Fall Colors on a Missouri Drive–Plus guess the answer

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Darren preached in Macon yesterday. It was a 3 hour drive. We left home with 3 kids in tow at 6:30 so I slept most of the way. My eyes popped open when we were 30 minutes out and I was overcome with how beautiful the trees were.  I snapped sone pictures:

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Grant enjoyed the drive too 🙂

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The older children stayed home and went to our regular church for the first Christmas program rehearsal. It’s hard to believe it’s already that time of year. Speaking of Christmas, do you know when the cheapest prices are for buying Christmas gifts? Put your guess in the comments below and I’ll reveal the answer later this week.

More pictures from Front Sight

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I can’t wait to go back to Front Sight Next Year.  What an amazing experience!  I was definitely not a gun person before I went out there. (I had only shot once and had never fired the gun I took with me.) Every time my husband asked me to go target shooting with him, my heart would sink. Now I’m not afraid of handling a gun anymore.  I know how to use it; how to unload it and make it safe; and I’m on my way to having decent aim. On the other hand, I’m also more aware of how much skill I have left to build.

Practicing what to do when there is 4 bad guys and just me.

Slowly re-holstering. Trying to get comfortable doing this without looking, but it's one of the more dangerous gun maneuvers. No sense in rushing and losing a foot.

Darren and my brother competing in the last man standing competition. They are waiting for the fire command--and looks like they are in a western showdown, lol. Darren ended up winning 2nd place in our range. Not to shabby for his first time in class.

 

My Ammo Box. Looks too messy to me, but I move so fast normally that I don't take time to stay organized. My SIL snapped this picture because my sparkly lip gloss tickled her funny bone. I was the queen of sparkly lip gloss on the range. It helped me keep my girly edge during a fast draw. And we were in the desert--can't have too much sparkly lip gloss in the desert.

Weekend In Las Vegas

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Just in at the airport. Elvis sighting! Check out the guy behind me on my left (your right.)

 

Scenery near our hotel in Parumph, NV

DH and his new ammo box freshly decorated with stickers.

The MM store -- too bad we ran out of time and couldn't go in.

Giant Coca Cola Bottle Elevator

Eiffel Tower Restaurant

 

Outdoor Escalators leading to the bridge over the street so pedestrians can cross without stopping traffic

Treasure Island Hotel and Restaurant

Gondola Rides

More Gondola Rides

One of our instructors in our 4 day Defensive Handgun Course at Front Sight. Each class session has a short talk; demonstration; and then dry drill and live fire drill.

My Brother Getting one-on-one instruction for his first live fire round.

Dad getting his one-on-one session.

Dad's Dinner. When it was served my brother said, "What is that? A meat Banana Split?" We were so tired after spending all day in class that we couldn't stop laughing. Bwa ha ha ha. Did you have to be there? I'm still laughing just typing it....Tee Hee.

The hardest part about this trip was leaving my kids behind, then getting my menus out on time while traveling.  And then trying to relax while thinking about shooting guns–which is scary for me.  And yet I believe in the 2nd amendment and think that if I’m going to own guns I should be skilled at using them.

I showed up the first day with my cargo pants pockets filled with sparkly lip gloss and then promptly broke a nail trying to clip my holster to my belt.  By the end of the day, I was very comfortable with my weapon.

The first night we walked the strip in Las Vegas and I took a few photos for my kids, because it is a place I will NEVER bring them. If you have been there, you know what I mean.  The best part was the fountain show at Bellagio. I filmed it and maybe will have time to upload the video tomorrow.

Run for Life 5K

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Thank you for all your support. The Women’s Clinic met their financial goal of $20,000 and even exceeded it by a little. I finished in just over 33 minutes a personal best. My team won first place for fund raising thanks to the readers here. Four of our members won first place time slots in their age divisions.

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Heidi, Me, and Kelly Marshall in front of the Independence Courthouse just after our run. Note to self: Do not run with a water bottle. It's heavy and they have people along the sides who will feel bad if you don't take the water that they volunteered their morning just to be able to hand you.

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Heidi and Me before the run. Trying not to feel nervous.

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Heidi, her cousin Haley and two of their friends from church just after the run.

Wish I took more pictures!!!!  I enjoyed the experience a lot and am looking to see the which next 5k (local) that I can work into my schedule. Then maybe a 10k, half marathon or something bigger–like an obstacle or mud run?

