New Fav Fabrics

Camping...

Headed camping for the weekend at Eisenhower State Park. I am ready for some sunshine, s'mores, fishing and bike rides! Bring it on!

11.13.11

I decided this week that my next challenge will be the 2011 San Antonio Half Marathon. I think I have convinced Candace and Blake to do it with me. The race is November 13, and is part of the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon series. I have tried to run half marathons before, I ran the Nashville race, kind of trained and walked parts of it. I signed up for the Chicago race, sort of trained but got Swine Flu so didn't run that one. I want to give it a real effort this time. I'm going to use the Hal Higgins Novice training plan. It takes 12 weeks (atleast) so I will need to start in mid-August. I realistically need to start sooner, because I hate running and am pretty bad at it. Last week at Crossfit I had my best mile time that I can remember. It was right at 10 minutes. I am a very slow runner but was very proud of myself for being a little quicker. I'll keep ya'll updated as things get closer but here is the goal:

Training for your first Half

Week	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
1	Stretch & Strengthen	3 m run	2 m run or cross	3 m run + strength	Rest	30 min cross	4 m run
2	Stretch & Strengthen	3 m run	2 m run or cross	3 m run + strength	Rest	30 min cross	4 m run
3	Stretch & Strengthen	3.5 m run	2 m run or cross	3.5 m run + strength	Rest	40 min cross	5 m run
4	Stretch & Strengthen	3.5 m run	2 m run or cross	3.5 m run + strength	Rest	40 min cross	5 m run
5	Stretch & Strengthen	4 m run	2 m run or cross	4 m run + strength	Rest	40 min cross	6 m run
6	Stretch & Strengthen	4 m run	2 m run or cross	4 m run + strength	Rest or easy run	Rest	5-K Race
7	Stretch & Strengthen	4.5 m run	3 m run or cross	4.5 m run + strength	Rest	50 min cross	7 m run
8	Stretch & Strengthen	4.5 m run	3 m run or cross	4.5 m run + strength	Rest	50 min cross	8 m run
9	Stretch & Strengthen	5 m run	3 m run or cross	5 m run + strength	Rest or easy run	Rest	10-K Race
10	Stretch & Strengthen	5 m run	3 m run or cross	5 m run + strength	Rest	60 min cross	9 m run
11	Stretch & Strengthen	5 m run	3 m run or cross	5 m run + strength	Rest	60 min cross	10 m run
12	Stretch & Strengthen	4 m run	3 m run or cross	2 m run	Rest	Rest	Half Marathon

We Have Strawberries!

The first produce from the garden.

Muscles and the Smell of Spraytans.

My friend Stephanie that I know from Cross Fit was competing in a fitness competition this weekend and I told her I would go. I had nothing else to do and thought it would be entertainig....boy was it ever. I went with my other friend Lori from Cross Fit and we left at 7 am. Steph told us that they would sell out and we would not get a seat unless we got there early. So we did. It was in Mesquite, about an hours drive. The competition lasted 6 hours, I repeat, 6 hours. That was just the prejudging. They had another part that night. Lori went back but I had had enough. Here are some of the highlights. Steph looked great and placed 6th out of tons of women. This is Steph, she made her own suit.

These were the 50+ Men and Women (the guy in the middle of the second picture, shorter, in the red, is 71!!!!!)

Lots and lots of muscles.

New Hutch

Adam bought a wine hutch thing that we had been watching at World Market. We got a 25% off coupon so he picked it up last week. It looks pretty good! I'm not sure if I like the huge picture above it. I feel like it kind of dwarfs the piece. But I love the picture, just think it might go better somewhere else. Any thoughts?

Halloween

I know it's a bit early but when I was looking though patterns at JoAnn's I found these. I decided they would be perfect for Silia Laine, Nolan and Barret for next year. I haven't consulted with Meredith, but come on, how could you not what your kids to be gnomes?

Oh Allergies.

My allergies kicked it into full gear yesterday. Itchy, water eyes, runny, stuffy nose, itchy throat, lots of sneezing and major sinus pressure resulting in a headache. So what did I do? I came home and cut the grass, brilliant I know. I figured my allergies couldn't get any worse so why not? After that I took multiple benedryl and passed out early. Slept great and woke up feeling much better but made sure to take my Zyrtec today as I should everyday. Today I had a few sneezes but nothing like yesterday! Part of the problem is we haven't had any rain in quite awhile so the pollen is flying around like crazy. Everything has that nice yellow tint to it. I'm praying for lots of rain, not only to knock down the pollen but also for my garden.

