Archive for February 2012
A Month of Instagram Pictures
Posted on: February 29, 2012
- In: Life
- 4 Comments
For the month of February I took a photo challenge on Instagram. A super easy and fun idea created by Chantelle at Fat Mum Slim, it really helped me capture my day to day life.
Here are just a few of my favorite photos from February ::
Chantelle has a new Instagram photo challenge for March, and since today is the First of March, I’m already getting started for this month.
Do you have Instagram? If so, have you ever participated in a monthly challenge?
Visit Alicia at Alicia’s Homemaking for more Try New Adventures Thursday.
My Top Oscar Fashion Picks
Posted on: February 27, 2012
- In: Life
- 4 Comments
I love the Oscars. I can do without the other award shows, but the Oscars are a tradition. The dresses, the jewelry, the hairdos. It’s all over the top and I love it. And every year there are some knock out styles.
1. Penelope Cruz – I’m not a huge Penelope fan, but I’d be crazy not to admit she looked a-maz-ing.
2. Emma Stone – I love red dresses on red heads.
3. Natalie Portman – I just loved the polka dots. Simple elegance.
4. Tina Fey – Tina oozed sophistication. She hit it out of the park in my mind.
5. Melissa McCarthy – The color, the flowiness, the jewels. Love it all.
6. Meryl Steep – Rare is the person who can pull off a gold dress, but if anyone can, Meryl can. She is gorgeous. Gorgeous.
7. Viola Davis – Viola chose such a beautiful green that went perfectly with her skin tone. So pretty.
8. Cameron Diaz – I love the fitted then flared look on Cameron. Probably doesn’t hurt that she’s a skinny-minny.
9. Gwyneth Paltrow – The cape she first appeared in was a little weird, but her dress was so simple and subtle that I couldn’t help but love it.
10. Alexandra Lamy – A throw back to Greecian days, Alexandra looked stunning in her dress.
Did you watch the Oscars? If so, did you have a favorite dress?
Visit Amanda at Oh Amanda for more Top Ten Tuesday.
Austin Half Marathon 2012
Posted on: February 20, 2012
- In: Life
- 12 Comments
Yesterday I completed the Austin Half Marathon.
Enjoying a chocolate shake about an hour post-race
I have to say this was my best race yet. I wasn’t as nervous as last year, as I knew what to expect. Though, I will say, like child birth, you forget how killer the hills are. About 2 miles in I remembered why this part of Texas is called the hill country… Thankfully this year, Jonathan and I coordinated where he and the kids would be cheering during the race, so I was able to see them at mile 8 which gave me a huge boost.
I got oddly nauseous at mile 7, which I think was related to drinking too much Gatorade {I don’t drink Gatorade while running just during recovery}. I suppose the sweetness of Gatorade just didn’t sit well with my stomach. Thankfully it passed quickly, and I didn’t actually get sick.
By mile 6 my hips were beginning to hurt, nothing major, just slightly irritating. However, once I reached mile 11, there was a killer hill. At that point I walked up the hill to give my hips a break and catch my breath. My hips thanked me for it later, by pushing through to the end without any real pain.
Once the hill was done, I was able to finish off the race strong. It was such a good feeling to cross the finish line and be greeted by my family and friends.
I celebrated with a great burger and shake from P. Terry’s. My recovery has been really good, and with the exception of a little glut pain yesterday and calf soreness today, I’ve felt really good.
Jonathan said after this race he has been convinced he wants to run with me next year {woot!}. And after seeing a few families running together, I’m hoping once the kids get old enough we can make it a family event!
- In: Life
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I’m in the final days of training for the half marathon on Sunday. Is it just me, or have the last 8 weeks gone by really fast? Whew.
It’s been a good training time with some lessons learned. One of those lessons being – after your third baby, your badder just ain’t what it use to be. TMI? Perhaps. But consider it a warning ladies…
Another good lesson learned – I am insane. Granted I knew that already, it’s just now I get to prove it to all my family and friends. Again.
But perhaps the most important lesson {re}learned – My husband rocks. He’s been so good about dealing with the crazy-Sarah that comes out during training {let’s just say I can go a little overboard sometimes} and has rallied around me yet again to see me through to the end.
