Why I am deciding to dream big, Our Bathroom Remodel & a con of huge fake eyelashes.

Eight miles @ 8:25 average for my Monday morning and a workout today that is going to stretch me.  I’ll probably question myself for getting out of bed and running during the last interval.  But then afterwards I’ll feel like I’m on top of the world due to the post-speed endorphins and feeling of flying that I crave.

Soooo … speaking of the marathon (yes, I will talk about it daily until the actual race—>  just 1 month and 29 days) my dreams have been getting bigger and bigger each day.  I think I’m feeling back to my self after having Skye and my attitude about what I am capable of is just so much greater than it ever has been so I’m just really going for it in my brain.  While I am really trying not to focus on the numbers too much and focus on effort too, I’ve realized, why not tell myself I am going to get a PR (I need under a 3:04:50ish from my PR circa 1483 ((okay, 2010)) in October?

What is the worst that could happen, I don’t get it and then I just keep trying and working for it again until I do.  <— that’s awesome.

What’s the best that could happen?  All of this visualizations, positive self-talk, joy in the journey, hard work and self-encouragement = I get that PR.  <— that’s really awesome.

So why not just dream big and maybe experience some more failures along the way while getting to the big goals?  That sounds way more enjoyable than not believing in myself and being too afraid to dream… right?

One of my favorite life quotes ever… keep daring greatly with your running:

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I’m not sure if we just got a mini cold front or if fall is coming (or maybe my body is just broken because it was still 60 degrees) but I had goosebumps a few times during my run yesterday.

Are we getting to the point where all of our hard work during the hot summer is going to start to pay off during the cooler months?

PS I might be the only person on the planet that stops during her run to take a picture of goosebumps.

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Yep, I think this means fall is making it’s way over here.

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Came home and planked while getting in some Spirit playing.

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Skye really is so fascinated by Beretta right now.

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And just overall so proud of herself for sitting up on her own.

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I have a major con to share with you about fake eyelashes.  While I was running, some ‘small insect/gnat/I’m not sure what it was’ flew right into my eyelashes and got completely entangled in them.  It was traumatic for me and getting it out was not pleasant.

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Brooke joined Andrew for his doctor’s appointment.  I told you that Andrew has had hypertension for a while but at the doctor’s appointment his blood pressure was back down to a normal range (and he has been out of his medication for a few weeks… that is why he was back to see his doctor).  I was very happy happy about that.

He then took Brooke for one of her favorite foods for a little Brooke date.  Pretzel Bites.

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Leftovers were what made up both my lunch (salad) and dinner (tacos).

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And this heavenly banana bread from Joanna’s cookbook made up many of my snacks for the day.

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Andrew said he doesn’t like banana bread but that this recipe makes him like banana bread (I used chocolate chips instead of pecans).

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Brooke has been napping a ton lately.  Yesterday she took a two hour nap?  Anyone else with a 5ish year old that picked up napping again… I’m wondering if this is a growth spurt or something.   Or maybe it was from running around the splash pad with her friend for a while yesterday?

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Wanna see what we (Andrew) have been working on a bunch over the last few weeks?

Here was our laundry room before….

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And AFTER!

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We have officially redone every room in our house and it feels so good to have it all done now!

The kid’s bathroom before (it had the same linoleum flooring as the laundry room):

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And after:

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I’ll show you the other two bathrooms once I can find the before (I know they are somewhere) but we are pretty happy with how it has turned out.  It took two years to finish the whole thing.  We did everything ourselves (besides laying the granite in kitchen and bathrooms/sinks + our flooring/carpeting in the rest of the house but Andrew did do the tiling/baseboards) which makes us feel even more connected with our house now:)  I don’t think Andrew ever wants to paint again… we painted the entire house along with the ceilings too!   PS you can see our kitchen before and after pics in this post!

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What are some of your biggest dreams for your running/training?

