They get their challenge and kit just after New Years and have something like 44 days to build their robot for competition. So during this "build phase" they're open every day after school and on weekends. The kids come when they can. So parents provide the meals.

This is my first time bringing a meal. 25-35 students and mentors. Mostly high school boys (who might eat a lot) but then again many skinny nerd boys ;-) (maybe they won't eat that much) ... are they picky eaters? Will bringing veggies be a waste? I'm told there was a plate of cut up fresh veggies that didn't get eaten, and it keeps returning, day after day, looking sadder and sadder.

I decided to bring a chili buffet. Three big crock pots of chili. Well, four, if you count the smaller one to feed my family, who happen to also need to eat tonight.

One Buffalo Chicken Chili (think hot wings flavor), one traditional ground beef & beans, and one white chicken chili. I've got three huge "family sized" bags of fritos, and all the extras to go with chili ... I've got a heap of two liters to drink, and I'm bringing about 7 dozen big homemade chocolate chip cookies.

I don't know if it'll be too much or not enough. I don't know if I should've had a heat-and-serve pan of cheesy veggies and one of mac & cheese. I'm told there's always peanut butter and bread for the desperate. Everyone I've asked has said, "Hey, if you're bringing free food, and people don't like it, tough."

But, still. I'm a little nervous about feeding so many robots.

I want to be on their good side if they ever take over the world.

Let's see ... around thanksgiving seven learned to stand unsupported
we wondered if she would walk by her first birthday
she didn't.
but she did the next day
and has been charging around ever since.

we had a great week before christmas with my sister & her family

and a great week and a half after christmas with auntie L. and her doggie

and then we crashed and tumbled back into "real life" and are still swimming upstream ...

I have started doing run/walk intervals again (finally!) to ease back into running in time for local races this spring. so far, so good. I'm not pushing it, I'm up to 8 minute jogging intervals (about week 6 of C25K) but I can feel the aches and stiffness of having not run in months, so I am trying to take it easy.

I'm hoping to get all the way on track with eating and back to walking / stationary bike intervals on my off-running days in order to lose the lotta behind that I gained back in these no running, bad eating months. boy was it easy to *undo* that hard work.

and I'm back to trying to get off caffeine once more. yeah, yeah, I know. I'm a dork.

so ... that's what's up here.

So right when I got it done I took pictures so you could see it. Assuming you were all dying to see it, of course. I hope you weren't literally dying, since it was weeks ago now.

but here it is.

I'm not sure it still looks that way. I can never make my hair do what salon people do. But if anything I think I like it my way better. Although there are no pictures of that, and maybe it only looks different to me.

It's almost like ... I've neglected my blog design!

Oh, right, I remember. I was going to revamp the whole thing.

Until I remembered how much WORK that would be.

What if I just re-do the picture and ... hm. I could PAY someone for a nicer design. One that's less cumbersome to edit and more stylish. I could muddle through something myself, with my latent artsy fartsy abilities, but they're pretty rusty and when I go into creative mode I tend to forget everything else in my life. Which doesn't really work so well when there's laundry, meals, dishes, school, and children already on my plate. But it's hard to decide to pay someone for something you know you could do, if given the time and attention. Not that it's about the money, it's more about the CAN do thing.

But wow, is that picture out of date.

I should make a new picture, at the least.

Look for that in the next ... um ... few years.

yeah.

In the meantime, here's the baby, in the leaves, from a few weeks ago. 'Cause I'm a little behind.

oh, ha ha ha, funny story. At least, funny in the sense of "What a dork I am!" -- Just now, after posting this, I went to edit the picture and I found the Christmas picture I was working on two years ago. No, 2006 was THREE years ago. That I never sent out. All of you who didn't get our Christmas Card two years ago, or three years ago, and thought you were rudely omitted from our list? No, I just didn't send any out. And same thing last year, except for the part where I even tried to work on the picture. Maybe I should start working on Christmas '10 right now?

What? Microwave cake in a cup? No way. I was skeptical.

She posted the recipe.

