A Little Pumpkin House

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I'm baaaaack! After a super fun trip to New Jersey and New York with the Pure Air Blog Campaign, I am home! I got in last night at 10pm. And then today, I woke up at 5am and drove to Dallas with some friends for the Tour de Fleur 10K. This is my fourth year to do this race.

Honestly I keep coming back for a few reasons.
1. The people, races are more fun with friends. 

Post Race Photo :) 

2. The food-who doesn't like a nice cold BlueMoon with pizza after a run? 

3. And the pumpkins! The race is held at the Dallas Arboretum. And every fall, the Dallas Arboretum brings in a gazillion pumpkins. The sidewalks are lined with pumpkins, trees are decorated with pumpkins and even little houses are built out of pumpkins.

Despite being so tired, for some reason, I set a little personal record for that distance. Maybe I was delirious! :)

Are you wondering why my total distance for the 10K was only 5.1 miles?
Well, the course was mis-marked
 so the lead motorcycle cop took a wrong turn and lead the entire group of runners astray.
 We completely missed mile 3.
As you can imagine, there were some disgruntled athletes!
But what are you going to do?!
 That's right- have a BlueMoon and relax! 

I'll be back later this week with photos and details from my NY trip.
Have you ever been to the Dallas Arboretum?

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The "Want To-Do" List

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Happy Monday!!!!

Is is too early for multiple exclamation points? I am trying to motivate myself, some times exclamation points help :) 
 

Source: kariandnathan.blogspot.com via Rachael on Pinterest

The weather outside my window is dreary. I feel like jumping right back in bed and pulling the cover over my head.
 

Source: elementsofstyleblog.com via Samantha on Pinterest

I have a "To-Do" list that seems a mile long. And then I have a "Want To-Do" list that I probably won't have time for today.

Source: jeanneoliverdesigns.com via Samantha on Pinterest

Our weekend was filled with fun and I wish it could last a just bit longer.

How do you balance the ''have to" and "want to" lists in life?

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Bake It: Butterfinger Cookies

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In my garage there is a fridge.
And 'hidden' in the vegetable crisper of that fridge, there is a bag.
And in that bag is candy, a lot of candy.
Can you guess where this is going?? :)

 The candy, which was left-over from Halloween, had almost been forgotten.  My girls couldn't 'bear' the pain of me throwing away the candy, so after October, I just moved it out to the garage fridge. I had intended to use it as special treats once in awhile. But the candy had been forgotten. That is until today. I went to grab a bottle of water and the girls spied it. Kids can be soooooo observant. 

For some reason, just giving my girls a handful of mini-candy bars seemed wrong. But baking them into a batch of sugar cookies... well that was just fine with me!

So we mixed up our favorite sugar cookies from Good Housekeeping. Then we crushed a bunch of mini-Butterfingers and threw them in. I ended up adding an extra cup of flour too. Made for a thicker cookie.

Here is the recipe:
2 and 1/3 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
A bunch of candy :)
 *Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes.

The girls loved them. And I ate my share too. After my big run on Sunday, I felt I had earned it!
(In case you were wondering how "Heels and Hills" went--it was hot! No new records were set, but it was a good run.)

 With 'Teacher Appreciation' week upon us, I am sure these cookies would be a great way to thank all of those sweet teachers out there!

Got any candy hidden around your house?


Find more yummy recipes on my Pinterest board, "Bake It: Yummy Eats".

A Friday Chat

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Today my mind is scattered all over the place. So instead of a tutorial, my musings on motherhood, or a round-up of my latest finds on Pinterest, I thought I would just write about the photos I have saved to show you and the random thoughts floating around in my head. It will be like two friends chatting over our morning coffee.

Source: pinterestfreeguccibag.com via Samantha on Pinterest

 This morning, I am off to meet with my production manager about a few new things for Samantha Conner Designs. I am quite excited about some new ideas that will coming out in the next few months. I am also getting to work on filling 4th of July orders, so if you haven't pre-ordered yet, make sure you do. Free shipping for those red, white, and blue accessories til May 20th!

Later I am heading over to pick-up my race packet for Heels and Hills. My running friends and I are doing the half marathon on Sunday. This has been my best training yet. I have felt great and the long runs have been fun. I got some new running gear, which I tried out on Wednesday. I am usually a 'nike' girl when it comes to shorts and tanks. But my hubby got me some UnderArmour and I am sold! On race day I am wearing these shorts in black with a hot pink tank. Comfy and cute!

Source: shop.nordstrom.com via Hannah on Pinterest

Soccer season is winding down for Afton. It has been a good season, but I can tell it is not her favorite activity. For now, her passion is tumbling. I am pretty proud, because honestly I can't even do a cart wheel! It is so interesting watching these little kids. Personalities, talents, emotions- they are all very real. I am trying my best to raise girls that will be good adults. And when you think about it that way, the little job of mothering seems 'oh so big'! 

We bought some new art supplies at Target the other day. Glitter chalk from RoseArt and a new 'ring' of markers. Both have been huge hits. The glitter chalk is some serious stuff. Even a week after she decorated the driveway, the glitter is still there. Love it!

 And Maisy and I are 'riding the potty train'. She is doing quite well and so am I! Of course it has been lots of laundry and some accidents. But I can tell it is the right time. Plus I bought her some big girl Rapunzel panties- so she is happily trying her best!

 Finally we were recently at a friend's first birthday party and I snapped a few pictures because it was just the cutest thing. It was a "Vintage Circus" themed party for one year old twins! My friend Diana is all about the details, so the party was fun and adorable. She and I are hoping that Maisy will choose one of her boys to marry... do people still do 'betrothals' anymore? :) I would love to have one of these boys for my son-in-law!

 

 Well I think we are all caught up now! Thanks for listening to my ramblings. I hope you have a great weekend. If you have a chance, leave me a comment... what things are floating around in your head today?

New Year, New You?

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On December 4^th, I willing ran 13.1 miles through the city of Dallas in the pouring rain--- oh and it was about 40 degrees outside. Sound strange? I agree. A few years ago, I would have ventured to say it was crazy. But these days, that is my idea of fun. So much so, that I was willing to shell out $90 and wake-up at 4:30 am to participate!

Now that the New Year is here, we are all looking for ways to improve our lives. We want to look better, feel happier, and find something that will magically put everything into place. For me, that thing has been running. Want to know more? Then join me today at "Running to be Skinny" as I share how I started running and what led me to complete two half marathons in 2011.

Who knows, you might just be motivated to lace up your running shoes too!