autumn

Is it Autumn Yet?

Friday, August 30, 2013

I don't know about you guys, but this weather has me longing for fall! I decided that I would make some autumn decor...after all, September is in a couple days!!!

I picked up some burlap and lace at Wal-Mart for a cute little bunting!



I made a pattern with some cardboard, and cut out each triangle, and sewed them to the lace. I used this process to make the stencils and paint the letters on the bunting. 



It looks great on the front porch! I thought I would just hang it up long enough to take pictures, but I think I am going to leave it. Maybe it will bring the colder weather this way! I will wait to add more fall decor, but it won't be long! ;)

Hope everyone has a great Labor Day weekend!

motivation

Chasing Vera

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Is anyone surprised that I am writing a post about Vera Bradley? I didn't think so!

A while back, Dane came up with a brilliant way to encourage me to run...this was after his attempt to "do dishes" while I was at the gym. (I came home to 2 dozen freshly baked cookies! More dishes and tempting treats...NOT HELPING!) Anyway, Dane decided that he would encourage me with Vera Bradley! For every mile I ran I earned a dollar towards some Vera of my choice! I just love him! (For many more reasons than this!)

 Last week I went and cashed in a few of my Vera dollars on this beauty!


 The little hipster is the perfect size (for a smaller purse) and I LOVE that it has a wallet compartment built in!

 I was torn between Jazzy Blooms and Plum Crazy, but I am so glad I went with this one! It matches everything!

 The real motivation for working out is being healthy, but it is also nice to have a goal to work towards. Knowing that I am only 5 miles away from a wallet or pair of Vera Bradley sunglasses makes it easy to get out and run! AND... I don't feel guilty when I buy something. After all, I earned it!

 What motivates you to stay active?

five star vacations

2013 VanHandel Family Vacation

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

 We're back! Dane and I spent the weekend on Table Rock Lake. We had been looking forward to this trip for a long time (I mentioned it a couple times here and here), and it was quite an adventure! The trip started early Friday morning. We met 10 of our friends (wearing matching shirts), loaded up an RV, and hit the road. About one hour into the trip the air conditioner stopped working, but we didn't let that ruin our fun! A few rounds of Would You Rather, lots of laughs, and SIX hours later, and we had arrived!



(This photo was edited using the Rhonna Designs app.)

 We quickly unloaded our belongings from the RV and got them on our houseboat! We rented the houseboat through a company called Five Star Houseboat Vacations. They were so helpful, and made loading the boat a piece of cake!



 Our houseboat was amazing!!! There were 6 bedrooms, a hot tub, and a slide...what more do you need, right?! Once we found a spot on the lake, we got in the water for a while. It was nice to float around and cool off. Later, we made supper and watched Pitch Perfect!

The next two days we spent floating, eating, and sleeping! It was wonderful.





We did move the boat once...to a place with an amazing view and some fun cliffs!





On the second morning, I took a little walk to the cliff edge to drink my coffee and enjoy the beautiful scenery.



THEN...I saw a snake! It was about 30 feet below in the water, but it was enough to make the spot a little less relaxing! I snapped this picture to show the crew...AND apparently there was a photo bombing turtle! I didn't even see the turtle until I looked at the picture!



The weekend was great! I would definitely go on this vacation again!





Hope all of the VanHandel's are ready for next year! (We aren not actually VanHandel's...but that is a very long story!)

-Britt

This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own!