Oh, Bother!

So yesterday I was all excited about some of the different trips I was taking. Well today I just found out that I won't be able to go on one. I was supposed to help chaperone the 5th grade trip to Michigan, but I found out today that my principal didn't approve me to go. I asked the trip supervisor about it and he said that he didn't know why. He just gave her the list and she crossed off some names -- mine was one of them. Being the super paranoid person I am, I then start to wonder... "Why did she cross MY name off? Was mine the only one crossed off? Does she not like me?" Oh, bother! I need to not worry about that stuff so much. And to top that off, I've been running for 6 weeks now and haven't lost a single pound. UGH. I don't need to lose a lot -- maybe 10 pounds. I used to tell myself that the dryer was shrinking my clothes...I don't think I can use that excuse anymore!

On a more positive note, I have decided to register for a 10K race to be held in June. It's a long way away, but I need something to look forward to at this point. Hopefully that'll help!

Clinging to a Dream

I was so pumped about my 8 mile run yesterday, I put aside the fact that my knees were hurting a little during the run. They didn't really hurt bad, just enough to let me know they were there. Well, as the day went on, they were hurting more and more! I did some stretches for my IT band, which usually does the trick, but they only got worse! Walking down the stairs was extremely painful! I wanted to CRY -- not because of the pain, but because of the possible loss of my dream! I've just been getting into a training groove! My long runs have been getting longer than I ever thought and I've been improving with my speedwork. I've been so happy with my progess, I don't want to stop now! Besides that, I can't afford to take time off right now...I have a race I'm already signed up for in less than 4 weeks! That sounds like a lot of time still, but my training runs are scheduled so that I'll be ready just in time for the race. It's a 10-mile race and my longest run so far is only 8. I'll need every day of the 4 weeks to work up to 10-miles and still have some time to rest. BOO HOO!

Well, I've been icing all day long and will do so again tomorrow. I may take off tomorrow and hopefully run Tuesday instead. We'll see. Send me some good health vibes if you can!

Blueberry Crumb Bars

My MIL and I went to pick blueberries the other day. I was so excited because for one, I had never picked my own blueberries before. Secondly, as much as I love blueberries, I never buy them because they are so crazy $$, so I was happy to be able to get them at a lesser cost. Anyhow, we were picking for nearly 3 hours before I was finally able to almost fill my bucket. When we went to pay, I was completely surprised to see how many I had picked -- nearly 8 pounds! I was even more surprised to hear the girl tell me how much they cost. My almost 8 pounds was only $9.40! Woo hoo! What a steal! I immediately took them home and starting cleaning and freezing them.

I set a few aside to make a quick blueberry recipe. After asking on the What's Cooking forums, Melissa from Delicious Meliscious recommended these Blueberry Crumb Bars. They looked mighty tasty and better yet, super simple, so I decided to give them a try. Here is the recipe with my minor adaptations. For the original, see Melissa's blog or Allrecipes.com.

Ingredients
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup shortening (I used butter instead)
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
1 pinch ground cinnamon (optional)
4 cups fresh blueberries
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup white sugar
3 teaspoons cornstarch

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch pan.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, and baking powder. Mix in salt and cinnamon, if desired. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the shortening and egg. (I used my food processor.) Dough will be crumbly. Pat half of dough into the prepared pan.

3. In another bowl, gently toss the blueberries with zest and juice of 1 lemon. Stir together the sugar and cornstarch. Gently mix in the blueberries. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares.


I brought these over to my friend's house and both she and her husband loved them! Now I am wondering if 8 pounds of blueberries is going to be enough for this and all the other fab blueberry recipes I'll be making this fall and winter!

Valentines Already!

Well, I was afraid if I waited too long, I would put off scrapbooking Christmas pics until forever, so I did them as soon as I developed them. Here are a few pages. I still have a few more to do.


Anyhow, while I was out hitting the after Christmas sales, I noticed that the stores are already putting out Valentines stuff! Well, I guess it is a month and a half away. Normally I don't get too psyched for Valentines, but what can I say? I am in the spirit this year! I decided since I had so much fun making Christmas cards, that I would do Valentine cards too. So, today I went to a Valentine card making class at a local scrapbook store called Archivers. I really just wanted to learn some new techniques. Since I was still kind of new at some stuff, like embossing, my cards did not come out...stellar, but they are still pretty nice. It was funny though because at one point the instructor saw me fussing over a piece of ribbon trying to get the glue dots in just the right place so that they would not be visible and she was like, "The person looking at it probably won't even notice. It's okay if it's not perfect." I almost gasped! Ummm, not perfect? Ah yes, we just met. Let me reintroduce myself: My name is Tammie and I am a perfectionist. If the glue dots can be seen from behind the ribbon, I might as well just throw this away! (Okay, I'm exaggerating a little. I do know that my work doesn't have to be perfect, but I do like it to look neat.) I didn't say that of course but I was thinking, "This lady is crazy!" Then I realized that it probably wasn't her that was crazy! :-)

Anyhow, here is a link to the cards I made: Archiver's cards. Once I got home, I made a few of my own Valentine's Day cards. A lot simpler, but still cute I hope. (The colors in the pic came out funny. The heart gems are dark pink, not red, and the pink ribbon is the same shade as the pink paper. They are perfect matches!) :-)

On another note, with the postings and blinkie I put up for the blog Sheetload, I was entered in a contest to win some cool Studio G dollar stamps. I used my positive thinking and simply thought, "I can't wait to see that I've won those stamps!" Then when I looked to see whose name got drawn for the prize, I saw my name as one of the 5 finalists (out of 50 people!) Cool! I am happy to even be a finalist. I have a few of those stamps already, so I am just hoping that the person who would benefit from receiving them the most wins. I wouldn't be sad though if I did get them! Wish me luck! Or should I just say, send out those positive vibes for me!

