Colors to COOL it down & HEAT it up!

I've been inspired by the craze of color...

During the last few weeks of the semester, EVERYONE was wearing a light turquoise/teal shade of paint on their nails. I have already loved that color. One of my favorite scarfs, from J.Crew, is in that exact color but I never thought about it on my nails! So this "mint candy apple" color by Essie is color number one for the summer season. (comparable color by OPI "mermaid tears")

Yesterday, laying out by my second family, the Feaster's pool, we discussed the color of Hayley and Jan's toenail color called "cajun shrimp" by OPI. It's a bright coral. (comparable to "clambake" or "meet me at sunset" by Essie.) The new color for summer.

So here we have it: a cool mint and a bright shrimp.

I've made up some color boards with some fashion finds of each color.

Mint Candy Apple

Designers from left to right & top to bottom: bag by J.Crew // necklace by Betsey Johnson // scarf by J.Crew // dress by Eliza J // top by J.Crew //sandal by J.Crew // dress by Roxy // necklace by Juicy Couture // eyeshadow by Lancome // earrings by Tasha // sweater by J.Crew // swimsuit by La Blanca // sweater by J.Crew // scarf by Make + Model // dress by J.Crew // earrings by Juicy Couture // bag by Marc Jacobs // shoe by Diane von Furstenberg // necklace by Stephen Dweck // bracelet by Juicy Couture // espadrille by Me Too // bangles by Cara // sandal by Ivanka Trump // swimsuit top by Betsey Johnson

Cajun Shrimp

Designers from left to right & top to bottom:  top by Eye Shadow // pump by Jessica Simpson // sandal by Vince Camuto // bag by Kate Spade // welly by Sperry for J.Crew // sandal by Kate Spade // earrings by Betsey Johnson // Shorts by J.Crew // dress by Aidan Mattox // coverup by Tommy Bahama // bangles by Cara // bag by Tori Burch // dress by Eliza J // bag by Milly // scarf by Brazen // sandal by Claudia Ciuti // ring by Juicy Couture // dress by Nicole Miller

Go and cool down your summer with a little mint or heat it up with some cajun spice!

Summer Strawberries

We have been enjoying the luxury of summer fruit since we have been home. We've had pineapple, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, bananas, grapes, and kiwis. Eating fruit makes it truly feel like summer...

A few posts ago in Crafty Business, I mentioned how I had found quite a bit of summer projects to do. I believe I also mentioned how Julie is teaching me to sew this summer. Last Friday, Julie and I had a lesson where we worked on a new valance for her kitchen windows. It was very helpful to learn techniques and different skills. Can't wait for the next!

Well my time has come! My new singer sewing machine has arrived! I got it in the mail yesterday from Jo Ann fabrics. I bought a brand new Singer Heavy Duty 4423. It may not be the cutest machine in the world but Becky, my mom's other sewing friend, highly recommended getting a Singer and a non-electronic one. So I did! I love the retro feel of it. I have named it Rascal.

I went and bought everything for my 'sewing kit' yesterday at Jo Ann's. Got some goodies.

The summer projects have seriously begun! Yesterday, I finished my first sewing project: Strawberry Pincushions. Every seamstress needs a pincushion so I decided to make mine cute and summery! My pincushions were inspired by Embroideroo and V and Co.

Sew there you have it! Enjoy some summer fruit today!

Strut Your Stuff

This past Saturday was all about strutting our stuff for our family. My brother-in-law, Tyler, graduated from high school! In addition, my dad and I ran in my first 5k!

Tyler's graduation on Saturday afternoon was a blessed affair. The graduation was so personal for each of the graduates. There was a small picture video with voiceovers from the parents for each kid. It was truly unique and so neat to witness. He will be attending Liberty in the fall and plans to major in business marketing. Jordan and I are really looking forward to have him up in Lynchburg for our last year there. I believe Tyler will absolutely have a blast and love his time spent there. He isn't planning on playing golf yet Jordan insists that he should... we'll see what happens after Tyler's first semester.

