It's the Little Things

I don't know about you but, I think this "Spring" weather is a real downer. It's been so cold with little to no sunshine for the past couple of weeks. I can't stand it!

This is the forecast for today and the rest of the week

Nothing like snow to crush your dreams of a lovely spring. 

Now, don't get me wrong, I love snow but, I think I need to clarify my love for this cold dream crusher from the sky. 

I love the FIRST snow.

I love snow at Christmas. 

I even love a good snowstorm in February but, that's were the love ends. In March I am ready for the snow to melt. I'm ready for the sunshine and warm temps that April (sometimes) brings.

My husband is very aware of how this weather makes me feel. He knows I need sunshine to function like a human. Even though he can't change the weather that brings me down  -he knows how to pick me up.

It's the little things.

I love my husband for so many reasons.

Today, this is the reason I love him.

This miniature Dwight was on the bathroom counter this morning. It was the first thing I saw when I turned on the light. And you know what? I smiled. I laughed... at 5:15 am. It was just what I needed to get a great start to my day.

I know it's not traditional but, it is us.

I think I'll be able to handle the snow forecasted today a little better knowing that he was thinking about me before he went to bed. Well, either me or Dwight. 

I hope you have someone who takes the time to do the little things.

Enjoy your day!

Diary of a Former Skinny Girl

As you know, I hate to exercise. I've gotten great at bitching and complaining about anything active.

That is until recently. The last week in March to be exact. If you follow me you know I have found my love for water exercise.

I know what you're thinking when I say "water exercise." You're thinking of a bunch of old ladies bobbing up and down in the pool slowly moving from side to side. Well, you're dead wrong. What hydro power is is basically amped up "on land" aerobics but with the resistance of water. It's crazy hard. But makes me feel crazy good.

I always thought I hated to exercise.
I thought I was too lazy to even give it a try.
I thought I was too embarrassed to workout in front of other people.

What I discovered is - if you change the way you think, all of the negitive "I can't do it" thoughts - they quickly leave your mind. Now, I look forward to working out and being embarassed is a state of mind. If I can work out in front of others in a swim suit when I need to lose 30 pounds - anyone can do it. You just need to change the way you THINK.

Via

How are you going to change your mind - world? Have you done it recently?

What....Where...huh?

I think I'm losing it. I mean really losing it.

Example one:
How many times can one person slice off a "few" layers of skin on "her" finger before "she" learns how to use an exacto knife? Let's just say it's been more than two but less than five times.

ouch.

Example two:

Last night (while my husband prepared supper) I walked into the kitchen and the water was running. I asked him why the water was running - to which he replied - you turned it on. Yes. I turned it on. No. I have no memory of that action whatsoever.

Example three:

This morning I got into my car - as I sat there looking through my keys I swear I couldn't find the key for my car! I looked through them twice before I remembered that my key folds up so it looks like my old auto-start. Seriously. Re-donk. 

Wow.

And i'm only 36.

I don't even want to know me when i'm 50.

Don't forget to visit Poppyandpippa.com and take 

advantage of this great Spring Sale!

Spring Sale!

Spring is here!

(Actually, not-so-much "here" as in Fargo but, technically it has been Spring for several weeks.)

It wouldn't be Spring without all of the Spring sales - so... Poppy and Pippa is having a fabulous sale to help you out with some fun accessories for this bright and fun season!

Here are a few of the great name badge reels

How about some no crease yoga hair ties?

You can even pick your own color rosette for a clip or bobby pin.

Enjoy shopping with the coupon below! It is good through Wednesday, April 10th.

poppyandpippa.com

The Friday Five

Nothing from my past week to share.

In fact, I'm kind of sick of trying to figure out things to post from the past week. Not every week has five things to share and to prevent myself from feeling lame I decided to change it up a bit.

Every Friday I'm going to post 5 things.

That have nothing to do with my week.

My first **The Friday Five** are some super cute DIY projects I found on Pinterest.
{links to each project are below}

1. / 2. / 3. / 4. / 5.

Currently :: April 2013

I haven't done a "Currently" post since last April. So, I thought I'd catch you up on me.

