Gadget Girls dream case

 

 

Swarovski Crystal Premium Leather Case

 

I recently converted from an iPhone user to and Android user.  It took me months to decide whether I wanted to change over or not.  My two main concerns were 1.  What will happen to all my music and movies on Itunes? and 2.  Do they offer my apps, especially my running ones, on an Android platform?  I had heard rumors of people switching and finding the Android hard to navigate after having an Iphone.  So when the Galaxy S3 and Note II came out, I was still on the fence.

 

But then I heard the buzz about the Galaxy S4, asked the people at AT&T about converting my music and went to googleplay to see if I could find my apps, I decided to make the jump.  And I am so happy that I did.  I love the screen resolution, it is easy to navigate, love the camera, Smessage, ...I could go on and on.

 

So I pre-ordered it and received days before most retailers could sell it.  That is where I hit a snafu.  I don't like carrying around a naked phone.  I am too clumsy to have unprotected text.  So after spending my first day with new baby going around town looking for a case that existed but was still boxed up until official launch day, I decided to look online. 

 

And that is when I found the above beauty. She is handcrafted out of fine Caterina leather. They don't even start making one until you order because you can customize it to your own specifications.  You have a choice of 24 different colors for the outside and inside of the case.  BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE!!!!!  You also have 6 different colored gems to choose from!  Oh my, I am feeling a bit light headed just thinking of all the possiblities.  I had one of these for my first smart phone in 2001.  I loved it.  I don't know how I forgot about this company or it's fabulous cases.  But in any case, I am just drooling over this phone case.  I would love the Capri blue outside with white interior with either red or pink crystals or white.  

 

But alas it is $220.00.  For those that are in the market for a Galaxy S4 or have purchased the 16GB one, you know that the case costs more than the phone.  Yikes!  So I will continue to dream about it until either I win the lotto, find that tree that grows money or look around the house for things that we no longer use and put them on Craigslist to get the money.  Most likely it will just remain a dream but a girl can dream, can't she?

 

 



Marathon?

You ever do something that you regretted but at the same time you are glad you did?  Well that is how I am feeling right now.  I have filled out an application to be part of a one year marathon challenge. Julie at Fatty Must Run, is in the process of starting a one year training program for a marathon.  So what, you say?  Ok, well here is the catch...you have to have a BMI of 25 or more in order to be even considered.

I subscribed to her blog about a month ago and when I read the entry from 4/22 that discusses the challenge, I read it and thought to myself, "That's nice. Crazy but nice."  She wanted us to share the challenge with friends. So being an abiding reader, I went to the Active Community forums and posted a new thread.  Then went to my Facebook and shared it with my friends on Facebook.  I made it known that I was not interested but someone out there might be.  DONE!

But I kept going back to that post and rereading it. And every time I read it, the shock value of it lessened just a bit.  On Friday, I decided to submit my application.  Yikes!  Ever since then I have been on this crazy roller coaster of "gosh I hope I am picked" and "I hope I don't get picked so that I have an excuse to not do it."

There is a huge side of me that wants to be picked.  Somehow I have rationalized that if I am picked that not only will I get a training plan but I would also get super powers.  With these super powers I would be able to train for a marathon and actually run one.  I fantasize about spending my mornings training on the trails. These super powers would give me the ability to cook healthy meals, organize my day to fit in all the training that I would need and my super powers would rub off on my family and they would love the new meal plans and help more around the house so that I would have more time to train.  Man the more I think about these super powers, the greater they become.

Then there is this tiny part of me called fear.  Fear tells me that I am not ready.  That I will lose my enthusiasm early into my training and I will have to hide from everyone out of shame.  Fears says my family will look at me and say, "See we told you, you are trying to do too much."  Fear says that this will just end up in failure and when I think about that failure, it is an infinite thing.  It reaches into all areas of my life.  My home would become messy, I would eat horrible food everyday, stop running and just sit on the couch each day and regret quitting and never forgiving myself for doing so. Fear is horrible and never nice.

