An Early Liquid Christmas.....

Today has been a non-stop day of thrills.

Since I know long blogs can be tough to stick with....

I will probably break this into three separate posts.

Yes....it is that good.

Lets see how you like suspense.

Let me start at the beginning,

got up at 4:45 a.m. to make muffins for Sonia's

surprise Sculpt Your ASSets Birthday Party!!

Whoohooo!

We all participated.....she got flowers, a necklace,

Dove chocolates, and Lindt chocolates to...

I think that is what they are called,

I only know that I love them as well, they have the 

soft melt-a-way centers.

we had OJ, cho-chip muffins....warm...lest we forget.
Plus +

I introduced a new arm exercise I made up in honor of 

Sonia's special day....it will forever more be known as "The Sonia".

Very fun way to start the day.

Came home, kids and I happily enjoyed the remaining muffins.

I rode with them to school and then prepared for an
exciting trip to Publix. 

I have been anticipating this one for some time.

(Insert Rocky Music Now)

We have been out of Gatorade for quite a while.

WhoooopTdoooo,  right?

WRONG.

At least according to three sporty boys who feel that it is their

right and privilege to be able to drink a sports drink during their sports.

Yeah....I like the idea...but no way are we going to get 

ripped off trying to stock them.

When K is in town he is more than happy to run them to 7-11

and pay more than full price for their needs/wants.

Not ME.
 However.....
YO MAMA will pull through for you dear boys.

Have a little  patience, and all of your Sports Drink
dreams will come true. 

N I N E T Y  POWERADES !

Here is how it went down,

I have been hanging on to 6 hang tags in my coupon binder for a while,
several weeks in fact.

The tags say, Buy 10 Powerade - get 5 FREE

Yesterday they finally went BOGO at Publix.

Time to make my move.

I lost the math that I did....but if you want to figure out the sweet 

deal I got and get back to me, 

there is a hang tag in it for you.

Remember the facts - purchased 90, had 6 hang tags (each takes off $5), 

cost $1.25 each (remember they are BOGO).

Sweet deal.

To back up a little,

when I got to the store I went straight to customer service.

I said that I was interested in purchasing a large quantity of Powerade.

I didn't want to strip their shelves, 

was there anyway I could get cases brought up from the back?

Sure, let me get that going for you while you do your 

shopping.
Certainly My Lady, thank you.

After about 15 minutes I happened to come face to face with

Dale, the gentleman pulling my "ades".

He could see by my happy face that they were meant for me.

He explained that he had pulled a few bottles from every case

so that each case had 10.  

That way we could have more variety.

I was thrilled, however, he had only pulled 60, 

I was just going to go with that,

but he said, it was problem, just give me a few more minutes and I will

have 90 ready for you.
You are the best My Man!

I have never needed a flat bed at Publix before!

The rest of the trip....

it has been a while since I have been real excited about 

a great money saving trip.

Grams....BOGO @ $4.31 = $2.15 each

take away $1 Q on 2 = $1.65 each

a bargain for our favorite brand.

These are a huge staple for Eth....there could be worse snacks.

I had a rain check for the Publix Garbanzo beans - reg. 89  for  .69

Now that I am skilled in making my own Hummus I've

got to keep the goods on hand.

Publix cool whip is on sale for .89 each....not amazing, 

but not terrible either.

See the Flipz Chocolate covered pretzels??? 

BOGO at $3.99 = $2.00 each....

Now, normally I would not just out and out splurge on these

just because.

These two packs are for Ryker's Birthday which is in December.

He loves these and asks for them all the time.

Nothing better than making Food Dreams come true....

just when my kids think they will never get their hearts desire...

Booooomb!

Mom pulls through!!

Ok, see all of that Quorn Meatless "meat".....

I have never tried this brand. 

In the Publix Winter Family Savings booklet there is a $1 off coupon

on all Quorn products.

I got two of almost every variety.

I ate a "skinless chicken cutlet" 

for lunch w/ left over potatoes and steamed carrots....

I give it two thumbs up.

At $2 a pack/ compared to $5.99 regular 

I am more than willing to give it a try.

*** I do have extra coupons if you would like a few.

Rain check on wheat Chex....lately I LOVE this cereal.

Here is my recipe for eating it...

after I dish my cereal in a bowl, I pour a tiny

skosh of French Vanilla Creamer in the center and then top it with

fat free milk.

Try it!!...you are gonna love it.

In our garage Kev has this tiny puny fridge.
 I have always thought of it as a ridiculous waste of space....
until....Today!
Today I was able to put all of my extra
Bailey's Choffy creamer in that little guy.
Wow!
I'm not going to lie to you - this little fella is pretty handy!
There is a coupon for the creamer in the same booklet,
 The Winter Savings one,
plus, right in front of the creamer on the cooler door there is a $1 off 2 Q -
which brings the price to $1.19 per bottle.
L.O.V.E. THIS STUFF.....
HB - prepare to try Choffy when I am out in Utah....
PS - I am a distributor now.
Look for a button on my blog soon.


