Beehive Bazaar

Today was a fun day because I actually had something fun to do, and not boring (like laundry) hah! I decided to go check out the Beehive Bazaar down in Riverwoods. 
I met up with a friend and we had fun looking at all of the different booths vendors had set up. Everything was set up beautifully, and it was all so crafty and adorable. 
Some things were so simple yet I would never have thought to make it! 
I got a lot of cute decorating/crafting ideas and 
I purchased a couple of cute items that I want to share with y'all.

{i am going to do my best to mention everyone who 
crafted these items, to give credit where credit is due my friends!}

Item #1 is this cute little wooden iron-man, which I believe all the Avenger ones were strategically placed at toddler eye level for a reason ;-) hah but he really wanted it,  I usually don't give in to all the toys he wants, because he always wants toys whenever we are out and about, but this time I did. It was too cute to pass up. I would have liked to get all of the Avengers!

made by littlethingshappy instagram

IRONMAN aka "man man" as Grayson likes to say.

made by unknown, if you the crafter of this beautiful-ness
happens to read this blogpost, let me know! :)

Item #2 is this darling deer antler decoration (by which I can hang jewlery on... and anything else that needs hanging. Maybe my race medals! I am wanting it to be hung with all of my other girly items like my makeup and shoes and nail polish. :) aka #myhappyplace I have actually been wanting to craft something similar to this for a while now, one of my good Youtuber friends did a whole tutorial on something similar she had made, and it was so cute! So when I saw this I had to have it, because I know I probably wouldn't be making it any time soon, since I've been saying I'd make one ever since she put the video out. Which was a while ago....

Going to this shin dig made me realize all of the things I want to craft up, so I making a personal list of crafty projects I want to finish/DO.... feel free to ignore this haha
*paint thrifted bookcase, you bought it in JUNE....
*make a pretty bunting banner with fabric for my Youtube Videos.
*make a cute wooden sign.
*make a christmas tree like this whimisical one by noelledesigns instagram:

the green one with the pink pedestal is my fav <3

#tiredmommyselfie

I am including this lazy selfie of me, because I really liked my outfit today. I'm wearing a Lilly Pulitzer mermaid top and a mermaid necklace to match! Both of which were purchased on ebay and I got a really great deal on both items. #ilovelilly and #iloveebay

I feel very sleep deprived right now, even though last night was the first night in a while that I was able to sleep. Perhaps that's why. Do any of you function better on less sleep than you do with more? Or am I just extremely strange? I still need to work out too... I ran a mile this morning... and then I talked to MY SISTER, which may not seem like a big deal to most but she has been serving a mission for our Church in the Phillipines, and today was the first time i got to talk to her for 18 months. I am so happy she is home and I am so proud of her for serving for our Church. She's a good egg! <3 hah

Xoxo,
Brittany Marie Powell

#MIMM

Happy Marvelous Monday Everyone! 

  So here's one of my most marvelous eats of the day, which was breakfast of course. I made vanilla shakeology protein waffles and they were DELISH!!! 

I also ran today for the first time in a whole and it felt marvelous. I needed it. It's funny how good it can feel to get back into it after you've taken a break. As much as I like body beast and lifting I feel like running will always be my first love. I always feel so much better after I do it and have some of my   best thinking while I run. Running truly is therapy!

   We also went mini golfing as family tonight. I am by no means an expert golfer haha but we had fun anyways. And it was so fun to watch Grayson try and do it and he loved looking at all of the glowing fishies and sharks :) 

   

   Now that the kiddo is in bed, Grant and I are going to get a great chest and tri workout in body beast style! It's weird but I really do kind of look forward to doing these some days. Although the body best cardio was INTENSE! So many weighted squats! Lol. 

Happy Monday readers :-D 

Xoxo,

  Brittany Marie Powell

Funnnay

   Just wanted to take a break a post some "funnay" pictures, because that's how Grayson says funny. Today was a crazy #mommyproblems day. So I'm tired. And tomorrow is leg day for body beast.

