Saturday, April 17, 2010

Lucy & Ethel Go Running

Okay, spring break knocked me out of my rhythm...

my blogging rhythm...was going strong with 3-5 blogs a week...and "real" blogs at that, not posting contests and what not...but then off we went on a trip north and then I got all off track and it's taking me about a week to get back into this thing...

and my training rhythm...
I didn't run/bike/swim/exercise ONCE during spring break...unless you count the jog that Beau and I did around a rest area lawn that the kids were chasing birds on...on the last day...but it wasn't for very far, and it was at a VERY high elevation so it killed our lungs (and that's our story and we're sticking to it!)...

so, I'm back...getting my rhythm back...
...
the beat goes on
....

So my running/training buddy Rayna and I decided to walk/run our favorite loop/hill here in Redding on Tuesday.  The sky was overcast but the forecasters/people that make up things for a living had promised sun...

Trusting in our local forecasters we drive to the bridge (our starting point).  We have now noticed that it is slightly sprinkling so we decided to drive back to Rayna's a pick up a blanket for her son who gets to ride in his fancy new stroller.  We are now confident in both the forecasters prediction of sun and Murphy's Law that states since we've gotten the blanket there will be no rain!

We blissfully stretch our muscles and walk over the rain soaked bridge, still okay with the slight drizzle...yes we've upgraded from sprinkle to drizzle at this point, a good spot for us to question both the forecasters and Murphy...but no, we continue on.

We then cross the second, smaller bridge that leads us to "our loop" and we decided to take the shorter side that leads straight to the hill just in case the rain gets heavier...also a good spot for us to stop & question this outing...but no, we continue on in the rain...yes it's now raining...but really, what's a little rain, right?

I think I've forgotten to mention that Rayna had her hair dyed the day before...and Rayna ...who also likes fun color's in her hair like me...has lots of dark, vibrant purple..PURPLE...highlights in her hair, and her hairdresser (hey Brenda) told her NOT to wash her hair until Wednesday (it's only Tuesday)...but really, it's only rain, and she's not shampooing it, right???

Rayna and I continue on our walk/run in the slight rainy drizzle that the forecasters didn't forecast...but no big deal.  We get to "The Hill" and continue up, not thinking too much of the rain, at this point we really don't notice it too much...then we hit the half way point of "The Hill" and we start laughing at how "hard core" we are that we are doing this in the rain, but still...we don't rethink and turn back...we power through and make it to the top of the hill.  We have also noticed a huge lack of other people on the trail today, but it is mid-morning on Tuesday, who hits the trail at 10 am...it has NOTHING to do with the possibility of rain!.!.!.

As we take a breathier and stretch before our run down the hill...this is when it hits...when the heavens open up and laugh at us...when there is NO TURNING back, we are committed and we have no other option than to finish because there is no out!  About half way down the hill is when Rayna mentions her hair...and how she wasn't supposed to wash it until the next day...and how it feels like it's running down her face...so I take a look, she was a little purple running down the sides of her neck, no big deal, just wipe it up right...but the more she wipes it the harder it runs, and the harder it rains, Purple Rain...

And I begin to notice that the rain has soaked my pants so much that they are about 5 inches longer and I'm now running on my pants under my feet, oh, and they are too heavy to stay up so they keep falling off my bum.  We are, quite a pair, with Ms. Purple Rain and my pants falling off and under my feet.  We stop at the bottom of the hill for Rayna to take off her jacket and shirt so she can wrap her shirt around her head so the purple dye stops running into her eyes, and then we continue on our run.  We felt like an episode of I Love Lucy...Lucy decides to "train" for a triathlon and drags her friend Ethel into the fun and before you know it the two are "training" in the rain with Ethel's hair dye running down her face, neck, back and Lucy having to run holding her pants up because she will trip if she doesn't...by the way, we now notice that we are the ONLY people out in this weather...

We get back across the two bridges and to the parking lot and this in when Murphy and his law comes to play...the rain stops...just stops...

here is a picture of us post run...I allowed Rayna to clean up the Purple Rain that had covered her face, neck, and chest, before I took this picture, but you can see how drenched our clothes are...and if you look closely you can see that the puddles behind us are still, because the rain has now stopped...

And Murphy laughed at us all day, by the time we got home and out of our nice hot showers Mr. Sun had come out and stayed out ALL day!!!

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Winner, Winner...children's pictures....

okay, so we all know someone who's a photographer...
and we all know that they're amazing...

and then we all have our own camera's and a fancy photo program on our computer that we can turn our pictures into works of art...yeah, not so much for me, I try and I try...and well, I need to leave it to the professionals!

and one of the professionals that I know is a friend, Erin, and she is currently holding a contest to win a free Children's Photography Session...
it's so easy to enter, just go to her blog and leave a comment on one of her blogs...super easy...

here is a peak at some of her amazing work...






and YES, my sister is also a photographer, but she's not offering a free children's photography session to everyone, so that's why I'm blogging about Erin! (still love you Brook!)
and hurry offer ends this Friday, April 16th!

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Healthy? Maybe...Maybe Not...

Okay, so maybe cookies aren't healthy...
maybe they're not good for my  hips...
but we all know that there good for our heart...

...and good for your family,
I love to bake with both kids standing next to me...
...sometimes...
when they're not fighting...
and saying,
"my turn"
"let me do it"
"can I do it now?"
"but she already had her turn"
"can I taste that"
"can I have a bite"
....

but no, really, I do have fun with the kids in the kitchen, and they both really like to help me...just got a little sidetracked there (shocking)...

anyways...
here is a healthier version of cookies then the regular old one...they might not be a carrot, but it's better than a twinkie, both in health and taste!

