I got my fix

For the past few days I've been eating not so healthy and around 2-3pm I've been having what my sisters and I call nap attacks. Today I dozed off with Kate on the couch and when I woke up all I could think about was a bowl of marshmallow mateys. (Lucky charms knock off)
I decided I was going to take a stand against that lazy lifestyle that was creeping its way back in. So I got up and did the following workout.

Notice anything?
I RAN today!! I started to walk on the treadmill then this song came on my playlist:

How can someone walk to a song that says you gotta run?!

I was smart and ran just under half a mile then finished the mile with run walk intervals. Taking those first strides I felt like I came alive. I had a huge cheeser on my face and I was just so happy to be running again. I won't run tomorrow but this has definitely given me the boost I've been needing for way too long. *still smiling*

SOME RANDOMS FOR YA:

This is the closest we Central Californians get to having snow.

Soon we'll be eating fresh cut asparagus.

I made some delicious broccoli tortellini chowder for dinner tonight. If you'd like the recipe let me know and I'll post it under the recipes tab. Every now and then I surprise everyone and cook something good. Keeps 'em guessing ;-)

(Just for the record, I didn't have that bowl of cereal :-))

How was your Thursday?
Do you like chowder?
Do you have something fun planned this weekend?

Have an amazing Friday everyone!!

Benefits of composting and some randoms

The first time we made our own compost was a few years ago. I wasn't sure how it would turn out because it seemed like we were just throwing just about anything into the barrel. When we looked at it after about a month, it looked like rich, dark soil. I was amazed! Of course there's more to composting than dumping banana peels and egg shells into a bin. But Google can explain how to compost if you're interested. I just want to mention some benefits of doing your own compost.

1. Less garbage. When we compost it takes a lot longer to fill our garbage can in the kitchen. So ultimately, composting is better for the earth by using a natural way to break down foods and clippings instead of tossing them into plastic bags that end up in land fills.

2. Saves money. By making our own compost we are obviously saving money because we won't have to buy any for our garden.

3. Provides natural nutrients. Compost consists of pure leftovers of peels, cores, clippings and remnants from fruits and uncooked veggies; as well as clippings from yard work. It also can consist of egg shells, coffee grounds and droppings from animals such as ducks or chickens. So all of the unused nutrients are being mixed together and eventually they break down to create a rich, luscious and healthy soil for gardens and other plants.

4. Provides moisture. When using compost in gardens or plants, the soil will stay moist longer than if it were just potting soil or dirt. Compost is equipped to hold water which prevents the plants from becoming dehydrated. This also saves water.

5. It's a family effort. This may sound strange but the whole family can enjoy composting. Everyone can add to the bin and be a part of the process. Some kids find it fascinating to see the changes take place. It also can be used as a science experiment and great learning experience.

So have convinced you to start your own compost??

RANDOMS:

While walking with my mom, nephew and Kate we must have disturbed the bee's while they were making honey. Two attacked my face, one got me and then a third one got tangled in my pony tail. Not cool.

Since my Saucony's are making my knee/leg hurt I decided to use my trusty ole New Balances. I walked a mile on the treadmill. Thrill of a lifetime.

Banana pancakes are one of my faves for breakfast.

I think people deserve to know how you feel about them and what they've done for you. This card is to thank the staff at the nursing home where my grandpa spent his last days. I specifically thanked a few CNA's for going above and beyond their duties.

I received a surprise package in the mail! The lady who won the New Year New Goals giveaway last month lives in Malaysia. I forgot to specify if it was US only so since it was my mistake I paid a good amount for shipping (which I didn't mind at all) and it made her so happy. She sent me this package of socks for my whole family as a thank you! It made my day!

Update on my injury:
I still haven't seen anyone for it because it does seem to be getting better. I've been foam rolling and icing more often. I've also stopped doing anything high impact and have been sticking to walking. I'll take slow progress over no progress!

How is your week going so far?
Do you compost?
Are you planning to have a garden this year?
Are you allergic to bees? I'm not, thankfully!

Enjoy the rest of your week!!

A much needed date

It's been a while since the hubs and I had a date of any kind. So the kids went to g ma's and we had a full day to ourselves.

After running some errands we went out to lunch at a new to us restaurant.
Texas Roadhouse

(I know, I should totally be a photographer)

These rolls are made from scratch. The butter was some sort of cinnamon spread. Hands down, THE BEST rolls ever. Comfort food at its finest.

This probably won't surprise you because my husband and I truly are soul mates, but we ordered the same exact thing. I sometimes think we're the cute couple that makes everyone want to puke.

Crispy critter salads. More like never ending salads. They sure tasted good but sadly I couldn't finish mine. And salad isn't something you can box up for later.
Looks like I barely put a dent in it. At least I ate all the chicken.

After lunch we picked up a used shed, took it home, swapped the truck for the Stang then went out for some good ole ice cream from Thrifty's. I mean, Rite Aid. My heart was set on rocky road but they were out! So I settled for the next best thing: chocolate brownie. I also got a scoop of mint n chip but it wasn't great.