                      

     

    He's learned how to take selfies with his ninja turtle camera. Haha!

Xoxo,
   Brittany Marie Powell.

Utah Valley Half Marathon

   Woo Hoo! I did it guys, completed my second half marathon. The morning of the race was kind of crazy for me, I woke up at 3:30 a.m. and drove to where I thought the buses were. But it turned out it was the buses for the FULL marathon and not the half. So I ran back to my car and had less than 10 mins to make it to the half marathon bus location. I honestly barely made it. But the fact that I did reassured me in some small way that I was meant to do the race.

  I always feel somewhat inadequate at these events. Especially when the woman I sat next to on the bus was on her 35th half marathon! Crazy. My time was not as good as my first half. I think waking up as early as I did had a lot to do with it. I also had to use the port a potties quite a few times during the race tmi I know haha. It was all worth it when I crossed the finish line tho. There really are no words when you finish. I think for me a lot of emotions hit me during this race. It's funny how that happens. It also has offered me a lot of clarity and insight for what I want to do next. I'd definitely want to get my body ready for a full marathon in a full and calculated way. And I really feel like strength training needs to be a bigger part of my goals now. I know I say it often on here, but I really do feel that way. I also have something else I'm working on but I am waiting to unveil. ;-) 

  Some things I took away from this race:

  1) practice waking up and running at the time your race is scheduled for so it's not sucha shock.

   2) fuel better pre run.

   3) set up a race playlist. I kept hitting next song a lot this race because too many slow songs came on shuffle.

    4) hydrate better! 

    5) RELAX I think I stressed about this race way too much, and at the end of the day I am proud at listening to my body and pushing myself the right amount. I now feel like I could do another half this summer or maybe even a full. 

   Anyways that's all for now, Happy Father's Day everyone!!! I'm so thankful I have my husband and for what a good father he is to our son.

Xoxo,

   Brittany Marie Powell. 

We Bought A Car!!!!!

   Finally, after years of waiting and sharing a car, we bought our second car! It's a 2012 Ford Escape and I couldn't be happier! There's something so great about having your own car. It's flex fuel and gets great gas mileage so that is why we chose the Ford Escape. It's so clean and brand new looking I need to put the seat covers on, since the seats are cloth. I'm very HAPPY and this is by far the most expensive thing Grant and I have purchased in our marriage which was a little bit scary haha! 

   Anyways. Back to my usual health/fitness related ramblings. I was inspired by LivyLovesToRun to do a two week no cheat challenge. I know the scale don't lie, and I know I've gained weight lately #byebyefelicia So instead of wallowing in my misery and eating my feelings, I am going to be proactive and do something about it. I've lost weight before and I can do it again. I'm not going to come this far and throw it all away. I miss feeling confident in my own skin, which lately I just don't. And more than any number on the scale that is whats important to me! 

   I have my half Marathon soon and I am nervous. I don't feel like I've been training 100% I've been tired and exhausted an emotional wreck. So I am going go get personal now. After I had Grayson I got on antidepressants. They really helped me and I do not regret going on them when I did because I really did need them at the time. I very much believe in doing things naturally and it's a constant inner battle with myself being on these medications. I know that with proper nutrition and meditation I can overcome my depression/anxiety woes but I've tried it and it hasn't worked. The only thing that has helped and I've noticed is the medication!!! I want to go off my Meds and this past month and a half I have tried and I've really been a mess. My motivation and passion for running faded a bit because I get to thinking I'm not good enough, which my pills help balance me out. So for now, I am back on them. Which I have mixed feelings about but I can't handle feeling how I've felt. It's not fair to me or my family for me to be this way just because I want to be med-free, so I will keep taking them.  Anyways I just needed to vent about that because it's been a really big challenge for me lately. 

   I'm going to run now actually cuz I just got Nani to take a nap he doesn't feel good today poor little guy! 

Xoxo, 

   Brittany Marie Powell.

