Mixed bag + Happy Halloween

My favorite running song right now is by Gym Class Heroes with Adam Levine..Stereo Hearts. I know it's old but who cares, so am I:) My husband finds it amusing that I walk around rapping. One of my favorite things about running is getting to listen to music that isn't kid friendly.  I love Pink too--yay for angry girl music!  Raise Your Glass is also a fave.

Speaking of running, I picked up this very cool shirt at Academy.  Love!  I feel so tough when I wear it. The cause is close to my heart because some special ladies in my life are fighters.

We're gearing up for Halloween this evening and making final costume preparations....go big or go home!

I have a good friend that always cracks me up with her witty comments.  This was last night's text message discussion about my Halloween costume.

It's supposed to be coooooold so I'm cooking this tonight...I've been dying to make it.

Image and recipe via Pioneer Woman of course

And some friends are joining us -- HAPPY BIRTHDAY JENNIFER!!!!!!

Happy Halloween friends!! Hope you have fun tonight!

The weekend + Sandy stuff

Happy Monday Tuesday friends! I lost a day, it's so hard to keep up:)  First, our family in New York is getting pummeled by Sandy:( But Mr. C talked to them and they are doing fine--just soggy.  This is a picture from the morning before the big part of the storm hit in Centerport, NY where we got married.  We had pictures made right under that sign...and right now it's under water.  Eek!  Just hope everyone is safe:)

So hang in there friends and family:)  We are thinking of you.

I have some pictures to share from the weekend.

1.  If only my legs were as long as my shadow's.
2.  Blood orange sangria from Burger Up {our fave burger joint}. Whoo gracious, it was strong!
3.  The most delicious burger ever:  bison burger with white cheddar, fried red onions, fried jalapenos, romaine, tomato, and honey dijon aioli.  Sinful!!
4.  Fried pickles--impossible to photograph without little fingers digging in.
5.  Chobani addiction.
6.  Leopard jeans and pointy toe shoes (haven't worn those in forever!)
7.  Little man on top of hay bales.
8.  One sinister pumpkin: this was the only face the boys could agree on so I went with it. EEK!
9.  Pillows from a local artisan at the Nashville Flea Market: a dear friend and I went on Friday and had so much fun!  I kid you not, we saw these pillows from across a crowded room and the angels started singing.  I'll post a room update at some point.

Now, if you're still with me, I have a fun story!

I mentioned we ate at Burger Up on Saturday and we were in for some excitement (celebrity sighting!) It was pretty crowded and they have a tiny waiting area so we were elbow to elbow with the people in line in front of us.  Guess who it was??

Scott Hamilton (Olympic gold medal figure skater) and his family and friends.  Y'all know I am a geek about celebrities and I'm easily starstruck.

I did not jump up and down and squeal that I was honored to be in the presence of an Olympic gold medalist and that I am in awe of a world class athlete who has knees strong enough to land countless triple axels when it is all I can do to go for a jog without needing physical therapy.

I did not ask for his autograph and a photo and I did not call my mom and squeal into the phone and ask him to say hello to her. I did not tell him that I watched him win countless figure skating championships on television and dreamed of being a figure skater as a little girl and wearing those beautiful fancy sparkly costumes they get to wear.

I did not mention that I saw him perform on Stars on Ice and that I.am.a.huge.fan.

But I wanted to:)

And that was our excitement for the weekend--even the hubs was grinning.

And did I mention his friend complimented me on how well dressed my children were?  Made me feel good:)!!

Friday Funnies

Family picture outtakes as promised!

The "what are we doing?"...

The "we are tired, silly, and not interested"...

The Calvin Klein...

The "please let me fix your hair"...

The angry grass pull...

And the "we give up" discussion...

Sarah did great but her subjects just weren't cooperating.  Looks like we're in for a re-shoot!

Hope y'all have a fun weekend:)

Hey, look!

I'm over at Social Sara's sharing a couple of favorite things about October... 

{via}

inspired by this...

{via}

See you there!!

Time for random!

I found a new shampoo and conditioner that I love!  (Sorry the picture is strange and out of focus.)

It's Matrix Biolage Exquisite Oil.  I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I loved Moroccan Oil shampoo and conditioner.  I still do, but I like these two too!  Very lightweight and my hair is happy.

Mr. C and I had a datenight at RPR on Monday.  If I was a prisoner on death row their shrimp and grits would be my last meal.  Divine as always:)  I tried to take a picture but as soon as I reached for my phone Mr. C got that uncomfortable look on his face (he HATES food pictures).  So no picture:(  I wore my new top from Forever21 (I love it!), Paige jeans, Stella & Dot jewels, and black suede booties.  Bad picture I know, but I love this shirt!  Hooray for datenights!

I am so glad Andrea told me Claire's sells the hair donut in smaller sizes.  I picked up a few, much easier to manage a small one!

