Talkin' bout My Hair.

I have hair ADD.

In my head I wish I had long luscious locks, but in reality I don't like to spend more than 10 minutes from shampoo to hairspray.

Once upon a time I had long hair.

Then I got married and cut it off, like the day I got back from my honeymoon.

Then I had a baby, got fat, and got skinny.

The more weight I lost the shorter I cut my hair.

I think I was around 185 here.

I call this my Kelly Clarkson hair :)

I cut it super short, 160.

This was my favorite cut, it was so sassy and SO easy to fix every morning.

Plus I had a lot of compliments on it.

Growing it out was really not painful, which was my main concern when chopping it.

I only decided to grow it out because I was trying to get knocked up and I get fat face when I pregnant.

Now that I see this picture I want to go chop off my front layers!

I have noticed a new trend in my hair cuts.

Bangs.

I need Botox, like yesterday, blah blah blah I know I'm too young.

Age knows no boundaries, this girls got some wrinkle on the forehead.

So I randomly decided to go chop some over the weekend.

Before.

I hate when my hair is on my neck too it makes me want to put it in a ponytail everyday.

After.

Bangs will suffice until I find a job {soon!} and the hubs can't say shit about me getting poison in my forehead.

Or I just won't tell him, doubt he would notice.

Although he did notice my bangs, so maybe that's not a good plan.

I did flat iron it today and I usually round brush it which I like better.

I just don't dig flat hair, I'm too short I need all the help I can get :)

And just for fun, here's Miss M last year and this year on Halloween.

My, how they grow.

Now, the rest of the day will be spent trying to avoid all that damn candy.

Happy Halloween! 

I'm looking forward to see all your cute kids in their costumes so post pictures!!!

My Longest Run Ever.

All last week I was looking forward to Friday, not just because it was the weekend, but because the weather was supposed to get chilly.

I love to run in cold weather and it doesn't stay cold for very long in Texas.

I made sure to take my rest day on Thursday and I planned on busting out some of my favorite cold weather running gear and heading to White Rock Lake after dropping Miss M off at preschool.

Shirt- Under Armor  Pants- Old Navy

I searched and searched for my ear warmers and couldn't find any of them. So I just put on a thick band and thought I'll just cover my ears if they get cold.

Well, after leaving I realized it was windy so I stopped at Dicks and got a real one.

I'm so glad I did, it was COLD.

I didn't have a plan for my run I just really wanted a change of scenery from my 2 mile loop around my house.

I love going to the lake to run, it was the site of my first 'long' run and the first time I thought of myself as a runner.

As excited as I was to do it my back was achy when I woke up that morning and my legs felt heavy.

After I started running I could feel it wasn't going to be an awesome run, I felt tired at mile 2!

The good thing about running the lake is that it's a loop, so you can't really turn back you have to keep going to get back to your car :)

I told myself just push to mile 5 and then you can eat some fuel and you will feel better.

I surfed my music for my favorite songs.

I stopped and ate half my Shot Bloks at mile 5.5

When I run somewhere other than my neighborhood I wear my Hydration Belt from Dicks.

I have to wear it up high where I am smallest and tighten it really tight so it doesn't bounce, but I love it!

I stopped for water at mile 8 and realized I was almost back to the car.

I was starting to feel better, so when I reached mile 9.3 {the entire loop of the lake} I thought back to how exhausted I was the very first time I had run it and realized how far I had come.

So I made the decision to keep going.

and going.

and going.

I ended up running the furthest I have ever run.

I was so dead tired, but so damn proud.

It was not easy, there were so many times I just wanted to get back to my car turn on the heat and get something to eat.

I'm proud I pushed myself.

Starbucks and Think Thin never tasted so good.

Happy Tuesday!

Ab Workout {VLOG}

Hope y'all had a good weekend!

I decided Miss M needed some Tiny Toms for the winter because they would look cute with dresses and jeans. I get tired of buying so many different shoes to match all her outfits.

So off to Nordstroms we went.