No leavening. 3 minutes.

How could it not be a gluey gooey glop that, at best, doesn't boil over and make a mess?

Val suggested maybe I did not trust her enough.

But ... would you? Microwave cake? Yeah, whatEVAH.

I decided I had to try it.

I could have used a huge mug, but she claimed it would work in a regular mug, so I used my very own personal every morning coffee mug.

Here we are, ready to go:

Ingredients mixed. A big old cup o' batter.

I was not the only one interested in the experiment:

Well, I'll be. It's rising up out of the mug, straight and tall, not pouring over into a goopy mess down the side:

It fell a bit upon removal. I wonder if it needed to cook a little longer?

It did not turn out easily. I used a knife to loosen along the sides. At this point I was still pretty skeptical. Maybe it was the holes where the chocolate chips melted, but it looked kind of goopy and unevenly cooked. I thought my skepticism had been justified.

I cut it lengthwise in half, then each half into thirds, to give everyone a taste test. I ate the clump that remained stuck to the side of the mug.

Much to my surprise, it was pretty good. Even for me, a not-really-a-cake-fan person. In fact, I kind of preferred the less crumbly texture. And melted chocolate chips are good in anything. The kids were the real test.

They proclaimed it a success.

So ... go figure.

I guess Val is trustworthy after all! :)

Here's the recipe:

Val's Mug Cake

1 coffee mug
1/4 c. all purpose flour
1/4 c. sugar
2 tbls. cocoa
1 egg
3 tbls. milk
3 tbls. oil
3 tbls. chocolate chips (optional)
small splash of vanilla

Add dry ingredients to mug and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the choc. chips and vanilla and mix again. (Actually, I mixed the vanilla in with the (rice) milk and oil and egg, all the liquids at once.)

Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 min. at 1000 watts (Val does 2:30 in a high wattage oven--don't remember the wattage--1800 maybe?) The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed. (actually, Val uses a large mug, so she has never had this issue - but you see I did and it turned out okay!)

Allow to cool a little and tip out onto a plate if desired.

This can serve 2. Or seven skeptics.

My hip has been feeling nearly better.

I've been wanting to give it another careful try.

Today when The Grand Lunar left for work he looked at the 50 degree drizzle and said, "It's a great day. Not." -- and I said, "It looks like a great day for running." He looked at me like I was crazy. And maybe I am. But the crisp, damp air and the autumn colors called to me.

So today I went out for a test run-walk. I did random intervals. Took it back to a walk when my hip or gait felt too off.

The good news is that I did a mile around the block. I wanted to do more. I wanted to do fewer intervals, and I wanted to go farther. To just keep running and thinking until I was too tired to do any more. But I did my best to make myself slow down, take walking intervals, and stop at once around.

I was surprised that I wanted to push myself. I've never been a push-myself kind of person. Surprised at how strongly the desire to keep running was within me. Surprised that a "not-yet-runner" could be so excited about running again.

But now that I'm home the little niggling ache I felt while running, the little slightly-off gait I sensed, is translating into the same pain and limp as before. And I'm discouraged. I'm trying to think what to do. I have this book and haven't really put my all into the alignment. I should do that. I believe the book too much to think special shoes are the answer. I don't want to accommodate my dysfunction, I want to align it so it's no longer dysfunctional. Strengthen the right muscles. The book promises it can work that way.

But what else beyond that?

I could visit my doctor. Maybe get referred to someone who does sports injury stuff. But ... that doesn't really feel like the right route to go. Endless trips to different doctors who are all not really sure. I could go to a chiropractor. We know a nice one. I drove behind his car yesterday. But, again, that's endless visits and I'm not sure it's what I need. I don't know. I'm pondering surfing for running coaches. Someone who could look at what I'm doing and suggest what's good and bad about it. Although I am guessing, still, it's the underlying alignment and muscles having grown content to do the wrong thing that's the issue behind any motion errors I'm making.

