Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!
Heidi made me this beautiful antique spoon magnet. Thanks, Heidi!
Oh.....and here's a picture of Krokaner (also fondly called "Bridges"):
And here's our house and our winning sign!!
Hope you had a beautiful day!
Want a fun Mary Engelbreit free desktop background? Click here:
MaryEngelbreit.com | Free From ME | Desktop Backgrounds | Joy Background
Wrapped up lots of gifts today and sent them from coast to coast (literally!).
Talked to one of my sisters in Oregon TWO TIMES today!! I haven't talked to her in months! What a treat! She's always so loving, sweet and supportive.....you just feel a hug the minute you hear her "Hello!" ....really....I'd post her number so you could call her and see what I mean, but I don't think she'd appreciate that.
Had Christmas dinner and a gift exchange with friends.
Went shopping. Gave my husband a list and he went shopping......He just told me he bought some things that weren't on the list too!!!!
Got the house ready for Grandma and Grandpa who arrived tonight!
Thought about making cookies, but never found the time....but, Peparkaker (Swedish gingerbread), Spritz, Ting-A-Lings, and Krokaner (also fondly called "Bridges") are all in my near future! Oh..... and the Seven Minute frosting to go on top of some them, too....and don't forget the Sprinkles!
See the Krokaner in the back?? They really do look like brides!
Hope your day was Merry and Bright! (That wasa tie in to the Mary Engelbreit link above!)
Yahoo!! Today was our group's last long run before our big event at the Disney Marathon in January!! We ran TWENTY-SEVEN MILES today. Whew!!! It was challenging. I think I ate 5 packs of Jelly Belly Sports Beans....plus a banana...half of a granola bar and lots of water. No more new clothes buying this time. It was a beautiful day though. Finished just in time to pick up my kids after school. Time for some ice....I already took Alleve.
Now time for Christmas!!! Cookies???? Bring them on!
CLICK ON THIS:
YouTube - Straight No Chaser - 12 Days
This is definitely worth the 3 and half minutes it takes to watch!
MY DAY TODAY:
Drove, kissed, ran, breakfasted, read, cleaned, laundered,
raked (and raked, and raked), mowed, watched more leaves fall, snacked, showered, drove, watched, called, drove more,
homeworked (well, I helped my daughter), drove, homeworked more, drove, snuck a 15 minute nap in the grocery store parking lot, got a cup of coffee at Starbucks to make it through the evening, shopped,
drove, admired our lit up and decorated house, dinnered, read Christmas cards, cleaned, laundered,
picked up beads that had fallen on the floor, called out spelling words, gave out bedtime hugs,
cropped photos, bagged teacher gifts, opened packages (fun!!!), gave out more bedtime hugs, helped son find cookie recipe (he was making a chocolate chip pan cookie for his friend's birthday tomorrow, laundered some more,
shrunk a size 14 sweater to about a size 6 -- biggest shrinking job I've EVER done, treated myself to some dark chocolate covered almonds,
Survivored, gave out more bedtime hugs, blogged......on the way upstairs to give out more bedtime hugs (....my oldest snuck upstairs without telling me goodnight).
Good night.
Tonight David and I put up our Christmas wreaths...one for every front window and one for the door.....twelve total......we hung them on long red ribbons.....if you get lucky I'll post a photo in a day or two. Tomorrow I'll put the swags in the dormer windows in the attic. Happy Christmas!
Oh....and I ordered our Christmas photos......I'm running a little late this year....but we did enjoy our company this weekend....David's cousin Carl.
Oh......and I did wrap three gifts today for three very special children who live in Atlanta!
Oh....and I did run 12 an a half miles this morning with my friends.....I was a bit tired.....maybe because I just did 13 on Friday.....or maybe because I ran in a 5K race with my daughter on Saturday.....it was called the Reindeer Romp.....the t-shirts have a mean looking reindeer on the front....which is highly appropriate.....my son was running in the race and his friend right in front of him got hit by a (rein-)deer in the middle of the race....they both were going quite fast, so it could have been disastrous....but luckily he just spun around and got knocked off the trail a bit, but kept going. This is a true story....and it wasn't a small deer either.
Oh....and my husband got a trophy for placing in his age group!!! The trophy has a reindeer on it. So, watch out for reindeer if you go running this month!!
So, did you know that tomorrow is Sinterklaas Day?
A girl in my daughter's class celebrates Sinterklaas Day to honor her Dutch heritage. The family so kindly ordered Dutch Chocolate letters (traditionally given to each child on this day) for each student in my daughter's class -- ordered months in advance to insure the timely arrival. The mother of the girl called me and told me she was terribly sorry, but that the letter clearly stated that they may contain nuts. I frequently have to provide safe alternatives for my daughter who has severe food allergies; so last night I made my daughter a lovely "C" for her to have tomorrow on Sinterklaas Day.
If you'd like to read about Sinterklaas Day, check out this web site which gives one family's experiences (Be sure to notice the vintage boxes for the chocolate letters on the left of the page):
Saint Nicholas Kids ::: One Family's Experience
We had a beautiful day here today.....the leaves here have been a little late falling....so today, was MAJOR leaf raking day. We got our yard cleared front and back.....with all six of us working on it. Afterward we looked over at our neighbor's yard and we felt a little sorry for them as there yard was COVERED. Our neighbors have two little boys and the mom is expecting again soon.....we know they're busy......so we decided to go next door and give them a hand. We had a load of fun doing it, too......we raked a HUGE PILE and then took turns jumping into the pile!! Hope your first day of December was fun, too!
