I've decided I'm going to start a new monthly list of goals on my blog. Maybe this will help me to branch out from my normal routine and accomplish some of the things that I always intend to do but never actually get around to. So September will be the first month!
1. Read 2 books
2. Cook one new recipe each week
3. Have a quiet time every day
4. Run a 5K
5. Send 2 "Thinking of You" cards randomly
6. Blog at least twice per week- even if I still only have 2 readers =)
7. Get crafty with at least one craft
I think this should be enough to keep me busy this month! Wish me luck!
-Geneva
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Pickling
Last week Cody brought home some cucumbers from work. I don’t like cucumbers so it was definitely up to him to eat them all. I love the smell but not the taste. After a few days of not eating them he decided he probably wouldn't anytime soon so rather than letting them go bad, we decided to pickle them!
I don’t know the first thing about pickling ANYTHING so I did what anyone else would do…..asked my Facebook friends! I went to Facebook and asked if anyone knew how to make pickles. It seems like everyone I asked knows someone who knows how but nobody actually knows how themselves. However, my trusty hairstylist, Cara Beth, came through for me and called her grandmother to get me her recipe.
I went and bought all the supplies, including the cute little jars with red and white lids, and got to work last night. Since my jars were short I ended up slicing them all into dill chip size and doing it that way. Now they’re just sitting and waiting to be eaten. I’m not really sure how long that will be though….I forgot to ask that question. =/ Maybe I’ll have to ask Cha Cha! The answer to that one.
I’ll keep you posted on how they taste and if they are yummy, I'll get permission to post her recipe for the 3 people who read this blog. =)
-Geneva
I don’t know the first thing about pickling ANYTHING so I did what anyone else would do…..asked my Facebook friends! I went to Facebook and asked if anyone knew how to make pickles. It seems like everyone I asked knows someone who knows how but nobody actually knows how themselves. However, my trusty hairstylist, Cara Beth, came through for me and called her grandmother to get me her recipe.
I went and bought all the supplies, including the cute little jars with red and white lids, and got to work last night. Since my jars were short I ended up slicing them all into dill chip size and doing it that way. Now they’re just sitting and waiting to be eaten. I’m not really sure how long that will be though….I forgot to ask that question. =/ Maybe I’ll have to ask Cha Cha! The answer to that one.
I’ll keep you posted on how they taste and if they are yummy, I'll get permission to post her recipe for the 3 people who read this blog. =)
-Geneva
Friday, August 19, 2011
Spaghetti legs!
Well I made it through Week 5 of Couch to 5K and I’m so excited to say I feel like I’m really making progress! Day 1 wasn’t horrible since I had done 5 minute runs several times before.
Day 2 was a little more challenging. I did the first 8 minute interval without stopping at all. There was a huge mental battle going on between stopping to walk and keeping on with the run. Fortunately, the running side won and I finished! Then the second 8 minute interval was a little more challenging. I made it most of the way through and that horrible hill was staring me in the face again about 4 minutes into it. I ran halfway up and couldn’t make the rest so I paused the workout for 30 seconds and made it up the hill. I restarted and finished strong.
For Day 3 I decided it was time to join the gym. The weather has been so wishy washy between rain and horrible heat/humidity that it felt right. I felt confident and finished the 20 minute run on the treadmill without any problems at all. I think the air conditioner and the treadmill made it a lot easier than running outside but that’s ok. I can slowly build up to the longer runs in the elements as time goes on.
I had every intention on starting Week 6 yesterday but that didn’t go as planned. See, when I joined the gym I didn’t realize that you get a free personal training session. I may have read that but thought I had to ask for it and certainly wasn’t going to do that. I got a call on Wednesday from the trainer wanting to set up the appointment so I thought “why not!?” I was set to meet the trainer yesterday at 6:15. I thought surely there would be a cardio warm-up and I could get my run in before the training session. I was WRONG!
