Everything is Better With Sun...and a Funeral

After my race in Moab, I sort of swore off running.  I've had enough.  I don't ever want to run on a treadmill or listen to my shuffle again!  Music is a big part of the race for me.  A song that is fast pace and that I like gives me the mental capability to keep going.  It sounds so silly, but it is so true.  

So I took a couple days off from the gym.  I have been only 3 times this week.  On 2 of those days I did weight lifting classes.  On the other, we just did bikes and walked.  It has been nice.  I have only run 1 mile.  And tomorrow, no big run for me!  I am going to take it easy (well, not really since I come from a big family and tomorrow is the baptism and we will have lots of people we love here).  I don't have to put in any mileage, it will be nice! 

And since the race, I have not listened to my ipod.  I really don't want to hear those "running" songs again.  It is to early.  Or so I thought...

I am driving this week in our carpool.  Every morning, I have driven the kids to school in the snow.  It has been depressing.  Except for today.  Even though it is FREEZING out there, the sky is blue and the sun is shining!  Hallelujah!  So on the way home from school, one of my running songs came on the radio.  I turned up the volume.  I wanted to be outside running.  It looked so pretty.  I think I am addicted.  I will probably run some more.  And I am kind of excited about it.  

Now for the funeral part.  My gym buddy is going on a cruise.  Isn't she lucky?  I think so.  In an effort for her to be ready for her bikini;) we joined weight watchers.  When she picked me up, I told her it felt like we were going to a funeral (I was even wearing black).  My love affair with food is going to have to die!  I mourned this death by eating chocolate chip cookies when I got home.  They were hot and they were good!  Oh it is sad, but it will be good.

I Can't Stop Eating These!

Have you tried these?  They are super yummy!  My kids got some from grandma and now I can't stop eating them.  They are so darn good!  The older I get, the more I realize Easter is all about candy.  Well, you know, I mean Easter according to the world.  I have been unsuccessful in getting my children to believe in the Easter bunny.  Who invented that anyways?  It is kind of creepy!  And while I think Easter Egg hunts are fun, they don't relate to Easter at all.  Bunny's don't lay eggs do they?  But the candy!  Oh the candy is sooo good!  Coupled with my dinner from Taco Time (don't you just love that place as well?)  it is a bad week for me!

Baptism Prep 101

The first thought that went through my head this morning was, "What do I have to do today?  I hope I can get a nap in."  The fact that the snow is really coming down outside is not helping either.  I hope this day does not drag on! 

Yesterday a member of the primary presidency came by to go over some stuff for the twins' upcoming baptisms.  She shared with them a cute acronym, K.A.T.  It is to help them remember their baptismal covenant.  Keep the commandments, Always remember Him, and Take His name upon you.   Before she told them what each letter stood for, she asked what they thought it might be.  Jacob totally jumped in and said, "To stretch out like a cat and get your claws ready!"  He was totally serious, it was hilarious.  She explained what the K stood for and then asked what the A might stand for.  Jacob replied, "appetite?"  Again, I had to laugh.  She gave them their clothing and went over a few things to remember.  After she explained it all, Jacob added, "and don't come out naked!"  Those boys keep me laughing. 

Last week they attended their first pack meeting.  And they got to do flag ceremony.  It was a pretty big deal.  Later when grandma asked David about it he said, "It was so embarrassing!  We didn't even have our patches sewn on!"  

It's Hard to Believe...

It's hard to believe that I got a sunburn this weekend.  My lips are still chappy and my shoulders are red.  Now it is snowing.  A lot.  That is a Utah spring for you.  

It's hard to believe that I ran 13 miles again.  It is a long way.  And it is hard to believe I actually liked it the first time.  Now I am not so sure.  As I crossed the finish line, I asked my friend, "why do we do this?"  Because I am starting to wonder.  It was a hard race.  Although we wanted some warm weather, it was a little too warm for me.  Of course starting at 10:00am didn't help either.  

But it is not hard to believe that we had a great weekend.  Great scenery, great friends, great food, great times.  It was the best!

I Started Running Because I Wanted to be Skinny...