Here are some things I decided while trying to run today:

1.) I really want to run
2.) I want to use my running time to think / pray / meditate on things of God and Faith. To use that time to draw near to Him.
3.) I want to use my running time as a positive example to my family, to be active in my life and pro-active about my health
4.) to let that pro-activity about my health encourage me back on the healthy eating thing

I don't really think I need to be *fast* and I don't expect it ever to be *easy* but I want it to be *fluid* and to feel *natural* to run. Not awkward. But I'm not sure how to get my short, stocky self to that place: fluid and natural.

If running isn't what God has for me, then I pray He directs me to something else that I can enjoy and be content with. I know I could be a walker, just fine, but ... it turns out, after a taste of running ... I really want to run.

So now I just need to figure out how to get back to being able to.

I haven't had my camera out much this fall. I'm missing countless Autumn leaves, interesting frost macros, and of course the speed at which this baby is growing up.

This isn't the best picture photography wise, blurry and grainy. But it's good expression-wise.

Here's two more, a blurry peekaboo around the door, and one of her crawling. She likes best to hold fingers and walk about the house, and the's cruising on furniture, but I have no pictures of those things, yet. :)

a few weeks ago I ran on the treadmill, and whether that started things or whether there were hints before ... I've had some hip joint pain, since.

It wasn't something that happened while running ... at least, not in the sense of "Wow, I just broke something in my hip!" ~ no instance I can point to where I became injured.

But after those runs my hip hurt and I lurched around like frankenstein. And after a day or two it would seem mostly better. So I ran again. And repeated the cycle. The last time I ran - last Saturday - I only ran 2 miles. I felt like I was "pulling to the right" and that my center of gravity was over my right leg. I also felt like my gait was uneven, like I was spending more step-time on my right leg than my left, like a slightly syncopated gait.

So I decided to give it a few days to rest and recover.

But ... I'm not really getting much better. I mean, the first day or so I had some moments where it REALLY hurt, and that's not so much there. But there's an underlying issue that doesn't seem to get better.

My gut feeling is that it's an alignment thing. I'm not in alignment, so I'm compensating, and in so doing I've messed things up more. I checked out a book from the library on alignment, but am having trouble finding/making time to "lay around" for an hour in various body-alignment positions to adjust. It DOES seem to help, but hasn't yet FIXED it, and it doesn't FEEL like "real work" to fix anything while I'm doing it. I think I need to try a little harder to make time for that.

So in the meantime I'm stuck in this limbo. I'm not actually in pain most of the time. But I certainly am not back to normal. I am still lurching slightly when I walk, and I have some *issues* with lifting my leg when it's bent. When I sit at my chair with my knees bent 90 degrees I can lift up my left leg fine, but my right leg hurts right at the inner hip joint, and just feels weaker, it helps if I use my hands to manually lift my leg. Weird, eh? Almost weird enough to go running to the doctor, but not quite. Because I don't really feel like it's a big deal serious issue. I think if figure out the alignment thing and maybe some stretches and what-not I'll get over this without the whole medical intervention blah-blah. I don't know. Meh. But I figure continuing to try to run when I can feel I'm not really walking *right* is out of the question.

But what it really means is that, unless something BIG changes, I'm not going to be able to run in the race this month. And I'm not going to be able to run the Nike 10K that I hoped to do. And ... I'm afraid I might never become a real runner.

Which discourages me a lot. I don't want to give up on this new found thing just yet. I don't want an injury or alignment problem to defeat me. But I was already struggling to make time to run once school started. And winter is coming, with it's cold and snow and ice. How will I make it through the winter and into spring as a "real runner" ??

I just don't know.

Rats.

