It's a smart world afterall

Long Time!

2010-09-16T12:12:00.000-07:00

Wow, its been SOOO long since I have posted on this blog! So much is going on and life is a bit crazy right now! My business is great and BIG BIG things are in store. In fact, Im launching a brand new, never before invented, one of a kind piece of Sunless Tanning equipment in a matter of WEEKS...well... "official" lauching will be in 2011, BUT its such an exciting time. Everything is all coming together and I have such high hopes for this that it will change the Sunless Tanning Industry forever!! :) You better believe I am having a HUGE, FUN, Launch Party as soon as it happens. So much time, hard work and effort has gone in to trying to make this happen and Im so thankful for the people and friends who were put in my path to help me accomplish my dream! I see it all playing out now, and I can barley contain my excitement anymore about the details!! Soon...very soon!!!

My fam is doing fabulous! The boys have started school again. Preston started 4th grade (holy cow) and Payton started Kinder...awhhh..my baby! They are both doing great and loving school!

Craig has been working working working and has been top salesman at his job for about, uhmm, oh, 2 years now..haha...can we can ABOUT TIME TO A RAISE!!!! Helloooooooo!! lol!

We just had my dad visit from North Carolina and the boys LOVED it. Pate made him play Legos with him hours and hours a day..ha. Welcome to my world "GP" :)

We took a family vaca to Orlando last month and had the best time ever! We have decided to take a vacation wayyyyyy more often b/c we were in heaven! We stayed at the Nick Hotel Suites where the boys enjoyed getting "slimed" every day at the humongous water park onsite! Then we went to Universal Island and Universal Studios. Again, best time we have ever had as a family on a trip! We are already trying to plot our next venture! The boys are at such great ages right now to fly, vacation, take on trips in the car..etc. THIS is the age we've been waiting for them to get to forEVER..haha! We enjoy them sooo much and love seeing the excitement in their eyes as they do all these new things with us that they have never experienced before!

Im putting up some pictures for fam and friends b/c its been way to long since Ive posted anything on here! Im gonna try to do better!

Bronzed Envy in the NEWS!!

2010-06-15T19:06:00.000-07:00

CHECK OUT THE NEWS CLIP:
http://www.kxan.com/dpp/entertainment/tanning-parties---latest-trend

Tanning parties becoming hottest trend
Play groups become tanning parties for moms
Updated: Tuesday, 15 Jun 2010, 8:17 AM CDT
Published : Tuesday, 15 Jun 2010, 5:23 AM CDT

Kate Weidaw
AUSTIN (KXAN) - Lots of stay-at-home moms get together for play groups.

Now, the latest craze is to do an at-home tanning party for the girls while the kids play.

With cocktails in hand, a group of ladies in Round Rock look like they're getting ready for a night out on the town. However, it's Monday at 9 a.m.

"This is a tan party, and these are so popular right now," said Bronzed Envy owner Blakeley Smart.

Smart started a business called Bronzed Envy as a way for moms to get a spray tan while hanging out with the kids.

"They have their friends over for some cocktails, drinks and a tan," said Smart. "What could be better than that?"

"It's so convenient and great, since we don't have to find a babysitter, and it just makes you feel so good about yourself," said Amy Arnold, a mother at the tan party.

Smart, who has two boys of her own, wanted to start a business that allowed her to be home with her kids after school.

"I saw airbrush tanning, and I thought, 'That's awesome,'" said Smart. "'I love the idea, and I just want to start a business, and I'll take it mobile.'"

She pops up a tent in the customers' living room, you step in and within 10 minutes, your tan is airbrushed on.

The business became so much fun Smart created her own line of products and the ability for other moms to start their own air brush business.

"Anyone in the nation, in the world, could buy the kit and watch the DVD and start their own business," said Smart.

Smart said starting her company was the smartest decision she's made.

"It's really kind of the hottest trend right now," said Smart.

Just Launched Bronzed Envy Home Tanning Kit!!

2010-04-16T17:31:00.000-07:00

Bronzed Envy Home Tanning Kit is a revolutionary Home Tanning system! Now you can have a Salon quality tan in the comfort of your own home. B.E. Tanning System is quick and easy to use and only takes a few minutes to achieve a natural bronzed glow. High Volume Low Pressure technology delivers a gentle even spray tan to your entire body for an instant, streak free, flawless looking tan. Now you can have a beautiful summer bronze year round!

Kit Comes With:

•1 HVLP Tan Machine and Spray Gun
•16 oz Bronzed Envy Premium Solution
•Bronzed Envy Home Tan Kit DVD

$495

****FIRST 10 ORDERS WILL RECIEVE $50 OFF THEIR ORDER****

RECIEVE AN ADD'L $10 DISCOUNT:

Copy this post on your blog OR Facebook!

GO TO: WWW.BRONZEDENVY.COM FOR MORE INFO!

Perspective Sunday...

2010-03-28T22:02:00.000-07:00

Ive pretty much been waiting to exhale for the past few weeks, months...... and today...I was finally able to breathe! Can I just tell you what relaxing is to me? Well, we live on 2 acres so we have dirt bikes...I LOVE me some dirt bikes! I rode and rode that dirt bike around our yard about 50 times. Preston was on his dirt bike following me. Everytime I would pull up to the house, Payton would run outside and ask me for a ride. That kid..wow..he's gonna grow up being a motorcycle lover! Not to mention, while we are riding around, Craig and my dad are out on joy ride on the "big boy" bikes. Then, after my bootie could only handle so much on the bike, we laid on a blanket under one of our HUGE OAK trees and read a book about dragons. We did this for a couple hours...ahhhhh...I love a lazy Sunday. It's been SOOOOO long since I have just rested, no computer, phone etc..that I honestly have forgotten how to relax! Ive been working so much lately, you really get in a "working freenzy" and dont know how to stop. It just brought me back down a notch...oh, and my stress level too! I was reminded that although I love my work and what I do, that I love my boys and family more! Without my family, I have nothing...they are what I enjoy. But I also realized again, that they dont want the "business contacts, money, cars, house..etc" they just want me, my time and my attention.

Nothing like a beautiful, sunny Sunday to put things back in perspective! *smile*

Superwoman and "The Beam"

2010-03-21T21:06:00.001-07:00

This is how I've felt lately!

This is who I need to be more like in order to hold down the fort...hummmmm..possible??

WA= Work-a-holics Annonymous! Is there such thing? Probably so, and I might need to go! I've been told this past week that I might have a bit of a "problem!" I guess my family is telling me in a, well, nice way to: CUT, PULL THE PLUG, EX-NEY ON THE WORK-NA, TAKE A BREAK, CHILL OUT, STOP TALKING ABOUT BUSINESS, STOP STOP STOP! I am feeling a bit obsessed about this whole "business" thing..but what can I say..I LOVE being a "business girl!" I've got the fever, but everyone else is sick...sick of hearing me talk about tanning..haha! It's SO hard to slow down when success is in my grasp. I do feel a bit guilty though b/c I need to work more on balancing my family NUMERO UNO, and my biz, NUMERO DOS!

Note to self: dont talk to husband about my tanning business...I think he's just a tad bit sick of hearing about it all! I pretty much just do what I want and make my own business decisions anyways...I just need to balance, balance, balance...

This week is labeled "The Beam" b/c that is my task this week! Walk the balancing beam of family, life and biz without falling off!

Heck, I am superwoman afterall right?!...The modern superwoman CAN do it all...run a family, run a biz, be a good wife, mother, maid, cook, laundry,etc, etc, etc..RIGHT!!!!

Wish me luck! :)

Cheaters and Private Investigators...

2010-03-15T08:24:00.000-07:00

A lot of cool things have been happening latley! Im involved in a new "project" with some really great friends. We are doing a reality show. It's all very cool, but top secret right now..ha. Will update more later. Dont quite know what my part will be in it, but it's just awesome to be a part of it.

We did some filming and promo work this weekend up in Dallas at the World Investigators Confrence and met some very interesting people. Got to meet Joey Greko, the host of Cheaters. Interesting!

Also, we got to meet and have dinner with Jay J. Armes and his son Jay Armes III. They are the nicest people! We were definitely in some great company! We got to interview him on camera and he told us some really great stories. That evening we went to dinner with the whole group and rode in a limo with them. JJ always has a bodyguard with him at all times. He was a really cool dude...seriously armed and dangerous. At one point during the night, after dinner, we were getting out of the limo and a homeless man came by and started hanging around and wouldnt leave. I just thought...wow...man, you really dont wanna mess with this group of people dude!! NO JOKE!!! So, needless to say, we definitely felt safe!

