Pete was an awesome husband and threw me a surprise party for my 40th.
I had no idea. It was a Thursday night. Genius.
Complete with fabulous 40 party decorations!
I was amazed by all the friends and family who were there.
Fabulous Forty. Looking forward to the next 40!
Me and my mama!
Good friends!
Good food!
Good family!
Thank you for all the wonderful gifts!
Lydia told me I didn't have to sing "Happy Birthday" because it was MY birthday.
She was so excited to help me blow out the candles and even waited for me to start blowing first.
Thank you all for the great birthday celebration! You all are part of the reason I don't mind turning 40. You help make my life wonderful and exciting.
(A) Age: 39 (B) Bed Size: queen (C) Chore You Really Dislike: unloading the dishwasher (D) Dogs – none at the moment but perhaps again one day... (E) Essential Start Your Day Item: my wee hour workout (F) Favorite Color: red (G) Gold or Silver? silver (H) Height: 5'3 1/2" (I) Instruments You Play: nada~ I pretended to play the flute and piano as a kid but I was never really good, so I never got past a year of lessons. I couldn't read the sheet music. (J) Job Title: special education teacher (K) Kids: two very cute ones (L) Live: live your life to the fullest (M) Mom’s Name: Cheryl (N) Nicknames: I'm not sure what people call me when I'm not around, but to my face it's usually Carrie. (O) Overnight Hospital Stays? having my babies (P) Pet Peeve: People who have the ability, yet don't use it. (Q) Quote: Attitude is not a feeling. Attitude is a choice. (R) Right or Left Handed? right (S) Siblings: older sister, younger brother (T) Time You Wake Up? 4am for a coffee and a run or some sort of workout. A couple hours later on the weekend. (U) Underwear: none of your business (V) Vegetable You Dislike: I'm not a fan of cooked spinach, but raw is delicious! (W) What Makes You Run Late: Everything. Being on time is unusual. (X) X-Rays: most recently my leg at the orthopedist...for what ended up being the calf strain. (Y) Yummy Food You Make: lasagna, but my husband makes me believe everything I cook is top notch. (Z) Zoo, Favorite Animal: elephant
"The only things in this life that you really regret are the risks you didn't take. And God knows if you see a chance to be happy, you grab it with both hands and to hell with the consequences."
~Grumpy Old Men~
I just can’t seem to find the time to blog…life is full and I have no complaints. The big 4-0 is rounding the corner. Just seven days left of my thirties and I’m on to a new decade. It’s time to up the face cream ante and grab life by the horns. My mom asked me if I had a problem turning forty, and outside of the occasional deep wrinkle that glares back at me, I have no qualms of moving into the next era of my life. I’m in a good place with a wonderful husband, two beautiful children, a nice home, good friends and a career that I enjoy. My cup is full.
However, turning forty makes me want to take on a new challenge. My last personal challenge was over ten years ago, when I walked the Boston 3-Day Breast Cancer Walk, totaling 60-miles. My cousin couldn’t do it with me so I had to make the decision to bow out or to do it alone. Being a person who wouldn’t even go to the movies alone, it was a big deal to go to Boston and spend three days walking with strangers; but I did it and I’ve added it to the top best things that happened in my life. Now it’s time to add to that list again and this year, I’m adding the marathon to my list. I signed up for the Empire State Inaugural Marathon this coming October, and just yesterday, I signed up for a marathon training program that starts in May. If I’m going to do it, I want to do it right, with smart training.
I just recently ran the hilly 4-mile Shamrock Run with my friend Emily. I have, or dare I say, HAD, some racing anxiety, so Emily coached me through the race. I was fine, no anxiety! Gladly, I signed myself up for my next race in May, the 10-mile Mountain Goat, another hilly course, but I’m ready to take it on. That training will land me in a perfect spot for the marathon training program that will begin two weeks later.
The kids are doing well. Lydia just had a 5th birthday party, which she was super excited about. Turning five was a BIG deal for her. She is a big kid now, so she says. We had a Fancy Nancy Tea Party theme at Shades of Orange Art Studio for Kids. It turned out to be a great party. Jonathan is moving right into toddlerhood and his personality is starting to shine. His first official word was “poopa” and his first sentence was, “I did it!” Recently he has taken to the ball and I think he thinks he is going to be a basketball star. I can’t keep him away from the basketball nets at the bounce place we go to. I’m pretty sure that height will not be on his side for his future in basketball. He does have a great two hand overhead throw, so maybe he can bring that into a career in soccer. His dad was quick on the soccer field so maybe he’ll inherit some of that gene.
