Archives for 2009

C25K – Update at Week 4

December 31, 2009 by Amy 4 Comments

I haven’t posted too much here on my Couch to 5K progress. It basically goes Amy complains about running, she huffs and puffs and hurts through a run and then comes back, pats herself on the back by posting the completion on Facebook and then complains about how long the next run is. There has been absolutely nothing glamorous about it. I don’t enjoy it. I haven’t had any epiphanies. I still don’t like running. So there’s that.

There’s this little list in my C25K iPhone app and it has checkmarks up through Week 4, Day 2 and I can not make myself not check the next one off. But this week I’ve been very, very close to quitting. I posted on Twitter that Week 4 looked scary. And it was. I thought maybe it was my imagination. Maybe I hadn’t eaten enough. Maybe I had too many rest days in between because of the holidays. Because man, that was tough.

But I found out that most people quit in Week 4 or 5. After searching a bunch of the C25K forums, it turns out that a lot of people said just get through Week 4 and you’re good.

So this week for me isn’t just having fun with an iPhone app or trying out running. To me this week is do or die. Am I going to quit this C25K thing or feel like I’m going to die trying? Because you don’t put your body through what I’ve gone through the last two workouts just because you’re playing around.

Last night Melissa got me into her gym and she did the whole program with me. She even matched my cadence for some of the running and walked when I walked. Something that she, as a marathoner, really didn’t have to do. She doesn’t know it, but a lot of times when I’m at the gym and I just don’t think I can run anymore, I imagine her on the treadmill to my right. And Dad’s on my left. And even sometimes Melissa’s brother and sister join us. It sounds stupid but it helps to know there are others that have gone before me and were right where I was. And if they can run for miles without dying and even enjoying it, I can too. So last night when Melissa was actually running beside me, I can’t tell you how much it helped. At the end, I simply had to watch her run and somehow tell my body just to do the same thing because I couldn’t do it by myself.

As today is New Year’s Eve I feel it’s pretty appropriate for me to choose to go for it. Make it my goal to finish this thing. I should be done the first week of February. I have no idea if or when I’ll run a 5K. I’m honestly ok if I never do one but I don’t think Melissa is going to let me NOT do one.

I found this quote here and laughed so hard. It’s pretty much where I am with this whole thing.

"I run. At least, that’s what I am telling myself. It’s actually more of a "continued forward motion at a semi-consistent pace while praying I don’t die" kind of activity."

But that’s ok. I’m still going to check all the checkmarks, publish all the Facebook posts and hopefully by February continue in a forward motion at a semi-consistent pace while praying I don’t die for 30 minutes in a row.

A Story of the The Pioneer Woman’s Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes

December 29, 2009 by Amy 14 Comments

Now this a story all about how

my life got flipped turned upside down

and I’d like to take a minute

just sit right there

I’ll tell you how I…

oh wait, got carried away there.

I was starting to say this is a story about how I made my first meatloaf. But not just any meatloaf. P-Dub’s meatloaf. And not just meatloaf. P-Dub’s mashed potatoes too.

If I were really creative and hadn’t just spent 2.5 hours on dinner, I might tell this whole story to the tune of Fresh Prince instead of just the first sentence.

In Fort Mill, South Carolina born and raised

On the playground is where they spent most of their days

Chillin’ out maxin’ relaxin’ all cool

Man, I am so tempted.

Must.

stop.

Ok, really, here we go.

Poor Ree’s cookbook. I’ve owned it for weeks now and not one recipe had been tried. So two recipes were flagged with pretty bright Post-it flags and off to the store we went at lunch today.

The ingredients waited patiently whilst I finished work.

I really did call the girls in from chillaxin’ outside.

They were all excited at first but soon I was peeling potatoes on my own.

It wasn’t long before those 5lbs of potatoes were peeled and cut. They were set aside and awaited their boiling water bath.

Emma did sneak in when the parsley came out.

Did I mention I was wearing my cowboy boots for the occasion? I felt a little more ranch-y. Now I just need someone with some chaps. Anyone?

The meatloaf was easy to put together. Like super-duper easy. The mincing of the parsley was the hardest part. That is to say, not hard at all. Just dump everything in a bowl. And smush.

It ends up looking like this.

But then you realize P-Dub asks you to bake it on a broiling pan. Something you haven’t used in YEARS.

But don’t worry, family, it got cleaned and I lovingly shaped my first meatloaf. And don’t worry, I’m not pregnant. My apron just wasn’t tied tight enough.

Don’t get too excited and forget the bacon.

Ah, the bacon.

And the sauce.

The meatloaf was ready and I had a sudden need to take a picture of my dog.

She’s a little shy.

Or maybe terrified my camera was going to zap her into 2076. This is not new. We’re not really sure WHAT she is afraid of.

So then I decided to take a picture of the horses.

