An Award

 LOL......I got an award from my sister Heidi at her blog: Everyday Cookies at Sweet Woodruff Acres......and another at my sister-in-law Elizabeth's blog  e.beck.artist.  I'm not sure why they tagged my blog because:

a. I know they are the only two people who really ever read my blog.  (I love you, too!!)

b. They are both artsy and crafty and give photos and links everyday, and I blog quite infrequently with few photos and fewer links......which you're supposed to do I hear.......and I think I've never posted an artsy blog....I do post recipes sometimes though!

c. The things I blog about may have interest to them because I'm related to them and they know my children, but probably not to the the big BLOG-WORLD out there.

and

d. I've never had a "give-away" on my blog. I could start, but I'd probably just send each of them something!

Nevertheless, I thank them very much for the honor, and hereby re-tag them back with the !!!!

Pretty much, they are the only blogs I read, except for occasionally peeking at blogs they recommend, so they are the only ones that I'm tagging.  And I do check their blogs faithfully everyday.

Company coming this weekend, so gotta go vacuum. Have a fun weekend!

 

Picky eaters

'How to Please Your Picky Eater' Video - Rachel Campos-Duffy - AOL Living

LOL....I know Rachel Campos-Duffy knows a lot and she does have some great ideas, but, I'm sorry, she doesn't seem to really know what a true picky eater is......on the other hand, I must have a child who is just a plain off the charts PICKY EATER.  My youngest daughter eats NO FRUITS.  Only ONE VEGETABLE---Broccoli.  NO MEAT, except maybe half a hot dog once every two months or so.  What's left, you might be asking.......WHITE pasta, egg WHITES, WHITE bread, white milk, French toast, pancakes, cheese, yogurt (kid's only and no strawberry or banana, chicken noodle soup (skipping the carrots and the meat), WHITE rice, WHITE cous cous, cereal, oh......she will eat raisins occasionally and once in a blue moon she'll try dried cherries.  Oh, oh, oh....and she drinks a little bit of Apple juice, and a little bit of apple cranberry juice, and grape juice.  Now THAT'S a picky eater.

Amazingly, she's quite a healthy girl....I give her kid's vitamins everyday.

Thank goodness, I'm still somewhat of a picky eater.....I CANNOT eat mayo, salad dressing, mustard, or really fancy dishes from really fancy restaurants.  I've finally learned to choke down the weeds that they serve at really fancy restaurants.

In addition, my sweet daughter has an uncle who was perhaps worse than she was when he was little......I'm not sure he's improved much, either, except I know he eats meat.

I think beyond the taste of foods, it's the texture and the smell.  There must be some research on ultra picky eaters.

She and I sure enjoyed the chocolate chip cookies we made today...ha!

Yes, another batch of chocolate chip cookies.....it's okay....I ran thirteen miles today, so it's okay if I had a chocolate chip cookie!

Blueberry muffin

I got to start the day today with my husband over a Blueberry Muffin....that was nice.

Tomorrow is a 13 miler.....will be chilly........but I've got gloves!

My boys put their money together (along with my  twelve dollar contribution) and went and bought a cool XBox 360 game called ROCK BAND. Check it out on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/permalink/m26JJVEW5OSZEM:mZG7LBIOY34MH

They're really excited about it.  Maybe I'll buy some real drums one day.  One of my older brothers used to play an electric guitar....one song he used to play is clearly stuck in my head:

I got the football blues, I got the rocks in my shoes!

I think he wrote that song for my little brother.

Got a call last night about 9 p.m. -- a request for cookies needed at school.....so I baked another batch of my famous Chocolate Chip Cookies!  I think that's about the 5th batch in a week.  My daughter told my husband this evening that the cookies were awesome.....just what I want to hear!

