Half-Marathon: 48 days to go!

CREATE the fitness you want in your life!

This week's training plan:

Mon: Rest

Tues: 2 or 3mi, easy run

Wed: Rest

Thurs: 7mi, speed work (1mi warm-up, 3x1600 w/ 800 jogs in between, 1mi cool-down)

Fri: 2mi, easy run

Sat: Rest

Sun: 9mi, long run

Half-Marathon: 55 days to go!

CREATE the fitness you want in your life!

55 days until my first half-marathon! Feeling stronger with every run!

Here is this week's training schedule:

Mon: Rest

Tues: 3mi, easy run (I didn't actually get to this run)

Wed: Rest (I did 5.8mi to make up for yesterday!)

Thur: 6mi, tempo run (1mi warm up, 4mi @ 11:48, 1mi cool down)

Although, I think I can actually pick up the pace here now.

Fri: 2mi, easy run (will probably do 3 or 4mi)

Sat: Rest

Sun: 8mi, long run

I'd love to hear from anyone out there who is training for, or who has run a half-marathon before!

Any advice?

Art Wagon

CREATE more opportunities to CREATE!

We love to CREATE outside & I want my kids to feel like it's easy to CREATE anywhere!

I also want it to be easily accessible, portable, & inexpensive for me & my family...

So, to do this I created the ART WAGON! 

Instead of lugging all of our supplies in & out of the house by hand we just use the wagon!

Using a wagon we already had (or you can get one through Craigslist) & supplies around the house, the cost is $0!  The ART WAGON is always stocked & ready to go whenever we want to head outside for some creative fun! You can fill it with whatever supplies you want.

Here is a list of basics that we usually have inside of ours.

Art Wagon Supplies:

~ different sizes, shapes, & colors of paper &/or stretched canvas

~ variety of paint brushes

~ variety of paints

~ colored pencils

~ sketch book(s)

~ jugs of water for rinsing brushes, cups, & people

~ cups/bowls/styrofoam trays for the paint

~ metal/wire basket(s) for containing items outside of the wagon when creating

~ wood, rocks, nature items (to paint on or sketch)

~ drop cloth just in case (we get the vinyl/cloth table cloths at the end of the season when they're on sale)

~ easel, sometimes our smaller, table top, easel fits but most of the time someone carries it out by hand

~ anything else you can think of! We add to & subtract from the wagon all the time.

Everyone can help with bringing out the Art Wagon!

Just a glimpse at what's in our wagon today

It doesn't take long for the easel(s) to be set up, paint to be poured, & the creating to begin.

When you are creating outside it's easy for artists to take a little nature break in the midst of their creating.  Who knows what kind of inspiration they may find while climbing a rock, dancing in the grass, or playing amongst the trees!

These artists discover an interesting moth they've never seen before while taking a nature break.

This artist is inspired to paint a picture of the moth!

 The Art Wagon is always nearby with any needed supplies.

The Moth & Fire Engine

Castle At Sunset
"These are mountains at sunset behind a castle.  The sun is going down so the mountains look reddish. Sometimes they look purple when the sun is up. The yellow spots are the sparkling sun beams - you know how you can see that sometimes?" (artist quote)

I'd love to hear from you about your outdoor creating adventures!

Dinner: Shar's Mexican Soup

I don't often get to see my friend Shar (we used to be inseparable along with our b.f.f. Terri when we were little)  so when I visited recently & she made this delicious soup I was even happier!
Now I have a yummy recipe to make for my family (usually my husband cooks) that I think I may actually be able to pull off!

RECIPE

1 medium sized yellow onion

1 medium sized red onion

minced garlic

2 (32oz.)containers of vegetable broth

1 large can of diced tomatoes
2 or more carrots
corn

1 or 2 celery stalks

1 can garbanzo beans
1 can black beans
1 can white beans

blue tortilla chips

1 or 2 avocados

sour cream
shredded cheese
{optional: meat or non-meat product of your choice}

The other great thing about this recipe is that it makes a lot! So have some friends over, bring some to your neighbors, or freeze some for left overs for the rest of the week!

Pour vegetable stock & diced tomatoes into large pot and turn heat on low.

Chop up the veggies (carrots, celery, & corn will be added directly to the pot)

Rinse the beans & add to the pot.

Add olive oil & as much garlic as you like to a pan. Toss in the yellow & red onions & saute.

As you cook, add a bit of salt, pinch of sugar, & cumin to taste.
Cook until carrots are tender. Then pour into bowls.

Cut an avocado in half, as shown.

Score the inside with a knife.

Push from underneath & you instantly have a nicely cubed avocado!

Sprinkle shredded cheese, then crushed blue tortilla chips over the soup.  Slap a dollop of sour cream & the cubed avocado over the top & you're ready to eat!

ENJOY!

Fabric from the Goodwill

Check out the fabrics I picked up from the Goodwill.

What a fabulous & affordable way to reduce, reuse, recycle!

Planning on making a bunting for an upcoming gathering! (My first 1!)

Fun, fun, fun!

Future Designer in Training

So, I have a son who, since the time he was born, has been interested in dolls & dresses.

He's constantly taking any available blanket in the house & designing it into a dress.

We, of course, embrace his passion for design &, rather than deter him from an art that may be considered "girly", we've decided to help him explore this further.

(Heck, he could end up becoming a successful designer some day & be able to hook me up with much more hip clothes than I'm currently wearing! Ha!)

Since I was learning how to use my sewing machine, I decided I'd bring him along for the ride & try to teach him some basics (keeping in mind that I'm not sure I really know what I'm doing).

1st we traced a dress we already had, creating a pattern. This, of course, lead to discussions of measurement (bonus).

Next, the pattern was cut out...

... & we compared the pattern to the doll. 

I held the fabric while he traced the pattern onto the fabric.

I pinned the fabric along the lines he traced & then he cut along the lines.

Fabulous cutting!

He was so excited to be in charge of the pedal while I fed the fabric through the machine.

We tested out the sewn fabric on the doll to see if we needed to do any trimming & decided that adding some Velcro was essential (Although I am not a serious sewer, I am a full-time teacher.   So of course I had some Velcro on hand!)

We thought a zig-zag stitch would make it more fancy.

Here we are wrapping her up & checking our handy work.

Here, he's showing other family members his first creation & how the Velcro works. (Smile) 

Ta-Da! Here she is!
(FYI, since this picture was taken the skirt has gotten a lot shorter.  He discovered my pinking shears & just wanted to "give it a trim", but then kept going - ahaha, gotta love an artist at work!)

A captured moment - gratitude in a snapshot

There's so much I love about this picture:
The rustic old wooden bench that came with the house,
the recycled trucks (thank you Mary Anne) that are calmly awaiting their next adventure,
a few of my potted plants that have given me many spur of the moment creativity opportunities this summer...
mmm... (peaceful smile)