Coastal Living

Hey Y'all!

         How was your weekend? We had a pretty fun weekend, because we headed down to the coastal town of Astoria, OR, and Long Beach, WA.  We stayed got a condo for the weekend because my parents are in town, and they wanted to drive over to the coast. Here are a few pictures from the "beach". It makes me laugh that we all are standing in waves crashing beside us, while all bundled up in our winter coats. To a girl from the South, this feels completely unnatural!! It was fun anyway. :)

This is giant seaweed!!

New Kicks and Karma...

Hey Y'all!

      Check out my new running shoes! Sorry about the crummy picture, but I left my camera's battery charger in Idaho, so I had to use my phone. :( Anyway, Here they are!  I usually only buy one pair of running shoes a year.  This year I wanted to start off with a new pair, because I plan on crushing my pathetic mileage from last year. I am coming up on the 1000 MILE mark on my Nike running app, (Woohoo!!!) and nearly every one of those miles has been run in Nikes. I love the look of Nike, and they have been good to me, but I needed a change. I have an old foot injury that has been sneaking up on me, and I feel like I needed different support. My sister, who also loves to run, swears that the Asics Kayano have been great for her. I thought since we have a similar stature I should give them a try, and also have heard that many other avid runners love them as well. I am so excited about these shoes, but I'm afraid that they may come with a little bad karma. We'll see, but I'm going to air it all here in hopes to avoid any bad juju.  I don't know what is out there, but I am a very firm believer in some sort of  "what goes around comes around" balance in the universe. Here's why I'm worried...

The Asics Kayano run a price tag of around $150, so I have just been waiting for the right time to buy.
I knew with the new year arriving, that last years model (Gel Kayano 18) would be going on sale. I was watching Nordstrom online for that to happen, and it did. They went on sale for $99. Nice! I thought before I went into the store at the mall, I would try my luck at Nordstrom Rack to see if by chance there would be any there. Yes! Nordstrom Rack had them for $89.90 in three different colors. So I tried on a pair of pink and grey Kayano 18's in a 5 1/2 (my usual running shoe size), and found that they felt good. Then I remembered that the reviews online said they run a little small, and recommended that you order a half size up. I hesitantly walked around to the size 6's, and found that they only had white and turquoise, or dark grey and purple. I didn't like those colors as well, so I decided to grab the pink ones and be on my way. Then while walking away, I noticed a white and turquoise pair thrown in back of the size 7 shelf. I just grabbed them down to look. I saw that they were actually a size 6, and had been priced wrong at only $49! The same price as the less expensive Asics they had on the shelf.

I stirred guiltily over whether or not to say anything at the register when they actually rang up $49.  I didn't. :( I just paid for them and went smiling out the door. I saved $100 from the original price tag!  Now I feel a little bad about it, but I also feel like Nordstrom has gotten PLENTY of my money over the years. I also love the shoes. They feel great!  What do you think? Have you ever done anything like that before? Is it wrong to get a deal that you KNOW is the wrong price?  Well, I guess if I roll my ankle, or fall on my face running next week we will know! :)

                                         ~Betsy

Remember This?? Anyone???

Hey Y'all!

         Does anyone out there remember this video that used to play on MTV and VH1? Not to give my age away to you youngsters out there, but MTV used to play music videos. Once upon a time...
Anyway, the New Year had me thinking about this video. It's a really random video, but I love the advice. It has stuck with me for years, and I wonder if anyone else remembers it.  Enjoy!   ~Betsy

Happy New Year!

Hey Y'all!

       I'm back from all of my holiday festivities, and SO happy to be home. I am missing family like crazy already though. Here we are with Hubs family. I have heard that the older you are, the more you need people around that you knew when you were young. Well, I think that must totally be true. We totally miss having our families around, especially now that we all have kids and our own families. This means that I'm super excited my Mama and Coach (my stepfather) are coming this month on the 11th. Yippee! I'll get to see family again soon. :)

How were your holidays?  Mine were crazy busy, but even more crazy fun!  We went from Portland  to Idaho, to Las Vegas, NV, and back to Idaho again for skiing. It was a blast!  I wish I could wake up tomorrow and do it all over again...  Oh well, on to 2013!

Speaking of 2013... Do you have any goals for the New Year?  I do! Some of mine are personal, but I will tell you a few.

1. Increase running mileage for 2013!  I hit a total runners rut in 2012. I was tired of training and running in the rain, etc... Well, Suck it up Sissy!! I'm going to be lacing them up and running a lot this year. What's the first race I should sign up for? Hmmm....