CURRENTLY

Makeup Favorite

Benefit - Fake it - it's a super moisturizing concealer. I love it for around my eyes.

Frequently Wear

Dress / leggings / scarf / boots (can't wait for warmer weather!!)

Food

Red peppers

Bane of my Existence

Whidbey insisting that he needs to cuddle at 4 am - every. single. morning. But, really, who can resist this face?

Shame Inducing Guilty Pleasure

McDonald's Chocolate Shake (700 calories!! UGH!)

Saving all my Pennies for

small thing - TOMs Ballet Flats (same as last April!)

big thing  - a new house, condo, or town home

Excited about

My new car! 2013 VW Jetta (This is the only photo I have of my new car)

Obsessed with

Hydro Power - Exercising! I never thought I would EVER be obsessed with physical activity!

Anticipation for

Warmer weather - ballet flats and summer clothes

Drooling over for Spring

Skimmers! I have never loved "crop" pants. Skimmers are exactly what I've always liked - just at the ankle.

What are your currentlys? (not a word. I know.)

Gym Membership

Yes, folks, you heard it here. I officially have a gym membership. For those of you that don't know me - this is monumental. I loathe running and hate jumping of any kind unless of course it's on a trampoline. Who doesn't love jumping on a trampoline? I wonder if my gym has a trampoline...

Anywho, after trying the Hydro Power class two weeks ago - I'm hooked. It's water areobics on acid. It's crazy how difficult it can be. There's no down time. I'm ready to die after the warm up. We use water weights and noodles. I'm amazed at how this class works every muscle in my body.

via google images

Unlike working out on land - when you workout in the water you leave the pool exhausted but, refreshed. On days when I don't have class I swim laps for about 30 minutes. 

Along with working out 5 days a week I'm keeping track of everything I eat on My Fitness Pal. I'm down 3 pounds.

My sister also told my about Raspberry Ketones. She's lost 6 pounds since January. I'm giving it a try. There is no medical research indicating that the supplement actually does anything to boost weight loss but, really, what do I have to lose... except for weight!

I can't wait to see where I am in a couple of months!

Have you lost a lot of weight? How did you do it?

Swim

For about the last 5 years I have this reoccurring dream. It's never exactly the same but it always has the same premise.

A cruise ship (that I wasn't on) is stranded out at sea. They recruit me to swim out to the ship, tie a rope around my waist, and swim the boat to shore.

I've never made it to shore. 

I always wake up or can't remember what happens next.

Obviously, that isn't me because that isn't a cruise ship. :)

(Image via google images)

I looked it up the other day because I was curious about the meaning of this peculiar reoccurring dream.

It's impossible to look up the exact dream - one interpretation is:

To dream that you are swimming towards the shoreline, signifies an increase in your financial standing. In general, dreams of swimming indicate an exploration of your unconscious mind and emotions. It is a common dream image for people going through therapy. 

Well, I can tell you my financial standing has not changed in years and I'm not in therapy.

I looked at several interpretations of swimming and others with boats. They all have something to do with emotions. Well, gee, thanks Internet for NO information on what it means to pull a stranded boat to shore. You'd think in this day and age of technology a person could find out what her dream means.

Do you have reoccurring dreams?
What do they mean?

What's up with...

A part of my job is planning meals that meet USDA guidelines. I try to make the meals / snacks healthy, delicious and something the children will eat.

The other day I was browsing on Pinterest for healthy snack and lunch ideas. Unfortunately, what I found was disturbing to say the least. I found food that was made to look like cartoon characters and objects. It was ridiculous.

Tuna salad in peppers and cucumbers...

Source: bedifferentactnormal.com viaCherie on Pinterest

Children should eat food because it's healthy and tastes good not because it looks fun. What happens when they go somewhere else to eat and their fruit is not in the shape of a palm tree?

Source: beautylish.com viaNikki on Pinterest

And we wonder why children have issues with food. whether it being their pickiness or overeating junk food. Food should be food. Food should look like food. Remember there are many many children that don't get to eat every day. There are children that only get to eat at school.

