Weekend Review

We wrapped up a long weekend and I actually took advantage of a big, cold rainy day Monday that allowed me to relax. I actually caught up on a few items that I have been wanting for myself I just haven't felt like I've had enough time or the desire. Matt and I have been busy bees trying to combine bills and accounts and other married administrative items -- slowly. If I try to do them all at once I'll lose my mind. 

Anyway, here was a bit of our weekend! 

Friday I ate 3 donuts with icing and sprinkles. Then we went to cheap Mexican for dinner and stopped by our local Starbucks to participate in the World's Largest Starbucks Date. I guess everyone came earlier but it was a nice change from our regular dates and we had a really nice time sitting, chatting and listening to music before getting in bed at the shameful hour of 9 pm on Friday. 

Saturday I ran a 5k with my neighbor - it was really cold but I was very interested to race a short distance and see what my time would be. I wanted a 27 flat. I got a 27:45. Pretty good for me but I definitely think I can improve! 

Our Valentine's Day tradition is Waffle House. From waaayyy back to our first go around at a relationship. It remains a romantic spot for us and we had a lovely meal complete with a heart shaped waffle and a trip to PINKBERRY for dessert. Then we went home and caught up on New Girl episodes. 

Sunday Elise and I had budget friendly brunch at her house (I was over there for 6 hours...oops) and I at least thought to prep a giant crock pot of chili. I had never made this "Biggest Loser Turkey Chili"that I found on Pinterest but it's definitely a winner. We behaved and skipped cornbread Sunday night but I definitely made a Monday batch. Rain and ice deserve cornbread, yes? 

I also tackled my crazy disaster of a closet. I've had that project on the list for weeks. While I worked on that Matt hung up our beautiful new light fixtures in the master bath! I love them! I'll try to get some decent pics soon!! 

{october R & R}

Happy Sunday, my friends! I've dubbed today "do nothing of real consequence Sunday" because I have a day trip to Columbia, SC to see my sweet niece baptized so it didn't seem right to even get into any projects this morning.  And really, after a 10 mile run and numerous home items taken care of yesterday I fell into bed at 9:30 completely unable to finish the FSU v. ND game and fell asleep.  Also - how amazing is it to fall into that bed of freshly washed and bleached sheets and blankets? It's my favorite.  If only someone would go get some groceries for me since Matt isn't coming home from a trip until tomorrow...

I've been doing really well with my vow to be very un-scheduled this month and I feel so much better.   It's really harder than you think it would be! I feel like there are always people you need to see, birthday parties, family events, etc. happening.  Rested, able to focus on my running, able to keep the house in order and spend some quality time with the dogs on the days we are not at work.  

A few things I perused this weekend that I thought I would share with you. 

1. Jess Graves of The Love List put up an October Spotify playlist that is really decent.  Always nice when someone who has the time to devote to music makes me a great playlist because I can't even begin to make time to keep up with the music universe.  

2.  All my runners out there -- you can still register for the Atlanta Thanksgiving Day Races -- they do a 5K and a fun run so don't feel like you have to work too hard on a busy holiday. My pace has been super slow lately but regardless of time it has been fun to get back in really good shape and spend Saturday mornings with The Housewife.  It has also helped keep me honest for the wedding.  

3.   I know my Pug obsession is already out of control but Matt showed me this video one morning before work.  Like one person said -- you may never know as much joy as this man. 

What are you doing this Sunday? I feel like if I wasn't leaving on my day trip it would be a great baking day.

Love you. Mean it. 

~the engaged gal~

Race Recap: Athens Half Marathon

It's getting chilly out there y'all! I'm snuggled in bed taking my first sips of coffee and realized we owe you a race report. October could quite possibly put me in the grave. Our weekends have been off the chain crazy with birthday parties and other things. Well, the only kid birthday party Single Gal attended was #1's, but she has had many social responsibilities as well. The month is not even over yet either.

