peppercorn pork burgers

2010-07-14T15:53:00.005-05:00

I decided I want to start posting up some of my favorite recipes... things that we tend to make a lot in the Shaw Casa. This is a great one for summertime...

Peppercorn Pork Burgers

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
2 pounds ground pork
3-6 cloves garlic, grated or minced (more or less to taste, I am a huge garlic lover)
1 teaspoon thyme
salt
gouda cheese slices
buns/rolls

Directions:

Place peppercorns in plastic food storage bag and crack them with mallet or small pan to a very coarse grind. Combine peppercorns with pork, garlic, thyme, and some salt. Makes 6-8 patties, make them thinner in the center for even cooking. Grease pan (I prefer Pam spray or something like that) and cook burgers over medium-high heat. Cook until done, top with gouda cheese slices, and serve on toasty bun.
..........

I prefer to cook these in a pan on a stovetop. We tried grilling them before and they kind of just fell apart, but if done right I bet they would do well on a grill... I just prefer the stovetop! I personally don't like any veggies on this but feel free to add whatever fixings you like on this! I've never made them into mini burgers before but I bet they would be awesome if served that way at a party or something!

Enjoy! :) If anyone tries this I would love to hear about it!

new layout, old song

2010-07-13T22:25:00.004-05:00

So I tinkered with my layout, if you checked this at all you probably have seen about 80-ish different modifications! Anywho... what do you think? I REALLY like it!!

Oh and, I need opinions... honestly, is it annoying when music automatically starts playing when you visit a blog?

On another musical note, today I pulled out an old burnt CD which had "dance in the car" written on the top. (now everything is mp3's... anyone else find old mixed cd's? mine are hilarious!)

Going thru the songs I heard Destiny's Child Bootylicious, BEP Hey Mama, Daddy Yankee Gasolina, Juvenile Back that ass up, and then the one that made me laugh and then sort of shake my butt as I drove the rest of the way home.

You know it. Go ahead, sing the words, you know you remember them. :)
(by the way, I looked up when the song was released, and it was June 2000... happy 10 year anniversary thong song!)

That's it, it's gotta be done

2010-07-13T21:04:00.005-05:00

I am one of those people who cringe at the thought of taking a test. No matter how much I study I get that pit in my stomach and I just dread it.

Although I'm in the Information Technology field, READING about the products I use and actually USING the products are two different things. And well my friends, my attention span while reading is shorter than a midget. Ask me how many books I've read in 2010.... no really, ask me...

Oh you want to know how many books I've read this year?

.75. Yep. Not even one yet. I've been reading Dean Koontz "From the Corner of His Eye" since at least last fall. Great story, and I want to finish it, but dang... I've never been that much of a reader.
Anyways... what I'm getting at is this equation:

Cassi + Reading + Technical Material + Technical Test = Scared Cassi

But, if there is no Cassi + Technical Test, it will not = raise. And that = Sad Cassi.

So yea, I have to do it. My sights are set on 70-236 Configuring Exchange Server 2007 by the end of September. That gives me a good 2 months to study and prepare.

Did I mention that my company will reimburse me for any passed certification tests? Oh and did I also mention that I already have all of the study material available to me?

Yea, I'm an idiot. I have to study.

...

And yet I am blogging. :) Oops.

please pardon the whacko colors...

2010-07-08T23:24:00.002-05:00

I'm trying to revamp this thing a little and cannot freaking figure out how to change some of these colors... specifically the crazy font color of the titles of the posts. Grr... no more red please! If you see some craziness w/ colors for a little while please disregard! :)

a little before and after

2010-07-08T21:41:00.005-05:00

I have a grand vision for the house of being able to provide dramatic before and after pictures for my blog, alas... I am lazy and indecisive! ha! Hey just being real :-) I can look at magazines and catalogs and blogs and websites all damn day pointing out things I absolutely LOVE but I honestly suck at putting it together and actually doing it in my own home. The kitchen/dining/living room is my biggest challenge, but that will take up another entire post at a later time... anyways, I digress...

Here is my first real before and after photo that I feel pretty good about! There are still some things I need to do like paint the trim, replace the dingy colored blinds, and maybe find some cooler things for the shelves. BUT... enough talk. Here are the pictures!

These are photos of our bathroom right before we closed on the house. Missing trim, missing faucet, missing mirrors...

And kaboom! We moved in and made it a bright modern and feminine oasis :)

We kind of have a mix of neutral colors but it doesn't really bother me!
My splurge... a Marimekko shower curtain I got from Crate and Barrel. I LOVE it... I have a thing for botanical silhouettes! Yes they put in octagon mirrors. At first I hated them but they've kinda grown on me. They have "character" right? :)
The paint color is Behr Grass Cloth and the painting (surprise surprise I actually didn't paint this one!) was a $20 steal from Urban Outfitters a few years ago.
That wall was looking pretty bare so we decided to put up some cute shelves. First I taped exactly where I wanted them with some painters tape, asked the husband to help me out and...
Tada!! I think they are so cute! I think they were like $10 at Target. I suck at organizing shelves so I just found things similar to what was on the box and organized them just like the picture!
Yay I have a home improvement before and after picture!! (happy dance!)

double rainbow... it's so intense!

2010-07-08T21:28:00.002-05:00

You may have already seen this but I can't help but laugh... This guy really likes rainbows!!

Double rainbow all across the sky! Aaaaaaaaaa!!

I sooo wish I could do this!

2010-07-08T21:23:00.003-05:00

I have a career in IT but unfortunately scripting/coding are not my strong points. If they were though, I'd definitely be considering applying here... this video is awesome, I love the cheese factor hahaha... I know there are a few etsy-ans that read this so hopefully you enjoy too!

recipes for the simple cook

2010-07-06T15:24:00.005-05:00

While looking up recipes for tonight's Italian night dinner, I stumbled into a very cool recipe site that I will be surfing more often for ideas... simplyrecipes.com.

