After shot

ALAS! A single (and very important) house project has been completed!

You may, or may not, depending on how long you've been with me, remember the idea of hanging pictures above our "new" TV chest.  For those of  you not familiar, here is a link to refresh your memory

(I will also add a few before and after pics here in a sec.)

So for those of you a little too lazy to hop on the link above (no judgement from the peanut gallery), here is an inspiration picture found off this lovely website:

I really loved the idea of staggering framed pictures all over the wall, yet still incorporating the big ol' TV.

Here is what we started with:

Frankly? A little too boring for my taste.

So we decided to display photos we took while in Ireland last year.

First, we had to choose the pictures AND the frames, then decide how to arrange them.  Once we did that, we laid the frames out on a piece of paper to make sure we liked the layout. Then we chose pictures and how we wanted those grouped.

Once we were satisfied with the arrangement, we traced the outline of the frames, hung the paper up on the wall and then placed nails right through the outlines on the paper. 

This is what we ended up with:

Voila!

We are quite pleased with the result, and now I can't help but stare at the pictures instead of the TV.

Now I need to add something to sit on the cabinet that adds a bit more color.....

Not quite Summer here

Our weather has been weird here lately.

It has been in the 40s and 50s here with more rain and clouds than Spring could shake it's pretty little fist at.

But you won't find me complaining!  It means I can still wear jeans and cardigans (and hide my pudgy T-rex arms) without breaking into a "hot-flash sweat."

And that my friends, is some sweet satisfaction for me and others around me!

(no one likes to be around a hungry OR hot Whitney....just leave me alone!)

But enough of that.  How bouts an outfit post, since those have been few and far between?



Cardigan: Romy's, Tank: Maurice's
Skirt: Maurice's, Shoes: Payless shoes



Makin' Banana Pancakes....

It's been quite some time since I last posted a recipe so I'm actually kind of excited to do so.

On hand I had two very ripe bananas, two eggs and some almond milk.

That's pretty much it.  Truth is, I need to visit the grocery store soon. 

Really soon.

But I also wanted to make a little breakfast for us since "lazy Sundays" have become a thing of the past.

And that is where Banana Pancakes come in.

The first time I had even heard of banana pancakes was in a Jack Johnson song (which I had to listen to while making these baby-cakes.)

Here.  You listen now.

I've never made them and never even had them, so this was truly an experimental recipe.

How would it taste? Were the bananas too ripe? Is this going to be a waste of time and dwindling supplies?

The end result was another delicious recipe to add to my stack of foods I want to make again.

Go ahead and give them a try! They are pretty delicious.  The recipe that follows is from AllRecipes.com, with a few added tweaks from me...

Banana Pancakes

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour (I used whole-wheat flour)
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• a couple dashes of cinnamon
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• a dash of vanilla

Directions

1. Combine flour, white sugar, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together egg, milk, vegetable oil and bananas.
2. Stir flour mixture into banana mixture; batter will be slightly lumpy.
3. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Cook until pancakes are golden brown on both sides; serve hot.

A case study in T-Rex arms

Let's face it.  There are some serious issues out there that should be addressed and quite frankly, usually are.

But the issue I'm going to cover today is a very real, and not very serious epidemic.  It is what is known as "T-Rex arms."

Hmm?  What was that? You've never heard of it?

That's because very few people (okay, two...TWO people)  in the world think they have it.

One is me and the other is my sister. 

And It. Is. Real.

Still not sure what I'm blogging on about?

Let's look at figure 1.A. (from pinterest of course...) shall we?

and then another case in figure 1.B:

    Now let's focus on figure 1.C.



poor T-Rex only wanted to do a push up...



And now figure 1.D



This one was sent to me in an e-mail by a concerned person who
recognized the T-Rex characteristic I possess....

Still not sure what the what I'm talking about?

Uber-short arms people.....Uber short arms.

Let's watch a video on it now:

   Do you see the social dysfunction, the confusion and pain T-Rex arms can cause?
All you normal-arm-length people really had no idea, did you?!

I just had to get that out there....and now I feel better.
Except...did I mention I also have a giant head just like a T-Rex too?
Oh no.....more on that later.

My sneaky little secret

I kept it quiet for long enough and am now ready to tell the world that for the past 3 weeks I've been training for a 5K.

I'm not sure why I didn't tell many people.

Afraid I couldn't do it or maybe wouldn't?

I've always wanted to try something like this but just didn't feel like I had what (in my estimation) it took to complete such an event: an amazing lung capacity, to be in uber awesome shape and sheer willpower.

It turns out I have the willpower going for me and as a result was able to run/walk a 5K today!

Isn't that neat? (that's for you Aaron)

But for realsies....it was pretty neat....beyond neat in fact.  Let's say awesome.

So for starters, I got talked into this whole thing by these two ladies (lovely Jaime and Krista) and I'm so glad I gave in to their friendly peer pressure.

For those not too familiar with 5Ks- as I was not- it is equal to 3.1 miles.

This 5K was held around a lake 1/2 an hour from where we live and contained A LOT of hills.

It was challenging physically and mentally but I managed to get through it in 45:59:75!

Did I mention this was my first 5 K ever and I'm proud of that number?!

At the end of the race, I even met up with some other friends that I had no idea were going to be there which added to the fun!

We were all pretty proud of each other and ourselves and agreed there would be more races to run from all of us!

Now if you will excuse me, I have to prop my legs up, ice my shins and get a drink!

It was a long (but rewarding) day for me.