Memorial Day Weekend

I'm beginning this post on Saturday, May 29th. Midnight. And not sleepy. I already went to bed, already went to sleep, and already even dreamed before I woke up an hour later (now). Wide wide awake. What better time to get a few things done, like write a blog post (and eat some ice cream)...

First, a quick report from Saturday:

Can you spot the moose? This is at the cabin.

A nice neighbor by my in-laws' cabin volunteered to keep an eye on the rising river, so Jeff felt safe leaving the cabin for the day - which meant we took a spur of the moment trip to Yellowstone today. I love living close enough to Yellowstone (and Grand Teton Nat'l Park) that we can do day trips.

The new Visitor Education Center at Old Faithful is now open, so we took the kids there,

followed by a boardwalk tour of geysers, hot pots, steam vents, and a spectacular show put on by Old Faithful herself (himself?). We ended the evening with dinner in West Yellowstone and a play at the Playmill Theater (High School Musical - we loved it).

And home by 10pm. Asleep by 11. Awake by 12. Bother.

Family:

And snippets from my children's lives:

When we arrived in Yellowstone today, Charlotte asked a question I'd never considered, "Where is Purplestone?" Hmm.

When I told Eleanor it was going to be cold and snowy in Yellowstone, she informed me that she was warm-blooded. Yes, and warm-blooded little girls need to wear coats to keep warm.

Oliver has been speed-reading through the Harry Potter series for the, what, seventh time? Funny kid - when I told him he'd have to either clean his room or owe me housekeeping money, he found some coins and asked me how much. He just doesn't really care about having, keeping, saving, spending, or losing the stuff. Or keeping his room clean.

Samuel, on the other hand, has been working every chance he could and saving every cent he earned to finally get enough money to buy a new DSI (handheld gaming device, for those who don't know). He's also a funny kid - he already has a DS. I guess it was his money, but I wouldn't have bought something that essentially replaces what I already have. Still, he has a great work ethic so he can do what he will (within reason) with his money.

Running and Reading:

I'm reading a running book or two, so that's why this is combined. I had a breakthrough run on Wednesday and found myself running long (2 miles each) intervals at a speed I didn't think I'd ever find again. My running partner pushed me through my barrier, but I tell you what - I've been recovering ever since!

The books are "Brain Training for Runners" (it's all in your head - just kidding, there's a lot lot lot more to it than that), and "Run Less, Run Faster" (doesn't that sound like having your cake and eating it, too? You can!).

Speaking of cake and reading, I went to a book group gathering this week (discussed "The Help" which I LOVED) and had the very best cake I've ever ever ever had. I begged for the recipe and will give it a go when it comes (and post it if I don't mess it up).

Ruminations:

Wouldn't it be nice if I actually had something to say? I honestly wonder if my creative juices flow only every other year or so. I want to say something, but I'm just too tired and too busy. So there goes any semblance of talent, now long hidden away under piles of laundry, peanut butter sandwiches, and thriving weeds - and withering away as quickly as if I'd sprayed round-up on my once-emerging flower of writing.

So busy, yet I have time to run. Hmm - priorities? I run at 5:30am so I can be home by 7 to be the mom. Would I write at 5:30am? Goodness, no - I'd fall asleep! It's hard to fall asleep when you're running, so perhaps that's why running happens and writing doesn't.

Of course, there's always the chance that a midnight blog post will revive the dead or dying writer in me. (Is this what they call burning the candle at both ends?)

I'll post some pictures of our trip later. Not like later tonight, but later tomorrow. Oh, wait, it is tomorrow. 12:40am. Bed. Again. And sleep again. For more than one hour, I hope.

And now for May 30th, Monday:

We decided to stay closer to home so we made a morning trip to the Zoo after Jeff got back from a 40 mile ride. (The group he rode with kept going - Jeff turned off early - and they finished their ride at the same time we got back from the zoo. By then it was raining and snowing. Maybe they should've gone to the zoo, too.)

