"On the plains of Oklahoma"

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I've been singing that over and over in my head lately!! I hope you know the country song that these lyrics come from... If not, here you go! Why has this been stuck in my head? Because soon enough I'll be seeing the plains of Oklahoma! And more importantly, I'll be seeing Veronica!!

A very special trip has been in the works since last June. I hoped and prayed that I would be able to visit Veronica after she and Kevin came to visit me and Tim last summer. We instantly connected and it had me really wishing we lived closer to one another.

(pic from our staycation last summer)

Veronica has already made a post of things to do in Oklahoma (which you should totally check out) We've also been emailing ideas back and forth. I am so glad that we will have a good mix of sightseeing and down time. We are leaving some spare hours for crafting but also taking a day trip to Tulsa! It's going to be AWESOME!

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I cannot wait to see her sweet home and meet Paisley (her pup) and see where she went to school. I cannot wait to have that moment at the airport except this time it will be friends reuniting instead of two strangers who met through blogging. I cannot wait to have girl time and talk about Tone it Up and design and future trips together!! I cannot wait to take hundreds and hundreds of pictures together and wear our matching monogrammed shirts.

I've never been to Oklahoma or further west than Indiana so this will be an adventure for sure! Find me over on instagram and snapchat to see glimpses of our reunion!

Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be planning my outfits and packing my bags wayyy too far in advance (and deciding on a hashtag to document our trip) October can't get here soon enough!!

My fitness story

I said I wanted to write more about my life (outside of design). I just hope its worth reading!!

Where to start....I have struggled with my body image ever since I can remember. I was never overweight based on the BMI chart but because I am so short petite it showed whenever I gained even a pound or two. I used to play tennis in high school which kept me active and I attempted to work out in college when I bought the gym "classes" pass but that tapered off after I moved off campus. At the time I thought I was "fat" and now I look back at those pictures and wish I looked like that again. I guess its all about perspective.

I know I gained the "freshman 15" and never really tried very hard to take it back off. It seemed as though I gained weight every year through college. VT actually has a very active, fit campus but I was so tempted by all of the amazing food and with all of the late nights I wasn't really doing my body good. It was a downhill spiral until finally I looked in the mirror and decided I DID NOT like what I was seeing. All of a sudden I was very uncomfortable in my clothes and especially a swim suit. I'm sure there were times when the number on the scale dropped but as a whole I had to buy larger clothes every few seasons.

After graduating, getting married, moving to Richmond and getting settled in, my friend Laura invited myself and some of my church friends to take a Zumba class that was super cheap on Groupon. I was so excited because it was my favorite class at VT and everywhere I has looked at in Richmond was so expensive. So what did I have to lose? Well, Laura and I consistently went and when the Groupon ran out we had a big decision to make. The price was going to go wayyy up so we decided to look elsewhere. It turned out we found another deal for an unlimited gym membership. We gave that a shot and I immediately knew that was it. Once that 3-month offer ran out we both chose to become members!

Meanwhile, I found out about the Tone it Up Bikini Series challenge through social media. I invited some friends to do it with me and Gabby and Veronica stepped up to the plate. This challenge was very daunting because not only were we supposed to workout twice a day but we had to record all of our meals. So each night we would email each other with our workouts and food. BUT THIS WORKED because I didn't want to tell them that I drank a coke and ate a brownie and sat on the couch watching tv! NO! I wanted to be proud of what I did. And we were able to share advice and stories. We were also encouraged to take before pictures (which I have) and measurements. And I was amazed when I started losing inches and pounds. However, this was just too much to keep up with and we were unable to consistently continue after the challenge ended.


The following winter was hard because I felt like I lost a lot of my progress. My pants were fitting tighter and I just felt bad. I felt bloated and tired and had no confidence. I was just hiding under all my layers.

This year I decided to give the Bikini Series another try and really commit myself to sticking with it. I took the plunge and bought the nutrition plan. This time I lost 8lbs and numerous inches and have kept it off. Now eating healthy and working out is part of my weekly routine. I've gone 5 months without coke. Of course I still indulge and maybe more than I should but I know that my motivating friends will keep me in check.

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Plus Karena and Katrina are fabulous trainers and I love the tone it up community. Its like one big girl party :) The workout videos are fun and there are a lot to choose from so that keeps it interesting. They are always posting new content and it's FREE! But how do I stay motivated when I get in a slump?

