Wednesday, October 23, 2013

This one is full of Winners

Hey y'all!!
It's me, the day late and a dollar short girl!!
Coming at ya with the winner of the Full Treatment (4 wraps) from It Works!



And the winner is...... Alexandra!!!

Check your email, Alexandra!


Also!!
Don't forget about my online Stella & Dot party going on now until Sunday, October 27th!!
They have the most amazing accessories that I totally want one of each of.
AND, half of the commission from this party will go towards covering the cost of my dear friend's baby's heart surgery!!
Go HERE to place your order today!!

That's all for today!!
I was off work last week so I could frolic all over PA.
So needless to say, work has me super tied down this week!!

But allow me just to brag for a second....
On Saturday, I participated in a small 5k and finished the race in a new PR time of 25:31.
Oh, and I was First Overall Female Finisher!!!!!!!

I totally needed this boost!! :)
And one of my "medals" was decorated by one of the kids in the Boys & Girls Club that the race was benefiting. 
So sweet!

Thursday, October 17, 2013

It Works! Wraps

The thing I love most about this little blogisphere are the people I meet through it!

I met Kinsey when we were paired up on a team through the Mama Laughlin Fit Camp Facebook group for a weight loss challenge through the Holidays last year.
And since then we've become quite good Instagram and Blog buddies!

Kinsey (don't you just love that name?!?) became an It Works! distributer about 7 months ago.
She says the wraps have really helped to tone up her tummy area after losing 30 pounds!
And since I've been known to blast some tummy B&As (much to everyone's dismay!)...
Kinsey and I were a match made in Heaven!

She asked me if I'd be willing to try out a series of 4 wraps from It Works!
I was more than eager and willing!!
See, I'm a big skeptic about things.
ANY thing!
I'm the girl that watches infomercials super intently, secretly hoping that they actually do what they say but never having the courage to go through with a purchase cos I don't believe they'll actually work! (#trustissues)

In all honesty, I was super skeptical of It Works!
I mean, Yes, I want to shrink my stomach and love handles.
But just how are you going to help me with that It Works! ?

Kinsey explained to me that she would be sending me a "full treatment" - a total of 4 wraps that I could wear for as short as 45 minutes to as long as 8 hours as long as 72 hours are between each wrap!
She said she wears hers overnight while she sleeps.
Puts it on and then has her hubby wrap it in saran wrap!
(And that's exactly what I did. Super sexy, let me tell you!! I wholeheartedly believe my husband felt like the luckiest guy in the world! Haha)

I got the wraps in the mail with some information about them and I couldn't wait to try the first one!
So, I put one on that very same night I received it!

The wraps are coated on one side in their secret "sauce" (my words, not theirs!)
Think vaseline texture with Vicks vapor rub smell.
I put the wrap on my stomach and smoothed out the little air bubbles to make it as smooth on my stomach as possible.
Then wrapped it tight in Saran Wrap.

Didn't I tell you it was super sexy?!?

After about 30 minutes, I started to feel the burn!
It was that tingling burning feeling.
Not in a "Oh my gosh, this hurts so bad, I'm going to die" kind of way.
More of, "Hmm, this is kind of a funny feeling. Doesn't hurt. Kind of annoying. But it really makes me feel like it's doing something! Shrink that tummy, baby!!"

I woke up at 5am having to pee, so I just took the wrap off then (as it had been about 6 or 7 hours to that point.)
The instructions told me to rub the lotion from the wrap into my stomach once I removed the wrap so it could continue to work it's magic even after the wrap was off!!

After rubbing the rest of the lotion into my stomach, I have to admit, it felt like the skin on my stomach was more firm and not as flabby!

I was pretty clockwork with doing a wrap every 4 days and with the same routine.
(Mama wanted those results!!)

After the 4th wrap was done, I was pretty pleased with my results!
But take a look for yourself!!










It Works!, ladies (and gentleman????)

And now, Kinsey is so generously offering one of my readers the chance to try It Works! wraps!!!
She's giving away a Full Treatment - 4 wraps total!!!!
All you gotta do is fill out the rafflecopter below.
Giveaway is going on now through Monday, October 21st



And after you entered, be sure to check out Kinsey's It Works! distributer page to see all the cool products they have to offer!!

