Friday Letters

This is new for me and I’m not 100% sure where it originated from because the posts I’ve read haven’t been linked to the original source.  If anyone knows who created the “Friday Letters” post idea, please do share.  I want to give credit where credit is deserved. 

Dear Friday Letter Creator, Thank you very much!  I think it is an absolutely wonderful idea and helps me to refocus and realize just how much I have to be thankful for! Dear Mother Nature, Thank you for giving me such a magnificent moon each evening and perfect weather during the day.  Dear Hannah, I love you darling!  You are such a wonderful friend.  If you need anything at anytime, please do not hesitate to ask me!  I’m here for you lady and I am super proud of you!  You are doing wonderful! XOXO Dear Husband, Thank you for doing 30 Day Shred with me!  It helps to have someone else along for the ride!  Together we will feel stronger and look sexier!  Dear Crafter Inside Me, Please come alive this weekend and help make our home look perfect for Christmas!  Dear Little Man, I’m ready for a fun weekend!  Dear Deployed Soldiers, Thank you for your service.  The holidays are hard for you and your loved ones.  You are in my hearts now and always.  Thank you for your sacrifices.  Dear Mom & Dad, Thank you for a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!  It was perfect and exactly what I needed to rejuvenate myself!  Dear Work, Please be kind to me next week.  This week has been extremely tedious and I really need a breakthrough.  Dear Dancing Feet, Please don’t mess up the Foxtrot.  We really need to work on that dance.  Dear God,  Thank you for being an awesome God and blessing me with so many wonderful friends and family and good health!

Much love.

It's ALMOST Christmas Decorating Time!!

This weekend my house will be completely Christmas-tized aside from the tree which will be carefully selected and decorated next weekend!  I am a fan of extending the Christmas decorating process as long as possible, but I also do not start decorating until the first of December.  Luckily, December 1st is a Saturday, so I can go full force and dominate the decorating!!  I am sooo excited!!

 

This year I have some grand plans for decorating and crafting!  Little man and I are going to be busy beavers tomorrow!  Here is a taste of what I have planned for us!

Sock Snowmen

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Glass Vases Wrapped in paper snowflakes with a little sea salt and a candle inside!

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 Christmas Balls mod podged with newspaper or scrap paper and rolled in sparkles!

 

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 Christmas Tree Made out of books with a little addition of big bulbed Christmas lights! 

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 Waterfall of lights in our dining area!

 

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Add tulle to our lights in our Nativity to add a soft glow

 

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I'm so excited to start decorating!!  I'll be sure to post pictures of the crafting process and of the final decorations!!  Happy Weekend everyone!!

 

Much love.

Coffee Talk: Week 12

It’sThursday people!!  The day before FRIDAY,oh glorious FRIDAY, and that means it’s COFFEE TALK TIME with NAT at OhEmGee! Isaw this coffee mug at my parents over Thanksgiving and knew instantly that itwas going on my blog, especially after such a rough week. The first full weekafter a short holiday week is always soo hard, so it was a "no-brainer" that thiscoffee mug spoke to me.

 

 

 

What is the meaning behind your blog name?

According to The FreeDictionary.com

Noun	1.	tinkerer - an unskilled person who tries to fix or mend fiddler unskilled person - a person who lacks technical training
	2.	tinkerer - a person who enjoys fixing and experimenting with machines and their parts tinker experimenter - a person who enjoys testing innovative ideas; "she was an experimenter in new forms of poetry"

Tinkerer…I tinker in a lot of things all the time…not somuch machines, but I do play around with vacuum, dishwasher, dryer, lawn mower,and any little machine that may happen to . I dabble in photography, running, sewing, crafting, while I am seriousabout dancing, blogging, reading, cleaning, gardening…I rarely watch T.V.,despise sitting still and will try anything at least once…  Oh and I work full time, am a wife and step momand keep in pretty darn good communication with my friends and extended family.  Basically, I never stop and when I slow down,I am still tinkering with or planning something.  My mind is always on the move.  I think it’s a pretty neat place.

I. AM. A.TINKERER.

 

How long have you been blogging? What made you start?

I started blogging in January of 2010 because I wasliving on the west coast and I had a strong desire to have my family andfriends feel connected to me, but I didn’t have time to call and email picturesto everyone.   Here is my first blog post...read it and you will see that I NEVER stop and am a complete overachiever.  (Ignore the misspelling of "the" - I do in fact know how to spell that simple three letter word.)