I made the Pumpkin Chocolate Chip bread yesterday....it was really EASY and quite good! Definitely a possibility for random Christmas gifts! And it looked JUST LIKE THE PICTURE!!!! We ate one loaf, and I gave the other to a friend.
I had my doctor's appointment for my foot...the MRI didn't show any strass fractires, which is good....so, the doctor thinks it must be tendonitis. I'm going to take a couple weeks of prescription strength anti-inflammatories.
I cleaned out Grace's closet tonight and got three bags of clothes to give away. She's growing so fast. She can practically wear her sister's clothes!
We have a medium long run tomorrow---maybe 13 or so. Took it easy today with only 3 miles and walking up all the hills.
I went shopping today at a little mall that I never go to. It was fun discovering things I don't normally see. I bought two darling snowflake cookie cutters....go over and see Heidi's on her November 27th blog: http://journals.aol.com/hwoodred/everyday-cookies/
I'm feeling like a real athlete today....I went and got an MRI tonight to check on the lingering foot pain I've had since August....funny thing is I've had the least trouble with it the past seven days...ah well.
The whole MRI experience was quite interesting. It's very loud, so they give you ear plugs. You have to hold perfectly still....for kind of a long time. They take quite a few series of images. Some series last only 2 or 3 minutes. The longest was about 8 minutes. Thankfully only the lower half of my body had to go into the machine, so I didn't have to find out just how claustrophobic I really am.
I mostly just closed my eyes and daydreamed about whatever popped into my head. The loudness of the machine kind of lulled me into dreamy state....sort of like when you fly in a loud airplane.
I ran 6 miles this morning. Quite foggy out. We've decided to do a semi-long run on Thursday since we had to alter our schedule slightly because of the holidays (Thanksgiving and Christmas)......originally we had a the 24 mile run scheduled for Thanksgiving Day----we all decided that really wouldn't work too well. Ha!
I found a recipe I want to try as a possible gift idea:
Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread Recipe - - MyRecipes.com
Rating: 
2 cups sugar
2 cups canned pumpkin
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup fat-free vanilla pudding
4 large egg whites
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Cooking spray
Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture, stirring just until moist. Stir in chocolate chips.
Spoon batter into 2 (8 x 4-inch) loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pans on a wire rack, and remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.
32 servings(serving size: 1 slice)
CALORIES 152(30% from fat); FAT 5g (sat 1.2g,mono 2.5g,poly 1.1g); PROTEIN 2g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 10mg; SODIUM 137mg; FIBER 1.1g; IRON 1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 26.5g
My baby turned 17 today.
He has "running blood" in him......did you know I ran up until about 7 1/2 months when I was pregnant with him? I remember being careful not to let my pulse get too high.
I only ran three miles today, but a bit faster with a different friend who happened to be out on the trail today. She played field hockey in college and now referees field hockey games. I took Friday and Saturday off after our 24 mile long run last Thursday and then plugged away to get in one mile on the treadmill on Sunday night....whew!!!!....boring!!!! I guess I'm spoiled with so much outdoor running. It really has been beautiful on the trails lately....so much Fall color above and underfoot. I love looking for pretty leaves all the time, but especially when I'm running.
Happy Thanksgiving!
I ran 24 miles today.
It was rainy.
It was wet.
It was windy.
It was chilly.
We stopped at a running store after 12 miles and bought dry clothes and socks.
All things considered, I'm feeling pretty good tonight.
After today, I think I can actually go the marathon distance (26.2).
Tomorrow, I'm taking it easy being a 3rd grade substitute teacher!
Wish me luck. :)
This is me yesterday at Mile 13......1/10th of a mile to go ( .........and boy did it ever feel like MUCH more than only a tenth of a mile!).
Some friends came to cheer me on....that was wonderful! Also, I found out today that another friend was praying for me during the whole race.....Wow! That really meant a lot to me. When I ran track in college, I always called my mom to tell her exactly what time my events would occur so that she could pray for me......I didn't call her about this race, so I felt so honored that my friend would remember to pray to God for me.
Okay.....so I admit that I'm just a little SORE in my hamstrings today!
I did it!!
I completed my first Half Marathon today with my friends!
I got 30th in my age group and ran sub 2 hours!! (1:53:49 was my "chip" time...overall pace 8:42 per mile).
Here's my medal:
(It looks gold here, but it's actually a very pretty silver.)
Oh.....and I got one of those really cool silver finisher's blankets, too!!
Naptime!
So, my friends and I are gearing up for our next big event this weekend:
The Raleigh's inaugural "City of Oaks" Marathon and Half-Marathon....we're doing the half marathon (13.1 miles).
Currently most of us are still recovering from the last few weeks long and hard runs......I know I am....yesterday was our first dip into morning temps in the 30's......makes your lungs a little tighter. I took my asthma medicine last night and this morning, and was out their this morning for my last 6 miler before the half marathon......it was better than yesterday.
But, we're glad we got a few cold runs in, as it's supposed to be chilly this weekend, too.
So a friend I run with sent me a link to a very cool site:
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/
Go check it out. You can zoom into where you walk or run and then double click on various points to chart your course and see the distance covered. Then you can click on elevation and even see the elevation (how much you go uphill or downhill0 on your course. Pretty cool. You can use the satellite version if you need to see actual buildings, etc. Let me know what you think.
I ran 20 miles today.
It took a long time.
My feet hurt.
I only made it because of the 3 friends I was running with.
We tried the Power Bar recovery powder afterward.
