Impressions.. Which one do you make?

There are certain people who come into your life and go, and there are others that leave a lasting impression. 

As I reflect over last week, I paid respects to a man who had a last impression on everyone he came in contact with, and I ran into someone who I had not seen in over a year, yet he can make someone’s day just by being present.

I’ll start with the happier of the two encounters.

Mr. McCann

I ran into my high school principal at the gym on Sunday morning.  You know when you were younger and they said “The difference between principle and principal, is that Mr. SoandSo is your PAL” well, that is true when talking about Mr. McCann.  He is the kind of person who finds the good in all {even the trouble makers}.  He knew every single student who walked through the doors at my high school, and doesn’t just know their face, but knows their name, their story, and who they are as a person.

Source: dangshefine.stockphotosweb.com via Lindsey on Pinterest

It's not an easy task when my graduating class was 525 students, and then multiply that by 29 years of being in administration.  This man is no where short of amazing.  He makes it to every student’s graduation party {that he is invited to}, he hands out more diplomas than any other teacher at graduation, and he is the most genuine charismatic person you will ever meet. 

I posted the following on facebook on Sunday, and this is the response I received:

Pretty amazing.. huh!  I'm pretty confident that most princiPALs receive that great of a response from a single FB post. 

Source: prettystuff.tumblr.com via Lindsey on Pinterest

 Clay, a fellow co-worker

The other individual that made such a positive impact on me was an associate that I had the pleasure to work with at the hospital.  Clay was a long time associate within the organization, he left, and then decided that he wanted to come back to work for the company.  I interviewed him, realized right then he was amazing.  It wasn’t until I went to walk him over to the meet with the department management team, how big of an impact he made on the organization.  What would typically take me 5 minutes, took 30 minutes because so many people were so excited to see him.

Right after I hired Clay, I also hired his wife Ella into a different department.  She was just as sweet as him.  They both shared how they had recently adopted a son {they were both in their early 50’s at the time} because they had each other, they had the means, and they had their health, why not give a child a chance.  They were both so special, and they just had hearts of gold.

Unfortunately Clay’s health declined rather quickly.  He had a stroke, and then came back to work {quite the fighter}, and then after being short of breath at work, they discovered stage 4 cancer throughout his body.  Sadly we all knew that his time here was not going to be much longer.  We watched Ella in street clothes come in and out of the hospital doors, not as an associate for the company, but as a family member who was watching her loved one’s life decline.  It was hard.  It was very difficult for all of us to watch.

Sadly, we lost Clay on February 25^th of this year.  He was taken WAY too soon, and I’m pretty sure you could ask EVERY associate in the organization and they would say the same thing. 

Clay was one of those people who never complained {only when he was late to meet Ella for their daily 1:00 lunches in the hospital cafeteria}, who could instantly put a smile on someone’s face, reminded you to slow down, take a deep breath, everything will be okay, and most importantly, your day was better every time you ran into Clay in the hallway.

The company had a service in Clay’s honor last week, and as I sat there and listened to everyone talk, not a single person had a negative thing to say about the man.  And at the end of the day, I every person in the auditorium was a better person for knowing him.  Unfortunately he was just taken way too soon.

Running into Mr. McCann, and having to say good-bye to Clay has really made me think.  Make me think about who I am as a person, and what I can change about myself to make sure that I am being the best person that I can possibly be, whether with my family or friends, work or in the community.  You want to be that person to someone else.  You want to make sure that it’s genuine.  You want to make sure that it’s pure.  You want to make sure that it’s authentic.  And most importantly, you want to make sure that its YOU!

Source: thepreppypremed.tumblr.com via Lindsey on Pinterest

I challenge you to find someone that you can idolize their presence amongst people, and strive to make yourself that much better tomorrow!  I know I am going to try my hardest. 

Rest In Peace Clay – you will be missed by all who knew you!

Thursday Tidbits

Thought I would take a moment to catch you up on what has been going on in my life

• A few weeks ago,  I went to a baby shower for one of my best friends from college.  It was so good to see Brandy and the rest of my girl friends who live out of town.

