Inspirational Photos

Hello!

I had a chance to take

a bunch of pictures over

the weekend and it

hit me...

some of these would be

great for inpirational quotes.

Here are the 4 I've done

so far...

One of my most favorite Bible verses.

A friend of mine gave this quote to me

to pray on while we were going through

a job-loss years ago.

I love this quote from Pinnochio.

Same path different quote,

from Pocahontas and

I took most of the color out.

This one is a quote from Mulan.

Later today or tomorrow,

I will be picking up a couple of

prints I made with these.

(Please don't use these prints

without my permission--Thanks!)

Hope you're having a great day!

Hugs!

Kim

Wet Nose

I am back!!!

What a week, last week!

Saturday, bright and early...

we packed the dogs up and

drove to our favorite pet store...

Wet Nose.

We went to the Geneva, IL location.

On Saturday they were having a

birthday party in honor of their dog,

Lily, who was turning 12.

Lily was the inspiration behind

the owners opening Wet Nose.

I'd say they are more of a pet boutique

than a "pet store".

All of my dogs favorite treats come

from here.

They include:  Yak's milk, bully sticks and deer antlers.

The displays are to die for!!!

"LOVE"

I picked up a leopard print dog food can with

my 25% off coupon.

Here we are back home,

happy and exhausted!

The line in the store wrapped around the entire store!

See the hot pink tote bag?

That is our swag bag for being the first 50 (I believe)

customers to spend X amount.

(Let's just say, our snacks for 3 months and

Christmas list has been checked off.)

In the swag bag...

3 toys and tons of treats!

The bag was worth $75!!

Now my dogs have a new favorite snack:

DRIED DUCK FEET

thanks to the swag bag!

EWWW!

Hope you had a great weekend!!!

Hugs!

Kim

InstaFriday!

Hello!

I'm linking up with Jeannett,

again, this week.

I really love this Iphone App!

Here we go!!

We are on a eat healthier get healthier plan.

I decided we need more vegetables and less

of everything else.

I cut up some sweet potatoes and

tossed them in olive oil, salt and pepper.

Baked them at 375 for 20 minutes and then

turned the heat up to 400 for 10 minutes

to make them crispier.



They turned out soooo good!!!

YUM!!!

So I lied a little!

We decided to try the Italian Beef place

on the corner. (Not exactly healthy)

They were recommended by the Hungry Hound

on our local ABC station but...

I would not recommend them.

 The peppers were way too hot,

even for my hubs liking.

He loves hot food.

The restaurant was a little stinky

when we walked in...ick.

I will stick with Buona Beef or Portillos.

I sent in for a free sample offer of Duck Tape.

I received this large sample yesterday.

Hot pink and black zebra stripes!

This is perfect!

Starting next week I am sending my sister in law

a small package a week, counting down

our last 10 weeks until our Disney vacation.

We are going on the Wild Africa Trek at

Animal Kingdom and she is thrilled!

So zebra stripes will make these

packages all prettied up in

anticipation of seeing zebras!

I know I said I'd post again yesterday...

well as the rest of the week went...

things did not go as planned!

I will try to get back on track!

Have a great weekend!!!

Hugs!

Kim

Unplanned

Hello all!

I will be posting later today.

This week has not gone at all

as planned.

We've already been to

one funeral and have

one to go.

A co-worker of my hubs

passed away...so sad...

such a great guy.

Cancer stinks!

Tomorrow's funeral is

for another of his

co-workers mom.

Cancer stinks!

Yesterday I went to WI,

unexpectedly.

A co-worker,

of my hubs, wife

asked me to go with

her to one of the plants

employee appreciation luncheon.

Her hubs is General Manager there.

So we packed up her 3 month old

grandson and headed north.

7 hours of driving for me...

wore me out!

We met our hubs there and

enjoyed some good food

and nice employees of

our hubs.

So...2 days out of the state

and one day  (tomorrow)

headed on an Illinois road trip

for the funeral equals a busy,

worn out me!

Once again, no crafting has been done.

Sigh!

No What I Wore Wednesday.

However, I do have a post for

today and possibly tomorrow or

Saturday. Yay!

Hope you're all having a great week!

Hugs!

Kim

Date Night~The Help

Hello!

August 18th was our 27th anniversary!

We celebrated that night at a

restaurant called Wildfire,

in Schaumburg, IL.

Tonight we continued the celebration.

There wasn't enough time last night

to go out to a nice dinner and a

7 pm show.

We went to see The Help!!!

I am only about 50 pages

away from finishing the book.

I give the book 5 stars!

Inside the lobby of the theater,

waiting to get our popcorn and cola.

Pretty ceiling border.

A shot of our tickets while

we wait to enter the theatre.

The Help was great!

I loved it!

I laughed, I cried and was

sorry to see it end.

I love Skeeter's hair!

It's the same as mine when I

let it go natural!

I think I will tomorrow,

in honor of Skeeter!

