Present Participles for January 2015

Easing back into having just three of us here, again. Much needed phone conversations and texts, now that our oldest daughter is back at school. They have a short winter term at her school that most students don't attend so she has been home from mid-December till this past weekend. It was nice having her here-but I know she is glad to be in her own routine again. That doesn't stop me from wishing we were all in the same house again. 

Watching as our goldendoodle pup, Morgan swirves between being an ornery "teenager" puppy and that sweet, calm dog I can see her growing into. She laid at my feet for a long time today, as I worked, just quietly watching out the door.

Making funeral plans. It is my second/part time job, working for our church as funeral coordinator. We had one on Monday and another tomorrow. It has been so sad-the service yesterday was for a 21 year old and tomorrow is for someone who was 57. What is unusual is that she will be my oldest. Before her, my charges have been for people 56 and under. Tomorrow will be my 8th service. It has been just a little over a year. So blessed to be able to serve people hurting, aching, hollow and in need. But I take them into my heart and love them, pray for them and hurt alongside them. It can be an exhausting process.

Reading-still-Shadow in the Wind. It was good at keeping my attention for a while. The story seems rather good, but with my work for my husband's company, my first business trip and learning as much as I can about marketing, plus funeral coordinator job, the compartments in my brain are full at the moment. And this book required thinking. How do you break down time to read for work/nonfiction and play/fiction?

Loving my new nephew-he was born on the 24th. He is the only baby on either side of the family, now. Most nieces, nephews and our kids are between 3 and 20. My oldest daughter turned 20 on the 23rd. Hardly seems possible...

Posing-Headed back to yoga and loved it! Although, this week's class starts in a few minutes and I'm not going... I am getting there more frequently. And until this latest round of 6 inches of snow + some ice, I was running well. 

Listening-to the dog barking... She has decided to take after our beagle and bark. Ugh. We are working on it. Most people in our neighborhood do not-they let their dogs out into their fenced yards and do not control the barking. I find it frustrating and then I remind myself that I'm moving... But my current neighbors are great people and if the barking is worst problem, I'm lucky!

 Learning- Trying to gather, read and digest so much new information with this marketing job. Feel like I'm learning a lot, but not learning as fast as I used to! :)

Playing- Stupid Trivia Crack game on my phone. Love trivia but hate the constant interaction with it... Which is how I feel about most social media right now, I guess.

Enjoying-where I am in this life right here, right now. Sure, bumps along the way and I dread the big bump/waves coming, but I feel blessed and lucky right here, right now.

What are you doing this month?

Changing Traditions

This year was full of changed traditions, with a sophomore in college  and a sophomore in high school, family members ill, changing jobs... But I felt the changes most acutely during the Christmas season. All my blog friends with adult children can sympathize, I'm sure. Some traditions remained the same, as well.

1. First, I didn't do our thankful feathers this year-I just was too busy to write up the letter, cut up the feathers, address the envelopes and send them out. My oldest daughter was sad.
2. We cut our Christmas tree with all my husband's family, which is our tradition, but we went to a completely different tree farm. We've been to the old one for many years. At least 15, anyway.
3. We put up our Christmas village, but it was my youngest daughter and I who put everything up and took everything down. Was another mix of kept and changed traditions.
4. We did go up to visit my family, but we changed things up by just visiting for the day to fit it into our schedules.
5. Our New Year's will be different as our oldest will be visiting her boyfriend and his family. Strange to have her not here, but not off at school. A whole different set of worries.
6. I didn't watch either of my two favorite movies-It's a Wonderful Life and White Christmas-normally I watch them at least once. We did watch several Hallmark Channel Christmas movies which was nice and romantic. ;) 
7. Our oldest daughter had to work, so our Christmas Eve meal was different-it was just three of us and my in laws. Usually the 6 of us eat and then attend church. This year our oldest wasn't out of work until after my in laws had headed home. So, just the four of us headed to church much later than normal.
8. My mother in law continued her themed Christmas dinner, this year was Sesame Street Christmas, and we continued a new tradition we started last year of the adults drawing names, excluding my in laws.
9. Since I was working at the office a lot, I wasn't home to bake (too many) cookies with my girls. They worked together and baked a few kinds without me. 
10. I don't think I'm doing a one little word this year. I have done it at least the last 6 years. I am just not feeling it right now... Never say never, I still have a little time, right? ;)

I think there were a few more, but this was what I remembered. How about you? Changes or keepers in traditions this year? Kids growing older makes things different, for better and worse, doesn't it? Growth and change...

