Peace Pipes, Friday Five + Photo Challenge

Hello! 

Good morning! I hope you're have a great Friday so far! Only 8 hours away from the weekend--yeah! Tonight Andy's coming over and then tomorrow will be spent hitting up the gym, cooking, and cleaning like crazy for my party! Ahh!

Mini Asthma Attack

Yesterday I ended up taking an unexpected half day from work--the past few days have had my asthma all riled up and I awoke Thursday morning hardly able to breathe normally. I pushed through the first few hours of work, but when 10:30am hit, I knew I had to go in to get a nebulizer treatment. I had this happen a few years ago (on Halloween, actually) and a neb session is usually the only thing that makes it better. 

Catching up on Real Simple while at the appointment

The beast

My peace pipe! 

I have exercise-induced asthma but over the past few years, it has really settled down a lot. When I mentioned the fact that I haven't been doing a lot at the gym lately, my doctor mentioned that stress and changes in seasons can also bring it on. 

Luckily she sent me home with a new inhaler so hopefully that and some rest will do the trick! This little device helps to open up my lungs so I can get enough air with each breathe--kind of important!


The Friday Five

Remember our fun little game from last week? Here we go again! 

1.  What I’m Reading:
Still working on the Shack--I have to admit, I'm only a couple chapters in so far! Normally I'm a fast reader, but with all of this wedding and work business going on, I've found myself swamped lately. 

A little Laura!

2.  What I’m Listening To:
Last weekend I headed over to Andy's house to work on our wedding slideshow. Naturally, I listened to the songs that are in the movie over and over again trying to perfect it. The song that I chose to be played during my "growing up" pictures is What It Means to Be Loved by Mark Schultz (just the second half of the song, though!). However, after chatting with Andy last night, I might be changing it to that "Cinderella" song by Steven Curtis Chapman...any thoughts on this?

3.  What I’m Watching:
Still watching season 2 of Grey's! Most nights I watch an episode before bed but end up drifting off to sleep before the episode ends...which means I've been watching the same episode for the past 3 nights...one of these days I'll get through the whole thing!

My all-time favorite flavor

Apple Straws!

Moose Lake Fudge Froyo's best part = mini peanut butter cups

4. What I’m Eating:
Ice cream has definitely been worked into the menu for this week! mmm, so delicious and something I rarely purchase at the grocery store. Other snacks of note include copious amounts of Apple Straws, and various Luna/Clif bars since they're my go-to snack when I'm rushing around.

5.  What I’m Pinning:
Check out this neat idea--you slice up one of your wedding invitations, place the strips in a glass ball ornament, and hang it on your tree to symbolize your first Christmas together. How cute!


Photo Challenge Day 2: 


What I wore:
(Click here to see yesterday's photo challenge)

Target ruffle tank, Target cardigan, and khakis, story of my life. Please note how well I blend in with my bathroom...

I also wore this outfit for Valentine's day this year...my hair looked better on that day though. However, I blow dried and straightened my hair today! I haven't done that in a long time; I kind of forgot I actually had bangs since they've been hidden by headbands. But really, let's face it, my hair will be up in a ponytail by 10am...


Off to the office! Have a super day!


Do you suffer from asthma? 
What are you pinning this week?
What song should I use during our slideshow? Also, Andy is having a hard time finding a song to play during his little boy pictures...any ideas?

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 1

Good morning, bloggers! 

So, last month I grabbed this from a blog I was reading and then forgot to start it on my blog. Since it was awhile ago, I can't remember whose blog I got the image and idea from, so if it was yours--please speak up in the comments! 

Here we go! Feel free to play along on your blog!

Day1: Self Portrait

This is an illustration that I made a long, long time ago but it's still me (when I had much shorter hair!). Vector illustration is one of my favorite pastimes and I hope to emerge myself back into it soon--I miss creating my little characters and scenes from my imagination. It truly is one of my passions--one that allows me to turn up Pandora and lose myself for a couple of hours while creating something new.

Want to play along in the photo challenge?

What is something that you are super passionate about? 

Do you have a favorite photo that sums you up to a tee?

Let's Talk in Tangents, Okay?

Good morning, friends!

Fall is here! 

So far The Shack is pretty good!