Emily {Thomas}, Aly, The mom to be - Brandy, Jenna {Olivia}, myself

The hostess' really outdid themselves.  All of the little details were amazing!
Bottom right is my gift for mom and baby
Bib - Etsy Southern Style Sticthes
Blocks - BBBlocks, a way to document your baby's growth

• I have had the kids twice in the last week.  I have thoroughly enjoyed having them around.  Molly is becoming quite independent and VERY determined as of lately, and Domingo has become ultra ornery and my little buddy! I thoroughly enjoy having these two around the house.  They bring me so much joy and happiness.

Playing together on the iPad

• We celebrated my 30th birthday last week.  My parents took us all out to a wonderful dinner, and it was nice to spend the day with the ones that I love the most.  
• I've been completing some DIY projects around the house lately, I will be posting a few of them in the upcoming weeks, along with more outfit posts, like I promised when I recommitted myself to blogging.

So What Wednesdays...

This week I'm saying 

"So What if..."

• I get annoyed every month my Cuptakes app doesn't update on the first of the month
• I get even more annoyed when there aren't a ton of quality background to choose from for the month, and then I typically text Shannon and we discuss that they are all crappy this month
• its almost time for me to like basketball.  March Madness is quickly approaching and I can't wait.
• I have tried to run the past few weeks and both of my legs feel like they are 20986 lbs a piece, so I have been doing the elliptical machine instead.  I think I might need to start back with a c25k program if I ever want to start running again.
• I am slowly but surely wanting to finish my latest book, however I hate having to look for a good book afterward.  I'm just now finishing Emily Giffin's "Where We Belong" - does anyone have a good recommendation for my next read? 
• I wish GroopDealz didn't save my credit card information.  It makes it WAY too easy to just click.. buy now.. and now you have 213 new necklaces, bracelets, and maxi skirts.

Head on over to Shannon's blog to see what others are saying "So What to" this week.

What are you saying it to? Anything similar to me?

Happy Valentines Day

Happy Valentine's Day Loves!

I thought I would spread the love to my co-workers on this lovely holiday.

A little sweet treat served in a cute little mason jar...

...whats not to love?

I first made all the mason jars.

I got doilies from the dollar store, the butcher twine from HomeGoods, and scrapbook paper from Michaels.

I glued the red heart onto the doily, and then wrapped the butcher twine around the mason jar and tied it in the back.

Cupid's Chex Mix

8 cups Rice Chex

4 cups broken Pretzels

2 cups M&Ms

2 cups peanuts

2 bags of white chocolate chips

Mix rice chex, pretzels, M&Ms and peanuts all together.  Melt white chocolate.  Pour white chocolate over the mixed dry ingredients in a bowl.  Completely coat the chex and spread out on wax paper to let cool.  Once cool, break into smaller pieces and serve.

I hope you have a wonderful valentines day!

So What Wednesdays

This week, I'm saying 

So What If....

... I have often been tempted to take in a picture of Keith Urban's hair color to my hairstylist, because I have total color envy of his hair!

... I cringe a little bit every time someone says the words... anywayS, irregardless {fyi, its not a word, and i didn't realize that until about 5 years ago}, and when someone pronounces picture as piTCHer.  Its a picture people, not something I drink out of

... I started using my fitness pal.  And seriously, she is a bitch, not my pal.  I eat pretty healthy, however after eating a banana, a bagged salad, an avocado, 2 energy bites, I had 416 calories for dinner.  I've decided that I'm not using it on the weekends, and not counting alcohol.  Thats the only way my fitness bitch and I will have a working relationship.

... I informed my mom that I know that I want rum cake for my birthday dinner.  And she said, what about your birthday meal? I said.. rum cake?!

... I left the drag show on Friday sounding more like a man than half of the guys on stage.  I'm sick again.wahh. {Im hoping to get that post up here shortly}

... I think I've gotten bronchitis more frequently lately because I imitate sweet brown way too often.  The smoke got up in my lungs, and I got bronchitis!

What are you saying "so what to"? Head on over to Shannon's blog and let us know!

