Valentine's Day & Mardi Gras

What a week this has been! Two holidays and a sick Brayden along with everything else...whew! Let's just say I'm grateful the weekend is here!

Since I haven't done this in a while and this week was actually sort of interesting, I'm going to share a weekly recap with y'all today! :)

For starters, we attended a Valentine/Sweetheart Banquet with our friends last weekend and had a BLAST! So much fun! By accident, our name was called for the final door prize when there actually weren't any door prizes remaining. It wasn't a big deal, we really had a great time at the banquet and no one was upset over it. However, the lady who was handing the door prizes out felt so bad, she went and purchased a gift for us and gave it to us on Sunday! I thought that was really nice and thoughtful of her (and she totally didn't have to do that)! We received a pair of "Mr & Mrs" coffee mugs and an adorable stuffed animal.

On Tuesday, we celebrated a little thing around here called "Mardi Gras"! Although I didn't technically "celebrate" by attending any parades or balls, I did wear beads to work and had a slice of king cake!

This one was blueberry cream cheese and it was delicious!

Oh yes, I also stopped by my favorite Main Squeeze Juice Co for a little King Cake smoothie...and it was complete with purple, gold, and green sprinkles on top!

So good!

This week was a rainy one, which means my puddle loving toddler spent a LOT of time outside between rain showers, stomping in puddles at my parent's house!

On Wednesday, we celebrated Valentine's Day with a sick Brayden. He had a bad tummy ache that evening and a low grade fever along with...the other stuff that comes with having a tummy ache. Poor little guy wasn't a happy camper.

After getting him settled, Jason and I enjoyed our Valentine's Day tradition since we started dating 12 years ago...chocolate covered strawberries!

By the next morning, this little guy was feeling ALL better!

 My dad and mom also gave sweet gifts to us for Valentine's Day! Here's mine! :)

On Thursday afternoon, we ventured out for 3 miles with our friend Melissa. Her husband was on his way home from work and saw us, so he "joined" us for a few miles!

It was SO NICE to see the sun!! It's been sorely missed this week, that's for sure!

Sticking his feet up while I'm trying to take a picture has become a funny game, apparently! We had to hold his feet down to get this one!

Silly kid!

Post-bath snuggles also happened a lot this week and this has quickly become one of my favorite times of the day! I just love this little guy so much!

We plan on officially celebrating Valentine's Day on Saturday evening since it hasn't worked out for us this week. I also have a LulaRoe party to attend tonight and we have a Minnie Mouse themed birthday party to attend tomorrow! I'm finally looking forward to a long run this weekend as Rock n Roll New Orleans is QUICKLY approaching!

So there you have it, our week in a nutshell!

How was your week? Did you celebrate Valentine's Day? How about Mardi Gras?

Weekend Recap

Hello and happy Wednesday! I've attempted to write this blog post for two days now, but I kept getting taken away from my desk (and one night, sleep won out...I'm sure you moms understand what I mean with this one)!

So, this past weekend was a nice and relaxing weekend and I really enjoyed spending time with my two main men - my husband and my baby!

On Friday after work, I spent a little time with Brayden, then headed to a friend's house for a game night! We played Loaded Questions and Speak Out which were both hilarious!

While we were having fun indoors, craziness was happening outdoors!

Thankfully, we all made it home safely and in one piece!

On Saturday morning, I ran in the early morning with my friend Heather. We are both training for Rock N Roll NOLA and needed to get another decent long run in before the race. We decided on 10 miles for Saturday and had a great time! (More about Friday's run later!)

I also had my first slice of King Cake this weekend which of course had to be paired with a cup of King Cake roast from PJ's coffee! 

Saturday was a great mail day, too! Our Magical Express tags for Princess Weekend arrived! YAY!

In between Brayden's naps and lunch, Jason and I discussed, searched, and debated and finally decided on our 10 year Anniversary trip. We haven't booked it just yet, but we are going to sail on the Fantasy on an Eastern Caribbean itinerary.  The Fantasy is the only DCL ship we haven't been on, and we've never been to the Eastern Caribbean, so we figured this was a win win! I am so excited!!

Brayden and I spent a bit of time outdoors and he LOVED walking around the driveway! So much fun!

Afternoon nap time snuggles are the best!

We also had dinner with my parents on Saturday night which was a fun treat! We love spending time with them! :)

Sunday morning brought about church and more time with friends! On Sunday evening, we had dinner at a local pizza joint which was delicious!

Love my friends! :)

Now we are midway through another week and looking forward to another great weekend! I hope you have a fabulous one!! :)

Fitness Friday - 1/20

Happy Friday, guys! I'm so excited for another weekend and a chance to relax with my little family...it's going to be a great one!