Source: whyloveit.info viaChristine on Pinterest

I apologize if you are one of those mom's that go above and beyond to make your child's meals special by creating characters out of bread. I just don't get it. But then again, I'm not a mom. I'm just someone who sees children everyday that would do anything for a filling meal.

Source: itswrittenonthewalls.blogspot.com viaIt's Written on the Wall on Pinterest

Diary of a former Skinny Girl

You know those "aha!" moments? The ones that so many people who have gained weight have when they look in the mirror one day or something.

I'm still waiting for my moment. I mean, I know I've gained weight. I know I should exercise and eat better. I know my clothes fit like shit. But I want a moment when I look in the mirror and say, "holy shit! I need to do something about this...now!"

I actually have one of those moments several times a day. Unfortunately, it doesn't motivate me. At all. It really sucks. I just hate exercising... until last night.

Last night a friend and I went to this aqua fit class (or aqua torture). Let me tell you, there was NO floating around gently moving your arms and legs. It was a splash fest! Jumping (which I don't mind in water), and moving, and weights. It was hard work. I mean I really thought I was going to have to go to the side and rest. But I didn't. I kept going. Out of breath and really thirsty. I did it! So did my friend. We both loved it! It was a great workout and I was pleasantly exhausted when I got home.

We both decided we needed to ditch the "tankini" for a full piece swim suit if we do it again. There was way too much movement for our suits to stay put. (not a pretty site). We tried the sauna for about 1 minute (too hot) and we were way too chatty for the people trying to sweat it out in peace. We went in the hot tub for about 2 minutes.

I can't wait to do it again. Seriously. I'm looking forward to exercise. I guess it's all of my years in a pool that make water exercise "my thing."

What's your thing? Did you have an "aha!" moment?

It's A Girl: Baby Shower

I had so much fun planning the baby shower for my bestie!

I went with a lime green and hot pink theme. Jess is having a little girl and I love this color combo!

INVITES - THANK YOUS
I searched for the perfect invite for a couple of weeks. Yes, weeks. I didn't want to purchase generic invites that have you filling in all of the details by hand. I had 50 invites to send out and I wasn't going to hand write all of them. Then, I searched Etsy but, couldn't quite find the perfect one. That's when I turned to "old faithful" otherwise known as Pinterest! I found the invite below on Ontobaby.com. This site is fabulous! I was able to customize the invite with the colors I chose and the wording / font I selected. All for FREE! It was perfect. All I had to purchase were the envelopes - which I purchased at Office Max for about $14 (they were a special size).

I also found Thank You cards to match the lime and hot pink on the same site. All I had to do is print them off for Jess and give her the remaining envelopes so she could send thank yous for all of the fun gifts she received.

Thank you card

Ontobaby.com has invites / thank yous / tags / and so much more for baby showers, weddings, and parties. I will definitely be back!

////////////////////////////////////

FAVORS - TABLE DECOR

I wanted a simple yet, not cheesy favor for everyone in attendance. I found heart shaped tins at Party City. They were perfect to fill with the lime and hot pink Sixlets I found at Hobby Lobby. I also, purchased a couple (8) packages of the "make your own flowers." I mix and matched the colors to create adorable favors for everyone!

For the centerpieces, I also wanted something cute but not cheesy. Jess is not cheesy. I was able to use glass vases and silver chargers from work. I personalized them for the shower by purchasing Washi tape at Michael's and wrapping each color around the vase. I also purchased lime and pink stones to sprinkle around the vase. The finishing touch was a silver floating candle.

Jess's mom took care of the food. She made these adorable cake pops and fabulous pavlova with homemade lemon curd and berries.

Instead of a guest book I asked each of the guests to share some "wishes for Elodie." I found this form on Pinterest.

Source: laurenmakes.wordpress.com via Laura on Pinterest

Jess isn't a huge fan of games (and neither am I) but, I found this one on Pinterest (where else?!). I printed it up myself so it would match the pink theme.

Source: blogs.babble.com via Laura on Pinterest

Here are a few photos from the shower

Jess and I before the guests arrive... isn't she just glowing!

