High Five for Friday 8.31.12

This week just flew by! Here's 5 things I'm high-fiving this friday:

Today marks the last day of "No eating out" month!!! It was a lot easier than I thought it would be. With just a little coordination and pre-planning we were able to go this entire month without stopping by for fast food or eating out. Definitely helped the checkbook and I was excited to get this one off of my 30 before 30 list :) I want to go for sushi but he wants a steak, we'll see!

The past weekend, I crossed another item off my list - GO CAMPING!! It was a blast!! We went with our friends and their 2 kids and though they stayed in a trailer and even offered us a bed, I figured I had to do the real deal - pitch a tent and sleeping bag! It was sooooo much fun, it's been nearly 2 decades since I've been camping and I am daydreaming of the next time we'll go!  The spot we camped at was perfect too, in the national forest, surrounded by beautiful evergreens alongside a creek. It was just wonderful waking up to the sound of the water trickling by in the early morning hours.

While we were camping, we we made our way to the top of the mountain to pick huckleberries!! We kept calling it purple gold because of how time consuming picking these little gems are and now I'm conflicted what recipe I should use them up on - huckleberry peach pie, jam, scones, tart??? Decisions, decisions!

Looking forward to a long holiday weekend. We don't have anything specifically planned, just catch up on little house stuff and relax. 
 
We are finally done with our deck staining! Well mostly, but for pictures sake, here's the before and after. I just love that it feels like a brand new deck :)

Happy Friday friends! If you want to play along, be sure to link up!

High Five for Friday 8.10.12

Happy Friday, and what a lovely one it is! Here's 5 things I'm high-fivin today!

 

1. Hubby just got his wisdom teeth out this morning and I get to pamper him all weekend! It was soooo funny when we were leaving - they had given him laughing gas before the surgery and as we were walking him out to the car, he says "woohoo, it's MILKSHAKE TIME, YEEHAAAW!!" I couldn't stop laughing!!

watching espn with bailey

2.  I've been working on a few of my 30 before 30 goals, one of them being "no eating out month", ack!  We tried this back in June but with several out of town trips, this was too difficult for us. So far, this month has gone smoothly, and meal planning has really helped!  I used this super cute calendar from Life After Breakfast to keep track of upcoming meals.  (She makes a new one for every month, keep your eyes peeled for them!)

from life after breakfast

3. My 5 week photography class ended recently with a fun night out shooting! This past week, Julia and I took an evening workshop with Chris Keating, he was hilarious! And it was great to get another person's point of view on the topic. It's been fun figuring out how to shoot in manual!

4. We spent all last weekend working on cleaning and scrubbing our deck for restaining. Wow, I didn't realize how much work it would be! My words of advice would be to not get discouraged when it doesn't look like the cleaner/brightener isn't working after hours of scrubbing - just wait until it dries and you'll really see the difference! I'll post before and after pics of the finished product!

before

5. Our dear friends Emily and Pat are in town for a few weeks before they head to Africa for a mission trip. They came over Tuesday night for dinner, rhubarb pie and the Olympics - it was such a blessing to spend some quality time with them before they leave!

Well that's it from me, hope you have a wonderful weekend! Be sure to play along and link up!

High Five for Friday 7.6.12

Happy Friday! I think this is my favorite day of the week! Here are a few things I'm high-fivin' today.

We are finishing up week 5 of half-marathon training. We've had to skip a run here and there but overall we are staying on track.  I have to admit, it has been so much harder than I ever imagined.  And not just physically but mentally and emotionally as well.  There have been many runs that I've completed and end up beating myself up for not being able to run faster, push harder, be better. Which I know is completely absurd considering I'm breaking my personal records by leaps and bounds!!! I am grateful for a supportive husband and great friends and family that believe in me and encourage me when I'm ready to throw in the towel.  This goal is supposed to be FUN!  I want to put the focus back on being proud of what my mind and body has been able to accomplish with hard work and dedication. 

We finally had all our dogs do a comprehensive session with a dog trainer.  My Riley Boy is getting a little too aggressive for his own good and we just wanted some direction on how to prevent it from getting any worse.  Hard to believe it with this adorable face, huh! She gave us some really great pointers for him and hopefully we can get him back on track!

photo c/o jenny j

This weekend, we will finally be close to hitting 100 degrees for the first time in a couple of years.  I'm thinking some cold and refreshing drinks are in order, doesn't this watermelon-lime cooler look delicious?

My sweet SIL sent us a Smash book for our anniversary! I'm so excited to put all our wedding cards in here, the ones that are currently being held safe in a ziplock bag :)

I'm going to savor the last few days of my stay-cation! I've been catching up on house projects, soaking up some sun, and have finished DIY stuff like this farmer's market bag! It's going to be hard to get back to it Monday morning!