2. Learn to Bake!  I love to cook, and I dabbled in a little bit of baking over the holiday season, and realized that I really love to bake as well. I would not say that I am the best baker though. I want my kids to grow up loving something that I bake besides cookies, so I need to hit the kitchen.  Oh,  and now that I know about soy carob flour, it can hopefully be done a little healthier. We'll see!

3. Get Certified!  I have been wanting to get certified in group fitness for quite sometime, and it's time. I am hoping to get certified by spring, because I have fitness plans for summer. Stay tuned!

4. Clean up my Mouth!  I tend to let a few profanities slip when speaking with friends, but I'm getting to old for that. After all, I'm going to turn 35 this year! Gasp! Time to be a lady. ;)

5. Get Organized!  I have a serious problem with organization. My house may be clean, but watch out when you open the kitchen cabinets!

Whether or not I achieve any of these goals; I was extremely blessed in 2012, so more of the same would be just fine with me. :)    ~Betsy

Clothes and Vegas...

Hi Y'all!

       We are leaving for Vegas soon, and I am SO excited! Last night, I decided to go through my closet to see what I am going to wear at night when we go out while we are there.  What did I find???  NOTHING!
Let's be honest...  I am a stay-at-home mom, so other than the gold shirt I got during my Thrift Store Wardrobe Challenge, I don't exactly have the Vegas type wardrobe.  I also live in Portland, OR, where it's acceptable to wear jeans and a sweater to nearly everything from getting married to getting buried.

Now with it being the holiday season, and all of the expenses that come along with that, I am on the hunt for glitzy garments on a budget. Besides, I like to spend my money at the roulette table! (Holler back Lucky #33 Black!) Here are a few things that I have my eye on. I will be going shopping this evening to see what I can find. Hopefully I'll find some great holiday sales! What are you wearing to your festivities this season?
            ~Betsy

Forever 21 

metallic top - $17.80

(with jeans)

Forever 21

sequined sheath dress $32.80

color color color!! This will be awesome with my boots!

Nordstrom

h.i.p tunic champagne tunic tank 

$19.90

Old Navy

sheer seamed yoke top

$19.97

I need jewelry and heels to dress this one up.

Target

Mossimo crocodile embossed clutch 

$16.99

Helllloooo!!

Target

perforated grey clutch $29.99

I really love this one because it fits nicely on the edge of a black jack table. ;)

I'm Back!

Hi Y'all! I'm back!

         Sorry for the looong pause in blogging, but this time of year has me so busy! I feel bad about it, but sometimes blogging ends up being just one more thing that I have to do. :(   Bad Blogger??  "Present!"
Anyway, I will try to be better this week. Promise! :)

Now... What do you think of this?!? I was out holiday shopping yesterday, and came across this "beauty" at the store? My first thought was Only in Portland... (eye roll)  I don't think so though. My guess is that these type dolls are for sale all over the country. This "My First Baby" is supposed to be "trendy". I think she looks  a little Britney Spears meets punk rocker, but I also think that she's a little riske' for a First Baby Doll. Maybe I'm just getting old... I just hope my 3 year old daughter doesn't want eye makeup with dramatic hair streaks anytime soon, and I definitely don't want her to think that being pretty means purple lipstick!  Thoughts anyone?

Holiday Giveaway on Dot Dot Dot...

Hey Y'all!! Friend over at Dot Dot Dot... is having an amazing holiday giveaway!! She is a giving away a lot of great things to add to your holiday swag! Head on over, and you just might get lucky!!

~Betsy

Folding Laundry Fail...

Hi Everyone! I'm getting a little bit of a late start blogging this week.  I had such a fun weekend! I got to go out with the Hubs to a fun party, and had just enough relaxing. I can't post pictures of the party because, we were hanging out with a few of our favorite people from Portland City Hall, and I have a "no pictures of public officials" policy. Ha! They weren't doing anything. It's just out of respect for the people in public positions and their staff. :)  It was a great time though! Then I spent Monday hanging out at home doing laundry. Ugh! I can't stand folding laundry! Example: 

This is my laundry room... 

(Notice the laundry on the counter)

This is what comes out of my laundry room...

(Yikes! I took this picture with my phone.)