Yes, ice cream makes me happy.

My stud.

We tried to get a picture together but my hair blew in the wind and tickled his neck and he thought it was a bug. I'm laughing as I type this. He's very scared of bees and anything else with a stinger..or legs. (Only if it's on him, he wanted me to clear that up)

It was such a beautiful day. Times like these are needed every so often. I hope everyone had an awesome Saturday!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend! Run a mile or two for me! .. I'll be back at it soon!

Do you remember Thrifty's?

And Just Like That, He's Gone

Today was the funeral and burial of my dear grandpa. I will spare you too many details because we all know funerals are hard, to say the least. I just wanted to write this post because I feel like it will give me a little more closure. 

Going to bed last night wasn't easy.

Waking up and getting ready this morning wasn't easy.

But I am so thankful for a husband who supports me and gives me that extra push when I need it most. I might not have gone to the service if it weren't for him to snap me back into reality.

Family means everything to us. My kids told me they loved me multiple times today. Having them with me made it a tad bit easier.

Bobby Elven Goucher
3-1-34 to 2-14-14

As we drove away I looked back one last time and they were lowering him into the ground.
I told my husband, he's gone.
It's all so surreal but I'm ready for the healing process. I know I'll never forget him so I'm ok with moving forward with my life. He wouldn't want me to sit around and cry.

He will be missed.

Life Keeps on Truckin'

I promise I won't talk about death and/or my grandpa in every post but it is the biggest thing going on in my life right now. His obituary was published in the local paper and his funeral is tomorrow. My state of shock has moved to panic and anxiety. In the words of my dad, I need to stop being such a "spaz". I know time will help ease the pain..
My grandpa always said, "Time just keeps on truckin".


And life does go on. Here's what we've been up to lately. Yes I made some more collages. It makes posting updates so much quicker.

Our garden is growing!

I met up with my mom and sister at the park. They babysit my niece and nephew so it was fun for Kate to play with her cousins. I had a good time too :-)

I had to jam home because it was about 12:45 and I found out Daniel was getting out of school at 1. Then we flew some kites and went back to town for groceries and gas. Necessities of life.

Today (Thursday) I have more tests for glaucoma.
My IT band is till pretty tight and my knee hurts in the outside even though I've taken time off of almost everything..so I think I will break down and see a sports Dr and probably go back to physical therapy.

Going through such a hard time makes me want to go for a long run. Heck I'd settle for a mile pain free!

WORD.

I'm so jealous of my husband right now. He knows it's a touchy subject so he treads softly around it.

Flower @ UpAndHumming has posted some very important and informational posts about runners and the use of NSAID's. She also posted about something I've never heard of but every runner/athlete/person who exercises should know about it. Check it all out here

How has your week been going?
Do you feel like your life could be a country song sometimes?

I promise I won't post about depressing things for a long time. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thursday! 

A Day I Won't Forget

Today started out like any other day. We don't really celebrate any holidays but we aren't completely against little ones like V Day. I usually enjoy buying lots of on sale candy a day or two after the big day is over.

Today I was home cleaning like a maniac because I felt like my house was full of flu germs. Just for fun I made some cake mix cookies. Oh and I downloaded a new app. It's a collage maker and I might go overboard using it for every post so just bear (or is it bare?) with me until it's newness wears off.

I'm such a newbie collage maker but it makes me smile because I feel more up-to-date with cool apps.

Our little Kate has the flu so I did a lot of coloring, drawing, and painting today. Oh and I made another collage..

I painted that sweet whale.


.
..
...
After finally sitting down to relax, I got the phone call I've been dreading. My grandpa passed away today at the age of 79. I'm in sort of the shock stage although I knew it was coming. With funeral services to come and whatever else that comes with the loss of a loved one, I won't be online much for a while. Thank you to those who have shown your support during this extremely difficult time.
I said this before, he was an almond farmer and today the almond blossoms were in full bloom. They smell so good.

Live Life To The Fullest

Death has a weird way of making our minds wander. I have made up my mind that I want to drain this life dry of what it has to offer.

I want to experience life.

I don't want to just exist.

I want to leave an impact.

When dealing with death some people allow the "nothing matters" way of thinking trap them into never stepping out of their comfort zone. It prevents them from living life to the fullest because it won't matter in the end.

But it WILL matter! It will matter to the ones you leave behind. Your legacy will be told for generations if you leave that much of an impact! My grandpa never did anything spectacular but just by being the loving, hard working, dedicated family man he was, he is leaving behind all of those great memories in us-his family. I want to leave this world knowing I lived and didn't just exist.

And since this post was a bit too serious, here's something that made me laugh. Which I need to do more of.

How was your Thursday?
Are you going to choose to live or just exist?

Have an awesome Friday!

A little hello from my part of blog land

I've been a little bit of a hermit lately but don't worry, I still found time to at least read new blog posts. I should be back to my old blogging self sometime soon..hopefully.

