What's Up Wednesday!

Wednesday already! Phew! Things have been so busy, time is flying by. Thankfully the warm weather has arrived, which just makes all the crazy a whole lot more tolerable. That and lists. Lots of lists. Let's see what's been up with this amateur!

-Horses
 Not too much has happened at the farm. The boys are getting some fitness back, and it's finally warm enough to wash them so they smell a whole lot better! (Thanks goodness.) They all got new sheets too. Lucky kids!

-Dogs
Nothing new with the short kids really. P is on some antibiotics for a UTI (story of her life), but she seems to be feeling well!

-Running
I've been a pretty decent week in the training department... Well kind of. Good in some ways, not in others. Last Thursday I met Vanessa and Pepper for our regular 3 miler It was lovely!

Saturday I had lots of good intentions. I was running a 5K in the morning with my friend Tracy, and then hoped to run 6 more when I got back home to make up my long run for the weekend. But you know... the best laid plans and all that. Let's just say, the extra six never happened. But the 5K did, and it went great! I'll do a race recap in another post, but the meantime, here's a sweaty post run selfie.

Tuesday I thought, well maybe today will be a good day to get that split run finished... I'll do 4 in the morning and then 5 on the treadmill after I ride. Hahahahahaha! We all know that didn't happen. I DID manage to get up and go running before work. I only had time for 3, but I got them done! By the time I was done with the horses it was close to 9 and I was SO HUNGRY. I knew if I ate a meal I wouldn't run. But if I didn't eat a meal, I couldn't run. So I went with eating and not running. This may be why I'm chubby... I've decided to just accept that the 9 miler isn't happening. 10 this weekend though!

-Other stuff
My birthday was last Thursday! I love birthdays. Even if I am now officially an old spinster. My coworkers spoiled me at work with cake AND donuts!

My mom brought me Chinese food for dinner and a couple of my friends stopped by the house with cake! And you know, birthday's should last awhile, so my family took me out for dinner and more cake on Saturday night. (Maybe missing my long run isn't the cause of the chubby... maybe it's all the goodies...)
On a sad note, we lost a family friend to cancer on Wednesday. We spent Sunday celebrating his life. Funerals are never easy.

So that's what's been up this week! What's been up with all of you? Do anything exciting this past weekend? Run any races? Gone to any horse shows?

Truthful Tuesday

I bought black market Lilly for Target. I said I wouldn't do that. But I DID. <<Hangs head in shame>>

I'm sure you all saw on the news about the debacle that was the Lilly for Target release. I knew the collaboration was happening several months ago, as did every other Lilly Pulitzer and Target fan on the planet. I thought, well I can stay up till midnight and order a couple things. Only then the release was slated for midnight CA time. I wasn't doing THAT. I figured some things may be sold out by morning, but probably I could find something I wanted when I got up at 6:30. WRONG. So then I figured, well, I can take a ride up to Target and buy in store. I'm up early, and will be home in time to do the barn chores and what not. I got there at 9:10, ten minutes after they opened. NOT A THING WAS LEFT. NOTHING! I mean, they had even taken the displays down already. So I was like, well, that's a bummer. But really, it's Lilly for Target, not REAL Lilly Pulitzer. I was disappointed since there were some cute things at very reasonable prices I was interested in. But not so interested that I would pay real Lilly Pulitzer prices for any of it. And let me tell you, those shelf clearing ladies had it ALL up on ebay that very same day. At no less than FOUR TIMES the Target prices. Crazy.
Time went by, and this girl I follow on Instagram had a few items for sale at not too crazy prices. I think she maybe made 10 dollars over her cost. But still I was all nooooo, I'm not doing that! But then I caved. And I bought two items. Here they are:

Pink Eyelet Shorts and Pineapple flip flops. I just couldn't help myself. I wound up paying $80 for both including shipping. Had I bought them from Target they would have cost me around $60 with tax. My main reason for not wanting to buy from resellers is that it encourages people to run out and clear the shelves to make money off those of us who aren't insane enough to wait in line to buy things we don't need. But I do believe my Insta Friend found these items after people starting making returns. So she isn't really the problem. Not exactly. Irresponsible of me? Yes. But I have no regrets!

Have you ever bought items like this? Would you lose sleep and/or wait in crazy lines just to go shopping?