Much more compliant. Just…not. pretty.

And it was time to put the potatoes together.

Except I realized I now needed a potato masher. And I just knew I had it somewhere in there.

But it was not to be found. Of course! The one time I actually make potatoes, I can not find my masher. Thank goodness for forks! (Edward? Did someone mention Edward?)

We added in ALL THE FAT the potatoes called for and they got so thick I had to call for reinforcements.

Thank goodness for big strong men to stir your mashed potatoes. *ahem*

So we decided to do a quick taste test just to see how it was going.

And when the kids lick the bowl like it’s icing, you get a clue it’s on the right track.

And boy howdy, was it on the right track.

And then it was time.

The family gathered round.

Emma cleaned her plate.

(A still worried) Mattie finished cleaning a plate

Lexi begged me for more.*

*In full disclosure, she wasn’t begging for more

And we all called it full of win. The potatoes were creamy and smooth. The meatloaf was moist and savory. The bacon and red sauce were definitely the secret to the recipe. Who knew bacon would be good with meatloaf?

Looks like tomorrow will be full of win too! I’d suggest halving the potatoes unless you seriously have a ranch full of men to feed.

If there is a downside to this, it’s the time. From the time I peeled my first potato to the moment we sat down was 1 hr 45 min. Much longer than I’m used to. But Ree suggests making the potatoes ahead of time and you could possibly get this down to a little over an hour.

In all seriousness, I adore Ree’s blog and her cookbook. I only wish I could create such yummy recipes, beautiful photographs and lovely stories like her.

But for now, ‘yo homes smell ya later’.

Plans

December 27, 2009 by Amy Leave a Comment

I’ve spent a some of the last week continuing to think about the end of next year. For those not caught up, my contract is ending at work. I touched on my worry in this random post a few weeks ago.

In some ways, I’m happy for the opportunity to stay at home. If you’re one of the ones that has read here for years, you know wanting to stay at home full time is nothing new. You’d think I’d be excited about it. By this time next year Lexi will be in Kindergarten and I know after-school care is not the end of the world. But I’ve done the (in-home) day care thing and I’ve done the at-home (work at home) thing and bottom line is I want to be the one that takes them to school and picks them up. Not to mention what to do about summers. I don’t begrudge anyone that does it. I’m not one to compare. But for me, I just don’t want to work full-time out of the house.

However, I’m not opposed to the idea of working. In fact, part of my concern is not having a job. The security. The money. The pride (in a good way). The health insurance. The money. The friends. The time away. The money. The coding (HA). I do like my job. I like having a job. So that part of me wants to continue working. And did I mention the money?

Today’s sermon was about fear and how sometimes fear is an opportunity to have a close encounter with God. I’ve heard Beth Moore say just because something is hard doesn’t mean it’s wrong. So I know this transition will be different for me. And I know we have a lot of decisions to make. The important thing is to not let the worry in. Don’t let it take over. Look for God in the next year. Realize that this IS an invitation for a close encounter with Him. I just need to keep my eyes open, my ears listening and remember once again…

Jeremiah 29:11

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Romans 8:28

²⁸And we know that all things work together for good to those who love Him

Christmas 2009

December 26, 2009 by Amy Leave a Comment

Totes, do you need a model?

We had a lovely Christmas Eve/Christmas with our families. We spent Christmas Eve at Scott’s parents, Christmas morning at home and the afternoon at my parents.

I was worried this year Emma (and consequently Lexi) would figure everything about Santa out. But the only question she had regarding that on Christmas morning was whether Santa and the reindeer ate their cookies, milk and carrots. And indeed they did.

Note the paper that says “reindeer carrots”. Emma wrote Reindeer and Lexi carrots. They were worried they wouldn’t know what they were for.

Check the full album out here.

Back Door and More

December 26, 2009 by Amy 3 Comments

You may remember when I painted my back door black after being inspired by this post. One thing left to do was the lettering. Shelley from Wonderfully Wordy did the vinyl lettering for Just a Girl. Once on Shelley’s site I found lots of stuff I’d like to do. My plan was to do the numbers on the front door and the Welcome sign on the back. Well, the way my front door has 8 panels instead of 6, I wasn’t positive I’d like the spacing. So I ended up leaving the front door clear. And as much as I liked the numbers, I felt like a Welcome sign was more appropriate for us in our garage.

But of course I couldn’t just do that! When Sally visited our house, one thing she said we needed to do was group the frames in our hallway and add our name to the top. I loved these signs that Shelley had available.

We had a mix-up in my order and Shelley was fantastic and sent some extras with new shipment so I got this “Bubbles, steam, serenity” sign. I love it on my bathroom door as I see it behind me as I get ready and as well from my bed.