What I Ate Wednesday

   Hey guys,
   I decided to do another #WIAW with y'all! :)
   Breakfast was a rushed meal, since I had to drive my husband to work and go to the gym. So I decided to just have a premier nutrition protein shake from Costco, chocolate flavor of course ;-)

   Lunch was leftovers. Last night I made a spinach plantain pizza for myself, and regular pizza for the boys. So I had the other half of my pizza and cauliflower for lunch. I realize how unappetizing this looks, but I promise it was tasty! Haha

   Today was Nana's last swim lesson. I don't know that he really learned that much but he loved them and if anything else it has made him less fearful of the water. He still won't blow bubbles or lay on his back though. I want to do a different class with him because he loved the social aspect of these lessons.
   We also went and ordered his Birthday Cake today. I chose an 'Avengers' cake because he loves them and lovingly calls them "guys". He loves action figures and fighting, he's sucha boy!
   For my workout today I ran 3 miles and did some arm exercises for an upcoming YouTube video I'm doing. Even though my form isn't the best I still wanted to do it. #brave #sobig
   Dinner was Chili's Tilapia without the sauce. And then it all went downhill because my MIL ordered dessert and i obliged haha. I ate some bites of a cookie-zilla and their molten lava chocolate cake. Sometimes ya gotta live a little. Xoxo, Brittany.

#MIMM

I LOVE Healthy Diva's Marvelous in My Monday Posts, so I decided to hop on board. 

Some of my Marvelous recent eats have included:

                           

Sea Salt Carmel Arctic Zero Ice Cream. This is by far one of their best flavors yet! I am obsessed with all of them but I'd have to say that the Strawberry flavor is my favorite. I also love that the whole pint is only 150 calories and that there is protein in it as well.

 

 GREEN SMOOTHIES! I am so into these again. For a while I stopped eating them because 1.) It got too cold. and 2.) I think I overate them when I was prego with grayson so sometimes they just don't sound appealing, but lately they really have been good to me. This one had 1 Cup Almond Milk, Spinach, 1 Frozen Banana and some Frozen Tropical Fruit Mix. I also added a packet of Stevia because let's be honest, I am kind of a sugar addict. This has been my go to breakfast lately.

I am proud of myself. This weekend during night-time hours I was craving a quesadilla like mad. But instead I steamed some cauliflower and carrots and sprinkled a generous amount of cheese and some of the Bolthouse Farms Yogurt caesar parmesan dressing, which has been marvelous to me lately. I find I always get the worst/most fattening cravings at night, because I'll watch my Hubby eat all these delicious things and I'm like...... so yeah sometimes I gotta get creative haha.




I went to nordstrom rack a few days ago, and got

Grayson this like dressy t-shirt. It is so adorable on! I love it. It's funny how much I love boy clothes now. I also scored myself these Sperry's, they're totally me. They have pink glitter on the sides and they were only $9.90. I love finding good deals, and hardly ever pay full price for clothing. It actually kind of pains me to do so! Haha 


        I am still trying to come up with a crown for my little man for his BIG 2 BIRTHDAY! I finally got the supplies so now I just need to get crafty. This one looks so perfect. I'm always amazed at how crafty some people are, it inspires me. 


       HAPPY MONDAY EVERYONE! 

           SEE YOU TOMORROW :)

                         

xoxo,

Brittany

Happy Sunday

   Today we woke up and got ready for church, Grayson has been watching way too much 'How To Train Your Dragon' because he used a Tupperware lid as a shield and a toy as a sword to fight off our dogs this morning haha.

  We are going to a friends house after church which I am excited for. I made a quinoa dish so hopefully it turns out okay. We are also bringing a fruit bowl in case the quinoa sucks! Haha I am excited to go, and hope I am not so socially awkward as I am usually because I want friends. It's times like these where I really miss my sister Kendal. She's in the Phillipines on a mission for our church. She always gave me good pep talks when it came to being social, she's a social butterfly and has always had tons of friends. 

