then and now

March 2014

March 2013

March 2012

March 2011

March 2010

March 2009

March 2008

March 2007

March 2006

things i love [plus giveaway]

Some random things I'm loving lately:

Chapstick's Special Edition Peppermint/Candy Cane in this cute little ornament tin

Coconut M&Ms
just enough subtle coconut flavor

Lubriderm Advanced Therapy
Extra Dry

My friend has started making and selling those no-slip headbands. They work well and are fairly inexpensive. You can check out her shop here:

It's been a long time since I've done a giveaway and I bought some headbands for Christmas gifts and have a couple left over so I thought I'd share the love. Leave a comment and I'll pick a winner on Friday!

eight

Julianna turns eight this week and as it turns out, Eight is

• a quarter collector
• moody
• sometimes exhausting
• perceptive
• emotional
• an excellent reader
• responsible
• tall
• a people-pleaser
• a great softball hitter

My eight year old loves to

• play Nintendo DS especially Pokemon
• wrestle with her brother
• jump
• eat Japanese food
• pull for Duke
• stay home
• watch Pokemon and Diner's, Drive-Ins, and Dives
• wear make-up and heels
• try to solve multiplication problems in her head
• sit on the couch under a blanket (especially with no pants on)

welcome to Spring!

My kids have started playing baseball.  Well, Jules is playing softball and Josh is actually playing t-ball but nevertheless it's keeping us totally busy. Once the adjustment period is over it will get better but right now we're still trying to find some balance.

The cool thing is that it's brought great joy to us already. The kids loved going to get their new equipment and have really enjoyed telling everyone about it.

The 1.5 hour practice is a bit long for Josh, but it has provided so much entertainment for the crowd watching.  The coaches started by letting Josh just swing to see which side of the plate to put him on and so it's ended up being a little bit crazy that they're having hit bat left-handed now.

overheard

Josh to Julianna: Can I put my hands under your butt where I've already got my feet?

-----

"We've gotta get some of that OxiClean. It takes the spots right out! We need it for the silly putty on the carpet!"

-----

At the WS Symphony's Discovery Concert Series for Kids the orchestra began playing "Oh Susanna" and Josh loudly sang along, "I'm comin' from Atlanta with a banjo on my knee!"

-----

"Dad, the only time I've ever touched a boy at school..."

long pause

"Was last week when G--- and I paired up for knee reading."

"What's that?"

"It's where you both sit criss-cross-applesauce facing each other and read to each other."

-----

Josh to no one in particular: "Ugh! Why do we have to keep hearing about Kristy's story?! There are 50 other people on this commercial but they keep telling us Kristy's story over and over again!"

-----

"I'm as hot as a bagel in an oven!"

-----

recipes from instagram

I posted this picture on Instagram and someone asked me to share the recipe. It's easier for me to type it here so there ya go! I made this up and they were delicious. Everyone in my family enjoyed them and I used a mini-muffin tin so we had 24 of them that we were supposed to be able to heat and eat for breakfast all week. It's Monday and I think there are only 4 left. Oops!



8 reduced fat Crescent rolls torn into thirds
3 large eggs
3/4 cup shredded cheese
1/2 large purple onion, chopped
1/3 c bell red pepper, chopped
1/3 c bacon crumbles
1/2 c baby spinach, chopped
dash of black pepper

Press Crescent roll dough into the bottom of muffin tin. Mix everything else and scoop a spoonful on top of the dough. Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes (or until tops begin to brown).

Enjoy!

what comes AFTER the marathon

Over the past couple of months I've found myself saying one phrase over and over again.  When you're running 10 hours or more in an average week you begin to miss what you'd usually do with that extra time. (I know in the grand scheme of a full week, ten hours doesn't sound like a lot but trust me when I say that the biggest challenge of marathon training has not been the physical demands but rather the huge time suck.)  I've told many a running partner, "After this marathon I'm...." and my husband has heard, "I'll do that after this marathon training is over..." more than he'd like.

Sooooo I'm going to make a short little list of things I'd like to remember that I had a longing for while running more than a half marathon every weekend for several months. And no, I'm not going to put eating lots of doughnuts and bacon on the list despite the frequency of that thought popping into my brain during a long run. 

A list of things I'd like to do after the marathon:

• Read. A lot. 
• take the time to shave my legs. Ha!
• spend quality time with my family (I've missed so much of it lately)
• sleep late on Saturdays
• crochet a blanket
• finish some scrapbooks
• ride my bike (all other areas of recreation and fitness have fallen by the wayside)
• bake something delicious (and then eat it without worrying about how it will affect my run)
• go to the beach
• perhaps clean my house