If you are a simple cook like me... like a few ingredients, pretty easy recipes, and normal ingredients (like stuff I've eaten before, some sites have weird stuff I've never even heard of!)... then you should take a peek at the site too.

They even have pictures of all their recipes, and even some step by step pictures. How awesome. :) Tonight I'm going to be making THIS to go with the crispy bread... mmmm.. I heart garlic.

my etsy

2010-07-04T12:54:00.003-05:00

Well, I finally did it. I finally posted my first item up for sale on etsy.com! :)
I'm a little freaked out and excited, I'm not sure if I'll get any bites but I have my first item UP! I'll be putting more up pretty soon.

I really wanted to have more paintings ready to go but I think I'm just going to start posting what is ready to go now, so if/when I do sell something, I can purchase more canvases so I can keep creating! EEK!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/canvasbycassi

Oh and I still haven't been able to settle on a final banner yet. That might change like 20 more times before I can decide :) I wish I was a graphic designer LOL :)

my goodwill great finds!

2010-07-04T11:03:00.008-05:00

I love retro stuff. I love creativity. So it's only natural that I have been super inspired by Sara’s blog at Hennesey House.

Not everything is my style but I really enjoy the retro stuff and the way she can revamp pretty much anything! I also admire her cheapo steals from Goodwill… so I decided to give our local Goodwill a whirl. And HOLY MACAROLE I’m glad I did!! I got:

1 lamp base ($6)2 pillows ($4 each) Cute set of doves ($1—which I also saw on Etsy at one point for like $15) all they needed was a quick coat of white spraypaint... And two candlesticks ($2 each).

All together, $20!!! SCORE!! There were a plethora of frames there too so whenever I decide to do a little family picture collage in our house I’ll definitely be looking there for some frames that can easily be repainted.

There actually were a lot of other cute things I wanted to take home but decided to take it easy. In particular there was this amazing dresser that had Danish written all over it… omg it was totally me, and only $40, but I couldn’t bring myself to get it. (I should have taken a picture!) Hubs would come home and be like, “now where are we supposed to fit this?? And who is gonna refinish it?” lol… I’m kinda bad with “refinishing” projects. J I have every intention of doing them but I never finish them hahaha…. I'm working on that :)

We just so happened to be bumming around one weekend and I spotted this awesome mirror in Phillips Furniture, going for $129. As soon as I showed it to Ken, he gave me the idea of making something like this on my own. Just find a mirror, and make the frame, boom done!

After we left I talked him into going to Goodwill just to look around... and I found this adorable retro pitcher for $5:
AND... THIS!!!For only $40!!

I swear my parents had this same exact mirror when I was growing up! My plan is to sand down the frame and refinish it in a brushed/hammered looking silver paint so somewhat resemble the more expensive option in the furniture store. I found this spray paint in Home Depot, I love the idea of the hammered finish but I am a little worried about spray painting it.
The mirror is really stapled in there good and I'm afraid if we took it apart we'd never get it back together. Maybe I could cover the mirror really well and spray away.. hrm... Or I could give it an aged kind of look like this... Any suggestions are welcome you DIY'ers :)

Goodwill might not be for everybody but for someone who doesnt mind putting in a little work and a little creativity and appreciates some retro stuff and loves saving money... it's worth it! I'm going to be putting Goodwill on my list of places to peek around in next time I am looking for house stuff on the cheap. :)

a baby shower and a diaper party!

2010-07-04T10:22:00.006-05:00

Two of our friends are about to have a baby girl named Ava, mommy-to-be had her baby shower and I was asked to be the photographer… and I got my first DSLR experience. Don’t judge too much on the quality of the pictures though because I didn’t really know what I was doing and just had it set to “Auto” the whole time. :)
Oh and I have to give myself props for my cute wrapping job :)Isnt this cake so cute? It was DELISH.
Seriously she is such a cute preggo lady!
And presents!
And of course lots of clothes :)

We also were asked to host the daddy-to-be’s diaper party. If you’re scratching your head wondering what this is, it’s kind of like the guy’s baby shower… except it’s a big party, and the guys bring packs of diapers instead of beer! We got a keg and made all the food, I also tried my hand at a diaper cake and I have to say I am pretty proud of it! I found directions HERE and it worked pretty well for me!

There was a lot of this:
And a lot of these:
Here's papa with some of the diapers...
We should have taken a pic of them with the amount of diapers at the end of the night! I think they were as tall as Sean!

Congrats Amber and Sean!

Mud Run

2010-07-04T10:03:00.003-05:00

I'm sure anyone who read about the mud run is expecting some really dirty funny photos. Prepare to be slightly dissapointed!

The mud run went well, but I do think it’ll be my first and last time doing that! I thought I’d be the type to dive and crawl in the mud but when the time came it stunk like poo and my inner girlie came out. I did go through all the mud pits but I just couldn’t bring myself to crawl! It was entertaining watching some people go all gung ho though!! Here's proof that I DID get muddy: And other proof that I wussed out of crawling thru the mud pits:The finish line:

Another reason I don’t think I’ll be doing one again is because in 2006 I sprained my ankle pretty bad and it’s been bothering me lately, and running on uneven ground didn’t really help it out so… I’ll be sticking to road races!

pounding the pavement

2010-06-30T16:49:00.003-05:00

So, I have a ton of stuff drafted up to post about but since I am short on pictures right now and I'm itching to write something, I figure why not post about my newest little obsession...

RUNNING!