Concord Grapes and Veteran's Day

I saw this post on the Food Network's Healthy Eats blog about Concord Grape Smoothies and it made me think of my grandpa. I've spoken about my small, spunky Grandma Polly. Her deceased husband, my Grandpa Red (yes, Red and Polly, adorable, hm? :)) once grew concord grapes in their backyard. They had a nice, big wooden arbor and grew the dark purple grapes in the summers. They would turn them into delicious, fresh juice. My brother and I stayed with them in the summers for many years while my parents were at work and we were out of school. I remember walking into their home and smelling coffee, hearing news radio and I still find those smells and sounds comforting. If I close my eyes, I can picture their home and feel that same feeling. They haven't lived in that house for 20+ years, but I can still picture it like I was there yesterday. I am not overly fond of grape juice, but sometimes, in the summer, it sounds so good, refreshing. I'm sure it is because of those summer days I had fresh juice at Grandpa's.

I've talked about Grandma before, but not as much about Grandpa. He's been gone since our youngest daughter was a baby. His name was Kenneth, but he was called "Red" because of his hair. He had the typical "red-head temper". Firey-was road rage before it had a name. I remember slumping down in the back seat as he gestured for drivers to pull over a time or two! He was a carpenter by trade, an excellent one. Could make things just by looking at them. I have a hope chest and a bread box he made. Both wonderful works of wood. He made toys, wall cabinets in lawyers' offices, tray tables-he had quite a gift. He had just finished a baby doll cradle for my youngest daughter the day before he died. He would challenge me to debates and switch sides halfway through... say things like, "just think." He liked to get me going on emotion and then cause me to think halfway through. I take pride in that he didn't do that with very many of his grandkids.

He was in WWII. He was in the Navy, the SeaBees. They were a construction battalion that would go in and get things set for the navy to come in behind them.  His stories were amazing and frightening. He went into the military before he was of legal age to, lying about his age. He told us stories of hiding under tankers as Japanese fighter planes flew over, shooting at them. I think of him even more acutely on Veteran's day.

He, like Gram Polly, had such a spunk, a fight in them. He wasn't a saint, he was ornery, thought boys could do things better than girls and wow, was his temper short, but he loved us and we knew it. He loved to play cards and the marble game aggravation. He and Gram were quite the pair.

Did you know your grandparents, Readers? I know many people who didn't get to. I was lucky enough to know all four of mine very well.

Change

It's funny. Sometimes I don't blog because I don't have anything new to say. In other instances, I don't blog because I struggle with the quality of my writing. In some cases, I am an absentee blogger because I am mired in the posts of social media. This is not a time like those.

My One Little Word for this year is "light". It should probably be "change" or "new".  It seems like I have had a lot of changes lately. This odd phenomena started when I had a mole removed. As silly as it sounds, it was a big change. I've had it all my life, on my right cheek, right up on the cheekbone. My mom once had an identical mole on the opposite side of her face-we had mirror-image moles. She had her mole removed when it got to be quite large. I did the same-bigger than a new pencil's eraser. It wasn't a "cancerous" mole, my dermatologists said. However, it would keep getting bigger, and my face is small, so it was quite noticeable. Once it was removed, it felt like a big change.

I also worked on another aesthetic change-getting my teeth fixed. I had braces from 8-12+ grade. I had them removed before my senior pictures, and replaced for a few months after my freshman year in college, but they didn't do permanent retainers, when they removed braces, then. I had the plastic kind that slipped over your teeth. Once I was expecting my first daughter, and had some morning sickness, I stopped wearing them. My teeth slowly moved out of their perfect places. However, over the last few years, they have moved exponentially faster and got harder and harder to clean due to their proximity to one another. So, I started the Invisalign procedure. I am so excited for the final product.

Sad vs happy changes... My big dog passed away and then we got a puppy-Quite big changes in the pet department. Both big changes to my heart, as well.

Changes in my profession also sailed along. I officially accepted the fact that I was moving away from teaching, cleaning and sorting my supplies. I stayed put in the realm of funeral coordinator. I still have that job, and happily, it's been a slow business lately-knock on wood. With that freed time, I wondered... "what else?" My house is quiet, when I'm not working on teaching Morgan commands, and even then, it is only I who speak. I started researching how to make my husband better at social media for his business posts. I found I really enjoyed the topic, reading and learning about business. Who knew? :) I talked with two women I knew in the business field, who knew me-my first "networking" appointments. They were adamant that I could make the transition. My husband had been saying this for a long time, but he's married to me so he has to say nice things, right? ;) I also set up a meeting with one of his partners, on my own, and spoke with him. He was in agreement. They are meeting about possibilities of me helping out in a more permanent capacity with their company. We will see what changes come from that. In the process, I am reading several books about marketing, mainly in the social media realm, and business analysis. This would be a huge change.