Ever done any home remodeling?  Did you enjoy it?  

Banana bread—>  with or without chocolate?

What is your Tuesday run?  

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63 comments

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THOse before and afters are amazing!!! I’m in love with the flooring and that bathroom mirror too!

You are inspiring me to get on the floor and play with my kiddos today! Why is that so difficult for me sometimes?! But I love that you are also taking care of yourself at the same time with some planks…win win in so many ways! You’re great mom, Janae! ?

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THANKS GIRL!!! Oh it is so hard for me to get on the floor too… I prefer playing games, running around, going places way over playing make believe but I’m trying to do a bit at a time. Thanks and I hope you and your cuties are having a great day!

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I find remodeling challenging but fun!
My Tuesday workout calls for nine! 3 up, 3@ 10K pace, and 3 down. My last long run was awful, but this one won’t be the same!

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THAT IS AN AWESOME WORKOUT MISSY–> Let me know how it goes. Those awful runs are always followed by amazing ones:) Enjoy the rest of your day Missy!

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Janae! You are always so positive and so sweet! I just love reading your blog ☺️ My run was so much better than my last long run! My legs are sore from leg day yesterday, but I felt better, and strong! And my mental game was on point! It certainly wasn’t easy, but it was soooo much better! I hope you enjoy the rest of your day!!!

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I am so glad that it was so much better… and on sore legs from leg day, you are strong! Way to go and thanks for letting me know!

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Ugh! That bug-eyelash thing is making me feel squirmy. Once I got a cicada caught in my hair, and I yelled at a random stranger to “Get it out! Get it out!” He was very kind and got it out. :)

And well done on the house! I am deeply impressed! That is SO much work.

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AHHHHH NOOOOOO that is terrible. I would have lost it. So glad that he helped you out!!

Thanks Marilyn!

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Go get that workout today, BAM!

I love how you redid that bathroom. Purple is my favorite. My bedroom was purple until my husband moved in and he was like “uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh”

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Thanks girl!!!! Cheering you on for Nationals coming up ahh!

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I LOVE that you are dreaming big, Janae! Keep going for it, girl!! My running dreams are to race again and to be confident enough to push myself beyond what I think my limits are. Just like in Mean Girls, I want to say that “the limit does not exist.” And that Teddy Roosevelt quote is awesome! I especially love the part about “if [she] fails, at least [she] fails while daring greatly.” I’m going to remind myself of that not only in running but also in other areas of my life. It’s something that’s been on my mind lately and that I posted about yesterday, too.

Banana bread: no chocolate (I know you don’t support this, but I still hate chocolate) and no nuts.

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YES YES YES… I love that quote:) I am so excited for your races this fall! You are amazing!

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I like the result of home remodeling that some professional did. That is not my jam at all.
Great Job Andrew! Treat yourself some In-and-Out.

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Haha right?!? Yeah I don’t know if I could ever do it on our own again (so much cheaper though;) but luckily we won’t have to now! Erica, I need to know your fall plans! I need an update on everything.

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Congrats on redoing every room in the house in what I consider record time! I bought my house 1 year and 11 months ago and still have 2 bathrooms and the kitchen to go! The kitchen isn’t a major project we just want to repaint the cabinets, but we have an unusually large kitchen and there are 48 cabinets so even though it’s “just” the cabinets it’s daunting to think about!

Love those positive thoughts on your marathon! There are so many lessons to be learned no matter what happens on race day!

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48 cabinets!! Holy cow! I think we have like 15! I wish I could come help! Way to go on everything you guys have done with your house:) Thanks Kristina, I’m cheering you on big time!

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Fall in east TN does not appear in August! Crazy humid. And really, It’s hot through October.
And my Tuesday’s are now my long run day because i will have my big boy in kindergarten and my little boy in preschool so I have just the right amount time to run long. Not my favorite thing but it will need to work for this season of training.

