Three In One

So much catching up to do...Have I been a slacker?  As I look through all that I wanted to get on here, I feel like I've been a slacker.  So let me get on with it...three posts in one.

Post #1:
First of all, Brenna just finished her short, two week track program.  Only two weeks as a result of continually shrinking budgets.  But the two weeks seemed like two months thanks to the outrageous construction delays that made the trip home last 25 minutes most nights.  A trip that should be no more than 7 minutes.  I literally take a deep breath and sigh when I start thinking about that, so let's move on.

Brenna leaping into the long jump.  Or coming out with her hands up?

Coming into the finish of the 400.

Chasing down the other relay teams.

Crossing the finish line in the 4x100 relay.  She almost caught her!

Post #2:

The next day, Brad and Alex left for two nights in Seaside, Oregon.  It was the annual varsity band trip, at which they play for a few minutes on the boardwalk and then just had fun.  Brad went as a chaperone, which meant he had a king-sized bed to himself with a great ocean view, did a ton of walking around Seaside, accompanied some kids to rent a bicycle for four, watched Inception with a group of 15 kids, and passed back a plastic bag on the drive home to a kid who experienced the joy of bus-sickness.

I so wish I had taken a picture of Alex's suitcase.  He packed himself.  On one side, he had his clothes "stacked" (crammed), and on the other side, he had neatly arranged the quesadilla maker, a pack of 40 tortillas, and two packages of Costco muffins.  The bus stops at Safeway as soon as they roll into town, and the kids that are in rooms together pool their money and buy their groceries for the weekend.  Brad said it was hilarious watching them all work it out.  Alex was a quesadilla making machine for the weekend, with his specialty being onion, green pepper, cheese and sliced hot dogs.  He threw some scrambled eggs in for the morning meal and called it a breakfast quesadilla.

The Safeway survived.

Breakfast at Pig-N-Pancake ~ A MUST!

A little music to call it a music trip.

Five on a bicycle built for four.

Ice cream at The Candy Man, of course.

Shuffleboard??!

Walkin' on the beach.

Bonfire, complete with roasted marshmallows.

Spectacular.

Post #3:

Meanwhile, back at home, we had a girls' weekend.  Which basically translates to shopping.  It was a sweet time with my sweet girls.  Shopping is not my idea of relaxation, but boy do they love it.  So off we went.  A few times....

Our weekend started with the girls making cookies together while mom ran.  Running to the smell of baking chocolate chip cookies?  Sweet.

Friday night shopping was a perfect illustration of my girls personalities.  Brenna picked out a girlie pair of sandals, and Beth picked out this purple sock monkey.  Just when I think she is getting too big, she falls in love with a stuffy that makes her still my baby girl.



And then shopping on Saturday:  Brenna picked out a ruffled tank top to go with her girlie sandals (no pictures, but she's darling), and Beth got these snazzy new Vans that she has been saving her money for!

Best of all, everyone was back home with still a day of the weekend to enjoy.  It's so much better when all my chicks are in the nest...and the rooster too! 

Multitudes on Monday ~ Just Two

A quiet moment to sit and ponder listing the gifts in my life, and considering this day there are really just two that matter:

390.  A Savior who gave His life for freedom in life and death.
391.  Men and women who gave their lives for freedom in our country.

I hope you can be mindful of the true meaning of this day, and that you can count your blessings for both.

Dos Burritos

Yesterday I was tired.  TIRED.  And when that crazy time in the evening hit that requires food being prepared for my baby birds, I was adding a little cranky to my tired.  The conversation in the kitchen and the dodging and weaving of people became like mosquitoes buzzing in my ear.  So I swatted at my mosquitoes, and banned them from the kitchen until dinner was ready.  I told them all that I was feeling overwhelmed and needed my space to get it all together, so they were not allowed near me until dinner was ready, which was a blissful 17 minutes according to my timer.

So off they went, and before long I heard the giggles and shrieks of my oldest and youngest.  They had, for some reason, decided to re-enact a favorite moment from their "childhood".  When the girls were toddlers and a bit beyond, they loved to be wrapped up in a blanket "like a burrito".  We would spread a blanket out on the floor, they would lay on one end, and we'd start rolling them up.  This became a favorite way to be carried off to bed, wrapped like a burrito and slung over their daddy's shoulder.  One might say it's the sophisticated version of swaddling.

So last night, Beth began wrapping Alex like a burrito.  We don't have a blanket large enough to contain all his legs, but they gave it a good go.

all rolled up and even a pillowed head!

 

And from this, I saw glimpses of Beth's brilliance.  She loves to try to tickle her brother, who is ridiculously ticklish.  Getting his teeth polished at the dentist is a form of tickle torture for him.  He's bigger and stronger than his sister, so he is very capable of avoiding her tickle attempts.

Alex realizes he's left himself vulnerable as Beth prepares to strike

Until, that is, he was wrapped like a burrito!  Those feet sticking out of the blanket provided a perfect target, and I was so proud of the way Beth seized an opportunity.  Score one for the little sister.