 "Oh, how adorable!" I bet you can't guess how many times that was said!

Super cute swim suit she received. Even has a built in diaper! Genius!

So, that was my weekend. I am finally able to breathe. I feel like I have been planning something since after Christmas. Whether it was planning for our trip to Florida, or planning the employee party, or planning for the craft fest, and finally planning a baby shower. I'm done.... at least for awhile.

Miscellany Monday

It's a snow day!
There is nothing better than a Monday snow day! I have done nothing today except watch a little Sons of Anarchy with Bill. The wind is blowing and the snow is drifting... It was almost 80 degrees last year on this date. I'm ready for summer!

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Do you have a quick and easy way to read all of your daily blogs? Did you know that Google reader is going to discontinue the service as of July 1st.? You can follow me on Bloglovin. It's a great source for following all of your favorite blogs. It keeps track of which blogs have posts available to read and even suggests new blogs that you might be interested in.

Click here to start following My Green Pen.

Did Ya Miss Me?

Hello Friday! Holy Hell I'm so glad to see you!

My life has been a whirlwind for the past month. I have had no time and more importantly very little inspiration / motivation to write.

Here's my Friday five.

I swear you will see more of me from now on - not guaranteeing posts every day but, I have a feeling it will be more than none.

1. My friend Amy and I. So silly!

2. I did my first "voice over" work. It was for the North Dakota Association for the Education of Young Children informational video. Apparently, what usually takes people about 20 minutes to read through took me over 2 hours. I guess I forget how to read when there's a mic in front of me! Luckily it was my husband that was working on the video.

3. I was in Bismarck on Monday to advocate for our kiddos! Bill HB1422 was good. Then they went and changed it and not in a good way! Then it was passed onto the senate. We went to the senate committee meeting on Monday to share our thoughts on this bill. Right now it's a waiting game. We're emailing the committee with our thoughts on this bill. Crossing our fingers!

4. My husband raises money for prostate cancer every year through something called Bros on Broadway. It's a huge event in Fargo every February.  You may have heard of the national event called Mo-vember. The folks at the HoDo in Fargo decided to do their own event during a different month to ensure the funds raised for the American Cancer Society stay in Fargo. By participating in the event in November the funds are not guaranteed to stay in your area. So, anywho, I was interviewed by the newspaper. The topic was facial hair and how the wives and girlfriends feel about their husbands and boyfriends growing out some crazy facial hair. It was a fun article and they even included some funny photos of my husband throughout the years. **This year Bill raised the most money for the event!!**

5. When you work with children you just never know what's going to happen from day to day, so, when a little girl arrived with this bag I was a little curious. Then she proceeded to tell me that it's a present for me! Ummm... I sure hoped it wasn't something she took from her mommy's drawer. Thankfully it was a beautiful picture that she drew for me! But, seriously, you just never know.

I also got to spend a lovely evening with my bestie on Thursday night. I can't wait to tell you all about the baby shower I'm having for her this weekend - stay tuned! She's just the sweetest ever! She gave me a gift for putting on the shower. I appreciated it - in fact, I love my new leather Coach iPhone case, but, you only have your first baby girl once. I want it to be super special for her. I know she'd do the same for me.

Enjoy your weekend!

Shop Update

Check it!
Lots of new items posted.
By the way, I love creating custom items. If you see something but, would like it in a different color - email me to check possibilities.

Interested in purchasing something?

Visit the website here.

It's the Little Things...

I've been a busy bee the last two weekends so, when I had the chance to sit down and clean off my desk and organize my drawers I was so excited. Yes, excited. I love organizing. It has a calming effect on me. You'd think my entire house was organized wouldn't you? Nope. It's not. Ever since I began the adventure with Poppy and Pippa my weekends have pretty much been planned out for me. Work, work, and more work. I used to use my weekends to organize and re-organize.

My husband even commented the other day that we've switched roles. He's the cleaner and I'm the mess maker. I really need to work on that but, for now, I get to show off my clean desk. I should've taken a before picture - Just know that this desk was piled with bins and boxes from the craft fest.

Now, it's all put away and organized.

