My Bountiful Basket

Today was a good, busy, long day and I am exhausted.  But I thought I could muster up a few minutes of typing to share with you one of the best parts of my day.  Today I picked up my first Bountiful Basket and I am hooked already. I have to send out a huge thanks to my body back teammate Wendy for sharing the information with me.

A quick "about them" paragraph.  Bountiful baskets is a fruit and veggie food co-op that is non profit and volunteer run.  Every other week they offer a basket full of half fruits, half veggies for $15.  Plus there are extra options including bread, cookies, and specialty baskets like the Italian basket I got this week.  Here is the website link http://www8.bountifulbaskets.org/.

This morning, after a wonderful early morning 4 mile run with my momma friends, I had to hurry to pick up my basket in the alloted window of time.   I was a little shocked by the weight of everything as I lugged it to the car.  And unloading it all at home with like unloading the Easter Basket a day early.  As I said before I not only got the weekly offer but the Italian basket too.  This was the take this morning - all for $22.50.

12 apples

2 bananas

1 lb strawberries

2 grapefruit

1 pineapple

1 honeydew

3 onions

4 zucchini

1 eggplant

4 broccoli heads

2 parsnips

11 yams

1 package mushrooms

1 bag spinach

1 bunch asparagus

Bunches of basil, oregano, rosemary, parsley 

I had fun writing my meals/shopping list for the next week.  The only produce I will have to pick up are some blueberries and tomatoes.  Otherwise we are set!  

Spring 2011

I know that is broad title for a blog post, but I am very behind in posting pictures and talking about the events over the past couple of months, so I figured why not get it all out in one long post.  So, fair warning, this blog will be long and filled with lots of fun pictures of a gorgeous little girl that I am very partial to.  We start with a naked butt :)  Sure to catch some attention...

Nothing better than being outside with no pants on

Just a cute picture

The first week in March, Lilah and I piled in the car at the awful hour of 4 AM and made the 10 hour trek to Visalia to stay with Shannon't family.  The fact that it was my niece Peyton's first birthday was the overall reason for the trip.  Lilah is a trooper in the car.  I couldn't ask for a better traveling partner.  The week started off great.  Lilah had SOOOO much fun with her cousins.  They are all going to be such good friends.   The birthday party was good.  And then we ended the week with sickness.  Yes....more sickness.  But it didn't stop Lilah from hanging out (and ultimately sharing her sickness with everyone).  When Lilah was starting to feel a little better and I was just starting to feel like I was coming down with it we made the long drive home.  Lilah was trooper, but driving that far that long when you don't feel good was terrible.  

The girls playing

My adorable niece Peyton

My adorable daughter 

Lilah liked Peyton's birthday present

The present opening crew

Yum - that frosting is good

Ok, that just looks disgusting

DONE!

Hiding out in the quiet house

So this is why Duke put up with Lilah all week

When we got home it took me almost two weeks to recover from the nasty bug we caught in CA.  But in time, with some antibiotics for a sinus infection, things seem to be back to normal for us.  Lilah decided it was time to only nap once a day, so she takes one afternoon nap now.  She also weaned herself off her bottle completely.  She was down to just one in the morning and she stopped asking for it, so I stopped offering it to her.  She can be so easy some times.  The most exciting part of the last month is that she has started talking like crazy.  Her vocabulary is huge right now and she just wants to read books ALL the time.  She loves pointing out all the things she knows and her pronunciation is getting better and better daily.

It was a real treat to have my parents come out for a week at the end of  March.  They got to witness the changes that Lilah has made since Christmas.  She is changing so much I know that they wish they got to see her more.  But it was so great to have them here and Lilah loved having them too, she always had somebody paying attention to her.  For my Dad's birthday I got tickets to go see a Spring Training game - it was the last game for the Mariners and the Rockies.

Enjoying the game

We also spent a day at the Wildlife World Zoo.  Lilah was using some of that vocabulary to name animals and learned how to talk like a monkey.  She and Gramps had a great time together looking at all the animals. She got most excited in the aquarium and was running around, crazy, excitedly pointing out all the fish and critters.  It was a fun day.  

Checking each other out

Watching the birds, monkeys, and fish with Gramps

The baby monkey was one of my favorites

Another cute picture

Parrots

Oh, I see him!

Not sure what to think about touching anything in the touch pools.

The week went quickly, as I knew it would.  We spent a few hours out at the Scottsdale Fashion Square doing some dress reconnaissance for Megan's wedding.    We took Gram and Gramps to swim lessons to watch.  We had great meals and sat out on the patio every night to eat.  It was nice and HOT for the snow and rain weary.  We finished the trip with a breakfast at The Buttes resort in Phoenix with my Uncle Bunie and cousins Neal and Kiana.  It was great to see them all.

Daddy took this picture last week.  This is the position that you will find Lilah and I in most of the day.  Reading, reading, reading.

I had the hose on our poor citrus trees one evening and Lilah has stepped outside for a few minutes.  I watched from the kitchen window as she gingerly picked up the hose and checked it out.  Then started playing with it a bit more, and got more and more wet.  Time to start playing in the water outside.