We are making changes in our home, as well. We had some companies look into remodeling, and after pondering the choices, we are building a new home. It won't be done until May or June and it is only about two blocks from where we currently live, but will have such better use of space. I am incredibly delighted. I have no reservations about this or the occupational jump. They both feel like the right steps to make right now. The right changes to make.

One last change that is fairly big for me, and then I will stop for tonight. I have always loved running. Long story short, over the last two summers of half-marathon training, I have battled injuries. I haven't given myself time to heal. This year's half was slower than I'd hoped and was by no means a personal record. However, I finished. Normally the thought of resting from running makes me sad and restless. This year I am going to keep running, but cut down on my milage and begin to try some other things like pilates and barre. I enjoy yoga, definitely, but am ready to try something new. With these as two new possibilities of cross training, running seems like a fun "extra". I'm hoping these will help me change my fitness level, away from the running only plateau I have put my tent up on. Once I feel successful, I know it will help me change some of my bad eating habits, too. That's how it works for me, it's all a cycle.

What changes are you experiencing these days, Reader? I hope they are good changes.

Summer's End

Here we are again. "Summer" ends tomorrow. Now, I know the calendar says it's not over, the 84 degree, 94% humidity outdoors says it's not over. However, my youngest daughter started school last Wednesday and tomorrow we move our oldest back to college. There will no longer be teenager voices here during the day. No singing, peals of laughter, puppy scolding or puppy calling in their sing-song voices reserved for puppies and babies... No last minute trips out to lunch or for an iced coffee, no one tagging along for a day-time trip to the grocery, bike ride to the farmer's market or daughter along for yoga. No hugs and kisses during the day and "Mama, I will miss you when I go". I didn't think I would feel so sad-our oldest is ready-ready for her friends, her daily routine, her independence... I know that and I want her to be independent... but boy, I will miss her. I miss her sis, and I know I see her in the evenings, but that time is filled with eating and homework. But she will still be home... School year time is different than the summer. And I don't like it. It makes me teary.

Blowing Off The Dust

As you can see, I haven't posted in quite some time. Up until a couple months ago I hadn't even sat down to read the blogs I regularly read, let alone sit down and put forth the energy necessary to string together thoughts for a post that someone might want to read. Not due to excessive accomplishments in my daily life... Just uncertainty-uncertainty of what to post, what would even be interesting enough to readers. Topics appeared in my mind, on and off, but how to piece together a few paragraphs escaped me. I wondered if I should just keep using my blog as a journaling tool, or to share specific information, crafting paragraphs for discussion... I am still unsure, but I am tired of the blog sitting dusty, covered in cobwebs, so I write. Today I start with a catch-up post, updating on those things that have been keeping me busy.

Things were happening in my small corner of the world, keeping me busy on and off. I have had the joy and exhaustion of the goldendoodle puppy-

she is an adorable fluff and definitely an energetic puppy. She is very smart, but doesn't always have the desire to please me. ;) I am excited to train her to be a service dog of sorts. I would love to have her visit elderly or children, people who would just benefit from contact with her. However, I haven't been diligent with her over the summer, so I need to dig in again, even more so as she becomes the dog version of a teenager. ;) She already loves to call the furniture her own, which we never let our other two do... She doesn't chew or dig on them, which is good! :)

Our two teenage daughters are both home for the summer, which has been nice. We have continued running, enjoying spending time together and even gotten ice cream a few times. :) I have been blessed with my daughters' company on yoga nights, ridden bikes with my oldest up to the town farmer's market and ran with each of them. My husband and I have gone on runs together and biked, gone to dinner and enjoyed new seasons of MasterChef and Royal Pains. Family time continues to be my joy. We have also been able to head up to see my family, including grandparents, some who have been ill and in nursing homes. It is sad to see my maternal grandmother not remember my name, but on the occasion she recognizes me, I take that and tuck it away in my heart.

My funeral coordinator job sat silent from December to May. Then I worked on five funerals from May to last week. There were a variety of circumstances surrounding them: two men who died unexpectedly, two people who had been ill for quite some time, but were still fairly young and one woman who had been a beloved member of the greater community. Some were celebratory-based on faith and belief in their life after they left this earth. Some were more somber-such an unexpected loss for them, that even though they relied on their beliefs and faith, their families ached from their loss. In each, I felt my calling to this job as fresh as when I started. I was so glad, I felt so blessed, to be there for the families in their time of need.

I finished my chaplain training, but haven't been on any visits, yet. I feel like the training helped my in my funeral job, though, in teaching me how to respond with grieving families. Both the training and job have been a blessing to me. They aren't where I saw myself a year ago, but I am glad I am in this spot in my journey.