We had to go to the zoo. Really. Eleanor has been begging for a year to go back and we needed to satisfy her (so we could have a little peace :) Just kidding). When we told her we'd go, she practically jumped through the ceiling with joy. She and sweet little Charlotte (who follows big sister everywhere) packed up their backpacks with nature books, put on "nature shoes" and Eleanor donned a pink Cowgirl hat (I guess she thinks that's Naturalist garb). She has wanted to be a Naturalist before she even knew the word. A trip to the zoo helped her along that path (although she was somewhat disappointed to end the day still not being an official Naturalist).

My bunch. Cute, eh?

The boys had just as much fun as the girls. I wish I'd taken a picture of a certain monkey (no, not my child) that buddied up to my boys. We'll just have to go back and visit their new pal sometime.

Best seat in the house - Dad's shoulder.

Eleanor, Charlotte, Samuel, and Oliver. And a fake tiger.

My parents' house is in full bloom. I couldn't resist posting the pictures of spring colors (it's about time we had spring, since Summer is theoretically just around the corner). My mom does a marvelous job with her flowers, which we all enjoy.

Recipes:

I made frozen yogurt pie last week. The crumb crust was made from cinnamon cookies I'd made that nobody liked - so I crumbed the cookies, added some graham cracker crumbs, and some butter to make it stick. So easy. Then I mixed about 2 cups of plain yogurt with a small carton of Cool Whip (gently so it stays nice and fluffy). I had crushed up strawberries and added sugar (Eleanor calls it "Strawberry Mush"), so I stirred in the strawberry mush to the yogurt mixture, spooned it all into the crust, popped it into the freezer, and voila - a delicious dessert.

Oliver (my gourmet guy) has been begging me to try a recipe for blueberry muffins. The recipe is printed on a hand towel that has been hanging on the cabinet handle for some time now. The batter turned out quite thick, almost like cookie dough, and I was worried it'd be a waste. But they baked up nicely and turned out more like scones than typical muffins. Jeff raved about them, and when Jeff likes something you know it's good. The only drawback was they didn't taste as good the second day, so eat 'em fresh! The recipe says baking "powder" then the directions say baking "soda" - I stuck with the baking powder (more biscuity and it was tasty!).

Blueberry Muffins from the Hand Towel (I doubled it for my family, but here's the single batch recipe)

2 Cups Flour

1/2 Cup Sugar

1/2 tsp. Salt

1 Tbs. Baking Powder

1 1/2 Cups Blueberries

1/4 Cup Milk

1/2 Cup Butter, Melted

2 Eggs, Beaten

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder (the is where the hand towel says "soda" - never trust a hand towel)

Add 1 Tablespoon of flour mixture to blueberries, tossing to coat.

In a small bowl, combine milk, butter and eggs until blended. Stir into flour mixture just until moistened. Fill in blueberries. Spoon evenly into greased or paper lined muffin cups. Bake 10-25 minutes at 400. Makes 8-10 muffins.

Lasagna Soup

(Warning: this uses fake food, but it's good when you're in a rush). I actually made this in a Dutch Oven on the stove, then later put it in a crock pot just before dinner to reheat.

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 C. chopped onion
1 pckg (7 3/4 oz) lasagna dinner mix (This is where I'm embarrassed - using a box. I had bought some when on sale for food storage and needed to use them up, so today's soup was a triple batch)
5 cups water
1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained (I used tomatoes from my in-laws' garden that I'd canned - don't know if I'll ever can again, but it was good to have in storage)
1 can (7oz) whole kernel corn, undrained (I used corn from my in-laws' garden that I had frozen last year)
2 Tbs. grated Parmesan cheese
Any veggies you want to add. I sauteed green peppers and celery, threw in some canned mushrooms (no, I didn't can them from my in-laws' garden :) hee-hee), And at the end you can put in zucchini, summer squash, etc.

