RECIPE: Unstuffed Cabbage (a.k.a. Cabbage Casserole)

This recipe is from my grandma. It has just three main ingredients, but it tastes SO GOOD--just like stuffed cabbage, only without all the work! You can eat it as-is, or serve it over rice, which is my favorite way to eat it.

You can make this in the oven or on the stove top--I've done both and there really isn't a difference in taste. The stove top is much faster!

Here is a printer-friendly version

Cabbage Casserole

2 tsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 lb. ground turkey (or ground beef; I just prefer turkey)
1 medium head of cabbage
1 can condensed tomato soup
salt and pepper, to taste
cooked rice for serving, optional

Remove the core from the cabbage and coarsely chop the whole head (I usually cut it into pieces that are about a one inch square). In a large skillet, heat the oil and cook the turkey and onion in oil until the turkey is browned and onion is soft.

To finish cooking on the stove top:

Drain any excess fat from the skillet, and then add the cabbage. It will seem like a ton of cabbage, but it cooks down to less than half the volume. Stir the cabbage into the ground turkey mixture, and then add the condensed tomato soup (don't add any liquid to it). It will look like you won't have nearly enough soup, but as the cabbage cooks down, it's the perfect amount.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover the skillet. Cook, stirring frequently, until the cabbage is as soft as you'd like it. Serve over rice. (Makes about six servings, depending on how large the head of cabbage is.)

To finish cooking in the oven as a casserole:

Pre-heat oven to 350℉. Drain any excess fat from the skillet after browning the ground turkey. In a large casserole dish, spread out half of the chopped cabbage. Then top it with the ground turkey mixture and spread evenly.

Layer the rest of the cabbage on top (you may have to really pack it down there to get it all to fit). Finally, spread the condensed tomato soup (no added liquid!) across the top of the entire layer of cabbage. Top with a salt and pepper to taste.

Cover with foil and bake at 350℉ for anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and 15 minutes, stirring after 45 minutes. You'll know it's done when the cabbage is as tender as you'd like it. Serve over rice.

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An Exhausting Day in the Life of an Aunt

Today confirmed that I am definitely no spring chicken anymore.

I had my kids when I was pretty young--married at 21, first child at 22, second child at 23. Most of my 20's are a blur to me, probably because I was so busy being a stay-at-home mom to two little boys who were just 18 months apart.

And now, 15 years after having Noah, I seem to have forgotten how exhausting it was to have two toddlers! (Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take many photos today, so these few will have to do)

Brian and Becky went away (just overnight) for their wedding anniversary, and I volunteered to keep the kids. I've been missing the kids so much lately (the whole time I was remodeling the house, they only came over a couple of times--with nails and dust and paint everywhere, it wasn't practical to have them over).

I started by thoroughly cleaning the house so that the kids wouldn't be playing in dust bunnies. With my kids having started school on Tuesday, and getting into that routine, the house was neglected. So I was tired before the kids even got here.

They came over at about 1:00 this afternoon, and I was home alone. Luke and Riley had never been scared of my pets before, but about five minutes after Becky dropped them off, I felt like my life turned into a sitcom. Riley screamed when she saw Estelle and started crying hysterically when she realized Becky wasn't there; then Luke started crying because Riley was crying. When Riley saw Luke crying, she cried even louder. I had no idea that kids could scream so loudly!

Riley did NOT want me to set her down and Luke was asking me to hold him; meanwhile, I'm trying to herd cats into my bedroom and shut Joey into Eli's bedroom to calm the kids down. The windows in the house were open and I was sure that someone was calling social services based on the extent of the crying coming from my house.

After trying everything I could think of to calm them down, the only thing that worked was turning Toy Story on the TV. I didn't want to use the TV as something to do with them, but it certainly got them calm and then they were totally fine.

Jerry happened to till some of the yard recently to even out the dirt, so it was the perfect place to play with dump trucks and excavators. 

Riley likes to be held pretty much 100% of the time. Unfortunately, my carpal tunnel made my hands completely numb while I held her, but as long as I was holding her, she was happy. Meanwhile, Luke was just being absolutely adorable, as usual. (Riley is super cute, too! Just a more challenging age.) She played for about 30 seconds before she wanted me to hold her again, haha.

Eli, who is fantastic with kids, had baseball practice all evening, and Noah was at the school's football game. Jerry was with Eli, so I was on my own--cooking dinner, with Riley on my hip, and playing trucks with Luke while trying to pay attention to Joey who was sad to be shut in the bedroom (I later had him go stay the night at my parents' house). I was a mess--anyone watching me would have thought I was totally incompetent as a babysitter, hahaha.

In the evening, things calmed down and Jerry and Eli were back home. We hung out on the back deck feeding the squirrels. Oddly, while Luke was scared of Joey and the cats, he was fascinated with the squirrels. He heard me call for them by making a clicking noise with my tongue and calling their names (yes, they have names) and he was imitating everything I did--so cute!

He liked tossing nuts to them and putting nuts in the "mailbox" (it's a box on the deck that looks like a mailbox, and when we put a nut inside, the squirrels open it up and dive down into it to get to the nut). It's amusing to watch. Riley liked to open the mailbox and put nuts inside, too.