More Snow Day Pict's...

2010-02-23T14:54:00.001-08:00

THESE SNOWFLAKES WERE HUGE!!

BOYS BUILT THIS ONE ALL BY THEMSELVES!

MESSING AROUND!

SNOWING SO HARD WE COULDNT OPEN OUR EYES!

SNOW DAY= FUN DAY!

A sight I never see.....

2010-02-23T09:11:00.001-08:00

Yes, Its snowing in Austin, TX...LOVE IT! Can you tell we never see the snow...ever?! The kids have been out all morning playing and building a snowman! SO cute!

LOVIN IT!

2010-02-19T15:06:00.000-08:00

OK...YOU HAVE TO GO TO THIS SITE. IT'S COMPLETE AND TOTAL INSPIRATION FOR ME!
http://www.betterafter.blogspot.com/

I am a total thrift store, trash turned to treasure kinda girl! We moved to a new house the beginning of January so everyday I think about what color I want to repaint the walls, where I would put this or what I need to get to go here or there! I LOVE LOVE LOVE redecorating and re-doing! We moved to an older home (built in the 70's) but a lot of it has been updated. It's still not quite my style, but I will get it there. The home is on 2 acres and it's a Ranch Style home, we are loving that part of it! My clients and friends who come here love it and say it has the feel of a "ski challet" or lodge! Yeah...I'm not sure Im feelin' that "lodgish" look, but I can work with that! Im thinking more towards a Shabby Chic/Country Style with an antiuqe mixed with modern look. It's hard to explain, but I just know it when I see it! I will post some pictures of my latest projects soon...I actually love that part about moving...I have a brand new palate to work on! :)

Check out this site...Im lovin' it!

http://www.betterafter.blogspot.com/

Im thinking this...

2010-02-11T12:32:00.000-08:00

IVE GOT TO KICK MY BUTT INTO "EXERSICE" GEAR!

Ive put it off long enough and hidden the treadmill in the back of my brain! But, summer is RIGHT around the corner and I have to start now.

So, Im thinking this....P90X....will let you know :)

New Website!

2010-01-23T08:12:00.000-08:00

We're on the Countdown!!!

2009-11-17T20:23:00.001-08:00

ONLY 5 MORE DAYS AND WE ARE OFF!! GOING TO A TROPICAL PARADISE!!! WAAHOOO!

10 Years & Lovin' it!

2009-11-08T17:07:00.000-08:00

Well, we are all still alive and kicking! It's been awhile, I know...we've been busy! Here's a quick re-cap :)

Craig and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary
We are prepping for our "2nd honeymoon" cruise in 2 WEEKS!!! YAY!
Started another business...I think now I'm at 3...am I crazy?!..yup, but love it!
Had family pictures taken, silly to list it here, but this is a HUGE feat for us!
Craigs been top Salesman at work for atleast the past 6 month..go babe!
We went to Six Flags, kids had a blast!
Had my 29th B-day again :)
Business is thriving for me...meaning ALWAYS something to do!
Went to our family reunion in Dallas.
So on and so on and so on....of course, gotta run, will post more pictures later..promise!

Plotting...

2009-06-25T07:46:00.000-07:00

Im plotting a vacation latley.....Im thinking I really want to go to the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas. They are running some awesome deals right now if you book before July 1st. Craig and I will be celebrating our 10th anniversary in October, so this would be a divine little getaway for us :) Will keep you posted. Ive got the "vacation itch" right now apparently!

So true....

2009-06-24T21:47:00.000-07:00

BEHIND!!!

2009-06-12T07:21:00.000-07:00

Of course I am sooo behind in the blog world! I am a busy busy business woman ya know :) No,, but really...I have been tanning so much my hands are calloused! My business is thriving, I'm happy, my family is happy and it feels so nice! I have been working so hard to make it a success and all my hard work is definitely paying off. I am running into an issue though...Im finding it hard to say NO. I will be completely booked and tell myself that I cant do anymore...enough is enough and I will just have to reschedule a new client for the next week. Then someone calls and Im just about killing myself to fit them in my already crazy days! I guess its all about learning to pace, delegate and not overbook myself! It's hard to say no though when you are still in the "building stage" of a new business. Im just finding hard to juggle the kids, keep up with the house, give everyone the attention they need and try to run a very alive and thriving business. All that said though, I do have to give myself a pat on the back b/c I've been doing the best I can. I also have hired my FIRST EMPLOYEE!!! Can you believe it! She is doing great and it's nice to know she is there when I just cant do it all! That being said, I do need to delegate more to her. Im just a control freak I guess and like to do it all myself.

Anyways, enough about that. The kids are out of school. Preston had a fantastic year and is so excited to be going into 3rd grade next year. He excelled at reading and math. His favorite subjects though were Art and Music and got top notch marks in those area's...well...thats my boy!! ha!

As for Pate, he is my busy little bee. My congeniality and friend maker! He has a so many friends and always wants to have someone over or someone wants him at their house to play. It's killin me :) He finished pre-school (or as preston calls it "pre pre-school") because he wont be starting kindergarten this year just yet. He has a late, late August bday and I just think it's best to keep him home one last year. I say keep him home, but he will be in a private school 3-4 days a week. It stinks I will be paying for it one more year, but I think definitely worth it in the end. I have many tan clients who are teachers and all say it's really best for the child (esp. if it's a boy) to let them mature and grow on more year when they have late bdays. They have said if you are able to hold them one more year it could really be the difference between struggling through school, or really excelling! I sure he would do fine, but Im not in a rush to to send him off when I dont have to. He is my baby after all :)

As for my hottie hubby....he is doing fabulous! He has been #1 salesman at work month after month and is such a hard worker. He stays pretty tired as well b/c his day starts at about 5:00 am every morning and ends at about 5:30 in the evening. So very long days. But he is such great dad and husband and the boys adore him! Even if he is tried, he always makes time for us and we love him for that. He has been taking over a lot more lately b/c of my business. So sometimes Im leaving for appointments as he is just rushing home to be with the kids. We love our daddy!

Im gonna try to update more! Here are just a bunch of random pict's...enjoy :)

Concan....Not Cancun and the Frio River....

2009-05-21T06:03:00.000-07:00

So, I know I know...its been wayyyy to long since my last post....WHAT gives...I've actually been busy!!! So so so so busy with my tanning business! I love it, but no time to breathe :) So, Im up right now at about 7am. Got Preston off to school, Payton is still sleeping and I have a moment before the madness of this day is about to start. Im having a "Tan Day" at my house today. I'll be airbrushing all the live long day today b/c everybody has GOT to have a tan you know before Memorial Day weekend.

Anways, tomorrow we are leaving on vacation. A small one, but it will be a lot of fun. We are renting an rv for the first time and driving with my family down do Concan (not to be confused with Cancun...i wish! ) It's on the Frio river about 1.5 hrs from San Antonio. We are going to just relax, swim, float, fish and relax so more! I cant wait. I think Im more excited about driving the rv down there. Im a little redneck I think..ha! :) We are going to take our motorcycles down there and cruise also. Should be a great time. Ill post some pictures when we get back. Im looking forward to have nothing to do. I think I deserve it, I've been tannin' away the past few months and been crazy busy!

ps...i have sooo many pictures to post since I havent posted for a longgg time...so ill just post some random ones.

My decorating stint...

2009-02-03T16:11:00.000-08:00

Here goes some more before/after pictures. I've found some great "junk" at goodwill latley and have just been painting my little heart out(spray painting that is)!! Things are starting to come together...that doesnt mean I'm near done though :) I've just rearranged (thanks to my moms help) tweaked and repainted mostly things I already had in my house. Im trying to change out the colors/style in my house which hasent been done for years. I love more of the greens, yellows, and blue's right now....especially green, and I think it shows..HA! Silly as it may sounds, I take my Pottery Barn magazines with me to goodwill and fabric stores to try to find similar things. I have to say we do have some pretty darn good ones here and I have been able to find some cool stuff that I have just painted and duplicated. LOVE IT!! I'm on a roll..watch out :)

LIVING ROOM BEFORE

LIVING ROOM AFTER

Painted mirror and candle sticks and found that cute lantern that was exactly like one in Pottery Barn for $60! Mine was $2.99!

These trays are so cute and popular when paired with some cute accessories. This tray was light wood and I painted it and put the hardware back on. Candle sticks gotta go though, back to goodwill :)

The whole wall, compliments of Goodwill. :)

ENTRY/BEFORE

ENTRY/AFTER
added console table/mirror and moved bookcase to entry from dining room

bookcase in entry now

console in entry

KITCHEN/BEFORE

KITCHEN/AFTER

Ive had my eye out for some shutters and just found these today...both for $10, cant beat that!