At the Arch after Packet Pick-Up

As we got closer to the actual day of the race and reviewed some of our training run times, I basically resigned myself to a 2:20-ish finish time. It's not that our training was bad but our times seemed a bit slow for our high hopes of running 2:10. We came to the conclusion that this would just be a fun race and we were happy to be lining up at the start together (and 3 weeks shy of the twins first birthday was a big plus for me). So we joked about our 13 mile "fun run," drank an alcoholic beverage the night before and coffee on the way to the race since we had to get up super early to drive out to Athens. Also note, I bought us matching tank tops on clearance from Target since it had not been terribly cold the last few weeks. We were a bit cold waiting for the race to start but shed our arm warmers quickly.

We started out pretty fast of the first mile, which I knew we would so not a huge deal. We both felt good and I tried to dial us back on our pace but we kept hitting times a good bit faster than our normal pace. The course is hilly at times but has some lengthy down hills, which is where we planned to make up some ground. I was very worried we would "bonk" or hit the wall somewhere around mile 10. We did make the call to stop for a bathroom break around 4.5 miles. There were two port-o-potties but it did not go as quick as we had hoped. Whatever, it's a "fun run". Single Gal was having some side cramping pretty much the entire race but she was gutting it out despite that. I was feeling awesome. We race together, but the deal is, if we need to separate we separate, see you at the finish line or in between. We also keep to a no talking rule, which you would never believe if you ran with us on Saturday mornings. Single Gal kept telling me to go on but I wasn't sure I was ready. We split before the bus barn around 8 miles. Time was looking good for me. I felt great and decided I would just go and worry about bonking when it happened. Never happened. I tried to pull out that 2:10 but just missed it with a 2:11 something. It was the first race I actually felt like I was racing. That I was really going for it and giving it everything I had. Single Gal cruised in at 2:16-ish, still a good race for her.

This was a well supported race and even though the temps were cold, decent spectator support. I really enjoyed their funny signs! " You're running better than the government." I'm really enjoying the half distance right now and while I do think if will run another marathon I don't think it will be in 2014. I do think Single Gal and I will be ready for redemption from Las Vegas 2011 by 2015 though.

XOXO
The Housewife

Sunday Musings

Sunday.  Supposedly the "Day of Rest"...but rather the day of unrest here at The Single Gal casa.  We pushed the long run from Saturday because of #1's birthday party (super cute and a super success if you ask me -- and it was super simple) and I ended up staying late at The Housewife's to spend some extra time with my sister and Mom after the party so not much was accomplished yesterday.  Just under 10 miles in for the day, 1 mile walked with the dogs along with copious amounts of vacuuming and mopping downstairs has left me exhausted and counting the minutes until I can scarf down a gigantic lunch. BUT -- it does feel good to be done with my run and to have conquered a big home chore.  

I really wanted to catch some lake time with my parents before they put their boat away but 3 Putt and I have a charity dinner for a golf tournament he is in tonight and it was just going to make my day to hectic.  I'm trying to learn to say "no". I just can't do ALL the things I want on the weekends and maintain sanity.  I just can't.  

A few things from the weekend...

3 Putt and I had a small wedding reception to attend on Friday night for some of his friends that recently married in the UK.  We decided that we would try Uber Atlanta for the first time.  I have to say -- we really loved it.  All of it. The app, how you can review the drivers, the nice cars -- and the prices were pretty much the same as a cab ride would have been.  If you want $10 off your first Uber ride you can use promotion code 9zddc. 

I saw this on Pinterest and just kind of love it: 

//via//

We are just over 6 days away from Ath Half! I'm not quite sure I'm going to beat my PR from last year due to my lack of strength training and running in some SUPER old, janky sneakers but I do know that it's going to be a lot of fun! It's definitely a race I highly recommend if you are in the Atlanta area. 

In other news, I'm not asking the Universe for cold weather, but some nice sweater + warm beverage weather would be nice.  Help a girl out. 

What did you do this weekend?! Am I the only one wishing for more of a "season change" here in The South? 

~the single gal~

Week in Review {Single Gal Nonsense}

I like how The Housewife thinks she has nonsense to deal with this week. Like she was the only one.  It was quite a week. 

I'm actually going to travel back in time a bit -- because when The Housewife and I were on our weekly long run last Saturday we found a $10 bill on the sidewalk. Pretty random because it wasn't even 8 am. No one was around. We picked it up. We didn't come across anyone looking for something. We cite this as a happy accident and decide it will buy our Starbucks. I give the leftover $4 to Stacy to buy something small for #1. 

