cross it off the list - 2012 Kentucky Derby!

As I inch ever so close to the big 3-0 birthday, I'm also inching closer to finishing off my bucket list items.  One big one was to attend the Derby, hat and all.  This past Saturday, May 5, 2012 I did just that.  It was fun, crazy and HOT.  We made lots of memories that day and it was a day I won't soon forget!  

Our chariot picked up our crowd of around 30 in the parking lot of a furniture store at 8am.  I actually had to get up earlier than I do on a normal work day.  Funny how I sprung out of bed this day, but can barely get it together to get out the door to work...

Anyway, we picked our seats on the bus, got cozy with some nutritious breakfast.  Yup, that would be a sprinkled donut and a giant coke from McD's.  What? Weight Watchers?  Not TODAY!  

Remember, another reason for this trip is my friend from high school who is married to one of my hubby's friends from high school was turning 30.  And it was Cinco De Mayo.  The trifecta of celebrations.  

The birthday girl!

The "fillies"

We arrived at Papa John's stadium after 10am.  We would park the charter bus here and then take a short shuttle ride to Churchill Downs.  I had heard this is where a lot of the college kids go to "tailgate" before the Derby.  Oh. My. Gosh. Tailgate they did.  I still think of myself as a spring chick, but man did the sight of those college kids make me feel old.  And apparently they thought we were celebrities.  They swarmed our group.  We were definitely the most dressed up group in the lot.  And probably the oldest, like by 8-10 years.  And they COULD NOT get over the idea that most of us had kids.  But, nevertheless, it was fun to hang out there and thank my lucky stars that I'm no longer in college and that I can afford the finer things in life, like cold beverages in bottles and clothing that does not include cut off overalls.  



This girl.  Cut off overalls.  Tiny sombrero hat.  Hot. Mess.

After heading into Churchill Downs we found our way to the paddock area soaked in the sights.  We attempted to find Joey's brother and sister in law who made the trip from Miami, Florida.  But, if you've ever been to the Derby you know that cell phone service is spotty at best and we never could connect with him.  We even went as far as searching the infield for nearly 2 hours in the muddy disaster looking for a blue pop up tent with no avail.  BUT, we did run into my friend from college in the tunnel leading to the infield!  



My friend, Alex!

We left the infield and joined back up with our group we traveled with and spent the rest of the day enjoying the Derby.  We had a front row seat to the parade of owners and handlers as they made their way through the paddock area and to Millionaire's Row.  

It was a loooooooooong day, my feet were throbbing, but I wouldn't trade that day for anything!  We had SO much fun with our friends who we never get to do this kind of stuff with.  To Nikki, you did 30 proud!  Thanks for having a birthday and thanks to your awesome husband for getting it all together! 

So what's left on the ol' to-do list?  

Run/walk 5K - scheduled for June 2nd!  Have I started training?  Uh....no.

Take some video with my 8mm app.  - can't believe I still haven't done that.  

Try a yoga class.

Get to the Findlay Market 

Get some kiss my 20's goodbye pictures taken. - I'm chickening out, these might turn into family portraits :)  

And yet again, my 30th birthday party is being taken down another notch.  Life just got BUSY.  I am headed to my favorite restaurant on Sunday to check out their party room.  Let's face it, this way I won't have to clean up!  HA!  

Hope ya'll had a fun Cinco de DERBY weekend!

the best day ever!

I can't believe how quickly these birthday parties come and go.  It's already over!  I stopped myself during the party and just sat down and really tried to soak up everything that was going on.  I usually find myself worrying if there is enough food, if everyone is full, what is Kate doing and/or bothering, but not yesterday.  Once the guests started arriving I told myself to just relax and enjoy.  Enjoy the company of our closest friends and family and just enjoy this day with Kate.  She only turns 3 once and will only be a little girl for just a little while longer. 

My mom was gracious enough to keep her after church to let her get in a nap and so I could work on finishing everything up uninterrupted.  My mom dropped her off about 3:30 and I wish I would have gotten her sweet little reaction on video because it was priceless.  Although she knew it was her birthday party and I had been setting up for several days already, when she saw that cake she got SO excited!  It was so stinking cute.  I can't tell you how many times she thanked me and Joey for her birthday party and hugged and kissed everyone at the party several times and thanked them over and over.  It just made my heart soar to hear how polite she was!  And more than once she actually said this was the best day ever!

