One more set!!

I finally started working with a trainer. I mean yes, there are days, like the day before a holiday where you just need to buy a bag of Ruffles (*Reduced Fat Ruffles people!) to have at lunch. But, all in all, I'd say we're off to a good start. Been doing some lifting, really the first time since college. And mixing in some cardio, which I had pretty much written off after the Dam to Dam kicked my butt in May. I've been sore in places I didn't know could be sore!

I've gotten familiar with an "exercise ball." Which I'll be real honest, I didn't have the first clue what to do with it before. My friend had one once and I just sat on it and bounced around like I've seen 1st graders do in PE. I've been trying to make better choices with eating too. Like not eating Cheez-its for breakfast. Apparently my nutrition is "grossly outrageous." Well excuse me for liking a little empty-calorie, artificial-cheesed, sodium-infused, refined-carb fix in my life. I'm just a girl... after all.

Wish me and my love handles luck as we navigate the holiday weekend!

touching base

It's been a busy month and I haven't had the chance to blog much. Just wanted to pop in, tell everyone things are going well!

Had my little girl's 2nd birthday, been doing some Christmas shopping, took a little one day vacation to Minneapolis, and been working on some home improvment projects.

Trying to get into the Christmas spirit. Ever since moving, I will say it's a little harder. I used to go all out, decorate every room, host a big cookie bake, put trees up everywhere, string lights outside, hang stockings on the huge mantle. I'm lucky to have a nice rental home to live in, I do know that, but that's exactly what it is: a rental. Everything feels borrowed. Temporary. It's hard to take much pride in it. I can't make it my own. I have a FRACTION of the space I used to have, which 99% of the time doesn't bother me in the least, but maybe with the holidays, I kind of miss being able to "do it up." I miss lighting candles in the fireplace and hanging the stockings. I miss having so much space that I could set up a train clear around the tree. I miss having little trees in different rooms. I miss hanging the ornaments from the chandelier.

But... I do have a place to live and I do have room for one tree, so that's what I'll do. I guess I always wanted a banister to decorate, so there ya go. There's always a positive. Generally, I like where we live. Where my old house was big... cavernous really, this is small and cozy.

Birthday bliss...

When my beloved baby turned 5 recently, she once again wanted a "princess party." Well guess what, I'm SICK of princess stuff already! Enough with the glitter and pink! It's funny how these things go. When my mom wanted a girly girl, what she got with me was a little girl that loved sports and dirt and playing outside and riding bikes and HATED dresses! And as life goes, what do I have, but a little girl that LOVES dresses and sparkles and makeup and all things pink and puffy and frilly! I guess it's like God's big ledger book. My accounting classes taught me that everything in both columns has to add up in the end. So, all those dirty-faced, sports playing little girls, need to even out all those glitter-wearing, lip-gloss toting little girls... or else earth will spin off it's axis. Someething like that. And so it goes, I get to have a princess party.

So, I decided being the Betty Crocker that I am (keep your differing opinions to yourself...) we'd go with a castle cake. That could be fun and satisfy both of us.

And so I turned to the one place where you can learn about anything. Google. I researched and I asked friends and I got an idea of what I wanted to do. And I even drew a blueprint! So organized you say! Well, that was about the last thing that went according to plan. Stupid blueprint.

Some of you may say, "Now... being a busy working mom and not exactly experienced in the ways of cakemaking, why didn't you just buy a cake?"

Valid question. I (naively) thought making the cake would be cheaper. And I want to make my kids birthdays special, something to remember, just the way my birthdays were growing up. Last fall in the midst of my life turmoil, changes, what have you, I felt like I failed on my kids' birthdays. One of them got a cake I purchased and grandma made the other one. And now that I'm squarely on track and settled, I feel like I need to make it up to them and make sure they know that I will do anything I can to make them feel special on their day!

Exhibit A: The start of the job. I mean, the sheer VOLUME of tools and ingredients and planning needed for ths project... it was mind blowing. I bow to cake ladies who willingly do this for other people for like $50.




Soon, EVERY single pan in the house was dirty. Yes, that seems hard to believe. But it turns out, when you don't know what you're doing, you're going to have some "practice" cakes born in the process. Seriously, every good chef has to throw away 6 cakes every time they created something new... everyone knows that...



And finally. Castle cake: you were a worthy opponent. 10 cakes mixes. 3 emergency trips to the store. 4 phone a friends. More money spent than I will ever admit to. But the smile on my sweet girl's face was SOOOO worth every bit!





And I can't wait to begin work on Millie's cake next week!

Fall fun!!!

We had a great Halloween! This first picture has to be my favorite- only because you have to realize just how hard it was to convince this stubborn child to put this hat on!!! This shot was worth it though! My baby girl was a Garden Gnone (hee hee!) and my big girl was Hannah Montana!






We also recenlty had a fun day at the pumpkin patch. It was unseasonably warm, so we shook off our sweaters and brought out the summer dresses!










Last, here's a few pictures of our adult Halloween party! We brought a little Augusta National to Des Moines!



Here's our best attempt to "read the greens!" It was a great and comfortable costume for both of us! Great idea by my "caddie!" I'm particularly fond of my pink putter, it might have to make it's debut on the course next spring!