  

Grumble Grumble Grumble.... Look at this laundry pile!!! Every time I procrastinate folding laundry like this, I swear that I will NEVER do this again!  Let me say it again... I hate folding laundry. It's not that I hate washing laundry. I just don't like stopping and standing in one place to fold for 30 minutes, and I can almost think of anything that I would rather do. I stay on top of it for a while, but then I'll have a busy week or something. This is when it ends up getting completely out of control, and we are digging through baskets of clean clothes looking for shirts and underwear. Then when I finally can't take it anymore... I take it all out into the living room, and dump it on the couches to fold. Only now instead of it taking 30 minutes, it takes over 2 hours! (with constant interruptions from a 3 year old) Geesh! When am I ever going to learn!!  This cycle has to be broken, so I am now pledging to to random people of the blog-o-sphere. "I Betsy will now fold as I go!!!"   How do you manage staying on top of your family's laundry? Do you fold as you go? Do you have a "laundry day" every week?  I would love to know!

             ~Betsy

Friday Faves

Hi Y'all! Here are a few things that I have been loving this week. I hope you all have a great weekend!!

Plain Fat Free Greek Gods Greek Yogurt + Hidden Valley Ranch Dips = Snack Heaven!

I recommend eating this with whole wheat pita chips, but you decide. :)

Dear Santa, This year I want these compression calf sleeves for running. Thank you!

The Waves.  

With all these rainy days in Oregon; it feels good to let the hair go wavy! 

This hair color. 

Deck the Halls...

Hi Y'all!!  I haven't written in a few days because life has been busy this week! Phew!! Not much exciting going on, just busy days. The holidays are coming, and I have been doing a whole lot of online holiday shopping instead of blogging. We celebrate Christmas in Idaho with the Hubs' family. This means that holiday shopping for the kids has to be done online, because they are too old to get away with stashing presents in the car anymore.  All gifts to be wrapped and placed under the tree on Christmas Eve. I LOATHE wrapping all gifts at one time. I am not a good wrapper, and it just takes forever.  It's really fun the next morning though!!

All though we celebrate in Idaho, we still put a tree up at home because it's really fun for the kids. Oh, and because I L.O.V.E my our tree! Some people like to fill their houses with different themed trees. Example: My sister has 4 (yes 4) Christmas trees in her house this year! Not me. I like to have one tree that I  can perfect over the years. Besides, taking all of those trees down sounds like hard work! Ornaments, lights, and stuffer fillers. Oh my! Sorry, I'm dorking out. Anyway, Here are some pictures for you, because I know that you have been dying to see it. Ha!  I keep waiting for department stores to contact me to decorate their Christmas trees at the mall, but I haven't gotten a call yet. Just kidding...  but seriously... that would be such a fun job!!!  Call me Macy's!!  ;)   ~Betsy

Our Candy Tree!

Viva Las Vegas...

Hi Y'all! I'm back from Idaho full as a tick, and heart happy from getting to spend a few days with family. There was plenty of food, kids, laughs, shopping, and a big bonfire. It was great!  :)

One more thing that I am SUPER happy about is... Last week, The Hubs surprised me with a trip to Las Vegas next month for our 10 year anniversary!! I'm SO Excited!!  We used to go to Las Vegas once or twice a year before Katie was born. We had some really fun times, but that 2nd child thing started eating into our Las Vegas funds. Ha! She's totally worth it though. :)

There are so many things to love about Vegas, but the things I love the most are gambling, dressing up, shopping, beautiful hotels, people watching, good food, etc...  I also love how the days and nights last so long that you can hop over to Vegas for 3 days, and feel like you squeezed a weeks worth on vacation into them.  We haven't been since May of 2008. 4 years ago!! We used to always stay at the Hilton, but it's now the LVH, so we are staying at The Aria.  I can't wait!!! Hmmm... What to wear?? My wardrobe isn't exactly very "Las Vegas" these days. Oh well, another "first world" problem for another day.
Here are a few pics from past trips to Vegas.

We look so young! Have I really aged that much in 4 years?!? Oh well, all the lines on my face are from smiling. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!  ;)

We even took Ryan once!

Days at the pool

Lunch with girl friends

Lunch with all friends

The sibling trip to Vegas

At the LAS

My Love

Bye Y'all & Happy Thanksgiving...

Coeur d' Alene, Idaho

Bye Y'all! I'm off to beautiful Coeur d' Alene, Idaho for Thanksgiving!  I will miss my family SO far away back home in Georgia and Alabama, but I am thankful that I have the best in-laws in the world to spend the holiday with. I hope that you are all blessed with full hearts and even fuller bellies this year, and I'll be back next week with more stuff to talk about!! :)  From my family to yours,  Happy Thanksgiving!!