DINING ROOM/BEFORE

DINING ROOM/ AFTER

Bought both chairs for $5 @...well, you can guess where. Painted the bottoms black and then reupholstered them. See picture below.

25 Random Things About Me.....

2009-01-29T22:48:00.000-08:00

I was "tagged" with this on facebook...but I love reading these about other people and some of my "blog friends" arent on facebook yet...(hint hint sarah :) so Im going to tag them and put mine on my blog.

1. When I was 13 I took my own braces off. I had already had them on for almost 3 years and was sick of them. So I went in the garage and got some pliers and snapped those babies off!
2. I love "dipped chocolate" cones from dairy queen, but I have to hurry and eat all the chocolate off before it dries. Wierd!
3. I can play the guitar
4. I started and Airbrush Tanning Business called Bronzed Envy. www.bronzedenvy.com :)
5. I overdo it every time I exercise. I like to feel the pain or I dont feel like Im doing any good.
6. Had a National Commercial on tv.
7. I want a motorcycle and a boat...I love outdoor toys!
8. I look at the middle of the toilet paper roll before I pick it up to put it on the holder. When I was young, we were visiting my grandma andI picked up a new roll without looking and a roach ran out. Ive been forever tramatized!
9. I wont eat ONE part of any peice of chicken b/c there is always that gross grisely vein on the edge of every peice!
10. I love the smell of the inside of new shoes...and shoe stores.??
11. I might eventually go back to school to be a dental hygienest
12. I want a horse again...I bought my very own horse that I had saved up my own money for finally when I was 13 and paid for her food and keep all on my own until I went to college and then I had to sell her:( I want another horse...I love them and I made Craig promise me that he would buy me one if I said yes to marry him. Haha!...Im still waiting. I think Im going to have to buy it myself again!
13. I want to live on a ranch...(that is close to the city too) $$$$ I want horses and cows and dirt bikes. Im still a tomboy at heart!
14. I love the beach
15. When I get an idea or goal in my head, there is NO stopping me...I WILL make it happen!
16. I love that I can contribute financially to our family. It makes me feel empowered! Dont get me wrong, I love being a stay at home mom, but there is something about the control of running your own business that is invigorating to me....it's motivating!
17. I have a bad habbit of laughing when people get hurt..not BAD hurt, but like stubbed toes or tripping or something. A guy beside me at the gym tripped on the treamill and fell and I almost fell off because I was laughing so hard...it made him feel better though, Im not one to pretend like I dont see something...I WILL laugh!
18. I want to do a fitness competition sometime this year.
19. I tend to take on to many goals/projects and then get overwhelmed but I do it anyways.
20. Procrastination motivates me. does that make any sense???....I've come to realize I think I like the challenge of waiting until the last minute to get something done and then morphing into superwoman and getting it done in record time. It makes me feel good. Hey...doesnt Dr. Phil say, "whats your pay off?"
21. When I am tired, I pick the mascara off my eyelashes. Its drives Craig nuts.
22. My husband can make me laugh so hard I cry.
23. I believe in the Law of Attraction!! It has worked so many times in my life.
24. I believe in Karma.
25. I believe there are no such thing as coincidences.

Just A Few of My Favorite Things.....Part 1

2009-01-22T21:42:00.001-08:00

So lately I'm a little bit obsessed with finding good deals at goodwill! I think I have been to every one now in about a 20 mile radius of our house.

I-love-this-stuff!

Anything that means I get to perform "surgery" on me, my kids or hubby...I love! ha! You gotta know me for this one!

This lip plumper is from Victoria Secret for $18. Let me just tell you...it works! I used to buy a $40 plumper from Macy's until I found this. I buy the clear b/c it naturally turns your lips a rosey, shiney color.

If you've never played it, you should! Its fun and a little addictive.

I love my new watch! Craig knew I have been wanting a white face/band watch. He came home the other day and out of the blue surprized me with it. Love you babe! Be on the look out for this style, its becoming very popular and looks so dang cute on!

Might be "TMI" ...but I've wanted Laser hair removal for years and got it for Christmas! It's the coolest thing ever invented...well...almost :)

Wasabi?!?!?

2009-01-21T09:06:00.000-08:00

Preston is in scouts and they have the "pinewood derby" coming up this weekend. So, my dad is king of making 1st place derby cars so wanted to come and get Preston this weekend to go to their house to get started on his car. Payton wanted to go to, of course, and I had a full day of tans so Craig took off Saturday morning with the kids to meet "namma and grampa" half way.

I have some clients that are huge sushi fans and keep telling me I have to try this place called "Tomo." I am leary of sushi and have a hard time disassociating what I am eating with the word "raw"......yuck. But, I wanted to branch out and was told that if I have never eaten sushi that THIS is the place to go for fabulous, authentic sushi.

So I went home and proceeded to convince Craig. It worked and off to Tomo we went! It was a very small, quaint place and we were seated right along the sushi wall. I was feeling a little timid and overwhelmed by the menu and wasn't sure about admitting we had NEVER had sushi before. I was sent prepared though...thanks to my client Tamara, she sent me with a list of what to order and when. Ha! Love it! Anyways, after we were seated the guy from behind the sushi bar reached over and placed this big square of green stuff (later to learn this is wasabi) on our plates. We both looked at it and talked about it for a few minutes. I am much more reserved about trying new things that I don't know what they are and what the ingredients are, but I guess Craig was feeling a little adventurous that night because at the exact same moment the little Japanese waitress came by to fill our water, I asked what the "green blob" was on our plate and if we could eat it...I looked over to see Craig putting the whole dang thing in his mouth and chewing. The waitress said NOOOOOOO.....and at that point there were about 4 "staff" around looking and gasping. I was still a little lost as to what was going on, but just said, "Craig, NO, your not supposed to eat that." All he was doing was holding his head in his hands, had sweat beading up on his face and breathing in and out harshly! Ohhh myyyyy!!! Then all the waitstaff (in their little Japanese accents) were telling him "SPIT OUT" "SPIT OUT" "DRINK WATAH" "DRINK WHATAH" hhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

By the time he cooled down and his face turned back to a normal color we learned that what he had eaten was Wasabi. Only the most spicy of spicy fiery-hot flavors. Apparently it is the root and VERY potent and is only supposed to be added to soy sauce in small portions.

Poor Craig! Although it wasn't funny at the time, I had the giggles all night seeing it play over and over in my mind again and again! I would just bust out laughing randomly all night. ha! He said to me, "honey, you don't understand...I thought my head was going to blow up. I felt like I had been gassed." All that did was make me crack up uncontrollably again and again!

I'm just glad I didn't pop that whole thing in my mouth too....I don't think I would have handled myself the same way craig did. I would have been crying my eyes out making a scene!

As for our first sushi experience........

sushi good, wasabi BAD!!!

My Chic little bathroom :)

2009-01-16T20:33:00.000-08:00

So today I worked on putting all my little "projects" up on the wall. Its so much fun..this whole redecorating thing. I think I'm finding a new addiction! I'm not done yet, but here is my little re-vamp so far. Im going to get new lighting and take down the big mirror and replace it with 2 single mirrors above each sink and then finish with hardware on the cabinet drawers.

Bathroom Before

Bathroom After

My cute little signs..arent they adorable??

Project "Craftiness"

2009-01-14T17:32:00.000-08:00

So have been having the itch lately to "tweak/re-do" ok....redecorate my house. So I have been looking through magazines and decorating sites to try to find the exact style Im trying to go for. I love the shabby chic/boutique style without being too flowery (if thats a word) that sometimes shabby chic can be. I found a website that I love. This lady is so crafty and after staying up way too late looking, I went to bed with thoughts of decorating mania going on in my head! So, yesterday, project "craftiness" began. The juices are flowing and my days have been filled with cans of black spray paint and sand paper! Love it...so, here are a couple great "finds" and transformations...more to come...Im on a roll :)

Kids HAD to help

These things were goodwill finds and all started out that ugly brassy color. Yuck!

Thift store finds of the day.

Got all this for under $20 at Hobby Lobby's 90% off sale! Luvv itttt!

Look for this mirror in the "after "pict of my mantle.

These were also brassy. I primed them and sprayed them black. They are also on the "new" mantle.

Old Mantle...ugly

New mantle...cute :) For about $25!

