MCM Race Report

Okay, so I know it's taken a long time to get this report out, I'm sorry about that. I've just been scrambling to play catch up around here.

Anyway, I'll try to make this short and sweet and to the point, but I can't promise anything. The whole weekend was wonderful. DC is a fun place and I had a great time. So, as you know, this year I ran in the 33rd Marine Corp Marathon held in Washington DC. I've been training for it for the past 18 weeks, and overall it went really well.

My ultimate goal was to come in under 5 hours, which I did. My official finish time was 4:49:25. I never "hit the wall" or had a moment where I thought I couldn't do it. Don't get me wrong, it was tough, but not nearly as bad as I feared it could be.

We lucked out and got PERFECT weather on Sunday for the race. We were up early, left the hotel around 6:30, and were at the start right in time for the 8am gun. My first 3 miles were pretty slow. I was so scared of going out "too fast" that I think I may have held back a little too much. But that's okay, I was able to hold a pace the entire 26.2 miles, which I hear can be tricky for some. I don't remember exact details of the course, but it was beautiful. The first 8 miles or so, as we wound our way through Georgetown, was so pretty. I really enjoyed the entire course. The only part I didn't like was around mile 20 we were on the bridge that never seemed to end! But other than that it was a good time. The crowds were great, lots of fun spectators, some even nice enough to hand out everything from bananas to beer. Mentally I did pretty good, at mile 16 I got a tad discouraged as I realized I still had 10 miles to go, but before I knew it I was at mile 18 and from then on just trucked along.

My training really helped me, I felt ready and strong throughout. By far the best part was crossing that finish line, getting my medal, and meeting up with Sam to start celebrating. I'm so glad she was there with me. It was hard not having my boys, but over the years she's come to be family. She rocked her race too by the way, so if you haven't, you should go check out her report.

So anyway, to sum up, I went, I ran, I finished...and it felt DAMN good! I know most of you who knew me way back when wouldn't ever think this would be something I would do, and really, I don't know that a year ago, I would have believed it either. I AM A MARATHONER!!!!

Here are a few pics from the day. I don't have any of the official one's yet, but when I get them, I'll post them!

4 gals ready to head out for a run!

A pretty morning in DC

I FINISHED!!! Me and Dottie (our lucky duck)

All finished - 4 marathoners!

My "good luck" flowers from my hubby!

Tuesday at the Table

Well, I am getting this posted today, but not by much. It's currently 11:07 and I should be in bed, but I really wanted to post all my creations this week. I made myself choose three to post, because otherwise it would be pretty long. So here it goes.

First off I made Mexican Pumpkin Lasagna. Yes, you read it right, pumpkin. It's really good, and the pumpkin isn't really a flavor you taste, it more just adds body and some extra nutrition to the dish. This is the hubby's portion, but I made 1/2 with cheese and 1/2 without (for myself) and each side came out just fine! The recipe uses tortillas instead of noodles, I used whole wheat low fat ones (because that's what I had) and they worked just fine. It actually reminded me more of enchiladas than lasagna, but either way it was really yummy. And both boys ate it so that is a plus!! If you want the recipe let me know and I'll email it to you. It's out of my pumpkin cookbook.

Served up with some squash, zuch, onions and sweet potatoes.

Next is my Chicken Pot Pie...YUM! This is one of my favorite meals, but we don't make it often because it takes awhile to prepare the filling - but it's so good when I make it. This time it was even better because I made my own crust!! YUMMY! I even cut out cute little pumpkins to go on top...yea I was pretty proud of myself! :)

placing the pumpkins

ready to go in the oven!

all done

ready to eat! YUMMY

And last, another recipe from my pumpkin cookbook...pumpkin pancakes! These were really good, and a nice change from everyday buttermilk pancakes. And yes, I do have a small obsession with all things pumpkin this time of year. These were pretty easy to whip up, so again, if you want the recipe just let me know. I had mine with a drizzle of maple syrup and some apple butter...very tasty!