Many years ago, now, a man in our church faced cancer and did not survive. He was a worship leader, he remained positive and praised God to the end. The first time I heard this song at his funeral - from all reports it was a song he really *lived out* until the end:

I'm trading my sorrow I'm trading my shame I'm laying it down for the joy of the Lord

I'm trading my sickness
I'm trading my pain
I'm laying it down for the joy of the Lord

Chorus:
And we say yes Lord yes Lord yes yes Lord
Yes Lord yes Lord yes yes Lord
Yes Lord yes Lord yes yes Lord Amen

I'm pressed but not crushed persecuted not abandoned
Struck down but not destroyed
I'm blessed beyond the curse for his promise will endure
And his joy's gonna be my strength

The joy of the Lord is the strength of my life
The joy of the Lord is the strength of my life
The joy of the Lord is the strength of my life, Amen

Though the sorrow may last for the night
His joy comes with the morning

Somehow my brain can wrap around how - theoretically, at least - one might be able to live this out in a big trial. Persecution for your faith, cancer, something where it's hard to escape the Sovereign hand of God in action. Somehow it seems easier to see the potential to live well and die well in the joy of the Lord in big things.

But I know God is also Sovereign in the little things. The days of fatigue. An afternoon with a crushing headache.

What I'm wondering is ... how do I really live out this idea in the little daily things? How do I trade a really bad headache for the joy of the Lord? Or a stuffy head and sore throat? Or those days when you're just so pooped but there's no nap on the horizon?

Help me "put some feet on this" ... how do you trade little sorrows and shame and sickness and pain for the joy of the Lord? How do I make the joy of the Lord the strength of my life in all the little ups and downs of the day?

Oh, that my life would be clearly built on the joy of the Lord.

We had wonderful weather and a wonderful time.

I put some of my pix - mostly artsy fartsy ones - on Flickr.

You'll have to go there to see the rest.

I didn't run with a friend this time, and there was no packet pick-up last night, so I got there early, and then wandered alone feeling kind of stupid, not sure what to do with myself. I tried to keep walking for a warm up.

It was hard work - I have yet to be running and think, "Wow, this is easy!" LOL ... and it was hard to find my own pace while surrounded by others. I tried to listen to my muscles and not worry about people ahead or behind of me. I hit the iPod Nike+ button to check my pace, but since it was set for a 5K it told me the pace in minutes/km which meant little to me, so I just kept running.

I tried to push myself at the end, but I was tired and it was hard. And I was busy looking for my family. :-) I am so thankful they were kind enough to come cheer for me and see me run!! I love my family, they're great!

I wanted to have a "wow, she looks great!" sort of picture, but oh well, I guess running is just plain hard work and I don't look so great. I can live with that. LOL

In the end I ran about the same pace I ran on Monday's practice run, 9'51" per mile ... I'll post my official time when they post the results. I was 4th in my age group (8 women) which was nice to see.

Here's a little link to a video of me crossing the finish line - that's me in the lime-ish green:

Tiny little movie of my grand finish

Oooh, and I won a "major award" and got to pose with Lou E. Loon! A $5 gift certificate to a ... local sports bar restaurant. Um ... yay!?

All in all, it was a successful morning, I'd say.

And now I'm pooped.

**Official, Posted race time: 30:17.02** - whooooo!

here's a monkey I knitted for the baby, with floppy knotted arms to chew on...

And with baby...

So anyway.

I pulled out an old overwhelming homemaking list I was working on a year or two ago. It still needs revamping. I'm good at working on lists forever, then being daunted, overwhelmed, and rebellious and rebelling against my own list, and never following it.

But today I thought I could use it as a guideline for "doing the next thing" to keep me moving through the day. Because, really, how often do I sit around thinking I should do something but can't decide what I should do, so I end up doing nothing? I know you don't do that. But I do.

(Um, no, blogging isn't on the list at all. Shhh. We'll call it a well earned break. No? Okay, just a break, then)

What was I saying? Oh, right. The next thing. So the next thing was cleaning the back bathroom. And so I did it. I was hurrying so the baby didn't get too cranky while I was back there. So I did, oh, maybe a 75% job. Trusting the FlyLady's mantra that "housework, even done badly, still blesses your family" - a rule I really need to live by more often.