Before (had already sprayed/faux finished the frame and decoration)

After

Laundry basket Before

Laundry Basket After (not done yet..but better)

I started out with raw wood and spray painted in "satin black" and then picked out a piece of cute scrapbook paper to glue on top of the plaque. Then I sanded down the wood b/c I like the "rustic" look! Turned out very cute!

Before

After

New Years Eve Bowling

2009-01-12T08:34:00.000-08:00

We went bowling on New Years Eve and had so much fun! The kids have a new favorite thing to do! We had the bumpers up and they were so cute watching their bowling balls slowly roll all the way down the lane and then jump up and down so excited if it hit more than one pin. Payton did get a little to carried away at one point and actually threw the ball over into the other lane. Oops! I do have to mention though...Craig and I get a little competitive every time we bowl. Most times he does win, BUT, we played 2 games that night and I did WIN the first game. He then proceeded to tell me that whoever won the second game wins it all....whatever honey, dont be to embarassed that you got beat by your wife! ha! He did win the second game...but not by much. I want a re-match!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T07:12:00.000-08:00

Wow....2009! Already. Time for those annual resolutions. Here are a few personal and family goals:

FAMILY:

*Have fun- Always at the top of our family list and a Smart family must :)
*Serve more- We started volunteering with a local charity and love it and will be doing more.
*Pray together daily for all that we are thankful for!
*Have more date nights with my hubby!

Personal:

*Continue to grow my business
*Possibly do a fitness competition?? This will get my butt in gear again for our cruise this year! I need some motivation again and was told the company I have my endorsement contract with (muscletech) that they will sponcer me. This is huge b/c there are a lot of expenses involved in competing. So, I just have to decide and commit....oh gosh...ahahhhhh..
*save more $$
*keep up my gratitue journal everyday!

Just a few....

Happy New Year to everyone! I resolve to make this our best year yet!

Here are a few picts from my phone that Craig just downloaded for me...

"Maverick"

"Mrs. Thomas and the boys"

"Always Indy"

"peeling potato's for dinner"

"Our house looked so cute"

"our romantic boat ride for our 9th anniversary"

captain craig :)

Our fav. place to eat on the river called The County Line..so pretty!

The County Line....feeding turtles

Marley and Me

2009-01-01T07:02:00.000-08:00

This move was sooooo cute and so real! Loved it loved it loved it! If you havent seen it, go! Its great for the whole family!

Vision Board

2008-12-22T06:50:00.000-08:00

For any of you that know me, know I totally believe in the Law of Attraction. I don't believe there are coincidences in life. I believe you attract things and events that happen to you by the way you think and feel and the energy you put out by your thoughts and actions. If you don't believe it, put it to the test and read some books on it. Of course one popular, and one of many books (although, not my favorite of all of them) is called "The Secret." OK....so, just another example in my life of how I know this to be true! I have a "vision board" that I made...(ill have to post a picture of it) of things that I want to see happen. Here are some pictures similar to what I had put on my board this year:

I have dolphins on there b/c one of my dreams is to be able to swim with dolphins

I have a picture of a beautiful beach b/c I wanted to visit one that looks like this!

OK....SOOOOO......This is what we will be doing next year thanks to my AWESOME, hard working husband!!! He randomly came home one day and said, "oh, by the way, we are having a sales contest at work, Im in first place right now, and whoever wins will get a trip." WHAT?!?! you're just telling me this now...and p.s.....what kind of trip?? I'm thinking to myself a couple nights paid hotel somewhere!?!?!"

He say, "A cruise...I think." You think?!? So of course I proceed to be the annoying wife and ask him a million questions that he has no idea what the answers are..ie.. who, when, where, what and then just leaves it at, "I'll let you know when I know." HA! Typical!

So, he came home last week and told me WON!!! He got the cruise! So, vision board, AKA, my "crystal ball" haha...has come to pass.

Because....This is what we will be doing, and where we will be going......

swimming with dolfins

Going on a cruise to Mexico

Going to a beautiful beach!!..ahhh...cant wait!

THANKS BABE!!!!

Tanning Biz Blog!!

2008-12-16T14:59:00.001-08:00

Check out my tanning business blog. More pictures to come soon. Im going to do better about updating that blog too!

www.bronzedenvy.blogspot.com

Random thoughts..

2008-12-14T20:25:00.000-08:00

I was just laying in bed with my boys tonight, snuggling each one separately, and just thinking how much I love them. I was thinking back to funny things each one of them has done over the years and how many times they have made me crack up! I just wanted to write I few memories down while I was thinking about them.......

1. I remember Preston calling his sippy cup of chocolate milk "ku-nuh". Still makes me laugh. He called it this for a good 3-4 years, even though we told him it was chocolate milk??

2. The 3rd year of Payton's life seriously lasted like 5 years. Craig and I kept saying, "Isn't he like 10 years old by now." FINALLY he's 4 and its flying by. What's with 3??

3. Every time Payton wants to "watch" something on tv, he says he wants to "house" it?!?!

4. Preston used to call a "needle" a "meekle" and didn't want to go to the doctor to get a shot with the "meekle."

5. I was just thinking about how we went to Sea World last month and it was the most perfect day. We had the park practically to ourselves, stayed on every ride as long as we wanted to, and ate lunch together on a picnic table outside. Craig and I raced up a huge cargo net with our boys yelling and cheering us on and then slid down these ginormous slides, only to get the biggest electric shock of our lives! We ate cotton candy and pushed the boys in a little car stroller while they ate Cheetos and Barbecue chips. We rode the Log ride 5 times in a row and each time was better than the last. I remember sitting there in that little log with Payton between Craig's legs and Preston in front of me, just thinking how perfect this is, and when I would look back to see Craig with his arms around Payton and a big smile on both of their faces, I thought nothing in the whole wide world could be as important as my family and how lucky I am and happy we are!

I'm so grateful for my boys!!! all THREE of them!!

Random Pict's....

2008-12-12T08:51:00.000-08:00

My Boys!

2008-12-04T08:28:00.000-08:00

I love being the mom of TWO CUTE BOYS!!!

it's a smart world after all

2008-11-23T16:04:00.001-08:00

Get your own Family Sticker Maker & MySpace Layouts.

31....

2008-11-11T09:25:00.000-08:00

Well, it came and went...my 31st birthday that is! Im really trying not to think to much about because when I do, I have to admit, it does make me a little sad. Its not that I feel old, its just the sound of the number and reminder that I truly AM getting older. When you are young, you want to be old and just think it will never happen. I remember when I was 12 years old turning 13 my family took me out to dinner. I remember the waiter coming up to the table and my family announcing it was my birthday. I also remember thinking he was pretty cute and older than me of course. And me, always notoriously trying to be grown up and older announced that I was actually turning "14" (instead of 13) when he asked how old I was turning on this birthday. Well, my little brother Graham instantly piped up and said "SHE'S NOT 14...SHE'S ONLY 13" Of course I was mortified! We only laugh about that story now. Especially now since Im only wishing and contemplating "fibbing" about my age, but going down, instead of up! HA!

Its okay, I know I cant do a darn thing to change it, except to look my best and feel my best for ever age I am. I have a great family who got and did some special things for me. Craig took me to dinner to get my favorite steak dinner. Here are some pictures.....

My dad designed my FABULOUS business cards, poster, logo, and gift cards. Here is everything I put together for one of my tanning parties. It turned out great. Thanks dad for all your creative designs! Its was a great b-day present!

My sister sent me this tasty treat! Thanks Trish!!!

My mom gave me the cutest necklace. Obviously it had my kids names on it, but I love it. Im so in to stamped silver now.

Halloween

2008-11-06T11:18:00.001-08:00

We had a fun Halloween. As usual it comes and goes so fast. Im sure the rest of the year is going to be the same way :( I love thanksgiving and Christmas time. Here are some pictures of the boys. Payton also went to the pumpkin patch with his pre-school class and there are some pictures of him and his friends. (notice, they are ONLY boys) He says the (gwils are mean)

New Biz!

