Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Monday, December 19, 2011
Parade of Homes
Looking for your gingerbread's dream home? Well look no further! This year's gingerbread parade of homes is sure to offer a home for every taste and style!
Adorned in orange, yellow, and black lights, this mansion is the ideal home for any gloomy gingerbread man or woman. Towering into the sky, this 3-story home features low maintenance landscaping, simple buttercream trim, and absolutely no front entry. But you better hurry up, this one will have every Debby-Downer up off their feet!
Located in the middle of the woods, this historic tower was built to ward off even the most heroic of heroes. This home's most unique feature is undoubtedly its two long braids of hair providing instant access to the tower's penthouse suite. With its minimalist landscaping and restrained decor, this tower would make the perfect home for any long-haired gingerbread woman.
This chic cottage home makes an idyllic retreat. The cottage is candy-clad with a radiant exterior which blends beautifully with the tin foil base. Floor-to-ceiling graham cracker walls, an original wood burning fireplace, and a gorgeous candy walkway make this cottage prime real estate for the busy, on-the-go gingerbread man/woman in need of a weekend getaway.
This gorgeous home (often referred to as "The Love Shack") is an intimate getaway for the gingerbread couple who love simple luxury in a private, natural setting. Adorned in red and pink decor, this home is sure to create ambiance and set the mood for any romantic rendezvous.
This sleek home is a beautiful example of blending shapes with the latest in candy-building technology. This home was designed to increase sugar consumption and sports spacious interiors with contemporary design. It’s simple, stylish and edible architecture.
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Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Missing the Sunshine
It has been rainy and cold here the last several days so we've been stuck indoors. This doesn't happen to us often here in Arizona but even a few days of gloomy weather is too much. With a long to-do list and a very energetic one year old we're hoping that days of sunshine are in our near future!
Monday, November 28, 2011
Christmas Time!!
Continuing our annual holiday tradition, this last weekend we went and chopped down our Christmas tree with friends. It's always quite the adventure trying to trek down a somewhat full tree among the unpruned trees in the forest, but with some "tactical" decorating we can usually work our magic! Now that the tree is up and decorated, our house is officially ready for Christmas!
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Spellbound
I'm not gonna lie, sometimes I find it really hard to say no to this face...
The Face
Maeli recently started doing what we refer to as her "silly face." The first time we noticed it we couldn't stop laughing and it has been the latest craze in our house ever since. Go ahead and try it - ALL the cool kids are doing it!
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Project Central
The last several months have been a little crazy with one home project after another. While several projects are still underway, we finally finished tiling and installing beadboard in 2 of our bathrooms. I have to admit that it's times like these that I really appreciate having a husband with a construction background.
Half Bath
Before
After
Kids Bathroom
Before
After
After
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Monday, October 31, 2011
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Running Ragged in Vegas
This last weekend I had the opportunity to participate in the Las Vegas Ragnar with a group of friends. A Ragnar is a 188-mile running relay which usually consists of 12 team members. Since the distance is so long, the team splits into two vans and rotates running over a period of 1-2 days. Needless to say, we were pretty exhausted by the end of the trip.
Since it would take way too long to write down all of the memories from the trip, I figured I'd summarize by listing the top ten things I learned during Ragnar. Drum roll please...
1. 12 girls in 1 van is CRAZY! - On the way to and from Vegas we all traveled in one 12-passenger van. I'm not gonna lie, it was chaotic but it was one of the highlights of the trip. With that many people in one car you get to know each other VERY well, VERY quickly.
2. Heat + Hills = One Miserable Run - While the distance of the run wasn't too bad, the combination of the heat, hills, and exhaustion made the run much more difficult. The daytime runs were brutal with the heat beating down on us. I like to think of myself as being pretty tough but I can honestly say that the elements made this run much more difficult than I originally anticipated.
3. Never underestimate how fast a pregnant girl can run - When running my nighttime leg, I watched as my team pulled the van over and started getting out of the car. I assumed they were stopping to give me water so I just waved them away telling them I was fine. Moments later I felt someone touching my back only to realize that 24-week pregnant Melissa had chased me down to get me to stop and put on a new "butt" light.
4. The more variety, the better - The personalities of the girls on our team couldn't have been more different. As you can see from the pictures, our team was made up of some real "weirdo's" which made it all the more crazy. Luckily, we had a few that were more "normal" than others (i.e. me) to level "the crazies" out. ;-)
5. If you think getting a tattoo is a good idea, think again - When checking-in for the race, all team members received a Ragnar temporary tattoo. While the "tatt's" seemed like a good idea at the time, we failed to consider the fact that we would be in the sun for the next 2 days. The result? My temporary tattoo has now turned into a "not so temporary" tan line.
6. Don't talk flirt with strangers - One of our team members, Annie, is extremely outgoing and talked to EVERYONE we came across on the trip. One particular man that she met took a liking to her and continued to pop-up unannounced throughout the run. Although it was a bit creepy, it became a fun game trying to guess where he would pop-up next. Runner #7....
7. Don't expect to get much sleep in a van - When the vans switched off, the group that wasn't running had the opportunity to get some food and a little shut-eye. While the getting food part was easy, the sleeping part was a bit more difficult. Although there were only 6 of us in the van, the combination of sore muscles, seat belts, and the cold made sleeping pretty much impossible. By the time our last legs came around we were all pretty drained.
8. Friends don't let friends run 6 miles UPHILL alone - One of our best runners had the toughest leg on the last day which consisted of 10 miles - 6 straight uphill and 4 downhill. After getting a cramp at mile 2 she sucked it up and ran another 3 miles. Although she could have finished it on her own, we as a team jumped in and helped her get to the top of the hill. After getting that short break she was able to finish the leg like the "racehorse" that she is.
9. Walking the Vegas Strip after Ragnar is a bad idea - After finishing the race we planned to check-in to our hotel, get cleaned up, and enjoy a night-out in Vegas. However, when walking to the restaurant for dinner we quickly realized what a horrible idea that really was. I'm sure we looked pretty pathetic hobbling up and down Las Vegas Blvd. Needless to say, our husbands didn't have much to worry about that night. ;-)
10. You quickly forget the low's - I can vividly remember thinking during my last leg that I would NEVER do Ragnar again. In my head I was cursing the girls who dragged me into this thing and couldn't understand why 3 short runs in a 2-day period were kicking my butt so badly. But it didn't take long to forget the pain and be ready to do it again. The weekend was full of high's and low's but all I seem to remember now are the positive experiences.
I think it's pretty safe to say that Ragnar will go down in my book as one of the most memorable experiences of my life. Never before have I walked away from a group event where I have felt so loyal to the people I was with. I hope I have the opportunity to do it again in the future! Go team!
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Everything Tastes Better On A Stick
Let me first say that I've been told many times that I'm not the most "conventional" mom. From wheeling my daughter around in a wheelchair at the airport to dressing her up in doll clothes, I'm very well aware of the fact that I often do weird things to entertain my child.
On one particular day, Maeli "decked" herself out in jewelry right before we went outside to play. When meal time rolled around, she refused to eat because she was too busy playing with a stick. In an effort to get her to eat, I decided to pop the food onto her stick. I know it's not the most sanitary thing, but she was completely enthralled and gobbled the food right up. She then proceeded to eat the entire meal off her stick. I know that the day will soon come when I won't be able to win any battles with this girl so I'd like to make note of this small victory. Until next time, Maeli Grace! 
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