Tuesday, November 2, 2010

June

Ok, I'm going to work on a little back-tracking. Just a bit.
In June, we were excited to travel for a while. We went on vacation with the Beardsley Family, went to/were in my high school friend Christina's wedding (which conveniently was in Asheville), and celebrated Matthew's first birthday with BOTH sides of our family at the same party! (A big feat if the family is 7 hours apart!)
It was such a great blessing to be able to see so much family, participate in a great friend's wedding, and get a V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N. I'm ready for another already. :-)

Here's just a little taste:

Nothing like a good family photo to end the trip!


Friday, October 22, 2010

Now Don't Get All Excited..

This is for Lexie who reminded me that I don't have to catch up on everything that happened, I just have to talk about what's happening now. *sigh of relief*

Hoping to be back to writing soon!

Friday, July 30, 2010

Oh. Yeah. Baby.

Let's just call this post, "Don't ask questions, you don't want answered."

It's RECOVERED!!

This was all I had last night....


But tonight, I am proud to share:

My buddy Andrew!! He's been through the wringer. hahahaha.

Ha!

hahahaha. alright, I'm done.

But after lots of good council (see comments). I know where to send my "mutilated currency". Oh Dept. of the Treasury people, you don't even know... (and there's a good chance, since I have more than 51% of it, and it's easily recognizable, that I can just take it to the bank.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Never a dull moment around here friends...

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Cribs, Crimes and Canine Catastrophes

This would be better as a "Not Me Monday" but then it really might be too much to handle.

This morning we all woke up early to take Matt to the train, to the airport, to fly to AL to take pictures of his cousin's wedding. *waves at Rachel*. Early. 4:30 early.

The boys (and I) slept for a little while after getting back home, but not too well, and everyone was a little off their game and grumpy today. Not a fun way to start out 4 solo parenting days.

On a happy note, I sold a crib that we had replaced about a month ago on craigslist. I had been trying to sell it for a month. It has been sitting in the middle of our front room, totally in the way. I sold it for less than I wanted to, but it was pretty used, and it was nice to be done with it. I was going to surprise Matt (first of all, just by it's absence) with the cash when he got home Sunday night.

Jump to dinner, Matthew so tired, won't eat at all, cries through dinner until I put him to bed, then drinks a bottle and cries some more. *sigh*. Joey whines through dinner and finally goes to bed and while I am out of the kitchen for a minute Ziggy eats the money from the crib off of the kitchen table. All of it. This is what I have left:

So upset at the dog. Snapped at Joey for his whining. Yelled at the dog. After about 5 minutes I remembered a time when I was pulling something out of the oven, BOILING hot and dropped a piece on the floor which Ziggy ate so quickly, neither of us could stop him. It was so hot, it made him throw up, which conveniently emptied him of his dinner that he had eaten 45 minutes before.

So.

So I get the brilliant idea to make him throw up. Can I just defend my position and say that we are not in any condition to be throwing away, or letting our dog eat away perfectly good currency. Call me crazy. Go ahead, it's ok. So I need something to make him throw up. To the trash can!!

This sounds bad huh.

Earlier I had trashed 2 things which had gotten away from me in the fridge, some plain leftover pasta, and some chicken breast (that was going to become chicken salad). I figured if he had to throw up, then better to do it with nasty food. Greater chance of making him sick to start with right?? Really people, I know how crazy this sounds now that I am typing it all out. So I heat up all this chicken and some of the pasta, more than a cup until it is too hot to touch, then stand over him in the kitchen and "accidently" drop it on the floor. You see, to be enticing, he has to think he isn't supposed to have it, like you are keeping the good stuff from him. (or he just has to find it on the table when you aren't in the room). He snarfs it all up.

Nothing.

5 minutes. Nothing.

I've just fed my dog bad food. I mean bad, totally gone bad would make any person sick, bad food. Oh no, not a 130lb dog with the digestive system of a WHALE. He's laying on the kitchen floor digesting his second dinner and our CASH.