I wash my hands like it's my job (germ-o-phobe!) and they get so chapped.  This handcream from Whole Foods is amazing and smells great.

I picked up my first pair of running pants from GapFit.  And I LOVE them.  They are nice and tight but don't ride up in places where they shouldn't.  I'll be needing more of these!

And that is all for random! Happy Hump Day!

Weekend Update, a day late:)

Friends, I missed you yesterday!  We still had family in town and have been super busy but I'm here to share some fun pics with you today.

First, in my Friday post I wished our friend Ed good luck in the Marine Corps Marathon, thinking it was last Sunday.  I am an idiot.  It is next Sunday.  Good luck Ed--next Sunday!

Now for the weekend!  My husband's parents are lifelong New Yorkers so we took them off to the pumpkin patch for some down home fun.  I'm pretty sure this was Jerry's first time roping a steer.  He did great!

We ate hot dogs, ribbon chips, rode the train, said hi to friends, picked out pumpkins, and drank real Coke (it was ice cold and delicious).  Made some good memories.

The boys love Aunt Sarah.  She lives in Manhattan so it was fun to see her run through a corn maze and ride a John Deere train.

Also fun having another photog around..

Candied pumpkin spiced pecans--SO GOOD!

• Fun hanging with Sarah at dinner!  She ate her first fried pickle, we're turning her into a country girl.
• Channeled Shanna and since I didn't have time to run to Old Navy and buy that vest she wore that I wanted, I cut the sleeves off of last year's safari jacket! HA! And I love it!
• Made Andrea's banana bread.  You have to make it.  It was almost gone within 10 minutes, delicious!  I added chocolate of course.
• We also roasted marshmallows. Mr. C has been wanting a fire pit forever and couldn't resist getting one with his dad in town.  I am looking at this picture wondering what I was thinking letting my 3 year old hold fire?!!?

We made great memories this weekend and I'm exhausted (probably most of all from our attempts at a Christmas picture...I'll share later this week)!  Happy Tuesday gals!

Fashion Friday: Forever 21 love + well wishes

First, let me say I'm glad it's Friday:) SO glad it's Friday.

Next, I love Forever 21 so much.  I went in there yesterday and it's like 1985 never ended.  It's a happy place. I'm loving their sweaters!

1.  Reminds me of Annie's JCrew sweater yesterday.  Perfection!
2.  Just love it.
3.  So cute with boyfriend jeans.  An easy mom shirt.
4.  Sassy + unique.
5.  I love baseball shirts and cannot explain why.  But I want them all.
6.  Just love it.

Two things I picked up for myself recently (what spending freeze?)...

This blouse from Forever 21.  Would love to pair with those wax jeans Jill was talking about.  I know it looks boring in this picture but it's so cute in person. The arms are a soft tee knit and the body is sheer and silky.  Throw on a big chunky necklace and I'm date night ready!

2.  Madewell perfect chambray ex-boyfriend shirt in harvest wash.  Madewell has free shipping right now--plus, use your e-bates for a little cash back.  Win win!  What sells me on the shirt is that it covers the tush and will be so cute with leggings.

In other news -- a good friend of C's is running the Marine Corps Marathon this weekend.  Good luck Ed!!!! Finish strong -- we're cheering for you!! Go Go Go!!!!

via

Last but not least, the in-laws are flying in from New York!  The boys are excited to see Grandma and Grandpa and Aunt Sarah.  We've got big plans; pumpkin patchin', pizza nights, a little Wii Just Dance, and lots of vino:)

Y'all have a great weekend!!

Life lately: running update

What a week this has been.  I haven't posted about running in a while because I've been sidelined.  My knees....still bigtime painful when any weight falls on them.  Physical therapy had me hopeful and after getting the go ahead yesterday to run (after a week off) I hit the trail.  It was amazing to be out there, wind in my face again, music in my ears, just me and nature (oh sweet time to myself), but at mile 2 my right knee felt like it was breaking again.  A runner pal suggested it may be a hairline fracture since PT isn't making improvements--I'm checking in with PT on Friday and probably off to the orthopedist.  I'm bummed!!  I worked so hard to build endurance and I don't want to lose it! But that's okay, I'm reminding myself if Oscar can run

then I have nothing to complain about.  I'm just happy to have found something I love so much and I'm anxious to get back!

Since I decided shopping might make me feel better, I had a fitting at Fleet Feet for a nice new pair of kicks with way more support than my Nike Free's. Not going to lie, I love my Free's (in part because they are so cute) and I'm sad to move on but these New Balance 860's do feel pretty amazing.  I'll admit I wanted to try some fancy pants Brooks sneaks but my girl didn't feel that even their narrow size was narrow enough for my feet.  The NB are super narrow and a great fit, and that's a must!

