Homeschooling and the things I don't miss!!

I was blessed to be homeschooled K-12 and it was an amazing experience that I wouldn't trade for anything. My parents made an unbelievable sacrifice to homeschool me and my siblings and I could not be more grateful!!

I was one of those kids who got geeked out excited about school, thought pencils were the best birthday gift ever and color-coded all my daily planner schedules. Blue- math, green- science, orange- health, pink- writing.....etc.... This year I have been especially nostalgic about my school days and wishing that they weren't over. I miss school. Or maybe I just miss the simplicity of life when the biggest question of the day was x -3 + 8 =  ____ instead of;  "wow, is this mortgage jacked or what???"

This morning I got in an 4.5 mile run with my friend Natalie. We had a killer head wind, but we had really good times regardless!!  

After my run my Mom called me and asked me to pick up something for her at the meat locker.  Eyeballs? I was assuming that was static on the cell phone. Hmmm... when the owner of the meat locker sees you and says "oh, thank you for getting here so quickly, I didn't want these sitting in my fridge any longer!!!" --- RUN. RUN FAST!

yes those are eyeballs.

Just another day in school- dissecting eyeballs. Neat-o.

Maybe I don't miss school anymore..........gone are the days of dissecting!! Yay!!! :)

Did your teacher allow you to create your own trashcan?? Silas (read- youngest sibling- almost 8!) was tickled to show me this trashcan that he created all by himself and keeps right next to his desk. "It's for my pencil shavings, or gum, or like anything I want to throw away, except my spelling paper because Mom said I couldn't throw that out. I empty it into the real trashcan every night. So it's not like, "technically" a real trashcan, but it's mostly real. Isn't yellow a good color for it too?" Those are his words- could he be any cuter!!!

Extra tickle time with Silas while we work through the trials of 'take-aways'?? I'm all over it!

one fine day.

Any day that starts without the annoyingness we know as an alarm clock is a good day in my book! If only my internal alarm clock wasn't so attracted to 6:30am. :)

Had a fabulous workout this morning before I was fully awake. Whew! Nothing like sweat dripping into your eyes to really get you awake!

Meet Sue! Sue is a friend of mine and I do home care for on occasion when her full time care-giver is not available. If she is having a good day, we like to take trips and go on adventures together!! It takes a special person to put up with my random singing habits, crazy photo taking obsession but Sue just puts up with me no matter what. :)  

Today she was feeling good enough to make a trip to Kansas City for some shopping. It was a perfect day for shopping- cool and sunny and the stores were deserted! Perfect! I love shopping but I won't even go into a crowded store.  

Who knows what dorky pose I was trying to strike. Cute dress, no?? TJ Maxx will hook you up! It was dreadfully cute, but not in budget. I may or may not have just stayed in the dressing room for an extra ten minutes just enjoying wearing it. "yes, dear sweet dressing room attendant, I am still alive and breathing". :)

Sue's favorite place to eat is Chipotle, so we usually eat lunch there. I have yet to stray from my favorite-- Burrito Bowl with barboca, black beans, corn, mild salsa, fajita and guac! Yummy!

When it comes to shopping are you a Spendy Sandra or a Stingy Sarah??

Laboring.

We all need a good 3 day week end sometime. One day for fun, one for family and one to do absolutely nothing. :)

Saturday was our fun day. We started the day bright and early with a local 5k. Last year they had a huge turnout and a whole swarm of runners, but it was significantly smaller this year. The atmosphere wasn't as exuberant and exciting, but not nearly as intimidating either!!

My running buddy Natalie ran this with me and the girl made it look like a piece of cake!!

Me & Natalie. See the snazzy shirts that came with registration??

Tabitha, Natalie & I.

My sister had a great race! We ran a 5k with an almost identical route in May and she had some leg/cramping issues and I ended up catching up with her and finishing together. She pulled away from me right at the start of the race and I was tickled to not see her again until the finish!! Yay!! She despises running on cement, but manages to clean house regardless. She came in 4th woman and 8th over all. :)

The little dude in the neon shirt came in 4th place over all with a time of 20:15. (I'm preeeety sure that was his result, don't quote me.) The little speedster told me the key to winning was neon running gear. Duly noted son, duly noted.