The Unexpected (and Unwanted) Effects of Running

****WARNING: TOTAL GIRL TOPIC / POSSIBLY TMI!****

Now I normally don't talk about this sort of stuff, but I just thought it was too funny that I just had to share. So I was commenting to my DH the other day about how I am pretty mad because I swear that my excess running is causing me to lose weight, but unfortunately -- it's in all the wrong places! Not sure what I mean? Well, have you seen that commercial where there are these pencil drawn characters -- a man and a woman and the woman is talking about losing weight...she says, "My husband and I wanted to lose weight so we starting eating better. This is what happened to him," and in the picture, the guy becomes super skinny, then the woman says, "And this is what happened to me," and her body stays completely the same except her boobs get super tiny? Well, let's just say that I can relate! Now, being an A cup, I am not well-endowed to begin with, so I'm like, "You have GOT to be kidding me! Is it even physically possible to GET any smaller?!" After a week or so of thinking that my bras which no longer fit would magically fix themselves, I finally decide to go out today and buy some new ones. I remember that there's this one brand that has the half sizes, so I swallow my pride and walk into the dressing room with a "nearly A". Now get this...I put the flippin thing on...and it's TOO BIG! WHAT?!?!?! OMG, I am so going to need therapy over this! That's it! Just point me to the training bra section! Or maybe I should just save my $$ and buy some bandaids! Ugh. I was so mad, I just left the store altogether!

So be warned ladies! You want to lose weight? Be careful what you ask for! And yes, feel free to laugh at my misery. I am! :-)

My 10-Miler Race -- Afterthoughts

Considering my 3 week hiatus before the race, and a prevailing nagging knee, I had no idea what to expect for my 10 mile race. I was pleasantly surprised at how well I presevered through the race. I ran a pretty "easy" 10 minute pace and finished super strong. I don't think I was really running beyong a conversational pace except for maybe my last mile. During that last mile though, while I had a good deal of energy still left, I really starting contempleting a 13.1 half marathon in September. I thought, "Oh my goodness...I can't imagine having to run 3.1 more...I think 10 miles is good for me!" Now that it is all said and done though, not only do I feel like I could do 3.1 more, I think I could do it a lot better than I did yesterday! My goal yesterday was simply to finish without stopping and I proved to myself that I could do that and more. If given the opportunity, I'd love to run another 10 mile as an actual race! I'd love to run it, really pushing myself to see how fast I could do it! I don't think they'll be another 10 mile race anywhere near me, so it looks like I'll have to show my stuff at a half mary! After all, after running 10, what's another 3.1, right?!

Gearing Up for the Hermes 10-Miler

So I asked Dr. Craig the other day if I still had the OK to run my 10-Mile race this weekend and he said "absolutely yes!" I'm not sure if I'm excited or scared that he said yes! Of course I'm glad that I get to do it since (1) I was really moving my training along prior to the injury and felt so good about it, but also (and possibly more so...) (2) I totally want that finishers medal and tech shirt and (3) I already paid for the race! (Yes...I'm a cheapo!) As sad as it is, #2 is probably my primary reason for running this stupid thing! Plus, I'm hoping it'll be fun. There's supposed to be music on the course and a concert afterwards. I just hope the weather holds up. They are forecasting rain/thunderstorms all day Saturday, especially in the morning. Ugh!

So anyhow, it looks like I only have 3 days left before the race. I went running Saturday and yesterday -- 3.1 miles both times. I only did 3 since Dr. Craig said to keep the mileage low at first. I felt twinges of pain here and there, but overall, I felt WAY better than I have in weeks! I'm just so worried though that the pain will come roaring back mid race. I mean, I felt good doing 3.1, but that's WAY different than 10! I know that I'll just have to really concentrate on my form. My other concern though is that my longest run to date is just 9 miles. Now one more mile isn't that much of a big deal, what is a big deal to me though is the fact that I ran those 9 miles nearly 3 weeks ago! Since then, all I've done is piddly 2-3 mile runs! Even then, my last two runs were tiring towards the end. I sure hope I have the endurance to go 10 miles! I remember writing this myself though -- it's all mental. I have to work on convincing myself I can do it before I even step up to the line, right?! Any help with that out there?! ...please...no really...HELP ME!

Some Christmas Spirit!

Merry Christmas (or Happy Holidays) to everyone! To celebrate, I thought I would share this cool Christmas light video. If you haven't seen it, check it out! It's about 3 minutes long. If you have the time, watch it until the end -- I think that is the best part.

Pretty cool huh? Can you image living across the street from this guy though? All those lights flashing -- it's enough to give me a siezure! :-) I love it though!

