So flash forward to 2013! I'm in the process of updating the blog, if anyone has even noticed, if I even have any followers anymore! A lot has happened in the last couple of years and I thought maybe writing would be a little therapeutic for me. If anyone is still out there, hello!
First of all, I apologize for the insanely awful pictures that have been plastered across the screen since the birth of this webpage. Apparently I've learned a lot about photography since then, or else I have been completely spoiled by the quality of the iPhone camera and the ability to use Instagram. I'm thinking it's the being spoiled. And I try to promise better pictures in the future. Sheesh!
Second of all, there is no second of all. I just want to say that if there is anyone still reading, welcome back! I have grand visions of laying on my new hammock in the cool fall breeze with my computer, writing my daily updates to unwind from the day... We'll see what happens, and thank you for joining me on my ride :).
Happy Saturday!
Saturday, October 12, 2013
Monday, October 18, 2010
new normal
Today was the first day of what I hope will be my new normal! It's been a long time since I've felt like everything in my life fit together like it should, and I'm hoping that today is the start of a really good thing. If anything, at least it's a step in the right direction.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Saturday, April 10, 2010
table 1 of 3... completed!
There's my $8 Goodwill table from college that I've been using for craft projects, a footrest, a 'bed' for the cat... I knew that I wanted to re-finish it, but hadn't gotten around to it until, oh wait, see that blue explosion on the top? Yeah, that's spray paint that ate through the bottom of a styrofoam cup in literally seconds one night when I was working on a sign. That was the final straw for me. I had Chris carry it out to the garage, sanded it, primed it, (a couple of weeks later) painted it, distressed it, sealed it, and here's what it looks like now!
It looks awesome in person, and like I said in my last post, now I want to paint everything black! Now if only I could find a place for the junk table I started working on a few months ago... :)
Friday, April 9, 2010
a long overdue update
Hi readers! I say 'readers', because my blog has officially had over 825 reads! I know in the world of blogging, that isn't that many, but I'm still excited about it! I was thinking the other day how it would be interesting to find out who is reading my blog (since I only have a few followers)... Maybe someday I'll figure that one out :) Keep in mind, people, the comment link does work!
So a while back I wrote a post including a short list of things I wanted to accomplish sometime in the near(er) future. Well looking back, I think I forgot to add a thing or two. Not wanting to go back and amend the list, here's what I've got in the way of accomplishments so far:
First, I would like to say that I am on my way to achieving success on #2, making certain food items that people request and honestly enjoy. Neither of them are outstanding works of culinary genius, but they are things I can whip up and know that people will love. Anyone for spinach dip or chocolate chip cookie brownies? Not together, of course!
Second, I have partially fulfilled #5, being able to go for a run and enjoy it. Since signing up for the half marathon, I've been so much more active than I was in the past, and I actually want to go to the gym now! (On a side note: I recently changed my registration from the half marathon to the 5k run instead. I thought setting smaller goals for myself and working up to the beast was a better plan for me.) I wish I would go more, but it's a start! The reason why I said 'partially fulfilled' is because I've also learned that while I can run now, I really don't enjoy it! Way to go, friends who love to run, but unfortunately, I am not one of them :)
One of my other ambitions (that was more like a 'want to learn this lifetime' sort of thing) was to learn how to drive a stick shift car/truck/whatever. Notice I said was?! With our recent boat purchase, we needed to buy a vehicle to tow with, and that meant selling one of our cars ASAP (we decided it was a better option to sell mine). The only problem with the plan was that we had found the perfect truck and needed to purchase it within a week, so that meant I had to learn to drive a stick in literally 5 days! Thank goodness I was blessed with a patient husband who spent hours driving around the city with me and even helped me tackle my biggest fear - the parking garage at work. I successfully drove around town the first day, and only 2 weeks later, even he says that he's proud of how I'm doing. Now that counts for a lot! Check that one off the list!