Dad and I ran in the SNAP Strut Your Stuff 5k in Euless on Saturday morning. It was to benefit special needs people in north Texas through the organization called SNAP (Special Needs Assistance Partners). I absolutely loved every minute of the race morning. We woke up early, ate part of a breakfast bar, got the dogs in the car, and headed to the park to start the race. We checked in and got our official timers that attach to our shoe laces provided by Run Time.

There was a mile fun run prior to the 5k. The 5k runners were allowed to use the fun run as a warm up for their race so dad took advantage of this race to run with Thunder, the wonder dog! Thunder loves to run so we thought this would be fun for him. We knew he couldn't do the 5k cause when I took him on one of my daily runs he quit at 1.75 miles hence our decision for him to participate in the mile.

Well he did it! He loved it! They came in second behind about a 11 year old little boy. Thunder did get FIRST dog though! They ran it in 7 minutes and 57 seconds. The hilarious part of this story is that right when the hit the home stretch with just less than a quarter mile left, Thunder decided he had to leave a present for the grounds... Dad then had to use the doggy poo poo bags to throw this 'gift' away during the race. Then they sprinted for the finish line!

Thunder was so riled up after his race. He was so excited! He was going up to every person in the park and all the other dogs. He was thrilled! The aftermath of the race surely showed the next morning when dad tried to take Juno and Thunder on a walk as Thunder started running thinking he was in a race again! Too precious!

So next came the big 5k, Dad and I stood near the front and waited for the starting bell and we were off! We  had discussed going out at a 9 min/mile pace but this quickly changed as we completed our first half mile in 3 minutes and 47 seconds... we toned it down at bit through the trail so that we could finish strong. The race was fun and I was loving it. It was great to have Dad by my side encouraging us (more likely me...) to keep on running strong!

We reached the home stretch and I sprinted by guts out... Dad and I ran it in 26 minutes and 27 seconds, which is a 8:30 minute/mile pace. Can't wait for the next race!! Also, a heartfelt thank you to my mom for watching the dogs when dad and I ran. I love you both!!

All of this running and graduating reminds me to be so thankful for our health. There are so many people stricken by disease and disabilities that are unable to participate in athletic events or even not able to graduate from high school. What a blessing God has given us through being healthy. Thank you Lord!

The Art of a Thank You

"The essence of all beautiful art, all great art, is gratitude." - Friedrich Nietzsche

The little phrase "thank you" probably is the most under appreciated phrase in the English language. It's really a shame. People do not use thank you enough and when someone actually does say thank you, it's almost a shock!

Several times, when I have said thank you to my professors when I hand them a completed test, their eyes have bugged and they've actually commented "wow." I find it interesting. I understand, that yes, they gave me an awful test to take but it is only decent for me to say thank you for putting in the time that they do to teach me.

I do try to make the most of the phrase. When I say it - I mean it! The hard part is that some people do not actually think that there is sincerity behind a thank-you. Sometimes, this may be true. The thing is that a thank-you must often be used in a respectful manner as compared to a thankful manner. For example: After a job interview, you are told that you did not get the job. Do you say thank you or not? You should say thank you in general for that person spent time to consider you for the position. It may not be a "thank you for not hiring me" kind of farewell but more of a respectful "thanks for giving me a thought."

"Every time we remember to say "thank you", we experience nothing less than heaven on earth." - Sarah Ban Breathnach

This philosophy of the under appreciation for the phrase "thank you" extends to its partner of thank you cards.

I love receiving thank you cards (& hearing thank you). No matter what it is for. If it is a company saying "thanks for doing business with us," a friend saying "thanks for being a friend," or someone saying "thanks for the great gift!" It's just a fabulous feeling knowing that you have blessed someone's life in special way that day.

The difficulty about thank you cards is the actual writing and sending of them. I have made it my mission that I write my thank you cards within a week of the deserving event. For my graduation from high school, I wrote my thank you notes on the same day that I received the gifts in the mail. I believe taking it little by little takes the stress off of the thank-you writer.

The thank you notes for the wedding was a huge task yet a well needed and deserved task. When Jordan & I received gifts through the mail before our wedding, I would write the notes just like my high school graduation gifts. Getting them done as soon as I could so that I did not procrastinate the monster. Yet, we received a bulk of the gifts at the actual wedding. So how to accomplish this monstrous task? Parter up! Jordan and I worked on the cards together. We got them done as soon as we were back from our honeymoon in Jamaica.

