diy monday: art with paint chips

it is easy to be creative and artistic, even if you don't think you are either of those things. i shared my easter decorations that i found inspiration from on pinterest {which is still hanging up by the way}. after i made the easter art, i had scraps left over from the paint chips and thought i could easily make something out of them. 

they almost got thrown away by husband a few times, so i thought i should get to it before they became trash. i took a piece of white A4 computer paper, double sided tape, and my paint chip scraps. i cut them into triangles and squares of varied sizes and started playing until i came up with some designs i liked. 

wouldn't this be cute in a kids room? or as decor for a kids party? 

i just used a frame i already had that was the same size as the paper. 

i also can imagine using paint chips to make a larger piece of art, or something more sophisticated to use as art in our place. the possibilities are endless for, free, cute art, so get to it!

my husband and i just had our 6 year anniversary of the day we met! i have been reminiscing over old photos, and ill be sharing that story with you soon.

love, kbn

recipe wednesday: cinnamon roll oats

i made this recipe a while back, when i was on an oatmeal kick. i realized that too much of any good thing, isn't so good... so, i cut back on my oatmeal intake. i do still enjoy a nice big bowl of oats though every now and then. 

for those of you who don't like oats, give them another chance. i promise, you can dress them up, and they don't even taste like oats. 

without further ado...

cinnamon roll oats - what you need:

30 g whole rolled {or quick} oats

a dash of cinnamon

1 ripe banana

1/2 cup almond milk 

1 tsp vanilla 

1 T nut butter {i used peanut butter}

blend your banana, cinnamon, almond milk, vanilla, and nut butter in a blender or food processor {i only have a blender, and it works fine}. i use chocolate covered katies voluminous oatmeal trick to have my oats ready to go in the morning. all you have to do is add your oats to a measuring cup, add more water than usual, with a pinch of salt. microwave for about 1.5 minutes and put in fridge until morning. it is easy to do right before bed, and let's you sleep in a little longer in the morning. you can always quickly microwave your oats in the morning to take the chill off. 

pour your healthy cream mixture on to your oats and sprinkle with more cinnamon. enjoy! 

i think these would also be great using rice or quinoa, if oats aren't your cup of tea. i have been eating a lot of rice lately, because it agrees with my stomach more than oats, so it's worth a try. husband also bought a rice cooker recently, so expect lots of delicious rice recipes coming up! 

tommy and i went to the jazz vs. suns games last night. it was so much fun, and the jazz are going to the playoffs!! also, my legs are starting to recover from running 13.1 miles on saturday :)

love, kbn

half marathon recap

i woke up at 4:00 am, ate rice mashed with bananas and agave nectar {weird, but good, and agrees with my belly}, a piece of toast with almond butter and drank a big glass of water and a coffee. i went back to bed for about an hour and a half, though i couldn't sleep because i was getting nervous. i got back up, got dressed, stretched, and waited for husband to wake up and drive me to the race start at 6:30. 

i found a friend at the start. hi kelsey! 

we luckily found an open building while we jogged to the start to stop in for a toilet break. good thing, because the lines for the porta-potty's were ridiculous! she was planning on finishing in about 1:30 and i figured i would come in about and hour after that, so i made my way to the middle of the masses and she made her way to the front. 

the weather was perfect! flowers blooming, blue skies, about 55 F at the start. i was feeling great and found a pacer that was doing a 9:55 minute mile, planning on finishing in 2:10. i started running along side him and felt like i could keep that pace. the first 10 miles, i felt great. my legs started getting tired as we were running out of sugarhouse park, but a girl named grace, who also had an injured leg, was encouraging me to keep going... thanks grace! 

i was way ahead of my planned pace and looked for my husband along the way, but figured he might not be expecting me to come in to the finish when i did. the uphill along state street was brutal! it seemed a lot steeper than it was, and my pace really slowed down at that point. i turned the left at the top of the hill and saw the finish in the distance, i knew at that point that i did it, and slowly enjoyed my last bit of the run into the finish. the salt lake city half marathon was organized so well, lots of support, and a band playing at the finish. it took a while for me to find husband, but i was enjoying the warm weather and atmosphere while i waited. i did it in 2:12, not the fasted, but faster than i expected. 

happy first half marathon to me!!

after the finish, we headed up to park city. it was husband's turn to race! some friends of ours organized a training bike race, and kelsey and i got to be the support. 

here is the group at the montage at deer valley.

evan and tommy riding up to the finish.

me and husband, both happy to be finished with our workouts for the day.

my legs are killing me! it might take a week to recover, but i am so glad i did it.

has anyone else done their first half or marathon recently? are you planning to do one? 

if i can do it, so can you!

love, kbn

half marathon prep day

i am running my first half marathon tomorrow. i am surprisingly not too nervous, and just taking it easy so my legs are well rested. this photo sums up my morning...

i am about to head down to pick up my race packet, the nerves might start kicking in after that. being a total half marathon rookie, i don't really know what to expect, but i have spent a lot of time reading running blogs, like fit chick in the city, and walk to the mail box. thanks for all the advise ladies! 

here is the schedule i have put together for myself for tomorrow: 

4:00 am - wake up and eat breakfast, then go back to sleep

5:30/5:45 am - wake up {again} and prepare for the race

6:30 am - head to the start

7:00 am - start the race!

i want my stomach to have plenty of time to digest before the race, and also want to be well rested... who knows how i will be feeling come morning, but we will see! i also mentioned before that i lost a week and a half of training due to an injured leg. well, the leg is feeling okay and i am hoping i can make it thought the 13.1 miles with out too much pain or suffering. i believe i can do it! wish me luck!

i found this idea recently, called the smile project. i decided to put together my own, here is what i have so far!

keally's smile project:

April

1st lazy, rainy sunday and a delicious dinner at a friends house

2nd FREE sports injury consultation (anything free makes me smile)

3rd giving husband a late night haircut in our kitchen (it was a success!)