Am I in trouble?

Hey, this is pretty fun to drink from

So from the Friday my parents were here to this past Saturday the temperature in Phoenix changed 50 degrees!  We still made it to the park even though rain was threatening.

She is enjoying herself, I promise

Watch me go

That was AWESOME!

Just another cute picture

Time for a snack after all that playing, and time to get home, the sky is dark

After her fun with the hose, we couldn't resist this table from Costco last weekend.  It is supposed to hold water in half and sand in the other.  I was envisioning lots of mud, so we opted for water only.  But she seemed to LOVE it!

If you made it to this point, you must really care or be super bored and have nothing else to do.  But I am finally done!  I will try to keep blogs coming more frequently now that we are not sick anymore and getting out of the funk I was in.  Because we are NEVER getting sick again - ha ha ha!

Addiction

My name is Kate and I am addict.  It has been only two minutes since my last online purchase and that is my third for the day.  Seriously, this is getting ridiculous!  Out of curiosity I searched for order confirmations in my email for the last month.  I almost fell out of my chair at the grand total.  And that didn't include the $300 TV for bedroom because ours went out or the other extravagant purchase of the month (just a car)!  Let's not talk about how much time I spent researching cars!  I think I need to go cold turkey and just unplug.  But the thought seriously makes my palms sweaty.

I don't know why I go through these phases, but it is truly an addiction.  I think about checking all my sites for good deals before they are gone every morning as I am getting out of bed.  I brush off my child's attempts to read a story with me or run around the back yard because I don't want to miss a good deal.  I feel devastated if the one thing that interests me is sold out.  And lately I have been bad about buying stuff that I don't even really need or want once it comes.  But my heart races as I check or shop.  I get excited as I add something to my shopping cart.  I have a moment of sensibility that starts to take over as I add my credit card number, but I quickly squash it.  And then I wait, with excitement, as shipment notices come, and for the doorbell to ring each day.  If I don't have anything outstanding I get, well, depressed and try to come with some excuse for something that is needed.  This latest bout came because Lilah has gone through a bit of a growth spurt and is finally ready for 18 month clothing!  It is summer time and time for a new wardrobe.  She now has a dresser stuffed full, granted of VERY cute things.

So I am writing this blog as my public intervention notice. If you hear me excitedly talk about Kid Steals, Zulily, fun clothing sites, etc... feel free to give me a good slap.  And remind me that car payments start soon!

IMS Arizona Half Marathon 2011

Shannon is keeping Lilah busy this afternoon and I am literally parked in the recliner so it seemed like as good a time as any to write about my day.  It wasn't a typical day for sure and I am sure that it won't last too much longer either because I am WIPED OUT.

The morning started about 5:15 when Lilah muttering over the monitors woke me up with a start.  There was no way I was going back to sleep.  It was time to get up and get dressed.  The butterflies started almost as soon as my feet hit the ground.  My carefully planned (non-chaffing) outfit was carefully set out and ready to go.  I got dressed, made a protein shake (which was all I could stomach) and let Shannon know I was leaving.  I took the truck because I figured of all our vehicles it was the one I could leave the keys in the ignition (which I didn't by the way) and it would still be there when I got back.  The windshield wipers don't work well, and it was covered in rain that had passed recently.  So I could barely see as all the windows fogged up.  I pulled into the parking lot of Westgate at 6:30 and found the buses to take me to the start line.  I was barely off the bus when I ran into the mommas, friends that would be running the race too.  It was nice to hear some friendly banter to help with the butterflies, but I was having a hard time not focusing on what was about to happen.  8:01 on my watch the gun goes off and we are on our way.

The first mile I kept checking my pace.   I am really bad about starting fast and I wanted to take it slow.  Watching all the people sprint past me and then see them walking a few miles later made my morning.  Slow and steady, keep the pace, go forever kept going through my mind.  The few sprinkles we felt at the start line got harder and harder until we were running through steady rain.  It lasted from mile 2 to 4 but wasn't very cold rain and it was still, no wind.  I enjoyed it.   Mile 6 we hit the long stretch and the motivation came from the LONG line of runners stretched out in front of me.  Mile 7 was a rough one.  My knee was acting up, my ankle was starting to hurt.  The doubt sunk in for a minute.  Uh oh, only half way!  But then a cheering friend picked me up and the next couple of miles I just bared down and kept my feet going to the beat of the music in my ears.  Mile 10 was a bit of a wall.  I don't think it was any worse than the mile before it but I had not run more than 10 before in my life.  Could I do those extra 3?  I just need keep moving.  Mile 11 is getting harder and harder.  Both my ankles were feeling like some sort of cramping was going on so it just made sense not to stop and let that happen.  Then the worst.  A cold burst of air.  A few drops of rain.  All the sudden a strong wind cutting across me, my number was whipping around, and the rain started coming down harder and harder.  I put my hands out, not hail, but not rain - sleet?  Cold.  But numbing.  Hard to feel my legs now.  Keep going!  Mile 12 - one more to go!  A bridge.  A big, long tall bridge over the freeway.   Wow, I wasn't sure my legs were actually moving as I headed up.  Finally, downhill.  And into Westgate center.  Around the corner.  Ah, there's my support...Shannon and Lilah cheering me on the last little bit.  Turn one more corner.  The finish line.  Push, almost there, keep going legs.....YEAH!  A few tears.  Huge relief.  I did it.  The thing that has been haunting me for a couple months now is over and I did a good job.  2 hours, 23 minutes and under 11 minute miles on average.  

