What I am loving in July

 My Garden.  Everyday I poke around in there and look to see what is popping up, turning color, or growing big.  Right now I've got romaine lettuce, beans (and darn bean beetles), tomatoes turning red, watermelon, and an odd white squash that I don't remember planting...

I love these shoes.  New Balance Trail Minimus.  It's like being barefoot but without the stares of wearing my five-fingers.  

Garden blooms.   Top is from our lavender plant by the road.  Bottom are blooms "borrowed" from my neighbor's hydrangea plant ;)  (i am pretty sure she doesn't read my blog!)

 Cucumber water.  Refreshing!

 Anything Caprese:  tomato, basil and mozzerella.  Try this wrap:  cut a tomato, some fresh mozzarella and garden basil.  layer on a tortilla (i used spinach/herb here), drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar and fresh ground pepper and sea salt and wrap up!

avocado chocolate pudding

OK STOP.  I understand completely.  Why waste beautiful avocados in some clean eating recipe that is trying to disguise said beautiful avocados in some dish that pretends to be chocolate and decadent? Why not whip up some guacamole and call it good?
Because I love chocolate.  And since the Marathon is over (thus marathon training miles are over), girlfriend needs to stop her cookie/chocolate/brownie fetish.
After our 11 miler today, Michelle whips out a harmless, easy recipe out of Clean Eating magazine for this pudding:

3 avocados
6 tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 cup raw honey
1 tsp pure vanilla
sea salt
Puree avos, cocoa, honey and vanilla til smooth.  Add sea salt and stir.
Viola!  Chocolate Pudding a bit more healthy than the Hunts Snack Packs in the processed food aisles of Meijer.

It took less than 5 minutes to whip it up.  I threw it in the fridge for a little bit and took a spoonful (or two).  Pretty tasty to me;  satisfied my fix for chocolate but not SO delectable that I would need to eat the entire batch in one sitting.  Perhaps would taste better with a more premium cocoa powder.  Or with chocolate chips.  But I guess that defeats the purpose...

But, the bigger test is how does it taste...to them:

Sam (6) review:  "Gross" (and puts his spoon down)

5 minutes later:  Sam: "Mom, where is that pudding?"   Me: "I thought you didn't like it"  Sam (eating another few spoonfuls: "I little bit like it I guess..."

Tyler (8) review:  "Yummm.  Good" (takes another bite) "Well, that second bite wasn't very good.  What is in this?"
Me:  "Avocados!  Can you believe it?"
Tyler: "Maybe you should save your avocados for guacamole".

He's a smart kid.

my sweaty eyeballs

93 degrees. Heat index of 99 degrees.  And yes, I still went out to run in it. What's worse is that I dragged my class out with me.  But far worse than this evening's steamy run (which was actually quite pleasant for running through an oven), was the aftermath.
Sweat.  Sweat.  Sweat.  Out of every orifice of my body.  Sweat down the cleavage? CHECK.  Sweat behind the knees?  CHECK.  Sweat in the armpits?  Does a bear sh$t in the woods?  Sweat coming out of the eyeballs?  Wouldn't surprise me.
I glance in my rearview mirror before heading home.  My face is an interesting shade of reddish-purple. Mottled would be a great adjective to use here.  I am thinking that the sweat that continues to roll off every crevice of my body even 15 minutes following class is not the greatest for my skin.  Hence, the recent trip to the dermatologist and a handful of Retin-A samples.  C'mon, am I 13 again??
I am also thinking that the same sweat sliding down my butt crack and my legs is not doing the full grain leather seats in my vehicle any favors.  Nope, I think not.  Why do I always forget to bring a towel?  Hmph!
Now, let's discuss my hair.  During the run, it was smartly pulled back into a visor and a ponytail.  Chic. Think Anna Kournikova.  Okay, that's a stretch but I'm going for the tennis reference here. Post-run and post-visor it was like all hell broke loose on top of my head.  There are curls where I never knew I had curls, frizz where I never knew I had frizz, and a general chaos on my noggin.  Frankly, it was scary.
And don't get me started on the smell...

I've got a confession

I am a little addicted to eBay.
But, I am not buying things.  Nope.  I am cleaning house and selling stuff.  It started with a pair of sneakers I got from a wear test at Playmakers (yes, I am the luckiest girl in the world that I can test shoes for free).  I hated them, and so they sat in my closet.  Along with a Coach wallet circa 1999.  And some extra running jackets that I HAD to have from sidewalk sales past.  And 10 pairs of GAP jeans that the boys never wore because they live in Mejier wind pants and Nike shorts given to us by my neighbor.
So I busted out the camera and took some shots of said items carefully laid out on my office floor.  Laid out in a way that screams "Currently, I am this girl's junk, but could be your treasure".
Then I sat in front of my laptop trying to come up with clever ways to word said items so they would sound utterly irresistible to the millions of eBay-ers ready to buy my crap.
7 days to sell baby.
And I've been on eBay.com no less than 20 times each day to see if anything has bids, watchers, stalkers, etc.
It is the most fun I've had in a long time.
That is pretty sad.
If it's not nailed down, it may go on eBay.  Kids...watch out.

A Good Summer Read

So I am on my Summer reading kick.  For whatever reason, Spring and Fall I don't touch a book.  But Winter and Summer I read with a vengeance.  In the summertime, there is nothing like an awesome page turner, a frosty beverage of choice, and sitting on my deck with my nose stuck in a book, completely ignoring the hollers and screeching of my children.
I am not part of a book club (although I have tried countless times to join one...I am just too non-commital!) but my mom is so I just piggy back off of the books she reads.
Anyway, if you have to read only one book this summer, pick up this one (or for those of you more technically savvy then yours truly, download it to your kindle or nook):

Albeit a touch disturbing, ROOM really takes you into the story.  I found myself thinking of Jack, Rug, Wardrobe and the rest of the gang for days and days.  

What book has grabbed you this summer so far???

where have you been?

I've been thinking something in my life has been missing.  Kids? check-right here playing Pokemon.  Husband? check-dutifully at work making the dough. Job(s)? check-still got 'em. Friends? Yup-pretty sure I have most of them still.  Blog? Blog?  Omigod!
I have neglected the one thing that brings me peace in my hectic life. Rather than try to write down what's been going on for the past...er...3 months (ACK) how about i post a few pictures?  And I promise (whoever it may be is out there listening) that I will be back on here with somewhat regularity with pictures, running stories, recipes, and whatever is going on in this crazy mind of mine!

 happy birthday to my Sam!  6 years old...

 best mother's day ever-2 hour half marathon with my fav running buddy!

another birthday celebration!  happy 8th bday to Tyler...

Bayshore Marathon-Peg and I hammered our 2nd marathon out together.  A BQ for Peg!

 Strong to the finish and a PR for me:  sub 4! (3 hours, 59 minutes, 20 seconds!)

Dewitt Girls finish strong: PRs, BQs and Firsts for all!

My Sam graduates from Kindergarten! (*SOB*)

Family trip to Baltimore to visit Loyola girls

Camping with some mean S'MORES

Tubing like we mean it

Home Sweet Home for 3 nights. This shot was taking pre-thunderstorm/flood.

Hope to see you all back here real soon.  Promise.