Last year I had a wild and crazy idea to run a half marathon.  When I started training, I said to my friend, "Just think, by the time this is over, we are going to be so skinny!"  Because everyone I know that runs is skinny.  Well I have since learned that running does not make me skinny.  I wish it did.  That would be great and I would be so skinny.  If anything, running makes me put on weight.  So far I have learned that there really is no easy way to be skinny.  For me, I just have to quit eating so much.  And that apparently is harder than running a half marathon.  

My second half marathon is coming up.  I am excited and nervous.  It is exciting because I am not injured or suffering from a lot of pain.  I hope it stays that way.  I think training on a treadmill has actually been to my advantage.  I am nervous because it is just scary to think of what is ahead.  It should be a great time.  

So even though running is not making me skinny, it is still worth it.  There is nothing better than finishing a long distance.  You feel so powerful and accomplished.  It is the best.  I can't wait!

*I am not fishing for compliments.  I realize I may not qualify for "The Biggest Loser", but I would still like to weigh about 20 lbs less.

My Grandma's Bread

My grandma used to make bread.  I am sure she never bought bread.  She was always making bread when we would visit.  She lived far enough away that our visits would last for at least 2 days.  So we always got to witness her making bread or at least that is how I remember it.  My grandma lived through the depression and she was not one to waste.  So after she made her bread, she would open her drawer of baggies (that were used, she washed and dryed them), and bag up her bread.  I never saw a new bag or ziploc at her house, ever.  She is old enough now that she cannot live on her own and she doesn't make bread anymore.  She lived a frugal life, saving every penny she could along the way.  

These tough times make me think of my grandma.  She made a lot of sacrifices and learned not to waste and to be frugal.  She really exemplified that saying, "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without!"  I say tough times, but really they aren't that tough.  People before us have gone through much more.  My grandma was one of them.  

Sometimes when I am running, I think of the pioneers.  I imagine them looking down on all the people running around for exercise and thinking, "Those people are totally crazy!  Running for fun?  What kind of world is this?"  They probably never had enough food to be obese and they "walked, and walked, and walked," and never had the need for extra physical activity.  Not to mention the family, lands, homes, farms, etc, that they left behind to follow the prophet.  They were hard working people who loved the Lord.  

There has always been tragedy in the world.  There has always been sacrifice.  But there has also always been joy.   Sometimes we let the "tough times" get in the way, but they shouldn't.  I think we all could use more joy and happiness in our lives.  Sometimes I find happiness in buying new things (Yes, it is true.  New things do make me happy).  I hope I can find more happiness in my life.  The kind of happiness that doesn't have to come through "things".  Because really they are just things.  My grandma's bread wouldn't have tasted any better if she would have had new baggies to put it in.  

*FYI the recipe winner was chosen randomly.  I asked my husband to pick a number between 1 and 15.  He said 9 and then Amy won.  And I don't have the recipe for my grandma's bread, although I should, it is very good.  

Drum Roll.....

And the winner is #9.....Miss Amy Barton!!!  You will have to email me (lara.langston@gmail.com) your address and I promise to send you a super cute recipe book (hopefully before the month is over).  I hope it does not disappoint.  It will be full of our favorites.  Only the recipes we love and use over and over again.  As for the rest of you, I can email you the recipes and you can print them off yourselves if you are interested.  Happy Monday!

I Feel Old

The twins are 8 today....I feel old today.  Time goes by just as fast as everyone says.  Kirk bought them BB guns and I bought them clothes:)  They both really wanted some sport related clothing.  David loves BYU and Jacob likes U of U.  I admit, I couldn't buy U of U stuff.  I know it's silly, but I couldn't do it.  They each have a little money, so we will shop later and they can buy whatever they want.  I am hoping Jacob finds something he likes better:)  Man, I love those twins, they are the best!

Happy Birthday Blog!

It has been one year today since I started blogging.  I had no idea how much I would enjoy it.  As Kirk and I lay in bed laughing about the days' happenings he even said, "that's the great thing about your blog, you write it all down."  And it is true.  I am so glad to have my blog.  

