Cookie Maiden.

Yesterday was my day off and I took full advantage of it. I thrive on an active schedule, so I pack my days as full as I can. Some people love to save projects for the weekend, but I bookend my work days with projects.....workout in the morning before leaving and come home to do laundry, make meals to freeze, yard work, etc... Because my work schedule is wildly unpredictable,  I can't afford to put things off for the weekend. If I'm gonna get stuff done, I have to make time for it mid week because I usually work on the weekends which makes them crazy.
By keeping my days full, my days off are like mini vacations. I don't have stacks of work and catch-up to do because I'm already mostly on top of it. I can have a day off and really just relax, make plans with a friend, get in an extra long run, or even be available for last-minute shifts at work.

My brother texted me mid-morning and told me he was working about 4 miles from the house, so I offered to hook him up with lunch, but I also had time to make a batch of cookies to deliver to the jobsite.


My rock-star brother Noah created this recipe when he was about 14 years old. He's now the top-of-his-class at Le Cordon Bleu Institute of Culinary Arts. If I were you I would use this recipe now before he's famous and can't divulge his secrets. 
(Which is actually happening already, so hurry before I have to take it down for copyright violation.)

Cookie making isn't exactly my forte, but this recipe is pretty much fool-proof.
And even if you DO mess it up, I'm pretty sure your recipients of cookies, botched or not, are going to love you forever.
This recipe makes a big batch. There was plenty for the crew, plus my other two brothers were working their after school job and were happy to take a couple with them.

Ta-da!! These cookies are a hit. Make 'em.

Life on the bad days.

Workout-  4 miles @ 9:47 pace.

On the off day that I wake up on the wrong side of the bed, it's un uphill climb to be master of my own attitude. Waking up with a sore throat and ringing ears is not fun.


Tea always helps. I would also recommend taking a work-from-home day, wearing your bathrobe over your clothes all day and some Sara Evans on the radio, but these are just things that work for me.

Throughout today, I've begun to feel physically better, but my attitude is still off-roading. And I don't mean that I hit the rumble bars, I mean 3 of 4 wheels are in the ditch. For some reason, when I am sick, I also get heart sick and emotionally sick as well.

Mental crossroads are the only thing that stands between us and the life we were destined to live.
I made the decision to love life. I made the decision to be grateful for today. Today, with a runny nose and achy joints and a bruised up heart is the material that makes tomorrow's sunrise beautiful.
Tomorrow will come, with good and precious things. I will only appreciate them if I have learned to appreciate the down days. Learned to be grateful even on the tough days.

 

 

 

Post-run smiles.

Choose to love life. It's worth it.
(And garlic works wonders for head colds.)

Rainy Mornings and Sunset Runs.

Anyday that you wake up to thunder and lightening is a good day. When it stays chilly and damp and you get to wear boots and a scarf and a cream-colored sweater, take a pictures. And when the sun springs out from behind the clouds for a brilliant sunset run, you can pretty much die happy.


I believe that rain is a reminder to eat oatmeal, so at the first sign of showers I make myself a bowl. In this bowl- oats, chia seeds, vanilla protein powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cooked apples & pecans. Out of this world delicious.

Today I asked my Mom if I could kidnap the three youngest kids for a day out together. They are growing up so fast and it's extremely important to me to spend quality time with them. It happened to be the perfect day because Charity had an orthodontist appointment to get her braces, so if I was in town with them it would save my Mom a trip.
Silas (7) was so excited he got up an hour early and did most of his school before breakfast. By the time we left mid-morning he just had one subject left. Cutie.


While we were in the waiting room, Silas was playing with his cars he brought from home, and the collectin of cars they had there. I was concerned that he would get them mixed up, so we took a picture of his set of cars and their set of cars.
After I snapped this picture Silas said "waaaait, I want to cover up her whole face." Sorry Snooks, but that makes two of us.
We spent the majority of the morning doing school inside the coffeshop, but they got finished with their morning work in time to go the Library.


The Library was deserted, since we were there during school hours. When we left Silas said "It's a good thing we came in this morning because other wise those perfectly good books would have been so lonely on the shelves by themselves."


My beautiful sisters.


We had Subway for lunch and I had my first experience with their new 'chopped salads' concept. I always tell them not to cut up anything when I get salads there, but I actually liked this because it was thoroughly mized. Phoebe (11) said "I hope that tastes good because from the looks of it, you couldn't pay me to eat it." The littles split a meatball marinara and between the giggles and chuckles I ended up getting to wear some of it and it's my official fragrance for the day.



 After lunch we got to pick-up my Mom's order from the local Food Coop. The good news is that she got maxi chocolate chips, which always makes your effort worth the while. Just as long as she doesn't weigh 'em, we're all good. The secret is safe with me until she sees the melted chocolate on Silas' shirt. :)

Fall + running = bliss.


Tabs & I got in a 3 mile run before dark. We got started a little later than we like so we hustled so we could get back off the road before dark. Safety first!
3 miles @ 9:47.

Tabs was given all the height genes in the family, so she has to get down on her knees to get her head in the same frame as mine. She's cool about it though and only calls me a midget behind myback.


Milk chocolate or Dark chocolate?

