Baby Miller's Gender Reveal!

I always had it in mind that I would not find out the gender of my baby until the baby was born. My husband wanted to know as soon as he could. Through the wonderful world of pinterest and facebook I learned about gender reveal parties. I like to make anything into a party! I also like things to be memorable and special. My husband also wanted to know the sex before the big reveal with family. I had a very hard time with this... I felt like I would be able to figure out the gender by his reaction. I backed off and hoped he would change his mind, but the week of our appointment I battled again! We shook on him finding out before the reveal if the second baby we don't find out until the baby's birth!

When we got to the doctor's office he asked the tech to write the sex down and put it in an envelope (which he could have given the sealed envelope to the people at Party City and they would put the correct color of balloons in the box). He said he was going to look at it right before he got the balloons that would be released from the box I decorated. He said he was at least going to wait until I went back to work. All afternoon I hoped he had changed his mind to wait and find out with me. But he didn't. We went to the doctor on Friday and our party was on Sunday. He said he almost slipped up several times and that he thought he could have waited to find out with me.

I really couldn't tell and only thought he might have messed up one thing he said about the baby but we were talking about other people too so it wasn't a dead give away. I just thought about how it's like when you tell someone to buy you one of two things for Christmas, you know what gifts you might get, just not which one!

Our party was so much fun! I of course had fun doing lots of projects and then getting everyone together! We did a diaper raffle as well. Anyone that brought diapers entered the drawing for a sweet prize--a night out at the movies with candy and Topsy's popcorn! If they brought more than one pack of diapers they got to enter their name again!

 

I just love love love the balloon display, from Special Events in Blue Springs.They do parties and cute accessories!

Cast your vote!

The invite was created for me by the same designer that did so many things for my wedding:

 Kim Totty

 I'm pretty proud of this little banner I made out of scrapbook paper. I traced some cute letters I got at Hobby Lobby and hung it on jute with the clothespins that people wore to show their vote. My hubby even called this banner cute!

The votes were even just before the reveal!

Team Blue

Team Pink

 The Reveal!!!

 It's a girl!!!

 Mommy's excited! Daddy's in trouble (:

My cousin was pretty certain it was a girl! She bought a boy outfit too, but this was the set of outfits I wanted to go buy if it was a girl!

All of our family and friends loved this party! We had a great day, got lots of diapers and celebrated our baby!

Thrifting... repurpose

I have become quite the thrifter! It all started because I was really getting my kitchen organized. My husband also built me a pantry. In preparation for the pantry I wanted to find some containers and baskets to better organize items in the pantry. {side note--I just love that pantry! I need to post about it}
This post is about a couple of items that are finished. I've already done quite a few projects, but they aren't ready to post yet!

Some of the containers I got for organizing did not need anything but a trip through the dishwasher. I found this canister set and saw some potential. Nice solid wood and heavy glass containers that sealed really well.

This is also my first successful distressing project. After one coat of black paint, it was just too black, and not the look I had imagined.

My hubby sawed off the tops, I had already taken off the knobs that were on two of the canisters. Then the tops got a coat of chalkboard paint... and tada!

I really love this little set!

So here is my candle holder inspiration... I loved the colors, but I have orange in my kitchen. This also inspired my grey and organe kitchen.

Here's what I found at the first thrift store I looked... there's tons of gold decor at the thrift stores. All they need is some paint!

[BEFORE]

[AFTER]

Just a different color makes the world of difference. I am ready to tackle furniture now! There are such great deals on good wood furniture... with a coat of paint and new hardware they are good as new! And you get a super good deal on something that could be as unique as you choose! 

What color candle sticks should I get??

{diet} Dr. Pepper Cake

Diet Dr. Pepper Cake

Oh my goodness.. this cake is so good! I am not big on red velvet cake, but I saw this recipe on pinterest a while back and thought about making it from time to time. It's weight watchers style. I used lite, diet, sugar free ingredients. It does not taste diet AT ALL! Make for others or make it for just any time. It doesn't take long and it's super easy to throw together... believe me you won't be disappointed. Plus you'll have less guilt. I can't won't even tell you how much of this cake I ate on the first day!