Wow. I didn't realize I haven't posted in so long. I'll get back with an update soon. In the meantime I thought this needed to be posted in honor of the month of February.
1 1/2 cups Hummingbird Ridge Pordevino, Reserve Red, or Hummingbird Red
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup dark chocolate chips (melted)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325º F.
2. Line 2 cupcake pans. (Tip: After you line the pans, spray the liners with some non-stick spray. It will keep the cupcakes from sticking to the paper.
3. In a large mixing bowl sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder. Mix everything so that it is evenly distributed.
4. Make a “well” in the center of the dry ingredients.
5. Into the well, pour in the wine, vanilla, oil and eggs.
6. Mix on low speed until combined and lump free.
7. Pour in the melted chocolate chips and mix until thoroughly combined.
8. Fill lined cupcake pan. Fill each liner to the top.
9. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. The cupcakes will puff quite a bit, and when done should be slightly firm to the touch, but be able to spring back.
10. Let cool slightly before dipping in chocolate wine topping.
Chocolate Wine topping
This makes a lot, but the leftovers can be used as a topping for ice cream and other sweet treats.
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips
1 14oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup red wine (same as used in the cupcakes)
1/2 cup karo syrup
4 tsp balsamic vinegar
Directions
1. Microwave everything in a microwave safe bowl for two minutes.
2. Remove from microwave, carefully, and stir until smooth and shiny.
3. Let cool, and dip cupcake tops into the chocolate.
4. Repeat after they have set up a bit
When pairing wine with chocolate, typically the wine should be at least as sweet, if not a touch sweeter, than the chocolate you are serving. Otherwise, the taste may quickly veer towards bitter or sour.
When pairing wines with chocolate, your best bet is to match lighter, more elegant flavored chocolates with lighter-bodied wines; likewise, the stronger the chocolate, the more full-bodied the wine should be.
Similar to a “formal” wine tasting, if you will be experimenting with several varieties of chocolates, work from light to dark. Start with a more subtle white chocolate and end on a dark or bittersweet chocolate.
White chocolate tends to be more sweet, mellow and buttery in flavor and generally pairs well with sweet white wines. Milk Chocolate generally pairs well with semi-dry reds and some whites, and Dark chocolate generally pairs well with Dry reds and Port wines. These are just general suggestions. Dare to be bold and experiment. You will find that the perfect wine and chocolate pairings bring out the best in both the wine and the chocolate!
We took the kids to see Disney on Ice (Princess Classics) last weekend. We weren't going to and then Pete decided that we should. Lydia kept asking to go and we told her no, so we kept it as a surprise that we were going. She didn't know until she walked into the skating rink. She was very happy. Jon was less enthused with the show. I thought there would be enough eye candy to keep him entertained, but he lost interest if there were only a few skaters on the ice. When there were a lot of skaters, he'd watch and then clap madly for them. In our downtime, Pete and I took turns with Jon while he ran the hallway.
We have a busy week, followed by a busy weekend. Dentist appointment, boot camp, orthopedic appointment, play date, church dance, gymnastics, Fancy Nancy party at the library, girls night, church, and then dinner with friends. Busyness abound. I look forward to Martin Luther King Day...no plans other than Jon's 18-month doctor appointment.
Workouts are going strong, as you can see I'm squeezing in a boot camp class this week. I'm running and strength training either in the wee hours, or after work. The physical therapist issued me a TENS home unit and it has been a dream for running, however I'm bothered that the muscle spasm in my calf is still there and not going away...after 10 weeks. My follow up orthopedic appointment is Wednesday, so I'll be interested in what he has to say. Like I said, I love the TENS unit and it allows me to get a run done with very little muscle cramping. I ran into a friend on Sunday at the gym. I've enlisted her help in doing some races with me. I have to work on this racing anxiety and hope that it only takes a few races to work through. I figured she can push my pace since she is lightening speed faster than me and hopefully help me when the anxiety kicks in. We're shooting to run the Chili Chilly race in a couple of weeks, pending half way decent winter running weather. We'll see how it goes!
Last Sunday I took Gram Group to her church and out to lunch. She doesn't drive anymore so I know she doesn't get to her church very often and I imagine she misses it. It also happens to be my childhood church...a very small, country church. Lydia joined us, and we left dad and Jonny at home. It was pretty cool seeing Lydia do the children's time during service, followed by Sunday School, knowing that I did the same thing in that very same church, at her age. Jon has started getting his getting his two-year molars. The kid got his teeth like wildfire. He has a full set and now we're just waiting on those molars to finally break through. I took both kids to get their haircut last night. Of course Lydia wants to grow her hair like Rapunzel now, since the new movie came out. She still needed a shape up though since it was several months since her last haircut. Jon was a first timer and he was NOT a happy client. I have pictures to prove it. (poor quality cell phone photos)
Here he is...pretty unsure of what is next.