So in honor of the one year anniversary I thought about doing a giveaway.  I don't really have many talents.  But I do posses a lot of great recipes.  So leave a comment and one winner will be chosen randomly.  And you will win a collection of our family's favorite recipes.  They will be more family and ingredient friendly than gourmet.  And they may or may not be done before the month is over.  I will announce the winner on Monday.  But for now, here is a link for a free roast beef sandwich at Arby's.  

Something's Fishy

Lately one of our favorite dinners has been baked salmon and roasted potatoes.  It is easy and the last time we had it, the kids gobbled it up.  There weren't even any left overs.  I remember hearing how you have to expose your kids to something new about 3 times before they will like it or acquire a taste for it.  After our last salmon dinner I thought, "Wow!  It's really true, now they all like salmon."  

Well, I was wrong.  We had salmon, green beans, and roasted potatoes last night for dinner.  David and Jacob were not happy about this.  Ethan and Tyler gobbled theirs up and asked for seconds.  David finished off his vegetables first and slowly got through the salmon.  Jacob just quit.  I told him to leave his plate out because I wanted him to finish his fish.  He would leave for a few minutes and come back.  However he was not making much progress.  Until he picked up his plate and went to the bathroom.  Then he reappeared all happy saying he was done.  I knew better.  I told him that if I went in there and found it in the garbage, he was going to be in big trouble.  He insisted it was not in the garbage, but I could tell he knew he had been caught.  So I asked if he flushed it down the toilet.  Which he admitted to, with tears welling up in his eyes.  Trying to keep a straight face, both Kirk and I got after him for lying.  He was devastated.  I had to try so hard not to laugh.  

I told Jacob that parents have special powers to know when their kids lie.  And I know he totally believed me.  I love that about Jacob and David, they are so trusting and sweet.  And they always feel sooo bad when they do something wrong.  It is just they way they are.  I feel so lucky to have such special spirits in my home.  And I have really learned to appreciate these qualities because not all of my children are this way.  Anyway, we laughed a lot last night as we thought about Jacob and his fish.  

Little Friends

Today my boys all had friends over and I heard and saw some funny things I didn't want to forget. The first was when one of them said (in all seriousness), "My mom says when we start to drive you crazy to call her and she will come get us." The next was when Tyler's little friend went to leave. She paused at the door and said, "Tyler, I love you." To which he replied, "Love you too, now go home." And the last thing happened as I was preparing dinner. All of the kids were in the basement playing. One of them came upstairs and proceeded to raid my cupboards looking for a snack. I am glad he feels so comfortable in our house. Kids are the best!

Oops! We did it again!

Yes, we forgot about the time change come Sunday morning. Kirk was the one who discovered this. He quickly returned from his early morning meetings (which he had already missed), with an urgent look on his face, "We forgot to turn back our clocks!"

"oh crap!"

We rushed to get the kids ready and then I stayed behind to dry my hair. Last time we did this, I thought for sure it would never happen again.

I Don't Even Know How to Play

It all started when David got a chess game for his DS.  The boys became more interested in chess and Kirk has taught them all.  Tyler can set up the board, but has his own rules.  The rest of them are pretty good.  I wouldn't know because I don't even know how to play.  

A couple of weeks ago the boys brought home a paper from school advertising a chess tournament.  They all wanted to do it, so we signed them up.  We didn't know what we were getting into.  I had no idea there were so many little kids who were so good at chess.  Probably about half of the players in their group had ratings or scores.  About 1/4 of them could speak another language besides English.  And the parents, well some of them were just as intense.  

Overall it was a great experience for the boys.  

They played a total of 5 different times and they all won some and lost some.  It was fun, they each got a medal.  It took most of our day, but it was a fun time.  

Later that night we did a little family work out.  I wish I had pictures of that.  It was pretty darn funny.  My boys put on their basketball shorts sans shirts.  It was a wild time in the basement complete with fun music and lots of movement.  The boys can't wait to do it again.  My brother recently reminded me that when we were little we had this record.  

It was called "Mousercise" (my mom was really into jazzercise).  Anyway, it was this record that came with a booklet and had little exercises to do.  It was Mickey Mouse and other disney characters.  We used to love that thing.      