In a Dutch oven (which I used) or soup kettle, cook beef and onion over medium heat until no longer pink, drain. Add contents of lasagna dinner SAUCE MIX (not the noodles yet), water, tomaotes, corn, other vegetables (but not soft veggies, like the zucchini or summer squash), and Parmesan cheese (I forgot to put in the Parmesan this time, it was fine).; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the lasagna noodles and zucchini or other squash. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until noodles are tender.
Makes 2 1/2 qts (10 servings).

Speaking of Dutch Ovens, I made our chicken in one this week because the grill was out of gas and I like Dutch Ovens. In the background is some asparagus from my in-laws' garden. Tasty!

Besides asparagus, chicken, fruit, & cottage cheese, here is also baked sweet potato fries (my favorite!). Cut sweet potatoes into strips, brush with olive oil, sprinkle with coarse salt, and bake at 400F on a baking sheet for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

And the trick to asparagus, by the way, is this:

Cut off the woody ends, rinse, then soak in a pan of ice water. Meanwhile, bring a large skillet of water to a boil on the stove. When boiling, add chilled asparagus to the water, then let the water return to a boil. As soon as it begins to boil, remove the asparagus and return it to the ice water pan (you might need to add more ice). The asparagus is perfectly cooked. Sometimes I then grill it a little (brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with salt). Sooooo good.

The wrap was so pretty I had to take a picture. I used Italian Flat-Out bread, alfalfa sprouts, lots of lettuce, carrots, and left-over chicken, and mustard for flavor.

I made these bran muffins a while ago. I'll add the recipe later (the kids are going crazy with me on the computer). The nice thing is that you make the recipe, bake up what you want, and keep the rest of the batter in the fridge - then bake new muffins as needed. Scrumptious.

Water water everywhere

Summer vacation began with a windchill of 33F today, winds up to 50mph (gusts), clouds, and chance of rain. Gotta love Rexburg.

This is a view of the watered valley from the top of the Menan Butte (the "R" Mountain) on an early morning run last week. There's even more water now.

Jeff's been at his parents' cabin most of his free time this week (and the week before, and the week before that). The river runneth over, and so he has to tend the pumps. He's keeping the water at bay, but just barely. I guess we should be grateful for cool temperatures so that the snow pack doesn't melt too quickly! I suggested taking the family to the cabin so we could spend time together, but Jeff is worried about safety with the water so high and so fast. So what to do for Memorial Day that will keep us sort of close to home in case the water rises? I don't know. Go bowling, I guess.

It's 1am so I'm going back to bed, but I did want to remember a cute Charlotte story. She opened a fortune cookie this week and had me read it to her: "There is a pleasant surprise in store for you." She was thrilled and wanted to go immediately to the store to get her pleasant surprise! She was not happy when I tried explaining to her that there wasn't really a surprise at a store... Personally, I think 3 year olds are too young to have their fortunes told.

Note to Self

What do you get when you run dehydrated and don't replenish electrolytes during or after (and then drink too much water the next two days because you're thirsty)? Edema. Water retention. Hyponatremia. My 20 mile run Saturday was a little sluggish, but manageable. The 12 lbs water gained over the last two days since the run, however, is just ridiculous. Lesson learned: drink before you're thirsty, pop the electrolyte pills even on a cool morning, and avoid free water ("free" not as in cost, but as in just plain water). I knew that. I really did. After years of long runs, I pretty much have my body figured out. I just kind of forgot, I guess. Oh, well. Better on a training run than in a race! I do not like the puffy marshmallow feeling and can't wait for my body to settle back down. Meanwhile, I'm taking two complete rest days and drinking Nuun, Gatorade, chicken broth, and tea. No water pills - the last thing I need is to be dehydrated again.

I hope I remember what I already know next time I do a long run. Silly me.

How to Bounce an Egg (really!)

Oliver and I have been working on his science project. I haven't had so much fun in a long time! Did you know you can soak a raw egg in vinegar for 3-4 days, take the egg out, and bounce it? Yup. The vinegar dissolves the shell and sort of "cooks" the white, and voila - a bouncing egg.

But be sure to bounce the egg outside - it's still raw and after a few bounces it bursts. A bouncing egg is cool. A splattered egg isn't.