Things I did right this year:

Dressed in layers that I could take off and attach to my body while still running.

Trained 3 days a week on hilly terrain with days of rest between.  For training I used a Gym Boss timer with 1 minute running and 1 minute walking.  As I increased in fitness I increased my running speed during that interval.

Ate a great breakfast to run on: Smoothie with  1 cup almond milk, 1 scoop designer whey protein, 1 Tbs cocoa powder, 1/2 banana (frozen) and 5 frozen strawberries.

Wore sunscreen.

Took my cellphone for photos.

Left my purse at home with just my id, $20, and single car key in a zip pocket in my running pants.  Pinned my cellphone pocket shut so it couldn’t bounce out while I ran. It was 55 degrees at the start of the race. I wore Walmart brand full length black boot-cut running pants in a performance knit with a zippered id pocket.  Perfect.  On top I had a 3/4 length cotton shirt, the official race t-shirt over that and a zippered hoodie over that.  At the first mile marker I was ready to lose the jacket.  Other than that, I was right climate wise.

Took melatonin the night before so I would get a good night’s rest.

Prepared the night before with the race route, clothes laid out, hair plan (to keep it out of my eyes), weather watch, food plan, and showered the night before so there was very little to do the morning of.

And carefully selected good running shoes and ran with them several times before race day to break them in.

Things to do next time:  No water with me (too much to carry), and take extra safety pins in case team members need their bibs pinned on.  (another team member saved us this year–thanks Janelle Bird!)

Heather’s No-Stress Birthday

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Our quest for a very special birthday for Heather (without throwing a party) started with me taking the day off and farming the other children out to Grandma’s so Heather could have my undivided attention. We baked a cake from a strawberry boxed mix and then headed to the mall.

Since Heather loves to shop, I didn’t buy her any gifts ahead of time.  I gave her the money and then helped her choose her own gifts.  She bought a new lunch bag and water bottle set from Old Navy.  A red feather and flower hair pretty to go with her school uniform.  Clip on earrings (Buy 2 get 1 free from Claires.) Candy necklaces and candy treats for her siblings at Dollar Tree (plus fancy paper plates and table decor), and then we went to buy the food for dinner at Aldi.

Once we got home, Heather and I cooked dinner for our family, plus my parents, and my brother and his family.  And we decorated her cake. She did most of it.  I was pretty impressed :).

The sugar cones are sprinkled with rainbow nerds. All the candies on the cake were from Dollar Tree, then we passed all the leftovers around after dinner, so they wouldn’t tempt me later.  I threw away all the leftovers because I have no self-control when it comes to sweets.

This was the least stressful birthday celebration yet and we made lots of great memories together.

Happy 9th Sweetie!  You are growing up so fast!

Sweet Potatoes!

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Grandpa Coffman grew some giant sweet potatoes this year!  And he shared with us.  So I have been scouring the web for some new recipes to use the bounty.  Here are some in my must try file.

Betty Crocker's Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Bacon

Betty Crocker's Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes with Applesauce

 Sweet Potato Hash Browns

Sweet Potato Pancakes

Sweet Potato Waffles

And since we love potato and eggs for breakfast, I’m going to try some breakfast favorites  like:  Egg Burritos and Frittata.

 

Just Checking In

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My plate is feeling super full right now. But I wanted to check in and let you know we are okay. Everyone is fighting colds and I’ve spent the last two days in bed. I was too miserable to blog yesterday, but it sure felt good to rest.

My friend and I traded pianos last week, so now I have an apartment baby grand in my living room. The new living room furniture will arrive this Tuesday, and the area rug will come the first week in October. I bought paint for the room too, but haven’t gotten past filling the holes in the walls. It will all come together in time. I took advantage of some fantastic Labor Day sales to get everything at the lowest price possible. It was less than buying everything used on Craigslist and I got just what I wanted. Here’s a reminder picture of what I’m hoping for:

It will be awhile before we replace the green carpet with hardwood floors. The area rug will help me wait

I’ve been working on a new ebook for single serving mug recipes that will be released next Saturday. I have a handful of recipes to test this week to finish up.

I’m still trying to get into a comfortable place with teaching High School Choir. I’ve devoured several books on the subject and poured my heart out to God on many occasions. If When we succeed, there is no doubt in my mind that it will be because of Him.

My 5K is in 3 more weeks and I don’t feel ready.  I first attempted to jog the whole distance 3 weeks ago and injured my right hip.  I haven’t been able to run since and am hoping it will heal up soon so I can train.   Even if I have to walk it, I will be there.