(livelifehappy.com)

-encouragement (from my husband, family, friends and co-workers.)

-accountability (I have a fitness instagram account. I post my check-ins there and connect with other tone it up girls to help keep them accountable)

-the gear (I got those awesome teal Asics and Tone it Up yoga mat *pictured at top* last Christmas so of course I want to put those to good use)

So here are my favorite workouts
-Cardio: Zumba!!! ALWAYS (and my new favorites are Pound and Hitty Bitty Bikini)
-Arms: Bikini Arms Routine by TIU
-Abs: The Best Ab Routine by TIU
-Booty and Thighs: Malibooty workout by TIU
-Stretching/Flexibility :Yoga

and my next journey??? The Fit for Fall Challenge!!! Who wants to do it with me??

(toneitup.com)

Gabby's 1st Contributing Post

(So I wanted to make a little button with a picture of Gabby to put at the start of her posts but...my macbook died and therefore I do not have photoshop for now. More on that later)

Hey blog readers! I’m so excited Samantha asked me to be a part of her blog and can’t wait to start sharing some of my projects with you all. Some of you might already know a little bit about me (like Samantha and I are sisters in law) since she has mentioned my name a few times, and for everyone else new to the blog, I’m excited to meet you!

Samantha and I both love DIY projects (and even attempted one together—see the post about the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Entry Table), so I’m going to share some of my adventures in DIYing…the good, the bad and maybe even some of the ugly.
One of my favorite crafty past times is making quilts. I know Samantha will agree with me since I made this chevron quilt for her birthday last year!

I started quilting many, many years ago with my mom, and within the last couple years picked it back up after a summer trip to Cape Cod. There was a really cool quilting shop there called Tumbleweed Quilt Shop and I saw some AWESOME quilts there. I am in no way as gifted in quilting as these ladies are, but I try!
      
Source: http://www.tumbleweedquilts.com/photo_album.html

Since all of my siblings, friends and coworkers have all of a sudden started having children (eek!), I started making a lot of baby quilts as baby shower gifts. I’ve always tried to think of personal and unique gifts, so this was one way I could give them something no one else would!

The hardest part for me is always picking a design that I like and finding material that I think fits the design. I’ve spent hours at fabric stores (just ask my husband! he’s called me before asking if I’m ok haha) mixing and matching colors and patterns. Apparently I’m a perfectionist…who knew?

My latest project is for a friend who is due in March. She’s having a girl and decided to stay away from the pink theme. A few months ago she told me about her nursery color scheme (funny enough, it was at another friend’s baby shower…) and I decided to stick to those colors and make a quilt for one of her baby shower gifts!

So the last time I went to JoAnn fabrics I just so happen to find all the material I needed within a half hour! Seriously, that’s an all-time record for me! My friend wanted a mix of orange, grey, teal and lime green colors and decided on polka dot and chevron patterns. I threw in the navy because I love the color combo and then later added the owl pattern (from spoonflower.com… check them out, they have some really great fabrics) because it broke up the other patterns more. Plus, who doesn’t love owls? I found some really cool chevron material for that back that had some of her colors and I thought would be really fun with the front.
     



I had already decided on the pattern before I picked out the material, so I knew how much to get and the general layout I wanted. Then the fun began…cutting and sewing all the pieces together. It started to come together pretty quickly and I loved how the colors are so vibrant next to each other!
    
I pinned and sewed and pinned and sewed…until I finally finished the top! It ended up being 25”x25”. There’s no real “right” dimensions, I could have kept going with the squares and made a bigger quilt…but I stopped since it’s a baby quilt!


Then I got to the fun part…sewing the inside batting and backing on with the binding. There’s about 100 different ways you can do the binding, I kept it simple for this one and just folded the edges over several times to the front and sewed it down.


And here’s the finished product!

         
        
Right: without quilting. Left: with front quilting.

I absolutely love all the colors and how much fun it is. I think she’ll like the non-pink themed quilt!
I found a really cute box at Target that was the perfect size and made a “Care Instructions” card so she’ll know how to wash and dry the quilt. I can’t wait until her shower!!

Thanks for reading!! I’m so excited to keep sharing all my crafting adventures with you all. I already have my next project. Hint: It involves burlap! See you in February!

Blogtember- Catching Up!!