Here's the front door at night:
And here are some fun yard stakes:
One broke....so I hung the piece on the house by the door:
Occasionaly I stumble across something someone else has written that I really relate to---one was a book a read a few years back that was written in encyclopedia form---I so totally related to the woman---I think she was born just a year before or after me, so we had several similar life experiences. I was so inspired that I even started my own encyclopedia entries of things from my life. I don't know where it is now....I stumble across it every now and again....which brings me to why I'm writing this blog.......I stumbled across the following blog today and could really relate.....Look at the Thursday Aug 2, 2007 post: http://expatriateskitchen.blogspot.com/2007/08/incredible-shrinking-brain.html
Here's an excerpt from the above blog:
I heard about a study published sometime last year, I forget the date, about women's brains shrinking during pregnancy. My first instinct was to laugh and guess that the study was likely done by men with stay at home wives. Here's the actual story and some good commentary on it.
See, I have my own theory on this whole idea. I don't think my brain got any smaller at all, I think that post childbirth, I am now trying to cram so much into it by remembering everything for me, for work, for my spouse and now my child, that there's just a whole lot more to cart around up there. There is no more vast, open space up there to contemplate things such as the meaning of life, the mystery of the universe, or why anyone finds Paris Hilton interesting.
No more space for such pursuits. At. All. Instead, we women must now drag around the following information at all times:
So today was an interval training day in our marathon training plan. We were supposed to do 7 mile repeats at or just below race pace.....which I think is around 9 min 30 sec. After some discussion, we decided to change it to repeat half miles as we hadn't really done any mile repeats up to this point.
I was late to meet the group, so I ran the first 3 "warm up" miles very hard in order to catch up to the group...which I did at about the half way point of the 3 mile loop. I almost gave up after the first half mile and they weren't even in site. I turned around and started walking back to meet them after they finished, but then I told myself, "NO! Don't give up!" I was feeling pretty crummy after perhaps too many miles this past week, and several late nights and long drives to my two son's soccer games....but I turned back around and KEPT GOING! I was so happy when I did catch up. :)
Then a friend and I set off to a place on the trail that has mile markers (and 1'4 and 1/2 markers) and we decided to give the half mile repeats a try. We ran them faster than race pace, since they weren't mile long....our goal pace was 8 min/mile pace. So we ran 4:02, 3:50, 3:52, and 3:55. It was very HARD....especially the hilly parts. We came to the conclusion that four half mile repeats were good enough and we switched to quarter mile repeats. We did four of those between 1:37 to 1:58. The last one was particularly tough. Then we walked back to the cars and ate some Jelly Belly Sport Beans (Like candy Gatorade) and drank some water. Then we ran another mile and walked another 1/2 mile to warm down.
After some house work and a shower I went to my daughter's class to help celebrate her birthday. I had sent in the birthday treat in the morning.....cookie dough pressed in to a baking pan frosted with homemade butter cream frosting and topped with green sprinkles and cute pumpkin candies.
After school I watched my other daughter play intramurals (volleyball), then took the girls home for a quick snack, some homework and then we were off to soccer practice. Busy day.
Right now David and I are working on birthday party invitations.....but we have to put that aside as my son #2 is waiting for us to come watch our taped copy of tonight's Survivor......which consequently has been a little over the top this year.
Here are the invitations....pretty cute don't ya' think!
So this week in running has been interesting. Tuesday, after running 3 miles, I did some 400 meter repeats on the track with some friends at 30 seconds faster than her marathon pace. We did 8 all together (that's 2 miles).
Then today, I ran 3 miles to warm up, then a HARD 5K. I was breathing hard and there was no talking. Then we ran 3 to cool down, then three more to reach our nine goal. A friend still had 5 extra miles to do, so I went over to the track with her and did another mile and a half. I was tired when it was all done. Sometimes it feels good to DO A LITTLE EXTRA.
Gotta go....David's waiting to watch Survivor!
Interesting coincidence......on my word-of-the-day calendar today, my word was SHOFAR.....I guess because today is Yom Kippur. Interesting because the word is somewhat unusual and that word is in the title of the Francine Rivers book that I'm currently reading --And the shofar blew.
David and I went out for some dessert with friends tonight....that was fun.
I felt fairly accomplished today as I:
*glazed almost 2 dozen plates in the church's ceramic studio
*processed another 8 new books for the church library
*bought a new pair of running shoes
*went to a wedding shower (bought the gift at Target right before)
*went to my daughter's soccer game
*had guests for dinner (David did most of the cooking)
*baked a batch of brownies
*fixed a clogged sprinkler head
*got a pedicure
Smile. I promised myself that from now until the marathon I will go get a pedicure after every run longer than 10 miles. She worked off a couple call that I had created on this weeks long run. Got my toenails painted red. I generally like red for fall and winter and hot pink for spring and summer.
I ran 16 miles yesterday....well, actually 16 and a half miles. My knees hurt a bit. We pushed the pace quite a bit compared to last week's 13 miler....or was it 14??
I work in our church library....sporadically.....poor readers...well, I do let people "preview" books for me that I haven't processed yet. Anyway, a friend helped me on Wednesday, and we processed 24 books. Then, today I did 16 more. Maybe I should read the first 16 pages of our next church book club book, And the shofar blew, by Francine Rivers. It's next Sunday night, and I'm leading the discussion. My mother always told me that's what deadlines are for....to actually get you to do what you're supposed to.
Why don't YOU go read 16 pages of your favorite book at hand!