Make Me A Meal-Asian Pork Tenderloin

You know those times when you think you have a scheduled post.. and it never does???

Well this was supposed to post last Tuesday....

{I really had HIGH hopes to write this during the Super Bowl so I could write a 

Make Me A Meal Monday post, however between the CK commercial, the black out, and the 49ers coming back and nearly defeating the Ravens, the laptop was never pulled out of the bag because I was so cued into the game!}

So without further adieu..

This has recently become one of our go to meals because it is absolutely delicious, pretty healthy, and beyond easy.

Ingredients Needed:

Pork Tenderloin

Trader Joes Asian Style Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette

1/2 Head of Cabbage

1/2 Carrot Shredded {I just buy pre-shredded carrots}

Red Bell Pepper

2 tablespoons of slivered Almonds

4 Green Onions

Oriental Flavored Ramen Noodles

1/2 cup EVOO

3 tablespoons of Balsamic Vinegar

1 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Marinate the pork tenderloin over night in dressing

and then cook it on the grill until it is just a little pink on the inside

{please read as, I marinate the pork, hand the ziploc bag to Justin, and he grills it for me}

Asian Slaw

Toast your almonds on broil {I set my timer EVERY time so I don't burn them}

Shred your cabbage

Dice up Veggies

Break up Ramen Noodle package

Mix up dressing {EVOO, Balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, packet from the ramen noodles}, and whisk together

Mix everything together, and shortly before serving, add almonds to the salad.

Once I have mixed up the salad, I have let the pork rest for a few minutes, and cut it with the electric knife.  

I then serve the pork with a little bit of the vinaigrette poured over top.

ENJOY!

So What Wednesdays...

As I'm getting back into the routine of blogging

I also wanted to participate in one of my favorite link ups

with one of my favorite people {who just happens to be a blogger too}

Shannon from Life After I Dew

So let's get down to the purpose of this post

What am I saying

So what to this week

So what if....

... I tried Greek yogurt for the first time.  I HATED it.  I think it tastes like chalk, it is thick, and has an awkward consistency.  I know its healthy, and I know its trendy, I just don't like it.

... All that I have wanted to wear as of lately is leggings, even to work.  Do you ever have those days/weeks/months, that you just think the world might be a little easier if you could just get away with a pair of comfy pants

Source: pinningangelica.posterous.com via Lindsey on Pinterest

...I don't quite understand Vine.  Sure everyone is doing it, but I'm not so sure I'm going to jump on the bandwagon.

...I couldn't find a kettle ball at the gym.  So I improvised with a medicine ball and a 10lb plate.  Not the safest thing this klutz could have done, but I did it.  And of course, as soon as I finished my 300 rep work out, I saw the kettle bells in a separate room.

... This past weekend in Holiday Valley, we left our condo. boarded/skied down to the base of the mountain to the bar...didn't like that bar.. went to the bar next door, had 2 drinks and then went home... when we had drinks at our place.  But hey.. we are always up for an adventure.

... It takes me an ENTIRE week to get through my Monday night shows.  Why do they ALL have to be on the same night? {Bachelor, Biggest Loser, Teen Mom2, Catfish, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and Vanderpump Rules}

... I have absolutely NO interest in college basketball until March.  Up until then, its just squeaky shoes on gym floors.

So what are you saying

"So what to?"

Head on over to Shannon's blog and let us all know!

Until next time, Happy Wednesday friends!

Holiday Valley 2013

Do you have any family traditions?

One of ours is to go to Holiday Valley with my parents next door neighbors.

We started as a group of 9.. that has grown to 16 {including 2 kids!}

We had perfect weather this past weekend
{the whole group}
{down the run, Ballet}
{sunset/night skiing at the top of one of the hills}

every day the guys lay out all of our equipment

all of a sudden Alli and I looked up and saw the skis set up

it was a perfect set up for Teo'ing

our picture with Teo's girlfriend and friend

I hope you had an amazing weekend as well!

DIY Thread Holder

The other day I needed to sew a pair of pants.. which prompted me to look for black thread..

