Prepping

Happy Wednesday!

I have a "long" run scheduled for the next two days- but I might move my Friday run to Saturday. Wednesdays and Fridays are full of work and school so I take these days off completely sometimes. A friend of mine has always been adamant in making sure I rest after a good run- this is the same friend that eats ice cream and watches bad horror movies with me, what a well-rounded girl ;)

Anyways- tonight my husband and I surprised a friend who's housesitting with pizza and, for her and I, fruit and yogurt parfaits. Obviously this is a meal for champions...but, honestly I have eaten heavy Mexican food the night before a run and been alright- the first 10 minutes were rough but I think my body just finally realizes that it's going to have to deal with it and pushes on.

My long runs right now are between 4.5 and 5.5 miles. I understand it's not that impressive, but in my own little world I feel pretty alright with it. On my last run (Monday) I passed a man downtown that asked me, "How many miles?" and I told him 4 (I ended up running 5 after his response)...he said back- nothing. Yep, not impressed...so I giggled it off and said, "I know that's not very far," and told him to have a good day. I smiled- sorta and kept on moving. I was now motivated to go further than planned and I think it was God's disguised blessing to prove to myself that I can.

On a more delicious note...when we do sit down and make fuel food=real dinners, they mostly consist of a bunch of ingredients that are around the kitchen and that smell good together ;) I have taken some photos of a few recent meals and will be doing some food posts in the near future! We are by no means perfect eaters- we like too much variety of 'good' and 'bad' (or how my mom used to say, 'devil food'), but with decent portion size, keeping fun food special, and lots of fresh ingredients we try to keep it somewhat well- rounded while still feeling fulfilled.



So, I usually don't divulge this to ANYONE...but I generally run a 9ish minute mile (give or take a smidge here and there), but I am hoping to post later a smaller number! I have also signed up for my FIRST OFFICAL RACE- a 5k in Michigan in about a month...motivaters are always a solid thing.

Have a restful night, a happy tomorrow, and see you soon!
xoxo

Pattern Play

Good Evening? :)

This past week at Mosaic I had fun playing with patterns. We have switched over to fall inventory (YES!) and so we have recieved some beautiful cardigans and sleek blouses. I haven't had much time to switch out our displays as we have been crazy busy, but when certain mannequins were, well, exposed after their clothing was purchased...I guess I had no choice but to play dress-up!
Enjoy :)

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Look 1: Mostly retro items via Mosaic, just the shirt was a simple Macy's purchase. This wasn't my favorite favorite look, but I think it has super laid back potential!
Look 2: Cache Blouse-Mansfield Fur Shop Vintage Crop Jacket-Retro Plaid Mini-Vintage Silk Scarf-all via Mosaic. It's always fun to find new ways to use the gorgeous scarves we get in.
Look 3: Free People Bohemian Dress-Vintage Silk Scarf-A. Byer Blazer- all via Mosaic. Sorry for not having a full length, but I ended up putting this one in the window just because the patterns meshed in such a neat way- and usually I don't like my patterns to mesh but this was pretty together!
Look 4: This was my favorite every day look...BKE Denim-J. Crew Blouse-Banana Republic Cardigan-Necklace via Mosaic-Rawhide Belt via Mosaic. Just pretty colors mixing together and the necklace offset the business of everything.

Goodnight, sleep tight ;)
xoxo

Willing to be a Runner

I have not ever been a runner- and I mean ever. It was not something super duper fun that I thought to do when I was bored nor was it something I was good at even when I tried-hard. I could run a mediocre mile and that was the extent of it. I played sports and elliptical'd it on a weekly basis but no, I did not get my feet sized for running shoes...until now.

I went through a couple of crazy- the good and icky kind- years and needed a release from the anxiety that I insisted my body feel. I was a gym-goer, and not a terrible one, but it got to not be enough for my extreme worry wartness. Once in a while I would run 1 or 1.5 miles on the track just to look cool like everyone else but stopped short by at least 20 minutes. Then, one shiny day, after so much time on other ellipticals and bikes I saw that all my 'normal' i.e. habitual machines were taken and you know what was left?- that pretty treadmill...so, without looking too scared I walked onto one and started to walk-then jog-then run a little. I ended up going just under 2 miles, which I thought was just fabulous. I remember running over to my FARP (FIERCE accountability rec partner) and telling her what I had just done and out of her sweetness attempted to be as excited as I was.

From that point on I kept increasing my goals and I haven't stopped since. Again, I am not a natural- sparkly- 7 minute mile runner, but heck, I'm trying :) I remember the first time I reached 3 miles, I texted just about everyone in my address book- the goofy ones responded with messages full of smiles and exclamation points. I stayed on the treadmill for a while until I got brave enough to venture outside- ew. No, I love being outside I just wasn't sure about running outside. When I did run outside I would make sure to be running when cars passed so that I looked legitimate- cheesy, but it did force me to run futher. I started off doing just a couple miles and mixing it with the treadmill still. Then, feeling fancy I began putting in sprints and tempo runs after reading blogs upon blogs teaching myself how to be a runner- silly huh. Then, one day came 4 miles- again with the texts, mostly to a few girlfriends and my husband. Granted, I have a friend who can run all day long and when I text her about my runs she still gets beside herself and tells me how pumped she is for me- God bless her :) To top it off, just a short while ago I hit my big goal (for now) of surpassing 5 miles! I came off the treadmill and had this big goober smile on my face that I don't know or really care if anyone else saw. It was a great day.

