Random Lake Sprint Tri

As typical summer weekends go around here, last weekend Mr. Evans did a sprint tri in Random Lake. Here are a few snapshots from the morning. The best part is the early start and quick finish! :)
Pretty drive - the morning mist was rising with sun!
The sun was maybe too much for Nina in the back seat. She is obsessed with sunglasses lately!
Ken and Missy were there! Yippee!
Swim, bike, run... as usual we love to spectate.
How cute... Mark and Ken rode together! :)

Sprinkler Fun with Nina

Is there anything better than watching a sweet little toddler run through the sprinkler for her first time? Nina loved it and couldn't get enough!





And what goes better with the all American activity of running through the sprinkler? Grilled hot dogs, pickle spears, baked beans and a Root Beer Float! Nothing fancy, surely not too healthy, but it was deeee-lish! Here's to simple pleasures! :)

DIY Pelmet Box

I get a lot of questions about how I made these Pelmet Boxes from Nina's nursery at our old house. I posted a picture of the finished product, but never a tutorial of the steps. So...

I recently made a pelmet box for the powder room at our new house and took photos along the way. I did it all by myself in about 45 minutes. It's easy and cheap! Here's the tutorial!

Supplies needed to make 1 pelmet box:
- 1/2 inch foam core board ($5)
- box cutter
- 1/2 yard quilt or craft batting ($3)
- stapler
- staple gun
- 1/2 yard fabric (price depends on your choice!) - tip: iron it to remove wrinkles!
- hot glue or gorilla glue
- duct tape

The first step is to make your frame. Cut the foam core board to the size of your window (leaving about an inch or two on each side, so if your window was 24 inches wide make the length of the board 28 inches or so). The width and depth is to your liking! Also, make two corner pieces. Do not tape anything down yet.

Next, set the corner pieces aside. Duct tape the two edge pieces. Then, lay down your fabric and batting (as shown below). Make sure to line up your fabric so it's centered and straight. This is important so that when you staple it down, it's not all wonky!

Start by stapling down your batting. A regular stapler will do for this. I wrote "top" (as shown below) so I always knew which way I was working.

Staple the batting along the edges. Ensure that it's smooth and pulled evenly. There is no need to stretch it too tight, otherwise it will ripple.

Next start stapling down the fabric. Be sure to pull it evenly (if you have a pattern) so it doesn't have ripples. See how my pattern is even along the edges?

Then, do your corners. Keep in mind, you cannot staple through duct tape so work around it. Here you may need the staple gun.

When it  comes to corners of the corner pieces, wrap it like a present. Press your finger between the fabric and board and hold... and then...

Fold over so it's nice and clean. You may need an extra set of hands here to use the staple gun while you hold the fabric down (it depends how coordinated and strong with a staple gun you are).

You are done stapling the fabric on! Yipee! Now, for the top corner pieces that you set aside at the beginning. This is what will hold it too the wall (this is like a mounting shelf that rests on a nail). Basically, you schlep these pieces in the top corners. I used a combo of hot glue and gorilla glue and jammed it in the 90 degree angle so it was tight. I held it for a few minutes until the glue was mostly set (although if you've worked with Gorilla Glue you know that it needs to expand overnight).

You may be wondering, why not use duct tape or the stapler to secure these little triangular pieces? Well, since these two little pieces support the entire pelmet box, they need the extra help. You'll notice that the staples can come loose because they really don't grip into the foam core board that well (but it's good enough to hold the batting and fabric down). Make sense?

Almost done! The final step is to put two nails at the corners of where you're box will hang. This will take a bit of guess work. I had to move the nails below twice to ensure they rested properly on the corner triangle pieces. There is no need to use screws or drywall anchors, just regular old nails or finishing nails will do. Whatever you have laying around is fine. The finished pelmet box doesn't weigh much.

Here is mine all hung up! I apologize for the terrible photo! I blog at night once Nina is sleeping! :) Also, the wall color is not green - it's Benjamin Moore Kingsport Gray.

Any questions? What do you think?

Monday Morning

I loved this quote I stumbled on about Monday mornings and wanted to share it. Cute, right? And, so true!

via

Anniversary

Yep, today is our Anniversary. I can hardly believe it's been 4 years! I'll spare you the mushy love stuff, because he knows how I lucky I am - I tell him every single day. And that's what counts.

We have fun plans tonight (and this weekend) to celebrate. I can't wait! Can you believe we went from these crazies to this? Cheers!


** Click here to see a few of our wedding photos.

Fun Weekend

Warning: photo overload. I couldn't help myself! :)

There is nothing better than a fun, jam packed weekend away! I love spending time with people I love and doing new things (and familiar things, too)!

Last weekend, we went to Hudson where my sister-in-law, brother-in-law and godson live. Here's our weekend recap...

