A-Z survey

Happy Tuesday!!!!  I have seen this survey floating around and I enjoyed reading it about so many people, so here we go!!!

AGE- uggghhhhh  44
BIGGEST FEAR-  Something happening to my kids.
CURRENT TIME- 0800 hrs
DRINK YOU LAST HAD- Hot apple cider it is so good!!!
EASIEST PERSON TO TALK TO- My oldest son Jordan
FAVORITE SONG- This always changes probably Taylor Swift Wildest Dreams
GROSSEST MEMORY- I am going to say crime scenes and leave it at that
HOMETOWN- Townville, PA
IN LOVE WITH- Prissy
JEALOUS- Fast runners
KINDEST PERSON I KNOW- Amy
LONGEST RELATIONSHIP- sighhhhhh  4 years
MIDDLE NAME- Ann
ONE WISH- I want my mental health back!!!!
PERSON SPOKE WITH ON PHONE LAST- Jordan
QUESTION YOU ARE ALWAYS ASKED- Whats for dinner?
REASON TO SMILE- Everyday is a new opportunity to improve.
SONG LAST SANG- Wildest Dreams
TIME WOKE UP- 0620 hrs
UNIQUE TALENT- Cooking
VACATION DESTINATION- Mountain cabin
WORST HABIT- Comparing myself to others
XRAYS- Skull, back, tailbone, arm, ankle
YOUR FAVORITE FOOD- Salads for sure
ZODIAC-  I hate my sign for so many reasons Cancer

I had the best run today!!!!  Probably the best run in over a year. 

 I hope you enjoyed this survey.  Feel free to share.  

The weather has been absolutely gorgeous here in Memphis,  I love fall. 

 

How is the weather where you are?

Pick a few letters and add, please

Are you giving out candy for trick or treating?  I cannot decide if I am yet

 

Five things I did this weekend

 

Finally watched Quantico, which is a really great show. I cannot wait for the next episode.

 

Celebrated a huge milestone with my car.  She officially has over 200,000 miles on her and is going strong.  This car has had two people learn to drive in it. Moved more times than I care to say. She has taken a lot of abuse from three boys. Has been my home on more than one occasion. I love my car. Sorry for the blurry photo!!

 

Saturday after taking a double spin class I came home and cuddled with Prissy for the remainder of the day.  It was so nice and she really enjoyed it.

 

 

I finally tried Pyro's Fire Fresh Pizza.  Only I had a salad and Zachary had a pizza which looked delicious.  You get a huge bowl of what appeared to be spring greens and then walk down a line and select your toppings.  It is not like a traditional salad bar.  They had roasted potato cubes, roasted onion, roasted tomatoes, a large selection of various meats.  I made mine with black olives, roasted onions, roasted potatoes, mixed cheese, and ranch dressing. It came with two triangle garlic rolls which were ok.  pyrospizza.com

 

Made the best brownies ever, not from a box.  I like my brownies cake like.  Not to firm or dense. 

Sunday was my rest day for the week.  I have 10 mile runs planned each day this week and then double spin on Saturday.  Running is getting "easier" again and mostly pain free.  I still feel a little twinge of pain in my calf every now and then but it is bearable. 

I hope everybody had a great weekend.  Congrats to everyone who raced.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday Five ~ Five races

I love to check out races that I hear about through other runners.  While it is no secret I hate hills.  I have been running mostly "rolling hill" areas lately to increase my strength.  As I look at races for next year I am looking for races that are mostly flat, Boston qualifiers, fun, and places I have not been before.  My ultimate running goal is to run Boston one day before I need a walker.  So  I have come up with a list of five which I am going to do.

I have heard nothing but good things about this marathon.  It is supposed to be a flat-fast course.  With a party like atmosphere. I have never been to Phoenix.  It is also a Boston Qualifier.

Again I have never been to Louisiana, Boston Qualifier, mostly flat course.  This race is supposed to have some crawfish and creole food at the after party.

 

This is a race that is actually being run this weekend.  Good luck to all my running friends wishing you a speedy race.  I really just want to run a big race to say that I did it.  I think this would really be an amazing race.  It is fairly flat with lots of crowd support. I have never been to Chicago.