Family Time

We got to attend my big brother's graduation last week. He got his Ph.D. in something or other (just kidding - I know what it was, just not how to explain it. It has to do with instructional technology).

It was fun to have all the Croasmun side little ones together. The kids sure had fun! (So did we).

Caramel Frosted Yellow Cake

And I haven't posted any food pics for a while. I have to put this on because it was so tasty. A yellow cake w/pudding in the mix, then a butter caramel frosting. I baked two 9x9 square pans and cut each in half, so there are four layers with frosting in between. Then I topped it with truffles and pressed nuts on the side - scrumptious.

Homemade Greek Yogurt

I've also been making my own Greek Yogurt lately. It's fun, it's way cheaper than store-bought, and fresh yogurt tastes so good. Basically you just make yogurt (plenty of recipes online), then strain off the whey (I use coffee filters). Use a store-bought Greek Yogurt for the start.

Heat up 4 qts good quality milk (any %fat will do) to 180F, then let cool to 120F, then stir in about 2 tsp. Plain Greek Yogurt. Place in slightly warm oven (heat it up for a minute or so, then turn it off). Keep the bowl covered with saran wrap and wrapped in a towel. The trick then is to keep the oven between 105-120F (NO HOTTER or it will kill the yogurt bacteria). I just keep my oven light on with a thermometer in the oven, and when it starts getting hot, I turn off the light. Yes, I do have to be around, but it's not hard if I'm home anyway. It takes 10-12 hours. Then pour off the water (whey), and strain in batches in coffee filters. If you over-strain it, it gets almost a cottage cheese consistency, which is fine if you like it that way. I mix in fresh berries (frozen work, too), honey, homemade jam, whatever. It's high protein and just plain good eats.

Just Plain Angry

I have a bone to pick with certain "ladies." I am not at all pleased. They have robbed my sweet little boy of precious innocence. It was bound to happen eventually, but I am not resigned to accept it without speaking my mind.

At recess one day, a boy on the playground told my son about a funny website address he should check out. The address name was catchy, so my little guy remembered it. For a whole year it sat buried in the recesses of his mind, untouched, until one day it reared its ugly head. It was on a day, in a tiny and terrible moment, when I stepped outside, briefly leaving my son inside and alone with my iPad.

He didn't have permission to get on it, and I hadn't set up the password protection, so two strikes against us. He should have been obedient. I should have been more vigilant. Lessons learned.

Within five minutes after I stepped outside, my boy came to find me on the driveway. He was ashen, his eyes had the "deer in the headlights" look, and I thought he was about to throw up. He looked at me blankly, then his lips quivered, and he started to cry. He stammered out the words, "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry. I didn't know."

Some people dismiss the idea of parents' intuition or spiritual guidance, but it is as real as sight, touch, or any other sense. Instantly I knew everything - exactly what had happened to my son, what he had done, and why he was in such despair.

And was I ever mad.

Not at my son, but at the people who had found pleasure in doing something that would make a young child quake. I was furious that they had unveiled to the world - to my son - things that any respectable person would shun and keep private. What has happened to common decency? Why have boundaries been shattered? Do these people consider for a moment the ramifications of their actions? Do they think of a young child in Idaho who will cry at their pictures, run for help, have disturbing thoughts cross his mind, be unable to focus? When they see a sweet little boy on the street are they thinking about how to destroy his peace? How to hurt him? And not just my son or any other child, but what about the families they ruin, the husbands they destroy, the lives they infect? I know, I know - for the people who go searching out such websites, there is definitely accountability. And although in such cases both parties are at fault, neither's fault is mitigated by the other's participation - they are both 100% at fault. But not my son. The damage done to him was undeserved. And I hold those ladies accountable.

So I stood on the driveway, frozen in time as I held my son and prayed for guidance. He begged me to get the pictures out of his mind. He begged me to forgive him. He begged me to help him feel clean, to find peace.

How? How could I wipe clean the filth they'd shown him?

I couldn't. I don't know that those smutty images will ever go away completely. They'll pop into his mind at the worst times for the rest of his life. Our minds sometimes do that to us, even if we don't want it.

