Bye Thighs!

Wow. I'm beginning to think this blog is rapidly dying. No page views since Sunday Runday! Man, I wish I had known that changing the title and url would kill me before I did it!!

Today was a short day at work, so minimal standing on the sore legs and I spent the day just in my socks to prevent rubbing the blister on my heel. I think it's healing nicely, but it may not be healed by Thursday morning when I plan on doing a morning run alone after taking Gabriel to school.

The other day, Shane told me that my thighs are getting smaller. I kind of shrugged it off and thought he was trying to be funny, but when I did measurements on Sunday, it's true!! I have lost 2 pounds (happy dance that the scale finally moved) and I've lost an inch off of each thigh! Yay for training for a 5k!! I've also cut back on my protein intake. I think that has helped with the scale downage. The thigh shrinkage is definitely due to the running, though.

Only a week and a half until the 5k!! I'm excited and nervous. I hope I can finish in a decent amount of time and I hope to run more of it than walk, which has been an issue of mine as of late. Even though I haven't actually completed a 5k yet, I was searching on active.com for some more 5 or even 10ks to do so that I have a goal to run to when I came across a link to this. It's a half marathon in August that is run at night with glow bracelets and fun stuff. It's even fun because it is called Area 13.1 and the run is in Roswell (GA, that is). Right now the thought of running 13.1 miles scares the hell out of me, but even if I can't run it all, I should be able to get through a good portion of it run/walking (or enough to finish in, hopefully, 4 hours or less). We'll see if I actually get up the nerve to register for it!

Long day at work tomorrow, so there probably won't be much to say!

A Truly Productive Weekend...Now For Some Ice!

As the title of this post says, I had a very productive weekend. Today, I woke up at 7am (6:40 was NOT happening today) and got dressed to meet Jenni. Met up at 7:30 again for another run. Excruciating as it was, we made it the 3.1 for a weekend total of 7.3 miles!! I am currently sitting with ice on my elevated knees. I am hoping I can really get my pace in order because I feel like I whine a lot and keep us back when we run.

Speaking of whining, I had a new obstacle today that kept us from beating our PR. The shoes I wear for Zumba rubbed a little spot on the back of my left heel on Friday and I guess all that running/walking we've done must have continued rubbing it because halfway through the run, it had already blistered AND popped and was rubbing on raw flesh!! Needless to say, I will be taking it easy this week and letting it heal. If I do Zumba any this week, I will have to do it barefoot. I've done it that way before and it really isn't an issue, it's just hard on my ankles.

So, after the run and a shower (I was a hot, sweaty mess), everyone in the house got up and got dressed and we left the house early for some breakfast. There was nothing to eat at our house due to the fact that we had not yet been to the grocery store. We stopped and got biscuits at Martins. I had a large chicken biscuit and some water, which was super filling.

Shane has been wanting to change this part on the POS that we are driving now, but didn't have the correct wrench for the job, so before soccer started, we went to Home Depot to see if they had what we needed. Well, they did, but it was more than I was willing to pay for tools right now, so we left empty-handed. On to soccer...

I think Gabriel had an over all good practice/scrimmage. He's starting to grasp the concept that you really don't need to kick the ball hard to get it where you are going and not to use his hands. There was even a point when the coach gave them a pool noodle to hold around themselves while they kicked! I thought it was brilliant!

After soccer we stopped at a frozen yogurt shop called Menchie's. We usually go to a local place by our house called Swirlie's, but I decided it was time to try Menchie's. It had a couple more flavors than Swirlie's and a lot more toppings. The atmosphere was definitely more fun, but I think Swirlie's is just fine for us.

Since we tried a new yogurt place, why not go all the way out of our comfort zone and buy groceries at Publix instead of Kroger? That is just what we did. I like Publix, but I always seemed to get better deals at Kroger in the past. I did end up spending a bit more money today than usual, but I think the experience was better overall. I noticed some things while shopping. Publix doesn't have a huge selection of generic equivalents to a lot of things, but the seem to price those items at the cost of what the Kroger brand would have cost me. I'm not sure if we will stick with Publix for every shopping trip, but I think I'll keep giving them a decent shot to convert me!

I'm nearing the end, I swear! We got home and put the groceries away and I set out to wash the cars. Of course, Shane was working on the Corolla, so that left me with just the Tucson and so that is what I washed. Then came kid's baths and dinner. We had meatloaf, veg-all and mashed potatoes. Mmmm...yummy! I think I'll wind down and get ready for bed now.