The munchkin enjoying his pumpkin cakes

Well that's it for this week. I don't know how much posting I'll get done the rest of the week. I have lots of fun things to post about but as you all know my marathon is THIS WEEKEND!!! I leave Friday AM to fly out to DC so I won't be around much. But if you don't hear from me before, I'll be back next week with all the details. Catch ya'll later!

Tuesday at the Table

This has been another big baking week for me, but thankfully most of it was sent out for others to enjoy. Before I get into my big baking adventure, I'll post actual food. I want you all to see that I do feed my family something other than baked goods loaded with sugar!

Saturday night I made my spaghetti. Nothing fancy, but I do make the sauce myself. I usually change up what goes in my sauce, but tonight it was pretty straight forward, onions, garlic, seasoning and for the meat we went with hot turkey sausage. YUMMY! Served it up over some whole wheat spaghetti noodles, alongside broccoli and wheat rolls...simple but super yummy!

So, what do you do when you go apple picking??? Make all things apple of course. I made some apple oatmeal muffins (sorry no pix) to send off in a goody basket to a new family in the area, and then for my family made apple pie. I am SOOO pleased with how it turned out I can't even begin to tell you.

I'm going to share a dark secret with you all...usually when it comes to pie crusts I let Pillsbury do all the work, or if my mom is around I'll have her do it (her crust is THE BEST). I've always had an unnatural fear of all things pastry crust-like. But I forgot to pick up my ready made pie crusts this week at the store, and was all set to make pie, so I decided to put on my big girl panties and tackle my fears! I pulled out moms recipe and got to work. She wasn't kidding when she said it was no fail - it rolled out easy, and when the pie was done the crust was flaky and perfect. I'm a gal that LOVES pie crust and now that I've done it myself, I'll never be able to go back.

as you can see I am a VERY messy baker

almost done

ready to go in the oven

cooling off...soooooo delicious

I wish I could take a picture of the way the house smelled while this baby was cooking up in the oven because it was incredible...but pictures will just have to do. I can tell you waiting for it to cool was torture!

This recipe was super easy. If you're interested you can check it out here. It's super easy, although I think next time I make it I will add a little flour to thicken up the filling a bit...but the taste is phenomenal!

Well that's it for this week! Nat's coming this weekend so I'll be cooking up some good eats! I've already got a list going...and check back tomorrow for another post...I'm on a roll!! :)

Pickin' Pumpkins

This weekend was a nice one. Laid back, relaxed, and with Columbus day we even get an extra day to just spend time as a family!! Saturday we had big kids soccer game, then it was home for what we like to call family nap time (we ALL took naps) then it was off to the pumpkin patch! The boys had a great time, and we found some good pumpkins for Halloween!

The hubby with his boys - on the tractor ride out to the patch

The "pumpkin whisperer" - our little munchkin thought it was SO fun to "talk" to the pumpkins. He would lean down like you see here and just babble on and on. It was quite entertaining!

Looking for the perfect pumpkin!

It's a good thing I have better luck with other peoples kids than I do with my own when it comes to taking pictures. They are such goof balls! But I'll keep 'em cause they are just too darn cute!

Sunday was long run day, which really wasn't all that long. I went 10. A little shorter than I was going to run, but I was running into 20-25 mph sustained winds and it was exhausting! I feel more tired today than I did after my 20 mile long run last week!! But my time was pretty good, so I am happy with that. I'm looking forward to the marathon, and then going back to my "usual" routine of switching things up. I love to run, but a change of pace will be nice for awhile!

The rest of the day we played outside, visited with neighbors, made a family trip to target, and played outside some more. It was a nice day out despite the wind so we took advantage of it. Today it's rainy out, so we may take the boys to the mall to play to burn off some energy.

Alright, well that's it for me today. Hope ya'll had a nice weekend and I'll be back tomorrow with TatT!

An apple a day...

Today was hot shots first field trip with his school. We went to an apple orchard and got to pick apples, along with play on the playground, and go through a corn maze! It was a very fun morning and the boys had a great time!