But I could direct him to the one source that he could find comfort, and I could teach him to deal with the disgusting pictures that were haunting him.

When we are exposed, intentionally or not, to things that hurt our spirits, we need to turn to him who can heal us. And my son was hurting. Christ, the Great Physician, can bind up those wounds. He can take us away from the hurt of our own evil acts through repentance, but he can also remove the hurt of other's evil acts through his healing power.

I told my wounded boy that I truly believed he could find peace through praying and by reading the scriptures. Trusting me, he went to his room and prayed. Teaching a child the way to pray is one thing, but turning it over to him to do it on his own is another. Worrying, I watched him walk away, wondering how things would go, praying for the best, but I didn't follow him. I could not offer him more, so I entrusted him to the Lord.

About twenty minutes later, he came and found me, all signs of distress replaced by a smile and light in his eyes. He was at peace as he showed me something he'd found in his scriptures:

"And now, my son, I trust that I shall have great joy in you, because of your steadiness and your faithfulness unto God: for as you have commenced in your youth to look to the Lord your God, even so I hope that you will continue in keeping his commandments; for blessed is he that endureth to the end." (Alma 38:2).

It had spoken to him and he had found strength. I sent a little prayer of thanks heavenward. It was a great teaching moment as we compared and contrasted the despair he had felt in front of wickedness to the true happiness he felt when he aligned his life with goodness.

I wish that had been the end of his problems, but it wasn't. Later that evening, he again lost his smile, lost his peace, lost his innocence as the pictures returned to plague his mind. We took the kids out to eat that night, hoping it would lighten the mood. He's the kind of kid that enjoys food.

But he wouldn't touch his plate. I felt sick to my stomach as I watched my little guy stare miserably at his food, knowing of the turmoil in his head and heart. He was physically ill.

Over-reaction? No, not at all. He is sensitive, though, and had not known such evil existed. Sensitive, yes, but also strong. Strong enough to run from the evil that others might find enticing, strong enough to ask for help, strong enough to realize there is no peace down that road.

I tried giving him suggestions, coping strategies, love, help, distractions. Eventually he went to sleep that night, but he didn't sleep well. Thankfully, the next few days were fine. He was able to find other things to occupy his mind. But about a week later, after we'd put all the kids to bed, he walked into my room where I reading. His eyes were focused on the floor. When he did look up at me, it was with a pleading look for help. The pictures were back in his mind. He didn't even say a word, but nodded when I asked if that was what bothered him.

Again, I held him close, praying for help. Jeff walked in and I knew that I could do nothing but point my child in the right direction. I turned him over to Jeff, requesting a Father's Blessing for our boy.

The blessing brought great comfort and help to our son. He went quietly back to bed and slept soundly. He has not had been disturbed since, but neither has he forgotten. (When he saw me writing this post, he knew instantly what it was, and helped me find the scripture that had helped him.) But he has been strengthened to where the images mean nothing to him - he dumps them out of his mind as one would dump out trash.

That's what it is. Pornography is trash. Filth. Smut. It is full of debilitating and addicting garbage that we cannot let infect us. For those who struggle with it, it can be overcome with the Lord's help. People can be healed, whether they have an addiction problem or are hurt from a loved-one who struggles with it. It may mean having to turn for help over and over again for as long as needed - like my son who kept coming back for help instead of caving beneath the burden.

I have dear friends whose spouses (husbands, in these cases) would not give up the sick and dangerous thrill. The marriages ended in divorce because the addict chose a virtual, vile world instead of the real, wholesome life that had been their marriage. The children cry for the father, the wife for the husband, the mother for the son...

On the other hand, I also have dear friends whose husbands also tripped up (sometimes pretty seriously) yet sought forgiveness, gave up the vice, and were made whole again. Now they are people who, like my son, see the images as revolting deviances of something that should be pure, private, respected. They see women not as objects to be used, abused, possessed, but as real human beings, and as real people - someone's daughter, a sister, a friend, perhaps someone's mother - with a soul and mind so much more precious and important than the body they inhabit. If only the women could see themselves that way, too...