This is such a huge overview of my running and crazy journey thus far, but future posts will zero in on more specific topics- running stories (shew whee), recipes and food ventures, new and old goals, and things I am learning and want to share on the way. I understand that this blog now consits of fashion, history, ridiculous ideas, fitness yearnings, ect, and if that is too messy I apologize, but for now that is where I am at ;) Thanks for reading and see you soon! xoxo

Low Key Leopard

Leopard Print was really IN then it was sorta OUT when everything had some sort of mismatched animal print on it, but I am here to advise (at best) that these prints can still be done, still look uniform and classy, and be modern. This is not much of a snazzy outfit but it's a nice base for more ideas...this is just one I wore to work a couple of weeks ago. It is very comfy, nice moving-flowiness ratio, love the muted colors to play with accessories, and recycles an almost lost top! Here you go :)

I do apologize for the sad attempt at self-potraiting...I really have never been good at taking the "mirror picture." Anyways :) I just paired it with my favorite, wear all too much, basic black gladiators and hair was braided on each side and thrown into a loose, low bun. I am sure you will have some fun ideas of spicing up this look, or just making it your own- have fun! xoxo

Notes: Top- 80s Claiborne, Cropped, Stretch, Leopard Print Tank

           Skirt- XXI, Black, UnEven Skirt

           Necklace- Gold Plated, Long, Tassle Pendant via Buffalo Exchange

Yum Yum..Yum

I indulge..and so should you, but sometimes my tummy says, "whoa there.." and I listen. So, I found this recipe for 100 calorie, chocolate cupcakes. Yes. I was even pleasantly surprised at how moist they were, moister than "normal" sweet treats. I got the recipe from the blog: canyoustayfordinner.com--such a sweet, honest, silly blog with a plethera of great info! Also, these are extra scrumptious with some swirled frozen yogurt..hotdog! No, cupcakes and icecream-nix the guilt :) Enjoy!

1 cup nonfat or low fat milk, dairy or nondairy

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 cup all purpose flour –OR- whole wheat pastry flour

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with pretty paper liners. Spray them a smidge with nonstick cooking spray.
In a small bowl, stir together milk and vinegar. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, applesauce, and vanilla. Pour in the now curdled milk and mix all ingredients well.
Stir in dry ingredients until just combined. The batter will be thin and wet, so do not be alarmed. Divide it evenly among the prepared muffin cups. Bake for about 16-18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of one comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack before removing to cool completely.

PS: I would have posted a photo, but they were all eaten :)

xoxo

Exams and Oatmeal are BFFs

I have already taken a chunk of time off, but this little note is to say I need a smidge more. I understand we have this take and take sort of relationship...I give a little then I say sorry and ask you to forgive me when my week 5 outfit is 3 months after week 4. I appreciate the patience. Finals, work, wedding....eating, breathing, and maybe sleeping? Oh I'm not sure what goes on anymore, but I do know I have lots to do this next week and a half and well instead of emotionally eating chocolate and cereal (my dress fitting is tomorrow!) ALL the time, I switch often to oatmeal and pb :) It is delicious, I am excited to try oatmeal+ bananas+choco chips, or Jake tried nutella oatmeal (just made nutella french toast, everything under the sun is good with nutella)...but this off hand chatter sorta has a point- I will be taking some time to finish up school these next few days and try to condense my To Do List...and in the meantime so I don't gorge I eat oatmeal :) Yummy and it sticks with you- just like the commercial says! Goodnight and sweetest dreams friend, xoxo.

Spring Time! Bruschetta and Ducks.

The weather has been getting more and more wonderful and the air has smelled gorgeous lately (nature's perfume-thank you flowering trees and blooms). So, it's getting late, but there is a hoodlum across the street blasting music. I am all for dancing and singing around in circles, but it's loud. It's not, "oh hey they're having fun" loud, it's "I just aged 15 years in 5 minutes and I'm going to call your mom" sort of loud. Anyways, why not take advantage of being up! These are just a couple randoms from this past week or so that made me smile and say mmmm, enjoy :)

Homemade Bruschetta! Mmmmm, and as easy as boxed cake! If I remember correctly, I just used stone ground, whole wheat, thick sliced bread (Italian  would be even more delicious), diced cherry tomatoes, store-bought tomato sauce with a kick to it (just some chiles in the sauce), roasted and pulled chicken, then topped with mozzarella cheese, parmesean cheese, and basil. I think this is all I added, but of course it is fun to mess around with different variations and herbs/spices. I just toasted them in the toaster oven for a few minutes (bread was already toasted earlier) and vwa-la! I calculated the caloric intake when serving sizes are roughly used- about 600ish :) yum.

Another fun ditty...Outside of the gym one day I was walking past the pond and spotted 3 little ducks all nestled together taking a morning nap. I had to stop and take a picture and smile googily not caring who might walk by. I just hope others got to enjoy this little, sweet moment also :)

xoxo