Oooooeeeeeee!

Oh yah! I had some fun today! Instead of napping, I actually got a wild hair and started and completed a redo project! It makes my heart so happy. This was my trial run on redoing a chair, because my plan is to have a whole table filled with mismatched chairs this time next year. Haha! Just kidding. I don't want to set a timeline, for fear that if I don't live up to it, I will be cranky. So let's just say we'll start with this chair and fill the table ASAP! :)

OK, so are you ready for some pictures?? Here's the chair BEFORE:

this grainy photo is courtesy of the latest iphone. pitiful.

I sanded, primed, and painted the chair after I tore it all up. But not before I took a little break to enjoy a fudge bar from Braum's. Because who wouldn't want to take that kind of work break?

Then I covered the seat with a new fabric. And I think it all turned out scrumptialicious. Wowie! Look at that! I coined a new phrase!

And here she is in all her scrumptialicious glory, gracing the corner of my breakfast room.

*sigh*

ummm... Hello?

Well oh. my. goodness. I just realized I hadn't posted anything on here in FOREVER! So, I thought I'd fill you in on the action happening here at the casa del Frakes.

My daughter started middle school last week. MIDDLE SCHOOL! Holy crizap. I have a child in middle school. And while that should be enough for me to feel like an old old lady, what she said on the first day after school really threw me for a loop. As my daughter (my 6 lb. 11 oz. BABY GIRL!) climbed into my minivan (don't make fun), she looked at me with the sweetest widest, most innocent smile and exclaimed, "Middle school is the BEST THING THAT'S EVER HAPPENED TO ME!" And I quote. Wha..? REALLY? I think I was the most miserable child on the face of the planet, because I am CERTAIN that was not my initial response to middle school. But God love her, it was Abby's. And I could not be happier. Because this came from a child who came to WMS knowing a total of 2 kids from her elementary school (she had transferred) and just a handful of girls she met over the summer. My sweet girl makes friends very easily though, so my prayers were answered. Thank you Jesus.

My son on the other hand, he is another story. He is a GREAT kid. And he's young. So when he transferred schools, he was a little cranky. In fact, he still is. But he's resilient. And he'll get over it soon. I'm just sure of it. :)

NOW! For the muey importante stuff (don't let me kid you, I don't speak Spanish. Every kid made a good grade in Spanish in my fourth grade class.). This mama had a little adjusting to do of her own! Since I had been a stay at home mom for seven years, my heart had always been in my home. I worked (teaching) for the last four years out of necessity and because I LOVED my job. But our ultimate plan was for me to be back home as soon as we were financially stable and God called me out of the workforce. Last year I could feel the tug getting stronger and stronger to go back home. And here I am! Blessed, but left alone. Seriously, I've never been home alone all day. The first day of school was what I imagine the empty nest feeling like. I wandered around my house in a daze, not knowing what to do with all my new free time.

But life has a way of working itself out... and today I had a great day. I completed three things. Had coffee with a dear, old friend, ate lunch with my husband, and rearranged my boards on pinterest. Oh yes, I did. I would normally find that ridiculous. But I called it a victory that I filled every minute before I went to get the kids! Yippee!

Don't hate me. This will allow me more time now to write this blog and entertain you. :)

Thoughts from the open road

This morning I went running. But this wasn't any old run. It was not my typical daily or even Saturday run. Today my running buddy, Brenda, and I decided to go to Oklahoma City and run with our running club: the Landrunners. They were taking a route along the river near downtown OKC. If you were training for the full marathon this fall (Route 66 in Tulsa), then you were supposed to run 10 miles. And if you were working toward a half marathon, then you were to run five. So how far did we run? 8 miles. Why? I have no idea. I think because Brenda told me to. And so I did.

For the first four miles we did something else that's different for us. We ran with headphones instead of talking. I wanted to get my pace down without worrying about my breathing, so we went with music for the first half. We ran well, too! And oh my gosh, the temperature! It was 65, people! It felt like winter compared to the horrible heat we've had lately! And so we ran. Like the wind. And we only stopped to get a drink at the 2 1/2 mile mark. But then something happened.