So today, my fun sister-in-law finished her ninth piece of art in nine days.....pretty cool....check it out:
She also mentioned that in her piece today she used an escutcheon......an "SAT" word......well, that made me think of an SAT word that I had last week on my Page-A-Day tear off calendar:
ennead: (noun) a group of nine
I was pretty excited when I saw this word, because, you see, I am part of an ennead........an ennead of children, that is. I am number 8 of 9 children......we have a pretty cool pattern---as my sister Heidi explained in her blog a few days back
Everyday Cookies at Sweet Woodruff Acres
Now I don't remember exactly how many days ago.....but if you look a few blogs back, you can see some cute dresses she made to represent all the girls in the family..........what about the boys, Heidi?? Overalls??
I took a photo of the page-a-day calendar, which I accidentally tore.....but then taped......thank heaven for tape............but for some reason, the past few days I have been unable to upload photos.
Gotta go..........my son needs the computer.
Go find an interesting word. :)
Made some yummy Raspberry Cobbler In A Skillet last night for David-- he loves this stuff. Turned out better than the first time I made it.. Here's the recipe form Southern Living.....it's really easy.....Berry Cobbler Recipe - Fruits - MyRecipes.com
Yesterday was our jump from 9 to 13 miles in our training plan for the Disney Marathon in January......we actually ran 13 and 3/4 miles. It was long. It was pretty slow (we walked up 75% of the hills). And it was a little difficult. By the end my three little toes on my left foot felt squashed, and my legs were pretty dirty. We ran most of the run on a hilly dirt trail. We might need to call it a jog, because we were going very slowly, and we even had periodic walk breaks. I must say, however, that I am surprisingly not that tired or sore today (or even yesterday afternoon after the run.....so Galloway's run/walk plan must have something to it!!!)
I was looking ahead on our schedule and noticed that next week is supposed to be 16 miler. Yikes. One of the 4 ladies signed up to run the Disney Marathon is headed to Hawaii today to run a Half Marathon there. In our running group there are also 2 other ladies signed up to do the Disney HALF Marathon......so that brings our Disney total to 7. There are probably at least a half dozen or more in our group who are doing neither, but they are lending us their moral support.
So, for any who might know or care, I am having my yard redone this week.......top to bottom pretty much in the front, and an irrigation system and some new grass in the back. I had a truck accidentally discharge 30 gallons of Hydraulic Fluid into my yard last April. Half of my front yard (sod, plants, trees, shrubs, flowers, dirt) had to be dug out and tested for Hydraulic Fluid in order to clean up and then certify that our spill site was clean. Unfortunately. the company responsible has been quite unreasonable in how much they say they are willing to pay to put back what was damaged/removed. So I'm still fighting that battle. We are moving forward though.....and Monday when the nice GREEN sod comes, I will be able to look at an expanse of GREEN in my front yard instead of the SAND PIT that I was looking at all summer. This morning I got to go the nursery and pick out all my replacement trees and shrubs....that was Fun!! I stuck with some of my old plants, but also am trying some new ones.
Old: Lamb's Ear, Bee Balm, Red Maple, Butterfly Weed, Dianthus, Aster, Butterfly Bush, Winter Daphne, Blue Mist Spiraea
New: Wax Mrytle, Lavender, Catnip, Coreopteris, And one more that I can't remember at the moment......maybe I'll try and post some photos.
Bee Balm:
So, yesterday, a few ladies in my running group and I sat down over breakfast at a local coffee shop to come up with our training plan for the upcoming Disney marathon. We're basically going to loosely follow the Jeff Galloway plan for completing a marathon. We're only about 19 weeks out, so this week's long run was a 9 miler; we did that this morning. The longer runs are at a slower pace, and we let ourselves walk up the steeper hills.
It's a little daunting to look at the schedule and see a 20 miler, a 23 miler and a 26 miler. One foot in front of the other......I think I can, I think I can, I think I can!!!!
Have a wonderful weekend.....maybe YOU can squeexe in a little run.....that's how it all starts......
Wow.....2nd week of school done for my kids and also the 2nd full week of getting back to running/training for my Disney Marathon!! I got in 25 miles this past week. After 6 this morning, I was actually quite tired...........although staying up past midnight every night this week certainly contributed, too. Yawn! This morning we had TEN LADIES in our running group!!
I actually made the baked in an iron skillet berry cobbler recipe from Southern Living that I posted a few blogs back....i used two 12 ounce bags of frozen raspberries....it turned out great....served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream of course..........it was SUPER easy, too!! I was trying to figure out how I could get a sugary film on the bready part like Heidi (Everyday Cookies) puts on her blackberry pie crust. Yum!!
A friend told me today about how many women runners do not get enough magnesium. Searched a little online and found a good list of natural food sources. I put it up in my pantry, but I think I may go buy some low dose supplements, too. I've decided that extra B6, iron, and vitamin C are working well for me.
Here's some deer in my backyard:
You may or mat not know that I really love flowers....and I love to have fresh flowers on my table. I try to buy long lasting ones to be more thrifty. My mother once told me an old saying about buying flowers..............It meant so much to me that I had her write it in my Bible! Here it is for you to read:
So here's my flowers on the table today!
"Feed body and spirit!" ......Go put some flowers on your table. :)
Okay, I must really want to get this blog out, because this is my FOURTH attempt! I have several links in here, and somehow in looking for the links, I inadvertently closed this box and lost my work....three times!!!!. But I really believe in "If at first you don't succeed try, try, (and try and try) again!
So today was the first day of school....now, I do LOVE summer, but I also do very much enjoy the routine of our back-to-school schedule. This morning after breakfast, getting ready, first day of school photos, and dropping off my four children at their respective school, I got to go RUNNING!!!
I ran six miles on the trail...the first three with friends (RUNNING WITH A BUDDY IS ALWAYS EASIER!. The last half of the second three got a little harder....it was quite hot out and my knees started hurting (my Achilles heel). So, I let myself walk a bit.
