Sunday, October 28, 2012

WEEKEND FUN

another weekend down.
and a great one it was. remind me again why weekends are only 2 days long?

after a busy thursday and friday at work, i wanted nothing more than to relax and have a little fun. and we did just that.  on saturday, g and I wen to chapada chophouse with some of our fave people before seeing carrie underwood live for the second time. there are a few artists i would pay to see more than once, and she is definitely one of them. not only does she have an amazing voice, but yes, i love her wardrobe changes and her to-die-for legs. 

the chophouse was delish! i highly recommend going. and if you can snag the 50% groupon i bought last week  - do it. carrie didn't disappoint either. jesus take the wheel  - gets me every time!

after a few hours of sleep [ i cannot wait to hit the sack tonight ] we got up cleaned house [much needed] and got ready for the kids' halloween party. since i didn't think we'd be out and about trick-or-treating this year, i wanted to get the  younger kids together to enjoy each others' costumes and halloween spirit. we had a great time with our great friends and their kiddos. the costumes were just too cute!

p.s. banks won the halloween costume contest at the WSU volleyball game friday - so darn awesome. he's winning already :) 

the weekend was great - too short - but, great. i'm hoping for an awesome week and a HAPPY HALLOWEEN! 

i hope ya'll enjoyed the guest blog last week. there will be a few more in the coming weeks - which means - MORE GIVEAWAYS!  


THE COSTUME! thank you mama morrow for all your help. although i think the most difficult part was finding green sweatpants! arghh.

Even though Banks is representing Michaelangelo - we went with the B!

The lego man!

the cutest clown

adorable monster!

ninja turtle and clown




Adeline the peacock


Everett the tiger!


post-costume mustaches. why not?




BFF and i before the concert

so happy mel's mama could come all the way from ND to rock out to carrie!

love these girls!

best friends.

OH. Did I mention? We booked our trip to CABO!!!! So excited to party it up on the beach with these 3 awesome people!

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

LINDSEY HANSON // GUEST POST





Hello all, I’m Lindsey Hanson from Hand-me-downs by HansonI am the proud wife of a hard working man and the mama to the most adorable lil boy ever!  My supportive husband works so hard to provide for his family, allowing me to pursue both of my passions, being a stay-at-home mom and re-finishing furniture.  I created my blog to help inspire others to turn their own hand-me-downs into something new and beautiful. 

I was so honored when Tessa invited me to guest post on her fantastic blog.  She is such an inspiration to me.  I love reading about her incredible life journey of becoming a new mom and training for her first marathon.  The fact that she even has time to create such fabulous custom invitations on top of all that just amazes me.  She’s truly a modern day Wonder Woman!  :) 

Twin size headboard gets re-purposed!

I recently was given this fabulous little headboard.

It has been sitting in my garage collecting dust for far too many weeks.  During one of my late night strolls on Pinterest I stumbled upon a bench tutorial done by one of my favorite bloggers, The LetteredCottage.  You can see their tutorial here. After that I knew I HAD to use that headboard to make my very own bench.  I enlisted the help of my handy husband and off to Lowes we went! 

We measured our headboard to determine what height and width to make our bench.  We decided to use 2x4’s for the frame.  After making sure it was good and sturdy (and level) we attached the top piece (plywood).  For the front and sides we used beadboard panelling. 

We then attached the L-shaped trim pieces (you’ll need to miter the ends to fit properly) around the top and sides and our 1x4 around the base.

The last step was attaching the actual headboard, we used long screws to make sure it was good and attached!  Then I filled all the nail heads and gaps with wood filler.

Here is what she looked like prior to her paint job.  (Can you see the potential?)  



I had to stain the raw wood because I wanted to distress the piece after it was painted and wanted the new wood to match the stain on the headboard.  After that dried I put two coats of Behr Black Suede in satin on the entire piece.  A little distressing and a couple coats of polycrylic and she was ready for her close up!