.. which I found in a TANGLED mess in a ziplock baggie that I have used to hold my thread since my mom got me a sewing kit in college, 12 years ago.  {My dad got me a tool box and tools as a dorm room gift and my mom, a sewing kit! and I still use both to this day!}

So I saw this idea on pinterest to make a thread holder... I was determined that maybe by making this.. it would motivate me to clean up the rest of the craft room.

I went to home depot and picked up the following

A piece of scrap wood {I got this piece for $1.01 pre cut}

Stain

Picture Hanging Kit

Cinder Block Picture Hanger

First step is to stain your board

Then I started to tape of the chevron print.  I thought I could do this by hand

but then my OCD got the best of me and I decided to draw a grid on the board and use that as reference points to create my pattern

Then I painted the board white

The hardest part for me when doing a project like this is waiting for it to dry so I can see the results.  I painted this late night, and I didn't have time in the morning to pull back the tape.  Well that evening while I was at work at the golf course, I got a text message from Justin saying that they board looks really good.. he took some of the tape off.. EXCUSE ME? my hard labor.. I told him that he needed to stop so I can do the rest! Ha! {Territorial over my projects much?! whoops!}

 Then when I got home I was able to do the rest of the reveal myself.

Next steps is to use nails and hammer in at an angle where you want your thread to be.  Make sure to put them at an angle or else the spools could potentially fall off.

 I then attached picture hooks and picture wire to the back of the board so I could hang it in the basement.  I bought a kit at Home Depot.

 I then found a picture hanger in the wall hanging section that you could just hammer right into the cinder block {music to my ears that I didn't have to use a mortar bit again.. those things are intense!} and just like that my project was hung on the wall.

After making this project, I realized that it might not necessarily be the amount of thread that I have, but the size of the mess that gives me the most anxiety! Hopefully my ribbon obsession won't turn into a thread buying obsession as well!

Happy Thursday!

DIY Craft Room.. On a Budget

Think back before pinterest, and blogs of where you used to get ideas for decorating?

Magazines... {blasphemy.. i know they are so 4 years ago}

However, one day as I was going through a magazine, I came across a work station that I fell in love with, that I knew I needed to recreate for myself.

It had an oversized bulletin board that acted as an idea board {yes remember.. prior to pinterest}, with bright colors, and a usable space.  

I had an old table from college {yes the same one that Aly and I probably had many of late night nachos on from Taco Bell} and I decided to give it a facelift by sanding it down and painting it.

Secondly I went to the hardware store and bought a piece of particle board that was big enough to make a HUGE bulletin board.  I then used gorilla glue to attach pieces of cork, covered the cork with fabric, and framed it with trim.  With the help of Justin's dad, we were able to hang this bad boy on the wall.  {and when I say help of Justin's dad.. I really mean Jeff went to work with his electric nail gun and I just watched my vision come to life!}

I also took this chair from my grandma's house when we did the great large overhaul from moving her from a house to a condo a few years ago.  I kind of felt badly taking one chair from a set of 4 but she said I could.. so I did.  I recovered the base to correspond with the fabric on my bulletin board just using a staple gun.

So the basis of this craft table and bulletin board completely came together probably almost 2 years ago.  .. so why am I just now blogging about it?

Well you see, the craft table was very similar to some peoples at home treadmills/elliptical... a catch all for EVERYTHING.. clothes that needed to be hung to dry, extra fabric that I have bought too much of for a project, a bazillion spools of thread {which I later find out is not nearly a bazillion - more just a mess of unwound thread!}.. this weekend I decided that I was going to clean off my craft table, bust out some projects that I left unfinished and become productive.

First item of business.. Clean up this mess!

