Champs Again!

Ahhh!  Time...where are you going?  I meant to write this up on Monday, and now it's Saturday.  Well, all the more time to savor the fun of this in my mind!

Last Sunday was the girls' big cheer competition of the year!  This year was a bit different than others.  Their routine came together much later than any year I've coached.  A little too late for comfort, but it came together.  The girls had so much fun learning this routine, and they performed it with JOY!  It was so much fun to watch.  There was some very tough competition, and all the rumors were abounding that it was between us and one other team.  When the final decision came down?  It was US!  Woo-Hoo!  They have now won 4 of the last 5 years!  Wowzers!  Love these girls so much, and so proud of the way they worked as a team and pushed themselves!

 

waiting for the judges results!

 

happy girls!

 

my sweet girls...love them so much!

 

 

showing off their prize!

 

 

 

our sweet fans!

 

matching hair: cuteness on top of cuteness!

 

Congratulations to a hard-working, joyful bunch of Bears!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Running #4

Oh, my blog.  I have missed spending any time here.  Life has thrown some extra measures of crazy lately, sucking up any free time or energy to put sensible thoughts together.  But I must get back on track.  The moments I want to document are piling up, and at this rate I'll forget them before I write them.  So here we go:

First up is a recap of my sweet little runner's accomplishments.

Miss Brenna has wowed herself and her coach with her running wonders!  Her season has been great from the start, and her times have been steadily improving.  And this last week was the big League Championship meet.  She ran with the varsity girls as runner #8 on her team.  By the end of the race, little miss speedy was runner #4 on her team!  She flew through the course, setting a personal record and scoring points for her team!  (Cross country is a confusing sport to me.  Certain running placements score points for the team while other placers displace runners from other teams, ultimately giving more points to the other team in a sport where less points is better.  Clearly I do not understand it.  I'm sure that's not even remotely close.)  All I know is Brenna ran fast enough to score for her team, qualifying them to move on to the District Meet this weekend!  So it was basically a fantastic run.  Her coach was pretty thrilled.

Off and running, pony tail flyin"!

 

First mile - 6.19!

 

Entering the finish lane.

 

Love this picture - both feet off the ground!

 

Finishing her 5K in 20.55!

 

 Sweet running friends.  A special treat:  the girl to Brenna's left is the daughter of her pre-school teacher!

 

The girls of the 2012 Cross Country Team!

 

 

Coach giving a congratulation huddle after their 3rd place announcement!

 

 

 

And I must end with this picture:

 

This lady was leaning so hard into the tape that she almost pulled the stake right out of the ground!  Can you say "boundary pusher"?  Sheesh! 

Pictures of the Pictures and Microwave Caramel Corn

We had a fun time this weekend watching Alex get his senior pictures taken.  And family pictures.  It was a typical family picture day:  kids bickering while they got ready, rushing out the door at the last minute, then lots of laughs once we got there.

My beautiful friend Shannon did the deed, and it was so relaxed and casual and fun.  I think we got some great pictures of my little boy!

Here's the behind the scenes shots:

While this scene was playing out, Beth had a scene of her own going on:  in true Beth-form, she found all sorts of creatures to keep her busy.  At one point, she had 14 fuzzy-woolies. 

We got a couple with just the old folks and young man in our Oly Blue:

He makes Brad look short! 

And these two just warm my heart:

As does this sweet one, who toted around 2 grasshoppers:

My beautiful girls...

After all was done and Brad headed back to work, we went out to lunch at Dairy Queen.  Just a simple, sweet, fun day.  On the way home, I got all teary-eyed, just enjoying them so much and realizing how quickly these days are passing.  Alex said, "Why are you going to cry?"  I told him I was just going to miss this.  He then said, "Miss what??  Going to lunch at Dairy Queen?  How often do we really go to lunch at Dairy Queen anyway??  There's really not much to miss about that!"  Tender moment squelched.  Thanks, son.

Anyway, time for a recipe that is perfect for the calendar turning to October!  I have loved making this caramel corn for years and years.  It is so very easy, tastes so very yummy, and is so very perfect for the arriving Fall weather!  Caramel Corn made in the microwave?  Yep, it's true.  And it's buttery and fabulous!

Microwave Caramel Corn

1 bag microwave popcorn, popped and all the unpopped kernels removed

3/4 cup dry roasted peanuts (I use unsalted)

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup butter (no substitutes)

2 TBSP light corn syrup

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. baking soda

Place popcorn and peanuts in large, microwave safe bowl.  In a smaller microwave safe bowl, combine butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and salt.  Cover and microwave for 1 minute; stir.  Microwave for an additional 2 minutes.  Stir in vanilla and baking soda, mix well.  Pour over popcorn/peanut mixture; stir to coat.

Microwave, uncovered, for 3 minutes, stirring a couple times.  Spread onto a large cookie sheet to cool.  Break apart and store in an air-tight container, if there is anything left to store after you start munching.

Lucy!