Yes I know I have been running a lot but I've honestly been kinda slacking. I record my runs on dailymile.com and when I looked at my history I was very mad at myself for how little I was running. Plus one Monday morning, I weighed myself, and really did not like what I saw. Normally women don't say their weight but I will anyway just for my own accountability. I weighed in at 163.8. I'm used to being right around the 150ish mark (and even then I always wished I was 140) but now I was over the 160 mark and going up. NOT COOL.

So last week I stepped up my game and ran 14 miles over 4 days! And yesterday, I felt so bad for not working out during the weekend, I ran 7 miles! :) I am experiencing a little shin and ankle pain but other than that I'm feeling great!
AND... the most rewarding part... I weighed myself this morning and came in at 158.8. 5 lbs lost in a little over a week!!! AAAH YES!

Now here's the challenge... don't spring back up. I've gotta keep this momentum going and keep on pushing myself to work it.

And plus, I have new motivation to run/tone up. We're trying to plan a trip to Vegas in about 2 months, and the plan is to relax and lay poolside all weekend. Which means a swimsuit!! AAH! A scary thought right now but hopefully in the next 2 months I can have some nice weight loss blog posts. I'm not obese by any means but definitely don't feel my best... dont like the way my clothes fit and don't like the way I look in a picture. So yea I gotta work on that.

Wish me luck!!! :-D WOOPWOOP!

MIA

2010-06-13T20:52:00.003-05:00

I know I've been MIA for a while but I do have a ton to write about... just no time! Will be rolling again soon!!

Just a side note, a friend of mine is letting me borrow her dslr camera so I'll be playing with it for a little while... :) hydrangea in my yard!

i must be loosing my mind

2010-06-04T12:50:00.007-05:00

Last weekend, I ran in my first hot weather 5k. Sweating basketballs I tell ya.

I also became an "official" Road Warrior when I got my fancy schmancy running jersey! It says "ROAD WARRIORS" on the front and has a POW/MIA tribute on the back :)

Road Warriors is a running group that is not competitive, but more like a big support group! So when we're running a race, it's easy to spot us and to cheer eachother on! It feels kinda cool to be able to say that I'm in a running group... never saw that one coming!

On another note, I got 2nd place in my age group in that race! Go me!

Now, here's where I think I might be crazy. I agreed to participate in a mud run.
Let me say again. MUD. RUN.
That means... running thru the mud, crawling thru the mud, running thru the mud, crawling thru the mud, running thru the mud, crawling thru the mud, running thru the mud, crawling thru the mud, etc etc etc...for 3.1 miles... see how I must be crazy? This is voluntary folks!! HA!Here are the FAQ's they have on their website:

Will I get wet? DEFINITELY!

Will I get dirty? GUARANTEED -- THE CLOTHES YOU WEAR WILL NEVER COME CLEAN!

Will I lose my shoes? BETTER BRING A ROLL OF INDUSTRIAL DUCT TAPE! YOU'LL WANT TO TAPE YOUR SHOES TO YOUR PANTS SO THE MUD PITS DON'T SUCK THEM RIGHT OFF YOUR FEET!

I've gotta admit that I am a little freaked out, but I think it'll be fun! Thankfully they have some clean water for us to wash off with at the end! woo!Enjoy this video to see exactly what I have in store... yikes!

Hopefully I'll have some fun pics up here soon! And hopefully I don't end up like this guy! HAHA...

(I really shouldn't have just laughed there, I think I just jinxed myself... damn!)

warning! cute video ahead!

2010-06-03T11:16:00.002-05:00

It took a few tries, but our 6 month lab finally realized that the pool is not for standing there and looking around, but for HAVING FUN! here he is, finally figuring it out :-)

bonfire ends in brawl over religion, demons

2010-06-02T19:50:00.008-05:00

In local news... (trust me it's worth reading for the picture at the end)

"A father and his two sons landed in jail after talk of religion and demons at a Memorial Day weekend bonfire led to a drunken brawl.

Prosecutors charged Timothy Neal, 44, of Elk Grove Village, and twin sons, Timothy Wade Neal and Daniel Allan Neal, both 18, with felony mob action on Tuesday. Their bond is set at $30,000 each, according to court documents.

The Madison County Sheriff’s Department said deputies were called to the 1200 block of Clifton Street near Collinsville around 4 a.m. on Saturday to respond to a report of battery.

“The victim had been talking about religion and demons when the other three became upset and started whipping up on him,” said Madison County Sheriff’s Capt. Brad Wells.

Wells said he didn’t know what specific religious issue incited the fight, but that talk of demons apparently put the fight over the edge. He said that eyewitnesses support the victim’s claims.

The victim had injuries to his face and was taken to an area hospital.

The two twin sons were also charged with illegal consumption of alcohol by a minor."

Still reading? Ok now... you get to enjoy the pictures... first the twin sons...

And now... the best part... the father...

SERIOUSLY?!!! Hahaha... that.... shirt.... breath.... HAHAHAHA.... that is too effing funny... EVEN THE FONT IS THE SAME!!! Hahahaha! aaah.... this was entertaining to me :)

snippet

2010-06-02T12:16:00.002-05:00

no time to blog, but lots to write about. for now just wanted to share this pretty little thing i found. :)

(if anyone knows who to credit this to let me know!)

just a little summer fun

2010-05-24T21:59:00.002-05:00

We finally bought a little pool for the dogs because we figured they'd be diving in... labs love water right?

Well, ours sorta liked the pool... It think they need to get warmed up to it but we managed to dunk our little guy Sam (haha) and got to laugh our butts off at Mischa.

You know how kiddie pools usually have little cartoons painted on the bottom of the pool? Well, Mischa wanted to get them... she was digging and digging and digging... she was like, really focusing on those little ducks at the bottom! She is so freakin funny!

pretty yard!