When we hit the 4 mile mark, we turned around. And we had this beautiful breeze blowing on us. The sun was just coming up (we crazy runners start early, people.). And I saw that view. The one you see up there? That's it. It was quiet, and calm, and chilly, and all the wonderful things that a good run are. And I so I began thinking of you, dear reader! And I began thinking of all the things that I want you to know about the sport of running. Because I want other people to love it, too!

So here they are, in no particular order.

1. When you run, especially in a group like that, you realize that runners come in all shapes and sizes. And you can't stereo-type anyone. Like, don't even think that the chubby woman in front of you will eventually be behind you. YOU NEVER KNOW. And likewise, you may find a stick thin woman or man ahead of you and you assume they will beat you the whole time and suddenly you're passing them! YOU! PASSING THEM! Who knew?! So throw all those misconceptions you have about the typical runner out the window. And get out there. You can do it!

2. Runners who realize the above concept are the ones who will cheer you on the most. There is an unspoken idea out there on the open road that tells you in your gut as you pass someone who is clearly struggling, ENCOURAGE THEM! And even if you're not that person, you will become that person! And you will find yourself asking sidelined runners if they need help. And cheering the older lady who looks exhausted to KEEP GOIN' GIRL! YOU'VE GOT THIS! Because you understand. When you get to the finish line in your first race, and you're spent because you've never imagined doing this before and here you are doing it, you will hear this amazing thing! People you don't know and never will, will be cheering you on!! And suddenly you will understand fully the need to sometimes be the cheerer because you've certainly needed cheering at some point.

3. Runners have many forms. You will spend your entire running career wondering if your form is funny. And whether people look at you and think you look like Lisa Kudrow from Friends, running with your arms flailing! But guess what? WHO CARES? Get in a race and look around! Some people shuffle. Some kick their heels high! Some have their arms out, and other tuck them near their armpits. Some runners jump side to side, and others look like they are one step away from falling flat on their face. It doesn't matter! THEY ARE NOT SITTING ON THEIR COUCHES! They are working their heart muscles! And that's all that really matters, people! Keep it in perspective. Your form is YOUR FORM. If it took you 8 miles, or 3 miles, or one mile, it took you somewhere! Rejoice! You have legs! And you CAN RUN!

4. The last thing I want to say is that the hardest part of running is the actual getting out there to do it. Take your time. Know that you won't be a marathoner until you've trained for many months. And give yourself a break. You don't have to be the best. Or the fastest! You just have to do it. And then you'll find what I've found. That running is a release. It's where I get to toss my worries (and sometimes my anger!) off to the side of the road and keep going. My body always feels better. My mind always has better perspective afterward. I JUST FEEL BETTER after a good run. And the best part? It doesn't have to be a banner run for me to feel better. It can be a plain old crappy run... and I still have a lighter mood and a happier heart. Some of my best times with Jesus have been on a run, by myself... just asking for wisdom and peace.

And He always delivers.

Gettin' my crafty on

I saw this on pinterest.

And I says to mysef: sef, you can do this!

So I went to Hobby Lobby (my favorite store besides Target) and bought these:

And then I sat them on a shelf for months. Hehe! I'm trying to keep it real here, people.

But one day I was doing some spray painting for another project and pulled out the candlesticks to give them a new shiny coat of white paint. Then I was ready to make it happen. Bring on the E-6000!

What's that you say? You've never heard of E-6000? Well it's just the best glue on the FACE OF THE EARTH! Pick some up next time you're at Hobby Lobby. It will REVOLUTIONIZE your life. I promise. It binds anything you want FOREVER.

So off I went with my glue and my pieces.

The trickiest part I found was getting the pieces centered.

And I did a pretty good job. But I am a perfectionist. I know I need therapy for that, but I prefer to see it as an asset, frankly. Anyway, I wasn't entirely happy with the final result. But live and learn! I will go on to achieve treat stand perfection on my next one! And this one is perfectly good! See for yourself.

So now I'm here to encourage you. You can do this. You really can! It's super easy! And fast! You could even skip the candlestick painting and use them as the glass they really are. That would be cute, too!

So get out there people and find some cute plates on sale and get crafting!

Channeling our inner black man

The following is an actual conversation between me and my friend: two white, 30-something women. Note: there is no laughter involved.