Overshot the Goal and Girl's Day Out

I managed to roll out of bed at 6:40 this morning to prepare for our 7:30am run. We ran at at different spot on the trail and there really weren't any signs for a starting mileage, so we decided to walk until we saw on. So, we walked...and walked...and walked...AND walked!!! Finally, 1/2 a mile down the way was a sign. Although we both looked at the sign, neither of us really committed the mile mark to memory and we jogged on. I have to say that we ran farther stretches than we ever have before. On the way back, though, it seemed that both of us were complaining about our legs hurting and being a little out of breath. We finally managed to pass where we started and walked to the nearest mile marker. As it turns out, we actually ran 4.2 miles instead of 3.1. Well, THAT explains the sore legs! I'm currently sitting with an ice pack on my legs, so I hope they are feeling better because we are going again tomorrow morning (but not 4.2 miles).

After getting home and taking a shower, I had to run out of the door again because it was girl's Saturday out! We ended up going to a thrift store in Kennesaw. I actually got a lot ton of clothes for Evelyn, but only ended up with 1 pair of jeans and a toy for Gabriel. Man, boys clothes are hard to find! I actually bought myself a few pairs of pants (in my new, smaller size) and Shane ended up with 3, much needed, pairs of jeans. All in all, I feel really good about the amount of money I spent vs how much I brought home.

Moving on to lunch. I actually skipped breakfast because I didn't want to run so early with food on my stomach and then I just didn't have time to grab a bite, so by the time we spent a couple of hours in the thrift store, I was STARVING!! Jo had been telling us about this really great Cuban place in Kennesaw called Papi's Cuban and Caribbean Grill, so we decided to try it. OMG!!!! Where has this place been all of my life? I swear, with the amount of food we ordered and consumed, you would think we had never eaten out before! I had half of an original Cuban sandwich, half of a ropa vieja sandwich, a bite of mufango, half of a sampler appetizer, some plantain chips and a third of a tres leches cake!! There was not ONE thing that I did not like!!! Mmmmm....amazing! Because I feel like I weigh a million pounds and that I've eaten an entire buffet dry, I am skipping dinner tonight, but I think it will be ok. I shouldn't be hungry for days!!!

Tomorrow, Jenni and I have a morning run, Gabriel has soccer, we have to go to the grocery store, and we need to wash/fix cars. Details forthcoming!! To conclude today I would just like to say that if you are in the Kennesaw area, you don't want to miss an opportunity to eat at Papi's Cuban & Caribbean Grill.

Zumba, A Brief Period of Insanity and Being Thrifty

We had a CRAZY busy day at work today. Came home and did some Zumba after getting the kids to bed. It's nice how I have kind of picked it back up quickly. It still kicked my ass, but not as bad as last time. At least this time I could keep up!! I might do it again tomorrow, depends on how my legs hold up.

Speaking of tomorrow, I must be INSANE. I have agreed to meet Jenni at 7:30 in the MORNING to go for a run. I know what some of you are thinking....no way, not only is she not a morning person, she's incapable of getting up that early. Well, we shall see. I'll be blogging about it tomorrow!!

So, after my early, early, early run, I'll be meeting up with a couple of girls from work and we will spend the better part of the late morning/early afternoon thrift store shopping (and hopefully getting lunch since I'll be hungry starving by then). You see, my children must be eating Miracle Grow when I'm not looking because they are both growing out of their clothes like crazy and Gabriel is going through a rough and tumble stage where is is busting the knees out of all of his jeans. He actually only has 2 pair of jeans that don't have rips in the knees. Since Evelyn wears a lot of her brother's hand-me-downs, her jeans are "pre-worn" and she, too, is ripping the knees of her jeans.

I'm sure I could find plenty more to ramble about, but it is nearing 11pm and I have to get up at an hour that I'm not even sure exists, so off to bed with me!!

Today I Am Feeling...

I really wish there was a way to put one of those little pictures with all of the different little faces with the changeable frame to indicate mood on websites/blogs. Perhaps there is and I just haven't seen it yet. Either way, today I am feeling slightly defeated. Do you ever have those days where it just seems like no matter how many good things you have going for you in life you can't help but be bogged down by the bad? I know that posting about this is a little absurd considering yesterday's sappy, hopeful post. Maybe instead of feeling defeated, I should indicate that I am feeling bi-polar! Up, down, up, down. That seems to be the hand I've been dealt as of late.

I know the entire world is probably sick of hearing about my damned leg, Lord knows I am sick of writing about it, but it hurt a lot yesterday during and after Zumba and a little today at work. I was going to Zumba again tonight, but I got a case of the lazies followed by an intense sugar craving and didn't do anything. I think my leg is greatful as it doesn't hurt all that badly tonight. I guess I shouldn't let it know that I fully intend to Zumba tomorrow night!

So, how is Zumba going? I haven't really done it since I "fell off the wagon" the last go round of weight loss and boy, did it kick my ASS! I sweat more in 50 minutes of dancing around than I do for a 3 mile run outside. Sadly, it also burns twice as many calories as the running in the same amount of time. It feels good to know that I am starting to work some different muscle groups, though. Maybe this is just what I need to get that scale to move down for me!

Well, I am pretty sleepy and I still have another work day ahead of me for the week, so I guess I'll sign out until tomorrow!