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You are so strong Mary! I can’t imagine running in that weather! Happy long run day.. how did it go today?!?

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Good luck on getting that PR! I admire people who set lofty goals, then work their tails off to make it a reality. You’ve got this! My friend just did her first 100 miler, the Vermont 100. I crewed for her, and ran the last 30 miles with her, and the determination and sheer grit that I saw out there was SO inspiring. I’ve never DNF’d, but I feel like if you have a long enough running “career”, you WILL fail to meet your goals and/or DNF at some point. If you don’t , then probably your goals just weren’t audacious enough!

Also, that top picture of you running? Gorgeous!!

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Deb, YOU and your friend are amazing..
I can’t even imagine running 100 miles or 30 miles! I think you are so right about the DNF thing.. I’d rather have a DNF or two and accomplish big dreams then skip the failures and not accomplish the big things if that makes sense?! Thank you so much for your comment, I love what you talked about! Have a great day Deb!

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Tuesday workout – VERY sluggish 7-mile run. It’s a recovery week for me and I think my legs are still heavy from Saturday’s 17 miler!

Running dream – I qualified for Boston at the 2017 Chicago Marathon so should be running it this coming year :) I would LOVE to PR again … Either at Chicago again this year or at Boston!!

I support all kinds of banana bread. Banana bread with walnuts is my fav but chocolate chips are great too :)

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Arthi, I’m so so excited about Chicago and Boston for you and I can’t wait to hear about your PRs! I’m cheeeing for you big time girl!

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Oh my gosh the bathroom and laundry room look amazing! Love the wall colors too.

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Oh thank you so much Anna, have a wonderful day!

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The house looks great!

Your attitude about the marathon is a good one. You are going to run 26.2 miles anyway. Dreaming within what you know is physically possible is not dreaming TOO big. As long as the dream is within your fitness level and reflects current racing times, etc then it makes sense to go in with a reasonable goal rather than low-ball. Plus, you can have your A, B, C goals. My C is always “cross the finish line”! Then B is moderate and A is “if all goes perfectly”. And A should never be “if a miracle happens” but A is “I know I am capable of this if I feel great on the day.”

Fun following your training!

I would love to break 1:30 in a half if I can ever remain injury free long enough! :)

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Oh I love what you said Amanda! I totally have those A, B, C goals too and you are so right about dreaming within our capabilities is so important too. Amanda, you WILL get that sub 90 in the half. Are you feeling any hot spots right now or running pain free! Have a wonderful day and I’m grateful for our internet friendship!

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I love that you are dreaming big! You are awesome! Did you decide on what shoe you will be wearing for the marathon? Or at least narrowed it down?

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Hey!!! Thank you! I haven’t quite yet, I am trying out the new Brooks Ricochet (combo of launch and Levitate) and I’m really hopeful about those! Have a wonderful day Shannon!

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I don’t mind a home improvement project but I have to kind of spread them out or I get sick of the mess haha.

I wish I could say my kids still randomly napped but they were all done with naps by the time they were 2. My boy will still nap once in a while but he’s only 2 now.

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TWO… no way! That seems so early to me!

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I know! I’m always so jealous when a mom takes their 3-4 year old home to nap. But I’ll be honest and say that while nap time is pretty great, the little extra freedom from not having that on the schedule is pretty awesome. Except right now when I want to get something done but no one wants me to haha.

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Backwards today-
Tuesday is an off day this week! I have a ballet class tonight so cross training I guess. The last few weeks I was trying to do ballet and then run and it made for a tired Wednesday, so this week I am switching it up to cross train Tuesday and run easy but long-ish Wednesday.
Banana bread with chocolate! So yummy! Also, I love the banana bread recipe in Run Fast Eat Slow because of CINNAMON!!! So yummy!!!! Now I need to make some tonight! ;) After making some recipes from that book I realized I love cinnamon.
We need to re-do our bathroom so I loved looking at yours!!! Our tub is leaking and we think we will just redo the whole thing instead of only fixing the tub because we are not in love with it – any tips for budgeting a bathroom remodel?
Running dreams – tackling this marathon for sure & feeling strong while doing it – I don’t really have a time goal, but I just want to feel good/strong/positive after it so to practice that I’m trying to set myself up for every long run to feel good after each run (also, I realized my marathon is the same weekend as yours, so your countdown is my countdown!!! (so I don’t have to do all the counting! haha, awesome!))