I searched and searched for some clearance pillows for my bench but everything I loved was $20-40 bucks a pillow!  So, I dusted off the sewing machine and made a trip to the fabric store.  I made these three pillows for $9.00!!!  Are they perfect, NOPE.  Do I love them anyways, YES!




It’s just the right piece of furniture for our entryway.  That’s the beauty of custom making a piece, you can make it just the right size to fit your space. :)  I hope that you enjoyed this project, please ask any questions you might have in the comment section below.  I realize I didn’t get very many pictures of the whole process, so sorry. 

Stay tuned for the tutorial on the coat rack above the bench!

Please follow me to keep up with all my current projects and to learn how to transform your own home on a budget!  You can find my pieces that are available for purchase on Hand-me-downs by Hanson’s facebook page under the “For Sale” album. 

Thanks again for reading!

Who would like to be the owner of this beautiful vintage mirror turned chalkboard?  It would be perfect to display your Thanksgiving menu on. :)  It measures 24.5” W and 17.5” H (20.5” w/top piece) .  I will deliver/ship it to the winner, US participants only please.





To enter the giveaway, simply follow my blog (if you haven’t already) by clicking on the “Join this site” tab on the right of the page, next follow this blog [Konen & Co] by clicking the "Join this site" tab on the left hand sid  and then leave a comment below saying you did so. 

For a second chance to enter the giveaway like Hand-me-downs by Hanson on Facebook and share a comment about the giveaway on the Hand-me-downs by Hanson Facebook page.  

That's it!  Comments will be closed and giveaway ends on Friday, October 26th, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. (Central Time).  I will choose one winner randomly Friday night and announce the winner on Saturday morning, October 27th, 2012.  Good luck! :)




Sunday, October 21, 2012

RELAXED. WHAT?

it's been a long time since i've been able to say that i've felt relaxed.

it feels fab-u-lous. i'm gonna go ahead and enjoy it for another hour before i go to bed and then tomorrow i wake up and it's monday and all the stress i back.

we had a great weekend starting with a get together with friends on friday, pumpkin patch on saturday and church & website work on sunday. i don't think i've had a weekend that was so 'un-busy' for like  a year. speaking of a year, banks' 1st birthday is right around the corner and i've been busy designing all of his birthday party props. pretty excited to share that post :)

banks' halloween costume is one piece of fabric away from being complete! so pumped. although i'm not going to share what he's gonna be, just yet, i will say that i looked for green sweats and sweatshirt for a good 2 months solid. IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND. i'm sure in another week or two you'll find them everywhere just in time for christmas, but let me tell you, i thought i had come up with the easiest costume to make, wrong. i've spent hours and hours looking for dang green sweats. i finally managed to find some in a brand that only goes up to 9 months [b is wearing mostly 12] but i decided we wouldn't dry them and they should fit for that one special October 31 day. oh, and the 28th - we're having a kids halloween party and i'm so excited to see all of the cute kiddos next weekend in their outfits!

before i go on a photo rampage i have exciting news - website proof #2 is complete and it should be ready to launch on november 1 as planned - i'm loving the look and feel like it's going to be a SUCCESS! i'm so so excited.

okay, here goes photo rampage! he's too cute, i have to take pictures every second.







daddy went downstairs












Thursday, October 18, 2012

RANDOM RAMBLINGS

ahh. life is good. 

after 2 days of not being able to move due to extreme gluteus maximus and quad soreness i'm 100% back to normal. sweet. and i havent' worked out in 4 days. awesome. well, i did mow the lawn, but after running 26.2 miles, walking around the yard seems like nothin'.  i'm giving myself this week off. back at it on monday for the next half marathon in November. definitely looking forward to that!