Hope you are doing well on this mid-week marker! I'm super excited for this week to fly by because this Saturday is my bachelorette party with my friends! Since the whole "let's bar hop and be super obnoxious" isn't really my thing, Andrea is throwing a "girl's night" themed party at my place instead. It'll be great to see a bunch of friends that I haven't seen for awhile--some since college.

So, I just got all excited because I thought I heard thunder, and when I looked out my window, I realized it was my neighbor rolling his trash bin down to the curb...killjoy.

Is it sad that I get more excited about the food photography and design/layout of Target mailers than I do about the coupons that are inside? Either way, I always save these mailers in my inspiration file. Speaking of which, I'll have to do a post on that sometime in the future--I keep a filing system of design ideas that I've come across over the years. It's a great resource when you're stuck on a project and need a fresh idea!

A thank-you card I drew for my mother-in-law after she showered me with a ton of gifts a few weeks ago. I'm so excited to be using my new kitchen gadgets! Now if only she'll share her recipe for pumpkin bread...that stuff is so delicious!

My mom and I always grab a free Starbucks coffee after trading in the empty bags whenever we run errands! This past weekend we added a pump of Pumpkin Spice syrup into them and it sure was delicious for a chilly fall morning!

We were on a mission to figure out the wedding table centerpieces and the wedding cake! We left rather inspired and hope to go flower shopping within the next week or so to get that item checked off of the wedding to-do list.

Car snacks en route to my bridal shower. A string cheese was also consumed along the way.

Reading blogs on my mom's phone during the ride--it made the time fly by! Now I just need to get my hands on a smart phone!

Pumpkin bread and some pretty flowers that are adorning my kitchen counter this week! 

Finally took 5 minutes to clean out my purse--makes for a less stressful day since I don't have to dig around for everything. It's funny how my phone always seems to sneak to the bottom of my purse--it makes it hard to find when it rings! To see what I keep in my purse, you may read about it here.

Mid-afternoon snack before getting my tires rotated and hitting up the grocery store!

What in the world?!

Last night's dinner: Trader Joe's Roasted Red Pepper + Tomato soup and a side of multigrain bread. I just love soups on cold nights...this was my first time trying this soup and I loved it--I'll definitely be picking this up again soon.

I also picked this up at TJ's...I wasn't sure what to expect from it...it's dairy-free and I didn't realize that until after I got home. I guess that's what sorbet means...? 

However, it was actually really good! It tasted like a fudge bar (remember those from when you were a kid?!) and is just slightly less creamy than regular ice cream. It also has a very strong dark chocolate flavor--mmm, it definitely hit the spot! 

Dippin' Ketchup

source

While riding the elliptical the other day at the gym, I saw this new product being introduced on the evening news and I was intrigued. Heinz just launched new ketchup packets that you can either dip your food into or you can tear the opposite end and squeeze it onto your food or plate. How nifty! Have you seen these at fast food places yet?

Ever had dairy-free "ice cream"?
Have you seen or tried the new ketchup packets?
Favorite thing to put ketchup on? Sweet potato fries for me!

The Wee Hours

Hello, friends.

I'm not sure whether to say good evening or good morning...for some reason I've been up since 3:10am...ahh. So, rather than continue to toss and turn, I'm reading blogs in bed.

At 4:43 on a Saturday morning. Awesome.

Today's agenda includes a bridal shower at my mother-in-law's house, flower shopping with my mom, and hopefully getting some much-needed groceries. You may view the recap of my first bridal shower by clicking here. The temp is only going to be 65* today, so I'm trying to decide if it is too cold for a dress. Are pants too casual for a bridal shower?

Speaking of cold weather, I recently packed up my summer clothes and put them up on one of the high shelves in the closet to save them for next year. Somewhat bittersweet that summer is over, but at now there are new things to look forward to on the wardrobe front: sweaters, scarves, and boots!

Alright, off to go make one of these before heading back to sleep--I'm starving!

And then some of this after I wake up! I found this coffee creamer not too long and and it is delicious--vanilla-y with a hint of coconut. Perfect for that morning cup of joe!

Are pants too casual for a bridal shower? Any outfit ideas?
What are you having for breakfast this morning?
What time do you wake up on weekends?