Run, Ryan, Run!

On Saturday Ryan ran his very first ultra-marathon race. An ultra-marathon is anything over the distance of a traditional marathon of 26.2 miles. (I didn't know that.)

The Rocky Raccoon 50k Trail Run in Huntsville is the race Ryan ran this weekend. It was his first race and furthest he had ever ran and he did AWESOME. He placed 10th out of 120 runners. 10th!!!!! He finished the race in 4 hours 40 minutes. He has worked so hard since March of this year to get in shape so it was a great accomplishment. So proud of you Ry.


Here he is crossing the finish line after 31 miles, like it ain't no thang...

Ryan's uncle Brett ran the race with him, making it his 31st 50k race. (There are 31 miles in 50 kilometers so that was pretty cool). He has completed almost 50 ultra-marathons! THAT is awesome if you ask me.

Brett crossing the finish line after 31 miles. Great job Brett!

Don't let the pictures deceive you. The course consisted of very little concrete. It was a TRAIL run. Like a hiking trail. Yeah. A lot different than a road race.


After the race. Nasty sweaty men.


And here's Roxie, their number two fan. (I'm their number one.)

Meet the Duck Commander..."Check."

Ryan met one of his heroes yesterday. Nope, not Jesus. Guess again. Nope, not Oprah.

The Duck Commander.


Picture taken with iPhone, sorry so blurry.

As most of you know Ryan is an avid duck hunter and any man who is a true duck hunter knows of Phil Robertson, affectionately called "The Duck Commander".

Well, because he commands ducks of course.



So, for my husband to meet the man who inspired his passion for duck hunting, I think, is pretty stinking cool. Now he can check that off his list of "Things to Do before I Die". I would bet a billion million dollars it was on there.

I will have to admit, The Duck Commander is a pretty cool guy. Now he is a little scary looking, yes, and VERY back-woods-Louisiana-red-neck, yes, but after an hour or two or THREE of watching his DVDs you come to know a man that is actually quite decent, hilarious and entertaining to watch.



This is the whole gang. The Robertson Clan, plus two buddies.

All I know is that I'm glad I'm not a duck.

Cake? Yes, Please.

For my mother-in-law's birthday I thought I would make a cake. It turned out scrumdiddliumptious....






It looks pretty awesome...i know...I thought to myself, "Where the crap did I pull this masterpiece from? Was it power from within? Nay. It was the apron."


The birthday girl in all her glory. She turned 29.

Color

I have been in serious need of something to blog about. I feel like I have such a boring life...maybe it's because I do...yikes. The truth hurts.

So I have been dreaming of my dream house. How I wish we lived in it now! I feel like our decor is bleh. I look around my house and it's bleh. Brown. Brown. Brown...oh look, more brown.

So I need color, people!

I LOVE this idea...what a great way to add color and demension to a wall. It will definately take a while to collect ones I like...(note to self: start collecting plates...now.)

I've had my eye on this print for quite some time now. I don't know why I haven't bought it yet...probably because it doesnt go with anything in our house. Gotta start somewhere though...Fresh paint on the walls would probably help too. I just have a hard time putting in the effort when we live in a rental and we never know when we would have to be move again. 

Any other color-adding suggestions?!

My new found passion...

...photography. I have been lucky enough to have Tyan let me tag along with her to some of her photo sessions lately. She is a great mentor and friend, so we always have a good time. So I know it is going to take many lifetimes for me to be as good as Tyan, plus she has a such a unique style, but I thought I would share some of the photos that I have taken at the photo sessions. It has been so fun!

Meet Leah... she was so adorable and constantly on the move!

The Robinsons. Such a good looking family.

Grow Baby, Grow!

After much nurturing and love, we are the proud parents of these little babies. It is quite exciting!!

OkraZucchiniPersimmon Tree. Does anyone know what the heck to do with these things?????

We also have a fig tree. I do love me a good figgy newton.Peppers

Cross your fingers our onions will grow! I think we planted the seeds too deep.

I love...

...children's books. Sometimes I wonder if they are even really for children, because I love them so much. Or maybe it's that I am still a child...who knows. Either way, I can't get enough. I recently went to Barnes and Noble with Callie to help her look for some children's books (she is majoring in elementary education). I had so much fun! We had to find books that demonstrated character building traits in the story. I was like a kid in a candy shop. We read a lot of books and found what Callie needed. Whilst reading I came across this book...

Little Pea, by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. One of the cutest books I have read in a long time. It is about a little pea that has to eat candy for dinner every single night. And he hates it! But the only way he will get his spinach dessert, is to eat 5 more pieces of candy.

Other favorites of mine are the Pigeon books. Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late, Pigeon Wants a Puppy, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus are all REALLY cute. However, Pigeon Find a Hot Dog is a particular favorite.

I like the humor that Mo Willems puts into these books, and the pictures are pretty funny too.

These are all good, but the ULTIMATE children's book series are the Olivia books by Ian Falconer. Olivia, the pig, is a sassy little girl that has many dreams and ambitions and allows her imagination no limits.

I also really like Olivia and the Missing Toy. It is pretty stinking cute. But this last Christmas Mandy gave me this one...Olivia Helps With Christmas. I'm pretty sure this was my favorite gift.

Pickley Pickles

Today I spent a few hours with my Grandma Shirley. She has been wanting to teach me how to can, and I'm glad I agreed to a day of learning because she is the woman that knows everything about the world of canning! Plus, it was nice to have some one-on-one time with her because life gets busy, and we don't always get that chance to just hang out and talk. I had a really fun time! I have always imagined the process of canning to be a very long, complicated, and tedious one, but it was actually quite easy! We made bread and butter pickles today, and next week we will can some peaches.

Baby Blanket...Numero DOS

Here is my second rag quilt creation. Love it!!! What do you think? :)After many requests, I am excited to announce that am going to start making these quilts for anyone that wants one! They are great for gifts or for your own little one! I am working on other products as well so keep checking back!

35" by 45" baby blanket...... $35.00 (Includes up to 3 different fabric patterns.)

45" by 55" baby blanket...... $45.00 (Includes up to 3 different fabric patterns.)

You may choose your own fabric or choose your fabric from Here. Let me know which patterns you choose, and I will purchase the fabric and make your quilt. Please allow 2-3 weeks to receive your finished blanket.

Larger blankets can be made on request at an addition charge. Please feel free to message me with any comments. Prices will also vary depending on quality of fabric chosen.

I am getting an etsy account up and running, so keep checking back as it is still in progress!!

Weekend Project

Over the weekend I finished a baby quilt that I have been making. My grandma Joyce taught me how to make what is called a rag quilt. It is a pattern that is super adorable for baby quilts. I have a hard time focusing on one project at a time. If the project takes me too long, I get bored with it and need different project...and I kind of toggle back and forth between projects. This one was perfect because it only took me about a week to finish (which is a perfect length of time, I don't get bored) and I got to pull out my sewing machine that I haven't used in what seems like forever! I think the next quilt will be pink and yellow fabrics. Here are some pictures of the quilt. Tell me what you think!