I was not compensated by It Works! I was asked to try this product and write my review.
The thoughts expressed in this post are strictly that of my own.

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Stella & Dot

Hey beautiful ladies!!!
You all look like you could use some beautiful jewlery to accent your beauty even more!!

How's that for a sales pitch?!?
No??
Ok, well don't leave yet!

I have been drooling over Stella & Dot pieces for awhile now and finally decided to just host an online show.

They have some truly gorgeous pieces of jewlery and bags.
AND, half of the comission I bring in will go to Baby Jase's heart surgery!



Fabulous accessories and helping a sweet baby and getting a head start on Christmas shopping?!?!
YES, PLEASE!!!

You can go to the link below to check out all their fabulous pieces and order:

http://www.stelladot.com/ts/wirs5


We will close this party on Sunday, October 27th!
So get to buying and get to helping, ladies!

What's that?
You want to see a few of my favorite pieces?!?
Ok, if I must!!!





B-E-A-UTIFUL!!!!

Monday, October 14, 2013

Half Mary Round 2

Last Sunday, October 6th, I traveled 2 hours to Hampton, Virginia to complete my second half marathon.

I only slightly mentioned it on the ol' blog here.
Ok, lezzzzzzzzzzzzbehonest...I haven't mentioned much of anything on here cos I'm too busy being M.I.A.

It was kind of a last minute decision on my part anyway.
(meaning I only signed up for it the Monday before!)
A couple of the girls I run with were doing it and I'd heard them talk about how it was a fun race.
Not to mention, I had "liked" the event on Facebook and all their posts got me super excited.
So, I signed up.

I felt good going into it.
I haven't been training for anything specifically but I have been keeping up with 2 easy runs, 1 speed work session and a long run each week. (#trainingforlife)

And just the week before I ran my farthest distance to date...14 miles.

(you may have seen this on Instagram @kbeavtann, but the back story on this is that September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. My 14-year-old cousin was diagnosed with Leukemia in 2010. Orange is the color for Leukemia, so I dressed in orange and ran a mile for each year of his precious life. He is a fighter, so I took on his mentality for those 14 miles!! Meaningful runs make me happy!)

So, the Half...
Saturday, October 5th, the hubs and I dropped the bambino off at my in-laws and we were on our way.
We got to the expo around 4pm and picked up our bibs and swag.
(My husband had signed up for the 5k race they were also having...more on that later.)

We had some time to spare before meeting up with my running buddies for dinner, so we went to the city's local running store.
I was desperately on the search for the new Salted Caramel GU gel.
I don't know if you've heard of this new gel, but it is out-of-this-world-amazing!
I had a friend that ordered some and she let me try one and I've been on the hunt since.
The store had some and since they didn't have a case that I could buy, I bought the last 14 packets they had in the store.
THAT! GOOD!

My husband then said he wanted to buy me a new pair of running shoes!
I am, for sure, in need of a new pair, but for whatever reason, I didn't want to take him up on his offer.
"We need to save our money". "I don't feel like trying any on". "The store is way too busy". "This lady is talking out of her ass about how she knows so much about running and I just want to get away from her".
BUT then...I saw the newest Brooks GTS 14 on the shelf!


What?!?!?!? How did I miss that they released a new series of the GTS??
The little sales guy must have seen my excitement and asked if I'd heard the new improvements they've made.
He then informed me of the changes they made to the bottom sole of the shoe as well as taking out the top stitching in the toe shoe bed.
I had to get an 8.5 in the GTS14 and an 8.5 in the GTS13 (the current pair I have) to test the differences out.
Oh. Mylanta!
The 14s felt like heaven!!

I was sold!
(Thank you, hubby!)
The only thing I didn't love was the color combo.
It's a little off, but yet still very interesting and appealing at the same time.
Little salesman guy told me they'd release the second color some time in November.
I cannot wait to see them!

We left the store and I had to talk myself out of wearing my new shoes in the race the next day.
"Oh, but the new ones feel so good!"
"Kyra, snap out of it....you're smart enough to know you don't wear new shoes for that long and in a race. Wait till you can wear them in."

But once we got to Bonefish Grill, all I was thinking about was eating!!
I'd never been to Bonefish Grill, but I quickly became a BIG fan!
After a delicious pumpkin beer, fish tacos, pumpkin ravioli and fun dinner mates, I was ready to settle in for the night.