Snaks Fifth Avenchue Subscription

I'm always on the hunt for new and fun ways to spoil my four legged kids, you all know that! So when I stumbled upon Snaks Fifth Avenchue via Instagram, I was excited to try them out! Their premise is "If you can't eat it, why should they?" I love this, because Pia has many food allergies, and everything they make is safe for her. THAT's exciting! Even more exciting? They make treats for dogs AND horses. AND you can actually subscribe to a combo box rather than having two separate subs which could get pricey. If you opt for only dog or only horse, prices range from $25.00 per month to $31.00 depending on how long you subscribe for. The combo box is a little more, ranging between $30.00 and $35.00. Still much less than getting two subs! Obviously I wanted the combo for my kids!
I was actually impressed with the assortment of treats in my box when it arrived! It came in a plain white box, but I forgot to take a picture of it. Sorry! My only complaint was that nothing was labeled, so I didn't know which were dog treats and which were horse treats. Thankfully their customer service was quick to sort that out for me! And actually some of the treats are for both dogs AND horses. Let's see what was in there!

For the Pugs:
Pup Cakes:

 These are crunchy little mini muffins with frosting on top. The Pugs LOVED THEM!

Puptato Chips

I've given the kids "veggie rawhide" made from sweet potato which they enjoy, and just like their mom, they liked the chip version even better! I hope they send these again!

For the Ponies:
Crunch Cups

These Easter Themed crunch cups were ADORABLE! They're the horse version of the Pup Cakes. Clearly these were cuter though. The horses couldn't get enough of them.

BrowNeigh Bites:

I might have tasted one of these... They were delicious. You know, if I tried them. The horses thought they were the best things EVER.

For Dogs AND Horses:
Donut:

 

 I wish there were more than one of these in the box! I gave this one to Rio... because well, RIO! He loved it and asked for more.

Pony Pop Tarts/ Pup Tarts:

These are the same item with two names, depending on whether you order from the dog page or the horse page. But they're safe for either to enjoy. There were two in the package so while Rio ate the donut, Jamp and Ducky got one of these each. And they LOVED them!

All in all, I will admit that this subscription isn't cheap. But any gourmet treats have a hefty price tag. I think there was a good variety in the box and I feel that I got my money's worth. I'm not sure that I will get this box continually, year round, but I do think I'll do the 3 month sub from time to time. My kids certainly loved it!
You can also purchase treats individually from the site, but shipping is $15.00. I think the sub is the better deal. Snaks Fifth Avenchue does birthneigh cakes, and other fun things to celebrate  your four leggeds! If you haven't already, you can see the cake from Rio's Birthday here. If you're interested in trying out Snaks Fifth Avenchue head on over here to check them out!

Thursday's Threads: Birthday Suit

Hahaha! Just kidding. You didn't really think I'd bare it all on my blog did you? No one wants to see that! But it IS my birthday, so I'm wearing my favorite color, both for running and for work! MINT!
Here's today's ROOTD:

I won't show you everything since there are lots of repeats (shoes, tights, bracelet, watch). But here are closer looks at the top and the skirt:
Top: Champion

This one is nice and fleecy inside which was perfect for this morning's chilly run. Seriously, WHEN will it be above 40 in the morning?!
Skirt: Fila

This is probably my favorite skirt. It has mint stitching, so obviously that's a huge factor. But also, it fits really well. I was worried when I bought it because it doesn't have a draw string. But it stays in place nicely. The built in mint tights fit well too, no chaffing!

And now... Birthday outfit!

Pastels for my birthday! If you've been around awhile, you know I love mint. And lavender. And pink. And pretty much all things pastels. (And also neon, but that was yesterday.) Clearly I'm a child of the 80's. Jealous? You should be.

Top: Pink Rose

I forget where I found this one, but I'm guessing it was probably TJ Maxx or Marshalls? I wish it was a MD instead of a large, but I do recall it being the only one. And it's sort of cropped, so I like that it's a bit longer being a large. Love the basket weave stitching on it, and of course, the color!

Pants: DKNY

I don't know why these look gray in the photo... but in the picture above you can see that they CLEARLY are lavender. Those of you here from the start of Amateur at Large may recognize these. They were featured WAAAAAY back in one of my very posts. That makes these babies two years old. And I still love them. They're a bit tighter than they used to be... But I think they still work! (Please don't tell me they don't. I'd rather not know.)

Belt: C. Wonder

I'm not sure why this always looks upside down in photos. It's not, I promise. I have two of these belts and two buckles. This belt reverses to navy and the other one I have is black on one side, brown on the other. The other buckle is just gold toned, no color in the center. I can switch the buckles around making just two belts and buckles into endless combinations! So fun! Plus I got them on sale both times, so obviously a huge win!

Shoes: T.U.K.

Why yes, those ARE unicorns on my shoes. So kind of you to notice! I love all things pony, and since Unicorns are fancy ponies, obviously I love them too. I found these beauties on Modcloth. And while I may have overspent on them, I feel they were totally worth every penny. I mean, mint, pink, and lavender? WITH UNICORNS?! What's not to love? Oh and they're actually comfortable too.