2010-05-24T21:43:00.003-05:00

After months of talking about doing some landscaping in front of our house, we finally actually did it!
We tore out all the ivy (which is a HUGE pain in the butt), we ripped out all the weeds and random bushes that we did not like, laid down weed block, edged with 50 stones, and poured in mulch. Voila! I'd really like to plant peonies and/or hydrangeas, but I have to do a little homework to make sure I can keep them alive :)

It was a lot more work than I thought it would be, but it is super rewarding seeing these results. We have another garden in the back yard that we want to tackle next, when we get it done I'll be having more before and after pics!

Oh and just for reference, here is the before picture! Yikes!

the best laugh

2010-05-18T20:14:00.002-05:00

seriously, this has to be one of the best baby laughs... thank you random videos from friends on facebook :)

light composition

2010-05-15T10:53:00.002-05:00

Meet my newest painting! I should try to be more creative with the names of these, I just named it Light Composition. I really like the colors of this one! I'm honestly debating if I want to sell this one or hang it on my own wall :) We will see! What do you think of it?

just another puppy growing up pic!

2010-05-12T18:18:00.003-05:00

little sammy sam, 5 1/2 months!

sleep

2010-05-10T18:37:00.004-05:00

Lately I've become really frustrated with sleep. I can sleep pretty much at anytime, anywhere, it doesn't matter. I'm always SO TIRED lately.

I drink coffee every day but I've become pretty much immune to the caffeine in it.
For lunch it's not uncommon for me to go to my car and take a nap (not kidding!)

Even after lunch it's like I can't function at work without a little help from an energy pill to keep me going thru the rest of the day.

And anytime after 9:30pm, it's like I have narcolepsy. I can be sitting up having a conversation with hubs and I'll fall asleep.

This is very frustrating!!

I'm wondering what I can do to feel just AWAKE. I'm not sure if I need to eat differently or what but something needs to change... this whole sleepy thing all the time is so annoying. The only thing I can think of is Ken told me I've started snoring a LOT lately. Like loud enough to wake him up. :( So maybe that has something to do with it? I don't know! GAH... any ideas out there?

What do you do to stay awake and full of energy???

playtime!

2010-05-06T22:26:00.002-05:00

So yea just in case you haven't heard or forgot, our dogs are freakin cute! Look at her... she looks like a bucking bronco!
Look what I got!! LOL I love her facial expression here! We play fetch almost every day!
I feel so lucky to have this huge field for them to run in! They look like a mirror reflection of each other! :)
Runnin!! They both have a ball! AND all 8 legs are in the air! How the heck did I capture this on film! :)
PUPPY LOVE! This was a second before he crashed his head right into my kneecap... OUCH... for those of you who know anything about labs you know their skulls are like rocks so yea that hurt!! Was worth it for this pic though :)
I love puppy playtime!

my new addiction

2010-05-05T09:14:00.003-05:00

I have a mission for you, if you choose to accept it. On your next grocery trip, you must buy these. They are A.M.A.Z.I.N.G! Seriously. NO seriously. Get them. You will thank me. It'll satisfy your chocolate sweet tooth and you won't feel guilty after a handful. Seriously. Get these!!

another race down!

2010-05-02T20:01:00.002-05:00

This morning I ran in the Run For Sight 5k and it was a lot of fun!

I recruited my friend Chelsie to run it also, she did a great job!! I finished in 28:30-ish (I'm waiting to see what my official chip time is). I'm happy with my time, next time I'm aiming for something in the 27 minute bracket! :) My only slight disappointment was when I went to pickup my packet and t-shirt there were none left :( I didn't really mind for myself but felt bad for my friend who was in her first race. No biggie but it was the first time that's happened for me. Guess I need to start picking up my stuff before race day! :) Oh and the shirts were really cute! Gah!

I did some weight lifting Saturday and it felt really good, but dang I am WEAK. I did mostly leg stuff, a little back and abs. I could really feel my abs burning as I was running today!

Anyways, my photographer (hubs!) woke up with a splitting headache this morning so he didn't make it out to snap a photo... so this one with me and the big ole pup will have to suffice :) He is SO BIG!! :)

a little surprise bday party!

2010-05-02T19:15:00.004-05:00

We decided to throw a surprise birthday party for my husbands best friend Joe! We wanted to do a little kid theme party so here is our little kid baseball cake in all it's glory! I mean, how much more wobbly could that writing be hahaha.... it's perfectly tacky!
He was TOTALLY surprised, he thought he was just coming over for a bbq!
Erin and Andy shaking up the yucca jar... this stuff was REALLY gross lol. Lemons + sugar + vodka = YUCKA!
Beer pong time! This is quickly becoming a common thing at our house :)
Who's drunk?! Our local guitarist! haha... there went the evening's bonfire tunes!
"Cassi, name anything. We'll make a dance to it."
"Tennis"
Result is below :)
Danielle, Me, Rhina, and our Bday Boy... I think we did a good job at intoxicating him lol
The boys after flipping the damn pong table and beer EVERYWHERE! Boys will be boys I guess haha...
I love summertime get-togethers :)

Racing in the Rain

2010-04-26T22:18:00.002-05:00

April showers bring May flowers… that saying sure has been true this month!

So yea, I didn't go run on Saturday. Why? Because when I pulled up weather.com it said that there was this huge severe thunderstorm coming that was due to hit precisely when the race started. I'm talking like, the radar was a big blob of red. Great.

I usually try to avoid running in the rain because I’m afraid of ruining my shoes or catching a cold or something. Just last week, I decided to go ahead and take a 3+ mile jog in the rain. To my surprise, I had a LOT of fun! It was just sprinkling, no thunder or lightning, and it was still pretty warm out. It was a really great experience!