been working on the new website a lot this week and i cannot wait to share it with you all. it's seriously legit. i'm loving the design and feel of everything. i'm hoping to launch November 1. so, stay tuned. you won't wanna miss out. by the way. do you know how to stay tuned? i didn't think so. see that button over there on the left [ if you don't see it... scroll down]? it says [ join this site ] yea. click that. and thank you so much in advance for joining konen & co. we love our blog friends :)

and even though the website isn't launched, i've been busy designing lots of 1st birthday and baby shower invites and save the dates. i've had a few inquiries for wedding invitations, as well, and I can't wait to get started on all things design. need something? be sure to email me. tessa.jmk@gmail.com [new email will come with the new website]

i'm really loving phillip phillips and his sexy self and his song Home. it just makes my day. right now? what am i listening to? Usher - Nice and Slow. old school and lovin' it.

banks and i got some bonding time tonight while dad hit the weights. love this kid so much. i can't believe how fast he changes. the kid has 100 different looks. but, i think he's looking a lot like my dad. just love him. he's saying ba ba [ bottle ], mama, dada and ball. he also says 'maaa'  [ more ] because he's always wanting more food - takes after  his mama.
speaking of food - tonight's dinner convo:
g "have you eaten dinner yet?"
me "no."
g "what do you wanna do?"
me "i'll probably just eat ice cream."

i seriously have a sweets problem and i'm totally okay with that.

b and i get to stay home tomorrow [ babysitter is sickly ] and i already have our day planned: fall decor and halloween costumes! we're pumped.

we have lots of new, exciting blog stuff coming next week. guest posts, giveaways and much, much more. super excited about everything happening right now and can't wait to share it with ya'll.

well, back to website design content. seriously, you'll love it. so, click that button to the left and join!


Monday, October 15, 2012

MARATHON [26.2]

marked the marathon off of the bucket list this weekend.
26.2 miles of running completed. didn't stop once. no walking. no stopping. i did it.
4 whole dang hours and 11 minutes later, i crossed the finish line and earned by gigantic medal & t-shirt that reads "marathon finisher".

 the night before the race i felt a lot like i did before an important basketball game in college. anxious, nervous, envisioning different circumstances in my head. if she goes over the screen vs. under the screen i do this vs. that was compared to if i feel like this at mile 10 or this at mile 20 i can slow down vs. speed up.the morning of the race i felt the same way. i couldn't believe the time was FINALLY here. 

some people know my goal was 4 hrs. but, then again how do you set a goal if you've never done something before? the other part of my goal was to run the entire 26.2 miles. no walking. no stopping to take a break. well, i accomplished half of that. no walking and no stopping minus the 4 hrs and 11 minute race. we can agree to disagree, but i think that's the most difficult part of running a marathon, or any race at that. anyone can 'run' a marathon if they stop and walk, or take breaks. the hard part is not stopping. in my opinion, you didn't run a half-marathon or run a marathon if you walked. like i said, we can agree to disagree, but not stopping is the mentally and physically toughest part of the race.

so, wanna know what running 26.2 miles is like? well, it's actually indescribable, but i'll do my best.

there are TONS of people. TONS. it's crowded and overwhelming at first.  i was used to this part since i had ran two 1/2 marathons before, so this didn't freak me out, but that's the way it all begins. Alli and i started out toward the front and had a good pace the first mile around 8:30.  legs were good, and all was well in the running world. we ran into bret around MILE 5 and tossed out our long-sleeves that we were wearing. shortly after that a old man in underwear length spandex passed us which gave us a good laugh.
we then ran into garrett, banks, my mom and dad at MILE 8. we were feeling really good and passed this mile marker at 1 hr 4 min. an 8 minute pace - very happy with that. 

at mile 9 we got our first water/gatorade, and took one gulp before throwing our cups to the side. it's a definite task trying to drink while running.
at mile 10 we shared a package of GU Chomps - watermelon - my fave.
we saw Amber, Pat right before the 13.1 marker, and Steve gave us a big high five at the exact 13.1 mark. we recorded our first half of the marathon at 1 hour 54 minutes. at this point i still thought it was a good possibility to finish under 4 hours, but what did i know, i hadn't ever run 26.2 miles before.