TWD: Caramel-Peanut-Topped Brownie Cake

This week, Tammy of Wee Treats by Tammy chose the Caramel-Peanut-Topped Brownie Cake for Tuesdays with Dorie. I was excited to try this recipe since it had a few different techniques that I've not done before. First, the "brownie cake" batter was made with the traditional ingredients, but a good portion of melted chocolate was incorporate in. That was new for me. Usually I just use cocoa powder to get that chocolate flavor. After mixing the batter, it was poured into a springform pan -- another item that is fairly new to me. After allowing the brownie cake to bake and cool, I started working on the caramel. This was going to be fun! I heated the water and sugar as directed and left it alone for about 15 minutes. I watched carefully as it went from pale yellow to a deep umber. As soon as it reached that deeper color, I added in some heavy cream and butter and waited for it to return to that golden color. Once it did, I tossed in the peanuts. I let it cool a bit before adding it to the cake. Once the cake was topped, I stuck my finger in the bowl to taste the creation and it was super yummy! It tasted just like it did from the store! I was worried though because it seemed to be hardening quickly. After 30 minutes, I decided to slice a piece to try. I wish I could say that it was love at first bite, but I'd be lying. I didn't care for this brownie-cake very much. The cake itself was a bit dry, but that may have been my fault. I left it in the oven for 5 minutes longer than I probably should have. Aside from that though, while the caramel-peanut topping tasted good, it was way too hard and sticky for my tastes. I would have liked it to stay smooth and pliable like when I first poured it from the pan. Anyhow, I barely finished my slice. I chalked up this recipe as at least a good learning experience. I got to use my springform pan and I learned how to make caramel... hard caramel, but caramel nonetheless!

So, I told my DH that he could take the remaining cake to work the next day, as he does every Monday. On Monday morning though, I looked at the brownie cake and almost told him not to bother. I was thinking of just throwing it out -- I was pretty disapppointed with how it turned out and didn't really want to serve it to anyone else. I was running late for work though and didn't have a chance to tell DH before he woke up. Well, it turned out that was a good thing! My DH took it to work and he said that it was gone in a jiffy! He said a lot of people liked it -- and their favorite part -- the caramel topping! I said, "OH, that was the part I liked the least! I mean, how did you even eat it? Didn't it break your plastic forks?" He laughed and said that actually it did! Nobody really cared though once he brought some other forks. They liked the taste and texture of the caramel. My DH even said it was his favorite TWD recipe to date! WHAT? Oh well! Glad I didn't throw it out after all!

Vacay Report Days 4-5: Turtle Paparazzi

We had a relaxing day yesterday laying around by the pool and shopping at some local plazas. Today we got up early and went on a snorkeling excursion. I love snorkeling and couldn't wait to try to get some good turtle pics. As soon as we got out to our site, I immediately started turtle searching, but I had no luck. I decided to just try to enjoy all of the other things there and started snapping some pics. All of a sudden, I felt my husband yelling for me. I turned to see what all the commotion was all about and there he was, right next to a turtle! The water was so clear and beautiful, I was so excited to be able to get awesome pics of one of my favorite animals. I took on my role as the turtle paparazzi and snapped through a whole roll of film in just minutes. It was so awesome! I saw two turtles swimming around each other with tons of beautiful fish all around. I was so psyched! And I got so close to them too, I could easily reach my hand out and touch them! (I didn't of course though!) I hurried back to the boat to change my film so I could snap a few more pics. Imagine my dismay when the stupid camera wouldn't rewind the film! I opened the back to see what was going on and the film hadn't moved at all which means that I had totally exposed the last few pics! AHHH! I was so upset! I fiddled with the stupid thing for 10 minutes before I finally gave up. I crossed my fingers that some of the pics would still turn out and jumped back in.

I was fortunate enough to have another turtle encounter. I saw a huge one come up to the surface for air and then dive deep down into a cave-like structure in the coral. Awesome!

After our excursion, my DH and I headed to the local Walmart so I could develop my pics. I couldn't wait to see how my broken camera pics turned out... if at all. Well an hour later, the results were in -- I had lost the last 9 pics because of exposing the film BUT I did still get 4-5 somewhat decent turtle pics. I wanted to cry -- the best pics were the last few! I was at least happy that I got some pics though and was very happy I even had the opportunity to see them.

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Cooking side note: while waiting for the pics, I found some Hawaiian cookbooks. One was an entire cookbook dedicated to Mochi, AKA rice flour. I was so psyched because the only thing I make with Mochi is a baked dessert which I actually found 3 different versions of in the cookbook! I've been wondering how else I could use this awesome ingredient. This cookbook would have been perfect except for the fact that almost every recipe required at least 1 ingredient that I totally could not even recognize much let find in good ole Ohio. So sad!

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After we got back from Walmart, it was nearly sunset and my husband wanted to get some sunset pics on the beach so we grabbed our good camera and immediately ran out to the beach. My husband got out there a little before me -- I'm such a slowpoke! After my big disappointment of so-so turtle pics, imagine my excitement when I heard my husband yelling to me -- "Hurry over! There are turtles right here on the beach!" I ran over there and saw two turtles resting right on the beach! Being able to get that close to a sea turtle and to take some awesome pics to remember the experience was phenomenal! My fave Hawaii experience so far!

Reactions of the Nonrunner

So for those of you who run, do you ever have funny conversations about running with your nonrunner family/friends? Since completing my half mary, I've had a few.

Friend: So how did your race go?
Me: It went really well! I had so much fun!
Friend: So what was your time?
Me: 1:58
Friend: So...how far did you run then? Like, a mile? Half a mile?
Me: Ummmm, no. I ran 13 miles.
Friend: Wait a minute, I don't understand. What time did you start running and when did you finish?
Me: Well I started at 8 in the morning and I finished a little before 10.
Friend: (Pause) WHOA! That's like 2 hours! Did you walk some or did you run the whole time?
Me: I ran the whole time.
Friend: (LONG pause) Uhhh, wow. That's pretty crazy. I bet you'll be sore tomorrow! You'll probably have some blisters too.
Me: Well, I've been running like this for a couple of months now, so my body's pretty used to it.
Friend: No. You'll have blisters.
Me: Okay, I'll have blisters. (Time to change the subject...)