 Where are you, Reader? I hope wherever this post finds you, you are well.

Morgan

Well, I didn't have to dream for long. We had done our research, we knew what we had in mind... My husband and I knew we were leaning towards a goldendoodle. We were looking for a mild-mannered dog, since our last two were/are a bit on the neurotic side.

We had heard that people who get goldendoodles were concerned about the poodle parents. So, we took a trip-about an hour and a half drive-to meet the parents at a breeder's home. The breeder asked us the size range we were looking for, since she would have two sizes. We told her the larger (50-60 lbs) size. She then brought in the male/father/poodle. He was amazing. So friendly, sweet, and liked us better than treats! :) That sold it for us, I think. Then she brought in the mom who was also lovely, although she liked the treats. :) Then, the puppies.

When we went, we knew from looking on her website that they only had females available. But, someone who had a deposit down on the last male backed out. Since we had males previously and my weim was such a loving dog, I thought I would want him. My husband, younger daughter and I held and snuggled with all five puppies. The pup who cried and wiggled the most like he wasn't comfortable was the male. My husband had the biggest female and she snuggled into him and sat calmly. When I took her she gave me a kiss and snuggled more, eventually falling asleep in my arms. Adorable. My youngest daughter loved and snuggled her, too, delighted. Although we loved all the puppies, this girl was the sweetest and most calm, which-after the two guys we had before her-seemed great! :) Let's hope that is her personality as she grows.

On the way down my husband asked about name choices. When we got our first dog, he said we could pick the dog and he'd pick the name, eventually naming him Merlin, after Merlin the magician in the King Arthur stories. So, I reminded him of the precedent and he went to thinking. He said how about a girl could be Morgan-I asked if he meant the sorceress Morgan Le Fay from the Arthur stories. He said yes or Guenevere? I said definitely Morgan. We didn't even discuss a boy's name. So, we will welcome our lovely new puppy, Morgan Le Fay in mid-March. :)

Today

Earlier:
We went to my in-laws' house to celebrate my father in-law turning 65. Each family contributed a breakfast food and we all shared something that made him unique to us. My husband, niece and daughter went outside, while we were there, and created a "snow fort". We came home and shoveled the driveway, which is once again covered in snow. Then my husband and I got a nice, warm winter's nap in. Currently he is working and my youngest daughter is reading.

Next:
I have more Project Life to plug away at, determined to finish up 2013. I have bills to pay and paperwork on my desk to slog through. I have a few little tasks for my husband's company that I'd like to finish. I would also like to get more reading done on Winter's Tale. I have enjoyed it thus far, but have a long way to go. I have the usual laundry to catch up on, dishwasher to unload and house cleaning to finish up, as well.

Thinking & Dreaming About:
Climbing a mountain (well hiking)- my husband and I have decided we are climbing a mountain in 2014. By climbing I mean hiking, not using my fingertips, ropes, and toes to climb up the face of a cliff-no. I mean a hike somewhere. So far we have decided it must be in the US, and take a day or two-if there is a lodge halfway up. :) We are currently leaning towards Arizona, but we will see as we firm up plans, set goals, etc. Goals/motivation are on my mind. These snow days have slowed my progress and motivation, with running, house organization, task completion, everything. Well, except hibernation and eating too much, of course.

How are you feeling this February, Dear Reader?

Friday

It's funny how you can be so excited about a new adventure, feeling your heart fill, and smiling a lot, and then suddenly, things change. I was enjoying posting more regularly again, and I still have a schedule of posts I'd like to write and publish. But about two weeks ago I had quite a week that threw me off a bit. On Monday of the week I speak, we found out that a family friend of my husband's had lost his 19 year old stepdaughter in a car accident. Tuesday my niece was badly burned by boiling water, with first and second degree burns on her hands, face, neck, chest and legs. She stayed in the children's hospital Tuesday through Thursday, finally getting her bandages removed a week and a day later. Wednesday we talked with someone dear to me (she hasn't mentioned all the information to all her family, thus the anonymity) let me know that some cells that had been tested were indeed breast cancer. Originally they didn't think they were anything to worry about. Then, that it was localized in the milk ducts, and then this week we have heard that it has spread and they are testing lymph nodes-proceeding quickly from a short surgery to remove ducts to at least a mastectomy... Scary stuff. Then Thursday of the week where I didn't like phone calls my daughter called from my in-laws' house to tell us they had a leaking pipe and standing water in their basement. My husband rushed over and they began to sop up the water. Over the next three days the daughters and I went over with our dehumidifier and we all took turns soaking up water from the carpet, bringing the towels home and drying them, only to return and do it again. They leak was small, and my husband was able to get it stopped by simply turning off the valve. But was something else added to that plate.

