Turn CB Pink Kickoff

Hey all you CB or Omaha readers!! Come support a great cause , get a really cool t-shirt, and enjoy food and drink with fun people! See you Friday the 30th at Barleys!

If you can't attend but would likea shirt they are only $10 and I am happy to take orders and deliver/ship!

Omaha Half Marathon 2011

I felt highly unprepared for this race – but that seems to be the story of my running career. It was a very chilly morning, and my Garmin was dead :( Things were not looking good for me and the Omaha Half! Luckily the weather improved and it turned out to be a great (although VER VERY hilly) race with my two best running buddies.

Miraculously even with no watch/Garmin, several beers the night prior at a wedding, and a light training schedule I still managed to finish with a 2:12 time. Not my fastest but not my worst either. My 10k split was 1:00 which was decent. Overall wish I would have pushed myself a lil more but with no clue how fast I was going it was quite difficult. Amazing how dependent one gets on technology!

*Thank you lil bro Erik and Mike for cheering us on!!!

Fall Bucket List

I’ve seen several of you with fall bucket lists and have decided it is too fun to pass up. So here is my list:

1. Have a bonfire
2. Make s’mores
3. Visit an Apple Orchard
4. Go to a Pumpkin Patch
5. Plant lots of Mumms
6. Bake Homemade Apple Pie & Pumpkin Pie
7. Go on a Hayrack Ride
8. Use my fire pit
9. Make Apple & Pumpkin Butter
10. Tailgate for Chiefs, Iowa, and Nebraska football games
11. Attend a High School Football Game
12. Burn Fall Scented Candles
13. Enter at Least Two Fun Fall Races
14. Plant Bulbs so I have Spring Flowers and Garlic.
15. Have a Dinner Party in the Corn Field before Harvest
16. Dry Herbs for Use all Winter

*A few of these I have accomplished over the last week or two....

My fall Mumms and Grass planted last year in bloom this fall = happiness

Love Shopping with a Cause

It’s a great feeling when buying something also brings joy to the life of another…

No regrets about my recent Toms shoe addiction after watching this video!

Video via For Me

I see Sturgis in my Future

I went on my first Bike ride that consisted of more than just a few miles over the weekend. Must say I am hooked! It was a blast! With a view like this who wouldn’t be enthralled.

However, my helmet did not want to stay on my head properly! So thinking I need one of these lovelies for my next ride.


And while I’m at it I probably need this very stylish jacket (plus a percentage of proceeds go to breast cancer research – bonus).


Maybe this will be the year I finally make it to Sturgis!

A Glimpse of My Latest Obsession

Here is a lil sneak peek of a crazy project I am hoping to undertake….


More photos to come, along with a reveal of the plan.


There may be a bet involving a deer head riding on completion of this beauty. If that doesn’t pique your interest don’t know what else will.

*And to induce the freak out factor - a bat was quite possibly residing behind that door...

Dining with Atmosphere During Preservation Event

If you live in the area this your chance to dine in my home! We are doing a "Farm to Table" theme and all the food we are serving is localy grown or raised.

Daily Nonpareil
By Tim Johnson, tjohnson@nonpareilonline.com
Published: Wednesday, September 21, 2011 10:56 AM CDT

Preserve Council Bluffs will showcase more homes during its fourth annual Preservation Promenade: Fine Dining in Historic Homes on Saturday, Oct. 8.

The event will begin with a reception at 6 p.m. at the Council Bluffs Chamber of Commerce, 149 W. Broadway, offering guests an opportunity to get a closer look at the historic Hughes-Irons Building.

“The people will be assigned their houses at that time, and then they’ll basically spend the rest of the evening at that house,” said Wayne Andersen, a member of the Preserve Council Bluffs Board of Directors.

This fall’s tour will include eight restored houses, instead of the usual six, he said. The houses date from the 1880s to about 1920.

Guests will enjoy a multi-course, Victorian-style dinner with six or eight other guests amid elegant surroundings, Andersen said.

“It’s basically an intimate affair,” he said. “It’s not like when you’re in a noisy restaurant.”

The homes will include:

The Everest House, 125 S. Third St.;
The Jennings House, 201 Third St.;
The Davis House, 526 Third St.;
The H.H. Field House, 126 Park Ave.;
The Jay C. Aid House, 211 Park Ave.;
The Thomas D. Metcalf Jr. House, 528 Clark Ave.;
The Carlton Woodward House, 608 Oakland Ave.; and
The O.P. Wickham House, 616 S. Seventh St.

The Davis House, service center for local Girl Scouts from 1994 until it was sold in November 2010, might be of special interest.

“To the best of my knowledge, the Davis House has not been on a tour for 10 or 15 years,” Andersen said.

The house is a 1919 example of an eclectic Prairie School home with some Italian Renaissance influence.

All of the homes have been painstakingly restored – or are in the process of being restored, said Andersen, himself an owner of a Victorian home.