I don't let myself stay in that head space for long...too sad.  So I fall back on "Where there is faith, there is no fear."  And faith is belief.  So I have decided to Believe.  My mantra will be She Believed she could, so she did. I'll remind myself that I have walked 20 miles three days in a row, if I can do that, then I can run 26.2 miles in one day.  I will believe that I can do this and remind myself it is not just saying yes and then the next day going out to run 26.2 miles.  No, it means I will start out small and build up miles over time. It is the same concept as couch to 5K and I believe in that concept.

When I received my application, it came with a note about the timeline for training.  She set out dates to run certain types of races. When I compare that to what I have already signed up for, I realize that I am already doing that part.  I am already building my mileage over the next few months.  I am doing a 5K this coming weekend and will sign up for more between now and August.  In September and October I am doing two 10Ks and in December I am doing a half marathon.  All of a sudden this huge task of running a marathon seems attainable.

So the big goal of doing a marathon will be at the back of my mind but I will focus on the task at hand and when it is done, I will check it off and move to the next.  So I will run a marathon, 5K at a time.

Breakfast at Tiffany's Crop

This past weekend I through a Breakfast at Tiffany's crop.  I had so much fun doing the decor for this one!  Of course my first source for ideas was Pinterest.

Source: trinketsinbloom.com via Rozette on Pinterest

Each person received one.  This one is actually in a Tiffany blue box.

Similar to the one I saw here.

I had a family emergency the weekend before so I didn't have time to paint the boxes properly, so at 4 am the morning of the crop, I found some acrylic paint in my scrapbook stash and mixed a few colors to come up with Tiffany blue.. (here's to not throwing anything away even when you haven't used it in years). So here is my version.

The box on the left is an actual box that is Tiffany blue that my husband bought me years ago to go with my scraproom.  ( I have a wonderful husband who buys me things for my birthday that I will actually love and use.)  The box on the right is a box I purchased at Hobby Lobby for $1.49 and painted.  I stuffed the bottoms with the plastic bags from the table liners, then I put tissue paper on top.  Each box had three sizes of bling, a tiara from Party City and either either some of my costume pearl jewelry or some pearl strand I found in the ribbon section at Hobby Lobby.  Here is a close up of the inside.

I also found this cute wedding gown cut on the Silhouette store.  It wasn't quite what I wanted so I tweaked it just a bit.  Once I had it just like I wanted, I was able to cut three per 12x12 black cardstock.  I then used the same technique that I used at the baby shower, to make the dresses stand up.  You can see the how to HERE.

I also pinned this wonderful centerpiece that I had to try. I couldn't find the directions to it and I have not done a floral arrangement before so I did my best.

Source: weddingwire.com via Rozette on Pinteres

Here is my version:

And no, I did not paint my art niche for the party. It just so happens that the color I chose as an accent color throughout my whole house is Tiffany blue (see previous posts).  I took apart a Christmas ornament for the bling on the branches.  I bought the flowers at, you guessed it, Hobby Lobby. And BONUS they were 50% off.  I already had the vase and the branches.

I also made a Tiffany Blue punch.

I used Blue Hawaiian Punch, a large can of pineapple juice and pineapple sherbert....oh and spike with your favorite liquor if you want.   

Everyone was given given a Tiffany blue gift bag for their trash, a Holly Golightly mask, a tiara and a luggage tag.  Cheryl, the creator of our scrapbook group found them at Michaels.  They had Holly Golightly on one side and we decorated the back side with our names.

I look forward to these crops each month. Sadly, I will not be hosting again until July.