Part 2 Installment of this great day will come tomorrow,
I am going to call it......
"Cleaning My Spoils".

Get A Grip.....

This is one of Kev's favorite sayings.

In our house we know it is code for "Hold to the Rod".

Stay close to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I believe it came from one of his past lessons in Elders Quorum.

It is common when the boys are heading out the door for K to 

holler out to them, 

Hey Ryker, Get a Grip son, Get a Grip!

I have always liked this,
 it came to my mind today as I was running.

I was thinking back to this past Sunday, Fast Sunday.....

and how much I had wanted to get up and share my testimony.

I had all the symptoms barring down on me,

pounding, racing heart,

nerves pricked and on edge,

jittery, sweating, anxious, excited.

I kept waiting for a lull in the action.

A break in the procession.

I mentioned to K that I was going to make my move soon.

He was like, what, no, just let the people go.

Sheeesh!

Anyway, that is what I did.

I let all of the other people go.

I loved the meeting so much.  

Every testimony was a much needed glass of "living"water for me.

My cup was brimming to over flowing at the end.

My empty glass was once again renewed and full.

I have a good friend whom I admire very much.

Sometimes I remember back,
to maybe a year ago when she was really 

distraught and concerned.

She said she had stopped getting that feeling of needing to 

bear her testimony.

Prior to this stage she had felt it many times,

almost regularly on each fast Sunday.

She said she got into the habit of just ignoring it,
simply waiting it out until it passed....

it eventually always did.

She did this because of lots of reasons.....

She was too nervous to go up.

She didn't want to leave the kids on the bench alone.

She wasn't sure of what she would say, etc.

Then one day she realized that she had not had that feeling in a while. 

She began waiting for it,

expecting it,

anticipating it....

even got to the point of praying for its return and fasting for 

confirmation that she could still feel the spirit.

She was truly at a loss, heartbroken and scared that she 

had repressed it for so long that she would not get it back.

She was not sure she could share her testimony with out that burning feeling.

Anyway, I remember the day she finally got up and bore her testimony again.

I knew that she had waited for, fasted, and prepared,
and that no matter what,

whether the spirt she sought came or not, 

she would have faith, 

and would be bearing her testimony on that Sunday.

It was a spiritual, happy reunion. 

That has stuck with me....

I want to keep that feeling coming.

The time ran out on me on Sunday.

That is ok, 

there was not a testimony shared that I would have wanted to miss

to make space for my own. 

 I think back about that feeling as it left my body.....

fully aware of it's pending departure if I declined to 

accept its call.

My heart rate slowed,

lump in my throat softened and went away,

all systems back to normal.

One of the final testimonies was a brother that said his wife 

gave him the nudge he needed when she reminded him that this Sunday,

the 4th of December, would be his last chance to 

bear his testimony this year.

Oh my Goodness!!!

I don't want to miss my chance to share my feelings before 

2011 ends. 

Soooooo....

sorry, but this may be long.... 

New Mile Stones all around.....

I had planned to write a nice big juicy post today....

but I have run out of steam.

I wanted to give a quick shout out to my running mates.

I think just about all of us broke personal running records today.

We have created new mile stones for our selves.

I hit my 18 mile goal......

3:03 hours,

2365 calories burned!

10:11 average pace.

I will do my last long training run with my 

sister Amy in Utah in two weeks - a 20 miler.

I am pretty nervous about how that will pan out in the 

freezing snow and ice.

Should be an interesting journey.

As I was running today I was feeling very grateful for my 

little group of running friends.

But more than that I was so dang proud of them.

They are inspiring to me.

At the tail end of our run,

after our other friends had dropped off at their homes 

T and I were hobbling on.

T was not going to be deterred on her goal today.

Each time we came together we couldn't help but laugh

at our pain and likely pathetic appearance to others.

(Drivers probably think we are on mile 2 or something....

what do they know?!!)

It is not uncommon for me to tear up when I see other runners

while I am driving in the car.

I tear up because I am happy and miserable 

at the same time for them.  

There is no way to know at what point they are in 

during their current run, 

or in their running career in general.  

Who is to say they are not digging incredibly 

deep at the moment.

Tina's hips were on fire.

I could feel my muscles wanting badly to seize up and

be through.

Why would pain be humorous?

I guess it is either that or cry.

Poor T still had more running to do after I broke off...

Come on, you got this!!

Finish this bad boy!

We talked about a great idea that we might do for the marathon.

We thought it would be cool to voice record some messages 

to ourselves to intermix into our music to play, 

and hopefully motivate us throughout the run when we need it most.

It was Tina's idea.

I said I might have my family record some messages for me also.

Wouldn't that be fun to listen to on the run??

HB - start thinking now.... I want a good one from you Miss!

For my children I would probably lay a few ground rules:

Absolutely no screaming or super annoying sounds.

This is to HELP mommy.

Keep that in mind.

Tip:

Be present in the mile you are in.

Don't worry about mile 18.

Words of Wisdom from Alice in Wonderland -

"Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end:

then stop."

Fuel for thought....

Look at this young fellow.

Do you ever feel like this when you run?