My husband and I drove back to where the start of the race would take place so we could clock how far away we were staying from the race.
His cousin lives there and was out of town so he let us stay at his place.
We were just a little over a mile away so we decided that would be a nice warm-up walk the next morning.

I laid out my running gear, got ready for bed, and then fell asleep about 10:30.
And back up and at 'em at 6:15 am.
I had my typical long run breakfast of toast, peanut butter and banana.
Then proceeded to get all my gear on
(And go to the bathroom about 5 times...I ALWAYS try to get as much out as I can prior to a long run...know what I'm saying?!?!)
Rocked some pink shoelaces and socks to honor my Aunt who was just recently diagnosed with Breast Cancer :)

The plan was to leave the apartment at 7am.
My race time was 8am.
It was about 7:15 till we were walking out the door.
Only to have my husband walk right back in.
And proceed to take for-freaking-ever.
He couldn't find his safety pins for his bib.
When I'm late for something and it's not my fault, I get immensely impatient.
Homeboy was not on my good list.
I finally yelled that he could get some at the expo center when we got there.
(Basically my way of saying this is not my problem and you're making me way late!)
So we were finally on our merry way!

By the time we got there, I felt the urge to pee (again) so I waited in the long freaking line to empty my bladder one last time.
I was finally headed to Corral number 3 where I found one of the girls I run with waiting for me at the front of the group.
But the man with the rope would not let me enter there.
I had to go in at the back of the corral.
That's fair.
But I didn't like it.

So, I proceeded to walk back, only to have to stop because the National Anthem was starting.
No disrespect, America...but this lady ain't happy, calm and peacful until she's lined up, ready to go...in plenty of time.
I finally arrived to the back of my corral and politely weaved through the crowd up to the front with my friend.
It was now 7:58 am.
I don't do well with being rushed, but I internalized all my inner demons and just told myself to calm the F down and enjoy the race!
Pretty darn proud of myself for getting past that potential mental road block!

We said farewell to Corral 1 at exactly 8 am.
Catch ya on the flip side, Corral 2 at 8:03 am.

At this point, I was in full on excitement and ready mode and they were playing my jam, getting my all pumped and stuff.
("Run fast for your mother, run fast for your father. Run for your children, for your sisters and your brothers...")
And we were off at 8:06 am.
"Timer Started" and "Bezel Locked" on the 'ol Garmin and falling into pace...
at an 8:12 minute average!
My friend and I reigned that shit back in and slowed it down.

And, let it be known, that this girl will now be lining up as close to the front of any and all races from this day forward.
I really loved the fact that I wasn't weaving and bobbing between people.
(they were doing it around me...SUCKERS!!)

A local high school band was right out of the start getting down to playing some JT "...it feel's like something's heating up, can I leave with you?..." Yeah, I was digging it.

Miles 1-3 were a breeze.
I was enjoying my pace (about a 9:30 pace) and all the sites and other runners around me.
I lost my running friend about the 3 mile mark.
I wanted to run with someone...for sanity, fun, moral support...but I also wanted a PR! :)

Honestly, miles 1-7 were pretty much a breeze.
I kept my pace anywhere from 9:18 - 9:45 minute miles.
I loved thanking all of the police and volunteers (just makes me smile!)
I was just taking it all in and enjoying my long run on a Sunday morning.
I would take the water and occasional Gatoraid at mostly all of the aid stations...getting into the habit of taking 2 cups...one to drink and one to pour on me.
The day was a scorcher...at 96% humidity, but I wasn't in total despair entirely!
And I didn't have to walk at all...even through the water stations...I could just slow down enough to grab the cups, drink or dump and throw the cup in the trash!

Miles 8-10 were a little tougher, but still not death row!
Mile 8 was where we ran along the water so it was pretty and refreshing to take in that site.
Mile 9, my pace slowed quite a bit to about 10:40.
As I was creeping up to Mile 10, I kept telling myself that all the was left was a 5k.
I was going to pick my pace up.
Never letting it get about a 9:30 minute pace.

I crossed that Mile 10 banner and picked up the pace.
Only a 5k left! Come on! Let's go!
And then I'm walking at mile 10.5!!
The first time I had to stop and walk.
I was a little annoyed at myself for amping up about "only a 5k left" to then be walking half a mile into that 5k portion!!
But I just could not push on!!