 

What is your blog generally about?

Life.  My blogchanges as my life changes.  I writeabout what I think and do.

Do you have any funny blogs you would like to share?

Nope.  I haveblogs I love, but not ones that are particularly funny.  Sorry :/

 

What are your hopes for your blog?

My hopes are that those who read it, enjoy it.  I blog for myself and those who areinterested in my life.  I don’t blog formoney, although it has crossed my mind. I enjoy being able to take time off from blogging without feelingguilty. 

Much love.

30 Day Shred with Jillian Michaels: Level 1

Hubby gave me Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred for my birthday!  He was filling a request, not insinuating that I need to lose any weight.  Frankly, if I gained 10 lbs, he’d be happy as a clam because “all the good stuff” gets bigger too.  We’ve agreed to disagree on this one.  I want to be strong, fit and tiny!  When I feel good about myself, it benefits both of us!   

So, I just started the 30 Shred on Monday and I already skipped day two, but that was because I danced for over 2 hours, so I think that counts as a workout for the day.  Don’t be fooled, I really enjoyed the first workout and I will be doing it virtually daily.  While I could probably skip level 1, I am going to work through the program as instructed. 

Level 1 is only 20 minutes long, but you are constantly moving and switching up exercises, so it’s a workout.  It’s Circuit Training: 3 minutes strength, 2 minutes cardio, 1 minute abs, and each circuit works slightly different muscles.  Her strategy is to work large and small muscle groups together without a break. For virtually every exercise there is a modified version.  For example, I can’t do a ton of “boy” pushups, so I do as many as I can and then I do the “girl” version on my knees.   

This is great for a busy lifestyle because it’s a fairly intense 20 minutes in your living room as opposed to going to the gym or doing an hour long video.  If you do it on a consistent basis, I think it will work, but I will be sure to update you on here.  Ryan and I did it together and we actually broke a sweat & felt good afterwards and the next day.  My quads are a little sore, but a good sore!

 

 

Level 1

Pros:

20 minutes

Cardio, Strength and Abs

Works several muscle groups

Broke a sweat

Good music

Modified workouts 

Cons:

Stress on knees

Need weights

I will be sure to update when we reach level 2 and level 3. 

Much love.

Thanks.

On my drive home yesterday, I was reflecting on my weekend and what I was most thankful for when I saw a rainbow cloud!  Yes, you heard me correctly.  It was a rainbow that was only reflected on a single cloud and while it wasn’t grand in size, it was vibrant in color.  Naturally, the wheels in my head started turning and I thought of my father and only my father.  He is a humble man, and actually a quite small in stature man, whom can make you feel like the most precious gem with a simple smile.  When he speaks, he speaks with passion.  Listen and you will be thankful.  He only says about 80% of what he's thinking, but that 80% is powerful.  He has a way about him that exudes the love he feels for his wife and children that is so natural.  There isn’t an effort or a desire to impress.  He simply is who he is and he is wonderful. 

Just look at the love in my parents’ eyes. 

Some people were gifted with an eloquence in their words and my friend is one of them.  He wrote the following on Thanksgiving Day and it touched me:

 In spite of any cynicism that one receives after reading the world news, balancing a checkbook or simply being stuck in one's own mind while traversing through the motions of life...I am ever thankful for the breath in our chests, a stomach that is sated, the warmth in our hearts, the smiles and laughter on our faces but most of all, I thank you for being simply you. Be well today, my friend.

Thank you, friend, for writing your thoughts of thanks.  I struggle daily to put what I am feeling in my heart into words.  I feel so passionately that my vocabulary simply cannot keep up.  :)

Beautiful sunset that welcomed me back to Virginia after a 5 hour drive.

I am very lucky to have such a wonderful family.  God has blessed me with a family that makes me laugh when I am sad, picks me up when I have fallen, carries me when I am weak, loves me when I fail, comforts me when I need comforting, makes fun of me when it's deserved and loves me unconditionally, crazy quirks and all.  I’m in a “sappy, missing my family” mood. 



My pretty preteen sister

Younger, but taller brainiac brother :)

I love his smile!  This is my younger, older brother.

My precious niece!  Love her smile too!

My crazy little nephew!

That's just a handful of my family members.  Family rocks! 

 

Much love.

Coffee talk: Week 11...Drinks

Coffee Talk with Natalie over at OhEmGeeBlog!