{phone rings}

M: YO.

me: YO YO YO.

M: SUP.

me: Not much. Sup witch you?

M: Oh, getting ready to go to the grocery store.

me: Oh yah? Word to yo mama.


BECAUSE THIS IS HOW WE ROLL, PEOPLE. We are nerds of the highest order.

My healthy obsession

OMG. It is HOT in Oklahoma. Have you heard? We're all over the national news. Little ol' Oklahoma! Making national news! And the best part is that the people they chose to put on camera (at least yesterday) had ALL OF THEIR TEETH!! You don't know how happy this makes me. NOT for the fires! NO! But for the teeth. Thank goodness for the teeth.

It has been hot all summer. I'm a runner (as you now know), and last year we had some record breaking temps here in our state. I thought there was no way that would happen two times in a row. But you bet your sweet biffy it can! Because it IS!

So last year I gave up my pastime, for a cooler climate (indoors). I picked it back up in the fall, but let me tell you how hard it is to get "back into" running. We're not talking 'pick up a bike and hop on.' No, it's way more painful than that. But I made it through and went on to train for my first half marathon.

Well this year I had high hopes for a cooler summer and quite frankly went into denial that it would/could get super hot. So, I laced up and took off, day after day. And then when it got too hot to wait til 7 am, we pushed it back. (Push it back! Push it back! WAYYYYYY back!). Suddenly I was waking up at 5 am. ON MY SUMMER VACATION PEOPLE! And now, here I am, blogging at 7:30 in the morning with 4.6 miles under my belt already.

Because this is what you have to do when you are obsessed. Wake up at the crack of dawn and throw on your running shoes.

But can I tell you the wonderful things about this sport that I picked up as a 36 year old? Aside from the aches and pains of old joints and cranky muscles and tendons, it really does have it's benefits! The hardest part of running, I have and will always say, is actually getting up and out the door. I always regret not running, but I never regret doing it! It gives me energy for the day. It makes me happier (and who doesn't love a happy mama?!). And it provides me with quality quiet, alone time. At least when I'm not with the fabulous Brenda. And then it provides me quality girl time. :)

Plus, you should know, that even though I was plagued with injury as I trained for my first half marathon, I have worked out all the kinks now! All it took was a couple of good steroid shots and some resting. And boy did I fly! I had my PR (personal record, for those of you wondering) on my first half! The second one (OKC, two months later) was 4 minutes slower. But you know what? That just gives me one more goal! #1 is to tie Brenda on our next half and #2 is to beat my PR. Both of which I believe I can do. It's the making it happen that's tricky.

Next stop: the No Limits Half Marathon at the Texas Motor Speedway in October! Wish me luck!

It's a bird! It's a plane! No! It's Super Mama!

Do you have a hero? I do! Actually I have several. I've got your basic mommy hero (my big sister, Beth), my teacher hero (Michelle), my organic hero (Lindsy), my reading hero (Kim), and my running hero... to name a few. Now, missy, why didn't you say who your running hero is, you ask? Because I want to tell you about her first.

This lady is my favorite running partner. She pushes me when I need to be pushed. She allows me to be human when I need to walk. She's watched me fall to the ground in exhaustion. She's jumped in my pool with me fully clothed after a long HOT run. She's made me laugh on every run from the beginning. And she's one of the kindest people I know. Plus she loves Jesus! What's more to love??

I'll tell you. This girl is a ROCK STAR. Shall I share her resume with you? She has run 13 half marathons, 2 full marathons, and an ULTRA MARATHON. That's 32 miles, people!! That is INSANE! And she did it! Plus this fall she is signed up to do another three half marathons and a full all before Christmas. It's easy to see why she's my hero, right?

But let me tell you, dear reader, the remarkable part of this little lady. Take a look and see for yourself...

When I say little, I mean LITTLE! She is a tiny thing! Literally she comes up to my shoulder when I stand upright. And holy cow, can she run. In the races we've run together, she has beaten me EVERY TIME!

I may be tall, but she has endurance like no other woman on earth that I know. One day.... ONE DAY, I hope to tie her on a race. Forget trying to beat this little force of nature. I just want to cross the finish line beside her.