So yes, it made me mad. As mad as I've ever been. How dare they mess with my family, my pure little son, our sheltered, peaceful life? But it also made me thankful for the guidance and help from the Savior. My son was robbed a part of his childhood and will never regain that. What he does have now is the too-early strength of a righteous man, and too-soon sombre realization that all is not well in this world. And while my son found out there is gloom in the presence of evil, he also found there is joy in goodness. Perhaps he - perhaps all of us -can help our world family - our sisters, our brothers - want to behave. There is indeed peace in righteous doing.

The Best Birthday Gift I'll Never Ask For Again. Probably. Maybe. We'll see.

When Jeff asked me what I would do if I had all the time to myself I wanted, I thought it was a hypothetical question. So, hypothetically, what would I do?

Run, of course. I've often wondered how long I could run if I had the time.

Guess what Jeff gave me for my birthday? Yep, all the time I wanted for a run as long as I wanted. He even took the day off of work so he could take care of the girls while I went for a run on my birthday. Wow. Thanks, Jeff. The run was awesome, but the best thing was how loved I felt.

The Birthday Run:

The night before, I set out my gear. I have gels, vaseline, camelback, iphone (complete with a new book to listen to on the run) and iphone arm case, jacket, gloves, tights, shirts, socks, shoes, jacket, hat, jogger's mace, Shot Bloks, Cliff bar, Ibuprofen, Hammer supplements, toilet paper, headphones, and a tentative route mapped out. I am ready.

Monday morning, 5:30 - up, fueled, hydrated, dressed, packed. I'm moving slowly. Do I really want to do this? Sure. Why not.

6:20 am - The run begins. And immediately plans change. I make it to the end of my driveway before deciding to run my route backwards. This means I'm beginning my run with a good couple of miles uphill, into headwinds. Fine. No big deal. I'm still fresh and the morning is young.

7:00 am - I decide to take a completely different route than the mapped one, for the time being, anyway. Of course.

8:00 am - I've wound my way around Rexburg and am finally heading out of town, away from traffic. The book I'm listening to is a mystery called, "The Language of Bees." I'm learning about bees. And Sherlock Holmes. And the book's heroine - his wife.

9:00 am - I'm back on my planned route, having taken the long way to get there. But I miss a turn-off so I have to back track a bit. I'm running slowly and steadily, enjoying the countryside, enjoying the time to myself, enjoying the book, loving the feeling of running and not even realizing I'm moving - it is effortless. For now.

10:00 am - I'm taking my supplements every hour to stave off fatigue, but I'm beginning to feel spent anyway. I take another gel, slowly so as not to cause stomach pain. I keep the gel in my hand and squeeze a bit at a time under my tongue, wait for it to dissolve, then get up the courage to take some more, repeating the process until it is all gone. Nasty stuff, those gels. Hammer is the least nasty, though. Still, they're all way too sweet (which is why I put it under my tongue, to avoid tasting it as much as possible).

10:10 am - I'm at the bottom of Summer's Hill, a long, fairly steep never-ending three-mile hill. Three miles of just up up up. To my right is the road that heads back to Rexburg. It's a tiny bit hilly, but not much. What should I do? I've been running for hours and hours. Can my body handle Summer's Hill, or should I opt for the Moody Road, looping up to the Sugar City Cemetery and heading home as quickly as possible?

Silly me. I take Summer's Hill, which is bad enough on its own, but I am now not only running uphill after 22 miles and too many hours on my feet, I am also running uphill into a 20 mph headwind.

I'm not so sure you can call this "running." I think "crawling" is a more accurate description. But I'm doing it and I make it. Then at the top of Summer's Hill, I run out of water.

10:45 - I'm running home. I am tired. I have no water. I am dehydrated. I have a phone and I consider calling Jeff, but I'm so close - I want to finish this. I'm on the dry farms, only occasionally passed by a farmer in his truck. I don't feel isolated because I know my husband can track me. I try to focus on the book, but the words are not making sense. Then I do the unthinkable - I stop.