While so many people are racing this year to either support a great cause or to prove to themselves that they can run such a race, I’ll be honest and say, at this point I’m just really looking forward to a post race P.Terry burger and shake.
Grammy Recap; Adele No Shock, But I’ve Never Seen this Mouse in My House
Posted on: February 12, 2012
- In: Life
- 8 Comments
{photo credit :: cassette couture}
Have you ever seen this Mickey Mouse? Turns out, it’s not Mickey, but a Canadian DJ and producer, stage named deadmau5 {pronounced “dead mouse”}. Jonathan was flabbergasted that I’d never heard of deadmau5, cause apparently when it comes to electro/house music, deadmau5 is the mouse guy.
I always swore that I’d stay in the loop when it comes to pop culture. I’d fight against that mom cage of cultural ignorance. After watching the Grammy’s this evening, I can safely say that I failed to keep my promise. Looks like I have to turn in my “cool-mom-always-with-it pop-culture-guru” card.
Austin Color Run
Posted on: February 9, 2012
- In: Life
- 9 Comments
This past weekend, I ran in the Color Run.
It rained, for days, before the race. Which left the grass track muddy and wet. And after a week of 70*, Saturday started off frigid.
Overall, the race was fun, but there were some definite set backs. Turns out, running in ankle deep thick mud is actually quite hard. I ran as much as possible, but ended up walking up one of the hills when it became nearly impossible to run without falling. And thanks to the mud, trucks weren’t able to get to the back half of the course, which meant that the color {the entire point} of the race ran out. That was a total bummer. But, there was plenty color waiting at the finish line. And that color produced a lot of crazy ::
While the set backs weren’t ideal, overall the Color Run was pretty fun. It’s the first year and I’m certain that by the end the Color Run will have all the kinks worked out and be a really fun race. I loved starting off my racing season with the Color Run and am getting pumped for my big race on the 19th.
Check out Color Run to see if there is a race near you!
Visit Alicia at Alicia’s Homemaking for more Try New Adventures Thursday.
Visit Jill at Diaper Diaries for more Things I Love Thursday.
- In: Life
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A few weeks back, my legs were killing me after a long run. My shins hurt, my calves were sore and I started looking for some relief. I started off with some good stretches, followed by ice packs to reduce any swelling. And then I took a big plunge. I bought compression socks {doesn’t that just make me sound like a old woman?}.
I splurged on a set of CEP socks last week. Compression socks work by squeezing the muscle, increasing blood flow and oxygen, while allowing the muscles to heal. They have proven to be worth every penny. They help my legs stay “fresh” while running and if I wear them for recovery, they make my legs feel super peppy. On Monday I put them on after a four mile run because my calves were killing me from a workout on Sunday. I sported my bright pink socks for a few hours and by the end of the night my legs felt great.
I’ve been fully converted to a compression sock lover. And I think the hot pink color helps balance out the granny feeling I get when I bust them out.
How do you keep your legs feeling good after runs or workouts?
I’m Not Different, I’m Special
Posted on: February 7, 2012
- In: Life
- 11 Comments
Something I love about people is that everyone is unique. Even when we’re in that awkward middle school lemming phase of life, we still have an imprint all to ourselves. And those people who embrace their unique qualities are just beautiful. I wanted to share with you some uniqueness of my own.
1. I’m really obsessed with television and movies. We don’t have cable because I get a little too tv happy and never get actual work done with television as an option. Because of my obsession, I speak fluently in movie and television quotes. Daily, I quote some favorite movie and most situations I encounter remind me of a Seinfeld episode.
2. Growing up I split my time between my mom’s house and my dad’s house. They live about 3 hours apart and we would meet in the middle for a kid swap. The swap took place at Cookeville-Sparta Exit 287. I can’t even tell you my current exit number, but thanks to a song my dad and stepmom made up, I will forever remember Cookeville-Spark Exit 287 in Tennessee. {Even now the rhyme is in my head.}
3. I talk to myself. Often. And while I know that’s not at all weird, I talk to myself in different voices. Constantly. Which might be why I love Jess in New Girl so, so much.
