insert witty title [here]

i finally uploaded a few pictures to my computer. since i didn't have time to edit them yet, i'm just going to share one that i don't think i even need to mess with and is one i took recently of the peonies in our front yard (with my new lens of course!)

have a great memorial day weekend, friends!

a tribute to the indianapolis 500...

in honor of the running of this great event on sunday (and all the festivities leading up to it) i am going to tell you 500 things about myself - so you, my loyal readers, feel like you really know me better than anyone else.

i kid. but you know you kind of wanted to see me attempt to do it...

BUT i did want to do one last blog post for may...as my attempts this month have been shameful (but hey, i ran a half marathon and it was my birthday, so there!).

since may was packed with so many great things (the a large chunk discussed in my previous two blogs), i took many great pictures of cupcakes for one of my closest friends' bachelorette party, my super cute niece turning two and some house updates. unfortunately, since it was so packed, i have yet to do anything with those pictures still sitting on my camera.

so, in summary - i have great girlfriends who deserve to be celebrated, my niece has crazy wild curly hair and loves her pretty aunt kelly, our living room is getting a makeover and i'm not quite sure how i ever lived without my kitchen aid mixer. simply put, that machine mesmerizes me.




oh, and arosko, i will follow your inspiring posts soon and work on an update of our quickly growing garden!! you were right - those squash are crazy!

another year older...

well, it happened. i got another year older. and my husband threw me the perfect party...a low-key cookout/bonfire at our house with some of our closest friends. even though i love to make a big deal leading up to my birthday (yes, still), i actually really don't think that turning another year older needs a huge shin-dig anymore...though i "may or maynot" have used the line "but it is my birthday" a few too many times

eitherway, it was the perfect way to celebrate - and that ice cold beer sure tasted fantastic after those 13.1 miles! below are a few photos of the spread my husband created. it was his first time fully hosting something without my help (i promise, he wouldn't let me!) and i think he did a great job as a host, grill master, corn-hole pro and perfect husband!

in addition to the par-tay, i also got REALLY spoiled this year with presents and got several things on my wish list: a new macro lens (fun new shot sample instead of just a photo of the lens), kitchen aid mixer, mantle clock and even a new cupcake carrier and cookbook!

my second mini

for some unknown reason, i thought it would be a good idea to attempt my second half marathon on my 26th birthday - this time with a little more training than the zero effort that went into my first one...three years ago! i guess the only real positive to it being on my birthday was that i pressured my mom and sister (and niece and brother-in-law) to join my husband in watching me cross the finish line followed by brunch, of course.

despite the 40 degree temps and 25mph wind gusts in may, i made it through - and shaved off a chunk from my first time. now, at 2 hrs 10 min i am sooooo close to breaking the 2 hour mark i am contemplating doing the monumental half this november to see if i can do it. but don't quote me. the high of doing this may very well fade off by the end of the month.

runner up

as to not completely ignore the inside-scape (new word for inside landscaping...obvi) of our home during this wonderful, outdoor weather season, i have decided to work on mixing up the decor colors in our living room to keep it fresh (changing them from green/orange to yellow/grey). with that, i am currently on the market to find new pillows, candles and other items for some quick, simple and cheap changes.


i have also been on a mission to find a spring/summer runner for our dining room table. after a relentless search (and four trips to crate & barrel hoping they would get one that was perfect for our house) i found a table cloth at target that was just want i had imagined.


so...i bought that puppy, took it home and sent it to my mothers for a trim. below, i present our new table runner - compliments of my mother's crafty skills. she also made us one pillow with the same fabric, but i'll keep that one in the archives until i am ready to reveal our pallet change in the coming month(s)...

backyard projects

below are some backyard shots from our efforts over the last few weeks. to be fair, these were some side projects, with our main focus being on the front yard...you know, jazzing up the curb appeal for the neighborhood! (and may i add we are kicking butt on that front...pardon the pun)

the first two are of the "veggie garden" we created. we are [attempting] to grow some peppers, strawberries and summer squash. we also have a "topsy turvy", compliments of my mother-in-law, that will hopefully give us some hearty tomotoes this summer as well! we are still trying to get a fence around this so little buddy doesn't eat or dig up our tender veggies...i did cheat and buy some already budding plants from lowes...since i am pretty sure some of the seeds in the middle may not appear, thanks to my lack of a green thumb...

the pictures below that are a before and after of the backdoor. randomly thought it finally needed to painted to match the rest. we still need to do the trim of the window and doggie door...i say in the same green and my hubby says in a cream...if you have a suggestion - please share with a comment!

and finally is the 3 hour deck stain we did. not too shabby!

stay tuned for more to come :)

front yard?...check!

below are "before and after" pics of our front yard. we are completely finished with it (at least for now!)...i think earlier i wrote all we did to it over the 1.5 full days of labor and love - hopefully those weed tarps we spent so much time laying down will do the trick for their entire five-year guarantee!

another huge improvement was the "railing" we put down in front to separate the grass from the mulch area...it looks a lot more clean and will help when we use our old fashion push mower to cut the grass each week (since they are super sensitive, if a small twig gets caught, you have to bend over, shake it out and start again).

the pics were taken at two different times of day (and about 2 weeks apart, which you can tell from the tree) and i was being lazy and didn't feel like editing anything last night after finally uploading the pics. but, i think you the idea...

more to come on our recent small backyard projects. if my husband reads this, he will sigh loudly when i say there is even more to come with our backyard renovation in the coming weeks!

landscaping boot camp

...not to be confused with bottle boot camp, has begun at the voight home. 

the hubs and i have jumped head first into spring with all our yard work, gardening, landscaping...whatever the kids are calling it these days. this past weekend we hit up lowes, count it, FOUR times for - gulp - 24 bags of mulch, weed tarps and other assorted items (including wood to build a vegetable bed for the backyard).

the focus this weekend was for the curb appeal of the front yard...with a wee bit left i can't post a picture just yet, but will hopefully have something after this weekend to impress you. 

after that, we then embark on the real test (of our skills, marriage and sanity) - completely renovating the backyard. this entails installing a few pieces of fence and painting it, pulling up existing plants, planting new ones, weeding and putting down tarps, mulching, fixing the deck, staining the deck and if the time of summer doesn't get away, a DIY flowerbed.

ready. set. mulch!

family fun

this year we hosted easter at our house for the first time - inviting over both our families. we had such a wonderful time and are so blessed to have such great and loving parents, sisters (and brother-in-laws), niece and nephews.

we took on making the ham - well, i made the pineapple glaze and brandt did the carving - and also the dessert (see sugar on top tomorrow for the cake!) and everyone else brought the other family get together standards.

i had a chance to take some photos of all the kids - they were all pretty energetic (to say the least) and they had a great time playing with milo, hiding and finding eggs and blowing bubbles (well, at least sharon did!).

what's the verdict you ask? perhaps we'll host next year, but after entertaining 3 parents, 2 sisters, 1 brother-in-law, 4 kiddos and the 50lb dog....well, let's just say we were both glad it was just the 2 of us and one tired pup at the end of the day. however, next year, my sister will have one more kiddo to add to the brood!

so proud to be a bulldog!

heck of a run. heck of a game. heck of a team. heck of a coach. heck of a season. we'll be back.

as coach stevens said, a bulldog knows it is "not what you get in the end, it is what you get from the journey"