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Random Generosity

I will start today's post by saying that I started back up on Zumba Exhilarate this evening and it kicked my ASS!! I don't even sweat that much running! I will probably post more about Zumba tomorrow, though.

What this post is really about is something that happened to me today that changed my whole outlook on my current life situation. I know that probably sounds hokey, but it's true. I cannot reveal who this person was or what they did for me, although a couple of my readers were there and know, but I'll try to give the gist of the situation.

Today, I was talking to this person like I usually do. Because she has no children of her own and she always asks about mine, I felt compelled to show her the proofs for Gabriel's spring school pictures. She ooohh'd and ahhh'd and all that. I had already gone back to what I was doing and, when she walked away, I told her goodbye. Unbeknownst to me, she had left something with my name on it without telling me that she did it. Once I realized it, she was gone. No, she didn't leave me a winning lottery ticket or a new car or even a million dollars, but what she did leave made me speechless. Not because of it's worth, but because she barely knows me beyond my name and pictures of my family. She has no idea of the recent hard times we've been going through or the stress that has gone with it. She didn't wait around to see my face or even acknowledge the act as anything other than common. At first, I was convinced that I should call her right up and tell her that I could not accept what she left, but that seems awfully rude since she didn't even really give it to me, she simply left it where I would find it. I actually spent the remainder of the afternoon not knowing what to say about it at all. It wasn't until I got home much, much later that it all sank in. While I was cooking dinner, I started to think about my blog post for tonight and how I really wanted to say something about this woman's generosity and what that says about her as a person. Then, I started to think about what I could do for her in gratitude. Thank you just doesn't seem like enough. She doesn't even know the magnitude of the impact she made on me. I think I hit emotional overload because I started to cry cooking dinner. (I told you this was going on the sappy side). Yep, there I am crying while cooking chicken because this person that barely knows me went out of their way for me. She changed my whole outlook with a gesture so selfless that I still don't have the words for it.

So, there you have it. I plan to buy her the sappiest thank you card I can find and maybe I'll make her something in return because I know if I buy something, she probably won't accept it.

Isn't it amazing how one person can change your whole perspective without even trying?

Title Change and The Run That Went Wrong

I've been thinking about it for a little while and today I decided to change the name of this blog to Bakes, Reads and Runs. I think it more accurately describes the content that I write about each day. Lately, I have been talking more about running and food and less about baking and reading. I also changed the url to reflect the new name. I hope it doesn't create any problems with ease of finding the blog.

Today I dropped Gabriel off at school and parked to go for the usual run. I actually stretched my legs before I ran today, which is something I usually don't do. I am a researcher. I research almost everything before I make decisions. It's just something I do. (Could be my OCD). Everyone has been telling me that I need to stretch and that's why my shin has been hurting. So, I stretched. OMG....I'm not sure if it's the fact that I stood on my feet for 12 hours yesterday and then attempted to run or if it's the stretching, but my legs just couldn't do this run today. Everything started out great and I had a pretty good pace. I was actually doing better than usual. I slowed down for my first walk break and then ran again and repeated that for about a mile. Then, the pain started. It started in my feet and then traveled up both shins and calves. I found that after a few minutes, I was walking just as much as I was running, which is not my usual. I often read blogs of runners and they all say to "run through the pain." I tried. I really did. Once I got about a quarter mile further, I couldn't run for more that 30 seconds without pain. I thought that I could walk it off, but even walking was hurting and as I was approaching the halfway point, I realized that if I even made it there, I might not be able to make it back. Despite it all, I still jogged for a little bit as much as I could on the way back to the car. All in all, I traveled a total of 2.42 miles in 40 minutes. Definitely NOT my personal best. Needless to say, I was very disappointed in my run today.

The evil scale is still not moving! It is making me so mad. Last year, when I lost a ton of weight, I really wasn't eating very healthy, just less of the junk I already ate. Now, I am eating so much better. I am rarely hungry and I feel better about my food choices, but the scale is not reflecting this!!! I'm wondering if the difference is the running. I know I mentioned this a post or so ago, but before I was mixing up my cardio and alternating it with strength training and walking on the treadmill. With my legs hurting so bad and my work schedule this week not permitting me to run again until I meet up with Jenni again on Sunday, I am going to start back with Zumba in the evenings after the kids go to bed. Hopefully, I'll be able to begin tomorrow night. Today, I have plans on a soak in the tub with some Epsom salt. I'll try to stay off of my legs and possibly ice my shins at some point during the day.
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I just realized that I never mentioned the cupcakes that I baked on Friday. I definitely don't consider them the best cupcakes I've ever baked, but I'm happy to have finally made them and tried them out. I realized after I had frosted the cupcakes that I forgot a couple of things. The Sour Patch cupcakes were supposed to have a jelly filling inserted into them and the Pistachio cupcakes needed chopped pistachios around the edges of the frosting. I completely forgot about the jelly until I had already frosted them and I forgot to buy the pistachios all together! I think the Sour Patch cupcakes were good right after I made them, but the longer they sat with the sour sugar on the frosting, they didn't taste so good. The pistachio cupcakes didn't taste pistachio enough for me and I think that the pudding mix in the frosting threw off the texture. The final verdict: cupcake failure. At least I can scratch those two recipes off of my Pinterest board now!

