30 days, 30 projects

A friend of mine has posted on Facebook about her 30 days/30 projects goal.  I am not quite that ambitious, myself, but on Sunday, I found myself at home for several hours, and the kids were leaving me alone.  I decided that if not 30 days/30 projects, I could at least do 1 day/3 projects!  My first project was filing all the paperwork that I've been shoving in a cubby since April.  One big thing checked off the list (but not exactly picture worthy).

The second project was to beautify the powder room a bit.  It looked like this before:

 kinda plain, but with bird and birdhouse accents.

On Sunday, I found an adorable bird at a craft fair (to which I owe thanks again to my 30 days/30 projects friend - she's the one who told me about it), which I hung on the blank wall over the toilet paper.  I then sent Helene and Sydney out to gather twigs, which I used to "frame" the mirror.  Years ago, I had mentioned to a friend that I thought I should frame this mirror.  She said, "You could just paint twigs around it instead."  When I told Helene that plan, she misunderstood and thought I meant hang painted twigs around it.  I liked her idea of actual twigs:

 I could probably add some more sticks, but it's a good start.

Here's a close-up of the bird from the craft fair (it came on this stick - so cute!):

Project #3: There's this pile of junk on the bar close to the door leading to the garden.  It's mostly tools and seeds and sunscreen that have been left lying around, and I've thrown them in this box and pot, meaning to deal with them later.  Well, since I've never "dealt" with them, I decided I should at least make their containers cuter and less in the way.

 I searched the house for cute containers and found this basket and these two metal buckets.  It's not perfect (I'm open to suggestions), but it's an improvement:

Spurts of Domesticity

My conversation with a friend yesterday:

Me: I've been working on making and canning spaghetti sauce this morning.

Friend: I am so impressed with your domesticity!

Me: I don't do this kind of thing all the time.

Friend: Yes, but in spurts, you are so domestic!

The conversation made me laugh, but it also made me think.  I post my domestic successes on Facebook and my blog sometimes and I wonder how that comes across.  I'm not meaning to make myself out to be better than anyone else.  I'd like to say I'm not trying to brag, but in all honesty, I probably AM trying to brag.  I am not like this all the time, so I like to brag about it when I am.  Gardening and preserving and cleaning and doing household things do not come easy to me.  So I am celebrating my successes when I have them.  

I have friends who do all of the following in one day: harvest some veggies, can them, cook lunch and dinner, make cookies, take their kids to various activities, and wash and dry their super-mom capes . . . all in  one day!  I cannot do that.  

To turn these:

into this:

took me an entire day.  (Actually, 1 1/2 days because I picked the veggies the evening prior.)  And I had to pick up pizza for dinner because I didn't feel like cooking after all that.  I might have gotten one load of laundry done, also.  But that's it.

So take my FaceBragging with a grain of salt.  I'm not all that.

Back to the bragging, though, I am very proud of my husband for planting and caring for such an incredible garden.  And I am proud of myself for taking the time to harvest, wash, prepare and cook the vegetables into a healthy spaghetti sauce.  I look forward to retrieving these jars from the pantry this winter and enjoying 6 summery fresh meals when it's cold and dark outside.

Fathers' Day Hike 2012

We had a very nice hike today with my parents, along with a friend of Helene's, and one of my cousins.  I requested Windy Point as our destination.  It's a hike our family has done for many, many years.  In fact, my dad and his dad used to do the first part of this hike every morning before breakfast.  They would light the fire in the wood stove at the cabin, head up the trail, and when they came back, my grandmother had breakfast underway.  I've always loved hearing that story.

Here are my dad and I at the Seats of Meditation:

Now I love it that this hike has become an important tradition for my kids, as well.  We come up a slightly different route than my dad did, since we don't want to trespass.  A formation we pass on this new route is C Rock, pictured below with Campbell:

But the old favorites are still my kids' favorites, too.  Here are Helene, her friend Sydney, and John at the Seats of Meditation:

And Campbell with them:

 My eyes are closed and Cam is scowling, but it's the only shot we got with all 4 of us (plus Syd):

I loved hearing Helene narrate to her friend along the way: "Okay, next is the Roller Coaster, and soon after that, we'll be at the Pirate Ship..." and it was sweet to see Campbell sit at the Toll Booth and collect a pine cone toll from each of us.

I know that this post will sound like nonsense to people outside of my family, but this hike, its landmarks, and the traditions we have carried on through the generations are so important to me.  I'm glad we could do this today.