4th picking up our beautifully painted scooter and a quick late night visit to friends

5th sunny morning walk, and trying a new dinner recipe

6th snow on my way to work, sun on my way home (two of my favorite things)

7th morning jog in the mountains with gorgeous views

8th lovely warm easter, celebrated with friends in park city

9th news of a potential new career

10th coming home to dinner cooked by husband and a beer

11th meeting my husband for lunch during an afternoon run

12th my first time being a grown up and doing my own taxes (and getting money back)

13th caine’s arcade (watch it, it will make you smile too)

14th running 5 miles straight without my leg hurting & a $10 trial gym membership

15th husband home from being away!!

16th shopping day with husband

17th impromptu late afternoon nap

18th impromptu dinner with friends

19th using the new rice cooker to make recipes with husbands help

20th lazy day off, getting ready for my first half marathon!!

i will keep updating my smile project every day. it is a great idea to remember the simple pleasures in life. 

love, kbn

recipe wednesday: lemon oatmeal cakes

husband and i were invited to a friends house for easter dinner. i wanted to bring a dessert, but knew that enough chocolate would be consumed {at least by my husband}, so i wanted to make something a bit more refreshing. 

i found this delicious looking recipe on pinterest {originally found here}, and decided it was easy enough to recreate. other than the butter, it isn't too bad for you. mine made 12 individual servings. i decided to use a cupcake pan instead of making them into bars and it worked great! this would also be great with a mini cupcake pan for smaller servings. 

what you need:

oatmeal cookie mix {i used betty crocker ®}

1 can condensed milk

1/2 cup butter

1 egg

2 tsp lemon zest

juice of about 2 lemons

step by step:

1. cut cold butter into the cookie mix with a fork {just cut into small pieces and mash with fork until crumbled}

2. crack the egg into mixture and stir 

3. press half the mixture into cupcake pan sprayed with cooking oil

4. bake for 15 minutes at 350 F {180 C}

5. mix condensed milk with lemon juice and lemon zest until blended well

6. pour the lemon mix evenly onto the baked cookie mixture

7. crumble the remaining cookie mix on top

8. bake for another 20-25 minutes and let cool for at least 30 mins before serving {it stores well in the fridge for up to a week}

have you made any pinterest inspired recipes lately? i have many more, as well as some originals to share with you soon!

love, kbn

diy monday: coin key ring

i wanted to do something special for my husband for our 1 year anniversary back in october, but i didn't want to spend too much money. i got some inspiration from etsy, to make a key chain out of coins. instead of picking up any old coins, i wanted to make them meaningful. i chose a 2010 penny for the year we got married, and for living in the US together. a five cent australian coin for 5 years together, and getting engaged in australia. a one cent euro coin for 1 year married, and living in belgium together the year we got married. 

you will need:

coins of various sizes and colors

a drill bit for metal

a drill press

scrap wood for drilling into

key ring

to drill your holes, place a piece of scrap wood under your coins and mark the area you want to drill. be safe while drilling, wear appropriate safety gear. 

i found an old key ring i had lying around the house.

use coins that have meaning to personalize your diy project. 

use pliers if needed to attach your coins to your key ring. you can polish your coins for a crisper look, but i liked the worn look of these coins.

ta-da! these would be super cute to make earrings, a bracelet... etc... speaking of bracelets, i recently stumbled upon the amazing blog, whatiwore. she mad a very adorable charm bracelet out of coins, using a similar method! i was reading it today after i put together this post, very weird coincidence {pun not intended}.  

i gave my blog a face lift, do you like it!? it still is a work in progress, but i am liking this cleaner layout better.

love, kbn

clucky much?

for those of you out there that don't know what clucky means...

Australian informal  (of a woman) 

1. wishing to have a baby
2. excessively protective towards her children

via collinsdictionary.com

i'm not ready for a baby yet, but looking at my stationary lately, i think i have babies on the brain. when you reach your mid-twenties, babies start popping up everywhere! no matter how much you try to deny your baby desires, it's hard to hide when your friends start having gorgeous, squishy, squeezable babies. i had the honor of creating my namesakes baptism invites, shown below. please visit my etsy shop to view a full collection. i love custom orders, so let me know if you have an idea i can help you with.

     

   

below are some recent orders printed out and getting them all ready to ship! 

 i recently found a great idea called the smile project. i challenge you all to play along. write down something that makes you smile every day for one year. i will be updating mine every week or so here on my blog. 

love,

kbn