After feeding them dinner and getting everyone ready for bed, I snuggled with Riley on the couch for a little bit when I could tell she was getting tired; I was sure that she was going to start crying when I put her down to sleep. I was shocked, then, when I laid her down and she was super chill. I kissed her goodnight and she didn't make a single peep when I left the room!

Luke stayed awake for a couple more hours, and before his bedtime, I got to cuddle with him on the couch for a little while. If there is one thing I miss about my kids being so little it's having them snuggle up to me with their heads against my neck when they're tired.

Luke was a little more difficult getting to sleep, but I told him that he could tell his parents all about the squirrels when they come to get him tomorrow, and he seemed satisfied with that. He laid in Eli's bed and fell asleep.

I am so exhausted! I had so much fun playing with the kids (they are SO stinkin' cute!) but I definitely give so much credit to Becky (and all exhausted moms) for doing this daily. Tomorrow, I'd like to take the kids for a walk in the stroller in the morning, and I'm sure Luke will want to feed the squirrels again.

I hope that Brian and Becky are enjoying themselves... they certainly deserve a relaxing night! ;)  (Being serious, I really did enjoy spending time with the kids today... yes, it's exhausting, but I'm so happy to be an aunt to the two sweetest toddlers I know. I want to make fun memories with them! And really cherish all the moments--even the exhausting ones.)

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Taking It Outdoors

This is going to have to be a quickie post if I hope to get it done before midnight! I knew that if I publicly stated my goal of writing on my blog daily that I would jinx it and then it wouldn't happen. I am so tempted to just go to bed after an exhausting day, but I'll at least write about my run today.

Since I started running again a few weeks ago, I've been running on the treadmill. I don't know why I feel so intimidated to run outside right now--it just seems so big and scary. The thought of running outside gave me anxiety, so I'd decided to just run on the treadmill until I felt ready.

The last couple of mornings have been pretty cool outside (starting to feel like fall!) and this morning, I decided that I'd go run outside on my way home from driving the kids to school. I even laid out my clothes yesterday so that when I got up this morning, I'd dress in my running clothes and be ready to do it.

I pass right by the state park on the way home, so I chose to go there and run a loop. There are several loops of whatever distance I'd like, but I've done the 5K loop so many times in the past eight years or so that it felt comfortable to me. However, I've been listening to so many true crime podcasts that I'm starting to get paranoid. Instead of taking my favorite 5K loop, I did two laps of a 1.5-mile loop that is far less remote. (Which is interesting, as I'll explain later...)

I was very curious how my heart rate and pace would compare to that on the treadmill. On the treadmill, I basically bump the speed up until my heart rate reaches my MAF rate (143 bpm). As soon as it hits 144, then I lower the speed to get it back to 143 or less. The past couple of runs on the treadmill have shown some improvement... I was able to go between 4.7 and 4.9 mph for most of the run. That may not sound like much, but when I first started, I had to lower the speed to 4.1 mph at a couple of points.

Unfortunately, today's run wasn't a great comparison. During the first mile, I came upon a drunk man that was on the path, and my heart rate instantly shot up. I've always felt very safe on my runs at the park, and I carry pepper spray as well as a mini airhorn, but nobody else was around and he made me nervous. He was carrying a bottle of liquor of some sort and stumbling slowly forward. I quickly made it past him and then saw that my heart rate was nearly 160.

It took a couple of minutes to bring it back down. Still, the first mile was right about where I expected it to be--13:28. My average heart rate was pretty low, still, at 136 bpm.

I hoped the second mile would be uneventful, but I ended up running into an old friend that I hadn't seen in probably a decade. I stopped to say hi to her for a minute and didn't stop my Garmin, so the second mile was about a minute slower than actual (it read 13:45, with a heart rate of 141 bpm).

The third mile may have been better, but of course, I just had to try to take a mid-run selfie and that always makes my heart rate faster (I usually end up running faster for some reason--not on purpose). For that whole third mile, I felt like my heart rate was going up and down way too much, and I had to compensate by varying my speed.

Mile 1: 13:28, 136 bpm
Mile 2: 13:45 141 bpm
Mile 3: 13:38, 142 bpm

Other than the variables I mentioned, my heart rate and pace seem to be very similar to that on the treadmill. It's nice to have a reference point, and it will be interesting to see if it improves with solid MAF heart rate training.

And I honestly really enjoyed running outside! I despise running in the heat, so I will stick to the treadmill if it's hot or humid, but if the weather is nice, I think I'll run outside more. After writing about the things that I miss about running, I do feel that urge to go outside and run my regular routes.

I'm starting to think that maybe this 3-3-3 plan (3 miles, 3 times a week, for 3 months) just might stick! The difference is that I actually feel like I'm enjoying it. I'm doing something that I missed. Let's hope that I continue to enjoy it enough to get through three months and reevaluate ;)

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13 Years of Back to School Photos

I hate to just throw a post up here without writing much, but I don't have much to say today... and I made a goal (just to myself that I wasn't planning to make public, haha) to write every single day in September. I'd love to get back in the habit of posting every day. Even if it's just pictures, which is pretty much what this post will be.