This was a week I spent deep in prayer. And I continue to be... I will be blogging more often, again. My oldest daughter has been here since Christmas and returns this weekend to her college life. It's good that she misses her friends there and her routine, but I will be sad when she isn't here anymore, sad that they days are lonely and quiet. And I will be back in prayer for her safety, as well. I have a list of things to do, though. I tried to convince my husband we needed a puppy for a while. But with the person tackling cancer, now, she would like visits and help from me. A blessing I don't have a full time job right now and I am so glad to be able to help.

I will keep you posted, dear readers.

One Little Word 2014- Light

Each year, since I read about Ali Edward's concept of the One Little Word, I have tried to set one for myself. A few of the years I have really tried to live it out. A few years, conversely, I have let it slip by unnoticed. This year I have resolved for it to guide me and be present in my mind and heart, to live it and I look forward to it. I also love reading about other people's OLW, how they chose them, what it means to them... all meaningful to me, like Stephanie Howell's blog post, here. And Elise's post, here.

I began to think over my word and what it might be, as I do every year. I was stuck. My past words were:
Faith 2008
Peace 2009
Grace 2010
Read (which I can't even remember thinking over... so this wasn't a particularly definitive word choice/year for me...) 2011
Brave 2012
Grow 2013

And this year, my word is Light. I popped onto Pinterest the other morning and the first thing I saw was this piece of art. I knew Light was to be my word for the year, my One Little Word. I began to pin a "One Little Word" board on Pinterest, letting myself be inspired and soaking it in. Many ideas began to swirl in my mind:

• eat light-fitness
• be light to others-sharing a good attitude
• live light-live clean, get rid of the junk and think about what I choose to carry with me
• find my light-seek light and seek my faith (with teaching a Bible study, chaplain classes and my funeral coordinator's job, I see this one coming to fruition-hopefully! :))
• let my soul be light-with less worry
• light the way-be a good example for my girls
• lighten the load-less stuff, better budget, burdens of others?
• leave the light on-connect with others
• light streaming-work with my plants more-I love to work with plants, inside and out, but have let it slip away
• travel light-go somewhere new? a trip or a new restaurant, a new museum for new ideas/sights?
• lighten expectations-will I be a knitter or sewer/quilter? relax about it and if it doesn't come, remove those expectations from myself, as well as supplies I won't ever use and let them go

I let all these just come and wash over me, one triggering the next. Then, when no more thoughts like this came, I looked up common phrases with the word "light" in them. It was fun! I'm hoping to apply them throughout the year to something, although I'm not sure what just yet. A couple I found were:

• guiding light
• light as a feather
• at first light/light of day
• light years away
• out like a light

I thought of some songs right away, as well:

• This Little Light of Mine
• Learning to be the Light
• Jesus, Light of the World
• Thy Word

For a few of my previous words I ordered a charm for a necklace or a ring to be a constant reminder. I still have and wear almost daily, my rings of the past words: grace, grow and peace. I ordered my light ring from the same place, here on etsy. I'm ready to tackle 2014 with Light. :) Do you have a One Little Word? Or are you still choosing one? 

What I'm Reading Wednesday

I realized after my last post that I hadn't finished book number 22 of the year. I had a goal of 20 and had officially read 21, but hadn't finished the Mitford book I was re-reading for number 22. I had a book on my desk that my husband had read and passed along. Then my oldest daughter had read it and passed it along. My youngest read it and then I received it. They all said it was a "good, quick read". So, I tackled it, yesterday. One day-New Year's Eve, getting it read "under the wire" as they say. Actually, with time to spare before we headed to my brother-in-law's house for tacos. It was The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom. I've read books by him before and liked them, but hadn't picked one up in a while. This was a good book and I'd recommend it. So, I completed my 22 books for the year and am looking forward to tackling 24 or more this year. Just like my running miles, I feel better when the total is higher. :) {Also, I ended with 850.99 miles running this year-yay! ;) }

Reading anything good to start the new year? Or set any reading goals? Happy New Year, Reader. I'm glad you stopped by my blog.