Ingredients:
cake
1 box red velvet cake
8 oz Diet Dr. Pepper
topping
8 oz container lite cool whip (there is also low fat or sugar free options)
sugar free cheesecake jell-o pudding
2 cups milk (I used 1% because that's what we drink, but skim would make it even lighter!)

recipe from: Dr. Pepper cake weight watchers style

nice and red and thick!

I almost thought it might need a little more DP

mix Diet Dr. Pepper and cake mix together

bake at 350 for 30 minutes

it doesn't rise as high as a regular cake, I thought I might have cooked it too long,

but after it gets the topping it is so moist!

Tada!

For the topping mix the milk and pudding until it thickens, then spread it on top of the completely cooled cake. Next spread the cool whip on! Store in the refrigerator.

I think you could do other cake and pudding combos... I might try a different combination sometime, but I really love this one!

Wonderful Half Marathon Experience!

When I signed up for the half marathon I was thinking I might be a little crazy (well half crazy as they say). When it came time to actually begin the 12 week training plan I found, I was still working a weekend job and it just took everything out of me to work 7 days a week. I was tired all the time and I was not happy. I was especially not motivated to run a whole lot! The first three weeks I was just not doing everything right. I had heard about running for 3 minutes and then walking 1 minute. That seemed ok at first. I'm sure it's a great way for anyone to run a race especially a very long distance. But I just felt like I wasn't really getting much out of it. Since I had skipped the first 3 weeks of actual training I looked to see how you train in 8 or 9 weeks. I found this training schedule from Fitness Magazine. I followed it pretty closely. I really enjoyed swimming for cross training.

While I was not really into the training, I thought how in the heck am I going to complete this 13.1 miles?? After I ran 5 miles I was getting more confidence. I met two girls at a 10k that were running a half marathon the same weekend as mine. We did our long runs together. It helped so much! I don't know how I would have stuck with it on my own! The 8 mile run was the hardest as crazy as that sounds! I was sore all over my body for about 3 days! After that it was my knees and ankles that would be very sore and my body would get stiff after sitting for too long. Before the 5 miles and meeting friends to run with I really had my doubts. But I continued to tell myself I could do it!

Some things that helped along the way especially for long runs

Garmin forerunner gives pace, time, miles and heart rate

energy shot bloks (the black cherry flavor is my favorite) there are other types of chews or gels at dick's sporting goods by the registers

I really like running in shorts, but for the long distance unfortunately chafing is something many people experience. These little pants are great for running, light weight and nothing rubbing together lol! These are by Champion at Target-Cardio Capris.

Preparing for the big day!

I constantly thought positively about the race and envisioned myself finishing! I looked up tips and what to eat and all that jazz. It got exciting each weekend after my long runs. The higher the miles got the better I felt and I knew I could do it! Based on my training for the long runs I thought a good goal was 2 hours and 30 minutes. I ran slower with the girls I met for the long runs, I also wanted to be able to last the whole time. But I almost thought 2 hours and 30 minutes was a little too ambitious after some of my long runs!

here's a great blog with tips and another woman's experience

I tried to eat very healthy carbs for my carb loading the night before

I also drank powerade and plenty of water throughout the day

penne with white beans and spinach

grilled veggies in a foil pack

Finally the day of the race came!
 In the morning I had oatmeal and half a banana with dab of peanut butter on each slice. I sipped on a half a glass of water the whole ride there... which was about an hour and ten minutes! We got there pretty early because I had to pick up my packet since it was so far away (the line was long!). After I got my packet and got ready I only had about 20 minutes before the race started. I thought I would try to use the restroom, but there were about 30 porta potty's with lines of over 50 people at each one. I didn't feel like I really had to go. Luckily there were stops along the way. I waited til I was about halfway through and there was no line before I went to the potty! (didn't want to add too much time to the clock!!)

 All ready to go! I barely grabbed that jacket before we left.I knew it was cold before we left, but it was so cold and windy when we got there!!!

And after I crossed the finish line! I look a little different... very tired looking. But I was so happy!!
The little clif shot bloks helped! I had 2 before the race, 1 between mile 4-5 and 2 more around miles 9-10!