Take a gander at these organized drawers!

Check out all of the new items I listed in the shop. I believe I took over 600 photos and edited them this weekend.

It's FRIDAY!

It was another crazy week! I'm looking forward to a week of work. Just work. Plain old doing my job and that's it. Last week was filled with preparing for the craft fest and this week was spent getting ready for the employee party for about 160 guests. I have been busy planning a super fun party with my partner in planning - Josh. We've planned the parties for the past couple of years and this is our final year... or so we say. I am so excited for tonight! Next week will be a normal week - for the most part. I hope to get back to blogging every day again.

So, it's Friday. That means it's time to look back at the highlights of this past week.

1. Relaxation with my hubby. We went to Zero Dark Thirty on Sunday (before the Oscars). It was a fantastic movie! I highly recommend it.

via

2. Relaxation... again. It was nice to take a break from creating for Poppy and Pippa. I filled orders on Tuesday night and that's all I did this week with it. I have a lot of photos to take. In fact, I tried to take photos after work on Tuesday but, Whidbey wasn't making it easy so I gave up. He loves to lay right where I need to take photos. It's ok though because he's adorable!

3. Six of the Seven Early Childhood bills passed in North Dakota. There's a lot of work to be done before everything is all said and done. I have a trip to the state capital to testify planned. I'm passionate about offering high quality early childhood education where I work and I am passionate about making sure it's available in the rest of the state.

4. I purchased a new dress from LOFT for the employee appreciation party tonight. I love it!

What do you think?

5. It's Friday. Whew.

Source: google.co.uk via Tiffany {Living Savvy} on Pinterest

The Unglued Craft Fest Recap

On Friday night and Saturday I participated in my second craft "show." It's a lot of work leading up to it but it's so much fun to hear all of the comments from customers. This show was put on by a local shop called Unglued. (read about it here). It's basically a brick and mortar store featuring local Etsy artists. It's a fantastic concept. I have yet to stop by there but, my husband has several times because they have these "to die for" gluten-free cupcakes. I finally got to try one of the cupcakes at the event on Saturday. I tried the Maple Bacon cupcake. It was so good. It was very rich and honestly, I couldn't finish it. Yes, folks, it was too rich for me. I don't think it's too often I find a sweet that I can't finish. I would definitely purchase it again but this time have more room in my stomach.

Why, yes, that is candied bacon sprinkled on the top and drizzles of maple syrup.

Friday evening I was kept company by my friend Jess. She is expecting a baby in May - a baby GIRL!! There's going to be a lot of baby girls welcomed into the world this spring from what I saw on Friday. There were so many mommy's to be purchasing their baby's first headband. It was adorable. Friday was a little slower than I expected but, I guess the promoters of the event said that twice as many people attended the event than they were projecting. Friday night was a Gala event. It was dressier with wine and appetizers being served. The guests had to pay $10 to shop early. It seemed to be a much younger crowd shopping on Friday night compared to Saturday.

Saturday went by faster than I imagined it would. Although I was exhausted by the end of the day and my feet were killing me I think the entire day was a success. There was great live music throughout the day (Bill played!!) and the venue was so cool. I just don't see myself doing a craft fair in a gym or civic center. I think I'm going to stick to the more unique settings.

My guy

The Plains Art Center

Three floors of handmade goodness!

My booth.

It was located on the third floor in the far corner. I actually liked the location. It was nice to be tucked away in the corner because there was more room for people to look for a bit. It was also nice because I was out of the traffic pattern so it didn't get super crowded when people were trying to look at things on my table. I should've taken a picture of my booth from a distance... 

My next adventure with Poppy and Pippa is the spring Junk Market... 

TV Tuesday

I watch more TV than anyone I know. I love TV. It's my relaxation. It's my escape. Although I love TV I rarely just sit and watch. I'm always doing something else. I read magazines, browse Pinterest, work on Poppy and Pippa...write blog posts.

I have so many "favorites" that I thought I'd share them with you every Tuesday. I'd love to hear what your favorite episode, memory, or quote is from the shows!

Today I'm going to start off with an oldie but a goodie!