Sweet Dog

I haven't posted in weeks, again. I have been caring for our big dog, our weimaraner Merlin, who had begun to decline rapidly. If you stopped by recently, you saw my previous post about his visit to the vet. His big fatty deposit had begun to grow again and he could hardly get around. My time was spent on my new job and snuggling/caring for my sweet dog. We knew his time was nearing. My girls and I had discussed it, and cared for him knowing it was nearing his end.
On Tuesday, Dec. 17th he didn't get up all day, and he hadn't been eating much for a week. I had even made chicken and rice, and put broth in his food, but he unusually wanted neither. So, I called the vet and they asked a lot of questions. They asked us to bring him in for a consultation. We did so. They told us it was time to put him down, which was what we expected, but still so hard to hear. We have had him for 13 1/2 years. He was my sweet shadow, following me around the house even right up to the end. He could barely carry that big bump, which was stealing all his nutrients, leaving his legs weak and scant of muscle. And, yet, the night before he died I woke in the night to hear him struggling to get up the stairs to sleep outside my bedroom door, per his usual. It's also strange not to have him anxiously awaiting us as we return from a run, he would pace the house until we were all home again.
On his last day, as he just laid in his bed, we covered him with a blanket. Our other dog, Percy, who didn't usually interact directly with Merlin, laid with his head on Merlin's legs. He sensed it was time, as well. Poor Percy has wandered around our house looking lonely. He laid on the blanket we covered Merlin with and won't let us remove it from his pillow.
It was hard, still is at certain moments. Those first few days, opening my bedroom door and expecting to have to step over him, and he isn't there, it tugs on my heart and makes me so sad. When the girls were off to school and my husband was off to work, Merlin was always tagging along, going wherever I went. Now, Percy sleeps in his bed and Merlin isn't here. It is strange-a void is left in his place.
When we would go away, our neighbors would care for the dogs because Merlin didn't like to have to go somewhere else like a kennel. I texted some friends when we had decided to take him to the vet, our neighbor being one of them. She asked if her youngest son, who is an animal lover and cared so much for Merlin, could come say goodbye. It was so sweet watching him care for Merlin, and Merlin trying to give him some tail wags. After Merlin's passing they came by again, this time with a gift. They had donated money to our local animal shelter in Merlin's name "In Memory of a Good Friend". Such a sweet gesture. It still brings me tears to think of. We went and picked up his ashes last week. I have them in a nice wooden box with the certificate from our neighbors, a card that came on flowers from my sister in law and a card from our vet. I found a nice etsy shop, too, that had wooden frames you could personalize. I ordered one and now just have to decide on a picture.
I will get to blogging more, now, Readers, since the busy Christmas holiday is over and my snuggling and caring time for Merlin has passed. I do appreciate you stopping by.

Social Media Monday

My husband, my youngest daughter and I all ran in our local high school's 5K run fundraiser this weekend. My husband and I were "just going to run for fun" but as the start approached I let on that I wanted to work at my PR (my personal record for this stage in my life... in college my fastest 5K/3.1 miles was 19:35. I haven't gotten anywhere close to that, but as I heal and get back into shape again, I get faster) which was 22:55. He pulled me along-even though he definitely could have taken off, left me and sprinted to his PR-and I finished in 21:53. I am sure the course was about .04 miles short, but I was happy with the work I put in. It was a good day! My post for the day:
Fun 5k, good finish time, 2nd place in my age group. Love running w husband & daughter & missed our other daughter. Raked some leaves, now watching my team's 2 games, one football and one basketball. Thankful for it all. #30daysofthankful

Talk About Family Tuesday

My oldest daughter sent me a card this week from college. It was sweet and kind. It made my day. It was cute, too, because I had purchased the exact card to send her too. :) It has a bear hugging itself on the front and "Just sending you a little hug..." inside it says: "Did you feel it?" :) So thankful for my girls. :)

Talk About Family Tuesday

My parents came to visit this past weekend and we truly had a very nice time. It went too fast, though, with my mother receiving a phone call that her mother had been taken to the hospital. They left early, of course. Her mom, my Gram has been on my mind since. She's a great lady. She is small, only 4'10" with very white hair. In my youth, she was my spunky caregiver during the days while my parents were at work, in the summer. When Mom would take me to Gram's house, her house smelled like coffee, and the radio was on-talk radio. {It's funny, as I typed that I realized that is how I start my day thirty years later...} She was either making oatmeal or toast with peanut butter or powdered sugar on it. She had two spare bedrooms. One had a bed and it was where we spent "afternoon rest time", read and played sometimes. The other spare room was a corner room with windows that let in wonderful light. She had a plant stand in front of one where she kept all her houseplants. She even had cactus that she trimmed. She had an old typewriter in there and a place to sit and type whatever you wanted. I loved that thing. LOVED it. I felt so grown up using it. :) Many days she made us fish sticks and macaroni and cheese for lunch. Gram and Gramp, Mom's dad, were always busy. They took us to garage sales, or the grocery or to visit family. They were retired, even though my Gramp did odd jobs at a local lawyer's office. They took good care of us. Once my grandfather grew purple grapes in their backyard. They turned them into a delicious grape juice and jam.
More recently, in the last ten years, we would have Gram, who never learned to drive, come stay with us for a week at a time, a few different times per year. We would always take a day trip to the local metro gardens and take lots of pictures. It was nice having her at my house, spending time with my children. She didn't mind our dogs, either, and enjoyed walking the girls to school, too. As she got older it seemed to tire her out, but she enjoyed it and had a good afternoon nap. :) Then she had a stroke a few years back and couldn't come visit. Now she gets so confused when we visit her. She can't remember family member's names. She still seems happy to see my family and I when we visit, but, boy is it hard. She was living at a home that had been made into a care facility, but this week they found that she may have been over medicated and my family decided to move her somewhere with more, round the clock care. It is sad and difficult to see our dearest family get older. Even harder still for those who live close and take part in caring for and making decisions for those loved ones. I'm a few hours away, which has its drawbacks, too. My grandfather passed away about 15 years ago, and I know she misses him.