Alright then, let's see what the internet can come up with for "inducing dog vomitting". Some website said that a teaspoon of salt in the back of the mouth will do it. Look at giant dog. Look at computer again. Look at GIANT dog.



I went to get the Kosher salt. And a big serving spoon. 1 spoonful later: nothing. Salt all over my kitchen floor. Another giant spoonful with a little bit of peanut butter in the front to get him to open his mouth. Nothing. He's hacking a little bit, and I'm all hopeful, but...nothing. So I give him another cup of dog food to see if just all the first dinner and the rotten chicken and pasta and GOBS of Kosher salt will work together but.... nothing. All he wants is some water to drink. I can't blame him.





He's laying on the floor in the family room now, just like any other evening. Except this evening I think there might actually be a certifiably CRAZY woman on the couch next to him.

And I'm alone for the next 3 DAYS.

I want to say pray for me, friends. But at this point, maybe you are all more inclined to pray for Ziggy. If so, drop on by, have a visit, stay awhile. I've got a great spot you can put your wallet.


(oh a side note for all you swaggers. I won 9 SB on searching for "induce dog vomitting". it was like insult to injury. rubbing kosher salt in fresh wounds...)

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Do You Miss Us??

Do you miss these boys?



Well I can't wait to share more about what they (and all 4 of us) have been up to for the last few months. See you soon! Check back!

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Happy Father's Day to the Best Fathers Out There!!

Happy Father's day to my dad (pictured here with *a few* day old Matthew). He has taught me so many important things and I am so lucky to have him!! love you Dad!!
Happy Father's Day Tom!! We are constantly inspired by your love and generosity!! Our boys are freshly missing you and so are we! Love you!

And my dear, sweet, husband. I can't imagine a better dad for my boys. He inspires me to be a better wife, and mother and I think I ended up with the greatest man in the world. Happy Father's Day Matt!! I love you!!


(working on finding a few good pictures of my grandfathers, but they are on a different computer, so later, probably)

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Loved This!

I read this post and am looking forward to starting my day off right tomorrow and finding more motivation to get things done that I need to do!

Hope you Enjoy!

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Thank You

Thank you Lord, for a sweet husband who is willing to wake up early, drive me and the boys into the city and wait while I run. Thank you.

Thank you for my sweet friend whose husband is serving overseas and about to come home. Thank you for all he is doing for our country, for us all. Thank you for his willingness to serve as a light pointing others to you.

Thank you for nice weather, and steep hills that I don't have to walk anymore!

Thank you for loving friends and family to surround each other in tragedy, to pray, comfort, and care for one another.

Thank you Lord, for a body that can move, run, jump, and enjoy life. Thank you for a fun race this morning, for neon pink hair, tie-dyed pants and not seeing too many naked people. Thank you!

Thank you for a wonderful church, for a family away from family. Thank you for giving us the chance to welcome others in.

Thank you for the sweet couple who sat next to us, as we ate after the race. Thank you for their willingness to talk about kids and teaching and wanting grandkids. Thank you for kind strangers who can become friends over a meal and snuggle my baby and make him smile when he is exhausted. Thank you for their unexpected kindness to us.

Thank you for neon hair dye, that washes out before church. Thank you.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Not Me Monday

Ahhhh, "not me's". The time every week where I question whether or not honesty really is "the best policy".

This morning I did not gripe and moan when Matt suggested that he take the laptop to his business meeting at the last minute. I wouldn't gripe and moan because I was actually babysitting, and OF COURSE I wouldn't have time to blog, and do other various (useless) things on the internet because I was attentively watching Joey's little friends. I most certainly gave him the laptop with joy and am not upstairs blogging on the desktop right now.

I did not plan on keeping my youngest home from church yesterday because of his very croupy cough, but then take him out to a street festival so we could celebrate the day. If he had something to pass on to other little kiddos at church, I wouldn't expose him to the general public. Not me!