Not too much else to write about today. I've been so busy today. After the field trip, it was home to do lunch, clean house, then after the munchkin woke up from his nap we were off again to the commissary. Then it was home, out for a (very) quick run...no not for time...because I cut it a wee bit short...then we were off for dinner, home...kids to bed...whew...it was a busy day. It's now about 9pm and I am beat and ready to head to bed.

So with that I am going to leave you with these pictures and I hope you all have a good weekend!!!

Do your homework!

I don't post about much of anything with a whole lot of substance around here, and that's fine with me. This blog isn't for anything deep, just a way to keep in-touch, share thoughts, and all that fun stuff...but every now and again I actually do have something to say. Before you get too worried...don't. I'm going to keep this short and sweet, but I just think it's important.

Unless you've been living under a rock you are aware that the election for President is coming up in LESS than a month! So...I urge all of you to please do your homework and research, and figure out who you are going to vote for, and come election day....GOOOO VOTE!!! We are so lucky to have this right that so many people take for granted, so take advantage of it, and get out there!

Okay that's it. End of post. I just thought this was worth mentioning. Most of you that read this I am pretty sure already have plans to go vote, but just in case there is some one out there that hasn't put too much though into it, I urge you to think about it!

I'll be back tomorrow with my final post for the week! Hope you all are having a good week so far!!

Little Girl

No...we're not expecting or anything of that nature. Girl is big kid's fish that he got shortly after we moved here. I think I remember telling you all about our trip to go pick out Girl and how the hubs and I couldn't believe that our Hot Shot picked out the ugliest fish at the store. But over the past few months we have all grown to really like Girl (yes that is her name - Hot Shot picked it out himself) and she is part of our family. So, I figured I'd share a few pictures of her. I have been meaning to for awhile, but every time I think of it her bowl is in need of a cleaning. But I cleaned it the other day, and had the camera nearby...so here you go. I present to you our fish...GIRL!

I hope you enjoy these...I'll be back tomorrow with a post with some actual substance...maybe ;).

Tuesday at the Table - baking edition

This week's Tuesday at the Table doesn't have any "real" food in it. It's all about the baked goods...probably because this weekend alone I went through 3 cartons of eggs, and over 5 lbs of sugar, not to mention lots of butter and flour! Yes, I spent quite a lot of time in the kitchen!

I know I promised more pictures of the birthday cake and I will post them - but I'm using a different computer at the moment...and well you know how it goes (I'm lazy and don't want to switch computers). So first I have some cookies I made for Hot Shot's class on Monday to celebrate his birthday. I was going to do those cute sugar cookies I posted last week, but I was SOOO tired Sunday night I just didn't have it in me to do all the work required. So I opted for my tried and true chocolate chip cookie recipe. This recipe is no fail and always turns out fabulous. If you want it just let me know and I'll send you a copy!

Next is another favorite recipe around here...pumpkin bread! This is a recipe that has been passed around in my family for a long time, it's quick, easy, and it always turns out just perfect! I love it! I decided that in addition to the kiddos goody bags that we gave out at the party I'd send the parents home with a treat that everyone could enjoy, so I made up these little loaves of bread! They turned out great, and the best part was one batch of batter made 7 little loaves!

All packaged up

up close and personal - SOOO good!

Pumpkin Bread

Preheat oven to 350 F

Mix together in large bowl:

4 large eggs

3 cups of sugar

2 cups of pumpkin (canned)

1 cup of oil

Add to the mixture above:

3 1/3 cups of AP flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

2/3 cup water

Grease your loaf tins (I use non-stick cooking spray) and pour batter to fill about 1/2 to 2/3 way full. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hr 15 min. until done. Depending on how large loaf tins are. Let cool. This bread tastes best the second day and freezes very well! ENJOY! :)

What a weekend...