My kids went back to school yesterday, and my mom asked me why I didn't post the usual back-to-school photos on Facebook that all the other parents share. Honestly, I just don't use Facebook much at all! And I wonder does anyone really even want to see pictures of my kids on the first day of school?

So, I'll just get on the bandwagon and I'll raise it... by 13 years. Here are 13 years of back-to-school pictures of my kids. It's so strange to me that some of you started reading 8 years ago, and a few of you since the Open Diary days before my kids were even born!

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In this first picture, it was Eli's first day at the library playgroup (what we called his "school"), and Noah decided to "help" him get ready... by coloring ALL OVER him with markers! (Look at his legs.)  It was Noah's first day of three-year old preschool.

In 2008, Noah was starting his first day of four-year old preschool, and Eli was going to his library "class".

In 2009, Noah was heading off to his first day of kindergarten and he got to ride the school bus! He was so nervous, and even had tears on his cheeks, but a little neighbor girl grabbed his hand and went up on the bus with him saying, "C'mon, you can sit with me!" He was just fine after that. Eli walked with us to the bus stop, and this is what he chose to wear, hahahaha. Eli was always wearing funny things when he was little. I have a whole folder on my computer of Eli's funny outfits.

In 2010, Noah was starting first grade and Eli was going to four-year old preschool. This was when they didn't mind wearing matching clothes ;)

In 2011, Noah was entering second grade and Eli was SO EXCITED to ride the bus to kindergarten for his very first time. The bus stop was listed in the newspaper as being right in front of our house, so we thought that was awesome. We waited and waited and waited... and it never came. When I called, I was told that the stop was changed to a couple of blocks over (they never told us!). Eli was super disappointed, and I was heartbroken for him. I drove him to school. But he got to ride the bus home.

In 2012, Noah was going to third grade and Eli was starting first grade.

In 2013, Noah was going into fourth grade and Eli into second. Here, they are showing off their new school shoes. The shoes were a big deal for them that year! haha

In 2014, the boys no longer rode the same bus, so I ended up getting separate photos. I forgot to get one before taking Noah to the bus! Noah was entering fifth grade at the middle school and Eli was in third grade.

In 2015, the boys still had separate schools. Noah was in sixth and Eli in fourth grade. Check out those lunchboxes! ;)

In 2016, Noah was going into seventh grade and Eli, entering fifth grade, was attending the middle school with Noah. Noah was ALL about that enormous trapper keeper type thing he was carrying. It was huge and he carried it to all his classes.

In 2017, Noah got glasses while entering eighth grade, and Eli, going into sixth, became very interested in styling his hair. For his school haircut, he asked to have it cut like his favorite YouTuber.

In 2018, the boys clearly had a growth spurt. Noah started "Year 1" at the middle college (it's not called ninth grade there--they are referred to by Year 1, Year 2, etc.). And he was now solely at the college campus! Eli, going into seventh grade, became a trendsetter and definitely marched to the beat of his own drum. That year, he would dye his hair blue and get his ears pierced (despite lots of teasing). Several kids followed suit not too much later ;)

This year, they're both taller than me (about 5'7"--I'm 5'4!). Eli got braces last week and he just started fall baseball. Noah has a pretty serious girlfriend and is now driving with his learners permit! (Joey wanted to be in the photo, too)

Can you believe how much they've grown? I feel like I just blinked and a whole decade went by. I miss so much about them being little, but it's also super fun having kids that are very "adult-like". I do not miss Thomas the Train one single bit (is that not the most boring show EVER?!) or having a house where I'm tripping over toys everywhere.

Now, I just have to remind them to put on deodorant, not forget their lunchboxes, and do their homework. In the evenings, we all like to take Joey for a walk around the neighborhood, watch an episode of Naked & Afraid, and have a bedtime snack.

The years go by so fast! If you have little ones, make sure you treasure every single moment. :)

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Transformation Tuesday #7 (More "before and after" photos!)

My kids went back to school today, and I wish I could say that I am happy about it, but I'm not--I feel like we didn't even have a summer! Everything went by so quickly. I just don't feel ready for the school routine just yet.

However, I don't have a choice, so this morning I was up at 6:00 and packing lunches. After dropping them off at school, I'm home in a quiet house--and I thought that blogging frequently would be a great thing to add to my morning routine. Even if I write a quick post a few times a week, doing it first thing in the morning in a quiet house is nice because I don't feel so rushed and I'm not getting interrupted a thousand times.

Anyway, I haven't done a Transformation Tuesday post in a while (other than the rescue pets, which you must check out if you haven't already!) so it's definitely time to share some awesome before and after photos. I know a lot of you like this series--but remember, I can only do them if I get pictures to share, so please send me your photos! You can read how to do that at the bottom of this post.

Anyway, here we go... some readers' before and after photos!

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"After four years of owning my own home, I finally updated the ugliest room of my house!"

- Letitia, Indiana, New DIY'er

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"My husband and I removed the old trim around the bench, added some framing, painted, and added hooks to our bench area by the garage door!"