  I've been pinning toddler room ideas on Pinterest. I'd like to get Grayson's room decorated before his birthday but we shall see. I love vintage themed rooms. And vintage maps. And gallery walls. I think I just really love decorating in general. I can't wait until we own our own home and aren't renting so I can decorate to my hearts content. I also want to make him a birthday crown like this for his birthday on the 9th: 

   I've been really trying to eat more raw foods/healthier and mostly vegetarian. I got this raw truffle pie which I ate for breakfast, I'm having my monthly and found it totally acceptable since it was all pretty much healthy ingredients. And I NEED chocolate right now. Like honestly it's a physical need. And I got this chia pod creation at Harmon's it was delicious but $$$ so I need to work on creating my own chia pudding goodness.

   I can't wait for Game of Thrones tonight. I'm sucha nerd, Grant has turned me into one but I love that show. Really. 

  I found a 10 minute arm routine I am going to start doing this week, I also have a goal to lose at least 2 lbs this week. If I can do that each week I can lose 15-20 lbs by my birthday. Ideally, I'd like to lose 15 but these last few pounds have been the hardest, and I need to be more dilligent. 

xoxo,

Brittany

SORE&TIRED

   I'm writing this while procrastinating my workout. I've been so sore so much so that I couldn't sleep last night. And I've had a kink in my neck all week hah 

My workouts this week have gone as follows:

Monday: 9 mile run

Tuesday: 3 mile run

Wednesday: 2.5 mile run and 30 minutes stair master

Thursday: TBD

Friday: TBD

Saturday: Do a race of some sort.

   I very much feel that I need to get serious about stretching/yoga. I've been very good about icing my knees after I run which is why I feel my running and training for this upcoming half hasn't felt nearly as hard as last year, although it's still been hard. And then I wonder how I'm going to run a full marathon in November. But I like my little motto of "if you've been there in the mind, you'll go there in the body." I think so much of running and weightloss in General is positive visualization. I am so in love with the article hungryrunnergirl posted a few days back, THIS ARTICLE

  I had the best breakfast ever this morning, which was avocado toast! #healthyfats #delicious plus Grayson even ate it although I put honey on his as well. I've been craving avocados so much lately, I ate half of one this morning and I am probably going to eat half after I post this haha. I'm pretty sure I'm not pregnant and avocados are good for me so I'm just gonna go with it 8-)

   

   

I also was able to have a baby free impromptu Ulta trip last night. 

I only bought one item but I think it's so fun! 

It's the Urban Decay heavy metal glitter eyeliner 

in midnight cowboy. I love it! I can't wait to do a look 

on my Youtube channel with it. 

xoxo, Brittany 

What No One Tells You About Losing Lots of Weight

   So as you all know I've lost quite a bit of weight. Initially 85 lbs although I've gained 9 lbs since my initial loss. I wanted to write a post for those trying to lose weight, the things nobody says. Because it's dang hard losing weight, I don't know if it will ever be an easy thing for me honestly. A quote I love is: 

    I feel like is that is so TRUE. Every step and stage of this journey is HARD. The struggle is real. So here are some things about weightloss, that I feel like nobody talks about:

1) You will miss the foods that made you fat/overweight. I know I do. As much as I do like eating healthy, I miss cheez it's and Oreos just as much! ) You will still miss eating all the things and not stressing about it. I feel like now that I've lost weight I am a lot more conscious of what I'm eating. I'm not as care-free as before and sometimes I miss that. But I do not miss being overweight/the depression and self loathing that came along with it.

2) Not everyone is going to care about your weightloss journey/diet. In fact some people might bring you down about it, or tell you to just be "normal" but in the end it isn't about them, it's about you achieving your goals. 

3) Just because you lose the weight your life isn't going to be all glitter, rainbows and butterflies after. You just will have the upside of not having to worry/stress about your weight as much. But you're still going to have stressors. I think I had this delusional idea that once I lost weight everything would be perfect and I'd always be happy, but the truth is that's not the case! So don't fall into that way of thinking.

