Tyler and Molly

Couch to 5K = Finished….

2009-07-29T10:46:00.001-04:00

… but we’ve only just begun!

Tyler and I are proud to have finished this program (about 3 weeks ago) and we have each other to thank for it. We also appreciate the support from our families.

I think it’s safe to say we are joggers now. We run 30 minutes (3 miles) 3 times a week.

Our first “race” will be in August – A Midsummer Night’s Run 5K. I’ve heard it’s a great time! If you run and you have $20 to spare, I hope you sign up.

I’m including the entire 9 week plan below and I apologize for the poor formatting.

Week/Day

D1: Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

D2: Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

D3: Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

D1: Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

D2: Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

D3: Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

D1: Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following:

Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds)
Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds)
Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes)
Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)

D2: Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following:

Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds)
Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds)
Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes)
Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)

D3: Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following:

Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds)
Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds)
Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes)
Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)

D1: Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:

Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds)
Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
Walk 1/4 mile (or 2-1/2 minutes)
Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds)
Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)

D2: Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:

Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds)
Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
Walk 1/4 mile (or 2-1/2 minutes)
Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds)
Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)

D3: Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:

Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds)
Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
Walk 1/4 mile (or 2-1/2 minutes)
Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds)
Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)

D1: Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:

Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)

D2: Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:

Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes)
Walk 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes)

D3: Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog two miles (or 20 minutes) with no walking.

D1: Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:

Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes)
Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)

D2: Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:

Jog 1 mile (or 10 minutes)
Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
Jog 1 mile (or 10 minutes)

D3: Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2-1/4 miles (or 25 minutes) with no walking.

D1: Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.5 miles (or 25 minutes).

D2: Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.5 miles (or 25 minutes).

D3: Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.5 miles (or 25 minutes).

D1: Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.75 miles (or 28 minutes).

D2: Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.75 miles (or 28 minutes).

D3: Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.75 miles (or 28 minutes).

D1: Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 3 miles (or 30 minutes).

D2: Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 3 miles (or 30 minutes).

D3: The final workout! Congratulations! Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 3 miles (or 30 minutes).

C25K Update! YAY!!!!

2009-06-05T21:12:00.004-04:00

We are SO proud of ourselves for jogging for 20 straight minutes tonight!!!!!

Having just completed week 5 out of 9, we both can see the light at the end of the tunnel. We are beginning to envision ourselves as "runners". Isn't that strange?

I called my brother as soon as we got back to the house because I know he is rooting for us. He's a marathon runner and his confidence in us helps tremendously. Before we even started the program he said, "Molly, there is absolutely no reason why both of you can't finish this program." I trusted those words and with each workout they seem to be slowly coming true.

4 weeks left and I feel like we've already made it!

Let's see how we do with our 3 workouts this week while we're on vacation.... I hear running on the beach is hard..... : )

C25K Update

2009-05-29T10:34:00.001-04:00

Tyler and I can both run for 5 consecutive minutes without stopping!

Last night we finished week 4, day 2 (workout 11 of 27) and ran for a total of 16 minutes (jog 3, walk 1:30, jog 5, walk 2:30, repeat).

Tomorrow we’ll do the same workout again and be all set for week 5… According to the schedule, we’ll be running for 20 straight minutes one week from today! That’s amazing to me. I am confident that we can do this because I believe the set up of the program. I also feel like if I can do today’s workout, then I can do the next one. Tyler says he doesn’t understand that thinking, but it makes complete sense to me. haha

Surprise Back Yard Kittens!

2009-05-27T09:31:00.001-04:00

Tyler looked out the kitchen window this morning and gasped! What to his wandering eyes did appear? Surprise kittens!! haha

You can see Mommy cat's fur at the bottom of this one. She ran away... scaled the fence and everything. Do you think she'll come back? I put some food out for her.

The one on the far right jumped down just after that and two others followed suit.

I picked up the last one left. He/she is the runt of the litter.

What should I do with them? I kind of want to keep them all, but I don’t know. I’m not the cat lady. Anyone want a kitten?

C25K Week 2 and First Week of CSA

2009-05-15T09:31:00.001-04:00

“I love your cardiovascular system.”

Quick Update: Couch to 5K

Having finished Week 2, Day 2, I’m starting to understand why many people choose not to continue with this program. It’s not because the program is hard. It’s because running isn’t easy.

Last night’s run totaled up to 9 minutes of running interspersed with 12 minutes of walking. We were certainly able to complete that task, but it’s far from enjoyable. The feeling of accomplishment afterward is your reward. That’s why we’ll continue.

FYI: Don’t eat a dinner of all vegetables and no meat/protein before running. Your body will thank you for fueling it properly. :)

Vegetables? Yes, I picked up our first box of vegetables from Elmwood Stock Farm yesterday! As in previous posts, Community Supported Agriculture is something Tyler and I are very happy to be participating in for the 2nd consecutive year. Our first box contained: Asparagus, Dried Organic Black Turtle Beans, Organic Garlic Greens, Organic Overwintered Parsnips, Organic Overwintered Spinach, Organic Fresh Thyme. We also get a half dozen of Organic Brown Eggs. I fried up two of them this morning and they are yummy!