Between mile 10.5 - 11.5 it was a constant run then walk.
I was experiencing being super hot to then chills.
I had to push the thoughts of overheating out of my head or otherwise, I would have psyched myself out.
I mean, I for sure was...remember that 96% humidity I mentioned?!?!
But I didn't want to focus on it and let it get the best of me.

Just before mile 12, there was a hill...nothing like the hills in my first Half, but a hill noentheless.
The course had been pretty flat, so I can't complain, but I knew in my heart that I wanted to put the pedal to the metal at the 12 mile marker, so I walked up that last hill so I could save my energy for going down it and then finishing strong!

Mile 12 and it was go time!
I took off running.
Not super fast quite yet, but I knew I was in the home stretch!
1 more mile.
That's it!
That's nothing!

There was another slight hill, that when I first saw it coming, it broke my spiri.
But I said I wasn't going to walk any this last mile, so I tackled that hill and it actually wasn't that bad.
Just down that hill and around the corner was the finish line and I couldn't wait to get there!

My husband was standing on that corner with his phone held up ready to snap my picture!
I was happy to see him and he rassured me that I was almost there!



Once I turned the corner, I knew I had about .2 miles to go till I crossed that line.
I picked up my speed and sprinted those last 2 tenths strong.
My left knee was pounding with every stride, but I knew once I crossed that line, I could stop for good.
And I wanted that more than anything!!

I believe in a strong finish and that's what I gave!
(even if I looked an absolute hot mess in those finish line chute photos!!)

I was immediately bombarded with my finisher's hat, medal, water, banana, and my favorite...an ice cold wet towel to put around my neck!


I stood off to the side and waited for my friends to finish


And for my husband to make his way to me.
Where he happily told me that he PR'd in his 5k. BIG TIME!!! 26:33.
1. He wanted to get under 30 minutes.
2. His last 5k PR was 32:something
3. That beats my 5k PR of 26:46 :)

I was pretty proud of him but also secretly vowing to get the family 5k PR back!

And, oh yeah, I PR'd my half time!


All in all!
It was a great race.
Leaps and bounds better than my first Half.
I just felt so much more prepared for this one.
Cooler temps would have been nice, but I enjoyed it anyway!
And beer after a race makes it 10x better!


And I'd be remiss if I didn't give a shout out to my boo, Hines Ward (retired Steelers player) who competed and finished in the Kona, Hawaii Ironman 140.6 mile Triathlon (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run)



So freaken Bad Ass!! And what a huge accomplishment!!!!


Man, this post makes me want to just go all out and kick this Monday in the teeth!
Have a good one!!

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Royce is TWO-dles!!

For those of you that do not have young kids or kids at all...
My title references the ever fabulous, classic and timeless Mickey Mouse.

Yes, folks, this post will be completely craft-mom-blog!
No running, no weighing in...
Full on Pinterest worthy material right here!!

My baby boy turned 2 on September 22nd. and it took me this long to write up a post about all the details

The child is 100% totally obsessed and cray-cray for Mickey Mouse.
So a Mickey birthday party was obviously a no-brainer!
(On a total serious note though...any moms out there agree with me that Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is somehow laced with cocaine?!? I mean kids are captivated and obsessed!)

We actually went to see Disney on Ice on Royce's birthday eve (Saturday, September 21).
Royce was free since he sat on our laps and didn't require a seat! 
Score!
And let me tell you....that kid was captivated.
He just watched them so intently, sat (basically) perfectly still, and squealed with delight!
It was so heart warming to watch how much he enjoyed it.
We're seriously considering going when their in PA in October and NC in December!
Yes, perhaps crazy...but it's that good!!
I mean, Mickey and Gang and the princesses are my childhood memories too...
So needless to say, homegirl was singing and dancing a long.
SO. 
MUCH.
FUN.

Ok, so let's talk party, shall we?!?!

My husband is pretty handy with Microsoft Publisher and I had a few ideas in my head of what I wanted the invitation to look like!
After downloading the "Mickey" "Minnie" and "Walter" free Disney fonts, a few nagging details from yours truly, he cranked out our little man's invitation.

And I loved them!!