My frustration is when it rains on race days. I have already ducked out of two races this year due to rainy weather. I wouldn’t mind if it was sprinkling… but the idea of running in a severe thunderstorm just doesn’t sound like a good time to me.

I have my next race this weekend, and I actually recruited two non-running friends to try out their first 5k! I am so excited that I was able to influence them in such a positive way! The downside? The weather is calling for more scattered thunderstorms and lightning.

What. The. Heck.

I guess I am wondering, am I just being a wimp for ducking out of these races in inclement weather? Do people still show up and run these races? What do other runners do when it’s rainy outside?

p.s. I looked up the results from the race I skipped on Saturday and found that I easily could have gotten second place in my age group. Damn you weather channel! :p

walk run and roll 5k!

2010-04-23T15:29:00.003-05:00

This weekend's running event for me is the Walk Run and Roll 5K in Tower Grove Park! I'm excited, and aiming for a 28 minute or lower 5K... come on personal best!! :)

I went for a run yesterday and I have to say it was the most fun I've had during a run in a long time. Why is that? Because it was raining! Yes, you read right. I ran in the rain! And it was FUN!! :-) It lifted up my spirits a bit about running so I am very excited to run tomorrow, and I am hoping to start working on getting better times and running without feeling like I'm going to puke on the finish line (this is why I didn't post finish line pics from my last 5k... I actually LOOKED like I was gonna vomit, lol not a good finish line pic!!) My goal is to:

1. Finish strong
2. Finish with a smile on my face
3. Finish wanting to do it again

Another thing that is making me enjoy running more is I've had a few non-runner friends express interest in joining me at some of these 5k runs. That makes me so excited!! I actually inspired people to want to try this whole running thing out. How cool! :)

Hopefully I have some good news on my time tomorrow! Wish me luck! :)

bad romance... little kid style

2010-04-20T09:17:00.003-05:00

this is too funny.... and yes he is singing into a banana! watch for the guy in his underwear LMAO...

this poor kid... he's gonna be so embarrassed when he's older and his mom shows this to his girlfriends!!

he makes my heart go boom boom

2010-04-19T22:51:00.003-05:00

I love this man so much
He is my best friend, my husband, future father of our children
He is who I laugh the most with, have the most fun with
He understands me and is always on my side no matter what happens
Every day with him I am even more appreciative of what we have together
I love him for so many reasons, big and small, and each of them are wonderful
I've had such an amazing 9 months being his wife,
I can't even imagine being more happy than I am right now :)

I love you babe!

sammy sam!

2010-04-19T22:23:00.002-05:00

i say this every week but he is getting so big! seriously look at me trying to hold him still haha!

a few little things about this cutie pie little boy...

he is the biggest snuggle bug, i love it!

he is a jumper, but we're working on it!

he LOVES to give high fives!

he does a crazy jump through the air when it's feeding time

he always returns the tennis ball when we're playing fetch

he is a momma's boy :)

running motivation

2010-04-19T13:14:00.000-05:00

there's just something I love about this picture... :)

i hate people

2010-04-18T20:46:00.003-05:00

why is it that some people seem to exist only to make your life difficult??

seriously some people make me want to move into the middle of nowhere with no communication to the outside world so I can just live my life and do my own damn thing.

UGH.

end vent. :-p

go! st. louis 5k!

2010-04-11T20:45:00.004-05:00

This weekend was a fun one in St. Louis, the GO! St. Louis running festivities brought over 23,000 participants!! How cool is that?!

I ran in the 5k, my time was 29:08, it was a great run, I actually finished #306 out of 1502 people, not too shabby!! Ken came with Mischa and they cheered me on! :) There I am!

Ken was determined to get a running picture of me, he has been to all but one of my races and everytime something different happens that makes him miss it! This time, success!! :)

I took note of Jenn's comment on my Nike Plus posting and did notice that it said I ran longer than I really did, BUT I read the book that comes with it and I think I still need to calibrate it. I might do that tomorrow then give it a try to see if it fixes it.

Oh and another lesson learned. Do NOT eat too close to the run. I ate oatmeal and a banana about 30 minutes before the run. The run was great, I felt good... until the last 100 meter dash. I saw Ken toward the end, he looked at me and said "F-ING GO! GO GO GO!" So I ran!! I ran as fast as I could and every bit of energy left I let it out... and then a terrible terrible feeling came over me.

I was going to puke.

I ran over the finish line, almost puking, trying to hold it in. I'm pretty sure my finish line picture looks awful lol... thankfully I kept myself together but I learned a very valuable lesson!! ha! How great would that have been.... I FINISHED! Yaaaaack all over the finish line! hahaha...

Well, I don't have any other races scheduled right now. I'm sure I'll have more soon. I should be getting my vest from the running group I'm in (Road Warriors) in about 5 weeks so that will be cool.

My ultimate goals in running:
1. Faster
2. Better
3. Stronger
4. Finish a 2-ish hour half marathon in October

I can do it!!!

big boy!

2010-04-11T20:26:00.002-05:00

Seriously, he is getting so big! I am picking him up whenever I can because I know I won't be able to for much longer!! He is approaching 5 months!

Nike plus Ipod equals awesomeness

2010-04-07T10:36:00.004-05:00

Meet my new personal trainer. :)Since I've been getting back into running recently... or maybe I should say slow-jogging-with-some-walking-breaks-ing.... I've been thinking a lot about my time. I always feel like every 5k that I do, I HAVE to beat my last time and have a new personal best.

But damn. I feel SLOW.

