The Scrappy Runner

My monogram collage! (Taken with instagram)

Wed, 02 May 2012 20:42:32 -0700

My monogram collage! (Taken with instagram)

Taken with instagram

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 00:08:02 -0700

Taken with instagram

My pantry… Before (Taken with instagram)

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 12:35:02 -0700

My pantry… Before (Taken with instagram)

The Fabulous Felted Bag… Felted! (Taken with instagram)

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 09:23:56 -0700

The Fabulous Felted Bag… Felted! (Taken with instagram)

The fabulous felted bag… Before felting (Taken with...

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 09:22:10 -0700

The fabulous felted bag… Before felting (Taken with instagram)

Ben Does Life.: The Running Journey

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 17:08:05 -0700

Ben Does Life.: The Running Journey:

bendoeslife:

I’ve talked with hundreds of other runners in the past few years. Sometimes we talk about marathons, sometimes we talk about hill workouts, and sometimes we talk about technical fabric and how it affects our nipples.

We talk about pacing, or shoes, or GPS watches.

We talk about the ups and the…

Catching up, and moving on...

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 22:56:37 -0700

I logged on to Tumblr tonight and was stunned to find that I haven’t written anything since February 19! Holy cow!

I finished my sweater right around the first week of March. I didn’t like it much at first, but I really do like it now. I cast on the Dahlia Cardigan, which is a much more complex pattern starting out - because there is a lace pattern on the back. I’m just barely in to the second chart and am having a hard time working on it because I can’t concentrate. I am going to try to get a few rounds done tomorrow by using markers every 5 stitches to keep my place in the chart. It’s my first charted project (Except for the bamboo fingerless gloves, which shouldn’t count really) and it’s definitely a challenge!

I am also still working on my Nuvem shawl. I like that one as well - but it’s miles of stockinette. It’s a good TV project though and I think I am going to love it when I am done!

Finally, I started my first felted bag project. It’s called Angela’s Fabulous Felted Bag. It’s been a fun knit as well… Can’t wait to see how it turns out when I felt it.

Oh yeah, and I’m attempting the Summer Flies shawlette again. Apparently the pattern turns out a lot better if you use the correct needle size.

Huh.

Sometimes, the laws of the universe really get in my way! ;-)

My new blog.

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:09:49 -0800

I created a blog that more accurately reflects where I’m at in life.

You can follow it here.

I hope you do!

The wine I’m enjoying tonight. It’s delicious and I...

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 17:29:35 -0800

The wine I’m enjoying tonight. It’s delicious and I will definitely buy it again! (Taken with instagram)

Love this!

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 23:04:51 -0800

m1nd0fth3s34:

“knitting provides everything you need to do, everything you should have learned in kindergarten. It teaches you how to focus. It teaches you how to make a task and meet that goal. It teaches you how to control your anger. And we felt that all of these skills are life skills, are job skills. These are skills that, quite possibly, many people in our society are lacking.”

—

Knitting Behind Bars

Ben Does Life.: Mapping out an 18-week marathon training guide for Fargo Marathon.

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 18:10:40 -0800

Ben Does Life.: Mapping out an 18-week marathon training guide for Fargo Marathon.:

bendoeslife:

It’s kind of sobering to think I’m more in beginner running shape than intermediate.

13 months ago I was in 9:24/mile marathon shape to the tune of a 4:05 Las Vegas. Now I’m thinking 4:20-4:30 again.

And here’s the funny thing. I’m actually letting it bother me.

Jeez, Louise, Ben. It’s…

Hot Cocoa Mix... on the dark side!

Sun, 27 Nov 2011 15:14:00 -0800

I was making a store list today and was contemplating adding hot cocoa mix to my list…

But here’s the thing. I’ve been reading a book called “The Kitchen Counter Cooking School” by Kathleen Flinn, which talks about the fact that Americans waste a lot of money buying mixes for things that aren’t that hard to make. So, in the past month or so I’ve made a concerted effort to stop using so many “instant” foods in favor of real veggies, and real ingredients.

Anybody who knows me knows that I believe Alton Brown hung the sun and moon when it comes to cooking. I have never made a recipe of his that I’ve been disappointed with. I trust him so much I went out and bought a pressure cooker last week just so I could make his chili recipe for an impromptu dinner party my husband had planned without telling me. (But that’s another story.)

So of course, AB was my go-to guy when it comes to hot cocoa mix. I found his recipe on Food Network’s website and went to work. Since it’s the holidays, I decided to double it.