-Melissa, Michigan, Amateur Home Renovator

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"We've had these ugly lights on our house since we moved in 11 years ago. To make it worse, the one pictured was broken and hanging down thanks to being hit by a wayward basketball. After watching a few YouTube videos, I was confident enough to replace them with new lights. Love the new look!"

- Debra, Missouri, Amateur DIY'er

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"During the California drought, we took out the dead grass and weeds and put desert landscaping in our front yard. We hired a landscaping company, so no DIY credit here, haha."

- Megan, California, Now a Fervent Weed Puller

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I LOVE seeing the home transformations! Thank you so much to Letitia, Melissa, Debra, and Megan for sharing your before and after photos!

Friends, please keep the pictures coming! Here is how to submit them:

1) Email one "before" photo and one "after" photo, of anything you'd like, to: transformations (at) runsforcookies (dot) com.

Please keep the photos separate rather than collaging them, and refrain from using words, filters or Photoshop on the photos. If necessary, I may crop or resize the photos simply to fit uniformly into the post, but I will try to keep them as original as possible. Also, if there is someone in the photo, just make sure it's cool with them that I share it here.

2) You may include a link to your personal blog or social media page if you'd like (no business or promotional pages--this will be at my discretion). Please include the following:

-One or two sentence description of the transformation

-First Name; Location; A few words of who you are (i.e. "New DIY'er" or "Cat Lover", etc). If you want me to leave out name/location, just let me know.

3) I will post whenever I get enough submissions to do so--it could be one week or it could be several. But I will post them!

Thanks for sharing :)

(Here are the previous Transformation Tuesday posts)

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5 Things I Miss About Running (and they're not what you may think)

I'm sure most of you know already, but if you're new here, I took a (long) hiatus from running. Like, two years long! With a few attempts to get back to regular running thrown in there (I even trained for a half-marathon last year, running 4-5 days a week) I've only run a few miles a month (if at all).

At first, I loved the hiatus! It was so nice not to have to worry about fitting in my runs or having double the laundry to do, sleep in, or make myself do something I just plain didn't feel like doing. I was tired of it. Interestingly, I lost about 30 pounds after I quit running due to eating in a way that made me happy--so weight loss/gain had nothing to do with it.

Anyway, I wrote a whole post about all that stuff at the end of 2017, so I won't get into it all again. Here, because I lost lists, I'm going to list five things that I miss about running. I came up with this idea this morning just after I got done on the treadmill (this is the start of my third week getting back at it).

Eli came into the room and asked, "Geez, how far did you run?" And I said I just ran three miles. He said, "Oh, it seemed like you ran about five miles!" This made me laugh, and I told him that I used to be able to run five miles in 40 minutes (that's about how long it took me to do three miles today).

I was only joking, but then I remembered that I once ran an 8K race (5 miles) in 40:31. And a 5-mile training run under 40:00!

At this point, you might be thinking that my past speed is something that I miss. However, I honestly don't miss the speed that all that much. It would be nice to be that fast again (so that it wouldn't take up so much time on the treadmill, haha!) but I don't mind being a back-of-the-packer.

I did start thinking about the things that I do miss about running, though. And here's my list...

5 Things I Miss About Running

1) I miss how easy the "easy runs" actually felt easy. I remember feeling like a 10:00/mi pace was a simple stroll in the park. I remember when my heart rate was able to stay at my MAF training rate when I was running a sub-10:00 pace. I wasn't huffing and puffing and pouring sweat while doing my "easy" runs. They felt how they should feel--easy. I miss how easy the easy runs felt.

This picture was after a 10-miler, and I remember feeling great.

2) I miss the runner's high that I would get after nailing a very hard run. I would feel on top of the world, sometimes for a couple of days afterward.

My very favorite was when I was doing a final 10K training run, 3 x 2 miles at 10K goal pace (mine was 7:55/mi at the time) with a five minute jog between. I think I was more nervous about that workout than I was about the actual race!

And when I hit my goal for that workout, I felt like I was flying high. NOTHING could have brought me down. I miss that kind of runner's high. I even miss the smaller ones. They were few and far between, but totally worth it.

This photo was right after I completed the 10K workout...

3) I miss my long runs. (Wait... WHAT?!) Yes, I miss running 10 miles in the crisp fall or winter air along routes that are just too long to walk now. I miss when running 10-12 miles was no big deal--it felt easy, as long as I was going at an easy pace. I miss running with a friend and chatting through a couple of hours of running.

When I drive by places that are five or six miles from home, I think, "I used to run from home to here and back like it was no big deal"--and I miss that.

This picture of Jessica and me was after we completed our first 20-miler!

4) I miss setting goals and really, truly wanting to reach them. I've tried setting goals since then, but I just don't have a goal in mind that really excites me. I've no interest in doing more marathons or bettering my race times.

I remember when a PR in my 10K felt like a pipe dream and all it took was stating to my best friend that I was GOING TO do it. And then I worked my ass off, harder than I've ever worked in my life, and I did it. I lost 40 pounds and ran a 49:03 10K between September 2015 and April 2016. I miss picking a goal that really excites me and drives me to attain it.

I look super focused during my goal 10K run, but I was DYING inside. I wanted to quit so badly!