I am behind on the Blogtember topics so I am going to try and catch up in the next few days. Some posts I will lump together. Ready, set, go:

Monday, September 9: Take this short personality test and respond to your results. (at the end, find the detailed profile of your personality account - click "click to view" under "You" and "self awareness and personal growth." You can even google your type and find more info on it!)

Famous People that are ENFJ's:

-Abraham Lincoln
-Diane Sawyer
-Oprah Winfrey
-Ronald Reagan

-Martin Luther King Jr.

I know there is a lot to read below but I thought it was interesting to find out more about myself. Some things I definitely agree with and some I am not sure fit me, but just read what you feel like.

"ENFJs often find themselves in occupations that require good interpersonal skills to establish productive collaboration as well as to establish or maintain effective work process. ENFJs one of the most “universal” personality types and they build successful careers in a broad range of organizations and occupations. There are many ENFJs found among mid- and high-rank management roles. Sales, various social services, counseling, teaching, healthcare, community care as well as legal and paralegal services are just some of the examples of favourable occupations for ENFJs."- source

"Popular hobbies for the ENFJ include organizing social events, reading, the arts, museums, storytelling, listening to music, writing, and gourmet cooking." - source

All of this information came directly from http://www.personalitypage.com/ENFJ.html

"ENFJ's tend to be more reserved about exposing themselves than other extraverted types. Although they may have strongly-felt beliefs, they're likely to refrain from expressing them if doing so would interfere with bringing out the best in others. Because their strongest interest lies in being a catalyst of change in other people, they're likely to interact with others on their own level, in a chameleon-like manner, rather than as individuals."

"Which is not to say that the ENFJ does not have opinions. ENFJs have definite values and opinions which they're able to express clearly and succinctly. These beliefs will be expressed as long as they're not too personal. ENFJ is in many ways expressive and open, but is more focused on being responsive and supportive of others. When faced with a conflict between a strongly-held value and serving another person's need, they are highly likely to value the other person's needs."

"People love ENFJs. They are fun to be with, and truly understand and love people. They are typically very straight-forward and honest. Usually ENFJs exude a lot of self-confidence, and have a great amount of ability to do many different things. They are generally bright, full of potential, energetic and fast-paced. They are usually good at anything which captures their interest."

"ENFJs like for things to be well-organized, and will work hard at maintaining structure and resolving ambiguity. They have a tendency to be fussy, especially with their home environments."

"In general, ENFJs are charming, warm, gracious, creative and diverse individuals with richly developed insights into what makes other people tick. This special ability to see growth potential in others combined with a genuine drive to help people makes the ENFJ a truly valued individual. As giving and caring as the ENFJ is, they need to remember to value their own needs as well as the needs of others."

What is your personality type? Do you share the same one as me?

Guess what day it is??

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Haha...I couldn't resist!

I don't normally post when I don't have a specific topic but it has been a strange week so far and I need to share some things. It also just so happens to be Random Wednesday with the lovely Shanna!!

1. I had a flat tire Monday morning. Tim's cousin Joey saved the day. He came and put my spare tire on and even came to the garage with me to get it fixed :)
2. Tim's phone broke and he has been without one since Sunday...lets just say I DO NOT like when I can't get it touch with him.
3. I lost my watch yesterday....and I am embarrassed to say that after looking EVERYWHERE including our trash, I found it right where it belonged.
4. After so much hype about wanting to go the Band Perry concert, I missed it...it's going on as I am typing this actually. Oh well, still planning to see Darius Rucker.
5. Artie had his first trip to Virginia Tech's campus and HE LOVED IT! We took him to Burruss and the Duck Pond. He chased the ducks right into the water :)

We got him a hokie bandana!

He is on a leash, you just can't see it!

Some other things not related to this week...

1. Everything is happening on October 19th! Seriously.... we have been invited to 2 weddings on that day, its my Grannys birthday, its when the So You Think You Can Dance tour is coming to VA Beach and it's when Highpoint Market starts!!
2. I have been in a baking/cooking mood lately. I made chocolate chip banana bread, homemade chips (in the microwave) and Gabby and I fixed Mexican Black Bean Soup and 7up biscuits. I think its because fall is coming. I also want to make some homemade ice cream before it cools down. Got any good recipes??
3. I hit 300 followers on Bloglovin :) YAY! I LOVE YOU GUYS! You are the best!!
4. School is starting soon...and I want to go back! If you are in college, soak it all in because you will miss it!!