My awesome friend Vonnie took lots of awesome pictures and I should have those in a few weeks, but here is just a little sneak peek of some I took with my phone :)  Happy Monday! 

instagram, how I love thee

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome myself into 2012.  I finally broke down and got an iphone.  Up until last Thursday evening I felt like Carrie in the first Sex and the City movie when she was still rocking her pink flip phone circa 2004.  I love the scene where she is at the library about to get married with that big bird on her head and she's freaking out because Big wasn't there yet and she asks for a phone and Samantha gives Carrie her iphone and she just looks at it and hands it right back to her with "I don't know how to use this thing."  {Thank you for indulging me.  I still love SATC.}

Anyhoo, my contract for my pink flip phone was over so I took the plunge.  Now, I can say, how did I ever get along without it?  The apps, Siri, the music, the camera!  I'm already smitten! 

Given that the iphone 4S camera is 10000000000000 times better than the digital camera we currently own, most of the photos on this blog from here on out will probably be thanks to my phone.  Or until I actually break down and buy a real fancy pants camera. 

I ahhhhhdore Instagram and the vintagy feel it can give to any photo, making it instantly awesome.  You can follow me or find me or whatever you do on there: @leslielm

Also, get ready because the movie producer in me is about to come out.  Remember last year when I said I wanted to get my hands on an 8mm camera and make some classic old school home videos?  Well, it's going to happen!  I downloaded the 8mm app and the imovie app so I can start cranking out some cool home movies too!  I may start this weekend at lil bits birthday party! 

I promised an updated picture of our fireplace and you guessed it, thanks to Instagram, you shall receive!  Plus some other photos I took over the weekend just for fun! 

The chevron faux fireplace

Just a few more days till the paaaarrrtttay!  Getting excited!

The soon to be birthday girl!

Sign we picked up in South Africa.  Right by our front door :)

K's big girl room

Party prep underway!

My mamaw's typewriter

Good morning!

hellllllooooooo preschool!

As mentioned, this year's birthday theme will be all about school!!  You've probably never met someone as excited about school as my Kate and she has never even been to school before!  I think all of the awesome school supplies might have something to do with her excitement.  Ask my mom or dad and they will tell you that I too was a lover/hoarder of school supplies in my day.  I would make my weary, exhausted mother traipse out to every office supply store on the very first day of school with my list of school supplies.  She was a teacher and I know fighting swarms of kids and their parents trying to find school supplies after the first day of school was not a fun activity for her....but man, I l-o-v-e-d it. 

It's definitely crunch time around here with Kate's party next Sunday!  AH!  How does time get away from me so quickly?  I promised lots and lots of DIY projects.  Since it's getting so close, I'll have to post more DIYs even after the party. {insert sad slacker face here}  I also owe you an update on the 1/2 bath revamp before too long. 

Here's we go.  Let's start with the invitations.  Wouldn't you agree that the invitation sets the stage for the whole entire party?  Get an awesome invitation in the mail and you can almost guarantee and awesome time to come at the party. 

Since I'm sure Kate will be just like her momma and be completed OCD when it comes to organization I thought a lil file folder to keep all of the party invitation information would be totally appropriate.  I found this template here and embellished the outside cover.  I traced the tag onto some pink graph paper and added a flower and this cute little number 3 and some baker's twine.  Just so everyone what was clear what was inside that folder, I typed on the label :) 

I recruited my hubby to design the guts to the invitation with a less than elementary sketch/idea of what I had in mind.  Good thing we are a good team because what he came up with was WAY better than what I had in my brain.  2 flash cards and a class schedule fit perfectly in their folder.  I found some cute glassine envelopes at Hobby Lobby and sealed the back of the envelope with a strip of old school tape I bought on etsy which I also used to make flags for the yellow paper straws above. 

The invitations did exactly what I wanted them to do.  I got a text from my lovely sis in law as soon as her mail arrived and said that the invitation made her smile :)  Mission accomplished :) 

diy and laundry room redo

As I mentioned in my last post, I wanted to knock out a few projects around the house before Kate's birthday party.  About 3 weeks left to go and I'm proud to say I conquered both of my projects with plenty of time to spare! 