5) I miss reading about running, writing about running, and talking about running. I miss blogging about running. I used to recap all of my runs on my blog, even the really boring ones--not for others to read, but because they excited ME.

I used to love hearing about new training methods and reading everything I could find about them. I snatched up the memoirs about running. I read Runner's World magazine cover to cover every month. I talked about training with my other running friends and I gave advice to people who asked for it.

This photo is when I met the mayor of running himself, Bart Yasso, at the Runner's World Headquarters! I was the biggest running nerd ever during that trip :)

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So, there you have it. I clearly miss running--not for the obvious reasons--and I want to feel that way again. So, hopefully, I will get there!

My BFF Thomas had to take a year off of running because he was having issues with pain in his legs and the doctors couldn't figure out what the deal was. After lots of tests and physical therapy, they finally diagnosed him with psoriatic arthritis. Once he started his medication, he was clear to start running again. And he did!

He is now just as fast as he used to be and his easy runs feel easy (he is FINALLY using my advice to run the easy runs easy). When I asked him about getting back into it, because I described how hard it felt, he told me that he started with running three miles, three times a week, for three months. And that's when it started to feel "easy" again. We call it 3-3-3.

I had a few false starts after that conversation, because I just wasn't feeling it. However, my cross country kids have inspired me SO much, and when I tell them to run even though it's uncomfortable, and that it's going to feel hard, I feel like a hypocrite. I want to be a good example for them.

That's one of the reasons I had the practice where I told everyone who could "run longer than me" would get a prize. I explained how out-of-shape I was and that every single one of them was capable of running longer than me (in the end, only two of them did it!).

It was a lesson in running being a mental sport, not just a physical one.

I want to show them that even though it's hard, it's possible to push past that and keep going. I jokingly begged the kids who were still running to just hurry up and quit already because I was tired and I wanted to quit ;)  They thought that was funny and then kept telling me I should just quit already!

I felt really good that I was able to run until the end of practice. If practice had been longer (thank God it wasn't!) I would have kept going, just to show them that it was possible.

I am also trying to teach them how to pace themselves. When you tell a kid to run, they sprint as fast as they can and then walk or stop, gasping for air. So we've been working on endurance and finding our "happy pace" to keep going.

Speaking of cross country, I want to say thank you again to ALL of you that donated awards to my team! (I like to call them awards rather than prizes, because they have to work for awards and it seems more challenging than winning a prize, if that makes sense).

I can't even describe how touched I am that so many of you would donate to total strangers. These awards have certainly helped the kids keep going when they want to quit, and I am so grateful for each and every one. Just ask my kids how emotional I got when Amazon delivered 15 packages in one day! hahaha.

One thing on the list wasn't an award, but rather something we could use as a team for speed work--a runner's parachute. I've received three of them, and they are SO cool for getting the kids excited to run hard! I had one girl on my team, Harper, demonstrate how it works (and her mom gave me permission to post the video here).


When the kids saw the parachute, they all started asking if they could use it, too. They had no idea just how tough of a workout it is--it's killer on the thighs! (You can also get a glimpse of her socks in the video, which is one of the awards that she chose--the kids are all obsessed with the fun novelty running socks.)

Anyway, I cannot say thank you enough for what you've done for my team. You've made some future runners VERY excited about (literally) going the extra mile at practice!

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A Few Recent Projects I've Worked On

I started writing this post weeks ago, when I had first started on just one project; but then I moved on to another and then another, and now I guess this is just a compilation of recent things I've worked on ;)

A few weeks ago, Jerry, Eli, and Eli's friend went up north to my sister's place in the upper peninsula. It was a long guys' weekend of fishing and four-wheeling... neither of which interest me at all, so I chose to stay home. They even brought Joey along!

Meanwhile, Noah went to North Carolina with a friend. I was home alone (with just the cats) for a long weekend! I had plans of sitting around in my pajamas and reading my book (I was finishing up A Column of Fire by Ken Follett). After everyone was out of the house, it was SO quiet. I started getting fidgety, and no less than three hours later, I decided to work on a project.

The last "weekend project" I took on turned into my giving the whole house a makeover (with the exception of my master bathroom and the laundry room) over the next nine months, haha. I knew I wanted to redo the master bathroom and laundry room someday, but I wasn't in a hurry to do them. I need to put up some new sheets of drywall in the laundry room (which also has our furnace and water heater); and in the master bathroom, we need to replace the shower. Not a small project.

I hadn't yet removed the textured ceiling in the bathroom because I figured I should just wait and do it when we eventually replace the shower. But I was itching to do a weekend project, and I decided to go ahead and remove the textured ceiling. Which would also involve mudding and taping the seams. And then painting the ceiling and walls. And I couldn't do all that without painting my cabinets, too. Oh, and making a new countertop.

I didn't even have to spend much money, because I had leftover particle board and laminate, leftover oil-based paint for the cabinets and trim and leftover ceiling paint from when I made over the other bathroom. The only expenses were the wall paint, a sink and faucet, and the cabinet knobs. When we replace the shower, I will add floor trim and new casings, but for now, I'm just glad to have the "new" cabinets and countertop.