So a while back I wrote a post including a short list of things I wanted to accomplish sometime in the near(er) future. Well looking back, I think I forgot to add a thing or two. Not wanting to go back and amend the list, here's what I've got in the way of accomplishments so far:
First, I would like to say that I am on my way to achieving success on #2, making certain food items that people request and honestly enjoy. Neither of them are outstanding works of culinary genius, but they are things I can whip up and know that people will love. Anyone for spinach dip or chocolate chip cookie brownies? Not together, of course!
Second, I have partially fulfilled #5, being able to go for a run and enjoy it. Since signing up for the half marathon, I've been so much more active than I was in the past, and I actually want to go to the gym now! (On a side note: I recently changed my registration from the half marathon to the 5k run instead. I thought setting smaller goals for myself and working up to the beast was a better plan for me.) I wish I would go more, but it's a start! The reason why I said 'partially fulfilled' is because I've also learned that while I can run now, I really don't enjoy it! Way to go, friends who love to run, but unfortunately, I am not one of them :)
One of my other ambitions (that was more like a 'want to learn this lifetime' sort of thing) was to learn how to drive a stick shift car/truck/whatever. Notice I said was?! With our recent boat purchase, we needed to buy a vehicle to tow with, and that meant selling one of our cars ASAP (we decided it was a better option to sell mine). The only problem with the plan was that we had found the perfect truck and needed to purchase it within a week, so that meant I had to learn to drive a stick in literally 5 days! Thank goodness I was blessed with a patient husband who spent hours driving around the city with me and even helped me tackle my biggest fear - the parking garage at work. I successfully drove around town the first day, and only 2 weeks later, even he says that he's proud of how I'm doing. Now that counts for a lot! Check that one off the list!
Oh, and since January, I've also given up alcohol, Dr. Pepper (and all soft drinks), cheese, and ranch dressing. That mini list sounds really dumb, but it's a lot! Come on! - I live in Oklahoma, land of ranch dressing and Dr. Pepper :). Plus, I've been drinking either Coke or Dr. Pepper for pretty much my whole life. Now I just need to cut out french fries, fried food, sugar, and everything else that's bad for you! Small steps, right?
Not too much else has been going on lately, other than working on growing our business and trying to train Mac to do the things a grown-up dog should do... That's a whole other set of goals right there! We bought our truck a couple of weeks ago, and we will be the proud new owners of a boat at the beginning of May, just in time for our 2 year wedding anniversary! Now that it's spring, we are faced with yard work and final landscape projects, and we are hoping to get them well on their way or finished by the time lake weekends roll around! I've been working on getting some of my smaller projects done around the house as well, but I still have that dresser and both chandeliers to refinish. I'll start taking pictures again and posting some of my latest stuff (because if anyone is like me, blogs without pictures are 'boring' :)). I'll just say that since my last project completion, I now want to paint EVERYTHING black.
I hope you all have a great weekend and enjoy seeing the world come to life again outside!
Not too much else has been going on lately, other than working on growing our business and trying to train Mac to do the things a grown-up dog should do... That's a whole other set of goals right there! We bought our truck a couple of weeks ago, and we will be the proud new owners of a boat at the beginning of May, just in time for our 2 year wedding anniversary! Now that it's spring, we are faced with yard work and final landscape projects, and we are hoping to get them well on their way or finished by the time lake weekends roll around! I've been working on getting some of my smaller projects done around the house as well, but I still have that dresser and both chandeliers to refinish. I'll start taking pictures again and posting some of my latest stuff (because if anyone is like me, blogs without pictures are 'boring' :)). I'll just say that since my last project completion, I now want to paint EVERYTHING black.
I hope you all have a great weekend and enjoy seeing the world come to life again outside!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
ducoeur designs, our new baby
For those of you that don't know yet (or aren't yet one of our 50+ followers on facebook!), Chris and I have finally started our business! We have been making custom wooden signs and letters as gifts for people for a while, and after we had started to get requests from people who also offered to pay for our work I decided it was time to make what we do more public. We have had so much support since the moment we started, and we can't thank everyone enough. I started a page solely dedicated to DuCoeur Designs on facebook, and the attention it is getting is really wonderful. We even have fans that we don't know! I have decided to put the diaper cakes I had been making on hold and just do those for people who already know that I do them, and keep that as more of a special hobby of sorts, instead of a business opportunity. I'm also hoping that sometime soon I will be able to try to link up with one of the blogs I follow to see if I can get more of a following, and hopefully more orders! I have a lot of ideas that will hopefully become reality soon, so keep checking back to see what we have come up with! I also want to eventually get a real website going that is free of facebook, but until then, we are just working by word of mouth and the great support from our family and friends. If any readers know of any way to promote our work, leave me a comment!! Also, if you are on facebook, stop by our page and become a fan and/or leave a comment! Happy creating, everyone!
okc memorial marathon 2010, here i come!