March 22nd, 2011

Allergen	Per cubic meter	Values
Fungus	1988	Low
Maple	631	High
Mulberry	1253	High
Pine	62	Moderate
Elm	187	High
Oak	46	Moderate
TOTAL	4167	Pollen Guide

Delilah Likes The New Bed Too

Adam's Georgia Souvenirs

Bloom where your planted.

Before I left for spring break the daffodils had started to bloom. When my parents were here in the fall my dad helped me plant some bulbs in hopes of adding some color in the spring. Everything has come up except for the renoncules. Hopefully they will come up soon. I wish the blooms would stay for longer but I loved the bright colors while they lasted!

Inch X Inch

Inch by inch, row by row

Gonna make this garden grow
All it takes is a rake and a hoe
And a piece of fertile ground
Inch by inch, row by row,
Lord bless these seeds I sow
Lord warm them from below
'Til the rain comes tumbling down...

After being at the farm all week and helping my parents get ready to plan their garden, I could not wait to get home and plant my own. Luckily Adam was on board (I don't think I could have done it without him) and first thing Sunday morning we headed to Home Depot. I wanted to do raised bed square foot gardening and had attempted to last year. I worked so hard at growing my little seed and then planted the small plants outside and within a week they were all eaten by rabbits. It was a very sad sad day for me. But I was very motivated this year and knew that Adam could help me rig something up to keep the critters out.

At Home Depot we went plant crazy. We bought grape tomatoes, early girl tomatoes, yellow pear tomatoes, allstar strawberries, yellow bell peppers, orange bell peppers, jalepeno peppers, salsa peppers, watermelon, yellow squash, texas onions and another type of strawberry I can't remember now. We also bought some seeds: corn, sunflowers, pumpkin, yellow squash and catnip. I planted those in small pea pots and we will see how they work out.
And I had to get some herbs. I ended up choosing basil, cilantro, flat leaf parsley, rosemary and Adam wanted some mint for mojitos. The final things we needed were some chicken wire (to keep out the critters), vegetable plant food and Adam bought some chemicals to attempt to treat the yard that is overrun with weeds.

Thankfully Adam had enough wood leftover from the bed to build the raised bed for the garden. He made an 8' X 3' bed out of cedar. While he was working on that I planted the herbs where the people who owned the house before use had planted theirs. They left us a stand that holds multiple pots and it turned out nicely.
Before we could set up the garden we had to rip up the grass and loosen the dirt about 6'' deep. That was not easy but we did it. We then placed the bed and filled it will the vegetable garden dirt we bought. I mixed in some vegetable plant feed and we were ready to go. I had seen on other square foot gardens where people use twine to make a grid in the planter, thought it was a good idea and so we did the same. Most of the plants we bought needed 12''-18'' so I ended up putting a plant in each square foot and had 3 empty squares after everything was planted. I left the empty squares next to the watermelons and squash since hopefully the vines will run. After the planting was complete Adam stapled the chicken wire around the bed, I watered everything and 8 hours later, we have a vegetable garden!
I have watered it everyday since in hopes to keep the dirt in the box (it has been super windy) and get the roots to settle in. Here are a few pictures of my current pride and joy.
The whole time I was working outside I had the song I copied at the top of this post in my head. At Trinity, our sweet 3 and 4 year olds would sing this song in music class and it ended up being heard around school frequently. I love it and really loved hearing their sweet voices sing it. Hopefully the plants heard it and will obey! ha! Adam and I also ended up with some legit farmers' burns after the hours we spent out in the hot sun, the first burn of many to come in 2011.

SB2K11

Tonight I am savoring my last few moments of Spring Break 2011. This has been the first year in awhile I have not had a big trip planned. SB2K10 I was in Seattle with Adam, SB2K9 was spent in Kuwait and Cairo with the Pa'u family and my Mom, and many spring breaks before were spent on the beach. This year I packed up my car and drove to Atlanta to see my parents and lots of friends. It was a fabulous week!