2008-10-08T11:59:00.000-07:00

So I have been a total blogging slacker! Ive been up to my ears busy with a new business! YES, that's right, I started an airbrush tanning business. Totally random, I know. But for those of you who know me, know it fits me to the "T"!! Ive been having soooo much fun! Everyone loves to have a summer glow and have some color to their skin. Me included. But....and I mean a BIG, BUT, since I have turned the ever so young age of 30, it seems things start slowing down, wrinkling up, growing bigger, drooping and so on ...anyway, I'm now seeing the effect that the sun has had on my skin (as a sun lover) growing up. Not that I would lay the day away basking in baby oil or anything like that. Its just when your young, you never think about the future and what effects certain things will do to your skin/body. So, I'm at that age now where I still want color, but I don't want to hang out in a tanning boothe 4 times a week...bad, bad, bad!! I LOVE airbrush tan's! Its NOTHING like a "mystic tan" machine which leaves you blotchy and streaky. Its a custom, control, specifically picked for you color, airbrushed tan. It gives the perfect glow! So, I started my own business and I'm loving it! Why didn't I do this before?? Women are going berserk over it. I spray them once, they see immediate results, and then ask when I can come back. Is it really that easy? I knew people would love it once they tried it out for themselves, but we women are so funny about certain things! So, anyone who wants to hit me up for an "immediate makeover" call me up. And check out my new website. Come on all you whities out there...
"Be a Hottie, Bronze your Body!" :)

http://www.bronzedenvy.com/

also, I have a blog too that Im going to start posting before/after pict
http://www.bronzedenvy.blogspot.com/

Happy Bronzing :)

Sea World, Birthday, Back to School!

2008-08-26T16:09:00.000-07:00

Back to Reality

2008-08-05T11:12:00.001-07:00

Well, we are back from the beach and had an amazing time. The kids were in heaven and we had so much fun. We boogie boarded, fished, swam, went horseback riding on the beach, ate seafood and just plain ol' relaxed. I was reminded that there is just nothing like the ocean. It definitely has a calming effect on the soul. It was just what the doctor ordered. We are already ready to go back again!

Congrats my Hot Tamale!!!

2008-08-05T10:58:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to my hotty husband for losing 50 pounds. He has been doing so good and working his tushy off...literally! :) He has been eating healthy and working out and running a LOT and has hit the 50 pound mark. He looks absolutely HOT!!! Sorry, have to gush, we are all so proud of him. Losing weight is not easy and its a huge accomplishment. It shows hard work and dedication, not to mention will power!! Everyone he see's cant believe how great he looks and tell him he looks 10 years younger! Ok babe, now just dont let your head get too big ...ha.

"The clock says beach time"

2008-07-31T08:11:00.001-07:00

This is what Payton kept saying when he pointed to the clock.

Pictures will be coming soon................... :)

WE HAVE TWINS!!!!!

2008-07-15T15:05:00.000-07:00

HAHA...FOOLED YA! Well, pretty much. We dont dont have twin babies...but we have twin baby puppies. They are sooo cute. It was unexpected to get another dog, much less TWO dogs. They are chihuahua puppies. The blonde one is Sadie and the brown one is Mavrick. When we went to go and look at them (first mistake) Craig said he thought two would be best so they could keep eachother company and I thought he had lost his mind. Well, turns out they have been so cute together and 2 little dogs is really not that much different than one. So we are introducing Sadie and Mavrick.

Scott's Farwell and the Lake

2008-07-14T18:36:00.000-07:00

This weekend we drove up to Dallas to go to my nephew's mission farewell. He will be leaving to go and serve a two year church mission. We had a lot of fun. While we were there we also went to the lake and the kids had soooo much fun! We stayed with my cousin Wendy and her family which is always fun to be able to catch up and see eachother again. Luv ya Wendy!!! Here are a few pictures from the weekend.

Preston

2008-07-05T08:54:00.000-07:00

Preston is our little comedian, helper, cuddler, jokester, dramatic, cute, cute boy!! We just think he is such a cutie patottie. He had his hair short for a long time and then begged us to let him grow it out long like his Uncle Branden. So, while its still going through a bit of a ratty stage, we still think it looks cute on him. He makes friends so easliy and is definitely the class clown. He loves his daddy and going and doing anything and everything with him. Their new thing to do together is to go golfing! Preston just got his very own clubs and they go to the driving range. He is pretty good too! I just wanted to show some of the many faces of Preston and let him know how much we love him!

Random

2008-07-05T08:17:00.000-07:00

I finally got a bunch of pictures off my moms camera from Christmas, Easter, Mothers Day, and to last night, 4th of July. Here you go....

New House

2008-07-03T12:34:00.000-07:00

Finally! We are all moved in our new house! We are sooooo glad the move is over with and the boxes are put away. We LOVE our new neighborhood. All the neighbors are so friendly. Everyone is always outside in the evening walking their dogs and all the kids are out. So Payton and Preston are loving it too. They love to go outside and catch frogs (which there seems to be plenty) and then Payton, and his attachement disorder....dosent ever want to part with the little frog. Everynight we have to explain the whole story about how the frog needs to be outside with his mommy and daddy to stay alive and needs to be able to catch bugs. So after much persuading, he finally realeases it. Anyways, we are going out of town for the 4th of July and I have a thing about cleaning before we go somewhere. I like to come home to a pristine house after being gone. So, I decided to take some pictures while it was atleast presentable. I forgot to take some of the outside....Ill post some later. Enjoy mom and dad Smart....Im holding true to my promise of taking more pictures!! HA!

Two monkeys one cage

2008-07-02T14:02:00.000-07:00

So this is how I found my boys last night when I checked on them. Both of them in Paytons crib. Now I know what your thinking, Payton is still in a crib??? And...what the heck is on the crib. The answer is yes, Payton is still sleeping in his crib. Let's just say Payton has what we call and "attachement" disorder. He gets VERY attached to certain things and likes things a certain way alll the time and dosent like change. So, he still loves his crib, his pillow, and unfortunatly a bottle. He's been attached to the bottle since he was a baby and still likes it for comfort at night. I know its way past time to kick that habbit, but I think I have the same "disorder" as payton, so I feel guilty taking it away. He is our baby and its the last "baby" thing he has to let go of, so I have to let go of my attachement issue to keep him a baby! HA! What a mess. Anyways, when he was younger, he learned early on how to get out of his crib. So I bought a crib tent and it worked wonders. I dont tie it shut or anything and he can get out anytime, but he likes it closed still...(refer back to attachment disorder :) So last night I guess both boys wanted to sleep together, which never happens, so I HAD to document it with a picture. Preston is so big he takes up the whole side of the crib and he feel asleep with his arm stuck between the bars. I moved him into his bed so the didnt whack eachother upside the head during the night.

PS. thanks to grandma and grampa smart for the penguin that preston sleeps with everynight, and to "namma" for the pillow payton cant sleep without.......ever.....

Pictures

2008-07-01T13:10:00.001-07:00

I know its been sooo long since I last posted. Im really going to try to start updating more for family and friends. This is unfortunately the only way that family that is far away gets to see pictures of us. Im a bad picture sender....so Ill try to post more pictures on the blog. So that is just what Im going to do in this blog b/c it will take to long right now to write everything we have been up to. We are having a great summer so far though and have a lot more in store in the coming weeks. I will write more later.

RIP Blue

2008-05-05T08:56:00.000-07:00

We had a really sad weekend and are so so so sorry to say we lost our little dog blue "moo moo" as we called him...dont ask why. It was definitely a tramatic experience for everyone. We were at my moms house in San Antonio and all the boys were getting ready to go golfing and to go see Iron Man. They were just waiting around for everyone to be ready and went out in the back yard to practice their putting skills. I was inside and all the sudden heard this shreiking, crying sound that is alarmingly recognizable and I knew one of the dogs were in trouble. I looked out the window to see my brother running in to get us and I looked down and saw little blue laying upside-down crying on the ground. They said he ran right in front of the golf ball right after it was putted and it hit him on the head. The poor little thing was is so much pain we were all panicing and in tears. We rushed him to the ER (for pets) and they took him in. He spent the next 8 hours there and then we brought him home. We though he was going to pass away and they said we could take him home to be by us. He was seizuring all night and wouldnt eat or drink and couldnt stand up. His whole right side was paralized and the doctor said he had brain trama. The golf ball was probably the size of his little head...so that is not good! After a long night of seeing him like that, we made the decision to take him back to the doctor to just be put out of his misery. I now know that it dosent matter if its "only a dog" to you or someone else. When you lose someone that is part of your family it feels like such a tragic loss when they arent around anymore. We loved our little dog and he was such a fun part of our lives and he will be missed! He was technically Preston's dog so Preston is really having a hard time with it. Its so hard as a parent to see your child have to feel the pain of loss already and not be able to make it all better as we so often do for other things. We cant take his sorrow away, its a part of life. I guess time heals everything. We love you Blue!

Update!