Here’s what I ended up doing:

4 cups powdered sugar
1 8 oz container of Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa (this works out to two cups, plus a little extra for those of you are comparing this to AB’s original)
5 cups powdered milk
2 teaspoons of salt
4 teaspoons of cornstarch

I decided to forgo the cayenne pepper because I didn’t have any AND my kids are the main consumers of the hot chocolate around here.

I put it in an airtight container where AB assures me that it will keep indefinitely. However, judging by my kids, I don’t know if it will last until Christmas!

Best buddies! (Taken with instagram)

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 19:17:42 -0700

Best buddies! (Taken with instagram)

Happy Endings....

Sat, 03 Sep 2011 22:00:45 -0700

Ok… so here’s the deal… I just had this whole melancholy vibe going… I had Adele playing the most beautiful, rip your heart out and kick you in the throat song that I’ve ever heard…

I was ready to jump on here and blog about my depression that I’ve been dealing with… about why I feel so sad.

And then my husband brought me this drink. It’s absolut mandarin, cranberry juice and seltzer… he says’ it’s called happy endings… he looked it up on the internet before he made it for me.

Damn.

Maybe I just needed a good, stiff drink.

PS: I know drinking isn’t the answer. But frankly, I’ve been short on answers lately - so I am gonna drink this fabulous, amazing beverage and ponder things a bit more. And I may run away and marry Adele while I am at it.

These are the ribs of which I speak…

Sat, 03 Sep 2011 21:51:23 -0700

These are the ribs of which I speak…

Backyard Baby Back Ribs on the Food Network

Sun, 31 Jul 2011 21:22:44 -0700

Backyard Baby Back Ribs on the Food Network:

We made these ribs for dinner the other night. We omitted the allspice and used ground chipotle pepper instead of cayenne.

Don’t let the prep time fool you - the actual time you spend making these ribs is minimal. They would be perfect to make before a party. You can refrigerate them and then heat them on the grill and top them with the sauce.

People will weep at your feet. The pope may consider you for sainthood.

Ok, maybe not - but trust me, these ribs rock!

Who I am.

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 23:55:41 -0700

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about who I am. And no, I have not been drinking.

I guess a more eloquent way of saying this is I have been reconciling who I AM with who I think I should be. In that process, I’ve also been thinking about the girl I think I should be… and why I think I should be her…

I’m starting to see a theme here.

See, here’s the deal. I am 33 years old. I am tired of the should’s all the time… I should do this, I should not do that…. For me, it can make life feel more like a hypothetical exercise then something that is out there, waiting to be taken in, to be remembered.

I should volunteer more at the school. I should plan meals better and find a way to cut down on our grocery bill. I should organize the linen closet. I should figure out a way to get our garage finally organized. I should get up earlier every day to have some time to myself. I should do one load of laundry, every day. I should pick out a paint color for my daughter’s room… I should be more consistent. I should be more organized, more disciplined.

The “shoulds” go on forever. I literally could write a list a mile long. However, what’s the point? Why can’t I capitalize on who I am and make that work? Perhaps I am uniquely qualified to live MY life??? What a novel idea! So here goes… This is me, trying to look at the strengths of who I actually am. It’s this thinking that drew me back to my blog again.

Here’s what I’ve got so far:

I am a girl who is consistently inconsistent. I never, ever put the can opener in the same drawer twice. Fortunately, I am married to a man with a sense of adventure.

I like running, but I find life gets in the way. This used to make me feel bad until I realized that I have been incorporating more exercise into my life for over 5 years now. Pretty good, even if it’s not as consistent as the editors of Runner’s World would like.

I love my kids so much, it makes my heart hurt. Sometimes, I swear I can feel my time with them sliding away like sand through my fingers. I will always, without question, sacrifice getting a mundane chore done to be able to snuggle with my kids or to do something fun with them. I fully believe that when the kids are grown up, I will have plenty of time to wash dishes. I will not however, have endless opportunities to check on their Sea Monkeys or to paint my toenails lime green in the back yard with the cutest little girl who ever was. And my son’s spiderman costume will eventually be too small for him…

Somehow, in the course of my misguided youth, I managed to meet the love of my life. In what can only be described as a gift from God, he felt the same way about me. My husband is sexy, sensitive and committed to our family. He treasures our kids as much as I do. We’ve had a rough road and still love each other. I don’t regret marrying him for a second, and I think he’d marry me again too. That’s a win.

