Just who is this Mary Jo?

 Memorial Day weekend, Rebecca & I were able to get away for 1 night. Mom & Peto had been talking about a place called Mary Jo's in Gastonia. We heard raves of walls & walls of fabric. Any kind of fabric you could think of. Sounded like a place we needed to see first hand!

So, we made a plan to go up on Sunday afternoon (it was almost a 4 hour drive!) and spend the night so that we would have a full day shopping on Monday before driving home late that evening. We were joining Peto, Mama, Ms. Janet, and Jennifer. All to shop til we dropped! Randy just couldn't wrap his brain around this. In the week leading up to the trip we had various conversations about this.

"You are going to stay in a hotel just to go shopping for fabric??"

Yep.

"Ya'll aren't going to do anything else?"

Nope. 

"Sooo.... what exactly is this store again?"

A fabric store.

"Just fabric?"

Just fabric & sewing stuff.

"I don't get why you would need to drive 4 hours to go shopping for fabric."

Would you get it if I said I was going to go 4 hours to shop for sporting goods like at a Bass Pro Shop?

"No"

What if the Martin guitar factory was 4 hours away. Would you get it then? Would you want to go stay the night to ensure you had enough time to see what you wanted to see?

"Well, yeah.... I guess you got me there."

I don't think men get the whole women-like-to-spend-time-together thing. We don't care what we are doing, we just like to be together. Although, fabric ups the cool factor!

 

I really wish I had taken a picture inside the store. The outside of the building was very inconspicuous. Plain jane, nothing fancy, warehouse. But boy, once you walk in, the wall to wall fabric was enough to make your head spin. There was so much that it took me a while to even decide on what I was willing to use my budgeted money on. I bought a few half yards of fabric that could be used for versatility.

 

 and a few especially for "boy" stuff...

 

I think those cute shoes will look really great with some red/grey/black fabrics for a "big kid" quilt for Jackson....

 

Before we knew it, our morning was gone at Mary Jo's! We "broke" for lunch then resumed our afternoon there looking for just the right fabric for a Rollie Pollie Bean Bag pattern that I had bought last year. It's time to put that pattern to use! I finally decided on this fabric...

 

And i was inspired by this fabric & plan to re-do the boys bathroom in a pirate theme this summer! FUN! This will be part of a shower curtain!

I happened to stumble upon some really cute black/white fabric that I couldn't leave there. It was screaming to be a curtain in my laundry room (I have actually been on the lookout for something like this since we moved into this house!)

Before we knew it, we had to head home! We had officially seen it all (or spent all our money, whichever came first!) We had about an hour & a half time to spare before we had to meet up to get Rebecca's girls on the way home. So.... Mama & Rebecca humored me & stopped in at IKEA. I had never been before.

 An hour & a half didn't scratch the surface of that place! Whoa.

All I can really say about that, is that we WILL be planning another overnight trip just to spend a day at IKEA. Right ladies...... RIGHT?????

I really want a green thumb

This spring, money was (& still is, honestly) really tight. We were on a strict "no extras" budget because my work caseload was very low. I really get the itch to plant in the spring though. I can't help myself. We had NO money for it, but I had saved a little card that my in-laws had given me after I helped plan our niece's wedding back in February. In this little card, was a little stash of money.  What better way to use it than to plant a garden & put some new bushes and things in the yard. 

Off to Lowes I went & came home with plenty to keep me busy!

 I planted a few herbs on the back deck... some "boxwood basil"

 Some sweet mint... mmmm (I've used this one the most!)

 And some cilantro...

 I also planted 2 blueberry bushes in the backyard. I hope in a few years to have enough blueberries to keep Eli happy. He could eat them all day!

 In the garden boxes, we put bell pepper,

 cucumbers,

 and several varieties of tomatoes.

 We also planted squash & zuchinni, but for the 3rd year in a row... this is as good as it gets.

 I don't know what I am doing wrong, but I have already decided that next year, I am planting them in a different spot. Maybe on the other side of the back yard or in the side yard. 

We have already gotten 1 little cucumber off our plant and a few more on their way. And we have have a few cherry tomatoes that are almost ready! 

 

Eli and Jackson LOVE going out & checking on the garden. Eli especially asks about it everyday.