{Do you want to play eye spy from this picture?? Erin Condren stickers, 3 things of scotch tape, a golf club, about 10 baby outfits that were never given as gifts.. yes trust me it gives me anxiety looking at it too.. hence why I never tackled this damn room.. and avoided doing laundry because the washer and dryer are diagonal from this table}

I had purchased two curtain rods from Ikea a few years back, thinking they could potentially be useful for ribbon.  While in the store I envisioned them going horizontally, like a normal curtain rod, however when I got them home, I realized there was no where to put them horizontally, so I decided to find a stud in the wall and hang it vertically.  It works wonders.  I put straight pins at the end of all of my ribbons, so when I need one, I just pull the end of one ribbon.. the rest spin on the rod, but don't unravel.  This weekend though, I finally got around to putting up the second rod.  {and much to my chagrin, I realized that there were no more studs in the wall.. had to think outside the box, use anchors, and then screw in the fixtures from there.. I was feeling quite empowered by the time I had finished this project!} And yes, I'm fully aware, I have a small obsession with ribbon.

Next up.. organizing my fabric.  Apparently its not normal for someone who really doesn't use their sewing machine as much as they would like to have this much extra fabric.  My mom and sister informed me this weekend that I should try buying less fabric for projects... My response, have you ever stood in line at Joann's on a Saturday waiting for fabric to be cut?  Yea, thats what I thought, the last thing you want to do is turn around and go right back in to get more fabric!

I had always envisioned a cubical organizer downstairs.  Maybe replacing this shelving unit that I wrote into the contract when buying my condo.  But then that just seemed silly.  Why replace something that holds my cleaning supplies, detergent, and paper towels {yes I buy those in bulk, just like ribbon!}

My mom and I bought this 25 cube thing from Target when I first moved in nearly 6 years ago.  I had just never put this one together {we bought two, the other one holds my flip flop collection.. is collection the right term?}  I assembled this bad boy as well, and then started folding up and organizing my fabrics.  My aunt gave me this ENJOY sign as part of my housewarming gift and I finally have a perfect spot for it.  I might just need a spray paint and we will be good to go.

My other project I completed this weekend was this thread holder.  I will have a DIY up on tomorrow on how I went about making this.  

So now that I have this space cleaned up and ready to go.. who wants to find projects to make? Sewing? Crafting? Anyone?

Happy Tuesday friends, and thank you so much for the warm welcome back yesterday, I'm so happy to be back into a routine!! 

Let me introduce myself....

Hi there.. I'm Lindsey the once faithful blogger.

I decided it was the one thing I could cut out of my daily routine, without having severe consequences, however lately, I have been missing it, missing the friendships, the catching up with others, and having a way for my family and friends to catch up with what is going on with my life currently.

So after being asked by a few friends and family, still being invited to Columbus Blogger Meet Ups {and kind of feeling like I shouldn't necessarily be there since I don't blog on a daily basis}, and wanting to be able to stay in touch with others, I'm going to give this whole blog thing a whirl again.

I've got nothing to lose, and only catching up and friendships to gain?! right?!

So here's some quick deets about me since I have been gone:

• Went on our family vacation down to Lake Norris with my family and my grandma came along with us this time too.  
• Justin turned the dirty 30!
• We went on a trip of a lifetime with our best friends, sailing on a private yacht around the Florida keys.  I think we needed a dose of reality once we came back home!
• I ran {competitively walked} my first full marathon.  I now know what 26.2 miles feels like {A LONG FREAKING WAY!} and I'm going to start training again for another on this spring! I can't wait.
• We just got back from our family vacation out west snowboarding/skiing.  This year we went to Breckinridge, Co and we had a great time!
• Molly turned 3!

And even when I'm gone, most things have stayed consistent

• I still love diet coke {sonic still is my absolute favorite treat!}
• I'm addicted to instagram - lindseyhance and pinterest - lindsey hance
• I am still running, as much as possible, I still don't love it but I do love the feeling I get after I finish an amazing run.
• I am still trying new meals out at least once a week, in hopes that our weekly menus don't look boring and repetitive.  If they are a success.. you will see them on Make Me a Meal Monday.

What might change on zee blog:

• More DIY projects
• Outfit posts ???
• Photography... My main New Years resolution is to really enjoy my nice camera - start using it to its full advantage!

I'm excited to re-start back on this blogging journey.  I can't wait to catch up with everyone again, and get back into a routine!

Happy Monday!