Here is a link to Elmwood’s blog: http://elmwoodstockfarm.blogspot.com/

C25K

2009-05-13T18:01:00.002-04:00

Athletes? Not us. Runners? Nope. Tired of being fat and lazy? Yes! haha

Tyler and I started this program last Monday, May 4th. We’ve completed 4 of the 27 total work-outs and we’re already very proud of ourselves. In a total of just 8 weeks, we should both be able to run for 30 minutes (or about 5k) without stopping to walk.

I believe we can do it. We have a goal of not only finishing this program, but continuing to jog afterwards. I’ll keep you posted as we go through the rest of this challenge.

There are several events coming up this summer in our area that we would like to see ourselves sign up for:

Bike Lexington: Imagine downtown free of cars for an entire day. You on your bike (or a rented one – I think they are free) and hundreds of others on two wheels enjoying the city with you. We did it 2 years ago kind of by accident – we thought we were just going downtown to the Farmer’s Market!

A Midsummer Night’s Run: Of course we haven’t done this one before, but many Lexingtonians participate each year. We did, however, walk in the Shamrock Shuffle this year! haha

Susan G. Komen Race of the Cure: If you’re a runner, you already know about all of these things. I wanted to post them just in case you haven’t heard. Perhaps this post will convince us to actually run in these races!

Some Near and Distant Family

2009-05-05T23:29:00.001-04:00

This is my Great Uncle Andy! I had a great time talking with him that day about all the good times and trips he had with my grandparents decades ago.

Perhaps the tree's nose itched.

Billy and Tandy acting silly : )

Roy G. Biv Shows His Face Brilliantly

2009-05-05T23:24:00.000-04:00

I think it's safe to say I had never seen a rainbow this big or vibrant before. Thanks, God!

Some Pepper Pix

2009-05-05T23:08:00.000-04:00

Chloe and Sophe smile for their daddy behind the camera.

There are two beautiful flower pictures taken by Sam as well.

Making Music

2009-05-05T22:58:00.001-04:00

Tyler and I got to go listen to Micah perform with the concert band. They had a pretty good sound. I really miss playing music, especially within a group like that. Maybe some day...

May Flowers 4

2009-05-05T22:49:00.001-04:00

Don't you love this clematis vine? It's so pretty up close. Sorry the pictures don't quite convey.

I thought I had killed this plant last fall because I started cutting "dead" parts off and the next day the whole thing looked dead. I think it was just finished for the season because it's obviously much better now!

I love these hostas! Something about their durability and color just amaze me.
The Birch tree and the poor irises. They lean over so far to find the sun that they fall over. Also there's bug starting to eat on them : (

Can you see the purple one?

May Flowers 3

2009-05-05T22:40:00.001-04:00

Japanese Cherry tree.

Bradford Pear tree.

Can anyone tell me what these glorious purple flowers are?

May Flowers 2

2009-05-05T22:33:00.001-04:00

Long John Silver keeps watch over our belongings in the garage. haha He's leftover from the old Long John Silver's restaurant.

This is a Clematis vine that I just love.

This is a lilac bush according to our landscaping map....?
Also there are some roses growing up the fence.

May Flowers

2009-05-05T22:05:00.002-04:00

Having bought our first house less than a year ago, we're slowly getting to know our first lawn. The family that lived in the house before us did a GREAT job picking out plants and landscaping. Our hope is to keep it up and enjoy it as much as possible. Here are some photos of the beautiful flora in our yard. I'm not sure what all of their names are, so please tell me if you recognize something.

This is my first attempt as potting a plant! haha I found the pot at Big Lots along with the soil. The plant itself was transplanted from a gift given to me last month when my grandmother passed away. I think this plant would do well indoors, but I'm terrified of what the cats would do to it and what soil would do to my carpet. Eeek!

Pictured here you'll notice Tyler mowing the yard with our rotary mower. The violet flowers are Phlox and I like that you see them from the road. They were even prettier last week before all the rain hit.

I don't have a clue what these white flowery bushes are, but they are all down one side of the house and I love them. There were some big orange/red tulips nearby, but I failed to photograph them before they died.

More pictures to come. Enjoy!

Many March Birthdays

2009-03-14T17:11:00.007-04:00

Birthdays!
In March we celebrated several of them: Chloe turned 5, Ben turned 6 (okay his birthday is in January, but we missed it so we celebrated by visiting him in March!) Tandy turned 26, Johnny turned 27 and both of Tyler's grandfathers: Elroy turned 82 and Alvia turned 99! Can you believe it?

Here are several pictures. You should be able to decipher them for yourselves. Chloe's party was in a gymnastics facility and her cake was Diego (from Dora the Explorer). We didn't get pictures of Alvia's party because a certain brother-in-law of mine refused to lend a hand. Maybe I can barrow someone else's pictures of the event.

I made one cake for Tandy and Johnny's little party and we went out to dinner at Rigatta.

Happy Birthday, All!

Happy Birthday, Lucas & Watch Out, Ichiban!

2009-02-01T21:31:00.004-05:00

We celebrated the 15th anniversary of Lucas' birth earlier this month by dining at a Chinese restaurant with the whole family. Lucas ate about 15 lbs of food. : )

Sometimes...... the cats are cute and lovely and warm and fuzzy and sweet. Most times not.

Tyler cooked for me the other night!!! He replicated food from Ichiban, our favorite Japanese restaurant in Bowling Green and everything turned out great! He even cleaned up the kitchen.

