Chocolate Chips.

Last night Ruby was giving me a big close up hug in my face. Suddenly she asked me if I liked chocolate chips. I said I love chocolate chips. She said, "Mommy, you hab choco chips on your face?" It took me a minute, but she was refering to my "beauty mark". I've had them as long as I can remember. One in the middle of my forehead, and one on my cheek. They remind me of my dad. He has them too. But last night they turned into a delicious food item on my face. I asked Ruby if she wanted to kiss my chocolate chips. She did.

In Only 3 Days!

Only three short days left until this is my landscape for 26.2 miles. Hard to believe it's that close. You spend four months getting ready, and then it seems to all come down to the morning of, if your body feels like running well.

In the mean time, I'm "tapering". It's a crazy thing. You train hard for 16-weeks, and then the last two before the race you are supposed to take it easy, recover and get your strength built back up for the big day. But it leaves lots of free time to think that maybe you have forgotten how to run more than two miles. Or to imagine that when you ran 22 miles three weeks ago, that was actually a dream. Not an event that really took place. I'm telling you, your brain start telling your body all kinds of lies about what it cannot do anymore. My brain is trying to get excused from the actual event (and for the most part, it will be malfunctioning while the marathon is in progress!). Anyway, regardless of all the fears and doubts today, on Saturday morning at 4:30am I will be bused to a start line and run 26.2 miles, like it or not!

Think happy thoughts for me in the mean time. I'm really nervous right now... but I am looking forward to at least one hour of relaxation scheduled today at 7:15pm when I get a deep tissue hour-long massage. I had to do something to help calm the nerves. This was the best thing I could think of.

We used to have this camera. As in, on Thursday if you asked me to take your picture, I would have, with this camera.

George and I had some friends over for lunch on Thursday. He came to me and asked if he could take some pictures of our friends. I told him I didn't want him to. He came back to me a few minutes later and asked again. And again I had the feeling the answer REALLY should be no. I wanted to say no. I just knew that if I didn't, something was going to happen. But remember, I had friends over, I was trying to be nice so I let him have it. Things went well for a while. And then sure enough I looked over just in time to watch the Cannon PowerShot drop out of his hands onto the hardwood floors. And the Earnests have learned one too many times that that is all it takes for a digital camera to break. So there you have it. Don't drop your camera!!

At the end of the day as I was putting the boys to bed I was very calming trying to discuss the situation with George. I asked him what we might learn from this incident. He said, "I guess I can't take pictures with your camera anymore." And I said, "It's not that I'm trying to be mean, it's just that cameras really break that easily." Then I went on to say "It's sad because cameras are so expensive. " And then Henry, over on the other bed got interested in our conversation. He wanted to know just how expensive it might be. And so I said, "Well, it's probably close to $200." Then Henry lamented, "Mom, it just doesn't make any sense. Why do they still have to be so expensive. I mean, cameras have been around for so long, you would think they wouldn't have to cost so much." So I chuckled and agreed and thought it was cute that he worries about so many things. I was really just trying to teach George a lesson in a calm and reasonable way. He's so relentless at times, that I have to use any opportunity as a teaching moment.

The next morning the boys came walking upstairs for breakfast and to go out to the bus. They were dressed in shorts and t-shirts. It was a cool morning, so I wasn't sure if they had picked out the best outfits. So I mentioned to Henry, maybe you guys want to wear something warmer. And he said, "Oh don't worry mom, I watched the news. It's going to be in the high 70's today." And George joined in, "It's true mom, he did. He watches the news now." Apparently they kept fighting over what they should watch in the morning with their precious few minutes before going off to school and Henry got tired of the arguing so just to bug George he told him that if they fight over what to watch, he's just going to watch the news.

As they left the house and it was quiet again, I walked downstairs to straighten up and sure enough the "Today" show was on.

These guys kill me. Each day is a new adventure, and needless to say, I laugh a lot as each one passes! Thought you might get a kick out of these ones.

P.S. Sweden was the country featured tonight. No pictures, for obvious reasons. But I will give you the recipe to some delicious Swedish meatballs. They were so easy and delicious I could handle these ones even on a weeknight. You should try them!!

Russian food to impress our Russian...

We felt it was about time that we featured Russia as our international food experience on Sunday. So Russia it was. We kind of cheated, it's a long story but the pirogis weren't homemade. But do not be saddened we have made them from scratch several times, so we could have if we had wanted to. But the salad was completely authentic and from scratch. I think Darin may have even translated the recipe from Russian?! Anyway, it was all delicious and beautiful.

Unfortunately the boys didn't love it. They ended up with bowls of cereal. But at least everyone tried everything. And that's all that is required.
Darin still wearing his apron vouched to the authenticity of flavors. Thanks to my boys for a delicious Sunday meal. And please take note of my adorable Target table cloth. It really adds the perfect touch if you ask me. Too bad it was disposable. I was actually sad to throw it away. But was so happy that it had only set me back $1.50.