The longer you push off a huge thank you card task, the more painful it seems! The pain is not so present when you are writing one or two thank-yous about a special day or a special friend. I actually enjoy being able to express gratitude to my others through a simple thank you note.

"I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder." - G.K. Chesterton

I bring all this up because today, we had to accomplish a thank-you card beast. Julie, one of my mother's best friends who is like a mother to me, started a colon cancer foundation with her husband Glen, in honor of their daughter Meredith, who passed away at the age of 25 due to colon cancer. She was a delightful soul who fervently loved God and Jesus Christ. Before she had died in April of 2008, she expressed a desire to help other young adults who were battling colon cancer like her. Glen & Julie started Meredith's Miracles Colon Cancer Foundation (MMCCF) with the two-fold mission "to save lives by raising awareness of the symptoms that might indicate colon cancer and to provide financial assistance to young adults undergoing treatment for colon cancer." This foundation has already been a financial blessing to 15 young adults since it's official start under two years ago.

So relating this back to the thank-you cards. MMCCF had a wine-tasting and silent auction event a couple Sunday's ago in Southlake, Texas. Julie had a lot of thank you cards to write to all the attendees and non-attendees who generously donated to MMCCF through this event. So my mom (who is on the MMCCF committee), Julie, and I sat down for a few hours today to tackle the thank-you notes. It truly was a process but a complete blessing as well. The task of writing the thank-you cards was a blessing because that meant that people were generously donating to help the lives of those battling colon cancer through MMCCF.

Ten Do’s and Don’ts of Thank You Notes (slightly edited from Emily Post's wedding etiquette)

1. Do personalize your notes and make reference to the person as well as the gift
2. Do remember that a gift should be acknowledge with the same courtesy and generous spirit in which it was given.
3. Do be enthusiastic, but don't gush. Avoid saying a gift is the most beautiful thing you have ever seen unless you really mean it.
4. Don't send form letters or cards with printed messages and just your signature; don't use email or post a generic thank you on your website in lieu of a personal note.
5. Do promptly acknowledge the receipt of shipped gifts by sending a note right away or calling and following up with a written note in a day or two.
6. Don't mention that you plan to return a gift or that you are dissatisfied in any way.
7. Don't tailor your note to the perceived value of the gift; no one should receive a perfunctory note.
8. Do refer to the way you will use a gift of money. Mentioning the amount is optional.
9. Don't include photos or use photo cards if it will delay sending the note.
10. Don't use being late as an excuse not to write. Even if you are still sending notes late, keep writing!

The most sincere of THANK YOUs to those who read my blog. I take great joy in sharing my thoughts with y'all.

Goodbye Spring, Hello Summer

The last few days have been an absolutely whirlwind. The semester is over. Our junior year is finished. I am almost in disbelief. One more year, until Jordan and I enter the "real world." I feel so blessed by all that God has taught us over this past school year and I am looking forward to the challenges and lessons that will come in the next year.

For those of you who don't know, the junior year of  nursing (at Liberty) is the toughest year of our college career. There are several things that make up the difficulty: the classes, the amount of studying, the crazy schedule, and the time commitment. Regardless, I succeeded in all my classes and I made it through exhausted and ready for summer break! I am looking forward to what the senior year brings... critical care, psychiatric nursing, and community nursing!

Two of our great friends, Jacob & Andrew, organize an event every semester that we call "triathedate." At first, I believe it was a way that they could try and snag dates with girls but now its a joyous competition. Couples compete in three events including tennis, disc golf, and putt putt. It is such a fun day! It first started with about six couples and last spring it reached it's max of about 25 couples! Jacob & Andrew started it for a few of their close friends on the golf team and others. Now, it is just a whole bunch of couples.

Well, triathedate this semester was on Sunday. There were only nine couples this time because of date controversy, being at the very end of the semester and on Sunday, but it we all still had a blast! The couples wear matching outfits and often make team shirts... so  I decided that I would make shirts for us for the first time. I spent friday night making these fun shirts while Jordan enjoyed an evening of tennis-baseball with the guys.