2008-03-30T08:42:00.001-07:00

So, as you can see, I havent updated my blog in a while. Ive been busy, and Im so bad at this...Im going to try to do better though. I cant even being to go back and recap everything that has gone on...but Ill do a mini re-cap of events since October..that is the last time I wrote. Gosh....thats crazy how the time just flew by. November: I turned the BIG 3-0...sad for me...really. But, Im going to try to make my 30's the best ever and look the best I have ever looked in my life! :) -Craig also had a birthday and turned 32. -We spent Thanksgiving with my family and sister Trisha and her family. We havent done that for years...it was fun to have them here! December: Of course had the best Christmas. Again, It came and went so fast and here we are, already almost April. WOWWWZZZAAAA!!!! January: Preston went back to school after a nice long christmas break and started the whole routine again. -Valentines day Craig took me to Mckormicks and Shmicks. Soooooo good. I wish I would have taken pictures. He surprized me that afternoon and came home for lunch with my fav. chocolate bar (symphony) flowers and a sweet card. Way to go honey! Febuary: Preston turned 7 years old. I cant believe I have a 7 year old. He's starting to make me feel old now...well, maybe I am. He had his best friends over and we had a little party. He wanted a really big party with lots of kiddo's but said he would rather have a Wii instead and then just have a small party. So he got a Wii and loooovvveeesss it! March: Had spring break this month and that was fun. We went up to Dallas to visit Craigs parent who flew in from Oregon. It was fun b/c Craig rarely has any time off and got to take a few days off. It was fun actually getting to spend some time together! We stayed with my awesome cousin Wendy...love ya girl. We had lots of fun! Now we are heading into April and are nearing the end of the school year. I cant believe it is almost summer time again. It just blows my mind how fast this school year flew by. We have a lot in store this summer. We are going to be moving in June, going on vacation in July and swimming a lot in August.HA....thats all you can do in a Texas summer in August! Well, I will just try to post some pictures of whats been going on the past few months.

Halloween Pictures

2007-10-31T20:19:00.000-07:00

The boys went trick-or-treating tonight and had sooo much fun! Preston was so tired afterwards that he fell asleep in the car on the way to go get some dinner. Payton was really the perfect age this year. He was able to keep up with his "bro" and go up to the doors by themselves. We had a lot of fun. Every year the kids get older, they really do get more fun! Here are a few pictures. As always, Payton dosent ever want to cooperate in photo's.

Busy, Busy, Busy

2007-10-30T18:07:00.001-07:00

We have been super duper busy this last month. I actually had an opportunity to start a business here in Austin and have had only a limited time (less than 2 months) to get it up and running or it was a no go! I actually did it and was very proud of myself :) It was a gift card business and the time frame was so short b/c I had to get restaurants involved and signed up before the holidays because these gift cards are actually going to be soled in Costco for the holidays. They should be in the stores in the next couple weeks. YEAH!!! Im very excited for this new venture.
So, I have been getting that up and going while doing the whole school thing, picking up 2 girls along with Preston after school and watching them for an hour all the while trying to get in some "work time." Now I see that just because I can say I "worked from home" people automatically think WOW thats easy...you get to work at home and still be with your kids.....wellllll...I learned the hard way the two dont go hand in hand. Its hard to work from home and have the KIDS at home at the same time. O-well, its been fun.
Halloween is tomorrow. Preston wanted to be a skeleton and Payton is Luke Skywalker. They are so cute. They cant wait to go trick-or-treating. I woke up Preston for school this morning and the first thing he said before he even opened his eyes was, "One more day until Halloween."
My sister and her family have been here for the past couple weeks visiting and its been fun to see them and get to know her family. They have lived in Washington and we never got to see them before. We go down to my moms in San Antonio where they are staying and visit. We are going this weekend for my birthday. Im not to happy about this birthday, but I know there is nothing I can do to stop it. Im turning the big 30 and leaving my 20's forever! There is a bit of sadness ill have to admit. I think its just the thought of mine that youth and opportunity seem to be coorilated with your 20's and Ill be able to go back. Its just being able to let go of that idea and transition it to my 30's. I know 30 is still young and I have soooo much I want to accomplish. I think at this point in my life I have started to realize you actually do get older and its up to you to make things happen for yourself. Life happens wether you want it to or not. Craig and I have big goals and aspirations for our 30's, so I am excited.

The one and only thing Preston wants for Christmas
Preston and Payton

Preston at a Halloween party being silly

Like a Hawaii vacation

2007-09-18T15:01:00.000-07:00

We went to San Antonio again this weekend and found this BEAUTIFUL waterfall swimming hole. It was soooooo nice that we all kinda felt like we were on "mini" hawaiian vacation. Its great that it was only 30 minutes from where my mom lives. The boys had so much fun and Preston was snokeling all over the place. The fish were amazing and would come right up to him and practically eat out of his hand. Payton went under the waterfall with "namma" but was a little scared of the force of the water and the sound, but like still had fun. We came back home on Sunday and are back in the daily grind again. We always look forward to the weekends to see what new little place we can find to have fun at. Here are some pictures and Ill try to post a video of the falls.

Paytons Birthday

2007-09-13T14:51:00.000-07:00

catch up

2007-09-13T13:57:00.000-07:00

I have to catch up on so much. So, Ill just try to re-cap on whats been happeneing. We had a great summer. To bad it rained soooo much b/c we planned on being at the lake a lot more than we were. O-well, the times we made it out to the lake we had a blast. We spent a lot of the summer in San Antonio just playing!
Preston started 1st grade this year and is semi-liking it so far. He thinks its more "boring" than kindergarden and longer. haha. He is doing great though. Im so greatful that he is willing and dosent put up a fight int he morning to go to school.
Payton is ....well....still payton. He is such a funny kid. Both my boys LOVE to be outside all the time. Id like to think I instilled that in them b/c its so good for them. Especially these days when it seems like all kids do is play video games and watch tv. But, on the other hand, then it makes it my job to be the one playing with them allllll the time. I love it though, seeing them play and laugh makes me happy too. Payton started a moms day out program once a week and likes it. I have to say, I like it too. Although all I do is worry when my kiddo's are out of my sight. What can I say, Im a worry wart!
Craig continues to do great at his job and is very successful in what he does. He is a great salesman. We are projecting a business of our own in the next year or so. That is the only way to do things these days. Im convinced working hard to make money for someone else never really pays off. DUHHH! :) Craig is such a hard worker and is so motivated that by being able to put all of that energy into our own business can only be benificial! He has also been on a diet and has to date lost about 15 pounds. Wow! he is doing great!
As for me, my life just got busier since school started. I was living it up not have to wake up early every morning. O-well, part of being a mom. Im back on track with my dieting after a much needed break this summer. I took off about 2 months from dieting , rev'ed up my metabolism again and am back on the fat blasting track. I am on a 12 week competition prep diet/exersice program and it rocks so far. I have already lost 10 pounds. It gives me hope that I might actually be able to do a fitness competition by the end of the year. It would be such an accomplishment for me, so Im working towards it. Other than that, Im just hangin' out with my kids and trying to be a good mom. Ill post some pictures of us over the summer.

Random

2007-07-23T14:18:00.000-07:00

Well, we have been gone most of the summer, here, there and everywhere and probably will jam every trip we can in until school starts again. Here are a bunch of pictures from random trips and things we have done this summer. Oh, and....my favorite thing that has happened this summer is Craig bought me my DREAM car!! yeah!!!! After almost 8 years of marraige and 2 kids later, I have my GMC Yukon and it is marvelous! HA. Here are some pictures below.

c

Been A while

2007-07-04T15:48:00.000-07:00

See, Im a bad blogger! I cant keep up with the daily grind...well, atleast blogging about my daily grind. SSSSOOOOOO much has happened in the past 2 months that I will have to write more about it all later. For now Im just going to post a couple pictures from the photoshoot in Toronto so I can just e-mail this website instead of sending pictures to all my peeps :) Im happy with how they turned out....some are a little, well, risque (sp?) but muslce-tech is all about showing off the body I guess. I will blog more later.

Gosh Darn PMS!

2007-05-07T07:24:00.000-07:00

I swear, I am fine about 3 out of 4 weeks in a month. My husband might argue that with me a little bit, but why does one day change everything. Im happy, great, fine on Saturday, but then Sunday hit and all the sudden Im grouchy, irritable, in a bad mood, and feel like I want to cry every second and think my life is falling apart. HA! Then I realize....oh yeah, it must be getting close to that time of the month. MAN, being a girl really stinks sometimes. I hate it though b/c all the sudden I become so unmotivated to do anything. Especially with my cardio and weights. I dont want to clean, Im tried and want to rest OH and not to mention I want to eat EVERYTHING in sight, which dosent help the fact that I have been strictly dieting and intensely working out for the past 3 weeks and then this whole ONE week I just want to blow it all out of the water!