We arrived late Thursday night, so this is how Nina and Evan greeted each other upon waking.

On Friday during the day, we headed to Como Zoo in the Twin Cities. Mr. Evans took this photo!

These little monkey's loovvved it.

My sister-in-law Katie packed a delish picnic lunch complete with these cookies. Yummmmmm.

A little pre-bed play time? :) They play sooo well together.

After the babes were in bed, we enjoyed cocktails and dinner!

My in-laws came as well!

On Saturday morning, us girls went for pedicures and a trip to Home Goods. A perfect morning if I do say so myself! Then, Mr. Evans and I (and my in-laws) drove to a wedding in Red Wing, MN. Friends of Mr. Evans's from high school/college got married. In true fashion, I didn't take a single picture at the wedding. Go figure. But... I did snap one of this crazy bridge over the Mississippi and...

of this boot at the famous Red Wing boots store (pre-wedding stop per Mr. Evans's recommendation)!

Meanwhile, Nina and Evan were enjoying themselves with my sister and brother-in-law. Thanks guys!


I mean... how a.d.o.r.a.b.l.e!!!!

Sunday morning, the guys golfed and the girls/kiddos packed up and ventured to the St. Paul Farmer's Market (love it). Then, we drove to Edina for some shopping and lunch at D'Amico and Sons. I've been there once before with Megan (sorry we didn't see you this trip, Megs!). It's delish!

Later that day, we met up with the guys for froyo in Hudson.

We also saw where Adam is a firefighter. How awesome!!


 Needless to say, when we left Sunday evening Nina was tuckered out. Luckily she slept the entire 5 hour drive home! What a fun weekend!!

An apple and a pear

When we moved into our new house, we inherited two apple and two pear trees. A few nights ago, Mr. Evans came in from mowing the lawn with these beauts. What a surprise. Here's to our harvest!


Essential Oils

Per my post yesterday, I thought I'd share how I've been using (and loving) Young Living Essential Oils. I purchased the oils in March and used them everyday. Totally worth the investment! Whether you buy one or twenty, they all seem to have their benefits.
My oils all lined up in my bathroom medicine cabinet!
Here's how I use them:
- smell in palms
- put on neck or under nose lightly
- put a few drops on a cotton ball to let the aroma scent the room
- apply on skin in areas where needed
- put in a bowl of hot water and cover with hot towel to steam the scent
- apply to bottoms of feet (I use this method on Nina... she LOVES it!)
- apply to back of neck, temples and third eye
- take a whiff from bottle :)

Inside my medicine cabinet, I taped this little reference guide I made!
My Oils:
Frankincense
- blisters, insect bites, headaches, sun damage, blemishes and breakouts
Lemon 
- antifungal/viral, astringent, to prevent blisters, to remove gum/oil/grease from surfaces
Peppermint
- bruises, congestion, fever, headache, nausea, add to tea
Lavender
- insect bites, cold sores, cuts/minor burns, allergies, motion sickness, blemishes, add to pillow at night
Purification
- air purifier, insect repellent, neutralizes smells
Theives
- cold/flu, strep throat, to clean with, anything!
Panaway
- inflammation, bruising, sore muscles, headache
Peace & Calming
- peacefulness, emotional well being
Valor
- back/joint pain, stiff neck, add to pillow

Acupuncture

By now, you probably know I'm into trying alternative healing approaches (remember my posts on essential oils and the sun lamp). My latest experiment is acupuncture! Have you done it? If so, I'd love to hear from you. I've gone three times now and so far, so good! I'm using it to help with some medical issues I'm having (don't worry, all is well... but, I would appreciate some prayers).

This pretty blue angel is in the garden of the acupuncture center. It's located in the middle of farm fields and is just so peaceful. I snapped it on my iPhone when leaving an appointment last week and just felt compelled to share.

Speaking of alternative healing, tomorrow I'll post a few of my favorite uses for essential oils in case you're interested. :) It's kind of a follow-up to the post I reference above. Stay tuned.


Lately...

Here's just a bit of what we've been up to lately. Can you believe it's August already?! Here's to enjoying the last few weeks of summer!

Nina relaxing with her baby. :)
My dad, Nina and I at the local county fair. It was freezing and rainy!
Nina enjoyed some time on the tractors at the fair! I also ate an obligatory corn dog - yum!
Doesn't Nina looks like a 50's housewife? A dress, heels and working in the kitchen? :) Hehe.
Mr. Evans and I at a wedding in Chicago.
Beautiful sunsets on the lake. Gorgeous, no?
Breaking in my parent's new outdoor fireplace with s'mores. Delicious! And the fireplace isn't too shabby!
Mr. Evans and I drove to date night in my dad's Audi convertible! We went to the Tiki Bar and then the Paddock Club in Elkhart Lake - totally go if you're in the area. We love it every time!


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