There wasn't a whole lot of time in the schedule between the run and a retirement party for our dear friend Karen! Karen has been known affectionately as our 'Library lady' for 25 years and is newly retired. Our small town Library has always been a step above the rest thanks to her hard work and dedication! We will miss her!  

Saturday night we got in some more great girl time with Grace! She took us to Old Market in downtown Omaha. If you saw three girls walking around laughing uncontrollably and tripping on bricks, that was us.

sunset, smiles & sunroof hair.

I accept gifts in all shapes and sizes; but I reccommend popcorn flavored jelly beans. Growing up my Grandma had a chicken feeder full of jelly beans on her kitchen counter. She always scolded us when we picked through them to get our favorite flavors, but she never made us stop. Looking back, I'm pretty sure her favorite flavor was popcorn too........the poor sweet lady never got any after we visited!

Tabitha and I must be related. 9 times out of 10 we make the same face for pictures.

After church on Sunday 3 of my brothers got together with friends for some football. I'm not about to miss a chance to cheer at any football game, let alone if my brothers are playing!! Loosing my voice was totally worth it. :)

Cheer team!!

Karlie, Anna & I.

Red Mango is a must for Sunday afternoons!!

Labor day has always been an official work day in our family with a multitude of projects. This is one of the first days in family history that there isn't a to-do list. We're turning over a new leaf. :)

Is today your work-the-hardest or work-the-least day??

The Most Delicious Supper known to man.

Chicken & Couscous.

1 cup cooked chicken, shredded

1 medium-large tomato

1/2 onion

1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup couscous, prepared

salt

pepper

garlic powder

Dice onion & tomato into bite-sized pieces. In a sauce pan, sautee the onion & tomato in 1/4 cup water for 2-4 minutes. When onions are softening, add chicken until heated through and remove from heat. Add salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste.

Place prepared couscous on plate  & spinkle with cheese. Top with chicken mixture.

Serves 1.

This is DELICIOUS!!! The flavors are fantastic together and really meld well!!

This also is a filling meal that takes very litle prep or cook time I literally spent 5 minutes preparing and cooking. I keep home-canned chicken in my pantry or freezer, so it takes just a minnute to throw this together. This is a perfect meal for summer when tomatoes and onions are bountiful from the garden. I x'ed this recipe by 4 or 5 and made several servings that I put in tupperware to freeze for lunches or suppers on the go.

Enjoy!! :)

Totally Talkable Thursday.

1. I have yet to figure out why anyone would ever design an article of clothing without pockets. I have bought clothing that I will never wear for the sole reason that it has pockets! I am sure that at some point, some person in the US is going to drop their phone and sue the company of the clothes they are wearing because they are pocket less.

2. Chai tea is pretty much an exceptional mood booster. I have yet to meet a cup I didn't like. I have to say, Starbucks has nailed their iced chai recipe. I've contemplated working there just to get their recipe.

3. This week my brother had a non-injury wreck after he blew a tire in his vehicle. Ya'll have any idea how expensive insurance is for a 15 year old male?? Add a couple of zeroes and you have the adjusted number post- wreck. Seeing as it wasn't even his fault, I feel super bad for him. Praise Jesus he was unharmed!!

4. Everytime I get ready to say the words "I like Country music"; they play a Jason Aldean song and I quickly change my mind. And then Jason Aldean goes and writes "Tattoos on this Town" and "Fly over States" and I immediately realize that I don't like Country music. I LOVE it.

I'm a Runner. Yes, I'm Slow.

I got this running survey from Hanna @ Bouffe e Bambini.

 (Wanna talk amazing weightloss story and super-Momma?? Okay, we'll save it for another post, but go check out her blog!)

I thought it would be a fun thing to do now- and then again in a year or so and see if any of the answers change. I am so new to running, I am sure I will change considerably with time!!

Running Survey:

Are you a morning, afternoon or evening runner?

I promise not to be this undecisive on every question, but I would have to say this is a tie between morning and evening. I LOVE going for sunrise runs and getting in some serious miles before my day starts. But I equally love a good run while dusk settles and all the crickets and cicadas start singing in the evenings.