Then I went and got my favorite granola on vanilla yogurt, and under fresh strawberries and bananas. When I finished, I took my van straight to the car wash, as the last thing my older daughter said when she got out of the van and got her stuff from the trunk was, "Mom, you really need to get your van cleaned!!)
So, I have a HEALTHY RECIPE for you!! I was at the dentist office waiting for three of my four kids to get their teeth cleaned, when I ran across a recipe for Edamame Succotash in Southern Living (March 2007, I think). http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1589379 Now, I just had tried edamame at my sister-in-law Elizabeth's house a couple weeks ago. Go visit her over at e.beck.artist. http://ebeckartist.blogspot.com/ I had heard of it, and knew it was good for you, but never really had an opportunity to try it. Anyway, I liked it........plain even. But the following recipe is not plain.....easy, delicious, very colorful.....but not plain!
Edamame Succotash - Roberta style
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large red bell pepper, diced
1 large yellow bell pepper, diced
1 bag frozen steam-in-the bag yellow sweet corn (2 1/2 cups)
1 bag frozen edamame (16 ounces)
2-3 tablespoons butter
garlic powder (about 1/2 teaspoon)
salt and crushed black pepper to taste
Microwave the corn until warm. Microwave the edamame until warm. Saute the onion in the olive oil in a skillet until tender. Add diced red and yellow bell peppers. Cook until tender. Add the corn, the edamame, the butter, the garlic powder. Stir until thoroughly heated. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
In the same issue there was a recipe for BLACKBERRY COBBLER in a skillet....
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1589380
Now, I know HEIDI over at Everyday Cookies, may want to try that recipe! http://journals.aol.com/hwoodred/everyday-cookies/ I don't hink she'll mind if I share a picture of her freshly picked WILD BLACKBERRIES!
The photos in the magazine made it look very tempting. I bought two bags of frozen blackberries, but then couldn't find the recipe online....but today I stumbled across it while looking for the edamame recipe. So, let me know if you try either of these recipes.
And remember, running (or even just walking) is always more fun with a buddy.....go find a buddy and give it a try. :)
So we went camping this past weekend, and I thought I'd share a few photos that I just discovered on my daughter's camera........ah, HOT DOGS!!! At least I bought wheat buns! We didn't have much time to prepare for this trip, so we had an easy dinner of grapes, carrot, hot dogs---self-serve-cook-on-a-stick, and hamburgers for the grown-ups.
Here is my kitchen set up:
I've got all our camping stuff packed up and ready to go on a permanent basis. The royal blue tub on the left is my kitchen in a box. It's got silverware, plates, cups, cooking pots and pans, bowls, cleaning tubs, towels and wash clothes, table clothes, and table cloth holder clamps,Dawn dish soap, even salt, pepper, and cinnamon....it had garlic, but that was stinking up the utensils box, and I just threw that out this weekend. I also have an electric griddle and an electric fry pan (We usually camp at electric sites). Oh, and of course I have metal s'more/ hot dog long skewer sticks, and anything else you might need (cutting board, sharp knife, scissors, foil, baggies,tongs, spatula, measuring cup, mugs for hot drinks, can opener). When we get home I just wash all the towels and put them back in and WALL AH! I'm ready to go camping again! So much easier than scrambling to get all those little items packed up each time (and remembering what you need). On the right, the big black box is for all our dry foods---to keep them locked up from all those night (and day) critters! Behind that on the right is my "utility" container for batteries, fuel, rope, hammers & mallets, stakes, matches, bug spray, glow in the dark sticks (FUN!), clothes pins and such....I keep that stocked after each trip by replacing it with new fuel and glow in the dark sticks and batteries .... The box on the left behind my kitchen box is for miscellaneous.....games, fans, citronella candles, paper products, etc.
Here's a picture of 3 of the 4 tents we had on our site (a double site). We camped with another family of 5 bringing the total on our site to 11.
So that's our set-up......we may not be a true boating family yet.....but I think we qualify in the camping department!!!!
My main reason for going camping: S'MORES
This may be my first time blogging twice in one day.......but this afternoon a big FIRST happened , and it seems mentionable:
I handed the keys to my van to my 16 year old son who just got his license today. He was surprised, I think, that I let him drive on day 1----but he's been driving regularly for over a year with me. So, with a little trust and short prayer, I let my little birdie try out his wings. :)
Oh, and one more thing, I found a cool online Bible website:
You can enter a verse and see it in quite a few translations all at once. It also has quite a few other tools like a concordance and cross referencing.
Here's to trying out new wings!
Red....that seems like a good color to type in when you're going to talk about HOT it's supposed to be this week in North Carolina. Whew! Are we ever fortunate that's it's the coming week and not the past week---we just returned from a camping trip and thankfully the weather wasn't unbearable. Of course we were prepared for anything and brought TONS OF DRINKS and ELECTRIC FANS! And this year we even got to bring a BOAT!!!!!! It is super fun to swim in the middle of the lake off your boat (life jackets on, of course). You're out there and you swim through pockets of bath water warm spots and then ice cold spots-----right next to each other.....go figure! It's like it didn't get stirred to just luke warm.
Our other boating experience this week was a trip up the POTOMAC RIVER to Washington, D.C. with my sister and her family. Now that was awesome!! Wide open and no one out there.....we got to go really fast and do random circles in the water. Plus we boated by all these really amazing place and sites!
We were riding next to my sister's boat-----reminded me of the boat pictures on the front of the boat magazines we get monthly (a gift from a friend). Funny thing though, every month the picture looks exactly the same. David & I have decided that we must not really be boat people or we'd know right off what kind of boat was on the cover each month.....instead all we notice are the beautiful people on the cover with wind blown hair and the blue water spraying up behind.
