Sleepover Guests

Since Thursday, I have had two little children in my house. They are family friends. Their dad won a trip to Hawaii through his work, all expenses paid. So, the couple couldn't pass it up. We volunteered to keep the kids, ages two and four, until today. Our oldest turns twelve this week, so she's having a sleepover tonight, so we couldn't keep them the whole time their parents were away. They don't have school tomorrow, thus the Sunday sleepover. I had planned to do it Friday, but rearranged to keep the little ones. They were really very good. I didn't sleep well, for worry that they'd need something in the night, which was always the case when my girls were little. Speaking of my girls, they were a tremendous help. I would play with the little ones and entertain them, and then my girls would take over while I got dinner ready and help keep them happy at bedtime, as well. I had forgotten how exhausting little ones can be, :) and was ready for bed each night! Their parents don't get back until Wednesday, we passed them onto other friends this morning, and then they head home, but with their grandparents tomorrow, for the last two days.
Tonight, my oldest is having four friends over-a "sleepover"...how ironic, because not much sleep is had by the girls, nor the parents! :) We usually get the guests a "goody bag" to take home, but this year we got some letters (the first letter of each guests' name) and scrapbook paper, embellishments and stickers, to decoupage on the letters. So, that is what they will "create" after dinner (ordered pizza) and take home instead of goody bags.
We have traditions for sleepovers: order pizza for dinner, and have "trail mix" in the evening while they watch movies. For breakfast, we all troop to the local donut shop drive through in our pjs. :) And then naps in the afternoon after the guests have all gone home, or the girls here will be too cranky! :)
I haven't ran in a while, again. Which makes me feel so bad-I've been eating as though I will be hibernating soon!
I finished two books since I blogged last: the Treasures of the Weatherbys, which was fine. I also finished the scrapbooking mystery: Motif for Murder. That was good. Went by very fast, as do all her scrapbooking mysteries. This one was still in hardback, so I doubt she has any new ones coming out soon. I have begun to read my husband's last purchase: the Life of Pi and I think I will restart the tea shop mysteries, that my mom liked so well, by the author of the scrapbooking mysteries.
I have not yet begun to knit anything...I have the supplies...and know the basic knit stitch, but that is all although, on the crafty front, I have finished a project that I started a while back. I created scrapbooks for my daughters that have pictures of all the furniture, quilts, blankets, etc. that have been handmade by family. My dad made the girls each a bed and dresser from oak, my grandpa made each girl a baby cradle for their dolls, finishing the one for my youngest daughter the day he died, and we have other items from family members, as well. I wanted them to know my memories of the pieces, and why they were important to the family. I made one for my oldest that is 8 x 8 and I've finished the layouts, and journaling, but am still putting the finishing touches on one for my younger daughters 6 x 6 album. I hope the books, and more importantly, the pieces, become important to them as they grow.
It has finally begun to snow here and we will even get some accumulation!! Yeah!
Well, time for church.

Bugs and Glitches

I have had a few little bugs and glitches in the last few days.

• I lost my keys (turns out I set them on my purse and they fell into the rarely used back pouch...) I searched the other pockets and shook the purse, but they were a tight fit so they didn't jingle. I had checked coat pockets, and the pockets of the purse I normally put them. Luckily, I had a spare from when the hubby had lost them when we were visiting my parents... and then I thought I'd check the pouch, just in case. So, a day and a half later, I found them.
• My laptop, yes, the new one I bought Oct 1, is slower than slow. It's been giving me trouble, little by little, then more and slower, and then my husband spent a bit of time in front of it-remember he's a computer guy. He checked some things and saw error messages indicating my drive is corrupted and the only thing I can do about that is to send it back to it's originating company and have them replace the drive (losing all my data in the process) and send it back in TWO WEEKS!! UGh. So, today I am searching for any data I need so that I won't be sad when I can't recover it. A long, painful process, as slow as this thing is: I am struggling to type this without frustration. On the bright side, my husband has a computer upstairs that I can borrow, if he lets me, to check email and ebay sales, subbing assignments etc. :)
  
• Our phones, the landline, cordless, said "out of range" on the display all day yesterday. We didn't realize it was out until the husband went out and tried to call me. Apparently, someone tripped over the cord and unplugged it, or something. However, we didn't know this and I was thinking our phones went out again: we have bad luck with cordless phones. Positively, that is all fixed!
  