 

The theme of this post is drinking habits, and I'm not talking about water, although water is my main beverage choice. Well, water and coffee. The timing is quite perfect given that today, Thanksgiving, is the day after the biggest drinking day of the year and I just so happen to bring my family a couple bottles of wine and four beers called Skull Splitter.  They are supposed to be amazing, so we will see!

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you and yours loved ones are celebrating together!

 

 

What is your favorite drink called? What are the ingredients in it?

This isn’t as easy as it sounds because my drink choice is strongly impacted on my current mood and the weather outside, so let’s do this seasonally…

Winter: I grab for a Shiraz or Menagerie by… 

Spring: Alpine Spring beer by Sam Adams or a dry Riesling

Summer: Bud Lite Lime with lots of lime or watermelon sangria

Fall: I start to get back into my wines and ciders with rum

Recipe will be Watermelon Sangria:

 

You’ll need:

Seedless watermelon

1 orange

1 lemon

2 limes

1 can of Sanpellogrino Lemon soda

1 bottle of dry white wine

Directions:

Puree the watermelon

strain into pitcher

chop fruit

mix all ingredients

let chill for 2 hours, enjoy!

 
 How old were you when you first got drunk?

19 years old.  Second semester of college.  I was a good girl until then.

Name an embarrassing moment about you or your friends that occurred while drinking.

Oh Lord.  I’d rather not.  These are stories that need to be told in person.  I’ll let pictures document these moments instead of words.  This night was fun, but boy o boy were we feeling it until well into the next day. 

What is your favorite party drinking game?

Beer Pong for sure!  My bestie and I used to rock it…the more we drank, the better we got!

Are you a happy drunk? Sad drunk? Sleepy drunk? Paranoid drunk? or other?

This one depends on what I am drinking and my general mood, but I would say when drinking with friends, I am happy and emotional.  I’m not an angry or mean drunk, that’s for sure.  Paranoid…depends on where we are, but generally I am confident.  Happy and emotional are my dominant demeanors when drunk.

Are you a hard drinker (straight liquor, shots, etc.)? Fruity drinker (daiquiris, mixers, etc)? not a drinker at all? or Other

Other.  I don’t drink to get drunk, I don’t take shots very often, and fruity drinks tend to make me feel sick.

I am the sip on wine and talk my face off or dance my booty off kind of drinker.  I could write a paper, study for a test (and pass), clean up the house, cook, etc. when I drink…on average.  Are there times I get crazy? Yes.  Are they rare occurrences? Yes.  I like to be in control of myself, but I also like to loosen up and have a glass or two of wine with friends.

 
 
Much love.

Late Twenties

Happy Birthday to Me!

Thank you Mom and Dad for falling in love and celebrating Valentine's Day! 

Nine months later your Sarah Catherine was born and she loves you more and more with each passing day!  You are amazing parents and I am stoked to see you on my birthday!!  Having my birthday near a major holiday is a blessing because I will forever be home for Thanksgiving and be able to see you near my birthday!  It makes my day all the sweeter!
 

I've always been a little weird...ok, a lot weird.


These glasses are fake. I just thought they were cool. Wow, was I wrong :)

 

 I've always had wonderful fashion sense!



That smile just melts your heart, doesn't it?!

 I am my father's daughter!


I'm a ham! Always striking a pose!

 

Well, I guess I am officially in my late 20's... I don't really dig the late part of it, so I'm just going to say I'm 27.  I still look in the mirror in the morning before make-up and think Wow, you don't look old enough to drink and it's true I think because I get carded for everything.  For the record, I am 100% ok with that. 

 

This past year has been pretty significant for me.  I lost some weight and got in much better shape.  I started dance lessons and have fallen completely head over heels in love with dancing, the instructors and the other students!  It's amazing!  I ran my first race and enjoyed it, so I ran a few more.  I actually enjoy running now.  Between the dancing and running, I am feeling much more confident in my appearance and I am feeling much stronger.  It's pretty awesome! 

 

My confidence level has increased significantly.  I know who I am, what I believe in and what I am capable of.  I truly believe that moving to Virginia without knowing anyone and getting my masters degree have helped me become much more secure in the woman I am. 
 

 26,

You were an awesome year!

 

27,

Let's make this year even better than last year!  I want to run my first half marathon with my best friend, complete the tough mudder with my brothers, improve my dance skills significantly, catch more sunrises with my coffee in hand and stroll along the beach while the sunsets on occassion as well. 

Love,

Sarah

 

Much love.