Estelle didn't think ahead when she climbed the ladder and walked the tiny beam across the shower doors. It was hilarious to see the look on her face when she realized she either had to turn around or walk backward! I ended up having to rescue her. She scratched the heck out of my arm in thanks.

Here is the main bathroom cabinet before...

And then after painting, making a new countertop, and installing a new sink, faucet, and knobs:

Much better!

I spent every moment of the weekend I had to myself working on the bathroom. I love how it's looking, but in retrospect, I should have probably taken advantage of the alone time to relax!

I've been touching up other things around the house that I've needed to finish--painting the floor trim in the boys' rooms, installing and painting new floor trim and window/door casings in my bedroom. I also installed and painted a bi-fold door for my closet:

I was spending a ton of time in the garage between painting cabinet doors to cutting floor boards and the countertop, etc., and I found myself constantly stepping around Eli's fishing stuff. He has a TON of fishing tackle, poles, reels, line, hooks, all the stuff that you can imagine for fishing. A couple of months ago, he wanted a new pole really badly and I told him that he could get it if he got rid of all his other poles except for three.

He moved a lot of his stuff to my dad's garage (my dad is the one who gave him most of the stuff in the first place), but he still had a bunch of stuff lying around the garage. I decided to make a simple fishing pole holder to at least keep the poles off the floor. They are awkwardly shaped and take up a surprisingly large amount of space.

My plan was to basically just make a small frame to attach to the wall in the garage where he can stand the poles upright and they won't take up as much space. That five-minute project turned into a cool fishing gear "station" that Eli said he wants to keep for the rest of his life, haha. (He's so sweet!)

Standing the poles upright wasn't working out, so I decided they needed to lie on their sides using hooks or shelves of some sort. Then I thought it would be nice to put them in his bedroom instead of the garage. And while I'm at it, why not make a couple of shelves to go along with it for some of his gear?

This project was cool because I didn't have to buy a single thing for it. I made every bit of it out of scraps of what I already had! And it was nice to use up so many scraps--my excess stuff dwindled down a lot.

This is what it looked like after priming and painting. There is a spot for each of four poles, plus a couple of shelves for extra stuff. But it seemed so plain to me! So I decided to "mom" it up.

I printed out about 45 photos of Eli fishing throughout the years and then I used Mod Podge to seal them.

Then I used the Mod Podge to adhere them to the background of his "fishing gear station"...

I applied a few coats of polyurethane, then added some hooks on the right side (to hang tackle or whatever) and a piece of foam along the front to stick hooks into (I can't tell you how many times I've accidentally been hooked from tackle lying around!). He always has spools of fishing line unwinding everywhere, too (just look at the brush roll of my vacuum cleaner) so I solved that problem with a simple dowel. It's removable so that he can put the spools on it and then hang it back up.

And finally, when it was all dry and ready for his gear, I brought it into his bedroom. He hung his poles and put about 2% of his fishing gear on the shelves. (The lighting was weird in his bedroom when I took this final photo, but it's actually blue like in the above photos.)

Thankfully, he LOVED the photos on the background. He was crazy excited about this little "station". And it was a fun project to work on! I love how it turned out.

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Overcomer (Running Movie Review) and My Tangent on Cross Country as a Sport

Oh. My. Gosh.

I can't even find words to describe just how grateful and thankful and humbled I am that some of you were so generous to donate prizes to my cross country team! I'd set up the Amazon wish list last month for myself so when I found something that I thought the kids might like, I could just add it to the list. It never occurred to me to make it public. I felt a little shameful mentioning it yesterday, but I'm glad I did.

And holy smokes. Amazon doesn't show me who purchased what (or any details other than that something was purchased from the wish list), so I can't thank you personally. I just want you to know how much I appreciate each and every little bit of help for these cross country incentives! The kids are going to be ecstatic and I can't wait to tell them that complete strangers bought these for them.

I want to just keep gushing about how thankful I am, but that would take up my entire post! So please know just how much your generosity means to me.

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Anyway, I saw a movie the other day that I thought would be fun to write a little about on the blog. My mom's birthday was on Friday and she invited Jerry, the kids, and I to go to a movie and lunch with her and my dad. I knew nothing about the movie except that it was about a cross country coach--sounds great to me! ;)

I will not write any spoilers, so don't worry about that.

The movie is a little cheesy in the way that you can imagine a movie called "Overcomer" might be... but sometimes cheesy movies are a nice break from reality.

So here's the gist (without spoilers):

There is a male teacher/basketball coach whose team is basically falling apart because of budget cuts at the school. Coaching basketball is his passion and he's super bummed that his team is dissolving. Because cross country isn't exactly the most popular sport in school*, the funding was still there for a cross country team.

*Side note: I think that one of the reasons cross country isn't very popular in high school is because it isn't really introduced until the high school level (or maybe middle school). When I was growing up, we didn't have a cross country team--in fact, they took away GYM class for several years because of budgets.

Instead, kids play other sports and they learn that running is used as a punishment. You missed that goal? Go run a lap! You're goofing off during practice? Go run 4 laps! And so on. There are some badass cross country t-shirts that say, "My sport is your sport's punishment", which I think is awesome, haha.