Running usually comes pretty natural to me and I can run pretty long distances without much pain or problems. But this season, my knees are having issues, my feet, my shins, my breathing, my excuses... the whole shebang. Icing my joints helps a LOT with the inflammation after a run, but even when I'm in the middle of a run I feel just.... off. Lately it seems like an accomplishment just to finish a run without stopping, and my time is definitely suffering!

Well, I saw a running friend of mine had this Nike watch with a sensor on her shoe that tracks her time, distance, and pace. I thought it looked really cool and was something I could use so I mentioned it to my husband. He did some searching online and found that it runs for about $80.

He did a little more searching and found this thing called Nike + iPod, and let me tell you.... it is pretty badass. And came with a pricetag of only about $30.
You plug a small white piece into your iPod, and then clip the orange sensor to your shoe (they sell small pouches so you can attach it). As you are running, if you push the center button on your iPod, it will tell you your time, your distance, and your pace! It's SO awesome to hear your progress as you're going. My favorite is the pace!

When I got done, it repeated my workout information to me, including my total calories burnt (you input your weight for it to calculate this), and Lance Armstrong even came on and said "Hi, this is Lance Armstrong, great job on your workout, this was your longest yet!" How awesome!! I haven't synched it up with nikeplus.com yet but I'm sure it's great!

I love it!

If you're looking for a new workout gadget I'd highly suggest trying this one!

THAT'S A WINNER!!

2010-04-05T16:04:00.002-05:00

GO CARDS!!!

Way to kick off the twenty ten season!!!

purple composition

2010-04-04T18:12:00.002-05:00

Here's the latest painting to add to my little collection! It's 20x20, I wanted to do something a little different and play around with colors and composition.
AND... after trying about 30 different banners for my etsy site, I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with this...

One step at a time, I'm getting closer to being able to open! Yay!

Happy Easter!

welcome to my home!

2010-04-01T16:09:00.005-05:00

Well, the outside of it anyway!
We live in a brick ranch house with a walkout basement, and we love it! The only problem? It needs some serious loving outside! It's not THAT bad and this is kind of a bad time to show it since nothing is really in bloom yet, but I'll continue since I have spring fever like crazy! Sometime this spring/summer, I definitely want to work on the yard and be able to post a pretty "after" picture!
I'll start with the front. We haven't done a ton to the house but we have made major progress with removing the ivy. It looks pretty growing on the house, until you realize it's messing up the mortar and growing in your window screens and screwing them up. They had to go! I would like to replace the ivy bed with mulch or if moolah is good maybe river rock or something like that. I also want new edging but we haven't decided on a color scheme yet.
I think this picture pretty much explains itself. Our major renovation here is the new front door! I thought about painting it red but not sure if it'll be too much red with the red brick, plus hubs said he likes the white just the way it is.
Our mailbox is ok but I kinda want to give it some attention too. Maybe something inexpensive like a new paint job and some vinyl letters? Maybe a little potted bush or something next to it?
I would like to see a bench, lots of potted plants, some hanging ferns/flowers, maybe someday some brick tiling or something a little more pretty than cracked asphalt...
This is kind of at the top of my list. I need to get a steel brush or something and get all the chipped paint off and repaint these. Someday I would love to have some wooden posts instead of these things but for now, paint is more in our budget :)
This whole garden area was actually kind of pretty in the summer, but I honestly don't remember what's even in it. I think a few rose bushes but that's it. The tree is a mimosa tree and provides a lot of shade and has soft pretty palm-like leaves.
The back porch is a totally different animal. It looks very trashy. When it rains water runs along the side of the house right onto the patio. We have patio chairs but they are forest green, I'm thinking of spray painting them black and maybe checking out some cushions with a different pattern. Oh we also need the table that goes with the chairs :-) The bricks are not level at all and always have little plants growing between them. I would love to eventually replace the brick, maybe flagstone or maybe even try that stamped concrete stuff. That looks pretty neat.

So yea, we have a lot of yard work to do. A LOT!! Any tips, suggestions, greenthumb help, etc etc... is welcome!

home envy

2010-03-29T12:46:00.002-05:00

I live in a red brick ranch style home. Now, hubs and I have been struggling a little bit thinking of ways to update it a little... especially the yard and the curb appeal. Every red brick house we see just looks old and 70's ish and we havent ever really found anything that really grabs our attention.

Since spring is in the air, I googled "red brick curb appeal" and I stumbled into this amazing amazing beautiful dream home makeover.

I love love love this house. I would just die if we could get ours to look like this. UGH! Serious serious home lust going on here... :) This is pretty much all decor things that I love actually put into a real house....

The porch is so simple but soo cute!

love. love. love.

loving the bright colors and the scattered frames

how soothing is this bedroom?

the bathroom is like a spa... always a plus!

guest room

beautiful chic den

other view of the den

pretty organized laundry room

bright bathroom, i like the wallpaper and the light fixtures

i would seriously never leave this sunroom

ever...

such a pretty patio... love the stonework

even the basement has style!

Dear homeowners, please decorate my house!!

sam's first bath!

2010-03-26T18:15:00.006-05:00

love this sweet puppy face!

he was a little weirded out at first but within about a minute he was cool as a cucumber!
all clean! he looks so skinny!

shakey shakey shakey!

that's one good lookin little boy!

and of course, we can't forget about the big sister miss mischa! she got her bath too!

my better is better

2010-03-25T12:24:00.004-05:00

a little motivation on a rainy day... :)

reason number 6794 why i love my husband

2010-03-22T22:05:00.003-05:00

he makes me laugh my ass off :-) this is funny... just sayin!

poppies

2010-03-22T21:35:00.003-05:00

The latest... yellow poppies! I've had a few crappy paintings lately, I'm hiding those :) it feels good to have a decent painting to post!

