oh, saint valentine

I'm a very girlie girl. I love all things pink, purple and sparkly. That said, it shouldn't be surprising in the least that I adore Valentine's Day. Hearts, flowers, hugs and kisses make everything better. Therefore I'm devoting today's Oh! How Pinteresting! post to all things lovely.

Source: brownpaper--packages.com via Mickelle on Pinterest

I love these blocks. Pretty, simple decorations that jazz up a mantel for the holiday.

Source: google.com via Diane on Pinterest

Chocolate cupcakes with pink frosting, yum! Plus, the heart sprinkles are gorgeous. They're so pretty. I'll be making them for Mike and a couple friends for Valentine's day.

Source: craftster.org via Carol on Pinterest

I'm making this for Mike for Valentine's day. I think he'll really like it and we have a pretty strict no gifts policy for V-day. I think this can be an exception that won't get me in trouble!

Source: giverslog.com via Heather on Pinterest

Or these. He would LOVE this but I hate smarties. Yuck-o.

Source: blonde-designs.squarespace.com via Lauren on Pinterest

This is pretty darn cute. So easy to do with kids.

Source: creativepartyideasbycheryl.blogspot.com via Amy on Pinterest

<3 Love this. I think Valentine's day will definitely include a couple of girlie pink cocktails.

Source: delish.com via Amy on Pinterest

Source: thetwineryblog.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

Ok, I love this too. So fun!

all consuming

I'm not sure if you've noticed but pretty much my every thought is about the half marathon and my trip to Florida. I check the Orlando weather about 400 times a day. I go over my packing list in my head. I have nightmares about my costume. It's pretty much all consuming. I can't get my mind off of it. So, I'm sorry that you have to deal with my obsessive compulsive rants for the next 19 days. Holy guacamole, 19 days.
Today's rant centers around the race outfit. A lot of people are donning costumes, dressing like their favorite princesses. I'm not sure I want to be a full on princess, but I do want a running skirt and possibly a tiara. I got that custom running shirt that I won from SUAR's giveaway a couple months ago. I designed it and fell in love with it for the race. But now looking at the weather, and after running yesterday in 50 degree weather and sweating my butt off, I'm starting to second guess that choice. I think I may want a tank top, but I don't really want a plain one, but spending a lot of money on something that will kind of be Princess race specific sounds silly.

I'm not sure I can pull of the tiara on the tush thing, but I do love it!
Source: fuckyeahbabies.tumblr.com via Kelly on Pinterest

My current thought is to buy a green tank running shirt and make a funky colored DIY tutu and see how that looks. I'm also on the hunt for an inexpensive tiara, and a way to make the tutu sparkle a little bit without being irritating on the run.

Certainly not inexpensive, but definitely gorgeous
Source: glowlikestars.tumblr.com via Angelique on Pinterest

I don't know what colors I will use, but I love
this sparkle!
Source: bathroomcraft.wordpress.com via Dana on Pinterest

Perfect color green - and I love Old Navy's gear. Found here.

Now on to find mom's outfit! She wants to be like Cinderella!

winner winner chicken dinner!

Well if you don't live under a rock, I'm sure you know the Giants won the Superbowl last night! I honestly can't say I was all that interested in the game, but I certainly had fun hanging out with my family and eating FAR too much food.
I made bacon cheddar cheese bread, beer macaroni and cheese and buffalo hummus. I was a silly blogger and forgot to take pictures of them, and the rest of the food we had covering 4 tables around the house. It was amazing though. My aunt brought lemon squares that were amazing, I think I ate half the tray myself.

Wahoo! Superbowl!

Jenn and I being a bit silly. Kind of a horrid picture, but we had fun!

spring fever

The best thing about the beginning of spring is the ability to pull out all of my skirts that have been hanging out in my closet gathering dust and show off my bright white legs. I love skirts and t shirts, I live in them all year except in the winter. I'm not a huge fan of tights, so my skirts don't get much love in the colder months.
This week's friday fancies is all about spring fever!

  

spring fever by rundreamcook featuring splendid tops

twiglette

As I mentioned yesterday, today was my sister's 20 week ultrasound appointment. Jess, Dan, Mom and I gathered together in the little room and watched the amazing ultrasound tech point out every little bit of twiglette. We saw the baby's heart and fingers and toes and up his nose! All of that was really fantastic. It was amazing to see all the little pieces in there.

But we all knew why we were there...

To get lots of great pictures of the baby.