I tell you that I am now convinced we were at some weird crossroads and there was nothing but the Devil in that $10 and I am being punished by the Universe for picking it up. 

I mean 3 Putt and I rarely argue about stuff but on Monday there was a BIG blowout that basically started over a bag of dog food.  I may have overreacted but remain firm that I had valid points in the battle as well as 3 Putt. 

Next run -- I fall 1 mile in. Legit wiped out on the sidewalk. Blood all over the palms of my hands, my knee, and my ankle. I obvs just let myself bleed because I wasn't about to ruin a cute running outfit and I wasn't about to skip my 4 miles so I just got up and kept running. 

(Warning -- graphic images to follow.)

Cue stinging hands for days. We are finally starting to heal though. 

Also -- I'm minding my own business and driving to work Wednesday morning. Then I notice my car is overheating.  You can imagine my joy. (I can't even with my summer car issues.) I have a friend look at it and we put some water in it and take it to the nearest shop.  It needs a new radiator. They tried to get me on board with some extra bullcrap but I declined and prayed nothing else would go wrong. And I paid my $373 and went home to put Neosporin on my hands. 

It's a good thing I didn't really like anything from the JCrew order I placed so I will be getting a refund for that.  The car repairs just compound my white girl problems because who knows when I can buy the new running shoes I need for this half marathon and my dreams of a pedicure before the beach this week have sailed. I mean I can't even spend $12 on more brow powder. I have to use old-ass eyeshadow that is too dark. 

Anyway, here is to getting out the kinks in life before vacation. I hope. 

-the single gal-

Prayers from a Runner

If you have followed the blog for any amount of time you know that the Single Gal and I are runners. We always laugh when we think of calling ourselves "runners" because we are not very fast and don't race very often. We are hesitant to use the title because in our minds "runners" are elite, fast and cover many more miles a week than we could ever dream of. They are Boston Qualifiers, Age Groupers and 50 mile finishers, but we know in our hearts we are runners and are part of that community. What is a sad, terrifying and unfortunate event that occurred yesterday is also shocking. A lesson we should still all be very vigilant. Every.single.day. A reminder that yet again, people carry hate in their hearts and are willing to cause damage. As the images also show, their are still many who will run to help. Who will rip down the barriers to care for the injured. Run to the hospital to give blood. Hold on to that.

Today we pray. We will run. We will wear our marathon shirts. I'm thankful the handful of people I know who raced are fine. Some crossed the finish line maybe 10 minutes or so ahead of the explosions.  Next year the Boston Marathon will be greater than ever. The runners will be there, because some people run their whole lives just to qualify for Boston. A good friend asked me if I would never run a marathon again because of this. The answer is, of course I will.

The Single Gal and I will hit the pavement Saturday morning.

The Housewife

"I Work Ouut"

The Housewife here! Shocking I know....twice in one week. Pinterest is all the rage these days and while I'm frantically trying to commit to paint colors for my new house I pinned a treadmill workout. I do quite a bit of "fitness" pinning but to be honest have not really tried anything I've pinned. That is until TODAY.  I was a do-er and not just a pin-er.

via Self Magazine

Y'all this seriously kicked my butt at the gym today. I had to revise it a little because let's face it, I'm not in my fighting shape....yet I managed to do the ladder up to 7.5 but had to recover at a 3.5 pace walking for two minutes and I completed 4 rounds. I cooled down a bit and in 40 minutes my distance was 3.35 miles. I enjoy workouts like this when I'm not training for half-marathon or marathon distances because I'm so focused on watching the time and increasing the speed time just flies by. It's very different from when I have to log anywhere from 7-12 miles on a treadmill. I'm chained to the "dread-mill" because when you have children in the childcare center you can't leave the premises. Makes sense.

So if you need a good change up from logging regular old miles give this a try. It's going to be my new go to while I'm not training for any races. I'm going to try to complete two half-marathons this year, both in the fall. The Single Gal and Turtle had such a good time running the Athens Half we will probably do that one and maybe the Thanksgiving Day Half Marathon. 2014 will be my marathon year. The Single Gal and I are out for lame Las Vegas Marathon of 2011 redemption. We are planning either Chicago or Marine Corps. I will probably vote for Chicago because I ran my PR there and we have a sweet Twitter friend who lives there and runs who made the twins the cutest little hats. Pictures to come!!