Sorry this is sideways, I can't seem to rotate it. "Sour Patch Kid" Cupcake

Pistachio Cupcakes with Pistachio Frosting

Sunday Runday

Today I took my son to soccer tots, had lunch and hung out with the fam until later in the afternoon.

At 6, I met my friend Jenni at the trail and we went for our first run together. The trail was crowded so it was difficult to keep a steady pace, especially with the number of bikers out. Man, the trail is packed on Sunday evening! Anyway, we walked more than we ran, but we still finished in 48 minutes, so it wasn't too shabby. There were even a couple of spots where I ran farther than my usual distance before stopping. Either way, we will try again next week and hopefully be able to run more.

I'd write a ton more, but I'm kinda sleepy and I'm hoping to sqeeze in an episode of Grimm before I go to bed so I won't be too far behind. I'm work I g a 12 hour shift tomorrow, so I don't know if I'll have much to post.

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Finding My Pace and Baking Some Cakes (Cupcakes, that is)

Started out today with a field trip with my kids to the local pizza buffet. He had a great time touring the kitchen and "tossing" dough. Then, they got to work with a partner to decorate a pizza and the place cooked it and served it to them. The kids all thought that pizza made by them tasted better than any other pizza! After the tours, the restaurant finally opened for business and the parents got to eat at the buffet. Since it was breakfast and lunch, I decided to go all out. I will say that I didn't eat nearly as many slices as I used to, but I did have probably the equivalent of an entire medium pizza. As horrible as that sounds, their slices are really, really thin and I generally don't eat the fat part of the crust at the end. I also had dessert (gasp)!

When we left the pizza place, we decided to take a walk down the shopping plaza. Today was opening day for a new store in town and I really wanted to check it out (so did the rest of the town). The store is called Academy Sports and I eventually really liked it. I say eventually because I went in for something very specific and despite all of the overly helpful staff, no one could help me find what I was looking for until we had circled the entire store. I was looking for a running belt so that when I run outside I can carry my cell phone. I don't have an iPhone or even a smart phone. I do have a touchscreen and I can log in to Facebook and browse the web, but that's about all of it's capabilities. Also, Shane has been pitching a fit for me to carry pepper spray, so I needed to a: buy some and b: find a way to carry it. Amazingly, after I picked up the running belt I wanted and a pack of Gu to try, I found that they make pepper spray for runners. It comes in a case with a handy velcro strap that goes in your hand so you just hold onto it while you run. Kind of cool, huh?

After going to Academy, we spent some time picking up odds and ends at Wal-Mart. (I'm sure everyone knows how that goes) Then, we came home and I made Shane pick up all of the living room furniture so I could vacuum under it. Dinner tonight was white cheddar mac n cheese with sauteed chicken breast in it. It was OK, but I don't think I'll ever make it again. A little too bland for my taste.

I never got a chance to run outside today, as I thought, so I got on the treadmill after the kids went to bed. I managed to run the entire 3.1 miles tonight, only stopping 2 times to walk for less than a minute each. I ended at 42 minutes. I think I am either really getting used to running or I picked a better pace. It could also be that all of the research I did on optimal breathing is paying off. All I know is that I never got winded and I felt fine all the way through.

Finally, the cupcakes. For some reason tonight, after dinner, I felt the urge to bake and so I whipped up a batch of white cake mix. I baked half of the mix as it was into a dozen cupcakes and I added pistachio pudding to the batter for the second dozen. After I finish up here tonight, I will frost the cupcakes and turn the first dozen into the "Sour Patch Kid" cupcakes and the second dozen will have pistachio frosting to go on top. When I am finished, I will take pictures and probably post them tomorrow night. I have to work tomorrow, so we'll see. All I can say is that if you live near me, stopping by on Sunday afternoon to pick up a few cupcakes wouldn't be a bad idea :)

Just One Of Those Days I Guess

I'm in a bad mood this evening. I don't know why. I didn't really have a bad day. My kids were acting like rabid monkeys this afternoon when I got home from work and I had to send them to their rooms many, many times, but I just feel cranky.

I hate feeling cranky. Feeling cranky for me dredges up a whole pool of emotions that are irritating and unnecessary. For instance, cranky always brings up lonely for me. I miss time with friends or time with Shane or time to myself. Granted, I am by myself once the kids are in bed at night, but it just doesn't seem like enough. This is the time when being a parent sucks. I miss being able to go and do things with people, but if I did, I'd feel guilty about leaving the kids behind.