When we had friends for dinner on Saturday night and I was showing off my new wall art while I was changing the baby's diaper, I did not specifically think "I HAVE to remember to wash my hands after this!" (especially since I was in the kitchen getting the boys dinner). Since I wash my hands after EVERY diaper change I wouldn't NEED to "remind" myself something like that, AND after a reminder I certainly wouldn't forget.
....and also I didn't agonize for several minutes, 2 days later when I remembered and wrack my brain trying to think of what I did next and whether I touched food and whether I touched OTHER people's food. *disgusted shiver*
*waves at friend Sarah*

**Qualification for the next one** I sweep and vacuum regularly if not more often than average. The dog hair is just indescribable. Sometimes it really gets me down. *sigh* Please see THIS WEBSITE for more information, particularly: "shedding/grooming" "Not for" (ha!) "Cons" and "General Info"

This morning (while babysitting), I certainly did not tell my oldest little charge (6 years.) when she asked why there was dog hair in her food (which she brought from home), that it probably "came from her, or dropped out of her hair or off of her sleeve, since she had been sitting/laying on our floor". Surely if our own living room floor isn't fit to be trod/sat/laid upon, I would simply apologize and say "I don't know". I would not feel defensive about the amount of hair, TO A SIX YEAR OLD, and basically blame our messiness on her choice of play area.

I also most certainly did not suggest that OBSCENE levels of hair just "go along with having a dog" and maybe "you wouldn't want a dog" if you minded hair in your food. ugh. ugh me.

I'm going downstairs to vacuum now.

please don't judge me. *pitiful look*

*in looking for a good picture of an overwhelming pile of dog hair, to make you all feel sorry for me, I did not uncover this website, and briefly consider selling Ziggy's hair to people practicing HooDoo.

I'm joking people!!!

Oh lastly.....

I haven't watched this video like 4 times (since I saw it on my friend Susi's blog). We (Matt and I) haven't watched it together and laughed/lusted after the swagger wagon. We haven't been talking about Susi's amazing minivan since she visited last year. mmmmm Sienna...... (ohmygosh if you're going to watch this, double click and go to youtube to view it so your picture isn't cut in half. it's so hilarious)



We. (Seriously!) Matt fell in love with this van! He still talks about it!!

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Done and Done

I've had this project in mind for many months and had big dreams of getting this done for our *whispers* bare-walled guest room, before we had some company in March, but alas, I am just getting finished now.

It's amazing that we've been in this house for a year and a half, and my husband is a photographer, and we still have very little on our walls.

Anyway, here's what I did.

First pick out several (I did 9) really cool pieces of 12 X 12 scrapbook paper. This is a great chance to bring some other colors into your room!

Then go to Home Depot or Lowe's or somewhere and buy MDF or plywood. They will cut it for you there, especially if you go there without your husband and pretend like you don't know what "No Project Cuts" or "No Exact Cuts" means! Ask them to cut it into 12" X 12" squares.

Grab some spray paint for the edges of your "frames", a can of spray adhesive, and some wall mounts for your pictures and go home!

Now you're ready to get your boards ready. For whatever reason white spray paint didn't work on my MDF. It might have needed primer, I don't know. $.97 wasted but luckily I had white paint in the garage. Paint (or spray paint) the edges (let dry) and then nail in your hangers and the boards are ready. Ugh. My nails were so short that I had to use tweezers to nail them in.


Now you can affix your papers to your boards. This took a little practice for me. Spray adhesive is super strong. It's like superglue but covers a much bigger area.

Now it's time to find a wall! You (may) also have to find your husband and ask for help hanging them up. This may be the hardest step of them all!


Practice arranging boards until you realize that once the screws are in the wall, you can move them around as much as you want.

Time to hang it up!

Snap a quick picture once it's on the wall and finally let your baby take a nap in the room! Admire later!

Hopefully I can get Matt to take some nice pictures later. My pictures don't look as nice as it looks in person. But now there is ONE wall in our guest room that has something on it. *whew* And it only took a year and a half!