"Hmmm...not sure if I like this, Mom!"
"Nope, I most certainly do not. I wish she would stop holding my head!"
"I think I'll let her know that I don't like this one bit!" And not a single tear, just mad, mad screaming!
"Well this lollipop sorta makes it better, but not really"
Phew! The busyness of the holiday is over. While I love Christmas, I actually prefer the February break because I actually feel like I got a break when I return back to work. December break you're so busy with the holidays, I end up returning to work more tired than when I started break. Still, all in all, a very enjoyable week home with the family. The house is all de-Christmasized and we have returned back to normal routine. The snow is even gone. We had a very white Christmas and just melted in the last couple days. More snow is headed our way this week, although I don't think it's anything significant.
Lydia was perfect Christmas morning. She came into our room, totally amazed. "Mom and dad, Santa has been here and he left presents!" Jonny wasn't that interested in actually opening his gifts this year, but he was interested in his gifts once they were opened. Lydia was more than eager to help Jon open his gifts. As for the Christmas lasagna contest, I won. At least I'm saying I did (because this is my blog and I can), although mom was very diplomatic wouldn't declare a winner. Kudos to Rudy though because he did pull off an excellent lasagna! His certainly looked prettier than mine because I browned mine a bit longer than I should have.
I'm still going to therapy for the calf. The other upper leg muscle strain seems to have corrected itself with the help of the knee sleeve. The calf injury, although better, still bothers me. I have my follow up orthopedic appointment in a couple of weeks. I did a boot camp class on New Years Day and now my calves are sore from that...I'm guessing it was the hills she had us run. My calves were hollering at me during yesterday and today's run so I didn't push it. I don't have to weigh in for Weight Watchers until the end of the month--ah, the joys of being a life-timer. This will give me time to get a bit of the Christmas weight gain off. I did indulge over break and thoroughly enjoyed it.
I should probably do one of those "Year in Review" blog entries, but I'm not going to lie, I probably won't do it. So here it is: I had a fantastic 2010 and can’t wait to see what 2011 will bring!
Lydia is using our magnetic Nativity advent calendar as her daily countdown for Christmas. She can tell you exactly how many days are left. She loves doing the calendar every morning. The other night we saw an airplane in the sky and she said, "Mom, what is that? Is it a plane?" I said, "Hmmm, actually I think it's Santa out practicing for Christmas Eve. Look at the flashing red light. That's Rudolph's nose!" She wasn't sure whether to believe me and I wasn't even sure that she had until we were headed to see the Imax Polar Express and she saw it again and said, "Mom, looks there's Santa practicing again!" There is nothing like celebrating Christmas through the eyes of your children.
Cards have been mailed and the gift-wrapping is finally done. I was up late doing it. My planned outdoor morning run, the first outside run since my injury, was put on hold in favor of a morning nap. Treadmill runs this week, until Thursday, when the holiday break starts. If the weather is kind, I will get an outdoor run before Pete heads off to work that day. The injury is healing and I'm comfortably increasing my distance with each run.
There isn't much left to do to prepare for Christmas. I am waiting on a few things in the mail, but that's about it. We're having a family lasagna cook-off this year for our Christmas meal. My brother thinks he is going to win, yet he has NEVER made lasagna before. He is a good cook though so it wouldn't surprise me that he could pull out a win...but I'm still holding out for my own win because personally, I think I make the best lasagna ever. In my twenties, my friend Missy and I made lasagna together for a party, and I've been making it the way she does ever since.
I'm running again! My cardio endurance stinks and that will take time to build back, but at least I'm running...a measly two miles. I'll take it and build from there.
Both kids were very excited to see Santa. Jon went right over to him and sat on his lap. When it was time to get his attention for the photo, the photographer rung the bell and called out Jonny's name and he smiled and started clapping. We told Lydia she could tell Santa her top three toys she wanted and she said, "Leapster, an alarm clock that wakes me up in the morning, and a princess castle." (Lydia 4 years 10 months, Jonathan 17 months.)
I ordered a print and a mug of the picture. This is just a grainy version from their webpage. If I wanted to order it to download, they wanted an extra $15 for it. Just silly. Ever since Lyds was a baby, I've had the Santa picture printed on a white coffee mug, so I have a nice set of Christmas mugs started with the kids and Santa.