Anyway, I'd be a drag to hang out with right now because of my inner pity party. Moving on...

Not a terribly eventful day today. I had mmmmmmm omg Mojo pork from Publix today for lunch with probably the worst green beans I've ever eaten. It's a shame, too, because they looked SO good. I also tried the Arizona Watermelon juice cocktail can. It was kinda meh...I really like LOVE the Arnold Palmer Arizonas and I think I'll stick to those or the sweet tea in the future.  I made mini meatloaves and mixed vegetables for dinner.

I really feel like I should be working out right now, but I really don't want to (see above, re: pity party). My weight has plateaued and it really shouldn't have. I'm thinking that I must be building muscle and losing inches somewhere due to the running and that's great and all, but I really don't feel any improvement unless that number goes down on the scale. I was doing Zumba in my living room every other night. In fact, I really enjoyed it. I need to make some kind of curtain set-up to cover my bay window so that the entire neighborhood doesn't see me dancing around like a flabby fool! I think I may work on that issue tomorrow and the weekend.

Tomorrow, we are going on a field trip to the local pizza buffet with Gabriel's school. They go every year at the end of the year. They get to tour the kitchen and top pizzas and then eat the pizzas. Best part is, we stay afterward for the buffet! I want to try to fit in a run after that and I'm trying to figure out how to make that work with the entire family being together. I might just end up using the treadmill. :(

5K vs The Toddler

I didn't blog last night and it's the fault of my OCD, mostly. I was all set to blog even though I really didn't have much to blog about since I worked for 12 hours yesterday. Needless to say, it was a much needed group therapy session for all involved. Anyway, once I got home at 10pm and had dinner and talked to Shane and settled down, it was a few minutes until midnight. I looked at that and decided that if I did start blogging, it would run past midnight and then I would end up with 2 posts from the same date and I just couldn't have that! It's the little things that count, ok?!

On to today. I got up this morning and put on my running clothes and shoes even though it looked pretty dreary outside. I packed Gabriel's lunch and we headed out the door. It drizzled pretty much the entire way to the school. Of course, after I dropped him off and went to park the car to run, the drizzle turned into a rather fast-paced, constant rain. I decided that it was probably not the best idea to run. I was bummed. So, I went back home.

Once I was home, I changed into comfy clothes and made Evelyn some breakfast. I spent some time on Facebook and checked my email. About an hour before I usually leave to pick Gabriel up from school, I asked Shane if he wanted to stay home with Evelyn or if they wanted to go and walk while I ran. The plan was, I would run out halfway and then turn around, run back and then wait for them to get back to the car once I passed them again. He agreed and we left early.

Well, it started raining again on the drive over and it was cold. I wasn't going to let it stop me this time. Plus, there was an umbrella in the car for my 2 walkers to use. I had my MP3 player and after a little warm up walk, I jogged off. My left shin has been hurting ever since I woke up yesterday and that slowed me down quite a bit today. I was still making pretty good time, though. I made it out and back with around a mile left to go when I caught back up to Shane and Evelyn. This is where things got hairy. Of course, Evelyn was happy to see me and Shane told me that after I ran off she called for me and tried to run after me. Then, she wanted to hold my hand as we walked together. I don't know if anyone else has tried to cover a mile walking with an almost 3 year old, but they get distracted pretty easily and don't want to go very fast. I knew how long it took me to run that on Monday and I also knew it would take a while to get back to the car at the pace we were moving at. I voiced my concerns as it was approaching time to pick up Gabriel from school, so Shane told me to run ahead and then drive back and pick them up, which I did. In conclusion, I walked a mile and jogged 2.1 miles. Lesson learned: Do not bring a 3 year old with you and expect great results!

We still have a rental car. The other person's insurance would not pay for it past Tuesday, so we are finishing out the week paying for it ourselves. While this makes me unhappy, it is for the best that we have another car. On Sunday, we will be getting our other crappy car that we were planning to sell. It looks like we might have it for a while, so I hope it stays operable for a while. Shane is still negotiating a higher pay off for my Jetta, but they don't seem to want to budge much. I just wish it was as simple as, "your client destroyed my car and I want another car." Unfortunately, it's not.

I'm actually glad that April is coming to an end. May means the end of school and hopefully potty training Evelyn full-time. The first of May, however, brings fictional bliss. Deadlocked, the next installment of the Sookie Stackhouse world by Charlaine Harris comes out and also City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare. I am super excited elated about the Sookie book, but I'm not sure about the other. I mean, I'm stoked to read it, but the last book had such a disappointing ending. I think once I've dosed myself with much anticipated bliss, I will embark on a book called Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James. It seems to be smutty, which generally fits into my interest level.

Cupcakes!! I am going to get to those blasted cupcakes!!! Well, soon, I hope! We'll see how Friday goes after a school field trip and another "maybe" outside run.