She won't sit in a stroller anymore so she makes Aunt Katie carry her because she knows better than to ask me!

Aren't they pretty!

We also stopped by H&M where I remembered the reason I don't take my kid shopping.

She was hiding in the clothes rack and trying to eat ice off the floor WITH HER MOUTH.

UGH.

They did have the cutest little fur vest for her though.

OK, so lets get to what you are really here for!

Let's make those abs burn!

Oops, so in the video I forgot to show y'all the last move, bicycle, but I'm sure you know how to do it. 

Don't forget them, they are one of the most effective moves for your tummy!

Make sure you are twisting ALL THE WAY to each side, you want to work allllll those muscles :)

** no surprise visits from the crazy child, just my cat who only comes out when said child is not home**

You will want to curl up and cry, but don't stop between moves.

Keep it going and cry when you're DONE.

If you're rockstar status do the entire thing twice!

Happy Monday!

How to Hang an Antique Chandelier {tutorial}

I've got to be the most ADD blogger ever.

One day we are talking weight and the next I'm showing you how to change a light fixture.

You should meet me in real life, I would say I'm kinda nuts but my friends seem to like me :)

After I made my chevron curtains and hung them, I was all 'ewww the light fixture looks really bad now'

Over the summer I bought a antique chandy to hang in my Master Bathroom.

{Except someone would have to climb all the way across the house IN THE ATTIC to put a bar between the studs. I don't do attics.}

I bought it for 50 bucks at a flea market, the wiring was scary old so I went to Home Depot and bought a hanging lamp rewiring kit. {It was in the ceiling fan section}

It will come with wiring and a plug.

In the middle of the chandy there will be wire nuts that connect the wiring for each arm to the wire coming out the top that would hang from the ceiling.

I won't assume you know what a wire nut is because I sure didn't!

Just untwist them and pull the middle wiring out. 

Next, take your new wiring and separate the wires into 2 sections and strip away a few inches of the plastic coating {using wire strippers from the store}

Just like the way it was before you took it apart, thread the new wire down the middle of the light and then you twist the old arm wiring with the new wires and twist back on the wire nuts.

At this point it makes sense to plug it in and make sure all the lights are working.

**Turn off the breaker, make sure it's off!**

Now, unscrew your old light fixture.

The middle bolt holding the light fixture to the ceiling will have to be reused on your new light fixture.

Cut the chain and cord of your new light to the desired length and just attach the new chain to the bolt.

Now just rescrew the bolt in with the new light attached.

Now you have to connect the wires from your light to the ceiling. 

There will be 3 black, white, copper.

 The copper one is the ground and you don't attach anything to it just leave the wire nut on.

It doesn't matter for the black and white, just attach one of your new wires to each {bend the old and new together and attach a wire nut}

Before you finish turn the power back on and make sure it works.

When it doesn't start cussing and call your husband.

He will come take it apart and find that you didn't screw the wires together well enough :)

Put the cover back on and you are done!

I love a new light!

If you'd like to see some of the other's I've put around the house you can check out my bathroom light, or the one in my dining room, or the vintage cutie in my bedroom, or even the ceiling fan I did back in the day when my pictures really sucked.

Happy Thursday!

Cardio or Weights?

I have spent my fair share on workout clothes, it's no secret that I'm a shopaholic.

I found these running capri's at Old Navy for 23 bucks!

They are just as good, if not better, than my 60 dollar running tights! They even have a key pocket in the back.

I've written about my running story before and the first half marathon I did {where i was sure I was going to come in last} and the Rock and Roll Half that was amazeballs.

I guess you could say I'm the cardio queen, but lately I've had a tiny change of heart.

I've started adding in more and more weight training, cardio helped me lose the pounds, but the weights are what are helping me change my body.

I think people give up on weights because they don't see immediate benefits, it does take time.

My arms didn't happen overnight, it was constant commitment to getting arms better than Kelly Ripa.

Plus, I like being sore the day after a workout, it lets me know I'm working my body.