That's all for now! Happy Hump Day :)

Gabby's Table Makeover

Today's post is going to make your life A LOT easier....if you are a DIYer! Remember when I revamped our hutch and painted it yellow? We spent countless hours sanding, priming, painting, and repeat... I just discovered a product I SERIOUSLY wish I had known about then. Maybe I am late to the party and you can tell me if I am, but if you don't know about Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, then you're welcome!

We went to Christiansburg/Blacksburg this weekend to visit Ty and Gabby. One of our highlights was going to a place called Black Dog Salvage. They just so happen to sell this paint and Gabby bought some to paint a small table she has.

And of course I had to document it so I could give you a before and after! Gabby's table is a combination of Annie Sloan Duck Egg Blue, Pure White and Dark Wax. She wanted a more vintage look so after applying the dark wax (with a soft cloth), she used a fine sand paper to allow some of the black to show through.

Before

After 1st coat: (the cloudy sky made the color look more grey than it was)

After 2nd coat: (still wet, thats why the coat doesn't look smooth)

Doesn't it look amazing?? Who knew furniture makeovers could be so easy? I love that this piece is now unique to her and looks great the way she styled it!

(If you don't want a distressed look, they also offer a clear wax.)

So what separates this paint from the rest?? There is NO prep work! You don't have to sand or strip paint/finish off the furniture. Just get a good quality brush and a drop cloth. You can paint it on wood, metal, concrete, plastic and much more. And to make it EVEN better, it dries really fast so you can be done in a few hours unless you are overly ambitious painting something really big!

**Check out the website for even more reasons to use this paint!

More Resources:
-Extending the Range of the Color Palette
-Crackle Effect
-How to order
-Annie Sloan's blog

Now I have to find something else to paint! These are the colors they offer but you can customize it by mixing (like Gabby did). My favorites are French Linen, Versailles, Provence, Florence, and Paris Grey. Which ones do you like??

**These opinions are my own. I was not asked to review this product nor did I receive compensation for it.**

Here are some other great finds from Black Dog Salvage:

I dream of a porch swing like this...

Love being near Blacksburg...so much Hokie spirit

Teal brick :) love the faux mantle and crab painting

Teal chair- need 4 of these for my dining room!

Where there's teal, I will find it!

Love this grey and yellow set up

The crates I almost bought for my shoe storage idea...

A similar factory cart table but for $895!! WOAH 

SLP Sooner or Later

Meet Lauren

Lauren blogs over at SLP Sooner or Later. She is one of the sweetest girls I have "met" through blogging. She just got married on July 20th (like my bestie Olivia) and went on her honeymoon to Costa Rica!! We are planning a skype date very soon. She has been asking me for blog advice but I know I can learn a lot from her as well. And maybe I can even see a sneak peek of her wedding pictures?!

"Hi! I'm Lauren, a twenty-something, nursing home speech therapist, almost wife to Dustin, fiercely loyal friend, trying to learn how to do it all...sooner or later."

Blog Design: Burlap/linen background with purple and teal fonts done by Clarke Creative

Blog content: texas life, wedding details, speech language pathology and more

Been blogging since: February 2012

More about Lauren:

Favorite Food? Sushi

What do you like most about blogging? I love the friendships that I have made. Blogging feels like a support network for whatever stage and place you are at in life. It gives you the opportunity to get a "sneak peek" into other people's lives and experience things from another point of view. 

Place you must travel to? Europe. I'm dying to travel abroad. 

Early bird or night owl? Early Bird

An essential start to your day? Cliff Granola Bar (my go-to quickie "breakfast") 

Biggest pet peeve?  Repetitive tapping or smacking. I can't stand when people sit and tap their pens/pencils!! 

Daily Blog reads? Obviously, Designer in Teal! But also, Hooah and Hiccups, Little Baby Garvin, Forever Newlywedded, It Is What You Make It, Mrs. Laura Beth and Wifessionals, but the list could go ON and ON! 

Have I convinced you that you need to know Lauren yet?? I promise you won't regret visiting her blog!

p.s. Don't they make a cute couple??

Lauren's Social Media:

Twitter/ Facebook/ Instagram/ Bloglovin

Want your own spotlight post?? Head on over to my sponsor page to see how you can get one!