Yummmmmm! Thank you Tyler!

2009-02-01T21:18:00.007-05:00

A Short Trip to Las Vegas

2009-02-01T20:52:00.004-05:00

At the end of January I ventured across the country with Suellen and one of her piano students, Kiley, to Las Vegas to support Miss Kentucky, Emily Cox (Suellen's piano student since age 5) as she competed in the Miss America Pageant! We were there from Thursday through Sunday morning, so we missed preliminary competition earlier in the week including Emily performing her talent (piano). We were so hopeful we would get to see/hear her play in the main pageant (and on live TV!), but she was not chosen to do so. She made us all very proud however, by placing 12th over all out of 52. She also won the over all "Quality of Life" award for community service. Her platform is called "Uniquely Me" and Emily helps promote the development of self-esteem in young girls throughout Kentucky.

The trip seemed pretty rushed so I didn't get many pictures. I was very ready to return home to Tyler as we had never been apart for more than one night before.

Photos were not allowed to be taken during the pageants so I don't have many of Emily to share, but you can find lots of info on her at:

http://www.misskentuckypageant.com/

Our Miss America for 2009, Katie Stam of Indian, was our next choice besides Emily!

We're all so proud of you, Emily!

Our Merry Christmas

2008-12-26T23:45:00.010-05:00

Our third Christmas as a married couple is coming to a close. It's funny how some things are the same every year - the menu at Grandma and Grandpa's house, missing the comfort of our own bed, traveling back and forth between our two home towns multiple time (this year it was probably a record number of times with 5), packing the car like a game of Tetris (even more complicated when you can only put waterproof things in the trunk because it leaks and it rained SO much)... but some things change. The kids in our lives are all growing up! Tyler's brother Lucas spends most of his time on the phone with his first real girlfriend. Sophe and Chloe are starting to play better together. The Nintendo Wii was the big gift this year and all the kids are already sore from playing it so much.

This is our first full-sized Christmas tree! My brother Johnny helped us bring it home one blustery evening and he also helped to set it up. I compensated him with dinner. Our cats have thoroughly enjoyed the tree - their own personal jungle gym apparently. Maxwell poked his eye on a branch pretty badly the very first night it was up so I think he learned his lesson. But Edison. Edison has been a very naughty cat this year. He scaled the tree in about 5 seconds flat and perched on top for a while before he and his brother were shown their semi-permanent new home in the guest bedroom. I've really had to fight to keep this tree intact. After our New Year's Eve party, we'll let them destroy it.

Tyler's good friend Brandon is an avid fisherman who, in the off-season, crafts some incredible fishing lures. Tyler's grandfather has always enjoyed woodworking and handmade things so we commissioned Brandon to make one for him. Isn't it nice?

I love giving gifts! I always have one or two that I am especially proud of and this year's winner was for Tyler's mom. I put together a gift basket with some of her favorite types of items: apples, snowmen and even a nativity. I wish I could do something like this every year for everyone on my list. Coming in a close second on my favorite gift list would be some artwork I found for Tyler's sister Sophe's room.

At one of our family get-togethers, we played a fun game where each of us were to make a holiday item out of nothing but aluminum foil and Tyler's grandfather was to pick his favorite one. He chose Chloe's big candy cane and she won some chocolates. Like my cute little gift on the far right side of the pic? It was a creative, fun and inexpensive activity that each person seemed to enjoy. Next, we played Dirty Santa and I ended up with a 2-qt crockpot that I really wanted! Yay!

Lastly, Tyler's sisters and I made gingerbread Christmas trees! Although the kit was designed to make just one tree, there were two of each size cookie so we made two squatty trees instead of one big tree. Worked out well because sometimes there are sharing issues as you might imagine. I also enjoyed baking decorating sugar cookies with them.

We had a pretty great Christmas and we hope you did too!

Something to look at.

2008-10-02T17:27:00.002-04:00

Dirty Dishes

2008-08-20T09:46:00.003-04:00

I often complain that doing the dishes is my least favorite chore, especially in the summer. Who wants to have their hands in hot water when it's 80 degrees in the kitchen because the oven has been on? I just want to relax after cooking and eating - sit on the couch with Tyler and watch TV.

I've been doing a lot better about the dishes recently. I've decided to no longer consider leaving a sink full of dishes for tomorrow as an option and that has worked pretty well. Doing today's dishes today really does save a lot of trouble. A few minutes of chores here and there saves a lot of time and effort later. Such common sense, I know.

I found this Amish wisdom somewhere in the blogosphere this morning and it is most definitely worth sharing. For me, it's worth printing and hanging up near my kitchen sink. I hope it inspires and humbles you, too.

Dirty Dishes

Thank God for dirty dishes,
They have a tale to tell
While others may go hungry,
We're eating very well
With home, health, and happiness,
I shouldn't want to fuss
For by the stack of evidence,
God's been very good to us.