Recipes I have tried

My parents visited last weekend and we had a wonderful time! My husband smoked some pork in our meat smoker, and it was delicious. He made twice baked potatoes, I roasted broccoli and cauliflower, I baked apples and he made bread. For dessert I made the recipe below and it was delicious! There was a little seizing in the pan for the caramel sauce, but constant stirring eased it. It was wonderful, in fact, my husband said it was the best cheesecake he has ever eaten!! That is high praise! Enjoy!

NEW YORK CHEESECAKE WITH GRAHAM / PRETZEL CRUST & SALTED CARAMEL SOUR CREAM (from the Kitchy Kitchen Blog-YUM!)

New York Cheesecake with Pretzel / Graham Crust and Salted Caramel Sour Cream On Top

Crust:

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 cup pretzel crumbs

1/2 cup sugar

12 tablespoons unsalted butter

Filling:

1 1/2 pounds soft cream cheese

3/4 cup sugar

5 eggs

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

Topping:

3/4 cup sour cream

1/2 cup salted caramel sauce

To make crumbs, just pulse some pretzels in the food processor until fine.  Remove, and pulse the graham crackers. Combine crumbs, 1/2 cup sugar, and butter in the food processor until one event texture; press on bottom and sides to 8-inch spring form pan. In a standing mixer with paddle attachment, whip cheese until fluffy; beat in sugar; continue beating until light and fluffy. add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. stir in heavy cream. If at all lumpy, strain through sieve.  Pour into the pan. bake at 325F for 1 hour. turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake in the oven 1 hour. Remove from oven and let it cool gradually to room temperature, chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours. When ready to serve, combine salted caramel sauce and sour cream, and spread on top of cheesecake.  Garnish with pretzels.

For the Salted Caramel Sauce:

Makes 2 cups

1 cup white sugar

4 ounces unsalted butter

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 tsp salt

For the caramel sauce, heat the sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, until the sugar turns golden.  Stir until all of the sugar is dissolved and just starting to turn a lovely amber color.  

Turn heat to low, add the butter, and stir to combine.  Careful, it'll foam up. Then add the heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt stirring to combine.  You'll cook the sauce for about 5-10 minutes, until it comes together. It’ll take quite a bit of stirring!

Pour the caramel into a glass jar, let it come to room temperature, and store in the fridge for up to two weeks.  Pour over everything and anything!

What I'm Reading Wednesday

What am I reading today? The same things I was reading last week at this time! :) I haven't sat down to read much so far this week. I have been pretty busy! I have been:

• emptying and cleaning out our laundry room, cupboards and all for starters. 
• I also emptied and cleaned our closet-my husband and I share a closet. It isn't huge, I could stand in it and touch the front and back at the same time, and the length is not much bigger. However, we are just fine with it. It has a few drawers for husband's folded clothes and a few cubbies for things like luggage and sleeping bags. I got rid of a trash bag of clothes/bags I don't use and husband got rid of a bag of clothes, as well; things we just don't wear because of the style or fit.
• Also, we worked on our "junk drawer" in the kitchen, the catch all for miscellaneous stuff-we didn't get rid of the drawer altogether, but it is much emptier. :) 
• I emptied out our front coat/shoe closet, too! We needed to sort out and put away summer shoes, get out boots (I certainly hope we don't need snow boots soon, but it was time to get them out...) I vacuumed the carpet in it since shoe dirt falls there, and organized the shoes as I put them back into the closet. 