Remember, endorphins make you happy. Lets be happy!

The Housewife

Prioritizing

Seriously I have SO many posts listed on a Post It note waiting to be written {pun not intended, but I like it so I am keeping it}.  I am sorry to have been very MIA this weekend but I took the time for an actual weekend at home catching up on numerous items that needed desperate attention --  helping The Housewife with the butter beans {aka babies}, margaritas + cheese dip with a handsome guy, house cleaning, time with Hogan, reading, stocking the pantry and fridge, cooking, dates (!), DVR, etc.  So I was at home a lot, but at the same time doing lots of other stuff.  I will have the second part of my dating post updated this week {I say this so I know I have already committed to the task}.  In truth I  am only waiting because I needed a good chunk of time to sit down and write it, which I haven't had and I want to make sure all the important and good stuff is included.  

I say all of this because I have been doing a lot of thinking about priorities.  As such there has been a lot of re-prioritizing lately.  I realized I tried to take on too much in January.  After trying to work  almost every day to earn some extra money to meet one of my financial goals I woke up one day and realized that training for my half was becoming really difficult.  And not fun.  And that I was working all those days to get rid of some debt so in reality I didn't need to spend another $100 on a race fee and another $100 for new running shoes in the next few weeks.   Something had to give and that was the Publix Half Marathon {sadness}.  This was difficult for me.  I don't like saying "I can't" do this or "I don't have time" for such and such.  Those are lame ass excuses for anything in life {like completing my dating post}; however, I do have to realize when I am overcommitted.   Does anyone ever feel like this? Have any of you had to drop a goal or a commitment to maintain your sanity and your quality of life? 

It's just that I want to be able to do everything I want to and also do it well.  I know this is not realistic -- thanks for the lesson January.  I guess when it came down to it the race didn't make sense in the big picture.  I usually try to pay attention to all the small pictures and hope that this will result in all the big things falling into place,  except I think that I need to work on my perspective a bit.  So there's a good goal for February I think.  

Atlanta is getting pelted with rain AGAIN this week.  It started tonight and more until Wednesday.  Still, I'm determined to have a good week and start looking for some positives like how all these droplets are filling up Lake Lanier and it will be boating season soon {yay!}.  I know it's not a snow storm like in New York blah blah blah - but they have fashion week so who cares? And I thought it was supposed to snow up north so no big, right? Anybody else with me on this? They all seemed fine based on my Instagram feed. 

And while we are dicussing priorities I'll leave you with this...

Love you. Mean it. 

~the single gal~

Wednesday Ramblings and Fun with Some ECards

I had really great intentions of doing my vacation re-cap dureing the week but I wanted to spend some more time on it so it will be sometime this weekend. I have to confess that coming back to work and trying to get back to the grind has drained me a bit {read: I started watching The Bridges of Madison County when I got home from the gym tonight and ran out of time}.  It's always good to get back to the normal routine after vacation but it seems extra hectic with the holidays upon us.   

A few things for this week so far: 

- There was a certain amount of disbelief when I came back to work with an email from TDH that he sent to me on Saturday night...that he hoped I was enjoying NYC and some other crap about the game.  I've been glaring at it in my inbox all week.  It's doubtful I will respond.  It doesn't even come close to an acceptable apology.  Not even close. 

- I am determined to make my master Christmas list and complete all shopping except for small stocking stuffer items by Sunday.  

And seriously I'm not trying to be a Grinch this year but I haven't put any decorations out and I don't think I will.  Ok -- I take that back.  I unpacked my holiday wine glasses.  Those are out and currently in heavy rotation.  I just feel like the holidays are super hard for single people {maybe that's just me}.  It's not that my family isn't close by and that I don't get to see them -- I do and we have Christmas practically all of December -- but it's not the same.   

- In honor of my love for hot chocolate I have signed up for the Atlanta Hot Chocolate 15k {9 mi} for January 13th.  This leaves me a little less than 6 weeks out with not much running since the half  marathon in October so it may not be a stellar performance but I think I can easily handle the distance.  

What are y'all up to this week? What are you tired of? Anyone done with their shopping? Training for any races? 

