Shopping Bags

If there is one thing that I feel more guilty about than frequenting Wal-Mart it is the loads of plastic shopping bags that accompany those trips. The small cloth bag that stores them in my kitchen isn't cutting it anymore. I've literally taken garbage bags full of shopping bags out of my house recently.

So, this last weekend I made another step into the green and fashioned myself several reusable shopping bags. I bought 3 yards of ripstop nylon that was on sale for $4 a yard. I figured it would be tough, lightweight, washable, etc. I practiced with a couple of ideas that took far too long and looked far too shabby then I finally happened upon an idea that proved easy to cut out, put together, and hopefully durable enough for my hefty shopping.

This is my super sophisticated pattern for you to follow. I was an art major in college, can you tell? I started with a square of fabric that was folded over (that's the bottom seam.) Then I cut out the white parts and sewed the blue lines. Around the handle and the top of the bag was just overcasting to prevent the nylon from fraying. The sides I sewed together with an overcast stitch, then I folded the seam over and stitched over it with a more durable stitch. There's an official term for this, I'm sure, but I don't know what it is. I also squared off the bottom by folding in the bottom corners. What? Never mind. If you really want me to explain it to you call me and I'll tell you. (Or if you're not related to me and you want to know how, post a comment.)

Running update

Yeah, it was just as bad as I thought. I wasn't really running, just lobbing along then walking, then lobbing some more. It was kind of embarassing, considering I was dressed in my full running gear including spandex and sunglasses that make me look fast. Even my fast sunglasses couldn't salvage my image this time.

Retraining

I have been running off and on for about 3 years. I really enjoy it and attribute my stellar cardiovascular abilities and deep inner sense of calm to it (HA!) That's actually not true, but it's pretty good stress relief. Since I've been running, however, improvement seems to elude me. I feel like I'm able to get to this point and that's pretty much it.
For my birthday, my husband got me a heart rate monitor, per my request. I recently decided to use this to train more effectively so I found a training plan from a respectable site that has target heart rates for each run. I've been following it for about 2 weeks now and I have been amazed. I have to run really slowly. In fact there are times that I need to walk in order to keep my heart rate within a reasonable range. I have an 8 mile run this Saturday and as it looks right now it may be an 8 mile semi-brisk walk with water breaks.
I'm wondering if this has been my problem with not improving. I've constantly been over training and never working in the range that was actually beneficial. So, we will see. This plan has me working up to 10 miles so I can run the Steamboat Classic in June. I will be interested to see if I improve or if I end up walking the 15K. I know you're on the edge of your seats, so I'll keep you posted.

Buck up and be happy, damnit.

I'm trying to be less of a downer. I've been thinking a lot about myself, my life, and all of my blessings and burdens these days. I've been thinking about the girls and what I want to instill in them as they grow up. I've been thinking about my attitudes towards life and my life situations. And this is what I've come up with:
I have more blessings than I can recall and I have about 4 real burdens that get magnified with every hour of sleep I miss. The day's attitude almost entirely revolves around my attitude. If Mom is angry, the day is bad. If Mom is happy and resilient, very little can bring the day down. In regards to the kids, I want them to see me make the best of things rather than wallow in my distress.
Maybe it's just Spring, but I'm not going to let the little things get me down. I'm going to make a real effort to be positive and do things that I love to do and love the things that I have to do.

Earthquake

Early this morning I was awakened. Not by a kid yelling that she needed a drink, or needed to go peeps, or a baby falling off the bed, or kicking me in the neck. I woke up because our house was wobbling side to side and it felt like it was on a pool of jello. My body was swaying back and forth and I could hear the house shifting about. It wasn't a jerky motion at all, it was gentle and jiggly. I lay there feeling it and wondering first if it was wind, then realizing it must be an earthquake. I wondered if my husband who was asleep in the guest room (I've been sick) was awake. But mostly I worried that if I woke up and found out that there wasn't an earthquake that we'd have to move out of our house pronto because that could only mean that some house-wobbling ghosts had moved in.

It's like we don't even exist

My older sister is expanding her recreational painting into a business pursuit. Her pictures are great and everything, but as I reviewed her past work I noticed that something is missing, primarily me and my little sister. There are paintings of our parents, herself, our oldest sister, strangers, random fields, rivers, etc., but no little sisters. I sat and wondered why this might be. Do we not matter as much? Is she less fond of us? Are we not as cute?

Then it hit me. Our collective awkward years span so much time that, honestly, what pictures

could she use?

(NOT THESE)

Furthermore, if you consider my painful lack of photo finesse coupled with my little sister's exuberant choice of festive clothes, even the recently past years are non-negotiable.

I see now. I wouldn't paint us either

A great substitute

I love sweets, more than life sometimes. The year that I gave up sweets for Lent will always be branded on my mind as one of life's most memorable and trying experiences. It was like 6 weeks of childbirth.

But that is beside the point. The point is that I love sweets and I love making them. However, most cookie and brownie recipes call for a ton of butter or oil. I just don't like all the greasiness, it seems excessive most of the time. I usually use applesauce for 1/2 of the fat. It's a good substitute, but I have found better... the secret is yogurt. Plain, lowfat yogurt. It works wonderfully and gives the finished product a little extra flavor like using buttermilk would. I made chocolate chip cookie recipe like this and baked it in a 9x13 in. pan. The result was great, flavorful, tender, a bit healthier. I urge you to try.