The trainer made it pretty clear he’s not a fan of running so we didn’t do any type of cardio at all. It was all strength training. I haven’t done any type of strength exercises in a LONG time so it felt like my muscles were yelling at me! We did about 30 minutes worth of exercises and I literally felt like a big string of spaghetti when I left. I didn’t do my run at all and just went home. I’m still pretty sore today.
I agree with the advice that strength training is very important and have every intention of incorporating some of that into my workouts now that I have the gym membership. However, I will continue with my runs because honestly, that’s the only thing I have really stuck with for any extended period of time and I don’t have any intention of stopping now.
I’ll tell you about the yummy meal I made when I got home in a later post. =)
-Geneva
Day 2 was a little more challenging. I did the first 8 minute interval without stopping at all. There was a huge mental battle going on between stopping to walk and keeping on with the run. Fortunately, the running side won and I finished! Then the second 8 minute interval was a little more challenging. I made it most of the way through and that horrible hill was staring me in the face again about 4 minutes into it. I ran halfway up and couldn’t make the rest so I paused the workout for 30 seconds and made it up the hill. I restarted and finished strong.
For Day 3 I decided it was time to join the gym. The weather has been so wishy washy between rain and horrible heat/humidity that it felt right. I felt confident and finished the 20 minute run on the treadmill without any problems at all. I think the air conditioner and the treadmill made it a lot easier than running outside but that’s ok. I can slowly build up to the longer runs in the elements as time goes on.
I had every intention on starting Week 6 yesterday but that didn’t go as planned. See, when I joined the gym I didn’t realize that you get a free personal training session. I may have read that but thought I had to ask for it and certainly wasn’t going to do that. I got a call on Wednesday from the trainer wanting to set up the appointment so I thought “why not!?” I was set to meet the trainer yesterday at 6:15. I thought surely there would be a cardio warm-up and I could get my run in before the training session. I was WRONG!
The trainer made it pretty clear he’s not a fan of running so we didn’t do any type of cardio at all. It was all strength training. I haven’t done any type of strength exercises in a LONG time so it felt like my muscles were yelling at me! We did about 30 minutes worth of exercises and I literally felt like a big string of spaghetti when I left. I didn’t do my run at all and just went home. I’m still pretty sore today.
I agree with the advice that strength training is very important and have every intention of incorporating some of that into my workouts now that I have the gym membership. However, I will continue with my runs because honestly, that’s the only thing I have really stuck with for any extended period of time and I don’t have any intention of stopping now.
I’ll tell you about the yummy meal I made when I got home in a later post. =)
-Geneva
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Couponing!
I may have mentioned before but I've really tried to get into the "Extreme Couponing" in the past few months. I don't consider myself extreme by any means but I do make a genuine effort to save us money. I've been doing pretty well so far but today was my best trip yet!
I went to Walgreens (they are always really helpful!) and ended up having 4 different transactions. Here are the specs:
1 12pk of Cottonelle toilet paper
1 6pk of Scott Naturals paper towels
6 containers of Lysol wipes
3 bottles of Purex laundry detergent
Herbal Essence shampoo and conditioner
2 packages of plastic forks, spoons, and knives
All for a total of 23.82! I saved 40.01! I'm pretty stocked up on some of our household essentials.
That's my brag for the day.
-Geneva
I went to Walgreens (they are always really helpful!) and ended up having 4 different transactions. Here are the specs:
1 12pk of Cottonelle toilet paper
1 6pk of Scott Naturals paper towels
6 containers of Lysol wipes
3 bottles of Purex laundry detergent
Herbal Essence shampoo and conditioner
2 packages of plastic forks, spoons, and knives
All for a total of 23.82! I saved 40.01! I'm pretty stocked up on some of our household essentials.
That's my brag for the day.
-Geneva
Monday, August 8, 2011
C25K Updates!
