A Running Update

I tried on a pair of running capri's the other day at Target. You know the kind...spandex that end just below your knee. I thought they'd be good for fall running. The good news: I felt like enough of a runner to try those bad boys on AND took a size small. The bad news: I still don't feel like enough of a runner to wear them and even though I may be a size small I'm still not brave enough to wear spandex in front of every driver/home owner on my running route!

The running is going well though. The other day I ran all the way to the stop sign that marks the full 5k distance!!! I slapped that badboy, turned and headed for home and have to admit...I was overcome by emotion...a little tear of joy trickled down my cheek. I felt SO DANG proud! That's the first time I've run that far in 10 years! And I liked it too!

Some added bonuses are:

-dropping a pants size, wearing pants I haven't worn in 4 years and packing away "fat pants" for my next pregnancy

-dipping below 130 for the first time since our first year of marriage and tipping the scales at only 4lbs more than I weighed on our wedding day :),

And the most priceless rewards of all:

-being able to run and run and run after my daughter as we play "get choo" in the yard without ever tiring.

-passing on the idea of exercize to our little one. When she sees my put on my shoes and bust out the ipod she says, "Momma going running." (and usually doesn't want me to leave) and when I get back and stretch she says, "Momma strech. I do it!" and then proceeds to reach way up to the sky and then bend down and touch her toes! Priceless.

And last but not least....drumroll please....Jason started running too!!! I asked him a long time ago to join me and he said "No. I will never do long distances." I thought this odd, because he ran track in highschool and I don't look at a 5k as "long distance". He said, "I was a sprinter. A 5k is a long distance." So I said no more. Then two weeks ago he decided he was running too and is going to try to catch up to me and run the 5k with me in October! He started out on week 3 of Couch to 5k...show off! :)

3 Things

#1) I learned how to drywall today.

#2) I ROYALLY SUCK at drywalling.

#3) I now totally understand why many drywallers like to get totally baked before tackling their job.

The End.

Living Room Redo

Well, we finally did it! We got up the gusto and painted the living room and hung the decorations. These aren't great pictures because it's been quite dreary outside these days and all is a little dark. I'll try to snap some more in better light if the sun shows its face again, but for now I just had to share! The color is a soft green called "Willow Wind". I want this house to be simple, a bit sparse but still cozy and homey. So I kept all the art on the wall (save for Jason's beautiful fishy that was begging to hang above the woodstove hearth) black and white and simple in arrangement. I've always loved red with green so I threw that in with the couch cover and the lamp shades we've had forever. When I get to it I'd like to buy some great print fabric at Marden's and give the old throw pillows some new life!...but those are details for later.
Now on to tackle the final project...Kitchen/Dining room! Sure we've done the heavy demo already. Now all it needs is some drywall patching, trim painted, walls painted, cabinets painted, one new drawer, a new countertop and some new hardware. Ya know, no biggie. At our pace, you can check back in about a year for those before an afters!

Randoms

The weekend was GLORIOUS. Just as glorious as I had hoped. We stayed up way too late talking, playing games, and watching movies. I slept on a screen porch, soaking in the cool air on my face, snuggled all cozy and warm in my hubby's sleeping bag. I woke each morning to the sun rising over the lake ...and then promptly went back to sleep (See the view from my bed at left!!!). We ate well and snacked very well! I kept up with my running, did lots of reading, found lots of good stuff at the outlets, put 3/4 of it back and only brought home a little, and hiked a Mt. with fabulous views!

I watch my friend's little girl every Wednesday (We'll call her Suzie). It has been SOOO good for Ella. She's gaining lots of social skills. It is so fun to watch her giggle and interact and initiate in play! The girls get along like a dream! She's also learning that the world, in fact, does not revolve around her, which is marvelous! Today after I told her suzie was coming she processed it for a moment and then said the following:

"Suzie come. Me hi. She play Ella's toys. My turn. You turn. My turn. You turn." (Yup. All on her own. No promting at all. She's such a fast learner! That brought joy to my heart!)

PS: Do not take a 21mo. old and a 23mo old to Staples to run an errand unless you have A LOT of energy, A BUTT TON of patience and are a little touched. Luckily I met all three qualifications and did okay this morning. We discovered many fun things, twirled in the office chairs and played follow the leader through the aisles while we waited for our laminating. It's a good thing I'm totally fine with trapsing through public places attracting stares as I flap my wings like a bird and hop like a rabbit. The girls had a blast!!!