So then at work, My principal congratulated me and another coworker on completing the half mary this weekend (we ran the same one!) over the PA, so I had a lot of funny conversations with coworkers. While all of them were congratulatory and VERY nice, a lot of them basically just said that I was completely insane. "Why would you ever want to do that?!" "You're crazy, I don't even want to run 1 mile!" "13 miles? Was someone chasing you?!" Then of course there were my students:

Student: So, did you win your race?!
Me: Well, there were about 600 people there, so no, I didn't win the race, but that really wasn't my goal. I just wanted to do the best that I knew I could do.
Student: (With a joking smirk) That's okay Mrs. M. You just keep telling yourself that.

Kids, gotta love them!

All in all though, while I've had some pretty funny conversations with people lately about running, I am glad overall to be having any conversations about it! So much of the training that we do (at least for me anyway) is solitary. I rarely run with anyone and I don't really talk to many people about the training I do either. For one, I don't like to talk about myself a lot anyway and two, none of my family or friends run, so they could pretty much care less. This race has finally given me the opportunity to tell people, "Hey look what I did (and have been doing for the past 7 months!) I gotta admit -- it's pretty fun!

TWD (Kind of) and a Reunion with Running

This week, Rachel of Confessions of a Tangerine Tart chose Chocolate Malted Whopper Drops for this week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe. I actually made these cookies when I first got my book Baking, From My Home to Yours. I LOVED these cookies! They were so yummy and I would definitely make them again. In fact, I was planning on making them again this week. The only problem was, my brother-in-law came over and unknowingly ate the box of whoppers I was planning on using. DOH! Oh well. If you'd like to see how my first batch came out, click HERE.

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On a completely different note, Running and I decided to get back together yesterday. My half marathon was one of the coolest experiences I've had. I haven't felt more proud of an accomplishment in a long time and I owe it all to running... oh, and awesome PR-inducing weather, a downhill course, and of course the umpteen hours of training I put in. So anyhow, like any revived relationship, I'm all about it now! I already started looking last night for another race I could train towards, and today I bought some new gear. The only race I definitely would like to do next though is the Cleveland Hermes 10 Miler, and that's not until late April-early May. I hope to find something a little sooner. Either way though, my love has been renewed!

All I Need Is A Little Patience -- Easier Said Than Done!

So as you may have read below, last week I went on a 2 mile run and was super psyched to get split times of around 7:14/mile. Well according to my training plan, I was supposed to run 2 miles again yesterday. I was all psyched up, ready to see how awesome my time would be. I was especially anticipating a good time since the weather and running conditions were much better than last week. So I go out feeling pretty good, a little tired, but mostly good. I'm thinking, "I'm definitely going faster than usual." Then I hear my little Nike + iPod lady say in my earphone, "You have reached one mile." I pull out my iPod expecting to see my awesome time, to intead see: PACE=9:27. SAY WHAT?! 9:27?! Is this thing working right?! So I try to pick up the pace and refuse to look back at my iPod until I finish my run. When I am finished, I look at my pace and it says, PACE=8:57. Hmph! That's no 7:14! And I had to work for that 8:57 too. It was a tiring run. I don't get it! :-( I was so dissapointed. I was so excited to see that 7:14 time last week, I started envisioning finish times way better than what I was hoping for before. Well, I guess I need to readjust those times now, back to what they were. I'm beginning to think that 7:14 time was a fluke. All of my other pace times are about the same -- around 9:00 or 9:30 per mile. :-( I was expressing my disappointment to my husband and he reminded me, "Ummm, hello?! You've only been training for 3 weeks. Give it time." NO! I want to be good NOW! I guess I need to pratice a little more patience. It's so hard!

I guess I need to just look at the little progress I've made and focus on that. My overall pace is better -- I started around 9:30 and now I'm down to 9:00 per mile. Also, last week I tried to do a 4 mile run but could only do 3.6. I felt like I could NOT take another step, but this week, I did the full 4 miles, in 2 inches of snow, and it felt just fine. I haven't run 4 miles in a LONG time so that is an accomplishment. This Saturday I'm trying for 4.5. Cross your fingers for me and send out some good vibes. Every little bit helps!

TWD: Rewind with Snickery Squares

This week, Mari of Mevrouw Cupcake chose a Creme Brulee for this week's Tuesdays with Dorie. I was thinking I was going to skip this one because (a) I don't own a torch and didn't want to try the broiler thing -- it scares me, and (b) I just wasn't in the mood for it. Luckily, the fabulous moderator for TWD allowed us to do a rewind recipe. There are a bunch of recipes I missed since I joined TWD so late, so I was excited to try something different. I showed my DH the list of completed recipes to get some suggestions and his pick was the same as mine: Snickery Squares!

Erin of Dinner and Dessert is the person who chose this recipe way back in March, so see her blog for the exact recipe. Anyhow, while the recipe looks kind of scary, it's really super simple. You just process a few ingredients to make the shortbread dough, then you just press the dough into your baking pan. Bake, and allow to cool. While it's cooling, make a simple caramel by heating sugar and a little bit of water. Once the sugar starts to turn color, add in some peanuts. When the peanuts are covered in caramel, dump onto wax paper and allow to cool. Once your shortbread layer is cool, smother it with dulce de leche and then top with half of the caramelized peanuts. (It took me forever to find that dulce de leche! I finally found it in the Mexican aisle! DUH!) While you're working on that, melt some chocolate (I do it in the microwave in 20-30 second bursts) and then add some butter to the chocolate. Layer that on top of the peanuts. Finely chop the remaining peanuts and sprinkle those on top of the chocolate. Put in the fridge for a few hours, slice into 2" square and voila -- Snickery goodness!