Anyway, by the time the kids even learn what cross country is, they've already established themselves into other sports. Cross country never stood a chance! (I honest-to-God never even knew what cross country was until I was in 10th grade.) And when I learned what it was, I thought you had to be skinny and fast to be on the team.

Maybe it's different depending on the school, but our schools don't have tryouts for cross country. You can be slow as molasses and still run on the team if you're willing to go to practice and do the work. As an overweight non-athlete when I was in school, I was too embarrassed and scared to try out for any sport at all. If I would have known that I didn't have to try out for cross country, who knows? Maybe I would have given it a shot.

But then I wouldn't be Runs for Cookies now ;)

Anyway, this is the whole reason that Renee and I started an elementary cross country team--so that kids can learn their options and see what they like before committing to a sport in high school. Even if they decide they don't like it, at least they will learn about it.

One of the things that I think should be pointed out for us introverts is that cross country is the perfect sport for us! Yes, we are part of a team, but running is mostly solo. You compete against yourself and you can run by yourself if you choose to. That is actually the reason that I chose running for exercise over the last 10 years rather than an exercise class or something more social.

After that loooong side note, I'll get back to the film.

This coach (I forget his name, so I'll just call him "Coach") is asked to coach cross country because basketball just isn't happening. He makes the cliché jokes about not running unless he's being chased, etc., but gets talked into doing it (very reluctantly).

When he goes to the first practice, there is only one girl who shows up for "tryouts". And she has asthma. So, Coach basically feels like it's hopeless and pointless to even coach a "team", but the principal insists. He times her first 5K run (at this point, I rolled my eyes hard at Jerry because they were making it sound like a 24:00 minute 5K was "not bad" to start. My FASTEST 5K was 24:04!

The girl on the team has a bit of a troubled home life (she lives with her grandmother who doesn't have much time for her); and she likes to steal things (probably as a way of coping with her feelings).

I can't write much more about the film because I don't want to spoil it (there is more to it than just the "coach trains girl who then goes on to win the state championships"-type of feel good story). But basically, the movie then goes on to show this girl (and the coach) overcoming obstacles as she trains for an important race.

In the end, the race has a bit of a twist to it to make it unique to any other running movie I've seen. I really enjoyed it!

I will point out that it is a Christian film, so references to God, faith, and prayer are included in the film; but I didn't think they were too overbearing. I just wanted to mention it in case you aren't into that.

Overall, I found the film to be inspiring, fun, and a tear-jerker all at once. So, if you're looking for some running inspiration or you just want to see a feel-good film, I think this one fits the bill!

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Finding My Running Mojo From an Unexpected Source

(While looking for a photo for this post, I came across this note that Jerry left me on a water bottle on my front porch. He used to get ice water ready for me when I was out running. I miss that!)

It's been just over two years since I decided to quit running. I wasn't sure if that change was going to be permanent or just for a little while, but I was happy with the choice at the time. And it made no difference in my weight. In fact, I lost weight--I went from 160-ish to 130-ish throughout 2017, simply from some lifestyle changes--doing what made me happy and not forcing myself to diet or exercise.

Toward the end of the year, though, I started to miss the way my body felt when I was a runner. There is something different about the way I move, my energy, my anxiety level, and even the way I breathe when I'm running regularly. Not to mention feeling in shape! After months of not running, I was getting "softer" each day.

Since then, I have made several attempts to get back to running regularly. I even trained for a half-marathon in 2018! (I did an 11-mile training run (doing all my training with Jerry, which was cool), but then didn't do the race itself--there was a crazy storm that morning, and I didn't have any desire to run in it.)

I ran a couple of times here and a few times there (maybe about 10 times in the last year?). I've just never stuck with it. It feels SO difficult getting started again. Even though I'm nearly 90 pounds less than I was 10 years ago, the running feels just as hard. That's why I haven't been following through.

When I wrote my post about my 10-year weight loss anniversary, I was actually inspired to go for a run. Looking through some of my running photos (maybe I'll do a post of my favorites soon), I had such a strong desire not just to look that way again, but to FEEL like that. To feel in great shape. And to call myself a runner.

So, that day, I ran. I ran on the treadmill, because for some reason, that is preferable to me at the moment. I started out at 5.0 mph, and after about 5 minutes, I decided that it was too fast. I thought of quitting, but then I decided to simply set my pace by my heart rate. The heart rate training I did for my fastest 10K was the best training I'd ever done, and I don't see any reason not to try it again, even though my goal is different.

My current MAF heart rate is 143 (180 minus my age--explained in the above link). That means that I'm supposed to keep my heart rate under 143 bpm for the duration of the run. That is what makes an "easy" run the actual easy pace that it should be. On that day, I had to lower my pace quite a bit--down to 4.1 at one point, which is slower than I can walk!

Anytime my heart rate got over 143 bpm (I checked it every 0.25 miles), then I would lower the speed. I finished the three miles and I felt really great, simply for the fact that I did it. And I didn't hate it! And I actually felt like maybe I could do it again.

