Keys to the Kingdom

In a few hours, I get to go pick up the keys to our new house! I am super excited to see it again, but also a bit nervous. When I went to tour it a few weeks ago, before we signed the lease, the current tenants were still there and in the process of moving, so the house was a mess, their baby was asleep upstairs, their dogs were going crazy, and I was trying to get out of their way as quickly as possible. I remember the basics, but the whole 15 minutes was kind of a blur. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing it empty, clean, and quiet tonight. 

I am dreading the actual moving process -- schlepping boxes back and forth, finding a new spot for all of our (many, many) things, organizing closets, playing tetris with the furniture. And the cleaning... oh the cleaning. Cleaning the new place within an inch of its life before any of our stuff hits the ground (because I'm weird like that), and cleaning our old place with fingers crossed that our security deposit will reappear in the form of a nice Target shopping spree. If anyone can tell me how to mop a floor and plan for a wedding simultaneously, the title of Biggest Lifesaver of the Month is wide open for August.

I am, however, looking forward to the fun part of the move: the decorating. As if I needed more to do with these two little hands, I have a whole list of projects lined up to make this house into a real home. Good thing Pinterest and I are very best friends. I've found so many cheap, easy ideas -- starting with these adorable printables:

[via, via, via, via, via, via, via]

Speaking of framing things, I think some of these beauties would look quite nice:

In celebration of the fact that we. have. stairs! in the new spot, I'm also planning to do a picture wall with some of our incredible "engagement" pictures (for which I am still holding my breath... can't wait to share them when they get here!):

And of course, a wreath for our brand new front door! I'm purely speculating, of course, that by the time I get around to this craft, it might be getting on towards fall (shocking, I know, that I wouldn't be whipping up one of these this evening), so these seem particularly seasonal:

It wouldn't be wrong to take the glue gun with me on our honeymoon, would it?

   Love,

    Meg

Monday Musing

It's true! The list is short, but the handful of you who stop by here to read regularly are definitely on it. And today, I believe you were promised a wedding-free post, yes? Well here you have it, ladies and gentlemen: here's what the heck is going on in my life that is absolutely not related to a wedding... at least, not related to my wedding. Since one of my very best friends is getting married this Saturday, I make no promises on that front.

I have not run in four days. To most people, this is a very normal statement. To me, who ran every day for the slightly more than 100 leading up to last Friday, this. is. killing. me. I've been fighting with my legs again, hoping that I could keep up some extremely low mileage while hitting the crosstraining hard and strengthening. It seemed to be working, and at the beginning of last week the pain was so much better that I actually considered venturing off the treadmill and heading outside to test the waters. Thursday morning, however, it returned with a vengeance -- bad enough to stop my nice little daily streak in its tracks. After a few days now of extended elliptical sessions (most boring 45+ minutes of my day, every day), my leg feels much better. I almost hopped on the treadmill this morning, but decided to give it just a little more time. I'm crossing my fingers that tomorrow will be the day and that the pain will stay (far, far) away.

Someone has a birthday coming up on Wednesday...

Someone is going to be a whole quarter of a century old... wow. Someone is also very hard to buy gifts for....

As I mentioned, this lovely girl is getting married this weekend!

I'm incredibly excited to celebrate with M and her new hubby. I finally found shoes for the big day over the weekend, so I'm officially ready!

I am absolutely itching to DIY something big -- like furniture-sized big. I'm thinking I should start with something easier, like an ottoman/bench:

or a bookshelf/dresser:

before I tackle an bigger project like one of these:

The ladder probably wouldn't be so tough, but that chair? That would take some skill -- skill that I surely haven't developed quite yet. For now, I'm just keeping my eye out for old, cheap furniture that I could re-invent -- especially because.....