I had a little sliver last night just to get a taste -- super rich but super yum! They had that perfect winning combination of sweet and salty. I could tell that they would be a hit. I was right too -- My DH took them to work the next day and he said that a lot of people liked them. I only sent in a few, but he said that they didn't last long. :-) I'll definitely make these again!

Book Review: The Other Boleyn Girl

I picked up this book after many recommendations on The Nest Bookclub message board. For those who are not familiar with this book, it's historical fiction and is an account of the rise and fall of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry the VIII. The story isn't all about her though. It's about her and her sister and their initial competition in taking over the queen's throne and the results that follow thereafter. The narrator is her sister Mary -- the "other" Boleyn girl.

At first I was very intimated by the size of the book -- 600+ pages, but I gave it a try. I wish I could say that it was a fast read despite the page #, but I'd be lying. While many girls who read this book said that they just could not put this book down, it absolutely dragged for me! I started this book in October and am just now finishing it. I actually put it down and read nothing for a couple of weeks. While that's partly due to the scrapbook projects and Christmas cards I've been working on, it was also due to the story for me too. It just seemed to take forever for things to get going. Some of the story line seemed repetitive to me too. I was like, "Okay already! We all know what is going to happen -- just get there!" The chapter lengths were difficult too. Some chapters were super short at just a page or so while others were 50 pages! Holy moly -- I have no problem reading a couple of chapters if I know they are reasonable in length, but every time I got to one of those super long chapters, I would put the book down and not pick up again for another couple days because I just couldn't commit that much time to ONE chapter. Grrrr!

Overall, it was a pretty good story. Once I got going again, I liked the book and was glad to be reading it. Sticking with it though through certain sections was HARD! If it wasn't for my need to finish what I start, I don't think I would have finished this book. I only sat down and finished it today because I was tired of looking at it on my desk, taunting me..."Quitter!" Oh well, I did finish it and am glad to do so.

Twilight Series News

Okay, so I am on the verge of finishing up The Davinci Code by Dan Brown. So far, it is AWESOME! It is my first mystery/thriller book I have read in a long time! It is a total page turner and is great fun to read. You must keep an open mind though as much of the story line has to do with religion and such. Anyhow, I am loving the book and can't wait to read another novel by Brown BUT, I will have to wait because another book is sitting on my TBR (to be read) shelf and that is....Twilight by Stephenie Meyer!

Twilight is a book about a regular teenage girl who falls in love with...a vampire?! Not my usual genre, but a friend recommended it (thanks Heather!) and it has fab reviews on Amazon. So, I'll be starting that sometime this week.

Anyhow, I come to find out that Twilight is part of a series. New Moon is the sequel and Eclipse is next in the series. I will clearly have to read those now! After doing more research I found out....

1) There is a fourth book in the works called Breaking Dawn (due out Fall of 2008.) She is also working on writing another version of Twilight -- same story but from Edward's point of view. I think that would be very interesting! That one is still in the very early stages yet, so nothing is set in stone just yet!

2) They are working on making Twilight into a movie! Cool! The story must be good then, right?!

3) Meyer is also putting out a book for adults (the Twilight series is technically "young adult") and it is called The Host. It'll be out around May, 2008 and looks pretty good!

Check out Meyer's website for all the dish!

New School Rules

First Installment in the New Series: Things You Wish You Could Say, but Would Probably Get You Fired!

***Disclaimer: The items posted in this series are just for fun! Please know that my colleagues and I LOVE our students and work hard to create a postive learning environment. We would never actually say these things for obvious reasons. Sometimes, we just need a little humor behind the scenes to help us get through the insanity and that is all this is! So with that said...let the fun begin!***

So I was running across an old Email from a friend and we were talking about rules for the new school year. This came after I emailed her the funny 6th grade stories posted below, so keep that in mind! Here is her list of rules:

RULES
#1 Ignore the teacher and do as you please
#2 Treat a few with respect... others.. we'll make fun of them
#3 Laugh when another student asks a question
#4 Come to school if you are up to the work
#5 Do half to 1/4 of any and all assignments
#6 Talk over the teacher if you want your friends to hear you
#7 Ask me all day when lunch is
#8 Tell me when you feel something is boring or not worth your time
#9 Disregard homework
#10 Disregard me
#11 Come to school in the same clothes as yesterday
#12 Pass notes
#13 Pass notes about me
#14 Roll your eyes at anything you agree or disagree with that I say
#15 Complain to your parents about me

Which one is your favorite? Any others we should add?

Welcome Spring?!

