Choices

This morning I had to make a huge decision:

Get up early to work-out so that I could buy groceries before class

OR...

Sleep a little later and forgo the grocery store.

Can you guess which one I chose? Looks like I'll be hitting up the drive-through later.

I had to skip my morning run due to a brutal blister that stretches from the arch of my foot all the way to the ball (ouch). Instead, I did my rainy day combo of Yoga Booty Ballet and 30 Day Shred. I must confess, I'm becoming a bit addicted to this little combo.

I also thought I would share with you that my little helper has been back to work. Here she is helping me read the pattern for my latest sewing project:


Unfortunately, my little helper can also be a pest sometimes. In case you are wondering why I did not get any school work done over the weekend, here is why:


It can be hard to study when a small dog decides that your text book would make the perfect spot to relax. She kinda gets a way with a lot because she's so cute.

Shouldn't all weekends be 3 days??

This weekend involved lots of fun:

• Early morning runs, including my best run ever! I don't know if it was the strength training I did during the week, my new running outfits, or the new electro house mixes hubby put on my iPod. Whatever it was, I nailed 5.25 miles and felt SOOO good about it!
  

• Officially experiencing the runner's high and setting the goal to run a marathon before I turn 30

• Finishing this book...

• And starting this one...

• A lovely morning at church

• Meeting up with some of hubby's friends for Thai (I had my favorite...pad thai with shrimp)

• Watching the SEC championship game with good friends and cheering LSU on to victory

{image from www.tigerdroppings.com}

• Starting a new sewing project (I promise photos are to come of all the projects I've been working on! The rainy weather just has not inspired me to dress up and take photos.)

• Shopping sprees at JoAnn's and Sports Authority (I might have even visited these stores two or three times over the weekend)

{My first JoAnn's haul of the weekend}

• Spotting a flying squirrel and lots of bunny rabbits on our 6AM Sunday run

• Pretending that Sonic chili cheese tots are actually good for me

{image from www.flickr.com/photos/dhurricane}

My weekend did NOT include any of the following:

• cleaning
• school work
• grocery shopping for the week
• giving Heaven a bath

As a result, this week is going to be ROUGH. Thank goodness the weekend will be here again soon!

Sunshine where are you??

I know I keep complaining about the rain, but I'm just so tired of it! I am becoming quite good at forming outfits around my red wellies. Today I ventured out into the rain to do one of my favorite activities...browsing the bookstore. I bought baby books for a friend's shower, and scooped up these for myself:

{Can you guess my career by my reading tastes?}

After the bookstore, I treated myself to the sandwich I've been craving all week...

{Gotta love rainy day hair, right?}

I plan to spend the rest of the day working on school assignments, including searching through these research journals for relevant data:

{I'm thinking I should make a pot of coffee.}

And of course I'm eagerly anticipating the season premiere of one of my favorite shows tonight..."So You Think You Can Dance"! Is anyone else excited??

One more thing. Mr. Sun, if you happen to be reading this, please come out tomorrow. I really want to go for a run and lay by the pool, okay? And as much as I enjoy getting soaked on my way to class, I really miss you.

Craving

It's raining again today, so once again I had to bring my work-out indoors this morning. I did Yoga Booty Ballet and 30 Day Shred, which was fabulous, but I'm seriously craving sunshine.

Some other things I'm craving today...

1. Peonies

{image from www.twelve22.org}

2. Godiva Truffles

{image from www.farm2.static.flickr.com}

3. Mediterranean Veggie sandwich from Panera

{image from www.dearbarbz.vox.com}

4. Time to enjoy a cup of coffee and the newspaper

{image from www.planetmotivation.com}


What are you craving today?

Rainy Monday + Interesting Workout = It just MIGHT be a good day

It is seriously doom and gloom outside today...yuck. But this summer I am prepared! My fabulous red Hunter wellies that I received for Christmas have been patiently awaiting the rainy season. I've only had one opportunity to wear them, so I can't wait to break them out today and splash through some puddles on my way to class.

The rain also put a damper on my plans to swim laps this morning. Fortunately, I had a back-up plan. I broke out another one of my Christmas presents:

{Yoga Booty Ballet}

I was immediately intrigued when I saw this at Target because I danced ballet so many years and have been wanting to get into yoga. Hubby bought it for me for Christmas, but it's been sitting in the box because we've been getting in plenty of outdoor workouts. I really enjoyed today's workout and already feel the burn in my thighs and abs. It was a little New Age-ish but I guess that's to be expected with yoga.

So despite the nasty weather, I'm hoping it will turn out to be an okay day.

If only we could add an extra day to the weekend...

My weekend at a glance:

1. Minor league baseball game with hubby (which involved lots of hot dogs and peanuts)

2. Loads of school work

3. Discovering a fabulous tea


4. Steak, scallops, and a LOST marathon with hubby (we majorly got behind on our DVR and I confess, I am seriously lost this season)

5. Hand battered shrimp and baked potato on Girls Night In with Heaven


6. Realizing that the rainy season is here, washing away hopes for afternoons at the pool

7. Falling in love with this chocolate bar


8. Early morning runs

9. Shopping for new work-out gear


10. Fabric shopping for my next project

11. Sharing my one of my favorite snacks with Heaven

{Bananas, strawberries, Bob's Red Mill thick rolled oats, & Smuckers Organic peanut butter}

12. Lazy lunches at Panera

13. Dreaming of sewing instead of going to school this week


Hope you all had lovely weekends!