He walks the yard & checks to see if anything else is in bloom. We have watched our new daylilly plants like a hawk waiting for a bloom!

 

And he likes to go around naming all the different bulbs... (honestly he helps ME remember!) We now have an iris growing...

 

And a tiger lilly...

 

And we also have a new wax myrtle and 2 knockout rose bushes (for mothers day!), 2 wigelia, and 4 azaleas.  It is so exciting to see things begin to bloom & flourish!

Couch to What?

Couch to What? Couch to 5k.

That's right. I am doing it. I am pushing through & have decided that I can't keep being lazy.

I tried counting calories from the day after Christmas through March, and after plateauing at 12lbs lost, the scale just wasn't moving. I was getting frustrated. I was hungry, tired of constantly worrying about the calories and the scale wasn't rewarding me anymore. So, I quit worrying with the calories.

Rebecca has been trying to get me to try running since the fall. Running just isn't my thing. I want to be a person who CRAVES a good run, but in reality, it just doesn't appeal to me. Sounds like something I'd rather not do, really.

But then she showed me a video of her next 5k that she wants to run...

 After watching that, who wouldn't want to get up & go? I knew I needed to get active. Not for weight loss, because really, I am okay with where I am now. But more for toning & becoming physically fit. Let's tighten things up a bit, shall we?

So, 5 weeks ago, I got out & "ran" with Rebecca on a Friday afternoon. It was literally in the 90s outside. WHAT.was.I.thinking?

 

We had no real plan, just got out there & ran. And I about vomited from the heat. If you know me, then you know the feeling of nausea is like cryptonite to me. That was NOT going to happen again. I was incredibly sore. Proud of myself for going out  there & giving it a go, but very sore.
 I thought it over throughout the weekend & knew that if I was going to start running, then I needed a game plan. I downloaded the Couch25K app on my phone, got busy working on a running music playlist & by Monday, I hit the pavement for day 1 of the new plan.
Interval training.
 No more of this  get-out-there-&-see-how-far-you-can-go-before-you-die.
 I started slow & worked through my weeks.

I am now finishing up week 5 & am officially over the halfway mark! By the end of this week, I will be running for 2 miles (or 20 straight minutes) for the first time. We'll see how it goes!

 

I sure hope this color run is worth it! :) It's the "happiest 5K on the planet" and it's gonna need to be!!

A very busy Mom.

 May was one busy month! I am trying to get caught up on the blog, so bear with me! 

We had mother's day which meant there was a Mother's Day Tea at Eli's preschool.

When I arrived, I found my seat & there was a beautiful portrait of me, drawn by one talented 5 year old! (Why has no one ever mentioned how large my hands are?)

On the back of the frame was the following notation:  "My mommy's name is Rachel. She plays games with me. She likes going to the park. She does the laundry. She cooks supper for us. I like when she cooks pizza."  I'd say, he nailed it!

 On the wall was pictures that each child drew of them with their mom. And true to the above story, he draws a picture & labels it, "Mommy & I are playing Pictureka." The child LOVES this game. Can you tell!?

 He also painted me a card with this sweet little note inside...

 Pretty soon, the kids were filing in class by class & up on stage they went to sing sweet little songs about their mothers. Nothing much cuter than preschoolers singing, if you ask me.

Then it was time to come & have a "tea" together. (And maybe a ham &cheese croissant and some strawberries too!)

 Two of Eli's friends were seated at our table as well. We tried to capture a picture of him with Alex on the left & Jaylen on the right. It's pretty hard to get 3 boys still & focused for a picture.

 In fact, they were all pretty silly! Goofball shot!

Of course, Eli wanted a goofball shot with mom, too. I really didn't want to do that, but then decided that it was such a small way to make my kids' day!

Or it may have been the only way I was able to coerce him into a serious one with mom! :)

I hope everyone had a great mother's day. I am personally blessed with 3 moms! My mother is the best on earth, and if there was ever a better step-mama, I don't know where she is. And I have been blessed to have married a man with one spectacular mom, who has treated me with love & kindness since day one. Mama's rock!

Goin' to the Lodge.... The Great Wolf Lodge!