Love you. Mean it. 

~the single gal~

Saturday Rituals

 I was thinking today about Saturday morning (or weekend) rituals.  I am sure everyone has those few select things that the absolutely must do in their free time so they can regroup for the week ahead.  Sometimes these things are so comforting -- even if it's just getting up early to have some peace and quiet before the rest of the household wakes up!  I am really focused on mine this weekend because I start my new job on Monday, y'all! I am trying really hard not to be nervous but it's difficult. I know that I will have growing pains getting used to a new office as well as a new manager, and I will be in a more advanced position so I have resolved not to be too hard on myself if I make some mistakes in the beginning. I will make them and if I do -- It's not the end of the world.  

This weekend I resolved to enjoy all my favorite rituals so I can focus on the constants in my life but also relax about the new and unexpected (which is really hard for me). 

1. Early morning run with The Housewife! 

I live and die by my Asics.  I also live and die for Saturday morning runs.  With traveling and other commitments The Housewife and I have really fallen off the wagon with our weekly ritual so it was a big priority this weekend.  Today we slept in a bit and met at 7:30 and zipped around our 4 mile loop.  Now that The Housewife has started her family it's one of those times that is truly just for us to chat and work out with each other so it's really important that this happens as much as possible. 

2. Starbucks

Immediately after our run The Housewife and I always stop by our local Starbucks on the way home to grab our coffee.  When we were marathon training we would drag ourselves in after a really hot and sweaty 16 miles in July even though we looked like a mess.  We keep telling ourselves one day we are going to get fixed up and go in that place so they don't think we look that gross all the time.  It still hasn't happened.  But one day...

3. Morning Walk with Hogan

After I run I usually come right home and if weather permits I go ahead and take Hogan on his walk.  I grab my coffee and we make all our loops around the neighborhood in the morning when it's still quiet outside and not too hot. I rarely even take my phone when I am walking with him so that I can make sure we are having quality bonding time and it also helps me just relax and clear my head for the day (or from the day if we are walking at night).  Which I really need lately.  The older I get the more I find I need these quiet moments.


What do you love to do on Saturday or Sunday?! 

Figments of the Single Gal Imagination

Well,  our trip to Vegas is basically here.  The Housewife and I leave on Friday! {gasp!}

The Housewife is clearly not in the same mental position I am in because she already has two 26.2's in the bag {what a beotch}.  I have really been super stressed this last week or so.  I am trying to squeeze in the appropriate amount of workouts so that I will be well rested but enough to feel energized when I get to the big day.  Last week I really wimped out with Thanksgiving visits, cooking, cleaning, etc. so I never really was able to squeeze in much gym time. 

I have been trying to get some really good mental images in my head to help me think positively but this week I am also trying to reflect on my journey and other things I have learned (don't worry--no more pictures of me in tiny shorts, I promise). 

{other things I have learned}  

Don't ever say this to yourself or you might not make it through all the training: 

"Oh, I will train for a marathon...then I will look like that chick in the Victoria's Secret catalogue!" or "In 5 months I will straight up look like that bitch Giselle. Eat your heart out Tom Brady -- you could have been with me instead!" 

{mental image of what you may look like after you marathon train}

And...in reality, you just look the same if you are me. Sure, you changed your insides. I can outrun people. I can climb more stairs than most without fatiguing. Blah, blah, blah. Every once in a while I can eat a whole pizza if I want when I run 20 miles.  I may have lost 1 pound.  ONE.  My hair didn't even fuller and thicker either. Lame.  

{BUT...}

I have had the best time with The Housewife these last few months!  People always ask how we are able to run for 3 1/2 hours on our long run days,  but we just hit the road and talk each other to death like any normal day or outing.  On really good days, sometimes we barely even notice we are running.  You can do anything with your best friend beside you supporting you and loving you the whole way through and that is an incredibly rewarding experience even if you don't get your Victoria's Secret angel wings. 

There is no way I could have done this without The Housewife. She is the master of discipline and the best training partner this Single Gal could ever ask for.  And, I think she is even a little surprised that I made it this far.  (Ok, let's be honest...I am surprised, too.)  

Hope y'all are having an inspirational week and gearing up for some new goals in 2012! I am not sure how I will top this one but I sure am going to try next year. 