You have to push yourself, go heavier, go harder.

I think the best thing about this type of exercise is that you can do it at home, in your living room.

You don't need a sitter, you don't need to carve out an hour of time.

You just need some weights and a few good blood pumping tunes.

I've been clean eating {about 90% of the time} to try to build my muscle definition.

The main point that I've learned from eating clean is to cut out the crap.

I call these things Faux Healthy.

These are just empty calories, there is no nutritional benefit to eating them {besides maybe emotional}.

They won't fill you up, they don't feed your muscles, they won't get you to your goal.

Just because it's low calorie doesn't mean it's good for you.

We alllll know you make your six pack in the kitchen.

Not exactly a six pack {yet!} but I'm seeing a little definition coming through and if you could have seen what this looked like at 260, this is pretty much a miracle.

That I gave myself.

Makes me want to get up and do sit ups every morning!

I hope to have time to make a short video of my favorite ab moves for Friday.

It would involve me talking the husband into taping it for me, which I'm sure I'm going to need to trade 'favors' for :)

And just because she's my cutie and the fact that I get nasty grams from family members for not posting enough pics of her :)

She loved the sugar, but not the mess!

Happy Hump Day!

**if you vote for my husband to help me tape a video leave me a comment so I can show him that he NEEDS to help me! peer pressure works!**

Wins and Fails

Whew, I'm having a rough day y'all. 

Bad news and more bad news.

I do 2 things when I'm having a bad day

1. shop

2. workout

Both are guaranteed to make me feel better, but at the moment I'm stuck at school, so how about some wins and fails on the blog today?

Great, I'd knew y'all would be on board.

WIN.

I saw this shirt on Pinterest and it was a miracle that the link actually took me to the site and it was for sale! {Nothing more annoying than people who repin stuff that is old or bogus, I always try to check the links before repinning}

I bought it from ModCloth, sorry to say it's out of stock, but they seem to bring back the good sellers so pin for future reference, the quality is really nice!

FAIL.

Between soccer and running my tootsies take a beating, so I got a pedi yesterday.

I thought, ohhhh chevron would be fun, so I showed the chick a picture on my phone.

I'm gonna go ahead and say she didn't get what I was going for.

WIN.

Are you sensing a pattern here? #Iheartchevron

Three Birds Nest

Also, if anyone wants to buy me one of their cute boot socks, scarves, or headbands, I'd totally like love your forever!

FAIL.

Clomid cycle 1.

I know it can take a while, but it's rough when your damn ovaries just will NOT get on board!

I'm sick and tired of being at the Dr office every other week.

WIN.

My Hubs made Spaghetti Squash and is was goooooood.

Cut in half, spray with olive oil, salt, pepper, and paprika.

425 for 50 minutes - the skin should look like leather.

I mixed with Italian Chicken Sausage, mushrooms and sauce, great low carb dinner!

Now go buy yourself a little happy!

Or if you're broke from medical bills like me, go sweat yourself some :)

Chevron Ombre Painted Curtains

Ok, I'm not going to tell y'all about my fun {in the dark with an ax murder chasing me} run or the beautiful wedding I went too.

Why?

Because I may have certain Instagram girls hunt me down and beat me if I don't share my newly crafted Chevron Ombre Curtains.

Sooooo, it all started with this website a friend sent me with Striped Ombre Curtains. I was dying, I NEEDED them, only one problem, they only come in blue.

Blue is great, but it would not work for the space I wanted it in.

If blue works for you, buy them because they are an AWESOME deal and you can't make your own for cheaper than that!

{Before}

I made the curtains that were hanging in the kitchen nook before.

Read about it here.

{After}

Now, if you are here for a tutorial it ain't gonna happen for 2 reasons.

1. I basically followed the directions I found at Remodelaholic.

2. Mine aren't perfect and I'd hate to tell y'all my backward ass way of doing things.

BUT, I will share what I learned so you can learn my my mistakes.

I started with these curtains from Target.

