June 2011

Help!  My butt is glued to the couch. I’m having one of those “I KNOW I should be training for my upcoming triathlon” moments but I seriously cannot motivate myself to move.  It’s been a lazy week.  Lazy weeks are fine, of course, but the trouble is my mind is saying YES and my butt [...]

Happy Father’s Day to DadHTP.  I can credit my father with:   My political views (thanks for brainwashing me as a child, Dad!) My love for racing, especially for cycling. My facial structure.  I am the spitting image of my father. My obsession with sci-fi and fantasy movies and shows (anyone else watch Highlander in [...]

Saturday started off with a whimper… We got some bad news on the house we’re under contract for, and the only thing that made me feel better was snoozing in bed.    I had a strange feeling something was wrong with the house (trust your gut!), so we opted for a second specialized inspection and [...]

Name: Nicole (Mrs. Muffins) Location: Ohio Age: 24 Race: 4Life April Fool's 5k Personal Tidbit: Mommy and Marine wife! Oorah! In Her Own Words:   “I can’t run,” I used to say. I’ve always loved to exercise but anytime I tried to run, it hurt and it was hard and I would quit. Even being [...]

I cannot believe how many people are involved in buying a house!  I guess it’s one of those things that you just don’t fully understand until you go through it.  There are realtors, lawyers, paralegals, inspectors, brokers… Whew.   But I’m learning a lot from all these professionals, which is fun!  I want to know everything [...]

Morning!  The Husband and I worked really late at the clinic, so I took the night off and shopped online for a new backsplash.   And today, we got up early to deal with some closing issues.  We have a meeting with the bank and another inspection.  Whew.  Buying a house involves a lot more than [...]

This post is part of a new series called “Prepping…”  I plan to do some more simple how-to posts featuring fun ingredients and cooking techniques.  Next up: Prepping Baked Tofu and Prepping Quinoa.  If you have any requests, feel free to holler.   This is how I prep millet. Millet is technically a seed (thus, [...]

Take a glance at my Race Recaps page, and it’s instantly obvious that I love to race.   If you’re thinking, “But I’m not good enough to race!” STOP!  You are good enough to race.  You don’t have to win.  I’m not the fastest girl in the pack, or the strongest swimmer, and I’m certainly not [...]

Sometimes, I sit down to write a post and all I can think is – that was a completely random day.  Today was one of those days!   The afternoon started off with a very long and involved home inspection.  With the exception of a few small things, everything checked out.  Next up: the MOLD [...]

Happy birthday to my sister-in-law, Sophie.  We Skyped this morning while she opened her present.  We got her a fancy sewing machine! Isn’t technology fun?   Mid-morning snack of some dried bananas: And lunch was a quinoa mess.  I’m really loving these veggies-and-grain mixtures lately, especially since I’m trying to cut back on gluten.  Plus, [...]

Summer means smoothies!  But not icy, chunky smoothies – yuck!  So, what’s the secret to creamy smoothies? Hint: it’s definitely not about the blender!  Sure, those $500 Vitamixs are nice, but they aren’t necessary.  The $50 blender I stole from my ex-boyfriend in our epic break-up 8 years ago works just fine, thankyouverymuch.  He might [...]

Sunday seems so long ago – but my muscles certainly remember I ran a sprint triathlon two days ago!  I’m still achy and sore.  I think the bike did me in.  I decided to swim it loose by hitting the gym for a light 20-minute freestyle.  Usually, it’s better to rest; but occasionally, it helps [...]

Another day, another pile of work to be tackled! It’s funny where life takes you – I really never imagined myself moonlighting as a secretary at an acupuncture clinic while writing a book.  But it works for us.    Plus, he looks cute in a lab coat. Lunch was eaten at the desk; we have [...]