Yes, I know it's March already, but better late than never, right? So much has happened since I've posted last, so I'll just jump into the updates!
So everyone knows that I've been struggling with my weight and being more active for the past few years, so a couple of months ago a friend of mine told me that she was going to be running the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon this year and that I should consider doing it. I think I actually laughed at her. Seriously. She said she was going to be doing the half, which is 13.1 miles. Yep, 13.1 miles. I was thinking, "I don't run. I don't jog. I don't like to go for a walk unless it's sunny and perfect outside. How on earth will this body be able to get through that distance in a couple of months?!" (The marathon is on April 25th, by the way). I haven't run since high school, I hated it then, and that was when I was in the best shape of my life! That was the day that started me thinking about how sick of being unhappy with how I look I was and how this would be something that I accomplished on my own, that no one could do or finish for me, and not one bad thing could come out of doing it. I kept thinking about it and started talking to friends who run and have run marathons and 5K races and decided that I wanted to fit into that group of people. I could finally become the person who says "I'm going to go for a run" and actually be able to do it and enjoy it. I would lose weight, get healthier on the inside, and be proud of something that I actually finished, and other people would be proud of me too. I finally decided that I was going to try it, and it's been a roller coaster ever since. I say 'ever since' like it was years ago, but to me it really does feel like the past month and a half has been forever!
That next weekend, Chris and I went to get shoes, and I started telling people that I was going to be participating in the race. I figured that once I told people I was doing it, there wasn't any way I could back out! I was kind of surprised about the reactions I received, but I guess when you don't work out or anything and have let yourself go, not everyone is going to be 100% behind you. Participating in a half isn't any easy task. All of my friends (especially the ones who run!) were, and have been, extremely supportive and excited for me, and I think the people who care about me can see how big of a deal this is for me to do. Some people were skeptical, and honestly, I think a lot of people were negative about it because of my weight. I got a lot of, "You really should think about injuries and being safe," and "That's a long way for someone who hasn't been training already," but I'm not expecting to run this thing, I just want to finish. My friend who will be with me on race day keeps reminding me of that, so I keep saying it out loud. Here are my first official pair of running shoes!
So I started running. Well, more like jogging. Kind of. Mac goes with us and at the speed I'm going, his little 5 inch long legs keep up at a fast walking pace. Sad, I know. In the first week I went every day, and I could see differences in my breathing, and I seemed like I could go just a little longer without walking each day. I even lost weight! Then my legs started hurting. My shins literally hurt to the touch, and every impact on the pavement was like torture. I talked to just about everyone I know (yes, I know I was/am driving people crazy with running talk...) and came to the conclusion that it might be my shoes, and that I needed to get re-fit. So here are pair of shoes #2.
I just got them last weekend, so I'm hoping that in the next few runs I will start to feel a difference. My legs still hurt really badly, but I think it's from my body being out of shape more than anything. Or else I hope so. Yesterday's run wasn't a good one. I cried for the first time because I am so frustrated with my lack of progress and I just want to see something good happen soon. I know I just have to keep doing it, and I am proud of myself for not just giving up by now.
Something that I don't think a lot of people realize is that this isn't just a physical victory for me, it's also a psychological one. I've really realized lately that I am terrified of failing. At anything and everything. My sewing machine scares me. I collect pieces of projects and am afraid that if I start them and they don't go the way I want them to, I won't be able to fix them. So I don't start a lot of things. I give up way too easily, and doing this race won't allow me to give up. I want to say that I did this half, not we, and it's something that I can have as my own. Because no one else can do it for me, and though I will have a lot of support from friends and family, I am ultimately the one that has to get myself through it. I will be thanking everyone like crazy for helping me through this, and I'm sure I'm not the only one counting down the days until it's here - my obsession with this is probably driving everyone I talk to insane :) Here's to battling that inner wall holding us all back in some way, and may we all learn to overcome it and be proud of what we can accomplish!