Helped my youngest daughter a lot today----she's writing a book of poetry that she'll read to her class next week.  She's written some really cute poems. Here's one of them:

Hugs

Hugs

Hearts

Red

Pink

White

Chocolate

Fun

Candy

Friends

Family

Kisses

Love

Parties

Smiles

Cards

Gifts

Cookies

Candy hearts

Cupid

Flowers

Roses

Valentine's Day

Wouldn't it be nice to have Valentine's Day everyday?  Especially the flowers and chocolate and hugs part! 

Gotta go----my husband just announced he's going to join the boys in their next Rock Band performance as a guest singer!!

This week

Got in some several good 6 milers this week, and we even did a track workout----8 half miles (that's two laps around the track).  My, I was a little tired after that!  Got in 6 miles this morning with a friend I hadn't talked with in a while.....running is a great way to spend time catching up with a friend!

My daughter was sick all last weekend, but she did get her valentine's done.  There was paper, stickers, stamps and markers all over the counter for days! She made a cute valentine using a printout of a Mary Engelbreit heart....then there was a Valentine pencil going through it like Cupid's arrow! She also had a diorama project due this week (that's a scene in a box). Plus I helped in her class for the Valentine's Day party---I brought three crafts and I made a cute Valentine matching game.  One of the pictures to match was a class picture.  The kids loved it! So, it was a busy week.

Oh, and there's more.....I spent the 13th making baked goods for a bake sale for my oldest daughter. The preface is that on the night of the 12th,  David and I were watching the Food Network channel and we saw a show about making massive chocolate chip cookies....I decided to make that my goal when I started cooking on the baking day.  I altered my tried and true recipe slightly, chilled the dough and viola!....I think I did pretty well:

                   

And here are the cupcakes I made; I went all out with pink frosting, sprinkles and candy hearts!!  My daughter said they sold really quickly! 

                

My son played his last basketball game of the season this week.....I'm a little sad for that to be over, but now it's on to track& field!  Added bonus this year is that both of my sons will be on the SAME track team----only one meet a week!

We went out for Mexican food last night--YUM!  Then my eldest went to a play, and my other son had a friend over to watch Monk and Psych.  I made cookies for my youngest daughter's basketball game today.  They needed a little sweetness after they got ROMPED this morning---poor things!

My bread maker is purring away.  I'm making pizza dough for homemade pizza that we'll have for dinner tonight.  I made bread another night this week. It's wonderful  to walk into the house with the aroma of fresh bread lingering.

One more basketball game today.....church, a birthday party, and a basketball banquet, and then we're into another week.  Next week's running plan includes a thirteen miler, so I'll need to gear up for that!

Hey, did I mention that I've signed up to do the Disney Half Marathon next January?  There's already eleven in my running group who are all booked and ready to run it! 

TTFN!

 

Puzzles

I've worked on a lot of puzzles in my life.....but I don't think I've ever completed a thousand piece puzzle all by myself.  Well, now I have:

                             

Over the Christmas holidays when we have lots of guests, I always try to keep some puzzles going for people to work on.  We did several, and when I originally put this one out, we did still have company.....but my brother-in-law (a puzzle whiz) said he was "all puzzled out"; so, I knew I was on my own. (Wow- what a run-on).  Now, I admit, it took me almost a month....but I only worked on it in the evenings....right when I was supposed to be going to bed! Ha!  

I've always loved Mary Engelbreit, and I really enjoyed working on a puzzle of one of her drawings.  I thought it would be a little difficult...but there was so much detail that I was able to work through the various sections of it pretty methodically.

Now that that puzzle is cleaned up, and I've got another one ready to go:

                 

Let's think SPRING......pansies....here's a pansy puzzle for you to try:

http://thinks.com/jigsaw/flowers/pansies.htm

Good luck!

