Love this!

{this will especially nice after tomorrow's half marathon}

I love this site! It helps me remember the positive :)

Hair: Curls?!

It never happens, so I'm showing everyone: This is my hair on curls.


It won't last long though. Sadly :(

{why do I look like such a creeper in this one?}

Some Sweet Book Lovin': The Thirteenth Tale

I just barely (like a few hours ago) finished the book, The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. Now let me tell you, this book was chosen by someone else for our book club, and when I went to the store to buy it, I grimaced slightly.

You see, I am an English major. However, English major ≠ I love to read anything and everything. Especially books that remind me of my college English classes (you know, the ones so full of symbolism, it's hard to understand the story?). And I did it. I judged a book by its cover.

Even as I started the what-I-knew-would-be-long-and-boring book, I had to push myself onto the next page.

But then something odd happened. I actually wanted to read. I wanted to know what was going on with Vida Winter's past life, who Adeline and Emmaline were, and what made me feel as though something was off about the whole thing.

So yes, while I had to push myself through the first 50 pages, I really had to pace myself for the last 300. I really enjoyed the way in which Setterfield details several different stories, all while uniting them!


Now that I've finished this book, I'm looking for another. Any ideas? What good books are you reading?

Blogger Conference

DIY: Cute Ruffle apron! {I pinned it, I did it series}

Ruffles! Any guesses as to what this is??



I found this pattern here, and I just LOVED it! So I had to try it myself :)

Here's what you'll need:
Sewing Machine
Thread
Fabric
Grosgrain Ribbon
Scissors
Iron
Measuring tape or board


This is what I did.


First, pick out your fabrics. You'll need seven 3 inch strips and one 18 inch by 22 inch rectangle. I wanted to go for a modern vintage look, so the fabrics I chose looked kind of like that.



Next, cut your base fabric into one 18 inch by 22 inch rectangle. I wanted something really simple, so my base fabric is pretty plain.

Once you've cut your base fabric out, sew a 1/4 inch seam in all four sides.


Then cut out your fabric strips {that's soap in case you were wondering--I use it to mark the fabric; easy on, easy off}. You will need seven 3 inch by 44 inch strips. Once you've cut your strips out, sew a 1/4 inch seam on 3 sides (both short sides and one long side).

Got that?



K, next, you want to sew across the top, but don't back stitch on either side. THEN {here's the hard-ish part} pull the top thread until it starts to bunch together. You'll likely have to move the bunched up part down toward the end until it's bunched all the way across the top {as pictured below}. Do this for each of the seven strips.

Now, decide the order you want your ruffled up fabrics in, pin them down, and just sew across! Make sure that you start at the bottom and work your way up, that way you can cover the sewn part with the next ruffle.

Are you excited? {We're almost done!}

Sadly, I did not document this next part very well, but here's where you need your grosgrain ribbon. You should have a little space on the top to cover up the last ruffle, so that is where you will pin your ribbon. It should line up with the top of apron.


I did a zig zag stitch across the middle first {go slow! this part is a little bit hard}. Then, to make it durable, I sewed a straight stitch across the top and the bottom.


So to add my own little touch, I wanted to put in a little something extra. Several years ago, my grandma gave me some sewing stuff, including some very vintage buttons.

So I just hand sewed a couple of buttons onto one of the aprons I made {did you notice there were two different aprons? I gave one to each of my sisters-in-law}


And then you're done!

{P.S. Don't make fun of my pictures, these are all iPhone pics :) I think they actually came out half decent for a cell phone.}

Miss Dorian

Okay, so she isn't really that new. We've had her for about 3 months, but she is so cute!

I don't know if many of you have heard of the book The Picture of Dorian Gray. Well, although our kitten has nothing really to do with that book, we decided to name her Dorian because she is so gray. I don't know if that really makes a lot of sense, but Jordan started calling her that, and it just kind of stuck.

{She just fell asleep like that}

Any guesses?

Ruffles! Look for an update this week on what in the world this is and how to make it!

Christmas eve eve morning!

Another post about Christmas, I know, but I also know all of you readers are dying to know about mine and Jordan's Christmas. Right? Right? Maybe a least a little?

As it so happened, we decided to have Christmas morning on not Christmas morning. We had it on the 23rd of December because we were leaving for NY very early in the morning on the 24th.


I have to admit, I might have gone a little overboard with the presents, BUT most of them are much smaller than they appear as I wrapped them in boxes much larger than the actual gift.


Jordan might have been a less excited than I was.


Cinnamon rolls for breakfast! Just the way Christmas morning was intended.


Even Dorian got a little stocking with toys--granted, she was more excited about all the wrapping paper than she was about her toys.


You know, I think we could still make this sweater work for him...maybe.


Ahhh, you can massage your neck while washing your hair. A double headed shower thing-y.


And what is Christmas without a lovely Christmas tree? Well, it's still Christmas because this was the most flattering picture of ours :)

Make Merry {I pinned it, I did it series}

Am I too late to be posting about Christmas?

Maybe a little?

Well, I have to post about this! I spent all this time (after Christmas, mind you) making it!


A couple months ago, I saw this on pinterest and decided that I could make my own, except that it wouldn't say "Give Thanks"

So here is my version. Okay, so it's not quite as good, but I'll make modifications to it. Just a little Christmas spirit...for next year anyway ;)






okay, so it may not be as pretty, and the image isn't edited as nicely (at all really...), but it will look nice next year when it actually fits with the decor :)

I am not a runner

This is what I would have told you in high school: I am not a runner. I hate running and it is not for me.

This is what I will tell you now. I think I might be a runner.

I don't know what happened, but it all started with being bored. I literally had nothing to do, so I joined the running club at Laughlin AFB (Air Force Base). The first week, I had a hard time running 2 miles.

Yup. Two miles. AND we were training for a half marathon.

Anyway, a couple months later, I was at the starting line of my first half marathon.




















And 13.1 grueling, awful miles later, I was at the finish line. SO happy to be done. It was pretty rough (although I did manage to smile for a minute)
















So, you think I would have learned my lesson, but noo, I had to go do another half marathon, but at least that one wasn't quite as terrible as the first one. (But it was freezing...and snowing!)














And then I had to go and volunteer to do TWO more half marathons in the next two months. But you know what? I think I'm starting to like running.

Hopefully I'll get around to full marathon by the end of the year :)

New Year's Resolutions

Jordan and I wrote up a list of our New Year's resolutions. It's a very long list divided into several categories and rolls onto two whole pages! Let's see if we can make this a great & successful new year.

And I have a New Year's resolution to write in my blog more, so here we go!