Monday, November 30, 2009
19 hours.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
new york state of mind
Monday, November 23, 2009
new kicks
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
wannabe
I’ll admit it…I’m a wannabe. And my newest obession? Running (gasp!) It all sort of happened last week after Jess and I were leaving Zumba, another one of my current obsessions. We were on our way out when we saw a sign for the Jingle Bell Fun Run and without much hesitation we said, “Ok, lets do it.” This is not unlike us at all. Two years ago we signed up, dressed like ninja turtles, and ran a midnight 5k on the day of the race. When we got home that night we researched 5ks, 4-milers, half marathons, and most importantly, race training programs. I’ve been wanting to run a half marathon for a while now, specifically the Princess Half Marathon in Disney World, but when I asked my doctor if I could run one he said “No.” Ummm…back up, what you really mean is SHOULDN’T run one. Saying I “can’t” run one is just setting me up for a challenge. I blame high school sports for ruining running for me. Not only did they physically destroy my knees, but the sprint, sprint, hurl, sprint, repeat exercises in field hockey and soccer mentally forced me to associate bad thoughts with running as well. Darn those bum knees – such a sweet story that started with MRI visits and ended with knee braces. Anyways, in true wannabe fashion Jess and I got up on Saturday morning and headed over to Riverside Runners to get fitted for some new kicks. We explained to the girl helping us that we were training, and we looked at things like flavored energy shots to make us seem legit. Afterwards we headed down to the Blackwater Creek Trails for our first training sess. Jess and I make a good pair when training b/c she is naturally pessimistic and I am naturally optimistic – so we find a healthy balance between “we aren’t going to make it to the finish line” and “we are going to get first place!!!” The race we finally settled on is in Raleigh in February and the proceeds go to cancer research, which is great for us because cancer has hit us close to home.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
banana split
Ok, I've been majorly slacking on the pop tart project, but cut me some slack - in the past few weeks I moved & got a new job. This pop tart definitely makes up for my laziness. I say this probably makes my top 3 so far for sure. And can I preface this post by asking...could you possibly think of a better pair than banana and chocolate? The answer is NO my friends (though Tina Fey & Amy Poehler make a close second) Onto the goods...
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
catch 22
Thursday, November 5, 2009
these are my confessions...
I hope the people at work do not think I have a bladder problem. Truth is, I don’t really have to go to the bathroom that often…I guess I’m just scared of dying. I read an article in Women’s Health magazine that said, “The longer you spend sitting each day, the more likely you are to die an early death – no matter how fit you are.” I spend 8 hours a day sitting. Can I get a definition of “early”?
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
today's exercise: running late
AWESOME AUTUMN COOKIES
Ingredients:
2 ¼ cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup butter (softened)
¾ cup packed light brown sugar
¼ cup sugar
1 package instant vanilla pudding mix
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup caramel bits
10-12 caramel apple Hershey kisses (chopped)
10-12 pumpkin spice Hershey kisses (chopped)
2 tablespoons white sugar
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp pumpkin pie spice
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a small bowl, mix together pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, cinnamon, and 2 tablespoons of white sugar. Set aside.
3. Unwrap and chop hershey kisses into bits. Set aside.
4. In a medium bowl, sift together flour and baking soda. Set aside.
5. Cream together butter, brown sugar, and white sugar in a large bowl.
6. Beat in pudding mix.
7. Add vanilla and eggs, beating after each egg.
8. Blend in the flour mixture.
9. Stir in caramel bits & chopped hershey kisses.
10. Roll dough into small balls and roll the balls in the sugar mix, until completely covered.
11. Place cookie dough 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
12. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
* The caramel apple kisses are super sticky, but don’t get frustrated and give up when chopping them – they taste amazing in the cookies!
* Also, if you have caramel bits on the bottom of your cookie dough ball, consider putting a little flour on the cookie sheet. The caramel bits have a tendency to stick.