The drive was not as bad as I expected, I had a few books on CD from our library which helped pass the time. I got into the farm around 9:30 and headed to bed. Sunday I went to Peachtree Pres, my old church that I have missed so much. The sermon was great, the music was rejuvenating and the sight of old friends brought tears to my eyes. PPC was one of the toughest things to leave in Atlanta and has proven to be very hard to replace, but I will continue searching! After church I met my parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents in Dallas, GA at my Aunt Claudia's house to celebrate Bentley's (my cousins son) 1st birthday. I was glad I was there and it was convenient to have all the family I wanted to visit in one place, saved me some driving!

Monday my Dad and I spent working on my car. We washed and waxed it, filled in some scratches, used touch up paint on the doors, revived the oxidized plastic on my bumpers, changed the oil, airfilter and wiper blades, worked on my washer fluid pump that wasn't working (after replacing it we discovered it wasn't getting any power), got the stains out of my seats and floor mats, and put some rainex on the windows. I could not have done any of that with out my dad's help and experience. My car looks brand new and felt great to drive. I was so proud I had to take some pictures.


Tuesday I went to have lunch with my Trinity friends and ended up staying until the end of the day. Trinity is such a special place and the people are what make it that! I miss those ladies so much and loved get updates on everyone's lives. It was also neat to see some of the students I had last year, they have all grown so much. At the end of the school day I took Anna, the girl I babysat weekly for the last two years, to get some yogurt. It was nice to catch up, she is a special girl! From there I walked around Lenox and found a dress at Anthropolgie that I am in love with! I have been holding on to a gift card I got for Christmas to use it on a dress for my friend Michelle's wedding this summer, and I found the dress I want! Too bad it is $298 and I won't be buying it ha! But it is beautiful. From there I went to meet Telleen, Molly, and Jenna at Taquiera del Sol. One of our favorite places to eat in Atlanta. They have the best guac and margaritas ever. We sat and talked for hours. It was so nice to catch up and be around people I have know for 8 years. They just get me and you don't need to explain things to friends you have known that long. I loved it. Avid had class so I went over to see her new apartment after we closed down TDS. She is leaving for Brazil this week for her MBA program, so exciting. It was great sitting and talking to her and Steph. My desire to be a labor and delivery nurse has been creeping up again lately so I picked Steph's brain about that. Who knows.... I was exhausted after all the fun I had but made it home and crashed.

The rest of the week was filled with quality time with my parents. We got everything ready to plant the garden, went on a hike around the farm, saw a snake, got a pedicure, went shopping, ate some amazing food, visited Grandpa, took a few naps, sewed some bags, sewed through my finger, sat on the porch, went on a long Harley ride and enjoyed every minute of the beautiful weather. It was wonderful.

Seeing Grandpa was hard though. He has changed quite a bit since the last time I saw him and has been moved to a memory care unit. It was the first time he didn't recognize me right away and the whole time we where there he was packing up and thought he was going home. His room is bigger than at the other place and I like the staff better but it's still hard to see him there. I want to remember him as the man that knew everything about farming, who rode me around on the tractor, who took such great care of my grandmother and who told everyone I was "grandpa's girl". That is exactly how I will always remember him but seeing him as he is now makes it hard and just makes me so sad for him. I want him to be happy and know he is loved but it's hard to know if he does.

Anyways, it was an awesome week that filled my Atlanta fix. Atlanta is home to me and I miss it still. Trips like this remind me though that it isn't going anywhere. Atlanta will always be there for me to go back to as will the great friends I have there.

Adam's New Hobby...

Adam has recently revived his love of woodworking and making furniture. It started with a bookcase his friend Ryan's wife wanted from Pottery Barn. The bookcase was beautiful but obviously overpriced so Ryan and Adam of course took on the challenge of creating it themselves. It turned out great. That was the spark that set off the fire. The next project was a head and footboard for the king sized bed. We looked through the Pottery Barn catalog and found a "Farm House" bed that we liked. So a quick google search and we soon had the plans for the bed from a blog that has the plan for EVERTHING. Love it! Pretty much pick any piece of furniture from Pottery Barn, or wherever, and Ana White has the plans for it! 18 trips to Home Depot and 10 trips to Lowe's later.... he made a beautiful bed! I am so impressed with his skills and can't wait to see what is next! My hope is a desk for my sewing machine, it is currently on a fold up Penn State tailgating table.