I know I haven't done a Fitness Friday post in a while...but better late than never, right? The events of last week left zero time for working out (like at all), so I'm back in full swing this week. Also, after my back to back half marathons in December, I needed a break. It was a nice break, I enjoyed it, and now I'm ready to get back out there and go again!

Currently Training For:

• Rock n Roll New Orleans Half Marathon
• Disney's Princess Half Marathon & Glass Slipper Challenge

Monday - 4 mile run with Brayden
Tuesday - Rest Day
Wednesday - 3 mile walk with Brayden and Melissa
Thursday - 3 mile walk with Brayden and Melissa - also PT routine/leg strengthening
Friday - PT routine/leg strengthening combined with Tone It Up Girls YouTube workout

On Saturday, I plan to run a long run with my running buddy Heather. It's going to be strange without our running group, but it will be nice to get into our "new normal". Rock n Roll NOLA is literally right around the corner! Eeek! We basically have two Saturday runs left before the race weekend hits!

This past week wasn't a busy one, so I was able to log a decent amount of mileage throughout the week.

On Monday afternoon, Brayden and I set off for a 4 mile run. It was windy, warm, and somewhat humid. 

This weather made me appreciate the somewhat non existent cool days here lately and made me not look forward to summer. Ugh. 

After the run, we had dinner with some friends at Walk Ons. I had the VooDoo shrimp which was basically wrapped in bacon, cream cheese, and jalapenos. Talk about delicious!

Also included in this dish was a side of grits which Brayden ate most of.

This week, we dealt with our first bout of stomach upset with Brayden. Now that it's all said and done, I think something in his food didn't settle right and he threw up all afternoon. It was awful. I did call his Doctor's office who helped give me some advice. Thankfully by the following morning, his stomach was good again. In an attempt to not overdo it, we tried to start slow with pedialyte and just give him a few ml's followed by an ounce in a bottle. He did NOT want pedialyte. He wanted his (formula) bottle and he wanted it ASAP. Poor baby was so hungry! Thankfully he's all back to normal now!

On Wednesday, my friend Melissa and I went for a walk with Brayden. I knew that talking and walking would be beneficial for both of us (which it was). Brayden fell asleep almost the entire time and was still very sleepy for the picture!

On Thursday, my work crew and I went out to eat at a local bistro. I know the owner and loved seeing his place. The little dining area totally reminded me of the tower of terror at Hollywood Studios minus the dust! :)

We also ended up with an amazing King Cake for dessert. This was my first of the Mardi Gras season! Ours was stuffed with strawberry and cream cheese. YUM!

...and after all of the calories consumed, when Melissa asked if I wanted to go on another walk on Thursday afternoon, I said YES! Again, it was good to get out and walk around and just simply talk and laugh!

 Last but not least, this little stinker can get almost anywhere in my house but still won't crawl. He gets excited and tries to army crawl really fast which cracks me up. I looked up from a sewing project last night to find him under the jumper, playing with the hanging toys. He's too funny!

I hope you all have a fabulous Friday! Any fun weekend plans?

Superbowl Weekend 2016

Happy Monday!

This weekend flew by yet again...which means we are another week closer to meeting our little boy! Although Jason worked this weekend, I still made good use of my time and attempted to get a few things accomplished around the house. Staying off my feet as much as possible was a must, so I definitely had to take frequent breaks.

The cooler temps here also made me miss my usual Saturday long run. The weekends seem much longer too, now that they aren't filled with one activity after another. Oh well...I'm attempting to soak up the down time as best I can! Before long, life will be a flurry of activity once again! :)

Saturday morning began with a slice of King Cake in celebration of Mardi Gras! When in Louisiana... :)

On Saturday afternoon, I attended a birthday party for one of my best friend's kids. He turned 10 and had his party on board a WWII battleship!  Right now, they use the ship for laser tag parties and it looks like so much fun!

The ship was neat to explore! I actually want to go back and hear the history behind the ship, how they lived, etc. Really cool!

From the ship, I also had a chance to admire the sunset over my beloved running lake. I absolutely cannot wait to get back out there and hit the pavement again on early mornings...one day soon!

We had dinner with my parents on Saturday night, then they came over and helped us move a little furniture around. The baby's room is slowly getting there!

The bed/dresser/glider will be set up next weekend. Can't wait to see it all come together!

On Sunday morning, I met up with my friend Heather and her parents for a little coffee as they drove home from Texas. (I had a King Cake latte, of course!)

It was great to see them, catch up, and visit for a while! 