A side note quickly, I wanted to pass along the link to one of my favorite DIYs that I've done on Stockpiling Moms so far.  I used this same technique to make the EAT letters in our kitchen.  This post was Easter themed, no judging that I'm already a day late. 

http://www.stockpilingmoms.com/2012/04/diy/

Okay, back to room redos.  The first room I tacked was the laundry room.  Our laundry room is a small room right off the garage so not only do we do our laundry there, it's a mud room of sorts, I keep a calendar handy so I can see as I'm walking out the door what bills need to be paid, and last but certainly not least, it houses my husband's kegerator.  It's not my ideal spot for it, but until we can tackle the garage and get it organized and cleared out I was informed it has to stay there for the time being.  Trust me, I've already got big plans for that tiny space it will free up when the kegerator is back in its rightful place...in the garage.  I have a little wire rack for laundry detergent and dryer sheets and such and if I can swing it, I wouldn't mind having a little stool or some kind of small chair so you can sit and take your shoes off.  Or, let's be real honest, it will serve as a place to dump stuff (i.e. my purse).   But, anyhoo, until the day when the kegerator triumphantly makes its return home, I'll deal with the hops and barley smell that greets you everytime you walk in from the garage. 

Before....blah

Other side before

First order of business was paint.  I used the paint that I had left over from the kitchen peninsula and barely squeezed out enough to do this room.  Thank goodness it was a small room and the paint covered well, I got away with only 1 coat.  The color is Grand Hotel Mackinac Blue by Valspar.  I'm starting to get a crush on Valspar paint too.  It covered our new construction drywall well and costs way less than my other crush on Sherwin Williams paint. 

I already made hubs put up this message board wall when we moved in so I could keep track of everything, so the frame just got a quick coat of Martha Stewart's Punch mixed in whatever the cheapest paint they had at Home Depot. 

Next we took down the ugly white wire shelving that was in the laundry room.  Since the laundry room can be seen from the kitchen I wanted it to look as pretty as the kitchen.  I bought 3 corbels and a 6 foot piece of MDF board from Home Depot and painted those bad boys with the same Punch by Martha Stewart paint. 

Once the paint was dry on the walls and on my shelf, Joey got busy and hung everything back up on the wall.  I put some laundry room-ish items in jars for the shelf and put some rolls of paper towels in that basket that I spraypainted yellow.  It's actually a refrigerator basket that I found on the side of the road by someone's house when we lived in Erlanger.  Their trash, my treasure.  I love that thing.  It's already been several colors, but yellow has by far been my fav! 

The rug is from Urban Outfitters and they must have read my blog post about that tree shower curtain and how mad I was and must have been scared.  I swear I ordered that rug on a Thursday and it may have been on my doorstep by Friday.  If not Friday, for sure Saturday.  Crazy. 

To finish off the room I added this friendly little reminder as we walk out the door every morning.  I totally think it's worth seeing everyday, because sometimes let's face it, I just don't want to be nice.  But, as I've learned, there are lots of people out there who are facing some things in their life that are really not nice, so if I can be nice to just one person who's otherwise having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day, then it makes it worth while.  I saw the tutorial for these letters over at Life As a Thrifter and actually may need to go to rehab to curb my addiction to silver spraypainted/anthro knockoff letters.  You will see them again in a little room tour of Kate's bedroom to come sometime soon.

So, that's it for now.  Phase II of this project will be to replace the white 6 panel door leading into the hallway of the house (not the one leading into the garage) with an old friend.  Yes lovelies, the screen door is making a come back.  We had a screen door on our pantry in our old house and it is patiently waiting for a new paint job and some new hardware. 

Phase III of the redo, several years down the road, will be to replace the flooring from linoleum to some fun black/white hexagonal tile. 

So, there you have it!  Way too much information about our lil ol' laundry room!  Next up, a powder room revamp. 

what's next?

So, I know you are probably asking, what’s next?  What project are those crazy Marshall kids going to tackle now?  Oh trust me, I’ve got a list, but first things first.  Our sweet lil crazy Kate is about to be 3!  So for the next few weeks I am in full party planning mode.  It’s sick, but I even took some PTO days last week to get everything bought and begin getting things in order and ready.  Most people take PTO days to relax, get a mani, lay around and do nothing.  I wish I could but my brain won’t allow it.  My brain is booked with ideas from now until the end of the year already, so no time for relaxing. 