• The biggest, most expensive glitch this week, was my minivan with automatic side doors had issues. It was cold and the doors froze shut on Monday: it is normally in the garage, however, some Christmas decorations, that had been taken down but still wet, were put on my side of the garage, leaving my car out in the cold. Anyway, we tried opening the doors, but there was ice in it, causing the automatic door motor to run, but the door to not go anywhere. I tried a few times, thinking the ice would break free, but I think it burnt the motor on the door behind the driver. So, you have to put the auto doors on "off" drag that door open and then closed, which is super heavy, and if you want to use the other side, turn the auto control to "on" and it works normally. However, you can't leave it on "on" while it's in drive, it beeps. Continuously... because it thinks the door is open. Argh. It's annoying. Both girls have to wait until I open the door from the outside if they want to get out the driver's side as they can't open it! I'm sure it would cost a ton to get it fixed, and it's 6 years old, so the husband is in the mood for a new one. :) So, I am saying we just live with it for a while.
  
• Our garbage disposal has a crack in it, as well, so it drips little puddles of water down under the sink. It is letting water into the electrical wires under it, too. So, when/if we call the plumber to come fix that, I'm thinking the disposal will have to be totally replaced, costing me an arm or a leg.
  

Other than those things, the week has gone well. I subbed Tues and Thurs. Both classes were extremely good! The Thurs class was a kindergarten and some of them were a little wound up, but they weren't too bad. Subbing jobs are few and far between right now, with Mondays off for Martin Luther King, Jr, President's day, just getting back from winter break, etc. I am figuring it will pick up again in Feb and March (spring break isn't until April). We finally got the blast of cold air, and the wind continued, so, no I haven't ran. Three days in a row. woo hoo. I'm not feeling too positive about that. Last week I ate pretty well and kept track of all my calories, intake and output, via a gmail spreadsheet. However, I fell off on that, too.
I have a busy next few weeks ahead: Thursday we are receiving our friends' two children, who are 4 1/2 and 2, I think. A boy and a girl. The husband won a trip to Hawaii through work and neither of their parents could keep the kids. So, we have them Thursday through Sunday, when another of their friends takes them because we have our oldest daughter's sleepover for her twelfth. Then the next week we're having family over for her birthday, for her favorite meal: brunch. :)
I have picked up my knitting again. I ran out last night to the local craft store and grabbed a few pairs of new needles for something new to try. Now I just need to branch out from my normal knit stitch/scarf. I need to try something new. :) I haven't knitted in a while, though, so I think I will pick up the simple scarf I had previously started and work on that. My oldest daughter got a "speed knitting" book for Christmas, so I may pick that up and browse, as well. I bought a couple groups of inexpensive yarn on ebay, too.
I've been reading the Treasures of Weatherby and it's pretty good so far. Not a quick read, so wonderful that I devoured it in one sitting, but that could be time constraints, too. I have read over a quarter of it and find it a good read, for youth, as I previously mentioned. And, in the vein of reading, I also have kept up with my New Testament reading (a chapter a day on weekdays) with a group from our church's circle. Two weeks and counting. :)
I just recently finished my scrapbook of our trip this past summer, but I still have to journal in it-write the captions as to what's happening in the picture. I'm planning on working on that today. We are also headed to a children's theater today with some other friends and then out to dinner, this afternoon. So, hopefully no more bugs or glitches for a while? And they're all minimal things; we all still have our faith, health and positivity, so we're pretty darn lucky! :) Have a great weekend, reader!

Quotes and Goals in Type

I found some of these while surfing other blogs, from blog to blog: see running blog column!