You can roll, but you can't hide, Alex!

And Brenna, sweetly reading in the background, chose to simply play the role of adviser, chipping in her two cents every now and then.


Another quip I want to remember:

While Brad and Beth were at the pool, the rest of us ran out to get Alex's hair cut.  It looks so much better, I love a freshly cut head of hair on my boy!  Back home, he was sitting in the living room writing out some music.  I walked by and stopped and told him how handsome he was.  He looked at me with a puzzled look and asked if I was crying.  (My eyes were just that tired.  No real tears.)  But I couldn't resist an opportunity, so I said that yes, I was just so moved by how handsome and grown up he looked.  He looked me square in the eye, his expression unchanging, and said (in a perfect Cousin Eddie voice), "Are you serious, Clark?"

Makes me laugh even retelling it.  Humor makes a tired evening so much more fun!

Tasty Tuesday ~ Espresso-Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

Ready for another yummy cookie?  This one could practically pass off as a reasonably healthy breakfast, if you were so inclined.  Or these would be great for any moment that counts as a "Calgon" moment.  They are yum yum yummy.  And they are really light, so you don't feel gluttonous if you happen to eat a lot.

(Here's how I rationalized it as a breakfast:  there is coffee in the cookie, and I know many people who drink coffee for or with breakfast.  It's kinda the "thing" to do now.  And there is flour and butter, which is kinda like buttered toast since the main ingredient in bread is flour.  And there's powdered sugar in them, and have you ever read the sugar count in many popular breakfast cereals??  And lots of people, me included, put some sugar in their oatmeal.  So I figure you can save a whole lot of prep time and just eat this for breakfast and call it toast and coffee.  You're welcome again.  Oh!  And the chocolate?  Mocha.  Now I've justified it all.)

Let's get on with it, shall we?

Espresso-Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

1 TBSP instant espresso powder
1 TBSP boiling water
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
additional powdered sugar for dusting, or chocolate to melt and drizzle over the top, if desired.

Dissolve the espresso powder in the boiling water, set aside to cool to room temperature.  In a large bowl (I used my stand mixer, but you could do this with a hand mixer if you felt like it), beat the butter and powdered sugar on medium speed for 2-3 minutes, or until very creamy.

Beat in the vanilla and espresso.  Add flour, and mix in on low speed just until incorporated.  Do not beat the dough much once the flour is just mixed in.  Add in the chocolate chips and combine well.

Transfer the dough into a gallon-sized ziploc bag.  With the bag on a flat surface, roll the dough into about a 9x10 rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick.  Once the dough is rolled, seal the bag, pushing out any remaining air.  Refrigerate the dough for 2 hours or for up to 2 days.

Once the dough is chilled and firm, place the bag on a cutting board and cut open the bag.  Cut dough into 1 1/2 inch squares.  Transfer the squares onto parchment-lined baking sheets and prick each cookie in 2 places with a fork, carefully pressing all the way through to the baking sheet.

Bake at 325 for 18 minutes.  The cookies should keep their color, do not look for them to darken.  Remove from oven and transfer to a cooling rack.  Dust with powdered sugar,  while they are still hot, if desired.  Or, once they have cooled, drizzle with some melted chocolate.  Or leave them as they are in all their simple goodness.

Multitudes on Monday ~ Transitions

Transitions...I don't ever look very forward to going through them.  Even when it's a good thing to transition to, I most always go through an adjustment time (perhaps why it's called a transition???  Ahem.).  But before I even recognize that I'm edging up to a transition, I get a little restless inside, I feel like something is a bit off, and I feel even a little anxious.  Even when it's good.  I'm finally starting to recognize those feelings.  I'm starting to stop myself sooner in the process and think through what's approaching.  Over the last couple weeks I've felt the approach of a transition, and I realized it is simply the beginning of the end of the school year, the approach of summer.  This transition is always bittersweet.  I love shedding off some of the responsibility, I love the looser schedules, I love the gentler pace with my kids.  The only "bitter" part of that is I have to admit that my kids are rolling up to a new grade, a year older.  It's just going so fast.  We got the first letter from a college a couple weeks ago for Alex.  "Dear Alex," it began.  Dear is right, and the realization of how quickly that time is approaching is outrageous.  And yet so exciting.  All this crazy busy in our lives is exactly what I've longed for, without really knowing what I was asking for.  I have healthy, active, engaged kids, and they make transitions fun/tough, happy/sad, exciting/scary.  And ALL of it, the good and the tough, is such a gift...