I have to clean up the edges and glaze it still but I like it a lot!
20x20"

My hardest 5k... and my new hardware!

2010-03-21T10:39:00.003-05:00

This weekend I ran my hardest 5k so far! It was SO HILLY it was incredibly challenging. I had to walk up two hills and I thought for sure my time was gonna be terrible... I actually am not sure what my official time is yet (29 minutes and ?? seconds) AND... to my surprise, I actually placed!!

I got 3rd in my age group! I got a medal! WOOP WOOP! I am so excited!

I also joined a running club called Road Warriors, they have a lot of group runs and they help encourage people to do well and just keep running, I am really excited about it!

Little boy Sam is getting so big!

2010-03-18T11:54:00.004-05:00

I won't be able to hold him much longer!! 26lbs and 4 months old!

And just for comparison, this was him when we first picked him up at 2 months! What a change!

Oh and today is my and hub's 8 month wedding anniversary :)

Happy St. Patty's Day!

2010-03-17T12:54:00.002-05:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Thought it would be a good day to recommend a green nail polish I tried recently. It's from OPI and called "Jade is the New Black". I was a little hesitant about it but once I tried it, I was in love with it!

If you're looking to try something different, consider trying this one on!

I have the shopping bug!

2010-03-15T20:10:00.006-05:00

Well, let me first say that I have not gone shopping for clothes for myself in a long time... actually neither my hubs or I have gotten any clothes since I think right before our honeymoon. Yea! THAT long! Oh wait, we each got 1 sweatshirt for ourselves, and they were each on sale. :) Anyways, I digress...

I have the gimmies. I have no idea if it's spring or what but I have this insane urge to splurge. But the problem? No cash! ha! Go figure right? So in lieu of actually spending money I am just drooling over online stuff and hoping I can still pick up some stuff like this sometime this spring!

First... these purple pumps from Payless! I love em! I can just imagine these with dark skinny jeans and a loose white tee!

I also love the gladiator sandals from Payless! Another one I can imagine with jeans and a white tee :)

I recently spotted these slouchy boots from Charlotte Russe and I LOVE THEM, but I really can't justify getting them since warm weather is supposedly coming soon. But still.. I think they deserve a spot on my virtual closet wishlist :)

I also love this casual white tee. See the little pocket on it? So cute!

I spotted this tunic at Kohls and thought it was just so cute! Ken thinks it looks a little yooperish (see definition below :) but I love it!!

I also think this simple tee from Victorias Secret is just so cute. I wish it was a v-neck but I still like it!

Last but not least I also really like this sequin top from Target. I usually don't like sequin stuff but I saw this in person and it's actually very subtle and pretty!
I wanna go shopping soooooooo bad!!!

i did it!

2010-03-13T15:09:00.002-06:00

I did it!! I ran my 5 miles! There were 7950 runners (12000 registered!) I finished in 50:59! Not too bad considering it was like hella congested the whole run, it was like driving in heavy traffic with lots of bad drivers LOL... I had a great time!! I saw some funny stuff like, guys running with no shirts on, just shamrock boxers, a girl dressed up in a wedding dress with cans tied to the back of her dress, she was running with a guy in a green tuxedo! LOL! I also overheard some guy say, "well she looked good on the internet..." ha! Lots of interesting people that's for sure!

I think the next time I'm in a race with so many people I might have to fight harder to get near the front of the pack. There were times I looked at the people in front of me and they went on for as long as I could see!

After the run we were going to just go home but we found out some friends were downtown for the parade, so we just met up with them for a while. We had lunch then walked outside and I got an irish coffee (YUM) and we watched some of the parade. Long story short, we ended up walking an additional like 3 miles so my legs and joints are DONE! :)

My next race is a 5k next weekend, I'm aiming for a fast time!!

my 5 mile challenge!

2010-03-12T10:23:00.006-06:00

Tomorrow is the big day, I'm running a 5 mile St. Patrick's day run before the annual parade in St. Louis! I am so excited! I've got my bib number, my timing chip, my green t-shirt, my new dry socks, and my anti-blister cream...

I was a little freaked out about tackling 5 miles so last weekend I ran 5 just so I could know for sure I can do it without dying! And to my surprise I actually did it in 50 minutes. I still have NO IDEA how I did that but as long as I finish Saturday's 5 miles without stopping, I'll be happy as a clam. :)

I thought there were like 2500 runners but I just checked the event's website and it says they have over 9000 runners!! Holy shiza!!

Oh, and it helps to run since I get a Mich Ultra and a St. Patty's Day parade immediately after. :)

our little chocolate muffin

2010-03-10T11:16:00.002-06:00

It's been a long while since I've posted up pictures of our lil boy Sam, a.k.a. little chocolate muffin! He is now... I think 17 weeks?? I need to check I can't remember! He is growing up SO fast and is so cute! He knows how to come, sit, lay down, shake, and he is pretty much potty trained! Not too bad for such a young lil man!!

Here are some pics from the last few weeks, I couldn't decide on a small handful so here is a BUNCH!! :)

Mischa and Sam together!

Me and my lil man!

Puttem up! I can take ya!

A LOT of this goes on in our house!

Snuggle bug has some green eyes!

Hubs and lil Sammy! SO cute!

SO CUTE!!

Feed me! I wanna get big!

Me and my kids! :)

Sit!

Mischa: "Sit still you little brat, mom wants a cute picture and I want that treat she has!"

Him cheesin, Mischa thinking, "just give me the damn treat..." LOL

OK MOM... enough pictures!

blog rennovation... what do you think?

2010-03-09T10:16:00.003-06:00

I just messed around with my blog layout to give it an update... what do you think?

I like it except I feel like there's a lot going on on the left pane. The bottom looks a little scattered too...