So we got our boat last year----around September 1 I think.....we had had a smaller 4 person bass boat that was adequate, but slow. We figured our kids were at the age to enjoy tubing and such, so we bought a bigger and a faster boat. I mean, how would we ever know if we really were a boating family if we didn't a boat. So our boat hold 6 and goes FAST! It's a Skeeter - which is a "Fish and Ski". So you can ski and tube and stuff from it, but it also converts to a bass boat with a platform seat at the front and a the back----it even has 2 live wells (for you non-fisher people, that's a place with water in it that you put your fish in after you catch them). AND it has a cooler and drink holders and all these nifty storage places to hold random things you might need like fishing poles, sunglasses, sunscreen, life jackets, rubber tubie things that you hang outside the boat when you're docking, rope, snacks, etc. AND it even has a CD player/radio so you can play your favorite tunes out on the water.
The trip was like Man vs Wild (have you seen that show on the Discovery channel??). It was so HOT......you stay much cooler on a boat when you're moving fast enough to blow your hair. We got down to even drinking the melted ice cooler water. We scrounged for every drop of food and candy we had on board. By the time we got back to the dock (which we had trouble finding in the dark), it was pitch black out. What a memorable trip!! So, that's how we passed Level One of boating! Are we a boating family yet?? I'm not sure. :)
I've taken the last 2 weeks off from running - trips to Atlanta, D.C. and the lake instead. I'll start up again soon. :)
Oh dear! Three months is MUCH too long to not write in your blog spot! I suppose only the "die-hards" will ever bother checking my site again! LOL! Maybe that's good, though, and I've now shaken all the shallow folks. HMMMMM....or maybe I'm one of them?? Who knows?
So, a catch up:
-ran a lot in April, May and June, until school ended....
-school ended, with all the hoopla that goes with that....you know..... teacher gifts, end of year presents, folks cramming in last minute parties and celebrations, graduation from 8th grade for one of my children, cleaning out lockers, looking for lost stuff, etc.
-went to the beach with family and relatives in June....wonderful! (Can we do that again?) There were 13 of us all together. We biked, played games, made scrapbooks, took naps, sat on the beach for hours, and had ice cream almost every night!! We were scrapping booking in "real time" as my sister-in-law had one of those "handy-dandy-print-your-pictures-right-from-the-camera" mini printers!!! How fun is that!
-various camps and the preparations for those for my 4 children
-dental appointments and check-ups and making the ones still needed, as well as quick trips to the pharmacy to make sure every child I sent anywhere had whatever he/she might need
-a "quickie" trip to DUCK!! What fun! Duck is on the Outer Banks in North Carolina, and although I lived in North Carolina for 17 years, I had never yet visited the Outer Banks.....I was so excited. I took just my 2 girls when my 2 boys were at a basketball camp. We visited some friends who were staying there and got to stay in their condo which was steps from the beach and a their pool as well. We ate a lovely dinner one night over looking the sound side to watch the sun set. It was beautiful. Got a nice run in there, by the way....it was pretty hot, but I was determined to run on the Outer banks.....sounds like the "Outer Limits" doesn't it?? Oh, and we went up to the top of a really old LIGHTHOUSE, too!
-talked with one of my brothers for over an hour on the ride home-----I thought of him after passing basically nothing for miles, except signs like "Beware! Bear next 25 miles" ...wouldn't want to break down there. Anyway, I called him because I was certainly out in the BOONDOCKS!! Is that how you spell that? Anyway when I was 11 we moved from Palm Springs to San Jose and my brother said that we were moving to the "Boondocks".....what he really meant, I think that it was at least a 30 minute drive to his girlfriend's house. They meant when they were like 12 and 13, got married when they were like 18 and 19....and have been married for over 30 years now. Back to the story----so he was driving home from work when I called him and we just kept talking and talking....my ear hurt. I think he was nervous for me being out in the middle of nowhere.
-a trip to Washington, D.C. to visit one of my sisters---again just me and the girls. That was fun....we went to the National Zoo. But the most exciting part of that trip was that my sister and I saw a black bobcat on one of our walks!!! Well, it may have been a lynx or a panther, but it was BIG!
-endured my washing machine being broken and waiting for DAYS before the SEARS repairman could come
-dropping in at our neighborhood pool for swimming, tennis, relaxing, popsicles, games poolside
-had a fun Fourth of July celebration.....which was also one of my best friend's birthday parties.....the girls made red, white, and blue stars that we hung everywhere, I hung out our American Flag, and stuck several small ones around the back yardand even had a big pot of red, white, and blue flowers by the front door. My daughter wrote some patriotic messages in red, white and blue chalk on the sidewalk, and my other daughter decorated her scooter for our neighborhood parade! After dinner we played croquet, had homemade chocolate cake for dessert, and had firewaorks in the street 'til about 11 pm. It was grand!
-took my kids to a water park with some friends---WOW!! that was really fun!
-games, games, games----YES! I'm still on my GAMES kick! I've played at least one game every day this year!! My oldest son was so HAPPY the other day when I brought home the adult version of Apples to Apples.....he really loves that game and we only had the two "junior" versions. We also had a "Scrabble" kick going on a round here for about a month. My oldest really got into it....he even got us online playing TIMED games with no dictionary!
