Sometimes you just need a little Southern

Cornbread muffins and black-eyed peas for dinner tonight. Because even grown-ups get homesick sometimes.

Become one with the Starbucks

I've been looking forward to Halloween since the last day of September. That's the day we got invited to our first grown-up Halloween costume party. I can't even recall the last time I dressed up for Halloween, it had to be at least 15 years ago, possibly more. So when we heard about the neighbors' costume party, I was stoked. My first thought was "Ooh! Wig!" followed quickly by "Ooh! False eyelashes!" followed by....nothing. I thought about it for days and couldn't come up with a single good idea. Being that it was a family-friendly party, "Naked from the neck down" didn't seem like an option. I had to come up with something.

Then one Saturday, I'm standing in line waiting for my venti non-fat caramel macchiato when suddenly it hit me! My sister made this genius costume for herself last year and what screams 'ME' more than this?


And so, I give you my prize-winning Halloween costume. Made by my ridiculously crafty and creative sister, Katie. She didn't miss a single detail - from the 'Careful this beverage is hot' safety print to the yummy drink order down the side. She even came up with a clever The Way I See It for the back of the cup.


Is that perfect for me or what? Everyone that the costume was genius and I even won second place in the costume competition. Guess what the prize was? STARBUCKS CARD!! CHA-CHING!

Nate won third place for his costume as Master Chief from the video game Halo. Yeah! Another Starbucks gift card for me!

Amen

Hello, Old Friend

Look what I found this weekend!

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you The Best Sweatshirt of All Time. Or as Nate likes to call it - The Green Monster.

I've had this sweatshirt for a gazillion years. Seriously, I can't even remember how long it's been - my mom bought it for me somewhere in the high school years. All though the time frame is hazy, I remember the event distinctly because ordering from the Victoria's Secret catalog was a very big deal in our house. Back then (OMG, I sounded old just now!) we didn't have a lot of money, so Victoria's Secret was a super special treat. My sister and I spent hours looking at the catalog choosing our matching sweaters and flannel boxer shorts - blue for Katie, green for me, pink for mom.

Aside from the sentimentality, this thing is seriously the most comfortable thing I have ever worn. Soft cotton inside, brushed cotton outside and about two sizes too big so I can wear it over anything.

And I did wear it over anything - nearly every night of college and the entire first winter Nate and I were married. Nate hates this old, ugly, shapeless thing so much he christened it The Green Monster. It's like the clothing version of 'Honey, I've got a headache'. Being the good wife that I am, I've relegated it to only the coldest of nights or when I'm sick and just need to cuddle up.

So it was with great elation that I pulled it out of storage this weekend, snuggled into it and proudly wore it downstairs where Nate rolled his eyes, groaned and said, "That thing's still alive?".

Yes, my dear, yes it is.

Queen for a Day Week

Guess who is my local Starbucks' customer of the week?!

That would be Yours Truly.

Know what that means? Free coffee for me ALL WEEK LONG!

That's right. Not just a free cup of coffee once. The drink of my choice EVERY SINGLE DAY THIS WEEK.

And they cheer whenever I walk in the door.

I could get used to this.

File this one under "Sad, But True"

True: I went to the dentist today.
Sad But True: I have not been to the dentist since we moved to Indiana.We moved here two years ago.

True: I finally got around to making a dentist appointment for this week.
Sad But True: Only because I saw it as a golden ticket for some time away from the office.

True: My appointment was at 1:15.
Sad But True: I turned down an 8:00am and a 3:45pm in order to maximize my blissfully free afternoon.

True: I have a cavity. Not proud of it, but it could have been much, much worse (see truth #1).
Sad But True: I am secretly, guiltily pleased because this means a second afternoon away from work. Guess what time my appointment is?

Sad but true, ya'll. Sad but true.

If only things were really this easy...

Because sometimes you just need to laugh until you cry....

see more dog and puppy pictures


see more Lolcats and funny pictures


see more Lolcats and funny pictures


see more Lolcats and funny pictures


see more Lolcats and funny pictures


see more Lolcats and funny pictures


see more Lolcats and funny pictures


see more Lolcats and funny pictures


see more Lolcats and funny pictures


see more Lolcats and funny pictures


see more Lolcats and funny pictures


see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Let me slip into something a little more comfortable

We are going to have the worst winter here. I can tell already. Barely three weeks into Autumn and it hasn't stopped raining or gotten into the 50's the last three days.