The makeover is finished!

Take a look at my new layout and tell me what you think!

My wonderful hubby had a header made for me, which totally made my day. I kinda love him a lot :)

Under construction...

My blog is going under construction for the next little bit, so don't be disturbed if things look crazy! Hopefully this won't take too long :)

My little helper...

While trying to cut out the pieces for my skirt, I had a little helper. She tried as hard as she could to be of assistance, but eventually gave up and decided to just hold the fabric down.

If only I could teach her how to use scissors.

Happy Mother's Day!!

I am so thankful every single day for my mom. She has been there for me through all of life's ups and downs. As I get older, I really appreciate all the little things she's done for me that make such a difference. I'm so grateful that she picked me up from school each day, made me a snack, and listened as I told her all about my day. I will always be thankful that she helped me with my homework and drove me hours away to private music lessons. She has supported me at concerts, pageants, dance recitals, and graduations. I thank God each day for blessing me with such a wonderful mother.

{Mom and I arranging magnolias for my wedding reception}

I am also blessed to have a little daughter who loves me on this Mother's Day. She is covered in fur and can't always communicate to me what she wants (she doesn't speak English), but she is precious to me. She likes to get me little gifts to show me that she appreciates all I do for her, so this Mother's Day she surprised me with a gift certificate to a spa. Exactly what I needed!! She is so thoughtful!

Addicted

During a particularly stressful semester during my master's program, I decided that it was so stupid I was torturing myself this way. Why had I chosen a career that required 500 years of school? I found myself wishing I would have gone to school at Parson's. Surely I would have become a famous designer in a few years. Ha!

Needless to say, I did not drop out of school to become a fashion designer, but my love for fashion has always gone far beyond shopping. I adore pouring over books on the history of design and admiring fashions from throughout the centuries. I especially love sketching and fashion illustration. Lately I have become hopelessly addicted to sewing.

I love the whole process, from start to finish. One of my favorite parts is deciding what to make, then going to the fabric store. Examining the endless bolts of fabric and forming a vision of what I want to create is so much fun. Some of you lovely ladies commented that you wished you could sew. YOU CAN! It just takes a little time and patience, but it is so rewarding.

I finished my little black dress last night and I am in love. I have no way to photo myself in it because hubby is working in Alabama this weekend, but I will share it with you as soon as I can. Since my addiction has taken over, I'm now starting a new project:

{Soon to be transformed into a skirt}

Hope you all are having a wonderful weekend and indulging in some of your favorite addictions!

Practicing for Project Runway...

Today is a rare gem...I have the day off. No school, no training, no assessments to score or reports to write. Monday begins a new semester and a new training site, but today I get to do whatever I want. So here is how I plan to spend my day:


I started making an adorable little black dress yesterday, so I'm anxious to finish it. I'm also hoping to squeeze in a little time at the pool. I just started reading Dan Brown's "Angels and Demons" (I'm the type who likes to read the book before I see the movie rather than the other way around), so I think I may spend an hour or two reading by the pool, sipping almond tea.

Hope you all are finding ways to enjoy your Friday too!

How to drink like a Southerner

We Southerners are well known for our love of sweet tea. Today I'm going to share with you a variation of this beloved drink that is very popular in my home state of Louisiana. In fact, when Oprah visited the town in Louisiana where I went to college, she could not stop raving about this delicious concoction. (By the way, having Oprah show up out of the blue and be the grand marshal of our Homecoming parade is a college experience I will never forget!)

Almond Tea

{Adapted from Southern Living}

{Almond tea looks much prettier with ice, but I was out. I also love serving it in a pretty pitcher with floating lemon slices.}

12 cups water, divided
4 family-sized tea bags (I use Luzianne)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 to 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
4 teaspoons almond extract
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Bring 4 cups water to a boil; pour over tea bags. Cover and steep about 10 minutes, then discard tea bags.

Bring remaining 8 cups water and sugar to a boil in a large saucepan, stirring constantly. Boil 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in tea, lemon juice, and extracts. Chill and serve over ice. Garnish if desired with lemon slices.


Tastes best if enjoyed while relaxing on your porch. Tastes even better if shared with family or friends.

Back from the Bayou

I am back from a fabulous week in Louisiana! It was so wonderful to see my family and relax a bit. I filled up on lots of delicious Louisiana foods and spent a good bit of time sewing. When I go home to visit my family it's nice to just be a homebody and take in the slower pace of life there. I love that there is plenty of time for sipping sweet tea on the porch and afternoon visits from friends. I attended a huge crawfish boil on Friday night and attempted to eat my weight in crawfish (sadly, I failed and am already craving mudbugs again). Going home is always bittersweet because I miss my family and Louisiana so much. Every time I go there it just reaffirms the fact that I can't wait to be done with my doctorate so I can move back.

{Crawfish, corn, and potatoes that were waiting on me when I got home from the airport}

{Fresh white perch...no ocean fish compares to fresh water fish!}

{Strawberry pie made from fresh Louisiana strawberries}

{Hand battered shrimp fresh from the Gulf}

{Fried white perch + turnip greens = happiness}