Birthday party day, I was up bright and early to get started on making the birthday cake.
I had seen an idea of what I wanted to do where there were six round cakes with a Mickey body part on each cake: the head, his shorts, 2 hands and 2 feet.

I had three different cake mixes: chocolate, funfetti and spice cake (used to make Pumpkin cake...Sunday, Sept 22nd was also the first day of fall!!)
I baked two round cakes per each mix, and had enough of the pumpkin mix to make 2 cupcakes...
And voila:
It's a bit abstract, but I was pretty pleased.
If I had to do it all over again, I would probably use smaller, 6 in round cake pans for the hands and feet cakes.


For the centerpieces, I saw Mickey heads made out of styrofoam balls somewhere along my Pinteresting career.
But I decided to put my own take on it!
I bought a pack of 3 inch dial rods from Michael's, 
a pack of 6 styrofoam balls from Michael's,
3 bags of mixed sizes styrofoam balls from Dollar Tree, 
and some black acrylic paint from Wal-mart.
And went to town painting.
 

(Just a word to the wise...cos I found out the hard way...spray paint will not work on the styrofoam balls. it will make them disintegrate! You're welcome!)
no bueno!
I also got a pack of 4 yellow rectangular buckets and 2 bags of red crinkle paper grass from the Dollar Tree and came up with this masterpiece that I was quite pleased with!

I bought 3 of each: yellow, red, and black tablecloths from the Dollar Tree as those were my color scheme.

I found some red with white polka dot fabric and yellow fabric in the scrap bins at Michael's that I knew I wanted to create a flag banner out of.
I cut triangle flags out of the fabric.
Next, I wrote "ROYCE IS TWO-DLES" on black construction paper, cut the letters out and hot glued one letter per flag, alternating the red and yellow fabrics.


I bought a total of four 12x12 pieces of scrapbook paper.
2 in red and white polka dot, and 2 of a yellow and white stripe.
I used the yellow and white striped paper as a matte of sorts for this sign for the hot dog bar:

(the iconic Hot Dog Dance song)
Yep, we had a hot dog bar...I mean it only made sense!!
Our options were ketchup, mustard, relish, onion, pickles, banana peppers, chili, and cheese sauce.
In black salsa bowls I got at the Dollar Tree and added on black construction paper ears.
Out of the red and white polka dot paper, I made the "Thank You" signs to go on the goody bags.

I got 2 of the XXL large bags of M&Ms and sorted through to pick out the red, yellow, and brown ones.
There are no candy stores anywhere near us...ideally, that would be the best idea...to buys bags of the desired colors.
I placed the M&Ms in a small ziplock bag and stapled on the construction paper Mickey ears and glued on the "Thank You" sticker.


I had the idea to have all of Royce's little friends and cousins to color or draw their own version of Mickey so I could hang them in his room.
My husband printed out different Mickey coloring pages on cardstock and we had blank pieces of carstock for the older kids to draw their own Mickey.
I got a couple packs of Mickey Mouse crayons from the Dollar Tree and only let them use the red, black, and yellow crayons from the pack!
I love how it showcased everyone's artistic abilities and Royce just points at the Mickey drawings in his room every time we go in there... "MICKEY!!! MICKEY!!! MICKEY!!"


My mother-in-law bought some packs of  Mickey Mouse Clubhouse balloons on Amazon and bought a helium tank so we blew the balloons up ourselves for added decorations.


If you know me, I'm a sucker for a theme, so I painted my nails appropriately!!


I told my husband that I wanted him to create a "Clubhouse" sign to point to our backyard where the party would be held.
I didn't care how he did it...just one stipulation...the "O" in clubhouse had to be Mickey's head!
I think he did pretty well!

My sister ordered some Mickey letters off of Etsy to spell out Royce's name using the chracaters.

These were part gift/part decoration!
They are now showcased on the shelf in his room and he calls out each of the characters every time we walk into the room!


And the highlight...well kind of...was the Mickey character we hired to come to the party.

Royce LOVES Mickey, but he does not love a giant, moving Mickey!!
He was pretty scared of him!
He'd chase after him and dance from afar with Mickey, but the second Mickey came near him, Royce was running in the other direction!
But at least he was a hit with the other kids!!

And us! :)

Royce was totally spoiled and loved and we had an absolute blast!

HOT DOG!!!!