Source: catwalkqueen.tv via Melissa Joy on Pinterest

90210 - the original - Brenda, Kelly, Dylan, Brandon, David, Steve, and Donna.
This show took me out of the midwest and into sunshine and wealth. It was never boring. Someone was always getting pregnant, stoned, overdosing, committing adultery, getting drunk, stealing, driving drunk, etc. There was always a lesson to be learned. Don't drink too much before Prom because you'll make a fool of yourself in front of Mrs. Teasly!

I was a dedicated watcher. If I knew I wasn't going to be home you can bet my VCR was set to tape the show for me. When it came to the SHOW FINALE - Donna and David's Wedding - I was in college and completely forgot to put a new VHS tape in the VCR and the tape ran out! I didn't get to see the very end of that last episode. I felt like I missed my best friend's wedding. Needless to say, I saw it a couple of months later on reruns.

When the DVDs were released I was excited to revisit this gem of a show. Wow. That's all I can say. That show was horrible. I like to think of it the way I watched it the first time with fresh eyes. It was a show ahead of it's time. Unfortunately, when you watch a show from the 1990's in 2010 it kinda sucks.

Just one more thing...

I read a funny blog post the other day  - check it out! Everything I need to teach my children I learned from Beverly Hills, 90210.

Did you watch?

High Five for Friday!

What a week!
Started off in sunny Florida and ended up in snowy North Dakota.

1. We finally had a good experience with air travel! Finally!! Only one 15 minute delay.

2. Key Lime Pie. (shared with Bill)

3. Taking a much needed vacation with Bill. I don't remember being happier on vacation. 

4. Waking up to this view. Ignore the parking lot. Such paradise!

5. Fabulous in-laws. Bill's parents hosted us at their condo for almost eight days. We had a great time together and they were incredibly generous the entire trip.

I plan on sharing more on our trip to Florida next week. 

Enjoy your weekend!

Organization Re-do AND Birchbox Cancellation

About a year ago I did a post on organizing your "it's time to look presentable and smell good"stuff. You can check that post out here. After being a Birchbox subscriber for one year I decided to cancel my subscription. I looked back at the 13 boxes I received (I got a bonus box one month) and realized it wasn't even worth the $10 I paid each month. At first, I thought, how fun it would be to get a little something in the mail each month for only $10. To be honest, I used the boxes (to mail Poppy and Pippa goods) that the products come in more than any product I received.

That's not to say I didn't receive any products I found worthwhile because I did. There were a few months that I received full sized products but, unfortunately, it seemed more and more the things that came in my box could easily be picked up at any cosmetic counter. Every single month there were fragrance samples. Many times I would get the same one month after month. I mean, really!? So not worth $120 a year.

The thing that really made my decision was when I realized that my make up caddy (About a year ago I did a post on organizing your toiletries. You can check that post out here.) weighed about 10 pounds and I only used 4 or 5 items from the entire thing. It was overflowing with products from Birchbox. It was facial moisturizers and cleansers as well as wrinkle reducers. In all reality, no one can tell if a product is going to work with such a small sample. So, I made the decision to cancel. I'm really going to miss those sturdy little  boxes for mailing my products...

Here's what I did with the products I use

I purchased this bamboo drawer organizer at TJ Maxx for $9.99. It's wonderful because there are little dividers in each section that you can move or even remove. It fits everything perfect and as soon as I open my drawer I can clearly see what I have...and maybe even what I "need."

What's in my drawer?

Top left corner - Brushes and such that I don't use on a regular basis.

Top center - Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream 

Top right - "free" Clinique lipstick, Baby Lips, Tarte Lip stain, and Body Shop Balm

Far right corner - my lifesaver - Clean & Clear advanced solutions. LOVE.

Middle sections - Hair ties, Bare Minerals blushes and eye shadows, and warmth

Left - Brushes I use on a daily basis

Large section - Revlon mascara, Roc eye cream, Benefit Erase Paste, Bare Minerals - the rest you can clearly see for yourself.

If you have any questions about any of the products I use - just shoot me an email!

Enjoy your day!