TTT

1. Our small town Library is the cream of the crop. We seriously have the best Library and staff ever. I practically lived in the Library as a child, but I haven't checked out a book since I graduated from High School. Major problemo.

2. Kansas sunsets are the best. Kansas sunsets from the wheels of my bike are the best of the best.

3. When I was little I would ask my Dad what his favorite color was and he would always say black. This appalled me. I couldn't understand why with SO many pretty colors in the world, he liked black the best. I asked him everyday hoping he would change his mind and actually like something pretty. :)

4.  Every blogger I know is eating apple butter this week. I can't get any locally, so I have been eating baked apples like nobody's business. It's not helping. I still want apple butter.

Withdrawals!

No more morning snuggles. No more sandy fingers. No more sweet little giggles. No more super man demos. No more getting bossed by the 6 year old.  I miss these cuties!! :)

If you are an Aunt- you know. The little stinkers always live too far away!!

The post where I talk about my clothes.

Workout- 8 miles bicycle ride. 20 minute weight session- biceps & back.

When I got home from work this morning, I was met with this lovely sight;


My sister and I have vowed to never get rid of clothes without first alerting the other so we can swoop in like a vulture on the cast offs. Actually, I just don't like hauling all the clothes out to the car, and the rule is whoever touches them last gets rid of them. If I haul all my stuff across the hall for her to sort through, then she gets stuck with the major hauling act. I've thought this through.  

Since I already had her enormous piles to sort through, I decided to go ahead and switch out my summer and winter clothes. Yay for sweaters.  

Fun fact- my bedroom is about the size of a crayola box and doesn't have a closet. I have a huge old wardrobe to store all my clothes in it. I can never be one of those girls who has too many clothes, because if I would have to start sleeping on my front porch to make room for them all. The wardrobe is a family treasure-- it stood in my grandma's house since before I was born.

I'm beginning to think that I should have named this blog Loving, Laughing and Living in Pink. I wear a lot of pink. I once read this fashion article by a very intelligent fashionista and she said to stop trying to fit every trend and wear what looks good on you. If hats are in, but you look like duckling peaking out from under a dumpster in hats-- it won't matter if they are chic or not- you are going to look stupid. If yellow is the rage, but you look like you are lying in your coffin in it, don't freakin' wear it.
I took note and immediately stopped wearing anything that was not my favorite color- namely- pink, purple and pink's cousins mauve and rose. Maybe I've taken it to a little bit extreme??

(I promise my bed has sheets, I was doing laundry.)

 

Socks. I don't mind doing laundry, but I am pretty hard core anti-sock sorting. It stresses me out- why do I always have random leftover socks??

Do you like sorting socks?
Yes. And I also like bee stings and tripping on sidewalk cracks.

What do you do with the homeless strays??
I throw them back in the dirty laundry basket. Maybe they'll find their match in the next laundry cycle??

1/2 way to the 1/2.

When I began training for the 1/2, I received the same snippet advice from several veteran 1/2ers.

Namely-- don't marry your training schedule.

I heard other things too-- buy running socks, don't drink or eat anything that is derived from a prune for 48 hours prior to the race, put your headshot and phone number on business cards to hand out to cute guys at the finish, etc.....but that one snippet kept resurfacing.

On Sunday I realized that the first 6 weeks of training are in the books!! I'm 1/2 way there! In reviewing the past few weeks, I made a couple of observations.

1. Cross training makes a world of difference. This summer I was so in love with running I would run 6 days a week and maybe throw in some other random workout. This fall I have kept myself to no more than 4 runs per week, and 3 days of cross training. It's amazing the difference it has made in my endurance and pace. I'm sure you've heard it before, but it bears saying again; cross training is a runner's best friend!!

2. I've done a good job of not letting the schedule own me, but it's time to put a ring on the finger of my long runs. I do a good job running and crossing until Saturday, and my long run gets slashed in favor of a different work out or a shorter run before a craaaazy day. I've unintentionally loaded my runs a mile or two longer during the beginning of the week, so my weekly mileage is right, but I'm not getting those long runs in like I need to.

3. It's getting colder. I had a couple 35 degree runs last week. If November is colder than usual this year, it's gonna suck!

Yesterday I decided to get in a longer run with the Tabs. Deciding where to run can be a time consuming decisions. There are so many factors to consider; road surface, number of hills, level or traffic, wind direction, shade, visual appeal etc.... My sister said something in the neighborhood of "someone is over-thinking this" but I obviously ignored her.

I picked a new route that was almost exclusively paved. It was beautiful! It was mostly flat with a few little hills and 3 killller hills. I love me some hills! :) I love running new routes!!

We ran out 4 miles, ran back 3 and then walked the last one to cool down. On the way out we were running into a nasty headwind (15mph, gusting to 25mph) so the turn around was a welcome rest!! We ran at a 10:13 pace, and stayed pretty steady the entire run. 10min/mile is my intended race pace, so I was pretty happy with it. Tab's can run circles around me, so she kept it in low gear to stay with me. :) 

 

 

We picked up this chocolate lab for about 1/4 mile. I was mostly worried that he was going to take an ungodly chunk out of my leg, but he was actually sweet and well mannered!

 

 

My next long run is another 7 miler on Sunday. I'm already looking forward to it!! :)

Do you always run the same route, or do you switch it up?