 To oogle of mom and baby....

 And of course to find out whether to go out and buy all pink or blue!!!

Side view. This one is upside down because he is breach. 

Seriously adorable baby. 

The "goods." It is most certainly a boy!

Obviously after the appointment we had to go to BRU to check out some goodies to buy for the little man!

babies.

Everyone in the world is pregnant or has a newborn at home right now, that's at least what my facebook would have you believe. Oye. There are sonogram pictures overwhelming me every time I log in! Now, that rant may seem a bit bitter (I am 27 and certainly have baby fever) but I'm really not. I'm super excited for those who are close to me who are expecting. Actually, a family that I have babysat for on and off for the last 3 years welcomed a new addition to their family on Monday. I was with  Sarah, the three year old, after dropping her mom off at the hospital to have the newest addition to their family. He was born via emergency c-section (her fluid was dangerously low) early Monday evening. They haven't settled on a name just yet, but he is doing great despite only weighing in at 3 pounds 12 ounces. Such a peanut!! He'll be in the NICU for the rest of this week, but they're expecting to bring him home early next week.
But that isn't the only baby close to me. As I said back in December, I'm going to be an Aunt in just a few months. Tomorrow is the big day when we find out whether Twiglette is a boy or a girl. We're super excited and have a late breakfast planned (work-shmerk) for after the doctor's appointment. I'll probably wait to post until tomorrow afternoon when I have new pictures of the adorable little Twiglette.
So with all of this baby fever going on, I'm dedicating today's Oh how pinteresting post to babies in all their smushy adorable cuteness.

Source: blogs.babble.com via Julie on Pinterest
This baby makes my heart flutter. I can't wait to take pictures of my niece/nephew's tiny fingers and toes.

Source: photocreationstz.blogspot.com via Julie on Pinterest
I have the perfect basket to do this with! Jessi's baby will not have a full head of brown hair though like this adorable little man. Jess and Dan were both super bald as babies, plus they are both super blonde!

Source: cynthiawoodmanseephotography.com via Julie on Pinterest
I love ruffled diaper covers. They're the best.

Source: reynadenisephotography.com via Julie on Pinterest
Dan is a huge Cowboys fan and I can't wait to take this picture...Whether it's a boy or girl, this is a must!

Source: etsy.com via Julie on Pinterest
I love this! Just so cute and simple

Source: brittamariephoto.com via Julie on Pinterest
I love this outfit. I don't want to buy it for Jessi's kid. I want to buy it for mine and hoard it until I finally get engaged, married and pregnant.

Source: etsy.com via Julie on Pinterest
This little girl could make me happy during the worst day ever. She is just too cute for words.

Source: etsy.com via Julie on Pinterest

Source: thegeekfey.tumblr.com via Julie on Pinterest

That quote is fantastic. I can't wait to paint it and put it on my baby's wall.

diy expert

Good morning! I'm super excited today because I'm bringing back Laura from Beauty & the Beard. For last week's Friday Fancies post we were randomly linked up and I was thrilled. I adore her blog. Laura is absolutely a DIY queen. I'm so inspired by her! I asked her to write a guest post for me on some of her DIY projects to give me and all of you some inspiration and a few tips!

_______________________________________________________________

Dearest readers of Run Dream Cook...we meet again! 

    Yes, you thought you'd seen the end of me last Friday for my Friday's Fancies blog swap post, but I'm back! If you all haven't been by my blog Beauty & the Beard- in my posts I usually am sharing my DIY projects & recipes (with a lot of sarcasm, may I add). I was thrilled and flattered when Julie asked me back to share with you all my DIY Inspiration! 

    First of all, let me start this post off by saying I am no Martha Stewart. I'm wayyy too messy to be like Martha. If she saw my craft table on any given day I think she'd faint on the spot. That being said, although I may not be so coiffed and soft-spoken, I love coming up with cheap, easy, fun crafts. My favorite place to get inspiration is Pinterest, and I'm sure I'm not alone on this. I have a special board dedicated to crafts and recipes I absolutely must try- whether they seem easy or difficult. That way when I go back to that board when I'm in the mood to create- I can decide how committed and involved I want to be each time with a range of ideas.