A Bar of Soap

It was one of those days.  One of those days where we were all an hour or two short on our sleep.  A recipe for disaster.  Ethan successfully managed to argue with everyone that day.  But then his dad came home.  We were all happy.  The boys had been out playing basketball and wanted their dad to come out and watch.  Kirk grabbed the camera and followed them out.  Later I heard Ethan.  He was yelling and screaming.  This is not uncommon when he is short on sleep and things don't go his way.  He is loud and can really loose it.  And by loose it I mean he is usually crying, yelling, veins are popping out on his neck, and he is mad!  This is what happened last night.  He was mad because he thought David had double-dribbled during his last basket which meant David won.  Ethan didn't think it should count because of the double-dribble.  Well, Kirk saw what happened and told Ethan there was no double-dribble.  He had even recorded the whole thing.  Nothing could convince Ethan otherwise though.  He had already lost it and had to carry out the destruction.  He said some pretty nasty things to his dad.  I told Kirk to get a bar of soap and wash his mouth out.  So he did.  Ethan was still irate.  He later took it out on me and so I told him to watch it, or he would get the soap again.  At this point the corners of his mouth turned up and he gave me a wicked little smile.  But he did not let up and got the soap again.  But when he smiled at me I realized something.  He had made his stance and nothing we said or did was going to change that.  He would continue to think whatever he wanted regardless.  It reminded me of someone.  I may or may not have been like this as a kid.   

Why I Really Like 'The Bachelor'....

Well, it ended last night.  And it ended with a pretty dumb episode.  Mostly just a repeat.  But at least at this point they are still together.  There is something exciting about watching two people fall in love.  You can see it in their eyes.  You can almost feel it when they kiss.  And the beauty of "reality" tv is that they make you feel like it is real.  And I suppose sometimes it is.  And that is just it.  I see those people falling in love and their excitement is contagious.  I remember that I used to get butterflies because of my husband.  I remember how exciting and fun it was and still is when I put forth the energy and time.  And so after watching 'The Bachelor' I want to see my husband.  I want to look at him with the same eyes as when we were falling in love.  And then I want to kiss him.  And then...(dot, dot, dot).  

Love This/Hate This

Love these! They are super yummy!

801-***-****
Hate this! I can't tell you have many times I have had to redial my phone numbers in the past couple of days.

A Bad Hair Day

Ok, let's start off with the Bachelor. It was awesome! First of all that whole Deanna thing was sooooo scripted and awkward. Weird! Didn't you just love how when Jason goes to break up with Melissa, Chris (the host), stands up and leaves in order to give them some space! What space? The rest of America is watching on! I laughed out loud when she swore at him under her breath. But I do have to say, she really seemed to have a great attitude while the cameras rolled in the limo. And the best part? What happened to Molly's hair when she came back? Did they just pull her out of bed? It is bad enough to have all things private and personal on air for the world to see, but wouldn't you at least do your hair? And come on, after all of that, do you really think she would be so eager to take him back? Another episode tonight? Sweet, can't wait!

The girl who does my hair is wonderful. She lives close by and has a little salon in her basement. She had a baby and took off some time. Too much time for my hair. I thought I could make it, but I couldn't. After several bad hair days and many more gray hairs, I went somewhere else. Somewhere new. It is always scary. Since we are going into spring, I thought I would lighten a little. Well folks, I got lightened a lot. Whenever I get my hair colored, it always looks fine in their light. Then I come home and look in my mirror under my lights and I want to put a bag over my head. Oh well. It is a lot lighter. But I will get used to it. I usually do.

My coupon/bargain grocery shopping has been going well. And it has been super easy. I can't believe how easy. I am really enjoying it. My boys all need new shoes. I wish there were some coupons for those. I have learned to stay away from Payless. My boys are too hard on shoes. I end up paying a little more, but they last a LOT longer. It saves in the long run. Although they think their Shaquil O'Neil basketball shoes from Payless are the bomb. I think so too! They don't wear those enough to wear them out and that is what Payless is really good for, right?

I was tagged to post the fourth photo from my fourth folder. Well I am embarrassed to say that since I have had this computer, I still have not transferred everything over. I really need some lessons. I know this mac has possibilities that I do not even know about. Anyone want to teach me? For now, here is my fourth picture. It is Tyler at the airport on our way to Hawaii.