First things first: my grandpa's Dr. turned his pacemaker off today. It was shocking his heart so this was a huge sign that his heart is losing strength. Since he is under Hospice care they are supposed to do whatever they can to keep him pain free. If he lives through the night I will be there first thing in the morning to see him...

On a tremendously lighter note we started a garden!

Since the weather isn't quite "springy" yet we're starting the seeds inside. We have our own seedlings! It's like we have tons of growing babies without the crying and poopie diapers. Kate is so excited and loves to check every day to see if they've grown. Daniel hates veggies so he's not too interested. He'll be happy if the watermelon grows.

Lots of goodies to come in a few months!

I made a really good chicken noodle soup yesterday but I went a little overboard and made a little too much. So I've been living off of soup since yesterday and I'm sure I'll be eating it tomorrow too. :-/

Tonight called for some frozen yogurt. I almost wanted seconds..

I haven't run in a while and I don't plan to until my knee is completely healed. I have been strength training and doing some toning exercises. I've also gone on a lot of walks on our canal. Today I pushed Kate in the stroller (she was having a lazy day) about 2 miles. I broke a good sweat and the best part was smelling all the almond blossoms. My grandpa was an almond farmer when I was little and the smell of the orchards brings back such great memories.

How's your week going so far?

I hope everyone has an amazing Thursday!

Oh! I almost forgot! Stephanie @ Catladyruns is giving away two race entries for the Miami, Florida Biggest Loser 5k run/walk! Go enter before Friday! Her blog can be found under the "blogs I follow" tab. 

Saturday Sharing

In case you were dying to know, here are some of my favorite things that I'd like to share with you.

1. Almond butter. I finally took the plunge and bought a jar instead of buying the single serving packets. Justin's is the best that I've tasted but Walmart wanted 10 bucks for a small-ish jar! So I moved down the aisle a bit and found this:

I'll never eat peanut butter again

It tastes very similar to Justin's but it's about 4 dollars cheaper.

2. I love this pita bread. Melted mozzarella cheese, avacado and garlic salt tastes quite nice on one of these.

3. Cereal makes a good dinner or late evening snack.

4. This documentary is very good. It is based on the question: "why do bad things happen?" It's a "Christian" film but doesn't "preach" at you. I had a few "wow!" moments. He explains something that I think of often, so well.

5. My absolute favorite song right now is Oceans by Hillsong United

 

6. I went to visit my grandpa today. He's changing fast and every day that goes by I'm trying really hard to prepare myself for his passing. It made my whole life better when I walked in his room and he looked at me and smiled.

7. I wrote a guest post for Stephanie @ CatLadyRuns 

It's called "How to Keep the Flame Alive After Marriage..and Kids."

 Check out her blog, it's one of my favorites.

 

8. I follow quite a few amazing blogs and I'd like to share them with you. If you're already following some of them, then that's great, if not then go check 'em out! 

Go to my "Blogs I follow" tab and you'll find the list there. Most of them are on Bloglovin'. 

 

9. I'm really loving this new shampoo & conditioner I bought a few weeks ago. It smells so good and I can already feel a difference in my hair.

 

10. My husband makes THE BEST Clam Chowder. I'll be eating happy tonight! I'll share the recipe if he says it's ok.

  

How's your weekend going so far?

Do you like Clam Chowder?

Do you spoil yourself and buy nice shampoo? (I know L'OREAL isn't really a "fancy" shampoo, but it's a step up from what I used to buy!)

 

Enjoy the rest of the weekend everyone!

Run a mile or two for me please!  

 

Thursday Thoughts

I have a lot on my mind right now but I'll keep it short.

 1. We're finally getting some rain here in Central Cali so after my workout I laid around a lot under one of my favorite blankets, catching up on all the blogs I follow and even found one or two more. I really like days like this.

It has a wolf on it..but I don't like it for that reason.

2. I've been asked to write a guest post for Stephanie @ CatLadyRuns! I am so excited she asked me! I actually wrote up the post today but it's up to her when it gets published. I'll create a link on an upcoming post as soon as she has it up. It was a fun topic too!

3. I stumbled upon an awesome fitness app today! Nike club training. It is the coolest app I have on my phone. You follow the prompts and pick what you want from the workouts.

Then pick your level of experience or intensity.

Then browse the workouts, customize them, add RUNNING if you'd like then start!

What's awesome about this app is that it creates a 4 week program for you, it includes days with just yoga to help stretch your muscles, and it talks to you while you're working out and counts down your time. I used it today. I did 1 mile on the treadmill then "wipeout".

4. Some of you may know that my grandpa is very ill. He has been taken off dialysis. It is putting too much stress on his heart. He keeps getting infections in his body so dialysis isn't doing what it should. My family and I will be visiting him tomorrow for what may be the last time. I knew this was coming but nothing could prepare me for his death. He's still alive so I don't even like saying that word. I haven't had someone so close to me pass away. This man holds our family together. He started the Goucher family. (No I'm not related to Kara or her husband..although I haven't checked for sure) I might disappear from blog world for a while so if I do, don't worry. I'll need to come back.