2 hours and 23 minutes was my time!!! My pace stayed between 10-11 minutes/mile. I was so surprised! For a while I was running right at 10 minutes/mile!
The time seemed to go by really fast, but when I thought back to the beginning it seemed like forever ago!
{I ditched the jacket around mile 10 thinking it would be easy to find, but I didn't know my way around the course or the town... so it's gone forever}

Since we were in downtown Lawrence we went looking for a good restaurant. We stopped at a breakfast/brunch/lunch type of place. Nothing really sounded good to anyone so we waited until 11 for some other places to open. I had plenty of drinks (:

 coffee and mimosa were good!

 {cheers to me!}

we wanted pizza but the place still wasn't open so we went to a burger place and then had a cupcake at a little bakery! we looked at lots of little shops and kept me moving for a while. I got really stiff after the long ride home! then I laid down for a nap and when I was barely able to move when I got up!

I'm ready for some 13.1 gear!

 

stamped metal necklace {from etsy}

run like a girl! 13.1 {from cafepress} 

I will definitely run another half marathon.. it made me feel like I can accomplish anything I set my mind to
so maybe... just maybe I can do a full marathon someday!

Thanks to all for the well wishes and support!!! This has made me feel very empowered!

Support for Drumm Farm

I started a fundraiser for the Drumm Run to support the children in foster care at Drumm Farm. I have worked with many children in foster care. It can be very difficult especially when kids go to different homes or are separated from their siblings. Drumm Farm provides a wonderful place for children while they are unfortunately in foster care. I will be running the 10k. Please help with any amount of money you can donate! Here is a link and there is a badge right here on my blog that makes it easy to donate! Thank you very much!
http://drummfarm.givezooks.com/grassroots_fundraisers/stephanie-miller

 Drumm Farm's Commitment

Mission Statement

To provide family-style homes for foster children and be a center for services to foster families.

Our Goals

To provide stable, nurturing family life and opportunities for personal growth.

To keep siblings together.

To stop the cycle of frequent and disruptive placement changes.

To leverage our resources and maximize our impact on foster children's lives through alliances with like-minded organizations.

Lent

I have been eyeing this NO JUNK FOOD CHALLENGE for a while...

and you know I just haven't done it. I always say I'll start on another day or that would just be way too hard.

I would like to see the difference though. And Instead of just 21 days I would like to do it for Lent. Last year for Lent I gave up sweets... very general. But I did it! Most of the things on the list were things included in the "sweets" that I gave up. I already decided not to eat fast food at the beginning of last year, and man I wish I would have kept up with that. At the end of 2010 I noticed I was picking up fast food pretty often. I'm fine without it, but after you eat it once a week or a few times a month the habit becomes easy to get it a couple times a week. Fast food just has so many calories and fat... and sodium and everything that is bad for you. There are better choices than others but when you're at McDonald's you would probably pick the fries over apple slices as your side. And pop just tastes so good with that food. I love pop and that was another thing I had just given up at the beginning of last year. But before Lent I still ate candy all the time. There were no changes in my body. When I drink pop I have one, when I eat candy I consume so many more calories than I would in one pop. Pop still isn't that good for you, but it was just silly that I thought oh I gave up fast food and pop (which are way easier for me to give up than candy) but continued to eat candy. Candy is like a drug for me. I am seriously like a crack addict when I say I'll quit and don't even get halfway through the day without caving in.

We always seem to have a reason why we can't quit eating bad food. Our lives' seem to revolve around food. Holidays... any celebration... stress... even sad events. We always have to have food! It's one of the things we can afford to enjoy ourselves. It's how we think we are showing love, it's what brings us together often.

But I can change all that for myself. Being healthy takes a little more preparation. And you have to say no. Or make the best choices you can in certain situations.

"Lent is a season of soul-searching and repentance. It is a season for reflection and taking stock."

When I gave up sweets for Lent last year it was more of a commitment. Someone recently asked me why not do it for myself. Which I do want to do it for myself... but it felt like I could give up sweets for Jesus because he gave up so much more for us. This year I would also like to learn more about Lent. I have been trying to find a church as well. I don't know that much about religion and the stories in the bible.

From some of the things I am reading on the internet it seems that some people don't understand why Christians give something up for Lent. It is about self-discipline and the abstinence of something should be a sacrifice. It isn't supposed to be easy.

The quote above is important to me and what I would like to give up because I do feel that I have an addiction to sweets and I don't understand why I eat so much candy and always want it. I know it tastes good and everything. A lot of people eat sweets.