Monday, April 26, 2010

Definitely NOT Me Monday

Good morning everyone!  If you are a member of PETA, please, read no further.

This morning I most certainly did not forget that there is wildlife in urban California as, on the end of my run, I almost tripped over a SNAKE and jumped about 3 feet straight up in the air!  Of course if a snake did cause me to jump into the air from fright it would be because it was a giant man-eating anaconda, and not a helpless little garter snake.  ugh. wuss.



A moment after passing said GIANT MONSTER, I definitely did not remember that HEY!  I am a brave woman.  Hey I have BOYS.  I am a TEACHER.  I grew up with a snake loving brother and we had Pythons for heaven's sake.  I held them all the time!  I should go back and get him!!  I would never have turned around and looked for the snake and thought about taking him home, regardless of the fact that I was no where near my car and had nothing to bring it home in.  Anything for an educational experience right??  I was not considering just taking off my long-sleeved shirt and tying up the arms, etc. to bring him home in.
Thank goodness I didn't find him.  I may be a brave woman, but I am still a woman and what if he had gotten out in the car??  SHRIEK!

On my way home I definitely did not run over 2 birds in the middle of my lane.  There's not much more to say about that one.

If I had, tragically and unfortunately run over 2 birds on my way home, in an unavoidable fashion, I most certainly would not have looked in my rearview mirror at the CLOUD of feathers and thought about how sad it was, and then thought:  "but man, I LOVE this song, and I never hear it on the radio!  I'll just enjoy the song and then be sad about the birds."

Do you think I am an awful person yet?  If "yes". please stop reading.
If "no", feel free to continue.

I didn't...ummm..... search for a picture of bird feathers in a cloud because I like to illustrate my blog, using searches like "dead birds" "flying cloud of bird feathers" and "run over bird".  


I'm not sad that I didn't find a good shot of the feather bomb that must have gone off,  in the window of the car behind me.

After enjoying my song.... I didn't forget about the birds.  You know, from 2 minutes before.

And I'm not way more concerned that you guys are going to judge me for liking loving country music than for killing 2 birds.

whew.  I feel a little lighter!  Small animals of Oakland, beware!  I might go to the grocery store later!

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Studly Saturday

Hope the scenery is as nice where you are!

Friday, April 16, 2010

Fun Times

It's been a busy month since I left you.  Sorry to be SO totally bad at keeping up with the blog after my promise to blog everyday.  I guess the balance is in finding something in between posting everyday and posting every month...

So here are a few snapshots of our life in the last month.  It's been busy to say the least...









































Month in review...... aaand go:

Friend Chris visits, Have fun, Joey poops on him, make mistake about when Matt's parents are coming to visit, have overlap with Chris and Beardsley family - good times hopefully had by all, Matt goes to Ski with Rob and Dad, Beardsley ladies *minus Jessie, missed you!* hang out, Laurie gets some free time (Thank you Kay!!), go to Academy of Sciences with Beardsleys, fun visit, Beardsleys leave, Fly kites with Rob, Drink with Rob, Rob leaves, test out new bike trailer (fits 2 kids!!, found on craigslist cheap!!), Joey wears training pants sometimes, no potty training yet, but pre-potty training is great!, Mocha and Ziggy up to their usual craziness, start watching some little girls from church, second income helpful, church buys a new building = BIG DEAL!!  Congratulations to Christ Church!!, Baby Matthew remains cute, rolls everywhere but no crawling yet, Matt has birthday and gets many fun toys including an iphone and cool pasta maker, make lots of fusili, have giant bee hive removed from side of the house, costs a zillion dollars and has a TON of honeycomb.  Consider going into obviously lucrative bee removal business.  whew

Intersperse Matt's classes, the business, my mom's group and babysitting, and our community group and church obligations, and the occasional housecleaning and laundry doing (but not putting away) and you have a month in the life of the Beardsleys.  We may not be South American missionaries anymore, but we are definitely

still

Beardsleys In Action!