Solo or Pack Runner??

I love running by myself because I can just get wrapped up in my own little world with my thoughts. I enjoy running with other people, but I am always terribly self-concious about slowing them down or not keeping their pace. I would also have to say that this one is a tie. :) I get in the mood for solo runs, but I also really love running with others, especially my sister Tabitha. She's the best running partner to ever run the planet.

Favorite Post-Run Snack??

Definitely a power smoothie. I love a light and refreshing smoothie to refuel and rehydrate after a run.

Favorite Race??

To date the only race I've run is a 5k, so this one is hard to answer.

Do you wear a Garmin? How do you track your miles?No garmin. It's in the budget, and I'm too much of a tightwad to cheat on my budget and just get one. (Christmas and my birthday are right around the corner, and I will love you forever if you want to get me one!!) I use the runtastic app on my Iphone, which works well but it starting to be a bit unreliable..........ahhh.

What is your least favorite race?

The one where I don't meet my goal. (Not what that question means, I know.)

Where is your favorite medal from?

Medal? Medal? They give those out to the GOOD runners. I don't qualify!! :)

How long have you been a runner?

 About 8 months. I started transitioning from walking to running in January of this year. It has been amazing to see what my body can actually do!!!

Do you run with your engagement/wedding ring on??

My engagemnent ring is worth about $14,000 so it wouldn't be the smartest or safest thing to run with it, but I do anyway. I love it too much to part with it. I kid, I kid. I don't have an engagement/wedding ring, so this question doesn't actually apply to me. (yet.)

Where is your favorite place to run??

OUTSIDE. One of the best things about running is it allows you to see the world on your own two legs. It's like traveling on a motorcycle. It's just you and this big, amazing world. Running outside is so fun. I love running in the city, country, mountains, desert, beach- everywhere!!! :)

Do you use Gu?

Gold Underwear? Green Umbrella? What?? No, I don't use Gu. I haven't ever tried one. I am usually a wuss when it comes to things that have a wierd texture, so I'm not sure how well I would like them. I do plan to try them at some point because I am sure they would be useful on longer runs.

What do you drink to stay hydrated?

Water. Water, and some more water.

What do you take with you on a run?

My lipgloss, some money, car keys, baby photos of myself, corndogs, bug spray, a swiss army knife, an extra pair of shoes and a smart car. I'm a real heavy runner. haha.

Just my phone. My phone is multi-functional because it serves as my ipod and my mile tracker while also providing the safety net of having 911 at my finger tips at all times. I refuse to run without my phone for safety reasons, especially because I run in different places all the time, and I'm by myself more often than not.

What is your favorite type of Cross-Training?

This is also a tie between the Turbo Fire Hiit workouts and my weight sessions. I LOVE burning it up in the weight room, but I also relish the Turbo Fire burn. :)

What brand of shoes do you wear?

I originally wore Asics, but switched to Brooks this last pair that I bought. They are both comfortable, but I wouldn't say I'm married to either pair.

Do you wear a hat when you run?

Not unless it's raining.

What is your favorite running temperature?

40-50. Cool, but doesn't hurt your lungs.

Any big races coming up?

I'll be running my 3rd 5k this coming Saturday where I expect to have a major PR and am training for my 1st 1/2 marathon in November!! :)

Now your turn! Runners- ready, set, GO!!

The Rain in Spain falls Mainly on the Plain.

I was one happy camper waking up to cloudy skies and a drizzle on Friday! Yay! Something about stormy weather puts my mood into over-drive!!

After work on Friday I was finally feeling almost back to my regular self. Yay for kicking that nasty bug! When I got home from work I couldn't wait to get out in the rain for a good hard run!

Not totally soaked.....

When I got home from my run I was feeling good. My legs felt pretty dead through most of the run, but I didn't take it easy on them. I finished with all my miles under 10 minutes- woot!!

I should move to England because I could run in the rain every blessed day.

Post run I decided to have an omelet and fruit. Good idea, but apparently my omelet making skills are not as sharp as I thought they were.. Ahem.

Rain or shine for your runs?