Shelley was fantastic to work with. She gave me all kinds of options and advice for what I ordered. The items were shipped promptly (and adorably). Her customer service when there was an issue was impeccable. Can’t recommend her enough! Go check her out!

Using Gmail’s Quick Links and Tasks

December 26, 2009 by Amy 1 Comment

This seems so random today but I’ve been wanting to do this post for a while. Anyway, hope it helps fellow Gmailers!

I love getting email, especially when it’s from an actual person! But if there’s one thing I love after reading them all is seeing my Inbox completely free and clear of any emails. Some of you may be wondering how I do it and sure that your box could never be empty. But if you have Gmail, I have two features I started to use this year that should make it quite possible.

I find that there are only two reasons that I keep an email in my inbox and not archiving it. One is because there is something I need to do and need the email as a reminder or need info from it and the second is if there are links/info I know I’ll need in the future or on a consistent basis. Tasks will solve the first and Quick Links the second.

Here’s how.

Quick Links

I love Quick Links. Basically these are bookmarks to an email. These are great for emails that you need to consistently open. For example, one of mine is Scott’s 2010 work schedule that I will refer to often throughout the year. Instead of keeping it cluttering my inbox, I created a Quick Link. It shows up in a list in the bottom left of Gmail.

When I click on it in my Quick Links list, the email pops right up. So it’s just as accessible as an email in my inbox. In fact, since you get to give it a customizable name, I’d say it’s even easier to find!

So how do you add a Quick Link?

Expand your Quick Links menu in Gmail (Plus sign to the left)
Open the email you want a quick link to
Click Add Quick Link on the bottom right of your Quick Links list
A dialog box will pop up with some weird name like “inbox/234234”. Just type in the name you want to see in your Quick Links list.
Click OK
Archive your email to clear it out of your inbox.

And voila! Your email is easier than ever to find and your inbox is one step closer to being clear!

Tasks

Tasks are great for quick hit things you need to do. Maybe a reply to someone that you need to take the time to do later. For me, I have a lot of reminders to myself to do a blog post. It may be an appointment or a request from someone to fax something. There are infinite possibilities here. But the difference between a quick link and task is the task can be checked off and when it’s done, you’ll never want to refer to that email again.

You can see my Task List on the bottom right of the screen shot above. To add an email as a task list:

Select the email in your inbox by either clicking the checkbox in Inbox or simply opening the email.
Click on More Actions in the top level Gmail menu bar.
Click on Add to Tasks.
Archive your email to clear it out of your inbox.

To see your Task List, click on Tasks in your left sidebar in Gmail. It should be right above your Quick Links. From the Task List, you can mark off the task by simply checking it off. There are lots more to Tasks as well. You can give yourself a due date, put it in a customized task list, make notes, delete it, all kinds of things!

I think you’ll find by using just these two features you can keep your Gmail Inbox free and clear of hundreds of emails!

He is Christ the Lord

December 25, 2009 by Amy Leave a Comment

Where He Just Was

December 24, 2009 by Amy 1 Comment

In Exodus 33 Moses asks to see God’s glory and God tells Moses that no one can see Him and live but that He will cover him with His hand, pass by him and then he will see His back parts.

Exodus 33:21-23 ²¹ Then the LORD said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. ²² When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. ²³ Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”

The twelve year old inside is snickering. But onward…on the way home from Maryland, Scott listened to Rob Bell’s Velvet Elvis. I read it I think a year or two ago now but I went ahead and listened for a few minutes. One thing I can not get off my mind that I don’t even remember reading the first time is his commentary on this verse. He was saying that some believe his “back parts” mean simply his back and yet others believe that he was saying the best we’ll ever see of Him is “where I just was”.

I can’t help but think that at some level that’s true. One thing that most believers agree is that we’ve never seen God (the Father). We don’t know what He looks like. Some argue whether He even has a body. We’ve never seen Him in action. In fact, in the moments that I’ve felt and known God to be God the very most, it’s where He just was. In my healing, He had already healed. In a perfectly timed letter, He had already worked the timing together. In my peace, He had already given it to me. In a word from Scripture, He had already led me to it and given me understanding. In a word through His Spirit, He had already spoken. In Christ’s birth, He had already fulfilled hundreds of prophecies. The very best we get right now is where He just was.

It makes me wonder that if where He was puts me in such a state of awe, what it will be like to see Him working all of it together before He works it together. How marvelous will it be to see how much He cares for us, how He works everything together for our good even before we realize it.

I’m thankful for Christ’s birth but mostly this year for pointing me to the Heavenly Father that loves me, is cheering for me, is in awe of me and is working everything together for my good. If Christ’s life is the perfect example for us, I am more convinced than ever that He has a plan for us. I may not be able to see His face but I know it’s there. We’re not here by accident. He’s thinking about us. He’s moving and shifting things for us. And when I see where He just was once more, I’ll be reminded I was covered by His hand.