So, I guess this is a brief way of taking stock. I am not really sure what this blog is going to end up being. I love writing. I love the idea of being able to write a blog, about random things that pop in to my head and thinking that just maybe, someone else out there in the world is thinking about this stuff too… I have been reading the Pioneer Woman’s blog and have really been inspired. Not that I’m going to meet with her level of success, by any means… but I still like the whole idea of writing about stuff! I think in the end, what inspires me about the Pioneer Woman’s blog - is that she’s connecting with the things that matter in her life. That inspires me and makes me remember that every moment counts. Even in it’s imperfect state, I’m proud of my family and my life. I want to remember every moment.

Wow. Suddenly, it's July!

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 23:30:10 -0700

And so, the lack of posting for the past few months is pretty epic. I’ll fill you in on the broad strokes.

I did pretty well with my running for a while. Ran the Hippie Chick 1/4 marathon on Mother’s day. A quarter mile in to the race, I felt a muscle tighten up in my hip. Over the next 6 miles, that muscle got tighter. Slowing down or stopping hurt worse than just gutting it out. So I did. I finished the race, and spent the next several weeks barely walking, let alone running. I finally ended up getting a deep tissue massage. Please don’t get some idea of me at the spa when I say deep tissue massage. The big instructions from the massage therapist were: “Let me know if it hurts so bad you are going to scream - otherwise try to breathe thru it while I work on this knot.” I had a bruise after. It took weeks to stop walking like a hobbled up old lady.
Had to start running slowly again. This has been frustrating, but I am trying to stick with it and not give up.
Started Weight Watchers a month ago. I have lost about 5 lbs so far. Hoping to have lost more when I go in this Friday.
I am WAY behind on my online scrapbooking class. Trying to cut myself a break on that one, but it’s hard since I am the queen of big plans!
I am working 12 hour shifts now by the way. This is good because I get four days off a week. This is also bad, because my shifts are 12 hours long.
I am studying for a certification at work. Hoping I pass the test. If not, I am going to open a bakery.

And so, I catch up my random blog with a post of randomness. Somehow, this seems appropriate. Summer is busy here in scrappyrunner land… The husband and kids are home - I am the only one who has to get out the door to a job, and we seem to be going nonstop.

Headed out on vacation soon. Gonna try to post here and keep this thing up better….

Now, if I only had some readers! ;-)

Sometimes, it's not pretty

Mon, 28 Mar 2011 21:00:00 -0700

A has bronchitis and “something strange” on his x-ray. I am pretty sure this is the same “something strange” that the docs see every time they x-ray him… they all err on the side of caution, and treat him with antibiotics.

We err on the side of caution, and give them to him.

But nobody knows if it’s really pneumonia or not.

Did I mention that his Dad had a ginormous tumor taken out of his chest just a few short months ago? (DISCLAIMER: I know ‘ginormous’ is a made up word. It’s truly not a real word. However, if you had seen the x-ray or the picture of the thing they took out of my husband’s chest, you’d be willing to cut me some slack for offending your logophillic sensitbilities.)

Bottom line, we are ready for health and warm weath to return to our house. Please!!!

DISCLAIMER, 2.0: I wrote this post last week and forgot to hit post so it saved in my drafts instead. The real date on it should be March 29, 2010.

Portland Fit, day 1

Sun, 27 Mar 2011 17:42:22 -0700

So, as is typical for me… it’s been a while since I have posted. This is reflective of the way that life tends to get in the way of our best laid plans…

I think that when I posted last, A had gotten sick. I caught the bug from him, and now… he is sick again. Sigh.

The last few weeks have been a challenge, running wise. I did manage to get a few runs in - but they weren’t great, which I attribute to my illness and the lingering after effects (mucus, basically. Hard to run when you feel like your head has been filled up with tub caulk.)

So, I was really excited today to attend Portland Fit for the first day.

That’s a lie. A was sick again. I’d been up most of the night. I didn’t even realize that my alarm clock was going off until B asked me if I was OK.

Laid there and fought with myself about whether or not I was really going to get out of my super warm, snuggly bed. Told B I wasn’t going. Thought about how that would feel…

The one thing that got me out of bed was the thought that I am tired of feeling stuck and unmotivated. It may be easier to stay in the land of inertia, when you accept the path you’re on as something you have no control over, but the thing is, it doesn’t feel good. Not good at all. I look at myself in the mirror, and at my closet bursting full of clothes I can’t wear, and I just don’t feel good. Not energetic, not eager, not happy.

So I went, and I ran. I’m in the Red group… the 9 - 13 min/mile group.

the run wasn’t fun. I felt sluggish and heavy after not running for a week and eating way too much of the wrong foods at the coast this week.

But hey, it’s a start. And the finish line is the Portland Marathon, which is something that’s gonna blow my mind to cross.

The prospect of doing something that I’d never dreamed of makes me energetic, eager and happy.

Run on!