It's been a week since then, and I've run three more times (well, four, actually, which I'll explain later):

My first run - (last Tuesday, the 20th)
Thursday, the 22nd
Saturday, the 24th
Monday, the 26th (once in the morning again in the evening; explanation below)

(The reason the first one, on the 20th, is the fastest is because I'd started at 5.0 mph instead of 4.5 mph)

Yesterday, at cross country practice, it was raining. A nice drizzle in the low-70 degree temps feels amazing for running! I did not cancel practice (I only cancel if there is lightening) and I had nearly the entire team show up.

I told them I wanted them to run the first two miles with no walking and no stopping--something that I've been pushing all summer. For some reason, the kids all think they need a water break after each 1/4 mile lap of the park, and I know they can ALL run a minimum of two miles without a break if they run at the pace I tell them (i.e. "easy").

Well, the whole team has gotten to the point where they can do it except for one boy, "L". He is a super sweet boy, but you can tell that he doesn't love running. He's a little overweight and has every excuse in the book why he can't run at practice that day. I never give in to his excuses, because I know what he's capable of.

Yesterday, I told him that if he can run the two miles without walking or stopping, then the ENTIRE TEAM will get 10 bonus points (for my points-reward system). I know that's a lot of pressure for a fourth grader who rarely does 1/4 mile without walking, but I wanted to give him some serious motivation to work hard on it.

And you know what? HE DID IT!!! I was SO proud of him I can't even describe it. He's been on the team for two years and I have never seen him so proud--it was written all over his face.

Meanwhile, I'd told my fastest runner, "A", that I wanted him to do three miles instead of two. We have a special goal for him. This is his third (and sadly, final) year on my team, and I'm desperate to help him reach his goal this year. "A" regularly comes in the top 10 of races, usually in the top 5. And it NEVER fails--there is one boy, "F" from another school, that places just seconds before "A" does. Every goddamn race!

This year, I want him to beat "F" so badly, and I want to push "A" at his practices to make it happen. He wants it, too, and his dad (also a runner) is a great motivator for him. Anyway, after "A" was done running his three miles, he wanted to stop. I reminded him of "F" and how "F" is probably running twice as far today ;)  He said he'd do another mile, and after one more lap 1/4 mile, he said forget it.

I was practically begging him to do another three laps to hit four miles, and he just didn't want to. Then I told him that if he did it, his totally out of shape coach would do it, too (even though he'd lap me at least once, haha). That was the final push for him. So, even though I'd already run that morning, I headed out in the rain to run (on the grass) for 3/4 of a mile in order to get "A" to finish his fourth mile. It was GREAT! And on my last lap, I asked all the kids to join me, so each of them got in another quarter mile.

Yesterday was my favorite practice of the year. I felt SO inspired by my team. There is "C" who is as quiet as a church mouse, and just as tiny, but super sweet and does whatever I ask of her. At the first practice, she had to take several walk breaks, but yesterday, she ran two miles non-stop, took a quick break, and then another full mile. She has the perfect running form, and I think she'll do great at cross country if she sticks with it.

There is a girl, "H", who is determined to be faster than "A" this year; and she has a good shot at it. She's fast and SUPER enthusiastic!

And I am crazy-impressed with a boy, "B", who is a newcomer this year. He actually signed up a little later than everyone else, so he was slightly behind in the beginning. He is a very sweet kid who loves to run and has an unstoppable determination. I am SO impressed with his time trial numbers. A time trial is a timed run that I like to do on the first day of practice (running their fastest mile) to compare later with other time trials and practices. It's a way of seeing improvement.

Anyway, "B"'s first time trial was 12:12. For a first-time runner, that's actually not too bad! I did another time trial four weeks later, and you know what his time was? 8:10!! He literally took over four full minutes off of his time. I would not be surprised at all if he becomes the fastest runner on the team.

This post is long. I basically wanted to write to say that I'm feeling super motivated right now to get back into running. I really hope it sticks (I'm trying not to look to far into the future) but my cross country kids inspire me so much! I can't even describe how proud I was of "L" yesterday. I think hitting that two-mile goal gave him some more confidence for the future.

As of right now, my goal is just to run three times a week for three miles each time at my MAF heart rate. I'd love to see it improve, and now that I'm feeling kind of enthusiastic about running again, I hope that I'm able to continue with it!

The reward system for the cross country team has been very helpful so far, so I am going to be completely shameless and post a link here to an Amazon Wish List just for my cross country kids. As you know, I buy the prizes out-of-pocket, and I wish I could buy more, but I can't afford my whole list, haha. So, if you feel inclined to donate any prizes for the team, the list is in the above link (hopefully that works--I've never linked to a list before).

The kids especially love novelty running socks (particularly with food or animals on them). The socks just need to be made of spandex and/or polyester (no cotton) so that they are moisture wicking. I just added some headbands for both the boys and the girls, which I think will be popular as well.

Anyway, I feel guilty for even posting the link, but because the items are for the kids and not myself, I hope it's not too shameful to ask. I have SO MUCH APPRECIATED the used Garmins that some of you have sent. The kids are learning how useful they can be, and they love hearing the beep! after each mile. Also, I don't have to hear them ask, "How much farther?" 18,000 times, hahaha.

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