• Sometimes I eat and eat candy because I think it tastes so good.
• Sometimes I eat and eat candy because I say I'm not going to eat it anymore and I need to get rid of it.
•  (I have more recently thrown candy away when I say I'm not going to eat it anymore, but then the next day or so I'm getting more)
• I have noticed that sometimes when I'm just eating and eating the candy I feel bad/ashamed that I did it, and I know I am eating a feeling of stress or unhappiness. Knowing that I ate so much candy along with how it effects my weight makes me feel so bad and so mad at myself.

It really is a habit as well. Once I completely stop I am okay. If I give myself enough time to make not eating candy a habit I can think about it more if I crave it and say no. Lately I just haven't given myself enough of a chance. Candy is something I need to just stop. I haven't found the happy medium or any kind of balance with it. I always eat too much.

But for Lent I will be soul-searching and reflecting.. why I can't control myself with candy and what really makes me happy. I want to explore what I would like to do in life. I will be focusing on my half marathon and getting fit. There are many things I would like to do to organize my house and projects I would like to complete. There are many things I need to focus on in my life and maybe candy has been an escape. I may need to accept the fact that I may not be able to eat candy. I love cookies, cake, brownies and ice cream as well. But I just don't over do it as much with those as I do with candy. Candy is small and easy to access.

Sundays are skipped in the Lent season and not counted in the 40 days. So I may have ice cream with my husband on Sundays or choose one thing that I cannot have. But probably not candy. I'm definitely not strong enough and I don't think I'll find that happy medium or balance any time soon. I haven't seemed to find that balance for the past 26 years!

Anyone giving anything up for Lent?

No More Excuses!

So I pin a bunch of fitness things... quotes... exercises... ideas galore. And what exactly do I do about it?

Ugh....NOTHING!

You would think a weight loss challenge at work and training for a half marathon would be motivation enough. But for some reason I'm just not doing what I need to do. I have lost weight before and I know how to do it. I lost a few pounds at the beginning of the challenge at work and just stopped doing things that aide in weight loss! Sometimes I just don't want to eat healthy (in a whiny voice)

WELL...GET OVER IT!

I am the only one that can do something about it. I am changing some things in my life that I see as obstacles for my weight loss goals and half marathon training.

I also need to get in a different mindset

and that mind set is...

pretty simple...

I always look at the fitness section of pinterest and I think looking at those pins, instead of the extremely delicious looking treat pins, that it will give me motivation. But I decided to follow up on some of my pins. I noticed that I pinned the same thing twice (an ab workout) I guess I didn't ever try it! I thought if I put some of the images together on a blog it would help me organize all of my fitness goals.

I know everyone says... it's important to be healthy not just skinny. I want to be both. I want to feel good about myself and not be out of control with eating and not exercising. I want to be healthy and make these habits for the rest of my life. But I want to like the way I look as well... I'm probably pretty healthy right now, but I'm not happy with my body and I don't want to be saying "I need to lose weight... exercise.. eat better" all my life. I don't want to be a broken record. It probably sounds negative to some, even though many people also say it all the time. I don't want to always have this to complain about.

I like exercising. I want to be active all my life. I don't know why I let being tired or the time of day stop me from exercising... I waste an hour a day on a TV show that I don't care about or surfing the internet. I have the time... pretty much every day!



I REALLY LOVE THIS QUOTE!

so here's to the habit!

I know what to eat... and definitely what I shouldn't eat. I love sweets in general, but I'm a candy addict... I think weight watchers is a rehab for people addicted to food. I just don't want to go to weight watchers. I know I can do it... It's just mind over matter. When I set my mind to something I DO IT! I just need to get serious again.

Sometimes I think I'm doing good and can have the things I shouldn't...

FRUIT

it's sweet right?

100 healthy snacks!

I NEED TO EAT MY VEGGIES!

How simple is a salad?

I'm doing this mainly for me... it's not that I'm doing it for someone else in particular. But for my future and for the family I hope to have some day. I want to be healthy for them. I hope I can be a good example for others and be a partner for anyone else wanting to reach similar goals.

I'm doing this blog for my own inspiration and hopefully I can inspire others.

This is a great visual for me. All my goals for health and fitness are right here!

GO ME!

I appreciate the support I do have from friends and family.. but it's ultimately up to me.

Here are a few more motivational images for my personal goals