13.1

Training update!!!

I haven't given up, although there are times Ive felt like it. 

For those of you who don't know, I am training for a half marathon (see previous post here) with my best friend Kelly (check out her blog here)! The race is about 8 weeks away, and I am right (about) on track with my first 5 mile run yesterday! I am going to brag just a little bit and tell you I ran it in 53.5 minutes! So needless to say, I am very excited about that! 

Now I even have calluses on my feet (EWW, why am I telling you that???) but I'm okay with that, because it makes me feel like a serious runner! Ive run almost exactly 20 total miles this week! I have about perfected my run routine. I have a small pre-run snack like grilled chicken or turkey and crackers. I also have an awesome playlist that helps me keep a decent pace. And my all time favorite running attire is a pair of puma shorts, a nike sports bra and a baggy tank top from Old Navy (which Mark bought me in 6 different colors). 

I asked M if he would stand at the end of the race with one of these for me. 

I think any of these would be the perfect reward!

Happy running- M

Memphis to Miami

Listen people, Memphis is a long, long, long, long, long, long, long, way away from Miami. 

Which presents a huge problem for us, because this cute couple (and their pup) are in Miami.

And we (and our pup) are here in Memphis.

so the problem is... we are BEST FRIENDS!!

One fateful day last December our sweet friends Kyle and Nicholl moved to the sunny beaches of Miami, Florida. Since then has been many Skype dates, long phone calls, solo golf trips, and lonely bargain hunting. Never could we have imagined the sadness we would face in life, without them by our side.

So really this is just a pity post for me, because life is hard without a spunky little Columbian best friend by my side. 

So let me break this down. I met Nicholl in June of 2011 and the spark in her heart captured me immediately. She quickly became my other half and partner in crime. How grateful I am that our paths crossed even for a short amount of time. You can visit her blog here and see all about her and Kyle's celebrity Miami life! 

So heres to Nicholl and Kyle! We love you, we can't wait to see you, we miss you more than life. Your friendships have impacted our lives more than you know. You are greatly missed. 

and don't forget our boys. 

we love you guys, M&M

Wedding cake link up!

I was going to do a "wedding cake link up" with the website The Magnolia Pair but the link is not showing up right now for some reason. But, it was her great idea, so check her out if you can.

Taking a second to love on my sweet wedding cake!

(p.s. i have recently been blogging like every single day, I am addicted!)

It was 4 tiered all classic vanilla, with vanilla buttercream. Boring?? Yes....but I am okay with that. I have always loved that simple "wedding cake flavor" and knew that is what I wanted. Our bakery did a fantastic job from a quick sketch I made. The sweet little ruffles and pink flower matched our decor perfectly!

My cute groom shoving it in my mouth! I wasnt mad, cause it taste delicious!!!

side note: I made the fabric garland that hung in the background which I think looked great for pictures!

I also made these cuties that served as our cake topper! I found some similar ones on etsy.com for $150. Since I am probably the cheapest person you will ever meet (you can ask M) I decided I could do it for less. Much less...so I did! 

side note again: It looks my little clothes pin people need a quick swipe with a lint roller. I dont remember it looking like this on top of the cake though!

I made this chocolate ganache cake covered with chocolate buttercream and dark chocolate flakes for M.

The firefighter decal is made from colored fondant.

There was plenty of bridal cake for all our 200 some odd guests, but they flocked to this one...maybe I should have made it bigger, or re-thought the complete vanilla bridal thing!

Sidenote #3: I am so so so proud of my firefighting husband. What an incredible soul it takes to live life serving others. It has has been an incredible joy to hear of his fire tales, and watch his career journey. I can never express my gratitude for what these men do.

Glad to share a part of our big day with you all! Im sure I will post again tomorrow, ha.

-M

Bedroom love

I have been looking for a bedspread for a week or so, because this little booger has destroyed ours. 

She is too cute to be mad at though!!

So, just a reminder, we had this bedding from westelm.com

and we loved it. It wasn't to frilly or girly and it went perfect with our grey walls and hardwood floors. However, in almost 6 months, I had not yet found curtains I liked to match it. Sometimes change is nice, but YELLOW SPREAD you will be missed. 

I am sorry I don't have before pictures. You certainly are not missing much though. 

Heres the new do!

We finally have curtains!

I am currently taking suggestions for what to go in the frame.

I had high hopes to re-paint this, hence the one sanded area, but never got a round to it. It is a work in (slow) progress. But for now, it does its job. I will get around to it one day. 

p.s. if you haven't seen it you can view the post about the awesome hanging bed that M made me here! 

This was a typical gaudy, brass fixture I picked up at a garage sale for $5. I spray painted it and my hubs hung it up for me. It's one of our favorite parts of the room. (I have since snagged several more chandeliers at garage sales. I am stocking up!)

So, I am definitely not claiming, nor aspiring to be an interior designer but I enjoy trying to make life a little more home-y (does that make sense) for my new family. It will be nice to finally sleep with a comforter on tonight!

Goodnight all. 

-M & M

guilty pleasures

I am going to share this with you, but only if you promise not to judge me. Mark and I are usually fairly healthy. We try to grill whatever we can and eat lots of fruits and veggies. This was an exception. 

I made these little guilty pleasures for breakfast this morning.  

Notice I added some strawberries to balance it out. I am perfectly aware I will have to run a little further at the gym tonight, and I am totally okay with that. These were well worth it! The problem is they are so so simple that I may be tempted to make them again in the future! AHH!

I bought a can of "Grands" Pillsbury biscuits, heated some cooking oil on the stove, used the dough to form these donut circles by hand and dropped them in the oil. The first one burnt, of course. It literally took like 2 seconds per side. So once they were cooked on both sides and evenly golden, I set them to dry on a paper towel. Meanwhile I melted a few tablespoons of butter in a dish and mixed some sugar and cinnamon together in a separate dish. Once my donuts had cooled a bit I dipped them in the melted butter and then into the sugar mixture. 

The recipe I followed recommended flipping the donut and repeating the sugaring steps for both sides. Obviously already concerned about the nutritional benefits of this dish, I skipped that step. However, I am fairly certain that made no difference whatsoever!

After a momentary scare where we found they were not fully cooked through, I threw them in the oven for a few minutes...and then...
they were PERFECT! 
It was a nice treat to have instead of Lucky Charms. It made 8 delicious donuts. One of which I burnt to crisp, and one of which the dog ate, typical!

It's been a great morning, and it is completely beautiful outside! 

PS. I am so excited for our "Taco shop Tuesday" with my hottie of a husband tonight! Ill keep you updated on that! Get outside and do something fun today!

-M

Valentines Day

Just wanted to share our beautiful Valentine's Day this year. We played things simple this year and just did a late dinner. But I tried to be festive around the house best I could!

I decorated our little DIY chalkboard with Valentine's love and hung the homemade heart garland ALL over the house! I thought it turned out well and made things fun and cheerful!

    My sweet hubs brought these beauties home for me, 

even though I told him not to do gifts. He knew better then that. 

And last to end off our Valentine's week my sweet friend, little sorority sis, and fellow newlywed dropped this off on our doorstep. So thankful for her friendship!

So needless to say, we greatly enjoyed our first real married holiday together! We are looking forward to many, many, many more.

-M & M