In the tutorial I think she used the satin lined curtains, I was afraid that material would cause bleeding,

next time around I think it would work out just fine.

I didn't have the tool she used, so I just cut a piece of cardboard into a triangle.

I in no way took into account the size of the curtain when making it and it worked out just fine.

** I USED 3 INCH PAINTERS TAPE, LESS WORK THAN 2 INCH!!**

I could only find it at Lowes.

I spent a good 20 minutes pushing down all the edges, I was soooo scared it would bleed!

I bought 4 different colored {grey} paint samples, but in hindsight you probably need two of each.

I rolled it on with a small roller and let dry overnight.

Then I put my crew to work pulling off the tape.

I only had one tiny spot at the bottom that had bleeding, pretty impressed!

Because I ran out of paint and the fabric was thin I had some 'bald' spots, but it's all over and looks distressed so I actually like it :)

The paint makes the fabric a little stiffer, but you really can't tell unless you touch it.

You could add fabric softener additive from the craft store to the paint, but honesty I don't think it would help all that much.

After I hung them I realized they were so awesome that they made the light fixture look like crap.

Soooo, I dug out the chandy I bought for my bathroom {and will never ever get hung} and put her up.

I'm gonna give y'all a tute on that this week because nothing {besides paint, of course} can spiffy up a room like a pretty light fixture!

And just so there's no confusion about the amount of hard work this was here is a pic of the wasted tape :) 

I will say that the taping gets easier as you go and that you don't have to have PERFECT corners because once you hang them you won't see imperfections.

I DO recommend trying this, I'm not awesome, I'm just brave and try things and if I can do this so can you {and probably better than me!}

Stop by tomorrow for more of my chevron obsessions!

Happy Monday!

24 Day Challenge {2}

I just finished the first half of the 24 day challenge {The Herbal Cleanse}

So far, I'm down 2 pounds!

I have to say, I'm pretty proud of myself, I stuck to the plan all except for 1 meal yesterday :) 

I did some things I've never done. 

First, I packed and took food with me on Saturday. I knew I was going to be gone from the house most of the day and the day before I was even planning how I would just hit up Chick Fil A after the gym.

What y'all don't think about what you are going to eat the day before??

I rationalized; I worked out 6 days, I burn a ton of calories, one meal won't be a big deal.

All of this is true, but I thought about how I would FEEL after I ate fried food.

Instead I packed my salad, an apple, and trail mix.

Let me tell you when I woke up on Sunday I felt amazing and proud for sticking to my diet.

Second, my lovely husband decided he needed ice cream this week.

I have not had one single bite, in fact I have not even WANTED any!

Who is this person who can resist sugar????

Mini Me did not do as well :)

My tips for being successful:

1. PLAN PLAN PLAN. 

You need to plan your meals, your snacks, and for any events you have coming up.

Write it down and post it on the fridge.

You should never wake up and think 'what am I going to eat today'

2. EAT ON A SCHEDULE 

This is what I contribute to my success. It really takes the stress out of eating healthy, I know what I'm going to eat and when I'm going to do it. I've said it before, but I eat 5x a day. Your snacks should be around 200-250 calories.

3. DON'T LET YOUR BODY GET HUNGRY

If your tummy starts rumbling then you have waited too long! You are more likely to cheat when you are hungry, plus keeping your blood sugar level all day really keeps your energy level up throughout the day.

This is what makes you feel amazing!

Eating lots of fruit and veggies requires more frequent trips to the store.

Can I just say I hate store with this large buses they call carts!

She insists on getting it, but refuses to stay in it.

I found Think Thin Bars at Kroger.

They are very yummy and have 0g of sugar.

The are sweetened with sugar alcohol, which is getting mixed reviews depending on where you are reading.

I personally don't get any negative effects from it and it has minimal effect on your blood sugar levels, which is my main concern. I don't want any spikes which can then cause me to crash and in turn crave more sweets.

I made the Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup and it was freaking delish!

Who says you need to eat bad for it to taste good?

Happy Thursday!