We're moving! Dan and I found a great place for rent in an absolutely perfect location across town, so in a major effort to make September the craziest month possible, we will be packing up and moving into our very first real house! I am super excited to have a bigger kitchen, a yard, three whole bedrooms, and neighbors who reside more than three feet away. I am not a huge fan of moving in general and so I'm not looking forward to the extended packing/throwing away/organizing/unpacking cycle that is to come, but I'm definitely going to be happy once all of that is over and we can (fingers crossed) come back from our honeymoon to a great new home.

Phew... thinking about all things non-wedding for that long has left me exhausted -- and surely behind on at least sixteen things. I am off to catch up!

   Love,

    Meg

Showered in Love

Friday the 13th, indeed. I woke up from a dead sleep with a jolt, realizing suddenly that I was supposed to have made cookies for a coworker's baby shower today. Between getting home at 11 last night and working on a pre-wedding DIY project until 1:30, all with a splitting headache (which decided to stick around today, too), the cookies had literally not occurred to me until I sat straight up in bed at 5:45 this morning and said a word that may have made the cat blush. Thank goodness for my awesome hubby, who was guilted into willing to go to the store and pick up cake mix and applesauce at 6 am, while I managed a quick workout and then raced home to whip up a slightly undercooked batch of double chocolate cookies. One of which I ate for breakfast. Friday the 13th, indeed.

Today's overload of wedding pictures/Pinterest-happy collage comes with a slightly different theme: the bridal shower. My best friend and incredible soon-to-be-matron of honor:

is getting married at the end of this month, and I am throwing a shower for her and her lucky fiance tomorrow. I crafted the invitation by myself, and I'm pretty proud of it:

With less than 24 hours left until the party, I am still working on a few decorations and details, so I'm of course hitting up my favorite place for great ideas. Because we wanted to invite the guys to this one too, I've been trying to make sure that the decorations, etc. aren't too girly. I'm sticking to pretty simple and flexible details, since I haven't actually seen the venue and everything I do has to make the 3 hour trip up there. Here are a few things I may be working on this evening:

Such cute signs!

 

 favors!

love the DIY "poms"... just not sure I could pull off such a high degree of crafty

[via the pretty blog]

Sew cute (ha!). Not sure if I have the time for these (and then there's that little problem of me not being good at sewing anything. ever.) but perhaps a little puffy paint? My high school days of designing shirts for spirit days are calling....

Needless to say, my weekend is shaping up to be a bit full. Hope that yours is happy!

Love,

 Meg

Thursday Things

I was a little shocked when I realized this morning that it was not Wednesday, but Thursday. Did I sleep through yesterday? This week has flown by. In an effort to catch my breath and celebrate being one day closer to Friday, here are a few Thursday Things that have been taking up space in my cluttered brain these days:

 - I had a fantastic run last night -- my legs showed up for the party for the first time in a while, and I felt speedy and awesome. The cool breeze was a big bonus, and 8 miles ticked by with very little trouble. It was terrific right up until the end, when I discovered that I'd forgotten the whole use-body-glide-you-idiot step when I was getting ready. Let's just say that the cup of ice water I got at Starbucks after I finished was less for rehydration and more to hold between my legs on the way home. Ouch.

what a flattering picture, right?

- Speaking of Starbucks, who had this brilliant idea?

Why thank you, that's exactly what my drink needed: a huge, soggy sticker sliding along the side of the cup. Only one of the locations in my town does this, but I'd like to give whoever is responsible for the new practice a good plink right between the eyes.

 - My new goal is to cut out the shorter junk runs in my week and consolidate them into longer workouts. I know that some shorter speedwork is still important every week, but filling my calendar with lots of 3/4 mile runs really isn't making me a better runner. I'd like to see my average run somewhere closer to 6/7 miles. If we're being honest, I'm hoping that this will help me ease into higher mileage for my long runs, as well -- my ultimate goal is to slide into a few 13+ milers without thinking about it too much, so that one day I wake up and realize that another half would feel short and easy.