 

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Okay...I've got a theory going......I think there's a reason there are now Starbucks in those Super Targets......wow!  Target, I think, gets a lot more product sold to those who have a nice cup of Starbucks either before someone shops or while they shop....I'm a prime example.....if I have coffee before going  to or while in Target, I am guaranteed to buy twice as many items as  I originally intended when  I walked in the store.  Somehow that charge of caffeine makes you think you can conquer all these projects that you get inspired to do while walking around Target.  They do have a lot of fun stuff in that store, by the way.....I know, I went this morning.  And, yes, I did have a coffee before.  Oops!

Ran 6 miles this morning, before going to Target.  Hopefully I can get a nine miler in this week.  I'm gearing up to run with some of my running friends at a local half marathon in early April, so I need to start upping my mileage again after feeling pretty recovered from the marathon.  I was so glad when this morning it was closer to 40 degrees out than to the 20 degrees that I endured yesterday morning.  How DO you get that "degrees" sign anyway, Heidi?

I read a Psalm last night that I really like--Psalm 84.  Here's part of it:

"Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere;

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

For the LORD God is a sun and a shield;

the LORD bestows favor and honor;

no good thing does he withhold from those whose walkis blameless.

O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you."

Psalm 84:10-12

THE DISNEY MARATHON

HOORAY!!  I did it!!  A week ago Sunday I ran the Disney Marathon.....all TWENTY SIX POINT TWO MILES!!!

 

Here's me with me medal:

 

                       

 

The whole experience was AWESOME!!  I would highly recommend it!!

To catch you up, I went to Orlando with 4 other running friends and my husband.....well, I guess he's a running friend, too.  Anyway, Scarlett and Fida ran the HALF MARATHON on Saturday and then Juliette, Meredith and I ran the FULL MARATHON on Sunday.  David was there to be our support team!! Also, David and I were celebrating our 20th Anniversary! 

 

                  

We all stayed at the Grand Floridian and it was beautiful and wonderful and right on the monorail!

 

You may be wondering why I didn't post sooner.....I was a little slow all last week (tired) and also was thrust back into our somewhat frenzied lifestyle....all the while trying to get our family back on track after a trip and all four of my children staying various places while we were gone.  Quite a backlog of laundry!

 

Also, I wanted to post the Disney pictures....which I just got last night....the one above was taken as I exitted the long line of things you go through after you cross the finish line: walk, get your medal, walk, get your silver blanket (to ward off chills), walk, get your chip taken off your shoe - I skipped this as I bought a Disney chip to keep, walk, get your water or gatorade in the drink tent, walk, get your carbohydrate snack in the snack tent, walk, get a can of soda at the Coca Cola table, walk, get your icepacks and EXTRA STRENGTH TYLENOL at the medical tent, walk, get your picture taken, walk, get your bag at the bag check, walk to your meeting place and AHHHHH---LIE DOWN!!!!!

 

So that was the end of the race....here's the "blow by blow" account of the BEFORE AND DURING:

 

Arrived at Disney Friday afternoon with David.  Checked in at the Grand Floridian, went to the Race Expo to pick up my race packet and t-shirt, then David and I went to the Rain Forest Cafe in Downtown Disney for dinner.  Met up with our friends for dessert that night back at the hotel. Had trouble sleeping both nights before....nerves and excitement.  Went on Saturday morning to watch Fida and Scarlett run the half.....good practice in knowing where to go and how long it took to get there on the monorail......they did GREAT!!!  They ran the whole way.....only walking through to get water at the water stops.

 

Was careful about what I ate and drank all day Saturday.  Especially tried to drink water every hour.....we were going to be running in warmer temps than we were used to.

 

Sunday my alarm went off at 3:15am (after quite a few clock checks through the night).  Had everything all ready so just slipped it on.  Grabbed my cold oatmeal I bought on Saturday and was out the door.  Met Meredith and Juliette in front of their building for pictures taken by Fida and Scarlett (how DID they get up so early?)  Took monorail to the start.....DARK out....but lots of Disney lights. Tired, but kept getting constant shocks of adrenalin in my arms!