Searching for a Job

2008-08-12T08:07:00.002-04:00

Here's the rundown on what exactly has happened concerning my job search in the past couple months. Background: I just graduated with a B.S. in Family and Consumer Sciences from UK, I am provisionally certified as a Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE) meaning I have studied in 10 different areas of family life and after many, many hours of training (a job!), I will be a CFLE. My experience working with children and families recently is not all that much - I worked for the YMCA last semester in an after-school setting with 40 kids. I've observed in a local Montessori school and I LOVED it. If I could do anything right now, it would be Montessori! They next training planned for this school isn't until NEXT summer though. I'm on their list for possible part-time help though.

*Stars indicate clues that I should have picked up on*

A couple months ago, just after settling in to our new house and unpacking the last box, I got brave and began searching the news paper for possible jobs. Preschool teacher. I drove across town that same day hoping to simply check out the facility and possibly pick up an application if I liked what I saw. I ended up accepting the job! The staff were friendly and *most* everything seemed to be in order. They asked me to go ahead and complete the application there and while I was doing it, they informed me that the owner was on his way over to interview me! (I was not dressed or prepared to be interviewed, but hey, it's a preschool...) The owner was an 80 or so year old man who started the facility over 30 years ago. He led me around and explained what a day was like there and he was obviously very interested in me. Back in his office, after *reviewing my application momentarily* and briefly discussing my pay, he offered me the job - teacher in the 4-year-old class. The part of me that was scared that I couldn't find a better job took over and I agreed to take the job. I figured in the 2.5 hours spent there, that I had seen enough to know I could function there. When I got in my car is thought, "What did I do?" I called Tyler realizing that a good wife would have waited to make the final decision until AFTER discussing it with her husband! Tyler was surprised and excited for me. I was set to start work in about a month.

The week before I was to start, I received a text message from a friend I graduated with asking if I was going to start working there. Apparently she had seen my name on a list of teachers and she was making sure it was me. I was excited to know someone working there and it reassured me that the place was a good enough place to work. I asked my friend to call me back when she had more time to talk about it and let me know all she knew about the place. She never called me back (either because she was too busy, or *because she didn't want to burst my bubble*).

First day. I reported to work last Monday at 8:30am and it seemed that I was just randomly put into a room (one that needed extra help, not one where I would receive good training!) It was the room that I was supposed to start teaching in the following week as the new school year started, but after about an hour in there a few things started to become clear:

*No one was in charge of this classroom. There were 17 4 year olds basically running wild - wrestling, kicking, hitting, crying....

*The other employee could only control the students a LITTLE better than me. (It's no surprise - I don't have a very authoritative presence!)

*The activities were only *loosely planned out*. 4 year olds need something to do constantly and with proper instruction to stay out of trouble. Not knowing the ins and outs of what there was to do or where to do it, I was basically helpless.

*I discovered the other teacher was only part time! After her one hour break, she returned for a little while, then left at 2:30pm! So after she left, in came a "floater" (couldn't they come up with a better word for this?). This girl proceed to YELL at the students in an effort to control their actions. It was nap time and if a student was not being still and quiet, she should YELL things to them like, "SERIOUSLY? WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" This is no way to treat a child... I found out this "floater" was a college student who had been working at the facility for only 2 weeks. I don't know what her major was or her background with kids, but for some reason she thinks YELLING and basically belittling is the best way to control children. She would not allow them to visit the potty during nap time and, if they were not being still and quiet, she would make them stand up beside their cot as punishment or she would take their blanket away (How can you expect a child to fall asleep standing up or without a blanket???????) Not surprisingly, two students wet their pants during nap time because they were too scared to ask to go potty! I felt SO bad for them!

Enough complaining about the first day. Although it was rough both for me and the students, I just chalked it up to me being new and them being given so many different teachers that they didn't know who to listen to.

I'm getting lost as I try to write exactly what this experience was like and that's exactly what I felt like while I was there - lost.

Day two: No better. Even less organized. Even more timeouts and incident reports (no major injuries thankfully!) and even more disappointment in the facility. Not to mention it took me over an hour to get home because of a wreck. My best friend called me on my way home and after telling her about the trauma of the past two days, she convinced me that it was completely OK for me to quit. I trust every word she says. When I got home, I talked it over with Tyler and I immediately made a call to that Montessori school I'm so interested in. The principal wanted my resume and information ASAP so I e-mailed them to her. They following morning, I called the school and made arrangements to meet with someone and discuss my quiting. Surprisingly, I was not that nervous or upset about the meeting itself because I was so sure about the decision. It made sense for me to go ahead and quit and not wait until the new school year started. The hardest part was feeling like I was leaving the kids - like so many other teachers they have had leave during the past year. Good thing they have since moved on to the next classroom with new teachers and hopefully more control. I started crying a little when I was talking to the office employee about how great the kids were.... She was COMPLETELY understanding. And she was even interested to know more about the Montessori style because I used it to help explain my style of teaching and learning. We agreed I would finish out the week which gave me a grand total of 4 days working there.

This goes on my list of jobs held for less than a week: Baskin Robbins - 2 days, preschool - 4 days. Tyler says it's not a trend because you have to have 3 events to call it a trend! haha

I was so thankful they didn't have me give 2 weeks notice. Something I should have mentioned earlier - the girl I graduated with that worked at the school put her 2 weeks notice in the day before I quit. This also helped me to know it was OK for me to not continue working there. I have yet to hear the entire story from her, but she said there were "just some crazy things going on".