So, just to help motivate myself to get back on track with my "fitness" goals, Im going to write them down and just throw them out there. Today is Monday, which is good, beacuse I can start fresh today and try to get another good strong week under my belt. I am supposed to go back to Canada on June 20 for another photoshoot and I really wanted to blow them away by how much I have changed since September. I do great, like I said, except for about a week out of the month and then I have to pull myself up by my coat tails just to get moving again and I have to smack my own hand 20 million times a day for eating the wrong things. So, today is a new start. Im feeling a little better.....well.....kinda.....maybe not....but Im trying to be positive. First, here are some things Im greatful for:

My familys love and support
My husbands surgery went well and he is on his way to a full recovery
Hubby has a great job and supports us well
For my 2 cute little boys
That I am able to stay at home with the kids
For my health
For my opportunities in my new fitness life :)

This week I am just going to try to be consistant in my workouts, run 2-3 miles 5 days this week, I will lift weights atleast 3 times preferablly 4, and my diet is going to be clean.

That is the game plan. We are going to San Antonio again on friday becasue my brother Graham is graduating from the Engineering program and my family is flying into town for it. Im excited to see them. But, I do have to admit that one thing that does pop into my mind is "food." Thats what we do when family is around is eat a LOT of gooooood food. Its so hard for me to be good on my plan when I go home. O-well, its just part of life, so I have to have a good balance of it. I really wouldnt normally be so fanatic about it, but I do have some fintess goals I would like to achieve this year. Here are a couple of events I want to be ready for this year:

1. JULY MS. PHYSIQUE LONE STAR FORT WORTH, TX
2. SPORTS MODEL SEARCH LONE STAR FORT WORTH, TX
3. SEPT TBA MS. FIGURE SAN ANTONIO SAN ANTONIO, TX
4. MS. PHYSIQUE SAN ANTONIO SAN ANTONIO, TX

There are some more competitions that I am interesed in, but these just give me good motivation and time to prepare for. I want to do atleast ONE this year and I will do it!!!!

Ok, so I think I have sufficiantly given myself a little pick-me-up under the current circumstances. HA. So, mission accomplished. I have a plan, I have a goal......Im ready to do it!
Wish me luck.

Adela kicked my butt!

2007-05-02T12:11:00.000-07:00

Today I had a training session with Ms. Olympia Adela Garcia. I just have to say one thing...that if I thought I worked myself out hard before...HOLY COW....that was NOTHING! She really kicked my butt! Lets just say she STARTED me lifting with weights that I usually END with lifting in my own workouts. She pushed me to my limits...well, what I thought were my limits, and now I truly believe that saying "The only limits we have, are the ones we put on ourselves." That is so true. Every time I though I couldn't do one more rep., she would say, "ok, now 5 more." Granted, I did think I was going to die and I was trying to be tough and not let it show, but man...that girl is killer. I think she could tell I was tired when my face was turning bright red and there was sweat dripping down my nose. It has been 3 hours and I think my muscles are STILL shaking. Even though I am passing out with exhaustion to the point of nausea, I loved every minute of it! There is something inside of me that loves to be pushed to the limit and then exceed it. It gives me a sense of accomplishment knowing that it is mind over body and I am in control. At the end of our session I was still thinking OH MY GOSH, Im not coming back. HAHA, but now I cant wait to go again. Plus, she had me show the gym owner my Oxygen Magazine ad and he even recognized me from my commercial and said if I give him a copy of the ad to frame, he'll give me 6 months of free membership at the gym. NICE! Its my first brush with fame...haha...I get my first freebee. :)

Here is a picture of me and Adela. My face is red and sweaty and not my favorite picture, but hey, I just think its awesome I get to train with the BEST!

oh...and....Note to self....next time take the picture BEFORE you work out :)

Cute New Bedspread

2007-04-30T18:37:00.000-07:00

Isnt it cute???? We finally decided to go out and get a new comforter. We have looked and looked and everytime we go to the stores we can never take the plunge to just buy one already. So my good friend Jenny watched my boys for us last weekend so me and Craig could go on a date. We had a lot of fun. We went and had a nice dinner and then went to Ikea. I used to not like that place so much, but I really do now. Ive changed my mind. So we found this duvet there and we both agreed on it. There were a few cute ones there and they are pretty cheap. We figure for this price we can change out the comforter any time we want. It was nice getting to go out on a date with my hubby. I always enjoy spending time with just me and him. Its a rareity (sp?) these days.

This weekend we went to my moms in San Antonio for Grahams birthday and had a lot of fun eating cake and homemade ice cream. I swear, one of these days I always say I want to open a little ice cream shop and make my grandma's recipe for homemade icecream. It is to DIE for!!! I can never resist it. So of course, I kinda went off path from my diet this weekend and I have been doing soooo good. I have dropped a few more pounds and am finally really starting to see some new results. One thing I have been doing is running. I think this has been a key ingredient to sliming and toning my thighs and helping me drop these last pounds to reach my goal. Im going to keep it up. I always dread it when Im pulling out my treadmill, but then once I am running Im thinking....well, this isnt so bad. Especially when Im watching Oprah or catching up on some of the shows I never get to watch during the day. Its the only way to make it something to look forward to.

Well, I better run and get these boys in bed for the night. Then Ill have some time to myself. YEAH!! Thats what I like to hear. HAHA ...ME TIME. :)

Sick Day

2007-04-25T07:12:00.000-07:00

Everyone is sick! YUCK!!! I hate it when the kids are sick. It started by Preston saying he had a stomach ache on Monday evening and quickly turned into a vomiting/you know what episode alllll night long. Then, finally when he quit throwing up at about 2 am I laid down and my stomach started turning knots. Needless to say, yesterday was spent laying in bed with a fever all day long with 2 kids by my side. Preston was still sick and stayed home from school, but Payton was rearin' to go. So it was all I could do to just put one movie on after another to try to keep him occupied. Craig got home from work and then a couple hours later started saying his stomacher was hurting. OH GREAT! Sure enough, he couldn't even make it to work this morning. Whatever we are all passing to each other is one nasty virus!

Here is a picture of Payton not feeling good. He wanted to try Preston's skateboard and of course fell off and hit his chin on the pavement. Ouch! If you look closely he has a thermometer under his arm. haha. He loves to try to take his own temperature.

Well, hopefully we will all be better for the weekend. We are going to go down to San Antonio for Grahams birthday. The boys are going to go skeet shooting on Saturday morning and then we are going to grill out in the afternoon. It should be fun, the kids love to go and see "namma."

Here are a few pictures we took up in the hills.

Week update

2007-04-17T13:39:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm already getting behind with this whole "blogging" thing. We have been busy but really doing a whole bunch of nothing. The kids are constantly keeping me active and running. We went hiking a couple weeks ago and I took this picture and thought it was soooo cute of the boys. Payton likes to keep up with the "big boys" and wont have it any other way. He and Preston are actually really good hikers!

Craig went to the doctor...finally...last week because he has constant allergies and a stuffy, runny, sneezey nose. He found out that he has such severe sinus problems that he is going to have to have surgery. I really wasn't surprised though. I just feel sorry for him because I know he must feel miserable all the time but he doesn't even know what "normal" feels like. So I am very anxious for him to have this done. He will have his tonsils out and his septum fixed. It is 100% blocked on one side, meaning he can never breathe out of his nose. Poor guy. He will have a total of 5 things done on his sinuses. Hopefully he can get the time off work to have this done in the next couple weeks. He needs it asap! He is a bit of a work-a-holic and has never asked off work, so getting him to do this is like pulling teeth. But, the doctor told him he will feel like a completely different person after the surgery. So I cant wait :) haha!

So that was pretty much the news of the week. I am doing good, still working out and "trying" to diet as usual. I had set a goal this year that I wanted to do a figure competition. I'm really thinking I am going to do this and I'm stressing a little about it. Its a very ambitious goal that takes extreme dedication. I am just trying to gear up for the training and a very meticulous and strict diet. You have to be extremely lean and muscular for these competitions. I love lifting weights and seeing the benefits of it, but the diet part is not so fun. YUCK! I'm thinking about hiring a nutritionist/trainer to get me it tip-top shape and hey, its bonus because summer is right around the corner and I can be bikini ready. Hey, after a compeition you have a bangin' body......all the more incentive! :)

They boys are doing great and are happy and healthy. Here are some pictures of Payton and his markers. This kid is addicted to markers and colors on pretty much everything including himself and is so amused by it.