We’ve already signed Miss Kate up for preschool beginning in September and she couldn’t be more excited.  In honor of her birthday and her embarking on new adventures in preschool we are having a school themed birthday party!  I’m planning on mixing in elements of school days of yore but still keeping it bright, cheerful and fun!  I’ve got plenty of DIYs lined up too, so I’ll start with the invites and work our way onward.  Lots of pressure this year too.  I mean, how can you top last year’s party?  I don’t know if I can top it, but it will certainly just be different and just as fun!  Check out my Pinterest board here for my collection of inspiration. 

But, speaking of projects, before her party (which is in late April) I hope to:

Paint and install new shelving in the laundry room and actually make it an organized space instead of the catch all of crap area, which is what purpose it is currently serving. 

At the very least paint the powder room and finish my silver platter installation in there.  We want to replace the flooring with tile and swap out the sink, but that might be pushing it.  We’ll see how motivated my hubs is. 

There you have it.  Get ready to be schooled.  Old schooled.  Whatever that means?! 

Here’s a sneak peek of the invites.  So fun! 

the "c" word

Most of the time I can find the words to write on this blank screen.  They usually flow pretty well and I'm able to form complete sentences to explain and detail my day to day ramblings, crafty adventures, home improvement project and other nonsense. 

For this post however, I'm having trouble finding the right words to say.  Having trouble finding the keystrokes to put sentences together.  So, instead of making sense, maybe it won't today.  Maybe it won't make sense, because there is something else that doesn't make sense to me. 

My best friend.  Her name is Misty.  We met in 7th grade when our new middle school opened.  I don't quite remember the exact sequence of events, but I do know it probably wasn't before the end of the school day that we had become best friends.  Since that first day of school in 7th grade we've remained the best of friends.  We have been best friends through high school, high school drama, boyfriends (well, for Misty, just one, who's she's now married to :), graduation, we were college roommates, graduation again, she was my maid of honor in my wedding, I was her matron of honor in her wedding.  She was at the hospital with me the day Kate was born.  She helped me create the Birds of a Feather Fair.  There is really just not a whole lot of my life that hasn't involved her in some way.

It was a week day.  Misty had been acting a little strange.  I knew something was up with her.  Finally, it was in her time to tell me that she had been to the doctor and she was pregnant!!!!  I was over the moon.  I remember what my mom told me after she found out that I was pregnant with Kate and that was exactly how I felt.  I had a warm little circle around my heart.  My best friend was having a baby! EK!

I have always insisted that Misty keep me up to date on her doctor's visits and my heart was pitter pattering all day the day she was scheduled for her ultrasound to find out the sex of her baby.  We giggled like 7th graders when she told me she was having a boy and that she had boy parts growing inside her.  Silly.  But, that's us.

This was also the day she told me she had found a lump in her breast. 

We figured it was something clogged, a cyst?  Something that happens to crazy hormone pregnancy boobies.  She was scheduled for a check up with the doctor and said she would keep me posted.

That brings us to last Thursday.  I'm at work.  It's mid-morning.  I see a number come up on my caller id and I immediately recognize the number I've known by heart since we have been old enough to even have cell phones.  I think we might have even chit chatted for a few minutes.  I don't really remember. 

She said to me, "Leslie, I have breast cancer."  I'm pretty sure I might have laughed out loud or otherwise said something inappropriate because I just didn't believe it. 

So, my best friend is 30, pregnant and now has breast cancer?  

The days to come were a whirlwind of constant prayers and worry.  Misty, I know you are reading this, and please rest assured that I have a much better handle on this now!  Of course, I'll always worry because it's in my DNA to worry about everything, everybody, all the time, but I don't want you to ever worry about me! 

Misty starts chemo next Wednesday.  It's going to be a long, tough road ahead for her, her husband, her baby and her family.  I am not going to share all of the details with you because it's Misty's journey to share with you.  She has decided to start her own blog to document this time in her life.  I hope that you will click over to her blog and keep up to date with it. 

Be sure to follow her journey. 

Be sure to pray for her. 

Be sure to leave words of encouragement.  

Be sure to forward her blog on to anybody else you know who may need some uplifting during their journey with cancer. 

Be sure to continue giving to those organizations who make it their mission in life to fight this stupid disease. 

Be sure to be kind to everyone you meet, because you never know who's fighting a hard battle.



"Aunt Mimi" with Kate

Cancer is so stupid.  And cancer, you better watch out, because you just messed with the wrong girls.