I am excited to have all of this week off for Spring Break, but it sure doesn't feel like spring around here! The temps are still in the 30s and in the 40s on nice days. Awhile back, my husband offered to get me a plane ticket to visit my family in California for this week. I said no because I figured I'd have a lot of stuff to do at home over this break, like cleaning, organizing, stuff like that. I also figured, if I was going to use up a plane ticket to California, I didn't want to just spend a week there, I wanted to go for 10 days at least, maybe even two weeks. I can do that once school is out. Well, can I just say that I am slightly regretting that decision! I've had one day off so far, and I am already getting bored! I cleaned most of the house and organized a few things yesterday. I could probably finish today. I went running and read some magazines, but I'm nearly done with those too. I'll probably read some books now too, but so far...pretty boring! And did I mention the weather is gross too! I'd love to get out and work in the garden, but so much for that. Ugh, I could be reading those magazines and books in the sun-shiny state of California! What was I thinking?! Oh well... I guess I'll try to find some fun stuff to do over this next week. Hopefully I'll get together with some friends I haven't seen in awhile, maybe go shopping... We'll see. I just have to remember that at least I am on vacation! Any day of vacation is better than none!

Are My Legs Supposed to Feel Like This?!

So I had another trip to the chiro today. Each time I go, I get a little more info! (Here's the medical mumbo jumbo if you really want to know. If not...skip down!) I think I've got it figured out now...It appears the sacroiliac joints in my pelvis are a little off. (You know those two little dimples on either side of your spine way down on your lower back? Those are your sacroiliac joints.) Anyhow, the imbalance causes me to favor one leg a little and has changed my form a little. The other problem is that when I run, I strike down too much on my heels. This is forcing my fibula (the non-weightbearing bone in the lower leg) back farther than it should be. That in turn, pulls on the ligaments which is connected to my knee and THAT is the pain I am experiencing. So to fix all of this, I need to (a) get my joints and such back to where they should be, and (b) learn to run with more of a mid-foot strike than a heal strike. Dr. Craig gave me a few tips on the latter, and they really helped in yesterday's run. I'll try again tomorrow as I try to run 3 miles. Dr. Craig is actually going to watch me run around the parking lot next week to give me more specific tips! Who knew a chiro could do that for you?!

In the meantime, I wanted to stay fit by trying another one of my new workout videos. Today was another Firm video, Bootcamp: Maximum Calorie Burn. Holy guacamole! That video kicked my butt! I think I did a zillion squats! My thighs are like jello! During the video, I kept saying, "OMG, Please be done...oh no, not more squats...I can't feel my legs anymore -- are they still there?!" It was SOOOOOO hard, I was just pouring sweat! I know I am going to be feeling it tomorrow! That's good though. We ordered in for lunch today and I got a stromboli just for myself. I ended up eating the whole thing! It was probably equivalent to 2-3 big slices of pizza. WHOA! It was so yummy though. Hopefully those zillion squats burned off at least a few pepperoni slices!

"Chaos in the Kitchen" Challenge #1: Brandied Cherry Tart

Before I begin with my cooking challenge updates, I'll give a brief update on my running. I really don't have much to say. I've been keeping up with the plan I got from my local running store, Vertical Runner. The plan has me just doing some base building. I'm running 4 days a week now. Here's how this week looks: M and W 5 miles, F is 4 miles, and Saturday 9 miles. This Saturday is supposed to be the first "official" group run for a training group that Vertical Runner is hosting. I'm kind of unsure about going because the long run is only planned to be about 7 miles and as I said, I need to get 9 in. I may just go a little earlier and run 2 on my own beforehand. I'm not sure if I'll join the training group, but I figure that I should at least check it out. I seem to be getting kind of bored with my running, so this might be a good kick start. I should probably start hitting some other trails too. I've been just running in my neighborhood the past 2-3 weeks and it is getting OLD! Other than running, I've been trying to do my workout videos on my T and Th. Last week I didn't do them since I was super busy those days, but I did one in this week. So, so far, so good. Okay...onto the eats...

Challenge 1: Brandied Cherry Tart (recipe from Blog: Good Things Catered)
Recipe Rating: 4 stars (see sidebar for rating details)

When I first found Katie's blog, Good Things Catered, she had this fabulous drink posted, a Cherry Mojito. I was having some friends over so I decided to give these a try. Oh my gosh...this drink is UBER fabulous! It is my official beverage of summer, 2008. So anyway, I bought way too many cherries and didn't know what to do with them. I went back to Katie's blog and found this wonderful looking cherry tart. Click on the recipe title above to see for yourself! Doesn't that look SO yummy! I thought, "Wow, that looks easy! I'll give it try." So, I gathered all the ingredients and got to work.

The night before, I followed a simple dough recipe and using my food processor, created a basic pie dough. I had never made my own dough before, so I wasn't quite sure what it was supposed to look/feel like, but it seemed to resemble the picture, so I wrapped it in plastic and stuck it in the fridge.

Next morning, I'm ready to whip this baby together. I put the cherries in the sauce pan with sugar and let them do their thing. I grab the pie dough out of the fridge and flour my counter top so that I can roll it out. This is where I encounter my first problem -- that dough was as hard as a hockey puck! "Ummmm, is this supposed to be like a rock?" I figured that I would just cook down the cherries and say a little prayer for the dough.

Well luckily, just as my cherries were almost finished, the dough was beginning to soften. Phew! I set the cherries aside to cool and started to roll out the dough...or should I say, attempted to roll out the dough. I read that to roll the dough into a nice circle, you should turn the dough every now and then. I rolled and then went to turn it...yeah, it didn't budge. WHAT! It was totally stuck to the counter. GRRRR. I had to peel it off the counter and start all over. That happened about a zillion times until I finally got the idea to roll it out on parchment paper. I mean, after all, I'm going to be putting this thing on parchment anyway!