So, three big tasks and one small task down. They were tasks I thought wouldn't take too long, but each took longer than expected. All three made me sigh in relief when they were done, and glad I had completed the tasks. We also carved our pumpkins, and I got to go get new running shoes! So, it has been a busy, productive week, thus far. Tomorrow I am planning on getting out my children's books and sorting through my "future classroom" items. I am planning on attempting to put favorite books on either Book Retriever or Book Crawler so I know what I have. I have so many children's books-so many tubs full! I would love to have them sorted and out on bookshelves. Someday I will have a wonderful "Grandma" library at my house that my grandchildren will love to come read/be read to in. :) At least that's my dream someday. :)
I did do some reading yesterday, I almost forgot! I kept a kindergarten age little girl for a neighbor and we headed to the bookstore to pick a few books, read and enjoy. I read to her and loved it. :) We read:

• The Day The Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt. It was the first time I had read it and it was a cute book-would be great to introduce children to, or refresh minds about, writing letters. 
• Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson was a good book to read with someone. I don't foresee it being a good read-aloud classroom book, but it was very cute, also, showing changes in seasons and trees through the seasons. It was also the first time I had read this and I found it sweet and simple.
• Last I read A Turkey For Thanksgiving by Eve Bunting. We have it here at home and I didn't care for the selection of Halloween stories/Fall stories, so we jumped ahead to this cute story about Mr. and Mrs. Moose wanting a turkey for Thanksgiving. Also a heart-warming story. What I really wanted to read was Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White, but they didn't have it. Sadly, I don't have it either, I lent it to a fellow teacher while I was subbing and they kept forgetting it. I never got it back. I will have to re-order it so I have it for my collection.

It has been a fun, busy week! :) I hope yours has been too, Reader!

Thankful

As I continue to write blog posts about our family, and our daughters getting older, I am thankful for my blog friends. I have been reading some of your blogs for 8 years, since I started blogging, and you have been regular readers for a while. As my girls grow and my life as a mom changes, it's nice to see you women, moms, still close to your children, but in a different way now that they don't live with you. I am also grateful for the advice you drop in on my blog like appreciate the girls, and my time with them, as it will soon be the exception. I appreciate the experience and advice. I am grateful to have "met" you wonderful ladies who share your wisdom with me. Thank you.

Social Media Monday

My Facebook post from Sunday after our long-awaited half marathon:

October 20

We all three had a great race at the Nationwide Children's Half Marathon! Husband and I PR'd (he did awesome-1:33:59 and I PR'd by two minutes - 1:45:05!) and Oldest Daughter completed her first in 1:48!! So proud! And tired! 

It was a long day, but we all accomplished it and I was extremely pleased that my injury didn't show itself until over halfway. Saturday night I told my husband that I was still shooting for my 1:45 goal. He looked at me like I was crazy due to this injury issue. I told him I had to think like I could make my goal in order to get there. 

We went down to the race, in increased security due to Boston, and waited for over 30 minutes in the very cold, and dark with 19, 000 others. I realized with about 15 minutes that I needed one more bathroom stop, but the lines were still long and there wasn't really time. So we started and then there were porta-potties at mile 2. I ran in to use them! And I still made my goal time! :))

I look forward to a run that is pain free-well, injury free, a half marathon probably won't be pain free, hm? :) But I was so proud of my husband and daughter and so happy to be able to do it with them. Now, onto recovering so I can get there again! :) 

Last Friday's Recipes

Last week my husband tried a new soup recipe. It was a chilly evening and he was trying to use the ingredients in our house. So, below was what he made. Delicious and hearty. :) Enjoy! {And this may not be it exactly, but it's close and it's located here.}

Spicy Sausage, Brussel Sprouts, Potato, Onion and Mushroom Soup Recipe

Difficulty: Easy | Total Time: 40 minutes | Active Time: 15 minutes |

A delicious hearty winter soup, that has a bit of kick thanks to the spicy sausage, but is perfect for the winter.

INGREDIENTS

• 6 cups of stock - preferably homemade
• 4 spicy Italian sausages - cut into pieces
• 1 chopped red onion
• 1 chopped portobello mushroom
• 12-15 brussel sprouts - halved
• 3-4 red potatoes, chopped
• 1 teaspoon of cumin
• 1 teaspoon of black pepper
• 1 teaspoon of dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon of white pepper
• 1 tbsp of chili oil
• 1-2 tbsp of salt - if stock not already salted

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Sautee the onion for a minute in the chili oil, then add the sausage to cook for 7-8 minutes.
2. Then add the potatoes to cook for another 5 minutes.

1. Add in both the mushroom and the brussel sprouts, cook for 2-3 minutes, then cover with the stock, and add the other seasonings.
2. Cook for another 20-25 minutes, until the potatoes are perfectly tender.