Farewell CHI, Hello HSI!

My Chi has been on it's last leg for probably about the past month. First sign that it was dying on me was it's failure to turn off... GRRRRR!

Then, this week it started to smell awful... you know that plastic burning smell... ICK! And the handle would get so hot I could hardly hold it! Not normal for sure. So I decided it was time to part ways.

So long Chi... we had a long run together!

I was not looking forward to purchasing another Chi since they are very expensive. My now non-functioning Chi had lasted me for probably the last 7 years!!! But Dan found me a straightener that everyone was comparing to the Chi for half the price! WOOT! It's called the HSI? I have never heard of it, but the reviews were wonderful! We purchased it online and had it one day shipped since lets face it, I can't survive more than one day without a straightener!

It arrived right on schedule! It took me a little while to get use to because it is a little bit different than my Chi, but so far I like it okay. I'm just thankful I have something to tame my wicked mane of hair!

Thankful Thursday (Rain)

Today I'm thankful for rain. Boy do we need some in our area right now! You don't realize just how important it is until you don't have it for a while. Our grass right now is dead and brown... and we have been using water like crazy to keep our flowers alive. I think we have gone over a month without a nice down pour. This week we are suppose to reach 99 degrees! Holy Moly!!!

Come on weather! Give us a good rain so it will cool us down and give my plants a little drink :)

Sweet Potato Homemade Dog Treats

The most important thing on my to do list this weekend was to make Remington some sweet potato dog treats. His favorite is the no bake peanut butter ones that I make, but I was wanting to try something different. Plus, I heard these were super healthy and good for your dog! I'm all about Remington eating the best even when I don't!

Sweet Potato Dog Treats (www.dogtreatkitchen.com)

Ingredients

• 4 sweet potatoes

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 250° F
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Cut off one side of the sweet potato lengthwise, as close to the edge as possible. Cutting the side of the potato first allows you to then turn the potato onto this flat surface that you have just created. Having a stable area to rest the potato will make it easier to cut the potato into slices. Don't discard that first piece, it comes out just as yummy as the rest!
4. Cut the rest of the potato into 1/3" slices, no smaller than 1/4".
5. Place them on the prepared baking sheet.
6. Bake for 3 hours, turning half way through.
7. Cool completely on a wire rack.

After they were finished they looked like this...

Sadly... I made them chewy and Remington was not a huge fan... he obviously likes crunchy treats! But he ate them anyways cause he didn't want to hurt my feelings. Lesson learned!

If I make them again I'll cook them longer so they are crunchier!

Mileage Monday

Running stats for the week of June 18th - June 24th... the temperatures this past week were HOT HOT HOT!

I mean dang! It was miserable! Every night I was suppose to run I seriously had second thoughts cause I knew it was gonna be struggle... and EVERY night I talked myself out of running! I felt like a total slug most of the week. I was so dang tired... probably because I have been eating garbage and sitting on my rump a lot... which are 2 of my most favorite things in the world. O'well... it was nice to be a lazy bum this week and not run one bit!

Photo a Day - Week #23

Week of June 18th - June 24th

Monday

(shy guy)

Tuesday

(red velvet pizookie)

Wednesday

(talk about emotional... after the first 5 pages I was bawling my eyes out)

Thursday

(I never liked "cuties" much, but they now are my favorite snack)

Friday

(Arby's Pecan Chicken Salad Sandwiches are delicious)

Saturday

(my Kindle sure has been getting a break these past few weeks)

Sunday

(homemade sweet potato dog treats)

Costochondritis Diagnoses

After researching my symptoms via Google I have decided that I diagnosed myself with Costochondritis... heard of it??

It seems like at least once I month I get pain in my rib cage and chest. Sometimes I feel like I'm having a heart attack and sometimes its just a dull aching.

Pretty much Costochondritis is inflammation of the junctions where the upper ribs join with the cartilage that holds them to the breastbone or sternum. The condition causes localized chest wall pain and tenderness that you can reproduce by pushing on the involved cartilage in the front of the rib cage.

The cause of this is really unknown, but it is a relatively harmless condition and will go away without treatment. I'm guessing exercising is some of the cause of my flare ups. It really is more annoying than painful for the most part.

Surprisingly, Costochondritis is a fairly common condition in females and affects a large percent of the population!

See... I'm not abnormal!

Personal Journaling

Before I ever started this blog I did a lot of personal writing in a journal. It was just my way of getting thoughts out when I wasn't sure what I needed to say out loud and it was nice to read through past memories. Once I started blogging, all my personal journaling went away since I began concentrating on what to post on the blog.

Recently however, I have felt the need to start writing in a journal again... because let's face it... some things can't be posted for the whole world to read about. It seems I have so many thoughts and emotions running through my head at times the only way to get them out is to write. I of course plan to continue the exciting online version of our lives (I chuckle)... but am looking forward to getting back to pondering over the more private aspects.

Do any of you journal in your spare time? I have several fill in the blank journals about my pets, Dan and I's marriage, a DIY autobiography, etc. I even got a fill in the blank journal for my Grandma F. and parents to fill out so I could have them to look back on. There is just something special about having pieces of your life written down on paper. Am I the only one that feels this way?

