Busy Fall Weekend

Yesterday morning, Tera, Daniel and I ran/jogged/walked our first 5K! It was hard, but worth the pain to know that you finished something athletic. Especially when you have never tried anything like that in the past. We had our good friend and swim coach cheering us on at the finish line. 

 Daniel finished first with Tera close behind. They had about 13-15 minutes to rest before I made it across the finish line. 

I had two goals: 

1. I didn't want to finish last 

2. I wanted to finish in under an hour. 

My time was 49 minutes and I wasn't last. I was proud of how we did, but frankly felt that it was harder than I thought it would be. I was thinking to myself, we're healthy...3 miles...no problem. It was not a stroll in the park, it was challenging. But somehow being challenged was what made the finish line seem sweeter. 

Photo credit:  Tanya

 

Tera finished 2nd in the female section of her age division.

After Daniel's flute rehearsal, we headed out together for the Denso Family Day.  Michael got to ride a school bus for the first time.  The smile on his face says it all.  

My husband is an awesome provider and it says a lot about his character that everyone I meet at these family events talk about how wonderful of a supervisor/person he is!  I already know these things about him, but it's nice to know he's appreciated outside of our little family.  

This morning, Daniel played with the Silver Winds Flute Choir at the First Baptist Church.  They did a beautiful job and Daniel made us so proud!

My handsome flutist!  
 

You have to entertain yourself somehow during the hour long warm-up/practice session.  
 

Daniel and his wonderful flute teacher and director of Silver Winds Flute Choir

One person is sleeping on the couch, two others are reading quietly upstairs and another one is laying down.  I'm here typing, but a nap sounds very good right about now.  

Tomorrow is another week! 

Weekly Wrap-up

The kids participated in a chess tournament last weekend.  Non-rated, relaxed atmosphere, close to home, friendly people...it was wonderful!

Michael came in 3rd for his section.  There were only 4 kids in his section, but he did better in this tournament than he has ever done.  He only lost one game, the rest were draws.  Usually, he loses every game.  It never seems to bother him, but I think he's starting to understand that draws or wins are better than losing.  

Tera and Daniel were in the same section.  Tera placed 3rd and Daniel came in 1st!  They also made some new friends while they were there.  

School is plugging along.  We are on our 2nd 9-week session.  I end up tweaking as we go throughout the year.  We've added a few things, and relaxed about other things.  All of our activities have started back.  We did end up dropping one thing that only met once a month, but it felt huge to me to let it go.  

 

Measuring with his new tool set... 

Rejoicing because his big sister made delicious crepes for Second Breakfast, in honor of Hobbit Day...

First day back at swim....

Reading the comics while Tera was in a 4-H committee meeting at a local coffee house.

I'm learning teenagers don't like their picture taken as much as a 6 year old, or maybe it's just easier to sneak pictures of him. 

My annual blues kicked in earlier this week.  For a couple of days, I've felt so out of sorts.  Still functioning as always, but just tired, sad, and blah....I'm happy to say after some friend/prayer/swim therapy that I'm feeling better today than I've felt all week.  I feel like I can breath deep again...

On Sunday, Daniel has his first flute concert with the flute ensemble he joined, if we survive tomorrow.  Tera, Daniel and I will participate in our first ever 5K in the morning, a flute dress rehearsal in early afternoon and then annual family day at Denso.  Whew!  

Next week is a short week for us.  We'll be celebrating Tera's birthday and taking our first (long overdue) field trip of the school year.  I'm looking forward to it!

Fall Break and Back to work

Last week was fall break.  We had 4-H, choirs, karate, flute, and two days of a yard sale with the Friendsville CCI.  (5:30 AM rise time for me on those days...I'm still tired.)   

Although all our activities throttled full speed ahead, we did take one afternoon to go for ice cream and a movie (War Room).  

Someone lost another tooth.... 

 and passed their belt test!  

Now, it's back to work.  School is in session!  

One of my favorite assignments and it was turned in over a week EARLY...

Tera's book response to The Hobbit

New Favorite Vegan Recipes

Easy Tuscan Bean Soup
This is my new favorite soup!  We have this at least once every couple of weeks.  It's so creamy, but is dairy-free.  Serve crusty bread on the side. 

Lentil Salad
I love the fresh simple taste of this dish!  Served with rice and salad!

Black Bean Lentil Salad with Cumin Lime Dressing
Tera's favorite!















Vegan Crockpot  Quinoa  and Black Bean Chili
A great healthy recipe that seems meaty, even though it's vegan!  


Raw Apple Crisp
A beautiful, healthy snack




I still want to try these recipes: 

Healthy Lentil Spring Rolls
Jamaican Lentil Patties
I'll probably substitute a normal dough vs. the gluten free version in the recipe.
Vegan Lentil Soup