I should mention this about this place: It IS an OK place for children to be. I saw no signs of mistreatment aside from the YELLING. I did not spend time in other classrooms, but I saw enough to know that other classes do have things more under control. Would I send my children to this school? ABSOLUTELY NOT. Just because they might put my child with people that are ill-equipped (people like me or people that use YELLING and INTIMIDATION as their main tools). Untrained people.

Leaving the campus on my last day of work was one of the best feelings. I was free. I hate the feeling if being a "quiter", but it had to be done. I've learned many things from this experience. All the *CLUES* I should have noticed will help me make better decisions about jobs in the future. I have even more respect now for teachers, especially those who are made to teach too many children. They deserve less students and MUCH more money.

I am hesitant to take another job. I certainly won't without doing more research about the facility and the position. I am thankful for this experience and most thankful that it is over.

Thanks to those who took the time to read all of this!

Kittens!

2008-06-30T09:53:00.008-04:00

Tyler's family had two litters of kittens in their backyard recently and were happy to share them with us. Tyler's is the white and orange one and mine is the grayish one. We've yet to name them. Any suggestions?

Birthday Celebration!

2008-06-30T09:44:00.008-04:00

These are just some pictures from Tyler's Mom's 50th birthday weekend. She had a surprise party at the end of VBS and Tyler and I were able to surprise her by being there the day before she expected us. The next day we all went to see the Stephen Foster Story which is celebrating it's 50th anniversary this year. We also went to the Stephen Foster Restaurant which was yummy!

We've Moved to Our First House!

2008-06-30T09:38:00.006-04:00

So the move is complete and we're very happy with our first house! It's been a lot of fun having new things like a garage, a yard, and a kitchen table! The neighbors are very nice too. We just need a bit more furniture before we can have people spend the night with us, but feel free to come visit when ever you can!

Weekend in C-ville

2008-06-30T09:33:00.004-04:00

Tyler and I visited in C-ville a couple weeks ago to see Suellen for her birthday. Here are just a few pictures of the kids doing what they do best - playing.

Jumping Peppers

2008-06-09T12:43:00.009-04:00

~Jumping Peppers~

New Kitties to go in Our New House!

2008-06-09T12:38:00.005-04:00

Here you see one of two Mama cats from the Pepper's backyard. She has four kittens and Tyler and I are planning to keep two of them as pets in our new house in a couple of weeks. I thought the picture was cute to share. Tyler wants the orange and white one, but I haven't made up my mind which one I want. Very hard choice! Any suggestions on names?

New York Deli-Style Mac & Cheese

2008-06-09T12:30:00.003-04:00

Yet another meal brought to you by Rachael Ray:
New York Deli-Style Mac & Cheese

I just used regular elbow pasta and the recipe turned out really well. Also, I used turkey pastrami (Don't tell Tyler! : ) Sometimes what you don't know can help you. ) You might consider dividing this in half before cooking and freezing half for another time. I wished I had because we ate this for about 5 meals in one week!

Our Double Graduation Celebration in Hodgenville

2008-06-09T10:36:00.010-04:00

Tyler's family threw us a nice double graduation party over the weekend and we enjoyed spending time with family very much.

These are the gifts we received at the party as well as a nice Home Depot gift card and money. Thank you all very much!

A Big Weekend!

2008-06-09T10:19:00.013-04:00

We celebrated Tyler's 23rd birthday on Friday with cinnamon rolls, pizza and paddle boats!

Cinnamon rolls at Home: $3.00

Pizza at Mellow Mushroom: $12.00

Paddle Boats at Jacobson Park: $12.00 ($3.00/person/half hour) We highly recommend that you go out to Jacobson Park off of Richmond road and take a paddle! We had a lot of fun.

Imperfect and Wonderful Creations

2008-05-27T18:06:00.008-04:00

Today in our basket of produce from Elmwood Farms we found a quart of organic strawberries! I love strawberries and I have considered them to be my favorite food for as long as I can remember. This post is a tribute not only to strawberries, but to abnormal strawberries. I picked out the odd ones for you to see. I hope they don't mind being made fun of because Tyler and I had a good time laughing at them.

Today we also bought a half dozen organic eggs! I'm excited about these because I've never had such a fresh egg. Notice the variations in size and color. I think they are beautiful and I encourage anyone who reads this to branch out from your usual Super Mega Mart and find some good-for-you and good-for-the-Earth food elsewhere.

Enchil-lasagna

2008-05-23T10:06:00.005-04:00

Another Rachael Ray recipe from her new cookbook YUM-O puts a Mexican spin on lasagna. If you ask me, it's more like Shepherd's Pie than anything. It's made with turkey meatloaf and gravy leftover from the previous night's meal. Salsa verde is the only spicy component, but it does a good job of bringing out flavor. Add come Cholula Hot Sauce for more of a kick.

Check our RachelRay.com and simply search for the recipe.

Thin and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

2008-05-23T09:53:00.005-04:00

I borrowed this recipe from one of my favorite blogs to read - Like Merchant Ships.
The author suggests using these cookies in gift baskets because they stand up better than thicker, more crumbly cookies. Amazingly enough, the only real difference between regular chocolate chip cookies and these - melted butter instead of softened or cold butter. I doubled the recipe and it made LOTS of cookies. Make sure you don't make them too big. The smaller they are, the more you can have! Right? Here's the recipe:

1 stick butter, melted
1 egg
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups unbleached flour
6 oz. semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat melted butter and egg, add sugars and mix well. Stir in vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Mix with flour and chips.