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Emily, I love that you take a ballet class. That is so awesome! I wish I knew how to do ballet! Okay, I’m totally making that recipe next… thanks for telling me it was good. Oh boo about your tub… those are expensive. Luckily we didn’t have to do that. My biggest tip is patience… we waited to do it until we could find really good deals on everything we needed. It’s easy to rush stuff like this because you just want to get it done but wait until the sales come out on different items because it will make a huge difference on $$.
I love that our marathons are the same weekend… I’m cheering you on! We’ve got this and please keep me updated with your training!

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I had a yellow jacket fly into my mouth and sting the back of my tongue during a run. It also got stuck in the back of my throat so I had to hack it up! SO unpleasant. Luckily I wasn’t too far from home but I was hyperventilating b/c I knew I wasn’t allergic but who gets stung in the mouth! I was worried about it swelling so I couldn’t breathe! So I totally understand bugs and running! They don’t mix! I now carry my cell phone on EVERY run no matter how short! My husband who is not a runner could not possibly understand how this happened. I swear I don’t run with my mouth wide open! LOL!

The bathrooms look SO nice! Great job Andrew!

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No. No. No. No. That is HORRIBLE. Bridgette, AHHHHH. I am so glad you were okay, now I’m afraid to breathe from my mouth on a run:) So glad you aren’t allergic. Thanks girl!

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You go, girl! Dream big! My big dream is to do my first full Marathon at DIsney World in Jan 2020.

I LOVE banana bread (without chocolate).

Today, I’m running 2 miles.

Thanks for sharing your remodel. I love before and after pictures ?

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AHHHH I am so excited for YOU! I want to join you at that marathon, that sounds amazing! Enjoy the rest of your Tuesday Maythe!

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What do you think of the pedestal washer now that you’ve had it for a while? Remodel looks nice!

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Hey Jennifer, thanks so much! We LOVE it. I want a pedestal for my dryer too because the height makes it easier to unload etc. I love it for small delicate loads that I need to do and we have used it many times at the same time as the big washing machine because we need a lot done at once. Overall, we are very happy with it.

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We actually just updated our master bathroom! Just some minor changes…paint, new mirror and light fixtures and new hardware but man it makes a big difference!! And by we…I mean my husband did everything. lol.

My Tuesday run was 4 miles (not training for anything) just enjoying getting out and moving.

Banana bread…both with & without :)

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Oh that is awesome Bess… it seriously makes such a big difference. It’s so much easier for me to keep it all clean and organized too with the remodel ha. I’m glad your husband could do it–> the best. I’m glad you had a great 4 miler and get some banana bread soon!

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That tile is gorgeous!
I always say I just run to blow off stress. It’s a lie. I want to BQ within two years and it’s going to be really tough! Any advice or inspiration or pep talks from your mom are so welcome!

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You will BQ and I cannot wait to hear all about it. I’m cheering for you! YOU’VE GOT THIS!

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Wow good job!
We own a rental property that we are having flipped by a contractor oh I wish I knew how to do it myself and have the time to save $$. Going to sell it soon. So much work.

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Oh I hope that you can make great money off of it when you sell… so much hard work/time/stress involved with it all! Keep me updated!

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My biggest dreams of running is basically to be running for the rest of my life. I do want to do some particular races here and there. But if I could look in the future and see myself still running with a healthy body, that would be my biggest dream.

I LOVE Banana Bread with or without chocolate chips.