If you haven't seen it yet...

head on over to the theatre

this weekend!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Hugs!

Kim

InstaFriday!



Hi there!

I'm linking up with Jeannet over at

Life Rearranged.

Steely Dan concert at Ravinia.

I decided to invest in some quality

nail polish and try to do my own manicure.

Left:  OPI Bubblegum

Right:  Louvre Me Louvre Me Not

I did my own fingernails,

(I used the Bubblegum)

saving me $50.

They look just as nice

as the last time I went

to the Aveda Salon.

I still need to attempt my toes.

I need hubs to be home for that

so he can entertain the puppy!

There you have it!

Hope you have a great weekend,

not much on our agenda.

Hugs!

Kim

Ravinia-Steely Dan

Hello!

Saturday we had the chance to

go to the Ravinia Festival.

Steely Dan was the band there.

All day it had been raining and

storming on and off.

I was very hesitant about going

with iffy weather.

The reason...

lawn seats!

I took one for the team,

8 of us packed our coolers,

chairs, blankets, umbrellas

and candles.

Waiting to enter the gates.

Rain clouds all around but we're pushing on.

Those are all strangers to me in the above pic.

Making the best of it and

praying for no rain...

I took a picture of the pretty

architecture.

We all ran in when the gates opened to

claim our prime spots.

We sent up our temporary camp.

Looking at the sky,

I know we are in trouble!

It rained some during our picnic.

Just an annoying rain.

I sucked it up,

even though I am not a get wet

kind of girl!

Here's a pic of the pretty and delicious fruit plate.

Wine to ease the nerves of

possible rain/storms.

As the sun went down,

candles were lit.

The rain was holding off!

Some more wine was drunk/drank.

Me...

just before...

the

RAIN

came

POURING DOWN

on

US!!!

UGH!!!!!!!!!!

Then I felt rain going down the

back of my pants!

EWWWW!!!!

Not a camper, not a sit in the rain girl!

Steely Dan didn't even play anything popular until

we packed everything up when the rain

died down to a drizzle and

started walking to our car.

I sat on a towel on the way home.

Drenched like a rat!

Did I already say...

I'm not a sit in the rain kind of girl???

So yeah...

Today is hubs and my

27th anniversary.

He's the kind of man who remembers to

make the reservations!

(LOL, have you seen that commercial?)

Going for a nice dinner in a pretty

dress on a pretty and DRY day.

Tomorrow the celebration continues

as we go to see The Help.

Hope you all have a great day!!

Hugs!

Kim



What I Am Reading

Hello!

As I am resting I decided it was the

perfect time to read the

books I've picked up for the summer.

I got the idea to post about it from

Amanda over at Serenity Now.

Go check her reading list out!

All photos are from Amazon.

The Help, I think everyone is reading

this one. I love it! It's so hard to put down!

We're going to see the movie this

Friday night.

Mini Shopaholic, I started reading

this one at the beginning of summer.

I've read all the books in this series.

It's an easy one to pick up and set back down.

I think it's a fun read.



I picked this one up in hopes

of understanding my dogs more.

I haven't started reading this one but

I will take it to Memphis over Labor Day.

What are you reading in your free time?

I will get to that pillow!

I'm excited to start it!

Have a great day!

Hugs!

Kim

No Pillow...Yet

Source

Sorry, no pillow yet guys!

I am having a real bad flare up of my

fibromyalgia. Hate when it happens

but it's time to rest a bit.

I hope to be back to that pillow,

early next week!

I am so anxious to get started!

Thank you for all your encouragement

on making the pillow!

Be back soon!

Hugs!

Kim

Hatha Yoga

Doing the Pigeon!

(I can!)

Morning!

I recently started exercising again.

A friend of mine asked if I would like to

try yoga (Hatha Yoga).

The instructor is so patient and

helps you through it.

I started with light and easy.

The first few times I would

just drip sweat.

It was a challenge.

I convinced my hubs that this

would be a great addition to his

exercise routine to make him

more flexible.

We did a couple more light and easy classes.

Saturday, I decided it was time for me

to go twice a week.

I chose Saturday mornings and

Monday evenings.

We show up Saturday morning and

get all set, not knowing we entered

the advanced class!

The instructor laughed at me half

way through as I'm really sweating

my way through! She said:

You said you wanted to get stronger!

I do and I am!

Well, it turns out that Monday's

are actually advanced classes too!

She had just been modifying them to easy

because there were a lot of new people.

So, Saturday and last night I did

advanced yoga.

Oh do my abs hurt!!!

Who knew yoga was such a core

building thing!

I was completely ignorant about yoga,

until now!

I am enjoying it very much though!

I would suggest others with fibromyalgia try

the light and easy yoga.

It is really helping the pain level in my trigger areas.

When I get use to the advanced class,

I will increase to 3 days a week.

Have you tried anything new lately??

I will try making that pillow,

I think I need to move it to next week.

