A chilly morning of softball

I took this picture early in the morning at the softball tournament we went to this weekend.

We froze the entire time so I didn't take too many more.

I love how the sun is just waking up (along with the girls) and is just kissing the fields.

This pictures also sums up the kind of day we had: freezing!

I'm linking up here!

A day in the life of a 40 year old

That's right.

I turned 40 this week. I know some of you are saying "Finally, I thought you would never get here" while others of you are saying "Really, I thought you would have turned 40 years ago".

Whichever way you were thinking, it finally happened. It wasn't too hard on me. I know some people are devastated when they reach an age like 30 or 40. I think it was harder on my mom this year. She used the term "Baby Girl" in everything she said to me that day. I think she was trying to mentally turn back the clock to when I was just a baby girl. I can't say I blame her, I constantly look at my own kids and wonder where the years have gone and why they have gotten so big.

So, my day started out pretty well. The weekend before my birthday, I found this bike at a garage sale.

I was so excited. One that it was my size (I'm a little short) and 2 that it was a girls bike. I find boy bikes everywhere but that just doesn't work.

I have been asking for a bike for my birthday for about 5 years. Every time I ask for one something else comes up that I end up having to get for my birthday like a new dishwasher, new refrigerators and new laptop computers. I know those really aren't birthday presents but lets not go there, mkay!

So when I saw this bike at the garage sale for only 10 bucks, I just knew it was meant to be. I brought it home and I was so proud of it. Hubby just gave me the "I can't believe you brought that piece of junk to my house and expect me to fix it" look. Trust me, I know it well. I finally got him to go out to the garage and take a look and try to get the brakes working. I figure that would be an important part of bike riding. Being able to stop without crashing into a tree is pretty high on my list of priorities. He used a lot of terms like "piece of junk" and "what were you thinking" but we got the front brakes working (for the most part).

We have a very nice park in our area and my fantasy is to ride on the mile long walking/biking trail. I envision myself doing lap after lap after lap.

I decided my birthday was the day. I was taking my new yard sale bike to the park and giving it a go.  Keep in mind that I still have no back brakes at this point.  Just front brakes, which only partially work if you are on a flat surface and going fairly slow.

I started out pretty good. It was awesome to feel the wind in my hair. It was a beautiful day and I was going to ride my bike until my little heart was content.

I did really well on the flat parts. When I got to the hills is when I realized the importance of working gears. See, my lovely bike is stuck in 5th gear (or even higher, I'm not really sure). This actually makes it very difficult to bike uphill. Who knew? I had to actually get off the bike and push it up the hills. So much for the wind blowing in my hair.

It was on this hill that I realized the importance of really - good - working - brakes.

I was squeezing the brakes so hard coming down this hill that I heard something pop. I saw my life flashing before my eyes. I thought this was it. I was going to crash and burn. Go ahead and call the ambulance because this is it for me.

It's a good thing the park wasn't very busy at this particular time and I was able to coast down to a reasonable speed. Then it was up one more hill, getting off and pushing my way up it, and then finally making it to my car. My legs felt like jell-o and I thought my heart was going to pound out of my chest.

I put the bike in the car and walked the track a lap. I just couldn't go home after only 1 mile, I mean, what would have been the point in that. You have to do at least 2 miles.

I finally get myself home and felt like I was going to die. This must have been what it feels like to be a serious fitness person. I really thought riding the bike at the park would have been a breeze. I thought wrong. It's painful, really painful.

After I finally recovered and got my breathing back to normal, I put on my birthday socks and headed out to meet hubby for lunch.

I just realized this is the 2nd picture I had taken of my feet that day. Is their some kind of message there.

I met up with hubby at his work and we headed to my favorite place for lunch.

Oh, The Flying Biscuit Cafe. I just love that place. I go there mainly for their grits. Which is surprising in and of itself because I'm from Ohio. We don't eat grits in Ohio, I wasn't raised on grits, it's a total southern thing. I also thought this was the restaurant that throws biscuits at their diners, but apparently not because no one threw a biscuit at me. Bummer!

I ordered the pumpkin pancakes, the Creamy Dreamy Grits, and some sausage patties. It was delicious.  That big hunk of stuff on my pancake is a mixture of butter, cinnamon, nutmeg and maple.  YUM!

We then went to my favorite store to look for some cheap finds that I could revamp and use in our home. I found this coffee mug. You can read all about my snowman infatuation here.

I also found this lamp.

Our next stop was suppose to be GiGi's Cupcakes for dessert but hubby was late getting back to work so he had to go. I would have to head to GiGi's on my own which just happens to be located in the outdoor mall called The Forum which also has such stores like Williams-Sonoma, The Pottery Barn and Swoozies just to name a few.

As sad as it was, I would have to hit all those places alone; oh darn.