I’m excited to report that after some struggles, I finished week 4 of my Couch to 5K program! It was hard, definitely hard. I did day 1 on a treadmill (the 114 degree heat wasn’t appealing to me) and it was great. I felt great and even felt like I could keep running longer that I was supposed to but I went with the program’s timing anyway.
Day 2 came around on Friday night. I went around 7:45 and it was still a chilly 94 degrees outside even though the sun was setting! I went ahead and went anyway. I decided to stick with my original run down Breckenridge and back. This is a rather hilly route but I had hoped my timing would work out where I was walking up the hills and running down them. That worked out almost the whole time. Then….it didn’t. My last 5 minute run interval was straight up the hardest hill. I couldn’t do it. I had 2 minutes left but I stopped. This was the most disappointing part of the entire program to date. I had done so well for the past 3 weeks.
On day 3 I pumped myself up and went early before church. The weather started out around 88 degrees and I finished at around 91. It did make a bit of a difference in how I felt doing it. NO CHEATING this time! I was sooo excited. I ran a total of 16 minutes and even though that may not seem like a lot and it was broken into 3 and 5 minute intervals, I was so excited! Every week accomplished makes me even more proud of myself.
Then I looked ahead to week 5. Big mistake! I should have just looked ahead one day but that’s not how my brain operates. As with everything else in my life, I look ahead and plan and plan and plan again. This was no different. Week 5, Day 1 seemed do-able. Run 5, walk 3 and continue for the 20 minute run. Day 2 is a little harder- run 8, walk 5, run 8. But day 3 is a solid 20 minute run! No walking!! I’m pretty terrified but hoping that I can do it and determined that even if it takes me 5 tries, I will finish it.
In church on Sunday our pastor went back to some very basics that I absolutely needed to hear. God loves me. God loves me no matter what. He created me just the way I am. He knew I wasn’t going to be a runner. He knew it wasn’t going to come natural to me. He knew I would struggle and my motivation would be like riding a roller coaster. And although I am my own worst critic and master at self comparison, I need to remember that God loves me anyway. He doesn’t compare me and he doesn’t criticize me. He loves me and he loves you too.
I’ll keep you posted!
-Geneva
Day 2 came around on Friday night. I went around 7:45 and it was still a chilly 94 degrees outside even though the sun was setting! I went ahead and went anyway. I decided to stick with my original run down Breckenridge and back. This is a rather hilly route but I had hoped my timing would work out where I was walking up the hills and running down them. That worked out almost the whole time. Then….it didn’t. My last 5 minute run interval was straight up the hardest hill. I couldn’t do it. I had 2 minutes left but I stopped. This was the most disappointing part of the entire program to date. I had done so well for the past 3 weeks.
On day 3 I pumped myself up and went early before church. The weather started out around 88 degrees and I finished at around 91. It did make a bit of a difference in how I felt doing it. NO CHEATING this time! I was sooo excited. I ran a total of 16 minutes and even though that may not seem like a lot and it was broken into 3 and 5 minute intervals, I was so excited! Every week accomplished makes me even more proud of myself.
Then I looked ahead to week 5. Big mistake! I should have just looked ahead one day but that’s not how my brain operates. As with everything else in my life, I look ahead and plan and plan and plan again. This was no different. Week 5, Day 1 seemed do-able. Run 5, walk 3 and continue for the 20 minute run. Day 2 is a little harder- run 8, walk 5, run 8. But day 3 is a solid 20 minute run! No walking!! I’m pretty terrified but hoping that I can do it and determined that even if it takes me 5 tries, I will finish it.
In church on Sunday our pastor went back to some very basics that I absolutely needed to hear. God loves me. God loves me no matter what. He created me just the way I am. He knew I wasn’t going to be a runner. He knew it wasn’t going to come natural to me. He knew I would struggle and my motivation would be like riding a roller coaster. And although I am my own worst critic and master at self comparison, I need to remember that God loves me anyway. He doesn’t compare me and he doesn’t criticize me. He loves me and he loves you too.