Now I am home, after a hot shower, and dreading the next time I might have to stand up and walk somewhere.  My legs are aching, mostly my knee and muscles surrounding it and my ankles.  Do I want to do that again? I don't know right now.  But I do know that memory of pain fades faster than the feeling of accomplishment so I guess we will see how I am feeling in a year.  

Tired of the rain - what are we waiting for?

Best cheerleader ever

My legs look like the are barely moving here- oh yeah, they were!

My arms still worked though

DONE!

The picture that matters the most!

For fun - the route as mapped by my running watch.  

Long time, no motivation, until now.

Well, I knew the pressure would be off a little not having Lilah's blog book motivating me to blog often.  It feels like forever since I have sat down to write something profound.  But every time I think I should, I have trouble coming up with some theme, or clever idea to get me started.  This has been a horrible winter for sickness for me and Lilah.  Shannon seems to be catching things here and there but never as bad.  Lilah's poor little nose has been running so much that I should have bought stock in Boogie Wipes.  And I just keep rotating between flu and cold.  I am ready to start feeling better, and have no choice but to feel better.  Because here I am, one day before the half marathon that is surely going to kick my butt.  But I will discuss my survival (or not) of that event when it is over. Needless to say, constant whining around our house, combined with lack of exercise and not much adult interaction has put me into a funk.   And I hate funks.  So this is where the story gets happy.

Luckily in the middle of all of this, a weekend in Tahoe with (some of) my best friends from college.  Last weekend we rented a cabin in Truckee and headed to snow.  I love getting together with my college "family."  It is so easy and comfortable, and a place to just be myself.  Which I don't think I have allowed myself to do in a long time.  However, there were some definite and noticeable changes with this visit.  Namely the cries of little ones.  Three babies, all under 18 months, in the same house for an extended weekend.  Hilary and Jeff and Tegan (9 mos) and Kevin, Van, and Makenzie (17 mos)  made the trip up from the Bay Area. And poor Sara and Aub, down from Portland, were in the middle of the chaos and trying to find the humor in an endless stream of meltdowns. Can you say GOOD birth control ;)  Luckily none of  the kids seemed to reach breaking point at the same time, so it was usually just one kid at a time that was being hustled off to try and get down for a nap or bed.

The worst part of the whole experience was realizing that my child was the brat of the group.  Both Tegan and Mak have spent a lot of time around other kids and apparently I have been lax with Lilah and getting her playing with other kids because she not only did not want to share but she didn't want the other two to have any toys, sit on stairs she might sit on, stand and hold any chair or ottoman that she might need to use, and would get very angry when they weren't following her very vocal demands.  But she finally started to relax a little just as it was time to pack up and go home.

The snow condition were not great.  They hadn't had a fresh storm in awhile and it was warm and sunny.  So it was icy, packed snow.  Nothing powdery about it.   The snowboarders made it up to Northstar one day and stayed on the groomed runs.  They came back a little sore and feeling like that they hadn't been in a few years.  But had a great day.  The kids got out and played in the back yard a little but it was icy and hurt when they fell down, so they would only be out for a few minutes at a time.  And there was the fateful cross country trip that was worthy of the camera crew for Jackass.  We decided to go to the local center that was only a few miles from the house.  It is a well know cross country center, but unknown to me was on the side of a hill.  (Hills, or lack there of, are why I cross country ski and NOT downhill).  After trying to pull ourselves up the hills in the icy conditions, we didn't quite reach the top when we tried to turn around and go back down.  Needless to say we came off the mountain with some glorious crashes to give some aches and pains, (hopefully Sara's tail bone has recovered), the first aid snowmobile guy's help to get Hilary off the ground, and I was walking with Lilah on my back while the others carried my skis back to the lodge.

And now for the best part, the pictures.

Lilah's first experience with snow, she was indifferent :)

Tegan was always smiling

"Hey, whatcha got up there?"

The Babysitter and her brood

The Snowbunnies

Jeff and Kevin - grill masters

The girls enjoy some relaxing and wine

The fateful cross country crew

Lilah after her first fall on Daddy's back - not too happy

A rare moment of calm playing

Hilary and Tegan

Lilah, Tegan, Makenzie

Sara in the kitchen again - thanks for all the yummy meals.

The Happy Cabiners

Thank you friends for meeting us in Tahoe.  It was a wonderful trip and worth the lack of sickness recovery, extra bugs at our house!