Sewing Projects

Adam got me a sewing machine for Valentine's Day and I was very excited to put it to use. Let me first say I had never used a sewing machine before so I had no idea what I was really getting into. However, I had lots of grand plans of what I wanted to create. My first project I decided on was a Crayon Wallet for my niece Silia Laine. I figured that no matter how bad it was, if it was for family, and a toddler, she wouldn't complain too much! I found the pattern on a blog and thought it looked useful, fun and not too hard.
I was pretty pleased with how it turned out. I bought a pencil to trace the lines to help me sew straight and the marks were supposed to just wipe off, but they didn't. And I still need lots of practice sewing straight. But, it serves its purpose and I think SLP will enjoy it. Here is a picture of it wrapped up.

The next project I worked on was a cover for my SLR camera strap. One of my favorite blogs sell camera straps that I love but I am not ready to make a full strap yet. So I settled on a cover in the meantime. My sewing was straighter and I really like the fabrics I chose. Only problem as when I turned in right side out, one of the seams tore. It wasn't a huge tear and still works fine.

San Antonio

Adam and I went to San Antonio for a weekend to up with my friend Telleen (went to Tech) and her boyfriend Greg (live in San Antonio). We had been trying to meet up for awhile. Greg has been working in SA for almost two years now, but we finally found a weekend that Telleen was visiting and we could head down.

Also the last weekend of the Rodeo was that same time. I have been dying to go to the SA Rodeo for years, it has won best large in-door rodeo for the last 6? years. The cheapest night to go was Friday when Martina McBride was playing. So on our way in we picked up Telleen and Greg from the Riverwalk and headed to the rodeo! We walked around the rodeo grounds for about an hour before the actual rodeo started. It reminded me a lot of the Texas State Fair, lots of good/bad food, carnival rides and livestock. We checked out the cattle that was being shown as well and some cattle roping and herding competitions. From there we grabbed dinner (corn dogs, fries, fried bacon, etc.) then headed into the rodeo! Our seats were about as high up as could be but luckily some of Gregs work friends were in a box and got us in for the second half of the rodeo and Martina McBride concert. I loved every minute of it. I find rodeos so entertaining and am so fascinated with the lifestyle of real cowboys. I'm also a pretty big Martina McBride fan so that was a pretty awesome way to end the night. She was amazing. Such a beautiful/powerful voice and she sang all my favorites.

Adam and I spend the rest of the weekend hanging out with the Pearson crew. Never a dull moment with Grace and Walker so we kept busy but had fun. I went back to San Antonio the following weekend for sweet Walker Bear's 3rd birthday. My parents were also in town so it was nice to see them. Walker is Toy Story obsessed so that was an easy choice for a birthday theme. He also loves masks right now and I found a Spiderman mask that he was pretty excited about. The drive to San Antonio is about 6 hours and it a lot for a weekend, but always worth it!

Valentine's Day

Adam and I didn't do anything too exciting for Valentine's Day this year but we did go to our favorite Texas steak joint, Trail Dust. If you ever come visit us it is a guarantee that we will take you here and you will love it! I remember going to Trail Dust as a 3rd or 4th grader when I lived in Colleyville. However, at that age I can't say I had a huge appreciation for a fine steak, but I did thoroughly enjoy the garlic bread and the huge slide that spits you out onto the dance floor. I purchased a coupon from restaurant.com and was happy to find that there is a Trail Dust about ten minutes from the house. When we went for V-day, we had a great dinner and I always enjoy watching the elderly couples two-step the the live band. I am determined to learn how to two-step with the best of them.





After dinner we came home and eat some chocolate covered strawberries I made for dinner and exchanged gifts. Adam got me a sewing machine!!!!!!!!!!! And I gave him 12 cards, one for a special date each month until next V-day. Our date for Feb. was for dinner at Genghis Grill, one of his favorite places to eat. March's date was for a day of exploring McKinney, which we have yet to do.

All in all it was a great day and both gifts will be used greatly over the next year and beyond!

A Few More Pictures....

Jeff, Adam And Gary

Adam and Gary

Me and Adam

Pitterpatter Art Giveaway!

http://pitterpatterart.wordpress.com/2011/02/16/3-months-waiting-giveaway/

.snow.day.2.