-prepared for and taught at Vacation Bible School---painted a huge mural on four 4 x 8 foot panels. It was a stadium scene. I was so proud of myself this year, as I puposefully tried to limit the amount of time I spent on VBS preparations. I think I only went ot the church 4 times, and I didn't make my boys help me 3 out 4 times! In many years past, my kids have really tired of how long we have spent decorating and preparing for VBS. Our room was supposed to be SAS stadium. home of the NEW Carolina Railhawks! This is their inaugural season. So to boot, the Friday before VBS we gathered up some friends and went to a RAILHAWKS game!! I even caught a freebee mini soccer ball that was thrown into the crowd!
-took the boat out several times this summer.....yesterday we went straight from church and were on the water just after 1 pm after a quick lunch at Subway. We tubed and fished (and I even napped on the tube floating next to the boat!).
-bought the new Harry Potter on DAY 1 -- my oldest son finished the book in about 6 or 7 hours. My #2 son is in the middle of it and he's taken it off to camp. We borrowed another copy though so my oldest daughter can read it this week.
-snuck in a couple of runs a week---nothing longer than 9 miles, and quite a few 3's....whew! Summer in the South is hot and humid....although today is GORGEOUS! I think it may only be 80 degrees out
-several s'more feasts with family, friends and neighbors over our mini Habachi in our back yard.....nothing fancy, but everything gooey and delicious!
-we got a PET!!! A Lovebird named Oiseau (we say "Wazoo")..........it means bird in French, so I'm told. Wow! My daughter and I just figured out that his name has all the vowels in the English language! A lady I see running on the trail was asking if anybody wanted a bird....she'd had it for 8 years.....we took her up on it......The first two days he was sooooooooooooooooo loud, I wasn't sure it was going to work out. His only saving grace was that he was quiet at night.....he's calmed down now, and we're all getting used to each other. :)
-got my boys off to church camp this morning, then came home and all of us girls snoozed on the couch. The girls were readin while I caught a few more ZZZZZ's!
Are you still with me?????
So what's left of summer?
*Hanging out this week with the girls----who knows?? We may sneak off some where for an overnight trip!
*A trip to Washington, D.C. to visit my sister and her family---we're planning on taking the boat and riding upthe Potomac River to have lunch in downtown D.C.----how cool is that?
*A church camping trip -- fans and all!
*Sports tryouts for the boys (V & JV soccer)....which starts long before school starts
*More time at the pool
*Preparations for school
*Relatives coming from England!!! (HopefullY!)
*And hopefully more games, naps, and time spent with family and friends.....come on over!!
Today my eldest son and I ran a local 5k race -- we both won prizes!
I was pleased that we both accomplished the goals we had set out for ourselves!
I haven't been blogging much this past week. We had an accident in our front yard and I've been dealing with taking care of that situation.
Also had a busy week at school with volunteering.
Had a nice afternoon today spent with old friends visting from out of town.
Enjoy your weekend!
I made a lovely FOUR LAYER cake yesterday for my daughter's teacher. I thought it turned out pretty nicely......it was yummy, too!
I did it!!! Well, I haven't done it yet.....but I did sign up for it.......
The 2008 Walt Disney World Marathon!!!!
I've been thinking about doing this for a while, and finally decided to click on the "register" button. I always wanted to run a marathon.....and now I get to! And run through all four parks at Disney to boot! And get my picture with Mickey!
I think I can.....I think I can....I think I can.....I think I can.....
Isn't it fun when your husband goes along with your silly whims?
I left David a "Good luck" message today as he's interviewing for a position at work, and when I got home from my run this morning I saw that he had responded!
HAPPY SPRING!!
Today may have been the first day of Spring, but it almost felt like summer here in North Carolina. I think it got up to near 80! It looks like Spring, too---everything is blooming. My pansies look great! (Thanks to "I Must Garden" deer repellent!) We have a severe deer problem here.
I WON!! I WON!!
I was so excited to receive a package from my sister Sallie yesterday! It was her "Spring Giveaway"----I won her drawing. I've been enjoying a huge box of Spring goodies all day. The gifts are all over my kitchen table. Thank you so much Sallie! Here's a link to her site: http://sparksinlifesengine.blogspot.com/
KUDOS TO MY RUNNING BUDDY!
I was so very proud of a friend of mine this morning. She's part of the group of ladies I run with every morning; she runs almost everyday (M-F). Her farthest run up to now was six miles, but today she ran NINE with me!! We did it pretty easy, and walked up most of the bigger hills----but SHE DID IT! She told me later this afternoon that she had to take a nap! I don't blame her, I felt the same after my first couple of times of doing nine or more. Actually, I felt like taking a nap, too, but I staved it off. I really had a lot to do around here, particularly climbing Mount Laundry leftover from our recent WONDERFUL trip to Florida and South Carolina.
QUOTE FOR THE DAY:
"The talent of success is nothing more than doing what you can do well and doing well whatever you do." - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
NEW FUN GAME
We gave my son a new game for his birthday - "Disney's Pirate's Dice" - we all LOVE it! What a fun game. Only four can play, so we bought another box so that 8 could play.
Whew....what a day....I actually did a double workout today! After my 13.25 mile run yesterday, I woke up a little stiff. But I got out there this morning and walked 3, then ran one more. I was actually looking for my husband who was running and my two daughters who where on bikes.....never did meet up with them.
Late this afternoon, my son who is just recovered from a broken foot, needed a little inspiration to do his track workout for the day. It's hard coming back from sports injury! Anyway, he and I ran a half mile, then did eight 200 meter repeats (with a walk back recovery). That's the first track workout I've done in along time. I tried to stay right on his sholder. The first two he was way ahead, but then I got my old running form back. It was a great workout!
I have learned quite a few new games this week----Toss UP! might be my favorite....simple , but fun. My boys have enjoyed Goblet....kind of like tic-tac-toe or connect four, but much more complicated. They took the game to a whole new level last night!