I’ll keep you posted!
-Geneva
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Only Me
Holy Moly as if I don't have enough of those "only me" moments in my life, another one crept up on me yesterday too. It all started at lunch when my coworker, Gigi, and I decided to go to Walgreens and get some sweet coupon deals (Yes, I want to be an extreme couponer....at age 24). We went to the Walgreens closest to my house so when we finished, it only made sense to swing by and drop off my $16.83 worth of stuff. I went home, dropped of my stuff, and locked the door behind me.
Now move to 4:30. I get up,clean off somewhat arrange things on my desk and grab my purse to leave. As I do everyday I dug around in my purse looking for my keys before I head out to the parking deck. They're not there! They're not ANYWHERE! Turns out, they accidentally fell out of my lap and into her floorboard. Now normally this wouldn't be a big deal but this happens to be the coworker that left already and lives in Conway. Oooops!
Jamie to the rescue! I called my bestie since my hubby was working and she came to get me around 5:15. She drove me to my house to change clothes, back to her apartment to run on her treadmill (more on that later) and then back to my house last night. And she's so sweet she even picked me up for work today.
This kind of thing happens to ONLY ME! I've come to grips with the fact that this is the kind of thing that keeps me guessing and on my toes with my life. There's never a dull moment, I like it that way. =)
Geneva
Now move to 4:30. I get up,
Jamie to the rescue! I called my bestie since my hubby was working and she came to get me around 5:15. She drove me to my house to change clothes, back to her apartment to run on her treadmill (more on that later) and then back to my house last night. And she's so sweet she even picked me up for work today.
This kind of thing happens to ONLY ME! I've come to grips with the fact that this is the kind of thing that keeps me guessing and on my toes with my life. There's never a dull moment, I like it that way. =)
Geneva
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
My First Post!
Hey! I tried this blogging thing a while ago and it didn't last long because I felt like I never had anything interesting enough to share with the world. Well since then I've come to the realization that I am perfectly OK with my sometimes crazy, most-of-the-time NOT crazy life. That being said, I've decided to give this thing a try again.
I'll start by filling you (the one or two readers I might have!) in on the most recent events in my life. My most exciting event is that I've decided to tain for and run a 5K race. I've always really wanted to be a runner and said "I'm going to run a 5K one day." Guess what....today is ONE DAY!
I started using the Couch to 5K app on my iPhone and it's been AH-MAZING! It's an interval running type of training program and it starts off very simple. The first week started with a 1 minute run and alternating walking time. I just started week 4 now and I ran for 5 straight minutes today! That might not seem like a lot to some people but for me it's a huge accomplishment.
Since I started running I've also been much more interested in eating healthy. This week I found a great enchiladas recipe and Cody executed it. It was super yummy! Since then I've been looking for more healthy eating blogs so if you know of any great ones, PLEASE comment and send me the link. =)
Well if I have anyone who has actually made it to the end of this blog then I say Thank You!! See you soon blog world!
Geneva
I'll start by filling you (the one or two readers I might have!) in on the most recent events in my life. My most exciting event is that I've decided to tain for and run a 5K race. I've always really wanted to be a runner and said "I'm going to run a 5K one day." Guess what....today is ONE DAY!
I started using the Couch to 5K app on my iPhone and it's been AH-MAZING! It's an interval running type of training program and it starts off very simple. The first week started with a 1 minute run and alternating walking time. I just started week 4 now and I ran for 5 straight minutes today! That might not seem like a lot to some people but for me it's a huge accomplishment.
Since I started running I've also been much more interested in eating healthy. This week I found a great enchiladas recipe and Cody executed it. It was super yummy! Since then I've been looking for more healthy eating blogs so if you know of any great ones, PLEASE comment and send me the link. =)
Well if I have anyone who has actually made it to the end of this blog then I say Thank You!! See you soon blog world!
Geneva
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