Anyone want any honey?

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Congratulations to Me, Congratulations to Me (*to tune of Happy Birthday)

And although I might have been doubted, yesterday concluded my 2 straight weeks of everyday posts.  It wasn't actually as hard as I thought it would be, and I hope you all were duly impressed!  :-)

I actually still have more things to post about!  Just to tide you over a bit though until I have some time for a real post with pictures, I'm going to post a recipe that I used yesterday morning.  Matt and I (and the boys) woke up to freeeeeezing cold weather, and a freezing house.  This morning the temperature was close to the 30's (which is really really cold for here)  I poked around online for a recipe that might spice up our oatmeal a bit and this is what I found:

Hope you enjoy!!


Maple-Oatmeal Scones (direct link is to recipe on foodnetwork.com)

1999, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, All Rights Reserved

Prep Time:
15 min
Inactive Prep Time:
5 min
Cook Time:
40 min
Level:
Easy
Serves:
14 large scones

Ingredients

  • 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup whole-wheat flour
  • 1 cup quick-cooking oats, plus additional for sprinkling
  • 2 tablespoons baking powder
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
  • 1/2 cup cold buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
  • 4 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk or water, for egg wash

Directions

Glaze:
  • 1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
  • 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the flours, oats, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Blend the cold butter in at the lowest speed and mix until the butter is in pea-sized pieces. Combine the buttermilk, maple syrup, and eggs and add quickly to the flour-and-butter mixture. Mix until just blended. The dough may be sticky.
Dump the dough out onto a well-floured surface and be sure it is combined. Flour your hands and a rolling pin and roll the dough 3/4 to 1-inch thick. You should see lumps of butter in the dough. Cut into 3-inch rounds with a plain or fluted cutter and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Brush the tops with egg wash. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are crisp and the insides are done.
To make the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla. When the scones are done, cool for 5 minutes, and drizzle each scone with 1 tablespoon of glaze. I like to sprinkle some uncooked oats on the top, for garnish. The warmer the scones are when you glaze them, the thinner the glaze will be.

I took some this morning to our church mom's group and it seems like they were enjoyed.  In case you make them, you might want to read the comments (always a good idea with online recipes).  I ended up adding a little less flour (a few people said they were dry) and about a tablespoon of Maple Flavoring to the batter, and a teaspoon to the glaze, to bring out the maple flavor.  If you aren't nuts about oatmeal, I can promise that it's really not the dominating flavor, it's very subtle.  I also just patted them into rounds and cut them into wedges (more scone-like, I think) rather than kneading/rolling out the dough/cutting it.  
A good warm treat for a cold morning!  


Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Get LOST, Lost

I know in the past, I have sung the praises of Lost.  I won't delve into details and bore all non-Lost followers, but I think Matt and I are on the verge of giving up.

Thoughts?  Comments anyone??  (spoiler here, I've heard rumors that the sideways flashes are actually the ending and the bomb really did work, and now we're seeing flashbacks).  Would that not be WEAK???!!!

Have these writers spun a web that can't be outdone, well-concluded, or neatly explained?  Or is there some kick-butt, tied-up ending that is going to knock all of our socks off?

Give me hope people, because I'm ready to throw in the towel!

Our Storm, or His Talents?

I've posted a few times recently, about a hard time that Matt and I have been experiencing.  Thanks for listening.  A few weeks ago, at church, I was encouraged by the testimony of a fellow member and friend who spoke of our financial responsibility before the Lord, and how she was raised and taught about giving.

I'll paraphrase, but what she explained was that from a very young age she was taught to do 4 things with her money.  The first and most important was to give her money back to God (Mal 3:8; Prov 3:9,10), the second was to save some, the third was to choose a way to give it away, and the last was the money she could spend on herself.

Our friend quoted the parable of the talents.  "For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance.  But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away."