I do love the colors though! And I even made the title picture myself! :) If you see some stuff looking jacked up in the next few days, don't mind the mess... I'm probably gonna mess with it some more until it looks a little better :)

Hope you like! Suggestions are welcome!

Quickie!

2010-03-08T10:13:00.004-06:00

The last 2 weeks at work have been INSANE.

I finally realized that I am really not into the whole bar scene anymore.

This weekend was BEAUTIFUL and I am so excited for spring.

One of my fillings fell out so now I have a big hole in one of my teeth.

My family is crazy.

Latitude 26 is not a good restaurant - my stomach still hurts.

I want a cherry blossom tree, lilacs, and hydrangea.

We saw some old friends and their cute baby boy Liam, it was sweet seeing hubs hold him.

I started running again, a total of 8 miles this weekend. Will be in 5 mile run this Saturday.

I got some new running stuff so I have happy feet.

I'm starting to work on a blog renovation. If you visit while I'm experimenting please excuse the mess.

Puppy Sam is getting SO big and is in such a cute stage.

I really want to paint but have had zero energy due to crazy work.

I really don't want to be at work right now.

... I think that's it :)

Another botanical beauty!

2010-03-02T21:44:00.002-06:00

Thank you all SO MUCH for the amazing feedback!!! :-D I am so stoked! AAH! It's like I found something that I:

A. LOVE the subject

B. Feels natural to me

I've always loved the look of silkscreen art, but I don't have the resources to actually do REAL silkscreen. So I finally grew the guts to try it out by freehand paintbrush and the results just keep amazing me! I step back and just think... "holy crap, I made that??!!"

Here is my latest one from tonight, I just couldnt wait until tomorrow to post it!

I'm not the best with names but for now I'll keep it simple and call it "Branches". I know, I'm clever!! lol! I'm trying to find out the best way to capture the colors just right on these pictures, it's beige and pale purple. I love it! I wasnt too sure about it at first because there's a lot more going on in this one than the last two but I'm really happy with the final result.

I'm not quite sure what I'm doing next but I'm sure I'll figure something out soon! Jenelle, I might need to try my hand at a chrysanthemum!

So excited! Eeeee!! Thank you again all for the positive feedback, between you all, my facebook friends, my awesome supportive husband and family, it's really encouraging me to keep creating these pieces. I appreciate it so much!!

Some new beautiful creations!

2010-03-02T15:39:00.003-06:00

So.... first off. Did you catch that blog title? I actually said that I created something "beautiful". That's a huge accomplishment for me... to actually think something I painted could be described as "beautiful"! I am so happy! I LOVE THESE and find myself thinking of what I can make next!

Dahlia

Poppy

I have SO many ideas and am very excited to add onto this collection. Be expecting a lot of new posts with new creations. :)

Just a side note... I am willing to take requests for commission! Just give me 1 or 2 colors that you have in mind, and if you like a specific type of flower or leaf or anything like that, just let me know and I will do my best to create something! I prefer to do these on 12x12 inch canvases... but am thinking of trying them on a larger canvas sometime in the near future. If you do have a request, just remember that there's no commitment because I honestly have no idea what each piece will look like when I begin! Each one is totally unique and always a surprise! :)

I am so excited to build this collection and get my etsy shop going!!! EEE!!

Oksana's story!

2010-03-01T13:05:00.002-06:00

I am a person who believes that everything happens for a reason.

This family, has had their lives pulled in one direction that will give an orphaned little girl in eastern Europe a new loving home…

Erin and Larry, my husband's cousins, met when they were 16 (seriously how sweet is that?!), they are missionaries in Arkansas, and they have two of the most well behaved little boys I've ever met!

They recently started talking about adopting a child… when they were starting some research and looking into it, they kept getting signs to look internationally. They started to look into it, and before they knew it, they were looking into this beautiful little girl's eyes and fell head over heels for her…

Meet Oksana!

She is almost 5 years old and is in an orphanage in eastern Europe. She has cerebral palsy and wants a mommy more than anything. Erin and Larry have already gone through a lot of hoops to get where they are in the adoption process, it seems like everything is just falling in place for them!

The reason it's so urgent for her to get into her new home, is because in eastern Europe, kids with conditions like hers do not get the same treatment that they would get in the United States. After they hit around 5 years old, if a child is still orphaned, they can get sent to an institution, where they usually live for the rest of their lives. I never really understood what that meant, until I saw this video. If you're going to watch it, grab the tissue, because it is pretty disturbing.

I was going to post this without the video, but I felt like it was needed. I guess I didn't understand the true urgency until I saw these conditions. It is just so sad and makes me so happy and proud of Erin and Larry for saving her.

Erin and Larry have been blessed with a lot of donations to help with the adoption cost, but if you also would like to donate, please use the button on the right side of my blog!

Any donation, no matter how small… will help get this little girl to the loving home she was always meant to be in!

TekDoctor... the doctor for your home tekkie needs!

2010-02-24T11:30:00.008-06:00

A few blogs ago I mentioned that my husband was starting a business… it's officially up and ready for clients!!

It is called TekDoctor, and he provides pretty much any home technical support that you would need!

He can help with things like backups, upgrades, repair, removing viruses, setup or troubleshooting of your home network, issues or errors with software applications, even help with that new gadget you brought home but aren't quite sure how to use! He offers one-time assistance, and also a subscription service to keep client's technical needs always running smooth! A new feature coming soon, is remote assistance! If you're having a computer problem, he will be able to log in from the office, so it will not require a home visit for troubleshooting!

If you live in the St. Louis metro area he's available to help… if you need home technical assistance, give him a call! You can also help promote his company by becoming a fan of the TekDoctor facebook page by using the button on the right! :-)