 

 

This race is in Corning, New York a mostly downhill race that has the highest percentage of Boston Qualifiers.  Downhill running, is not easy and can wear you out fairly quick.  I have been to Corning, however it was when I was a child.  The finishers medal is made in Corning at the glass factory.

 

Portland would definitely not only be a marathon but a great vacation.  I would love move there. It actually scares me because I know if I went to Portland I would not come back to Memphis. 

 

I hope this was not too boring of a post.  By Friday my brain is exhausted from thinking about meals, baking, running, etc.  ADHD is real and to be quite honest I am totally effing over it.  The doctor will not give me meds to control it. I have taken family members with me to explain how it effects my life. I cannot even go to sleep at night because my brain is always going. I guess I should be thankful that the jerk gave me sleeping meds. Did you know that medicine for ADD/ADHD is the most abused prescription medication?  Soccer moms give it to there kids to calm them down into little zombies, or they take it themselves to lose weight and fulfill their motherly responsibilities?  Now people like me who have a legitimate need for it cannot get it. 

 

I love to add funny things, because I love to laugh and hopefully this may make others smile or laugh today. 

Wishing all my friends running races this weekend the best!!!

What races are you planning on running next year?
Do you ever get frustrated at your doctor because they don't really listen?
What are your plans for the weekend?

 

 

 

 

 

My life lately

I am currently on recipe number 40 on my quest to bake through the Americas Test Kitchen Family Baking book.  I am still enjoying it, only one disaster, actually it tasted terrific just looked horrible. The Chocolate Tunnel Cake, which turned into the Chocolate Puddle Cake.  I figured out what went wrong.  I used a Pampered Chef stoneware pan and should have used a metal one.  Who knew???

Yesterday was Mommy Monday. We went to see Hotel Transylvania 2.  It was a really good movie, we laughed a lot.

If you have young children this movie is definitely a must see.

Zachary always tries to get me to get movie concessions and I just cannot spend $6.00 for a soda.  We went to Krogers before we went to the movie he got a Dr. Pepper, I got a green apple Gatorade, two bags of the Jolly Rancher caramel apple lollipops and chapstick for $6.00.  I am trying to make him appreciate the value of  money. We did not eat all the lollipops!!!!  I could have though

 I saw somebody had posted about these lollipops.  They are crazy good!!!

I have been taking it easy running with my leg acting like a complete asshole, excuse my term but that is exactly how I feel about it.  I have tried everything.  Yesterday I just said eff it and went running.  It was a little bothersome at first but I managed to knock out five miles at an 8 minute mile.  So I am satisfied with that.  I have a race on Saturday morning which I want to PR at.  I have been going to extra spin classes each week that way my cardio does not suffer too much.  

Thanks so much for stopping by, I would appreciate any feedback good or bad. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.  

Things I believe in

It is sad to think that it has taken so many years to finally come to terms with life.  I recently saw a sign that said "Be kind because everyone is fighting a battle."  I pondered over this simple sentence for a long time. At first you think sure, whatever.  

What kind of battle does a person living in a beautiful house, driving a luxury car, or travelling etc, have?

My battle is depression/PTSD. My battle is understanding what happiness is. My battle is body image.

EVERYONE IS FIGHTING A BATTLE.  Life is not easy.  Somedays life sucks. You have to have faith that everything is going to work out and it will!!!!  

Another quote that I really spent some time thinking about is from the Dalai Lama

How true is this?  How many people do you know who do this?  

A friend of mine at jenchoosesjoy.com did a post about things she believes in and I thought what a great idea.  So here is a list of things that I believe in, no specific order.

1. Hard work ALWAYS pays off

2. My children

3. Nature is the best treatment for the blues

4. Karma - I am a firm believer in this

5. True love

6. Not taking life too seriously

7. Always say please and thank you

8. My guardian angel

9. Do not eat fake food - if it has chemicals it is fake

10. Watching the same movie many times

11. Always make eye contact - the eyes are the windows to your soul

12. Sleep I get no less than 8 hours

13. Don't write a check you cannot cash - say what you mean and back it up

14. Chocolate no need to explain

15. Never leave a loved one without saying I love you

16. Smile

17. Eating meals together

18. Generosity - give what you can

19, There is a huge difference between listening and hearing

20. Money does not equal happiness

21. Setting attainable goals

22. Faith

23. Good sports bras not need to elaborate 

24, Never forget where you came from

25. Salt

26. Peanut butter

27. In my friend, Cat, she is rocking sobriety!!!!

What are a few things you believe in?