Place 1-inch balls of dough at least 2 inches apart on greased pans. Bake 10 minutes. Cool on cookie sheet. Cookies will continue to crisp out of the oven, yet they remain deliciously thin and chewy.

Prayers for the Chapman Family

2008-05-22T09:29:00.005-04:00

Yesterday the family of Steven Curtis Chapman encountered tragedy. Their 5 year old daughter, Maria Sue, was accidentally struck by an SUV and she later died from her injuries. Such a terrible incident brings much sadness to me so I can't imagine what they are going through at this time. I'm posting this news only in an effort to make people aware. I'm asking anyone who reads this to do two things:

Pray for healing, understanding, and forgiveness for this family.

Demonstrate extreme caution in your own driving. Although accidents do happen, they can be avoided sometimes with proper precautions.

One thing we know. God's plan is a perfect plan. Although we are not capable of understanding it sometimes, we know that all things work together for His glory. I do not doubt that this experience will strengthen the Chapman family and even bring them closer to God.

My prayers are with them and all people who know and love this family.

Something New - Community Supported Agriculture

2008-05-13T10:28:00.008-04:00

Today is the first day Tyler and I have picked up locally grown vegetables from an organization we joined called Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). The food is grown in Georgetown, KY by Elmwood Stock Farm and they set up at farmer's markets around town. Today in our basket we got Asparagus, Organic Salad Mix, Organic Garlic Greens and Organic Radishes.

This picture is just one I borrowed from their website as an indication of what we have to look forward to. I'm open for suggestions as far as how to cook these vegetables and for good recipes. Especially for asparagus - I want to learn to like it!

The season is still early, but I think we have a lot to look forward to in the coming weeks.

I finally graduated college!

2008-05-13T09:18:00.004-04:00

After 5 years, I've finally completed my Bachelor's Degree! I now have a degree in Family and Consumer Sciences from the University of Kentucky. We didn't make a big deal out of graduation. The ceremony was at 8:30 AM on a Sunday morning and we didn't want to have everyone come up just for that. Instead, we plan to have everyone (friends and family) up for visits/housewarming parties after we move to our house. Only 38 more days! We couldn't be more excited about that!!!

I borrowed Johnny's old cap and gown for pictures!
: )

Thank you to everyone who helped me get through college!

Now, if I can just find a job....

Greek Beef Tenderloin in Togas

2008-05-12T19:24:00.006-04:00

I recently saw Rachel Ray prepare this recipe on her show and I was up to the challenge. It was worth it. Of course, you can't go wrong with filet mignon! Try it out if you'd like.

5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), divided, plus some for drizzling
6 beef tenderloin medallions, at room temperature (4-6 ounces each, no more than 1 1/2-inches thick)
Salt and pepper
1 small-medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
1 pound spinach, woody stems removed, chopped
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
3/4 cup feta cheese crumbles
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 package store-bought phyllo dough (minimum of 24 sheets)
1/2 stick butter, melted

Preparation

Pre-heat the oven to 425ºF.

Place a large, stainless steel skillet over high heat. Drizzle the EVOO sparingly over the room temperature beef medallions and season them with salt and pepper. Sear them in the pan until golden brown, about 1-2 minutes for the tops and bottoms plus another minute for the sides. Reserve the seared meat on a plate and place the skillet back on the heat.

Reduce the pan heat a bit. Give the skillet a turn of the pan with EVOO, about 1 tablespoon, then add in the onion and garlic. Cook the onion until tender, 5-6 minutes, then add in the spinach. Toss the spinach with a pair of tongs until it wilts down, 3 minutes, then season with nutmeg, salt and pepper. Remove the greens from the heat and reserve.

In food processor, combine the feta cheese, milk and the oregano and give it a zap to puree smooth. Reserve the mixture.

Lay down a sheet of phyllo dough, dot it with melted butter and lay another sheet of phyllo on top of the first one, rotated a little on either side. The corners should not line up. Each toga wrap should start out resembling a star pattern, layering multiple sheets, each askew from the last, using four layers per toga.

When the meat is back to room temperature and you can handle it, place the beef medallions on the phyllo togas. Top with generous spoonfuls of the cheese mixture, followed by the spinach. Brush the very edges of the phyllo dough with melted butter, then gather them up and wrap the dough sheets around the meat, pinching them together at the center. Transfer the toga-wrapped beef medallions to a baking sheet, then pop them into the oven and bake them until the dough is golden brown, 12-15 minutes.

Serve the toga-wrapped beef medallions with a side of orzo or rice or anything else you think sounds good. Enjoy!

Our First House!!!!!!!!!!

2008-03-13T14:44:00.005-04:00

This is our house! It doesn't look like much from the outside, but we LOVE it!

The house is 3 1/2 years old and has been occupied by just one family. It has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. The neighborhood has a paved walking track and is located just across the road from a nice, large park - with horses! : )

2008-03-13T14:41:00.003-04:00

This is the sun room that leads into the den or out through French doors to the deck. We LOVE this room!