Christmas is just around the corner. It seems to be coming quickly this year. I have just a bit of shopping left to do, and of course, all that gift-wrapping. Christmas cards have been ordered, so as soon as they arrive, I'll send them out. I cut them by 50% this year. It's just a crazy expense and it's probably unnecessary to send 75+ cards out every year.
The orthopedist didn't find any stress fractures on the x-rays, so he thinks it's muscle strains. He sent me off with a script for Naproxen and physical therapy. I had my PT appointment yesterday and he agrees that it's muscle strains. He heated the lower calf muscle and then did some stretching. He thinks the thigh strain was due to the change in gait the calf strain caused and it threw my knee out of alignment. He thinks that strain will heal as soon as the knee is straighten out so he suggested I get and wear a neoprene knee sleeve for a while to readjust the knee and let the strain heal. I should be running again by the New Year! Excellent news since 2011 is going to be my Year of Running!
Weight Watchers is kicking along. I had an "unofficial" weigh-in last week since I went at 6-days and didn't wait for the new WW week to start. I knew I was going to be out of town for my official day so I went the day before. I forgot they wouldn’t weigh you in "officially" if you do that. I did lose another two at that weigh-in though, so I am down for a total of five. I might go weigh-in today to be "official" and then start next week, back to my regular Sunday meetings. I am sure I am back at my lifetime weight, which means free meetings again. Yippee!
As you can see, the sweet husband planned a romantic overnight to the place he proposed to me. He's such a good husband. I was so surprised when he called me to tell me he booked the weekend. I have no complaints about this guy. I seriously think he could write a "Good Husband" manual. Really.
We have had some record snowfall this week. It has caused havoc for morning and evening commutes and even caused several school closings...except for the school where I teach. All three snowy days we were opened. From News 9 website (Dec. 8): "Since then, flakes have flown for just about every hour, and in this long duration event, we've surpassed 43.2" of snowfall for the storm in Syracuse through midnight. This rivals the snow we saw in the Blizzard of '66 (42.3") and the Blizzard of '93 (42.9"). With lake effect snow still cranking Wednesday night, we'll easily surpass those hallmark snowstorms in snow totals." Tonight we have a Christmas craft play date. The roads should be back to "non-storm" driving conditions by this afternoon. I have missed my morning workouts all week because I was secretly hoping for a snow day. It’s back to the gym tomorrow morning! The weather is calling for a respite before the snow is expected to return on Sunday.
Pete planned a romantic weekend to revisit out engagement. 6-years ago. We didn't do much for our 5-year wedding anniversary, so he planned this. He's a great husband.
Pete proposed at Ithaca Falls, right in this spot.
It was a chilly day, now and 6-years ago!
Ithaca Falls
She said, "YES!"
The Painted Lady when it's not covered with snow.
We went to the same restaurant, even the same table!
We had a wonderful trip. On our return home we stopped at a few of the winery's along Seneca and Cayuga Lakes. It was so nice to enjoy this quiet time with my husband. Six years ago my life changed and I couldn't imagine anything better.
Thanksgiving was perfect! Great food, fantastic company. The leftovers have been frozen and I even have turkey soup to spare. We'll have some nice soup dinners for a quick weeknight meal....defrost the soup and add a few crusty rolls. What could be easier? The classroom feast was a success. The pies were questionable, but the rest of the food came out perfectly!
The house is all decorated, inside and out. Lydia was super excited to have our outside lights done. We've been driving through the neighborhood to check out the lights the past few weeks, and now ours is done too. We put the tree up last weekend as well. We are decked for the holidays!
Last week we finally got to do Lights on the Lake. The first walk-through night it rained. The second night was dry and very windy but both kids were really into all of the lights. We also went on a Polar Express train ride. It was magical! Lyds asked if the North Pole would have snow and I told her it might be too early for snow, even at the North Pole. Well, we didn't have snow at home, or even at the train station...but as we progressed toward the North Pole, there was snow!! (Thank you weather gods.) It was perfect! I thought Jonny was a bit young, so he stayed with grandma. That in itself excited Lydia. She's been a bit jealous of her brother since he's been getting loads of attention for his walking. Yes, Jon is finally walking!! He seemed to really get the hang of it on Thanksgiving Day, and has really taken off with it!
I finally called and have an orthopedic appointment set for Thursday to find out what might be going on with my leg pain. I would love to start running again. I miss it. Weight Watchers is going well. I had a 3 pound loss the first week and no loss this past week. As long as it's not a gain through the holiday season, I'll be happy. I do think I might be lucky for a small loss this week, unless I ravage the cookie bin between now and Saturday.