 
What are you high-fivin today? Be sure to link up!

High-Five for Friday 6.15.12

This past week has been a crazy whirlwind of a week and I am ready to sit back and let out a big exhale and just happy that it's finally Friday!  Here are my top choices I'm high-fiving about today! 

It's my momma's birthday today! Fun tidbit: she was born in Mexico on a ranch and back then, one (typically the father) would horseback into the city and send word that there was a birth and fill out the paperwork. Well when my grandpa got to the city, he forgot the day my mom was actually born so he said the 22nd, a whole week later! So she has 2 birthdays - her real one and her legal one! We only celebrate her real one but have a good laugh about the legal one every year!

Last weekend we spent our time on the rainy side of the state to celebrate my work's 50th anniversary. Ok, so technically the anniversary date was celebrated a couple of years late but who's keeping track! I am so grateful to work for such an awesome company that celebrates important milestones with employees AND the families of employees! And let me tell you the owner's really know how to throw a party! They rented out a huge facility and sectioned it off into many little themed areas. There was one room with cirque-de-soleil performers and cartoonist, another area with dancing ladies on stilts, a casino room, a video game room, a white room with plush leather sofas, moving human appetizer and dessert tables, the list goes on. We were so honored to be a part of this incredible night in the company's history!

While we were there, we made a weekend full of fun events and hit up a Mariner's game (a no-hitter by the way, only the third in franchise history!), Pike's place market which included a visit to the first Starbucks and Piroshky Piroshky, randomly painted blue trees at West Lake center, visiting with close friends, and even a little shopping! I'm already dreaming of the next time we'll go back!

Julia and I signed up for a photography class. I'm super excited about this because ever since I bought my camera, I've taken it out and have no idea what I'm doing. I've tried reading tutorials, and sometimes I'll get lucky with a good picture but I really feel totally clueless in this area! It will be nice to have someone helping give tips and pointers along the way!

photo by yours truly

It's been so much fun finishing up our wedding recaps! With our 3 year anniversary coming up, I've been having a blast going back and looking at all the photos. Ah, what a beautiful day!

photo by jenny j

Happy Friday! Be sure to hop on over to From My Grey Desk and link up!

High Five for Friday 6.1.12

High five it's Friday! A short week after a long holiday weekend is definitely worth smiling for! Be sure to link up! Here are 5 things I'm excited about today:

3-day work week! It was definitely hard waking up to go to work this week after a long holiday weekend, I'm so happy Friday is here!  Perhaps a hiking or fishing venture is in order!

I feel so blessed to have great next-door neighbors. They are a couple our age with 2 little ones, we have so much fun spending time with them! This past Sunday, my hubby finally had some time for the first time this year to take the motorcycle out for a spin and their eldest son set up his chair to watch as hubby drove away. So, so sweet :)

 

My manicure and pedicure! For spring and summer, I like to go as bright as possible, this orange fit the bill!

FARM CHICKS Antique Show is here! So very excited to check out all the crafty vendors this year.  

I'm really excited about this one..my friend told me about a half marathon this fall, it's the perfect one to mark off my 30 before 30 list!  SO WE'RE OFFICIALLY SIGNED UP (Julia, join the club!!) I've been looking over several training plans and think this one from fitsugar might be the one!

Week	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Friday	Sat	Sun	Total Miles Run
1	Rest	2 miles	Rest	2.5 miles	Rest	3 miles	2 easy miles	9.5 miles
2	Rest	2 miles	Rest	3 miles	CT or Rest	4 miles	2.5 easy miles	11.5 miles
3	Rest	2.5 miles	2 miles	3 miles	CT or Rest	5 miles	2 easy miles	14.5 miles
4	Rest	3 miles	Rest	4 miles	CT or Rest	6 miles	3 easy miles	16 miles
5	Rest	3 miles	3 miles	3 miles	CT or Rest	7 miles	3 easy miles	19 miles
6	Rest	4 miles	3 miles	4 miles	CT or Rest	8 miles	3 easy miles	22 miles
7	Rest	4 miles	Rest	4 miles	CT or Rest	9 miles	3 easy miles	20 miles
8	Rest	4 miles	3 miles	3 miles	CT or Rest	10 miles	3 easy miles	23 miles
9	Rest	5 miles	3 miles	4 miles	CT or Rest	11 miles	Rest	23 miles
10	3 easy miles	4 miles	Rest	3 miles	CT or Rest	12 miles	3 easy miles	25 miles
11	Rest	4 miles	Rest	3 miles	CT or Rest	5 miles	2.5 easy miles	14.5 miles
12	Rest	2 miles	20 minutes	Rest	20 minutes	Race Day! 13.1 miles	Rest	15.1 miles + 40 minutes

High Five for Friday 3.23.12

Friday is here and I'm loving every minute of it! Here's what I'm high-fivin today:

Going to see this lovely lady! I'm hoping the weather will be nice enough we can go for a hike.