Love you. Mean it. 

~the single gal~

As God As My Witness...This Single Gal Will Never Go Hungry Again -- Well, Not This Week Anyway.

First off, many thanks to The Housewife for keeping the blog up and going for basically all of
October. This last month has been incredibly busy with training/complaining about training,
social activities, family stuff, etc.

I have been going non-stop for the last few weeks -- and I am exhausted.  Not
Scarlet O’Hara I-Lived-Through-The-Civil-War exhausted, but pretty close. I haven’t
been able to properly devote as much time as needed to my training this month
(Dear. Jesus. When. Can. I. Stop. Training. And. Run. This. Race. OMG.) 16 miles on the pavement this morning and our last 20 miles next week. We are in our training “peak”and it hasn’t worked out well with all the family activities, engagement parties, birthday parties, and squeezing in much needed time with The Housewife and our girlfriends that all ended up happening in the month of October. I tried my best to be everywhere and pretty much accomplished that goal.

So this weekend I gratefully fell into the black hole of “I’m {Happily} Not Leaving the House
(Except to Run and Maybe Go To Starbucks)” syndrome...or, we could dub this weekend -- “The Weekend I Finally Made Stuff from Pinterest!”

Since I am sick of microwaving almost all my Single Gal Meals I happily dusted off the crock pot and actually made a real meal (I am just as shocked as you are, trust.). One that I might be able to finish by Friday.

{chicken taco chili}

 

I ate this while having several severe heart attacks during the GA/FL game on Saturday. It
needed more chili powder and maybe some Tabasco to really get a good flavor, but since this
was my first try I’ll call it a sloppy win-- just like The Dawgs had this weekend. Georgia played some seriously sloppy football but thankfully ended up with a W.

And if you are wondering what I will be eating the rest of the week...

I also snagged this recipe off of Pinterest as well to try this weekend:

{pumpkin scones}

I am not sure why this picture is blurry.

 

Ok, these mis-shaped triangles of goodness don’t exactly look like they fell out of Southern Living Magazine, but they were delicious! And, as this example shows, no matter what they look like just throw them on a fancy plate, drizzle them with spiced glaze and ta-dah! 

Scones aren’t always my favorite because they are kind of crunchy and can be a bit dry but the spiced glaze really adds a lot to this fall pastry.  My house also smelled wonderful this morning while they were baking away in the oven.

{currently reading}

And, for those who may care about literature I also finished the book Dracula In Love by Karen Essex and managed to get more than halfway through a new book, The Silent Governess by Julie Klassen on my Kindle this weekend! I might even finish it tonight!!  I am not huge on book reviews so I have just linked them up to Amazon for your perusal.  I enjoyed/am enjoying both but they weren't/aren't 5 stars or anything.  

I love cooler weather where you want to cuddle up with the dog and your chicken taco chili and read all day!

Love you. Mean it. 

~Incredibly Productive Single Gal~

Gear Up

Our weekly mileage is really creeping up into serious double digits these days. We will probably be looking at 30-40ish miles per week until a few weeks before the marathon. It's only right that we share some of the things we love that help us through those long (and sometimes short) workouts. I'm not going to post our specific running shoes for one reason; you need to be fit for the shoe that is good for YOU (no more picking shoes because they're pretty). We recommend going to a local running store that specializes in this and they can hook you up with shoes that are like running on clouds.

shoe that fits you

Again, everyone is different but if you're going long you need fuel. This would include a fuel belt and getting calories back into your body. I prefer a larger water bottle instead of four little tiny ones. That little bottle attached to it is to fill with gel (see below) so you don't have 400 gel packs and trash to get rid of while you are running. We certainly don't condone littering on this blog people. Save the planet. 

Nathan Elite Plus Fuel Belt

Power Bar Gel Strawberry Banana

This is our flavor of preference because I can't seem to stomach the Vanilla flavored ones at all.......or anything chocolate for that matter either. This flavor also has caffeine in it.........and who wouldn't like a hit of caffeine when you're running insane amounts of miles??? Also, when you buy these at the grocery store it never fails that the cashier will question what they are and what the heck they are for. 