Moving Comfort Juno Bra Review

A few weeks ago, I went to a Girls Day Out at Fit Tri Run in Galveston.  If you are ever in Galveston, visit them.  They are on the strand, an area of Old Galveston that has a bunch of quaint shops and restaurants.  I bought two Juno bras during my visit.  I wanted to give them both a good work out before I wrote a review.   They couldn't just take one workout and one washing.  No, they need to take a beating and keep on ticking...wait that is the Energizer Bunny....scratch that.  Let me precede this review with the following.     I do not receive these products for free or at a discount. I am just a normal consumer who buys things out of necessity and I like to share my opinions on it.  Ask my husband, I always give him my opinion. :)

If you are fluffy or just blessed with large bubbies, Moving Comfort has a bra for you.  I am both living large and large breasted.  I discovered there is nothing worse than trying to learn on how to run without being knocked around by my breast friends.  But it is not just that, when they have their own mind, they can really cause some balance issues.  I know people that are very critical about what they put in their hands because what they carry in their hands can throw there rhythm off. Well it is the same with bubbies.  When you leave them unsupported you may find yourself expending more energy to keep balanced than you do moving forward and you may not even realize it.  You have probably done this from the beginning and don't know the difference.  I didn't.  But now that I have seen the light, I will not go back into the darkness.

I am really impressed at the variety of bras they offer.  My first test drive with them was my Maia underwire high impact bra.  It is a back closure and the shoulder straps are adjustable.  My only gripe about them is the lack of variety in color. So these bras come in blah blah blah..I mean black, white and tan.  Sure if your are anti-fluffy and well endowed, the colors are endless with their other styles.  But once you add a layer of fluffy, all of a sudden they, Moving Comfort, seem to think that the layer of fluffiness has somehow smothered your desire for fashion and color.  But barring the lack of color it is a very comfortable bra that offers great comfort and support, without feeling like an underwire bra.

So when I arrived at TriFitRun, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the Juno bra comes in a variety of colors for a variety of sizes.   The bra offers great support.  It is a racerback with a back closure, which can make it a bit difficult to put on but once it is on, you will feel locked and loaded.  Your breastfriends are not going anywhere during your run...you have complete control of them. Not only do you have a sense of control but you also have a sense of better posture which helps with your breathing during a run...especially when you are gasping for air because you took off too fast. (Who said that?)

But here is one of the best features of Moving Comfort. If you aren't privileged enough to live near a place to get fitted, Moving Comfort has a superb online guide to help you.  It is called THE FITTING ROOM.  This tool will teach you so much about athletic bras.  If you were not a bra guru before you used it, you will be afterwards.

So I give the Juno two shoelaces up for comfort and style.  And I give the Fitting Room two laces up for ease of use and information.

Boston Marathon I will finish the race

  Tax day.  If you asked me yesterday in the morning what I would have journaled about, I would have said about my dread of the tax day.  But by the end of the day, my focused had changed.  No longer was I worried about taxes.  Now I wondered about the Boston Marathon and all those people injured.  Or worst... those that were killed.  I have feared running...can I finish, did I train enough, am I going to be the last one in?  But never, never in a million years would I have thought "Am I going to die?"

And I still won't.  I am a fighter I am an American and we know no fear but fear of The Lord.  NO other shall control me.  So tomorrow I will run for Boston. I will do my best to represent...no matter how slow or how short...I will run the race that is set before me.

No one will take that from us.  Let the media speak of fear but we speak of hope and strength.   I will run today with Boston on my mind.

Dresser Makeover

Leave it to me to take on more than I can handle.  This is my first real make over of any furniture.  So what did I decide to do?  Well, I decided to take all my bedroom furniture and an armoire out to my garage and paint them all at once.  At the time of the decision, it made sense.  They all needed to be primed and most pieces were being painted the same color.  And on top of it all, I decided to blog about it. I made a promise to myself a few months ago that good or bad, I was going to blog my results of things I tried. Ouch!

One of my  first pins on pinterest was this one from Censational Girl.