   For example, I saw this easy tape art project on Pinterest:

I loved the idea and thought it would be even better as a triptych, so I grabbed a few canvases and and ended up with this:

See the whole post HERE

Is what I ended up with wildly different than the inspiration? No. Did I still make it my own? Yes. Crafts like this are great because they are simple, but still leave you with a sense of accomplishment, and feeling like you can take on bigger projects.
     I love getting inspiration from Etsy as well. I'm a big fan of supporting local artists, or small businesses, and Etsy is all that rolled up in a website. I do purchase things from artists- but sometimes I see amazing things with absolutely ridiculous price tags. This always motivates me to make a better, cheaper version. One particular craft I found was this awesome string and nail Texas piece...that had a price tag of $60 + shipping!

    I knew this couldn't cost a penny over $5 to make, and it absolutely didn't. A bit of wood, acrylic paint, paneling nails, and embroidery floss later I was left with this:

Find the whole post on this HERE

Is it as perfectly uniformed as the inspiration piece? No. Did it cost less than $60? Yes. ($4 I think!)

    As you can see, sometimes I take the inspiration and work literally with it- essentially trying to mimic their techniques. The more and more I DIY, the more and more new ideas I come up with for my own crafts- recently I had a day off and out of nowhere decided to paint a tree on a wall to hang my statement necklaces from...Man, was my boyfriend surprised when he came home that night! Here are a few of my favorite DIY projects:

Rainbow Polka Dot Phone Case (Found HERE)

Drink themed Scrabble Coasters (found HERE)

Paint Chip Christmas Cards (found HERE)

Marbleized ornaments (found HERE)

Painted Jewelry Tree (found HERE)

    I really think one of the big parts of crafting is accepting the fact you aren't going to be perfect right off the bat. No one is born with the ability to paint perfect lines or dream up epic colorful murals (Unless you're Martha, of coures). It takes times to figure out what your niche is, and what inspires you-  and the only way to do that is trial and error. I've had plenty of failed attempts at projects, but then again I've had some amazing outcomes- all by just jumping in and trying it. I love looking at other blogs, websites, Pinterest boards, and Etsy shops to appreciate the creativity of others- which in turn inspires me to find my own creativity. If you need to, start small! Do crafts step by step you see on a website! The more and more you do you'll find yourself coming up with new ideas...and before you know it you'll be inspiring someone else with your work.


Thank you SO much to Julie for letting me on the blog again, and I truly hope you all stop by Beauty & the Beard if you like DIY crafts...and endless sarcasm. B&B has only been around for a few months, and I appreciate every single follower and comment I get! Thank you so much for your time!
xo, laura
psst, you can follow me on Pinterest with a click of this button: 

run girl run

I did 12 miles yesterday. TWELVE miles. I'm sometimes surprised at myself. I've officially been running for a year now. I started c25k the last week in January last year. To say that I'm shocked that I've gone from struggling through that first week (only 2.1 miles!) to finishing my very first 12 mile run is a huge understatement.  I do take walk breaks, but I'm ok with that.

My socks love to run too. I'm kind of a doofus.

My run was kind of rough yesterday. At around 6.5 miles my left ankle started to scream at me. I was freaking out about it, how am I going to finish a half marathon in 4 weeks if I can't do 12 today?! *insert hyperventilating here* But then I gave myself permission to walk. It was magical. I had been maintaining 12 minute miles and I was doing fantastically, but I couldn't handle the pain. Once I took about a .25 mile walk break I was ready to go again. I was feeling ok and I finished all 12. Take that left ankle! Now today I'm pretty darn sore. My ankle is still freaking out at me a little, but I'm icing it and taking it easy today. I'm going to head to the gym just for some core strength training and leave off the cardio. I'll do a short speedy run tomorrow followed by some intense elliptical work if my foot/ankle let me.

I did lots of cuddling with the puppies when I got home. They were worn out after having lots of visitors this week, so they are loving cuddling with me on the couch. I ate my face off. A chicken salad sandwich, a pickle, tortellini, a few sweet potato fries and a bit of ice cream. Yup I'm pretty sure I ate most of the 2100 calories I burned off. But that's ok, long run days are "free" days.

it's almost here!

The final countdown is here! I'm sitting here waiting for Mike to get here so we can go for our 12 mile run together. Four weeks from now I will be done with my first half marathon! I feel ready. I know I can tackle this goal and I'm ready to enjoy the time leading up to and following the race.