34 Days and Counting...

Hey Y'all! Can you believe that Black Friday is almost here already?!?  34 days and counting until Christmas!  I have my eye on a few deals this year for the holiday, and will be venturing out to Best Buy on Thanksgiving night to battle the rest of the crazies to see if I can win one or two of them.  What am I thinking???
Well, this year we are planning to get Ryan a laptop for Christmas. I am having my doubts about this one though. Let's weigh the Pros and Cons...

I WANT to get it for him because: 1. I know he will love it, 2. The PC at home that he uses all the time could die any day, 3. His school has him using the computer for homework a lot more these days, 4. He loves to play computer games.

I DON'T want to get it for him because: 1. He'll download a virus the day after Christmas, 2. Stranger danger, 3. He'll be 9 years old with a new laptop, so what will he expect at 14 years old?  4. He already has a PS3, Wii, Nintendo DS, and a Kindle Fire. Does he really need one more electronic? Maybe what he needs is a basketball hoop!

Well, when you live in Oregon... it's hard to get kids "outside" things for Christmas, because they don't really get to play with it until it stops raining in 6 months. :(  I really do want to get him a basketball hoop, but we live in the city. This means we have very small yards, no driveway, and there are cars parked on the street in front of the house at all times. There is really NO place for a basketball hoop. Sigh...  Indoor activities it is for now, at least until his birthday in May.

What's on your kid's wish list this year? Also, what's your opinion? Don't you think that kids have more "stuff" these days at a younger age??  What will we be buying them as teenagers??
                    ~Betsy :)

Growing up fast...

Ryan and "R" at the school dance

Happy Monday Y'all!  I had such great weekend! My weekends are always filled with sports, friends, and family. This weekend, however; started out on Friday night with a school dance for Ryan. This is the first year I didn't take him. The Hubs and I were having company over, so another friend's mom was sweet, and him up. Ryan just wore the fleece and jeans that he had worn to school that day, but for the first time the girls were more dressed up. Her mom sent me this pic from her phone while they were taking a break for a bite to eat. Isn't she cute?? Ryan is growing up so fast! I think he totally has a crush on her, and she is a super sweet girl.  :)

The rest of the weekend was filled with a soccer tournament, basketball, and family game night. All in all... Just a great weekend to kick off the holiday week! Is it still too early to put up the Christmas tree?? Hmmm...

                           ~Betsy

Painting Trees...

Hey Y'all!  Here's reason #103 Why Pinterest makes me a better person....

Because I randomly painted a winter tree with my daughter on her wall yesterday!  She had a great time painting "inside the lines" that I outlined.  There's one little "oopsie" up there on the wall that I have to touch up with the wall color as soon as I get motivated to dig it out of the garage today. I'm not crafty or artsy in any way, but I think it turned out okay for free hand painting. What do you think? Either way, Katie loves it!  

                              ~Betsy

Guest Posting on Dot Dot Dot...

HeyYa'll!

Today I am guest posting over at Dot Dot Dot...

Come on over and check out April's blog! I'll be posting on the finds from my Thrift Store Wardrobe Challenge!  :)

Vintage Inspired...

Hi Y'all!

      It's 5am, and I am waking up from a long extended holiday weekend. (Yawn) I would love to say that I was spending it on a beach somewhere, or gambling and shopping it away in Las Vegas... Nope! These days this mom's long holiday weekends are filled with Chuck E Cheese's, soccer tournaments, coffee dates, basketball games, and kid's birthday parties. Some would think it's not really the glamorous life, but it's a weekend spent with friends and the peeps I love the most! It was a pretty fun weekend actually. :) 

Now back to the shopping in Las Vegas comment... Have you been to the mall lately?  I met Friend last week at the mall for coffee, and was holiday browsing through all of the fall vintage looking pieces that are out there lately. This makes me very happy of course, because I am totally into the look of the 70's. I swear that I was born to be a Charlie's Angel. Swoon...

Here are just a couple of things I found the other day to add to my holiday wish list...

Caslon Zig Zag Sweater

(a nod to Charlie Brown)

Blu Pepper Cardigan Sweater

Frenchi Sheer Chiffon Blouse

Hudson Black Wax Skinny's

Old Navy Gold Waffle Knit Scarf

So many things on my Holiday Wish List are vintage inspired. It makes me wonder... Could I find some cute vintage things for my winter wardrobe on a budget at thrift stores?  Hmmm.... Challenge accepted!  :)                      

                                 ~Betsy