The supplies

The front

The back

Hope & Stephen were the champions during the fall so they were back to claim their title. They ended up taking first in tennis. Jordan & I finished seventh. Obviously, we are great at tennis. Next was disc golf, Max & Abigail took the win with four over par. Jordan & I tied Sarah & Robert with 6 over par for second place. Putt-putt, the last and final event, determined our fate. We started it off with some good ole ice cream from the fudge shoppe next door to Tiny Town golf. Jordan & I turned in our scorecard last out of the couples and ended up placing first!! Our 7th, 2nd, and 1st place finishes landed us ONE point short of overall first place. We accepted second place behind MAX & ABIGAIL! The champions!! :)

We are clinging to the fact that we'll win next year! ;)

Jordan and I have spent the day getting ready to head back to Texas for the summer. He had a online final that he had to do while I did THREE loads of laundry. We cleaned up the apartment, cleaned out Boss (Jordan's truck), and packed our lives. Well, part of our lives. We really only had to pack clothes which was nice as compared to the past few summers of packing up our entire dorm rooms! 

We start the journey tomorrow morning! We should arrive Thursday in time for some dinner grilling poolside. Let the summer living begin! Much love.

Crafty Business

Those of you who know me, know that I LOVE crafts. Perhaps even so much that if I wasn't called to be a nurse... I would definitely be a "professional crafter." The benefit of nursing is that typically nurses were three days a week. So if I work three days a week... that leaves FOUR days for crafts. Perhaps my full time job will be crafting after all.

I've always loved arts and crafts: from coloring books to collaging to drawing.

The summer after my freshman year of college, I saw these gorgeous kiddy paintings by Mary Jack Studios displayed at Costco. I quickly glanced at them and decided that I could easily paint them. How? I don't know. I never really had painted outside of school... but something inside of me told me "YOU CAN DO IT!" (Now, I realize that this something was God.) So that's exactly what I did. I mimicked several of her paintings on my own canvases. I freehanded everything and when I was finished, you could not tell the difference between hers and mine.

I was pleased. I think my parents were astounded by what I actually did. Although, creative genes run through my mom's side of the family. My grandmother is an exquisite quilter. She makes seriously gorgeous quilts; a lot of them are super modern and use some of the latest and greatest sewing technology! My mother is an interior decorator. She and her friend Missy have their own decorating business in the Dallas-Ft. Worth metroplex. She has an eye for style in a house and with clothing. Both of my aunts are super creative too! Andi can definitely paint and scrapbook. Actually, she could probably do anything that she wanted to. Mimi writes stories, scrapbooks, and paints as well. She actually has written/published a book titled Zooey June,which will be released to the market this summer! So presumably, creativity runs in my blood...

So, I took this new found love of painting and exploded it. My favorite project of the summer was my jewelry chest (pictured above) that I painted all by hand. I was so excited! I have since painted picture frames, more canvases, little decor items, and another jewelry chest (pictured below) for my best friend Aly.

Inspired by MacKenzie-Child's Garden Awning Headboard
I put various great knobs on it that Aly had found in Europe; however, they are not in the picture!

Painting is not the only craft that I enjoy... I actually love anything that I can get my hands on like scrapbooking, making hair bows, really anything. This summer, my dear friend Julie is teaching me to sew. I can not wait to get started!

Yesterday, instead of studying for my biomedical ethics final, I spent the day looking through the world of craft blogs. I found so many ideas that I wanted to try this summer! So today, I went out and bought some of the necessities for the projects. When I got home after a fabulous lunch with Libby at Mi Patron, I started on two summer projects.

Glass Framed Letter F

This was rather simple... 

Found the inexpensive glass frame at one of my local stores

Pick out cute paper at Michael's that goes with my decor

Chose a font in which I liked the letter F and made it as big as it could be

Printed the letter F in black ink

Traced the letter F onto the backside of my cute paper while holding it up against my window

very important to make sure the letter is backwards from normal...!

Cut out the letter F

Apply double sided tape to the letter F and stick in the appropriate position on the glass frame

Fall in love with the letter F.