we headed back down the path we ran the first 3 miles on [down Douglas] from mile 14-17. around mile 14.5 we saw our whole gang - my mom, dad, steve, kathy, garrett, bret, mel, laney, banks, pat and amber. mom ran out on the street with 4 ibuprofen and water bottle, while alli got hers from her family.

side note: [ my diamond earring fell out while trying to adjust my headphones and i caught it mid-air, impressive right? tucked that into my belt the rest of the way ]

 they were cheering loud with encouraging words which is the best part of the race. everyone is so friendly and encouraging. no one wants to you to fail. everyone wants you to do your very best and ensures you that they are 100% behind you. it's a great feeling. in fact, it's seriously the reason i encourage you to train for something like a marathon. it will awaken you to kindness and encouragement.

speaking of kindness and encouragement - thank you to everyone [friends & family] for your support via email, phone, text.. all if it was so much appreciated! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

at mile 16.5 a young boy was handing out GU, grabbed a package and downed about 3/4 of it. it was tri-berry, and it tasted like pure pepto bismol. nasty. that was the closest i came to throwing up during the race.

around mile 18, Alli's legs were apparently feeling better than mine, as she stepped up her pace a bit. i decided to keep my pace, as i was feeling pretty comfortable and didn't want to overdo it and have to walk. 

saw the rents, g and banks again at mile 19, pat and amber at 19.5 and mel and  bret at 20. amber couldn't wait to hear my comparison about labor vs. marathons post-race, and i think at the 19.5 mile marker i told her "just for the record, natural labor is way worse".

and so the pain begins, at mile 20 i hit the wall. honestly, it wasn't a wall i couldn't get passed, obviously, but it was a wall. people ask what it feels like? Well, it feels something like doing a wall sit [correctly] for an hour. mile 20 - 26.2 took an hour to run and i felt as if i was doing a wall sit the entire time. basically shaking while running [ if that's possible ]. mile 22 was the toughest. at mile 23 one awesome guy had a keg of pabst blue ribbon on the street. i totally grabbed a BEER and chugged it. it was the best tasting beer i've ever had. the water, the gatorade and the gu were all luke warm. this beer, was ICE COLD. and it was delicious. 

as i downed my beer i passed a lady who was being strapped to a stretcher and had an ambulance waiting. to be honest, this freaked me out just a little. i was aware that i had been running for 3+ hours and it was quite warm, and i really hadn't downed a whole lot of liquids during the race.

i passed mile 23 [ part of this mile was through sand, really!?] and thought to myself. you are one 5k away from completing the marathon!  mile 24 seemed to be never-ending and once i saw the mile 25 marker i was overcome by pure joy. i was 1.2 miles away. i stepped up my speed just a bit as i was going to finish strong. i passed several people in the last mile, which helps the confidence. everyone was commenting on every runner "good job" "you're almost done" "nice work" "you got it, 458"

saw miss carly the last 300m and i picked up the pace a big over the bridge and finished out the last 200m of my first marathon with pure enjoyment. 

i did it.

i'm happy. i'm sore. but,  i'm not satisfied.

right? you'd think i would be. and it actually makes me mad that i'm not. the last few months of training have been hard, time-consuming and a bit of a headache, but overall, it's what i love to do. compete. i already want to do another one, and I'm really starting to think i'm crazy. it's the athlete inside of me that just needs to compete, practice and train for one specific goal.


 this is where i become too competitive. i won't stop marathoning until that 4 hr goal is met, which i honestly think i could easily do the second time around. i now, know what to expect throughout the race and i would train a little differently than i did this go-around.

and for the record, 17 hours of natural labor is MUCH MORE painful than running a marathon. it's really not too comparable.

well, bucket list. you are one item shorter.