Walking

A friend of mine posted a challenge this morning - walk, swim, bike, or do some other slow exercise each day for an hour for an entire week.  It was from this blog and it made some good points.  Because I agreed with it, I got up off my duff immediately and headed out for a half hour walk, figuring I would do the remainder this evening.

Nope.  Not gonna happen.  I've decided walking gives me too much time to think.  Maybe this wasn't a good day to try it, after an emotional and stressful night with my family last night.  Or maybe I shouldn't have chosen a route that took me by the spot where I found my crippled, blind, senile old dog about this time last year.  I have no idea what took me that direction.  I hadn't been there in a year.  And I didn't set out with any destination in mind.  But as soon as I started rounding that pond, I remembered finding Annie there last year (after she had been missing for days), struggling but failing to get up at the sound of my voice.  And I burst into tears which kept flowing for the next mile and a half.

Back to running for me.

Traditions

I've done some thinking lately about what makes a tradition.  More specifically, what, in a child's mind, constitutes a tradition.  Helene (aged 9) was very upset this winter when she found out we were going to spend Christmas at our new cabin in the mountains, instead of at our home.  I can understand that.  She had spent the last 5 Christmases, at least (pretty much all she can remember), waking up in her own bed Christmas morning.  (I understand, but tough cookies . . . we are starting a new tradition.  Christmas at the cabin was so peaceful and perfect!)

On March 14 (3.14), it was brought to my attention on Facebook that it was Pi Day.  The previous year, I had thought about this ahead of time and made a big deal of it.  We had pies for dinner in celebration.  This year, I would have forgotten about it, if it were not for FB.  So, I remembered in time to go to the grocery store and get ingredients and make pies (Chicken Pot Pie for dinner and Cherry Pie for dessert).

If I had not overheard Helene talking on the phone to a grandparent that evening (while the pot pie was already in the oven), though, I would have forgotten the most important part.  I heard this:

"Yes, and every year, on Pi Day, my mom makes pies . . . "
(Really?  I did this once, and that is "every year"??)
"...and it's our tradition to put a Pi symbol on the top of the pie."
(Oh, $#!%, the pi symbol!  Quick . . . what do I have?  Oh, these green beans will work nicely...)


So, apparently, it only takes once to make a tradition.  Or maybe I've done this more than once, and I just don't remember because it wasn't a big deal to me.  I have no idea.  I think it's sweet that it's a tradition in my daughter's eyes.  I'll try to remember next year and be a little more prepared!

Austin Half Marathon

On Sunday, I ran the Livestrong Austin Half Marathon.  It was the second half marathon I've ever done, and it was a great experience.

I trained for this for over 4 months - almost 5, I think, so I was definitely prepared.  But the last two weeks I took almost completely off, for various reasons.  So, on race day, I really wasn't even sure if I would be able to complete the distance.  Other issues were so much more demanding on my emotions, though, that I really didn't care.  Perhaps that was a good attitude to approach it with.  I was not nervous.  I placed no pressure on myself to finish within a certain time or achieve any particular goal.  I just set out like it was any other Sunday morning long run.

There were 12,000 people running the half and about 5,000 running the full.  We all ran the first 10 miles of the course together, so needless to say, it was crowded.  That gave me plenty to look at, and the first few miles just flew by.  There were bands of all varieties along the course - Japanese drums, Mexican mariachi, solo guitarist, teenager garage bands in their front yards, etc. - which also provided entertainment.  I'm glad I didn't bother bringing my iPod; I did not miss it in the least.

I saw one blind runner, two different one-legged runners (you can see one of them behind me in one of the Brightroom photos - he ended up beating me), one Teletubby, several fairy princesses, and lots of people out to have a good time.

I don't know how long these shots will be available on Brightroom, but here's a link, while it lasts: Brightroom Videos and Photos

After the first 5 miles, I was distracted by seeking a portapotty and envying the guys who kept running off to the sidelines to relieve themselves in the bushes.  My next diversion was knowing my mom would join me after mile 7.  She and my dad both ran with me for a bit, then my dad took my jacket (I think it had warmed up to about 46 - perfect running weather), and my mom stayed with me for a couple of miles.  My brother joined us at mile 9 and he ran all the way to 13 with me.  Having distractions and company made the whole race fly by.  Maybe because I did all of my training alone this time around, this felt like it went by more quickly than any of my long training runs.

My dad took this picture.  I'm on the left, in the great Skirt Sports outfit.  My brother is on the right, keeping me company:

Speaking of the outfit, I had at least 5 runners come up to me (mid-race) to ask where I got it.  Even one man commented, "Nice coordination!"  Thank you, Skirt Sports, for the great race day attire.  You got some advertising in return!