Over Mother's Day weekend, our family was able to take a little mini vacation! Uncle Todd was home for his "R&R" from Afghanistan, so we headed up to Virginia for one night to join Rebecca, Todd, & the girls at the Great Wolf Lodge. They went up the night before & had an extra day to themselves & we joined in for the remainder of their time. 

 It was fabulous to basically only pack 1 outfit & a bathing suit for the trip. No blowdryer, no makeup, no real shoes. Flip Flops, deodorant, & toothpaste is about all ya need when you go here. Oh, and a credit card! Ha!

The boys played SO hard & I know we will go back again. Those slides aren't just for kids, if you know what I mean! :)  Here are some photos from our time there... all captured with my phone & uploaded to the lovely Instagram app which i LOVE so much! No way was I taking my Canon in that place to get soaked!!

All ready to get wet for the first time!

Jackson spent most of his time enjoying the wave pool...

Eli loved the slides...

It was so nice just hanging out, soaking wet, watching all the kids enjoy themselves.

We may have rode some rides ourselves too! :)

We had to snap family photos before we headed home... Rebecca's clan...

And some of us found it harder to say goodbye to the Lodge than others. I think one in particular wanted to live there...

We had so much fun & thanks to everyone who made it possible for us. You know who you are ;) We appreciate it more than you know!

A beginner... a true beginner.

Hi all! It's me just checkin in on a Friday! I don't have too much to share on the blog today, but I wanted to tell you one little thing that I have been up to...

Trying to figure out my Christmas present from Randy-- my Photoshop Elements Software.
 Ugh.
 It is VERY overwhelming to me & not at all user friendly.
As a result, I have literally shelved it since mid-January & avoided it like the plague.

 My problem with Photoshop is 2 fold.
1) I feel like it should be simple- tap some buttons & voila you have a great photo. BUT that isn't the case. Simple things like switching from tool to tool can screw up a picture in the blink of an eye. Now to you seasoned PSE users out there- I am sure you are laughing at me right now. I am okay with that. I am a beginner. A REAL beginner & I have so much to learn. From shortcuts on the menu to actually using the layers/masks/actions.
2) I don't like HIGHLY edited photos. I don't like for the person to not look like themselves. I don't like looking at photos & thinking "there is no way those eyes are THAT blue". There is a difference in boosting the colors of a photo & completely changing the appearance to unnatural. I want to find a middle ground & make special pictures pop, but not overly change them. And i love a vintage feel to a photo, so actions that change the "feel" of a photo, I LOVE.

So, last night I decided I would give my software a go again. I have been following Pioneer Woman's blog for several years, & I had saved my link to her free Photoshop action sets. I love her photos & even though having her actions doesn't mean that my photos will be great like hers, I decided to start with using her actions because she speaks in plain english & doesn't use overly complicated language when it comes to photography. I respect that & she makes me understand easily, so I felt it was going to be easiest to start dappling in using actions by using hers. I hope to add more actions at a later time, once I understand the program more. But, there were 2 actions specifically I wanted to try out of hers... one called "Bring out the eyes" and one called "boost".

The girls had come over to play & eat dinner with us, and I had grabbed my camera while they were outside playing. When I uploaded this picture of Sara Beth... I thought it had some potential to be a sweet photo of her beautiful little face! And was a good picture including her eyes straight on to practice on! Here is the original, unedited... straight from the camera.... (ps, I know it isn't very sharp... I think my ISO was still high from the fairy tale ball...oops!)

 

 And here is my first attempt at using PW's actions... This is SO a beginner editing job, so really, don't look too closely! I know there are some flaws, but I haven't figured out how to fix them yet!). See? Beginner.
BUT, I am overall happy with the fact that I actually edited a picture in Photoshop! And I didn't get so mad that I just walked away! It took 2 hours from beginning of downloading actions to final result, but it was worth it for my growth!  The actions I used on this photo were "boost" and "bring out the eyes"...

 Then this morning, I decided I wanted to play around with it again. So I changed it up again... This time I used "slight light" and "vintage" actions. I actually love this one. I want to go back & boost the eyes a bit, but I need help with the magnetic lasso tool. Randy is hopefully going to help me work that tool tonight!

So, that's what I've been up to around here! I will be spending more time in this program as I can already tell how addictive it can be! Hope you all have a great weekend...
I am off to download a few more free actions!