Not long after the race I will head to a retreat for 4-days of defensive hand-gun training. After which I’ll be a pistol packing mama.  It’s not my first choice of hobbies, but my husband and Dad insist.  I’ve been to the shooting range a couple of times in preparation and was surprised how much fun target practice can be.  This is one skill I hope to never need.

Musical practice has started for the kids at school.  I have 4 kids in the play and 5 costumes to sew.  Ballet, Soccer, Handmaidens and Scouts start this week too.  There’s not a night of the week that we are not booked.  That’s not a good feeling, but I’m not sure which child to say no to.  I feel like all these experiences are valuable, so we are just pushing through the busyness right now.

So that’s what’s going on around here.  Never a loss of things to do, lol.  What’s new with you?

Hey Butterfly, are you ready to come out and play?

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Fit Yummy Mummy’s Fall Transformation Challenge starts Tuesday, September 4th  And registration doors opened today.  If you are new to FYM, you’re going to love it.  It’s a sensible eating and exercise program that will get you the results you are looking for in just 15-20 minutes a day.  I’ve been a member at FYM for just over a year now and can’t tell you how amazing it is to be part of a community of women all encouraging one another.

To join the fall challenge, you must be a member at ClubFYM.  But it’s most effective to first purchase the FYM ebook and video set.  It lines everything out for you and with the purchase, your first month of club membership is free.  You can read more about it here. Or at the FYM button on the right.

As cheap as I am, this is one purchase I’ve never regretted.

The last challenge was only 6 weeks.  This one is 12.  If you have had trouble sticking to a fitness program before, we would be great friends :).  Having a community of ladies to keep me accountable, plus the competition of the challenge, plus all the challenge extra training from Holly, is what I need to stay motivated.

Here is a before and after shot from a 12 day tighter tummy mini-challenge that was inside this Summer’s 6 week challenge.

All I did was what Holly told me to do and stayed within healthy eating guidelines for a nursing mom.  If a 35 year old mom of 6 can do this in just 12 days.  What can you do?  Are you ready to come out of your cocoon?

Ideas for the Living Room

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Here’s a rough illustration of my idea for my living room. Below is a reminder picture of what the room looks like now:

I’ve been watching the individual pieces of furniture for their prices to drop within range.  And snagged the printed chair from Target this week when it went on sale.  It’s not very comfy…but sure is cute, lol.  My friend and I are talking about trading pianos.  Her baby grand won’t fit in her new house and my Betsy Ross Spinet would be perfect. I’m hoping the holiday weekend will bring the lower prices I’ve been waiting for so I can snag some more pieces.  I’ve been donating plasma twice a week for several months saving up the money for when the prices drop.

I’ve picked out a paint color called Silver Drop from Behr and will use Ultra pure white on the moldings.  I’d love to add extra wall moldings and crown molding too.  But with my new teaching job I’m not sure how to fit it all in.   It will happen one day….just a little project at a time.

Restaurant Style Spinach Queso Dip Recipe

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Heidi and Caleb are home after spending a week on the farm. It took about 2 days for me to get over how easy it was to set the table and put children to bed with 2 less and then really start to miss them. I’d think of questions to ask them, things I wanted to show them…and then realize they weren’t there. Sniff. When they showed up yesterday, Grant took turns grabbing their necks and just leaning in. It really made their day…and mine too.

School starts on Thursday for us. Wednesday is Heather’s birthday and we have shopping plans :). And I just signed on as our school’s High School music teacher. I’m super excited and nervous all at the same time. I have to leave in 5 minutes for my first staff meeting in 11 years. But first, I want to give you this fantastic recipe that I developed last night in honor of my children’s return.

Everyone in the family loved it. Even the picky non-spinach eaters. We used mild chilies and it was decidedly not spicy. You could use spicier chilies or add more cayenne if you like. But taste it first and adjust as you go.

2 cups milk

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup flour

1/4 tsp cayenne

1 tsp cumin

1 can, 4 oz, green chilies

2 cups finely chopped spinach (I used fresh, but frozen would work too.)

Whisk flour into milk and add remaining ingredients.  Cook and stir over medium high heat until thickened.  Stir in 2 cups of cheddar jack cheese (Costco has this in 5 lb bags for a bargain.)  Cook a little longer just until cheese is melted.  Serve with tortilla chips.