Time for more games with the boys (the girls are asleep).
Go a play with someone you love!
I finally found a little color in my yard!
These are my tete-a-tete daffodils and my camillias.
My pansies are really perking up, too!
Beautiful day today!
Didn't get a run in this morning as we had house guests that were leaving today. That's okay, rest is good, too!
We recieved a very special package yesterday from Oregon - when we opened it, out popped two new friends!
Today I ran my longest run ever----EIGHTEEN MILES!!
I was really just tagging along with a friend. A friend of hers came, too......someone I never met before...funny, after 3 hours of running I feel like she's an old friend. I know all about her and her kids, and her friends.
So, basically, I ran instead of doing my long "to do" list. So I had to work fast once I got home.
Wow! I also did a lot of driving today. I drove to the Lower School, to the Upper School, to the middle School, later to the Lower school, to the Middle School, to the Lower School, and back to the Middle School. Then I drove to the Upper School, and then home, then back to the Upper School. Whew!
What a nice ending....tonight after putting a batch of ceramics in the kiln, my DH and I went to the Cheesescake Factory to get a takeout piece of cheesecake (my reward---see above). Then we went to Barnes & Noble and used a gift certificate to buy some running books, a soda, and ......a delicious Carmel Machiatto Decaf Grande cup of Starbucks coffee at Barnes & Noble.
Now-----it's time for a hot bubble bath----sweet dreams!
Oh, one more thing....here's a poem by my Middle School daughter ( I think in honor of my sister Heidi):
Ode to Cows
O Cow!
You majectic, loveable Cow.
You give us milk when we are thirsty.
You make children happy with your ice cream.
O Cow!
You are a most king-like creature.
You have a built in fly-swatter so humans
don't have to swat the flies for you.
O Cow!
You come in many different colors.
Everyone loves to just sit and stare at you.
You brighten up the day of many fast food restaurant workers.
O Cow!
You are the best animal alive.
We enjoyed our school's auction night. In the photo below you can see one of the items we bid on and won: a mirror framed with artwork from my daughter's class. We had fun.....and what fun, too, to have a son old enough to babysit!!
Have a great week!
P.S. The "doll" reference refers to the "Silly Sally" challenge!
On a challenge from my sister I scouted out my yard a few days ago looking for "color." I looked and found a little, but it was all a little winter worn.....and so small that I couldn't even photograph it very well. But I got two good shotsshots-----a halleoboris above-----and I know that is not spelled correctly. And some holly berries. I have some pansies, too.....but with some recent temps in the teen, there looking a little cold.
Ran almost 15 miles today.....just took two Advil for my knees. It was a little easier than last time.
Have a wonderful weekend. :)
P.S. My camelias won't bloom for at least 3-4 weeks.
Listening to....my husband's music.....he's got CMT (Country Music TV) on while working on our Sunday School Lesson for tomorrow. My son's girl friend is coming to visit today, so we've been cleaning up. Her dad is bringing her. They live in the next state over and the trip is about 4 1/2 hours. Per the advice of my eldest sister who has 3 boys, I've promoted this long distance relationship----besides the girl my son likes is the sweetest---impossible not to like. :)
My youngest daughter had her basketball game at 8 a.m.----needless to say, I went straight to Starbucks afterwards----I'm not a morning person.
I love the middle of the night when it's quiet and peaceful.
Did my long run yesterday. 12 miles. My knees hurt a bit last night, so I took Advil.
Took my second son to see the school play last night---Little Shop of Horrors. It was definitely rated PG-13, and I was glad that I didn't take my daughters.
Another basketball game for my older daughter this afternoon, hanging out with DS's girl and dad---we'll go to Cheesesake Factory for dessert----should I get the Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake??? Of course!
Have a sweet weekend----let's stretch out Valentine's Day a little longer!
Listening to my son's itunes music....he said Toby Mac is safe.....he's a Christian musician......
Was checking out my sister's site and re-read a line she wrote a couple days ago:
It's LIFE we're living here, girls! Live it, don't watch it!
Isn't that a great quote! I'm trying, Sis!
That reminds me of a ME quote that I have up in my bathroom that I look at everyday.....
"Don't count the days, make everyday count!"
Whew! What a morning......Kids to school, Curves, shopping at Target, the bank, the cleaners, making cookies, serving Hot Lunch for my son's (#2) homeroom class, clean-up at home.....and the day's only half over
I had fun shopping at Target! Our church is sponsoring a refugee family from Burma, and I was getting stuff for their apartment. Things like flashlights, hangers, foil, kleenex, tape, calculator, clocks, laundry baskets, etc. The stuff we all have, but sort of collect over time and take for granted. This family came to the USA with NOTHING. They have 2 boys -- 13 and 15.
Yummy hot lunch:
Ceasar Salad
Bread
Buttered Fettunni
Chicken and Bowties
Lemonade
Italian Ice
And my famous chocolate chip pan cookies
Wasn't sure how the cookies would turn out.....running late nad literally dumped ingredients in the bowl, some without measuring. But they were great!
My eldest son got out of school early today, so he helped me serve.
Went to Curves today instead of running as it was FREEZING out side -- mid 20's. I ran the past 3 days, so I decided today would be a good cross training day. Curves is great anyway--I would highly reccommend it.
Had a wonderful Valentine's Day yesterday. Kept finding surprises from my husband all day. Two vases of flowers, chocolate, etc!!!
We had a romantic candlelight dinner with takeout from Macaroni Grill. Our daughters joined us for a little while.
So there you have it....."just another day in paradise!"
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Fun shopping at Target.