Did you hear that, God? Autumn. You know, that season between the miserable highs of summer and the miserable lows of winter? That time when all you want to do is sit outdoors around a camp fire and a light jacket will suffice to keep out the slight chill? When the leaves turn colors and remain on trees long enough to be oohed and aahed over?

Um, yeah. I think You skipped that part.

The house has been freezing for days and I finally wore down convinced Nate to let me turn on the heat. Granted, he'll only let me put it at 68, but at least I can huddle around the heating vents in an effort to keep my limbs from going numb.

I've also busted out the slipper collection this weekend. This is half of it. No lie - these are just the ones that I keep downstairs. When I say I have a 'thing for shoes', that might be a bit of an understatement.


My plans for this weekend? Putting the electric blanket on the bed and liberating my winter wardrobe from it's hibernation in one of the guest room closets. I absolutely love to switch out my wardrobe in the spring and fall. I get so excited as I take each piece out of the storage boxes. I always find stuff I totally forgot I had and new things I bought at the tail end of the season and haven't even worn yet. It's like Christmas all day long and it doesn't cost a dime!

What are your plans for the weekend?

Alive and Kicking

Um, hello? Is this thing on? Anyone still out there?

I wouldn't be surprised if you were all gone, considering I've been AWOL for nearly two full weeks. WTH? How'd that happen?

No good excuse here. I'm not dead. Or terminally ill. Or pregnant. Or anything even remotely interesting like that.

Truth be told, I've kind of lost my mojo. Never fear, though! After searching high and low to find it, I think I know the cause and I'm doing my darnedest to get it back.

We've been busy little bees at Casa de Carrington lately. Sucking out every last little bit of fun from the summer before we begin our long winter hibernation. Believe me when I say, I feel like I've barely had time to breath, let alone blog or clean or *gasp!* actually relax. I have officially declared this weekend "The Weekend of Doing Nothing" - no cleaning, no plans, no errands that aren't just for fun. A dinner at the Melting Pot and quality time with my DVR are the only items on my agenda. 27 hours and counting down....

One reason I'm so looking forward to parking my rear on the couch? This:


That's right! Our new living room furniture finally arrived and it is FABULOUS!! Oh my goodness, the leather is so soft and the recliners are just ridiculous. You literally just sink down into them, they are so comfortable. They are so ginormous, I actually have trouble getting OUT of them sometimes!

We are absolutely thrilled with how they look in the room. They are much bigger than our old furniture (now in the loft) and they fill the room much better.


My parents helped me pick out the things hanging over the love seat and they are amazing. The pictures really don't do them justice at all.


And I think I am finally over my fear of putting holes in our pretty clean walls. It took four different tries to get that third one to hang straight and in line. Hole phobia = overcome.


We (and by 'we', I mean me) are still looking for something to go over the fireplace and above the TV. My dad arranged the flowers for me when he was here over Labor Day. I found new sticks for the taller vase but I need to get some foam for the bottom so they will sit up higher. Baby steps towards flower arranging for me - aren't you proud, Dad?


And the piece de resistance - our new chair. I am in L-O-V-E with this chair. All my favorite colors in a fabulous pattern and comfy to boot. It gives the room some visual interest and provides lots of inspiration for future decorating. Unfortunately for me, it's also Lola's favorite new piece of furniture. She will not leave it alone, so I am fighting a losing daily battle with the dog hair!

A real 'gem' of a guy

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My new boss likes to provide me with micromanagement 'helpful' gems like these on a near daily basis:

"I just wanted to make sure that you knew to be careful about the emails you put in your Deleted Items folder. Yesterday I had some issues with my Outlook and I lost all the emails in my Deleted Items. IT said it would take a week to recover them. Just thought you should know so you don't lose any important emails like I did."

Um, exactly what part of DELETED ITEMS did you misunderstand?

If girls had wet dreams....

...this would be mine. 96 cupcakes, 7 cans of frosting and the perfect excuse to indulge myself.

Couch to 5K - The Finish Line!!

Glory, glory hallelujah!!