I've been working hard to keep up with cardio workouts but never know where to start with strength or weight training. Well I did this epic workout yesterday and it did not disappoint.

Hunger Games is finally here! I can't wait to go see it!!

It's almost golf season! We're just waiting for it to stop randomly snowing so we can get back to the driving range!

Cupcakes! I try so very hard to wait until the weekend to hit up the cupcake shop. I'm crossing my fingers they have cookies and cream on hand :)

 

 Happy Friday! Be sure to link up

High Five for Friday 3.16.12

Yay, it's Friday! The morning started out with a crazy rain/snow mix but the sun has decided to come out and I'm welcoming it with open arms! Here are my top 5 for this week:

We picked up these Bird of Paradise seeds on our trip to Maui last year and we're finally getting around to planting them this weekend :)

I picked up some reads from the library today!

My love of nail polish is no joke so when SIL mentioned julep.com I was very intrigued. I held off for a while but once she messaged me a one time discount code, I couldn't resist! The package came super quick and I'm loving those colors!

I got to catch up with my friend Emily on Skype this week and her little Lady decided to say hi!

 

And lastly, I took the plunge and purchased a DSLR camera! I'm really excited to start using it and slowly knocking another item off my list :)

What are you high-fiving for this lovely Friday? Be sure to link up!

High Five for Friday 3.9.12

Yay, it's Friday! The sun is shining and I'm just thrilled the weekend is here. My top favorite things I'm high-fivin for this week are:

BLAKE SHELTON! We've been watching The Voice this year so we were really looking forward to the concert.  And he did not disappoint! We had SO much fun! He is incredibly entertaining and funny. Before he came on stage, they were playing "Baggage Claim" by his little lady Miranda Lambert, I love it. We scored seats on the floor level so we were really able to get up close and personal. GAH!! So fun!

Starbucks buy one get one half off! Yay, I love going in for an afternoon icy treat!

Hunger Games! Anyone else looking forward to the movie?! I read the trilogy over Christmas and have been anxiously awaiting to see it on the big screen. Only 2 more weeks!

imdb.com

My friend's new blog, Jems and Jules! Check it out, she's a DIY-baking-designing lady after my own heart!

This penne with beef recipe by Giada. I've made it a couple of times and it's so good! The only change I've made is to cut the olive oil to 1/2 c. and think it could still stand to be cut back a little more. I'm thinking this recipe is in store for the weekend - it's time to fire up the grill for the first time this year!

photo from food network

And that wraps it up for me! Have a great weekend! Be sure to link up and share your top 5 for the week!

High Five For Friday 3.2.12

It's that time again! Boy this week just flew by! Here's a few things I'm high-fivin' about on this lovely Friday:

1. Planning our Christmas vacation with my all of my in-laws. We only get to see them once a year so we're super excited!

2.  Cuptakes! Their app for iphones has so many cute backgrounds to pick from. I love the beginning of the month when they release the latest designs!  They also have a store where you can purchase some cute cases as well.

3. Chicken wings! This is what we went out for on Valentine's day this year. I'm thinking another outing is in order!

4. Painting and decorating our downstairs. Hopefully we will be able to knock this off my 30 before 30 list before summer starts!

5. I am loving all the new candles at Bath and Body Works. The tropical ones are my favorite!

Happy Friday! Be sure to link up!

High Five for Friday 2.17.12

High Five it's Friday! So happy it's here. And to celebrate, here are five of my favorite things going on right now!

1. Cut my hair last weekend! I was a little nervous when my go-to stylist called in sick at the last minute and I was reassigned to another gal. But she turned out to be great and was super sweet too!

2. I made this Jcrew inspired sweater using this tutorial and wore it on Valentine's day.  The boys at work may have made fun of the black color of the heart but fear not I wore my DIY sweater proudly!

3. Weekend time to catch up on my favorite shows - Grey's, American Idol, Biggest Loser, Cupcake Wars!!

4. Lovin all the spring nail polish colors that are coming out! This one by Orly is at the top of my list!

5. Looking forward to this coat I recently ordered! Can't wait for it to get here!

 join the high five for friday fun and link up!