The Better for you Cookie
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 cup butter (this can't be helped...you NEED butter for a good cookie)
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 Tbs low fat milk (see healthy?)
2 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups quick oats
1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips (dark chocolate is good for your heart!)
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 375.  Beat butter & sugars until creamy.  Add eggs, milk & vanilla, beat well.  Mix in flour, oats, soda & salt.  Stir in chocolate ships, raisins and cranberries.  Drop by teaspoon full onto un-greased cookie sheet.  Bake 9-10 minutes....

enjoy.
My kids, husband and I all gobble these up.  I like to mix up a batch, bake up a sheet and then refrigerate the rest, baking a sheet every few nights.

Monday, April 5, 2010

When Life Gives You Eggs...

...so after Thanksgiving the world (or the US) lives on turkey sandwiches for weeks...and mothers put turkey in every recipe they can...turkey soup, turkey tacos, turkey omelets, turkey enchiladas, turkey lasagna...

But after Easter and our dozens of hard boiled Easter Eggs we have three choices
1. Egg Salad Sandwiches 
2. Deviled Eggs
3. Eat them plain

okay so I decided that I'd score the world wide web and come up with some great hard boiled egg recipe to share with you guys...
..
and this is what I got...
1. Egg Salad Sandwiches
2. Deviled Eggs
3.  Eat them plain...

okay there are a few others out there 
add them to potato salad
throw them on a regular salad...

but then my then my friend, Erin, over at Epicurean Travels; experiencing the flavors of the world shared a recipe from her "travels"...Asparagus with Ham and Eggs

so I'm not going to have time to add this to my menu this week...but I wanted to share with you a recipe that Erin enjoyed and I'm sure her family is eating this week with all their leftover Easter Eggs....

do you or your family have a special way to eat up your fridge full of hard boiled Easter Eggs?

Spring Break Project

need a little project to keep you going during Spring Break?
...
get a canvas (from Michael's, JoAnn's, or from a thrift store already painted on...up-cycle one!)

cover it with a paint color of your choice...

add another if you choose...

break out your fancy paper cutter (I have the Silhouette SD)...and have it cut out the words/design that you chose out of the paper that you choose.

okay, sorry not everyone has one...if not you can print out what you like off your computer, and then hand trace it onto the paper you want to use, and then cut it out by hand...(or have your wonderful in-laws buy you this for Christmas...I didn't even ask for one...and I LOVE it!)...

and then using Mod Podge...

decoupage your words onto your painted canvas...(lay your design/words out first to make sure you like the layout)

and just fyi...I know that this ends with a preposition but it's a definition, not a true sentence...and if you've read the dictionary lately (I do ALL the time!) you know that ending definitions with prepositions are the norm...maybe...not sure...just wanted to justify my sign!

a few other looks to inspire your creativity this spring break

panted the flower onto two canvas's and then decoupaged the butterfly and word onto them

loved the monkey one...sold to a friend Connie...

the "sweet pea" and vine are cut out using my silhouette and then I painted on flowers and swirls

I love this "all girl" one, with all the words describing a girl...maybe a certain girl that happens to live at my housel...this would be a fun one to customize for a child in your life, might even have them help you come up with descriptive words.

now go craft away your spring break!

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Can a Girl Have Too Many Purses?

Okay so I had two projects that I just NEEDED to finish today...
both were purses that I've been wanting to make...
Really, can a girl have make too many purses?

both seemed so simple...
too simple...
I was scared that the overly simple directions and my brain had turned a simple project into...
into...
well, a not.so.simple.project...

Project 1...turn a place-mat into a purse...
needed...
1 place-mat...like the one I found, a faux leather one
2 different types of ribbon
1 sewing machine
cut ribbon #1 the length you would like for handles-cut two of them
sew onto place-mat...
cut ribbon #2 the width of the place-mat to cover up the ends of the handle ribbons...
sew onto place-mat
turn place-mat inside out and sew up the sides...
turn back around and you  have your place-mat purse...


sorry that I have no pictures of the actual process, I just got so excited that it was really SOOOO very easy that I forgot to take pictures...I plan on making more of these so I will photograph the process next time...

Project #2... Up-cycle Pants Purse...
needed old pants
some extra biais tape
sewing machine

cut off legs of pants


keeping pants rightside out sew the bottom together-about a 1/2 seam, then turn the pants inside out and sew the bottom seam in about 1/2 an inch, this will give you a nice finished seam on the inside bottom of your purse.
sew handles using strips of fabric from the legs that you cut off, trim the edges with a fun color of bias tape.
sew handles onto top of pants/purse...

enjoy...

both of these projects took me less than an hour...they really were so simple...

I have an old jumper of Madison's that I want to try to make a purse for her out off...and now off to shop clearance for place-mats for cheap!...

Thursday, April 1, 2010

A Little Easter Surprise

Sometimes we plan things in our life...
and sometimes life plans things for us...

Well...life has thrown ChambersMade a little curve ball....

We were totally surprised...
...beyond surprised...

the ChambersMade household will be increasing next September...
we've waited to tell people because we wanted to wait to talk to the dr....
and I've had a hard time not telling because I want people praying for us since we were shocked to hear the news...

but as I have told my husband over and over...it just had to happen one more time since we do have such amazing DNA and our kids turn out so adorable!

this wasn't in our plans, but we will now plan for it and be thankful for all that God gives us...