Time to go get the kid out of the tub and into the bed. School picture day is tomorrow and he needs his handsome sleep. (Actually, he's pretty dang cute no matter what!)

A Completely Different Beast

Today, I decided to take my running training to the next level and attempt 5k on the pavement. I mean, let's face it, the actual event won't be on a treadmill. I need to have a realistic view of what I'll be experiencing in a month. I dropped my son off at school and parked my car in the lot for the trail. I know that right off the bat I was sprinting because I was almost instantly winded. It's a lot easier to keep a constant pace on the treadmill! Once I finally settled on a decent jog, I could go for roughly quarter mile stretches of actual running before needing to walk. Also, having not run the trail before and no HRM to tell me how far I was going, I had to rely on the nowhere near evenly spaced markers provided along the way. I was so happy when I finally reached 1.6 miles and I could turn around. At least then I knew all I had to do was make it to the car! When it was all said and done and I reached the car again, I had run 5k (3.1 miles) in a little under an hour. (Insert happy dance)

The rest of the day was spent bathing the little girl and having lunch at Zaxby's before picking up the boy. I was so excited to eat Zaxby's because the Zensation Zalad is back for a limited time. I completely forgot that their zalads are always better if you get them to go, so I was thouroughly disappointed in my food.

After swinging by the school, we picked up a part for the Corolla at the salvage yard that will be put on this weekend so that we will have 2 cars again once the rental goes back. I spoke to the adjuster today, so things should be all wrapped up from the accident in a couple more weeks. Hubby is negotiating the value of my car and they are waiting to see if anything else needs to be done with my shoulder. I'm ready for it all to be over.

Speaking of over, I can't keep my eyes open for much longer, so I bid you all goodnight!

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That Epic Moment When...

you realize that you needed to stop by Wal-Mart after work to pick something up. You pick up a RedBox on the way in and proceed to walk through the store picking up the items you need. People keep looking at you strangely, including the employees. Takes a few minutes, then you realize that you are wearing the Wal-Mart dress code uniform. Yeah, that was me tonight.

Recently, my job decided to change attire and we now have to wear navy blue shirts and khaki pants. Did not even occur to me when I went into the store that I looked like I belonged a little too much! About halfway through my shopping, I called my husband and told him that the next time I say I need something from Wal-Mart on the way home from work, he is to tell me that I can't go because I look like an employee! Stupid dress code :/

I know I planned on walking on the treadmill tonight, but by the time I got home, had dinner, got kids ready for bed and paid some bills, figured out we're broke and dealt with my Facebook and MyFitnessPal business, I just didn't have the time. Not to mention, as soon as I am finished blogging, I will put in the RedBox I rented (for free) and then shower and go to bed. I rented Dream House. It says it's a horror, so we'll see how I like it. I actually haven't been crazy about horror movies since I had kids. I don't know why, it's like some internal switch turned off and I'm just not crazy about them anymore.

Tomorrow, after I drop my son off at school, I am going to make my first attempt at running 5k on the pavement outside. More details to come...

Monkeys and Swirls

Usually my children act like crazy hooligans on Fridays. Now, yesterday being Friday the 13th, they definitely had the crazy going for them. Today, however, they decided that it would be fun to roll it on over into Saturday. We started the day by meeting friends at Ruby Tuesday for a belated birthday lunch for me. My daughter decided not to eat ANY of her food, which is unusual, and to run around the table acting like an ill-mannered monkey. Then, we went to the froyo place in the shopping plaza with Kroger.

I make out a 2 week menu for our dinners and we buy groceries accordingly from it. We actually didn't buy any extras this time and we came in about 25 dollars under our norm, so I call that a win!!

Once we were home, the kids started acting like fools again and I knew I had limited time to mow the grass before hubby would have to go to work. I prefer to use the push mower when I have the time because it is a great calorie burn, but I knew I needed to finish quickly, so I opted for the riding mower. I was mowing the "hill of death" when I noticed the next door neighbor standing on her front porch, staring at me. I thought that was pretty odd and I don't really like for people to stare at me, so I drove the mower into the back yard to kill some time before finishing the hill. I'm about halfway through with the back when I look up and the woman next door has followed me into my back yard. I turn off my MP3 and the lawnmower and take off my sunglasses wondering why in the world she is in my yard. Apparently, for the past year, I have been mowing "swirls" into their grass. She tells me that they are awful to look at and she didn't know if I knew I was doing it and in the future could I mow straight down. I tell her that I do mow straight down where I can, but it is impossible to mow through all of the trees we have on that hill to provide a property boarder. These are freakin Leiland Cyprus trees for crying out loud and they are HUGE! She made me SO mad furious. The more I got to thinking about it, I don't think those bozos next door realize that 2 feet on their side of that treeline is still MY property!!!! I try really hard not to cut their grass at all because they are so hateful about the "property lines." I'm not sure yet what I am going to do, but I don't think I should give them the satisfaction of doing it their way.

