TGIF, Battle at Bristol!

Battle at Bristol

It is no secret that I am a Kentucky fan true and true. But, I was so immediately attracted to my now husband, that I completely ignored the fact that he was a Tennessee fan, and from Knoxville. I've learned to adapt, and I've learned to wear orange, but I will never put aside my love for the Wildcats. 

Anyways, this weekend is the Battle at Bristol. If you aren't familiar with that, Virginia Tech and Tennessee are going to be playing a football game inside Bristol Motor Speedway. Yes, it is as crazy as it sounds. My in-laws had to reserve tickets THREE years ago. Needless to say, the hype around this game has been going on for years, and the weekend is finally upon us. I'm hoping it will be a lot of fun, but an 8:30 kickoff makes for a long day. 

Kentucky Football 

Speaking of good ol' Kentucky, how about that game last weekend?? How many more days is it until basketball season? I am not a fair weather fan. I will cheer my heart out for Kentucky on all occasions, but that does not mean it is not disappointing to see a team flat out blow a 25 point lead. I don't act like I know enough to try to point blame on whose fault it is or isn't, but for the first time, I do feel pretty confident that it is a coaching problem, not a player problem. Kentucky has one of the best recruiting classes they've had in a long time, and the first half last weekend proved it. Then comes the second half, and it's like they were thrown back out there with no direction. Maybe they were. Here's to hoping for a miracle against the Gators tomorrow! 

Painted Furniture

I mentioned last week we were going to paint our very small foyer - and take off the existing wall paper. Y'all, it was hard work. We are very pleased with the results though! In addition to painting the walls I also decided to paint a small table we had in that area that served as a catch all for mail and keys. It was originally black, and I am just not a lover of dark colors. Honestly, I hate black furniture. I think it can look nice, but in my home I just want things light and bright. So I painted it, and it turned out awesome! I'm not really sure what I expected to happen, but it definitely looks better than I could have imagined. Naturally now I want to paint everything. 

Gilmore Girls

I am SO excited for the Gilmore Girls revival! I have been re-watching the entire series from the beginning, and it is just so good. I tend to re-watch most of the series every fall, and it is even more excited this year knowing that in late November I'll have new episodes to watch! I am definitely team Logan, maybe Jess. Dean drives me crazy, especially in these earlier seasons. What about you? 

Corn Hole Bags Galore

A few weeks ago, a girl on a local Facebook page was looking for someone to make custom corn hole bags. I'm always trying to have a little extra cash, so I thought I'd volunteer. (I definitely undercharged her.) Then I decided to add them to my Etsy shop, just to see what would happen and the orders started pouring in. And by pouring in, I mean four orders in two days. But still, pretty good traction for a new item. So I spent most of Monday getting all of the embroidery on the bags, and Tuesday and Wednesday assembling. I love to craft and make things, but there is only so much that I can make for myself, so it is really fun to be able to still put that to use, but for other people. I'm sure my husband appreciates it too. Is Corn Hole a thing where you live? I think people also call it bags. It is a staple at all tailgates around here, and barbecues, and back yards. Basically any time at least four people are outside hanging out, someone is bound to breakout the Corn Hole boards sooner or later.

What are your plans this weekend?

Have a great weekend, y'all!

xoxo

linking up with:

Oh Hey Friday | Five on Friday | xoxo Rebecca | High Five for Friday | Friday Favorites 
The Wednesday Showcase

TGIF, Welcome to the Long Weekend!

Can y'all believe it's September?? I have been stocking up on fall decorations for the past couple of weeks and I fully intend on decking out the house over the weekend. It is September after all, that's close enough, right? 

Long Weekend Ahead

I am so excited for this long weekend! It has been a rough week at work, so even though we don't have an real plans for the weekend, it will be the perfect time to relax. And drink coffee all morning. Once again, we are going to take advantage of that extra day to do some house work and paint. But this time the painting first involves wall paper removal. Yikes. Luckily the area is a very small entryway/foyer, so there shouldn't be too much wall paper to remove and hopefully it won't take nearly as long to paint as the bedroom did. Plus, we're pros at this point (kidding, of course!).

Whole30 Update

DAY 21. Well, I've made it three weeks and I only have one more week to go. [I'm only doing 28 days because Battle at Bristol. Don't tell.] I'm honestly not sure what to think about Whole30 at this point. I obviously haven't started the reintroduction, so I can't speak to that benefit yet, but I'm not going to lie, I am not feeling as great as I'd hoped. Especially since I am still hungry/getting cravings a. lot. Don't get me wrong, I have seen some benefit. My energy is every so slightly improved, and I've had a little less of the un-explained 3 p.m. crash, but I still don't feel as good as I would like to. On the bright side, I have lost almost 10 pounds, so there's that. 

Have any of y'all done Whole30 with less than expected results? I have considered stopping a few times, just because I don't know that it is really giving me what I was hoping for, but at this point I'm so close to finishing, I feel like I owe it to myself. And for finishing, I will be rewarding myself with a nice big glass of wine. 

Essie Gel Couture

If you are comfortable with painting your nails, but wish you could get that salon shine that lasts for a week, you seriously need to check out Essie's new Gel Couture. They've been marketing it forever, and a few weeks ago it finally hit the shelves and I bought a beautiful bright red, Rock the Runway, immediately. I had used their gel setter before, but after using about half of the bottle, it got a little clumpy. The Gel Couture is so much better. It is a little more expensive, and you need the color and the gel top coat. But you use the same top coat with all of the colors, so it's not that bad. Plus, I think of it as how much less it is than going to get a manicure. Even just one bottle of nail polish is only half of the price of a manicure, so you are saving a lot of money! This coming from a girl that never gets manicures, so I wouldn't have been spending the money in the first place, but still. If you are looking for a small splurge, look no further!

Plum Paper Planner

After it taking much longer than expected arrive, I finally received and have been using the Plum Paper Planner for about a month now, and so far so good! It is definitely a different layout to get used to, but the list capabilities on on the left-hand side is so convenient and so perfect for what I need. I always feel like I have these never ending to-do lists, and I hated assigning them to a specific day in my Emily Ley Planner because, well, stuff happens and you don't get to it, and then you feel like  you're back tracking. With my new Plum Paper Planner, I can put all of my "to-do" items on one page, in one spot and it's visible for the entire week. I realize the lessened space for the actual days might not work for everyone, but for me, I think I have finally found my perfect planner - at least for now. 

Gift Ideas for My Sister-in-Law

My sister-in-law is turning 23 and I am at a complete loss for what to get her. As of last night, I think we finally decided on a FitBit Alta that she had been eyeing - and that my mother-in-law confirmed she wanted, but Christmas isn't far away. What do y'all do for people that are just impossible to buy for? She is a graduate student, so she is still living in student housing, which makes fun household items a little less practical, and she tends to be pretty picky about anything she wears. Seriously, difficult. Any thoughts, or great go-to gifts?

I hope y'all have a great and relaxing weekend! Let me know what you've got planned!

xoxo 

linking up with:

Oh Hey Friday | Five on Friday | xoxo Rebecca | High Five for Friday | Friday Favorites