So then I have the dough down on the parchment and go to roll. Yeah, the whole thing just slid across the counter top, almost onto the floor! UGH!! I have now decided that baking is NOT my thing. I persevere though and try a thousand different things. The dough continues to stick...to EVERYTHING! It sticks to the parchment, it sticks to the rolling pin, it sticks to my hands. I finally give up and toss insane amounts of flour over everything! I will roll this piece of dough out if it kills me! (I later looked at some pics online and found that what I thought was an "insane" amount of flour was actually just right.)

Well, eventually I triumphed over the dough. It was completely hideous -- not at all a circle or even a rectangle. It was more a diamond shape, but at that point, I was so WHATEVER! The dough was also thin, but I hoped it would be enough to do the job. I finally poured the cherry mixture onto the dough and did my best to fold the sides up to keep the mixture from running out. With the dough being so thin though, some of the sides just didn't want to hold and some cherries escaped. I didn't even use all of my filling because my dough would not have held it. At that point, I didn't even care.

I threw the hideous thing in the oven and just prayed it would be somewhat edible. Well, about 15 minutes later, I pulled it out of the oven and let it cool. Compared to Katie's masterpiece, mine looked U G L Y (hence, no picture)! Oh well...Another 10 minutes later, I cut a little piece and... loved every bite of it! The crust, as much of a pain in the butt as it was, was so tasty! It was flaky and buttery, but not dry. The cherry filling, while a little runny, was SO delicious. It was sweet and a little tart at the same time. The cherry flavored brandy that I used too was the perfect complement. I loved it!

I decided that I definitely want to try this again. Next time though, instead of trying to roll out the dough, moving it to a baking sheet, and then shaping the sides, I'll just try using a tart pan. That way I don't have to worry about the filling spilling out. And I will certainly be liberal with the flour too. Flour will be my friend!

So overall, I guess I can call this first challenge a success. As ugly as my final product was, it tasted pretty darn good. I learned how to make my own dough too which was pretty cool. Now I just have to figure out how the work the darn stuff!

Braving the Snow

So Tuesday, we had a big snow storm. More than 200 local schools were called off, including mine! It was a nice day of relaxation. By Wednesday, the roads were mostly clear enough for school to be back in session, but the snow did not let up all day! We ended up having to do an early dismissal. The busses were called in and the kids went home 15 minutes early. All of the teachers followed suit, exchanging horror stories of what they envisioned the roads to be like. What was I doing? Putting on my running clothes! Everyone thought I was crazy! I braved the blustery snow and went for a cold, but beautiful 3 mile run. By the end, my shoe laces and the bottoms of my pants were coated in ice, but I felt great! I almost wanted to take a pictures of my frozen laces and pants as a record of my perseverance towards reaching my running goals, but alas, by the time I got home I was all thawed out. Oh well. At least I'll have this blog post as a record of my insanity...I mean, committment!

Book Review: Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life

My school's PTO offered to purchase a book from our book fair for each of our students with the premise that we would use the book in our classrooms. I chose Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life by Wendy Mass. Here is the synopsis found on the back of the book:

In one month Jeremy Fink will turn thirteen. But does he have what it takes to be a teenager? He collects mutant candy, he won't go more than four blocks from home if possible, and he definitely doesn't like surprises. On the other hand, his best friend, Lizzy, isn't afraid of anything, even if that means trouble now and then.
Jeremy's summer takes an unexpected turn when a mysterious box arrives. According to the writing on the box, it holds the meaning of life! Jeremy is supposed to open it on his birthday, but the keys are missing, and only the keys can open the box without destroying what's inside. Jeremy and Lizzy set off to find the keys, but when one of their efforts goes very wrong, Jeremy starts to think he'll never be able to open the box. But what he doesn't know is that there just might be other ways to find out the meaning of life.
Lively characters, surprising twists, and thought-provoking ideas make Wendy Mass's latest novel an unforgettable read.

I am only halfway through the book so far, but this book is hilarious! Wendy Mass has done a brilliant job in creating quirky, down-to-earth characters that simply make me laugh out loud with their off-the-wall comments. Here are a few of my fave excerpts from the story:

This takes place when Lizzy and Jeremy are confronted by a police officer for breaking into an office in search for the keys:

"You swore we wouldn't get arrested!" I whisper back.
"We're not getting arrested!" she says, forgetting to whisper. Then in a smaller voice she asks, "Are we?"
Officer Polansky gives us a long look. We try to appear as innocent and wide-eyed as possible. Mom told me once in times of trouble to try to project sunny thoughts: butterflies, babies laughing, hot dogs in a ballpark on a sunny day. So I think of babies laughing in a ballpark surrounded by butterflies eating hot dogs. Very small, tiny hot dogs."

Can you picture that?! Too funny!
In this scene, Lizzy gets an Email from Jeremy's aunt inviting them to the state fair. She wants them to enter a talent competition and suggests a certain act:

"This is a nightmare. We can't perform that routine in front of hundreds of strangers!"
Lizzy's face is getting redder by the second. "She isn't talking about that thing we used to do where you though me a football while I'm hula hooping and I throw it back? And then I eat a banana?"
I nod miserably. "That's the one..."

Again. Hilarious visual!

Mass continues with hilarious scenarios and lively characterizations that make the journey towards finding the meaning of life all the more enjoyable. I personally can't wait to find out what's in that box!

While I started this book as a necessary read for my 6th graders, this is surely a book I think any adult could enjoy too! More comments to come later!