Last but not least the infamous Nike Tempo Track Shorts are the go-to for us when we are out sweating to the oldies.  It's hot in Georgia most of the time and hey, you really need something that dries out fast if you sweat like we do!  These are awesome and worth the money.

And here's the PS for you. I won't explain it; I'll just let you figure it out. This is a must have product though. Trust me. 

Happy Running! What products do you love? Can't live without something? Let us know! Also, anyone know much or tried these Sweaty Bands headbands? We have read great reviews but still don't believe there is a headband out there this cute that doesn't slip!

~The Single Gal and The Housewife~

Sunday Funday = Monday Bumday

The Housewife has seriously been wearing me out with all this running! I was so tired from 17 miles on Saturday that I made a lackluster attempt at having a few cold ones on Saturday while we were watching football (Sooooo sad about The Dawgs!).  On top of that I was a little overzealous yesterday when I was @Phipps Plaza patio lunching and shopping with my bestie EBM (does it get any better?). Ok, I was really overzealous.  A bottle of wine and 1 vodka soda later we happily ate our Tavern Chips and cruised the mall for hours.  Except that I felt like utter, complete poop today at work.  Seriously--I think I drove into work with the sweats at 7 this morning. I had to put the air conditioner on full blast for my entire commute. And I am a morning person tried and true.

No joke, this was the brand of Sauv Blanc we were drinking.  Should have listened to that label -- but this could be a legitimate instance where "no means yes". 

In reality, other than the accomplishment of the longest run of my life (to date) it was really not a productive weekend for The Single Gal -- unless you count the awesome Lilly Pulitzer sale items I snagged at Belk. A lot of DVR was conquered, some laundry, and a serious day o' fun with a friend on Sunday.  But here are few things I totes meant to put up last week when I never got around to blogging. 

Found a new Essie color -- "Over the Edge"! I am seriously obsessed with all things gray and this shade is so gunmetal without being too Twilight...I think. What are your thoughts -- is it too "Sons of Anarchy"? Does my hand look fat because I cut part of it off in this photo?

Starting a new collection for the gold stack. Sure, would I love all the new Michael Kors stuff? Cha. But Hogan would be starving if I bought any of them. And me too, probably. These beauties can be found at your local Forever 21 store. I know the panthers/jaguars/whatever that is are kind of out there. Fashion is hard y'all. I'm taking some chances these days.

Also, currently reading and fairly disappointed in the following:

One Day by David Nicholls

 

Now I'm off to prep some beach necessities for The Housewife -- ironing some cover-ups for her and making a pile of goodies for her to wear while on her vacay.  Now that I am back from St. Simons and most lake days and pool days are gone with the advent of Fall it is only fitting I send them with her for one last voyage.  After all, all good things must come to an end -- even this blazing hot summer we have had in Georgia this year.  

Fall Fridays

I don't know about everyone else but I'm really enjoying the return of college football, cooler weather and seem to have a hankering to bake bake bake! I was very disappointed to discover that the grocery store wasn't stocking any canned pumpkin yet. I've been waiting to make some fabulous pumpkin bread but had to settle for banana bread.

Pumpkin Bread Courtesy of Simply Recipes 

I forgot how September is almost sports "overload" with the start of football, trying to keep up with the potential wild card teams for baseball and the US Open. I think my head was spinning from all of the activity last weekend. I know I should watch the news in the morning but it's just so depressing I have now defaulted to Mike and Mike on ESPN (Greene is so cute). 

I promise to put up #1's handmade dress soon. It's almost done. We've had some factory mechanical issues over here in the Housewife household but I'm holding strong on the winning end of them. I will be sending my beloved vintage girl off for some servicing TLC next week so she can be in tip top shape. Besides I am also itching to do a fall applique for her like this:

We need something cute to go to the pumpkin patch this year. We didn't make it last year since she was about two weeks old. I will preface this by the fact that I may have my friend help me who actually has an embroidery machine but my machine can applique too. I'm in love with my new hobby in case you didn't notice.

What's everyone else been up to? Are you enjoying the temperature dips and tailgating? Anyone running  more like the Single Gal and myself? We will be the first to tell you we are SO very glad about these awesome running temps for our early morning Saturday runs (followed by an iced coffee from Starbucks of course). I hope they stick around.

The Housewife