“It takes a lot of time and effort to restore these,” he said. “It’s a labor of love.”

At this time, it appears that Preserve Council Bluffs will not be offering a December tour this year, Andersen said.

“We had some houses lined up, but then some homeowners had some hail damage, and they want to get that taken care of first,” he said.

Reservations are $65 per person/$80 to request a specific house. Group seating will be granted as space allows. Seating is limited. Proceeds will be used to promote preservation in Council Bluffs.

Checks payable to Preserve Council Bluffs should be sent by Sept. 26 to Jim Kieffer, president, 125 S. Third St., Council Bluffs, IA 51503. For more information, email wandersen@cox.net or call (712) 323-2424.

Bonfire

Fall weather is here and I have decided to embrace it. Over the weekend we had the perfect fall bonfire. Topped off with my fav – s’mores.

It was a perfect relaxing evening sitting around the bonfire with family and friends in the middle of nowhere trading stories and marshmallows!

My Fall Wardrobe Needs These!

I love my red Tom’s and these are super cute. Perfect for fall before boots become a must due to cold and snow. Thanks Lavender and Lilies for featuring these Friday.

From Blah to Brilliant

It’s been a long dreary week.

Hoping this weekend will bring sunshine and happiness!

This shed holds a special treasure that someday will be restored to all his glory….

Daunting

Have you ever had a project that you just can’t motivate yourself to finish? It’s too tricky, or too time consuming, or whatever the case may be? These boards (this pic only shows a small amount of the boards) have been that project for me.

I have had them almost two years and they have been taunting me every time I walk in the basement or look at the horrendous trim in my main living areas.

But staining is not a process I am comfortable with (the first attempt was a mess)and this seemed such a large daunting task. Thankfully, I finally pulled the trigger over the weekend and tackled the boards. They are now ready for installation! Can’t wait to see how much better several rooms look with proper molding, trim, etc…. And even more thankful this task is no longer taunting me.

Fall is in the Air

It saddens me to say this – but fall is definitely well on its way. It’s a very chilly 55 degrees today and only September 13th!

I need to start planning fall activities so I can be excited for the season instead of the current dread. Pumpkin patch, apple farm, hayrack ride, football game, bonfire….Who’s game?

The House that Built Me

When is a home in such a state of disrepair and neglect that the best course of action is a tear down/burn??

*My bedroom window is on the left above.

How do you tear down and burn up memories? I didn’t think I was sentimental about houses (I was more than happy to leave my first childhood home years ago!) but for some reason this stinking cabin has me torn. So many memories were made here, so much growing up done, time spent with immediate family, grandparents, great grandparents, uncles, and friends.


Part of me keeps thinking raise it up, fix the roof, the siding, the windows, the interior, and the list goes on and on….But then the practical side kicks in and I realize could probably build a new much nicer cabin for cheaper.

Thoughts?

9.11

It’s a day we will never forget, lives were lost, our world turned upside down. We came together as a Nation to help friends, family, and strangers. We comforted, supported, and hoped. We took a stand and fought for our freedom – many still fighting for this freedom. Thanks to all the men and women who have scarified and prayers to all those who have lost loved ones.

* Images by Ryan Ray and Lavender Joy Weddings (via Style Me Pretty)

My New Wheels

What do you think??

I have always loved vintage bugs. Especially of the convertible variety.


And what girl doesn’t love the color fuchsia??

The combination of the two made my heart pitter patter.

So much so that I couldn’t stop thinking about this adorable bug and eventually decided she had to be mine!

Now she needs a name and a clever license plate!! Any ideas???

Rough Riders Trial Ride

Every year on Labor Day the Rough Riders host a trail ride departing from Verdel, Nebraska. You bring your horse.

They map out the route which consists of riding through farm fields, along a ride overlooking the Missouri River, along the Missouri River, a stop at a Gravel pit for refreshments, and then an easy jaunt home through more fields and gravel roads.

The scenery is amazing and the people are diverse and entertaining. This was my first year experiencing the trail ride and I am hooked!

I loved every minute of the ride on my stellar borrowed horse Tommy.

*Sadly I didn't take any pics (these were compliments of a friend) as was afraid I would loose/break my phone/camera if I took it along. Next year...

Fairmont Park Neighborhood Association - Yard of the Month

My neighborhood hosts a contest all summer where they chose a yard each month to be “Yard of the Month”. They only consider your front yard and judge based on overall appearance. I was elated and honored to be chosen this July as yard of the month! All the hard work, sweat, and dirt paid off! And those that know me well know I am crazy about my yard so this was very very exciting news to me!

Squeezing Summer’s Final Rays

I can’t believe summer is more or less over and fall is here. I LOVE summer and this summer went by way way too fast.

Luckily I had an amazing weekend of relaxation. fun, and sun.

One lazy afternoon involved a good book and some very secluded time in the sun.

Happy Holiday Weekend!!

A lil prettiness compliments of my garden.