371.  not being able to finish a thought because someone needs to talk.
372.  just enough time in between activities to make dinner
373.  pre-planned dinners that go smoothly
374.  not being able to form a coherent sentence on this blog post because my son has so much to say.  love hearing his commentary!
375.  after comings and goings, having all three home at night
376.  trying to give a stern mom talk and having one be so witty it is impossible to take things out of perspective.
377.  an awareness of time, so it can be savored
378.  an awareness of lasts, so they can be appreciated
379.  a genuine smile given, one you can feel in your deepest place
380.  a genuine smile from someone else, one that reaches their eyes
381.  goals accomplished
382.  new goals being pondered
383.  classes that are survived
384.  genuine compliments
385.  an opportunity for my kids to cheer for me
386.  their joyful, supportive faces just when I needed to see them
387.  finish lines
388.  rhododendrons bursting with color ~ finally!
389.  lilac blooms

My Running Boys

It's such a long story...someone that works out at the Y had registered for this run but couldn't do it.  He asked Alex this week if he wanted to run it for him.  Alex did, they transferred the registration.  While Brad was at the Y this week, he was given a hard time (in fun, but persistent) about not doing this run.  So he decided, last night, why not?  He would run this 8K with his son.  Or I should say behind his son.

I slightly considered running this also...very slightly.  I'm so glad I didn't.  Instead, I showed up as photographer.  I cheered them on at the start, snapped a couple pictures, then went for a lovely walk through downtown Olympia, "just happening" upon a Starbucks.  Coffee in hand, I made it back to the finish line with about 5 minutes to enjoy the last of my coffee before Alex made it across the finish line.  I got the long end of the stick at this run, for sure.

Blurry shot of my boys at the start, as I was slowly backing my way towards the smell of coffee.

Alex pulled away from Brad about 1/15th of a K in.

And there goes Brad, 6 days after the half.  Crazy.

Alex finished his 8K with a time of 37 minutes.  In the registration swap, he was registered as an untimed runner.  Bummer.  Still official in my book, Alex!

Brad finished in 41 minutes.  Yeah Brad!



And I did my little 4.25 run when we got home.  Eek.  I felt great for the first little bit, and then my body started reading me the riot act and lecturing me to no end.  Did not feel good at all.  I'm hoping very soon it will feel better again.  In the meantime, the boys can run for times...they do it so well!!

A List of Ten

Here we go back into some randomness that I feel like I need to get out of my head.

1.  If you need a quick, easy, and yummy dinner, head over to Costco and pick up their Asian salad kit.  Grab a rotisserie chicken, too.  Cut up a bunch of that chicken into thick bite-sized hunks and toss all the salad together with the chicken (I add extra slivered almonds too).  Butter up some french rolls and lightly broil them.  Oh, such a yummy dinner.  My kids loooooove this, so much that we have no left-overs for lunch the next day.  That's about the only negative I could possibly come up with about this salad.  If you love the Love Salad at Happy Teriyaki, you will really LOVE this salad.

2.  Brad went to a very heart-breaking memorial service yesterday.  Four kids, including a miracle newborn, are without a momma.  No making any sense of that one.  Lord, give the comfort and provision only you can give.

3.  There is a SHAG commercial on that makes us laugh so hard.  In the commercial, they are highlighting all the amenities that this senior housing offers.  Among the amenities is an internet cafe.  The host of the commercial introduces us to a gal who especially loves the internet cafe, because she use to be a computer programmer.  In the background, you can see she is sending an email.  And the gal next to her is playing solitaire.  If that doesn't sell a person on moving in, I don't know what will.

4.  My son was assassinated in his AP assassination game, and it essentially was all my fault because I was at Costco when he came home, forcing him to try to find a way into the house that didn't involve the front door where he would be an easy target.  He was unsuccessful in breaking into the back of the house before being cornered and blasted with a nerf bullet.  All things, even a failed evasion of a nerf bullet, can be taken back far enough to be a mother's fault.  But actually, since he is the biggest consumer of food in the house, I suppose I could make an argument that his food consumption caused the need for the Costco trip, which caused me to be gone, which would mean it's his fault????  Nah.  I'm sure it's still somehow my fault.  He's already planning a better strategy for next year.

5.  I'm losing my patience with construction.

6.  Recovering from the big run on Sunday has brought things I didn't know it would bring.  It's very much like having a baby.  Things happen after having a baby that you didn't know would happen.  So you mention it to a girlfriend, and she says, "Oh, yep.  That's totally normal.  Everyone has that."  But nobody warns you.  Much the same with this run recovery.  Brad and I went out in the beautiful sun and "ran" just 3 miles yesterday.  I felt like an old lady, and I had to walk some chunks of it when my calves screamed at me, but it felt good to get some blood back into those leg muscles.

7.  I made cinnamon rolls last weekend that I think have changed my life.

8.  23 more days waking up for school.

9.  My baby girl has her daddy's swimming gene.  We'll see what she does with it, but right now she is doing amazing things with it.  It's a pretty wonderful thing to watch.

10.  On Tuesday, the thermometer in my van showed an outside temperature of 64 degrees.  I turned on the AC and fanned myself.  I think I have some acclimating to do.

That's all for now.