It's just for a moment, but I know I can't stay still. I know my muscles will seize up. I tell myself I won't get home any faster if I walk. I have to remind my mind what my goal is and why I need to keep going. There's a lot of self-talk going on right now. I try to listen to the tiny, rational voice telling me what I need to hear instead of the screaming siren in my body yelling at me to give up. I stumble forward until I can control my legs again. I make myself run. I make my feet move, make my body tip forward so gravity can help me in this controlled fall we call running. I get going again, setting little goals: just three more telephone poles, just to the next field, just to the crest of the hill, just to the potato cellar, just to the next road...

11:30 - my GPS tells me I've gone 28+ miles. I'm in my neighborhood. I can either run around the block to make it to an even 30, or I can finish by just turning down the hill to my house and end at 29 miles. I'm so thirsty. I'm so tired. I decide to just stop in at home for a quick drink then run another mile to make it 30. But as I turn down to my house and look at my yard, the sight before me makes a sob catch in my throat. My eyes want to cry but there is no spare water in me. I kind of laugh and kind of whimper out loud because look - there is my husband and there are my daughters, waiting for me on the lawn, yelling out, "Go, Mommy, go! Go, Mommy, go!" I don't care one bit that I'm losing that last full mile, I'm going to stop for my family and relegate this run to where it belongs - second place, like Jeff's gift today of putting me first and letting work come second.

11:40 am - I get my hugs, I get my water, but I know I can't stay put, not because I'm being compulsive but because I don't want my legs to seize up. I head back out of the house to finish my run, this time with two little girls by my side. They're running faster than me. I love it. We make a little loop, ending with my birthday run being just over 29 miles. Not 30. But close enough and good enough.

And the best part of the run? The end. Definitely. Talk about feeling loved. Jeff and the girls were tracking my progress on the computer by following my phone. They saw when I slowed, when I walked, when I stopped. They saw my decision to come home instead of rounding the block. They were ready and waiting for me. The 29.55 miles was a great birthday present, but the best gift was the love of the person who gave it to me. And the little girls who cheered me in. And the sweet sons who were proud of their mom at the end of the day.

(For the record, I did walk some more afterwards, so I suppose I can say 30, but in my mind the running part was 29.55. I ran 31 miles in September, but that was the end of race season, this is just the beginning, and I'm not in nearly the shape I was in then!)

After a shower and a hefty (but safe) dose of Ibuprofen, Jeff and the girls took me out to lunch. Then while Jeff and Oliver cooked my birthday dinner, the girls and I played in the pool. Sam came home from later from school, and then we were finally all together. I got to eat a delicious dinner (Cajun red beans & rice), and scrumptious Coldstone ice cream cake before opening presents, including jewelry made by my children just for me! They'd spent a lot of time the day before carefully threading beads and stones onto a necklace, bracelet, and earrings. As they said, I looked like the "Ultimate Tikki Mom" with the jewelry on. :)

I was spoiled with new running clothes, a great new cookbook from my favorite restaurant in Salt Lake (The Roof) (thank you Mum, Dad & Don!), more Hammer supplements (I love 'em!), lotion, bread, other gifts, and lots of birthday wishes. And of course, don't forget my unlimited running time! Although, as great as the run was, I don't know if I'll ask for that gift again...yeah, it was brutal. But also beautiful.

Giant Cupcakes DONE! And Back to Healthy

We've had a nice week, which means nothing really bad happened. The kids and Jeff went to a BYU Basketball game and cheered on Jimmer and the team. They had a good time while Charlotte and I had a GREAT time lounging around at home.

We were all healthy most of the week, although we've got a new cold creeping into our family now. Jeff got some good bike rides in, I had some good runs - even an outside run! - and stair climbing and rode my trainer once. We all spent a lot of time in the pool, too.

Spring is in the air - I'm so excited for warmer weather!