2nd snow day tomorrow. glad they called it early.

.Sweet.Sweet.Delilah.

My sweet cat Delilah (named after the late night call in radio personality) is the best. Adam gave her a little beanie baby like lion a few months ago and she 100% believes it's her baby/friend. She takes it everywhere with her, carrying it in her mouth like a baby. I always have a laugh at the places she leaves it. As I was leaving for work last week I found her lion baby as photo shows. I promise I did not touch or move it. This is how she left it. So sweet.

Snow/ Ice Day!

After a crazy night of thunderstorm followed by freezing temps Plano ISD finally canceled school today at about 5:30 this morning. Praise the Lord! Love having surprise days off. Unfortunately it means working an extra day at the end of the year but oh well. One of the benefits of working at Trinity, a private school, was that we didn't have to make up the days we missed. I didn't sleep in this morning but had a relaxing day. I finally got the chance to see my friend Colleen on the local news reporting on the weather. We were ADPi's at Tech together but I hadn't had a chance to see her on TV yet since she is normally on when I am at work. It was pretty entertaining.

Meredith's 29th birthday and Nolan and Barrett's first birthday are in the next few weeks. I decided to make them a scrapbook of their first year of life for their present. I printed all the pictures (there were too many great pics to choose from) and put the scrapbook together on Sunday. It turned out great. I braved the icy roads today to mail some packages, scrapbook included, so I hope it makes it in time for everyone to look at during the boys birthday part. Not sure why, but I love making scrapbooks, as long as they are not for me. I've made multiple in my life, none of which were for me.

So this is what Adam made this weekend. We like to call it the "Trifecta Diponator". He bought these three mini skillets at a flea market awhile ago and has been trying to decide what to do with them. I suggested we hang them on the wall, he had other plans. This idea came to him on Sunday morning and by Sunday afternoon it came to fruition. I have no idea how/why he made this but he is super excited about it. We will see if it ever gets used. If you would like a "Trifecta Diponator" of your own, let me know, he is taking orders.
We also went back to our favorite antique mall and look what Adam found. A $20 bull skull. How could you pass that up right? Any suggestions on where it should go?

Temps aren't supposed to get above freezing until late Thursday so I am not convinced we will have school tomorrow based on how much ice is still on the roads. We we see! Adam's dad and uncle are coming into town for the Super Bowl (they bought tickets to the game last week) so another day off to get some stuff done would be great!

Hair Cut and Paleo Lesson

I went and got my hair cut yesterday by a girl who goes to Crossfit with me. I haven't had my hair cut since Thanksgiving 2009 so it was well beyond time. I didn't have anything to exciting done, just a good trim, some layers and side bangs. I'm trying to keep it long and fought off the temptation to chop it off for now.

More important that getting my hair cut, the girl who cut it, Rachel, is so nice, super fit, and has been eating Paleo for awhile. It was great to talk to someone outside of the gym about the diet and be able to get some tips and write down her advice. She suggested going to Sprouts, trying spaghetti squash, coconut milk creamer, Think Thin protein bars, tuna fish salad on bell peppers, using Olive Oil Mayo and watching my calories via the iPhone App Lose It. All of which has proved to be great advice within the last 24 hours. Boys apparently can eat as much as they want on Paleo but girls still need to count their calories (awesome). The iPhone app has been great. So easy to use and it has a ton of brand name food calorie counts already programmed in. For breakfast I used my new Coconut Milk Vanilla Creamer (delish), lunch had my tuna fish salad on bell peppers (so yum), carrots and quac, blueberries (trying to cut down on other fruits and focus on berries) and lastly had my Brownie Crunch Think Thin bar for a snack and was happily surprised at how great it tasted. I might be going back for another haircut soon just to get more help on my eating.

The one suggestion she had, the spaghetti squash, I am skeptical about. My Paleo websites have mentioned it but I hadn't yet talked to anyone who had tried it. I picked one up at Sprouts and think I'll give it a try for dinner this weekend. It's a squash that you cook in the oven, after you have removed the seeds, then shred and use as pasta. Sounds crazy and gross but I am up for trying anything lately. I'll update you as soon as I have tried it but in the mean time here is a photo of the spaghetti squash, the sticker with directions on how to prepare it and my Think Thin bar.