I'm embarassed to say that I have been focusing so much on what we have versus what we need, that I have forgotten how to give it away.  I see little further than our bills to pay and our tithe to the church and forget that we have so much.  I am like the "wicked and slothful servant" who has hidden the talents God gave him, in the ground because of fear.  I've been looking at all of this as a trial for us, a struggle and working so hard to "praise him in this storm", while I type on my sofa, in my house, in a room (of many) with books and toys and food and piles of clothes waiting to be folded.

The servant who hid his talents in the ground, when questioned by his master said "Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground."  I want to do well with what the Lord has trusted us with.  I want to be free from greed, from want of money, from wealth.  I can't believe how much we have.  With all of that how can I forget that the Lord has plans for us, to prosper us, and not to harm us.  To give us a hope and a future (Jer 29:11), and that He is not a hard man.

One more link to share and leave you with.  Just one way of giving away, that I was able to read about this week.

Monday, March 8, 2010

Late Night #2

It's late here, but I promised another blog today and I've been wanting to point this out for a few days, so this is my chance!

I am still following MckMama's blog:  www.mycharmingkids.net  I really enjoy it.  She has had a strong readership for years, and since the troubles with her son, Stellan's health and his miraculous recovery, her readership has grown exponentially.  She and her husband are in Kenya this week with Compassion International, and I've been following her stories, many from slums there.

I was really shocked reading some of her posts, and especially looking at pictures.  I can be wordy.  If you read my blog, you know that, so I'd just like to let her blog speak for itself.  I'd encourage you to visit and read the posts from the last several days.  If you don't want to read all of that, just take a peek at some of the highs, and lows.

Thanks for looking.

Facing Facebook


So I'm probably the only person left in the world in the 24 -29 year old demographic who doesn't have facebook.

I know I need to get it...

Sometimes I'll poke around in Matt's fb account just to see what is going on with friends but then I end up wanting to comment, or "like" or something and I'm stuck.  Maybe twice I've just commented as him and written (it's Laurie), and he's been very patient with me.

I know it's time to take the plunge, I have so many questions.  I think I need a lesson in facebook etiquette. Like poking for example.  Why don't people poke?  What is the purpose of poking?  What if I want to poke someone?  If no one does it, why is it there?  What do you do when you get a friend request you don't want?  Is it ok to send friend requests to people you only know through other people if you want to keep up with them?  If you update your status everyday does that mean you have too much free time?  What if I make an account and then 3 weeks later, my only friend is still my husband????  What is the difference between your "wall" and your "home".  What is "wall - to - wall" ??

So what do you think friends?  Can you help me learn a little about facebook?  Will you send me friend invitations.  I am wondering.... You all TOTALLY dropped the ball on my asking for Crock-pot recipes.  (I am very disappointed in all you wives and mommies out there....I know you use your crock-pot.  Stingy recipe sharers!)

Leave me a recipe (last blog)!  Tell me you are dying for me to join facebook and you'll be my first friend!  Answer one of my facebook questions for me so I don't go "poking" the wrong person.   hehehe

Show a girl a little bit of encouragement!

(and come back and visit later for a second blog today!!)

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Thoughts While Running This Morning

Dogs are definitely getting smaller.  I saw at least 2 dogs that I could literally have held in the palm of my hand.  They were seriously tiny.

Shorts are getting shorter, and tighter.  blah.  Ok, short running shorts on a guy, ehhhh, ok.  Short, tight fitting biker shorts on a guy (who is not biking), no-k !!

My friend Chris is coming to visit in a week.  Last time he visited we all had a great time.  We also almost killed him.  (pictured here San Francisco, Jelly Belly Factory, Chinatown, Napa Valley, Lake Tahoe and Muir Woods)  He told us we have to take it easy this time.  Sometimes I worry about being the lame person with the kids who doesn't get out anymore or is all, "naptime is at this time, and he won't eat that so we can't go there, etc."  (not that I don't say that sometimes) and I think I can swing too far in the other direction.  We'll see how it goes this time.