4. Along with talking to myself, I sing to myself. Preferably opera style. And not typical, normal, everyone-knows-this-song songs. I make up my own songs. Like my grocery list. Yeah. I’m just that cool.
5. I get really obsessive compulsive about counting. Once I start counting, say, the number of cookies I baked, I have a really hard time stopping. I physically have to remove myself from the room in order to stop. It’s almost as if a switch has been turned on and I can’t help myself. It drives Jonathan a bit crazy.
6. I desperately want a half sleeve tattoo. Currently, saner minds are prevailing {i.e. Jonathan won’t agree} and I’m left with just researching tattoo ideas. But if given then chance, one day my left arm will be filled with color.
7. When I was a little girl, my grandfather planted a tree for me. It was a white dogwood. Since then, dogwood trees have always been my favorite trees. Perhaps a dogwood would make for a cool tattoo.
8. I find Weeping Willow trees to be wildly romantic. Despite the fact that I grew up calling weeping willows snot trees.
9. I love my wedding dress. It’s beautiful and exactly what I wanted. However, I really want to trash my wedding dress. It’s the concept of saying the dress will never been needed again, and is a super cool alternative to preserving it. I’d love to do a whole portrait session for our ten year anniversary.
10. I’m quick to judge products based on their commercials. I haven’t eaten at Quiznos in years because of their rodent commercials {I mean, really, rodents selling food, yuck}. Kia won my heart years ago with a funny commercial they had {and now I’m a proud Kia owner}. Mary at Giving Up on Perfect has her thoughts on Super Bowl commercials. And Kia just happens to make the list.
What are some of your quirks or what makes you unique?
Visit Amanda at Oh Amanda for more Top Ten Tuesday.
- In: Life
- 5 Comments
This weekend, after nearly five years of service, we sold our minivan The Great White.
For the last year or so, we’ve been considering the possibility of retiring Great White for a newer model. Being 14 years old, Great White has seen better days and is starting to cost more than she’s worth.
Last summer, we received an offer on her from a family in South Texas. We called them this last weekend and sold them Great White. They plan to repair her and use her as their newest family car.
In Great White’s place, we bought a new to us Kia Sedona. A pretty blue color, the Sedona features some updated bells and whistles {automatic sliding doors and a sunroof to boot}. Admittedly, I’m not a minivan lover, but three kids and a big dog deep and you’re committed to a minivan {not that I haven’t tried fitting our family in other options, nothing else seems to work}.
Here’s to the next five+ years as a minivan driving mama!
Hannah’s First Day of Preschool
Posted on: February 2, 2012
- In: Life
- 12 Comments
Yesterday was Hannah’s first day of preschool. She started the two-days a week program at the same church where Julia has been going since last fall. Since Julia started “school” Hannah has been talking about going non-stop. While we do educational things at home when Julia is gone, I’ve certainly dropped the teacher ball after Joseph’s birth. To have the opportunity for Hannah to learn in a play-based way is going to be so great for her.
This photo says so much about my sweet girls’ relationship. Hannah, despite her spit fire personality, really does look up to Julia a lot. And Julia, ever the comforter, really does a great job of watching of Hannah.
Once we got to school, Hannah was a little miffed that she wasn’t going to class with Julia. She kept insisting that she was also four years old and needed to be with Julia and her friends. But, her teachers helped distract her with all the fun toys and games they had. As I left the building, I sneaked a quick peek in her room and she was playing and all happy.
When she came home, she was a ball of excitement with all the wonderful things she’d learned and done. She just loves her teachers and is so excited to finally be at school with her big sister and two neighbor friends.
It’s a bittersweet time now. I love that Hannah is getting to participate in such a great program. I love that Hannah and Julia have another way to bond. And I love being just with Joseph. But it’s a bit sad to see my sweet little Hannah growing up so quickly. She’s turning 3 {THREE!!} in just a few more months. How in the world did that happen? :sigh:
What adventures have you, or your children, had this week?
Visit Alicia at Alicia’s Homemaking for more Try New Adventures Thursday.
A Wife Loved Like The Church 
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