Mike and I are planning on 12 miles today, 6 next weekend, then our final long run will be 13 miles. Then we're planning a short and easy shake out run for the Sunday before we head to Florida. These are all in addition to the normal mid week runs that we've been doing since the summer. We leave on Wednesday the 23 and I get giddy just thinking about it!!
I've been overwhelmed with planning thoughts. What do I pack? The weather is a lot warmer than I anticipated, can I still wear the outfit I planned? Am I going to die in the humidity? Will the warmer weather really bring down my speed enough to worry about? Do I bring gels as a carry on? Can you bring empty water bottles in your carry on? How many different outfit choices should I pack? Is planning a beach day for Saturday really a good idea? What do you wear to the expo? I'm just freaking out a tiny bit.
Then I remember to take deep breaths and realize how much fun it is going to be!
I seriously can't wait!

a very special guest

Happy Friday! Today I have the pleasure of blog swapping with Laura from Beauty & the Beard. Be sure to head over to her blog to check out my post! 

____________________________________________________________

Hello followers and lovers of run dream cook!

   My name is Laura and I'm the lady behind Beauty & the Beard. I was so excited to do the Friday's Fancies blog swap this week with Julie- and I think we've come up with a great theme! 

     Since it's wintertime, it can be kind of a bummer with all the dark colors that come out in the stores and the big, puffy coats that cover up all the fun fashion out there. Therefore, Julie and I decided to find ways this week to fight the Wintertime Blues- with either great blue items than can be worn all winter or ones that we look forward to getting back in during Spring! 

Here's the collection I came up with featuring great blue items to liven up your winter wardrobe:

1. This Paul Smith Wool Blazer is the perfect bright note for an evening out for drinks!

2.  Who says winter coats have to be black and boring? This Blue Bardot Neck Coat will brighten up any day walking through slush.

3. This SuperTrash bracelet is the best way to brighten your day when you're checking your watch to see what time it is!

4. If you've gotta wear a scarf to hide from the wind, why not make it a bold blue like this one?

5. Nothing will get you through a long, grey day at work like these Manolo Blahnik electric blue pumps.

6. Statement necklaces are a staple in every season, and this blue Plait Necklace is perfect for winter.

7. Nothing brightens up an outfit like a great, bold bag- this MiuMiu one is just the ticket! 

Hope these pieces inspire you to find ways to beat the Winter Blues! Make sure to stop by Beauty & the Beard to see Julie's collection - and while you're there check out the rest of the blog and follow along if you'd like!

Thanks for doing the swap with me Julie- who knew it would be such a great way to make blogger friends?

one small rant.

I'm pretty addicted to Pinterest. I usually spend some time every evening unwinding while mindlessly browsing random pins and I really love it. I've even found tons of very inspirational pins that I adore on there. I find myself looking at different inspirational running slogans, which inevitably brings up countless "thinspiration" pins.
Now this is where I'm going to rant for a minute...I find them disgusting. Now I'm overweight, there is no arguing that, but I'm also working my butt off to get fit and healthy. I'm disturbed by the sentiment that "nothing tastes as good as skinny feels." That's just bullshit. There are thin women who are fit and healthy and are amazingly inspirational to me. But there are also women, more than likely the ones pictures in these "inspirational pins", who are either naturally thin or thin in a very unhealthy way. Until I started working out and running I assumed that my irrational anger toward that idea was mostly jealousy, but now I've lost 50 pounds and I feel the healthiest I ever have. I can pretty much say with certainty that I'm annoyed by the idea because it isn't rational. I've worked for a year now to lose weight and to keep it off. It isn't about just not eating a cookie. It's about changing how you view yourself, how you view the food you put in your body and the way it makes you feel.
Honestly, sometimes a cookie just feels really good.

Now that I'm done with my rant. I'd like to share some of my favorite inspirational pins.

Source: 25.media.tumblr.com via Allyson on Pinterest

While I LOATHE the signature (byebyechubbydays yuck) I love the concept.

Source: Uploaded by user via Leah on Pinterest

Finishing the half will make me an official badass.

Source: team-sparkle.com via Kristen on Pinterest

I heard Jennifer Hudson say the other day that whenever she gets the slightest urge to exercise she gets up and does it immediately without thought because otherwise the task gets daunting and overwhelming. I loved that because it is so true. It takes 2 minutes to get ready so just get out there and go when you have the smallest opportunity.

Source: fannetasticfood.com via Julie on Pinterest

I'll be lapping them slowly, but I'm doing it. One little mile at a time!

Source: Uploaded by user via Alli on Pinterest

This is one is my absolute favorite. I will be telling myself this for every single mile of the half marathon.