How is your weekend going?  Perfect

What movie do you watch over and over?  The Other Woman

Friday Five

1. Chocolate Tunnel Cake = Chocolate Puddle Cake    I had such high hopes for this recipe.  Everything went as planned I baked it exactly as the book stated.  Took it out of the oven and it was beautiful.  Turned the pan over and it came right out onto the cooling rack, it was such a great feeling.  Then I took the pan off and the great feeling was running through the cooling rack onto the counter.  To make matters worse I thought I could still get a decent photo walked away for a couple minutes and my son decided to peck at it leaving craters in it.  It still tasted heavenly.

2. Did you hear that Kim Zolciak Bierman had a stroke after Dancing With the Stars? She is only 37!!!!!

I just started watching Don't Be Tardy, which is a reality show with her in it and it is so funny.  She is going to be fine, but it made me realize how grateful I am for my health. How sweet is this photo of her and her husband Kroy Bierman (plays for the Atlanta Falcons) in the hospital bed with her..

3. Pumpkin spice has gone too far. It never ceases to amaze me how much companies try to profit off of everything.  I think having a few options of pumpkin spice items is fine but here is proof that it has gone too far: 

Cat litter, dog treats, and the last one makes my stomach turn.

4. I am gettting a new computer this weekend and I am so excited, because blogging from an IPAD has not been easy.  I had a really nice laptop and I let my son borrow it.....broke it....and I never replaced it.  I am not sure which one I am going to get so I will be out today looking.  If you have any suggestions I would greatly appreciate them :)

5. I have a race next weekend in Hernando Mississippi 10k which I was hoping to PR.  Yesterday while running that sharp pain came back in my calf.  So I am going to the doctor this morning to get some answers.  The whole moody muscle thing is not going to work this time.  However, I did walk back home from my half mile run, jumped in the shower and still made it to spin class. I call that a win.

What type of computer do you blog from? Any suggestions?

When is your next race?

Any funny baking fails?

Who knew Wednesday

Time for who knew Wednesday.  I do not know how I made it through so many years not knowing some of this stuff....

Now I know why every criminal has a copy, and they proudly display it when in court.  I always thought "it is a little too late now to be reading it."

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO, this can't be right.

Never thought about this, who knew?

This is so scary,  maybe it is why people are running around so quickly.

So accurate.  Two of my favorite states PA, where I was born and raised. GA where I spent almost 20 years.  Makes perfect sense. 

Love this girl.

Did you know?  I thought they were for grip when drunk.

So far my week has been uneventful.  Other than my son, faking his way home yesterday.  He called home from school basically saying he was on his deathbed and I needed to come get him.  I get to the school a little panicked and there he is sitting looking like a million bucks.  I wanted to leave him there however I still let him come home.  One day I will learn.  You know when your kid is sick and he was NOT sick. 

I have a long run scheduled this morning and then baking chocolate cake from scratch, super exciting.

Any fun facts you want to share?

How is your week going?

Have you ever played hooky from school or work? 

What I did this weekend besides eat scones.

I know I have already mentioned the scones I made, but they are worthy of an encore.  They were so easy to make and I can only attribute them to two great workouts...that's my story and I am sticking to it.  

Saturday morning I could not decide if I wanted to join the trail run group or do my Saturday double spin class.  Seeing as how my trail shoes are a little outdated, I decided to do the spin class. I enjoy spin because it is what you make of it.  I don't settle for anything and if I am there for 2 hours I am going to make it worth my while.  Surprisingly I was not sore at all. 

Have you ever been in a spin class, and you see someone just casually riding like they are riding through Paris?  Meanwhile you have puddles of sweat around you.  We have a lady who actually rides with boots-with the fur.  It is quite comical because she is oblivious to the fact that you are there to work. 