Some inspiration:)

via

Tasty Tuesday: Lemon bowtie pasta with asparagus and tomatoes

I love asparagus.  In fact I'm a bit obsessed with veggies right now (hopefully that will counterbalance my other obsession with wine and beer:)

Mr. C and I attended a little party on Sunday night and I made this pasta for our sidedish (via Pinterest of course).  I always stress out a bit about food that will travel well and so I thought this was a safe bet.  Plus it was easy and I could make it in advance.  I loved it!  It tasted so fresh and yummy and lite.  Very tasty (although Mr. C suggested bacon would be a nice addition.)

Adapted from A Big Mouthful

12 oz farfalle (bowties)
1 bunch fresh asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 lemon, zested and juiced
4 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 handful fresh parsley, minced
Kosher salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper
Grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Bring 2 pots of water to boil.  In one, cook pasta according to directions.  Drain.  In the other, add asparagus and blanch (about 2-3 minutes).  Place in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process (and keep them green).

Mix olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl.  Stir in bowties, vegetables, and parsley. Sprinkle with parmigiano reggiano.  Can be served warm or cold.

Again, it was yummy -- and simple!  Linking with Tasty Tuesdays.

Scenes from the weekend

Weekends fly by, do they not?  Here's what's been going on here...

I finally wore my peter pan collar shirt to family pizza night on Friday.  This is the reality of trying to take a picture of myself (which is already awkward) while 3 wild boys are in the house.  Take 1;  The hubs decides to do his Risky Business dance.

Take 2.  My children show up to imitate him.  Who's the grown up here?

I tried to do the black dress/brown boot look (thanks Pinterest) on Sunday. My boots are 10 year old JCrew specials and they are a little orangie but I tried.

And....

1.  I found a wine I'm excited to try--named for my birth year, ha!  So old!!  I hope it's good!
2.  New chairs!!!! Finally, we are close to finishing my living room.  It's so overdue.  I'll have a little before and after later this week.  We're not done yet, but close.  It is amazing how giddy a new chair makes me.  I seriously love sitting in this chair!  And we have 2!  Come over for tea please!
3.  A little DIY action.  I really like this on my door but I'm not wild about the font on the C.  I may change it, it was so easy to make.
4.  Stella & Dot spikes.  I've wanted these forever, so glad I pulled the trigger because I LOVE them.

Back to pizza night... we found a New York style pizza place that my husband loves (I do too:) and we go almost every Friday.  Pepperoni for the little boys, eggplant/basil/ricotta for the big people.  So good!

And finally, remember last week when I told you I got the hair donut?  I loved it!  It does make an enormous bun, but..it makes my hair look thick and it's a nice change from the pony tail.  I liked it.  (p.s. that's not lint on my sweater, it's toothpaste on the kids' bathroom mirror, so hard to keep clean!:)

I hope you had a great weekend, can't wait to see what you guys have been up to!  Linking with friends.

Fashion Friday

I'm loving all things plum right now and since this week's Friday's Fancies was about 'leaf' love, I chose this rich, gorgeous color that I'm obsessed with!  I know the silver sort of doesn't relate but I don't care, I love it anyway;)

Madewell scarf // Morgan Prather earrings via Etsy // Loft sweater // Loft skinny jeans 

Frye Paige riding boots

Happy weekend!

Halloween; Costume shopping!

I'm gearing up for Halloween today and shopping for the boys' costumes.  They have been quite clear about what they want to be, Superman and Spiderman.  Party City, here I come!

In the past I've done cheesy family costumes.....

'09 was the Wizard of Oz.  Little C won the neighborhood award for being the scarecrow--I spent hours hot gluing raffia to his collar.  And Mr. C made a fine Tin Man, though at the last minute he put his foot down and RE-fused to wear the funnel hat.  And I've been Dorothy so many times I've lost count.

Last year we did Toy Story.

So the boys made it easy for me--superheros we will be.  I'm thinking CatWoman or WonderWoman for me and the hubs is borrowing a Batman costume.

What are y'all going to be?!

P.S. Party City has a coupon right now on their website or 25% off if you order today:)

New hair care regimen

Today I'm sharing a couple of hair products that have really improved the texture of my hair.  I have naturally curly hair that I blow dry straight, but after my second son was born, my poor hair turned to hay. It used to be soft and shiny and very easy to manage, but no more.  Plus, all the products that I had used for years and loved no longer worked.  It's still a work in progress but these have helped the dry texture tremendously.

Moroccan Oil Moisture Repair Shampoo and Conditioner

here

I was afraid this may be too heavy but so far so good.  I'm loving it!

And this...Alterna Bamboo Shine Silk-Sleek Brilliance Cream (say that 3 times fast)

here

This has become an all time favorite--it adds shine and softness without completely depleting the manageability (which has been my problem with some shine serums, they are just too slick).  This is a good one!

Short and sweet--happy hump day!

P.S.  If you have a hair product you love, please share!