Book Page Wreath

discovered on: Living with Lindsay

The supplies used to create the beautiful wreath.
I found a paperback book written by a Christian author that was on the life of Jesus to make up the pages of my wreath. I believed this to be the perfect fit for our household

Upclose and personal to my wreath; rather Anthropologie like if you ask me!

Here is the finished large wreath (14") and the smaller wreath (12"), and the framed letter F on my living room wall!! I am absolutely pleased!

I had so much fun creating the wreath and the framed F. The wreath took way less time than I thought it would, considering the fact that I practically finished two wreaths within a few hours. I was one glue stick short of finishing the second one... guess that means a Michael's run tomorrow! Hope you like it! Let me know if you have questions.

I will update with my new achieved craft projects throughout the summer.

Enjoy!

Just Do It

Everyone knows that girls love shoes. What types of shoes? All types of shoes. This girl loves her sandals, flats, and pumps. This girl also LOVES a nice pair of tennis shoes. I'll admit it. I am especially picky when it comes to my tennis shoes. I have no idea why but I am.

My dentist commented one time on a pair of puma tennis shoes I was wearing saying that they were "great." He said that he really liked them. Our patient-dentist bond grew stronger that day. I like a person who knows good tennis shoes. We even discussed how important the look of the tennis shoes are. Needless to say, I can't even describe my stipulations for a 'nice' pair of tennis shoes - it is just something I automatically recognize.

I seem to like Nike shoes a lot. I have three pairs of Nike tennis shoes. I have two pairs of pumas and a pair of Adidas. My latest tennis shoe love, which I do not own yet, combine a few of my favorite things: the color pink, the girly element of lace, and a Nike shoe.

Great, huh? Totally me. This post was not to be about tennis shoes to say but more about what you do in a pair of tennis shoes. You run! At least a lot of people do.

I have tried to pick up running several times in my life. I've been a competitive swimmer since I was 10 years old which really has nothing to do with running. I tried running track in seventh grade - let's just say it wasn't to pretty. However, in high school, my coach made us run during the off season. Sometimes it was through the neighborhoods and other times around the track. I actually enjoyed it.

I didn't swim my senior year in high school. I was just to worn out and exhausted. Since I knew I wasn't swimming in college, it wasn't a big deal. But I needed to find another way to be able to work out. So I trained for a half marathon with my trainer Rory, from Timarron Country Club. Did I ever run that half marathon? No. Was it worth training anyways? Yes. Although I pretty much dreaded running with her tiny little bouncy self every morning, it was great to establish running habits and skills. Don't get me wrong, I loved Rory - it was the running that I didn't like.

My dad was a marathoner. He ran several when he was in his twenties. He's always been involved in athletics. He even coached girls track and basketball. I have to have that running gene somewhere within me, right?

I left my running 'skills' at home when I came to college but found them again during the Spring of 2010, just before my wedding. Yes, I was determined to loose weight before the wedding. I wasn't going to be an overweight bride. Needless to say, I lost 25 pounds! I've been on and off with running since the wedding but this semester, I have fallen in love with it.

My great friend Libby and I started working out together about six weeks before spring break. We worked out several times a week together over the next couple months. We used working out to be able to get to know each other since we had just met through mutual friends a little time before. She quickly became near and dear to my heart as one of my best friends. Libby is a young married woman too! We were able to bond quickly over our love for our husbands. She is married to Isaac, who runs track for Liberty. We can understand eachother easily for we are both married to outstanding young men who are both NCAA athletes. It's a different world when an competitive athlete is involved in your life for they have so many priorities and commitments.

The end of the semester brings very busy and chaotic schedules so Libby and I haven't been working out together the past few weeks but that's where my ever so gallant husband has stepped in. We go and work out at our little gym in our apartment complex.

He lifts weights while I run on the treadmill. I run as far as I can for 30 minutes and then I'll do some abs and some legs. I've been easily getting 3.5 miles in on my 30 minute treadmill runs. I play games with myself to intrigue me to run farther and faster. I will create tasks for myself like run the next quarter mile at this speed then I'll increase the speed by two points and have to run the next quarter mile etc... I am enjoying running!