 - Apparently today is Flag Day. Shouldn't we get a day off for that or something? Today is also the US Army birthday, although I think we can all agree that they don't look a day over 236. Here's to many more years of last minute decisions, overcrowding and confusion, hurry-up-and-wait, always doing things the hard way, and somehow making it all worthwhile, Army. I'm not sure how you do it, but keep it up!

 - Recently I wrote that I was craving a long drive. Thankfully a 14-hour roundtrip to Charleston cleared that little urge right up, but now it has been replaced with something slightly trickier... I'm dying to fly somewhere these days. It's not even a matter of destination at this point (although I never say no to a good vacation), I just really want to get on a plane. That honeymoon thing sure is taking its sweet time...

 - Such a dangerous Pinterest find:

I have a thing for buttons and just so happen to have a big bag of red ones sitting at home. There are also these:

... and how cute are these??

I have a feeling it's going to be a busy little weekend...

 - And because it's been a while since the last Toby update:

... he's still just as sleepy (and photogenic) as ever.

Happy Thursday, everyone!

  Love,

    Meg

Friday Favorites

Considering the to-do list that is sitting next to me and keeps tapping me on the arm impatiently, today's favorites are going to be short and sweet. With the kind of week I've had, I think it's pretty important to make room for some gratitude today. I apologize for the lack of pictures and generally decent writing though... I think this list may be sprouting teeth.

I am thankful for casual Fridays, especially those that end 45 minutes earlier than normal. I don't care if it's just so that I can rush across town to make it to our little pup's first vet appointment, and I don't care that I got to the office over an hour early to offset the difference: I'm wearing jeans and my day ends at 4:15, and that's what matters.

I'm thankful for late nights and early mornings (just not back-to-back). A few nights ago I stayed up late finishing a fantastic book and realized that it was the first time in weeks that I had been conscious post-midnight. It was quiet and peaceful and everyone was snuggled up asleep, and I enjoyed the "me" time immensely. Also, as hard as it was to drag myself out of bed super early this morning, I loved that the world was still asleep even as I finished up my workout and headed home before the sun rose.

My husband is getting some rather adorable Valentine's Day gifts. That's right... adorable. And that's all I'm going to say about that.

I am lusting after so many of the iPhone cases on this site. Especially this one, this one, and this one (and at least a dozen more). And gosh, do I wish I could get this one for my dad... Marvin was his favorite.

Let's pause for a brief moment of honesty: one of my very least favorite things on this Friday? My left ear, which has been stopped up for almost two weeks now. At first it was pressurized and painful, but now the ache has subsided to a dull echo. Every time I open my mouth, I feel like I'm underwater. I think I'm starting to understand what Van Gogh was thinking that fateful night...

Another very favorite thing about this week: the yummy food it has delivered. Dan made the best ribs for dinner on Monday, my mom and I went on a girls' date to Melting Pot Wednesday (one of the best restaurants ever), and I am having a serious internal struggle over the fact that I want to eat today's lunch (pearled couscous: please please go to the store and buy yourself a box, you can thank me later) right NOW. Also, the plan is to make breakfast for dinner again tonight... yum.

I am really looking forward to some free time this weekend to gather the supplies for this cute craft (found on this beautifully-written blog). I'm thinking of making one with just pinks and reds for Valentine's Day. I am also patiently waiting on the delivery of a final necessity for another deliciously crafty project, which I will share when it is finished!

Finally, another "favorite" from my wish list: this simple piece. (Can it be a favorite when I don't even own it? Good thing I get to make all the rules around here...) Actually, it's amazing that I even like this right now, since I'm especially bitter towards most-things-running at the moment. I am determined to get rid of this stupid shin pain before it ruins the spring races I want to run, but the hours this means spending on the elliptical instead of the road have left me slightly increasingly extremely frustrated. Maybe wearing this gorgeous necklace would help me feel better?

Ok, my to-do list is now swishing its (rather lengthy, rather spiky) tail and grumbling ominously, so I think I'd better give it some attention. Or perhaps a small rodent for it to munch on...

Happy weekend, everyone!

   Love,

    Meg