So, off I went. I stopped at GiGi's cupcakes first. If you haven't indulged in a GiGi's cupcake, you must.

I ended up getting 4 so I could share with the family. Actually, that's a lie. I didn't want to seem like the biggest pig in the world by getting a dozen, so I only got 4. Sharing with the family wasn't a lie.  I will totally share, if they get home fast enough :)

Maybe if I lay off these bad boys I would be able to ride my bike more than a mile. Geesh!

Actually this is only the 2nd time in my life that I've had a GiGi's cupcake. They are gourmet cupcakes and they serve a variety of flavors. Definitely a must try.

After that I did a little shopping at the mall. I ended up with this really fun cup.

All in all, I had a great day. It was fun hooking up with hubby for a little bit.

As for turning 40, I really don't feel any different than when I was 39. It's just a number right!!

Stand Makeover

This little table was one of my garage sale finds.  I just stopped off for a quick peak and this stand caught my eye.  I believe I only paid $3 for it.

Since I have been finishing my basement, I've been looking for cheap stands and accessories that I can redo. 

The stand wasn't in too bad of shape but it had this piece of tile glued to the top. 

Don't ask me why.

 

It was on there pretty good but hubby was able to pry it off.

I then had to sand quite a bit to get the leftover glue off.

I didn't take any pictures of that part; we all know how to sand, right.

 

I then spray painted it black.  I'm doing most of my accessories in the basement black.  Picture frames, bulletin boards, cheap little stands that I pick up at garage sales.

I did 3 coats on the whole thing.  Because I didn't prime it first (duh) the paint soaked into the wood and it was hard to get the top, where all the glue was, to look smooth.

Next time, I'll make sure to prime the wood first.

 

I then found this cute lamp and shade at Goodwill for like $7.  I just love the shade and it has the colors of my basement walls in it.

 

 

I love how it looks on the stand.

 

 

And with the light on.  Of course, it doesn't make for a great picture.

 

 

I just love the transformation that a can of spray paint can give.

I've been having lots of luck with lamps at goodwill.

 

How about you? Do you have a lamp fetish like I do?  I just can't seem to have enough lamps in my rooms, any room.

I'm linking up to these linky parties.... be sure to check them out.

Organizing office supplies

I bought these glass jars at a garage sale this past weekend.

I didn't really have any plans for them, I just thought they were cool.

They sat on my kitchen table for 2 days until I finally moved them to the basement.  Today it finally hit me what I would use them for.

I love office supplies.  I don't know why but I do.  Pens, pencils, note pads, paperclips, folders, calendars, and so on and so on.  Want to make me a happy girl, give me a cool new pen or a neat note pad. 

Hubby says we will never run out of pens and pencils in our house.

I guess he's probably right.

I thought these jars would be a perfect place to stash some of our millions of office supplies.

 

The biggest one is perfect for rulers.  I think we have 4 in there. 

The next one down is the perfect size for pencils.

 

I am using one for extra pens.

One for extra sticky pads.  You can't ever have too many of those.

The smallest one is used for binding clips.

How cute are these guys.

 

All the jars fit nicely on the shelf over my desk.

I love that I can see what's inside without having to take off the lids.

Don't look at the rest of my desk.... it's a total mess.

 

So how about you?  Do you have more office supplies than you know what to do with?  How do you store all yours?

I'm linking up with these parties..... Come check them out.

Softball Weekend

It has been a long time since we have been up at the crack of dawn to drive an hour to sit in the cold and watch the kids play ball.

This weekend Victoria picked up on a travel team so we would have the opportunity to do just that again.

I have to admit, I had gotten used to spending my weekends at home working on projects, painting rooms or just hanging in front of the TV watching football.

If you are familiar with travel ball, you know that games start very early in the morning.  Usually around 9am, on a weekend no doubt.  This means that, depending on where you play, you may have to leave your house when it's still dark outside.

I'm sorry but no one should have to get up while it's still dark out on a weekend.  It's just not right.

One of the advantages, is getting to see the sun come up over the ball fields.  If your team does well, you just might get to see the sun go down over them too.

{It's not the beach but, hey, you take what you can get right?}

My daughter pitches and plays short stop.

 

 

Early morning warm ups in the freezing cold.  I feel sorry for the poor person who has to be on the receiving end of that ball.  Oh yea, that would be her daddy.

Even though it was freezing in the morning, it turned out to be a beautiful day.

 Rounding second

 

Safe at 3rd!

I was in the perfect position to get a picture of her coming home.

And then.... 

My camera batteries died!!

Of course I didn't bring extras.

Little brother trying to keep warm.

So that was my weekend.  Now it's back to the Monday grind of crafting, painting, sewing and general home improvements.

I hope you had a great weekend.