Arm PARTY! And boy is it a party today!
Lefty:

I was a little ridiculously overboard with the matchy-matchy today, but it's my birthday and I can do that if I want to. Here on lefty are a few of my favorites from BaubleBar. Purple and mint spikes! Feminine, yet a little bad ass. Plus my trusty watch of course. I almost wore my mint watch... but honestly I forgot to swap. Can't go wrong with a gold watch anyway!

Righty:

I just couldn't make decisions this morning, so I wore all the pretties. ALL THE PRETTIES! I can't remember the brand on the first one up there... but it's mint, purple, and gold, so definitely one of my faves! I had gotten that one before Little Black Bag went away. Next is another from LBB, this is by ETK which I'm pretty sure is a division of Ettika. The other two are both from Ettika. So much love for these mixed media bracelets! I'm so glad it's the season to break them back out!

What are you wearing today? Are you dressing up like a five year old like me? I hope so!

What's Up Wednesday!

Holy Moly! I've had a torturously busy week at work. I leave exhausted, go home and ride (and get more exhausted), do stupid grown up things like clean the house and pay bills, and then go to bed exhausted. Wake up (exhausted) and do it all again! Waaah. But that's the life of a grown up I suppose. And it's not always so hectic. And I get to do it again EVERY DAY! We lost a close family friend today to cancer, and it put my crappy day right back into perspective. Cheers to tomorrow friends! (Also, tomorrow's my birthday. Extra grateful for tomorrows this year.)
Here's what's up this Wednesday!

Horses
 It was kind of a slow week for us. Lots of wind which made for exciting, yet not very productive rides, and also lots of rain which meant days off for the ponies and/or a soggy horse and rider. But we're plugging away, doing our best to regain some fitness. Jampy even jumped some little bitty jumps yesterday! I also earned a few extra dollars with a braiding job Friday and Saturday night (8pm-11pm both nights- no wonder I'm exhausted).

Moved the jumps around on Sunday

Rio's birthneigh cake!

Braiding clients

Ducky getting his roll on

Jampy scratching his back

Rio showing them how a real horse rolls

Running
I'm SLIGHTLY more motivated this week to get my runs done. I ran with Vanessa and Pepper again last Thursday. We ran 3 miles, at a slow comfortable pace. It's so nice to have some company and good conversation for a morning run!
Sunday I went for a long run. And boy was it long. At least it seemed that way. I decided to run intervals right from the start, and I'm not sure it was my best plan for me. I felt like I got tired faster, but also I ran more hills, so it's tough to say for sure if it was the terrain or the intervals. Regardless, I ran 4 miles, and then stopped for a water and gu break. Then I ran four more. I gave up on intervals for the last mile and just decided to run the whole thing. I actually didn't feel terrible, and I think I may try longer running portions for my intervals and see how that goes next time.
I was pretty sore after my 8 miler, so I skipped Tuesday's run. Feeling guilty I planned to do a couple miles today, but instead only had time for 1. But I did it! 1 mile in 9:45! Woohoo! Making a comeback.

8 miles! Ugh.

Pugs

I'm thinking about taking Artie running one of these days. I think he'd enjoy it, and with his less squishy face, I think it would be safe for him. Just short distances! P will stick with walks.

That's about it from here. Horses and work are taking up most of my time, and running the rest of it. But I'm hoping to find some time for bracelet making one of these days. And maybe even socializing! Haha... we shall see!

What's up with you today?

Truthful Tuesday

Today's confession: I love virtual road races. I love that I can participate in them when it's convenient. I love that I can pick my own route. And I especially love when they send medals! For the most part I've been really good about actually completing them too. There was just one that I flaked out on. Not too bad really!

My favorite virtual run to date was the Virtual Pug Run, which you can read about here. Proceeds went to helping needy dogs, and I got the most amazing medal. EVER.

There are three virtual races I have my eye on for 2015 (so far at least). But they aren't super cheap so I'm dragging my feet with registering. They all come with amazing bling though, so it's totally worth it... Right?
First up is the "Do you believe in Magic Dash" from Agent Outerware. Race dates May 30 - June 7. This is the medal:

Obviously I need that in my collection. Duh.

Next up is the Beat the Blerch race. This one is both a real race held in a few different locations AND a virtual run. The closest actual location to me is New Jersey. And it's really not that close. It comes with TONS OF SWAG! Race date: September 12

I'm a sucker for all that useless crap.

And last but not least, A Christmas Story 5K or 10K. This one is also both an actual race AND a virtual run. Obviously I'm not going to Ohio for this one, but I would love to run it virtually. Race date: December 5th. They haven't revealed what the medal will be just yet, but here are some past years models:

I need in on that for sure.

How do you feel about virtual races? I don't think they replace the experience of being at a real, in-person race, but I do love them none-the-less! Do you have any upcoming races your excited about?