The boys & Jeff went to help get fish eggs - from fish (where else?) - for the fish hatchery (I don't understand it all, but it was pretty interesting).

It was part of a scout activity and everyone seemed to have a good time. They traveled to Henry's Lake where there's a fish ladder. Oliver told me they got to see a fish "milked" from its fin.

Who knew?

Best of all (for me) the Relief Society Birthday party went well and there was enough food, plenty of cakes, and a great program. Since I was in charge of the cakes, I'll post this picture. They turned out well, and I had lots of help (THANK YOU, KERRI & HEATHER & also to Val for the idea!). The frosting is colored with Kool-Aid for flavor and color (1 Pckg unsweetened Kool Aid per 1 container Rainbow Chip frosting). It took 1 1/2 cake mixes for each giant cupcake. The ladies seemed to like them. They cakes were mostly devoured, but I did rescue a left-over one to share with my kids, Jeff, my parents & Don.

Hair does not run long and thick in my family. Usually. Charlotte is the exception. Her hair is generally in braids, but every once in a while we'll let it down and it always startles me that a three-year-old of mine could have so much lovely hair.

The only problem is that with long hair comes lots of knots. Ah, the price of beauty. :)

And my other lovely girl, Eleanor, is home sick today (this seems to be a recurring theme in my blog). As I write this (while everyone else is at church) she's making bookmarks and hosting an art show - and her art is for sale if you're interested. Although I think she'd be just as happy giving it away free to anyone who smiles at her.

Samuel and Oliver discovered that dunking the ball really isn't as hard as they thought.

All it takes is faith and trust... ...oh, and something we forgot - Pixie Dust (and having a stool is okay, too). After Jeff cautioned the boys about falling teeth-first off the stool, we've resorted to just Pixie Dust. Doesn't seem to work so well, though.

Pickpocket: Charlotte (age 3) discovered my phone's camera this week. It's been quite the ordeal to convince her to give it back to me. She often carries it around anyway so she can play the preschool games, but now she's obsessed. She even pulls it from my pocket - the little thief! We've come to an agreement now - she must ask first. Still - I don't often have my phone with me. Oh, well. I think her photography has...potential?

Charlotte's feet - from her perspective. Cute toes. Nice floor.

The corner of a wall. It's actually a straight wall.

A close-up of Dad's jacket. Notice the fine lighting and detail of the shifting colors of grey fleece...

Mom. (Do I really look so tall to her?)

Dad (he really looks this tall to all of us)

Recipes: Well, not exactly recipes, but food. I made my French Bread (recipe is posted earlier in the blog) but this time I made individual loaves for the family, and one big one. The kids loved the little loaves.

These shish kabobs are from a while ago, but I'm posting it to remind me that I'm going to make these this week. Probably.

I made whole wheat couscous with chopped (steamed) mixed veggies (steamed the couscous in chicken broth). Yum.

I had left-over pudding from my Giant Cupcakes (I filled them with pudding in the center) so I couldn't let it go to waist - oops, I mean waste! :) I made a Boston Cream Pie since I had the stuff (including left-over chocolate frosting from my chocolate cake a while ago).

Now I'm on my semi-annual health-food kick (okay, more like every-fifth-year health-food kick). Boston Cream Pie doesn't need to be mentioned here. :)

So at the store, I had fun gathering the good stuff. That little container in the middle is fresh-squeezed (?pressed?) peanut butter. Fro-Zing is my kids' new favorite frozen dessert (frozen yogurt w/quite the little zing to it). I love making wraps with a 1/2 Flat-out bread, alfalfa sprouts, a smoked turkey deli slice, leafy green lettuce and brown mustard. Made stir-fry this week with mung bean sprouts, broccoli, matchstick carrots, celery, red peppers, green onions, and raisin tomatoes. Rice Cakes (the lightly salted ones) are a big hit here, too. I have to hide them from the kids!

Yeah, I had fun at the store. Hmm, one of these things is not like the other...

In my defense :) the Swiss Rolls are my emergency back-up for the boys' sack lunches if I've run out of home-made cookies (which rarely happens).