Now that that fiasco was over, I came inside and started the finishing touches on dinner. I had put a pork loin in the crock pot earlier that morning before heading out. I drained it and pulled it with a fork and added some BBQ sauce to it. Then, I made some corn and "southern" green beans as sides.

After dinner and kids to bed, on to the treadmill. Tonight I managed to push through my mental barrier and, using the training guide provided by Hal Higdon, I ran 2.5 miles in 33 minutes. I really, really, REALLY wanted to keep going the full 3.1 because once I hit that 2.5, I knew the whole thing was right there. I made myself stop, however, and I'll be going only 2.1 miles on Tuesday evening.

Tomorrow is a work day and then I'll do a 30ish minute walk on the treadmill when I get home. I truly hope people are a little more tolerable tomorrow than they have been these past couple of days!!

Friday the 13th: Music and Mojo

I was really trying last night to run the entire 3.1 miles. I know that's kind of cocky considering I am not a constant, conditioned runner. My mind just wasn't with it. Also, my MP3 player (no, I don't have an iPod) decided that it would shuffle through some of the slowest music in the world. Obviously, every song on it was selected by me to be on it, but when I'm trying to run, I really need songs with high BPMs. I can't begin to describe how irritating it is to try to keep up a steady pace when you are constantly hitting the "next" button on your play list. I'm not sure if I can program it to hold different profiles of songs so that I can choose one specifically for my workouts, but I think it's something to look into. If not, at some point I will have to break down and find another music player. My hubby got the one I have at the Dollar General, but it has definitely served it's purpose. Tonight, I am planning a half hour walk, so music shouldn't be an issue.

Friday the 13th at my job is always interesting. I have to tell you that the weirdos really do come out more on this day than any other! Short of crazies, it wasn't too bad of a day, though. I had a good AMAZING lunch at Publix. For several weeks I have noticed their advertisement for mojo pork in the deli. Apparently it is a Puerto Rican dish. When I plugged it in to My Fitness Pal to get a calorie count a few days ago, the only entry is titled, "Publix Mojo Pork-Omg, Gooooooood~!" so I just HAD to try it. At 200ish calories for a very generous nearly 6 oz serving, it really was Omg Goooooood~! It was citrusy and salty and I paired it with black-eyed peas and potato wedges. It even came with a Hawaiian Roll. I was so full stuffed that I could barely move!

So, back to the running. (Sorry, I got sidetracked with my Oh So Yummy lunch). After a 5 minute warm-up brisk walk, I ran an entire mile without stopping before my music went downhill. Once that happened, I started to internally talk myself out of finishing. I did manage to get some good tunes and I convinced myself to go another 3/4 of a mile before I started mentally looking to quit. I finally did stop at a little over 2 miles, just because I was frustrated with the music and tired of talking myself into "just one more mile."

One of my biggest inspirations for starting this blog is a blog that I found via Pinterest called Runs For Cookies. I enjoy her writing style and her blatant honesty. Also, such an inspiration to read about someone who has lost nearly half of their body weight. So, anyway, I was getting my nightly dose of SlimKatie's blog and she has mentioned a person named Hal Higdon and his marathon training site. I went to it the first time I read it in her blog, but I decided to visit it again to see how he could help with my 5K training. (Especially since I only have 4 weeks of training.) His 5k program suggests 8 weeks of training for a novice, but since I can already do a little over 2 miles with mild effort, I have decided to skip up to week 4 of the training which puts me right on track time-wise for the race.

Speaking of, I should really get on the treadmill and do that walk!

Crashing and Running

I know yesterday was a strange and desperate sounding blog entry. Actually, that wasn't the original post. I had sat yesterday afternoon and constructed, in my opinion, a very carefully thought out blog about generational differences and the internet. My internet connection, however, had other plans. I finished typing everything up and hit the "publish" button only to have nothing happen. In fact, I hit it repeatedly to no avail. I thought that even if something was wrong, the auto-save feature would pull through. Unbeknownst to me, it was my internet connection that crashed and the auto-save last saved at my second sentence. Sadly, once I've poured something out of my mind, it is nearly impossible to pull it back out exactly as it was. I'm sure that I will eventually finish the post again, but it won't be today or tomorrow.


It looks like I have to get REALLY serious about my running because I have been invited to run in my first 5K. The bad part is, it's only a month away, but the good part is that it is an evening run and evenings are when I run anyway. It seems like a really fun event and I'm excited (and scared) to be finally doing something official with my running. Now, I just wish I could afford a heart rate monitor!

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I think I am finally starting to feel the baking itch. I think at some point over the next week, I will bake cupcakes. I usually get rid of them by giving a lot of them to the teachers at my son's school, but they are all competing in a Biggest Loser contest that they paid 50 dollars a piece to be in, so I don't think I can convince them to sabotage themselves.