I'll try to come back and add a link to my Garmin page after I'm home and can upload that.  Basically, I believe I started out at about an 8:30 pace, slowed down after a couple of miles, slowed down significantly on some of the hills, and averaged out to 8:59 for the race.

John ran much faster than I did (around a 7:40 pace) and was waiting for me at the finish line.

John and I post-race:

I love that post-race glow!  All in all, it was a very good experience.  The humidity and hills were balanced out by the lower altitude.  I was able to chat with my mom and Chad when they were running with me (I can never talk while running in CO).  And having to weave my way through the masses at times was balanced out by the entertainment value the crowds of people provided.  My legs are sore, but I am not injured.  And NO, I am not going to train for a full marathon now!

Helene's 9th Birthday

For Helene's birthday, I took her and three of her friends (Megan, Sydney & Becca) to the American Girl Doll Store.

 The girls shopped with their own money, while

 their dolls got new hairdos at the salon.

 And took a little break after shopping.

 On Friday night (as a birthday gift), Helene got her ears pierced.  Today, she used some of her birthday money to get her dolls' ears pierced, too.

 We went to the Cheesecake Factory for an early dinner after shopping.

 The restaurant is "doll friendly", so each doll got her own high chair that clips to the table.

Then we drove back home for some Nyan Cat cake.

A Month Without

I've been eating "Paleo" for  an entire month now.  That means water, coffee, meat, fish, poultry, eggs, fruits, vegetables and nuts only (no grains, dairy, legumes, added sugar, or anything processed).  I stuck to it strictly for an entire month!  I've never done anything like this before, so I'm kinda proud of myself. :)  

To make it more clear, that means for 28 days, I have had no cereal, no oatmeal, no bagels, no muffins, no yogurt, no scones, no lattes, no sandwiches, no tortilla or corn chips, no toast, no Dr Pepper (NO DR PEPPER!!), no cookies, no cake, no french bread, no salad dressings with added sugar, no Reese's peanut butter cups, no beer, no butter, no Power Bars.  Those are just some of the things that I used to eat on a somewhat regular basis that I have done without.  I'm sure there are more that I'm forgetting.

I HAVE been eating the colorful foods pictured below!

Sweet Potato Chips (this is before I tossed and baked them)

Tilapia with roasted vegetables

Chicken with mushrooms, pine nuts, basil, etc.

Leftover chicken with avocado slices and picante sauce

(makes a good lunch when you can't have sandwiches)

Stuffed Bell Pepper, Salad, Roasted Green Beans

Now that I have lived this way for a month and given my body a chance to adjust, I am going to lighten up a bit.  I thought I would slowly add things in to see what bothered me and work my way back up to my old "normal" diet, but I am modifying that plan slightly.  I have had so much energy eating this way.  I don't want to ruin it.  So, I'm going to allow myself occasional "cheats".  95% Paleo and 5% Other.  But for the most part, I'm going to continue this way of life.  I feel leaner and stronger and have a more consistent energy level throughout the day.

Care to guess what my first non-Paleo "cheat" was?

A Post A Week (maybe)

I have a friend who is trying to post a photo every day this year and blog about it.  The pressure of that would just stress me out, but I do think I will make it more of a goal to post something weekly.

Today's theme: sunsets and sunrises

This is the view from my family room this evening:

When I see this much orange and purple through the windows, I run for my camera.  I was without a camera for a couple of months this fall, and it killed me to see this beauty and not be able to capture it.  Not that a photo truly does it justice; the colors here are exquisite, but at least now, with a new camera, I can capture some small part of it to look back on later.

Two more of tonight's sunset:

And yesterday's sunrise:

Looks like the sky is fire, doesn't it?


I've had thoughts lately of wanting another house.  A smaller house, closer to my son's school, and perhaps with an HOA that allows chickens.  This large house out in the boonies (okay, 10 minutes from town) was great over the winter break, but as the kids started back to school today, I had thoughts of moving again.  It sure would be convenient to be closer.

These photos remind me of why we bought this house in the first place.  The views.  When we walked in here with the realtor 6 years ago, the blinds were all open, the house was empty, and my eyes were immediately drawn outwards.  I gasped and said, "John!  This is the place!"  He shushed me and told me to keep a poker face in front of the realtor. :)  There are many places closer in to town that do not have a view of the mountains at all.  I love the mountains.  Always have.  And living here, I realize how volatile they are.  They change every day . . . in amazing and awe-inspiring ways.  This is why we live here.