Why Girls Are Great! (In case you didn't know already...)

This is beauty to me. And let me tell you why.

We were down in the basement yesterday afternoon, when suddenly the boys decided they would go play in the backyard. Jane heard them talking and wanted to go with them. So she quickly got up from what she was doing in the basement and ran upstairs saying, "I need to find my shoes, I need to find my shoes." Next thing I hear is the thud of each shoe as it is thrown out of the shoe basket. A few minutes later she is next to me again telling me how she cannot find her new shoes. I say they are up on her bed, mind you two flights of stairs way upstairs. This does not deter her. She marches off, all the way up, finds her shoes, puts them on, and goes outside.

Why is this so great to me? A few reasons. For those of you who have boys...at what point in that process would they have given up and come right back into your face to have you get their shoes for them? At least with my boys, I would have been lucky if they had even glanced at the shoe basket. Forget emptying it out, and forget going the extra mile to the upstairs bedroom to get them. Just forget it!

Was it because they are her brand new Crocs? Maybe. But I am more convinced that girls come with a genetic something that makes them good finders. Ladies, can you agree with me here? And there was something about watching my little girl working so hard to find something that just made me smile to know that deep down we are all the same. We were sent here to know how to find things for ourselves and for every other person that we have the privilege of living with... Way to go Jane! I have great confidence that you will be able to find many a lost things throughout your entire life. You make me proud!

p.s.- Why did it take me so long to join the Croc band wagon? These are a genius invention that I should have been enjoying for well over a year now. At least I finally get it now. This has cut down a significant amount of time on our exit from the house time. Thank you Crocs. From your newest loyal customer!

Raising Up the Next Generation...

Every Monday, starting last Monday, for the next few Mondays is race day! And I for one am all in favor. The boys have joined the Landsharks Running Club. It's so cute. It's a little cross country team for elementary kids. They practice weekly and have a weekly meet. They run against all the other local elementary schools. But it's not about coming in first place, it's about beating your own personal time each week. "Every runner is a winner". Now that's a motto I can whole heartily endorse! Henry runs a full mile and George runs 1/2 a mile. They did great last week. Henry did it in about ten minutes. I was so excited as George was crossing the finish line, that I forgot to even notice, but he was fast! Anyway, after Henry finished I was telling him what a great job he did, and how fast he was. I said, "Henry, you did that whole thing in only ten minutes!". He replied back, "Ten minutes? Man, it felt like an hour?" I can relate completely to that feeling. Anyway, I'm by far the most excited person about this whole experience. I try VERY hard to not live vicariously through my children. Just let them be who they are and try to stay out of it. But running seems to fall in a completely different way less logical part of my brain, and I want them to love it so much! And by the way, I'm totally jealous that they are running cross country. It remains the one part of my high school experience that I just wish I could go back and re-do. Why didn't I run then?! Anyway, they are loving it and I couldn't be more pleased!! We're off to the race...

Recipe

Do you need something delicious to do today? Here is the Blondie recipe. The best part about it is that I usually have all the ingredients on hand. Enjoy! Let me know if you make them...

Rachel’s Peanut Butter Blondies

1 ½ c. Butter
1 ½ c. Peanut Butter
2 ½ c. Sugar
3 Eggs
2 Tb. Vanilla
*3 c. Self-rising Flour

Cream together butter, peanut butter and the sugar. Add the eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla. Finally add the flour. Spread in a jelly roll pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

*1 c. self-rising flour = 1 c. minus 2 tsp of regular flour. Plus 1 ½ tsp. baking powder and ½ tsp. salt.

(Sounds complicated but it’s not!)

Once it bakes pull it out of the oven, let it cool a bit, then add the frosting.

Frosting:

1 c. Peanut Butter Chips (I have also used chocolate chips, either one is delicious.)
3 Tb. Heavy Cream (I usually use whole milk)
1 c. Crushed Heather Bars (I don’t usually add this. It would be delicious, but I rarely have extra Heath bars laying around. That would require a special trip to the store.)

In a pan over medium high heat melt the peanut butter chips with the cream. Stir continuously so as not to burn. Once all the chips are melted, pour the frosting over the cooled bars. Slice and enjoy!

Totally Worth $12!

I just can't help myself today. I've been seeing this little outfit at Gymboree. It's even been very cheap many times, and yet I've walked away many times. Maybe others don't see it the same way that I do, but finally last night, I resisted no longer and splurged my $12 on this outfit that is making me smile all day long.

And for some reason ever since I put it on Ruby this morning I've had this urge to sing the lyrics, "I am living in the material world, and I am a material girl..." You know the tune, sing along as you admire the little outfit, you'll agree with me I think, they go together. Anyway, Jane looks super cute too, but I have to say, Ruby got my favorite new outfit today!

We did it again!