 

Ate my cold oatmeal (rather choked it down...it was awful and I had no appetite....but forced t down...ate a half of a granola bar, too.  Used the port-o-potty, sat about 15 minutes then we were off to the start....quite a walk to the start.....huge staging area(i.e starting line--there were actually 2 starting lines).  Did I mention that there were over 12,000 runners?!?! We all got into corral C.....I was a B, so I went back, which was okaywith Juliette and Meredith.  Sat about 30 minutes, then suddenly we were surprised by fireworks, the national anthem and we  started moving forward. We crossed the starting line after about 4 minutes.  VERY CROWDED.  (It was pretty crowded the whole way) A bit too slow....we wanted to do 10's the first 5 miles.....but we weaved and worked our way up the sides to stay on pace..... Ran on the freeway a while, then through Epcot.....great lights....got crowded and we slowed when the two starts merged at mile 3.......back by the start again and off toward the Magic Kingdom.....started getting a little light.  We had one potty stop around mile 7. 

 

We skipped the first water stop, but got sips of water at almost every other water stop (there were 22 water stops).  We generally jogged up to get the water, walk as we drank and then resumed running.  We passed the motor speedway and the Contemporary hotel .......it started get warm just before the Magic Kingdom.  Lots of people there....that was great.....ran up MAIN STREET, through Tomorrowland, through the castle.......waved to the Cinderella.  We were constantly struggling to stay together....Juliette got a cramp. 

 

Are you still with me??  Then over to the Grand Floridian where we saw David, Scarlett and Fida...that was great...they gave us some sport beans and water.  Tried to eat a pack of Sport Beans......That was mile 12...by Mile 13 we decided to each go at our own pace.......next 5 miles were fairly boring.... and the sun came out.....getting warmer......although they had a few signs to read, an occasional character grouping and speakers along the way with the music.....you never went too long without music.

 

Finally we got to Animal Kingdom....mile 17.....at this point I started getting two cups of water-one to drink and one to pour on my head and neck to cool off.......I was feeling pretty good and was passing tons of people......pretty much hit almost every mile marker on a 10 minute mile pace except the last 2 miles.....kept drinking water and eating a few Sport Beans before each water stop....  Long stretch that got very hot before and after Animal Kingdom.....Ate a granola bar around Mile 19.........thankfully, we got some cloud and it cooled slightly for the last 6 miles (at least my last 6 miles).

 

Suddenly there were only three miles to go going through MGM, along the Boardwalk and back around Epcot.....lots of people cheering along this whole stretch.

 

                          

I got emotional in MGM thinking that I was nearly finished and that I knew my brothers and sisters would be proud of me.....a couple tears ran down my cheeks....got though that pretty quickly.......with about 2 miles to go my right hip suddenly started hurting a LOT and I could feel my left calf about to cramp up with every step.  I'd run about a 1/3 of a mile, then stop and stretch my hip....it was rough....probably lost about 5 minutes here.....my breathing was fine......and then at Mile 26 there was this huge Gospel Choir which was highly inspiring and then cheering all the way to the finish!  I finished strong and it was grand!!!!!!!!!!

 

                        

 

                        

Could barely walk, however, to get my blanket, food, medal, photo, etc.....it's this big assembly line to get out.....I made a pit stop at the medical tent and got 2 Extra Strength Tylenol and 2 bags of ice....then limped over to our meeting area. 

 

                 

Emotional reunion with Juliette, Meredith, Fida, Scarlett and and David.......running Marathons is much more fun with friends.......

 

 

             

It was really an awesome experience, and I'm so glad I had the opportunity to take part, especially with friends and with David there.  Took lots of photos when we all got back together......and there you have it.  Thanks for hanging in there.

 

Chip Time:  4:27:53

Clock time 4:32

Placed 2866 out of 12,964 total runners

Placed 873 out of 6,204 female runners

Division Place 148  of 1018 (Women 40-44)

Half Split 2:13 (2 hours 13 minutes at 13.1 miles)

 

Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape in the new year.

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