I didn't realize all I needed to do this week.

Have a great day!!!

Hugs!

Kim

The Pillow That I Shall Attempt

Morning!!

Here is the pillow that I will

attempt to make.

I have never made a pillow.

My sewing skills are minimal!

After reading some tutorials,

I think I should be able to handle it.

Arhaus

I saw this pillow at Arhaus and they want about $50

for it. I bought some linen on sale and a pillow

form on sale. I already have buttons.

This pillow should cost me about $10 to make.

I think it's worth the attempt.

It's going to sit on my master bedroom bed.

(Some day! Patience is a virtue, right?)

Toll Brothers are you reading this!?!

We've already waited 7 1/2 months for you

to sell one more unit. I know the economy

is bad but we will soon be losing money

waiting on you!

Ok, sorry for the venting.

I feel better, sort of.

Wish me luck on the pillow!

Have a great day!!!

Hugs!

Kim

My Week in Instagram

Hello again!

I know, 2 post in 1 day!?!

I wanted to do a link up party with

Little Miss Mama

I only managed to get 2 pics taken.

I'm not so good at taking my own pics yet.

Here they are...

Wearing a pearl braided headband from Anthropologie.

Most of my headbands are low key,

I leave the more elaborate ones for the younger girls.

I don't remember where this headband is from.

Not many photos of headbands, sorry ladies!

Saturday we went in search of fresh veg.

The corn was really good from here but the tomatoes

tasted like hot house tomatoes...ick!

They had great cukes too. Yesterday, I found a new

place to try, we shall do that tomorrow.

I miss my garden : /

A couple of pics of the girls.

They are best of friends now.

Fannie is 6 mos old, she appears to not be

a black lab/yellow lab mix, like they told us.

She is most likely a black lab/border collie mix

due to her size and coloring. She is only 28 pounds.

Emma sends some bully love!

Have a great weekend!

Kim

I Won A Giveaway!

Hello!

Look at what I won!!!

Deb of Garage Sale Gal

had a giveaway and I won!

I just realized I forgot to put 2 little treasures

in the shot. They are already residing in

their new homes, sorry!

Deb was one of my very first blogland

friend! We have swapped cards and

things before. Check out her blog...

she is always finding the cutest things

at estate sales and she has a cute little

shop at an antique store.

Thanks Deb for the cute things!!!

Hope you all have a great weekend!!!

I hope to have some craft things to

share with you next week!

I plan to get a few things at Joann's

this weekend!

Hugs!

Kim

The Kitchen Dining Set

Morning!

Ok, today we have the kitchen

dining set.

The table is made of mango wood.

The company harvests old non-producing

trees and plant a new tree in it's place,

to get the wood for these tables.

These aren't the chairs we bought.

These are the chairs and everything is

from Arhaus. We chose leather

for the seats, in brown. We

chose these chairs for their size

and the fact that we could get 2

arm chairs. Hubs prefers an arm chair

to a regular chair.



These pillows are from the same store.

I couldn't resist picking them up at 50% off.

I'm sure I can make knock-offs of them but

they were priced right. There are a couple

of pillows there that I am going to knock-off.

I will pick up the supplies at Joann's this weekend.

Not much happening this week.

Hope you're all having a great week!

Hugs!

Kim

100 Days!!!!

Until...

DISNEY!!!

We are so excited to go!

We have beyond stressed this year

and this trip is a much needed de-stresser!!!

Today, I am really excited to say

that I booked the Wild Africa Trek

at Disney's Animal Kingdom!!!

It is a 3 hour tour, have a look at the link above.

The highlight of this trek for my husband is

going to be walking on the bridge above these guys!

He cannot wait!

Photo taken at the Animal Kingdom.

This year we are taking the hubs sister along,

she is beyond excited too and she and I

have purchased our safari hats! :-)

Another highlight will be

Cirque du Soleil-LaNouba

at Downtown Disney.

Oh the excitement is building!!!

Now when we are 100 days

from moving...

the excitement of another kind

will be building!!!

Disney will take away those thoughts

for  6 whole days!!!

Hope you have something fun to

think about!!!

Have a great day!

Hugs!

Kim

Windows on the First Floor

Hello!

I have started to take some photos of the townhouse model.

They help me when I'm out looking for things

to get for ours and they will help when we add

some of our own finishing touches like the trim

above the fireplace.

The builder doesn't include the trim above

the mantle as a part of the fireplace package.

This photo will remind us how we can

finish it off ourselves.

This is the window along the side of the fireplace,

there is one on the other side too.

I wanted to remember how the designer

dressed the windows.

I have no clue what I will actually do.

These are the windows in the eating area.

I love how bright it is.

There is even a glimpse of the skylight.

Looking into the living room.

The dining room.

We didn't get the tray ceiling but we will get the can lights.

I still need to show you the kitchen furniture.

I will work on that post tonight.

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Hugs!

Kim