• "Life is a journey not a destination. Enjoy the journey. It will be over way too soon."
• "You can either live your life like a daring adventure or live your life safe but sorry you missed it."
• "The race is not always to the swift, but those who keep on running!"
• "I don't generally like running. I believe in training by rising gently up and down from the bench." Satchel Paige :)
  
• "Aiming for the marathon is a task of sorts which can include terrific highs and lows." -Bill Rodgers
  
• "Being a runner means you are now "free" to win and lose and live life to its fullest." -Bill Rodgers
  

I am committing myself to running most everyday, holding myself accountable by putting the "carrot" at the end of the proverbial stick by blogging my running goals. Goal: I am going to run another marathon: in 2007 and break the four hour mark. But....

I've been scared to commit to another marathon because, well, for starters it is hard work. Second, I am afraid I'll get a teaching job in the fall (which means all kinds of overwhelming changes for this household and me!!!) and not have time to train as I like. Also, the hubby will support any goals and decisions I make, it's just that he's a realist and brings me back to earth. :) It's time consuming for sure; weekend long runs can be two hours. And I know it might not work out... but I love running, once I get into a regular routine. I will think on it more, but this is a goal I hope to accomplish.

I did run again today-in incredible wind. It was great, even sunny for the first 5 minutes of my run...but then the wind kicked in and I'd swear I was in Chicago (the windy city! :)) I didn't wear anything on my ears, because of the sun at the start, so my ears hurt a bit, as well as the runner's cough setting in already. But I bettered my time: 4 miles in 29:24, wind and all. :) When I got home the sky was black. There's no "prediction for rain or showers" but the sky says otherwise... I feel great!! Three days...and counting! :)

Reading

Recent reading:

• I have given up the Gideon book, for now, as I recently realized it is the first of a trilogy that doesn't have the second book coming until next fall. I just couldn't get into it after that, plus the minute bits of time I were reading was spent on my Bible readings. Yes, I read all five chapters "assigned" for this past week.
  
• I went to the bookstore and got a few books: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, book one (which I've read; I've read them all, but had borrowed from the library). My youngest is into fairies, magic, etc. and I thought she'd like us to read it together.
  
• Also, I purchased Motif for Murder, the fourth scrapbooking mystery by Laura Childs, who also writes the Tea Shop Mysteries, which are also very good! My mother has read them/devoured them, and passed them along. I was in the mood for a good mystery, anyway.
  
• I purchased The Treasures of Weatherby by Zilpha Keatley Snyder, as well, which is another book for youth, but will be a fast read that the kids can read after and I can put in a future classroom! :) Always looking for future reads! :) It's "children's fiction" for ages 9-12. My reading choices lately have definitely varied. From fiction for 8 year olds and up, to nonfiction (the 2007 Wine Report I received as a gift for Christmas) to adult mysteries!
• We all got gift cards to our favorite book store, which is why all the purchases. My husband also got a book I'd like to borrow when he's finished: Life of Pi, which sounds very interesting. Even the author sounds intriguing. :)
  

Today's Run

I ran again, today. Two days in a row! :) Today I only ran three miles and ran them in 23 minutes. My legs were sore from yesterday and rather tight muscles. The weather was nasty, thus the three instead of four miles. It was pouring and very windy. It was raining and blowing so hard that I couldn't hear my mp3 player via the headphones in my ears. :) But, I felt good afterward; even the soreness felt good, like my muscles were getting fit again. :)
My husband and I have been keeping track of our exercise and calorie/food intake on a spreadsheet. I found this site: http://www.healthstatus.com/cbc.html
that helps to tell you approximately how many calories you burn during each activity. I found it pretty interesting, and must inform on my blog. :)
Tonight my hubby and I are off on a date. My youngest daughter is off to a friend's slumber party and my oldest is off to a school dance! Wow, I can't believe she's old enough to attend dances. Although, she will be twelve this month! So, we have about two hours of date time. Hopefully we can get in dinner and the bookstore (for which some wonderful family members got us gift cards for Christmas! :))