My Tuesday Run was only 2 miles, as I’m on week two of my new training cycle.

Hope you have a great day Janae:)

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Okay, that is an AWESOME dream and I’m going to join you. I love it. Way to go girl and gotta love starting a new training cycle. Thanks, you too!

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Hi Janae –

Quick note re the goose bumps on your run: when you get goose bumps and chills while running in humid weather, it usually means that our sweating mechanism (the main way we control our body temperature) is overwhelmed/inhibited. I know you’re working with a coach who is probably helping you keep an eye on hydration and increasing it accordingly, but definitely still be careful during these super humid heat waves! Heat exhaustion is real –

I did a lot of reading up on this when I was living down in DC (humid humid humid!) and training for my (one and only) marathon – I’d get SUPER chills by the end of a long run and didn’t know what the heck was going on.

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Oops! Just read that it was 60 degrees that morning ;)
(I’m on the east coast, soooo – heat wave)

Never mind! Keep on keeping on :D

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No worries! That is really interesting! I’m sorry about the heat wave you guys are experiencing! For some reason it really cooled down over here. Thanks and have an amazing rest of your day Christina!

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Your enthusiasm is contagious, thanks for sharing your awesome goals!! I am sending you so much love and good running vibes from Oklahoma. And I am loving your reminder to work hard but enjoy the process, too. Pretty cool when even a “worst case” scenario is amazing and healthy!
YES to creative projects helping you feel more connected to your home, it’s a longstanding belief with my husband and me. Your remodels are so nice, good job!!
Have the best week xoxo I am still hoping for many more summer weeks here, even with the draining heat and humidity, it is refreshing somehow.

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Oh thank you Marie! I’m cheering for you too!! Enjoy the rest of this summer and keep me updated on how you are doing!

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Current hope –> PR in the half marathon on Saturday. We’ll see…but at least I’m trying. =D
Chocolate chips ruin banana bread. (Sorry – can I still comment after that?) Nuts are okay but I never add them when I make it.
Tuesday run –> 4 miles with pickups (taper week is awesome…!!)

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LOVE LOVE LOVE your bathroom/laundry room remodel! It is amazing how a couple ‘simple,’ changes can change the entire look of a space. Landon and I just moved into a new space and are currently getting ready to tackle some projects too! Where did you find your bathroom mirror? Is it a medicine cabinet?

Also, I am so excited for your marathon! You really are going to crush it! Cheering you on from Chicago!

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I think you are going to CRUSH your PR!! You’ve been training like a mad woman and its gonna pay off!!

My biggest dream is to simply feel comfortable in my skin and feel like myself again….Nah, STRONGER than I’ve ever been!!

Chocolate in banana bread….always chocolate…

My husband and I had an addition started 2 years…it’s still not complete and we get to stare into it through our living room window and it’s pretty close to torture!!!! Congrats on all of your home improvements!! That must feel like a huge accomplishment.

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I would love to run another marathon. I ran NYC in 2015 and want to run a smaller one in the next couple of years. We have remodeled our ENTIRE house over the last 2 years. We just have the kitchen left. I like the finished product… ha can’t say I love the process. But picking everything out is fun. Banana bread WITH dark chocolate and walnuts :) Today was a run with baby and dog so a slow 3 miles. I miss solo runs!!! But better than nothing! Hope you had a great day!!

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I think you should call Skye, Skandrew since they are twins :)

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Wow, Andrew did a great job! Any chance he could share some tips for floor tiling? I have been putting off switching out the laminate in my kitchen and bathroom because it is so intimidating!

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I Love the before/after pics of the laundry room. I love home remodeling pics.
Yes, our 5-year-old is napping again too! I think because he is a busy body and loves to be on the move.

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i love brooke’s nike romper! she looks so cute. i actually had wanted to buy the adult version for myself, ha!

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It’s a really a cool and awesome. Thanks for a wonderful post…

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