We managed another international meal today. This week we featured Germany. Schnitzel, roasted vegetables and mashed potatoes, with polka music in the background. Since George is a "Germaner", he said the prayer for us. Here is the recipe we used for the schnitzel. We used pork instead of chicken, which I have to say makes it taste much more German. Enjoy!

As soon as the music started, the girls were done with their food. Dancing the polka was so much more fun for them!

19 Days 9 Hours and 21 Minutes...

Until the St. George Marathon, which is why I was up before the sun on Saturday to complete my final LONG run in my training regime.

Me, thinking to myself about how afraid of the dark I am...

The trail head, you can't even see it, it's so dark.

22 Miles later a brilliant sky

And me again, feeling triumphant. Conquered fear of dark, and fear of running 22 miles!

Wilco in Denver

So Wilco is Darin's favorite band right now. (He can edit this if I'm wrong about that). Anyway, when he saw that they were going to be in Denver in September, he bought us tickets immediately. I've been teasing him about his need to go to rock concerts at this point in his life ever since, but he promised it would be a good time. And I will admit, it was fun. Thanks for making me feel 19 all over again. Except for the time that I turned to him in the middle of a song and yelled in his ear, "Did you leave the pull-ups somewhere where Jordan (the babysitter) will be able to find them". And he replied in the affirmative. We wouldn't have yelled that to each other at a rock concert 10 years ago!

Sarah and Scott were there too. Scott was on a frisbee golf tour with the end destination being the concert, and Sarah even flew out "sans" kids to kick up her heels at the concert too. Kind of funny if you ask me, but it was fun.

A New Tradition Sustained Three Whole Weeks in a Row.

It all started three weeks ago when Darin and I made fajitas for dinner after church. When we all sat down to eat Darin tuned his XM radio to some fiesta like music and the boys got all excited like we were at a Mexican restaurant. As the meal went on the ideas got bigger and bigger, and suddenly we were planning a year in advance, naming off all the countries we knew and if they had any food we liked, and could Darin find music to go along with it. This most recent Sunday was Italy. We made homemade pasta and a pizza. The previous week was China and we obtained the recipe for Panada Express Orange Chicken. It's a lot of work, but the kids are really getting into it. George wants it to be Germany this Sunday. I'm not sure what to cook?! Maybe my parents have some good ideas....fries?

Seeing Darin in an apron working side-by-side with his sons is a highlight for me each week. For that reason alone I will carry on the tradition!

Who knew you could actually make Orange chicken. It passed the kids test which was to see if it would taste just like the restaurant. It actually did. I have to admit even I was impressed with a recipe that works just right.


Having country appropriate dresses for our Chinese week was a definate bonus in my opinion. Thanks to aunt Rachel who was in China this spring Jane and Ruby were sporting adorable outfits!

More Images by George (series continues, refer to previous post.)

"Me and my sister. She's all potty trained, let's get a picture of that."

"The chocolate chip. It is delicious and I find it beautiful as well. I hope I captured both emotions."

"Abstract image of the van. We ride in it all the time, let's find some deeper meaning to it in photography."

"The trees. I took 12 shots of trees, I wanted to feel like I was in the jungle."

george got a hold of the camera yesterday afternoon..

And learned the art of self portraitry,
as well as a few other things, check it out...

Rachel's &@%?!# Blondies!

Seriously, what came over me? What could I have possibly been thinking yesterday when I decided to pull out Rachel's Blondie recipe and make them. Did I think the magic Blondie fairies would come and eat them all up last night while I was safely sleeping in bed? Did I think that all of my dear children would benefit from their wholesome nourishment? Did I think I would be crowned office wife as Darin packed them up to take them off to the office today? Did I think that my miles and miles of running and yoga meditation would have shielded me from such weakness so that I could co-habitate with such a creation in my kitchen, and NOT have them for breakfast, lunch and dinner?

I don't know. I'm off to have them for my early afternoon snack now.... darn those blondies. (My cousin recently taught me that darn and dam look awfully similar when typed in lower case letters. You choose which one fits best into that sentence!)

A Tantrum Like None I Had Ever Seen Before.

And for good reason I might add. For can you imagine if you were two years old and your mother was about to walk out of Target without purchasing these sweet pink shoes? I mean, honestly, can you imagine it? That would be awful. Down right devastating. And if you had to rip your own lame white tennis shoes off in the middle of Target and lay on your back and cry at the top of your lungs about pink shoes, just to get your mother's attention and make sure that she wasn't REALLY about to leave the store without purchasing

THESE BEAUTIFUL PINK SHOES...
You just might have thrown a tantrum yourself!! And I have to admit a certain level of pride in my daughters. At least in this instance they were girls who knew exactly what they wanted. And that kind of determination just might be a trait that I am actually kind of proud of.
Oh happy day we wore pink shoes all afternoon long...and took them to bed with us when we went to sleep.