Because as I was scrubbing the soap scum in the tub I realized that I can get about 75% off it off with the Scrubby Bubbles and a scrubber and 10-15 minutes of effort. But the other 25% wouldn't take me another 10-15 minutes, it would probably take me an hour, and a LOT more scrubbing. And then, when I was all done, I'd realize it was still only 95% done, and I'd see some spots that were stains that will NEVER be done, and so on ... So I decided 75% was about the point where outcome still surpassed effort. And the baby agreed, she was very happy to see me after I was, apparently, long long lost to her.

So that's my new plan. Not all the time, sometimes I'll shoot for 90% or more ... but when I'm feeling stuck and unable to attain the perfection I think I should, I'll remember that some is better than doing none until i "have time" to "do it right" ... becuase, really, when is that gonna happen?

So... I'm going to go work on making my kitchen 75% shiny clean.

Well, when the baby decides to let me.

...

(In my best Mr. Nezzar voice) One more thing ...

we had our bathroom floor replaced after a wobbly toilet did years of damage to the under-floor (who knew!)... the new floor is that nifty Allure flooring which is, supposedly, so easy to install that WE could do it. Not that we did. We let the guy who would do it all - rip out the old floor, redo the joists, replace the toilet properly, install a new sink & vanity and install the flooring - do it. And we're glad we did.

Here, at Justin's patient request, is the old bathroom, the ripped up floor bathroom, and the new bathroom ....

Before: (this was taken some other time, not specifically to show the floor, or my towel folding abilities, sorry)

During: (yikes, you can see right into the less-creepy crawl space)

After: (see how my towel folding is at least somewhat improved?)

We like the new floor very much, it's easy to clean, a much better color than that ... salmon? ... tile with the icky old grout ... and it feels nicer on our bare feetsies, too.

Here's a pic from yesterday, iliacat and Seven dozing in the hammock.

I am obviously behind in blogging. I can't tell you how many pix I've taken that were planned for the blog but never got here.

Which would you prefer (the 3 of you still reading, that is) ... more entries, less pics? Or an occasional post with pix? I know that waiting to crop and upload pix "until I have a moment" is part of what is holding up the blogging these days. That and how slow my MT talks to my blog host, for some reason.

Anyway ... gotta run, we're slated for the spray park this morning ...

Oh! And ...

Seven is 8 months old today.

I said months back that I was going to run ... started the C25K plan.

Then I got discouraged and quit.

Then I decided to give it another shot, training outdoors. Found I like it much better.

So ... I ran my first 5K race at the beginning of June. I did not run to *win* but to *finish* and run the whole way, not walk it. And to not finish *last* :-) - And i made all those goals! My whole family and some friends came to cheer me on. That was good. People were all very encouraging. There's another 5K at the end of the summer and I plan to run in it, too.

I am not sure I'll ever be fast. I don't seem to be getting any faster. Faster is hard. Maybe I could go for distance, instead. Run a 10K next year. Who knows. But for now, I'm still becoming a runner. I even bought a running shirt and supportive undergarments. In case it's the clothes that make the runner. They seem to make me feel more serious about it, anyway.

I thought running through the winter would be the hard part. What with the ice and snow and treadmill. But now that it's early summer I'm not sure how I'll make it through the summer. I don't like being hot and sweating.

And yet, for now, I'm pressing on. Reading books. Trying to think of myself as a runner.

In other news, we went back out to CT for another week, to stay with my sister in law and take care of her. It's too bad CT is so far away, I wish she were closer. It was hard to leave, knowing that she still needs the support and help. Not that she won't be okay, I know she'll be okay in the long run. But I would've stayed to keep easing the transition if I could.

Remind me to take some pix of my little baby love for you, she's still the cutest thing ever. She's sitting on her own, now. Rolling and pivoting. Not quite crawling. Charming everyone she meets. We sure love her.

I guess I better go get lunch. I'm hungry.

Oh, one more thing. I'm actually, finally, in the "Normal BMI" range for the first time since ... I think since Noodle was born. The running and walking has helped. Healthy eating has helped the most. I find that the same weight looks less good at 40 than it did at 25. I'll need to do some toning up, as well as lose a bit more. I feel like I'm only 1 step away from my unhealthy habits.

Health takes perseverance.