I have been eating very poorly lately. We've been eating fast food more than usual due to the car situation and constantly being in the car going somewhere. I can tell it's taking it's toll on me. I don't think I realized how sluggish and gross eating that stuff actually made me feel until I started eating better. Now, I feel bloaty and huge and tired. I can also see it taking it's toll on our already strained finances, so we're going to have to work hard to get that back on track.

Now, on to cook dinner, bathe and put kids to bed and get on that treadmill!!! Let's see if I can actually run 3 miles without killing myself!

Anyone At All

Reading this blog?

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Infantile Illness and an Impala

Went to the doctor today. She says I have a double ear infection. Wow. Talk about something I probably haven't had in about 30 years! Regardless, she gave me a super strong antibiotic and between it and some Motrin, I am feeling better already :-)

We finally got the OK for a rental car today. Hopefully, we'll be able to take it back tomorrow and trade it for something else. They gave us a Chevy Impala. This car has definitely been driven to death or poorly or both because it has the worst pick up I think I've ever experienced in a car. That's saying a lot since my first car was a Ford Escort!

Sorry to say, that's really all I have for today. Maybe I'll have more to say tomorrow. Could just be me being tired.

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It Will Hurt if I Swallow

Anyone other than me remember that really annoying commercial with the kid laying in bed deciding that if he swallows, his throat will hurt and he finally calls out for his mommy? Well, make that kid a 32 year old woman and it could be me. (I have no plans on calling for my mommy, I really don't think there is anything she could do about it.) I did, however, finally break down and call my doctor for a sick appointment for tomorrow. The receptionist even chuckled when I told her I was calling to make an appointment against my will!! I hate going to the doctor and I really hate taking antibiotics unless I have no choice. My left tonsil and inner ear hurt so bad right now that I think I have no choice. So, tomorrow should be a busy day.

Generally,on the weekdays, I get up with my son and take him to school, leaving my husband and daughter in bed asleep. This works out better for my family because getting four people ready in the morning is extremely time consuming, especially since the 2 year old cannot dress herself yet. Since the accident, however, we have had to shuffle our routine around since I will still be at work when it is time to pick up the boy. Therefore, everyone must get up and drop him off at school and then go to the doctor's office with me and then drop me off at work just to go pick my son up, go home, eat dinner and then come pick me back up from work. I am SO tired of being a one car family again!!!!

I still have not decided upon reading a new book before May 1st. I am probably just going to wait it out and resume my reading with Deadlocked.

Well, as much as I'd love to ramble on, my throat still hurts fiercely and I need to get some sleep. I have to get my inner clock back on school time now that Spring Break is over.

Until tomorrow.....goodnight!

Happy Easter

Here's hoping everyone had a happy Easter, if it is a holiday celebrated by you. My children were excited to see that the Easter Bunny had visited and left baskets of goodies.

I had to work today, which was less than special, but at least it was relatively easy going.

Well, since finishing Lover Reborn by JR Ward, I have not started another book, and I haven't really had the time or the mind frame to do any baking. I have a TON of books on my to-read list and I am thinking of starting A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. I have had it downloaded to my Nook for awhile now. The only thing holding me back is the fact that it is really long and if I don't get sucked into it right away, I'll read it slowly. Normally this wouldn't be an issue except it's almost mid-April and Deadlocked (the next "Sookie Stackhouse" novel) comes out on May 1st and there will be nothing holding me back from getting that fix! We'll just see how the next couple of days go.

I also know that my next baking adventure will be a dozen Pistachio cupcakes along with a dozen "Sour Patch Kids" cupcakes. It's a little hard to explain, but I have to find myself in the right mind frame in order to bake. I'm a little stressed right now until I figure out what will happen with the settlement from my car accident and getting something else to drive ASAP. I think after that and when I have some people to share with, I will be baking those cupcakes!

Wow. I have been quite the chatter bug tonight. I hope I can get in some time on the treadmill before I have to get everything ready for tomorrow.

Let's Get This Party Started

My first blog entry. I'm excited and nervous at the same time. Perhaps I should start out by sharing the goals of my blog:

1. Books: I love to read. My first goal is to keep my readers up to date on what I am reading and what my thoughts are about books after I have read them. You may see what I have, am currently and want to read at My Shelfari Page. I am also a member of Goodreads.com. I am always open to suggestions of things to read.
2. Baking: Over the course of the past 5 years, I have picked up the hobby of baking. OK, I'm not being 100% accurate on that. What I really love more than baking is decorating the things I bake. Generally, I bake cakes and cupcakes for birthdays and school functions when I have the time. Look forward to pictures of my creations!
3. The rest of the title of this blog is blah. I really don't mean that in a downer capacity. I'm a fairly strange person and random things come across my mind. Be prepared to delve into the depths of the weird little topics that keep my mind busy. Perhaps I shall find some kindred spirits out there and we can share some fun.

So, there you have it. Those are the goals and I am aiming to write a little something each day. Could be books, could be baking, could be blah!