***UPDATE (Spoilers Inside!)***
Well, I finished the book and overall, it was wonderful! I would basically divide the book into thirds. In the first third of the book, you are meeting the characters and learning about the mysterious box and its missing keys. (I enjoyed that part greatly because as I said, the characters are so funny!) The kids break into an office in search for the keys but instead get caught. They are sentenced to work for a pawn dealer. In this next third section of the book, the pawn dealer has the kids deliver items to people that they tried to pawn many years ago. With each item returned, the students meet people from all walks of life and learn a little something about the meaning of life along the way. (This section is okay. It's not nearly as funny since most of the dialogue is actually from the new characters who are trying to impart their wisdom onto Jeremy and Lizzy. Some of it is a little preachy, but I wouldn't consider it over the top.) After their final delivery, the pawn broker gives the kids a gift (Jeremy receives a suitcase full of keys) and that starts the final third section of the book. From then on, Jeremy tries all of the keys in his mysterious box and finds three that fit. He is devastated to not have the fourth and final key. Eventually, Jeremy's 13th birthday arrives and just when he is about to give up, he does receive the final key. The box is opened up and reveals what Jeremy least suspects. At first he is confused, but as he looks more closely at the contents, he realizes that they are perfect. He indeed does learn the meaning of life from his father. Just when you think the story is over though, there is quite a twist. Jeremy's father leaves something for Lizzy in the box that leads Jeremy to be a bit suspicious. Jeremy goes to see an old friend about his suspicions and learns a lot more than he had prepared for! I was completed shocked by it as well! Jeremy's final lesson realized is one that I think encompasses his entire journey and is one that nearly brought tears to my eyes as I thought about all that he went through: "...I realized that love is stronger than death and that people you barely know can amaze you."

The first section of the book, I LOVED. The second section was kind of fun because I was curious as to what lessons Jeremy and Lizzy were going to learn as they met each person. After awhile though, that kind of dragged and I was starting to worry that I had not chosen a good book for my students. Then when I got towards the end, the story started picking up again and once Jeremy opened the box, I realized what a true GEM this book is. I loved it and think it will speak to a lot of my students, especially those who have lost a loved one. If you get a chance, I would definitely suggest picking up this book!

Funky Flashback: Power Ballads from the Big Hair Bands

Today, I present a few of the best "power ballads" of the 80's. Go ahead everyone, go get your lighters......Okay, here we go. First up, Skid Row's "I Remember You".


Next, Guns n Roses "Sweet Child of Mine".


And finally, who could say it better than Def Leppard with "Love Bites"?

My Little World -- The Setting

Here are pics of most of the "setting" for My Little World!

Here is out little abode in its Summer Splendor...

...and now, as a Winter Wonderland!

Uncharted Territory

I had my long run this morning. I was supposed to go out for 9 miles but since I did that already last week, I thought I'd step it up and go out for 10. I haven't run 10 since the Cleveland Hermes 10-Mile race back in April but I was feeling ready. My knees were/are still whining a bit, but it's something I've almost become accustomed to. Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing! Anyway, when I got up this morning, I wasn't feeling particularly ready to head out for 10, but with one baby step at a time, I got myself out there. I'm so glad I did. Once I got going, I hit 2 and 3 miles before I even knew it. While the path was familiar, I had never gone 5 miles out, so I was curious as to what was out there. I felt my pace was pretty quick, but my breathing still felt good, so I went with it. I had a good Podrunner tune pumping out some techno/house beats which was cool too. I did a few air drum solos while nobody was looking. :-) I was totally feeling in the zone -- like I could go on forever! The weather was great too. It was warm but there was a nice breeze. There were a lot of people out too which was nice which is in stark contrast to the first few runs I took on the bike path back in February. I actually thought, "Well this is good. At least now if something happens to me, there'll be people around to hear my screams." LOL! Actually, everyone out was really nice. I think I said "good morning" to every person I passed by or at least gave the nod. I swear, there's like this secret understanding between people who are out on the paths, courses, and trails across America. We are all part of an unspoken community of people who truly appreciate the awesomeness of becoming one with the nature around us... I digress!

Anyhow, before I knew it, I had passed the 4 mile point where I usually turn around. ***Entering uncharted territory! Dun, dun, DUUUUUN!*** The funny thing was, shortly after passing into the foreign zone, I realized, it wasn't so foreign after all. After about another 3/4 mile, I swear I recognized the place. Finally, as I came close to reaching the 5 mile turn around, I came up to a cross road and immediately saw a sign for a park I used to go to all the time! I remember riding my bike on those very paths when I used to live in my old apartment! I couldn't believe I had really run that far! That truly just baffled me for awhile. I mean, I remember running 3 miles and thinking I could never do 5. It just seemed SO FAR! Now here I was knocking out 10, running clear across town and into the next one, and I was barely feeling tired! I swear, I think once I got used to doing those higher miles, I forget how far it really is! 5 miles is not too shabby! Anyhow, I was psyched to see my old trail and even more psyched to know that I had basically run across the entire town to get to it. The only thing next was, I had to run back across it!

I was so pumped after seeing how far I had gone out though, the 5 miles back was great! I even think I sped up the last 2 miles. I had to keep telling myself to slow down! My knees tried to tell me too. My right knee was really yelling at me during the last half mile. Anyhow, I ended up having an awesome 10-miler -- I had a fast pace that felt good, the weather was warm but breezy, everyone out was really nice...awesome! Afterwards, I got back home and mapped out my run on MapMyRun.com and actually found out that I did 10.5 miles. Cool! I did a little Namaste Yoga, and iced the knees. I just wish they all felt that good!