Payton got a short hair cut.

Easter

2007-04-09T08:37:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful weekend at grandma and grampa's house this Easter weekend. The kids didn't want to leave on Sunday and enjoyed eating a lot of candy! The boys had so much fun coloring Easter eggs and wanted to do more and more. Payton wanted to carry the crate of eggs around all day and kept calling them "baby eggs." Then, on Sunday morning, Payton found his Easter baskets without us knowing and just started dumping out all the candy. They had a lot of fun! We headed down to San Antonio on Friday and came home late last night. Saturday we pretty much stayed indoors because it was pouring down rain ALL day long and it turned freezing cold. Its so bizarre, this Texas weather. It was just 80 degree's last week and then we came home to it being 50 degree's inside our house and had to start a fire and turn on the heater. Its always nice being able to actually use the fireplace though. Its supposed to be in the mid 80's again later this week and summer is quickly approaching! I'm not sure I'm ready for the sweltering 100 degree heat of the summer. We pretty much spend every day at the pool. Its the only way to get through.

Well, just wanted to update the blog and say we had a great Easter and are so thankful for our family both here and far away. Hope everyone had a great holiday!

Boys and Outside

2007-03-30T19:52:00.000-07:00

I am figuring out that having boys and ALWAYS wanting to play outside goes hand in hand. We just came in from the hot, sticky, humid Texas weather we are already having in March in the picture above. I just thought it was kinda cute because it shows what we do every single day of our lives. Play outside and get sweaty, come in for a drink and then go straight back outside. It really kinda stinks right now though because we are renting and don't have a back yard. So its not like I can just turn the little rascals loose in a fenced back yard...every outing requires mom! So by now I'm kinda getting used to throwing on my grubbies and getting ready to sweat from jumping, throwing and running chasing after payton, who will not slow down to save his life. I cant imagine what it would be like to have girls. Man, boys are ACTIVE! I cant complain though, I'm so grateful they can be active and they are healthy and that I am able to keep up with them. I wouldn't have it any other way. I have to say, I wouldn't mind a break every once in a while, ohhhhh, a vacation sounds nice too, but, I think this exhaustion is all just part of a "moms" job. No wonder there is the saying that having 2 kids is like having two full time jobs. Some days I can definitely feel it, and I totally agree. I'm sure many mothers agree with that! I'm just going to try to enjoy this time when my kids are small and still think its "cool" or "sweet" as Preston says, to play with mom. I know this time in their lives is going to fly by, as it has so far. So in the mean time I'm just going to keep taking my ginseng for energy and just enjoy their little giggles and laughs when they throw the ball and it hits mom in the face...hahahaaa...all comes with the territory of having BOYS I guess! :)

Award Day

2007-03-29T14:42:00.000-07:00

Well, Preston got his first award at school today. A few students were chosen from each kindergarten class who were "shining stars" and Preston got one for being a "star student" in his music class. Imagine that....way to make mommy proud Preston! Its even cuter because he also has his first "teacher crush" on his music teacher Mrs. Shepard, so to get an award from her made it all the better! He looked so cute walking up to the stage when his name was called and he had a big grin on his face. He was surprised to see his dad and I there because we were supposed to keep the award a secret. He is doing so well in school and is learning so much. He never likes to miss a day which makes mornings much easier on me too! I hope it always stays like that, although, I'm sure it wont when he is a teenager never wanting to wake up...I remember those days! Well, I'm off to make some dinner for the hubby now.......can you believe that, he actually wants dinner when he gets home from work. Uggggghhhhh! I hate cooking. HAHA Better get a crackin'!

First Blog

2007-03-26T09:49:00.003-07:00

Well, this is my first blog and I think its finally time to jump into the blogging world. I have to admit I have been putting it off and ignoring my friends about getting one. I think I was just feeling like I already have so much to do and not enough time to do it all that this would feel like one more thing I have to catch up on. I was already feeling like where the heck would I start? So much has happened in our lives these past couple years that its hard to go back. So, I'm just going to re-cap quickly for friends and family we haven't talked to in awhile, and then just start anew!! That sounds good to me. I'm going to try to figure out this whole picture thing too. My friends page has the cutest pictures on them and I just think this is a great way for all our distant family that doesn't get to see us or the kids often just take a peek and see whats going on with the Smarts. Not all that exciting most of the time, but hey, there is something appealing about taking a look inside someone else's day for once. Its kinda nice to see a friend having just as hard a day as me for some reason, it makes me feel a little better. HA!
One of my goals this year is to take more pictures. I think I was so busy and distracted last year I didn't stop and capture the moment enough. And really, isn't that what a pictures is all about? So this blog will be a good way to keep me on top of that so I can capture moments of the little things that I love. I really love my life and adore the people in it, so I'm really going to try to "pause" more often.
One word that describes how I have really been feeling this year is "grateful." I feel so grateful for my life, my family, my awesome husband, my adorable kids, our good health and our happiness together. We have such a good life and I am so thankful for that.
Ok, now for the re-cap...the part I hate, well, dislike, so...here it goes. Last year we moved from Dallas to Austin, Tx. Craig got a job transfer and we had to sell our house. It was very sad for me because that was very first home and I loved it! I have since come to miss it even more only because we are in "temporary housing mode"...(rental) and there is nothing like the feeling of owning your own home. It just feels different. O-well. Even though I miss my house/having a yard for the kids, this has been the best move for us. We are closer to my mom in San Antonio and the kids love that. It definitely has its perk too, she is right around the corner from 6 Flags and close to Sea World. We have been to both and love it! We might get a season pass this summer to 6 Flags for me and Preston. He loves roller coasters.
Craig is doing so well at his job here and is staying so busy. He is a great provider to our family and supports me in all my crazy idea's. I love him! He is such a trooper for taking us to San Antonio every weekend as I'm sure many husbands wouldn't want to see their "in-laws" that often! He is such a great dad and loves his boys so much, and they adore him! He is such a hard worker and NEVER complains. I don't know many people who don't complain, especially when they have to get up at 4:30-5am every single morning for work as he does...and I have never once heard him complain about how he doesn't want to go to work or he is going to stay home. I can never convince him to stay home and he has never missed work or called in sick. He is a very dedicated business man and he has that same dedication to his family. That's one of the many reasons I love him so much!
I am staying busy constantly "workin' on my fitness" as Fergie says. I have high fitness aspirations that have grown this past year. I did a weight loss transformation with the company MuscleTech and ended up getting an endorsement contract with them. I did a couple commercials for them (one is out now) and went a few different time to do photo shoots for them. It has been such a life changing experience for me in that I have finally learned what it means to be truly fit and healthy for the rest of my life now. I made the transition from "dieting to lose weight" to lifestyle change and being healthy for life! I love it. I have definitely caught the fitness bug and am just getting started on my new life as a fit, healthy, vibrant person. It just makes me regret not knowing about this whole fitness world earlier. I'm 29 and going to be the big 3-0 this year...aaahhhh...Im a little sad about the number, but I'm going to go into my 30's with a BANG! I'm so excited for this year and what it has to bring for me. I have so many idea's and ventures I want to start and I know this year is going to be a good year!
Okay, now for the boys....oh those boys! Wow, I love them to death, but some days we say they are going to be the death of us. HAHA! Craig and I say all the time how much fun it is to have 2 boys. They are so dang cute. Its so fun to see the world through the eyes of boys. Its all about sword fighting, playing outside, skinned knees, dinosaurs, star wars video's games etc... and they want to include mom in all these activities everyday and so you can see some days, mom just wants to collapse.
Preston started kindergarten last year and LOVES school! He is doing so great. He can read now and its so exciting for him and me too! He loves to be active and is such a good boy!
Payton is 2. Enough said. HAHAHA. Lets just say he is a little firecracker! What a different kid he is than his brother was at his age. TOTALLY opposite. Its like he wants to experience everything life has to offer every single moment of his little life. Its so fun to see, yet at times, exhausting! When I say he is active, that is an understatement. He just has a vigor for life that comes with being two, which we love, but cant wait to see what 3 and 4 and 5 brings us. He is adorable with his flyaway blond hair and BIG blue eyes. He loves everything his brother does and doesn't know that incapability's of his little body yet. He is learning as all the bumps and bruises can attest too on his legs.
Well, that pretty much sums up the last year. Not as painful as I thought. Now the test will be to see if I can keep up with my writing. I'm going to try to figure out how to put pictures on now.