So everyone knows that I've been struggling with my weight and being more active for the past few years, so a couple of months ago a friend of mine told me that she was going to be running the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon this year and that I should consider doing it. I think I actually laughed at her. Seriously. She said she was going to be doing the half, which is 13.1 miles. Yep, 13.1 miles. I was thinking, "I don't run. I don't jog. I don't like to go for a walk unless it's sunny and perfect outside. How on earth will this body be able to get through that distance in a couple of months?!" (The marathon is on April 25th, by the way). I haven't run since high school, I hated it then, and that was when I was in the best shape of my life! That was the day that started me thinking about how sick of being unhappy with how I look I was and how this would be something that I accomplished on my own, that no one could do or finish for me, and not one bad thing could come out of doing it. I kept thinking about it and started talking to friends who run and have run marathons and 5K races and decided that I wanted to fit into that group of people. I could finally become the person who says "I'm going to go for a run" and actually be able to do it and enjoy it. I would lose weight, get healthier on the inside, and be proud of something that I actually finished, and other people would be proud of me too. I finally decided that I was going to try it, and it's been a roller coaster ever since. I say 'ever since' like it was years ago, but to me it really does feel like the past month and a half has been forever!
That next weekend, Chris and I went to get shoes, and I started telling people that I was going to be participating in the race. I figured that once I told people I was doing it, there wasn't any way I could back out! I was kind of surprised about the reactions I received, but I guess when you don't work out or anything and have let yourself go, not everyone is going to be 100% behind you. Participating in a half isn't any easy task. All of my friends (especially the ones who run!) were, and have been, extremely supportive and excited for me, and I think the people who care about me can see how big of a deal this is for me to do. Some people were skeptical, and honestly, I think a lot of people were negative about it because of my weight. I got a lot of, "You really should think about injuries and being safe," and "That's a long way for someone who hasn't been training already," but I'm not expecting to run this thing, I just want to finish. My friend who will be with me on race day keeps reminding me of that, so I keep saying it out loud. Here are my first official pair of running shoes!
So I started running. Well, more like jogging. Kind of. Mac goes with us and at the speed I'm going, his little 5 inch long legs keep up at a fast walking pace. Sad, I know. In the first week I went every day, and I could see differences in my breathing, and I seemed like I could go just a little longer without walking each day. I even lost weight! Then my legs started hurting. My shins literally hurt to the touch, and every impact on the pavement was like torture. I talked to just about everyone I know (yes, I know I was/am driving people crazy with running talk...) and came to the conclusion that it might be my shoes, and that I needed to get re-fit. So here are pair of shoes #2.
I just got them last weekend, so I'm hoping that in the next few runs I will start to feel a difference. My legs still hurt really badly, but I think it's from my body being out of shape more than anything. Or else I hope so. Yesterday's run wasn't a good one. I cried for the first time because I am so frustrated with my lack of progress and I just want to see something good happen soon. I know I just have to keep doing it, and I am proud of myself for not just giving up by now.
Something that I don't think a lot of people realize is that this isn't just a physical victory for me, it's also a psychological one. I've really realized lately that I am terrified of failing. At anything and everything. My sewing machine scares me. I collect pieces of projects and am afraid that if I start them and they don't go the way I want them to, I won't be able to fix them. So I don't start a lot of things. I give up way too easily, and doing this race won't allow me to give up. I want to say that I did this half, not we, and it's something that I can have as my own. Because no one else can do it for me, and though I will have a lot of support from friends and family, I am ultimately the one that has to get myself through it. I will be thanking everyone like crazy for helping me through this, and I'm sure I'm not the only one counting down the days until it's here - my obsession with this is probably driving everyone I talk to insane :) Here's to battling that inner wall holding us all back in some way, and may we all learn to overcome it and be proud of what we can accomplish!
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