Finally...a chance to introduce Lucy!  It will be one week tomorrow that we brought her home, and I'm just now giving this girl her proper introduction?

First the whole story:  we had slowly been having snippets of conversations about getting another dog.  Slowly, mind you.  We though maybe in the Spring we'd talk about it.  Nothing serious.  I was pinning puppy pictures, so the puppy fever was burning, for sure.  I just miss that fuzzy little creature in our home.

On Saturday, I get a message from a friend that she has something she really thinks I need to see.  After a bunch of fumbling with technology, we finally got it together enough for me to see a picture of the sweetest little puppy that was looking for a home.  Relatives that got into a puppy situation and realized it was not the right time for them t have a puppy, and that the puppy needed a family.

Let's just say I fell very quickly for this puppy's face.  Brad too, and we set up a time to go see her that afternoon, without telling the kids anything.

And seeing her in person?  Hook, line and sinker...fell for this girl hard.  She is a miniature Goldendoodle, with much more Golden than Doodle.  So she'll be more of a miniature Golden Retriever.  Right now she's 4 months old and weighs 14 pounds, won't get much bigger than 25 pounds.

And she is the loveliest little lady.  Has a precious face, and a temperament to match.

She's had quite the week as a Carlson...trips to the park, a cross-country meet, went to visit a 1st-grade classroom, to the vet, to the pet store...we are one step away from a little sweater and a stroller for her.  I kid.  Believe me, I kid.  If I ever cross that line...please step forward and set me straight.  But I do love her a lot.

Here are some random We Love Lucy shots:

The girls meeting Lucy for the first time.  A sweet moment I will remember forever...Beth literally fell to her knees and wept, hugging her.  She is an animal lover to her core, and saying goodbye to Archie left a big hole in her heart.  Lucy's helping to fill that.

 

Beth trying to get a picture to send to her friends.

 

Brenna and Lucy!

 

 

Alex was extraordinarily surprised to get home that night and find Lucy waiting for him!

 

Walking in the park

 

I'm not sure what was happening, but this laughter on Brenna's face pretty much sums up the joy this little fur ball has brought them!

 

 

She was so worn out from the trip to the park, she fell asleep sitting up!

 

This is what Edgar thinks of it all.

 

Really now, what a cutie!

 

She came to us crate-trained and potty-trained.  She hasn't (knock on wood) had a single accident in the house.  She goes to the back door when she needs to go out.  She is crazy-hyper during her wild times, and loves to run.  Brad and Brenna took her for a short run this evening, Brenna has high-hopes of her being her running buddy!

 

So that is our Lucy story!  We are so happy to have her in our family!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One Stupid Boot and One Delicious Boot

There's only so much I can say about the reappearance of The Boot.  It was a stupid boot two years ago, and it's a stupid boot again today.

The reason for its return?  As stupid as the boot itself.

Twas a romantic walk on the beach.  That's it.  On our anniversary.  Beautiful sunshine, soft warm sand.  A long, long beautiful walk.  Barefoot.  And apparently that's all it took.  The next day my foot was swollen and bruised and wickedly painful.

It's some sort of ligament sprain or something, related to the cuboid area or something irritating.  So the boot for two weeks, hopefully not a day longer.  It's already getting better, and I am walking lopsided and loud and everything I despise about the boot.

Anyway, onto better topics!

We had a low-key Friday night at home.  Snuggly blanket, pizza for dinner, girls chilling out together.  And it was the perfect evening to make cookies.  So I tried a new recipe...and good gracious!  These are yuuuuumy!  I think they may be my new favorite cookie, for now.

I found this recipe on Pinterest, and it is credited to Laura Bush.  I find it interesting that these have the word "cowboy" in the title.  Cowboy boots.  My boot.  Boots are the theme.  It's meant to be.

Laura Bush's Texas Governor's Mansion Cowboy Cookies

3 cups flour
1 TBSP baking powder
1 TBSP baking soda
1 TBSP cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
3 eggs, at room temperature
1 TBSP vanilla
3 cups chocolate chips (I used 1/2 dark chocolate and 1/2 semi-sweet)
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (I used quick cooking, all I had and was great.)
2 cups sweetened flaked coconuts
2 cups finely chopped pecans (I used just shy of this)

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

In a second large bowl, beat butter until smooth.  Add the sugar and brown sugar and beat for at least 2 minutes, until fluffy and creamed.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add vanilla and mix to combine.

Stir in the flour mixture, blending until just combined.  Add the chips, oats, coconut, and pecans and stir until fully blended.

Drop by large tablespoonfuls onto baking sheet...do not overcrowd!  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are set and golden brown.  Allow cookies to cool on the pan for 2 minutes, then remove to cooling rack.

It's a great weekend for cookies...finally some perfectly wonderful Fall weather settling in, just in time.  Makes my heart happy!

 

Away

 

Two nights away...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just being with the one I love.  Celebrating 22 years...thankful, blessed.