Wow, this weekend was BUSY!!! But we all had a great time. Sat started off nice, the boys "slept in" until 7 which was sooo nice, and then once we were up it was go-go-go! We had big kids soccer game, and his birthday party later that afternoon, so as you can imagine it was lots of running around and craziness in our house, but it was a good day. His game was fun, and the party turned out really great! We had it up at the park in our neighborhood, and aside from crazy strong winds, it was perfect. All the kiddos had a good time, and it was a nice afternoon.

Here are a few shots from the day. I took a lot, but here are a few so you can see. He wanted a Wall-E cake which you can sort of see in the first picture. I made it myself, so I'll be posting more pix tomorrow with my Tuesday at the Table post.

Getting ready to sing Happy Birthday

time for presents

No party is complete without a pinata!

The Birthday Boy!

Little brother

We also rented big kid his very own bounce house for the weekend and had all of the neighbor kids over to play on it Sunday afternoon. They all had a blast, but here is a picture of me with my kiddo right after we got it all set up! The thing was HUGE, but it was a lot of fun!

Sunday was also a busy day. I woke early and started out for my last 20 mile run before the marathon! It went well, and I was happy that my pace was a little more consistent than my first stab at the big 2-0. Hubby and the boys met me at the park I finished at and we all went to go eat. Then it was home to ice, shower and nap for me, the little one napped as well and hubs and big kiddo played out in the jump house with the neighbors. We took Hot Shot to his favorite place for dinner (Red Robbin) then it was home and to bed.

There you have it. I still can't believe my kiddo is 4...that's just crazy!! It's been a great four years - being a mom is quite the adventure, but it's worth the ride! So - to my Hot Shot: Happy Birthday and I LOVE YOU!!!

straight out of "the oven"

Four years later...

IT'S HERE!!!

Hooray hooray!!! It's here - it's here!!! What's here you might be asking...well I'll tell you...FALL!!! I LOVE FALL! I get all giddy over it. The leaves changing, the crisp air, apple picking, going to the pumpkin patch, apple cider, and of course all things made from pumpkin! I just can't get enough. I love it all! It is by FAR my most favorite season. Maybe it's all the great childhood memories I have of this time of year, or the fact that I'm a September b-day gal, or that I much prefer wearing jeans to shorts, and love cute sweaters, hats and jackets...actually it's probably all of those things.

Anyway, the other day we all enjoyed some outside time, and I have a few pictures to share. I picked out a few of the birthday boy in honor of his big day coming up!

Me and the big kid

Such a cutie

My cute front steps.

This weekend is a busy one for us. We have soccer games, a big birthday bash, and I've got my last LONG run this weekend (20 miles). After that it's all downhill...well as far as training...let's not forget I actually have to RUN this whole marathon thing...hmmmm.

I'll be back Monday with lots to say I'm sure - and if not, I'll at least have some cute pictures from the weekend! Have a good weekend ya'll! love kp

Tuesday at the Table...a few days late

I know...it's Thursday which means that this is LATE but this week has been so busy I FEEL like it should be Tuesday...it's just going by so fast. My big kid is turning FOUR this weekend...how is that possible??? I still remember when I found out I was preggers with him like it was yesterday - now here we are 2 kids later, and he's turning 4. It goes by way too fast.

I really haven't done a whole lot of exciting cooking this week. Mostly because we have been on the go go go all week, so there's been lots of quick and easy stuff going on! But I did do a little baking last night for a MOMS Club meeting this morning. Every month we have a food "theme" and this month was "scary treats" (go figure). So I made some butter cookies with a thin glaze on top. They turned out GREAT!! If you would like the recipe just email me and I'll send it along! It's a good one. They are light and buttery with a hint of almond. YUMMY! And they hold their shape really well when baked.

MMMMM - BUTTER and SUGAR!!

Ready to be baked

BOO!!

I think they turned out pretty darn cute! And they got good reviews, but really, how can you go wrong with butter and sugar??

I hope you all are having a great week! Sorry for my slacking (for the very few of you who read this) but I have a few posts scheduled, so check back tomorrow :).