Last night, I was reading Abigail's blog after some insightful words about one of our pastor's sermon, she mentioned that she was training for a half marathon. This brought me back to think about my senior year. I thought about how actually competing in races would give me further incentive to keep on running. So I did some research... I found several races to run in Virginia and a couple back home in Texas. I think I'll start off small and then perhaps grow bigger. I'm not as ambitious as Abigail yet...

Possible Virginia Races

Fab 5K in Salem, VA on 08/20/2011

Merrell Down & Dirty Mud Run (5K) in Richmond, VA on 8/21/2011

Educ8-K Childrens' Fun Run in Lynchburg, VA on 8/27/2011

The Real Girls Run (6K) in Charlottesville, VA on 10/08/2011

The Charlottesville Fall Classic 10-K Road Championship in Charlottesville, VA on 10/22/2011

*I think I'll do some races soon if Jordan and I have to stay in Virginia longer for golf.

Possible Texas Races

Fireman's 5K in Ft. Worth, TX on 5/28/2011

Alliance UMC's Mission Possible 5K in Ft. Worth, TX on 5/28/2011

Stonebridge Memorial Day Races (5K or 10K) in McKinney, TX on 05/30/2011

American Heros (5K or 10K) in Arlington, TX on 05/30/2011

Colleyville Xsightment Run (5K) in Colleyville, TX on 06/04/2011

Merrell Down & Dirty Mud Run (5K) in Dallas, TX on 6/05/2011

So who wants to join me? JUST DO IT!

Update on August 11, 2011: I ran the Colleyville Xsightment Run this summer as listed above. I also ran in the Strut Your Stuff 5k and the Sizzling Summer 10k. I have registered for the VA 10 miler race in September! I can't wait! // I also bought a new pair of running shoes... not the ones mentioned in this post because I can't really find them anywhere but I got some new Nike Air Pegasus' in white and pink!

Inspiration

Jordan and I watched the travel channel last night. We were intrigued by all the delectable food they were chatting about. We watched a couple episodes of Top 10 foods. One was the Top 10 southern soul food, of course they stopped in Texas several times but one place they stopped features fried chicken and waffles as the main treat. This became today's inspiration.

I needed to pick up some staple groceries at the store but as my craving for something salty lingered inside of me... I arrived at the checkout line. As I approached the area, the smell of greasy fried chicken drew me to the small heated hut. I then proceeded to pick out a bucket of fried chicken for dinner! I knew that we had pancake mix at home so I decided that I would surprise Jordan with a fun meal!

Little did I know, the pancake mix that we have does NOT convert into waffle mix. So the inspiration of chicken and waffles quickly turned into chicken with mashed potatoes. My mother would argue that this was the better option anyhow.  Although dinner was not necessarily as planned, our fingers were pleased being coated with the greasy crunchy crust that adorned our delectable chicken. We finished dinner with the lines of "we have to hit up some Babe's this summer" and "at least a couple of times."

A Fresh Start

My freshman year at Liberty I started a blog. The blog was a way for me to recall the memories that I was making and to be able to share them with my loved ones. The blog only lasted a couple of months before I quickly realized the busyness of college life.

Needless to say, much has happened since those first few months of my college career.

I am wrapping up my junior year now. My last class was today. I have three finals until I am free from the grind of the ever so dreaded 'junior year of nursing.' A word to the wise, it was quite dreadful but I learned so much! The senior year encompasses a different type of fear that the junior year. Senior year means that I am ALMOST a real nurse. I will have to actually apply the wealth of knowledge that I have built up since my freshman fall.

The biggest new addition is this ever so glitzy diamond ring on my left hand. Jordan and I got married last summer on July 23 in downtown Dallas with 250 of our closest family and friends by our side. The wedding was blissful and gorgeous. The honeymoon in Montego Bay was splendid and relaxing. Marriage has completely been a gift from God. Our first year has been nothing short of a blessing. We love our little one bedroom apartment adorned with our many wedding gifts. We love the time that we have together. We love just being us!

My idea for this blog is that of my original blog from freshman year. I want to be able to record the precious memories that Jordan and I are creating. I plan to also share my thoughts on life and the world. Additionally, I would like to share things that I am intrigued by whether it be fashion, ideas, home decor, recipes, or whatever.

This is our life as the Frye's.