4) You will have dreams of regaining the weight. 

5) You will feel guilty after indulging at times, I think that this is a good thing though because the minute I stop caring is the minute I start gaining and I do think that's the reason behind these 9 lbs. 

6) It's okay to feel hungry. I think sometimes I just miss eating for the sake of eating. For example I really like eating and watching TV, but unless you're eating carrot sticks or celery it's not something that you can do all the time and still lose weight. 

7) Weigh yourself daily, I feel like this is key when it comes to maintenance. 

8) Some days you'll feel like a million bucks and some days you'll feel like a busted can of biscuits. 

9) There are no short cuts, no easy ways out, no tricks. It all comes down to eating healthy, eating less (because you can still gain weight eating healthy foods) and working out. 

10) Losing weight is an emotional roller coaster, but I know for me it is one of the best things I've ever done for myself. It's given me strength, courage, and more confidence to be the kind of person, woman, wife and mother I strive/want to be. 

   There you have it! I think this post was kind of all over the place but I feel good about getting this off my chest, I think this post was more for myself than anything hah! I'm off to attend to mommy duties and running.

xoxo, Brittany

#tmtt

   This morning I decided to go to the gym for an elliptical workout. I ran twice yesterday (2.6 miles and 3.6 miles) and I wasn't feeling running this morning. Grayson really likes the gym daycare and had a full on terrible two tantrum when it was time to go. Lovely. Lol. 

   

^elliptical session.

   I had a makeup fail today. I wore too faced lip injection gloss and kissed Grayson and well... It plumped up his face as well! I was so scared when I looked back in the car and saw this: 

I washed his face off with a wash cloth and water and it went away shortly after but it was scary! 

   For dinner we went out because I was tired and lazy and didn't feel like cooking. We got my favorite Pho :-P I am so obsessed with this soup! My favorite place to go for it is in Park City, at Shabu Shabu. The broth they have is phenomenal and has a strong ginger flavor which I love! 

  It will be Grayson's 2nd birthday soon! I've been pinning lots of fun ideas on Pinterest. I want to make him a cute little birthday crown. And I already decided on how I want his cake to be which you guys will see! I can't believe how big he is getting, but at the same time I can because of his Terrible Two tantrums! Haha. I'm just going to embrace all of his little stages, the good, the bad and the ugly. Because I know I am so lucky to have a child of my own and to be a mom. I know there are lots of women out there who want that very thing so badly. #alwaysbethankful 

   I've been drinking a lot of chamomile tea lately, I am hoping it will help with my muscle soreness. I also like drinking it at night to unwind. 

xoxo, Brittany.

   

   

  

#redhairdontcare

  So I have a not-so-secret secret! I am blog obsessed! I read a large variety of different blogs and I figure I should probably jump on the bandwagon. Even though most of the time I consider my life to be pretty boring haha. 

  Last night I made the decision to dye my hair red. It was somewhat of an impulse decision I was just getting so tired of my blonde roots, I needed a change! I do change up my hair color quite a bit but I think that the red will stick around for a while. I was excited to see if Grayson would have any reaction to my hair this morning but in typical boy fashion he could have cared less haha. I love that little boy. 

                                          

   I am happy to report I am finally over my cold. It wasn't the most horrible sickness I've had but it was pretty bad, and I'm still shocked that my child didn't contract it. Because of my being sick tho I've barely ran, and I seriously have anxiety over it. If it weren't for my race I would "let it go" but I'm stressing. Hopefully I will get in a good run later on today.

  I started swim lessons for Grayson this week. He loves it so far. He's taking them with his little friend and they have a lot of fun together. It's so cute to see little kids interact with one another. Last class he got brave and jumped to me in the pool, of course he had to witness his friend doing it first to reassure himself haha he's a little chicken! Which is just fine with me. I'm not sure how much he's learning but I do know he's having fun. 