Pixie helped me make Gumbo and potato salad for the Superbowl on Sunday night.  I finished making everything about an hour before the game and was happy with my accomplishment. Once everyone arrived and we were getting ready to eat, I realized I did something incredibly dumb...I FORGOT to make the rice. Pregnancy brain, y'all...it's no joke!

No harm done...we watched some of the game while making rice and all was well! Everything turned out delicious, too!

Our little crew for the game (plus Jason)! Fun times!

If you watched the Superbowl, did you do so from a friend's house, host a party, etc?

DIY: Creating A Deco Mesh Wreath

On Sunday afternoon, a group of ladies and I got together for a DIY Deco Mesh Wreath Party. We had SO much fun and this wreath was much easier to make than I expected. My mind came alive with so many wreath possibilities -

• Holidays/Seasonal
• Disney Themed
• Front door address (with numbers)
• How about a wreath showcasing your marathon accomplishments? Hey, it could be done!

I’m going to show you a few images from our party followed by a step by step photo tutorial.

I decided I wanted to make a Valentines Day wreath. My current wreath was sadly faded and I was in need of something new! I pinterested a few ideas, then hunted through Hobby Lobby for my supplies.

Several ladies gathered for the party with lots of different ideas.

Our wreaths ranged from Mardi Gras, Spring, 4th of July, and even one that included house numbers for a front door (and it was burlap, too)! I wish I had a picture of it, but I don’t – it was a super cute idea!

After finishing with the deco mesh, I applied ribbon. Tip: Don’t wrap the ribbon all the way around. Measure your loops and cut your ribbon. It wastes ribbon if you continuously loop it around your wreath.

Co-workers with their finished Mardi Gras and 4th of July wreaths.

Valentines Day wreath complete!

Here’s the supplies you’ll need:

• 16” wreath form with tinsel ties
  (not plain green wire form; this will be wire form with tinsel tree like branches on it)
• 2 rolls of deco mesh (the big rolls, not the small ones); these could be the same color or different colors, doesn’t matter
• Pipe Cleaners
• Wired Ribbon (if you choose to add this)
• Light weighing décor that can be hot glued to the mesh

All of my supplies were purchased at Hobby Lobby with the exception of the heart ribbon which came from Michaels.

Source

Your wreath form will have two layers – point the wire pieces up towards you.

Roll out your mesh

Grab the starting end of your garland and bunch it together. Then, fold the end down to form a “pony tail”. The area where my fist is located is the area that will begin the wreath on the frame.

Find a starting location on the outer ring – doesn’t matter where. Double twist the garland/twist tie/wire around the “pony tail” and twist it tight!

Now the fun begins!

Measure out about 12 inches, then secure again on the OUTER ring. You can make it a little smaller than 12 inches for a less “poofier” wreath.  Double twist each twist tie – also make these tight.

I  used about 8 inches here. My completed wreath from the party was about 12 inches.

Continue looping your mesh around the outside edge of the wreath form.

When you reach your starting location, secure your current end to the same twist tie/wire where your beginning loop is located.

If you have a second color, secure a pony tail loop to the same twist tie you used previously for your starting location. It might look like you are running out of room with your wire, don’t panic, that’s why you have extra twist ties!

If using the same color, carry on with the next step as described. If you run out of one roll, begin the new roll where you left off.

Now you are going to begin an in-out pattern with your mesh.

Instead of following around on the outside loop, use the closest wire/garland tie on the inside loop. Secure, then bring your mesh up to the next outside garland/wire tie and secure over the mesh already there. Bring your mesh back to the next inside garland/wire, then again to the next outside wire. Continue this pattern until you reach your starting location. By the end, all of your inside loops will include mesh and your outside loops will have been used twice.

Your second roll WILL overlap with your first roll and that’s ok, that’s what you want!

After completing an entire round of pink and an entire round of white, I decided my wreath didn’t include enough pink, so I went back in and added another layer of pink to the inside loops. The options are limitless!

When ready to add your ribbon, don’t loop ribbon all the way around your wreath. Measure out your loops, then secure ends with the garland/wire ties. You’ll waste ribbon otherwise.

You can see on the back of mine, I didn’t loop anything around.

Hot glue embellishments throughout your wreath.

Hang and enjoy! Again, the options are endless.

I created a board on Pinterest especially for Deco Mesh wreaths. Check it out, you might find something that inspires you!

I’m thinking a Disney wreath might be next…or possibly a race inspired wreath – I’m going to have to think about it a bit more.  I’m afraid I’ve created a monster…uhoh.

Have you ever made a Deco Mesh wreath? How about any DIY projects off Pinterest?