2008-03-13T14:36:00.008-04:00

This is the front (smallest) bedroom that will likely be used as an office/study.

There is another (larger) bedroom but we have no pictures of it.

Notice the nice plant shelf.

2008-03-13T14:35:00.000-04:00

This is another view of the study/office.

2008-03-13T14:31:00.011-04:00

The Master bedroom is larger than it appears in the picture and there are three windows on the right side.

Walk-in closet and master bathroom are on the left side. There is also a nice ceiling fan and a high ceiling.

2008-03-13T14:30:00.003-04:00

This view of the Master bedroom shows the beautiful faux fireplace handcrafted by the original owner.

We get to keep it with the decorative candle panel in front of it!

The view overlooks the deck and backyard.

2008-03-13T14:29:00.004-04:00

Our petite, yet highly functional kitchen.

Notice the nice flooring.

The matching dishwasher is to the right of the sink.

There is a window to the backyard over the sink.

2008-03-13T14:25:00.012-04:00

The dining area is located between the den and the sun room and behind the camera person is the kitchen.

Notice the cute little shelf under the window. There are several of these.

2008-03-13T14:24:00.005-04:00

Notice the nice architectural detail! : )

We really like all the paint colors in the house so we won't be having to paint anything.

2008-03-13T14:23:00.006-04:00

This is the den.

Hopefully we'll get to keep the decorative trellis and maybe we'll even get a piano of our own.

To the right is the hallway to the bedrooms, utility room and garage.

2008-03-13T14:22:00.000-04:00

More beautiful landscaping in the backyard!

2008-03-13T14:21:00.005-04:00

Our beautiful deck!

2008-03-13T14:18:00.004-04:00

This just shows some of the lovely landscaping in the backyard as well as our nice fence.

The window is in the sun room off of the den.

2008-03-13T09:52:00.007-04:00

This is a picture of the backyard and play set!

How exciting is that?!

Dreams (cont'd)

2007-10-24T17:51:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure what has been going on lately. It's not something I've been eating or drinking before bed, so don't tell me thats what it is... I guess it's just stress, but last night I dreamed about the old apartment and my old roommates. Of course, they still live right across the street and I talk to Tyler about every day, so not reminiscent, but still this dream was weird.

Their landlord recently sold the apartment to another guy, in real life, ask them about it, it's sort of a funny story. But in my dream this new landlord decided that the property was more suited to a nice restaurant than apartments. Without notice, the roommates come home to find this huge steel gate across the entrance, barring them from getting in. So, all four of the guys come to my apartment and crash with all the stuff that isn't left in the apartment. This isn't a good predicament. Meanwhile, the apartment is not torn down, but gutted and by the next time I see the place, there are couples that I can see sitting at fancy tables drinking their wine.

While not as funny in retelling as it was when I woke up this morning, I still wonder whats making me remember these weird dreams.

Dreaming of Jurassic Park

2007-10-23T21:40:00.000-04:00

Just call me Booney, I swear, he used to dream about Jurassic Park every other night. Well, I'm in the club now. There's nothing else like waking up realizing you were just hiding from velociraptors in an abandoned warehouse where the air handlers have malfunctioned making it 100+ degrees and 70% humidity. Somewhere between rappelling down the catwalks and running down the crate filled corridors I thought about the absurdity of these giant beasts tracking me down. I wish they would have an existential meltdown and just disappear.

Booney, I hope you read this because we're now partners in dream, next time you should be my companion and bring something good to the dinosaur hunting party in the next dream. Something other than the flashlights that I had to defend myself with last night.

Finally Apprehended

2007-10-12T15:26:00.000-04:00

Hot off the presses:
Carmen Sandiago was finally apprehended today in an airport. You can finally put away your 386s and EGA monitors - it's safe to travel the US, world, and time now.

...my secondest post ever!

I love my dress!

2007-10-10T22:12:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to pause and take a moment to
remember the wonderful dress I only got to wear once.
*tear*

Lonely.

2007-10-10T21:55:00.001-04:00

What is it like to be the last leaf on top of a tree? The world may never know.

Yes, this is exactly what it looks like.

2007-10-10T21:48:00.001-04:00

This is Tyler back in June on his birthday at Krispy Kreme. I took him there before church for some sugar and caffeine. Think he liked it? Yes, we both did. He also brought along his DS and played it for a while. Such a kid! : )

Cornbiscuit!

2007-10-10T21:40:00.001-04:00

Instructions on having the best of both worlds when dining at Cracker Barrel:

Divide warm, flaky biscuit in half
Divide warm, crumbly corn muffin in half.
Generously spread REAL butter atop each half.
Place one corn muffin half atop one biscuit half.
Devour.
Repeat

Zelda - Phantom Hourglass for DS

2007-10-10T21:31:00.001-04:00

I'm very excited to say that I've been spending precious study/homework/house cleaning hours playing this new game that Tyler so graciously bought me for my birthday (which is in like two more weeks)! There's nothing like taking a break from studying/not studying to play a game that actually engages your mind instead of just vegging out in front of the TV. We're having trouble catching up with the DVR recently - too much on it to watch!