Hear that? That's the sound of angels singing. I swear I could hear them as I crossed the finish line of my very first 5K today!

The race was part of Indy's Irish Fest downtown. My running buddy Jamie, her friend Bob and I showed up about 8:00am to sign up for the 9:00am race. Everyone knows that the only reason you run a race is for the race t-shirt, right? Guess who got the last shirt? That would be moi. Thank goodness, or I totally would have turned around and just gone home.

The weather was perfect for running - sunny but cool with a slight breeze. I wasn't at all nervous until we actually got there and then I started wondering what on earth I was doing here. Am I actually paying money for the "privilege" of rising at 6:00am and running 3 miles? What was I thinking?

Once the race got underway, I couldn't wipe the dopey smile off my face. At one point I turned to Jamie and said, "We're running a 5K, girl!" We'd been talking about it for so long, it was kind of surreal to finally actually be running it.

Running with Jamie and Bob made a huge difference in my endurance. I tend to run really fast for the first two miles and then flame out in the last mile because I can't catch my breath. No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to pace myself any slower. An 8 or 8.5 minute mile for the first two and then a 12 or 13 minute mile for the third. I had never actually run the entire 3.1, always having to walk for at least 1/8 mile at the end to catch my breath.

I am proud to say that Jamie and I both ran the entire 3.1 miles and I actually felt pretty good the whole time! I finished in 31:49:4. As I crossed the finish line, I wanted to throw up and cry at the same time. I was not at all surprised about the puking (I didn't) but I was not expecting tears. I think it was a combination of relief that it was over and pride in having accomplished something I never expected to do.

All in all, it was a successful day! I'm so proud of Jamie and myself for sticking to it and completing the race. Having a friend doing this with me made a huge difference. When I didn't feel like running or had hit a mental wall, I could always count on her to push me just a little harder. Thanks, girl!!!

I wouldn't call running fun yet, but I can see how people get addicted to it. I don't exactly enjoy it while I'm doing it, but I like the feeling of accomplishment I have when I'm done. And now that I know I can do it, I'm eager to push myself harder and improve my time. Which, I guess, means there will be a next time. Who'da thunk it?

Racing toward the finish line

So race day is quickly approaching (September 19th!) and I am not quite there yet. I've been successfully running two miles for a week now but had hit a wall. I knew it had to be entirely mental because if I can run 2 miles, surely I can run 2.25 right? I was getting more than a little frustrated at my lack of improvement and motivation to push through the wall.

Until Thursday,that is, when my running buddy told me she'd finally run the full 3 miles. Holy motivation, Batman! That was all I needed to hear to get my rear in gear. On Saturday, I decided a change of scenery would do me good (I usually run in our neighborhood) so I went down to Forest Park to run on the trail. Let me tell you, there's nothing like mile markers and the promise of some good ole Tennessee football to get you going!

I managed to eke out 2.5 miles and was pleased as punch with myself at the end. I walked about 1/8 of a mile at the 1.75 mark to catch my breath. Today I went back and finally did the entire three mile stretch! I walked 1/8 of a mile twice (again at 1.75 and later at 2.25) but still managed to finish in a respectable 29 minutes. My first mile was 8.5 minutes which is pretty darn good for a non-runner!

Now that I've worked through my mental block, my biggest challenge is my breathing. I end up walking not because I can't run but because I can't breath. I need to spend more time concentrating on regulating my breathing and less time bobbing my head to Sara's Kickass Running Playlist on my i-pod. I wonder what all the mommies on the trail would think if they knew I was singing Jay-Z and Juvenile in my head as I wave and smile at their cute little kids?

Love is....

Love is driving 22 hours round trip for a two day visit.


....saving every trophy and tiara....



....passing down keepsakes....


....visiting multiple grocery stores just to fuel your daughter's addiction...


....checking every Wal-mart you visit in the hopes of finding an out-of-stock item on her wish list...


....placing the deciding vote on the Great Furniture Debate of 2009...


....and then spending hours at Kirkland's and Hobby Lobby....


....and arranging flowers to make her smile!


Love is a visit with Mom & Dad. I love you guys!!

(My dad made these floral arrangements for me - he's like the flower whisperer! If you're really nice, I might pimp him out give you his number!)