I must have pinned it the first time about a year ago. I say the first time because I have pinned it several times since then.  (You know that awkward moment when you just finished pinning 4 or 5 things only to discover that what you were looking at was one of your own boards, so you basically repinned yourself?  yeah been there, done that)
So this is the first piece that is complete.  I know, I know very Martha Stewart like.  I didn't even realize it until I put in the drawers. (You may have noticed that we also painted the walls...finally.  After 7 years of the same builder off white, we committed to Maison Blanche from Sherwin Williams.)

I followed Censational Girls advice and used her technique.

I first removed the handles and filled the holes with Elmers all purpose wood filler and sanded it.

(Yes, I was scared when I saw my drawers in this state). I am not sure if it is suppose to look this bad at this point, but YOLO!!!.    Once I did this I primed my with Zinsser red can (yeah  just look for the red can.  It comes in red, gold and blue and Censational girl prefers gold then red but we only have red in the local stores).

Now, I do not know if they are suppose to look so smooth but there they are. (Can you see all the pieces of furniture back there?  I count eight drawers in this shot alone. I primed each piece twice, sanding between coats.

After priming, I painted the dresser Swimming from Sherwin Williams and I don't remember the white color but it is a pure white. I'll update this post when I find it.  After painting, I used Minwax  Polycrylic in Clear Gloss but my husband didn't think it was glossy enough so we sprayed it Lacquer High Gloss clear from Rustoleum.  It gave it a little shine but not like we wanted it.  After further review and research, ok so one day while mesmerized by Pinterest, I discovered this pin.

Source Apartment Therapy

So my next project will use this paint from Benjamin Moore. It is a water based paint that acts like an oil...who knew?

Then came the scary part....I had to drill holes for the new knobs. I have a tutorial for that also.  I love the knobs I found at Home Depot from Martha Stewart.  They are substantial. That is to say, they are heavy and feel like quality pieces.

And yes, I did discover after I put the drawers in the dresser that the knobs are not center on the vertical but only on the horizontal.  I measured them 6 inches from the bottom of each drawer, per a suggestion in my research. I think they should be center...oh well.

 Maybe it is more Tiffany Blue?  I have more pieces to finish and share.

Couch to 5K W1D1...do I hear sirens?

Are you kidding me?  W1 D1 has been on my mind and a thorn in my side for weeks.  I was so hyped up to start running when I bought the new bra (video review of it later this week) and then I had to put on the brakes because of a heel spur.  Thankfully that is a thing of the past. 

So I was a bit upset with myself for not getting up this morning and doing my first run.  I was tired, I hadn't decided which app to use and my preferable headset was broken....need I say more?  So what to my surprise happened at lunch time?   You guessed it, I got my arse out there and did my personal best.  

My husband was home today and he kept repeating, as I dressed for my run, "Remember take it slow.  Don't over do it." over and over again he said it.  To which I finally responded..."This is COUCH to 5K. It is a program developed with the assumption that I have been sitting on my lazy A** all this time!  If I am worse off than a person sitting on the couch all day then lets call it One Foot In The Coffin to 5K!"  So I get a little dramatic.  It is who I am.  Even my IPad is engraved with "Let me be the musical that I am!" (actually I should write in all caps because I am so dramatic.)

Where was I?  Oh yes, my run.  I had perfect spring weather with low humidity.  However, my husband was right about being careful.  Apparently I didn't tie my shoes properly and during my first run interval, I almost tripped  so I had to pull over and retie all my laces.  Oh and always check which way the wind is blowing if you have a choice in direction when going for your run. You see, I wear a long white tech shirt that billows in  the wind.  And when the wind is to my back, it serves as a sail and I feel like the wind is urging me to go faster as it pushes me forward.  But, oh but, when I am facing the wind...well it just mocks me and I feel as if I am dragging a parachute behind me.

I have learned to listen to my body during my runs.Thank goodness I remembered that from the last time. So I knew when I was going too fast or when I could afford to "speed" up.  Ok Ok so I never passed the guy in front of me that seemed to be on a casual stroll but today I felt like a Kenyan!