The rest of Saturday was just for relaxing and watching a little more Orange is the New Black,  I only have a few more episodes to be caught up.

Sunday morning the temperatures were pretty cool.  I planned a fourteen mile run.  I had the best run.  My mind was calm, my legs felt great, my breathing was under control.  I was so relieved to have a good run and feel good afterwards.  

After I took a cold shower because I felt  too hot when I got home, I drank so much water, it was ridiculous.  A few hours later I was starving, so we decided to got to Eat Well.  I have not been to Eat Well in months.  Eat Well is a sushi buffet in Bartlett, TN.  I believe this is the best sushi place in the Memphis area.  You watch them make it, so you know it is fresh.  I ate my weight in food and drank a lot more water.  For the rest of the afternoon I could feel things start to tighten up so I went for a two mile walk later in the evening, and felt bettter.

How was your weekend? Workout? 

Do you just veg out on weekends or do you go all out?

Have you ever worked out with someone who is just there for looks?

The best cranberry orange scones EVER.

I made the perfect scones. I thought because they sound so fancy that it was going to be difficult.  Seriously they only took about 20 minutes.  I used to order the scones at Starbucks but they were kinda pricey and hit and miss on freshness.

I decided to make cranberry orange scones yesterday afternoon because they just sounded good.

The recipe called for baking powder, sugar, salt, orange zest, dried cranberries, butter (always),

heavy cream and flour.  Mix everything together.  In order to get the scone shape, you press the dough into a nine inch cake pan, and then divide it like pizza. These only needed to bake for ten minutes

They were soft, fluffy, perfection.  I will definitely be making these again. If I were to describe a scone to someone who has never tried one, it is a mildly sweet, biscuit like creation usually using a fruit to flavor it. 

Yesterday I had a short run, 4 miles, I had planned on going further but it was way too hot. This weekend is supposed to be the last heat wave here in Memphis, we shall see.

This is pretty much my plan for the weekend.

Have you ever had a scone?

What are your plans for the weekend?

Is it still hot where you live?

Five Friday questions

I enjoy questions and answers, I feel like it makes people think and some of these questions will make you do just that. 

I encourage you to take just a couple of these questions and answer back I would love to hear your response.

What is your most prized possession?

Right before my father died of cancer a few years ago he handed me these two carved fish he made. One is a crappy and one is a rainbow trout.  There is a story behind each of these fish and they mean the world to me. 

What is the last movie you watched?

I just watched Wild, last weekend, and I will probably watch it again this weekend it was so good.

What is the first thing you ate or drank today?

I had a cup of Cocounut mocha coffee this morning.

What do you have too much of?

I have way too much stemware, and I don't drink anymore.  I have packed it up and it is sitting in my garage.

Where do you find peace?

The woods is where I find peace.  I have always been a nature girl and I will always be.  I grew up in the woods.

I hope everybody is having a great week.  I hope everybody is having great runs. I hope everybody is enjoying their life.  I am!!!!

There is no school today, which means Zachary has had four day weeks the last two weeks.  I am not complaining.  We are baking today, sorry about the lack of updates.  

Please take a moment to pick a question and answer, I would love to hear your answers.

Who knew Wednesday

I really enjoyed who knew Wednesday last week and had a lot of great feedback. So I think I will keep doing the who knew every week.

Who Knew

This would have been so much fun, but would have looked like crap a couple hours later!!!

Ummmm, seriously, a duck?????

Not that I eat them much, but now I will NEVER!!!

This was a real shocker, I had no idea the number was so high

Seriously, how crazy was this guy!!!

How fun would this be, never eating at the same place.

Yesterday I had a great run.  I ran a little over 7 miles at an 8:13 pace.  I also took a spin class!!!  Overall I feel like I am getting faster little by little.

I also made another loaf of bread.  HERB AND SCALLION QUICK BREAD

All purpose flower, buttermilk, scallions, eggs, baking powder/soda, salt, sugar, butter, thyme and dill.

This was good, but not my favorite.  It kinda tasted a little like corn bread, which I do not like.

I am two weeks into this baking challenge, twenty recipes down.  

I hope you are having a great week.

What was the most interesting fact to you?

How is your week going?

Have you ever fallen out of bed?  I have not