Art and Gravity

2007-10-09T15:02:00.001-04:00

See this lovely piece of work? It's a lot bigger than it appears to be in the picture. Tyler and I were taking a nap on Sunday afternoon and we were suddenly awakened by this huge CRASH/BANG sound. We both sat straight up in a panic and looked around the room to see what had happened. Of course the picture was right behind our heads, so it took a while to realize that it had decided to fall to the ground between the bed and the wall. Amazingly enough, the glass did not shatter. And I believe the frame is repairable. We'll see. We did manage to complete our nap after that, but it was so scary! We're also very thankful that the picture did not fall on our heads. I wonder why it decided to fall after remaining secure on our wall for almost exactly one year. And also, why did it have to happen while we were in the bed sound asleep? The world may never know.

2007-10-02T21:24:00.001-04:00

Finally sold my car today! Thought it would never happen. I was set to sell it early last week but when the buyer and I walked out to the car (after he had driven an hour to get here) I quickly noticed something wasn't right. The driver's side mirror had been bashed in! Who done it? We're pretty sure who did it, but we have no proof. SO. We ordered some parts, shelled out $250 and got the thing fixed. I even filled up the tank with gas and washed the thing in an effort to apologize to the buyer for making the trip in vain the first time. I am very glad that he was so nice about it all and he completely realized that none of it was my fault. Oh, and by the way, the parts we ordered were in yesterday, but the new mirror did not come painted like it was supposed to so that cost us an extra day and me a extra trip down to the auto body place. Exciting, I know! I know it felt very good to take that check to the bank though.
Pizza, cookies and a long stay at the gym made my day lots better.

Spanish Potato Omelet

2007-09-27T18:19:00.001-04:00

Upon the recommendation of a good friend, I attempted to make this Spanish potato omelet. It consists of nothing but potatoes, eggs and onions and is supposed to resemble a pie. It wasn't bad, but I don't think the recipe I used was very authentic. What do you think? Oh yeah and it took FOREVER to make - like 3 hours total.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Pancake

2007-09-26T08:35:00.001-04:00

I know this is unbelievable, but maybe I DO have some special talent!

Fun for me

2007-09-25T09:03:00.000-04:00

I think that our blog needs a little bit more of me on it. Specifically, some more of the nerdiness that I could provide. So, here we go: these are not my hands, these are Tyler W's. And what he is doing with them is playing Space Invaders. But my computer is not involved even if it looks like it. I've simulated the original arcade game in the big circuit board that you can see in the bottom left corner. It's called an FPGA and basically its a big board that can be programmed to do whatever you like, or whatever I like maybe.

I think that if I keep posting here I can offset whatever straight up cutesy stuff that Molly can post. So this may be interesting as to which of us takes over this site.

2007-09-24T22:04:00.001-04:00

You just don't know how excited we are about this Thursday night! 9pm on NBC. Will you be there? Absolutely I will!

Tyler and I tend to recognize good TV when we see it. The Office has always been our favorite show by far. In case you're interested, other quality TV includes and is generally limited to: My Name is Earl, ER, Scrubs, Good Eats, Feasting on Asphalt, Dirty Jobs, Myth Busters, Family Guy, The Simpsons... that's pretty much it. Maybe Chuck will be good too - we're attempting to find out right now!

P.S. - I'm really not THAT crazed about TV. If you'd just watch some episodes of The Office, you'd understand.

Artist: daphnemoon Image source

2007-09-24T21:53:00.000-04:00

Luscious Four-Layer Pumpkin Cake

I have to wait over a month to eat this cake! It's being made for my birthday on October 29 and that's SOOOO far away! I'm seriously considering making it myself... maybe.... tomorrow! No one would have to know! 5760. That's how many calories are in the entire cake. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. Torturous!
(Source: www.kraftfoods.com)

Inaugural blog!

2007-09-24T15:50:00.000-04:00

I wonder if a blog has to have a flow to it. It's hard to write something not knowing precisely who my audience is. Hmm. Let's see what happens. I'm trying to use up food in our pantry instead of going out to buy more food. Sounds like an easy thing to do, doesn't it? Not so much. Everything in there requires something else and can only be made if that something else is in stock. If I wasn't afraid of wasting food and money, I'd be concocting some interesting foods. 16 bean soup is pretty interesting. The beans were well over a year old (I had them back on Leisure Creek before Tyler and I got married!) and they were begging to be cooked. So, beans and cornbread for dinner.

Today has been a strange day. Things have been happening that most other people would let ruin their day. I got up early this morning to meet a nice man who planned to buy my car today. We walked casually to the car and that's when I spotted it - the driver's side mirror had been bashed in! We think it happened when some people that live in our building and their friends decided to get inebriated this weekend. That's $200 out of my pocket and I'm not happy about it! The "For Sale" signs were still in the windows so the culprit could easily have contacted me... but no. More than that though, the man that wanted to buy the car had someone drive him to Lexington from an hour away. I feel like I wasted their time even though the circumstances are beyond my control. At least they were both very nice about it. Give me a week and the car should be in better condition than it was before - we're ordering the new mirror AND a piece of trim that was MIA.

I talked to the landlord today and he's very interested to know who is littering up our parking lot and being disruptive (the people who messed up my car). I think he found out and MAYBE I'll see some money out of this! Not likely though.

Enough for now. Time to go to diversity class!