You might think he is trying to power through his first marathon,

but no,

He is nearing the end of his 5K.

Way to go Ethman!

Regardless of the distance you are running,

this is your race.

Your challenge.

Your mind plays a huge role in the outcome, and in your performance

throughout your training and on race day.

I found some tips and strategies in Running World Magazine I

wanted to share.

"To ensure your mind is strong enough to perform at your best,

it's important to start your mental training long before the race itself.

The first step is to create specific racing goals.

Make sure your goals are realistic, but at the same time, never

hesitate to shoot a bit high.

It's amazing what adrenaline, 

support and desire can do on race day.

Keep this goal in mind throughout your training.

In the days and hour before the big race, visualize yourself

moving through each mile of the race with strength.

Imagine feeling calm and confident, 

keeping in mind the milestones you've already achieved in your training.

When the moment arrives, tap into your strong, 

competitive center, 

(your competition is you!)

I personally like to focus on passing one individual ahead of me,

 and then setting my sights on the next racer.

When the going gets tough,

remember all the hard work that led to this point.

Stay true to your goal and confident in your ability.

Enjoy the journey and let the spectators boost you along

to the finish."

....and trust me they will at Disney!!!

Loads and Loads of spectators....

You will be loving them!!

Wow! Get a load of that heavy duty HEEL STRIKING!

Mental Race-Ready Formula

•  Set specific goals before the race.
• Keep these goals in mind while training
• Perform visualization exercises in the week leading up to your event.
• On race day, stay patient in the first half of the race.
• Keep calm and confident in the later stages.
• Reel in runners ahead of you one by one.
• Allow cheers to boost you through the finish.
• CELEBRATE your success!!!.....each milestone....
• Welcome and enjoy those hard earned tears (I added this one)

I loved this too much not to post it twice.

I tried applying it as my profile pic....but OF COURSE I CAN'T.

DECEMBER 1st!

Happy December 1st to YOU!!

The Christmas Holiday has officially begun.

(Really we all know it begins on Thanksgiving Day).

December makes it official.

It is such a happy, delicious time of year.

The house always feels cozy and extra special.

Candles blazing every day.

Homemade soup on the stove day after day.

(Kev did mention that he could not tollerate one more bowl of soup

tonight at dinner......what up??

Doesn't he get it is part of the season?)

 The other day M and I were riding our bikes home from school

and she said that one of her friends had asked her

why we don't just stay here for Christmas instead of going out 

to Utah every year.

McCauley was like, well.....

#1.  we don't have a chimney.

#2.  our cousins don't live here.

duh.

Good answers....spot on.

My sister recently posted about our younger brother,

and what a Fab pet owner he is.

How loving and kind and caring.

She said,

 I think the way people treat their pets spotlights much about 

a person's character.

Yeeesh....that is kinda harsh for me to hear.

Just in case you have wondered how Herbie is faring...

I thought I would give you a little sneak peak into her daily life next door.

* Chuck ain't got nothing on Charlie I can tell you.

Since A would not let C have Herbie inside,

C quickly began work on a luxurious home for his adored in the garage.

 Floral curtained entrance...

 Piped in heating,
 set at the desired temperature at all times.

Turns on and off at intervals as needed throughout the cold nights

Herbie is alone.

 Not one, but 3 plush pillows for Herbies comfort.

You can see the heating vent through the glassed in window

(for Herbie's viewing pleasure).

Yes.
When Herbie moved next door,

she definitely got an upgrade to life.

They are both extremely happy together.

Interesting back story HERE & HERE

.............................

Can't log off without adding something about running...

um,

I like this quote by Al Roker from the Today Show,

"With the Marathon, even if you're hurting, it's like, 

Well, I've come all this way.

Unless there's a bone poking out,

I might as well finish."

KEEP RUNNING......!!!

....not long to go!!!

Photos.

I have been blog frustrated for the past few days.

I have not been able to up load our new family portrait to my main page.

I can remove the current (very out dated) photo,

but when I try to add a new one it won't allow it....

The error message says -

We're sorry, but you have exceeded your photo upload quota. For more information, check out this Blogger help page.

I have been to the help page,

cleared my cache,

deleted or moved tons of photos from Picasa....

but still I am having no luck.

Have any of you bloggers had this dilema?

Please offer me assistance if you can.

Here are a few photos from our recent session with

Tiffany Yates.

I thought she did a great job...her information

and web site are below if you want to take a look.

The kids were the problem really.

I don't know if older kids are more trouble at family picture sessions,

or young infants.

It seems like nearly every photo someone was purposely

making a face,

frowning, trying to be funny in someway.

Very annoying.

I am happy we got a few good shots.

I will be even more happy when 

I figure out how to get my favorite one up on this site.

Can't wait to loose the glasses photo.

www.TiffanyYatesPhotography.com

Todays Running Stats....

Todays run is done.

16.59 miles

9:50 average pace

2:43 minutes

1907 calories burned!!

Yowsa!

I ate half n' half on my wheat chex this morning....

....cuz I can.

I have calories to burn today baby!