Today Is a Glorious Day!

Jason goes on many a fishing trips and camping trips with the guys. A while back I remarked how we as women don't do that and pondered why!? Is it the mommy guilt of leaving the kiddos behind? Who knows...

But today folks, is a Glorious Day! Because when Jason gets home I am heading out to "girls camp". Yup! We're doing it! Daddy's your time of duty is upon you! 10 women stealing away, one camp for three, count them THREE nights!!! That's right folks. I plan to FULLY indulge in all kinds of luxuries that one sacrifices once our blessed children arrive. Things like staying in bed as long as I dang well please...eating my food first...drinking my coffee while it's hot...reading when I want for as long as I want...starting AND finishing adult conversations with NO interuptions...going out and about not planned around naptime and not weighed down by snacks, diapers, wipes, drink, and the 10,000 blessed toys, blankets and animals my sweet child always wants in tow...driving in the car for an extended period of time without listening to, singing along with and doing hand motions to all the children's songs!

Please oh please don't get me wrong. I LOVE my little Ella. And I will undoubtedly miss Jason and her like crazy. I LOVE being a stay at home mom. I think there is NO more important, rewarding job on the earth and I feel so fortunate to have the means to be able to do that job full time. But there is NOTHING wrong with investing time in ourselves and in our relationships with other women. Oh how we need that refueling and refreshing! Oh how we need that time to remind us who WE are apart from "Mommy". Oh Joy of all joys! What a fabulous weekend this shall be!

Just What I Needed

Have you ever had one of those days where you just don' t know if you're gonna make it through? Thursday I was exhausted from a long weekend followed by Jason being away in D.C. (so single parenting it) and I didn't feel well to boot. My usually super sweet Ella woke up on the "bat of ouf h-e-double hockey sticks" side of the bed. She'd bumped her head twice, I felt like I'd said "no" one-gagillion times, she'd already had two time outs and one spanking and it was ONLY 8:30am!!! I was 99.9% sure I was going to have a nervous breakdown!

Welp, I didn't. I made it. And yesterday, as I was faithfully reporting on my Emergency Food Supply (which by the way was not even close to being needed for wimpy dimpy little Earl) Jason scared the poo right out of me by rounding the corner into our office at 3:20pm. But he was holding the most beautiful boquet I've seen in a long time so I forgave him once my heart returned to it's normal rhythm.

You see, Jason starts work at 6:00am so 3:30pm is when he'd get home from work on a normal day, but there have been no normal days for a very long while. He goes in early and usually gets home well after 5pm. He's been working a lot of overtime and he's been going away on these trips to D.C., which took him away for the better part of this week. While this is good for our finances and helps us pay off more debt (yay!) it's tough on family life. But it's only a season and I must say we've been dealing pretty well thus far. It gets easier and easier as we grow accustomed to it. I am so thankful for his dedication, hard work and provision for our family. It amazes me that amidst all of that he still has (makes) the time, thought, energy, heart left over to do things like this...Friday he started by leaving me the sweetest message ever, came home early and kept it a total suprise, brought me amazing flowers, and then took me out to pick out a chick flick to watch together (which by the way had us BOTH in tears!) and then talked late into the night even though he had to get up and go to work again today! Blessed. I am blessed.

EFS - Don't be caught without one!

My mother is very much one of those "Worst Case Scenario" people. A while back she phoned to ask me if I had 6 months worth of food stored up in case the world comes to an end and I was all, "Ummm, no. If the world is coming to and end, I don't want enough food to keep me alive that long."

But it did get me to thinking that an Emergency Food Supply for some much less ridiculous length of time might not be a bad idea. I mentioned it to Jason, he concurred and we never did anything about it.

Hurricane Earl is just 'round the bend and though I'm sure he'll only manage a few blustery winds at our door, Jason brought up that now might be a good time for the EFS. I conconted a menu plan for 7 days, wrote up my grocery list, decided an EFS wasn't important enough to take out a second mortgage and scaled her back to a 3 day supply. (which is what the government recommends, and we all know how AWESOME are government is right now! *chuckle, chuckle*cough*gag*hurl*)

I'm pretty pleased. This bad boy will get us by for 3 days if we eat and drink like kings and queens, but paring back the plan and adding in a few extra things I bought it will definitely get us by for a week if we scrimp a bit! In case you're intersted. Here's my plan for 2 adults and 1 toddler.