   I'm currently being luxurious and giving my feet a 'foot mask'. I didn't know there was such a thing, but there is. And I need it. My feet are nasty. 😳 Just one of the many perks of my love for running. I'll let you guys know what I think of it! 

   Another reason I want to start blogging again is because I want someplace where I can write about my weightloss efforts, which lately are non-existant. I know I need to look forward and focus on what I've accomplished but I also don't want to not reach my goal weight when I've come this far. I'm only 10 lbs away and you'd think after losing 80 it would seem easy, but lately it's felt daunting. That's why I want to start writing. To keep myself sane and accountable. 

  Well, that's all for now. 

xoxo,

Brittany 

New Blog, Same Blogger.

Hey Everyone,
So I am switching my blog over here. It was just easier to do through my primary email. Plus I am fairly certain that nobody was reading my other one anyways hah! If you're curious to see any of my old posts you can go on over to: 
http://ianuzified.blogspot.com

My hopes are for this to be a fresh start though and for me to be more consistent with my blogging! And youtubing! Lol people don't realize how much work it is to keep up on social media! My youtube channel is:
youtube.com/theianuzified


Okay, so now that you can fully stalk me... 8-) I want to talk about Mommy Life for a little bit. Grayson has seriously been such a sweetheart lately, (at times haha) and it makes me so happy. He is such the little mama's boy lately, and I am loving how cute he has been with me. He is growing up so fast and he really is my best friend. Having a baby has been one of the hardest and best things of my life. I never was one of those women that was "excited" about motherhood, I knew I'd have kids one day but I guess I never really thought I'd enjoy it as much as I do. Having this little person in my life is such a blessing. I can see why people have more kids. :)

As far as running goes, my mileage hasn't been where I want it to be lately. I've been doing more cross training with the stair master/elliptical. Prior to going to new york, I was having heel issues, so I decided to take it easy for a while, because I didn't want to injure myself any further. I hate getting injured. I really would like to start training for a full marathon. I really need to get new shoes! I want to go to a runner's store and have them fit me I'm nervous I still don't feel like I qualify as a runner. It's funny how with weight loss... at least for me... Idk if your mind ever fully catches up. I still sometimes feel like I did 85 lbs ago. I've done a lot of research on these mizuno stuft mama has talked about them on her blog. I want to try them on, but I will probably end up purchasing them online, since I've not seen them in any stores. It's going to be my hubby's christmas present to me haha I just know about it 8-) And aren't the colors so fun?!

I just found out that Urban Decay is coming out with a Naked 3 pallet. I am ABSOLUTELY obsessed with the naked line. I have both the first and second pallet plus the basics pallet and the flushed pallet. I really would like to try their foundation as well. I am excited that my area is getting an Ulta. I can tell I will probably spend way too much money there. I got a catalog in the mail the other day and was drooling over this Tarte Gorgeous Getaways Palette. I think it is such a good deal ($433 value!) And I've been wanting to try this line for a while now. I also would love to get their amazonian clay foundation. Now that it is winter, my skin is SO pale. I need to get more lighter foundations because I only have two that really work for me right now. I also really need to get a spray tan hah! The other product I actually got a chance to play with at Ulta when I was in new yorkwas the Naked Illuminated Shimmering Powder. I think this product is great for it's versatility because not only can you use it for it intended purpose, but I think it would also do a great job as an eyeshadow or hilight, and it is a product that would last you a LONG time, it's huge! And I also want to get a good makeup setting spray, do any of you have one you are in love with? #buyallthemakeup #makeupjunkie #addicted #beautyguru

Anyways, I am going to go run now, I've been procrastinating all morning, it's funny. At least my house is super clean now, and my laundry village has been folded. Having my little has made for SO MUCH laundry, it is seriously never ending. I want to start with my early morning workouts again. Or just working out before I eat breakfast. I've been really good with my workouts and eating clean lately. I've been stressed and I think now I just turn that into motivation, where before I'd just eat all the things. haha 8-) self made.

xoxo,
brittany