Thankful Thursday (Blogging 2 Years)

Today I'm thankful for this blog! It is officially it's 2 year anniversary! Can you believe that!

I have written 450 posts and receive on average 2,300 hits a month!

I'm so thankful for this blog as it helps keep my loved ones updated on what is going on in our lives, has enabled me to meet and make some new friends along the way, and most of all helps keep me sane since I'm able to write out all that is on my mind! I also feel blessed to have a electronic diary of sorts to look back on as time continues to move forward.

Happy Anniversary little blog! May we continue to have many more years ahead of us!

The Sale, Birthday, & Father's Day

This past weekend was a busy one. My Grandma recently moved out of her house and into an apartment. She is a "collector" or so we'll call her... and had tons of stuff that needed to be sorted through and sold since she would no longer have room in her apartment for it all. My Mom and her brother decided to have a huge auction/sale over the weekend to part with the many antiques and little knick knacks my Grandma had purchased over the years.

Below is what the moving process looked like... it took several days to get all of the stuff out of her house and to the auction building...

One batch out of the 4 batches of vases that were moved out...

A load of old furniture...

There were boxes and boxes full of knick knacks that were brought out...

And then once it was all moved out to the auction building this is what it looked like!!

Holy Cow right?

See anything you want?!?!

My cousin Briann found this cane that had a hidden sword in it! HA!

The sale went okay... it was a long long day... but thankful all that "stuff" is now gone! YAY!

It was also my Grandma's Birthday... after moving all of the stuff out of the house we celebrated that evening with pizza and ice cream cake! 

Here's my Grandma and two of my cousins (Leslie and Bri) and of course Violet :)

Also, since we were in P-town we were able to celebrate Father's Day with my Dad! Oh how I love my Dad even though we don't get along with each other at times! My Mom says we are just too much alike for our own good, which is probably true.

I made him a homemade card, which I got the idea from Pinterest! Kind of fun right!?!

And we got him a LPD Fraternal Order of Police T-Shirt since he loves the one Dan wears... HEHE... I swear those two are little peas in a pod!

Of course Dan and Remi took their Father's Day picture together!

 Isn't he the sweetest!

There you go! All caught up on what we did this past weekend! It was an adventure that's for sure!

Mileage Monday

Running stats for the week of June 11th - June 17th... running this past week was all over the place. We moved stuff out of my G-ma's house for a huge sale we were having this past weekend so I missed some of the runs that I had scheduled. However, I did get a good workout in during the day I was moving boxes all over the place! This upcoming week is going to be a hot one! I'm already dreading it!

Monday, June 11th, 2012 - Stretch / X- Train

Tuesday, June 12th, 2012 - 3.14 mile "easy" run

Wednesday, June 13th, 2012 - Stretch

Thursday, June 14th, 2012 - REST DAY!

Friday, June 15th, 2012 - 4 mile "tempo" run / moved all day

Saturday, June 16th, 2012 - Stretch / X-Train

Sunday, June 17th, 2012 - REST DAY!

Total miles ran this week: 7.14 miles

Photo a Day - Week #22

Week of June 11th - June 17th

Monday

(manicure Monday... design Spring Fever)

Tuesday

(first book I read this week)

Wednesday

(my new earbuds)

Thursday

(second book I read this week)

Friday

(the move begins)

Saturday

(and it continues...)

Sunday

(my tired feet after the long weekend)

Quote on Marriage

Truth: My all time favorite blog to read is Skinny Runner's.    Click here to view her awesomeness ---------------^

Truth: I stalk her blog and twitter several times a day.

Truth: She is a bad ass and runs more miles in a week that I do a year... WOW!

Truth: She is my inspiration!

Most of the time Skinny Runner is posting about her running, crazy things the celebs are doing, or other sarcastic comments about her life in general but, recently she posted a quote on her blog about marriage and I have been pondering over it for the past several days... I even printed it out and stuck it up on my cork board at work... like I said it really makes me think!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Relationships are living entities, and if left alone, they'll atrophy.

Marriage is never a finished product. It requires attention and a time commitment.

You have to find time somewhere that's devoted to the relationship so you don't gradually drift apart and graduate to living separate lives.

Those who can go the distance are intentional about the relationship

and make the commitment not to let it deteriorate.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Marriage is hard... especially for us at times when we sometimes only see each other for a total of only 24 hours in an entire week. We often struggle giving our marriage the time and attention is deserves. We get caught up in all the other demands of life. This quote stood out to me so much because I really felt like it was speaking directly to us... it was a little tap on the shoulder.

Thanks for the lesson in life Skinny Runner! And P.S. I'm your biggest fan!

Thankful Thursday (Books)

Today I'm thankful for books! I have been loving having the summer off from school this year because I can read to my heart's content! A dream come true! When I was younger I would join those library book reading programs where the more books you read the more prizes you get. I honestly didn't care much about the prizes, but more about the challenge of just reading as many books as I could during the summer! As I got older and entered college it became much more difficult to find the time to read books for pleasure so I would try to stuff all my reading into summer or winter breaks. I can remember a few month long winter breaks during college where I would read 30+ books in that time. I would stay up late into the night reading or just sit all day with my head in a book! It was amazing...

This summer reminds me a little bit of those times and I'm absolutely loving every minute of it!