Should have run an hour earlier, woke up to feed baby a little earlier than usual, baby went back to sleep, Joey still sleeping, all quiet, shoulda run then, but instead went back to bed until my alarm to run went off and didn't end up sleeping during the whole hour I waited for the alarm.  argh.  I was all concerned that it hadn't been 8 hours and I wanted to do a long run and it's better not to be tired at all beforehand, but I totally shouldn't have gone back to bed.  Then I would have been home with coffee made when everyone was getting up instead of getting home after Joey had breakfast.  Baby still asleep though.  That was good.  Thank God for a generous husband who lets me run and is so self-sacrificing.   He's out running now.  It's good weather for him, today, sunny and probably like 68 degrees.

To do the Oakland Half Marathon or not.  hmmmm. Matt's not.  I thought we were still undecided and the other day I asked him if he was planning on running it and he just said "No!".  With an exclamation point.  He didn't actually say "No, with an exclamation point."  But his "no" had an exclamation point behind it, believe you me.  I think probably not.  I want to, like half of our church is doing it, but I don't think I'm ready.  After the one in February, I've run pretty sporadically, like 1 or 2 times a week.  Better this week.  3 times this week with a long run (today - but only 6 miles).  But I don't think I can do it by the end of March.  It's amazing how quickly it goes, the muscles.  I mean, to the day it was exactly 1 month ago that I ran my first 1/2 marathon.  Who knows maybe I'll change my mind.  It's Oakland's inaugural running festival and it's first marathon in 25 years.  Definitely sounds like something to support.  Here is the course elevation.... yeah, I don't know about that, what's up with the end?  hmmm.

Looking through the website to put up the link really makes me want to do it now.  They are going to have crazy aid stations, like 8!!!  I would totally have to get up much earlier in the morning and bump up the long runs.  I might have to take another run just to think this over more.

If Oakland were a person she would be young but seem older.  She would be wary and worn and have seen far too much hurt and anger than she should have in a lifetime, but she would be hopeful.  She would be trying to become a better person and make a better life.  I'm tempted to run it just in support of her!  More thinking needed, for sure.

There were alot of people out running today in the nice weather.  There were people who I ran near or saw who ran just as much as I did and then more.  Running is totally in now!

Well, those were some of my running thoughts today.  Along with listening to alot of Chris Tomlin.  It was nice to come home and see that Matt and Joey had a great and easy morning and the little one wasn't even awake yet.  I had time for a nice hot shower before he woke up and it's a crock-pot dinner for us tonight (perfect if you have church Sunday evenings).  I am just sore enough to feel like I did something.

Can I ask some advice?  I'm trying to cook something in the crock-pot on Sundays, since we get home from church at 6:30 or 7.  I need something that I can put in earlier in the day and have ready when I come home.  Do you guys have any good recipes for your crock-pot.  I have Fix It and Forget It, but if you have it, you know, there are 100 recipes for every "slow cooker chicken" or "pot roast" and sometimes I can't pick one.  I just want a few really really good crock-pot recipes.  Can you help me out??

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Uh oh!

Joey and Ethan are a little concerned that it is dinner time and I haven't posted for the day yet.  Don't worry boys!  I'm going to see the whole 2 weeks through!




(If this video is small on your computer you may have to go to YouTube to view it.  
I promise I didn't focus on Joey the whole time, for some reason 
it just compresses when I put it on the blog.)

Friday, March 5, 2010

Friday!!

It's Friday!!


And at this house, we are EXCITED for the weekend!!




...So kick back



And rest awhile, maybe read a book in bed...




Don't worry too much about your hair...




Maybe don't even get dressed...







Just find someplace nice to curl up...







Or pass out wherever you land...







Get a snuggle or two...




Go on and watch Dora on your laptop... we won't tell!




And whatever you do do....


(or don't doodoo)  






Don't be too serious... 


and be sure to find a way to relax...




Have a great weekend everyone!!